Blondes Do Have MORE Fun!

Please excuse the poor photo quality in the 'before' photo. This mama was in a rush to make her hair appointment on time!

I've had highlighted hair FOREVER...

Last September I decided that I wanted a change and had the brilliant idea to dye my hair red.

Everyone warned me that red is a difficult color to maintain.

Did I listen?

Of course not!

So after almost a year of being a brunet, I was feeling the need to go back to blonde.

Boy, am I glad I did.

In my opinion, being blonde is more fun!

Everyone have a great weekend!!

P.S-I've been patiently waiting to find out what my birthday surprise is from my hubby, so stay tuned!

Potty Training Tips

Yes, it's that lovely time in our house again. Jaylie turned 2 in May, and this Mama is tired of changing and buying diapers! I potty trained Jenna fairly quick, but that was after the second go-around. I've found that when a kid is not ready, there is no use in forcing them to do something they don't want to. So....I bought all of the Dora and Princess panties I could find, a cute little potty, and 2 giant bags of M&M's. Next week we are gonna get down to business. School starts and we need to get back in routine. Here are some cute ideas that I found for bribing teaching your little ones to be diaper free!

Source: littlelucylu.com via Ashley on Pinterest



Maybe a little sweet convincing....

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Kammy on Pinterest



Or perhaps reading up on the "subject".....

Source: thehandmadehome.net via Jessica on Pinterest



And there is always the good ol' Potty Chart. Once that baby is filled up....then its time to....

POOTTAAYY!!!


Not funny, Ok.

You can do it Jaylie Bug!!

Weekend Recap and Big Reveal!!!

Hello!! If you are reading this then you've probably noticed my new blog design! I am beyond thrilled with the way it turned out. I had a very specific vision of how I wanted things to look, and Smitten Blog Design was able to bring my vision to life. I have officially checked another thing off of my bucket list!!

This past weekend was pretty busy! On Friday I took the girls to Tanaka farm to go watermelon picking. We had such a great time. I had never  heard of the place before then. I recently joined a moms group {another check off of my list! LOL} and this was the outing for the week. It was great to get out of the house and meet new Mamas. I love finding outings where both the kids and I are branching out and learning something new. In this case, we learned all about organic vegetables and farming.

And we also learned that Jaylie Bug is not so crazy vegetables...

P.S- The secret to picking out that perfect, ripe, juicy, delicious watermelon is to give it a good thump. If it has a deep, loud thump then the sugar crystals are evenly dispersed and the melon should be sweet.

Let Jaylie show you...

On Saturday, Aaron and I went to the Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow Concert. It was really fun!

Sunday we went to a family BBQ and just hung out. Over all, pretty awesome weekend! I'm not so thrilled with the piles of laundry sitting on my couch and sink full of dishes, but hey it was worth the fun. How was your weekend?!!

On Island Time....

You know when you go on vacation, then you come home from vacation, and you need a vacation from vacation? Y'all know what I'm talking about, RIGHT? Work has been a doosey since I've been back. It has me wishing that I could go back to this...

...Island time.

Definition of Island Time: No rules, no time constraints-do what you want, when you want. 

And that's exactly what we did.

Every year since I was 6 years old my family has rented a beach house on Balboa Island, and then New Port Beach when we all got older and wanted to be where the hot guys were ;)

It is such a special tradition for me to pass on to my girls. But I can't write this post without thanking my mom and aunt Molly for making it all possible. You see, renting a beach house on the small Island of Balboa can set you back a few thousand dollars {which is definitely not in our vacation budget!} So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Petite Mason a la Mer:

A charming historical cottage on the Island. I loved the shabby chic, cottage decor.

We did a lot of this....

And ate alot of this...

While dreaming of living in this...

Jenna loved the fun zone and sunset cruise.

This was such a needed vacation. I enjoyed every second of it!

Back to reality....but still living on Island time ;)

My Life List

Source: littlemissmomma.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I've seen this exercise floating around on some of the other blogs I follow and I think it is brilliant!
 Since I am revamping my blog and working on having a positive outlook towards life, I thought this idea was perfect! I'm not gonna lie, this list takes some serious effort! Are you up for the challenge? I would love to see every one's lists!!

Source: flickr.com via Christine on Pinterest

My Bucket List {In the making}:

1. Travel to Europe
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Ride in a hot air balloon
4. Learn how to sew
5. Get a Master's Degree
6. Be a stay at home mom
7. Learn how to use my DSLR camera on manual mode
8. Drive across America in a giant R.V
9. Write in a publication
10. Visit Australia
11. Make homemade rolls and bread
12. Learn to play the piano
13. Become a mother and wife
14. Run a marathon
15. Live in the country
16. Go horseback riding on the beach
17. Swim with dolphins
18. Start my own business
19. Stomp on grapes in a giant wine barrel like Lucy and Ethel
20. See the glaciers before they melt
21. Attend a blog conference
22. Lose 30 pounds
23. Visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
24. Go on a jog through Central Park and along the Hudson River
25. Visit Washington D.C and Boston
26. Create a family tree
27. Meet Keith Urban with my Mom
30. Hike to the top of a mountain
31. See a show on Broadway
32. Visit an African Safari
33. Have a baby boy
34. Go somewhere tropical and stay in one of those huts over the water
35. Dine with other celebrity moms to see what their days are like
36. Have my own craft room
37. Refinish a piece of furniture
38. Read the Bible from start to finish
39. Attend a culinary school
40. Decorate fabulous cakes
41. Have a booth at a local craft fair
42. Go white water rafting
43. Get a home/room makeover on HGTV
44. Grow my own fruits and vegetables
45. Watch my girls graduate college
46. Learn how to change a tire
47. Cook every favorite recipe I've collected in my cook book
48. Create a gallery in my home of all of our family portraits
49. Visit the town in Ireland where my Grandmother was born
50. Have a custom blog designed for me
51. Retire by the age of 55
52. Have a portrait painted of myself
53. Invent something
54. Watch my girls grow up to be confident, successful women
55. Go to Disney World
56. Buy a house
57. Sail a large sailboat into the sunset
58. Go on a shopping spree without thinking about money
59. Stay at a haunted hotel
60. Spend an entire day doing nothing but random acts of kindness to strangers
61. Win the lottery, or any contest for that matter!
62. Live in Manhattan
63. Visit a dude ranch
64. Learn how to create a website
65. Have my own website
67. Ride a tandem bike
68. Stay in a castle
69. Go to the worlds biggest yard sale in Tennessee
70. See my Dad one last time
71. Experience natural child birth
72. Write a children's book
73. Go ice skating at the Rockefeller Plaza during the holiday season
74. Watch the Rose Parade in Pasadena
75. Stay married to my husband until I die
76. Join a Mom's group
77. Own a beach house
78. Go to the Griffith Park Observatory
79. Be an extra in a movie
80. Eat at as many Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives from Guy Fieri's show
81. Visit as many National Parks as possible
82. Ride on a real steam engine train
83. Make my own pasta
84. Find a career that makes me happy
85. Design a clothing line
86. Create a childrens' clothing line
87. Read at least one book a month
88. Finish my sewing projects
89. Get hair extensions {just once}
90. Ride a bike in Tuscany
91. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast on the beach
92. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast at a winery
93. Take a spin class
94. Perfect Spanish rice and refried beans
95. Pay off all debt
96. Read all of Jane Austin's novels
97. Visit the Rain Forest
98. Get my teeth whitened
99. Name a star
100. Live to meet my great-grandchildren

Well, there you have it! Everything I've always wanted to do is now on paper...or cyber space :) I'm looking forward to checking some of these things off my list!

Just Start

Source: seesawdesigns.blogspot.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Well, here I am. Don't know why it is so hard to work up the courage to write on here. I read blogs EVERY day and I have hundreds of ideas floating around my head to write about. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by all of my ideas I don't know where to start.
Kinda like cleaning out a closet, or, well...cleaning anything :)
But I don't.
So today I'm going to just start.
That simple.
I'm not going to obsess if what I write about is not good enough or creative enough.
Sometimes we have to put ourselves out there and take risks.
So I am.
Why all of a sudden?
 I'm feeling to need to overhaul things. In life and on the blog.
So.....
A new blog design is in the works!! I'm totally excited about it. Maybe then I will feel like a legit blogger. Having my own space that reflects who I am.
Hopefully it will get the creative juices flowing.
Feeling the need to bring in more positive energy and focus on what brings me joy.
My family.
Crafting.
Cooking.
Couponing {or shall I say thrifting}
So stay tuned for the exciting things to come!

Hello, my name is Lindsey and I'm a "Blog Lurker!"

Lately I've been more of a "blog lurker" than a "blogger." I am in total awe of the creative women and wonderful blogs out there. It's a hard feeling to describe, but when I login to catch up on the latest posts written by these women my day instantly perks up! I know I do not get much traffic (if any) on my blog {partly to do with the fact that I don't post much}, but I want it to be known that I truly enjoy reading every one's blogs SO much. Subscribing to these blogs is like having an indispensable subscription to a magazine! I have gotten so many wonderful ideas, learned new things, and discovered how much I really love to craft.
I consider the 'Blogging World' as my safe haven. I go to it when I need a break from screaming kiddos, when I'm bored at work (Ssshhhh), and in need of some inspiration. I have to say, I'm a bit modest about posting anything because I feel that I don't have 1/5 of the creativity that these other ladies exude. My hope is to one day be able to share tutorials of my own and share what makes me happy. Until then...I will continue to be a "blog lurker" and work on posting comments so you know how much I love reading your wonderful blogs. I know I get excited when someone reads something I have posted!