Hello, from a hotel room that we've booked for a whopping 30 days! Life is complete chaos right now. And let me tell you, having 'elite status' in a hotel with a gym, both an indoor and outdoor pool, free breakfast AND dinner, access to a special VIP ONLY lounge, AND daily maid service... I am living for this.

Not only have we began settling into our new home of Austin Texas, we have chosen land to build a house on!

This is us at street level on nearly an acre of land with huge Oak trees... what you can't see behind us is a view as far as the eye can see, up until the sky meets the Earth.

Now, imagine a 12 foot slab of foundation and TWO floors of house on top of that... then imagine that view.

Basically, we hit the jackpot finding our dream home!

So we have been tediously designing, redesigning, and redesigning again the home we will raise our children in. How much square footage do we need after living in a 2500sqft home? We opted for TWICE as much. Yes, I'm completely insane and will be needing a maid. I have to say, as fun as it is to design a house, it is a tad overwhelming because you need to choose one you'll love now with kids, and also 20 years from now. After cleaning the slating over and over, we narrowed down our selection...

And as of yesterday- we have a floor-plan!

This upcoming Saturday, Ryan & I will go to a home design studio where we'll choose the little fun details... like back-splash, tile, counter-tops, and flooring. Needless to say, I've been Pinterest'ing like a Mom who just realized tomorrow is her kid's class party and she signed up to make a snack!

Should I go with white cabinets & black granite? Gray cabinets & marble? White cabinets & gray granite with contrasting back-splash? So many options!

This is all new to us, we have never built a home before and so each step is a brand new experience for us... and boy have we learned a lot! What a difference it makes to actually walk into a house and see the floor plan, versus trying to imagine it via blue prints. Had there not been a similar home previously built that I could tour, I would not have chosen the floor plan I chose... and let me tell you, it's a showstopper! I cannot wait to share it with you guys!

My master plan was to create a YouTube channel as we did this, but I have to say-- with an 8 year old, a toddler, 90% of my belongings in storage, and a complete whirlwind of deadlines and contracts and appointments... I don't think it's plausible for me to start a channel during all of this. Momma is a mess.

We have a hotel room until mid-August, then we are moving into an apartment by Delilah's school until the house is ready, which will be right around the time of my birthday! Happy Birthday to me!

Although this is only a few short paragraphs about our journey, realistically, this process was extremely in depth and took a tremendous amount of research and time to get to this point.

I first did intense research on the areas of Austin that I'd like to live, it was important to me that I'm proud of where I live. I chose a highly-desirable, and highly reputable community with an upstanding reputation, top-notch schools, and plenty of amenities. The neighborhood I chose includes homes from one of the most sought-after builders in Texas, and has just an overall 'charming wow-factor' with big beautiful homes in a clean and safe area. The neighborhood not only has a wooded communal area with a playground, but it has a park across the street with a creekside trail that goes on for miles, plus sidewalks, gazebos, and tons of kids. It's so important to do your research before building, get out on foot, talk to people, walk around, ask questions... your home is not only going to be your 'safe place', where you can rest and relax in privacy, but it's also an investment. Do your homework!

We have so much to do in the next upcoming weeks, but it's all fun stuff! I mean, isn't most color-picking and carpet-choosing the best part? You guys, of all people, know how much I am loving this part of the process.

Cheers to our new home, our new chapter, a fresh start, great neighbors, great childhoods, a wholesome household, and the new life!

Dainty Plant + Floral Minimalist Tattoos

So last April, I flew to Los Angeles and got a minimalist palm tree tattoo...

It totally unleashed that 'tattoo fever' feeling, where you just need another.

I am seriously considering getting something else in the plant family, maybe something soft and feminine. As I flip through ideas, I thought I'd share some of my favorites. 

Turn Your Headband Bows Into Clip-On Bows

Hey Mamas! This is a follow-up from my last post when I told you how to organize all your baby bows.
So, there's this phase of being a girl Mom where you become totally obsessed with bows, and then those precious newborns begin growing, leaving you stuck with all these tiny headbands that are too tight on that noggin'! So I came up with a solution to transform those adorable headbands into clip-on bows, so she can still wear her bows for years to come.

DIY Bow Organizer - Organize Your Bows For Under $10!

Hey Mamas! It's been awhile since I shared a fun & easy DIY, so today you're in for a treat!
Today, I'm going to show you how to transform that stash of bows + headbands into a cute and tidy space. I have seen so many bow organizers in my bout of mom-hood, but I never found one that I thought was both practical and cute, so, well... I designed my own!

Ch-ch-ch-chaanges

Hey guys! I have decided to create a section of my blog dedicated to my personal life! For those interested in my story, this is for you!

We have some BIG things happening and this will be where I share everything!

Thought of the Day

We are in the midst of doing some major renovating of our home, and last week we tackled the master bathroom. After all was said and done, I began placing all my typical bathroom items back into the room... including the scale.

The scale and I have always had issues (okay, it's me who has the issues, the scale is merely the messenger!). 

Anyway, yesterday morning I hopped on the scale just to see what things were looking like, as I had been busy for a for weeks with home improvement projects. I was up a whopping 8 pounds! Eight whole pounds in 15 days, that's a really big deal. This put me out of 'normal BMI' and into 'obese'. 

All day, I felt huge. I kept telling myself how I need to watch everything that went in my mouth, I went grocery shopping and just assumed people thought I was huge, I felt unattractive, I felt lazy, I just felt like I went from something to nothing.

This morning, as I was getting ready, I realized the scale was on a tilted tile. I adjusted the scale so it was flat, and hopped on to see what happened... to my surprise, my weight magically was back to 'normal BMI', in fact it was the same exact weight I was at 2 weeks ago, to the very pound!

What a difference that made for my day! I was practically glowing all day, I felt like I could wear cuter clothes, I didn't emotionally binge on food, I felt lighter and more fit, I showed way more forwardness and affection towards my husband as my confidence soared, I had a great day. And then I realized...

What a drastic difference that one little number made.

That scale told me one thing, and it affected my whole entire day.

One thing.

Now imagine what my brain tells me all day, and how it can affect my entire day.

One little message and it can make or break my day.

"You're huge."

"She looks so much more fit than you."

"Your skin is so problematic."

Those small messages get pumped to my self esteem all day long, and by the end of the day I feel so beaten up... except, it's ME doing the beating!

Imagine what my day would be like if I told myself positive messages.

"You were so patient this morning with the kids."

"Your hard work on the yard is really paying off, it's looks great!"

"Great job eating healthy today!"

What an impact our thoughts have on us, they can make all the difference, can't they?

That little message the scale impacted my entire day, and the same goes with the messages we're telling ourselves...

So...

What is your scale telling you?

Remember how much those tiny messages you tell yourself can affect your life, make sure they're helpful and tell you how much you're worth! 

ipsy Glam Bag Review: May 2019

Good morning everyone!

I've had a lot of things going on in my life right now, all very good things... but I've had to spend the month of May waiting for news, and oh my goodness is waiting a tough game! The news could potentially be live changing, so I feel a little "stuck" as I wait. I'll explain more later. I said that I was going to work on house projects while I wait, but the weather has been absolutely phenomenal, and after being trapped inside all winter... I took complete advantage of the beautiful sunshine and have spent every day outside for 2 weeks! Alas, the rain and overcast is back, and I promised myself I would at least make a couple of blog posts on these rainy days, and funny enough, my ipsy bag arrived yesterday, so let's do this!