August Goals

Hi, friends!

Before I jump into my goals for this month I just wanted to share a few more of my favorite finds from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. The sale goes thru Monday and then all prices will return to full retail so jump on these steals while you can!

I just ordered the brown leather jacket this morning and I'm so excited about it! I think of cognac as a sort of neutral since it plays so well with others. But now I'm feeling like I might need the black, too.

Also, I am loving distressed denim right now and I've been amazed at how many sizes and options are still available in the sale. Definitely a must have for Fall!

The crossover sweater is Free People (favorite brand!) and it comes in four different colors.

The booties I linked are a copy cat to some I already own and wear all. the. TIME.

This is my first time posting about my goals for the month BUT I think it's a great way to lay it all out there and give you the opportunity to call me out if you see me eating an ice cream cone on insta after I committed to NO ice cream.

Oh, but let me be clear. I am in no way committing to any such ideology. Ice cream is my ride or die and if it goes, I. Go. Too.

Ok. Goals.

1. Wake up each morning at 6:00 AM - Gross. I'm a night owl. I do my best work at night time when my whole house is quiet. But there's something to be said for waking before the sun to get in my workout, shower, and be ready for the day before my little sleeping beauties wake up. Side Note: To prove just how not me it is to wake up early, this morning Matt came frantically calling for me thru the house and when he found me sitting in the den reading, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. In his defense, I haven't seen this side of 6 o clock since Rowen was still waking to nurse as an infant soooooo. Oopsies.

2. Give Jesus my First Fruits: Now that I'm an early riser, ( not sure I can assume the title after one day but whatever) instead of working out or checking my phone upon waking, I'm committing to spend time with the Lord FIRST THING. Before anything else can demand my attention, I'm giving my attention to the Word. I have done this in the past and it really is the best way to start the day. I like to say spending time with the Lord doesn't necessarily change your day but it does change how you view your day.

3.Read a Book: I totally planned on doing this at the beach but I only recall sitting in a chair one time our entire trip. "Why did I even bring the chair?" I ask myself. So now that we're back and I have all this extra time from waking up sooooo early, I'm gonna read! I'm planing to start with Wild and Free and am open to any suggestions for what I should read next!

4. Only use cash: Ouch. This one hurts me, y'all. I don't like budgets. If I saw Dave Ramsey in the mall, I'd run in the opposite direction. But I wouldn't see Dave in the mall so I guess I'm safe. My man, on the other hand, LOVES a budget. Spreadsheets and cash envelopes are the stuff of dreams to him. I just wanna buy the cute bag when I see it, you know? The struggle. Is. Real. But I've committed this month to be diligent about sticking to our cash system and not giving into impulse buys. Now you see why I still need the ice cream.

That's it for now!

Do you have any new goals you're starting this month?? I wanna hear!

Thanks for reading, yall!

Laura

Transitioning to Fall

Hey Friends!

I don't know about you, but I am SO ready for fall. As soon as we got back from the beach, I had to hold myself back from pulling out my pumpkin candles and jumping head first into my favorite season.

Unfortunately, we still have a considerable amount of time to suffer in the heat before we can really commit to the new season so I wanted to share a few ideas to keep in mind as you slooooooowly move into cooler temps.

When you're shopping and you come across long sleeve tops, go for the light weight variety and try to find sleeves that will roll up. I love this top from The Loft and the sweet little button up wrist makes it easy to roll up if it gets too warm for the arms to be covered.

I've been seeing light weight cardigans EVERY WHERE recently and I love the look of a v neck tee, cut off shorts, a cardi, and booties. It's casual yet put together.

I really like the look of the longer kimono style cardi with cut offs... How sweet is this one...

Speaking of booties.... We were, weren't we? Buy all. of. them. You can wear them now with everything. Shorts. Pants, Dresses, Rompers. There's no limit! These are part of the Nordstrom sale and I just think they're the cutest!

If you're not feeling like you are ready for long sleeves and sweaters (even lighter weight), then it's ok to still buy sleeveless this late into the summer. Or even better... go for the three quarter length sleeve like this cutie I got from The Loft.

 If you want it to last you through the fall just find tops that don't have flutter sleeves so they can be worn under a denim jacket or (you guessed it) a CARDIGAN! I prefer to layer with sleeveless tops in the Fall since long sleeves can get bunchy and the state of Georgia offers no guarantees on whether or not cooler temps are here to stay when they arrive. Can you say 80 degrees in October? Not ok, Georgia. Not. Ok.

Another thing to keep in mind is color choice. Steer clear of the fluorescent summer hues in favor of warmer color pallets like mustard yellow, cranberry, navy, and my personal favorite, olive green. All the heart eyes for anything olive!

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Do you have any other tips for how you transition your wardrobe from late Summer to Fall? Would love to hear!


Laura

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Hi, friends!

The time has finally come! The biggest sale of the entire year is here and I've rounded up a few of my favorites to share with you!!

So many fun fall finds. I love the mix of classics and show stoppers and how everything in the sale is NEW for this season.

Happy shopping, y'all!!

Laura

Beach Life

We leave for the beach in just a few days and I cannot WAIT.

My family has been vacationing together for as long as I can remember to the same spot on Alabama's coast. 

What I love about this trip is that it always serves as a benchmark of sorts. We don't venture out much from what's always worked for us so eating at the same places we went when I was twelve isn't unusual for us. When you grow up in a place, it has a way of reminding you where you've come from.

It seems like just yesterday that I was an awkward twelve year old sporting my outlet mall clearance rack Polo tee combing the beach for the cute boys. As a side note: I never found them. Maybe it was the tee shirt? Or the bangs? It's a toss up.

The beach has a way of helping me to find my center and being with my family in close quarters for a whole week gives me an even greater sense of purpose. Whether it's building a puzzle with my dad into the wee hours of the morning or taking a walk with my mom every afternoon on the beach; going on a girl's night out with my sisters or splashing in the waves in the golden hour with my girls. It's just time well spent.

I love watching my babies enjoy the time with their cousins. I love watching them run from the rising tide squealing with delight as it splashes their little toes. Even the quarreling over sand toys and beach chairs is charming when it's done by the water in the presence of all my favorite people. Well, almost charming.

Look out for a great big picture dump and blog post when we get back. I hope to have sweet stories to share of all the memories we will make together on this trip. Until then, here are a few from last year's trip!

Me and my Mom twinning at dinner

snack time!

LOVE this picture of my sweet people!

Missing my brothers and their family + one of my sisters

Hope you're day is sweet!

Laura

Six Sisters

Good Morning and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Growing up in a big family is FUN. I'm the fourth from the top in a family of eight kids. I've got two brothers and five sisters.

I love having so many sisters (my brothers are awesome, too!). In our family, if someone was mad at you, there was always someone else who had your back. Alliances were formed on the regular and while mostly civil, if intense arguments did ensue over stolen underwear or ripping the tags off unworn clothing (big time NO NO), and things turned UG-LY, you could still find a shoulder to whine on... whether you were the thief or the victim.

When it came to clothing being shared among the six of us, here were a few general rules:

If my sister said "Oh, I love your top" I could never respond with "Thank you."

No, no.

The unspoken expectation was that I must divulge all relevant details about said top including, but not limited to, location of purchase, date buying occurred, size, and price (including tax). And if for some reason the information was not readily given, it would be promptly requested.

What's yours is mine only applies to items that have been worn previously and only if the owner has given permission. You don't ever, under any circumstances, take an item of clothing that still has tags. I would take a gander that about 95% of the arguments that took place between me and any given sister was over clothes.

At one point my dad (bless him) even said "That's IT! No one is allowed to borrow anything from anyone." We all had great respect for my dad but when he threw that out there, I'm fairly certain our response was something like "Good one, Dad." Not gonna happen. But I do admire him for trying to tear us out of each others closets.

If an article of clothing went missing, anything you said or did could and would be used against you in a court of Dad. And as soon as you left the house, a search without a warrant was permitted. Can't tell you how many times I found my clothes stuffed under someones bed or in between their mattress even. The lengths we go to save face... and to look cute.

As we got older and people started moving out, the clothes sharing got less and less. Even to this day, when I go to my sister's houses, one of the first things I want to do is go look in their closets. Old habits die hard, y'all.

Now that we're all moved out and can't blame each other for taking something we can't seem to find, our friendship has gotten even sweeter. I have five built in best friends that would literally drop everything to be there for me.

And they have.

My sisters could poke fun at me all day long but if they find out someone is throwing shade my way, the gloves come off and it's GO TIME. Hell hath no fury like an older sister protecting her baby sister. And nothing warmed my heart quite like hearing my sister tear someone to shreds on my behalf. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Now that I have two girls, I pray every single day that God would cultivate a sweet friendship between them because I know how amazing it is to have sisters as friends.

I'm thrilled to watch my girls grow up together and I hope as they do, they'll learn to see the value in one another.

Each of my sisters has strengths that I admire and want to emulate and they will probably never fully understand how much I admire them.

So Karen, Lia, Kristen, Valerie, and Anna... I LOVE YOU!

Thanks for reading, dear friend!

Hope you have the best weekend!

Love, Laura