Friday Favorites

Happy Friday lovelies!  This week has been so good, so crazy and I'm SO glad it's almost the weekend!!

A definite favorite this week was celebrating Father's Day with this crew!  Always a fun time :)

I shared my favorite beach & pool bags this week!  I'm still loving the one with the tassels the most but they are all cute!  See my post here.

This guy.  Words can't express how thankful I am to have Jared as my husband.  So many things lately have made me extra grateful to have him by my side and to be my partner in life. 

Pineapple everywhere!  Pineapple is big this season.  See my post on fun ways to incorporate this trend into your home here!

My new favorite salad!  Spinach & greens mix, 1/2 avocado, gluten free non-gmo chicken strips, sunflower seeds, olive oil & lemon juice!  Delicious & healthy :)  I'm back into working out and tracking what I'm eating.  Not sure if I'm going to bring my weight loss updates back or not. It's a lot to keep up with but we'll see!  Time to get to that goal!

It's the Parade of Homes in our town and this is one home we went to see last weekend!  Jared and I love going each year to see what's new in the home building world and to get ideas for our future forever home.  This house had an indoor slide.  Like a big curvy one from one floor to another for their kids!   How cool & crazy?!

 Hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Favorite Beach Bags Under $50

1/2/3
4/5/6


Tis the season for fun beach bags!  Whether you're hitting the local pool or going on a big vacation, a good bag to hold all your essentials is a must! I love all of these options but especially have my eye on the straw tote with the colorful tassel.


Do you have a favorite beach/pool bag? I'm going to do a post soon on beach/pool bag essentials, what are some of your favorite must have items?


Pineapple at Home

Pineapple is in this summer.  I'm sure you know this because it is EVERYWHERE but I still love it :)  When something is trendy, I like to add a few accent pieces but nothing too crazy expensive unless I really love it because it will go back out of style just as quickly.  I put together this collage of fun pineapple pieces for your home that let you embrace the pineapple trend this summer!

If you have a pool or outdoor seating area, all of these items would be perfect for that!  These pineapple sippers are SO cute & I may have one sitting in my Nordstrom cart :)  If you do a lot of outdoor entertaining, these pineapple place card holders would be perfect for outdoor dining!  This pineapple serving tray is definitely pricey but very cute and useful.  If you are a big outdoor entertainer, it may be worth the splurge!  A pineapple shaker is a great hostess gift idea or would be fun in any bar area outside, especially if these pineapple accent lights were hanging nearby.  A candle is always a fun and easy accent piece too!  You could use most of these items inside as well.

Are you into the pineapple trend this year?  How are you incorporating it into your home?



Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!

I shared a little of what we've been up to lately on the blog this week (see post here). Summertime fun with this guy is a definite favorite! 

 

If you are a blogger or business owner, check out this post! 

Going to the drive-in this week was so fun! We may just go again this weekend : )

I shared this little tip on FB yesterday but wanted to share here too! I wanted some new fun casual shoes for summer just for when I ran errands, etc. These Converse Shoreline are perfect to throw on with skinny jeans! TIP: I am a 7/7.5 in women's shoes and I was able to buy these in the kids section saving over $20!!  I wasn't even in the biggest size available so if you are around my shoe size check that option out!

When I find good deals, I post them on my facebook page first so be sure to like it to see more photos/deal finds/etc. 

I have started walking in the mornings before work again & that is definitely a FAVORITE!!  I love getting a large amount of my steps in for the day and I love that my walks wake me up, I spend much needed time outside and start my day off right!

Sometimes when God puts things on our hearts that seem weird or uncomfortable, they turn out to be the biggest blessings!  Read this post by Manda Carpenter!  It reminds me that a smile and even just a conversation can make the greatest difference in someone's life & outlook.  I am so thankful for God's grace because I fail him daily.  I'm thankful for reminders like this that we need to try to mirror Jesus in how we help others because it helps us pull away from our selfishness and direct ourselves back towards serving God.

 Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Life Lately

Since I took a little (unintended but necessary) break from blog-land, I decided to do a life lately post to catch up with you all!

We've managed to squeeze in a few date nights here or there which is always nice :)

We've even made a trip to the drive in and plan to do this as much as we can this summer!  This is one of our very favorite date night things to do together!

I'm trying my hand (or thumb) at gardening this year and so far so good!  I'm just doing some tomato plants to start and I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Snocones are a must this time of the year, especially since we're out running around in the heat a lot!  We actually weren't impressed by our first snocones and found a new place that is SO much better!

Our church teamed up with two others to do a cookout and concert night!  It was so much fun!

Beautiful views at a cookout! 

I love getting a few minutes outside at lunch when I can! It's so refreshing (if it's not too hot).

We are fully in lawn care & compost season which means we're pretty much busy all the time.  It was a bit of a shock last year but this year we knew what to expect so it's not as bad!  We operate on some crazy hours but it's totally worth it.

New welcome mat!  Find it here.

Summertime cookout food makes my heart & stomach happy!  The cake at this graduation party didn't disappoint either :)

So that's a little of what we've been up to lately!  Work, business growing, date nights when possible and just trying to survive busy season :)  Hope your summer is off to a good start!

Just Keep Shining

If you're a small business owner or blogger like me, I'm sure you've faced your fair share of criticism of what you're doing.  I get asked all the time why we started our own company, why I blog, or even get strange looks when people find out that we are doing either of the above.

I have talked to so many other women who are encountering the same reactions from some when they share the passions they are pursuing or the businesses they are trying to run.  This used to make me so angry (to be honest it still does sometimes but I'm working on it). 

We have received SO much support for our organic lawn care company & I have many great readers of my blog, but the support from these great people only dulls but doesn't erase the sting of any criticism.  I've always heard an old saying about how if people aren't criticizing you, you aren't dreaming boldly enough.  I think that is so true!! If other people do not find you a little bit crazy, dream bigger! 

We are all on our own paths trying to find success in the business world, our families and our communities.  It takes so much courage and bravery to start a new business, put a dream out there and work so hard to make it successful!  Why do we not support those people as much as we can instead of criticizing their dreams?  I think it's because we spend too much time comparing ourselves and our life paths to others. 

I, for one, am just trying to live my own life and find my own path to success!  My husband and I started our company because it's something we feel passionate about.  I blog because I love the blogging community and cherish the friendships I have found there, I love sharing and finding ways to make life easier and because it's a fun and creative outlet after being in the office all day!

Just remember that if you are building something from the ground up, you are going to encounter those who support you, those who don't and some who cheer for you to win and some who cheer for you to fail.  Keep working, keep pursuing what you want to achieve and work as if you have everyone's support.  One day we'll look back and remember that the hard times were worth every moment and will get to reap the rewards of our hard work.  In the mean time, we just have to be willing to put our sunglasses on and just keep shining!

 

Summer in Lilly



I'm not going to lie, I used to not be a big fan of Lilly Pulitzer (gasp!).  It just wasn't my thing until the past few years.  Now that I'm officially converted, I love their summer items for this year and several of them are on my wish list!

I am on a lobster kick and love this beach tote & flip flops for the pool or for a vacation!  I have seen a few other lobster totes but this one is my favorite I've found so far!  I'm all about the navy & gold this year and love the combo on this dress and how cute would that gold bangle be with this sleeveless navy dress?!  Also, I'm always needing a fun summer dress for showers or cookouts in the summer and this one is just too cute!

What Lilly items are you loving this summer?  Does anybody already own any of the above options?  If so, tell me how you like them!!