Things I'm Thankful For

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I've been thinking a lot about all the things I'm thankful for. I truly am so blessed and I know I take it for granted on a daily basis. So I made a list and thought it would be nice to share it with you.

I'm thankful for...

1. My relationship with God. He blesses me beyond measure everyday and I am so thankful for Him. He has given me all the other things in this list and so much more! Nothing in my life would have meaning if it weren't for Him. He loves me even when I don't deserve it because I am His child. He feels the same way about you :)

2. Being a wife and mother. I cannot imagine my life without Tyler and Harper in it, nor do I want to. They make me who I am and they will never know how much I love them. I'm so beyond thankful for Tyler and all he does for our family. He works hard everyday so that I can stay home and raise our daughter and he will never understand how much that means to me. I look forward to so many years of memories with him. I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for our baby girl. For many years I was told I might not get pregnant and after months of trying, I decided to let it go and if God wanted to give us a baby He would. The very next month we found out I was pregnant! I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy and a complication free birth and, most importantly, a healthy baby. She has been the light of my life since the moment I saw her and she will be for the rest of her life. She made me a mama, which is the only thing I've ever dreamed of being. I know there will be hard days ahead (terrible twos, teenage years) but there is nothing she could ever do to make me stop loving her. 

3. My family. I know I take this one for granted in a major way. It usually isn't until I see or read about other families who don't get along or even intentionally hurt or turn their backs on each other, that I am reminded of what a rare blessing my family is. We are close-knit, supportive and genuinely enjoy being with each other. Not a week goes by that we don't ALL eat lunch together at my grandparents house. Some families only are able to gather like that for holidays and I get to do it every single Sunday. I wish I got to spend more time with my family who live out of town. But I'm very thankful for the times we do share together! I'm also thankful for my husbands family who have become my family too. They have always treated me like one of their own and I love them like they are mine :)

4. Things I have that I may sometimes wish were more. I know that sounds strange but what I mean is, for example, even though I sometimes dream of having a big house with a fireplace and a breakfast nook and a two-car garage, I'm still so thankful for my little one-bathroom, no dining room, no storage space house that I have. It was the first house Tyler and I bought together, it's where we brought our baby home from the hospital, it's where we've celebrated Christmas and made family dinners and watched our favorite shows together. It's our home, and it always will be, even when we one day don't live here anymore. There are times when I feel like this about a lot of things but I am still so thankful for all the things I do have and all the special meaning they hold. 

5. Opportunities I have in this life. Lastly, I'm thankful for all the things I get to see and do everyday. Many people are not as fortunate as I am. I get to travel with my family a lot and see and experience different places and try new things. I love going to new places, trying new foods, reading books, and learning new things. There is so much to experience in this life and I would love to do it all! And now that I have Harper, I love to see her experience new things too. Things we take for granted, she gets to do for the first time everyday and that is magical to see. I can't wait to take her to my favorite places and show her my favorite things and even more than that, I can't wait to see what will become her favorites. 

I'm sorry this was such a long post but I really wanted to tell you all about how truly thankful I am for all my blessings. I can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving next week and watch Harper's face as she tastes turkey and dressing, a million different sides, and pumpkin pie for the first time! 

What are you most thankful for?

November style for Mama and Baby

Happy November! (a week late…) The weather is finally getting cool around here and its officially time for sweaters and boots. Sweaters are one of my absolute favorite things to wear since they look cute but feel like you're wearing a sweatshirt. I also love all the fun accessories that come with "sweater weather" like scarves, and fun, cozy socks!

Here are some of my favorite pieces for this month:

Puffer Vest, Fisherman Sweater, Plaid Scarf, Chunky Cardigan, Boots, Fair Isle Socks, Essie Polish, Plaid Dress, Knit Tights, Puffer Vest, Knit One Piece, Moccasin Boots, Thanksgiving Bib

I love prints like plaid and fair isle! They're just so cozy and warm looking. Any of these things would be great for a Thanksgiving outfit too. I think that cream, knit one-piece would work for a boy or a girl and would be so cute for Christmas too! But Im getting ahead of myself. Theres still plenty of time for all things Christmas! Let's save that for another (or 12) post! 

October Love List

I can't believe that October is almost over! It seriously seems like it just started. Not to mention, Harper turned 9 months old last week! Wasn't she just born, like, yesterday? Anyway, here is a list of things I'm loving this month:

1. Halloween clothes for Harper: Everyone knows by now that I love holidays, and dressing Harper accordingly. It is just so fun being festive! Ive been planning her October wardrobe for a while and Im so excited she finally gets to show it all off! Here's a few of the things she will be rocking all month.

Cat mask pjs, Boo onesie, Orange pants, Cat hat, Boo dress, Carter's outfit

2. Pumpkin Spice: Yes, I'm one of those people. I'm totally obsessed with anything and everything pumpkin spiced! Lattes, M&Ms, coffee creamer, cookies...the list goes on. Since it only comes around once a year, I definitely take advantage and go a little pumpkin crazy in October. 

3. Mom Mail Exchange: Ok, so this isn't exactly exclusive to October, but it was my first month to participate and it was so much fun! It started on Instagram as a way for mom's to meet other mom's (follow @mommailexchange for more info). You get paired with a different mom each month and get to know each other through IG and email and then exchange themed boxes of goodies worth around $30. Here's what my awesome new mom friend sent me this month!

4. The Pumpkin Patch: Harper and I tagged along with my mom's pre-k class on their field trip last week to our local pumpkin patch and had a great time! Harper loves pumpkins so I knew it would be a hit with her from the start. We rode a hayride out to the patch, picked our own pumpkin and then painted it. We also bought some mums and had a delicious chicken and dumpling lunch along with a piece of pumpkin pie! (Made with their own pumpkins of course). I can't wait to take Harper back year after year as she gets older.

5. Baby Halloween Costumes: There are so many cute costume options for babies! I have been looking on Pinterest for weeks trying to decide and finally went with the good old fashioned pumpkin. :) Its such a traditional "my first Halloween" costume in my opinion. I snapped a few pics of her in it already to use for Halloween cards to send to friends and family and I must say, she looks pretty adorable!

I cant wait to take this little one trick-or-treating next week! Even though she cant enjoy all the candy yet, Mama and Daddy still can ;) 

Goodbye September

Happy October! I'm so excited for this month full of football, pumpkin patches, chilly air, pumpkin spice lattes and of course, Harper's first Halloween! But first lets say goodbye to September and all the wonderful memories it brought :)

We took Harper to her first fair! We ate philly cheese steaks, homemade fries, funnel cakes and caramel apples. She loved seeing all the lights and hearing all the music! I can't wait to take her back next year and take her on the Ferris wheel! 

My baby turned eight months old! I seriously can't believe she's so old. Seems like she was just born and now she's only 4 months away from her first birthday! So crazy. 

We took a family trip to Chicago, which was so much fun! Tyler had to work and didn't get to go but we FaceTimed him every night :) Harper was so good throughout the whole trip! She went on her first airplane and train and did great on both. Here are a few pics from the trip

September was my birthday month! I had  to get a cupcake from Magnolia bakery while we were in Chicago. 

It was my first birthday as a mom and I couldn't have been happier to have my little Harper by my side as I blew out my candles :) 

Lastly, my sister-in-law got married this past weekend and Harper was the flower girl! I pulled her down the aisle in a wagon and she was so adorable. She danced and smiled and waved and loved all the attention! I think she's going to be a serious ham, that kid. We had so much fun at the wedding and reception and are so happy for Toni and Mitchem! 

September was a great month! I know October will be full of fun memories too. I especially can't wait to see a certain little baby in a tiny pumpkin costume :) 

Nail Colors for Fall

I have a serious nail polish obsession. Specifically Essie. I probably own at least 80 just from that brand, not to mention my ones from other brands. What can I say? It's my thing :)

I change my nail color all the time. At least once a week. My friends and I even used to have weekly "nail night" where we would, you guessed it, paint our nails. With fall fast approaching, I thought I'd pick some of my favorites for the season. Some colors are new and some are pretty old, but I still wear them year after year. They never go out of style! And of course, they're all my beloved Essie.

              The cast of characters.

 Little Brown Dress. A perfect chocolate brown. 

Vested Interest. A Fall 2013 color that I love! A dark slate teal. 

Wicked. And oldie but a goodie. A perfect oxblood color.

Very Structured. A burnt orange. Love it!

And clearly Harper's choice...

Smokin' Hot. Grayish purple. So pretty.

Head Mistress. A beautiful dark cherry red that's perfect for fall!

These are the colors I'm loving for fall this year. What are some of your favorite fall colors?

Fall Wish List

Next week starts the beginning of September, which to me equals the beginning of fall. I know here in Alabama it will probably still feel like the middle of summer but I won't let it crush my fall-loving dreams. Of course Im starting to plan my wish list for the season which is even more fun now that I get to also make a list for Harper! I hope she loves fall and holidays as much as her mama. Nothing thrills my soul more than a pumpkin spice latte in my hand, fringe boots on my feet and dark polish on my nails.

Here's a few of the things that  are making our list this year:

Moccasins for mama and baby | Happy Camper pullover | B&BW candles | Green tunic | Essie fall collection | Alabama jersey | Baby Gap clothes

A Summer Favorite: Fried Okra

Has anyone else been super excited about the weather the past couple days? Been feeling very fall-ish around here! But before I start pulling out my boots and hoodies, there is still technically another month of summer left to go. So tonight I made one of my favorite summer dishes for supper. Fried okra.

 My granny and mama have been making this for me all my life and now I make it for my family. It's really easy and sooooo good. I even make a few variations including my husband's favorite, what he calls "okra jubilee" which has okra, squash, and green tomatoes. Mmmmm. 

But tonight it's just plain ole okra. 

The first thing you need is okra. Duh. Wash them in a strainer and then cut the tops off with a knife and then just cut them up into small pieces and drop em in a bowl as you go. 

Then get a big gallon size Baggie and dump all the pieces in. I guess you could just skip the bowl altogether if you wanted to, and just cut your pieces right into the Baggie. But sometimes you spill some and make a mess so a bowl will catch any runaways. (My mama and granny don't use a Baggie, I just think its easier. But either way is fine).

Then dump in a couple scoops of corn meal. Some people use flour. We use corn meal. I also add some salt and pepper. Then just shake up the bag to evenly coat all the okra. 

Now heat up a skillet (preferably cast iron) and add about a half inch of oil. I use Wesson Oil and White Lily corn meal because that's what Granny uses. 

Once the oil is hot, add in the okra. I use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the Baggie so I don't add too much extra corn meal. Don't mess with it too much at first or it will get mushy. Just let it be for a couple minutes until you see it start to brown and then give it a toss. After its golden brown and smells like heaven, you need to have plate with a few paper towels and your slotted spoon ready because it will burn quick. 

Scoop it out onto the paper towels to let it drain. At this point, while its still really hot, I like to sprinkle on a little more salt.

 While it drains I usually take my pan outside, dump out the grease, rinse it with a little cool water and then put it back in the stove on low. Once it's dry and warm, I'll put the okra back in to keep it warm until the rest of supper is ready. Plus it kind of crisps it up a little extra. Then it's ready to eat! 

This is one of my family's favorite summer dishes and its especially good if the okra is right out of the garden. I can remember being at my grandparents house when I was a kid and seeing Granddaddy bring in a huge basket of okra, tomatoes, squash, corn and peas from his garden and then Granny would cook it all up supper. Sometimes the simplest meals are the most delicious!