Memorial Weekend

 This weekend was full of shopping, swimming, grilling, and relaxation. My friend Cat came up to spend the whole weekend with us. I was so excited! On Friday we went to a couple of shops and had dinner with my dad at Rolando's. We had never eaten there before and it was pretty good. I wasn't a fan of my dinner but their salsa and guacamole was awesome! Saturday we took a girls day trip to Branson. My mom, Cat, and I left early on Saturday and shopped till we dropped. We went to the Landing and the Tanger Outlet Mall. Our shopping trip was a success and we all came away with some great things! Sunday we went to my parents house for a day of relaxation. We laid out by the pool and swam all afternoon. I was super excited that the weather was warm but not excited about getting sunburned. The first sunburn of the season is always the worst and this was no exception. Andy got really sunburned..he looked like a lobster!

Cat and I laying out

A little game of volleyball

Today was more of the same as yesterday except Cat had to leave :( We went over to my parents for lunch. My dad smoked a pork tenderloin and it was so good. We also had roasted potatoes, green beans, rolls, and coleslaw. Cat made a key lime pie that was so delicious.

Doesn't that look good?? I didn't stay out too long today since I got sunburned yesterday. Andy went to Joplin today to help with the tornado destruction. I know he enjoyed serving the people of Joplin. I love that he has such a servant's heart. He doesn't think twice about it he just does it. I love him for that! Tomorrow it is back to school. We only have 7 more days left!!! I am so ready for summer! 

Another year older

This past Thursday was my 27th birthday...nothing out of the ordinary happened just another year older. I don't feel any older and the excitement of having a birthday has dwindled down. It stinks getting older! However, I did get to celebrate my birthday with friends and family. On Thursday my co-workers bought me a gift card to Riffraff, a cake from Rick's, and lunch from Chick Fil A.

My cake :) My kids were super sweet to me and sang to me 2 or 3 times throughout the day. My homeroom mom is super creative and made this sundae cup for me.

It's peanuts with sprinkles on them glued onto a glass with peanut M&Ms in it. Isn't that a cute idea? I love it! Andy and I went to dinner at Herman's with his parents Thursday night. I love me some Herman's! I didn't want petit fours or a cake this year. I wanted him to make me a strawberry pie and he did! It was a huge hit with the family!

On Friday night we went out with my mom's family. I picked Monte Ne Inn...its by far one of my favorite places to eat! I didn't eat much lunch so I could eat lots of fried chicken and boy did I! After dinner we came back to our house and I opened my gifts. I got gift cards, money, clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. These were a few of my gifts that I received:

Diamond necklace from my dad!! I love it!

The placemats were from my good friend, Lindsey. The wicker chargers, napkins, and napkin rings were from Pier 1. I got a gift certificate and bought those things! I also bought a new kitchen rug! 

My grandma made these pillows for me! I am going to put them outside in our chairs under the umbrella. 

I love any kind of bag especially if it has my initials or name on it. This bag was from my mom and it is huge! I love it! These were just some of the gifts I received! Thank you to my friends and family for making my birthday special!

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers

 Andy and I decided to do some landscaping this year in our front yard. He is super handy and can do ANYTHING! I am very lucky! We decided to lay some rocks around our flowerbed. He also decided to add 3 sprinklers in the flower bed...he did it all so well! I am super impressed with his handiwork. Here is the before of our flowerbed...

This was all that was in our flowerbed 4 shrubs..we dug them up put mulch down and added these...

We left 2 of the shrubs, added 2 juniper trees, 2 pink dianthus, 1 knockout rose, 6 lily's, and a lot of small flowers. You can't see the dianthus or small flowers. We have had so much rain lately that I hope my small flowers will still come up. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. Our juniper trees aren't very big but I know they will grow and it will look a lot better. My mom has always loved to plant flowers and when I lived at home I dreaded the day that she would have me help her do her pots. She didn't just do 1 or 2 it was more like 5 or 6. I would always complain and never really wanted to help her. Now, I love to plant flowers! I also planted some pansies and dianthus around our 2 small trees in our front yard. They have done so well.

Looks pretty good huh? I have 2 pots that I put by our garage door and this year I just put an assortment of flowers in them. We have had so much rain so I hope they make it!

I have 2 urns by my front door and I planted 2 ferns in them. I did it last year and the ferns got so big, I'm hoping they will do the same this year. 

My front door! I found my flower sign at Hobby Lobby and just thought it was perfect for spring. I wish it was a little bigger but it will have to do! Hope your enjoying this chilly weekend.

Mother's Day Weekend

This past weekend was super busy but so much fun! My friend Carly and her husband came up on Saturday to spend the day and go to the Hog baseball game. I hadn't seen her since January so I was super glad to catch up with her. We hung around town and shopped a little.  Saturday night we went to the Hog game and had so much fun. Our seats were not very good but we still enjoyed the game.

Carly and I in our matching shirts and aviators..we didn't plan it, I promise! I think we look a little like sisters..what do you think?

Carly and her husband Dustin

Andy and I

The only picture I took at the ballgame. Oh well! They ended up losing in the last couple of innings :( On Sunday we celebrated our mother's, Robin and Sandy. We had lunch with my family at the Blessings. It was a buffet with lots of yummy food. We took some pictures of the fam afterwards.

My beautiful mom and I

My family! Don't you love that face Andy is making?? He hates taking pictures and the sun was definitely a problem for him

My mom and her mom

Grandma with her grandkids..Drake is 13 and he is taller than both of us!

Dad, Grandma, Mom, Me, and Andy. I am so grateful for a wonderful mother who loves me unconditionally and is always there for me! We have had a rough start to our year and I know we couldn't have made it without each other! I love her so very much! I'm also blessed to have such an amazing family! Sunday night Andy and I went to his parents house and made dinner for his parents. We made sweet potatoes, hamburgers with veggies, salad, and strawberry pie. We took no pictures at their house :( I do have this picture of us from  Christmas! 

Brittany, Mitch, Sandy, Randy, Andy, and Me. I am so blessed to have great in-laws! They really love us and take care of us! It means a lot to me and I know it does to Andy. We couldn't ask for better families! We love them so much and are so grateful for all that they do for us. 

Spring Loves

I just love Springtime! This spring has been quite unusual, we have had so much rain that schools had to close early due to flooding. Never in my 26 years of life have schools ever closed because of flooding. It has been a wild few weeks! Hopefully we are about to have some nicer weather later this week! I love spring for many reasons...the weather gets warmer, pedicures, sandals, the grass gets greener, school is almost out, my birthday, etc. Here are some things that I'm lovin right now:

Lemonade Pie- when my friend Cat was up a few weekends ago she made this pie. It is so yummy! She left it here and I seriously snacked on it all last week! It is super easy to make too!

OPI- Strawberry Maragarita. I love this bright pink! It's on my fingers and toes!

Laura Mercier- concealer. My friend Elizabeth let me have some of this concealer. I love it! I feel it covers more and lasts all day!

Bath and Body Works- Island Nectar candle. This is one of my favorite scents for spring/summer! So fresh!

Love these wedges! They are pretty comfortable too!

Bath and Body Works- Country Chic. Love this new scent! I have it in lotion and shower gel and can't get enough of it!

Murad Oil Free Tinted Sunblock. I really like this facial sunblock, it goes on so light and has a nice tint to it.

I wish this was a picture of our landscaping but its not :( I do love to plant flowers and we have landscaped quite a bit this spring! Post on that to come later..

Murad Pomegranate Lip Protector. I love this lip balm. It has SPF 15 in it and it goes on so smooth and gives a little shine.

Orange Leaf self serve yogurt. This is by far one of my favorite desserts for spring/summer. I love that you pick your flavors and toppings.

Sally Hansen Nail strips. Have you tried these? My friend Whitney told me about them and I decided to try them. I have the leopard print but haven't put them on yet. Whitney says they last longer than nail polish. I can't wait to try them! These are just a few of my favorite things of Spring. What are your favorite things of Spring??