tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45487994860223230392024-02-06T23:12:22.346-06:00Bright-Eyes & Bushy-TalesStories of a girl striving for a happy & healthy lifestyle.Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-11915480546765170612022-01-18T05:49:00.007-06:002022-01-18T05:52:32.424-06:00Questions For the Start of a New Year<p>Good morning! </p><p>Today is my "Monday" - I was off yesterday with Teddy for MLK day. I scheduled a follow up with this allergist to see if he has outgrown his egg allergy, which meant lots of poking for him. To ease the pain of that situation, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo beforehand and had a trip to Wiener Circle. It was a blast, to be honest. Freezing cold, but a blast 😀. Two weeks now until we find out if he can enjoy some egg casserole with the rest of us! </p><p>I heard about this list of Questions for the Start of a New Year on The Lazy Genius Podcast. I guess I listen to a lot of Podcasts now?? Let's dive in. </p><p>1) What is my favorite memory from last year? </p><p>I can't pick just one. While 2021 was not what I think a lot of us hoped it would be, our family did have a lot of good times. I would say my favorite memories all revolve around some little trips we took: Holland, Michigan and Mackinaw Island in the summer, Maine and Gatlinburg in the Fall. </p><p>2) What was the most restful thing I did? </p><p>Um... took A LOT of naps? Seriously. So many naps. I have a love/hate relationship with naps. I love them because I feel like I wake up a new person, so much more rested and ready to conquer the rest of the day. On the other hand, I hate the "productivity" I feel like I am losing while I nap. </p><p>3) What is the most energizing thing I did?</p><p>Riding the Peloton! We got a Peloton bike in January 2021. I have enjoyed the heck out of that thing. I always say it's like an exercise video game. My favorite instructors are Robin and Cody. </p><p>4) What am I glad I tried? </p><p>I'm going to cheat here and say I am glad that I tried...putting Teddy into Tae Kwon Do. It's hard to believe that he only started last Spring because it has become his absolute most favorite thing. </p><p>5) What relationship brought me joy? </p><p>Making friends with some of the parents at Teddy's school and also at my kids' extra-curricular activities. </p><p>6) What experience brought me joy? </p><p>Long walks outside periodically to listen to Podcasts were definitely a sweet spot. Other than that, I would say see #1 😀. </p><p>7) What was my favorite place? </p><p>In the middle of the year, some days I would go and work at a coffee shop here in town called Coco & Blu. Sometimes the change of scenery for a yummy drink and a quiche will do me good. </p><p>8) What was my favorite outfit?</p><p>Ooooo this is fun. I am now the proud owner of a lineup of cozy sweaters. Give me a cozy sweater and a pair of Wit & Wisdom jeans, with either my UGG boots or my new Marc Fisher boots, and I am a happy girl. </p><p>9) What was my favorite book/show/movie? </p><p>I really did not do a good job of keeping track of the books I read in 2021. I enjoyed reading Isaac Mizrahi's memoir - IM. That was a good one. </p><p>So many good shows!! I loved Mare of Easttown and right now, I'm enjoying And Just Like That. It feels like a warm hug from the past. </p><p>Movie? Kids movies... at the movie theater. Encanto. </p><p>10) What was my favorite part of the day? </p><p>Always the early morning, first sip of coffee feeling. </p><p>11) What has changed in me that I am proud of? </p><p>Keeping an open mind. </p><p>12) What made me laugh?</p><p>The Big Boo Cast (my favorite Podcast) & Curb Your Enthusiasm. Also, tons and tons of funny things said by my little girl Joey. </p><p>13) What was something that felt hard at the beginning of last year but is easier now? </p><p>Accepting the constantly changing news and protocols on COVID-19? 😂</p><p>14) What am I glad I finished? </p><p>Potty training Joey Lucy!!!!!!!!</p><p>15) What is something I'm really glad happened? </p><p>Teddy's 5th Birthday Party - Superhero Extravaganza 😀. Christmas spent with lots of family. </p><p>16) What did I miss? </p><p>Working downtown surrounded by work friends. </p><p>17) Who did I miss? </p><p>See #16.</p><p>18) What made me feel like myself? </p><p>Getting my hair done at my favorite salon (Salon Buzz). That is probably a vain answer, but it's the truth. Nobody does blonde like them. </p><p>19) What words would I use to describe last year? </p><p>Not what I expected, but lots of good. </p><p>20) What words would I use to describe myself in the past year?</p><p>Resilient. </p><p>21) What mattered most last year?</p><p>Keeping home the "safest" and most comfortable place. </p><p>22) What didn't matter as much as a I thought it would?</p><p>Perfection - sometimes done at 90% is better than striving for 100%. </p><p>23) What did I learn about myself in the last year?</p><p>That I can be really hard on myself, and I need to work on that. </p><p>24) How do I feel about myself after this last year? </p><p>The only word that comes to mind is OK 😂. See #23. </p><p>25) How do I want to feel about myself next year?</p><p>I suppose a good goal would be "better than OK" 😂. </p><p>26) What do I want to bring from last year into this year?</p><p>Traveling to some new places domestically with my family.</p><p>27) What do I think will matter this year? </p><p>Keeping the faith and always having a hopeful mindset. </p><p>28) What habits/rituals/rhythms do I hope for? </p><p>Exercising in the mornings, "eating the frog" after that (getting my most important work task out of the way first thing in the workday), and outsourcing/delegating/automating as much as possible for things that suck a lot of my time out of my days. </p><p>29) What do I want to finish/start? </p><p><span> a. F</span>inish? More books - maybe one a month. </p><p><span> b. Start? Blogging again ✅</span><br /></p><p>30) Based on my last year, what advice would I want to give myself moving into this year? </p><p>Your happiness should not always be based upon everything going as planned/expected. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMUCB3KKgfpAdT4rvRB3AxpBOXtz6spxzVRnMUu4Co_S5nA3OHtISOUvFL_WoD4N4ZkPO3C1L0AzrTH27oHtK-SuIAUgeIyJs87H2BY3q4qde0Uu0phQPdhPiHbeZFceV2o1PiVQdLqUu89zIZ0AezyDzX5-RF2LHdAlBMrKcYpTS195suiw3-K-O55g=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMUCB3KKgfpAdT4rvRB3AxpBOXtz6spxzVRnMUu4Co_S5nA3OHtISOUvFL_WoD4N4ZkPO3C1L0AzrTH27oHtK-SuIAUgeIyJs87H2BY3q4qde0Uu0phQPdhPiHbeZFceV2o1PiVQdLqUu89zIZ0AezyDzX5-RF2LHdAlBMrKcYpTS195suiw3-K-O55g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Wow!! I cannot believe I answered all 30 questions. If you read all my answers, thanks for being here! </p><p>Have a fantastic Tuesday!</p><p><br /></p><p>xoxo</p><p>Jess </p>Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-61193555312360520982022-01-17T06:09:00.000-06:002022-01-17T06:09:46.563-06:00Joey Lucy is 3 <p>Good morning! </p><p>It's been a long time since I have blogged. I love reading blogs, and I still do read my favorites every morning, but I'm not so sure how many other people are still stopping by to read these things. </p><p>So...if you are reading today - hi! </p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>I need to send a huge shout out to Dusten Modjeska for recovering my blog!! It got lost for a minute there. He found it. Thank you!!</p><p>P.S. I am not going to filter my pictures for my post...welcome to 2009... you're welcome 😉!</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Since we last spoke here, we have welcomed our little girl and a whole lot of other change into our lives. </p><p>Josephine Lucy Miller was born on a negative temperature day in January 2019. I still feel awful that I have give this girl a birthday right after Christmas, especially since she was an IVF baby and you think we could have timed it better. It took me quite a while after having Teddy to feel ready to have another baby, so when I was ready, I just had to get it done and not worry about the timing of her party day. </p><p>In the spirit of catching you up, since my last post, I have also changed jobs. I left private practice after being with the same firm for 10 years to go in house for an insurance company. It has now been over two years with that company and I still feel that I have been very lucky for this new opportunity. </p><p>We are still (STILL! UGH!!!) dealing with this COVID-19 pandemic and I have switched to almost exclusively working from home, which has been a huge blessing for my kids, but it's also been an adjustment for me personally. I started going back into my office once a week sometime towards the end of 2021, which I have really enjoyed. Going into the city, while not really necessary to get my work done at this point, gives me a totally different energy! </p><p>We still live in the same house. I adore our neighborhood, everything about it. I would like to get some more space on this house, maybe even my own office, but that is a conversation for a different day (talk to my husband, please 😅).</p><p>Now that we have caught up.... my purpose for coming on here today was to share a little bit about Joey's third birthday with you. </p><p>On the morning of my kids' birthdays, I like to decorate a little bit and give them their gift(s). (I always get a balloon garland and a banner on Etsy!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBeag8lzcaU5iLpnWMJ6gf6bFFhN_DMhEbn3rKNCfnteTvO4qnZrSg9Zv3Nueh680SjUK9skzISm0gVNg--BQ5-o2-nR9NylNSwQMuRxalKJCqyWgji1GlfdnTMrLofNCcuinyYXknvj1PTR5Oud6unDvi1xveaz1mna1p6RuwyHcFbbSVVyVhUPbzsg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBeag8lzcaU5iLpnWMJ6gf6bFFhN_DMhEbn3rKNCfnteTvO4qnZrSg9Zv3Nueh680SjUK9skzISm0gVNg--BQ5-o2-nR9NylNSwQMuRxalKJCqyWgji1GlfdnTMrLofNCcuinyYXknvj1PTR5Oud6unDvi1xveaz1mna1p6RuwyHcFbbSVVyVhUPbzsg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbmnRGIgzNW77FxXGduvHsto5-GUXpB-TlOkgWTSiJLJbcn30i2IZ_N32xdqEvvzqTEGw5w6fvQwpxi0MDnzgUqkFloWKsB6EGSqJeEG3yZk5VMIgmH6RgIHXyw8c4mu4LXDo02B7lfB5Edj-RWyEw8eLcmUH4VvJwrajr7fsrzz-s27919MNgf0zQQw=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbmnRGIgzNW77FxXGduvHsto5-GUXpB-TlOkgWTSiJLJbcn30i2IZ_N32xdqEvvzqTEGw5w6fvQwpxi0MDnzgUqkFloWKsB6EGSqJeEG3yZk5VMIgmH6RgIHXyw8c4mu4LXDo02B7lfB5Edj-RWyEw8eLcmUH4VvJwrajr7fsrzz-s27919MNgf0zQQw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Joey is super into playing bakery, always serving us cake and cupcakes, so we got her a little Patisserie with a cart (huge success!). Apparently, it was a pain to put together, but I would say it's been worth it. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTFcJRU9tP8plkt2RIsGq5PuDXU3Vxz18WileoqRjXjmhMeGC4uTRlCi8bcpJK-FDu6vZt3tb6BKgLmiiV9pgMoZnyOfr0riUxecVzSr3NhEpPMlenRpDYMXJ6mJG2JjqdaADH3eeJ1RyZPAPV8gdWvLdP9XgfQ581gEnQTYw9f3LRla0Dn4-d23s77A=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTFcJRU9tP8plkt2RIsGq5PuDXU3Vxz18WileoqRjXjmhMeGC4uTRlCi8bcpJK-FDu6vZt3tb6BKgLmiiV9pgMoZnyOfr0riUxecVzSr3NhEpPMlenRpDYMXJ6mJG2JjqdaADH3eeJ1RyZPAPV8gdWvLdP9XgfQ581gEnQTYw9f3LRla0Dn4-d23s77A=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjisZQMEJsj6gLAG7oQmelrzlLpdNSW4IBgv-x8zb0F3wAnKGrn3r5iwjgDahsRLOfjFLPtpbkQIxBDzr7REr0Tmw0rJRTQ3ck7Z6Ko5r3wIcxx92WKRqk1I6ztFB1QmyeTGZiTHLAI-JlLFP-I4csg4pW6UV9qnMBz7KsguJxUONJj3e_BZcrcwBojSg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjisZQMEJsj6gLAG7oQmelrzlLpdNSW4IBgv-x8zb0F3wAnKGrn3r5iwjgDahsRLOfjFLPtpbkQIxBDzr7REr0Tmw0rJRTQ3ck7Z6Ko5r3wIcxx92WKRqk1I6ztFB1QmyeTGZiTHLAI-JlLFP-I4csg4pW6UV9qnMBz7KsguJxUONJj3e_BZcrcwBojSg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Joey's daycare does a great job of making their birthdays special. A special sign/banner, blow up birthday cake, presents, friends...and cupcakes, of course! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgezY88KZde1gYrUwgIj9csiifgQn0oHoTJ_WT2LecoJBxznxZEGQ4wdNyn8veLaiGqUZIMEqsNROWxto73K189PZWGLsx2lkya6mUFrlY9bAHKsFuvEVuffxxMAYSmZzgNDqpboJ-PjzP9RxMjYMP1QemNErgXGsLgqTq1J9hytG8ah-w_cb0WA58Omg=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgezY88KZde1gYrUwgIj9csiifgQn0oHoTJ_WT2LecoJBxznxZEGQ4wdNyn8veLaiGqUZIMEqsNROWxto73K189PZWGLsx2lkya6mUFrlY9bAHKsFuvEVuffxxMAYSmZzgNDqpboJ-PjzP9RxMjYMP1QemNErgXGsLgqTq1J9hytG8ah-w_cb0WA58Omg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj19WyZwZzClH2F_f6YB7edXNoQR88WYQaQ5dwKaw4QTdeJPGXWw5vKexoj2rlnAzlZXQTI32o2eBAGZuVcIId9EA-elhuXzzj8BQFtAJYlpXjDailwi550V6Z7xD4FF5yAHCkgymkXgab3z1W1TotnxfHELQoB3cn9QMhgWBASJoQUTGA6EGxQ_gH1tQ=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj19WyZwZzClH2F_f6YB7edXNoQR88WYQaQ5dwKaw4QTdeJPGXWw5vKexoj2rlnAzlZXQTI32o2eBAGZuVcIId9EA-elhuXzzj8BQFtAJYlpXjDailwi550V6Z7xD4FF5yAHCkgymkXgab3z1W1TotnxfHELQoB3cn9QMhgWBASJoQUTGA6EGxQ_gH1tQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9ry6l9U_T12l9mwMCS560y449O8XSUA5G5fFwdjS6v_bjnIwKTIyeLcZqfhnd5J5hbIoJJOazLTSCRsPI6leBrPZSE0UPMHu-otcZdg5EdZF1EjyoidVn0CSFQgWOWJKJo-jXP6jHP4q9SoTygDceN0OP1qqgEosijnGcOrVL0DF3dplAeonoDgtIzg=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9ry6l9U_T12l9mwMCS560y449O8XSUA5G5fFwdjS6v_bjnIwKTIyeLcZqfhnd5J5hbIoJJOazLTSCRsPI6leBrPZSE0UPMHu-otcZdg5EdZF1EjyoidVn0CSFQgWOWJKJo-jXP6jHP4q9SoTygDceN0OP1qqgEosijnGcOrVL0DF3dplAeonoDgtIzg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9O4aWYWJkrrcKYPy7ldcgiYh2Dz6LO2Lz6y_rkSlVc22-LHmH4qSXMfn8ZvM_Us7TjqNHwpecF-u3jIFhbhVgVE_sq8h6Ii0IPzTYcwjJLjAycT5i65SkdEu8BL0Aem8avnTpDjvJug4HfR3gYn-7hrFPsYI7QYEk_cY4DZNHRCLwTqEZ8d7whp_1LA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiba6BY4AU-MyhvNFZIS4z_hLOuZxYf3vG1RkZK6qSsgZ2_XFlFFQ5FGKFsUngljoOrvWjYrolD-IoRNa0TSafTWNDDDXwv7eH7Jn_HqEmSgKC9dA_ecAWToP_XCdoqMvwUPpAJDz7-rlAqEYeOdEEL2mTLu7e7Zk1cIOSDDViDnJDCkEieTTKrYF1_YA=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiba6BY4AU-MyhvNFZIS4z_hLOuZxYf3vG1RkZK6qSsgZ2_XFlFFQ5FGKFsUngljoOrvWjYrolD-IoRNa0TSafTWNDDDXwv7eH7Jn_HqEmSgKC9dA_ecAWToP_XCdoqMvwUPpAJDz7-rlAqEYeOdEEL2mTLu7e7Zk1cIOSDDViDnJDCkEieTTKrYF1_YA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgk4YUC6nU-_5Ua3e02mK6i_5f1h5FR3CiO-NDNK9GGsfZzx0l9At0Y8GuvnRgLtrNdvBb88EzDopuhfUm6TPHiSbRH0BVnC189kNi_lUS2mBGRB3DkQ2Affoo-Omo9F2HUkIe44bfIuH33OomTeRripdON-dCfKtQYMXRa2XE1Ch3jIPiiU3T1NJJNQw=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCM80e3dMVxxEsebzctNk4iyNDI49zHLuYIUnvPB6MSL6gIrp09y7dUKXKzE6nTiFyjfqoNm8PRxsC-4nVK6VwQlAsFK4vCtEPRrb0PgUcJWcwmHMyC11-MUCoWvdAuZr92pvtOAPqOtQgaHZjW5tLSADVWbTxfsAQNFVReLi-BjPzSPrTMZdC2jeisQ=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCM80e3dMVxxEsebzctNk4iyNDI49zHLuYIUnvPB6MSL6gIrp09y7dUKXKzE6nTiFyjfqoNm8PRxsC-4nVK6VwQlAsFK4vCtEPRrb0PgUcJWcwmHMyC11-MUCoWvdAuZr92pvtOAPqOtQgaHZjW5tLSADVWbTxfsAQNFVReLi-BjPzSPrTMZdC2jeisQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After daycare, we had Oma & Uncle Steve over for pasta (from Nino's) and.... more cake! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMjF7ebl2GtwUmoxGJrdQIjqOBQ9N_TCX8lZ_5RIutiXVvkvmaHpALELUjQxLUTg4sOqrmjpSinAdv2HUptfuPZfkHNINXWpT3XgEUPIoC3ssCEnAYIqC3mCPjtBtTbNfGkL50TKzGKnK6Kb4ibzFyQeDUSQb-QpU2x-_o9GAWWWU5-EFMn-2oyrWkZg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMjF7ebl2GtwUmoxGJrdQIjqOBQ9N_TCX8lZ_5RIutiXVvkvmaHpALELUjQxLUTg4sOqrmjpSinAdv2HUptfuPZfkHNINXWpT3XgEUPIoC3ssCEnAYIqC3mCPjtBtTbNfGkL50TKzGKnK6Kb4ibzFyQeDUSQb-QpU2x-_o9GAWWWU5-EFMn-2oyrWkZg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU6yzjjf7m8dZ_Ddr0Af26-ElR5TrjuImgYRKaM6GMjay6L6lGJzquVvjglkupXA2UWhzZ74LWJ0Etb6uUGQ6Wynma6pfcedGdZ8tzN_Ee7pNcRmMaRXBDxlwPXmxrcS_-Bc-ClA9n6jxL-sQv7aHENLVu-84Hu0J6tUyThhiuFIn2R-ZfkBBZMtBvkA=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU6yzjjf7m8dZ_Ddr0Af26-ElR5TrjuImgYRKaM6GMjay6L6lGJzquVvjglkupXA2UWhzZ74LWJ0Etb6uUGQ6Wynma6pfcedGdZ8tzN_Ee7pNcRmMaRXBDxlwPXmxrcS_-Bc-ClA9n6jxL-sQv7aHENLVu-84Hu0J6tUyThhiuFIn2R-ZfkBBZMtBvkA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1rJJAkNvP_FL0CeEy2VwImyHZAQBRvUuhrExDrnhy-Z2gDl7mo8hfskp8ItpRtdryJQ5TG1TGiKhXz0mYL_4-JSc89BISFGzyGO4f43dne9liqAubvqmCEr-n6IzCiCCNM957w3f6FedEW7VIEBx8lx3e9qUs8m5Neg_YQ7Ms32trdLYFcsKadyLxVQ=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1rJJAkNvP_FL0CeEy2VwImyHZAQBRvUuhrExDrnhy-Z2gDl7mo8hfskp8ItpRtdryJQ5TG1TGiKhXz0mYL_4-JSc89BISFGzyGO4f43dne9liqAubvqmCEr-n6IzCiCCNM957w3f6FedEW7VIEBx8lx3e9qUs8m5Neg_YQ7Ms32trdLYFcsKadyLxVQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday morning, it was our girl's party day! She loved her Paw Patrol bow and necklace (shocker...also from Etsy!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSzsdY3efJw121ak9Rf0LbyFizZmchtiWpAegSRa5y5eCIziNslJF-HIRqGVWctq2jDLWAdSl5QrTEhhcc_WlrgV4ODe4yVccq8pu3GxUD0Ls_5u8ZQ8K9RsJaIFtpkpi7xsyCT6O_rKlgIBlys_gJu8rRmyT6eUQ9uzV2IlszfhBICkoCcyzJmEZEfw=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSzsdY3efJw121ak9Rf0LbyFizZmchtiWpAegSRa5y5eCIziNslJF-HIRqGVWctq2jDLWAdSl5QrTEhhcc_WlrgV4ODe4yVccq8pu3GxUD0Ls_5u8ZQ8K9RsJaIFtpkpi7xsyCT6O_rKlgIBlys_gJu8rRmyT6eUQ9uzV2IlszfhBICkoCcyzJmEZEfw=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><p>Joey's favorite place in Arlington Heights is BerryYo Frozen Yogurt. My mom (her "Oma") started taking Joey to BerryYo after daycare a long time ago and Joey has become quite the little celebrity there. </p><p>We decided to go with a Paw Patrol theme about six months ago. It's a miracle she didn't change her mind on that one 😀.</p><p>I swear, I tried to keep this party as simple as possible after the Superhero extravaganza we hosted for Teddy's 5th birthday at our house last summer. Which was incredible. But nearly put me in the bed. </p><p>I called in Happy Kids Chicago to do 30 minute dance party with Chase & Skye, picked up cupcakes from Deerfield Bakery, and ordered Papa Johns. Is there really anything easier or more reliable than Papa Johns?! </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfFRqhX7ZmgNErYb8gKPast7dsIgx9ORFZHcq4hl8yH4Bj6_axtcc4FUUv_WprnkbzD060YXcuydKttu0bTRgr3USNiwSfH-RT6yWxPXEjkCuFEOkYetLLJTwPp4kdS_cnswvV1i7HpGMSm7-PR4pKWjiXmT_xSrUakrj2hzzed9LT1STXr6uZlC76zg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfFRqhX7ZmgNErYb8gKPast7dsIgx9ORFZHcq4hl8yH4Bj6_axtcc4FUUv_WprnkbzD060YXcuydKttu0bTRgr3USNiwSfH-RT6yWxPXEjkCuFEOkYetLLJTwPp4kdS_cnswvV1i7HpGMSm7-PR4pKWjiXmT_xSrUakrj2hzzed9LT1STXr6uZlC76zg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw-_sAAxkl99GEhKNFMibygrddTDoPmGyw4M-4YzxhiqFT6BPqnqjOEC4tqpjMqqdVE35dpKtKO9uawQbZEGij9Vj6mlpYUND89fEEgKYdloJXcC9wNibueqIa69f76RGY0oh54CKHzL-z1XUTAM60ONwOsQyJ2qkTfuAXupSWAbarXJHOQTNi-w0GBg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw-_sAAxkl99GEhKNFMibygrddTDoPmGyw4M-4YzxhiqFT6BPqnqjOEC4tqpjMqqdVE35dpKtKO9uawQbZEGij9Vj6mlpYUND89fEEgKYdloJXcC9wNibueqIa69f76RGY0oh54CKHzL-z1XUTAM60ONwOsQyJ2qkTfuAXupSWAbarXJHOQTNi-w0GBg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBvnf7GB_egQmhkOixPk8UqbaMMu5aHLPUzp-Lnwq98DICQL1Z6Xt3kBkicf99JYuHN1TakPA4IY9CtUE262sDedd29GTBAWLXBOQbVIjUUpuZY1sHGL45xNLjbT4qiedE6Ur-YvhMQpYY7wg1Umbif-ETapcrou-k-TjO4M47-AbbzDLkVQznjXqPZA=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBvnf7GB_egQmhkOixPk8UqbaMMu5aHLPUzp-Lnwq98DICQL1Z6Xt3kBkicf99JYuHN1TakPA4IY9CtUE262sDedd29GTBAWLXBOQbVIjUUpuZY1sHGL45xNLjbT4qiedE6Ur-YvhMQpYY7wg1Umbif-ETapcrou-k-TjO4M47-AbbzDLkVQznjXqPZA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Party hack for you, I always get bouquets from the grocery store and split them up into multiple mason jars for centerpieces. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr7EKBaa0gk-3eMVkU68a1tnig7TNpFbNGpzEtumX1SFaD4uGwckjKP8HBUF6oHUsaOjUIs8RuxKutw-WtUHUw-N1RTbtDU1IiQ3-7oLetS-up18bj5WgeaguxNEYOtE8a25eT-HgEDlQhH8Vxaxi4kt40OXzHV54sHuCJ-waEvqEphnrVuQJ_PzJyhw=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr7EKBaa0gk-3eMVkU68a1tnig7TNpFbNGpzEtumX1SFaD4uGwckjKP8HBUF6oHUsaOjUIs8RuxKutw-WtUHUw-N1RTbtDU1IiQ3-7oLetS-up18bj5WgeaguxNEYOtE8a25eT-HgEDlQhH8Vxaxi4kt40OXzHV54sHuCJ-waEvqEphnrVuQJ_PzJyhw=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAHjCxhT-pWTsFAS18qb5Oc8xoHJjrS83rCTZg8NwZ0ZXW0l--43IDCtoQj_T7FydoiIFaOT8tUe3V-rXVuq3jvrwN0D90SeBgJ29_lNzSp36jIe71eM4xpdk7Bab_RIopnUDARSMLNe56GCrPUfDeZonnZblWZnVy-cPsTtPIQ2ucqiaO35e3Q3OgNA=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAHjCxhT-pWTsFAS18qb5Oc8xoHJjrS83rCTZg8NwZ0ZXW0l--43IDCtoQj_T7FydoiIFaOT8tUe3V-rXVuq3jvrwN0D90SeBgJ29_lNzSp36jIe71eM4xpdk7Bab_RIopnUDARSMLNe56GCrPUfDeZonnZblWZnVy-cPsTtPIQ2ucqiaO35e3Q3OgNA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4T5QgmrvVvS0RzGP6JKJM--bUqf5hvNqP9qyAVStSY1q0FRSZU_8tQQVZVdN0waTU-xf5jnANyt9P1fywibgNuV734NW2tmwuuttBXNgyy2xfJ9qr_bYzuk0YyY00HQxvtmWTmmvsUvNobkzp6H2zim9bQpI2r8kIGG_hiL5IlmfuTPBjIAMMtyd2mg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4T5QgmrvVvS0RzGP6JKJM--bUqf5hvNqP9qyAVStSY1q0FRSZU_8tQQVZVdN0waTU-xf5jnANyt9P1fywibgNuV734NW2tmwuuttBXNgyy2xfJ9qr_bYzuk0YyY00HQxvtmWTmmvsUvNobkzp6H2zim9bQpI2r8kIGG_hiL5IlmfuTPBjIAMMtyd2mg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>One game changer about this party was that BerryYo helped out so much. They put together gift bags, helped me decorate before the party, coordinated and ran activities for the kids at the party, and even helped me box things up and take them out to my car after the party. I mean... wow! <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZygLsQ294K5KxPiVVeksCAwJcV-Ox05KeGp1abM66OzvcCuFPpNZUwPrPDHPIs2IfoGK6atWuFobwMxD34_j9SMYiNH9roFbwXVD12yUCTo3aHsDsZ9WFC5QBqEFgw_ycMLwoZJY0IT2LmHqkmq_eRCWG-az-DAmZ0rBZABvuE_e_585GpCj-ECYLXw=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZygLsQ294K5KxPiVVeksCAwJcV-Ox05KeGp1abM66OzvcCuFPpNZUwPrPDHPIs2IfoGK6atWuFobwMxD34_j9SMYiNH9roFbwXVD12yUCTo3aHsDsZ9WFC5QBqEFgw_ycMLwoZJY0IT2LmHqkmq_eRCWG-az-DAmZ0rBZABvuE_e_585GpCj-ECYLXw=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjXslOOuME60zwtNuD2hx6Lj2FSjWd3YHh5SNifGRZm65y4UiuTHFpt2j09fR0sw2lBvBbGuk2XP7Q_lFavKXjy4fcQryoNbeqDSDl8FLIPPqzDJBRUsWVLMYgy3zz-BeicLwe_yKCnpoDXazn-ywCfIhAb6QwKZSv3gsNrEIhzJds_2FxC26MeWHljQ=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjXslOOuME60zwtNuD2hx6Lj2FSjWd3YHh5SNifGRZm65y4UiuTHFpt2j09fR0sw2lBvBbGuk2XP7Q_lFavKXjy4fcQryoNbeqDSDl8FLIPPqzDJBRUsWVLMYgy3zz-BeicLwe_yKCnpoDXazn-ywCfIhAb6QwKZSv3gsNrEIhzJds_2FxC26MeWHljQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBHiH4UGrwwZ0jucjLjQRM_odOUT_9xnxH3LfoIvwCyYK3L56Wzmx1MALZT9ef_7ikJAEL9kHa4hvlvQRt67spHRb-ZZ87tPDGI4wJDiMSPFb0C36rVdfGUyTi_gDwsmHihfhMS7pHYvtyUMcBYR6krMQgLZWiOHg4U1MxRcihE3_6kh1uznvu91wQSQ=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBHiH4UGrwwZ0jucjLjQRM_odOUT_9xnxH3LfoIvwCyYK3L56Wzmx1MALZT9ef_7ikJAEL9kHa4hvlvQRt67spHRb-ZZ87tPDGI4wJDiMSPFb0C36rVdfGUyTi_gDwsmHihfhMS7pHYvtyUMcBYR6krMQgLZWiOHg4U1MxRcihE3_6kh1uznvu91wQSQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuAQe0s5Dbqsn5UH9_etQL-i6ryMZBEATJ-5bwpR0a3Erzw4uHJ3fBlIpZy4RQnmUnV6sfMM8wUAtyLV56JGL-cQ04KilFntywg00hch2LKqpyIR8pNvBtwzC9w9-a0cSOMR55V4cPyfFFbkOtnA9XtPgG1Byp_M_Z-2zHkRSkjuawy35Fa90I4En5FA=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuAQe0s5Dbqsn5UH9_etQL-i6ryMZBEATJ-5bwpR0a3Erzw4uHJ3fBlIpZy4RQnmUnV6sfMM8wUAtyLV56JGL-cQ04KilFntywg00hch2LKqpyIR8pNvBtwzC9w9-a0cSOMR55V4cPyfFFbkOtnA9XtPgG1Byp_M_Z-2zHkRSkjuawy35Fa90I4En5FA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you have young kids, these character rentals really seem to make the party and you get a lot of bang for your buck! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-Fx_kfssRu7TRwnt8tQv4_z-SfoDWSdMBxp52U6thWJ26pqCNL0opgr9i3hx2q6Pyv0n1MBybLFRvmZSGWWcVp78gFapmzmzIrJFY6T4bND6kl9o1dLG3FJIoTTf47dTaaWj3uBjJ2SUjHl61T1kvp-4n0B4lh35XUGp3bhrLnU4gtoaKQQEq9MTO0A=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-Fx_kfssRu7TRwnt8tQv4_z-SfoDWSdMBxp52U6thWJ26pqCNL0opgr9i3hx2q6Pyv0n1MBybLFRvmZSGWWcVp78gFapmzmzIrJFY6T4bND6kl9o1dLG3FJIoTTf47dTaaWj3uBjJ2SUjHl61T1kvp-4n0B4lh35XUGp3bhrLnU4gtoaKQQEq9MTO0A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2KPGYl7LibtPGLTbhPOjainJQdol76zaM_JQ-fCO-AbvFALH8xte_LbktkkPmYwIS1fxIpmS9NQFQAs_ChJI4NDhvqoiQEV72to-zIY_QCvNtII1OmcEV6dTx2e8KC69BZydOcBJCo7QqZTHwBlfQJr3SIQkG3Jr7Co8n-mRm5KxTD1kEilwAds6FLQ=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2KPGYl7LibtPGLTbhPOjainJQdol76zaM_JQ-fCO-AbvFALH8xte_LbktkkPmYwIS1fxIpmS9NQFQAs_ChJI4NDhvqoiQEV72to-zIY_QCvNtII1OmcEV6dTx2e8KC69BZydOcBJCo7QqZTHwBlfQJr3SIQkG3Jr7Co8n-mRm5KxTD1kEilwAds6FLQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSZ6eNljuPTzeuChung419-sLLenlw58A3RUE_ehGfb1gLTJyQAKNky_GyxLJ1OTGi08mVsOKXe1rWCVee9jBaPbetsX5ksa7S7sDJUQkFphzUYfVMxBgvZ5EbsHICPB3X66ClJeYemNcME4hW68o9D1azvKltJ1oLGiHh1wchWYwgRSvRky7jERZOvA=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSZ6eNljuPTzeuChung419-sLLenlw58A3RUE_ehGfb1gLTJyQAKNky_GyxLJ1OTGi08mVsOKXe1rWCVee9jBaPbetsX5ksa7S7sDJUQkFphzUYfVMxBgvZ5EbsHICPB3X66ClJeYemNcME4hW68o9D1azvKltJ1oLGiHh1wchWYwgRSvRky7jERZOvA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0yZzUKJpEQerIGNAfZDjplqwA1gjiGl8rv9RTNRBvQhs2Ngeudxz7FCwpTWQ3TU7lNv_CxOMbOjxIeWonoXB3k3DdCgzraTAgB6JZLzAvM_7Wj9tkDwZsTOODaEOvx1DtXAAVjyLzaXJoA0inaGb9WRX6iZzlk7nCe7aJwt2bFtGDysTa6MPIYlA3Ag=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0yZzUKJpEQerIGNAfZDjplqwA1gjiGl8rv9RTNRBvQhs2Ngeudxz7FCwpTWQ3TU7lNv_CxOMbOjxIeWonoXB3k3DdCgzraTAgB6JZLzAvM_7Wj9tkDwZsTOODaEOvx1DtXAAVjyLzaXJoA0inaGb9WRX6iZzlk7nCe7aJwt2bFtGDysTa6MPIYlA3Ag=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Don't @ me about all the sugar, okay?!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV277k1FYGOFHIU-WhiL8BiAtWwTKp3YYJgIVK3ee8N04DL63dhmTiUESuCOyrjnzLmsOmtzw77e3Q0p1YbJw7oQsY4MiZueT9fZeww4Y2-FIXMSfMoqRtLYXMPrs2xCjU_dS45GYXUY6s9SzN17lbpsciK4zWfZaTTiA0UBDGySfUaDb_MrrBzg9u2g=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNfNGklGVTD3xQ3b-jkRnmAEap_UAcXVCLPovwVxbV2XXbXctBN0ZY-NePhA-3sZjmL486tMJi41TZ-CRqBeo3RiCyZBHsshjfIDea0WN0jXhPGPAXMVnvcmsx11HiRa52IzI-ynERb3GwKZCIIAYvA_9TFYmVO5zpIkbeklXCKIJ5C6DiOvmcKAqIKA=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNfNGklGVTD3xQ3b-jkRnmAEap_UAcXVCLPovwVxbV2XXbXctBN0ZY-NePhA-3sZjmL486tMJi41TZ-CRqBeo3RiCyZBHsshjfIDea0WN0jXhPGPAXMVnvcmsx11HiRa52IzI-ynERb3GwKZCIIAYvA_9TFYmVO5zpIkbeklXCKIJ5C6DiOvmcKAqIKA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_lrebyOpUSk7uKWv5cEUdT_ZFERsNicOy9fPOD7a_9_RnqIn0xyqfXPndaO6VBlUr_TxGt0KDEJPSxPMc8u1GR5s8Tbx0S0Ih1uKPjchTSSBeO-HglSfiAIGFoiNip3s2iPuqwaEHHDbily6mfD63fVHpJJBMahVXy3ojMd6naongxliD5-xbu_Zp2g=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_lrebyOpUSk7uKWv5cEUdT_ZFERsNicOy9fPOD7a_9_RnqIn0xyqfXPndaO6VBlUr_TxGt0KDEJPSxPMc8u1GR5s8Tbx0S0Ih1uKPjchTSSBeO-HglSfiAIGFoiNip3s2iPuqwaEHHDbily6mfD63fVHpJJBMahVXy3ojMd6naongxliD5-xbu_Zp2g=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p>I almost cannot believe we pulled this party off. It really did feel like so many factors where playing against us. But, we did it!</p><p>Some more party hacks for you:</p><p>1) Listen to the "How to be Awesome at Everything" Podcast - she has some awesome episodes about throwing kids parties. Also follow her on Instagram @lindsayscloud because she has highlights of her kids' prior parties. </p><p>2) SAVE things from your kids' parties... I have re-used so much over the years at future parties, you would be surprised. </p><p>3) Dollar tree for the balloons!! Seriously!</p><p>4) Dollar tree first before going to Party City. And you can make that stop the day before the party, then you will really know exactly what you need and how much of it to buy!</p><p>5) Have your pizza place double cut your pizza (if it's triangle slices). Perfect kids' sized pieces! </p><p>6) 11AM is the best party start time, in my humble opinion 😉.</p><p>Thanks for stopping by to read today! </p><p><br /></p><p>xoxo</p><p>Jess </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-28059182990441840342018-12-06T09:11:00.000-06:002018-12-06T09:42:22.379-06:00Newborn Baby FavoritesHi Friends!<br />
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In case you didn't know, we are expecting a baby girl VERY soon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehcbnUNbsqymHjxVwSF5Ju_Zb5nuQpfAzh59RWcLCHnqTMr9BhwBv_YBqHDXf8bWDXuzimbcBTcz8noMzwSJwW-h0Blfc2rCd-sv_RYdZ5t_eIXnb1XHoW9ANHNEW_PZL2T3lmdl5orOG/s1600/DSC_6262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehcbnUNbsqymHjxVwSF5Ju_Zb5nuQpfAzh59RWcLCHnqTMr9BhwBv_YBqHDXf8bWDXuzimbcBTcz8noMzwSJwW-h0Blfc2rCd-sv_RYdZ5t_eIXnb1XHoW9ANHNEW_PZL2T3lmdl5orOG/s400/DSC_6262.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I swear I have had amnesia about what I need to have around the house for a newborn baby. I stumbled upon a list of items I made for a friend buried deep in my outbox, so I thought I would share.<br />
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First and foremost, I am obsessed with <a href="http://momsoncall.com/">Moms On Call</a> as my go-to resource for everything schedule, health, and parenting philosophy related. I bought the set of 3 books before Teddy was born and used their schedules like my bible. They also have a super helpful app you can download (schedules) and following their Instagram is amazing too. I am not positive if it was the MOC schedules or just his nature, but Teddy was an amazing sleeper and still is to this day. Their health guides (common illnesses, etc.) were also great to alleviate some postpartum anxiety when little problems would come up with Teddy as a newborn. GET THE BOOKS! :)<br />
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<b>Feeding: </b>Teddy wasn't having wet diapers at the hospital, despite all my efforts to feed him and getting help from the lactation consultant at the hospital. I gave him some ready-to-feed formula (see below) to supplement until my milk came in. I tried hard to nurse him once that happened, but he was falling asleep every dang time and he was simply not getting enough to eat because of it. I made the hard decision to exclusively pump and it was a total rollercoaster. I pumped up until we went on vacation at 8 months, then used a frozen stash for about another month, then switched him to <a href="https://www.naturesone.com/babys-only-organic-dairy-formula/?sku=22900-1">Baby's Only Organic</a> formula (no, it is not for Toddlers) until age 1. He had no problem transitioning to regular milk at that point. I am hoping nursing goes better with Baby #2, but I know there is no way to plan for what may happen, so I have to be open to all options to get her fed!<br />
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dr-brown-39-s-reg-4-ounce-baby-bottles-3-pack/1016279188?Keyword%3Ddr%2Bbrowns%2Bbottles&source=gmail&ust=1544193434286000&usg=AFQjCNEs3qqC2pqiT0GNgbmo50K29jeAXA" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dr-brown-39-s-reg-4-ounce-baby-bottles-3-pack/1016279188?Keyword=dr+browns+bottles" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Dr. Brown 4 oz bottles</a> </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dr-brown-39-s-natural-flow-reg-silicone-baby-bottle-nipples-2-pack/130057?Keyword%3Dpreemie-nipples-dr-brown&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNE0RaSG63UsAgYjxEJd15DXSU8Lmw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dr-brown-39-s-natural-flow-reg-silicone-baby-bottle-nipples-2-pack/130057?Keyword=preemie-nipples-dr-brown" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Preemie Nipples</a> - get in case you have a chugger. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dr-brown-39-s-natural-flow-reg-bottle-brush-in-pink/1041485675?Keyword%3Ddr%2Bbrowns%2Bbottle%2Bbrush&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNEGZXRLW8A8a_ASoTTn_Cb_9vw1Cw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dr-brown-39-s-natural-flow-reg-bottle-brush-in-pink/1041485675?Keyword=dr+browns+bottle+brush" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Bottle Brush</a> (buy 2, you have to replace often)</div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/boon-lawn-countertop-drying-rack/1018532484?Keyword%3Dlawn%2Bboon&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNFYS2BCb55Q3Et5SPqGgH6LH9AV-A" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/boon-lawn-countertop-drying-rack/1018532484?Keyword=lawn+boon" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Boon Lawn Drying Rack</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/boon-twig-grass-and-lawn-countertop-drying-rack-accessory-in-white/1040060804&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNFJ5W1TXYNpvaozO8WZ7PIQhdpMiw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/boon-twig-grass-and-lawn-countertop-drying-rack-accessory-in-white/1040060804" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Boon Twig</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dapple-reg-16-9-oz-pure-39-n-39-clean-baby-bottles-and-dishes-dishwashing-liquid-in-fragrance-free/1018738740?Keyword%3Ddapple&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNF9UptlMHcPx4qGcSeckOLvX4Klow" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dapple-reg-16-9-oz-pure-39-n-39-clean-baby-bottles-and-dishes-dishwashing-liquid-in-fragrance-free/1018738740?Keyword=dapple" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Dapple Soap</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.walmart.com/ip/Similac-Advance-Earlyshield-Ready-to-Feed-Infant-Formula-Bottles-with-Iron-2-fl-oz-8-count/19593715&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNEfVGNmxcxTVvCfCZ0wz4pMkcONQw" href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Similac-Advance-Earlyshield-Ready-to-Feed-Infant-Formula-Bottles-with-Iron-2-fl-oz-8-count/19593715" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Similac Ready to Feed 2 oz Bottles</a> ( just have for right when you get home from hospital so that you can give baby something easy in a pinch until you figure out how breastfeeding goes or what kind of formula you want to give baby)</div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/oxo-tot-reg-formula-dispenser/203189?Keyword%3Dformula%2Bdispenser&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNHm7g0AYH3hv9G9yRoJx3cYjpSL3g" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/oxo-tot-reg-formula-dispenser/203189?Keyword=formula+dispenser" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Formula Dispenser</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/PackIt-Freezable-Lunch-Closure-Black/dp/B00HJ8DFGC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1544109239&sr=8-3&keywords=packit+cooler">PackIt Cooler</a> (available in all types of patterns, designs)</div>
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<a href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/peg-perego-prima-pappa-zero-3-high-chair-in-baby-dot-beige/1044062330">High Chair</a> (we didn't start using until about 5 months)</div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/green-sprouts-reg-3-pack-organic-cotton-muslin-burp-cloths-in-pink-green/1045382406?Keyword%3Dgreen-works-burp-cloths&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNGkUwQJV3VvitJuaplxL8KeaLkQgw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/green-sprouts-reg-3-pack-organic-cotton-muslin-burp-cloths-in-pink-green/1045382406?Keyword=green-works-burp-cloths" style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: 400;" target="_blank">Green Sprouts Burp Cloths</a><br />
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Bibs - you'll want something with a waterproof backing to start like <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/frenchie-mini-couture-3-pack-milk-catcher-waterproof-terry-girl-39-s-bibs-in-pink/1045876516?Keyword%3Dbibs&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNEUZM2XiwvlVtiOTZ10hHLtehvxsQ" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/frenchie-mini-couture-3-pack-milk-catcher-waterproof-terry-girl-39-s-bibs-in-pink/1045876516?Keyword=bibs" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">these</a>. </div>
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Medela <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/medela-reg-quick-clean-trade-5-count-micro-steam-trade-bags/1014990534?Keyword%3Dmedela%2Bsterilizer%2Bbags&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNGi57IYzhaYO-ot1mxjoRiM7ujPJg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/medela-reg-quick-clean-trade-5-count-micro-steam-trade-bags/1014990534?Keyword=medela+sterilizer+bags" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Sterilizer Bags</a>, I went through tons - get 2 to 4 packages. </div>
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Medela <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/medela-24ct-quick-clean-breastpump-accessory-wipes/-/A-10203467&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNHNXHtpNBmPintZXGXrwoWTYcAuCA" href="http://www.target.com/p/medela-24ct-quick-clean-breastpump-accessory-wipes/-/A-10203467" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Quick Clean Wipes</a> - buy two packs. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/munchkin-soft-tip-infant-spoons-6pk/-/A-13991498?ref%3Dtgt_adv_XS000000%26AFID%3Dgoogle_pla_df%26CPNG%3DPLA_Baby%2BShopping%26adgroup%3DSC_Baby%26LID%3D700000001170770pgs%26network%3Dg%26device%3Dc%26location%3D9021427%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwMzBBRJRbqwhC1BoZFzti65nn3SFPRyiIshieNjpHSgaAm108P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNFYAgC8DSQ7eeahhW2dXH8QR5gQYA" href="http://www.target.com/p/munchkin-soft-tip-infant-spoons-6pk/-/A-13991498?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021427&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwMzBBRJRbqwhC1BoZFzti65nn3SFPRyiIshieNjpHSgaAm108P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Long Handle Spoons</a> (you won't use until between 4-6 months).</div>
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Bowls - we just use little bowls we have on hand that can go on the microwave. </div>
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<b>Breastfeeding Specific Items: </b> </div>
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{Before I even start this list, one of the best pieces of advice I got from a friend (thanks, Stacia!!) was to TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR NIPPLES, from DAY ONE!! You need to baby them like you're babying your baby. I exclusively pumped with Teddy, and I would put my boob-ease (see below) on both BEFORE and AFTER pumping, then I would always use a nursing pad to cushion before putting on my nursing bra. I never had problems with blistering, etc. and I was lucky enough to avoid mastitis.}</div>
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<span class="il">Pump</span> (Medela <span class="il">Pump</span> In Style) - if you <span class="il">pump</span> a lot, consider renting a hospital grade <span class="il">pump</span>, like the Medela Symphony (you probably won't know if you'll need a hospital grade until she's born and you see how much you will be nursing versus <span class="il">pumping</span>). </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/medela-reg-pump-in-style-reg-vehicle-lighter-adapter/1015115297?Keyword%3Dmedela%2Bcar%2Badapter&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNEJ-u-bF7UbOR7st9QtiHxnfmJHcw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/medela-reg-pump-in-style-reg-vehicle-lighter-adapter/1015115297?Keyword=medela+car+adapter" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Medela Car Adapter</a> (lifesaver!!!!) </div>
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Hands Free Bra (get two): <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wishes-Hands-Free-Breastpump-X-Small-Large/dp/B00295MQLU?th%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNFn7bgUcNzHygYgRCVjCE36GgETyQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wishes-Hands-Free-Breastpump-X-Small-Large/dp/B00295MQLU?th=1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this one is the best</a>. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/boobease-100-organic-healing-nipple-balm/-/A-15833416?ref%3Dtgt_adv_XS000000%26AFID%3Dgoogle_pla_df%26CPNG%3DPLA_Baby%2BShopping%26adgroup%3DSC_Baby%26LID%3D700000001170770pgs%26network%3Dg%26device%3Dc%26location%3D9021427%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwKikvyMClMtwgN9Grn-SIyZIjhWpqywR9xaUBKGGovcaAlRW8P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&source=gmail&ust=1544193434287000&usg=AFQjCNEJNyCtWAnAswfg41fk7imGN-q76w" href="http://www.target.com/p/boobease-100-organic-healing-nipple-balm/-/A-15833416?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021427&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwKikvyMClMtwgN9Grn-SIyZIjhWpqywR9xaUBKGGovcaAlRW8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Boob-ease</a> - I preferred this over Lanolin. Use it every time you nurse/<span class="il">pump</span>. If nursing, you can apply after to soothe nipples. If <span class="il">pumping</span>, apply before and after. Get two pots of it, one for each floor. This is all natural and does not need to be wiped off before feeding/<span class="il">pumping</span>. </div>
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Lanolin <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/lansinoh-reg-hpa-reg-lanolin-1-41-oz-breast-creme/1040057705?Keyword%3Dlanisoh%2Blanolin&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNHGt4Oq5B7Ej3avrTcZ0ahF0-I-LA" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/lansinoh-reg-hpa-reg-lanolin-1-41-oz-breast-creme/1040057705?Keyword=lanisoh+lanolin" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this stuff is good</a> (get two tubes - one for each floor). I think it's good to have Lanolin on hand. It has other uses besides a nipple cream, you can use it on chapped baby lips, for example. </div>
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Nursing Pads - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Stay-Disposable-Nursing-Count/dp/B0070SKP1O&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNEs6aBfe4wyPaJq_0-ogkbkUX3ugQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Stay-Disposable-Nursing-Count/dp/B0070SKP1O" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">these Lansinoh</a> ones were my favorite. Use them to prevent leaks, but also for comfort on your nipples. Change them often. Buy lots. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/my-brest-friend-reg-original-nursing-pillow-in-flower-key-grey/1044642150?Keyword%3Dbreast%2Bfriend&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNHbACzgB9E708CG6TH8ts8QbwxwEg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/my-brest-friend-reg-original-nursing-pillow-in-flower-key-grey/1044642150?Keyword=breast+friend" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Breast Friend</a> if you plan to nurse, people swear this is better than the Boppy. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/medela-reg-therashell-trade-breast-shells/1015031700?Keyword%3Dsoft%2Bshells%2Bmedela&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNF8SC2Ct3trL8A1Z76Squf-9DBpbg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/medela-reg-therashell-trade-breast-shells/1015031700?Keyword=soft+shells+medela" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Soft Shells</a> are amazing when your nipples are sore. </div>
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Breast milk storage bags - I swore by the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kiinde-twist-pouch-40-count-direct-pump-breastmilk-storage-pouches/1041335666&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNEmIpTqFvqPXQXNdSzTiVqgs88jhA" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kiinde-twist-pouch-40-count-direct-pump-breastmilk-storage-pouches/1041335666" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kiinde Twist</a>, Lansinoh are cheaper. </div>
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If you use the Kiinde system <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kiinde-trade-keeper-trade-breastmilk-storage-bag-organizer/1041335635?Keyword%3Dkiinde&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNFfaXebYQZAMgI-AIMvTRsk3J74Kg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/kiinde-trade-keeper-trade-breastmilk-storage-bag-organizer/1041335635?Keyword=kiinde" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this organizer</a> was great for initial freezing. </div>
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Nursing tanks. </div>
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Nursing <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/women-s-nursing-seamless-bra-2pk-gilligan-o-malley/-/A-51629297&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNFyulLLn7olHPStbPTwn9275O20wA" href="http://www.target.com/p/women-s-nursing-seamless-bra-2pk-gilligan-o-malley/-/A-51629297" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">sleep bras</a>. Get at least two of these, more if you can. </div>
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Nicer nursing bras - the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://shop.nordstrom.com/sr?keyword%3DCake%26filtercategoryid%3D6000034&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNGko2oxRE3Ok03rgC8k333NZlU_IA" href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/sr?keyword=Cake&filtercategoryid=6000034" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">cake</a> brand at Nordstrom is nice. If you can tolerate an underwire nursing bra (some say these give them clogs), Nordstrom will take any bra you want and alter it to make it a nursing bra. </div>
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Milk Snob nursing cover, doubles as a car seat cover, etc. </div>
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<b>Bath: </b><br />
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Baby bath tub - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/angelcare-reg-bath-tub-support-in-pink/1041416242?categoryId%3D32074&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNHQBYExPA-UCCV382Ub6BMUstbtrw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/angelcare-reg-bath-tub-support-in-pink/1041416242?categoryId=32074" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this Angelcare</a> one worked great for us up to 6 months. </div>
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You'll want a padded kneeler to save your knees. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dreambaby-reg-room-and-bath-duck-thermometer/1046591630?Keyword%3Dbath%2Bthermometer&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNEHYEgiGURHNBGtjSEDslmQ1g2bDA" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/dreambaby-reg-room-and-bath-duck-thermometer/1046591630?Keyword=bath+thermometer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Bath thermometer</a> - keep the temp between 90 and 100 degrees. </div>
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Bath toys, little duckies or something. You don't need a ton. </div>
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Hooded Towels (lots!!) & wash cloths (lots!!). Keep a warm washcloth on baby as soon as you put him/her in the tub, drape it across belly to keep warm, trust me! :) </div>
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Get a very mild soap/shampoo - I would recommend <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Baby-Shampoo-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B01A59VMOI&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNFbCWlNUamhbUR6DPUhPkk6K-84YQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Baby-Shampoo-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B01A59VMOI" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this Eucerin</a> or Honest Company (available at Costco!!). A little goes a long way. You don't want to use a lot of soap on them, their skin dries out VERY fast. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/safety-1st-easy-grip-brush-comb-set/-/A-15261764&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNHpJQD8lz3Ihiwd7py7LF_5uoC5ag" href="http://www.target.com/p/safety-1st-easy-grip-brush-comb-set/-/A-15261764" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Soft baby brush & comb</a> - use the soft brush on her head every bath and scrub a little to avoid cradle cap. </div>
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Slather baby in lotion after every bath, trust me! Don't forget the cheeks. I am obsessed with this <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Eczema-Relief-Creme-Ounce/dp/B00GMZUS2M&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNH5tgjJ64GoDYDENP5cpcMMo51vPQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Eczema-Relief-Creme-Ounce/dp/B00GMZUS2M" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Eucerin</a> lotion, which I still use on Teddy nightly. We go through tons, so if you like it, stock up. </div>
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Diaper cream - I would suggest Desitin extra strength. They have it at Costco!! </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/aquaphor-baby-healing-ointment-3-oz/-/A-11225229?sid%3D1176S%26ref%3Dtgt_adv_XS000000%26AFID%3Dgoogle_pla_df%26CPNG%3DPLA_Baby%2BShopping_Local%26adgroup%3DSC_Baby%26LID%3D700000001170770pgs%26network%3Dg%26device%3Dc%26location%3D9021427%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwFQmVtyjfS1ncLHikFNPqcqg8KZCJzkQBdkqwsRgD6caArhn8P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNHFIzEoBRvTiA2HJweS3985RwMk4w" href="http://www.target.com/p/aquaphor-baby-healing-ointment-3-oz/-/A-11225229?sid=1176S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021427&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwFQmVtyjfS1ncLHikFNPqcqg8KZCJzkQBdkqwsRgD6caArhn8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Aquaphor</a>, get some. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/vaseline-100-pure-petroleum-jelly-baby-13-oz/-/A-10993905?sid%3D1385S%26ref%3Dtgt_adv_XS000000%26AFID%3Dgoogle_pla_df%26CPNG%3DPLA_Baby%2BShopping_Local%26adgroup%3DSC_Baby%26LID%3D700000001170770pgs%26network%3Dg%26device%3Dc%26location%3D9021427%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwOjsg0bH0JuxNnUvHaCNSKya7eY98uFp1w5xCUDJlQoaAuB78P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNHzEd3dgoJrfkuGL77S850AKoBJ-Q" href="http://www.target.com/p/vaseline-100-pure-petroleum-jelly-baby-13-oz/-/A-10993905?sid=1385S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021427&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwOjsg0bH0JuxNnUvHaCNSKya7eY98uFp1w5xCUDJlQoaAuB78P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Vaseline</a> - get a big tub. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/safety-1st-nail-clipper-fold-up-2-pack/-/A-14061592?sid%3D1176S%26ref%3Dtgt_adv_XS000000%26AFID%3Dgoogle_pla_df%26CPNG%3DPLA_Baby%2BShopping_Local%26adgroup%3DSC_Baby%26LID%3D700000001170770pgs%26network%3Dg%26device%3Dc%26location%3D9021427%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwFwtQDUkwHc9TTaRpV_7bz9w-cJoPP9JFbyHcat6PJsaAhoJ8P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNFMSz_bBFI3eYwnENOUZFTtZo1Z1A" href="http://www.target.com/p/safety-1st-nail-clipper-fold-up-2-pack/-/A-14061592?sid=1176S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021427&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwFwtQDUkwHc9TTaRpV_7bz9w-cJoPP9JFbyHcat6PJsaAhoJ8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Safety First Nail Clippers</a></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/playtex-baby-trade-diaper-genie-reg-complete-diaper-pail-in-grey/1045712517?skuId%3D45712517%26mcid%3DPS_googlepla_nonbrand_none_%26adpos%3D1o2%26creative%3D87328249380%26device%3Dc%26matchtype%3D%26network%3Dg%26product_id%3D45712517%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwM4kSth3rcw-i9pew0guFbsU5MYLdwvBHts-nzC9wQEaAi418P8HAQ&source=gmail&ust=1544193434288000&usg=AFQjCNGOfz54iQJKMmaLpN212ctH-TBL6g" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/playtex-baby-trade-diaper-genie-reg-complete-diaper-pail-in-grey/1045712517?skuId=45712517&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_none_&adpos=1o2&creative=87328249380&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&product_id=45712517&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwM4kSth3rcw-i9pew0guFbsU5MYLdwvBHts-nzC9wQEaAi418P8HAQ" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Diaper Genie</a> - do yourself a favor and get two, one for each floor. Stock up on the bag refills, you can apparently buy them at Costco, but I have never seen them at ours. </div>
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LOTS of wipes & diapers. I swear by Pampers Swaddlers diapers, but everyone is different. The Kirkland brand wipes at Costco are very good and mild on skin. </div>
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Skip the wipe warmer, if you don't get baby used to warm wipes. Baby will tolerate cold ones and you avoid issues when you're out and about and only have cold wipes. </div>
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Changing pad & cover. Get a soft cover <a href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/1/1/188669-baby-registry-favorites-boppy-chevron-changing-pad-cover-liner-pink.html">like this one. </a> </div>
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Cheap, old fashioned, cloth diapers (like the Gerber ones at Target) - use as extra burp cloths, to clean up messes, for under baby when changing diaper. </div>
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Diaper caddy <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/diaper-caddy-trend-lab/-/A-21412038?regMode%3DREGST%26registryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26registryType%3Dbaby%26itemLineNum%3D64%26backLinkName%3Dmy%2520registry%26backLinkUrl%3D%252Fgift-registry%252Fmyitems%253FregistryId%253D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%2526type%253Dbaby%2526lnk%253Dreg_checklist_description%26pageFrom%3Dmyitems&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNEzEMRdRNoyUYB3_GAgRky9Y3P8Vw" href="http://www.target.com/p/diaper-caddy-trend-lab/-/A-21412038?regMode=REGST&registryId=72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ&registryType=baby&itemLineNum=64&backLinkName=my%20registry&backLinkUrl=%2Fgift-registry%2Fmyitems%3FregistryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26type%3Dbaby%26lnk%3Dreg_checklist_description&pageFrom=myitems" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">like this one</a> - good to have for downstairs. </div>
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Diaper bag - I have this <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/ju-ju-be-reg-b-f-f-diaper-bag-in-queen-of-the-nile/1042556671?skuId%3D42556671%26mcid%3DPS_googlepla_nonbrand_activity_%26adpos%3D1o11%26creative%3D87521921100%26device%3Dc%26matchtype%3D%26network%3Dg%26product_id%3D42556671%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwEQNeW_nOFpj8ZgOwPim92VAlGPCGaJhKBKh5_OfMPcaAhBB8P8HAQ&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNH-51BdNucCpxvXgm5OCuVHMZ9fKQ" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/ju-ju-be-reg-b-f-f-diaper-bag-in-queen-of-the-nile/1042556671?skuId=42556671&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_activity_&adpos=1o11&creative=87521921100&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&product_id=42556671&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwEQNeW_nOFpj8ZgOwPim92VAlGPCGaJhKBKh5_OfMPcaAhBB8P8HAQ" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">backpack</a>, which I love. </div>
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<b>Health/Safety: </b><br />
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Baby monitor. You will want a video monitor. Our first one was horrible, I am looking to buy this <a href="https://www.target.com/p/infant-optics-video-baby-monitor-dxr-8/-/A-52918573">Infant Optics</a> monitor for Baby #2. </div>
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Rectal thermometer - (we used <a href="https://www.target.com/p/vicks-speedread-digital-thermometer-white/-/A-13276215?sid=753S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=bing_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Health%2BBeauty%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Health%2BBeauty&LID=700000001230728pbs&network=s&device=c&querystring=vicks%20thermometer&msclkid=dc725063a20411fb6fa20c6a9c3a19e4&gclid=COmymdDAi98CFWODxQIdwJ0BRA&gclsrc=ds">this one</a>). The only way to accurately take an infant's temperature is rectally. They don't mind it. Watch your pediatrician do it once. You can buy little alcohol wipes to clean the tip and put a little vaseline on before use.</div>
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Shopping cart cover <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/boppy-reg-shopping-cart-cover-in-park-gate-grey/1042091141?Keyword%3Dshopping%2Bcart%2Bcover&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNEl6trTzUK5yVRUq4YjenMwbUrQrQ" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/boppy-reg-shopping-cart-cover-in-park-gate-grey/1042091141?Keyword=shopping+cart+cover" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">like this</a>, because shopping carts are gross. </div>
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These <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/johnson-39-s-reg-25-count-hand-face-wipes/1017486462?Keyword%3Djohnson%2B%2526%2Bjohnson%2Bwipes&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNE4zTDtmEPWSPfukak7SJTS0dKf2g" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/johnson-39-s-reg-25-count-hand-face-wipes/1017486462?Keyword=johnson+%26+johnson+wipes" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">antibacterial wipes</a> are amazing. Wipe down high chairs, toys that fall on the ground, etc. </div>
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I personally think <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/mam-start-size-newborn-to-2-months-pacifier-in-pink-purple-2-pack/1042366485?Keyword%3Dmaam%2Bpacifiers&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNF25ut-ipd01JceaCzooE3tUXhJkw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/mam-start-size-newborn-to-2-months-pacifier-in-pink-purple-2-pack/1042366485?Keyword=maam+pacifiers" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">these</a> pacifiers are the best for newborns. Don't be a hero, use them! :) </div>
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Have some infant tylenol on hand, you can call the doctor for dosing. </div>
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Have some infant benedryl on hand, you can call the doctor for dosing.</div>
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<b>If you exclusively breastfeed, you need to give Vitamin D drops daily, ask your pediatrician about this at your initial appointment. </b></div>
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Other things we used on occasion were Lotramin AF (for bumpy diaper rash with doctor's approval), 1% hydrocortisone cream (used on drool rash, get doctor's approval). </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/fridababy-nosefrida-nasal-aspirator/-/A-11355332?gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwE31Ziz2Kq4FuRARHGOQi0JuVgkI_IB0oyROA39sEkMaAi-X8P8HAQ&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNEWyT2LI72TCkBt1WXjNPwI7rBKhA" href="http://www.target.com/p/fridababy-nosefrida-nasal-aspirator/-/A-11355332?gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwE31Ziz2Kq4FuRARHGOQi0JuVgkI_IB0oyROA39sEkMaAi-X8P8HAQ" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Nose Frida</a> is a MUST HAVE. Don't waste your time with those stupid bulb syringes. Get the extra filters. BE BRAVE!!</div>
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Saline Spray</div>
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Cool Mist Humidifier <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Crane-Drop-Ultrasonic-Cool-Humidifier/dp/B001ADL1SG&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNH3vAtZO7KavSVgk03AHUWIZXT9lQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Crane-Drop-Ultrasonic-Cool-Humidifier/dp/B001ADL1SG" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this one</a> is good. We use ours every night in his room.</div>
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Baby mittens - use to prevent baby from scratching her face. You can also use socks. </div>
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Baby sunscreen & bug spray - just good to have on hand for summer babies. </div>
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<b>Toys: </b><br />
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/baby-einstein-trade-take-along-tunes-trade/1015053917?Keyword%3Dstroller%2Btoy&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNHXah8hdqn_XS26LERWQCJIhHD69Q" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/baby-einstein-trade-take-along-tunes-trade/1015053917?Keyword=stroller+toy" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Baby Einstein Music Box</a> - a big hit.</div>
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Toy for car seat/stroller (one that attaches) </div>
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You definitely need a play gym - we loved <a href="http://this%20one./">this one. </a></div>
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Sophie la Giraffe <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/sophie-la-girafe-reg-teething-toy/1017110357?Keyword%3Dsophie%2Bgiraffe&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNFNDd_2QOGJa-aWH0B8uPlz-oxtJA" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/sophie-la-girafe-reg-teething-toy/1017110357?Keyword=sophie+giraffe" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">here</a>, do not submerse in water or she will get moldy. </div>
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Teethers like these <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/razbaby-reg-teether/117808&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNHvC0hXnJbZpH3kb9O8vjadzZiNAQ" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/razbaby-reg-teether/117808" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Razberry</a> ones or ones you can freeze. </div>
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Pacifier clips. You can also use to clip toys, etc. </div>
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<b>Strollers/Car Seats: </b><br />
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There are many amazing options. I do recommend a travel set. Buy two bases if you have two cars for the infant seat. To give you an idea...</div>
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We bought <a href="https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nuna-pipa-car-seat-base/3665998">the NUNA PIPA</a> car seat and <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nuna-mixx-three-mode-stroller-with-all-terrain-tires/3951434?origin%3Dcategory-personalizedsort%26fashioncolor%3DMYKONOS%2520BLUE&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNFhf7QaBVcyl3m-XU8n9CHyJmIe8Q" href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nuna-mixx-three-mode-stroller-with-all-terrain-tires/3951434?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=MYKONOS%20BLUE" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Nuna MIXX</a> stroller. </div>
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Skip a jogging stroller unless you are a runner :)</div>
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An umbrella stroller is a great thing to have for traveling (like on a plane...). </div>
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Get a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/skip-hop-grab-go-stroller-organizer-black/-/A-14578102?regMode%3DREG%26registryType%3Dbaby%26registryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26backLinkName%3Dmy%2520registry%26backLinkUrl%3D%252Fgift-registry%252Fchecklist%253FregistryId%253D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%2526type%253Dbaby%2526lnk%253Dreg_dashboard_checklist%26reg_type%3Dbaby%26search_interface%3Dprotected%26pageFrom%3Dchecklist&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNEhHhp0rvo8fGmGg6oZB0EgfS7ZhA" href="http://www.target.com/p/skip-hop-grab-go-stroller-organizer-black/-/A-14578102?regMode=REG&registryType=baby&registryId=72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ&backLinkName=my%20registry&backLinkUrl=%2Fgift-registry%2Fchecklist%3FregistryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26type%3Dbaby%26lnk%3Dreg_dashboard_checklist&reg_type=baby&search_interface=protected&pageFrom=checklist" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">stroller organizer</a> for your phone/keys.</div>
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Car set cover - shade them from the sun.You can use the milk snob (see above). </div>
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Take your car seat and base to a fire station or other location to check that it is installed right. Taking one car in is fine, you'll get the idea. </div>
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Car mirrors like <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/britax-back-seat-mirror/1040521282&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNHYr-IhRSlmQIBjzLe_OHAVAKpvMQ" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/britax-back-seat-mirror/1040521282" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this one</a>, buy two (one for each car). </div>
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Window shades <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/brica-reg-white-hot-reg-sun-safety-trade-shades-in-black-set-of-2/1044320362?Keyword%3Dwindow%2Bshade&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNFn4MmcWGJdWg0uiaHqvBmNFmtdcg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/brica-reg-white-hot-reg-sun-safety-trade-shades-in-black-set-of-2/1044320362?Keyword=window+shade" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">like these</a>. </div>
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I love <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-reg-by-aden-anais-reg-girls-n-swirls-muslin-stroller-blanket/1041418772?Keyword%3Dstroller%2Bblanket%2Baden%2Banais&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNGP94-7EgRnYita9CmZn39buin0Hg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-reg-by-aden-anais-reg-girls-n-swirls-muslin-stroller-blanket/1041418772?Keyword=stroller+blanket+aden+anais" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">these</a> stroller blankets. </div>
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<b>Gear/Activity: </b><br />
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Pack-N-Play: we love our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/s/graco-pack-n-play?ta%3Dtypeahead%26_requestid%3D2218113&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNGgX7kFmjO8pB94MBGf6MnMjyKP2w" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/s/graco-pack-n-play?ta=typeahead&_requestid=2218113" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Graco</a> one, set it up in the living room and use as a diaper changing station when they are little</div>
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Mamaroo </div>
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Rock-n-play </div>
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Bouncy Seat (any kind will do, just make sure you have one!)</div>
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Baby carrier - I would recommend <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/ergobaby-trade-four-position-360-cool-air-baby-carrier-in-carbon-grey/1044742447?Keyword%3Dergo&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNFTrizvFwQrECI3DGk8HQhCUfMx6A" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/ergobaby-trade-four-position-360-cool-air-baby-carrier-in-carbon-grey/1044742447?Keyword=ergo" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this Ergobaby</a> for a summer baby. </div>
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Floor tiles <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/skip-hop-playspot-geo-foam-floor-tiles-chevron/-/A-17303566?regMode%3DREGST%26registryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26registryType%3Dbaby%26itemLineNum%3D77%26backLinkName%3Dmy%2520registry%26backLinkUrl%3D%252Fgift-registry%252Fmyitems%253FregistryId%253D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%2526type%253Dbaby%2526lnk%253Dreg_checklist_description%26pageFrom%3Dmyitems&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNEKBGEWWE5YXzvFRii1-f9AAQ9QLA" href="http://www.target.com/p/skip-hop-playspot-geo-foam-floor-tiles-chevron/-/A-17303566?regMode=REGST&registryId=72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ&registryType=baby&itemLineNum=77&backLinkName=my%20registry&backLinkUrl=%2Fgift-registry%2Fmyitems%3FregistryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26type%3Dbaby%26lnk%3Dreg_checklist_description&pageFrom=myitems" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">like these</a> are nice to have. </div>
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Jumper <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/baby-einstein-neighborhood-friends-activity-jumper/-/A-15245433?regMode%3DREGST%26registryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26registryType%3Dbaby%26itemLineNum%3D63%26backLinkName%3Dmy%2520registry%26backLinkUrl%3D%252Fgift-registry%252Fmyitems%253FregistryId%253D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%2526type%253Dbaby%2526lnk%253Dreg_checklist_description%26pageFrom%3Dmyitems&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNFN_a0J7YSS7TgkHYhnU2oCS1xb2Q" href="http://www.target.com/p/baby-einstein-neighborhood-friends-activity-jumper/-/A-15245433?regMode=REGST&registryId=72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ&registryType=baby&itemLineNum=63&backLinkName=my%20registry&backLinkUrl=%2Fgift-registry%2Fmyitems%3FregistryId%3D72qyeUHvei9AN3Pgn9k5LQ%26type%3Dbaby%26lnk%3Dreg_checklist_description&pageFrom=myitems" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">like this</a>, they won't use until 4 months at the earliest. </div>
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<b>Nursery/Sleeping:</b> We had Teddy sleeping in a mamaroo for the first two weeks and the pediatrician was horrified and told us it was SO unsafe and we needed to move him to his crib ASAP. Eeek!! We bit the bullet and put him in his crib, swaddled, at two weeks and never looked back. Best decision ever. This time, I have borrowed a bassinet for the first couple of weeks and then we will see if we are ready to move to the crib.<br />
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Crib & crib mattress - I feel pretty strongly about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Newton-Wovenaire-Crib-Mattress-comfortable/dp/B00WR958TA?tag=mattermattress-20">this mattress</a>, but it's pricey. We did buy an extra mattress cover in case of a middle of the night mess. </div>
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Breathable fitted sheets - these <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-anais-reg-100-cotton-muslin-crib-sheet-in-night-sky/1042121503?Keyword%3Daden%2B%2526%2Banais%2Bfitted%2Bsheet&source=gmail&ust=1544193434289000&usg=AFQjCNFWjzHEWw-JxioS4RZ-tScklKwLRw" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-anais-reg-100-cotton-muslin-crib-sheet-in-night-sky/1042121503?Keyword=aden+%26+anais+fitted+sheet" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">aden + anais</a> were my favorite. </div>
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Dresser and/or changing table. </div>
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Gliding/rocking/reclining chair with a pillow and supersoft blanket. Make sure to have a little table next to it for water, a light, etc. for you. </div>
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I wish we would have registered for a bassinet. (We have borrowed one from a friend this time!! Thanks, MB!!) </div>
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Different swaddles - definitely get <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/halo-reg-sleepsack-reg-multi-way-cotton-swaddle-in-pink-elephant/3250472?Keyword%3Dhalo%2Bsleep%2Bsacks&source=gmail&ust=1544193434290000&usg=AFQjCNGGrviszvRuFOJD7F4mCUSHQKlaog" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/halo-reg-sleepsack-reg-multi-way-cotton-swaddle-in-pink-elephant/3250472?Keyword=halo+sleep+sacks" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">HALO Sleepsacks</a> (buy 2 in Newborn & 2 in Small) and we also liked <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.target.com/p/swaddleme-3-pack-who-loves-you/-/A-17470850?ref%3Dtgt_adv_XS000000%26AFID%3Dgoogle_pla_df%26CPNG%3DPLA_Baby%2BShopping%26adgroup%3DSC_Baby%26LID%3D700000001170770pgs%26network%3Dg%26device%3Dc%26location%3D9021427%26gclid%3DCj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwDCy-zIazP04SWHA9i9cMuKPiD_-Zw7Rp29lM6jahoIaAuE18P8HAQ%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&source=gmail&ust=1544193434290000&usg=AFQjCNFOpcbTNeTd04gWSxryLkI9tZFSew" href="http://www.target.com/p/swaddleme-3-pack-who-loves-you/-/A-17470850?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021427&gclid=Cj0KEQiA3Y7GBRD29f-7kYuO1-ABEiQAodAvwDCy-zIazP04SWHA9i9cMuKPiD_-Zw7Rp29lM6jahoIaAuE18P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">the SwaddleMe</a> ones. </div>
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Noise machine - we have loved <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/1/1/22499-baby-registry-favorites-dohm-marpac-dohm-nsf-the-original-sound-conditioner-bright-white.html&source=gmail&ust=1544193434290000&usg=AFQjCNERpyRLfjujp23QOdMsJDP6C39xSg" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/1/1/22499-baby-registry-favorites-dohm-marpac-dohm-nsf-the-original-sound-conditioner-bright-white.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">this one</a>. </div>
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Hamper. </div>
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Baby hangers if you have a closet - get lots, they are cheap. </div>
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Swaddle Blankets <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-reg-by-aden-anais-reg-dove-muslin-4-pack-swaddleplus-reg-blankets-in-grey-white/1045317033?Keyword%3Dswaddle&source=gmail&ust=1544193434290000&usg=AFQjCNHBgPMAxIoVZysfSj3wL4f0o15B9A" href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-reg-by-aden-anais-reg-dove-muslin-4-pack-swaddleplus-reg-blankets-in-grey-white/1045317033?Keyword=swaddle" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">these</a> were my favorite. Have several. </div>
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<a href="http://boppy%20lounger/">Boppy Lounger</a> is fantastic for naps and lounging when they are really little. </div>
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<b>Clothing: </b><br />
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For under 3 months, we lived in onesies and sleeper pajamas. Have a few fun outfits, but mostly, you just want baby to be comfortable. </div>
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Baby socks.</div>
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Get a weather-appropriate hat for walks outside. </div>
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<br />
Teddy was a summer baby, so this time around we are in a totally different ball game with a January due date. A winter must-have for babies is a <a href="https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/s/bundle-me?mrkgcl=611&mrkgadid=580149545&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=bundle%2520me&mcid=PS_bing_nonbrand_carseats_&msclkid=d14f929b2c7e1447542cce92141fb79c&ioid=HH000515&creative=78271525284472&device=c&matchtype=e&msclkid=d14f929b2c7e1447542cce92141fb79c">Bundle Me</a> for the car seat, that way you don't have to worry so much about putting baby in super warm clothing when you go out.<br />
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I hope this helps someone out there, or maybe you can pass this on to a friend!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-18036798694466132762018-10-24T05:53:00.002-05:002018-10-24T06:30:00.984-05:00Gatlinburg/Georgia Trip 2018Good morning, everyone!<br />
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I swear I just blinked my eyes and almost two months have passed since we took our family road trip down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Lanier Islands, Georgia for a family wedding. I promised you a recap, and this trip was just so good that I needed to document it.<br />
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I'm sure some people thought we were a little crazy for embarking on such a long drive with a toddler, and maybe we were, but I am happy to report that the drive went surprisingly well!<br />
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We left our house early Monday morning (Labor Day), around 6am. We made a big fuss about the "car trip" aspect of the vacation ahead of time, which I highly recommend doing if you're driving with a toddler. Teddy ate it up and was so excited to get going!<br />
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For the first leg of our trip, we planned to drive from the Chicago suburbs down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee in one day's time. To break it up, we were going to stop at the Indianapolis Children's Museum to let Teddy run off some energy before his afternoon nap.<br />
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We stopped for bagels and coffee near home, then hit the road!<br />
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Teddy did great on the way to Indianapolis. He was awake the whole time, but did not get cranky at all at that point. We didn't even have to bring out the iPad for movies that morning. Instead, he loved playing with his Melissa & Doug <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Water-Reusable-3-Pack/dp/B01N4984OL/ref=sr_1_2/135-5901591-5345430?ie=UTF8&qid=1540328773&sr=8-2&keywords=doug+and+melissa+water+wow">Water Wow</a> books in the car. {Note to the rookies like me...make sure to fill the pens up with water before you leave the house to avoid having to do so while on the road!}.<br />
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I have so many fond memories of going to the Indianapolis Children's Museum with my parents growing up, and our trip there with Teddy did not disappoint! He was in HEAVEN the whole time. That stop was a huge highlight of our trip and a lifesaver as far as making it through the drive down to Tennessee in one day.<br />
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From dinosaurs, to trains, to fast cars, this place was IDEAL for a two-year-old little boy!<br />
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We left the Children's Museum after about two hours and just in time for Teddy's afternoon nap. He was wiped out and slept well into Kentucky. </div>
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When we got into Kentucky, we decided to stop to eat at a Zaxby's. Maybe this place isn't new to everyone, but I've never been! I must say I was pretty impressed with how clean it was and how good our chicken was. </div>
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This was the point of the trip where I realized that every single stop was going to be exciting for Teddy, as he thought it was all just part of the "car trip" adventure. </div>
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{By the way...those Water Wow books and sticker books were a lifesaver while we waited for food at restaurants on this trip!}</div>
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We finished our drive around 7:30pm and pulled into a grocery store in Gatlinburg to get some food for our cabin. By that point, Teddy was super cranky and the grocery trip was not so great. </div>
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But...we powered through. </div>
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In Gatlinburg, we two-bed/two-bath <a href="https://www.vrbo.com/700439">cabin</a> on VRBO and it was perfect for us. This place was so beautiful! The view was more than I could have imagined and the price was a steal. </div>
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One thing I am glad I did was to bring a special toy for Teddy to play with at the cabin. Teddy gets up SUPER early (think 5:30am to 6:00am) and I thought the toy would occupy him for a while in the mornings before I felt human.</div>
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I love all of the Little People sets and found this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Camping-Playset/dp/B01ASVCVZW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540329502&sr=8-3&keywords=little+people+camping+set">Camping Playset</a> on Amazon. The trick is... DO NOT let your kiddo see the toy before you leave your house! Teddy caught some glimpses, but we were able to save face and make the set mostly a surprise when we got down there. </div>
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Some favorite memories from nights at the cabin, other than gorgeous sunsets, were Teddy enjoying a huge jacuzzi tub that was in our room for his bath time and then following that up with watching Paw Patrol in his very own gigantic bed with 10,000 pillows. We aren't at the point where he is sleeping in a big bed like that, so we brought his pack-n-play, but he splent plenty of time snuggling up and enjoying his "shows" while resting. </div>
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We did coffee on the deck and made eggs and bacon at the cabin in the mornings. Justin loved taking dips in the hot tub on the deck in the morning, and Teddy got a kick out of watching him. I am pregnant, so I didn't get to enjoy the hot tub this time...bummer. </div>
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We were in Gatlinburg for Monday night - Thursday morning and the plan was to set up on big activity for each day, follow that up with a late lunch, and then head back to the cabin for naptime and to have dinner and relax back there. </div>
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There were SO MANY night time activities that would have been fun for families, but in the interest of saving money and savoring some truly restful time, we decided to have the evenings be quiet and it was totally fine for us this time. </div>
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For dinners, we made these <a href="https://www.spendwithpennies.com/hobo-dinner-packs-hamburger-potato/">HOBO Foil Dinners</a> and they were SOOOOO good. Don't wait for a camping trip to make them, you can put them on the grill and they are amazing! </div>
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If you are looking for night time family activities, I heard that Dixie Stampede is fantastic. I also thought about taking Teddy to Hillbilly Golf. </div>
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After our breakfast on Tuesday, we headed to the much anticipated <a href="https://www.ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg">Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies</a>. I was surprised to hear this is one of the top aquariums in the country, and it was a must see for our shark loving toddler. </div>
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This aquarium has a "shark tunnel" that is a football-field long. The way you get through the tunnel is on a moving conveyor belt. I am still undecided on how I felt about the conveyor belt, but I suppose it makes sense to keep people moving along. Seeing so many sharks like that was incredible. </div>
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I would say the other highlight of the aquarium was a giant, multiple floor high, jungle gym. Teddy had a blast playing in that thing. Thankfully, between the two of us, we were able to keep a close eye on him and he could enjoy it. I also really appreciated some of the older kids who helped him get up to the slides when he was having trouble. Lord knows I was not crawling up there with my pregnant belly! </div>
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After the aquarium, we headed across the street for lunch at <a href="http://nowayjosescantina.com/">No Way Joses</a>. This was your typical mexican fare, but it was super reasonably priced and they were VERY accomodating of kids. Teddy enjoyed his kids taco and I loved my chicken quesadilla. I believe Justin also got some tacos, which he loved as usual. </div>
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We ended our day back at the cabin relaxing and making those HOBO dinners on the grill. After Teddy went down, I would make smores in the microwave and Justin & I watched the new season of Ozark on Netflix. </div>
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Wednesday we drove over to Pigeon Forge to head to The Track to ride go carts. We were a little early, so we stopped in a couple of cheesy gift stores, which were a hit because of the huge shark/bear entrances. </div>
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After some lookin<span style="font-family: inherit;">g around at the stores, we headed over to <a href="https://www.funatthetrack.com/parks/pigeon-forge/">The Track</a> right when it opened. We had the park all to ourselves, which worked out perfectly with a two-year-old who hasn't quite grasped the concept of waiting in a line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was so impressed by this place! It was very clean and well maintained. The workers were so positive and friendly, and they really made it a fun experience for Teddy even though the place was totally empty that day. There were plenty of rides that Teddy could enjoy, and Justin loved that he could ride on some of the go carts with him. If your kiddo is at least three feet tall, they can do almost everything at this park. I also thought we got a great value. We bought 55 tickets for $50, which was plenty of tickets for us to do everything as far as the rides and play some games inside the arcade. {Pro Tip: Stop at Food City in town and you can get a brochure with a $10 off $50 coupon!}. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">That day, we went to <a href="https://smoky-mtn-brewery.com/">Smoky Mountain Brewery</a> for lunch. This place was also great for kids, but beware, the pizza does take a while to cook. We decided to get Teddy some chicken fingers and french fries instead of making him wait for the pizza, and I'm glad we did. Those came right away. Justin said the beers were good, and they had some generic root beer, which was fine for me. I was kind of hoping they would have a local root beer, since I obviously can't drink beer right now, but I get that not everyone is into root beer. Once the pizza did come, it was worth the wait! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We came back for naps, did leftover HOBO dinners, Teddy had his bath and shows, and we ended our night with some more Ozarks. </span><br />
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The next day we woke up and it was sadly time to go! I can't forget to tell the story about Teddy and me seeing a black bear. We had read in the reviews for the VRBO that many of the guests had seen black bears off the balcony. We had been looking for bears the whole time we were there, but no luck. We even had Teddy in on the hunt.<br />
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Right before we left, I was taking Teddy out to the car to put him in his car seat. Justin was back up in the cabin doing a last check to make sure we got everything. I turned around to take this picture of Teddy in front of the cabin...<br />
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And when I turned back around, there was a black bear right by our car! AHHH! I was so excited, but also terrified. I quietly dropped my bag, grabbed Teddy, and went back inside to see if we could see the bear from the balcony out back. Unfortunately, he had moved on.<br />
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But thankfully, he was not inside of our car. That's right...we realized once we were back inside that our car doors were open, with all of our snacks inside.<br />
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I was positive for about five minutes that the bear was in our car. We sacrificed Justin to go make sure the coast was clear (HA! Well, he was the one who left the doors open!). No bear, so we were on our way!<br />
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Here was the little review that we left in the book at the VRBO cabin, if you are interested!<br />
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On the way out of town, we stopped at the <a href="https://www.logcabinpancakehouse.com/">Log Pancake House</a> for breakfast. Teddy was super cranky for some reason at this meal, but he did eat all of his pancakes, so I guess that's a win.<br />
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After breakfast, we were on our way to Georgia for a family wedding! The drive from Gatlinburg to Georgia was unforgettable. Unbeknownst to us, we drove straight out of town and up into a mountain. It took us about 45 minutes to get up, and about 45 minutes to get down. While it was such a cool experience and gorgeous, I would be lying if I said I didn't have anxiety the whole time because our gas tank was almost on EMPTY and we had no idea when we would run into the next gas station. So...word to the wise, always gas up before you leave town! :) I was convinced we were going to end up on the side of the road calling AAA, but we made it to a small town at the bottom of the mountain in time.<br />
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Then...it was onto Lanier Islands for the wedding weekend! We enjoyed our stay in Georgia too. I would compare this resort property to the Sea Pines resort in Hilton Head if you've ever stayed there. We stayed at the lodge, which I think was the best idea with a little one.<br />
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Teddy loved playing at the pool with everyone and we even got to go on a pony ride. That was a nail-biter for me, as I had to lead the horse and trust him to hold on tight and also trust the horse not to freak out and kick me!<br />
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The wedding itself was HOT HOT HOT, which was difficult for me as I have not handled the heat as well this pregnancy. The bride was absolutely gorgeous and Teddy had a ball dancing, he just did not want the dance party to be over!<br />
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We pretty much left carrying him surfboard style mid-tantrum out of there at about 9pm. That's what you get with an over-tired, hot toddler.<br />
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We headed back home Sunday and stayed overnight somewhere random in Southern Indiana.<br />
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I will say the last leg of the drive (on Monday) was challenging, because I think Teddy was just plain ready to be done with the car at that point. It was good to get home and have an afternoon to re-organize and re-set before starting that work week.<br />
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This trip was SO GOOD for my soul and it was so special to have time just the three of us before this new baby arrives. I felt like I was really able to unplug and relax, while getting to share a ton of fun new experiences with Teddy.<br />
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We will definitely make a trip back down to the Smoky Mountains with our new addition.<br />
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Next time, I want to go a little further into the Fall to see the leaves changing...I'm sure it is GORGEOUS!<br />
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If you're thinking about going to Gatlinburg or Lanier Islands, feel free to send me an email or post a comment below and I will be happy to give you some more suggestions!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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Jess<br />
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<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-26121917966970473852018-08-31T08:06:00.000-05:002018-08-31T08:06:25.350-05:00Friday Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Goooood morning and TGIF!!</div>
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This is an extra, extra TGIF because it is a long weekend and my troop is off on VACATION all next week.</div>
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I seriously can hear the angels singing. HALLELUJAH!! </div>
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I thought I would link up today to share some Friday favorites of what we've been enjoying around here this week. </div>
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<b>Meatloaf Balls</b><br />
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We have been LOVING this recipe for <a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/2017/06/meatloaf-balls.html">Meatloaf Balls</a>. It's honestly hard not to make them every week. Justin is hooked, and usually I can even get Teddy to eat them too. <br />
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If you're like me and don't feel like taking the time to make mashed potatoes, I'm a big fan of the Oprah (<a href="http://www.othatsgood.com/products/Original-Mashed-Potatoes">O That's Good</a>) Potatoes that have some mashed cauliflower mixed in!<br />
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<b>Dirt Road Playlist</b><br />
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We are gearing up for our first bit ROAD TRIP with Teddy next week. We will be driving down to Gatlinburg, TN to stay in a cabin for a few nights and then head to outside Atlanta for a family wedding. I have been obsessing over this country playlist on Spotify that I think will be getting a lot of rotation on our trip (along with Baby Shark, of course!).<br />
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And while we are on the subject, Sam Hunt is playing at Wrigley Field this weekend with Luke Bryan. If ever there was a concert that I am supposed to be at, this would be it. Since I'm already heading to Ravinia tonight with my mom and the first Notre Dame game is on Saturday night (someone has to make the dip & chili!!), it's just not going to happen. Between that, and missing the PopCast Live in Chicago <a href="http://knoxandjamie.com/live/">next weekend</a> with BooMama and BigMama in town, I don't even know who I am right now. <br />
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Major FOMO.<br />
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<b>Everything Fall</b><br />
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Speaking of FOOTBALL!! You guys...I cannot even tell you how pumped I am for fall. It has been hellaciously hot here lately, and this preggo lady is SO over it! Fall is always my favorite season, but it is extra welcome to show up this year. I was literally giddy yesterday morning when I woke up and it was 59 degrees.<br />
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For the Notre Dame/Michigan Game this weekend, I'm going all in and making <a href="http://www.brighteyesandbushytales.com/2014/11/come-on-into-my-kitchen-family-chili.html">Chili</a> and a new dip that goes like this:<br />
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1lb sausage (browned)<br />
1 jar of Pace Picante Sauce<br />
Sour Cream (not sure how much...)<br />
Melted Cream Cheese (again...will eyeball)<br />
*mix all together and serve with chips or crackers*<br />
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Yes, MAAM!!!!!!<br />
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<b>20 Week Ultrasound</b><br />
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We had our 20 week ultrasound this week for Baby Girl Miller who is due in January! I am so thankful to say that everything went great and this is finally seeming real that we are actually having another baby and a GIRL!<br />
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Little miss is very active and was flipping around all over the place. I am absolutely loving feeling all her little kicks.<br />
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It's going to be so different this time around having a winter baby. Teddy was born at the end of June, so I can't help but feel like January will be the polar opposite...literally.<br />
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I plan to put her in all sorts of snuggly getups like this one...<br />
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I just cannot handle the cuteness.<br />
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Alrighty, that's all I have for today. Have a fantastic LONG weekend, and hopefully I can share some vacation pictures once I'm back.<br />
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XOXO<br />
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Jess<br />
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<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-25245397467483274972018-08-27T07:14:00.001-05:002018-08-27T07:14:38.159-05:00Mom Hacks Monday: Volume 2Hello friends!<br />
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I put the call out on Instagram stories (you can request to follow me @jesrmiller) to see if people wanted a weekend recap today or a Mom Hacks Monday post. <br />
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100% of you said Mom Hacks Monday. Ask and you shall receive...<br />
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<b>Mom Hack #1: Petsmart</b><br />
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I get the feeling that places like Petsmart are a severely underused destination for moms of toddlers. We started taking Teddy when he was about 14 months old because he was obsessed with fish. When he first walked in the store, you would swear we were at the Shedd Aquarium. He was screaming gleefully, running around pointing to every single fish in every single fish tank. Now, we also oogle over the reptiles, birds, cats, and of course the dogs that are in daycare. This is such an easy and CHEAP activity for a rainy day. Just make sure to bring a sucker so that you can lure your kiddo out of there at the end without buying a lizard. <br />
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The best part is our Petsmart is across the street from a Chick-fil-a, so we basically have an afternoon made with that combo.<br />
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<b>Mom Hack #2: Johnson & Johnson Hand and Face Wipes</b><br />
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My friend Ashley introduced me to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Johnsons-Hand-Baby-Wipes-Count/dp/B00X3O6SAQ">these wipes</a>!! They are the absolute best for running around with your kids, and you can find them almost anywhere. I'll often buy the generic version if available to save some money (Target has one). <br />
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They can obviously be used to clean up messes on your toddler's hands/face (and who am I kidding...my hands and face!), but I also like to think they double as a sanitizing wipe for things like the grocery cart handle, etc. They claim to wipe away 95% of germs and they still seem very gentle on skin. I keep a pack of them in my purse at all times.<br />
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<b>Mom Hack #3: Recognizing Seasons</b><br />
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Becoming a mom for the first time (or second...or third...) can be overwhelming in so many ways. I dealt with a lot of anxiety postpartum and I think one of the things that really helped me was finally coming to the realization that "everything is a season." When you have a newborn, the season is: feed, change diapers, worry, no sleep, cry a little (or a lot), house is a disaster, on repeat. When you have a toddler, it's constant correcting, fighting to get them to eat, trying not to raise a monster, and maybe a little more sleep and cleaning than before. It's easy to want to rush through those time period to when you think it will be "easier" or to even feel envious of those who are in a different season of their life. Just remember - this is not going to be your exact situation one year from now, five years from now, ten years from now. I'm not saying that I'm encouraging wishing away any season. It's more about keeping things in perspective and compartmentalizing, because nothing is forever. Be in the moment and do the best you can. Bloom where you are planted. Someday, your kid will sleep longer than 2 to 3 hour stretches. Someday, maybe your kid will actually eat a salad. Some day, maybe you will be able to have a kid-free date night. Right now, love on your kiddos (and your life in general!) where they are and do the best you can. <br />
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Have a great Monday!! :)<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-31962200435450236042018-08-23T09:09:00.002-05:002018-08-23T10:17:19.359-05:00On Never Growing Up and DI-SOREsSometime in the middle of last year I was forced into a period of some major self reflection. One of the things that came out of that period was learning that I am not so good with change. Maybe that's why I decorated our first baby's room (a boy) with a Peter Pan theme. Deep down, I must have known that once he was here, I would never want him to grow up.<br />
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Maybe this is also why I am really struggling when moms post on Facebook questions about things like "infant potty training." </div>
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What the actual heck is that?!</div>
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Am I the only mom that has zero desire to get my toddler potty trained before the new baby comes?! Is this just my fear of change and not wanting him to grow up? Peter Pan syndrome? </div>
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As the days are just flying by and the moments feel like they are slipping out of my hands, I felt the need to get back to this blogging space to share more of the every day happenings. My long term memory is unfortunately terrible, so this seems like the perfect way to save those memories. I hope those 3 of you out there who still read this page will indulge me a little! :) </div>
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I was having an emotional day last week after hearing some heartbreaking news about an old friend of mine whose son suddenly was diagnosed with a life threatening disease. I decided I wanted to plan a special afternoon for Teddy after daycare, and landed on going to the splash pad. </div>
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The experience wasn't quite as picturesque as I had imagined. Naturally, I spent 75% of the time fighting with him about wearing his shoes. (Look, I'm all for the Boho look, but he slips if he doesn't wear them and I didn't have any band-aids.) </div>
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I always find it sweet when Teddy will find random, discarded toys places and get super excited over someone else's throw away item. For him, its like finding lost treasure. So, when he came running up to me with something tiny and green in his hand yelling "DI-SORE!!!!" (aka, dinosaur), I said "awww, yeah!! did you find someone's dinosaur?" </div>
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Only, this seemed to be only a teeny tiny piece of someone's discarded DI-SORE. </div>
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And then he got closer... </div>
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And then he handed it to me... </div>
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And I kid you not, I was staring at this little green treasure for a good 20 seconds before I realized it was not actually a DI-SORE, but a piece of someone's chewed up wintergreen gum. </div>
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Peter Pan. DI-SOREs. Nasty old gum destined for a shoe that a toddler has begged to take off. Not all green things are alike, but they do make for fantastic memories and moments I clearly do not want to change or forget.<br />
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<i>(Don't call DCFS, he is not chewing the gum! It's the pretzels I bribed him to wear his shoes). </i></div>
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Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-29172304500285115772017-11-13T05:00:00.000-06:002017-11-13T07:31:15.611-06:00Mom Hacks MondayHi Friends!<br />
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I hope you had a fantastic weekend!<br />
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We started out our weekend by taking Teddy to the <a href="http://www.thechoochoo.com/">The Choo Choo</a> restaurant in Des Plaines. He is obsessed with "choo choos" right now, so I thought this would be a fun stop for us.<br />
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Clearly, he had a ball!<br />
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If you plan to go, you need to bring cash for your meal, and I would say try to go at an "off" time so you can get a booth up right next to the train line. The train goes around in a circle around their "bar" and delivers your food right to your table. This totally reminded me of going to Arni's (the train room) and Pizza King in my hometown, and I love that there is somewhere near by that I can recreate that experience for Teddy.<br />
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I also thoroughly enjoyed indulging in a root beer and greasy cheeseburger #yesplease!<br />
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Saturday morning, we had our family Christmas pictures... I snuck a few pictures of Teddy behind the scenes, and I am dying to see our family shots!<br />
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{Photo Credit <a href="http://www.jennifermariephotography.net/">Jennifer Marie Photography</a>}</div>
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We watched a ridiculously disappointing Notre Dame football game Saturday night. UGH!<br />
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Then, we spent Sunday getting things ready for the week. I cooked up some of this <a href="https://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/05/crockpot-cheesesteak-pulled-chicken/">Crockpot Cheesesteak Pulled Chicken</a> and baked a healthy egg casserole. My mom and grandma are here watching Teddy while his daycare is on a well deserved vacation, and they love to have my egg casserole on hand for the mornings.<br />
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Overall, it was a great few days with my little crew!<br />
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Now that we have recapped the weekend, in my effort to get back to regular blogging, I thought I would start with a little Monday fun, because we can all use a little pick me up on a Monday morning. Am I right?!?<br />
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As first time mom, now to a toddler (ahh!!), I am always looking for "mom hacks."<br />
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I would call a "mom hack" anything that makes our days run a little smoother and more efficiently, with minimal cost and effort.<br />
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If you guys enjoy this, I can make it a recurring series for Mondays! :)<br />
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<b>BEBT Mom Hack #1: Super Speed Hair Dryer</b><br />
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When Teddy was first born, I was using a crappy hair dryer I bought from Target. That hairdryer would take SWEET FOREVER to dry my hair. This ended up meaning that it was a major to-do to wash my hair. I ended deciding to pitch that hair dryer in favor of this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Parlux-3200-Compact-Watts-Dryer/dp/B000GRYX0A">Parlux</a> hair dryer that my hair stylist uses. I kid you not, I can now dry my whole head of hair (and I have a LOT of hair) in 6 minutes flat.<br />
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This is a GAME CHANGER! I'm sure there are tons of dryers out there that are quick-drying, but this one works for me and has majorly simplified my routine!<br />
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<b>BEBT Mom Hack #2: The Lunchtime Workout</b><br />
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Okay, I know...this is SO not a revolutionary idea. But, I've had some people ask me when I find time to squeeze in workouts now that I have a little one. Of course, there are so many great options for getting this done.<br />
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Pre-baby, I was a HUGE proponent of a morning workout. I still think morning workouts are the best, but they are just not feasible for me right now. Teddy is up at 5:30 AM, and if I try to get up before him, I always wake him up. Also, once he's up, we are go go go until it's time to head out the door for the day.<br />
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I was always against a mid-work-day workout, because how was I going to have time to shower and make myself look presentable enough to go back to work? I am totally one who gets a super red face from an even marginally difficult workout, so a shower is a must to clean off and cool down. When my firm started offering 30 minute personal training sessions as a perk, I decided I had to give them a try. Almost every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday now, I head down for a 30 minute workout at lunch time, then take a quick body shower and use dry shampoo (<a href="http://batiste/">Batiste</a> is my fav). I bought an extra deodorant, body wash, lotion, and dry shampoo, which I leave in a toiletry bag at the office. This routine has been working for me now, usually 3 days a week, since the spring!<br />
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If you're a working mom and have the ability to get a workout in over the lunch hour, seriously consider it! As I say, "something is better than nothing," and the 30 minute workouts have been more effective for me than I ever could have imagined.<br />
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<b>BEBT Mom Hack #3: Dollar Busy Boxes</b><br />
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With the weather turning cold and having a toddler who wakes up BEFORE the crack of dawn, I have been struggling to find activities to hold his attention and "bridge the gap" between his 5:30AM wake-up and his first nap of the day.<br />
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I turned to Facebook for some suggestions, combined that with some Pinterest research (LOVED <a href="http://www.stirthewonder.com/top-10-craft-supplies-toddlers/">this</a> list), and came up with a list of supplies to hunt down.<br />
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I decided to go to the dollar store to keep the expense minimal, and I was able to get ALL of this stuff for just over $18.00!!!!<br />
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Isn't that incredible? (Some of the items, like the puzzles, I got with my nieces in mind!)<br />
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I figure we will take out one activity or craft project a day when it is too cold for us to get outside for a walk (so, pretty much daily until March, let's be honest!).<br />
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I am currently storing the items/supplies in these boxes (hence, why I am calling these our busy boxes), but my hope is to purchase one of <a href="http://www.michaels.com/mint-lexington-3-tier-rolling-cart-by-recollections/10503531.html?mkwid=sKWkLj4Gc|pcrid|221603832623|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|10503531&cm_mmc=zadv_PLASearch-_-google-_-papercraft-_-papercraft-craft-organization-carts-and-drawer-units&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=papercraft&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=sKWkLj4Gc|pcrid|221603832623|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|10503531&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_5_QBRC9ARIsADVww14KjpS7Xoq23RIYrvkfeq-d3eNB7ZYCaeV7HfHaYdT7ogbhwKw8wSMaAiKJEALw_wcB">these</a> carts that I can slide under our planning desk in the future.<br />
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Well, that's all I have for you today! I hope maybe you can take one of these tips to get ahead this week.<br />
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Feel free to comment with one of your "Mom Hacks" you have been loving lately! :)<br />
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Have a happy & healthy day!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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Jess<br />
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<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-11801504154300313392017-10-09T05:38:00.001-05:002017-10-09T05:38:46.412-05:00The Small Things Hi Everyone!<br />
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Wow, long time, not talk, right?!<br />
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I am SO, so sorry for neglecting this space. I have talked about starting back up my blog for a long time. I have even drafted posts about my return to blogging. But, for some reason, I just haven't felt like the time has been right to press "publish" yet.<br />
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I am coming at you today in hopes of a long overdue blog chat, but also to share something pretty awesome that I feel like you need in your life.<br />
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Church of the Small Things.<br />
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What's that? Well, if you follow me on social media, you may already know that I have been hocking this new book by one of my favorite authors, Melanie Shankle, for a couple of months now. <br />
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The book just released last week, so now you can all get your hands on it too!<br />
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Instead of dragging you all through a chapter by chapter review of the book, which I tend to find kind of boring, I thought I would share with you what this book has meant to me.<br />
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First off, it might be kind of fun to explain to you how I got hooked on Melanie! :)<br />
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It was about the middle of 2015 when I stumbled upon the Big Boo Cast podcast. The Big Boo Cast is a podcast where you basically eavesdrop on a telephone call between two bloggers, Sophie Hudson and Melanie Shankle. They are two women who both live in the South and are big lovers of being wives and mamas, along with football, cheese plates, anti-aging products, their hilarious dogs, a good mascara, and their faith. <br />
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I was going through a pretty trying time in my personal life, and somehow listening to this podcast brought me a whole lot of comfort. It brings me back to the days where I would sit gabbing on the phone with one of my girlfriends for hours upon hours on end. Do you miss that as much as I do??<br />
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Anyway, after listening to a ton of the podcasts, I read through every single one of these ladies' books. So, when I found out Melanie was releasing a new book, I was totally in!<br />
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Little did I know, this book would speak to me in so many unexpected ways.<br />
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As a new mother (yes, I have a son now - he is 15 months! - more on that later), a wife, and a full time attorney, I have often felt pretty overwhelmed. Grateful as heck, but SO overwhelmed. I am someone who has been striving to achieve at everything for a very long time. I feel like I have always been looking forward to the next challenge, how I can reach that goal, and how quickly I can get there. <br />
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But, for once in my life, I have truly felt stretched so thin. I have felt like there are not enough hours in the day. I have felt like I am racing to do this thing, then that thing, and all at the same time, I have felt like I am MISSING everything!<br />
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I often ask myself, shouldn't I be able to handle this all with grace like everyone else seems to be doing? So what if I have a full time job, isn't that the norm for women now? People have babies, then they have ANOTHER baby, then they buy a bigger house, then they get that promotion, and they do this all while never uttering a complaint or breaking a sweat.<br />
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That whole inner monologue has made me feel a lot of times that I am just not ENOUGH. That if I do not do ALL OF THE THINGS or if I can't achieve ALL OF THE THINGS then I am not going to be enough.<br />
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This book, people, stopped me in my tracks. <br />
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Literally in the Introduction of the book, Melanie says: <i>"We can spend so much time wondering and worrying if we're fulfilling God's primary will for our lives. Yet, ultimately, God's will isn't about the things we achieve; it's about the people we become. Life is more about how He use us to make a difference to the people who cross our paths, even while we are just going about our normal, sometimes boring, lives. He is a God who used twelve men to change an entire world. He is a God who clearly finds value where we tend to look and see nothing special. God's primary will for our lives isn't about a particular job or circumstance. It's not about the city we live in or whether we're married or single. We are in God's will when we wake up with a willingness to go wherever he leads the day, to seek him in the ordinary, and to love and influence the people around us. Sometimes that can look a whole lot like packing a lunch." </i><br />
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I mean, wow. I so needed to read that when I did, and I really need to just read it over, and over, and over again. <br />
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Melanie goes on, ".<i>..and so we decide that maybe it's the next big moment that will finally make us truly happy. Meanwhile, we are ignoring the fact that we woke up that morning with air in our lungs, had a cup of coffee, and laughed on the phone with a friend</i>."<br />
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This book taught me so much about gratitude. About slowing down. About self worth. About the happiness that can and should be felt by being present and taking a look around myself in the quiet times. <br />
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It's the sip of a warm cup of coffee first thing in the morning. It's the way my little boy is bobbing up and down with the biggest smile on his face at 5:45 a.m. when I give up on him going back to sleep. It's a good, long afternoon nap. It's a sincere hug from your significant other or spouse when you needed it the most. It's windows open on a crisp, fall day. It's when your favorite song comes on the radio. It's a warm chocolate chip cookie. It's catching that beautiful sunrise and realizing the blessing it is just to have been gifted another day to wake up and put our feet on the ground.<br />
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<b>To get check out Melanie's blog and get the book, go</b> <a href="http://thebigmamablog.com/church-small-things/">HERE.</a> I am confident that this book will lift you up like it did me. It will encourage you to bloom where you are planted. It will have you reminiscing about your childhood, your precious memories with your grandparents, and the hilarity of things like auto-correct and why it is NEVER a good time to get bangs.<br />
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Something to talk about: what <b>small thing</b> is blessing you today?? If you've read the book, tell me how much you love it??<br />
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I hope to be back soon to spend some more time with all of you!<br />
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Have a fantastic Monday!<br />
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xoxo<br />
<br />Jess<br />
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<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-5004622814345202922015-10-01T08:02:00.002-05:002015-10-01T08:02:34.524-05:00Throw Back Thursday: Costa Rica Trip - Part 1 Good morning, everyone!<br />
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Today I'm doing another #TBT post and throwing it back to our trip to Costa Rica. My mom so graciously planned this amazing trip for us back a the beginning of July. </div>
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Justin & I packed ourselves up very carefully and ordered a car to take us to the airport. We always use American Coach Limousine (888-709-LIMO) because we find it to be cheaper, more reliable, and a little more luxurious than a cab. </div>
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Things were going great until we found out that our flight out of O'Hare was significantly delayed, causing us to miss our connection in Florida. We realized this right when we checked in, so after fighting with the front-desk lady for about an hour, they agreed to put us up in a hotel in Hollywood Florida for the night so we could catch a morning flight out to Costa Rica. </div>
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We drowned our sorrows in a couple of Goose Island beers waiting for our flight to Florida. </div>
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I believe the hotel we stayed at in Florida was a Holiday Inn, and we were shocked at how nice it was. I even took a picture of the view from our room! :) </div>
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We got a few hours of sleep, a shower, a quick breakfast, and we were off to Costa Rica.</div>
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Once we finally got to Costa Rica, we found my mom and brother who had been patiently waiting our very LATE arrival with our driver for the week, Emilio. Emilio had a big van and he was going to take us up the tretcherous, winding roads to Monteverde. </div>
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But first, we stopped for an authentic lunch at a roadside restaurant. </div>
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I think those were fried plantains and some garlic shrimp. It was very good, but probably not the best choice for the ride we were about to embark on.</div>
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I'll just say that if you go to Costa Rica, you absolutely must go up to Monteverde. However, do NOT attempt to rent a car and make this drive yourself. We are talking unpaved roads twirling around the sides of a mountain. </div>
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The view from the top was incredible. </div>
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We pulled off the side of the road to catch this picture - we were literally ABOVE the rainbow. </div>
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We stayed in Santa Elena at Poco-a-Poco Resort (little-by-little, because it described how you came up the mountain to get there!). </div>
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The views from the resort were incredible, and the rooms were so fluffy and relaxing. </div>
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Really, I could just go there and take a week-long nap with the windows open. </div>
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Some pictures from the resort: </div>
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Just look at the view from our shower...</div>
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So, I will tell you that even though this was July and throughout the rest of the trip I was dying of the heat, I did NOT pack correctly for Monteverde. It was chilly, and a lot of the time it was either lightly raining or a torrential downpour. </div>
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A jeans jacket over a maxi dress and Old Navy flip flops were not the greatest dinner attire up there. </div>
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Our first night we walked in a downpour to an Italian restaurant - Mar y Luna. </div>
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We had an appetizer of chips and 4 dips (umm...amazing!). </div>
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I got a salad with a ton of hearts of palm...obsessed. </div>
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The boys got steak, and their plates came decorated. Soooo festive! :) </div>
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The next morning we were up bright-and-early (trust me, very early) to have breakfast at the resort and then catch a bus to go zip lining through the cloud forest. </div>
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Now, what you need to know is that the only other time I have ever been zip lining was at summer camp in Michigan. It was over a little lake. What I was about to do in Monteverde would be VERY different from that. </div>
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We decided to go up to the Salvatura Zip Line, which was another steep trip up higher on the mountain above the clouds. Once we got up there, we were strapped into these wet harnesses and asked to sign a waiver that I don't even want to talk about. Then, we were sent on our way with our 18-year-old native guides. </div>
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I wish I could use emojis on here because the scared face would be on repeat. The amount of trust in complete strangers that was involved in this process cannot be over-stated. </div>
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We were hooked up from tree to tree (about 14 total lines) and thrown out at times over 1000 meters over the trees. </div>
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I was the only one of our group that did the Tarzan swing, which is basically a straight down dive from a tower on a bungie, then a swing to some trees across the way. </div>
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I'm sure my family has never heard me scream like that before! :)</div>
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The Superman zip line was the hardest part for me. The spot I am at in the picture below...I stayed there for about 20 minutes paralyzed in fear and not sure if I could make it the rest of the way. </div>
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The Superman zip line was going to be the longest one we did and it was very, very high. </div>
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What freaked me out is that they hook you up from your BACK, then you literally lie down and spread your arms out like "Superman." </div>
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On the other lines, you were hooked up from the front of your body and your hands were up on the lines. So, logically, I told myself if my caribeener failed, I could just hang on with my hands...right?!?! </div>
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Well, with the Superman, if your caribeener fails, you're falling body first with no chance to grab on. </div>
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The good news is that I overcame my fear, conquered the Superman, and it was so incredible. I may have been praying out loud the entire time, but I did it!! </div>
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After the zip-lining was done, we walked through the forest on the suspension bridges. </div>
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Before heading back into town, Justin and I grabbed a beer at the bar and some chicken tortilla soup (we were COLD and very wet!). </div>
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By the way...a good backpack on this trip was an absolute must. I bought a Marmot backpack from Dick's Sporting Goods before the trip and I think it was the most-used item. Everyone handed off there stuff to me for the backpack. </div>
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When we came back to the resort, I had a glorious massage at their spa. I was the only one in there, and the lady let me lay for about 30 minutes afterwards on the table with the door open to the mountain air. It was AH-mazing. </div>
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I spent some time out by the pool and hot tub before showering up for our night out. </div>
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That night, we headed out for happy hour at the Treehouse restaurant. </div>
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After happy hour, our dinner was at Morphos. It was my favorite dinner in the Santa Elena area, but somehow I didn't take any pictures!! </div>
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We sent my mom and brother back to the resort, and Justin and I went on to a sports bar (Referees) where we hung out with the locals for a while and learned some more about football (aka soccer). </div>
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The next morning, we headed out for a guided tour of the cloud forest. </div>
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We saw some wildlife, I wore my ridiculous poncho again (should have brought a rain jacket!!), and got eaten alive by a swarm of ants. Good times! :) </div>
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After the walk, we ended up going to Taco Taco for lunch, which was great for being super hungry. </div>
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We then went over to have some drinks and catch some WiFi at Orchid Cafe, which would also be a great spot for breakfast or lunch.</div>
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I adore mango anything, so I had to get a mango smoothie...</div>
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After lunch, we shopped around a little and then headed back to the hotel to relax before Emilio was back to pick us up and take us down south to our next destination...Quepos and Manuel Antonio. </div>
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I think that is enough recapping for today. I'll post the second half of our trip in the next #TBT post. </div>
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Have a great Thursday, everyone!</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
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Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-30697854442774073082015-09-27T08:37:00.001-05:002015-09-27T08:37:21.069-05:00Sunday Shopping: Fall Basics Hi friends!<br />
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Fall is in full swing and the thought of sweaters, leggings, scarves, and boots (with my #pumpkinspicelatteinhand) has me grinning from ear to ear.<br />
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I have been waking up super early on the weekends with not much to do, so online browsing has been in full effect. <br />
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(I'm sure any minute now Justin is going to run downstairs and confiscate my wallet).<br />
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I haven't pulled the trigger on a ton of stuff, but I wanted to share with you all some of my "must haves" basics for fall.<br />
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/barefoot-dreams-drape-front-cardigan-nordstrom-exclusive/3112763?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=Pewter%2F+Pearl+Heathered&resultback=292">Barefoot Dreams Drape Front Cardigan</a></div>
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I've been eyeing this cardigan (also known as the "Blardigan") for a long time now and finally took the plunge. </div>
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Let me first say that I do not walk around in my bra and underwear wearing this thing (see picture). It is great for when you just wake up on a cooler fall morning and want to throw on something warm and a little more put together than your bathrobe. You can also throw it on with a long tank, leggings, and boots and call it an outfit. </div>
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I bought the Pewter/Midnight color shown and I decided to size up in it because the S/M was super tight on my arms (thanks body pump). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvG2kikEmPKTSrcZLEc4TNsH5e68UaJHOTt68Du3imhGuM4Xl1yoBXWso9ntSordWz4fmmpL8w7hLh2Nq9JpeHG8snoXhDefUh8GkKrLhUVOC_kgLVqFY5CqvG_w_d9JhKbn_TvVIB8YHS/s1600/blondo+boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvG2kikEmPKTSrcZLEc4TNsH5e68UaJHOTt68Du3imhGuM4Xl1yoBXWso9ntSordWz4fmmpL8w7hLh2Nq9JpeHG8snoXhDefUh8GkKrLhUVOC_kgLVqFY5CqvG_w_d9JhKbn_TvVIB8YHS/s640/blondo+boots.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/blondo-elenor-waterproof-riding-boot-women/3728096?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=1206">Blondo 'Elenor' Waterproof Riding Boots</a></div>
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These boots. These are not just your typical black boots. They are stretchy in the back, which means they will literally go over any pant leg comfortably, and they are WATERPROOF!</div>
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I wore these boots to death last year during the fall, winter, and nasty early spring. They are pricey right now, but they did go on sale for under $200.00 last year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vXO5Kt8GXWI9cjahp1HLzzxTOXc1gXjDqZfhN14dIeYwI50yXbYinB-Y9G-DM-K7LwFvc4Kgd4FbTW9FxIKG2whvW_9KmrMSQoMvlsAnuytG37dzkqLTX8uBHqOuheKbC-aC5HM-nw7e/s1600/grey+leggings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vXO5Kt8GXWI9cjahp1HLzzxTOXc1gXjDqZfhN14dIeYwI50yXbYinB-Y9G-DM-K7LwFvc4Kgd4FbTW9FxIKG2whvW_9KmrMSQoMvlsAnuytG37dzkqLTX8uBHqOuheKbC-aC5HM-nw7e/s640/grey+leggings.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/hue-ultra-wide-waistband-leggings/3177749?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=BLACK&resultback=704">Hue 'Ultra' Wide Waistband Leggings</a></div>
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Have you ladies bought these leggings yet? If not, go over immediately and purchase them in black and grey. You can thank me later. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X5irWRT90VLiqsbjt2jYXHjtpBzct0T2a415I3CvBmKkHNsBi9W-ePlrqIGhyphenhyphensEexYGTKElWxF7D5gE9VbnfjPf6Q3vX2D1-kOKTN_LHj5jUjj5TH30S7Qs0WOHAvYD1cakLVitBgooK/s1600/felicia+flat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X5irWRT90VLiqsbjt2jYXHjtpBzct0T2a415I3CvBmKkHNsBi9W-ePlrqIGhyphenhyphensEexYGTKElWxF7D5gE9VbnfjPf6Q3vX2D1-kOKTN_LHj5jUjj5TH30S7Qs0WOHAvYD1cakLVitBgooK/s640/felicia+flat.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://sam%20edelman%20%27felicia%27%20flat/">Sam Edelman 'Felicia' Flat</a></div>
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These are the most comfortable flats I have ever owned. There's something about the elastic band that goes around the top. And if the animal print is wrong, I don't wanna be right. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuX8naiB32RYMaPBYV_MRpbEPBQHcn8r4YN9oMmuZvb4jNpIx8Q2iTHBZduwBCl-X3MOFAVCJWItkM6EkPoReoPp-3GpkaTAxY47GjQPzbMfJflmpkKW9Uc_dHPNdcYQDQQj_0vwwdEf_/s1600/scarf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuX8naiB32RYMaPBYV_MRpbEPBQHcn8r4YN9oMmuZvb4jNpIx8Q2iTHBZduwBCl-X3MOFAVCJWItkM6EkPoReoPp-3GpkaTAxY47GjQPzbMfJflmpkKW9Uc_dHPNdcYQDQQj_0vwwdEf_/s640/scarf.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s//4005656?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=CAMEL&resultback=1069">BP Plaid Oblong Scarf</a></div>
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I love that this scarf will go with everything and it is only $20.00. No brainer! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG1NDszXr3n7nokyDQaAZXa9qyXGg_BIR8VFE8iRfuGHmaa76OTB_O2zcggByF9lohVCJSkmh0zrEww6FrRR04jrvWTfxqq8X-ngZgj0kWy4MpQfRelNUuT7nBdDaMEMI7l3dAWyHQ3op/s1600/Rayne+Necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG1NDszXr3n7nokyDQaAZXa9qyXGg_BIR8VFE8iRfuGHmaa76OTB_O2zcggByF9lohVCJSkmh0zrEww6FrRR04jrvWTfxqq8X-ngZgj0kWy4MpQfRelNUuT7nBdDaMEMI7l3dAWyHQ3op/s640/Rayne+Necklace.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/kendra-scott-rayne-stone-tassel-pendant-necklace/3283484?origin=related-3283484-0-1-PP_4-Rich_Relevance_Recs_API-250459&recs_type=related&recs_productId=3283484&recs_categoryId=0&recs_productOrder=1&recs_placementId=PP_4&recs_source=Rich_Relevance_Recs_API&recs_strategy=250459&recs_referringPageType=item_page">Kendra Scott 'Rayne' Necklace</a></div>
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I'm sure everyone already knows about this necklace, but it has to be on my must have list. Justin got me a silver/white stone version last Christmas and if you've seen me since then, you know I wear it just about every other day. I need all.the.colors ASAP! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8VTJxhtKUXQ7mBliii142glH3rXQO_AfMg0dolhAhLNfD4nMDE2RCnHBE-65XcfWao_XKCk20VB2k45gLElG3y4bnOzCtDCptjivOYRfC4Je13pq4zt-qpHIGU420sqvQ6Nh-9mYH1b9/s1600/harlow+necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8VTJxhtKUXQ7mBliii142glH3rXQO_AfMg0dolhAhLNfD4nMDE2RCnHBE-65XcfWao_XKCk20VB2k45gLElG3y4bnOzCtDCptjivOYRfC4Je13pq4zt-qpHIGU420sqvQ6Nh-9mYH1b9/s640/harlow+necklace.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/kendra-scott-harlow-necklace/3417930?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=WHITE+HOWLITE&resultback=809">Kendra Scott 'Harlow' Necklace</a></div>
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And...while we are at it I have been dying over this necklace for a couple of months now. It is a splurge, but I'm putting it out into the universe that this would be a great gift for me :) </div>
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Happy fall & happy shopping! </div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
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Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-9357880160146873422015-06-18T09:07:00.001-05:002015-06-18T09:11:47.588-05:00Throwback Thursday: Wedding Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hey there! </div>
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Happy #tbt to you! It's almost the weekend! Weeeeee!!!!</div>
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As you know, I took a fairly long blogging break. So, I didn't get to share a lot of fun and exciting things with you guys. I'm talking our wedding, trips, buying a house, etc. </div>
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My plan is to recap some of the highlights #tbt style.</div>
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It is raining AGAIN in Chicago, so why don't we brighten it up with some flower pictures today? </div>
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If you aren't planning a wedding, maybe you can use these pictures as inspiration for a shower or party you are planning, or to help create pretty bouquets to brighten up your space! </div>
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Flowers... :) I have a confession to make. Another thought when I was little was how AMAZING would it be to own a flower shop? I know what you're thinking...how is this going to work with my terrible skills at keeping plants alive?? </div>
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I hadn't really thought that far. I just loved the HEAVENLY smell of walking into a flower shop. </div>
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Flowers were going to be big for me when it came to our wedding. I set aside a big chunk of our budget for the flowers. I thought for sure I would be covered, especially since we were opting to forgo the lavish downtown Chicago wedding for a more reasonable event back in Indiana. </div>
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My florist was the sweetest little lady named Polly. She is everything like she sounds. Sugary sweet, tiny, with a sort of high pitched voice, and you just want to put her in your pocket! :) </div>
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Polly owns Poppies Florist back in the South Bend/Mishawaka/Granger Indiana area. I had seen her work all around town when I was shopping for venues, and I knew I had to have her! </div>
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So, I met Polly on a sunny Saturday at Starbucks with my HUGE wedding binder. She asked me to walk her through my vision. I wanted crisp whites with hints of green, a little rustic glam, and tons of mason jars. Love me some mason jars. </div>
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Here are the pictures I pinned on Pinterest to show Polly:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD4aBFOcf5ZaHPeTVHQAhFaew-YB3ZjZnxc1VSJkmkynSLobg4VmU0BVgeTCKla4POZGI5sinODYJeWbSGyWZSOIJgx51so91ti-CS0qwvehfx44e_xJ3skvfk_uogpodbNFoM8ZRmyJh/s1600/bigger+mason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD4aBFOcf5ZaHPeTVHQAhFaew-YB3ZjZnxc1VSJkmkynSLobg4VmU0BVgeTCKla4POZGI5sinODYJeWbSGyWZSOIJgx51so91ti-CS0qwvehfx44e_xJ3skvfk_uogpodbNFoM8ZRmyJh/s400/bigger+mason.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vSA1_SMsb0-I4sUPoc0FmQQn8vjyrVEhgmKr7HDyEGUqnMt-sD5WNZxW6i4FUM7YNG7n8qGZeIBgudVl7WZweZYuv-JPLOy90-btlppuY74A7rP6q1VrNvq1EboRlu_LCjQLc0n-1IZX/s1600/ceremony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vSA1_SMsb0-I4sUPoc0FmQQn8vjyrVEhgmKr7HDyEGUqnMt-sD5WNZxW6i4FUM7YNG7n8qGZeIBgudVl7WZweZYuv-JPLOy90-btlppuY74A7rP6q1VrNvq1EboRlu_LCjQLc0n-1IZX/s400/ceremony.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iH-mFZUpjrpbnLunZT8MSIGh-UzLQD6YVSQ4JpI2qzzEPR-THRUW_NoufVK4L2olwWXCyKT0FSO72JkK2EEJ8ErDIR8fvhQ1ztoCEdkEgDoDb-D7g4hvEezXgCvjDgtZsS9Bmc5Cgl_C/s1600/Escort+Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iH-mFZUpjrpbnLunZT8MSIGh-UzLQD6YVSQ4JpI2qzzEPR-THRUW_NoufVK4L2olwWXCyKT0FSO72JkK2EEJ8ErDIR8fvhQ1ztoCEdkEgDoDb-D7g4hvEezXgCvjDgtZsS9Bmc5Cgl_C/s400/Escort+Table.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYm0ZN0H1qYRYar_BLm26hQGaywl-Cj37JkEFaFcdoKp3YLved5U7CnbH5fG6vGPGygrAOLSrkHdU58WV8Y8-son4NPyiSS11P28lJLn23cz8S64F2OHI3M7gLHTQanXbIH1LWTTCKRSW/s1600/gazebo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYm0ZN0H1qYRYar_BLm26hQGaywl-Cj37JkEFaFcdoKp3YLved5U7CnbH5fG6vGPGygrAOLSrkHdU58WV8Y8-son4NPyiSS11P28lJLn23cz8S64F2OHI3M7gLHTQanXbIH1LWTTCKRSW/s400/gazebo.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_mOpu6vVr-DgO_Lc1kUIYkerpW3WIdsKM7wJsTIrsEOOpL4irib3opx-lLvx8O5CD1eChh6IFUZyIkqkWF-OdpwDdHAj4gfDHcKVy8yZVmt1KvhkjsZ-XcsT7TxWc4qPQmohIYYCAAf9/s1600/mason+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_mOpu6vVr-DgO_Lc1kUIYkerpW3WIdsKM7wJsTIrsEOOpL4irib3opx-lLvx8O5CD1eChh6IFUZyIkqkWF-OdpwDdHAj4gfDHcKVy8yZVmt1KvhkjsZ-XcsT7TxWc4qPQmohIYYCAAf9/s400/mason+jars.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-dgzuzRVlaSeO_kJnaGZdlCP_vuXMdu-g15252N7KQdqj8p_gbvTtD_Dnn5xroGTFEwr4CyoikOtOy15G5BUzz50x0FwXvwDFrYGS-NYfZ2C3t1z4mzE_6iLCHQgWXcC0Q2sTwRwU8Oo/s1600/shepardshook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-dgzuzRVlaSeO_kJnaGZdlCP_vuXMdu-g15252N7KQdqj8p_gbvTtD_Dnn5xroGTFEwr4CyoikOtOy15G5BUzz50x0FwXvwDFrYGS-NYfZ2C3t1z4mzE_6iLCHQgWXcC0Q2sTwRwU8Oo/s400/shepardshook.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7YzSYamyhYopEfA3QUrZXj1mpHMSSzUIsVbMbMoKYKdaJlvQ70jJdLkCMWz53hONASmsNk9U-j18ulf0-_iGjLfuDniKhCycf1Babcu1NOC5xtNDDbr1qSNEOBUifBurTTiNmHcTXPV7/s1600/tablescape+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7YzSYamyhYopEfA3QUrZXj1mpHMSSzUIsVbMbMoKYKdaJlvQ70jJdLkCMWz53hONASmsNk9U-j18ulf0-_iGjLfuDniKhCycf1Babcu1NOC5xtNDDbr1qSNEOBUifBurTTiNmHcTXPV7/s400/tablescape+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFTxmpbSTYe0i_kBn_JZWEGelhd-EWxkBXQJ35-paIuxRQI4kcXWn5S3zsfCrs2faUCeOk81BVdsCQYhjpW1IH2P_-XLt0vZfYINu-mFMwDbYA3JQAMDULbl1uAj9_E6vNjJvCeUv16JU/s1600/tablescape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFTxmpbSTYe0i_kBn_JZWEGelhd-EWxkBXQJ35-paIuxRQI4kcXWn5S3zsfCrs2faUCeOk81BVdsCQYhjpW1IH2P_-XLt0vZfYINu-mFMwDbYA3JQAMDULbl1uAj9_E6vNjJvCeUv16JU/s400/tablescape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixy9QzZQrxLK04QZkGSleHUdGQlln3_zqVuhAIuwsHrtoBEdPEolFMxVlEXvpmA5IxaaFfQbAF3KnP7Kz1n0InVQ5xnE1xRb0DMDqSfOzZUzKLwy3DXnN__LofB4EwHGjNInJkjxjnOFJM/s1600/wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixy9QzZQrxLK04QZkGSleHUdGQlln3_zqVuhAIuwsHrtoBEdPEolFMxVlEXvpmA5IxaaFfQbAF3KnP7Kz1n0InVQ5xnE1xRb0DMDqSfOzZUzKLwy3DXnN__LofB4EwHGjNInJkjxjnOFJM/s400/wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Can you guess what sweet little Polly said to me?? </div>
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"Increase your budget!"</div>
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I couldn't believe I had to put more money aside for the flowers! We shifted things around and it worked. </div>
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The other thing was having to be realistic about what flowers were going to be available for September. For example, peonies...out for the Fall. </div>
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The flowers we had in our wedding included a mixture of: vendela roses, white nerine lilies, white freesia, green mini hydrangea, green cymbidian orchids, ivory spray roses, green dendrobian orchids (boutonnieres and corsages), white hydrangea, fresh mint, white roses, white tulips, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;">white lisianthus. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">That list is from my invoice, so I think I covered it all! </span></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Here are the pictures from our wedding! :) All photography by the amazing <a href="http://www.justlovemepd.com/">Just Love Me Photography + Design</a>! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i>mason jars hanging from shepard's hooks at ceremony</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hyphenhyphen-u7d4FT9Hg7lx1ar7QElbEYnID6rldpJAzexGbTIQ81yWC0Qa8_GzEp4taj3GIelXm3BgKMvCpeV96MDZAYT35HPs3OgV5AprZ_Jkyu7IfhFMnIgIGw3dpVMo2rehIG4XKEXI-M6Mm/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hyphenhyphen-u7d4FT9Hg7lx1ar7QElbEYnID6rldpJAzexGbTIQ81yWC0Qa8_GzEp4taj3GIelXm3BgKMvCpeV96MDZAYT35HPs3OgV5AprZ_Jkyu7IfhFMnIgIGw3dpVMo2rehIG4XKEXI-M6Mm/s640/J%252BJ_married-00385.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHdlyQupcrdWIMhbi9TPE3fXzyf6XW6dPPum3SYYzig7DOzLbftDRuvg3TQKHMop3RkSPM6eFxGA8xYdPkNE-E7kGGHvtjUQu0Juj7vQTXdwLBI_lyAuTakaiGSF5eulrQPJ5YxNZVVby/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHdlyQupcrdWIMhbi9TPE3fXzyf6XW6dPPum3SYYzig7DOzLbftDRuvg3TQKHMop3RkSPM6eFxGA8xYdPkNE-E7kGGHvtjUQu0Juj7vQTXdwLBI_lyAuTakaiGSF5eulrQPJ5YxNZVVby/s640/J%252BJ_married-00387.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>floral on gazebo</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthwtFarQ_3V-pEBDYPymj3BDesMPywv42EQTgSG_zR8G_az4NCjptEXUEk8Rl0kCEEEmMNYvXqiCz7bbvRWELHlUt4kJ4PF-6VB6TlbMdTOxUDGBl398-Wv1qDI3pKXv57kYn1-P121NO/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthwtFarQ_3V-pEBDYPymj3BDesMPywv42EQTgSG_zR8G_az4NCjptEXUEk8Rl0kCEEEmMNYvXqiCz7bbvRWELHlUt4kJ4PF-6VB6TlbMdTOxUDGBl398-Wv1qDI3pKXv57kYn1-P121NO/s640/J%252BJ_married-00436.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>bridesmaid bouquets </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyf9K4_Eyw_XbD1w1xtrIOY7NVv54VCwH06jruvhDRTulMs6K1FXzWbowMIYoYzY8HkoaNS2FtS8KjGxhxIOwu__t2yR1MWGURONYOPUNCXthXVBVe0IH-fyV9rtp6R8TzTrxN88X_Ekw/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyf9K4_Eyw_XbD1w1xtrIOY7NVv54VCwH06jruvhDRTulMs6K1FXzWbowMIYoYzY8HkoaNS2FtS8KjGxhxIOwu__t2yR1MWGURONYOPUNCXthXVBVe0IH-fyV9rtp6R8TzTrxN88X_Ekw/s640/J%252BJ_married-00290.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<i>boutonnieres</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgKo_h3otkdjdu_OrOgx-lKNGGVAknxzkjniVu6jMnHGFv5dQZRqHv0Nwa8X3zRDM_4lm5nZpsoboaYddqVqW5AIpcKk2G6PbOBAwxEj3ePehqU2-B7NV97JpRx5hY7oGRkmxwODFlE8r/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgKo_h3otkdjdu_OrOgx-lKNGGVAknxzkjniVu6jMnHGFv5dQZRqHv0Nwa8X3zRDM_4lm5nZpsoboaYddqVqW5AIpcKk2G6PbOBAwxEj3ePehqU2-B7NV97JpRx5hY7oGRkmxwODFlE8r/s640/J%252BJ_married-00095.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>my bouquet (locket was my grandmother's)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnuZHsDyR83WF_DtWKC8S7BehpnLYpG6Spfzv-xtXAqsS_ajYKJgJxolpKCa3fWrwqocUbu3lpO0UDVeZi8Vtw_ZuNskS_gy7d3zZ8tmz-cOkNKpDOwLmG1-v7q5ynHK12YzpJ0IGussX/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnuZHsDyR83WF_DtWKC8S7BehpnLYpG6Spfzv-xtXAqsS_ajYKJgJxolpKCa3fWrwqocUbu3lpO0UDVeZi8Vtw_ZuNskS_gy7d3zZ8tmz-cOkNKpDOwLmG1-v7q5ynHK12YzpJ0IGussX/s640/J%252BJ_married-00277.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>groom's boutonniere </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0gvgGCqTPypnAaMsuFxlIKKV5XfAQWyjsRY7OF4a6Ir2qMh1PaWUc76Ix1jIQQAjPvOSjOIJt7RXahL9UpYIj3VcWsguqUpFyvXzFMaZ4nYDsZ5_3bqqO6nrL6Thef91pneq9gIu7pNf/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0gvgGCqTPypnAaMsuFxlIKKV5XfAQWyjsRY7OF4a6Ir2qMh1PaWUc76Ix1jIQQAjPvOSjOIJt7RXahL9UpYIj3VcWsguqUpFyvXzFMaZ4nYDsZ5_3bqqO6nrL6Thef91pneq9gIu7pNf/s640/J%252BJ_married-00144.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>little bouquets on hightop tables for cocktail hour</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkUwm3a5duxt4EBp-aAwrW_ocQBdACo7eKUkE0yACQwOeSd3q2InWdDDooS3tNDSJz_q-DmPJOFzRfk6g0I-kWDKdVrj1t77U4Vam-w6lCnhDnjj6jX3M1IaDdyb5mfyb8UYsI6wemvse/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkUwm3a5duxt4EBp-aAwrW_ocQBdACo7eKUkE0yACQwOeSd3q2InWdDDooS3tNDSJz_q-DmPJOFzRfk6g0I-kWDKdVrj1t77U4Vam-w6lCnhDnjj6jX3M1IaDdyb5mfyb8UYsI6wemvse/s640/J%252BJ_married-00305.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>escort table</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBb6ZBzSnGUN10Xr2uKQ_Tjw9wCd3gTdAn9rhIB2-iyi256kYXmtovp9MFJdKg4dacigkhbVycvio35G3p2E_ECiHqKvg6xHqbSx5m8MwOeQbS4xB-pNptvqYXnDSB5jstyKxlLDwT4i8/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBb6ZBzSnGUN10Xr2uKQ_Tjw9wCd3gTdAn9rhIB2-iyi256kYXmtovp9MFJdKg4dacigkhbVycvio35G3p2E_ECiHqKvg6xHqbSx5m8MwOeQbS4xB-pNptvqYXnDSB5jstyKxlLDwT4i8/s640/J%252BJ_married-00364.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>three different arrangements on tables in reception hall</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3gPcVPfjLARDiIgXFi_TuBYESa5tsxPlkq8OznYkw6Hw9ViSWup0kWXGoCAaxnIgBI03yHay7qftk-XWC81JOAXNBWOLDdiGi9en3PH9Jtm44-yuLa72QHLfhakybzzFhj9dVFJFcJIj/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3gPcVPfjLARDiIgXFi_TuBYESa5tsxPlkq8OznYkw6Hw9ViSWup0kWXGoCAaxnIgBI03yHay7qftk-XWC81JOAXNBWOLDdiGi9en3PH9Jtm44-yuLa72QHLfhakybzzFhj9dVFJFcJIj/s640/J%252BJ_married-00316.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-THPHLTTTuUvrU7HLtQvB5UNcEDPHMGk6yVhT_QIvjjfKk5C0iamRyWL1wJTXWaJxfa3k6wn7k99XwFeKMJqWNEbmrn02F0ExLDZw5YfiZtTJv_f8SfxD-5BTIR-3H6qyZ97uPtn5SfX4/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-THPHLTTTuUvrU7HLtQvB5UNcEDPHMGk6yVhT_QIvjjfKk5C0iamRyWL1wJTXWaJxfa3k6wn7k99XwFeKMJqWNEbmrn02F0ExLDZw5YfiZtTJv_f8SfxD-5BTIR-3H6qyZ97uPtn5SfX4/s640/J%252BJ_married-00341.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxwqyrRi6UJPIUmsq0CG2zwrn8On9hmf18IOUi6VGKLBc5sfCmbIxe9daOhLLEg90ZiRj4QTq8IqiOgN7x1hG5POQQY4ihaE9wRt1lv1JeTs3po_Yn6BmOvzdWAvw2a0zr_p8cH9Tf55C/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxwqyrRi6UJPIUmsq0CG2zwrn8On9hmf18IOUi6VGKLBc5sfCmbIxe9daOhLLEg90ZiRj4QTq8IqiOgN7x1hG5POQQY4ihaE9wRt1lv1JeTs3po_Yn6BmOvzdWAvw2a0zr_p8cH9Tf55C/s640/J%252BJ_married-00349.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>toss bouquet</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhtV19w1jEPhT9MsqnvOnj-OakHMquPsBO6ddcK_OTWFBnP6Gq2oKIkr6fVeZ-WoNV6wbTQIcZzdZJdjNJhUe8gf7Gi3htuCNMqafnBR8NOqhOwMBNhWcSr1TOWezSmM1-aTJBVBi3PHE/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhtV19w1jEPhT9MsqnvOnj-OakHMquPsBO6ddcK_OTWFBnP6Gq2oKIkr6fVeZ-WoNV6wbTQIcZzdZJdjNJhUe8gf7Gi3htuCNMqafnBR8NOqhOwMBNhWcSr1TOWezSmM1-aTJBVBi3PHE/s640/J%252BJ_married-00383.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>cake topper</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtc-49yQ-duU0TXCFWkBK1E31k2dfFxQgAt2gUA4N5I7fXj3EUmgHXr7rppUug75ogXh-9wX2g5z6Jb3ahCc7TEKeOAvKHMlvYZr2MKWIOU0W4sfP90EKty1yHsyqI1nK94XSkLTQq0DG/s1600/J%252BJ_married-00377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtc-49yQ-duU0TXCFWkBK1E31k2dfFxQgAt2gUA4N5I7fXj3EUmgHXr7rppUug75ogXh-9wX2g5z6Jb3ahCc7TEKeOAvKHMlvYZr2MKWIOU0W4sfP90EKty1yHsyqI1nK94XSkLTQq0DG/s640/J%252BJ_married-00377.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I absolutely LOVED how everything turned out. Worth every penny. </div>
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What do you think? Do you like the Throwback Thursday idea?? </div>
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Have a happy Thursday, everyone! </div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
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Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-38998213009044909332015-06-17T06:12:00.001-05:002015-06-17T06:12:43.431-05:00What I Bought WednesdayHey there - happy hump day!<br />
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How is your week going?? I'm hoping that even if it's not been the best week so far, there have been moments of good thrown in. Seriously, if you are having a crappy week, think back to the last couple of days and pull a positive thought or moment out of each day.<br />
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My positive moment on Monday was a few hours spent watching my trashy reality TV (RHOC & Bachelorette!). My positive moment yesterday was some extra shopping time gifted as a result of a cancelled deposition that left me stranded in the suburbs with nothing else to do!<br />
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So, since I finally got the shopping done that I have been talking about for ages, I am going to do a "What I Bought Wednesday" post for you, vacation style.<br />
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I have mentioned on here that I have a trip to Costa Rica coming up. I feel like this is a particularly hard trip to pack for. What I need is a lot of active wear, things that can get wet and dry quickly, and easy breezy outfits for dinners at night.<br />
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<b>First Stop: Lululemon</b><br />
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<a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/tops-short-sleeve/Run-Swiftly-Tech-Short-Sleeve-Scoop?cc=18622&skuId=3610015&catId=tops-short-sleeve"><b>Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve Scoop</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp_shn1LI5ZC641n2xeAnNQ596XH2wky3RClmLvB94IeaBDTBCeV69GukmDHdLQSmdsRDArpdz833T8fYsC6bnRC7XEawH84oyqJYArn_0DrtlEvU2TFyo16lOOWRA7_1gmfzOmdW1Suz/s1600/LW3D48S_018622_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp_shn1LI5ZC641n2xeAnNQ596XH2wky3RClmLvB94IeaBDTBCeV69GukmDHdLQSmdsRDArpdz833T8fYsC6bnRC7XEawH84oyqJYArn_0DrtlEvU2TFyo16lOOWRA7_1gmfzOmdW1Suz/s400/LW3D48S_018622_1.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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I bought the above top in the "Heathered Pistachio" color (shown) and you need to know that the color is so much better in person. It actually has some hints of blue mixed in (it's not a completely solid green like it looks), which makes it more unique. I would size up in this shirt so it is not skin tight on your midsection and in the arms.<br />
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<a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/tanks-no-support/Cool-Racerback-30193?cc=18606&skuId=3614844&catId=tanks-no-support"><b>Cool Racerback</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ead4fUmxXMo14QomK-_qWrV3GJpLROgQoWrVqw6_Kmn9FhqcWVvM8ug6lz_jMdvZj1ZOSNsbjLNwSw3mR_H5fQBIQOjoRcaC61ImL86T1TE5I1x4TmPLdKH9oKqur57-GtpIlV_PqF3c/s1600/LW1103S_0001_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ead4fUmxXMo14QomK-_qWrV3GJpLROgQoWrVqw6_Kmn9FhqcWVvM8ug6lz_jMdvZj1ZOSNsbjLNwSw3mR_H5fQBIQOjoRcaC61ImL86T1TE5I1x4TmPLdKH9oKqur57-GtpIlV_PqF3c/s400/LW1103S_0001_1.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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Super boring, I know, but it's my favorite lulu tank and I didn't have it in black yet. I was told they were discontinuing this tank months ago. It's still there and coming out in new colors. So, I think we have put that rumor to bed. This fits true to size.<br />
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<a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/shorts-run/Tracker-Short-III-Four-Way?cc=17708&skuId=3621202&catId=shorts-run"><b>Tracker Short III 4 Way Stretch</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEian8l1HZZO_bIad_gLi3dJKxPGGAv2V_eZ1qdVkUZqpyDWNkSQRs6E0VTm17y0F-Yq2Gq-YUxCDDUq-IIxZGABQhRSSDyGsOux1Zv9vnT0OV5IYdvpXer5gVEIaKRSvZkwE73THZ549ZIL/s1600/LW7D51S_018895_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEian8l1HZZO_bIad_gLi3dJKxPGGAv2V_eZ1qdVkUZqpyDWNkSQRs6E0VTm17y0F-Yq2Gq-YUxCDDUq-IIxZGABQhRSSDyGsOux1Zv9vnT0OV5IYdvpXer5gVEIaKRSvZkwE73THZ549ZIL/s400/LW7D51S_018895_3.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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I am super picky about shorts. I hate wearing shorts that ride up and I also feel like all shorts are super short right now. I loved these shorts because you get extra room in the legs and they are a good length. I tried on SEVERAL different styles at the store and these were my favorite. I went a size up in these shorts (Ace Spot Lullaby Black) which may have helped with the more comfortable fit.<br />
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<a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/shorts-run/Tracker-Short-III-Four-Way?cc=17708&skuId=3621202&catId=shorts-run"><b>Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtn6K_kDIAVgF0-qkRL_C1h7bY61cGnbrES7w_8LWryHN10bGAvJ6V4zTd0Af5hqWYyB3Av0lLIi5snt7wHCo3UQyimtVRtxGQ1VTitdd0QygOmvIRQbItJlhQBByzPO9CiimdhEyutr2/s1600/LW3037S_1966_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtn6K_kDIAVgF0-qkRL_C1h7bY61cGnbrES7w_8LWryHN10bGAvJ6V4zTd0Af5hqWYyB3Av0lLIi5snt7wHCo3UQyimtVRtxGQ1VTitdd0QygOmvIRQbItJlhQBByzPO9CiimdhEyutr2/s400/LW3037S_1966_1.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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I got this top for cooler mornings and nights. This top fits true to size.<br />
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<b>Second Stop: Express</b></div>
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I was so happy with my outfit find at Express. I can't wait to wear this outfit out to dinner on a hot night in Costa Rica!<br />
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I bought this top in Black...<br />
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<a href="http://www.express.com/clothing/women/crochet-trimmed-trapeze-cami/pro/6441405/cat430028"><b>Crochet Trimmed Trapeze Cami</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONzITiMgZaaKV7PwBLoavqtIowYVvYwMY5BPjFrQ71Q-pU7WwPU4NaQCiH9cNg8jXYnUVwi1HuRX5pAhnNFmCTlJdpqsjwpOFA64aBBa6KYkYjSwTCuNdKS7IdthRRKkGvf6JRUGA0DGU/s1600/new_86_644_1405_058_44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONzITiMgZaaKV7PwBLoavqtIowYVvYwMY5BPjFrQ71Q-pU7WwPU4NaQCiH9cNg8jXYnUVwi1HuRX5pAhnNFmCTlJdpqsjwpOFA64aBBa6KYkYjSwTCuNdKS7IdthRRKkGvf6JRUGA0DGU/s400/new_86_644_1405_058_44.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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To wear with these shorts...</div>
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<a href="http://www.express.com/clothing/women/2-inch-black-aztec-print-soft-shorts/pro/3016673/cat1700025"><b>Aztec Print Soft Shorts</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvR6hghpN5HjXCK1kSucsJDm9sDXI82juFrIPqpG8_bKOQGQdN6psCHcucCzmg1A0TIlbwseJplUB_PRw_Zyk8tYx_bqLZ2NoOFHBw8WegPbBnLug8z2D_C0Z-_NFa8FUodFdzZzP14Rc/s1600/Aztec+Shorts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvR6hghpN5HjXCK1kSucsJDm9sDXI82juFrIPqpG8_bKOQGQdN6psCHcucCzmg1A0TIlbwseJplUB_PRw_Zyk8tYx_bqLZ2NoOFHBw8WegPbBnLug8z2D_C0Z-_NFa8FUodFdzZzP14Rc/s640/Aztec+Shorts.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
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I swear the shorts do not look as diaper-ish in person. The model has them up super high. They actually hit right below the belly button on me and they are so soft. Like buttah! :) Only $29.90 right now. I bought both the top and the shorts in a Medium.<br />
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<b>Third Stop: Nordstrom</b><br />
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nordstrom-seamless-day-bra/3769264?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=BEIGE+SOFT&resultback=1690"><b>Seemless Day Bra</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-6aPhQqCYdS246j3CszzagPWPyalVc33WaRbzPk3QQfv_BJ2n8p9Q6lYVABih_5Tt1AM_p02YUaJDuK1WUB7tESnN0DGe07TSeOlZgIVYWAwlRnYqJP4RLF4CpXPjbDHTvSligiRbZ0W/s1600/_9649270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-6aPhQqCYdS246j3CszzagPWPyalVc33WaRbzPk3QQfv_BJ2n8p9Q6lYVABih_5Tt1AM_p02YUaJDuK1WUB7tESnN0DGe07TSeOlZgIVYWAwlRnYqJP4RLF4CpXPjbDHTvSligiRbZ0W/s400/_9649270.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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I needed a different kind of bra to go under a dress I just got for a wedding and this one was perfect. I actually think I will wear it under that Trapeze tank from Express too. It is not as substantial as it looks in the above picture (I think she just has the straps hiked up super high). It is so comfortable, you barely notice you have it on. At $18.00 I was sold. </div>
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<a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/zoe-and-rose-print-corset-romper/4015457?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=60135750&fashionColor=&resultback=280"><b>(Almost Bought) Print Corset Romper</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk9wmEqty22tMDTXcrF7Xls4tGDY47wiDgK3rHG7kDl6ccfrISxKcJZ4HCN4gCeOtyFhKpQNuitfxL6xeD2_ROsjVY4m3SS5hFa4lDxuOxA1Sqicm9ulgFtDolmx0RYxiw-zZFcBprT0_/s1600/_10487595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk9wmEqty22tMDTXcrF7Xls4tGDY47wiDgK3rHG7kDl6ccfrISxKcJZ4HCN4gCeOtyFhKpQNuitfxL6xeD2_ROsjVY4m3SS5hFa4lDxuOxA1Sqicm9ulgFtDolmx0RYxiw-zZFcBprT0_/s640/_10487595.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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So I almost bought this romper and now I am kicking myself that I didn't get it! How CUTE is it? Do I need to run back and get it?!?!? Gahhhhh!! I was a little doubtful because the you can't really wear a bra easily with it, but it does have those built in cups. I felt that it ran super small if you are interesting in picking one up! </div>
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So, those were my finds! What is your favorite?! Mine is probably the Express outfit because it is something so different for me and I cannot wait to wear it on vacation! </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-71343680305499302882015-06-16T08:25:00.001-05:002015-06-16T08:33:18.318-05:00Show & Tell Tuesdays: Our YardGood morning, friends and happy Tuesday to you!<br />
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So, the Blackhawks have one the Stanley Cup again! Woo hoo! I think I'm most excited that now they can stop playing that "Lord Stanley" song on my favorite radio station. If you don't know what I'm talking about, they took that Drinking Class song and re-wrote the words ("Chicago wants our Stanley back"). I couldn't take it.<br />
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On to the regularly scheduled programming...today, I am liking up with <a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/">Andrea</a> for Show & Tell Tuesdays.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_W_mEnrDdJK9efyHIm8iuD1uQBvVZq_Rk8DTAchKPmIZ0Y48y0UXYD1TfyPghhQtaw6M_Y_Yl_FaPtX9QsfkY-We7KjsKGFRYIwlEAyD52RpItaDMf_8dvY8MaARfD9Ky0y4A9LK2x-0X/s1600/Our+Yard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_W_mEnrDdJK9efyHIm8iuD1uQBvVZq_Rk8DTAchKPmIZ0Y48y0UXYD1TfyPghhQtaw6M_Y_Yl_FaPtX9QsfkY-We7KjsKGFRYIwlEAyD52RpItaDMf_8dvY8MaARfD9Ky0y4A9LK2x-0X/s320/Our+Yard.jpg" width="289" /></a></div>
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We LOVE our yard and outdoor space!<br />
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This is our first home together. Previously, we had been in apartments. One apartment had a shared patio (no green space) and the other just had a little balcony. Needless to say we were ready for some grass and flowers and a deck!<br />
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I cannot take ANY credit for our yard or outdoor space. We live on a double-lot, so there is a lot of green space that needs tending. Justin does all of the mowing, trimming, cleaning, and watering outside. My mom comes in a couple of times and helps us with the immense amount of weeding that needs to be done.<br />
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Here's the thing...the people who lived here before us took great pride in their flower beds. I believe the wife was a Master Gardener (that is a thing). Unfortunately, I do not have a green thumb. I am not just being humble, I literally am a failure at keeping anything green or with flowers alive. I get all excited and make up planters and I swear I try to water those things, but they all bite the dust pretty quickly.<br />
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I'm working on it.<br />
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As far as the weeding goes...I don't think I'm ever going to get there. I am just not the kind of person who is okay with having dirt under my fingernails. A little bit...OK...but the amount of dirt that I am cleaning out of my fingernails the week after working in the yard...no thank you! I know, this is a prissy moment for me, but at least I am owning it! I get super hot weeding, itchy, all scratched up and the BUGS...don't get me started!<br />
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So, thank GOD for my husband and my mother. Bless you both.<br />
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We have made some changes to the outdoor space that I will kind of walk you through and tell you a little bit about where we are headed.<br />
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When we moved in, it was May. All of the outdoor doors on our house were painted a muted, maroon color.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWbIrS_AE_xQXxStAiMm8iDxSrZ4PKkGVZAcRUIQXC5YLuQk2pTKQaWjf0pcDxzWIgGqlkCJAqinI89lIQGcjZvxmSn1lgTNPV5RInsl2Ovr09X4Ep82MDlfNVsMuURBgbRP2rdwM4aTX/s1600/FRONT+MOVE+IN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWbIrS_AE_xQXxStAiMm8iDxSrZ4PKkGVZAcRUIQXC5YLuQk2pTKQaWjf0pcDxzWIgGqlkCJAqinI89lIQGcjZvxmSn1lgTNPV5RInsl2Ovr09X4Ep82MDlfNVsMuURBgbRP2rdwM4aTX/s400/FRONT+MOVE+IN.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We got a wild hair and decided to paint all of them BRIGHT red. This project was actually SUPER easy. I used <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2013/07/the-door-is-the-smile-of-the-house/">THIS</a> tutorial from Young House Love. We had all of the doors (front, side, and garage) done in one weekend. </div>
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Here you can see our fresh, red door during the Fall. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImezxs26gj33LpVt8omZI-_iX77ODHP9ePCri8vm87bvN17p9qSvzlO8uI-d16KGywsOz8hXSO3RQG_cFyj75Sop29xLC-I38lLVdlw8XfnMmTzg3RL0_nF-8ay36ciKLtHaJUVyoKkEA/s1600/FRONT+FALL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImezxs26gj33LpVt8omZI-_iX77ODHP9ePCri8vm87bvN17p9qSvzlO8uI-d16KGywsOz8hXSO3RQG_cFyj75Sop29xLC-I38lLVdlw8XfnMmTzg3RL0_nF-8ay36ciKLtHaJUVyoKkEA/s400/FRONT+FALL.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here you can see how the front of the house looks today. I love the pop of color. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4L712vtNyq30_SYg5LjKBl03_fGkrebKGTpFFe2NlP9-sf6oeklRLPAkV1FdB1mxcr3tPSvrAjqFRcOj677NPwsYQDJwUqSRa8DjsXiuRH6h-kYdbbecNYME1YllOyUpooGimtbSFfbXp/s1600/FRONT+TODAY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4L712vtNyq30_SYg5LjKBl03_fGkrebKGTpFFe2NlP9-sf6oeklRLPAkV1FdB1mxcr3tPSvrAjqFRcOj677NPwsYQDJwUqSRa8DjsXiuRH6h-kYdbbecNYME1YllOyUpooGimtbSFfbXp/s400/FRONT+TODAY.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last year, I bought a wreath from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PinkDoorWreaths">Pink Door Wreaths</a> on Etsy. It hangs up pretty much year-round, until our Christmas wreath comes out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv9kLKyMNKWYe5S7PxFBuLUcGVYQBDGHXt_2iOku2N33R5Zln16dlCo8ctZRyFRBlWtNwACCO9WCnyh2kficiC6gOqGDKh2LeC_eKiaKZl5Xnp_qSBFuEGwpdZdO_OsI85c3BdloLcMwk/s1600/DSC00345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv9kLKyMNKWYe5S7PxFBuLUcGVYQBDGHXt_2iOku2N33R5Zln16dlCo8ctZRyFRBlWtNwACCO9WCnyh2kficiC6gOqGDKh2LeC_eKiaKZl5Xnp_qSBFuEGwpdZdO_OsI85c3BdloLcMwk/s400/DSC00345.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's the issue with the front of the house that I would like to tackle. I have tried all sorts of planters up on the front path/steps, and nothing with flowers will survive! </div>
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We actually use to have a GIGANTIC pine tree to the right of the house that was blocking a ton of light from the front. We took that out last year, but it is still pretty dark up there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDJ7avXX7w4gEgs8ulsf8siiqt3-j9ElsfoR0toHf_Y6APo0ian3X5TdWdNCbdIW3JBsv-LXDmavI4Z1wMiQZHYu6bmDCqxtpSbpVcckVQyUydhHPAypFCS4eyut3y1h70I7JcNx-cU5T/s1600/SIDE+YARD+VIEW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDJ7avXX7w4gEgs8ulsf8siiqt3-j9ElsfoR0toHf_Y6APo0ian3X5TdWdNCbdIW3JBsv-LXDmavI4Z1wMiQZHYu6bmDCqxtpSbpVcckVQyUydhHPAypFCS4eyut3y1h70I7JcNx-cU5T/s400/SIDE+YARD+VIEW.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Right in the middle of that grass you see used to stand the huge pine tree. It was way taller than our house and blocked our view getting out of the driveway, so it had to go. Justin did an amazing job re-planting grass and now it's like you would never know it was there!<br />
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I want to rip out the bushes at the front of our house and start fresh with some new landscaping up front, but I haven't quite figured out what will be low maintenance and survive the shade. Any tips?<br />
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Moving on to the deck. These will serve as your before pictures, because we are currently having the deck stripped, repaired, and repainted. That is, if the rain will ever stop for long enough for our guy to get the work done!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqny7NjUUfmIfNziASx7tg0gapUfEkgDlUy33ZushvUnlSBbqR-jYnSr76cPl5whSyFjDTI5aKI5LdPFmjQPIyLTCcQASsIC54nsWzgJMOI0javuTqNvuoPmRLse1gfzb5RyvMN3KTIQX/s1600/DECK.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqny7NjUUfmIfNziASx7tg0gapUfEkgDlUy33ZushvUnlSBbqR-jYnSr76cPl5whSyFjDTI5aKI5LdPFmjQPIyLTCcQASsIC54nsWzgJMOI0javuTqNvuoPmRLse1gfzb5RyvMN3KTIQX/s400/DECK.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Justin started this project shortly aver we moved in, but when we got a great quote to finish it off, we decided to outsource the work.<br />
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Once we are all done, I would love to get some new outdoor furniture.<br />
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Can you see that huge vine hanging up on the side of the deck? <br />
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That is one of my favorite things about the deck...our Trumpet Vine. At the end of the summer, we get the prettiest blooms that attract hummingbirds.<br />
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Moving over to the side of the back yard, we had a MESS of a flower bed that was overgrown with weeds. I am sure the previous owners had that area totally under control, but we have jobs and do not have that kind of time to put into this stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KXpuQsw9dqJqrp_7MNvqQJxW-QOJvg8S-u6AqbckflOw6FPxjb94vbZaYsnYOWkArbzgOiB4MAKkAOtnCDKrZFWw9nslNyVFzRl2ln2pAg8MWecA-NejIrWFJ-4JOnJuw5AHCYMIyeTT/s1600/SIDE+OVERGROWN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KXpuQsw9dqJqrp_7MNvqQJxW-QOJvg8S-u6AqbckflOw6FPxjb94vbZaYsnYOWkArbzgOiB4MAKkAOtnCDKrZFWw9nslNyVFzRl2ln2pAg8MWecA-NejIrWFJ-4JOnJuw5AHCYMIyeTT/s400/SIDE+OVERGROWN.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last year, we pulled up the back part of this bed and transplanted the good stuff to other spots in the yard. Justin planted grass seed, which took really well. This year, he pulled up the remainder of the bed and put down more seed.<br />
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Here is how this space looks now (view from the deck).<br />
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So much better!<br />
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Finally, the most unique part of our outdoor space...our shed!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOQdMR8zF4KOR67HQzaeSyZs6ixyEwZnvoF9W_2WxbhtIIZ9upPfgpiU0cvWcZV9gQcCa0TCNOHgiJ6e2dUe7a5Z5slFzNbWpWybTpA5z-W9iUVgpZWV_9FZRDlaKkEWGKJE6fsrccEl-/s1600/SHED.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOQdMR8zF4KOR67HQzaeSyZs6ixyEwZnvoF9W_2WxbhtIIZ9upPfgpiU0cvWcZV9gQcCa0TCNOHgiJ6e2dUe7a5Z5slFzNbWpWybTpA5z-W9iUVgpZWV_9FZRDlaKkEWGKJE6fsrccEl-/s400/SHED.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We have been told that this shed used to be a chicken coop that was gifted to the owners of our house decades and decades ago by a fellow neighboor. It is equipped with electrical inside and even a phone jack! Right now, we use it as extra storage space for yard tools and such.<br />
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What cracks me up about this shed is that at first, there was a lot of debate about whether we should remove it (I was strongly against that!). Now, everyone that comes over has a strong opinion about whether it should be stripped and re-painted.<br />
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With that said, we have no plans to change the shed. It is rustic and we love it.<br />
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So, that's our yard! It's one of our favorite things about our house. There is nothing better than sitting out on our deck on a Friday night after a long week, having a glass of wine and some apps, listening to the buzz of all of the neighborhood kids running back and forth through the yards to each others' houses. Suburban life at its finest.<br />
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Have a great day, everyone!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-90713163803854131562015-06-12T06:35:00.002-05:002015-06-12T06:39:27.826-05:00Friday I'm in LoveGood Morning!!<br />
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It may be raining outside here today, but...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aw7cRjgEZILUeivAFp41aR_2x0utMEYJCYW9T3FgweQAmf1pAJ95OmVCmWK2dcaWMNZWhD0ffVTFlWfI5KSajRMjp96mj2VYbpFDA0mYFX92UNcyM5GTRAZZYNJdDIaMXBK15MFNvSmK/s1600/friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aw7cRjgEZILUeivAFp41aR_2x0utMEYJCYW9T3FgweQAmf1pAJ95OmVCmWK2dcaWMNZWhD0ffVTFlWfI5KSajRMjp96mj2VYbpFDA0mYFX92UNcyM5GTRAZZYNJdDIaMXBK15MFNvSmK/s320/friday.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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...because it's FREAKY FRIDAY!! :) We made it!<br />
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I'm linking up today with <a href="http://shethemeseverything.com/">Mary Beth</a>, <a href="http://thegilbertsonfamily.com/">Kendra</a>, <a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a>, <a href="http://www.woutadoubt.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a>, and <a href="http://www.lowcountryyankee.com/">Laura</a> for "Friday I'm in Love."<br />
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Grab a cup of coffee, and read through some of my favorites from this week!<br />
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<b>1. New Frappuccino Flavors - Mini Sized</b><br />
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Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably heard that Starbucks released 6 new Frappuccino flavors on Monday. The goods are: Carmel Cocoa Cluster, Cinnamon Roll, Cotton Candy, Cupcake, Lemon Bar, and Red Velvet Cake. Starbucks is doing a "Flav-Off" where they want people to vote on their favorite, which I guess will be offered a discount (a whopping $3.00 for Grande) at the beginning of July.<br />
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Admittedly, I'm not a huge Frappuccino customer on the regular. Let's be clear - this is a MILKSHAKE, not a coffee drink. If I wanted a milkshake, I would go to Steak & Shake. However, what did intrigue me is that they are offering MINI SIZED Frappuccino's right now. Mini size anything and sign me up!<br />
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I glanced at the mini-sized nutrition facts and it looked to me like you are investing in up to 250 calories for the treat. Don't quote me. Google it if you are really concerned :)<br />
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So, to treat myself after work one day this week I stopped at Starbucks and ordered the Cupcake Frappuccino in a "mini." What was almost better than the drink itself was how excited the Baristas were to make it. I guess they hadn't made the Cupcake yet, so they made a "tall" and then took the extra for themselves to try (#perks).<br />
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The Cupcake is just the original Vanilla Bean with Hazelnut mixed in and I have to say...holy yum! I would definitely order this again or another flavor if they keep the "mini" size.<br />
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<b>2. This Quote </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgrQLlmHYga6sJBRs-_dbIg0kHP7VK3QGINGsq-UTWSkSkNQWmtXHc2ifhR-NR-7mRPKi5PuWJJkx3h8IFw0n_nPeSTORwM8l2rWkkUN62nLV4sOsu0SVBFC4E8u0dTCXpfMmnMftpRU4/s1600/friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgrQLlmHYga6sJBRs-_dbIg0kHP7VK3QGINGsq-UTWSkSkNQWmtXHc2ifhR-NR-7mRPKi5PuWJJkx3h8IFw0n_nPeSTORwM8l2rWkkUN62nLV4sOsu0SVBFC4E8u0dTCXpfMmnMftpRU4/s320/friends.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had to send this quote to a few of my best girlfriends from my home town. We have known each other for WAY too long and they definitely know WAY to much about me. You know those friends?!? The ones who know you inside and out...who have known you through you awkward stages (overweight and braces, yuck!), seen you ugly cry a million times, and know all of your indiscretions, but love you just the same anyway. Shout out to you ladies! :) </div>
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/changes-to-make-in-your-30s-2015-5/ref=cyberdust.com">THIS</a> Article </b></div>
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Someone shared <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/changes-to-make-in-your-30s-2015-5/ref=cyberdust.com">THIS</a> article about "10 Changes to Make in Your 30s" and I loved it. The big 3-0 will probably be on my mind all this year. It is joked that I am already an old soul because I am married and living in the suburbs (and have almost been for 3 years!), but I definitely still need to work on some of these. I've started and stopped so many journals, but I really wish I could get into the habit of keeping one. I also want to be better about saving money. We tried to enact a "envelope system" budget this year that bit the dust after about a month. Whoops! </div>
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<b>4. Speaking of planning...</b></div>
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A favorite lately has definitely been my Jesus Calling daily devotional book. This week continually each day it was like the passages were written for exactly how I was feeling in that moment. Tuesday was a big one. </div>
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If you know me, you know that I am a huge Type-A planner of all things. I'm not going to kid myself and say that is going to change now. But, what I am working on is trying to let go of the anxiety of worrying that things won't go the way I had hoped or planned, and trusting that everything is going according to God's plan and that that, in and of itself, is the good outcome. This is very, very difficult for me. The above passage helped this week. </div>
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<b>5. Thursday Night Date Nights</b></div>
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We used to do date nights on Thursday nights all the time. I really couldn't tell you the last time that happened, but last night, we had a little date to a restaurant in downtown Arlington Heights we hadn't tried yet - MAGO. It was pretty quick, but it was so nice to catch up one-on-one for an hour or two without the distractions of the TV, or our phones, or chores to do around the house. I'm thinking we should re-make this a thing! </div>
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I love this list...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpnjrkH0W9EMaw4kkKJInV_HbxY7VomDotTk6CeVwFCuNnvvDA0bPaDzMx5W7adBDvY5rQ4dkuFlo1dxKER3m5IC27LCPAOfjcuuHXSfKblkv7BVFIRb6MJ_EAdbk_9dURLYUuthJ_aUS/s1600/date+nights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpnjrkH0W9EMaw4kkKJInV_HbxY7VomDotTk6CeVwFCuNnvvDA0bPaDzMx5W7adBDvY5rQ4dkuFlo1dxKER3m5IC27LCPAOfjcuuHXSfKblkv7BVFIRb6MJ_EAdbk_9dURLYUuthJ_aUS/s400/date+nights.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Do you have any date night ideas??! </i></div>
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<b>6. Brainstorming Blogging Ideas</b></div>
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I slacked a little on the blogging this week (sorry!), but I am having fun looking ahead. One thing I am considering is bringing in a "Throwback Thursday" series recapping some things from the past couple of years that I was on a blogging hiatus...wedding posts, trip recaps, home-buying and project posts. </div>
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<i>What do you guys think?? </i></div>
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I really do hope you all have a fantastic weekend and thank you for stopping by! </div>
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xoxo </div>
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Jess </div>
Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-73886155011023142602015-06-09T06:58:00.000-05:002015-06-09T06:58:13.731-05:00Ten Thoughts TuesdayGood morning, party people!<br />
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It's Tuesday. Woo hoo? Tuesday always feels like an "tweener" day for me...in between Monday and the rest of the days that are closer to the weekend.<br />
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I didn't have anything super organized planned to blog about today, so I'm just going to roll with some thoughts today and call it "Ten Thoughts Tuesday."<br />
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1) RHOC...I am very excited about this season. The first episode was last night. I'm loving this vulnerability coming from Tamara, and I am LOVE LOVE loving the new housewife Meghan Edmonds. She rides the fun bus. Last night we also got a sneak peak into the Dubrows new mansion and HOLY COW. 14 bathrooms?!?! That would be my dream (small bladder). A beauty shop in her bathroom? Sign me up!!<br />
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2) Bachelorette...Is it just me or are they pulling out all the stops this season? So much DRAMA! I can't figure out whether I love it or hate it, but I'm still watching, so I guess they've done their job. I can't wait to see next week's episode where Nick meets all the guys. Awkward!<br />
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3) I may or may not have a trial tomorrow. I'm always a ball of nervous energy in the day leading up to a trial. This is not even a complicated trial, and you think I would be used to it by now, but it never fails...I'm nervous.<br />
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4) I am currently on a short-ordered cut back on my workouts and it is KILLING me. If I have a little bit of time today and if it's not thunder-storming again I may take a walk at lunch just to do something. Does anyone else get like this? I feel itchy to work up a sweat!<br />
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5) I'm in the mood to craft! I love this time of year for patriotic decorations and I really want to add some home-made pieces to our house. I am loving <a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/2014/06/five-on-friday-diy-edition.html">this wreath</a> and <a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/2015/06/a-little-red-white-and-blue.html">this garland</a>. Who wants to come over and have a crafting party with me?? I have some good wine I could share! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vJ2-qTjEyPd_Tregt8nrEUWbgugku6PREK4ugYqkXbqSyoAbnX-8MvB8HWPEgWqFkYOpBuP5EqaenGJ-1lP6JiPeQwHVRpNvlt15HzroAzzZnnQlJe9DugNLc4-UxASRlh-ZpUxVbt9x/s1600/wreath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vJ2-qTjEyPd_Tregt8nrEUWbgugku6PREK4ugYqkXbqSyoAbnX-8MvB8HWPEgWqFkYOpBuP5EqaenGJ-1lP6JiPeQwHVRpNvlt15HzroAzzZnnQlJe9DugNLc4-UxASRlh-ZpUxVbt9x/s400/wreath.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/2015/06/a-little-red-white-and-blue.html">source</a>)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmghsZ2uoT1_rcQ5FMLoZSom3eeADOxh9aEAPS9TxajGIxBre7nFrMWXyhcEElKPH7ptfTS9uhEYvcC7eo_EJThJFa-VbTwOVdu40iFJRLfo3kZfG-JWtTDk530EZllXSqCy3-KEM5fGz/s1600/garland.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmghsZ2uoT1_rcQ5FMLoZSom3eeADOxh9aEAPS9TxajGIxBre7nFrMWXyhcEElKPH7ptfTS9uhEYvcC7eo_EJThJFa-VbTwOVdu40iFJRLfo3kZfG-JWtTDk530EZllXSqCy3-KEM5fGz/s400/garland.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/2015/06/a-little-red-white-and-blue.html">source</a>)</div>
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6) We have about 2 weeks until we head off on our trip to Costa Rica and I really need to go shopping. It's going to be HOT, but rainy, so I'm thinking a lot of light, quick-dry tops and shorts. I've also been looking at <a href="http://www.zappos.com/ryka-hydro-sport-detox-blue-twinkle-blue-chrome-silver-14">these</a> Ryka waterproof shoes. Waterproof shoes have come a LONG way since I was a little girl toddling around in the sand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_QLdenXbeEr7naTTacD4n_EQMKN9QGZthjsqllPD-YutprvlsiqvgD8bcFM0R70Tcbkfu0j9jlN_H-VPECHP1upUa2kx_iCNSqZFDuautueoQzYseWdE0xQlLx2HjoRW58SVjyO2YnUO/s1600/2869830-p-MULTIVIEW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_QLdenXbeEr7naTTacD4n_EQMKN9QGZthjsqllPD-YutprvlsiqvgD8bcFM0R70Tcbkfu0j9jlN_H-VPECHP1upUa2kx_iCNSqZFDuautueoQzYseWdE0xQlLx2HjoRW58SVjyO2YnUO/s320/2869830-p-MULTIVIEW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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7) I saw someone eating some sort of beef & noodles lunch in our kitchen at work yesterday and I immediately got a huge craving for something similar. So, tonight we are having Hamburger Stroganoff. Maybe I'll share my recipe with you!<br />
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8) We are lizard-sitting for our dear neighbors this week and I actually think this thing is kind of cute?! I think I just like having some sort of a pet around the house again. Last night I went to bed longing to snuggle a puppy.<br />
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9) I need to find a cure for the major wall I hit at work around 2pm. If you have a tip for this, PLEASE share it in the comments below. I am all productivity until after lunch and then I spend a good thirty minutes staring at my computer screen before I feel like I need to scream at myself "GET WITH IT!!!" A Starbucks break maybe? What do you do??<br />
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10) I started reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty over the weekend. I am liking a lot, but not LOVING it yet. All of her other books have been true page-turners for me, so hopefully I'll get there with this one. Our book club is reading Bartender's Tale this month, so that is next up on deck. I also just ordered The Matchmaker and Beyond Orange County.<br />
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11) BONUS thought! We are finally getting our deck re-done! The guy came out yesterday to "clean it," and weather permitting, it will bet getting a bunch of repair work and a fresh new coat of outdoor paint soon. I will have to share some before & afters!<br />
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So, that was kind of fun! Maybe I'll have to do these stream-of-consciousness posts more often!<br />
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Have a great day, everyone! It looks like it's going to be a hot one here!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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Jess Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-66244160074288894152015-06-08T06:47:00.001-05:002015-06-08T06:50:57.470-05:00Sentence Per PictureGoooooood morning, people!<br />
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I am currently in a cookie cake and taco dip coma from our weekend at the lake. And apparently my Internet is too, because it is running slow as molasses this morning.<br />
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Justin's family has a lake house up in Michigan and it is one of our absolute favorite places on earth during the summer months.<br />
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You take some winding back roads to get up there and once you arrive, your worries disappear along with your cell service. It's glorious.<br />
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We spent the weekend sleeping in, breakfasting on the deck, grilling burgers & brats, tubing with some cousins, reading a good book (me), cleaning out garages (Justin), watching the Blackhawks lose while the cable was coming in and out, pontooning at sunset, and ending the night by the bonfire. Perfect lake weekend.<br />
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Let's recap the weekend sentence per picture style.<br />
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<b>Why does morning coffee taste so much better at the lake? </b><br />
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<b>Is there a 12 step program for La Croix water, because I think I had 16 this weekend?</b></div>
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<b>Wine, cheese, and oldies music on the pontoon at dusk. (Heaven on earth.)</b></div>
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<b>My favorite captain. </b></div>
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<b>Roasting marshmallows by the fire, and listening to all the drunk people have sing parties spinning around the lake...good, good times. </b><br />
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<b>The Sleepy Brewers Inn: early bird breakfast 6AM. Lake Rules: relax, relax, relax. </b><br />
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So that's the weekend in a nutshell! </div>
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On Sundays, we drag the days out as long as we can up at the lake and scheme about how we could swing taking Monday off for just "one more day." </div>
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But, reality calls and after a drive through a white-knuckle thunderstorm home, we are back at it on this Monday morning. </div>
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Hope your coffee is strong and your Monday is short today, friends! </div>
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<i>If you need something to look forward to....bachelorette tonight and RHOC starts! Are you watching it all in one night?!?! </i></div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-44217584944084751772015-06-05T07:34:00.000-05:002015-06-05T07:34:42.428-05:00Friday I'm in LoveHi friends!<br />
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Happy Freaky Friday!! We MADE it!!<br />
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Sorry for the two day hiatus...it's been an unusually busy week over here!<br />
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Today I'm linking up again with <a href="http://shethemeseverything.com/">Mary Beth</a>, <a href="http://thegilbertsonfamily.com/">Kendra</a>, <a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a>, <a href="http://www.woutadoubt.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a>, and <a href="http://www.lowcountryyankee.com/">Laura</a> for "Friday I'm in Love."<br />
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This week let's do Friday I'm in Love <b>Birthday Treat </b>edition...<br />
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I was <i>seriously </i>spoiled on my birthday this year.<br />
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I slept in just a little and woke up to a bag of candy, a funny card, and a gift card from my hubby that I plan to use on some Lululemon gear for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica.<br />
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When I got to the gym in the morning and checked in, the girl at the front desk knew it was my birthday and greeted me with a big "Happy Birthday!"<br />
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That is some customer service. <i>(And another item to add to the list I use monthly to justify the small fortune spent on my gym membership. Win, win.</i><i>)</i><br />
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Work was super upbeat because I think everyone was excited for <strike>my birthday</strike> the Hawks game, and I got delivered the most beautiful flowers from my husband in the afternoon (#spoiled).<br />
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These things are making my office smell like heaven. <i> </i><br />
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On my way home from work I stopped and cashed in my free Starbucks birthday drink. </div>
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I am such an amateur. I didn't realize you can literally get whatever drink you want in whatever size you want?!?! I still cannot get over that! I ordered a decaf vanilla latte made with coconut milk and loved every second of it on the train ride home. </div>
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When I walked in the door at home I had a ridiculous amount of surprises waiting for me. Cookie cake, more flowers from my hubs, cards, and flowers from my sweet neighbors. </div>
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Every birthday calls for a cookie cake, people! (Thank you so much, Megan!!) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVn9-yqBEiW5F-dEHenkkub6N3OvLtzE0pNB1z3xi55QrQ-Gq_Rn9usvTraMDiT38GVBAFPDfUqFdoayNJJk82zho4-F-I2A9yDgvWEkR5IJKHXqzLXq1Z7wqVPvDhE5DJzy1tPfhJHkjD/s1600/megan+cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVn9-yqBEiW5F-dEHenkkub6N3OvLtzE0pNB1z3xi55QrQ-Gq_Rn9usvTraMDiT38GVBAFPDfUqFdoayNJJk82zho4-F-I2A9yDgvWEkR5IJKHXqzLXq1Z7wqVPvDhE5DJzy1tPfhJHkjD/s400/megan+cookie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After getting cleaned up, we headed out to Cooper's Hawk for dinner to celebrate.<br />
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We are members, so we had some wine to pick up for the month. This month's wine is a Chilean Cab. If you have a Cooper's Hawk near you, go get some PRONTO! :)<br />
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I love love love the potsticker appetizer at Cooper's Hawk. One of my absolute favorite things is to get that app, a little soup, and wine in the bar area. My happy place!<br />
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We were home at a decent time and I may or may not have been in bed by 9:30. Perfect end to the perfect day.<br />
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In other favorites news...if you are looking for a fun weekend dinner recipe this week, you have to try these <a href="http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2014/09/dinner-tonight-beer-cheese-joes.html">Beer Cheese Joes</a>. Ohhhhh my lord. So good. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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I made ours with this Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat beer, which turned out to be a great choice.<br />
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Served with a little broccoli for some green and loaded up on a sandwich thin. Perfection!!<br />
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And a final Friday Favorite is that we are heading to the LAKE this weekend! I am literally cartwheeling inside my head. Cannot wait.<br />
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I will make sure to stop back by on Monday to share with you some highlights from one of my favorite places on earth.<br />
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Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-76571540116326747552015-06-02T08:13:00.004-05:002015-06-02T08:19:43.623-05:00Show & Tell TuesdayGood morning!<br />
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Happy it's no longer Monday!<br />
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I have to say, yesterday was a doozy of a day for me. One of those days where I was just happy to make it through and breathed a sigh of relief when I hit my pillow!<br />
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Bachelorette was much improved last night. Well done, ABC.<br />
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Today I am linking up <a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/">Andrea</a> for Show & Tell Tuesdays.<br />
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This time, we are supposed to be sharing what we wanted to be when we grew up.<br />
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Well, I will say that I did not know that I wanted to be an attorney until about 1/2 way through college.<br />
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When I was growing up, my dream was to be on Broadway.<br />
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Yes, I kid you not!<br />
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I was in civic theatre as a little girl, then choir and musicals all through high school. I actually love to sing and back in the day, I also loved to perform. I'll have to look for some old pictures from musicals to share with you all sometime.<br />
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I think my Grandma deep down was heartbroken I didn't go on to be a Broadway star. Hey, there's still time, right?! ;)<br />
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In college, I was a business major. I started out thinking I wanted to be an accountant. Ha! That still makes me laugh. I do not think that profession would have worked for me at all.<br />
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The moment I knew I wanted to be a lawyer was when I took a business law class at IU. I ate that up! I had never enjoyed a class like that. So, the dream was born!<br />
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<i>Tell me, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?? </i><br />
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Have a fantastic Tuesday, everyone! This is my last day as a 28 year old. Holy cow.<br />
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I'm not sure if I'll be stopping in tomorrow, but I'll see you sometime later this week!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-68267050762467099892015-06-01T06:02:00.000-05:002015-06-01T06:02:08.236-05:00Monday ThoughtsHi friends!<br />
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I hope you had a perfect, relaxing weekend, and are going into this week ready to kick some butt!<br />
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I'm going to keep things simple today with my Monday thoughts.<br />
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1) WTF was that weather this weekend, Chicago?! I'm just gonna pretend that didn't happen. Rainy AND cold AND windy. You owe us a week of sunshine and warmth, please and thank you.<br />
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2) My friend, Mary Beth, had a beautiful wedding shower yesterday. She looked stunning in her Kate Spade dress!<br />
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The theme was "Sweet & Spicy" and it turned out so, so cute. The food was delicious, the details incredible, and it was great to see all of my wine club girls. Cannot wait until September, MB!<br />
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2) I am super excited to try out this recipe tonight for <a href="http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2014/09/dinner-tonight-green-chile-chicken.html">Green Chile Chicken Baked Tacos</a>. How life changing are the stand & stuff taco shells?? I want to hug whoever came up with that idea!<br />
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3) I'm really hoping The Bachelorette brings its A-game tonight because last week's episode was super lame. I did see a very interesting preview suggesting there may be a different kind of in-house romance brewing this week...part of me thinks maybe there was just some crafty editing of a little bro-mance, but we shall see!<br />
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4) I am turning 29 this week! AHHHH! I have to say this is the first birthday where I actually really want to just stop the clocks. I can't handle the fact that this is going to be my last year in my 20s. On that note, I agreed with almost every line item on this <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/30-signs-youre-almost-30#.qimrgJoQGv">BuzzFeed</a> article. Particularly numbers 1, 7, 15, 22, and 24.<br />
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5) I am hosting my neighborhood book club this week and we are discussing The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos. If you're looking for a good, relatively easy summer read, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Precious-One-A-Novel/dp/0061670898">go get this</a>. Everything about it, the family themes, the love themes, I just <i>got it</i> and it felt so good!<br />
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That's all I have for you today, but check back tomorrow for some more BEBT fun!<br />
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Have a great day, everyone!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-13615803203386770452015-05-29T05:27:00.000-05:002015-05-29T05:27:44.463-05:00Friday I'm in Love Ok guys, I have to say it...<br />
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Happy Freaky Friday....we made it!!!!!!!<br />
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#TGIF<br />
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Today linking up with <a href="http://shethemeseverything.com/">Mary Beth</a>, <a href="http://thegilbertsonfamily.com/">Kendra</a>, <a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a>, <a href="http://www.woutadoubt.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a>, and <a href="http://www.lowcountryyankee.com/">Laura</a> for "Friday I'm in Love."<br />
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<b>Our Yard</b><br />
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I don't know about you all, but I would just like to freeze my yard and flowers right where they are. Everything is finally blooming and it's too early for things to start dying because I've neglected to water them.<br />
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(I have, however, already killed two of my planters I'm made, #imspecial)<br />
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Everyone please admire how good our grass looks and tell my hubby he's a stud.<br />
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He's been workin' hard in the yard!<br />
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<b>Our Bird Friends</b><br />
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This year we have not one, but TWO birds nests on our garage. The one that is further to the right (kind of hard to see, its up in the rafters) has been there since we moved in, but the one on the left is brand new this year.<br />
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Is it weird that I am proud that these birds chose to come live with us? Like, they thought our house looked cozy enough to make there home here. How sweet, right?<br />
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What I don't love is that in the morning when I am heading to my car in my sleep-walking state to go to the gym the birds get all freaked out and go kamikaze at my head.<br />
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How can I get these birds to understand that I am not here to disturb them??<br />
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<b>This Song </b><br />
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If you're looking for someone who has sophisticated taste in music, you have come to the wrong place.<br />
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I have been playing this song on repeat this week. I love love LOVE it!!!!<br />
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Brings me back to old school Mariah Carey and I just can't stop.<br />
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<b>Lake House Dreaming (& Pinning)</b><br />
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Justin and I have<b> </b>always talked about getting a lake house of our own some day.<br />
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Until then, I am pinning my little heart away with pictures of my dream lake house.<br />
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All donations will be reciprocated with a weekend invitation! :)<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>This Quote</b><br />
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<br />
Enough said.<br />
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Have a fantastic Friday and an even better weekend, everyone! Relax and soak up some free time with your loved ones.<br />
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Don't forget to go check out <a href="http://shethemeseverything.com/">Mary Beth</a>, <a href="http://thegilbertsonfamily.com/">Kendra</a>, <a href="http://aaronandmisha.com/">Misha</a>, <a href="http://www.woutadoubt.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a>, and <a href="http://www.lowcountryyankee.com/">Laura</a>.<br />
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See you on Monday!<br />
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xoxo<br />
<br />
Jess<br />
<br />Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-87445156256035596832015-05-28T05:36:00.000-05:002015-05-28T05:36:50.915-05:00My Latest ObsessionHi there!<br />
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I love me a Thursday. The weekend is so close, I can just feel it! I hope you are all having a great week! </div>
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So, I have a confession to make. </div>
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Something about this confession feels a little dirty. </div>
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So, I'm just going to rip off the band aid...</div>
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I am currently OBSESSED with Lean Cuisines.</div>
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Gah!!! </div>
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I don't know why I feel so guilty about this? I think just because we all know that I love to cook, and eating Lean Cuisines just feels like cheating!</div>
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But, at this point, if Lean Cuisines are wrong, I don't wanna be right. </div>
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I have to admit that I used to kind of judge people who brought lean cuisines for lunch. </div>
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I thought...how lazy! Does that really fill them up?? </div>
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I'm not sure how it all started. </div>
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It was like some devious force pulled me over to the frozen foods section and whispered in my ear that my whole week's lunch was right in front of me at the great low price of $2.00 a box (they were on SALE!). </div>
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So, I picked up a couple of boxes. A little dabbling with the dark side can't hurt, right? </div>
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I rotated them in with my usual lunches of leftovers from dinner or homemade salads.</div>
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Then, slowly, I started picking up some more of these little boxes. </div>
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I started thinking to myself..."damn, these are actually pretty good!" </div>
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It was genius! </div>
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I cut down my morning routine by 5 precious minutes because all I had to do was grab a little box out of my freezer and throw it in my lunch bag. Done and done!! </div>
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Also, I have to say that I think these Lean Cuisines are actually having a positive effect on my waistline. Who knew?!? </div>
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I would credit this to the fact that the meals are perfectly portioned and portion-control when packing leftovers probably isn't my strong suit. </div>
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One other thing I love is that, as I mentioned before, I have been using MyFitnessPal. These things all pop up INSTANTLY on that app. </div>
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We're talking every single stinking meal - it's there! </div>
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Ok, so, in case you want to get in on my dirty little secret (assuming you aren't already part of the boxed-lunch club), here are some of my current favorites...</div>
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<a href="https://www.leancuisine.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=11109">Chile Lime Chicken</a></div>
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I bought this one because it reminded me of Applebee's Fiesta Lime Chicken (yum!). </div>
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<a href="https://www.leancuisine.com/products/details.aspx?ProductID=10134">Sesame Chicken</a> </div>
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This tastes like Chinese food delivery to your desk. </div>
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<a href="http://spinach%20artichoke%20ravioli/">Spinach Artichoke Ravioli</a></div>
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Spinach. Artichoke. Sign me up. </div>
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<a href="https://www.leancuisine.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=10562">Chicken in Peanut Sauce</a></div>
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Reminds me of Pad Thai. </div>
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<a href="https://www.leancuisine.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=53">Asian-Style Pot Stickers</a></div>
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These are great. Don't over-cook them or they get tough. </div>
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So, that's my latest life hack. I am praying I don't get sick of these meals, because they are constantly on sale at my grocery store and they are making my life so dang simple.</div>
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<i>Do you have any favorite Lean Cuisines?? Tell me your secrets!!</i></div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
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Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-87689967306633652962015-05-27T05:54:00.001-05:002015-05-27T05:54:31.479-05:00What's Up WednesdayHappy hump day!<br />
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Wow, getting to Wednesday this fast is the best! </div>
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Today, I'm linking up with <a href="http://shullfamily.blogspot.com/">Shay</a>, <a href="http://www.thelarsonlingo.blogspot.com/">Mel</a>, and <a href="http://pinteresttoldmeto.blogspot.com/">Sheaffer</a> for What's Up Wednesday.<br />
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<b>What We're Eating This Week: </b>Well, I kind of already shared that with you on <a href="http://www.brighteyesandbushytales.com/2015/05/mini-weekend-re-cap-and-grocery-guide.html">Monday</a>. But, I must say that I went ahead and made the <a href="http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/dinner-tonight-hawaiian-bbq-chicken.html">Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Burritos</a> for dinner last night and they were a huge hit. </div>
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I threw two chicken breasts in the crock pot with a little BBQ sauce, the crushed pineapple, a can of green chilies, a little cajun seasoning & garlic powder, and 1/2 cup water. Cooked on low for 7 hours, then came home and shredded the chicken and filled fajita-sized tortillas with the mixture (drained) and a little swiss cheese. Once they were all rolled up & in the pan, I drizzled a little extra BBQ sauce on top and added a little more swiss cheese. Baked for 15 minutes @375. </div>
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Basically the same recipe as Mix & Match Mama's, just a few little changes. Do it!! So good. </div>
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<b>What I'm Reminiscing About: </b>Our wedding! With wedding season in full swing, I'm loving reminiscing back to our wedding day. I still can't believe they called for rain all week long, then we got a perfect, sunny & 75 degree September day. </div>
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<b>What I'm Loving: </b>I will save most of that for "Friday I'm in Love," but currently, I'm loving on this new La Croix water I picked up for the first time over the weekend. I went through the whole box by the end of Monday and I am dying to get my hands on some more! </div>
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<b>What We've Been Up To:</b> Hmm...well, a lot! Obviously working, trying to keep our house in order and doing little fix it projects here and there, getting ready for a very busy summer! </div>
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<b>What I'm Dreading:</b> I always hate the end of the month because it's a last minute rush to get all of my billable hours entered at work. So, there's that. #lawyerproblems</div>
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<b>What I'm Working On: </b>Trying to get back to consistently blogging and gearing up to do some re-vamping of this site!</div>
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<b>What I'm Excited About: </b>A weekend at the lake!! Grilling out, boat rides, country music, bon fires. And, let's be honest, probably a sun burn. </div>
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<b>What I'm Watching/Reading: </b>RHONY, Botched, Bachelorette, Million Dollar Listing New York, WHHL, Kardashians, Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. </div>
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You can see I have very sophisticated taste in television, right? </div>
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Reading The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos for June book club, hosted at chez moi. </div>
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<b>What I'm Listening To:</b> Country all day every day. </div>
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Loving the new Jake Owen Song - Real Life. I think it's hilarious how he talks about "and we really did just drive around cause there wasn't sh!t to do." Driving around was THE thing to do in my hometown (at least with my girlfriends) because there really was nothing to do. Hours upon hours of blasting Britney and Ja Rule making loops around town hoping we'd maybe drive by our crushes...yep, we were cool! </div>
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<b>What I'm Wearing: </b>Those Christmas-colored PJs I swore I was putting away for the season. Don't judge me. </div>
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<b>What I'm Doing This Weekend:</b> Hopefully working on that photo wall project! I have all of the pictures picked out, I just need to go get some frames. I'm leaning towards the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/16456/">Ribba Series</a> from Ikea. </div>
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<b>What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: </b>A family trip to Costa Rica and Justin's cousin Johnny's wedding. </div>
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<b>What Else is New: </b>A lot is new, because we're just catching up! :) I updated my little "about me" blurb in the sidebar, so that's new.</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-12474533096612875072015-05-26T07:09:00.001-05:002015-05-26T07:20:00.822-05:00Chicken Parmesan Quinoa BowlHi party people! <br />
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The holiday weekend is over, but it is a short work week! #silverlining<br />
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I had a great day yesterday with all of my neighbors. It turned out to be sunny and HOT here, which I think we were all kind of loving.<br />
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I did watch The Bachelorette, but this episode put me to sleep. All I will say is: 1) where did Shawn B go??? and 2) I take back everything I said last week about JJ.<br />
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I'm not going to do a whole post on the show this week because I thought it kind of stunk (sorry!). If you would have preferred to have seen that kind of post today please let me know in the comments. Otherwise, I will assume you agree with me and we can all move on. Okay? :)<br />
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What The Bachelorette did do for me last night is keep me busy before I had to go get Justin from the airport at 11:15pm (no earlier flights popped up). Coffee at 9:30pm also helps with that, but trying to get to sleep at midnight after said coffee is a real challenge.<br />
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Needless to say I am a walking zombie today. Pray for me.<br />
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Last week I shared with you my current obsession for everything from The Protein Bar here in Chicago. <br />
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If you don't live in Chicago (or DC or Colorado!) you may not know what The Protein Bar is. It's a causal restaurant that has super healthy options with a focus on protein: egg scramble bowls, quinoa bowls, burritos with quinoa, protein shakes, and juices. I am not trying to do an add for The Protein Bar, because a) they're stealing my money, not paying me and b) they definitely don't need the advertising! But for people who aren't from here, I just thought I'd share! :) <br />
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There are often occasions during the work week that I have neglected to figure something out for myself for breakfast, lunch, or a snack and I love The Protein Bar because it's getting me my protein and doesn't have 8 million random ingredients thrown in that I can't figure out. <br />
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BUT...it's expensive! So, I have started experimenting making some of the recipes at home. I've been making the Buffalo Bowl for a long time (I'll share that recipe another day), and last week I tried out the Healthy Parm. It turned out so good, dare I say better than the original?<br />
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Here's What I Did: <br />
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<strong><u>Copycat Healthy Parmesan Quinoa Bowl</u></strong><br />
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1 cup quinoa (prepared according to directions on bag or box)<br />
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut up into small cubes<br />
1 tbsp. olive oil<br />
1/2 cup marinara sauce (your choice!)<br />
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp pepper<br />
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash)<br />
1 tsp garlic powder<br />
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1) Prepare your quinoa in a 4 quart sauce pan according to the directions on the bag or box.<br />
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2) While the quinoa is cooking, brown up your chicken in a separate (big) pot with the olive oil. Add all of the seasoning to the chicken (salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder). <br />
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3) Once your chicken is fully cooked and the quinoa is also done, mix the quinoa into the chicken in the large pot. <br />
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4) Add in your 1/2 cup of marinara sauce, mix, and allow the mixture to warm up for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. <br />
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5) Mix in the Parmesan cheese. Give everything a good stir to combine.<br />
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6) Serve in bowls and if you want, add a little more cheese on top to your liking, and enjoy! :) <br />
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So if you're like me and you're putting meals into MyFitnessPal or are just curious about the nutrition stats, I am a huge cheater and just use the stats from The Protein Bar's recipe. </div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-38a8396b-22fd-1f51-887d-e5d9f43eca32">36g protein, 390 calories, 16g fat, 29g carbs, 6g fiber </span></div>
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Is it exact? Probably not. But, I'm a lawyer, not a dietitian so faking the numbers a little on this one works just fine for me. </div>
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Let me know if you try it! </div>
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See you tomorrow morning when I will hopefully be a little more bright eyed and bushy tailed.</div>
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See what I did there? :) </div>
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xoxo</div>
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Jess </div>
Jessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4548799486022323039.post-88071686739768005022015-05-25T09:43:00.002-05:002015-05-25T09:43:27.756-05:00Mini Weekend Re-Cap and Grocery Guide Hi there!<br />
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First of all, Happy Memorial Day! I'm going to kind of ramble today, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy...<br />
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I have been blessed to travel and even to spend some extended time overseas and I will tell everyone unapologetically that I have 100% been happy to come home each time. It's hard to explain, but after spending months on end in other countries I have always been so ready to be home. It has made me so grateful to live in this country. It's not lost on me that days like today are so important to reflect and show respect and gratitude to those who make it possible for us to grow our families in a safe and free country.<br />
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And, before I jump off this subject, I need to give a major shout out to my sister-in-law, Tayler, who kicks some major booty in the National Guard. We love you, Tayler, and we are so proud of you! <br />
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So, usually on Memorial Day we have a front-row seat to the Memorial Day parade that comes right in front of our house! Unfortunately, they cancelled the parade this year due to a threat of storms? We are all somewhat confused because the parade was cancelled days in advance and guess what? I've been up for a while and so far no storms...<br />
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Given that I will actually be able to get my car out of my driveway this morning, I'm hoping to go get our grocery shopping done and then spend some time with our fabulous neighbors who are still planning to get together to celebrate.<br />
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AND...after 3 days and nights at home alone by myself...my husband is FINALLY coming home today from his cousin's bachelor party out in Colorado.<br />
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Thank God, because I have been b-o-r-e-d and also irrationally scared to sleep at night.<br />
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I've been passing my time by doing all sorts of random things like...<br />
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<b>Getting our windows cleaned. </b>Add this to the list of things I didn't realize I would need to take care of once we bought a home. Our windows were so incredibly dirty. Like, so dirty that both sets of our parents had mentioned it. Yikes!<br />
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The previous owner left a lot of screens off the windows that needed to be cleaned and put back on, so I'm sure that might have had something to do with our inability to keep the dirt out.<br />
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I was also told by the window cleaner that because we live on a busy-ish street, the windows get dirtier faster. Who knew? Anyway, despite the fact that I think I might have gotten ripped off, the windows are clean and the screens are in.<br />
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<b>Having a spa day.</b> I have a serious love affair going on with <a href="http://www.tricoci.com/">Mario Tricoci</a>. I go there to get my hair done now, and I've been going for occasional facials & massages. My mom gave me a gift certificate, so I figured what better time for a spa day.<br />
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This time, I had a facial with a collagen mask & hot stone massage. I also picked up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/GlyMed-Plus-Management-Anti-Aging-Exfoliant/dp/B0038AD7ZY">this GlyMed anti-aging masque</a> on the way out that I have purchased before and love. You can use it as a simple exfoliant or leave it on for a mask.<br />
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<b>Girl time. </b>I love hanging out with one of my absolute favorite little girls - Miss P - and her beautiful mom, Megan! I went over to Megan's house Saturday night and she had the BEST buffalo chicken dip out for us to have with some vino. After that, we headed out to dinner in Roselle. The highlight of the night was Penelope discovering chopsticks for the first time. Her face when I handed them to her was priceless.<br />
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"Ohhhh, can I have THESE?!" :)<br />
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<b>Working on my decorating. </b>Yesterday, I was going to get started on a hallway photo wall project that I have been putting off for a good 2 years now. However, after spending several hours on Pinterest in the morning, I gave up and decided my day would be better spent going into the office (ugh, I know).<br />
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I do want to get the pictures up on the wall soon. My plan is for all black & white photos and I'm debating between keeping it simple or doing a collage-type wall. What do you think? I know what my husband's vote would be...(sorry, honey!!).<br />
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<b>Vegging out. </b>I came home from work last night and treat myself to a some Cooper's Hawk wine, leftover pasta, and a few hours of trashy reality TV (Kardashians & Rich Kids of Beverly Hills). I had to stay up until I was REALLY tired so I would go straight to bed and not freak out about every little noise I heard.<br />
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That brings us to today, and it's time for me to get moving! I've got a goal to keep my grocery bill under $100 this week, think I can do it??? Here's what's on my menu this week:<br />
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Monday: Buffalo Quinoa Bowls (recipe to come!)<br />
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Tuesday: <a href="http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/dinner-tonight-hawaiian-bbq-chicken.html">Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Burritos</a><br />
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Wednesday: Leftovers<br />
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Thursday: Burgers on the grill + green beans.<br />
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Friday: Wing it or out!<br />
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Soak up the holiday, everyone!<br />
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xoxo<br />
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JessJessica Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06644206719234844448noreply@blogger.com0