Friday - A time for change!

Happy Friday, loves!  I am so excited for this weekend.  Generally, Fridays aren't all that celebratory in the summer because school is out and our weeks flow into weekends without much notice.  However, August is changing that up!  This week there were some changes going on around here and some are high lighted in this post.  Be sure to check out Katie's blog for the High Five Link Up and Christina's blog for Friday Five.

One - Blog Changes?

July 2016 was the biggest month ever for my blog.  I haven't really made any real changes to the blog but I did write more from the heart in a lot more pieces.  I deducted some topics from the month and added in a few new things.  People liked it and more people read it.  I also had a little spotlight on me from my wonderful friend Andrea (everybody knows her and everybody loves her as they should!  If you don't know her yet go visit her blog now!)  Last week she featured me at The Blended Blog.  I'm very flattered she'd pick little ole me to high light.  But more than anything I'm so thankful for all the ahh-mazing ladies that have became my blogger buddy squad!  I'm thankful for the new readers I have too - beautiful!

Two - Let's just get active (in church)!

For two years we have been attending a fabulous church - Hillsdale UMC.  I love the large but not massive church setting.  When we came to HUMC I was ready to be in a church that I could just enjoy attending without any committments.  However, after a couple years of doing that fighting off itches to get more involved I said - OK God I get it!  I'm going to do this!  This week I helped out with our fabulous Vacation Bible School.  Not only did I get to lead around a couple groups of fun and silly kids but I also got to chat with people I see on Sundays but haven't ever had a reason to really chat with a.k.a. strangers?  A lot of the time I feel pretty solitary though I have my kids and husband and I realize this is because I put up barriers and have ideas as to why I can't or shouldn't make the step to chat up someone.  This week told me it is time to change that and start just doing it (thanks Nike).  I hope to be even more involved this fall and who knows - make a new pal or two in the mix of it all!

Three - Make Over Wednesday

Well...yeah that's how I was looking all summer.

And I was tired of it.  Ready for something new and different and fresh (blah, blah, blah)...  So on Wednesday I went to see the fabulous Lizz and got a new look.

My hair is still blonde (whew) but it is ash blonde instead of what we have been referring to as porn star blonde.  I also have bangs now because of my infatuation with Reese Witherspoon's side bang.

I like it.

I like it a lot!

Four - Date Night!

We haven't had a date night since Memorial Day.  Wait, what?  Yep.  Even when the kids were at the beach for a week minus us we didn't have one (work schedules).  So this weekend we're making up for that and going out with adults.  On the agenda dinner and bowling.  I wish we could go on weekly dates even if it was just for a couple hours but meh...life happens.

Five - Technology...

If you blog then you know technology is your basis for everything.  Even if you don't blog and you have a Facebook, IG, Snap account you are probably looking at your phone more than you need to.  This week my phone has totally frustrated me.  I'm realizing how much I have it out and in my face and it really makes me mad.  It takes so much of my attention and it really has no right to.  I started putting the phone away more this week (I know that is hard to believe, I have posted quite a bit on my social media accounts!) to make myself more present in real life rather than real time.  Now I'm just wishing other people would do the same.  Its time to change my phone usage patterns and hopefully I'll be able to really work on that more starting over the course of the next two weeks.

There's my five and now here's my four....

I opened up the week and month with three things you need to know about this blog for August 2016!

August is the month of birthday and birthday prep for my kiddos. Tuesday's post was the outline of ideas for a bug bash for my son's fourth birthday!

What you do for one you do for two. Ever heard that? Well it's true around here! On Wednesday I shared the details on my daughter's upcoming birthday celebration!

My biggest post of the week published out on Thursday! So many moms are ready for it but I'm not. The question I am not asking was the topic of Thursday's post.

Now go get your weekend on beautiful thang!  I'll see you back here on Monday for sure!  Please pop by my social media spots over the weekend!

xo -

Amanda

Weekending...2/28-3/1

I had a wonderful weekend and I hope you did too.  It isn't often that I post about my weekends but this is one I wish to remember.  It involved a lot of fun time with my two best friends....Ashley & Jennifer.

First off, I have to tell you my husband is amazeballs.  Most days I'm out and about making a dollah bill ya'll but a lot of the time I am at home doing all the lovely housewife duties like cooking, cleaning, rearing children, going insane, drinking too much coffee, you get my drift.  My hubby has no problem (if I can give him a head's up) to watch the junior mints on his day off for me to run away for a while.  He even expects me to go over the amount of time I expect to be out.  I told you he is amazeballs.  So thanks, lover.

My Saturday morning started off at 6:30 AM....yes my two and a half year old slept in.  It was nice....you know sleeping past 5:30.  By 9 I was on my way to the lovely Wilkes County to see my college bestie.  Not only was she throwing a painting party (I'm throwing one too in the coming months) but she also just moved into her new home!  So I get a threefer....see her (awesome as usual), paint (fabulous, I love to paint), and see her new home (grand!).

NO offense but my table rocked out....there are two artists at that table and none of them have the name Amanda.

Ashley shooting stealth photography of me.  I'm looking all professional.

Yep, that's MY Ashley!  She was a little skeered.  However, she did an amazing job.

So here are the finished products.  The only person I knew was Ashley but I met some super friendly and sweet ladies and that's a true plus!  Didn't we do well?  

I had a BLAST!  I also ate a butt load of carbs and one of those fabulous carbs I plan to make as soon as I whip my tail into shape.....oh yeah it is coming at you next Tuesday.

Around 3 I got home and guess what.....the hubby had cleaned the house.  Like really cleaned it!  The kids were content and it was like ----

Our friends Jennifer and Brian came over that evening with pizza and wings.  I failed to take any photos but we had a really fun time together.  Jennifer brought a bottle of Aftershave (some of you will get that).  I never knew you could drink it.  It was like drinking your grandpa's cheeks.  

I love to be around happy people and those are two happy kids.  Makes my heart all warm and thumpy.  Wait...isn't that how it normally is?

In the course of four hours we planned a lot of porch memories and a potential fall beach getaway. 

 

I.love.my.friends.

Sunday was gross (weatherwise).  I woke up to all this banter about ice.  Church wasn't cancelled so we headed over and participated in a phenomenal service.  We are so happy and blessed to have been led to such an amazing atmosphere to worship.  My husband and I have both said over and over how much we love our church.  It may be large but it is so comfortable and really does make you want to be a much better servant.

After church we hit up Big Lots for these goodies.....

I have this weird obsession with birds.

We had an extra 20% off our order....#happydance.  We also got some awesome pillows.  Valentine's weekend, when we were on our retreat, we had some awesomely wonderful pillows in the condo and I vowed to get us some.  Mission, accomplished.

The little kid got all out of sorts after that trip so we were home for the afternoon.  Until I had to go volunteer for a consignment sale.  I think that was my last volunteer shift ever.  Afterwards I met the hubby and little man at our favorite mexican restaurant and picked up the Diva from her Nana's.

By the way....the Diva basically resides at her Nana's.  Home is no longer cool....yes we are entering tweendom.  

Can I also just say I think the child has grown, literally, over night.  She keeps getting taller!  I weeded out her closet and chest of drawers Monday and replaced with a size bigger.  

So yeah that was my awesome weekend and I just felt the HUGE need to share it out here.