simply complicated

I love fall.

I love fall clothes.

I love boots.

I love layering.

I just love all of it! And I have completely gotten into this fall season and the trends. 

Thought I would put together some of my top 5 closet must haves for fall. There are definitely multiple options with in each category that range in style and price. Hopefully you find something that you fall in love with. {pun intended}

 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Speaking of vests...

Put one of these lovelies over a striped tee, add a statement necklace {or scarf} and viola! You will look like a million bucks!

I am currently obsessed with vests.

They go with everything and make any look more put together. I have seen several of these {listed above} that will for sure be on sale for Cyber Monday so give it a try.

1 // 2 // 3

My most favorite color in the world is leopard. It is a neutral after all...am I right ladies? ;) 

When I mix prints, it usually has leopards in there somewhere. 

Either a leopard scarf or leopard flats. 

If you add leopard flats to the ensemble that we talked about before, you will look like a million bucks!

Follow me on Instagram for more fun outfits!

What are your fall closet must haves?

Public Service Announcement:

I LOVE STOCKING STUFFERS!

My mom is the ultimate stocking stuffer queen. Its not all candy and toothbrushes in there. One year I got perfume, movies, jewelry, makeup, and my beloved Victoria's Secret underwear all in one stocking. I aspire to be like her one day. 

Thought I'd give you a few ideas on some stocking stuffers this holiday season. There is quite the variety so hopefully you will find something for your favorite lady.

For the book lover...

I have so many things to be thankful for. I most certainly do not recognize them enough. So with Thanksgiving being this week, I thought I've give ya a little something to hopefully get you thinking about what you have to be thankful for.

1. First and foremost, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for the sacrifice that he made for me. I am certainly no where close to perfect and he accepts me as I am, but doesn't want to leave me there. 

2. My family. All of them. They are crazy and sometimes drive me crazy, but I am so thankful for their support, listening ear, humor, love, and shoulder to cry on. I miss my Texas family so much some days that it hurts.

3. My husband. I know that he is my family, but he is so much more than that to me. Other than Jesus, he is my rock. I love him so much and take him for granted way too often.

4. My job. I have always wanted to be a teacher and love it so much. Some days are frustrating and I walk away from a day at work wondering if I made a difference, or even taught the kids anything but I love my job so much. When a student tells you that you are their favorite teacher and thank you for coming to their sporting events, plays, and concerts it means so so much and puts meaning behind all the lesson planning and paper grading.

5. Coffee and coca cola. I am so thankful for these equally. They give me energy and can make me so happy when I'm having a bad day.

6. Running, clean water. We are so fortunate to have running water it isn't even funny. And we take it for granted everyday. There are so many people in the world that die because of the water crisis and we need to be thankful that we will not be one of those people.

7. Pinterest.Yes, it uses up a lot of my time where I could be spending it on more productive things...BUT I get a lot of recipe ideas, hosting ideas, etc from pinterest that helps me bring people together for great community time.

8. My iPhone 6. {I know, shameful plug that I have the newest iPhone} But honestly, I'd be thankful to have any smart phone. It is such a privilege and the ultimate #firstworldprob to have a magic box in our hands at all times. It can literally tell you more things than you would ever want to know. What an amazing gift! Plus it is so great that I can FaceTime with my loved ones when I really miss them.

9. My car. It gets me a lot of different places that I love to go and some places that I have to go to help others. I am on my third car and not many people are privileged to get one car, let alone have 3 in their lifetime. I am thankful for the ability to drive and the ability to have a car that is fancier than I really need. What a blessing.

10. Don't laugh, but Netflix. I know...it takes up a lot of time that I could be spending on more important things (like cleaning my very dirty house) but sometimes I just really need a break and what a better way than to catch up on what Dereck Shepherd and Meredith Grey are doing. ;) Or watching Safe Haven for the 239874 time.

...last but DEFINITELY not least. I am thankful for this blog. I know that I have a very small audience right now and I also know that I haven't gotten to post regularly this semester, but I enjoy it so much. Thank you for reading and I hope you have/had a safe Thanksgiving!

Caution: sappy post

Today is my dad's birthday. I love my dad so much and miss living so close to him. He has taught me so much in my life. Way too much for those little space. Just wanted to post a little diddy about him and say happy birthday! Thank you for supporting me, encouraging me, giving me grace and mercy when I don't deserve it, teaching me about the love of Jesus, providing for all my needs and most of my wants, and loving me through all the tears and stubbornness. I love you dad....love, sweet pea.

So I was trolling pinterest the other day {like I hardly ever do. HA. today is opposite day.} and I saw this really cute picture and thought...what a great future post to blog about. So here it goes...

I'm sorry if you are one of those people that says "no Christmas before Thanksgiving" because I am wanting Christmas everything lately!  Its all I can do not to decorate my house and sing Christmas carols all day long. {actually I have been making my students listen to Christmas music for about 2 weeks. Oops...}

I think I may actually decorate this weekend. Before you judge me, here is my reasoning....my husband is a youth pastor, and our weekends are sometimes jammed packed with youth events which means no time for house projects. This weekend we are free {only weekend till 2nd weekend in December} so I am thinking I am going to take advantage of that. :)

Here are a few of my "pin-spirations" for my Christmas decor this year. I am trying to make things pretty neutral {lots of glass, mirrored glass, natural wood finishes, & gold} but I am going to add in a little red {not fire engine red though} and the green color of a Christmas tree. Basically when you walk in I want you to think that I got everything at Pottery Barn. {girl you know I got it at Hobby Lobby or TJ Maxx... ;) } 

You can check out my entire Christmas board HERE.

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If I can convince Nathan to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic this weekend then I will definitely share pics with you. 

 

What are some of your favorite Christmas pins? Put the link in the comments! :)  

My sweet friend Melissa and I decided to link up and do a guest post on each others blogs! There are 15 really weird facts that you might want to know about us. You can see what I wrote on her blog HERE. 

Her blog is so amazing. She posts regularly about life, faith, decorating fun, advice, and just all around humorous stuff. Plus she's got great style and caring heart, so how could you go wrong?? 

Go check her out! Ladies....here is Melissa! :)

1. What's a nickname only your family calls you? 

Peep. Don't ask me how my parents came up with that one (that's a whole other post), but its definitely stuck. My parents answer the phone when I call with, "Hey, peep". So, I am unsure if they would know my real name without Facebook. 

2. What's a weird habit of yours? 

I have to do the same morning routine every morning from the succession of steps in the shower to getting dressed. Everything has to be done exactly the same. The only difference may be my hair styling routine if I have straightened my super curly hair. I also have to check the shower curtain before I use the bathroom in my apartment. Um, paranoid much? 

3. Do you have any weird phobias? 

Yes. Butterflies really terrify me. I don't share that with too many people (too late?), but I don't like that they flutter. It really grosses and freaks me out. Trust me, it is NOT the same as disliking puppies or babies. You would think I said dogs and babies were crap when I tell people this. It's really not the same. 

4. Whats a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone? 

Black Widow. It makes me feel powerful. It is a filthy song though. Oops. 

5. What is one of your biggest pet peeves? 

Probably when people are being outright rude. Some people just think they are entitled to treat people badly and get away with it. It drives me crazy!

6. What's one of your nervous habits? 

Well, my hands sweat profusely and get really, really cold. My eyes also water when I am nervous or embarrassed. I get really self-conscious that people think I am crying, which makes me more nervous. It's a vicious cycle. 

7. What side of the bed do you sleep on? 

I either sleep in the middle or the left side (for some reason). I sleep alone in a king size bed, so I can sleep wherever I like!

8. What was your first stuffed animal and what was its name? 

I honestly don't remember this. I was not a big fan of naming anything growing up. 

9. What's the drink you always order at Starbucks? 

Spring/Summer: Iced Caramel Macchiato

Fall/Winter: Pumpkin Spice Latte or Peppermint White Mocha

10. Which way do you face in the shower? 

I always face away from the shower head unless I am rinsing off. 

11. Do you have any weird body skills? 

I can twist my tongue into that funky clover shape. Other than that, nope!

12. What's your favorite comfort food that is bad, but you eat it anyways? 

Probably Chick-Fil-A. It has always been my comfort food!

13. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say? 

If I am texting, I always find myself saying, "Oh, okay". It's just always my answer to everything. At work I always say, "He gone!" or "She gone!". It means a lot of different things, haha. 

14. What do you wear when you sleep? 

Um, normally nothing. (TMI?) Obviously if I am at my parents or staying as a guest at someone's home I wear a t-shirt and shorts. At home, its just me, myself, and I! 

15. What did you used to wear that you thought was cool, but now realize it wasn't? 

I always wore peasant skirts back in my early college days. I thought they looked cool and bohemian, but they actually looked ridiculous! Never wearing anything that like that again! Oh, and platform flip flops. Seriously?! What was I thinking?!

I have a LOT of pinterest pins. Like a lot. And if you're anything like me, they are {somewhat} organized.

Most of the time I see my boards and think "why didn't I split this board up into 4 subcategories (yes, I just said that...I'm type A...)

A couple of months ago, I started pinning to a board called "Wishlist". Pretty self explanatory. I thought I would share the top 13 things on my wishlist board. Why 13? Because that is T. Swift's favorite number and I am so excited that I will finally be getting her new album tomorrow! #latetotheparty

1. Anthropology Tunic. I LOVE! I don't have anything from Anthro...yet. Tunic is no longer available. :(

2. Diane von Furstenburg's Wedge Sandals: Can't find link.

3. Anthropology's Initial Gold Coffee Mug: HERE is the white version

4. Cleopatra Bib Necklace from Bauble Bar: found HERE
5. Precious Striped Loose Fitting Tunic
6. Love this chair for my living room!
7. I have been wanting some bar stools like this. You can find them at Target, but not in the height I need. #boo
8. Gold Sparkly Shower Curtain. I am about to redo both of my bathrooms & want a gold curtain for one of them...just can't decide because its so pretty. :)
9. Texas Wire Shelf...would look amazing in my room or my guest room! YES PLEASE! #texan
10. I'm So Fancy pillow. Um duh. Pick a room in my house and it would look great.
11. Kate Spade Watch. I really like the ones that have the leather sparkly bands, but I love the tortoise mixed with gold. I think it looks super sophisticated and fancy.
12. I really like this black and white striped floor pillow. I don't know if it would work in my guest room with the stripe wall...but you can never have too many stripes. #right?
13. Gold Leopard Pillow. I really want this for the bed in my stripe room. I know, you think I'm crazy. And I am. But I think it would look so cute!!!

What kinds of things do you have on your wishlist? 

Long time no blog post. 

I have been MIA & incredibly busy! Lots of house updates & teacher fun. 

Today's post is brought you by the fact that our guest room #1 (aka the grey room) is almost done!! If you remember from my original "be our guest" post my amazing husband & in-loves redid my guest room while I was out of town. Well, we have added pillows, lamps, and curtains! & I'm more in love. <3

^^ Here is a panoramic so you can see the whole room.

Just need: Faux fur euro pillows, throw for the end of the bed, & something for that huge wall on the right. 

Now.....

As far as guest room #2 (aka the stripe room)...

I haven't talked about it on the blog, but I posted a pic on Instagram a couple of weeks ago....

The painting is DONE! Nathan's grandparents are going to give us one of their beds & then the decorating will commence. Here is some of the process that we did for the stripes. {let me know if you'd like a more in-depth post on how we did the stripes...they turned out so much better than I thought they would.}