a fancy little giveaway

I'm proud to be a part of this awesome giveaway going on over at Fancy Little Things this week. If you haven't already, check it out and make sure to enter (there's lots of ways to win!).

Good luck!

>> SHOP <<

>> SHOP <<

>> SHOP <<

>> FAITH BOGDAN & SARAH YOUNG <<

Who Are All These Children and Why Are They Calling Me Mom?

Embracing the Joyful Mess of Motherhood

By Faith Bogdan

I've been waiting for this book to come to fruition for the last several years. Since Faith first came to speak at our MOPS group, and she had us all laughing, crying and praying together in under a half hour, I've wanted to read her book. This book was in the works then, but being a Mom who learned to fully "embrace the joyful mess of motherhood", she took some years off just to enjoy her girls. But here it is! And it is everything I knew it would be. I knew it HAD to be in our FLT May giveaway for Moms! This is for every Mom who "is tempted to daydream for a second about how much easier life would be with one or two fewer children", or "looked at a faith pink line in the window of a pregnancy test and said "Oops", or even those Moms "who always dreamed of being a mom and yet struggle through long days". In her authentic & humorous way, she takes us on her journey from "an embittered, detached mother living in survival mode" to "a mom madly in love with the children she didn't intend to have." And since it us busy Moms who needs this book most, Faith has written it in the little snippets that you can devour in those rare spare moments. You'll want several copies so you can hide them around the house - bathroom, laundry room, above the stove....:-).

Enjoy! - Danielle, FLT Blog Admin & Marriage Matter Author

REAL LIFE CALLS

DIY BOW GARLAND

BASKETBALL & LACE

LEARNING TO SAY "YES!"

NOT ALONE MOM

LISA LEONARD

RECLAIMED BIKE CRATE

FANCY LITTLE THINGS

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light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps?

(skirt: Old Navy, peplum: TJ Maxx, sweater: Target, boots: Target, necklace: Forever 21)

All I can think to write about is how I can't wait to be done with school, how much my new principal is destroying our school, and how much I want a new job.

But I'm tired of writing about that and I'm going to guess you're tired of hearing it too.

So I don't know what else to say.

I have an interview tomorrow afternoon. One that could be amazing, one that I really want to do well at, one that could make things so much better. If you get a moment tomorrow, could you say a little prayer that I do well? I'd really appreciate it.

There has to be some end to this current chaos I'm in and maybe this is it.

Also, I got a new purse for the interview so I'm guaranteed to ace it, right?

Let's hope so.

the best day of the week.

(polka dot pants: Kohls, blouse: Forever 21, boots: Old Navy, necklace: Forever 21)

Yesterday we spent the day outside: cleaning out the garage, filling up the baby pool for the first time, squirting each other with the hose, laying out on a lawn chair and drinking wine spritzers.

Those last two were just me. Chris doesn't drink and my kids can't stop moving for more than five seconds.

It was a good day.

It reminded me how awesome summer is (as if I forgot) and refreshed me enough to tackle these last eight days of school. 

I needed a rest and Sunday was it. Last fall, our church started Saturday evening services and we've been taking advantage of them ever since. Saturdays are always busy, full of errands and birthday parties, Chris usually working and trips to the gym for swimming or soccer practice. So cramming one more thing in on a Saturday doesn't seem bad.

And it makes Sundays absolutely the best.

Sundays have literally become a day of rest. We're together all day as a family (the only day of the week that happens), we get to be lazy and stay in PJs, maybe go out for a late breakfast or an early lunch. We get to play at the park or take a bike ride. I take a break from social media on this day too; no Instagram or Twitter, no updating my Facebook status or watching a Vine video, just completely living in the moment even if it's just sitting on the couch not doing anything. Sunday nights are usually movie night where the girls eat their weight in popcorn and trail mix and we watch a movie on the couch together. All snuggled up and squished together even though our couch could comfortably hold six.

It's idyllic in my mind, but, of course, there's still fighting and the occasional breakdown (normally Elliott). There's still a fight at bathtime and lots of stop touching your sister! but we're together, we've got no where we have to be, and it's Sunday.

Sundays are the best.

weekend read: Legend

I know I'm a sucker for dystopian literature. See The Hunger Games series or the Matched series for more proof. I've also got a stack of similar themed books waiting patiently for summer and pool time.

With Legend, I've heard about it since early 2012 and I ignored it because that's what I do to books everyone is talking about (also see: Gone Girl), but I bought a set of the books for our classrooms at school so I decided I better read it before introducing it to kids. And once I started, I.was.hooked.

The overall premise is the same (futuristic world, there's no more United States of America, dictatorship police state, persecuted people, government lies, unlikely teenage heroes, etc.) as all the other dystopian series out right now. And while occasionally I struggled with the likeness of The Hunger Games, the characters were strong enough that I didn't feel like I was reading a retelling of it.

Legend by Marie Lu is told from two different perspectives: Day, a homeless, Robin Hood type enemy-of-the-state who is being used as a scapegoat for the government's dirty deeds, and June, a privileged, rich girl from the elite side of town who also happens to be the government's military prodigy. Of course, their two worlds come together when Day is framed for the death of June's brother. She begins to hunt him down as revenge, but things change as both of them realize things are not as they seem.

There's more love story in this one than The Hunger Games, but less than the Matched books. I know my students will love this book, it's fast-paced from the start and relatable on multiple levels. They seem to love any book that lets them live in a world where they have power and more control than they do in reality. The book also has enough twists and turns that it's not easily put down and it's also a good fit for adults who can't get enough of the dystopian genre. I can't wait to start the second one.

Have you read this one yet? What did you think?


DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED.

copycat 25.0

(skirt: Macys, shirt: Old Navy, shoes: JC Penney, necklace: Sears, bracelets: Forever 21, ring: Kohls)

This is it.

The end.

I think the time is right. I've been struggling to hit "publish" recently. On average, I've got 15-20 posts sitting in my drafts just waiting for a little edit and shine. But I don't even have the time to do that right now. Sorry about that. I hate when people play the I'm busy victim, it makes it sound like others aren't busy and they're the only ones. So I know you're probably stressed right now too and I hope things slow down soon. For all of us.

Thanks for linking up with us and trying this copycat linkup out. It was a fun experiment that taught us a lot. Mostly that linkups are hard and I don't like doing anything that's hard. But other lessons too.

Anyway, thanks for being here.

original website || original pin 

I loved the floral skirt with belt and tucked chambray top. But I didn't have the right belt and my skirt hit in a funny spot so I left my shirt untucked. I definitely liked the Pinterest look better and felt mine was a little too sloppy. Also, I'm wrinkly, but that's because these pictures were taken after a ten hour day and a long meeting.

What did you do this week? Show us your copycat style one more time!

Rules

-Follow Texas Lovebirds and Trusty Chucks.

-Everyone likes comments! Please visit at least one other blog and leave a comment. Find new blogs! Make new friends!

-Do not link to giveaways or your homepage, link to a specific post about your copycat style and how you made the look your own. Linkups that don't follow this rule will be deleted.
-Please link back to the post and let your readers know what's going on. You could grab a button if you'd like (hint, hint).