Accountability Check: Fall Bucket List

I set a December 1 deadline for myself back in September when I wrote my Fall Bucket List post. Way back then it seemed like I had PLENTY of time to check things off the list, but I should have known better. {Duh!} These past 70 days {yes, I calculated} have flown by, especially the month of November!

Anyway...here we are on December 1, so here's a little look-back at the bucket list and the progress we made...

FALL 2016 "TO DO" LIST:

• Decorate the house for fall.  
• SEMI-SUCCESS! I decorated the front patio and had a few fall pieces here and there throughout the house, but we definitely didn't go all out this year because...toddler!

• Visit a pumpkin patch. 
• SUCCESS...times three!  If you want to read about our pumpkin patch adventures {and see a few more pics}, you can check out that blog post here. We had a ball visiting three different pumpkin patches...

• Find the perfect pair of fall booties.
• SUCCESS! Although I don't have a pic wearing them {bad blogger!}, Ryan got me a great pair of black Cole Haan booties for our anniversary. I must have been living under a rock because I had no idea that Cole Haan had some special technology to make the soles of shoes softer/more flexible...but whatever they do, it works! These are the most comfortable shoes {with a heel} I've ever owned.

• Go to the Texas State Fair. 
• SUCCESS! We went to the Texas State Fair on Columbus Day because I had the holiday off work and we thought a Monday would be less crowded than the weekend. Terrible idea! Turns out, all of the schools were out for the holiday, too. Needless to say, the fair was CROWDED...and it was HOT! We still had a good time though. We saw the Budweiser Clydesdales, got a few pics with Big Tex, and ate lots of fried food! 

Checking out Big Tex at the Texas State Fair

• Find/create a fabulous Halloween costume for Huston.
• SUCCESS! H was a tiny golfer for Halloween...and he was VIP because he had two personal caddies! More Halloween pics here.

• Attend a Halloween party.
• FAIL! H was sick on the day of the Ehmans' annual Halloween party, so we had to miss it.  

• Play and take photos in the fall leaves. 
• FAIL! The leaves are just now really starting to fall here, so we haven't had a chance to get out and play in the foliage.   

• Design and order holiday cards EARLY. 
• FAIL! As I mentioned above, we missed the Halloween party because H was sick...well, we also had to cancel our family photo session because the little guy was under the weather. Our rescheduled photo session wasn't until November 20, so there was no possible way for me to have our Christmas cards done early. Our fabulous photographer got the pics back to us super fast though, so our cards are created and currently being printed! I absolutely love sending and receiving holiday cards! 

• Win {at least} one week of my office college football pick 'em contest. 
• ULTIMATE FAIL! Not only did I NOT win...but I think my performance worsened week after week. With only one week left to play, I am currently in 21st place out of 37 {as compared to 6th place when I created this list}.

• Go to Canton for  First Monday Trade Days. 
• FAIL.  We were in Minneapolis for a wedding the weekend of October Trade Days...but I don't really have an excuse for November.  My mom was in town visiting the weekend of November Trade Days, and we even talked about going...but we never made the trek to Canton. 

• Bake something {anything!} pumpkin.
• ATTEMPTED {Half-success/Half-fail}.  I tried this recipe for pumpkin cookies...and they were just ok. They were definitely edible, but they weren't A-MAZing. They were really soft and fluffy, almost bread-like. I've decided that pumpkin flavor really just doesn't have much taste, so I think my expectations for pumpkin recipes might be too high.  Next year I'll search for a pumpkin-cinnamon recipe...or something along those lines to add a little more flavor.

• Make a fall craft. 
• SUCCESS! After much convincing, I attended Crafty Night Out with my friend, Erin. The non-artistic person that I am had a few challenges with the free-form painting/drawing aspect of this project, but the sweet Crafty Night Out owner was super helpful and guided me through the creation of this lil pumpkin...

• Keep a gratitude journal throughout the month of November. 
• FAIL! I'm so sad that I failed at doing this...but I will say that I made a conscious effort to think of something random {that I don't normally take the time to appreciate} I'm grateful for each day of November...I just failed to actually write it down. 

• Find a unique {leather} gift for our 3rd wedding anniversary. 
• SEMI-SUCCESS! I say it was a "semi" success because I'm not sure the gift actually qualifies as "unique."  Whatever though...it's something he wanted and loves, so that's all the matters. He got a fancy new pair of boots...   

• Buy at least three Christmas gifts before December 1.
• SUCCESS! I've actually purchased FIVE gifts...such an overachiever!

If I had to grade myself for completing the tasks on the Fall Bucket List, I'd probably get a "C." While I can only successfully check off about half the items on the list, the successes were great experiences and fun accomplishments! I kind of like this idea of keeping myself accountable for getting things done/experiencing seasonal adventures...so the bucket list may just become a recurring thing. I guess I better get to work on the next "to do" list!

Do you have any suggestions or ideas for our 

Winter Bucket List?

Fall Bucket List

Today is the first official day of fall, so I figured it was as good a day as any to write out my "Fall Bucket List."

I'm not usually one to do seasonal bucket lists, but there are lots of things I'd like to do in the next couple of months...so I thought listing them out on this little bloggety-blog just might hold me accountable {and force help me to actually find the energy} to check each thing off the list. Plus, we all know I love a good list! 

I know fall technically lasts until December 21, but I'm setting a December 1 deadline for this list because after that we'll need to move on to a whole new list {because visiting Santa and putting up Christmas lights just doesn't seem to fit on the "Fall" to do list!}.

FALL 2016 "TO DO" LIST:

• Decorate the house for fall.  I usually can't wait to pull out my fall decor, but something about having a VERY mobile 13-month-old who LOVES to pull everything off counters/tables has kept me from doing it this year. Who am I kidding...we don't even have any coffee tables/end tables to decorate because we've put them all away to give the lil' man more room to play {it's his world, we just live in it!}. While it might have to be a modified version {less...likely much less!} of my usual fall decor, I'm determined to fall-ify our home in some way or another!

• Visit the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum. We took H to this fabulous pumpkin patch last year when he was teeny tiny...pretty sure he'll enjoy it a little more this year.

Our visit to the Dallas Arboretum pumpkin patch, October 2015

• Find the perfect pair of fall booties...and make them mine!

• Go to the Texas State Fair. I haven't been to the state fair since the first year I moved to Dallas {8 years ago!}...I think it's high time for a funnel cake! 

• Find/create a fabulous Halloween costume for Huston...that he won't hate wearing!

• Attend a Halloween party.

• Play and take photos in the fall leaves. I guess it'll be ok to get a little dirty...this one time...for Huston's sake!

• Design and order holiday cards EARLY. I always get super-stressed the weekend after Thanksgiving trying to pick the design/layout, finalize the address list, etc. for our holiday cards. I vow My goal is to do it earlier this year...but I'm not 100% sure about this because I feel like there are usually great sales for holiday cards on Black Friday. Hmm...???

• Win {at least} one week of my office college football pick 'em contest. Three weeks in, I'm currently sitting in 6th place {out of 37}. Of course my ultimate goal is to win the whole thing {duh!}, but I'd settle for winning just one week to cover the cost of my entry fee.

• Go to First Monday Trade Days.

• Bake something {anything!} pumpkin.

• Make a fall craft. Is it wrong to include something on the "to do" list just because it's already be done???

• Keep a gratitude journal throughout the month of November. And while I'm at it, I might as well send some notes of gratitude as well.

• Find a unique {leather} gift for our 3rd wedding anniversary. Any and all ideas and suggestions are welcome! 

• Buy at least three Christmas gifts before December 1.

What's on your bucket list for Fall 2016?

Life Lessons to Live By

I don't use Pinterest all that much. To be honest, it kind of overwhelms me...and oftentimes gives me anxiety that I'm a failure of a human being because I haven't invented my own slow-cooker recipe while remodeling my bathroom so it can display my favorite quote written in the best font for fall on my DIY chalkboard all while wearing the most stylish outfit for 2016 and styling my hair in a perfect messy bun. Please tell me I'm not the only person who feels like a total under-achiever/slacker after logging in to Pinterest. Anyway...on to the actual point of this post...I was scrolling through some of my old "pins" {like from waaayyyyy back in Pinterest's early days, 2011-ish}, and I realized I had some pretty legit thoughts on my (Mostly) True Statements board. It got me to thinking about life lessons and advice that I've taken to heart...and inspired this little blog post.

And then...today I randomly landed on Mattie's blog and saw that she and Lexi are hosting a Weekly Lessons link-up. Perfect timing!

I received A LOT of fabulous advice from my parents along the way {and still do to this day}, but these must have been the ones on constant repeat because they stand out the most in my head...

• If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all.

• The harder you work, the luckier you get.

• Under-promise and over-deliver.

• Say what you mean, and mean what you say. {especially applicable to "I'm sorry" and "thank you"}

• Shoot for the moon...even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

And last, but certainly not least...

• the good 'ole Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated.

What's the best advice and/or life lesson you've ever received?

Notes from a New Mom

A few things I've learned in my first few weeks of being a mom...

• Even if you are 110% sure you're going to deliver your baby vaginally, you should at least skim the chapters of the pregnancy/mom-to-be books dedicated to c-sections. Apparently those things aren't always planned...
• They pump you FULL of fluids at the hospital, so don't expect to lose much baby weight before they dismiss you to go home.
• Feet/hand swelling actually can get worse AFTER the baby is born...and last for more than two weeks.
• The ride home from the hospital is slightly terrifying. 
• Breastfeeding is HARD.
• Lactation consultants are legit.
• You truly can take a full shower {hair-washing included} in under two minutes.
• Pads {as in the maxi type} suck. Period.Dot.Done.
• Your baby daddy's clothes never looked so good {on you!}. Comfort is key!
• Adrenaline will take over when sleep is insufficient.
• If you don't get peed on at least every other day, then you must have a girl baby.
• Packing the diaper bag for the first outing takes serious thought and planning...and you'll still forget something at home.
• You're going to cry happy tears. Just looking at your sweet baby and trying to wrap your head around the immeasurable amount of love you have toward this tiny human being will trigger happy tears...on multiple occasions.
• You'll fall even further in love with your husband when you see him with your precious little one.
• There is no better feeling in the world than cuddling with your sweet baby and knowing they feel safe and secure in your arms.

Confessional

• ...I've been reading way too many bloggers' birth stories. I'm secretly hoping that the more I read, the better prepared I'll be for anything that could possibly happen when I go into labor. The rational side of me {which isn't present very often these days} knows nothing can truly prepare me for what lies ahead, but that doesn't stop the crazy side of me from trying to conquer the fear of the unknown.
• ...every time I get to the part of the birth story when they put the baby on the mom's chest for the first time, I get all teary-eyed. I can't even imagine what an emotional mess I'm going to be when it's MY baby on MY chest. 
• ...I'm closely monitoring the story about the plane debris that washed up on Reunion Island that may be part of the missing Malaysia Air plane {MH370}. Wondering where that plane went STILL keeps me up at night on occasion...seriously! I can't help but be baffled by the idea that they're JUST NOW finding a piece of the plane...where has it been for the past year?!!?
• ...I was devastated by the Blake Shelton/Miranda Lambert divorce. {I know this is old news by now, but still...} I typically don't really care about celebrity gossip, but I was so sad about this. In fact, I initially refused to believe it. I even searched through Oklahoma Public Records to find the divorce filing. I was so relieved when I didn't find it at first...but when the internet just wouldn't let up on the story, I did a bit more digging and found it here {under their initials}. #researcher  
• ...I've been living in Ryan's clothes when I'm not at work or out in public.  Last night he came home with a bag full of new {men's large} workout clothes...claiming they're all for me...at least for the next week.  #thoughtfulhusband 
  
• ...I plan to spend this entire weekend in one of two places: floating in the pool or sitting under the AC vent. Our electric bill may break the bank {or Ryan may freeze to death} if this baby doesn't arrive soon. This momma-to-be can't stand being hot!
• ...I'm in desperate need of a vacation. Maternity leave is like vacation, right?!!?  Just kidding...kinda.

These are my confessions!

Five on Friday

It's been a busy week! A good busy week though! Summer is in full swing...love love love the warm {hot!} weather! The "Five on Friday" link-up is taking a summer break, but I'm a creature of habit and really like posting about five things going on in my life each Friday, and so it continues in my world...

One: Livin' on Tulsa Time

I've been in Tulsa since Wednesday for work meetings. It's been a good trip...I work with some pretty fabulous {and brilliant} people...but I'm ready to go home!

via

Two: The NBA Draft

I've gotta give shoutouts to my beloved Jayhawks who were drafted last night...as the FIRST and THIRD picks overall!  CONGRATULATIONS to Andrew Wiggins, #1 pick and going to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  And another big CONGRATS to Joel Embiid, #3 pick and headed to Philadelphia to play for the 76ers! So proud {as always!} to be a Kansas Jayhawk! ROCK CHALK!

via

Three: Weekend Visitors

My sister-in-law, Kelli, has meetings in the Dallas-area this weekend...and guess who she's bringing with her! Only the cutest nephew on the planet! I'm so excited and literally can't wait to see this lil guy and his mommy...

Nais...I love him just a little bit!

Nais and his mommy {Kelli}

Abbey is playing in some important golf event next week in Dallas, so she's coming down early to work with Ryan and play some practice rounds. I'm super excited that she's bringing her sister {my BFF} with her! Yay for having Lindsay and Abbey staying with us for the next few days!

Abbey & Lindsay

Four: Work, Work, Work...

Lil Midget Max has been really busy this week...responding to emails and surfing the internet. How flippin' cute is this pic?

Sure makes this godmother proud! I'm in search of a BIG calculator...gotta get him started on 10-key training soon!

Five: Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware is obviously trying to make a B.I.G. {heavy} statement with their recent 11.6-pound shipment of catalogs. Yes, I weighed it.  11.6 pounds. No joke. AND it was shipped via UPS. I can't imagine how much it must have cost to send out these pretty lil gems...

Maybe one of these days I'll find the time to browse through this stack of novels.

Thanks for stopping by for my "Five on Friday!"

Have a great weekend!

Five on {Good} Friday

Happy Good Friday! Today I am linking-up with April {A.Liz Adventures}, Christina {North Carolina Charm}, Darci {The Good Life} and Natasha {Hello! Happiness} to share with you five recent and/or upcoming happenings in my life.

One: The Husband's Birthday

You may have seen this in a post from earlier this week, but Tuesday was Ryan's 31st birthday...and birthdays are worth mentioning several times!  We celebrated at dinner with friends on Monday  and then a low-key dinner just the two of us on Tuesday. 

I did finally let him open his gifts after he got home from work on Tuesday.

Kinda blurry selfie @ birthday dinner

And another blurry one: making a wish!

And as a follow-up to a comment made in my previous post about Ryan's birthday {here}...Yes, he has since gotten a haircut! :)

Two: Lil Midget Max

Last night we delivered an Easter basket to Max {godson}. Just being around this lil punkin' made me totally forget my mile-long "to do" list and significantly improved my mood. He's pretty fabulous, I tell ya...and I'm not biased in any way.  Love him to pieces.

Goldfish {and fruit snacks} inside the Easter eggs? Score!
Sometimes Aunt Kansas gets it right!

Smart lil midget L.O.V.E.S books! 

How flippin' cute is this? I think my favorite part about this photo is that his hat is on inside-out! A-DOR-able!

Three: Presents!

Not gonna lie, I love love love getting packages in the mail...and this one totally made my day! Abbey {who is quite possibly the reason Ryan and I are together/married!} came to stay with us a few weeks ago so she could spend some time golfing with Ryan before her college season kicked into high gear. Yesterday we received some "Roo gear" {Kasey the Kangaroo is the mascot for the University of Missouri-Kansas City where Abbey plays golf} and the sweetest thank you note from her. Since it would be kinda weird to send a thank you note for a thank you gift, I'll just thank her via this blog post! Thanks for the shirts, Miss Abbey! We love them! 

Four: Powder Nail Polish

Last week I stopped by my usual nail salon to have one nail re-done because it had started to chip. {I don't know about you, but once my gel manicure starts peeling on just one finger, I can't keep myself from peeling it off the rest of my fingers...so I had to have fixed ASAP!} Anyway, I seriously felt like I was living in Anjelah Johnson's "Nail Salon" comedy. Just in case you haven't seen this HA-LAR-ious video, I've included it below...
   

{I learned something new this week...videos don't work on mobile devices...so please don't think I forgot to post it if you're viewing from your phone or iPad!} Back to my story...so the guy is telling me, "Next time you get "pow duh" manicure. I promise you really really liiiiike!....It just five dollah more!" I had no clue what he was talking about, but I was in a bit of a hurry, so I just agreed and said I was excited for the "new" {bc I couldn't understand what he had called it!} manicure next time. Fast forward to last night...and it is revealed to me that "pow duh" = powder. Rather than the gel polish that requires the UV light to dry {which isn't so great for the skin on your hands}, this new method just requires a clear glue-like coat and then they literally dip your fingers in powder. Apparently it's supposed to last longer than the gel manicure, too! I was a little annoyed that it took about 15 minutes longer than my usual nail appointment, but I guess that extra $5 has to pay for something! 
Long story short, I was happy with the way they turned out...and I'll keep you posted on how long the "pow duh" manicure actually lasts.

Five: Kansas for Easter Weekend

I'm leaving after work today to go to Kansas to see the family for Easter weekend. I haven't been home since Christmas, so I'm pretty excited to head north. I hate that Ryan can't make the trip {duty calls!...apparently people like to play golf on holiday weekends}, but I'm so grateful he understands and encouraged me to go without him. I'm looking forward to some quality time with my whole family...but, let's be real, I truly CANNOT.WAIT to see this precious little guy...

Baby Nais...only the cutest nephew on the planet!

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

  

Five on Friday

T.G.I.F!

Sometimes celebrities say things that make us seriously question their intelligence {e.g. Justin Bieber, "I think I was detrimental to my own career."}...but then there are other icons who seem to just "get" life and offer up some pretty spectacular advice. I am linking-up with April {A.Liz Adventures}, Christina {North Carolina Charm}, Darci {The Good Life} and Natasha {Hello! Happiness} to share with you five {worthwhile & intelligent} quotes to live by!

One: Steve Jobs 

Two: Coco Chanel

Three: Mother Teresa

Four: John Wayne

Five: Oscar Wilde

Have a fabulous weekend!

Five on Friday

Two posts in one day? Don't get used to it. Ha. BUT...I've had so much fun linking-up with the fabulous "Five on Friday" girls the past few weeks, I just couldn't bare to skip a week! With all that said, I am linking-up with April {A.Liz Adventures}, Christina {North Carolina Charm}, Darci {The Good Life} and Natasha {Hello! Happiness} to share with you five recent and/or upcoming happenings in my life.

One: Vic's Visit

My mom came to visit last weekend...L.O.V.E. when she's in town! The weather wasn't exactly what she was hoping for in Dallas {the lady LOVES to sit on a patio}, but we still had a great weekend!  

In the pic above, we're headed to the bar {at 11:00 am} to meet Darcy and watch our beloved Jayhawks. The game didn't turn out so well, but we still bleed crimson & blue and will be loyal Jayhawks FOR-EV-ER!

And did I mention she might have done a few loads of laundry while she was here?!!? Ahhh...never too old to be taken care of by your momma! 

Two: Adventures at the Antique Mall

We spent a substantial amount of time wandering around a HUGE antique mall last Saturday...but it was worth it for the pieces of furniture we found that fit perfectly in our home. {More details and photos coming soon!} 

You'd be surprised at some of the fabulous finds in an antique mall...but you've got to be patient and willing to look past some junk clutter "stuff" {not exactly my strong suit}.

Three: Kathryn's Baby Shower

Rachael and I are flying to Kansas City tomorrow to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby ??? Ashley! Kathryn and Mike {Baby Ashley's parents} aren't finding out if it's a boy or girl until he/she arrives...I just don't understand how they're not going C.R.A.Z.Y. not knowing the sex of their lil' bundle of joy! Anyway, since the Mommy-to-be hasn't exactly flooded social media with baby bump photos, I'm planning to snap a few tomorrow! Look for pics from the baby shower next week!

Four: Landscaping

Our yard needs some work to say the least. All of the existing landscaping next to our house was completely destroyed when we had to replace the pipes last fall, so we currently have brown dirt and ugly leaves between the circle driveway and the house. We had some landscape designers come out earlier this week, and then we received their plans and sketches last night. I'm not good with visualizing things that don't already exist. I need a color image of what it's going to look like when it's done. The photo below does nothing for me...except inform me that this is going to be a pricey project. 

All I want is lush, green grass and bright, pretty flowers...who knew this was so complex???

Five: Easter Decor

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter around our house. Now that I actually have a home to decorate, it's fun to begin collecting decorations for various holidays.

Have a fabulous weekend!