Melissa's shower

Melissa and I have been friends since we were young, like 2nd grade young! We grew up going to church together, then in 6th grade we started going to the same school. She has always been such a kind and generous person to me. She always thinks of others before herself. Even when I was a part of her wedding a few years ago, she was so concerned with all her bridesmaids even on her special day. She really is one of the most selfless people I know. Melissa and David are expecting their first baby girl, Emma Kate, next month so now is the time for us to spoil them!

Saturday morning several of Melissa's good friends threw her a baby shower at my mom's house. We divided up tasks and conquered! This was actually my first baby shower that I was in charge of. I really don't like telling people what to do, but if you don't delegate then you just end of doing everything yourself and that's no fun.

I got a lot of ideas off Pinterest (of course), like the donut tower. Seriously, how simple is that? You just pile up white powered donuts in a pyramid shape and garish with some pretty flowers. Simple & practical yet still pretty enough for an elegant shower. The drinks were my mom's doings. She kept glass baby bottles from when my older brothers and myself were babies - so yes, they are 30 something years old. She uses them over and over for showers. I think they are brilliant! Use them with oj, lemonade, mimosas or punch and fun straws!  Petit fours are a must for any Southern baby shower. Instead of a fruit platter, we did fruit kabobs. Again, so simple and colorful!

Mom did the centerpiece with the adorable baby dress. 

I think it might have been Melissa's favorite part! ;)

 And if you haven't had mini quiches from SAMS, you haven't lived. No these aren't homemade but who cares when they taste this good. (I'm going from memory here since I haven't eaten one since 2007- not gluten free)

 The entry table and guest book. I found this little foxy guy on Melissa's Pinterest page. The second I saw that she had pinned it, I ordered it. Melissa's last name is FOX. How appropriate, huh?? How ADORABLE!

Melissa and Jamie showing off their baby bumps! Melissa is on the left. Jamie's shower for her little girl is next Saturday. I can't wait!

I think everything turned out so well! Melissa received so many incredible gift for little Emma Kate. Thanks for all of your help with the shower, ladies! I cannot wait to meet little Emma Kate! Sunday afternoon, we shot Melissa's maternity pictures so be on the lookout for those images soon. :)

Clearing Things Up

Getting sick is never fun especially when the only treatment is to just wait it out. The past few days have been a haze of snot, coughing & nose blowing .  I'm honestly not sure if what I had was just the common cold or more like a sinus infection but whatever it was, it was vicious. I'm a big advocate of holistic medicines when they apply. I am not 100% holistic when it comes to medicines, more like 80/20. There are some things Western medicine does better. But when possible, I like to boost my immune system the natural way without taking OTC medicines.

This weekend my head was so stopped up it was hard to breathe. I went to Whole Foods and stocked up: echinacea, vitamin C, local honey & organic lemon. And yes, I stopped at Walgreens and purchased a few over the counters in case the all naturals didn't cut it: Sudafed and Clariten. But by far the award goes to....... drum roll please........ The Netti Pot. The NasaFlo is the brand I used. I think it's the off brand but it works just as well.

Now let explain: I'm not an herbalist or hippie. I'm not some far out person who tries weird things. I would consider myself pretty normal. I was actually extremely skeptical about this product. I have seen this product in use and it absolutely grossed me out. (Warning: do NOT watch YouTube videos of people using this product if you are skeptical about this product. It will weird you out.)

The reasons I broke down and tried this:
1) Nothing else I used even came close to clearing up my sinuses
2) Everyone who used it (and used it properly) LOVED it and highly recommended it to me
3) I thought I was going to die soon if I didn't at least try

This product cleans out your sinuses and helps you breathe. It might be awkward, gross and well uncomfortable but you will immediately reap the benefits if you use it probably. The best advice I was given is that you should READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS that come with it. And if water is draining down your throat, then you are doing it wrong.

*Please know that I am not a doctor or a nurse and have no medical expertise. This is simply a product I tried and like. Neither Netti Pot nor NasaFlo is not paying me to write this. Remember to always consult your own doctor before deciding if something like this is right for you. 

MidWeek Confessions

It's time for a little...

-I stayed up entirely too late last night watching election coverage and then immediately regretted getting on Facebook and Twitter to see people's responses to the outcome. Can't we just all get along, people!?

-I've been driving a rental car all week because mine is in the shop. This is me whining, "I DON'T WANNA GIVE IT BACK!" They gave me a brand new Acadia to drive and I love it, so I think I'm just gonna keep, mmk?

-We're getting ready for a garage sale sometime in the future and it's already stressing me out. I thought it would be easiest to start now for a Spring garage sale...but then there is the question of where to store the boxes. Your house? Thanks!

-I had a dream last night that this dude was holding a woman's head under water, so I punched him. But in real life I really punched the lamp on my bedside table. It made the loudest bang ever in the middle of the night - woke up Scooter, Conner & Buie. But the good news is, in my dreams, I'm a hero. :)

-I'm still behind in my session editing so back to editing! Do you have any mid-week confessions?

I'm linking up over at E, Myself, & I.

Weekend in Canton

This weekend one of my best friends and I headed to Canton, Texas for the largest flea market in the United States (according to their website). This was Alicia's first time to go to the Canton Trade Days and my fourth time. I also look forward to going especially around this time of year when it's not too hot.

Trade Days in Canton takes place on the first Monday of every month and the weekend leading up to it. The hardcore shoppers will park their RV's on Wednesday night and wake up bright and early Thursday morning to get the good deals. I think the gates open Thursday at 8am. We usually shop on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. This year Alicia and I left Friday afternoon, shopped all day Saturday and half of Sunday and drove home Sunday afternoon. That was the perfect amount of time because we were pretty exhausted at the end of it all. We ran into the former Mayor of Canton and chatted for a few minutes about the history of Canton Trade Days. It was interesting. He said that weekend their would be about 1 MILLION PEOPLE shopping over the course of the 5 days. Isn't that insane!?

Hotels fill up fast in Canton every month but that was actually to our benefit because I had to look outside of Canton to find this gem. Saline Creek Farms Bed & Breakfast is owned by this sweet couple who live about 10 or 15 miles outside of Canton. It made the perfect spot for our weekend.

We booked the garden cottage and stayed Friday and Saturday night. It was such an adorable place! So much better than a commercialized hotel. The owners served a wonderful breakfast the next morning before we headed out to shop all day.  

 My mom and a friend of my mom's drove over from Louisiana to meet us. The four of us had so much fun shopping for Christmas decor and gifts for people, eating funnel cakes & corn dogs (well, not me) but the most fun was definitely spending time together!

My mom has an excellent sense of direction so I usually just follow her around when I go with her to Canton. At times, it was just Alicia and I wandering around 2 square miles of booth after booth of shops and I quickly remembered that I was NOT blessed with a sense of direction. It is SO easy to get turned around in the Canton flea markets. 

We cannot wait to go back! The weather was perfect! We LOVE where we stayed! The trees were perfect. All in all, it was a great weekend. Couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Happy HOWL-oween!

This year I waited a little late on purchasing costumes. I went to Target and basically just got whatever they had left in their sizes. It's usually hard to buy an actual costume for our 70 lb. lab mix (Scooter) and I end up just putting him in a t-shirt with a skeleton or a pumpkin on it. But this year they had one XL hot dog costume left and I LOVE it. I seriously makes me giggle when he is in it. He doesn't mind having it on, I don't think, because he doesn't try to get out of it. But he does shake a lot in it, sort of like when dogs are wet and they shake to get the water off. I think because it's so big and bulky he's not used it. But it is quite comical to see this big dog in a hot dog costume. Can't stop giggling at this picture.

Here are both of my boys.  Notice how trilled they look. haha. I can hear them now saying something like:

Conner:: "Oh these are even more ridiculous than last year. I can't believe we put up with this. At least we don't have to wear hats this year."

Scooter:: "Yeah, you got a cape. I'm in a hot dog suit. I definitely got it worse this year. Just sit still and it will be over faster and then we get treats."

My little super dog, Conner!

The key to taking decent pictures of your dogs:
1. Do it when they're tired
2. Do it often
3. Do it with treats. LOTS of treats!

Happy HOWL-oween! I hope you have fun trick or treating or whatever you are doing tonight. I plan on kicking back with a good meal, catching up on my DVR and passing out candy to anyone that comes by our house. I hope we have a few trick or treaters, otherwise I might eat all the candy myself! YIKES!

The Ghosts of Howl-oweens past

As of now, my husband and I don't have kiddos so all of our love and affection goes straight to our crazy zoo: 2 dogs and 2 cats. We pamper them, give them daily treats, let them sleep in our bed, bathe them, take them on "adventures" (as we call it), celebrate their birthday and yes, even dress them up. Many people think we are absolutely insane. A lot of people think dogs are just dogs and they should sleep outside. We disagree! Our dogs (and our cats) are very much a part of our lives. Dogs are a part of our Buie pack and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Halloween is one of my husband's favorite holidays. He loves all things spooky. We have quite the collection of scary movies and books. I always say he is like this because his family owned a couple of funeral homes when he was growing up. B is very much used to death, dying and "the other side." He LOVES paranormal things too like ghosts, spirits, angels & demons. His fascination with creepiness (as I call it) can't be ignored in this household, especially in the month of October. This is the one month he wants me to watch movies with him...and Halloween is his excuse. So I oblige him all the while with a blanket covering my eyes. ;)

Not only do we watch scary movies for Halloween but we LOVE to dress up our doggies in costume. It started the first year we got Conner. He was about 10 months old and we got him in the Fall. He was always cold and would shiver so I found a couple of sweaters and jackets at Petsmart to help him stay warm... and as B says, it all went downhill from there.  This blue jacket was one of the first outfits I bought for Conner. It kept him warm and dry all winter long. He outgrew this jacket long ago but I still love this pic of him. He was so little!

What started out as finding something to keep him warm quickly turned into finding the cutest outfit for little C. Cute outfits then turned to Holiday outfits for Halloween & Christmas. Conner's first Halloween he was a bumble bee. By far, this is a favorite picture of Conner in costume. He did NOT love the hat at all. 

Over the past few years, I have had fun finding different costumes for Conner & Scooter. They have been a bumblebee, a devil, a criminal, a sheriff, a skeleton, a mailman (I couldn't find my pic of the mailman costume for some reason). I know I might be crazy to some people but this gives me great satisfaction to see my babies all dressed up. Even the dogs don't mind it (I give them LOTS of treats). 

So thanks for bearing with me as I share with you my kiddos. I know so many bloggers share their babies and their children growing up. Hopefully one day I can do the same...but until then, enjoy some doggies pics because you know they are adorable! Even if you're not big dog fan, how can you resist this face??

Stay tuned for this year's Halloween outfits. There were too many pictures to include in this post. 

Detox Day 1 & a Quick Smoothie Recipe

Day one of our detox went smashingly well. I'm proud to say I didn't eat anything with excess sugar all day. This morning I started off with organic turkey sausage links (These are my favorite!) and a peanut butter & banana protein shake. We get them at our local Kroger and they are perfect for adding it a little extra protein to any meal.

This shake is super easy and tasty!  I keep several bananas chopped up and stored in ziplock baggies in our freezer so that they are easily accessible when I'm making my smoothies. 

So here's the smoothie: 

1 frozen banana (apprx. 90 calories)

8 oz of original almond milk (40 calories)

1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. You can also use almond butter but I was all out. (95 calories)

1 scoop of protein. I use About Time Chocolate Protein Powder.  (103 calories)
and ice! I almost forget ice.

Blend all of these together and feel free to adjust ingredients based on consistency. If it's too thick, add more almond milk. If it's not thick enough, add more peanut/almond butter. This really is so good and it satisfies my milkshake addiction. I LOVE milkshakes but they are so bad for you. A large chocolate milkshake from McDonalds has 880 calories! 220 of those are purely fat calories. Wowzers! This peanut butter/banana shake is about 330 calories and much better for you! 

For dinner tonight, I made potato, shrimp and corn bisque. Yummo! Hopefully I'll get that recipe up on the blog in the next few days. 

Thanks for following me on this journey to better health. And please know, I am not a doctor, a nurse or a dietician...just a girl trying to make better food choices. :) If y'all try my smoothie concoction, let me know if you like it! 

Weekend Review: iPhone Dump

 This was a great weekend because Buie was off! We always take advantage of these weekends together. We talked about going somewhere for a couple of days but then decided to enjoy our weekend here in Little Rock since we rarely get a whole weekend together! It started off with a Friday night date at a local Mexican restaurant. Since we are starting the detox diet Monday morning, we over-indulged this weekend... It's sort of like the feast before the fast!

Every year we dress up the dogs for Halloween. It has become a thing for me. I love going to Target and/or Petco to find the perfect outfit. Last year I tried to coordinate their outfits (they were a Sheriff & a Criminal) but this year I just went with random outfits. I'll probably do another post with better pictures of the dogs but this year they are a Hot Dog (Scooter) and an astronaut (Conner). 

 After the front came through Thursday night it was CHILLY and we loved it. Conner gets a little cold and shivers so I broke out the winter clothes. He doesn't mind wearing t-shirts that much because it keeps him warm. After sitting out on the back porch and watching the sun go down, we warmed up by the fire and snuggled: a perfect evening. Look how content Conner looks sitting by the fire. I love this pic.

Saturday morning it was downright COLD! I had a couple of shoots lined up at Pinnacle Mtn. Park. It was absolutely gorgeous out there! If I lived closer, I would have my quiet time there daily. I always feel so much better when I'm surrounded by nature. I am definitely an outdoor girl. I just wish I did more outdoor things. :)

Saturday we hung out all day with some of our best friends, Brian & Alicia. We watched the Ole Miss/Arkansas game, ate chili and hung out literally ALL DAY and into the evening. They live a few blocks away from War Memorial Stadium where Saturday's game was played, so we felt like we were in on the action but we didn't even have to leave the comfort of their home. It really was a perfect Saturday. I didn't take a lot of pics but I did snap this cute one of Ava cat and me and my nephew. Carson is very much a momma's boy; this was right after he figured out his mom had left the room. That face is pitiful! 

Here he is in his mother's arm... MUCH happier. :)

Sunday I woke up not feeling great at all. I think spending a few hours out in the cold wind Saturday morning was NOT a good idea. But after taking a hot bath, drinking echinacea tea, and taking lots of vitamin C, I felt better. We ended Buie's last weekend off before the Christmas retail rush by watching football and carving a couple of pumpkins. We usually try to do this every year. Halloween is one of Buie's favorite holidays and he has to work on Halloween night (of course) so we got in the spirit by carving pumpkins. I tried to carve a kitty pumpkin and I'm not really pleased with the eyes but oh well!

I hope y'all have a great week! This week is going to be super busy for me but I'm looking forward to it all!

Fall is here!

Baby, it's cold outside! A front came through last night and I woke up to a chill in the house! This makes me so happy! Can we finally say that Fall is here? Time to pull on those boots and not worry about sweating! This is my favorite fashion time of year: boots, scarves, jackets, sweaters. I seriously wish it could be Fall all year round!

I snapped this pic last week while I was at a shoot and I love it. I might have to frame it and put it somewhere in our house. 

I hope y'all have a fabulous Fall weekend! B is off work this weekend which is rare! We plan on watching football, grilling out with friends and probably eating too much. After all, our detox diet starts Monday. We might as well indulge while we can! Have a happy weekend!