The Lacy Family

Friday Finds.

2012-01-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

This week, the Lacy household got hit by a couple sicky bugs. First, Jason & Addison were taken down & then Momma got hit as well. Hopefully, Drew boy is in the clear.

Drew & I got out of the house & went to Heaven on Earth, otherwise known as Target & Starbucks.

While we were at Target, I got gutsy & bought red lipstick. Eek! Not sure if I have the guts to wear it out. When I showed it to Addy, she asked to try some on & I happily obliged. I always love the chance to get to play beauty shop with my little lady.

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I wanted to share a few finds I saw over the last week - I kinda like the idea of doing a Friday Finds. I always love seeing what new things people find on the interwebs.

This band was on Ellen this week & they just blew me away. 5 people playing one guitar. How awesome is that?

The answer is very awesome.

One of my favorite bloggers, Hollywood Housewife, has been sharing the journey of her faith this week. I have been anxiously checking my Google Reader to see if there is a new update from her. I am always fascinated to hear how people come to the Lord. If you'd like to read her journey, start here.

Recently, Laura (Hollywood Housewife) actually said she would do a guest blog for bloggers as long as the host gave the prompt/topic. I so badly wanted to ask her to write about her faith but I chickened out. I know that writing about your relationship with the Lord can sometimes be raw & make you feel very vulnerable. I was so excited to hear that this was the topic she was going to share this week!

Have you ever heard of Mars Hill Church? I hadn't before I read this. My stomach literally tied itself in knots as I read.

I have so many thoughts & opinions on this story but I will only say is that humiliation & guilt is a huge reason why people hate the "church".

Jesus does NOT teach us to humiliate, guilt, or shame each other.

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I hope you all have fantastic weekends!

miscellany monday.

2012-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am linking up with Carissa over at lowercase letters for a little miscellany monday.

There is a sweet young boy in our church who is facing a battle with cancer. Would you say a prayer for Clayton right now? If you would like to read more about his journey, you can click here.

I know any prayers would be so greatly appreciated.

We had a fun, relaxed weekend.

Friday night, I went to an open house at our church with my hilarious friend, Heather. After the open house, we decided to feast on something sweet. Claim Jumpers was calling our name! It was a wonderful night with my sweet friend who just found out she is having a GIRL! Yay! Katie is a fantastic name, FYI.

We also took Addy down to my folks house to ride her bike. She is a little scared to ride in our neighborhood (sidewalks & black top make her a little skidish) so we loaded up the bikes & went to ride in the country. She did so awesome!

I had high hopes of cleaning out my night stands but we watched movies instead. Lo siento.

I had been looking forward to Ides of March & was a little disappointed. It was ok - not anything I would need to watch again.

Jason & I both really enjoyed Courageous! The acting can be a little cheesy at times but the story is such a great message. Love, love, loved this movie! Highly recommend!

I ran to these songs today & it made my heart so happy! We sing all of these songs at church so I felt like I was running in the middle of worship. Loved it! I also ran my longest so far. I will break 3 miles soon!

Happy Monday!

Green Monster!

2012-01-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

I love Green Monster's. They are an awesome way to get a ton of fruits & veggies in one punch. There are a ton of different recipes floating around & I thought I'd share how I make mine!

All my goodies!

Silk Light

Spinach

One rib of kale

Carrots

Banana

Orange

Frozen strawberries

I start with my green leaves at the bottom. I rip the kale off the rib. Kale makes it taste more "grassy"so if you don't care for that, you can just omit it! I happen to love that taste! :]

This is what you will be left with. Just throw that away!

Next, I add two handfuls of spinach.

I can not stand the taste of carrots so throwing them into my GM is perfect! I don't taste them AT ALL so I get all the goodies from them without having to taste them. Carrots, blech.

During the summer time, I usually use fresh strawberries. Since they are out of season (i.e cahrazy expensive), I get frozen strawberries with no added sugar. Just make sure strawberries are the only ingredients!

I add an peeled orange.

I just started using this & I really like it! I add a cup to the blender.

Once all the fruits & veggies are added, I blend it up.

Mmm, looks good!

I add some ice once I see the all the produce is completely blended.

My sweet little helper is ready to push the button!

Voila`! There she is in all her green beauty.

If you are doing WW, Green Monster's are only 2 points (for the milk). I typically have my GM as my afternoon snack (3ish) & it keeps me really full until dinner.

Do you have a Green Monster recipe? I would love to hear what you add!

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I saw this on my favorite fitness blog the other day & I wanted to share.

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.

The same can be said for many things..

If you lead, you're a leader.

If you teach, you're a teacher.

If you learn, you're a learner.

If you sing, you're a singer.

If you love, you're a lover.

No tests, no licenses, no membership cards. Just lead. Just teach. Just learn. Just sing. Just love. Just be you <3

You can see the original post here.

I sometimes get down of myself because I have never run an organized race. If someone would ask me if I was a runner, I would say "well, not a runner per se..." I am not sure what exactly I am waiting for. To hit a magical number of miles? To run my first race? I don't know the answer to that question.

But what I do know is that I am consistently logging miles on the treadmill so yes, I am a runner.

Weekend Update:iPhone Edition

2012-01-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hmm, I am sensing a pattern in the photo documentation of the Lacy family. I am vowing to break out the actual camera this week for some real pictures!

We had such a great weekend! Friday night, Jason & I met some friends at Four Peaks Brewery for some yummy food. I had not been to Four Peeks before & I have to say, I am now a huge fan! We tried 2 different types of beer & the Sunbru was my favorite.

Jason & I split the nachos (there are chips under there, promise.)

& the club. It was SO much food. We couldn't finish it between the two of us & that never happens!

After we filled out bellies, we headed to Laser Quest for laser tag. Yes, you read that correctly. Jason was gifted a NERF gun for Christmas & I may have since gone around the house, taking out targets Katniss style. And that may awoken my inner tribute so when Jason asked what I wanted to do for our date night, I quickly said laser tag. I really, really love laser tag.

So I forgot to take a picture of the Simpson's at dinner & this is the only one I got of them.

My hubs & I in the "briefing area." I have to say that when the young LQ employee was talking about the rules of the "arena", I may have gotten a teensy bit scared that I was going into the actual arena - ya know, that arena.

I quickly got over that fear & starting whippin' some tail. I came in 3rd out of 14 players so I was pretty proud. It's the little things in life that make my heart swell.

Saturday night, Addy & I cheered on Miss Arizona in the Miss America pageant. Unfortunately, she lost to Miss Land of Cheese (whom appeared to not know what water-proof mascara was. Don't they teach you that in Pageant Junk 101?)

See? Yikes!

After church on Sunday, we hit up Applebee's for lunch & little dude wanted to wear my new sunglasses. He put them on & said "cheese" so I obviously had no choice but to document it!

After we finally put away all our Christmas decorations (yep - you also read that right), I snuggled into my couch to watch the red carpet for Golden Globes. It was fun to watch along with my Twitter ladies!

These gorgeous gals were my favorites.

And since the beloved Minny won, I had to make a chocolate pie in her honor! It was really good - I followed this recipe!

As I was browsing through Instagram yesterday, I saw this. I really liked it & just wanted to share.

Happy ~~Monday~~, er Tuesday!

Our week: iPhone edition

2012-01-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

This was our first week to normalcy after the holidays. Well, as normal as we can get here in the Lacy house.

Addy getting ready to head to school Monday morning! I love her new coat - it's so cozy & warm! They are super marked down now & I may just gab her one in the bright coral color!

Drew was all out of sorts with his nap this week so he usually fell asleep right as it was time to leave to get sis. When I slipped in to get him, I found him shirtless & with his toesies sticking out. It was one of those sweet moments I wanted to freeze time! He is at such a fun age!

I ran my longest run of 2012 & I attribute it directly to...

...this song. Momma knows every word. Don't hate.

Drew & I had a fun play date with our sweet friends, Elle & Rachel! We love getting to meet up with the Riaza girls! They are some of our favoritest play daters.

I had a few extra WW points at the end of the other day so I made a nutella s'more. It was delicious! Little did I know that I had nutella all down my face. I had conversations with both my husband & daughter & neither of them said a WORD! I walked in the bathroom & saw my face in the mirror.

Um, thanks people.

This week was a fun mail week! I got my second birchbox

& a special delivery from Kari Beth & her darling Etsy store!

I had to add this because Drew is all about faking things right now. He snuggled up to me so J took a picture of us. He did not want to smile - he wanted to "seep" with fake snoring & all! Stinker.

Happy Friday! I get to go on a REAL date with my husband tonight. Oh, happy day!

Weight Watcher Wednesday!

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's baaaaaack!

I re-joined WW just before the new year & I am loving it. I knew that would, though. Weight Watchers works. You eat normal, healthy foods. No major eliminations of any food group. It teaches you what portions sizes truly are. If you follow the plan, you will lose weight. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I came across a recipe for an italian veggie soup on the WW website & made a couple swaps for ingredients my market didn't have. This soup recipe has been instrumental in my plan. It is super filling & one cup = one point!

2 cup(s) escarole, chopped - I used Kale instead
2 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup(s) uncooked onion(s), chopped
2 cup(s) fresh spinach, baby leaves
2 small uncooked zucchini, cubed
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), chopped
1 medium uncooked fennel bulb(s), thinly sliced- I used celery instead
6 cup(s) vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp thyme, fresh, fresh, finely chopped- I used italian seasoning instead
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped-I used italian seasoning instead
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup(s) parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) basil, fresh, leaves

Put kale, garlic, onions, spinach, zucchini, red pepper, celery, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

I have made 2 batches of this stuff over the weekend & then had it with my lunch everyday. Perfect little extra to keep me full!

Que Pasa, 2012?

2012-01-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's 2012?

I was reading and article & it referenced 1995 & I thought to myself "Oh, ok, so like 10 years ago." Um, no. Closer to 20. Wild, right?

I love this time of year. I know a lot of people go into a winter funk after the holidays & maybe its because I live in AZ where its sunny & 70 degrees, but I love the fresh, new start a year brings.

One of the wonderful things about a new year & fresh start are the dreams & ideas you have for yourself. Some people call them resolutions, some people call them intentions, some people call them just plain ol' plans & today, I am going to share mine with you.

Be in the Word everyday.

One of the biggest reasons I love reading God's Word is that I am constantly peeling back the layers of lessons He is teaching me. I am always, always able to find refuge & refreshment in Word.

Run 15-20 miles a month

Running makes me happy. Being happy makes me a better wife, mom, & person.

I am doing this in September. I can't wait!

Be kind.

I know this is broad but that's how I want it. I want to be kind to myself - my body & my mind. Eat right & take care of myself. Not stress myself out with unnecessary things. I want to be kind to those around me & extend grace. I want my thoughts, actions, & words to be kind.

I thought this was an awesome portrayal of 2011. Great reminder to me that there is a big ol' world outside my front door.

I am excited for 2012.

Christmas 2011!

2011-12-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right?!

Blogger uploaded these in backwards order so start at the bottom & scroll up, ok? I really don't feel like going back & re-uploading them.

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Best way to describe our Christmas evening - fireworks, tamales, & charades!

We just hung out by the fire & ate lots & lots of food!

My momma & me!

After brunch, we all headed to our own houses to change into comfy clothes & head to my brothers for games & more food! It was totally spur of the moment & turned out to be one of the most fun Christmases I can remember!

Kiddos chowing down!

Some of the boys flipping flap jacks!

After we cleaned up a little, we got ready to head down to my grandparents for Christmas brunch.

This is the only picture I took down there on my camera -whoops! My cousin, Meagan, announced she is having another sweet baby! So excited for her!

Christmas morning was so much fun!

I love seeing the living room full of the kiddos aftermath. They both were so sweet that morning!

My handsome with his new train set! He got a new train table for his room - he is in heaven!

We took Addy to the Christian bookstore a few weekends before Christmas just to "look" at big girl Bibles. After she picked one out, we went to another part of the store while Daddy bought it. She was so surprised to see that purple Bible - especially since her name was embossed on the front!

Santa came!

and put out cookies, for Santa - of course!

We made reindeer food!

Daddy reads 'Twas The Night Before Christmas every year!

Our cuties in their new jammies!

Drew was so excited Mickey was on his jammies!

Start here!

This Christmas Eve was a little bit different than years past. I serve on the media team at church & that encompasses camera work, video production, lights, sound - all the fun, creative elements of church! I LOVE getting to serve on the media team - it is such a blessing! Since Christmas Eve brings in a lot of people, our church offered 7 services & some of the media team was asked to commit to serving at every service so things would be more fluid & smooth. I got home from serving at 8ish so once I was home, we started our Christmas Eve traditions!

Kiddos get to open one present each Christmas Eve & its always new Christmas jammies. I wonder when they will catch on to that?

Lacy Fam Polar Express!

2011-12-20T08:26:00.001-08:00

When I was perusing the pages of Pinterest the other day, I came across this pin & instantly knew I wanted to do it ASAP!

Last night, after dinner & baths, we got things started! The babes hung out in Addy's room while we got ready. I printed out the tickets & Jason & I put together a quick scavenger hunt for the kiddos.

We hid the tickets & their treats in the tree!

After we explained what we were doing, the kiddos got their slippers & blankets & were ready to board the Christmas Express!

Daddy punched their tickets-

They thought that was so much fun!

We loaded up & headed out to look at the lights!

We had such great time! We normally go look at lights every year but adding the ticket aspect made it that much more special!

This was my favorite house! I love the RED door, the big, crisp white lights, & the huge tree in their front yard. It looks homey & inviting, doesn't it? Love!

Your welcome for the idea, Disneyland.

2011-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

So back when we did a spontaneous Disney trip in May, I made this video with our pictures.

Today, Disney released this video.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I believe they are right!

Christmas Card Carousel!

2011-12-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am excited to link up with Faith for her Christmas Card Carousel! This is my 2nd year linking up with her - you can see our card from last year here!

I really love how our cards turned out this year.

Kinda whimsy, a lil' funky, & whole 'lotta sweet - just like the Lacy Fam!

Oh, how I wish I could send all my favorite bloggers a card. Since that could get pretty expensive, I think that doing it this way is just perfect!

I just took a screen shot of our cards so the quality isn't that great but you still get the idea!

I can't wait to see all the cards that people link up. Head over to Faith's blog to see more Christmas cards & link up yourself!

'Tis the Season.

2011-12-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

It's happened.

Even though I swore to myself that I would not let it happen this year, it has.

The season that I so love has come upon me in a quick blur of Christmas pictures, parades, & pageants.

But today, it feels different. The overwhelming sense of "go, go, go" is a bit at ease.

I have finished editing all the photos of my sweet clients.

My house is {somewhat} clean.

My cold seems to have hit the road & I am able to breath through my nose again.

It's cold & rainy & I feel like the season is actually here.

So why does it feel different?

I am sure all those things have something to do with it but I know its because I am putting the

true reason

for this sweet time at the forefront of my mind.

I am thankful to have a bit of a "time out" before the busyness of next week kicks in.

I am excited to focus on the things that make this season important.

Like eating too many cookies & watching Elmo with this handsome lil' dude.

And celebrating the miracle that is the birth of Jesus Christ.

Give thanks to the LORD; for he is good! His faithful love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1

Christmas Parade x Dos

2011-12-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

What a fun weekend we had! Saturday morning, Addison got to walk in a local parade with her drama class. She had such a good time & was quite adorable!

Drew had such a good time waiting for sister to come down the parade. He waved at the bands & fought other little kids for candy. Just kidding - no fights. They all shared quite nicely!

The APS truck was blowing "snow"!

Baxter from the Diamondbacks was there! Drew loved getting to see him!

After the parade finished, we walked over to the resort my little brother works at. We all loaded up & he took us for a tour around the property. It is such a gorgeous resort - we will definitely

be doing a staycation there next summer!

They have the resort decorated for the holidays so we took some fun pictures!

We headed home to rest because later that night, we had another parade to participate in!

Our home team decided to enter a float in the local light parade, "Glow on Monroe". Isn't that a darling name? The light parade route goes through downtown Buckeye which is on Monroe - cute, right?

We worked on the float Thursday & Friday nights & it was so much fun! We have a carpenter in our home team & he is so talented. He built the whole thing from scratch.

Hood Home Team!

We went with a Gingerbread Church theme & I loved all the little touches we added.

My adorable hubby & me before we walked the parade route! Yes, he is wearing Shrek ears & no, I do not know why.

The parade was such a fun experience - it is such a blessing to be able to have a group of people to do life with. I am very thankful God has blessed us with these people!

Last night was a great ending to a fun & festive weekend - we went down to my folks house & helped them decorate their tree. The kiddos were in heaven!

Confessional Friday

2011-12-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

I am linking up with Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition for Confession Friday - do you read her blog? She is adorable & I always look forward to her posts! Her blog makes me happy.

1. Wahoo - It's Friday! Friday's just so happen to also make me happy.

2. My celeb crushes are Jason Segel & Jimmy Fallon. Funny boys are cute. If you can make me laugh, I will love you forever. This goes for all relationships - not just celebrity crushes. Anyways, I can't wait for this movie to come out.

It's in my Jewish drawer. Ha.

3. I mailed out our Christmas cards this week. Made me feel super ahead of the Christmas craziness until I remembered I have bought exactly zero gifts. Well, whoopsie.

4. Do you read Kendi Everyday? My sweet friend, Kari Beth, linked to her blog a long time ago & I fell in love with her style. I pink puffy heart her outfit today.

5. I have come to realize I am a cold weather weenie. As much as I love the cold, I feel like I can not get warm lately!

Fuzzy socks, cozy blanket, & mug of hot tea are helping but dang! I am cold & its only in the 50's! It's not like I live in the Arctic.

6. Have you heard this song?

I can't stop listening to it. Love!

If you confess your Friday secrets, let me know so I can check them out!

Monday Miscellany

2011-12-05T11:38:00.001-08:00

Holy smokes, this weekend was super busy. I had 3 photo sessions, served at 4 services of church, attended a birthday dinner in my honor, & we bought Jason a new car. Crazy, right? I just want to lay down for the next 48 hours but I have another session tonight. As tired as I am, I LOVE how busy I am with photography right now - getting to be creative makes me a happy girl!

Jason & I have an artificial tree & I really miss having the aroma of a fresh Christmas tree in our house! I am always on the hunt for a strong smelling Christmas tree scented product. I saw a certain candle that was raved about on a few blogs & twitter so I purchased it. I was so excited to burn it & have my house be filled with the woodsy smell but...

I can't smell it at all! I don't know if I got a dud candle or if it's just really not that great but I am sad nonetheless! My $2 wax cubes from Walmart are actually stronger than the $30 candle I bought. Sad, right?!

It really bothers me when people say "Oh, I'd love to _____ but I just don't have time"...you can fill in the blank with blogging, exercising, reading...really anything. If you REALLY want to do it, you will find the time. Period.

How adorable is this tray? Megan over at In This Wonderful Life is giving one away! Go check it out by clicking here!

And just because they are oh so adorable, I will leave you with a picture of my babes!

Happy Monday!

What I am Lovin' Wednesday!

2011-11-30T08:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday! Today I am going to share with you what I am lovin' today! If you'd like to link up & join in on the fun, you can head on over here!

A few weekends ago, we got our family pictures taken & I LOVE them so much! I met Caitlin (our photographer) when she & her then fiance hired me to shoot their wedding. Caitlin is going to school for photography & I was so excited that she said yes to shooting our family! You can see more of your pictures by clicking here.

We had a tiny little elf boy come to live at the Lacy house. Please meet Buddy - named after Buddy the Elf from one of our favorite movies. I was pulling to name him Duncan after Duncan's Toy Chest from Home Alone 2 but Addy nixed that idea. Bummer!

Little Buddy decided to perch on the bathroom counter & wrap himself in TP. Addison thought it was hilarious!

I am really loving my new curling iron. It is the Hot Tools 1 1/2 inch barrel.

I grabbed it at Ulta a few weeks ago & it works fantastic! It is what is use to make the long curls like in the picture below.

It is on sale on the Ulta website & there is free shipping right now!

Do you use Ebates? I just signed up this week & I have already made like 6 bucks shopping online! When you go through their website to shop at your favorite stores, they give you cash back! Isn't that cool?

It is really simple - you just search for the company you are wanting to buy from, click their link, & shop away! Ebates post the money to your account in just a few days!

I just searched for Ulta & you can get 5% back from them. So if you were eyeing that curling iron - buying it online would be a better deal than in store right now!

Happy Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011!

2011-11-29T13:24:00.001-08:00

I hope you all had a blessed holiday weekend! The Lacy's had a mighty fine Thanksgiving weekend.

The fun started Wednesday night when the kiddos helped Momma make the jello pretzel salad. They were more than happy to help lick the spoons!

I made 3 different Pinterest recipes for the Thanksgiving meal & all 3 were a hit!

Not sure why blogger is making the links all wonky but I wanted to share! They were all so yummy!

Jello Pretzel Salad

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Katie on Pinterest

Sausage Cream Cheese Rolls

Source: azestybite.com via Katie on Pinterest

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Source: thepickyapple.com via Katie on Pinterest

The kiddos & I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade while Jason went and played in a Turkey Bowl at a local church. I was so scared that I was going to get a call from the ER but thankfully, he played & arrived home in one piece. YAY!

We headed down to my grandparents house for our yummy meal!

My dad in his apron - ain't he cute?

Jason was getting some baby love with our new nephew, Todd. Sadly, it did not raise his baby temperature - he is nowhere near baby fevah at all. Wah, wah.

My momma, SIL Tracey, me, & my Grandma!

Mom showing Grandma how to be "sassy".

Grandma giving the sassy thing a shot!

My sweet new nephew!

Mimi was loving on the little Toddster.

Addison & her BFF (& cousin), Polly! These 2 LOVE each other.

These 4 all play so well together !

After we ate a delicious meal, there was a lot of football watching going on. Since football isn't really my thing, Jason & I took the kiddos on a walk around Grandpa's dairy.

After our walk, Uncle Jason took turns spinning each kid & then we played an awesome game of Red Rover, Red Rover.

I think it's pretty safe to say we are the coolest aunt & uncle evah.

We headed home & put the kiddos to bed. I brewed a pot of coffee & started chug-a-lugging because I was getting ready to hit Black Friday!

My girlfriend, Jamie, & I headed to the mall & it was complete insanity. We scored a couple good deals but overall, the crowds were ridiculous. We shopped a few hours & then hit Denny's at 2:30am.

Check out Jamie's sandwich! It was a grilled cheese with mozzarella sticks inside! It was quite tasty.

I grabbed this sparkly flats for a steal which made being at the mall at 1:00am worth it.

I also was quite crafty this weekend & made this Christmas ribbon wreath. I will post the other crafts sometime this week!

Happy Tuesday!

Caaahrazy Week Catch Up!

2011-11-23T14:01:00.001-08:00

Well hello there! I keep promising myself that I will be better at posting but this time of year is just plain nutso for me. Bear with me - sporadic posting equals lots of pictures!

So lets see..what has happened lately?

My best friend got married!

We had a girls night full of sushi & fun a few nights before the big day!

Her big day was so much fun! We got our makeup done which was SO much fun! I had never had my makeup professionally done. I loved it - I asked the girl if she wanted to move in & do my makeup every day but no dice. So sad!

The bridesmaids getting ready to line up.

My dress had pockets in it! I was able to have my iPhone with me so I could snap pictures during the reception.

Mr. & Mrs. Hammett!

My sister & I at the reception

My homecoming date from 2001! We were recreating our pose. You can't see but I was popping my foot up just like I did all those years back then in our picture. I loved getting to see JP - he is such a fun guy!

Maureen & some of her 'maids!

My bff! So, SO happy for her! Such a fun night!

Sunday morning we woke up & headed to church. Addy made this is in her Sunday School class & I loved it. It says "Don't freck (freak) out God is with you!" Love that little girl.

Sunday evening we had our family pictures taken & I can not wait to see them! After our pictures, we went to Old Spaghetti Factory down town for an early birthday dinner.

Spaghetti with brown butter & mizithra cheese.

Oh lawdy, she is a thing of beauty. I love, love, love this pasta dish. I always get the "hearty helping" so I can eat it for a few meals!

Monday was my 27th birthday! My sweet husband let me sleep in & even took the day off to hang out with me. I love spending time with that man.

We headed to lunch because I wanted some In-N-Out animal style french fries. Holy smokes, these things are so amazing. Have you ever had them? They start with french fries, add cheese, grilled onions, & their secret sauce. Ah-mazing!!

And since I clearly love food, why stop there with the food pictures? We got a delish cookie cake from Paradise Bakery to top of my birthday evening.

Today has consisted of watching the Biebs on The Today Show...Addy made a heart with her hands every time he came on. Ha!

We also made Pioneer Woman's Monkey Muffins for breakfast. These were a hit! Super easy & SO good! I am making them for breakfast tomorrow. And maybe the next day.

We also deep cleaned Addison's room today. I think my 6 year old may be a hoarder. New room rule - for everything you bring in, something must leave. Papers, books, toys, clothes - anything! Too much STUFF. I can breathe a little easier when I walk in her room now. Whew!

And this little guy...

Well, he is just plain adorable.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I am so excited to get to watch the parade, eat yummy food (naturally), & just spend time with the people I love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Best Friend's Wedding {Shower}

2011-11-17T12:02:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had the great honor of co-hosting a shower for my best friend. Maureen is my oldest friend - we have played together since we were itty bitty babes and getting to help throw her a shower was such a fun blessing!

Addison was so excited to come to the shower - she loves all things girly!

I was in charge of games which I was really excited about. I know most people groan at the thought of shower games so I knew they needed to be fun.

I emailed Jeff, Maureen's fiance, a list of questions & he answered them. I read Maureen the questions & she told me what she thought Jeff said as the answer. It was a lot of fun & Jeff was really sweet in some of the answers!

They other game I had was the wedding dress game. We made three groups & they designed wedding dresses for Maureen to judge.

Addison & Abby played along as well!

The 4 contestants!

Maureen picked the lady on the right - she had a seamstress on her team!

Addison made her card out of wrapping paper - she loves her Aunt Mo!

Maureen's mom & sister-in-law made her this really gorgeous shadow box with the wedding & shower invites. It turned out so pretty!

Maureen, her mom, & her nana!

Maureen, her bridesmaids (minus one), & flower girl! Her nephew, Gus, snuck in the picture too.

Their wedding is this Saturday & I am so, so, SO excited! I can not wait to be part of their big day!

**************************

I had to add this since it is wedding related. I got my first ever spray tan last night. It was a little dark but when I woke up, I looked like a oompa loompa.

Can you EVEN BELIEVE that?!

I may have had a mini heart attack but once I washed my face, it was a lot better.

This is what I look like right now. WHEW! I was scared that I was going to look like Snooki walking down the aisle!

Tuesday Randoms!

2011-11-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, I became an Auntie again! My brother & his wife welcome a sweet little baby boy! This is their 3rd child & first boy. They are over the moon about their little guy & he is just perfect!

I got to spend some time with him yesterday & shot some newborn pictures. I just love this one!

Last week, we went on a field trip with a lot of other first graders.

Today, we ate turkey with a lot of other first graders.

It has been brought to my attention that first grade teachers are HORRIBLY underpaid. They deserve some serious coin for the patience they must have. Yhesh!

Addy & I made the pilgrim hats I have seen all over Pinterest only 6 or 7 hundred times. Ha! They were fun to take to her class today.

I recently started reading The End of Normal by Stephanie Madoff Mack. I am so fascinated by the Bernie Madoff scandal & this is Stephanie's side of the story. I can't even imagine what she has been through.

My sweet boy says "I love you" now. I think it is quite possibly the cutest "I wuve you" I have ever heard!

That's a pretty random post if I have ever seen one. Happy Tuesday!

Happy Anniversary - Disney style!

2011-11-14T07:25:00.001-08:00

Whew! Last week whipped my tail! I meant to post this last week but the busyness that was last week won over posting on the ol' blog.

Jason & I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on November 6th! 7 years?! Sometimes it seems like we just met & other times it feels like I have always know him.

We had planned on doing a staycation at a resort in Scottsdale but my little brain got to turnin' & I worked out a plan to get us to Disney. Jason & I knew that we wanted to go just the 2 of us before our passes expired & what better time than our anniversary?

We woke up EARLY on Friday, the 4th. Look at the amazing sunrise we were greeted with! We took the kiddos to my sister's house where she kept Drew & got Addison off to school.

As we were heading to the airport, I got a text from my sister saying that Addison was tired so Kim (my sister) gave Addy a lil' pick-me-up. Ha! (She was joking - we don't give small children energy drinks. Just big children. Just kidding again.)

It made me laugh though because I was enjoying a Monster at the exact moment I got the text. Mmm, Monster.

We decided to park at the airport since we were only going to be gone for 3 days & it took a lot longer than we had anticipated. We cut it SO CLOSE to making our flight. I may have been a nervous wreck on the airport shuttle.

Thankfully, we MADE IT!

We flew into Orange County & it was seriously the shortest flight ever. I didn't even have time to finish my People magazine! From airport to airport, it was an hour. Perfect!

As we were landing at John Wayne, we could see Disneyland. I was pretty giddy at that point. All the craziness I felt about leaving the kids & making our flight melted away. I was excited to spend time with my honey!

We took a shuttle to our hotel & were surprised to hear that our room was ready when we got there. We checked in & changed into warm clothes so we could head to the park.

They had these pins for us at check in. They were fun to wear because every Disney "cast member" who see it would wish us a Happy Anniversary.

We were on the 3rd floor so this was over looking the lobby. I could have stayed in the lobby with a cup of coffee & a book all day! It is so warm & cozy.

As we were headed into the park, it started to sprinkle a little. The difference of being at Disney when its raining with kids versus without kids is huge. When we went in February, it rained & it was stressful. Drew was literally slurping the water off his stroller tray & he was soaked. When it was just me & J, we got a little wet & then ducked in to eat some chili & dry off.

We were eating in the Corner Cafe & in popped Alice & the Mad Hatter. It was fun to get to watch them interact with everybody & made me really miss the kids. Addy would have loved that!

After lunch, we got REALLY rained on so we decided to check out the new Star Tours. It was awesome!

Since we were pretty soaked at that point, we decided to head back to the hotel & warm up. We decided to go out to dinner for our "nice" dinner this night. We wanted to enjoy a big bowl of pasta & glass of wine. We made reservations at a place where we could get both. The food & drinks were good but the atmosphere left little to be desired. It was super loud in the restaurant & we were under the impression that it was a quiet, quaint Italian restaurant. Oh well, we enjoyed our food & skedaddled out of there.

Headed to dinner - had to stop & take waterfall pictures!

We did some more rides after dinner & then decided to turn in for the night. We were both REALLY looking forward to sleeping in! When we got back to our room, we found chocolates on our pillows & Cinderella reading bedtime stories on our TV. Another time we wished our kiddos were there - they would of loved it!

Sleeping in was amazing but we woke up hungry. We quickly got ready & headed down to breakfast. Holy smokes, it was delicious!

The Mickey waffles are the best waffles I have ever had. They are crispy on the outside but soft & fluffy on the inside.

I have titled this picture: Before & After.

Since California Adventure had just opened for the day, we headed over there to ride Toy Story Mania. This was going to be our chance to really duke it out since neither of us had to hold on to a kiddo.

We are smiling here but it was on!

Lacy vs. Lacy

For those of you who haven't gone on Toy Story Mania, it is a 3D ride where you shoot things like a carnival game. It is REALLY fun & Jason & I may get a little competitive.

So who won?

I was player 2.

Yay, me!

We spent the day walking around, eating lots of food, & riding as many rides that we could. We had SUCH a great time!

When we woke up Sunday, we decided we wanted more Mickey waffles so it was Storytellers Cafe Round Dos. As we were walking to breakfast, they were filming part of the Disney Christmas Parade in our hotel's lobby. They were actually filming in the park as well. That was neat to see!

Waiting to fill our bellies with delicious carbs!

Some guy that we had never heard of was singing but I had to take a picture for the blog, naturally.

I thought we were going to get to see Ryan Seacrest but apparently he was hosting the parade at WDW. Nick Cannon hosted the one in Disneyland. No sight of Mariah or the twinsies, Maroon & Marigold.

Mr. Cannon is in the white jacket.

We spent our last day hitting up all the rides we wanted to go again - especially Space Mountain. I could ride Space Mountain over & over. It is my most favoritest ride EVER!

Jason & I had such an amazing time getting to hang out just the 2 of us. We missed our babies like crazy but it was a special weekend where we got to be just Jason & Katie.

We are both SO grateful to my sister, Kim, & sister-in-law, Kerri, for keeping our kiddos. We appreciate them so much!!

Happy Anniversary, sweet boy! I am so thankful you asked me to be Mrs. Lacy.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT Halloween! Each year it gets more and more fun and this year did NOT disappoint!

Our Halloween fun began on Friday when Jason's work held their annual trick or treat party for the families.

My little train conductor!

My pretty little witch!

We had a great time a Daddy's work. The different teams do fun activities for the kids & pass out candy. Love that they do this for the families every year!

Yesterday, Addison had her Halloween party at school & Drew & I were able to attend!

Drew L-O-V-E-S getting to go to his sister's class. There is so much for him to get into there, ha!

Addy & her buddy, Jordan!

My sweet babes & me!

Oh, how I love these monkeys!

Last night, our small group hosted a Halloween block party. It was so much fun! I have to admit - this was my first block party to ever attend. Growing up on a dairy farm didn't offer many chances for block parties since our closet neighbor was 1/2 mile away! Ha!

We had a bounce slide & games for the neighborhood kids to play. We had hot dogs for everyone & lots & LOTS of candy!

Some of the sweet babes in our small group!

We had a great turnout - something like a 150 people came! Awesome!

One of the dad's in our small group built this ship on his wagon to take the littles trick or treating. Isn't that awesome?! He did a great job!

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

PostalPix & Postagram!

2011-10-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Katie & I am addicted to taking pictures.

But if you have read this blog for more than 2 seconds, you knew that - right? :]

I, along with a lot of you, use my iPhone to take a lot of day to day, random pictures. I usually run them through instagram to give them a different look but editing them that way turns them into a square. As you know, printing a square picture into 4x6 will be wonky looking.

I love my instagram pictures so I was super excited when I found out about PostalPix. It's an app that lets you upload your instagram pictures. They print them off as a square & mail them back to you!

I did these in the car on our way back from California & they arrived in just a few days!

I put my phone next to them so you can see the size.

The other cool app I found is Postagram. The great thing about this app is that it works with iPhones & Droids!

Basically, you upload a picture, fill out what you want your post card to say, & they mail it off for you!

Best part? The whole thing is only 99 cents!

The picture is laminated as well as perforated so it can pop out!

Wanna a free Postagram? Click here to sign up!

And, I would like to take this moment to say...

GO CARDS!!!

My 2 week old little Drew boy rep' the Red Bird Pride.

What I am Lovin' Wednesday!

2011-10-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! I woke up this morning & thought it was Saturday. My bed was so comfy & it was cool & dark in our room. I was sad when I realized it was only Wednesday. Boo.

But, hey, Wednesdays are great because I get to tell you what I am loving!

The Hunger Game Trilogy

Have you read these books? I have become obsessed! I am reading Mockingjay & I can not wait to finish it. I literally read any second I can & my house may be proof of that right now. They are just so good! I can't wait for the movie to come out & am sad I have to wait until March 2012.

New measuring spoons

The sister-in-laws in my family threw another sister-in-law a baby shower this last weekend. It was so nice to get to celebrate her & my new little nephew! My sweet sister-in-law gave us hostess gives & she gave me these spoons I have wanted forever! I don't even remember mentioning that I liked them to her but she made a mental note & got them for me. How sweet is that?

Mylo Xyloto

I downloaded Coldplay's new CD & I really love it. I have always been kind of indifferent towards Coldplay but I heard them on the Today Show & I loved the song Paradise.

I have to say, the while album is pretty fantastic.

You Don't Know Jacques!

I picked up this polish over the weekend & I am loving it! Great fall color! You can order it for 2 bucks off of Amazon! I will have to check them out before I buy my next color. I paid like 8 bucks at Beauty Brands!

Happy Wednesday!

Abenture Day.

2011-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we went to the Pumpkin Patch.

We picked out our favorite gourds.

We drove the tractor.

We measured our height

and took silly pictures.

We smiled - a lot

and took more silly pictures.

Kiddos rode the train while I got

to steal a few moments with my boyfriend.

Daddy took the kiddos on the rickety carousel.

We went through the "corn" maze...not much corn in the field, farmer said the birds ate it this year.

We played in the leaves and

took jumping pictures because that's what we do.

We admired the pretty trees & autumn leaves.

We filled our bellies & played hangman.

We burned off some steam by playing in the courthouse park.

We dipped our own candles. Angel for her & dino for him.

We drove by my Papa's childhood home.

And we may have stopped here since it just opened last week. Happy early birthday to momma!

All in all, we had fun.

Fall Break Recap!

2011-10-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Wanna see what we did over Fall Break?

Start with Disney & then head over to San Diego!

San Diego - Fall Break '11

2011-10-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

We packed up the room & headed south to San Diego.

Our friends the Nunez's were vacationing in Oceanside so they asked if we wanted to meet up for dinner so we parked at their condo & walked out to Ruby's on the pier.

Addison & her bud, Isaac, & Drew man!

They loved getting to walk out on the pier. As we were heading out there, the fog rolled in & it was so thick. It was kinda spooky but we loved it.

We had a great dinner with the Nunez's - lots of fun eating & laughing. The kids get a long so well & it makes hanging out so fun! Since the weather the next day was going to be warm, we made plans to meet up & have a beach day at Coronado.

We said our goodbyes & headed down to San Diego to our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton on Harbor Island for our first night. (We stayed at 2 different hotels in San Diego since we quickly decided to go down Tuesday afternoon.) We liked our hotel a lot & the kids loved our view!

This was we woke up to - not too shabby!

We checked out of the hotel & headed out to Coronado for our beach day!

We had a blast playing on the beach & soaking up the California sun. It was perfect weather!

We were all hungry after being in the sun so went to our favorite San Diego spot, El Indio! You know we couldn't be in San Diego & not eat there! It is a family favorite, for sure. It was fun to get to introduce the Nunez fam to it. I am dreaming of some mordiditas right now!

With full bellies, we headed to check into our other hotel. See that pic of me up there? The one with no make up, wind ratted hair, and salt sticky skin? Yah, that's how I looked checking into here.

We scored the room at $100 bucks a night thanks to Priceline. I felt so out of place walking in with our trail of sand. Ha! It was fun to get to stay at a cushy hotel. I could get to use to that!

We took showers & cleaned up so we could head out & hit the town! Our hotel was right next to Seaport Village so we walked around & ate some more yummy food!

We found a delicious cupcake store & we got treats to take back to our room. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of them - they were enjoyed rather quickly.

The inside of the cupcake shop was so cute!

We took our time getting packed up Thursday morning. We didn't want to leave - I mean c'mon! This was our view!

But, alas, we had to head east back to AZ. We had a great fall break! I love getting to go away with my sweet little family & make memories with them!

Disneyland - Fall Break '11

2011-10-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Fall Break! It was hard to get back to normal last week - I wish we were still on vacation!

California was WARM when we were there which wasn't what I was hoping for. I was so excited to get to celebrate fall & the hot temps didn't get the fall feelings going. Oh well!

We went to California Adventure first on Sunday morning. We were some of the first people in line but we still had to wait like 45 minutes for Toy Story Mania.

Addy & I ready to run to TSM.

We spent the day just kinda poking around & went back to the hotel that afternoon so we could relax. We went back to hit the park & it was so much fun to see the park at night.

I loved this big Mickey head at night. He was so cute!

Monday morning, we woke up early & headed over to Goofy's Kitchen to have breakfast with him & his friends.

I love this picture of Addy with Sleeping Beauty. She loves Aurora!

Drew was smitten with Snow White!

Especially after she gave him a kiss!

Monday afternoon, we stopped to listen to a little jazz band that was playing on Main Street.

The kiddos LOVE to dance & they had a ball getting to shake it on Main Street. Little did we know that we were actually watching a show that involved some of their favorite characters! Addison was asked to particpate & she was thrilled!

She was asked to be in a "drum off" with Donald Duck. Donald went first & he was ok.

Next it was Addy's turn & she so serious! She looked like she wanted to throw up - sweet, baby girl was so nervous! She did awesome & when they had everyone clap for who they thought they should win, the crowd went nuts for Addison! She beat Donald Duck & was named "The Best Drummer in Disneyland!" That made her BEAM!

Right after Addy finished, Mickey & Minnie came out to dance a bit too.

It was so much fun to watch! It was so random that we just stopped to watch the band play & it unfolded into Addison getting to be part of the show. That is exactly why I love Disneyland - you never know when the next magical moment will just happen!

We went into Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln & Drew racked out. It was nice to get out of the heat & Addison loved getting to watch Mr. Lincoln. When we came out, there was Mickey decked out in his Halloween costume!

Tuesday was our last day in the park. We had to get a picture with the Mickey pumpkin head, of course!

Since Brother was sleeping when we met Mickey the day before, we headed back to Toon Town so he could meet the Mouse!

Yay! "Meee Mouse!" is what Drew calls his favorite Disney dude!

When we came out of Mickey's house, we hit up the Go Coaster which was Drew's first official roller coaster! This was Addison's first roller coaster 4 years ago as well! It was so fun to get to go on it as a whole family!

I just had to add this - Addison is tall enough to go on Space Mountain & she usually LOVES it but it was a little scary for Halloween. Can you even see her face? No, because it it buried into me. She closed her eyes the entire time & as soon as it was done, she asked if we could go again. Silly girl!

After Space Mountain, we hit up Carnation Cafe to have some lunch.

We were hot & tired of fighting the crowds so we impulsively decided to pack up & head down to San Diego! After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to pack up & head south!

Yummy Recipe & Cahrazy Hair!

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Monday night I made a super yummy recipe I found on Cooking Light's website & wanted to share it with you lovely ladies.

Spinach, Feta, & Caramelized Onion Quiche

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated soft breadstick dough
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 cup fat-free milk
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, sugar, and salt; cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in potatoes, and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
Unroll dough, separating into strips. Working on a flat surface, coil one strip of dough around itself in a spiral pattern. Add second strip of dough to the end of the first strip, pinching ends together to seal; continue coiling the dough. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough strips. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle, and fit into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray.
Spread potato mixture in bottom of prepared crust, and top with spinach. Combine milk, egg whites, eggs, and cheese; pour the milk mixture over the spinach. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until set, shielding crust with foil after 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

**********************************************

Yesterday was crazy hair day & we turned Addy's 'do purple! She told me what to do & I did it which don't usually happen when doing her hair!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

2011-10-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

Today, my beautiful Grandma would have turned 82.

I miss her & my heart hurts for my momma, who I know misses her momma than words could begin to describe.

Happy Birthday! We love you so much, Grammy.

Miscellany Monday

2011-10-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Linking up with Carissa for another Miscellany Monday...

one.

We are back from our vacation. It was sad to leave California, especially San Diego. Jason & I just love that city so much & we hate to leave every time.

We had a great time at Disney & I will do a full post later this week!

It was warm enough in SD to have a beach day & the kiddos loved it.

I am certain that my piece of Heaven will look a little like the above pictures.

Happy babies + ocean = happy momma

two.

We are a Mac family. I don't think that comes as a surprise since I declared that if Apple made a blowdryer, I would buy it. Imagine my utter sadness when our iMac crashed at the beginning of September. It was horrible - go backup your pictures now! I hadn't backed up in a while & lost a lot of our photos.

Anyways, we got to pick up our baby yesterday & she is HEALTHY! Yay.

Once she was home, we introduced her to her new little sister, Paddy - the iPad.

three.

I love Lady Antebellum. We bought their new CD on the way home from CA & I can't stop listening to it.

Jason & I had a date night this weekend & we saw 50/50. Very good movie. I loved it & I really loved the soundtrack. I was bummed to see that an actually soundtrack hasn't been released. I will have just download song by song.

Who watched the RHONJ last night? What did ya think?

I missed Jacqueline & I really can not stomach Teresa. I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

four.

I know I have declared my love for all things Erin Condren & I wanted to pass along another great deal.

On zulily today, you can get $50 worth of EC product for $25...basically you will get a $50 gift card to Erin's website for only $25.

If you would like to see other random things people are thinking about this Monday, head on over here!

What I am lovin' Wednesday!

2011-10-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday!

AZ got a rain storm last night so we woke up to cooler temps this morning! I won't say it's 'bout dang time (even though I want to) but I will say HALLELUJAH! The 100+ temps were killing me.

Linking up over here for WILW!

I am loving Spotify! Spotify allows you to listen to any song you want at anytime & its free! Pretty awesome, right? I am currently listening to Brother Moon by Gungor over & over & over. Love it!

I am really loving Fall TV!

What shows are you loving? I have lots more that I didn't add - I am slightly obessed with TV!

I am really lovin' that we get to see this guy soon!

Addison has Fall Break coming up so we are headed to see the Mouse. I am excited to see Disney decked out for fall - my favorite season!

I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Friday Randoms.

2011-09-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hi! You missed this face, huh?

I know. I missed you too.

Last weekend, I went to Women of Faith. It was rad. I liked it a lot. I debated doing an entire post on it but I will give it to you in bullet points.

Amy Grant is an amazing singer. She sang a song about being still & listening to God & it rocked my socks. I found this video of her singing the song on YouTube. There is a lot of chatter at the beginning & the song starts at 1:00. The whole stadium was silent except for her singing this song. It was lovely.

My momma went to WOF & that made my heart very happy. Getting to spend 2 days with her was such a wonderful treat!

Brenda Warner was my favorite speaker. I knew who she was since her husband is a local sports hero but I did not know her personal story. She has had a lot of hardships in her life & through them, she clung to God. She so many reasons to shake her hand at Him and scream WHY?! but she knew He was her only way through the horrible tragedies. I just started her first book & can't wait to read her second one next.
Sandi Patty was also there & that girl can SANG! She came onto stage & immediately starting singing "When You Wish Upon A Star". I pulled out my iPhone & started recording it so Addy could see.

I have love Ms. Patty for a long time. My momma use to blast her music Sunday mornings while we got ready for church so getting to see her was a treat! We even got to meet her in the hotel lobby as we were checking out.

Mandisa was there too! She was awesome - she can also sing like no other! She was a lot of fun to watch. At the end of Day 2, Mandisa, Amy Grant, & Sandi Patty sang Shout to the Lord along with the WOF Praise Team & it was SO good. That's when I lost it & just bawled like a baby. Such a moving experience.

Shout to the LORD!

Last weekend, we took the kiddos to see The Lion King. They both really liked it & Drew sat through the whole thing!

This week has been a hard Mommy week. Sometimes locking myself in the bathroom is all I can do to regain my sanity. Please tell me I am not alone?
While my munchkins can make me loco, they also make my heart swell bigger than anyone could ever. Their Daddy & I are taking them on a Family Date tonight to scope out some Halloween costumes. I can't wait!
Drew & I went to TJ Maxx this morning & I tried this top on. I like it but is it ok to wear with leggings? Is the booty exposure vs. coverage ratio adequate? I could just wear it with dark jeans.

It is suppose to be in the 90's & storm this weekend. WAHOO!

Happy Friday!

Attitude Adjustment.

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have been in a funk the last week.

I have slowly become a sponge. I am absorbing other people's hurts, worries, & problems. I feel like a I take them on & mull over them as if they were my own. Ever feel like that?

Yesterday, I had a moment of clarity. My grandfather was sent to the ER a few weekends ago & wasn't able to attend my cousin's wedding. At my parents party this last weekend, my grandma asked me if I would mind coming down to the farm to take some pictures of the them dressed in the outfits they had planned to wear to the wedding.

I was so exited to get to take Drew down to hang out with them for a bit. When I walked through their kitchen door, my grandpa asked me if I could help him tie his tie.

It was hard to see him not be able to do it, I have to admit. I do not like that time is marching on but I know it is inevitable. Doesn't make it any easier though.

I don't know how to tie ties - Jason ties his own so I have never had to do it. I knew I could pull up a video on my iPhone that would help me learn & sure enough, it was YouTube to the rescue. When Grandpa Johnny saw that I was messing with my phone, he said "What is that? One of those Blueberry phones?" Oh, Grandpa! What a giggle he gave me.

I was able to spend the morning shooting their pictures & visiting with them. As we were talking, I felt like everything that I had absorbed was slowly being squeezed out. I don't need to take on other people's strife. When I look at my husband & our children, I know I am truly blessed. My husband still digs my chili & my kids, while at times I could scream from sheer frustration, truly rock my world.

I am so thankful for the sweet time I was able to spend with my grandparents yesterday.

I am blessed.

Party of the Century!

2011-09-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my siblings & I threw a party for my parents. They both turn 60 this month as well as celebrated 40 years of marriage in June. My sister came up with the idea of having a "Party of the Century!" since 40 + 60 = 100. It was such a fun night!

We had 2 cakes - one with a picture from their wedding & one the represented where they are currently in their life. My mom picked out the topper & it was just perfect! If my parents could move to CA & become Beach Bums, they would do it in a FLASH!

(If you enlarge the picture, you can see my dad's hilarious expression. Cracks me up!)

Mom & Dad with their kiddos-

Kim, Jeremy, Andy, Chris, Johnny, & moi'!

The whole clan!

M & D, all their kids, spouses, & grandkids!

The Kerr's in true form.

My folks didn't do a cake smash at their wedding 40 years ago so they made up for lost time!

And, I just had to add this because it makes me laugh.

Eww, kissing.

Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Hi there!

2011-09-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there!

I took a little bloggy break over the last week or so. I feel like God was pressing upon my heart to take a closer look at how I was spending my time. I could easily blow an hour reading blogs but barely squeeze in 20 minutes to spend reading His word. That ain't right, people!

A piece of scripture I came across was Ephesians 5:15 which says "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." It convicted me to make the most of my time - I don't want to foolishly waste my time. I want what little free time I have to matter & mean something. I don't mean that reading blogs is foolish - I LOVE reading blogs but I can't let that take precedence over my daily time with our Him. I started a new Bible study yesterday & I am super excited to jump into it.

Ok, so on to the happenings in La Lacy Land!

My cousin, Erin, got married this past weekend & asked Addison to be her flower girl. Addison was SO excited to get to be a flower girl - I even overheard her say "I have waited my whole life for this day!" as she was getting ready. Ha! I don't know where she gets her dramatic flare.

Erin was a STUNNING bride! She looked gorgeous!!

My cousin, Meagan, & her little guy, Anderson! It was so much fun to get to hang out with her for a bit. I love her mucho.

We practiced a little so Addy wouldn't feel nervous! She did great!

Sassy flower girl with the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith!

The reception was our local high school gym which was amazing! Erin is a basketball player, through & through. She has played all of her life & even played college ball (as well as coached!) in Colorado. Having her reception in the gym was PERFECT for her. It looked stunning inside & NOT like a gym! So pretty!

Kerr Girls

(My sister in laws, Kerri & Tracey, me, & my sister, Kim)

Happy Wednesday, sweet friends!

These are a few of my favorite blogs...

2011-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am linking up over at Kelly's Korner today to tell you about my favorite blogs!

I have a lot of blogs that I love & read every day! Most of them are mommy blogs & I know the reason I love them so much is because as a SAHMomma, it can be lonely at times. Seeing how other momma's are "doing life" is fun & makes me feel connected.

I also love other types of blogs- lifestyle, fashion, DIY, photography - I just love all types of blogs. Seeing people's passion & creativity inspires me!

Hollywood Housewife

I know I have talked about her before but I just adore HH. Her blog is a fun read - she is a mix of mommy & Hollywood Housewife (Her hubby creates shows for MTV). Always love her posts!

The House of Smiths

The Smith fam has one of the cutest blogs! She has a lot of DIY tutorials & fun giveaways. Their house is just adorable & I love reading her posts!

Thrifty Decor Chick

Sarah has SO many cute ideas on her blog. I love the "Before & After" parties she has every month. Seeing what people can transform in their house is so fun! I am totally envious of her book nook - such a fun little space!

Deal Wise Mommy

Anne's blog is a great place to score freebies! I have gotten a lot of Pampers codes & even magazine subscriptions thanks to her blog. I got a year of Shape magazine for FREE through her blog! Wahoo! It is one of my favorite "coupon" sites even though its more than that!

A lot of my favorite mommy blogs are over to the right on my blog roll! Check them out as well - that are all fabulous ladies!

I can't wait to see the other blogs people love! Head on over to Kelly's Korner to see more blogs people are loving & even link up yourself!

Love this song.

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

This song is on repeat in my car right now. Oh, how I love the lyrics & her voice!

I love the whole song but I really love the part that says

When my world is shaking,

heaven stands.

When my heart is breaking,

I never leave your hands.

Happy Thursday, sweet friends.

What I am lovin' Wednesday!

2011-08-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

Linking up over here for WILW!

Happy Wednesday! I love Wednesdays because we are that much closer to the weekend and because Wednesday means I get to see my Bible study girls!

We meet every Wednesday night & this is the book we are doing right now. I have really enjoyed the book & have really loved the fellowship with my girls!

I got crafty yesterday & made this headband. Again, fabric rosettes are SO easy to make. I can't find the exact tutorial I used but this one is along the same lines. Super easy!

My sweet friend, Molly, posted an adorable video of her little girl dancing to Party Rock Anthem & I have had this line in my head all morning.

They make shirts that say this. I totally want one. Every day I'm shuffling.

While browsing Pinterest for healthy recipes, I came across laaloosh.com & I am totally loving all the new WW recipes I found! Even if you aren't doing WW, the recipes are just plain healthy & YUMMY! Check it out for new recipe ideas. If you make anything from there, let me know! I'd love to hear how it turned out.

Monday night I made Chicken with Green Chile Coconut Cream Sauce & it was delicious!

I served it with brown rice & this whole meal was only 6 points. Yummy & filling!

I am really loving this link that Carol shared from one of her friends. If you have a moment, read it. Such a great message & something I was thankful of being reminded of!

Fall Wreath! {How To}

2011-08-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

We had a great weekend here at Casa de Lacy. Unfortunately, it went by in the blink of eye.

Friday night, my handsome hubby took me to see The Help. Yay! I loved the movie. There were definite differences between the book & movie but I still loved it. I want to see it again!

Our friends, the Zak's, meet us at the theater & I was so happy to get to hang with this girl! I love that girl mucho.

It is going to be a beautiful 115 degrees here today & I, for one, am just pleased as punch about that.

Um, not.

But let's pretend we are in Egypt & take a trip down DENIAL.

Instead if hating the heat, I will daydream of cool, fall days and pumpkin scented candles and FALL WREATHS! Yay!

(anyone buying that? no? ok.)

I wanted to get my craft on this weekend so the kiddos & I hit up Hobby Lobby while Jason went to the Men's Breakfast at the church.

I was inspired by the wreath I posted here & knew I wanted something along the lines of that.

Here is what I came up with - ta da!

Here are the goodies I used to make it.

Wreath - 3 dollars (Originally $6 but HL was having 50% off sale)

Felt - Hob Lob sells them 4 for a $1 (I got 2 of each color - orange, yellow, green, & brown)

Total - 5 bucks & some change!

I got all set up with my cute girl, Addy Lee, and

our sweet friend, Ree.

(Anybody watch her new show? Loved it! Those potatoes - Lord, have mercy!)

Making felt flowers is EASY. I am not sure why I was under the impression it was difficult but it's not - super easy! I followed this tutorial here.

I used my iPhone for all this pictures & I promise I won't do that again.

I traced a little bowl for my circle.

Once I got a few done, I started placing the flowers to see what different looks I liked.

Once I got the placement right, I glued them down! I added little green "leaves" for a little something extra.

Now that I have placed this wreath on my door, I am hoping Mother Nature gets the hint & delvers fall weather ASAP.

Pinnable Me - Falling for Fall!

2011-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

I know I am not alone in my longing for Fall. I am OVER the heat & ready for cooler temps so I dedicate my first edition of Pinnable Me to my favorite time of year, FALL!

How fun is this wreath? Love the gold flowers on the wood wreath. Totally going to make this!

Source: blogs.babble.com via Katie on Pinterest

Love this idea - cover candles in modge podge & then roll in epsom salt. Pretty, right?

Source: theinspiredroom.net via Katie on Pinterest

Aren't these cute? They are just 2x4's!

Source: adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

I instantly fell in love with these jars as soon as I saw them. They are made with modge podge & food coloring.

Source: gingerbreadsnowflakes.com via Katie on Pinterest

I had everything I needed to make them so I tried my hand at orange ones. I love how they turned out!

I am going to turn them into these. How sweet are these for Fall?

Source: adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

And just because I love food so much, I wanted to add these. Yum!

Source: annies-eats.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: plainchicken.com via Katie on Pinterest

Ooh, I can NOT wait for Fall! Please, oh please, hurry UP!

Happy Friday!

Weight Watcher Wednesday! Crock Pot Sweet Potato Soup

2011-08-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hello! Anyone out there still doing WW? The thing I love about WW is that you can easily jump back on if you slip off. This summer I was on & off but since I got back from Vegas, I have been ON! Yay.

Since it is a cool, crisp 116 here in the ol' AZ this week, I thought I'd make a yummy soup to warm us up! (Anyone else ready for fall? I can not wait. The surface of the sun is getting to be a bit much for me.)

Anywho, I like cooking in the Crock Pot because a.) its easy & b.) its easy. Tuesday nights are our Small Group night so we need a easy meal that didn't come home in a paper bag. Enter one of my favorite soups!

Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

	3/4 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
	2 medium sweet potato(es), peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
	1 large onion(s), chopped
	29 oz canned diced tomatoes, salsa-style with chiles, undrained (I usually use Rotel)
	14 1/2 oz fat-free chicken broth
	1 tsp dried oregano
	1/2 tsp Durkee ground cumin, or other brand
	1 1/2 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, not thawed (I used a can of corn- not frozen)

Don't the ingredients look so pretty lined up?

This is all the crap I moved out of the way to make it look nice. Do not be fooled.

I put all the liquid ingredients into the crock pot while the chicken was defrosting. I chopped up the onion & sweet potatoes (which were white on the inside & totally freaked me out. The nice people on Twitter assured me that sweet potatoes can be white. I usually use the orange kind though!)

Once the chicken was thawed, I cut it up & added it to the pot. I cooked it on high for 6ish hours.

About a 1/2 hour before we were ready to eat, I added the drained can of corn.

A serving is 1 & 1/4 c = 7 WW points

Easy peasy meal that is super filling.

Happy Wednesday!

You can see past WWW & the recipes by clicking here!

Down East Basics

2011-08-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

My sweet blog friend Destiny (who has an adorable home design blog - check her out!) asked me a few weeks ago if I'd like to go to a blogger meet up at DownEast Basics. We would be gifted a $25 giftcard & get to check out the new fall line. I totally jumped at the chance! I asked my sweet friend Rachel (yes, all my friends are sweet) if she'd like to join & she did. Yay!

We had such a great time but I only took the following 2 pictures. What blogger goes to a bloggy meetup & only takes 2 pictures?

This lame-o one.

Lo siento.

I basically wanted everything in the store. They have SO much cute stuff. Their clothes & accessories are so my style. Love, love, love DownEast Basics!

I got this necklace for myself (I just found a tutorial on Pinterest how to make necklaces that look just like it. Yay!) & a couple goodies for Addison with my giftcard. They have a super cute little girls section. I saw lots of outfits I loved for my sweet baby A!

I loved this shirt as well!

Thanks so much DownEast Basics for the fun night!

Friends & Family - take note. My birthday is November 21st & I am requesting gift cards to DEB, mmkay? Ok, yay! Thanks so much!

Just kidding! Kinda.

Friday Randoms.

2011-08-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, Friday...gotta get down on Friday...

I sing this song on the top of my lungs every Friday. My kids just love it!

-Wednesday night I hosted Bible study here at Casa de Lacy. I so look forward to Wednesday nights with these girls. They have been such a blessing in my life!

- I made this recipe for dinner last night & holy hannah, it is SO good! It seriously tastes like a burrito bowl at Chipotle. I topped it off with 2 oz of shredded chicken & it was only 6 WW points for my whole bowl! I am about to eat some for left overs & I can't wait. Yum, yum.

- I love Tori Spelling. I love everything about her - I have watched all her shows & read all her books. She just seems like a cool chick. I love that she is a momma but is still chic & glamorous. Tori, call me & we'll do coffee, mmkay?

Anywho...Hollywood Housewife referenced this blog today & when I saw the section on celebrity houses, I, of course, clicked because I am a lover of all things celebrity.

I was so excited to see pictures of T's house (that what her friends call her & we're friends.)

I am obsessed with her bedroom. This is what I want our bedroom to look like in our forever house! Doesn't it look peaceful & serene? I love it.

-Last night, we got another haboob in the great state of AZ. When we went to sleep, our pool had water in it. When we got up this morning, this is what it looked like.

What the hay na na happened? Mr. Lacy will do some inspecting when he gets home. I hope it's not ruined.

- You can get 25 FREE "Mommy Cards" from Minted.com right now - you just pay shipping. I am going to get some for my blog & I really like this design.

-While I was taking pictures of our dinner last night, Jason got Drew out of the bath. I looked looked across the room to see this. Love my hubby & what a good daddy he is!!

Ok, I think that is all the randomness I have in my brain today.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Blog Swap & Yummy Recipe!

2011-08-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

I was part of Meghan's snail mail swap & my sweet partner was Joanna over at Dance and Dream 4 Ever.

She sent me a sweet card, pack of yummy gum, cute bookmarks & flip flop charms!

Thanks so much, Joanna! It was so much fun to get to "meet" you! Thanks for hosting, Meghan!

****************************

I asked some of my Twitter friends that I know are on Weight Watchers as well if they had any yummy new recipes & Jennifer was sweet enough to share this one with me!

Mini Lasagna Cups

WW points (per cup) - 4

12 oz ground turkey
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 jar store bought pasta sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp dried oregano, divided
1 1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp dried basil
24 small square wonton wrappers
1 1/2 c part skim mozzarella cheese

These are the instructions Jennifer had on her blog & I followed along!

Preheat oven to 375
Brown the turkey in a skillet with a pinch of salt and pepper (more or less to suit your taste). When the turkey is cooked through, add garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.
Add jar of tomato sauce plus 2 tsp of oregano and heat thoroughly. Then, you can remove from heat.

In a separate bowl combine ricotta, basil and remaining oregano. Mix well.

Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with wonton wrappers. Be sure to gently press them into the bottom of each cup.
Using half of the ricotta mixture divide it among the 12 cups, then layer with half of the turkey mixture and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.
Place a second wonton wrapper on top of the mozzarella layer and repeat the process by layering the mixtures a second time and topping with mozzarella.

Bake 10-12 minutes.
Allow the cups to cool and remove from pan. This step is important. If you don't allow them to cool

they are more likely to fall apart.

Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, Jennifer! This was a hit at the Lacy house!