Category: House and Home

Christmas, Camrys, & the Ultimate Catch Up…Oh My!

Shame…shame…you know your name.  That would be MEEEEEE!!!

I have seriously been slacking on the bloggity blog so let’s catch up again shall we?  I have so much to recap and write about before 2019!  Ha!

Starting with Christmas 2017.  We had a lovely visit back home to Arkansas and to the farm.  We stayed with my twin sister Bonnie and her family.  I finally got to meet my new niece Ella, who seriously is the sweetest, most calm baby in the entire world.  She’s absolutely precious!  My sister and I always have a good time catching up and of course the boys (Connor & Jarrett) are pretty much inseparable.  They are exactly like their Mamas, they love hard…but they fight hard too. Lol!

My poor Mom at the flu.  We finally got to see her on the last day we were in town.  Thanks goodness for technology, we were able to face time during Christmas so she could see the kids open presents.  Still, it wasn’t the same at the farm without her there.  The flu has just run rampant this season and so far we’ve been lucky not to catch it.  Everyone I know that has had it has said it’s THE WORST EVER!

So, if you’ve been following my on Instagram you may have seen some of these pictures, but I like how I can go into more detail here on the blog.

We were super excited to drive a brand NEW 2018 Camry to Arkansas for the holiday and it was sooooooo nice!  It was a hybrid model, so we got great gas mileage and it was so smooth up and down the hill country of Arkansas.

 

The 2018 Camry was super sporty looking and we really enjoyed the drive.

I’m just a little excited to drive this baby!  I had an Avalon for 11 years and I loved that car so much…I still miss it to this very day.  Terence works for Toyota Headquarters and he sent me pictures of the new Avalon design and OH.MY.WORD.  It looks on the sporty side too and just as luxurious as I remember.

I absolutely love the “command center” which included a backup camera, audio, USB ports, and heated seats for the win!

It was a little different driving a hybrid, but overall I really like the gas mileage aspect of it.  Also, you couldn’t even tell the engine was running when the car was turned on.  Talk about STEALTH mode 🙂

I also really liked the clean and metallic looking details of the interior.

It was a comfortable ride indeed.  We were all three able to “plug in” with our phones, iPad, and my Kindle.  

The middle console displays the battery and engine charge.

 

Once we got into Arkansas we headed to my sister’s house and Larry’s Pizza buffet…we officially made it HOME! LOL!

Me and my sweet Ella girl 🙂

The boys were reunited and had a great time at Dave & Busters! They love gaming together and talking about the most RANDOM things…

Bonnie and I had a great time drinking Starbies, watching Hallmark movies, and shopping a bit.

Then we headed up to Nannie’s house on the farm and had so much good food to eat and opened presents.  The boys each got a Nintendo Switch, something they both have been wanting for quite some time!  The farm is beautiful during Christmas, and for some reason we all just take the best naps up there.  It’s like you don’t have a care in the world when you step into Nannie’s house…I guess that’s part of what makes it so special, well, besides Nannie herself that is!

On the road again! We just loved the blue Camry so much! It was the best Christmas sleigh ever!

After Nannie’s house we all headed back to Bonnie & Vinny’s and my Mom was feeling well enough we got to see her and my Daddy for breakfast the morning we left. I love me some Cracker Barrel…


OH! And I got together with my besties from highschool for the best meal EVER at Ya Ya’s! If you saw my Instastories then you saw how they made this dish- in a huge hollowed out bowl of parmesan cheese. They light it on fire so the cheese melts and then add the pasta and some herbs. BEST. EVER. I’m still dreaming about this pasta!

We made it back home to Texas and now I’m homesick to go back again! We had the best Christmas…until next year…it’s been real 2017!

Some of my FAVORITE CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!

Christmas Home Tour

Well, we are officially 4 days until Christmas 2017.  Today has been a doozy…not to mention a child I know *CONNOR BRANCH* spilled chocolate milk in the back seat of my car this morning, so that’s just great.

This holiday season has been so busy I can barely keep my head on straight.  It seems like December always moves at warp speed.  Have y’all heard the song with DMX singing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”?  If you haven’t listened to it yet….YOU MUST!

A long time ago there used to be a link up of everyone’s homes decorated at Christmas time and I loved it!  So, now that we’ve been in this home for a little over a year I thought I would share our Christmas decorations.  Over the past year we’ve worked really hard remodeling and decorating our new home….we still have a ton to do…but Rome wasn’t built in a day, or so they say!

First off…check out our awesome Christmas jammies from Lazy One.  I looooove them and we have so many fun jammies from this company!  They aren’t just for Christmas folks!

Christmas mantle

Living room

I’m not going to show my office, but it was recently painted a pretty gray!  It’s full of photography gear though 🙂

The Dining room

Kitchen

The hutch has all of Connor’s pictures with Santa since he was 10 months old….

This is a quilt I got at Steinmart for our bedroom.  It was $29.99 and I just LOVE it!  It’s supposed to get cold tomorrow (FINALLY) so we can use the extra quilt.

Oh Christmas tree!

Our cousin Adrianne sent this ADORABLE pillow from England and I just LOVE it so much!  I love all things British really….and the Kinder chocolate isn’t too bad either.

Cute little festive soaps from World Market.

This is the extra bedroom.  We also had the walls in here re-textured and painted.  There isn’t much decor except for the “OH DEER” pillow cases, also from World Market.

Connor’s room hasn’t changed much since I posted his before and after pictures.  He does have his little Christmas tree full of Star Wars ornaments.  We are so excited to see the new Star Wars movie on Christmas break!!!!  Who has seen it yet?

And finally y’all go enter my INSTAGRAM FAVORITE THINGS GIVEAWAY!!!

My favorite candle “The Smell of Christmas” from Aromatique.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I’m giving away a lot of really fun things this Christmas…including….

 

Christmas Home Makeover with At Home Stores

 
This post is sponsored my At Home.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tis’ the season and if you know me I’ve had my tree up for WEEKS now!  I basically turn into Buddy the Elf during the holidays…I just can’t help myself!  It’s my favorite time of year and I love to decorate!

We moved into our house at the end of last year, so we didn’t have much time to do decorations.  This year I wanted to add some festive fun to the house…I mean why should you watch a Hallmark Christmas movie without the ambiance of Christmas and twinkling lights around you?  YOU SHOULDN’T!!!

My go-to place for all things Christmas decor is At Home.  If you’ve ever been to an At Home store then sister you know what I’m talking about right?  I could basically spend hours in there going up and down the isles.  At Home has thousands of holiday items available at everyday low prices, items that are perfect for a refresh of your indoor mantel, guest room, kitchen and more. And don’t forget the outdoor spaces: entryways, porches and yard. At Home is the one-stop-shop to decorate your whole house – from an entire room makeover to smaller refreshes for every season, on any budget.

Here’s what I did this year to get our home in the Christmas spirit and I’m super excited to share with you!

Gingerbread house– This one lights up and changes colors….even better!  There is a great collections gingerbread houses at At Home stores (not just this one) but so much more.

Mantle Decor– From light up Christmas trees, candles, or nutcrackers….At Home has it all.  No matter if your theme is “Winter Wonderland”, “Classic Red & White”, or “Woodland Christmas”.

That one special ornament- I saw this cute little camper and had to get it!

Entryway – Our entryway was so boring…so to at some holiday pizzazz I added nutcrackers, this huge Noel sign, candy canes, and my favorite…this BEAUTIFUL wreath.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Check out this video of our Christmas decorating extravaganza with At Home!

 

Fall 2017

Hey Everyone!  I am always playing catch up, but I’m usually pretty good about posting all my random daily events on Instagram and Instagram stories…SO CHECK IT OUT!

Let’s recap shall we?

Even though it’s like 90-something degrees out I am going to wear a sweater and crank my air conditioner up all the way because the Starbucks holiday beverages are out….and nothing is going to stop me from listening to my Pentatonix or Michael Buble Christmas music holding a hot eggnog latte dang it!

I don’t know what is wrong with Connor’s face…I think he’s over this picture?

I got the cutest pajamas for Christmas this year from Lazy One!  I just love the little bottoms on these…ha ha!  My friend Michelle has a coupon code for 10% off if you want to use it: “MML”

I’m also going to be decorating for the holidays soon and I can’t wait to share that with you all!  Terence is trying to hold me back for as long as he can from putting up the Christmas decor.

I ordered the cutest quilt from Steinmart and it’s so soft too!  It was only $29.99, so it was a bargain and I’ve been enjoying watching ALL the Hallmark Christmas movies wrapped up in this quilt.

Bad Moms Christmas was just as funny and fabulous as I thought it would be!  My friend Courtney and I had a great time seeing a sneak peek of the movie before it hit theaters.  We got cute little “Bad Moms” glasses too!  Y’all have to go see this movie….it’s hilarious!

We had our favorite cousins from England come stay with us for a week and it was FABULOUS!  Oh those babies and their little British accents….I die.  We had so much fun and can’t wait to go back over the pond to visit them again soon!

Connor and his cousin Ethan are the same age and got along like best friends <3

Speaking of Christmas….I’m full swing into fall/Christmas photo sessions again.  I can’t believe this year has already passed.  I say that every year, but this year it truly has.  It has been a crazy year too…so much going on in the world.  Good, and a lot of bad things happened this year in our country, but I know God is in control of every situation.  Without knowing that and having hope I don’t know how you can survive in this world.

And what a wonderful life it is….I have a beautiful new niece, Ella Cate, and I can’t wait to hold her and smell her fresh baby goodness.  My twin sister Bonnie gave birth to Ella a couple of weeks ago.  If you’ve been following this blog awhile, then you know Bonnie used to blog as well.  It’s been so hard living away and not being able to go home….but I will get there eventually!  In the mean time I’m so thankful for modern technology, facetime, and photos.

I’ve got a great coupon code for you if you live in DFW or are traveling here for the holiday season!  Every year the Gaylord Texan has a beautiful ICE! exhibit and you can get 50% off your tickets using this coupon code below:

Well, that’s all for now…but much more to come!!!

xo, Becky

Life Update

Here we are already turning the corner into fall 2017.

Connor James just started 2nd grade and so far he is loving it.  I also can’t believe we have been in this house for almost a year!  After so much time looking for a home we love it here.  We have great friends, family, and community nearby.  I’m so thankful God taught us patience through that process and to know that HIS timing is always perfect timing.

Coincidentally the first day of school was also the day of the solar eclipse.  I found out Sprinkles cupcakes was doing a “black velvet” cupcake with dark chocolate ganache frosting and oh my—- best thing ever!  I LOVE dark chocolate!

We’ve done yet some more remodeling to our house.  We had the office, the extra bedroom, and Connor’s room re-plastered, textured, and painted.

So far we’ve only finished Connors room and I hope to get curtains up in the office and a new bed for the guest room soon!  We are having shutters installed tomorrow and I’m super excited to see how those turn out.

We went with Sherwin Williams Gossamer Veil in Connor’s room and painted the woodwork white.

CONNOR’S NEW ROOM:

A few weeks ago I went BACK to Arkansas for my twin sister’s shower.  You might remember our first shower HERE when we were both pregnant with the boys together.  This time around it’s just her and she’s having a baby girl!  I’m so excited and we can’t wait to welcome Ella Cate into our lives.  Bon’s friend Stephanie and her Mom did a fabulous job with the shower, everything was so beautiful!

I received the coolest CiPU Baby Diaper Bag for my sister and I was so excited to gift it to her for baby Ella!  It’s literally the lightest bag you’ve ever carried and there’s so much storage room.

  • LIGHT WEIGHT: Our diaper bags are one of the lightest on the market, weighing from just 1.1 lbs.: 13 compartments & 8 Bag accessories including changing pad, pouch, mini-purse, stroller clips. Now that’s another load off your shoulder.
  • SMART STORAGE: With 13 wide compartments, 9 interior pockets, 4 exterior pockets, include two insulated bottle pockets to keep essentials handy. It’s also equipped with bottom compartment, perfect place to put baby’s dirty clothes and diapers.
  • BEST DESIGN FOR STYLISH MOMS EVER: CiPU diaper bag Tote collection is as fashionable as it is functional. Stylish, beautiful, perfect size, wonderful design and details.
  • WATER REPELLENT MATERIAL & PERSONAL BELONGINGS POUCH: Both Inner and out Layer are water repellent, keeping your bag dry, fresh and stylish, yet easy to cleaning. Plus, CiPU diaper bags have all your items and belongings in one bag, and more convenient than having a separate handbag.
  • REMOVABLE CHANGING PAD: Portable changing pad makes it easy to keep baby dry and happy. Made from an easy-to-clean material, you can simply wipe it down to make sure it’s always ready for baby.

Nana & her boys

I got all crafty and made this flowery “E” for Ella Cate…I think it turned out pretty good!

I’m so ready for fall and I couldn’t resist decorating the mantle 🙂  Bring on all the pumpkin spice baby!!!

Well, that’s about it for now!  I’ve been enjoying some great reads on my Kindle lately and we just got back from a fabulous trip to San Antonio and Sea World – I will write about soon!  Don’t forget to follow us on the DAILY ON INSTAGRAM!!

Seven in 2017…

I feel like I haven’t written from the heart in a while.  I have loved blogging and writing my little daily (or weekly) ramblings.  I honestly can’t believe my little part of the Internet has survived 11 years. Never in a million years did I think anyone but me would read this website.  I’ve made countless friendships, been given a ton of opportunities I would have never had outside of blogging, and it forces me to move outside of my comfort zone.

I love to read and often times you’ll find me with my head stuck in my Kindle enjoying a good romance novel.   I also enjoy drama and mystery books.  A book is a magical escape and I love watching a good story unfold.  I’m trying to teach Connor the joy of reading and how it can open up your imagination, but so far first grade has been a pretty rough year.   I get it…he’s a boy and they are downright figgity and can’t sit still.  We are working on containing our voices and body from touching others! LOL!

Speaking of reading: LOVE THIS SERIES!  If you are looking for something great to add to your Kindle check out Pepper Winter’s series Crown of Lies.  Sooooooo good!  She’s absolutely one of my favorite Authors and she can whisk you away in her books… her writing is above and beyond- an emotional journey.  Start with “Crown of Lies” & finish with the sequel “Throne of Truth”.  

My Mom and Dad came to visit this past weekend and we celebrated Connor’s 7th birthday.

I haven’t done a party, but I did tell him we could have a sleepover or something soon.  I’m sure he won’t let me forget!  I get homesick a lot, but on the other hand I don’t think I would be who I am now unless I had “flown the nest” if you will and spread my wings.  Growing up a twin it’s especially hard to break out into your own person, it’s also the best thing ever having a constant friend.

We’ve finally started really settling in our new home and had a brand new dining table delivered yesterday.  I’m so excited about it!  Almost 16 years of marriage and we finally have a legit dining table!  Holla!  I love our house….it’s not brand spanking new and there seems to be something that always needs fixing, but it’s very “homey” and I love that about it.

Here is the new table and chairs:  (For more information check out my Instagram)

Anyway….what are your plans for spring break next week?  I’m not sure what Connor and I will be doing…but right now I am just trying to soak in every sweet second.

Catcha Later 😉 xo- Becky