2017 -- My Resolutions

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I thought I would share my resolutions for this year. I will probably detail out our Christmas time over on my personal blog this week since I have let that fall to the wayside a bit. Join me sometime if you'd like.

Dana challenged all of us girls to write our resolutions down and when you think about it, it's a great way to keep yourself accountable. So without further ado, here are mine.

O N E
Complete a daily devotional for 2017. I know that there are so many out there. What are a few of your favorites?

T W O
Work out at least 3-4 days a week. I am signed up for Camp Gladiator (& have been working out with them for a couple months), and we kick back off in January with regularly scheduled programming. The holidays were scaled back a bit. This is really a lot of weight based training which in all honesty, I crave. So let's include getting stronger in this too.

T H R E E
Lay off the sweets. Eat more healthy protein & veggies. We are not big red meat eaters in our house to begin with but more protein in general I think is needed. #gainz

F O U R
Run at least 1-2 half marathons this year. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment.

F I V E
I have some unspoken resolutions/wishes for this year that I need not broadcast to the world. The people who know, know. And I'll keep it at that. ;)

Excuse the language, but yes! But I do think you should share to help keep you accountable and let others know to help you with your accountability.



xoxo,
Haley

2017 Better Work

The days between Christmas and New Years are always a little strange. I still don't know what day it is and what I should be doing exactly. We can't wait to get to the Farm this weekend for New Years!

We had the best Christmas!!! Here are a few photos to recap our Christmas festivities!!

Christmas Eve Service

(Cecilia is the Angel at the Bottom and Whit is the

Shepherd at the Bottom)

 (My Built in Best Friend!)

 (Our Annual Hamilton Photo)

 (Christmas Jammies & a LOT of lil Hams!)

 (Assembly 2016)

 (Handsome Hubby)

 (Christmas in Chester)

 (Christmas Bling!!)

 (3 lil Hams)

I'm sad to see Christmas go but I think the one thing that eases the disappointed is the thought of a new beginning. A New Year brings new expectations. Judging from the memes I've been seeing on Instagram (I live for the funny memes!) 2016 was a disappointing year for many. I wouldn't say disappointing but I'd say it was a different year- ha!

I tried to form my own list of things I would like to aim to accomplish or do and we shall see if I do these things.

1. Girl's Trip in the Spring (this is already booked and we are excited for Alison's Bachelorette weekend and a reason to get away and have a great time!)
2. FINALLY completely decorate the Guest Suite. We have this terrific downstairs bedroom and huge bath that rarely gets used. I have gradually added to it but I'm taking the time to get it just right this year!
3. Bikini Fitness Competition....I already walked across a stage in a bikini and rocked that so lets just get muscles and do it all over again. So much easier said than done! Oh my!
4. More Date Nights
5. Teach kids to ride bikes with no training wheels
6. Print more photos and organize those photos
7. Grow my hair long again! (Already working on that!!!)
8. Now that Brandon is potty trained...teach him to stand up and go HAHA and Potty Train ROCCO!!!!
9. Run a Half Marathon (Haley???) I know I will at least run a race or two but maybe my first half?
10. Pray more

What is your list? Mine are super random but I came up with them quickly. I saw this tonight and thought I'd end with this!

Happy New Year!

Love,

Dana

Merry Christmas!!

It's the Monday before Christmas, can you believe it?! I hope you all have finished your Christmas shopping and the least you have left to do is wrap. And let's be honest, that can be fun right? I think so at least. I have mentally checked out even though I have 2.5 days left. We fly to North Carolina on Thursday morning. We will also get to see Daniel, Lauren, and Stella Grace on Friday in the mountains for a little visit. To say we are excited is an understatement.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas! We hope you have wonderful time spent with your family. 

xoxo,
Haley

My Stash

(Here is Rocco, my boyfriend, bc he is SO dang cute! Now back to topic ha!)

Why do we have so many products and things??? Being a woman is totally ridiculous!

But here I am....

I get asked a lot about my eye make-up (don't judge the above Tired Mom photo lol). So I was going to share a few of my favorite things as of right now.

Clearly Vaseline is my thing so that is always included lol....can they just get me to promote them lol!!!

I am obsessed with cream eye liner now. I just started using it for the first time. It lasts all day and does not move!!! I use a tiny brush to brush it on. At first I'd always tell make-up artists NO, I don't have time or patience for that. Well I love it so much. I do it in black of course but I do use a copper color pencil liner on my bottom lashes and then I use a little black pencil to fill in on the top because your lashes look thicker when you fill it in. The cream eyeliner is great for a cat eye. I wish I had cute photos to show you but sometimes I can nail the cat eye. My friend Lacy and I always say we do a cat eye to look younger and bring your eyes up!!

I always do a pretty neutral eye shadow all over (I have large eyes so that means a lot of space for art!!). My new favorite color is Burgundy Chic by Merle Norman as my darker color. It is AWESOME. I'm guilty of doing 3 or 4 eyeshadows at a time but I never do when I use burgundy chic.

Anyone who knows my daughter Cecilia knows she puts the SASS IN SASSY!!! Girl gets it honest. She is getting her own vanity with a little stool and her own make-up to get ready in her closet. She is fabulous at four. Cecilia loves the Urban Decay Glitter Liners. (Expensive taste). She will do a line for a little sparkle or we will just color her whole eye with it, haha. I am sharing this because I LOVE sparkle and I do this above my cream eye liner and always notice people staring at my eyes then. Grab one ladies from Ulta!

I started trying a new mascara too! I try many mascaras. My favorite, I've said before, is Better Than Sex Mascara. But, I wanted to try Too Faced "Better Than False Lashes." It is a three step process. Nuts I know but it doesn't take long at all. I was intrigued because it has actual fibers you put on your lashes. I am still not certain it is worth $35 when I can get Better Than Sex for a little cheaper but it is pretty good so far. I've only used twice so I can't tell you yet. What's your favorite??? I'm always looking for a good one!!!

Lastly, I know it is winter and some ladies skip on shaving all the time but this girl, I can't. I have a weird thing about feeling hair anywhere on me. I can't deal. So, I shave every day. To keep my skin soft and not dry, though, I only use EOS shaving cream now. It is my favorite. I can't stand skintimate and those others now. Just thought I would share if you haven't tried that one.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! We are going to celebrate a beautiful debutante in the family so that means we get to get ALL dressed up! We can't wait to dance and enjoy a yummy dinner and drinks.

Here is  CIRCA 2007 of my husband, Patrick, and I as he presented me as a debutante. I know the dresses these days are going to be way more fabulous!! I'm excited!!!

Kisses,

Dana

Santa baby...

One thing I've noticed that we haven't covered yet this Christmas season is what's on OUR list. It's always fun to make your Christmas list. Honestly, this year, I could care less because I am just excited to spend Christmas with my parents, grandparents, sister & brother in law...in the MOUNTAINS. Hoping for a white Christmas! Anyways, I thought I'd share what's on my list this year.

{1} Sephora & Nordstrom gift cards? Yes. This is easy and makes me HAPPY.

{2} This shampoo & conditioner combo is AWESOME. They use this on me at my salon & it smells so good. They also make a smoothing oil that you can use wet or dry. I am almost out so a repurchase is necessary. These are on the pricey end but would be great gifts if it's not something you would normally spend on yourself. Oh, and Davines products smell AWESOME!

{3} I think every blogger in the history of blogging has one of these. I haven't gotten one yet but would like one. I have been using a similar one by Olay but I am ready to upgrade.

{4} This hat. Total splurge! But I tried it on in Nordstrom a while back and now I'm obsessed!!

{5} I have been eying some Beats by Dre. These gold and white Bluetooth headphones are awesome (and so pretty) but quite a splurge. In reality, the Bluetooth ear buds are more practical. I always stop and listen with these when we are in Target or Best Buy. I think they have great sound. The headphones are SUPER comfy too.

{6} Lastly, this is mainly for both me and my husband. We LOVE coffee & it is one of our favorite things to do here in Austin on the weekends. We love to go try different coffee shops and compare lattes/cappuccinos/etc. This is a pretty likely purchase for us with those after Christmas sales.

So what's on your list this year? I like hearing about others' Christmas lists and how they differ so much from person to person. I always love getting the texts too, "What did you get?!" I hope y'all have a great Monday. Be sure to let us know what's on your list.

xoxo,
Haley

End of a Chapter

         I'm so thankful for my babies. When I was in college, I went to the doctor because I was having some pain standing up at the USC football games. She told me that it would be very difficult for me to have children. I was taken back. Children weren't even on my mind. I was 19 years old and knew I wanted quite a few but I was only worried about my classes and the next party I would attend. After getting married, Patrick understood I wanted to try early on in the case that it would take awhile since I have PCOS. I got pregnant quickly with the help of some medicine. I then had a miscarriage early on and feared that would be our future. I was so determined that I ignored the doctors wishes and didn't wait three months to try again. We tried right away and I was pregnant again the next month with Whit!

I thought about all of that today as I packed up the diapers that I no longer need because my third and final baby is potty trained. That is also quite amazing!! I'm excited to end my chapter of late nights, breastfeeding, changing diapers, high chairs, and all that goes along with the younger tots. I'm unbelievably thankful for my sweet Brandon and his determination to master this skill quickly. I never for once take my babies for granted but I'm excited for the next stage of them getting a little more independent and being able to observe their growth. Whit is starting to take showers and told me the other day he is going to marry a little girl named Abby in his class and they will have babies and I will be the grandmother. I'm not quite ready for that chapter son!!!

Christmas is only 20 days away and after that will be the big 2017 and everyone sets goals or expectations for the next year. Our family always has a theme. In the past we had 'Year of Change', 'Year of Fun', 'Year of Simplicity'....I'm not sure what this year was...maybe we forgot to title it, ha ha!

I'm thinking this year may be the 'Year of Health.' That can mean so much. My new girlfriend Sherri, what a sweet heart, has committed to a fitness competition with me in the Fall. I have NO IDEA if I will be ready for that but we are committed to holding each other accountable. Even if I don't get that "look",  it is a great goal for any mom. Patrick is also more committed to his fitness too. He is enjoying working out but it is SO hard because he has to work all day and then come home to all of us! But I think 'health' means more than working out and eating right but focusing on your mental health and happiness. This weekend was the perfect example of that when we could breath in the fresh air and enjoy each other with little distraction.

I am getting better at saying no to things and I think we have become a little more selfish with our time and who we will allow to truly be in our lives. I don't know if that is what we will decide as the "theme" but that is definitely my focus.

I will leave you with a photo we had on our Christmas Card!! I'm already thinking of fun ideas for next year and Prince Rocco can join in!

Make it a great week!

Love,
Dana

Happiness is extra dessert.

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Holiday happenings are getting into full swing around here. Just counting down the days until I get to see my momma & daddy on the 22nd. We had B's Christmas party this weekend and it was of course so much fun. In Texas, when men dress up, It usually consists of their boots, dark jeans, collared shirt and blazer. Y'all, let me just tell you something...ANY man can pull that off and LAWD HAVE MERCY!!!! Sorry, my husband was looking good & you would have thought he was a Texas boy all his life. It just looks so manly I think. I don't know. Super attractive to me. Ok, I'll stop. I opted for leather pants & a blouse this year because it was rainy and COLD. Of course, I had green earrings to bring in the festiveness. This picture was obviously BEFORE the Marozas' tore up the dance floor. We just can't help it. 

We decided with our neighbors to have a tacky Christmas sweater/holiday baking day that we will do in about 2 weeks. I am so excited because baking really is my favorite. So, I wanted to get some ideas from y'all. We can all scour Pinterest and find desserts but I love to hear about traditional family desserts (if you can share them...some are secret I know.) Do y'all have baking days with your family or kids? I seriously cannot wait because sweets are my #1 weakness. Please share your recipes or just holiday traditions in general if you don't mind.

Hope y'all have a great week!

With love from Texas,
Haley