It's that time of the week again...

Happy, happy, HAPPY Friday, y’all! <3

This week flew by, which is surprisingly welcome due to the fact that the past three weeks have just continued to drag on. I am so excited for a weekend at home to enjoy this wonderful fall weather, work on the house {I got most of the cleaning done last night so I can relax on the deck tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee…yeah!}, and enjoy friends and family. Oh, and football, lots and lots of football and snuggles. Insert cheesy grin here.

Isn’t it funny that your idea of a “fun weekend” changes with age? A fun weekend to me used to mean a party on Friday AND Saturday. Maybe a big show in Fayetteville. Now? A fun weekend is sitting at home, cleaning house, cooking food, reading, maybe getting some shopping in {I plan on doing ALL of these things this weekend, by the way…} Even though Charles is about to be 27 and I’m about to be 24, I feel as if some of the people we associate with feel like we are “old and boring”. Well, maybe we are. But I’d take that over young and reckless any day of the week, I’ll tell ya.

I hope my Friday passes quickly. This girl just has a few hours and an afternoon meeting to make it through until my weekend begins! 3pm, I’m longing for you!

Since it’s Friday, let’s hop right in to 5 for Friday! Here’s what’s on my mind this Friday!

{ONE}

Good deals! When I’m shopping, I try to look for the best deals around in order to get the most bang for my buck. I got incredibly lucky this week with some of the deals that I stumbled across. First, I made the trek to Old Navy, where I found 2 zip front oversized cardigans, 2 cozy, lounging shirts, 2 pairs of the most adorable boot socks, the cutest mustard yellow sweater, and 2 pairs of super cute funky flats! That’s 9 items that would have totaled well over $150 dollars. I scored ALL of these items for $62 dollars. Old Navy is having a KILLER sale going on right now, so I highly recommend scooting on over to your local store and getting your fall “must haves.”

Another place I stumbled upon that had killer deals was JC Penney. Now, I normally always find amazing deals at Penney’s but this time took the cake. I got the about 6 tops and sweaters and two scarves, which, before all of the sales, would have been over $200. Of course everything there is typically on an extreme sale, and this time was no different. With all of the sale they had going on, it brought my total down to $110. Then, after all of the coupons they emailed me and sent to my home {y’all, I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to subscribe for email updates and mailing coupons from stores…it only works to your benefit}, I spent only $68 dollars! I mean, could I have gotten any more lucky with that? You best believe I was thrilled. Of course, I made my weekly visit to Suite One on new arrival day {wild horses couldn’t keep me away}, and got a few cute pieces as well, so I’m just all set! Want to get a JC Penney discount? Go to JC Penney and say “BOO” to the cashier. You’ll score 20% off of your total purchase! So worth it.

My final deal of the week comes from my beloved TJ Maxx! I scored a Columbia jacket for Charles AND one for myself. These puppies were only $24 dollars, and they had all kinds of styles, colors, etc. Way to top off my week right, TJ Maxx!

 

{TWO}

Crockpot Recipes! Crockpot recipes tend to always be on my mind around the fall / winter. Warmer weather means warmer food, and crockpots just make my life SO MUCH easier. I know Charles doesn’t like it if I continually make the same thing {he loves variation and trying new food}, so please send me your favorite crock pot recipes my way!

{THREE}

Holiday Parties! I was out for drinks with Charles and his bosses, and the topic of their company Christmas party came up. Naturally, this got me into holiday party mode: What will I wear? Where will it be? How will I accessorize? What scent should I go with? Dressy or casual? The list really goes on. I LOVE planning for holiday parties, I love the atmosphere around the holidays. This year, my girlfriends and I are toiling with the idea of a special “holiday” girls night. More info on that later, I’m sure it will deserve a whole post dedicated to the occasion. What do you like most about holiday parties? Holiday season please hurry hurry hurry!

Here's Charles and I on Christmas last year!

{FOUR}

I can’t believe that tomorrow will be a whole month since I married my best friend! It feels like yesterday. Where did the time go? How bittersweet. I should be getting my pictures back within a few weeks, and I promise, when I do, I’ll do a post on the wedding AND on the honeymoon. Married life honestly hasn’t changed my life drastically like people said that it would {granted, I’ve only been married a month, so what do I know?} but everyone made it seem like as soon as I said I do, everything would just feel different, and they were right. It feels SO much better. Charles and I lived together for 2 and a half years before we got married {yes, I know, I’m a heathen, but I don’t think it’s bad to test drive the car before you buy it..}. We know each other’s bad habits {he leaves his clothes, shoes, and dishes everywhere, he doesn’t clean his bathroom and it’s gross…and I nag him and take up all of the closet space…} Being married was an easy transition for us, since we have been “Playing married” for a few years. I agree I am young, and most people might not think I am fit to be married, but I think I was born to be a wife at an early age. I always knew I would marry young and have kids young, and cook, clean, and take care of my husband. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about women working {I love my full time job and wouldn’t trade it for ANYTHING}, but there is something so fulfilling about taking care of the ones that you love. I feel very blessed to have Charles as my family, and I will never take him for granted.

 

{FIVE}

Weekend plans! They always seem to be my #5 on Five for Friday! It’s going to be a great weekend! Tonight, we are meeting up with one of our favorite couples for a dinner at 21 West End {chicken Caesar salad and pomegranate martini, y’all are calling my name!} It will be so great to catch up with friends we haven’t seen since the wedding. Saturday, we have decided on cooking out, football, and a backyard “bonfire,” since the weather is supposed to be divine. I couldn’t be more excited for a fall weekend here in Arkansas {I wonder what I’ll wear…} =) I'm ready to put this week in the rearview!

 

Isn't Cho the cutest pumpkin you've ever seen?! She just loves her mom.

 

What’s on YOUR agenda for this coming weekend? And what’s on your mind this Friday? I hope you had as wonderful a week as I have had. Until next time! XO

Michele

Hello, Friday! You're wonderful

Hey, y’all! Happy Friday =)

I hope you’re all as ecstatic for the weekend as I am. Big plans? I’d love to hear. I’m slowly but surely trying to kick the rest of this sickness in the booty {keyword: slowly. Painstakingly slow, in fact} in order to fully enjoy my weekend. Cheers for Friday!

Friday’s also mean 5 for Friday!! Here’s 5 things on my mind today:

{One}

My arm’s length to do list is on my mind this Friday. Albeit yes, my life has calmed down significantly since the wedding, I still have so much catching up to do. Throw in the holidays coming and us trying to fix up the house to sell, I’ve hit a point where I eat, sleep, and drink in to do lists in order to function like a normal and productive human being. No, I don’t want to be “that lady” who obsesses over list making. I’m not someone who makes lists to do lists, I’m not certifiably OCD, but the lists help me to remember what I need to do, and they remind me to stay on track. I really think it has more to do with writing things down. If I write something down {no, typing them into my phone calendar does NOT count as writing something down, it will never work,} I feel like I remember things better.  Surprisingly, my to do list for this weekend isn’t too terrible. My “to do before the end of the year” list is out of hand.

 

{Two}

If you know me, you know I’m not the world’s biggest red meat fan. Not that I don’t like it, not that I won’t eat it {because I will}, I just seem to always gravitate towards grilled chicken, fish, etc. Sometimes it’s difficult when Charles wants to grill a nice, big, juicy steak. He gets extremely excited, and I’m always sitting there thinking “Okay, I’ll eat this, it will be great I’m sure, so why am I not as excited as this guy?” I found my substitute for steak. It’s even BETTER than steak in my book. Get ready to go buy some immediately. Ahi. Tuna. Steak. SO GOOD. Yes, you can buy this at Wal-Mart of your local grocer {frozen…}, but it is SO much better to go get some fresh. Where I live, we have a local seafood shop that gets fresh fish flown in every Friday morning, and they have extremely reasonable prices {Shout Out to See’s Seafood!} You can prepare them however you’d like, but I like to keep it simple: a little olive oil, a little creole, some george’s seasoning {a special, secret seasoning that is pretty good fabulous that is made by a family here in Fort Smith}, and some lemon juice. Toss that puppy on the grill, it doesn’t take long to cook in the slightest. Enjoy a glass of wine while you wait {I know I will}. Anyhow, this is on my mind today because I have four of these beauties ready to throw on the grill tomorrow at the lake. Yes, I will be sitting on the deck enjoying a glass of wine while my husband grills the meat! This weekend’s weather will be amazing, I am SO looking forward to it.

 

{Three}

2 for $22 candles from Bath and Body works are never constantly on my mind, but especially today! These 3-wick candles run around $20 on a normal day, but in typical “always looking for a sale” fashion, I wait for these wonderful candles to go on the 2 for $22 sale, and then I stock up! I also save all of the $10 off a purchase of $30 or more, and then I get 4 candles {which on a normal day would run me $80} for $30! That ends up being $50 of savings. I’ll take it! Well as I’m sipping on my coffee this morning, casually scrolling through my email as normal, I saw the coupon for the 2 for $22 sale going on now. You better believe that I will be heading straight to BBW for some more candles, because honestly, you can NEVER have too many. Have extras? Save them for next year. You’ll always need them. Life is too short to not buy the candles. Right now I’m obsessing over “Leaves.” It’s always my fall favorite.

 

{Four}

The Children’s Emergency Shelter has been on my mind a lot lately, especially with the holidays coming up. This shelter in my town provides shelter, food, and care to children who found themselves in bad situations. This shelter is someone everyone needs to support when they can, find them on their website here, or on facebook! They often post what they need support with {whether it be food, laundry detergent, someone to stop by and fix a leak, etc}. If you have means to donate to a charity, please choose this one. It takes a special kind of person to run an organization like the one they are running. Please consider them when you’re at the store, or buying presents this holiday season! I know we will be thinking of them in the Alley household this holiday season.

 

{Five}

After work, I am headed to the beautiful and peaceful Lake Ouachita. Although I won’t be in a bikini sitting on a boat, I can’t wait for a peaceful weekend, sitting on the deck, and enjoying the cool fall weather. It will be SO nice to sit on the deck with a cup of coffee and a stack full of thank you cards. It’s hard to get things like that done at home, because I always feel like I should be cleaning something, or someone always comes over, or we want to get out of the house…I could think of about 50 excuses to do something at home, but when I’m at the lake enjoying some peace and quiet, I can get things done! Hopefully I can get finished early and enjoy a nap in the new hammock, and then enjoy some wine and a nice dinner on Saturday night. Ok, ok. The wine will happen regardless of me finishing. Let’s just be honest about that. In fact, it might be required just to keep me sane while I’m writing the thank you cards and doing various other things. Oh, and sleep is a priority this weekend! I have not slept well ALL week, and I really need to let my body rest and recover in order to kick this sickness. Here’s hoping I get some good naps in ;)

 

I hope you all have a splendid weekend, full of friends, family, and if you’re lucky, some peace and quiet! & don’t forget to come back around for a weekend recap in a few days! XO

Michele Alley

 

Weekend Take Away

Hey, y’all!

It’s Monday…. Again. I promise, I just needed 5 more minutes in bed before Monday happened. Only 5. Possibly 10. An extra hour would have been great.

Fall is officially here, complete with cool enough weather to open the windows and very chilly mornings. So chilly, in fact, that getting out of my warm bed, snuggled up with my husband and the two fur daughters is all the more difficult. I've overheard several people at the office today saying things along the line of "If I could have taken a personal day today, I would have.." Agreed. Amen to that!

How was your weekend? Was it just a tad too short like mine? Well here’s some information to make your Monday go down a little bit easier, a spoon full of sugar for your Monday, if you will:

v  24 days until Halloween

v  52 days until Thanksgiving {and 53 until Black Friday…yes, it’s important}

v  78 days until Christmas

It really is the most wonderful time of the year. I feel like people have better behaviors, the air feels crisp, leaves are falling, Starbucks is booming..not to mention the holiday market comes around, my birthday comes around, I get to spend lots of time with family, and I get to meet my new nephew all this holiday season! Happiness overload.

I spent this weekend doing various things. As promised, I did go straight to Kirkland’s after work on Friday and I bought that monogrammed “A” doormat, as well as another cute doormat, which I put on the back deck, right where you walk into the French doors to go inside the house. Both of these doormats were an additional 20% off {have I mentioned that I like love Kirkland’s}. I also scored these two cute wine goblets for a mere $5 each. Kirkland’s autumn sales right now are insanely awesome, as they are gearing up for Christmas. I then took said wine goblets to my sister’s house for a nice glass of white wine, while we cooked up some delicious food for her husband’s going away dinner.

Another Kirkland's purchase. Excuse the wet spots around it. It rained ALL day Saturday! Not too shabby for a $9 doormat.

I'm dying. Seriously. $5 from Kirkland's. I'm a believer.

 

Saturday was one of those picture perfect, cozy Saturday’s. We opened the windows on Friday night when we went to bed and we woke up to the sound of rain beating against the window and a wonderful breeze was coming through the window. I tiptoed out of bed just to snatch up my iPad and a steaming cup of coffee, and I was right back in the warm bed, enjoying a little pinterest and the weather I’ve been dying for. Happy gal right here! After we begrudgingly got out of bed to start the day, we went to my parent’s house and got to watch the wedding video! I swear, y’all, I could have watched all day. I can’t wait until the copies are made so I can get a closer look ;)

Since my parent’s house is right down the road from Wal-Mart, we decided to go ahead and get our grocery shopping done for the week. {I know better than to bring Charles grocery shopping with me , we always end up with $50 more of food than we needed, not my brightest idea}.

After cleaning the house, we felt that we deserved a nice mojito and some company, so some family and some friends came over to watch our beloved Razorbacks, bless their hearts. It was pouring all day, but that didn’t stop us from grilling out some chicken and sitting on the deck that evening! To polish off the rainy day, we decided to make an apple crisp, topped with vanilla ice cream! So good for my soul!

 

Sunday was spent writing thank you cards! I’m almost not even close to being finished, but at least I made a dent! It was also “switch your summer and winter closets” day, and it was a complete disaster for a while. I have too.many.clothes. I know, a girl can never have too much clothing, but I either need a bigger closet or I need to drastically reduce my clothing {I vote both!} This pretty much consumed most of my afternoon…oh yeah, and we got a new bedspread because our demon angel dogs decided that while we were on our honeymoon, they needed to panic and try to get ALL of the stuffing out of our comforter. You know, no big deal. This comforter is not my dream comforter by any means, but we needed a new one quick, and it was the prettiest one we found at wal-mart while we were there. Meanwhile, I’ll browse online to find a better suited bed set for our room!

Not even all of it! Underneath it all is the new bedspread, not too thrilled, but it's cozy and it does it's job, for now!

 

If you’re a Shutterfly fan like myself, you need to go to their website ASAP {like, yesterday} and get your free gift! You can choose from 101 free 4x6 prints or a free 16x20 print. Christmas is coming, and photo gifts are always a good option. Print out some pictures of your favorite friends or family, and while you’re on the site, go ahead and order some holiday cards or maybe a coffee mug for one of your friends gifts. I have a feeling I’ll be ordering some photo coffee mugs and filling them with cocoa mix and marshmallows for some friends this year, what a great gift! Check out shutterfly now! It’s where I got my guestbook for the wedding, and it was a HUGE hit. So many guests asked me where I got the guestbook, and here is the answer!

Something that is going to be a theme on my mind this week is going to be Christmas Lists! Not only do I need to create my “wish” list for my family, but I need to make a list {and a budget} for all of my family members and friends this year. Any suggestions for how you guys budget for Christmas shopping? What kind of gifts do you enjoy giving to friends? Any holiday shopping traditions or amazing sales on your mind? Please. Share! Sharing is caring and it can be very, very rewarding for all parties!

How about holiday cards? Charles and I are starting a tradition this year of sending out a holiday card to friends and family with a written letter about what we have been up to that year. Where do you get your holiday cards printed? We are thinking of using our professional pictures and using an online website to order our holiday cards. What good websites are out there?

Some pictures of my cutie pie nephew to start your week off with a smile!

 

 Time to get back to work, always keeping busy, busy, busy! I hope your weeks fly by! Until next time!

Michele Alley