Love Remains the Same

Once upon a time, I had written a witty and amazing blog post. Perhaps the best one of all. And then reality set in, I was trying to do 5 things at once, and I ended up accidentally deleting said blog post before posting. The struggle IS real. I was extremely frustrated with myself at first, but then realized that I couldn’t do anything about it, so I decided to take a break and restart later. So here I am!

I don’t think I can even attempt to mirror what I had previously written {I’ve slept since then, HARD!} but I will try to think of something right around the same level of amazing {wishful thinking, wishful thinking..} I’m currently sitting on top of my comfy bed, with my new cozy blanket, a cup of tea {with marshmallows in it..because, well, marshmallows!} , a fall candle burning right beside me, and my husband sitting in the other room watching a few pre-season NFL games{which I must say, makes my heart very happy, it's a pleasant sound to hear. Happy fall!}. I think I’m ready for this. Aaaand, go.

As I grow older, I’ve noticed a lot of my tastes changing. They say your tastes start changing every 7{?} years {or so?}, and for me I feel that this is pretty accurate. This ranges from a wide spectrum of things, from my taste in company, food and drink tastes, musical tastes, pretty close to everything.

Ever since I was about 18 or so, I’ve been {gradually} incorporating, and dare I say even liking vegetables, but recently I’ve been LOVING all vegetables that I used to loathe. Tomatoes? Yum. Brussel Sprouts? Pass ‘em over. Okra? Gimme. Carrots? Mine. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do with these vegetable cravings. Was I pregnant? Was I having some sort of mental breakdown? What was the root cause of this sudden onset love of vegetables? As it turns out, neither of the above were the culprit {although I’m sure some people would argue the latter..} I honestly think that I am just getting a bit braver as I get older and more willing to try new things.  

This is a change I am kind of extremely happy about: I am not longer just a sweet white wine lover! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dumping all of my moscato d’asti and Riesling down the drain, but I’m no longer reaching for them at the liquor store. Now, I’m looking for chardonnay and cabernet {and dare I say even the occasional shiraz..} Do I somehow feel more sophisticated drinking these newfound wines? You betcha. In case you were wondering, my current favorite brand is actually by Dave Matthews. The brand is called Dreaming Tree. DELICIOUS and your wallet will thank you, because this wine is budget friendly. A couple more of my favorites are Freakshow and 14 Hands..so walk run to your nearest liquor store and get your hands on a bottle {or two, or three..}

Musical tastes have absolutely changed. I hear most electronic music and I think “wait, is this music?” I’m over my “only rap music” phase, although I do love myself a nice rap song when I’m driving with the windows down. Don’t judge, you know you do it too. I’ve been really digging the Michael Buble Pandora station lately. It features good ole Michael himself, Frank Sinatra, Ben E King, & of course, Norah Jones, the classy lady herself!

You know the saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same. There are a few things in my life that aren’t going to change: my love for Charles, my faith, my love of my family, my chocolate & coffee obsessions, and my habit of watching reality tv shows, just to name a few. And you know what? I’m ok with that. My life is in a better place than I could have ever imagined.

Let's get down to the recap portion of our blog post today:

Fresh Farmers Market flowers..$5 for these beauties that will last weeks. Go home with your $15 bouquets that last 2 days, Wal-Mart. Although I still do love walmart..

You can't beat end of summer nights on the deck with your handsome hubby and a nice glass of red wine. You just can't beat it!

Honestly, it's felt more like fall lately than it has summer {well, at least the nights and the mornings feel that way} so I've been trying to spend as much time as possible outside on the deck with the girls {yes, the dogs..}

While at the lake last weekend, the mister and I woke up at around 6am to a thunderstorm. There's nothing quite like the sound of thunder when you're waking up. We decided to make the most of it and spend the early morning hours cuddling on the deck listening to the storm in a hammock.

When thunderstorms disappear, it's time to take a sunset boat ride with the family..and I'm glad I wore this shirt over my swimsuit and we were BOTH glad I had this blanket, because it got CHILLY.

Lake views..why isn't this my permanent view?

 



You know we love local things, and Friday we got the pleasure of trying out CORE brewing company that just came to our town. What and awesome place! If you're around my area, check it out, you won't be disappointed.

I hope as much as your life changes, some things remain the same. 

A little piece of paradise

What a gorgeous Sunday it is today in BEAUTIFUL Fort Smith. I'm pretty much a weary traveler today, all thanks to a nice drive home from Lake Ouachita, and I feel like I'm under utilizing this fantastically beautiful Sunday, but there was unpacking and cleaning to do, I'm in dyer need of a steaming hot bath {we worked hard this weekend!} and prep for the work week ahead. 

This week was a particularly amazing one, albeit busy as usual. I've been anxiously prepping my closet for all the new spring and summer "must haves," and I've been trying to find places to wear these new outfits for their debut! ;)

I wanted to show you a quick recap of my week, along with a quick not so quick photo segment on our happy place at Lake Ouachita. Sometimes it's nice to just get away from the normal and spend a weekend somewhere else {but never underestimate the magnificent feeling you get when you finally come home.}

And away we go...

How amazing it was to get onto my Instagram and see that I had won a weekend for two to New Orleans from my favorite boutique of ALL TIME, Suite One. I am so blessed and so lucky. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's always a good idea to Shop Suite One. 

It was a beautiful day on Monday, and I got the pleasure of going golfing with 6 of my favorite guys! {Yes, I just sat around in the golf cart and had a few drinks...but it was still a great time!} 

Sleepytime silly time with my fabulous husband. Have I mentioned lately how blessed I am? I found my person. 

Here we are again, about to go into Charles' first RCIA class for becoming Catholic. So proud of this man and of our family!

A storm was brewing, taking over the sun and moving into town. I love the first storm of the season.

WARNING: The following segment is completely lengthy. If you don't feel like seeing a bunch of nature pictures from the lake, please tune out {or skip to the bottom, fast forwarding is completely acceptable!} 

Footsie with the husband on a stormy night at the lake... <3 

Sunrise on Ouachita

My handsome started working Saturday morning around 7am to get some chores done around the lake house. Unfortunately he had a bit of a chainsaw accident and got a pretty nasty cut on his finger...we are fortunate it wasn't worse than it was! 

I took this photo Friday evening when I arrived..it was starting to rain, but the view was stunning!

Sunrise!

Burning the some excess limbs 

Our happy place

FOG! How gorgeous is this?!

Where is your "happy place?" This is absolutely one of mine, but I have a few happy places here in town. For example, Suite One, Sephora, Target, and most importantly, sitting cuddled up with two puppies and a handsome husband.

There's a lot of spring like activities coming up that I am looking forward to. Floating {although we need a few more good rainy days}, backyard barbecues, drinks on the patio, the Rib Room opening up for concerts and events {and amazing ribs..}, and so much more. Stay tuned in the middle of this week for my segment on spring must haves and outfit ideas for whatever spring activity you might come across! I'm rather looking forward to that post...I might {if you're lucky} throw in a few of my favorite spring recipes that are easy to whip up for a last minute cookout you get invited to.

I hope all of you are completely embracing this spring weather and doing what makes you happy. I feel like we would all be happier if we stopped worrying about how other people perceived us and just let ourselves be happy. I feel a little better and a little brighter every time that spring rolls around, and I hope you feel the same. Go out and do whatever it is that puts a smile on your face!

"Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier"

Why must the weekend end?!

It’s official, Monday has come around once again! Monday’s are just not my favorite. In fact, Sunday afternoons aren’t my favorite either, because it just feels like a pre-Monday! I feel horrible complaining about Mondays, because if I dread Mondays, I have a job. A good job. A job that I love and am proud of. Yet I still dread Mondays..

Even though I haven’t fully hopped on the Monday bandwagon, I’ve decided to embrace this Monday. It’s a nice, chilly morning, I’m wearing my favorite fall leggings and my olive Piko top {both from Suite One…go figure} and I’m enjoying a nice cup of coffee. This Monday just isn’t so bad afterall, it’s all in your perspective.

How was your weekend? Mine was a much needed lake getaway. Friday, right after the husband got off work, we headed straight down to the lake and cooked a nice dinner and enjoyed the beautiful sunset on the deck, and we hit the hay early {which is typical for me anyways, getting up at 4:30 every morning for work doesn’t make staying up until midnight quite so appealing..}.

I woke up at about 4am on Saturday morning to the sound of pouring rain and thunder, and saw a beautiful lightning show at the window. Needless to say, that put me back to a peaceful sleep for another 2 and a half hours. When I woke up, it was still sprinkling, so I opted to write thank you notes inside with a cup of coffee, half watching “Almost Famous” while I worked. Finally the weather cleared up, and  Charles and his brother and father worked on various tasks around the lake house, as well as Charles removed a bunch of oxidation from the back of the boat, as well as changed the boat name and put a metal looking Razorback on the back of the boat, what a handy man!

 

After piddling around for a little bit in the afternoon, and having a few cocktails with the neighbors, we started working on dinner, which was incredible! Ahi tuna steak, grilled asparagus, and pasta. Delish! And the best part? Charles cooked it all. He’s a man of many talents, but sorry ladies, I snatched this one up and he is off the market! After baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies and watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York {the best Home Alone in our opinion..} we hit the sack early again! Married life, I tell ya!

Sunday morning Charles and his brother helped their dad with a few more projects, and I packed up and cleaned up as much as possible, and played puppy wrangler to make sure they didn’t get in the boys way. We headed home and unpacked and did some chores at home {it never ends} and then met up with my family for dinner at Olive Garden. I knew I didn’t wanted a big glass of Sangria, and lo and behold that’s just what my parents ordered. They are people after my own heart. If you are ever at the OG, try their Berry Sangria. It’s amazing, just what I needed to wrap up a nice weekend!

 

Now I’m usually not too big on the country music fad, however, there are a few songs you just can’t keep out of your head. I’m starting to become more of a country music fan {as long as it’s not that honkytonk, way too country music. That is not ok.} Here’s a few songs I’ve been singing along to in my car for weeks!

 

Sunday was also made wonderful because of the text I got from my dear friend Katie, and it went a little something like this {see below}. In summary, MAC cosmetics is coming to our local Dillard’s! I know, I know, how could it have taken this long for a MAC to come to our mall, and trust me, I’ve had similar thoughts, and often. Just in time for the holidays, my birthday, etc…looks like I know what to put on MY wish list! Hint: All Things MAC.

 

She also made my day by informing me that Old Navy is having a boot sock sale, and I’m in desperate need of some good boot socks, because you can never have too many, and for $3.50 a pair? Can’t beat that and you can’t say no. She made the great point that these would be great stocking stuffers, or maybe part of a small gift for a friend!  Maybe even a dirty santa gift, the possibilities are endless. I’m going to raid this sale right after work {and you should, too!}

I’m pleased to report back that I completed ALL of my thank you cards {it took forever and I had a sore hand and a headache, but they are done}. I accomplished most of my “to-do” list, with the exception of the Christmas lists! That’s going to be my primary focus for today. Charles has a board of directors meeting for the Blues Fest this evening, so I’ll have some time to get some work done on the lists after work. I’ve started working on them early enough that I’m not in panic mode trying to get it completed.

The Christmas Cards I created and ordered via VistaPrint have ALREADY shipped, y’all! Jump on the bandwagon and get yourself some. Mine should be in today, which gives me optimal time to address them and get them out to people and not be in a rush. How great is that?! I’ll probably get them addressed and ready to send out in the next few weeks, so that I don’t have to worry about it closer to the holidays. Getting ahead of the game is kind of a rush for me, if you hadn’t noticed.

I hope you all make the most out of your Monday! Go check out the amazing Old Navy sale! 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