Fall Decor!

I love everything about fall, but my favorite has to be the decor. I didn't do much different this year but I thought I'd share my pics anyways.
So, here ya go!





I made this frame last year with some of my scrapbook stuff.
Then I just replaced the candle with a pumpkin and a few fall leaves.

This pumpkin was a new purchase this year. I love how rustic it looks!

This is the same wreath I had last year that my MeMe made for me.
It is my favorite fall decoration by far!
I love looking at it so much that I can't bare to put it on the outside of our front door.

These little beauties are made to go around candles but I decided to put them at the base of my lamps.

I am having so much fun decorating our new sofa table!

This is just a bunch of fall pretties in a bowl. I used it last year on our kitchen table but decided to move it to the coffee table this year.

Some fall garland, welcome sign, pumpkin and little mini scarecrow on the fireplace mantle.

My newest purchase for the kitchen!
Can you believe I got this beauty for $6 at Dollar General?!


A little fall hand towel that MeMe made me.
So cute!

Just added some candy corn and a pumpkin to my candle holders on the kitchen table and viola!
Love it!

Jean's Beans

I am eating left over soup for lunch today. It is a new recipe I tried this week called Jean's Beans. I got the recipe from my friend Amy and it is so good I just have to share! This is a hearty soup that is perfect for the cool weather ahead, so make it up and share with the ones you love!

Jean's Beans

What You'll Need
2 cans pork and beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can butter beans or great northern white beans
1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 lb bacon, cooked
2 onions, chopped (I just used one large onion)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt


What You'll Do

Mix everything together and either 1.) cook in crock pot on low 6-8 hours or 2.) simmer on the stove top for about 30 minutes.

Wakey Wakey - Shakey Shakey

I was feeling a little more sluggish than normal this morning.....until around 9:10 when my office windows started rattling and the whole building started shaking -that woke me up for sure! That's right folks, I experienced my first earthquake this morning! The first thing that went through my mind was, "oh my God, there was a bomb....how close was the bomb, cause it felt like it was really close!". Everyone in our building went outside and that's when we realized it was an earthquake. It was kind of funny cause the first thing I did was get on facebook to see if anyone else felt it and there were already a million status updates about it. It measured at a 5.1 magnitude, which is the 2nd strongest earthquake in Oklahoma.

OU/TX

I know I'm a little late as usual, but I wanted to share some pictures from last weekend when we crossed the Red River for the OU/TX game.

Josh had to stay behind for some work and school stuff so Rocky and I rode down to Dallas with my parents on Thursday then Josh met up with us Friday night. Rocky did so good in the truck. He loves getting in the car and going places. He tries to get in the car any chance he gets, so I knew he would be good.



We stayed with my sister and brother-in-law on Thursday night and celebrated my sister's birthday. I can't believe my little sister is 25! She is all grown up and married and I am just so proud of her!


Friday us girls went shopping while my dad, Billy, and the dogs went mountain biking and hiking.


Then we checked into our hotel and got ready for the night. This was Rocky and Brinkley's first time to stay in a hotel. It was so cute to watch them run around checking things out. They even jumped on the bed like typical kids.

Of course Rocky and Brinkley had to represent their team too!

Some of our friends stayed at the same hotel, so we all met up for some tailgating and then went to dinner.



We headed out Saturday morning for the Texas State Fair. It was sooo crowded with people decked out in their crimson and burnt orange. None of our family had tickets to the game. We just went in the fair for the festivities and watched the game on one of the big screens they had set up. And, I'm sure you've heard by now but......THE SOONERS WON!!!

We came back to the hotel after the game to celebrate the victory with some more tailgating!


We left bright and early Sunday morning. We had to get back to Oklahoma for a VERY important birthday!

Our sweet niece turned 10! That's right, the big one oh!!

The first birthday party I went to of hers, she was just turning 6! My how time flies!


Well, that's it my friends! We had such a great time with our family and friends as usual. But after we got back, we had some big decisions to make. After lots of thought and prayer, we decided that Josh should resign from his job. He is in his final two semesters of school and working 40+ hours while going to school full-time has just become too much to handle. I know if he really needed to, he could have kept doing it. But the fact is, he doesn't need to. We have figured out a way for him to quit and concentrate more on his schoolwork and that is what will make us most happy right now, so that is what we are doing. He already has a part-time job at a golf course (in fact he is working there all weekend), so things are looking good!

Other than that, we've just been hanging around the house getting some things done. I have the house all decorated for fall. I'm just loving sitting in the house with the windows open, my maple butter scentsy burning and enjoying my fall decor! I'll do a post of some pics of the fall decor soon. In the meantime....take care ya'll!

Celebrity Fashion Inspiration

Are there celebrities out there who you almost always love what they are wearing? I started thinking about what my "style" is and who I would dress like in the celebrity world if I had celebrity type $$$. I guess I would describe my style as: comfortable, classy, and feminine mixed in with a little bit of the South (big hair & bling). There are two celebrities who I really look to for inspiration.

#1, Jennifer Anniston

She definitely has the comfortable & classic look down.


This is an outfit I could see myself buying.


And #2, Carrie Underwood


She's got red carpet style like nobody's business!


And she rocks the stage in the most gorgeous gowns! I have absolutely no reason to wear any of these things, but if I did...this is the look I would go for.

She is the epitome of the girly southern look.

Who are your celebrity fashion inspirations??

Weekend Wrap-Up

Our weekend started out with Rocky's first sleepover! Lesha and Billy came to stay with us Friday night and brought their little love Brinkley. Brinkley's and Rocky's personalities could not be more different. Rocky is super laid back and loves nothing more than sitting in someone's lap. Brinkley on the other hand is full of life, and LOVES to run and play. They usually play pretty good together, Rocky just gets tired a little faster than Brinkley.



We've been thinking really hard lately about getting Rocky a baby brother/sister. So, this weekend was a good test run.....and the verdict is- no new puppy! It was hard to feed them at the same time. The barking was a little out of hand...one would bark and then the other, it was like they each wanted to have the last bark. Ha! And...Rocky did not handle his momma giving attention to another dog very well. Rocky spent a lot of time on the rug by the front door pouting while I played with Brinkley. It made me so sad to see him so upset. I have one VERY SPOILED dog on my hands...but that's okay cause that's how I like it.

I think Rocky had fun for the most part though! I just don't think he wants it to be permanent. Ha ha! (please ignore the hair issues and no make-up, I had just gotten home from a run)

Aren't these two little sweeties cute?!

Saturday we kicked football season off in Norman at the OU vs. Utah State game! We met up with my friend Shawna and her bf Shane for some tailgaiting before the game!

We had a blast and the Sooners got their 800th win!! This is the view from our seats this year.


I'm tellin ya.....it doesn't get much better than this. I LOVE SOONER FOOTBALL!!

1 Month Update, Setting Some Goals

Alright peeps, it's been one month since I decided to get real with myself and get in better shape. I started out doing the 30 Day Shred after work. There are three levels to the workout, I started on level one. After a few weeks of that, I added in a short run in the mornings before work. That is when I really started feeling different. I started to have more energy and my Shred workout started to become easier. I am still running in the mornings and am trying to add a little distance to my run each day. And, I have moved to level two on the Shred. I've only done the level two workout 3 times so far and it is THE HARDEST WORKOUT I have EVER done!!! I really think I might die!

So...one month later and I know the big question is - have I seen any results?? Well, I've only lost 3 pounds but I feel more toned and my energy level is way up. I had Josh take some pictures of me one month ago and we just did another set of pictures this morning so I could compare. I can definitely see some improvements, especially in my back. After seeing a picture of my back one month ago, I just about puked! Haha, I really had NO IDEA I had so much back fat! I am SO HAPPY that is starting to go away! I thought about posting my pictures as I progress on here but my hubby said that is a little too personal. Plus, I don't know if I'm ready for the world to see my back fat. Ha ha!

There are only good things to come from here on out, so I will definitely be sticking with it. But, I think it is important to set goals for yourself. So, I have set a few goals in this getting back in shape challenge to myself. I thought long and hard about it because I really didn't want to be unrealistic. I think if your initial goal is too far out of reach then you become disappointed when you don't make it and give up all together. If you set a smaller, more attainable goal, then when you reach it you should feel like you accomplished something and that will add more fuel to your fire! This has worked in the past when mine and Josh's goal was to get out of debt. Instead of selecting the credit card with the largest balance to concentrate on, we chose the one with the smaller balance even though the larger balance had a higher interest rate. That may seem backwards but by choosing the smaller balance first, we had an attainable goal and it really felt good when we got it paid off. So good, that it inspired us even more to pay the 2nd card off. Now here we are a few years later living debt free (except house and 1 car)! It still feels SO GOOD to know that we stuck with it and achieved our long term goal but I don't think we would have done it so easily if we hadn't started small. I got a little side-tracked there, but I think you get the point! Ha! So....my first goal is to lose 5 lbs by the first OU football game. This has given me 5 weeks to lose 5 pounds, which is completely realistic. We are one week from kickoff and I have 2 more lbs to go! I think I might make it, but I will have to be a little tougher on myself this week.

My second goal is to lose 5 more lbs throughout football season. I DO NOT want to feel like I am on a diet. I HATE the word diet. I DO NOT want to cut any foods out. Since I've started this challenge, I have had a brownie (or two), ice cream and cake. BUT, I have made a vow to myself that if I allow myself to eat something that I know is not good for me, I HAVE to workout extra hard that day. So far, it has worked. I have held myself accountable for everything I have put in my mouth and I haven't felt restricted on what I can and can't eat.

My third goal is to maintain my weight (which will hopefully be 10lbs lighter) throughout the holidays. Let's get real folks....there is NO WAY to lose weight during the holidays! Am I right?! So, to tell myself to lose weight during that time would be an unattainable goal. But I think if I come out in January without gaining any, I will be doing good!

And that's as far as I've gotten. I will re-access the way I feel and look at that point and decide if I need to make more goals or change the way I'm doing things at that point. What are some of your tricks to achieving your goals?