What's Up Wednesday

Happy Hump Day, friends! I just realized that a) it's the last Wednesday of the month (woah January, hello February) and b) I haven't done one of these in awhile!

So let's get to it!

What We're Eating This Week...
It was our week to host the Stacey's so I attempt to make them something that they haven't already had at our house. The last time they came over, I made them the Mississippi Roast in the crockpot and mashed potatoes in the pressure cooker and it was SO good! 

This time, I made taco salad - a recipe from my aunt Sherron's cookbook (one that she put together with recipes from her, my grandma, my aunts and many of her friends - they are classics that I love and it's my go-to cookbook) and as always, it was yummy! It's SO easy to make.

I also have a few recipes tagged from Shay Shull's cookbook 'Mix-n-Match Mama Eats'.




 
What I'm Reminiscing About...

I blogged about this yesterday, but Matt's granddad Jim passed away last Thursday night so I've definitely spent some time thinking about him, his life and his legacy he will leave behind. My husband grew up on a farm, half a mile from his grandparents house. Memories of growing up there will be treasured and that place will always hold a special place in his heart and so much of it traces back to his granddad and gramma. 


What I'm Loving...

You know I couldn't get away from this... but I'm loving my LipSense! Yet again, I blogged about this new opportunity that I decided to partake in this month. I became a LipSense distributor and vowed to not bug everyone about it 24/7 because I just can't be that person! I feel like bugging you about Two Dots is completely different. How, I don't know, but I'm OK with that!

Here's what I will tell you about LipSense.

It is lipstick that doesn't come off. 

It. Doesn't. Come. Off. 

I LOVE my Mac lipsticks and my Clinique Chubby Sticks but I put them on and five minutes later, they have come off because I have eaten or drank or just walked around. LipSense does not come off - yes, you need to use the gloss throughout the day to help it not come off, but I just was discussing with Jenna that I almost never put the gloss on throughout the day (because let's be real, I forget to bring it with me and I just forget about it), but what's amazing is that I can get to the end of the day and STILL have lipstick on. 

Me in Honey Rose and Glossy Gloss (yes, that's the name... 😐)

The color options are gorgeous... and endless. If you want to try, just let me know! I have a growing list of people that want to try it and I have only personally contacted a few of them (because they are lipstick lovers and all lipstick lovers need this in their possession)! If you haven't joined my Facebook page to see all the colors and what I'll have in stock, just click here. 




 
What We've Been Up To...

 Oh... you know... just searching for a house in Chicago for us to live in that is not an hour commute for Matt and won't take him 20 minutes to walk from our house to the train station (though he blows it off like it won't be a big deal -- ask me how he's feeling after his fifth day of walking in negative temperatures with blowing snow in his face -- which I said to him), meeting with realtors to get our house on the market, going room to room to decide what needs to be hidden when people walk through our house, etc. 

This will be our life until the summer I believe!
 
What I'm Dreading...

See above! I'm dreading all of it! Talk to me in the summer when it's over!


What I'm Working On...

My life kind of revolves around my kids (making sure they have been fed, bathed, get them where they need to go, etc.), trying to have dinner for a hungry husband, house-hunting, Two Dots, blogging and now LipSense. There literally are not enough hours in the day! Realistically one of those should probably go away, but I can't pick which one it should be, so instead, I will just go crazy and try and get it all done! :) 
 
What I'm Excited About...

Well... I was very excited about a trip to Chicago next weekend to go look at houses and be kid-less for two days. But that trip is now postponed so... I'm looking forward to a Two Dots trunk show in Sedan instead! I love doing shows there because I get to see people I don't see very often anymore and I might get to go eat at Bucks BBQ. And hopefully go to church and see my St. Roberts peeps.


What I'm Watching/Reading...

I'm not sure if this tells you much about me.

But my favorite show of the moment is Ladies of London on Bravo TV.

And my book of the moment is 'Superficial' by Andy Cohen, the brains behind Bravo TV.

 If you think that I'm wishing to be a crazy, materialistic, rich witch... you might be right.


What I'm Listening To...

Matt got the Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas from my sister and we use it alot to play music while in the kitchen.

The kids ask only for Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars and anything by the Chipmunks.

I recently asked for it to play Harry Connick, Jr., while I made dinner. And let me tell you, it made dinner-making much more delightful! I recommend a little Harry the next time you are prepping/cooking/baking.


What I'm Wearing...

Right now, our weather is spring like. Which annoys the crap out of me. Give me winter. Then give me spring. Not two weeks of winter, five months of spring, six months of summer, two weeks of fall.

So my attire is all up in the air. But a constant are my JCrew Factory Jeans.

They are so comfortable because they have a decent amount of stretch in them. Plus they come in a good variety of colors! AND they are less than $50 always!

What I'm Doing This Weekend...

This weekend, we will be back at the farm for Matt's granddad's funeral service. He was well-known across the area so I expect it to be a large crowd. Lots of talking. Totally my thing. 


What I'm Looking Forward to This Next Month...



I just looked at my February calendar today and it's filling up!

We've got things almost every weekend, birthday parties for friends, and then a big birthday party for Ms. Tess who turns one year old on February 24! That same weekend we are going to Wichita to Matt's alma mater to watch his college basketball coach coach his last home game as he is retiring after this season. 

In between all of that, Matt and I are suppose to go see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at the Walton Arts Center on February 21. Who wants to babysit?!




What Else is New...
I literally can't think of anything else going on in my life except that our sweet nephew/cousin Anderson is growing and will be a month old on February 8 - where did that month go?!


Everyone have a

Life as a Planner

I've mentioned before how my mom always got a new planner from Gooseberry Patch every Christmas and she had the whole year planned out with meals and events ... she kept her life and our life in order.

I seriously praise the Lord that that organization/planning gene was passed down to me because without it, I have no idea how my family would function.

In college, I made lists. And I felt incredibly satisfied if everything on the list was checked off!

On a side note, my sister made lists as well in college. Lauren's lists included showering and buying Dr. Pepper.

My lists included finishing a paper, washing laundry and going to the grocery store.

If this is any indication as to how she and I differ ... :)

K-State started selling planners when I was in school and I loved them! They were spiral-bound, not too large, had game days already printed on their respective dates as well as other important dates students needed to know.

I used the HECK out of those planners. If I went and looked through those planners today, half of the pages would be filled with notes sent back and forth during class or during chapter meetings at Kappa (oops).

My parents eventually bought me a 'grown-up' planner: a leather bound Franklin Covey. I used it a bit while at Wichita State working on my master's, but I'm almost certain I went back and bought a student planner at K-State to keep using.

Franklin Covey be too fancy for me!

Since those times, I found some good options at Target that I liked. I can't be one to spend much money on a planner, even though it is something I use every single day of the year!

I used one identical to this last year that I really liked. It was longer than normal, so it took up more space on the counter (yes, this thing is left wide-open all year long or I'd miss something), but it did the job - plus it was spiral-bound, a must for me!

This year, my brother-in-law who is the king of gift-giving because he goes on my Amazon list and buys from there, got me a new planner ... that was NOT on the list ... but it was amazing! It's called 'The Happy Planner' because WHY NOT! It has been an awesome planner this year!

I'm also a fan of Emily Ley only because of my best friend sharing the love of her. Her planners are perfection! I bought her Home Base Binder when we moved here, but ended up never using it because it was just too big. I would have bought her Simplified Planner, but they sell out SO fast! They are a great quality and will hold up through a long year!

Another planner I have heard rave reviews about, mainly through Mix-and-Match Mama, is Erin Condren's planners. She, like Emily Ley, has TONS of different things to purchase on her site, but her planners are the best-sellers. I love the options of covers -- this one is adorable because you can add pictures of whatever you want on the front!

They all vary in price. They all vary in what is included in the planner - meal planning, notes and quotes, vertical, horizontal or hourly layout ... I mean, the options are endless!

If you find that you are not on the planning bandwagon, but have really been wanting to hop on, I suggest doing it! Life is stressful enough without having to remember everything without writing it down (and I fact checked that writing things down helps you to remember things better than just putting them in your phone - this discussion happened when I forced my husband to take a monthly calendar to work with all 'family' related stuff in it)!

Happy planner shopping -- and please tell me what you get! :)


XXOO,
Allyson

What's Up Wednesday

It's another edition of 'What's Up Wednesday' where I link up with the above mentioned bloggers on the last Wednesday of each month and answer these questions:

So here we go!

What We're Eating This Week...

Baked Tacos

Since school started (or if we really want to get honest, since Tess was born) our dinners have been off! Sloane has a pom-pom class from 5-6 pm once a week and Reece has gymnastics from 4:30-5:15 once a week on a different day than Sloane... so we are scrounging on those days for food! 

But I went to Sam's Club yesterday and since they renovated their store, they added a fabulous meat/deli/freezer section with a great selection of pre-made meals. So I picked up rotisserie chicken enchiladas that we will eat on all week!

I also went to the store late last night and grabbed Reames Noodles to make my mom's super easy chicken and noodles (despite the ridiculous mid-70 degree weather currently happening at the end of October here in Arkansas). I also picked up some hamburger, refried beans, tomato sauce and taco shells to do baked tacos. So good! 

What I'm Reminiscing About... 

I love my TimeHop app because every day, it shows me pictures or posts from all of my social media from the years before on that exact day. This week has been really fun - lots of pictures of Sloane coming home from the hospital and a house full of my family visiting that first week. Can't believe that in just two and a half months, we will add a fifth baby to my family (not MY little family - this baby train is over - but my extended family)! Can't wait for Baby Hills!!! 

What I'm Loving... 

I blogged about these items on my Friday Favorites last week, but as I'm able to use them more, I'm figuring out what is working and REALLY loving them! I can really tell a difference on my face and though I don't think my face will ever be as clear as Samantha Ponder... 

 

It won't stop me from trying! 

What We've Been Up To...

This has been the month of travel for the Clark's. We travel alot anyway, but we are wrapping up the fourth weekend in October and we have traveled to Manhattan (which is five hours away) twice, while I'm going back this weekend for my sorority's 100th Anniversary (I can't wait - yay KAPPA)! 

It was Sloane's sixth birthday on the 15th and we were in Manhattan for my friend's wedding, but we always celebrate Sloane's birthday with the family at a K-State tailgate, so we went back last weekend to whoop up on Texas and sing to the birthday girls as it was also my sister Lauren's 28th birthday! 

Poor Lauren's name got left off the cake! :)

Sloane and I went to the K-State volleyball game and she gave Willie a big squeeze!

Our November is packed as well with trips back to Manhattan for a football game and Thanksgiving, while I will be traveling to Kansas City the first two weekends for Two Dots shows.

If anyone is in the KC area and wants to come see what Two Dots has for fall and winter, come see us at the Shawnee Mission North Cheer Competition on Saturday, November 5 from 9:30 am - 3 pm (Shawnee Mission North High School Gymnasium) or on Saturday, November 12 from 7:30 am - 4 pm at the Cure of Ars Gift Gallery. This is located at 9403 Mission Road, Leawood, KS. Get early access at 7:30 am for $10 and get mimosas and early shopping before the rest of the crowd! We will have everything on our site at the show as well as new items! Plus there will be lots of fantastic vendors -- get some Christmas shopping out of the way! 

What I'm Dreading...

Traveling. As much as I love to be gone (so it seems!), I'm so tired of traveling. I really would like to own an airplane.

What I'm Working On...  

Currently how to purchase an airplane.

As well as gearing up for all of our Two Dots shows! 

And lots of meetings with the Northwest Arkansas Mom's Bloggers -- the site launches in mid-late November with a launch party on November 17! More information to come as it becomes available! 

 What I'm Excited About... 

This time of year is my very favorite! It starts off with my birthday (the best day of the year), followed by a great month of October and Halloween and the changing of the leaves. Then comes November and a reminder of the many things I have to be thankful for (but tend to forget) and a wonderful day of food with my family on Thanksgiving. 

Then comes the Christmas season. Literally the most magical time of year. I just love it. Nothing beats the feelings, the smells, the fun that comes this time of year! 

What I'm Watching/Reading...

The Book Club book for this month is For the Right Reasons by Sean Lowe and I of course picked it up right away because I was hoping for juicy details on how the show The Bachelor is really made (Sean was the main man on the 17th season of The Bachelor where he did actually meet and marry his wife, Catherine Guidici). I also wanted to see how much he mentioned K-State... which he does.

 I'm certain this will be the one Book Club book I make it through and probably the one Book Club meeting that I won't be able to go to. Go figure. 

As for what I'm watching...  Matt and I try and find a show that we can watch together since we have very limited time together every day. We both had heard about Sarah Jessica Parker's new show Divorce. on HBO and so we gave it a shot (I LOVE me some SJP - Sex and the City is probably my favorite TV show of all time). We are two episodes in and I can say that we both like it! Obviously it doesn't sound like the greatest show for a married couple to watch, but it's actually funny... so we will keep watching!  

What I'm Listening To...

Remember last month when I said I was listening to Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Holiday Hits?

Yeah... that hasn't changed. 

What I'm Wearing... 

I wish I could say 'JK' after I type what I'm about to type. 

But I'm wearing shorts and t-shirt. On October 26. And I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I should be wearing jeans (even though I don't have any STILL), boots and a puffer vest! Not shorts, my Birkenstock sandals and tees. 

Though this weekend, I'm throwing in the towel on summer weather atleast for a few days. I found a really cute corduroy skirt at Old Navy I'm hoping to wear out with Kappa gals on Friday night. Take THAT, summer temperatures!

 

  What I'm Doing this Weekend...

Well... as you've been reading, this weekend is my sorority chapter's 100th Anniversary! Pledge classes from WAY back when to very recent are getting together to spend a weekend together - reminiscing, touring the recently renovated house as well as the K-State campus and football stadium, food, drinks... just an all-around great weekend spent with good people! 

I'm happy to be apart of it because this place gave me so much my four years in school and continues to give to me today through the friendships I have continued post-college. 

 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month...

I'm so looking forward to our Two Dots shows Lauren and I will be doing in Kansas City. We have the best time at all of them because we meet lots of people, sell alot of clothes and get to hang out with each other for 10 hours a day. Definitely looking forward to it! 

I'm also very much looking forward to Thanksgiving! We are in Manhattan this year with my family, which means so much laughter, lots of walks, good food and beer, and relaxation. It's going to be a great month! 

 

What Else is New... 

I feel like I've literally told you EVERYTHING, you can't possibly take any more! 

My little family is in a little state of limbo at the moment and hopefully will have answers to some unanswered questions soon. But as we enter the month of November, I am reminded, again, to be thankful for what I have and know that God already has a plan for us ... we just don't know what it is.

Which kills me.

Seriously. Doesn't he know how I work?! :) 

 

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

XXOO,
Allyson

 

Things I Could Never Do... So I Think

I could never hold a snake.

I hate them.

They are a top 3 fear of mine, along with tornadoes and school shootings.

I could never live far from my family. We are talking farther than driving distance in a day. We lived 10 hours from my parents when we were in Minnesota and I'm pretty sure that's as far as I could go.

I could never be a police officer.

I have a relative who is one and an uncle who used to be a highway patrolman. The way our world is nowadays, you couldn't pay me a million dollars a week to do that job. There is no winning there. You are either bad just because you're a cop, or you do your job and you're bad because you are a cop. Or you really are a bad cop and you give the good cops a bad wrap because you are a bad cop.

I also could never adopt or be a foster parent.

I follow Shay Shull on Mix-n-Match Mama and she has went through two adoptions since I have become a follower. The first time when they adopted their daughter Ashby from China, I remember sitting there in tears when she posted pictures of meeting her for the first time. It was strange, but I could feel the love that they have for that little girl just through pictures.

Her family just recently adopted another little girl from China and I'm was completely amazed.

Amazed that they had the courage to adopt in the first place, but to do it all over again? And to have four kids?!

I bring all of this up because my wonderful hair stylist and her husband made the decision to be foster parents. They are trying to foster to adopt.

When I saw her first post of their first baby, I was in shock and complete happiness for her and couldn't wait to see her to get the scoop!

So when I did finally see her, I spent a good 20 minutes in the chair just sobbing. The story that she and her husband went through to get to the point that they decided to foster was just unreal. And then once they decided to do it, a week later, they had a four-day old in their arms.

Her story was so inspiring to me and I kept telling her that I could never do it. Because of the unknown.


"Do you know if she will have to go back?" "Do you know what happened to the parents?" "Do you know she had to be given to foster care?" "Do you know what you will do if you have to give her back?"

They didn't know if they would get to keep this tiny baby.

They didn't know what they would do if they had to give her back (which was why I sobbed).

What they did know was probably very little, except that they had open hearts for whatever was to come. 

What they are doing is one of the most selfless things a person could do ... and I don't know if I could do it. I don't know if I would ever be strong enough to bring children into my home, knowing there is a greater chance that they would be leaving again.

I'm so proud to know someone who took this leap of faith, knowing that God would lead the way. It made me really take a step back and put things in my life into perspective.

And I know that whoever these two take into their home and are entrusted with their care, these children will only be loved whole-heartedly.

They have definitely let their faith be bigger than their fears.

What's Up Wednesday

Happy Hump Day, friends!

I started reading Mix & Match Mama a few years ago when her brother, Sean Lowe, was on The Bachelor. Sean Lowe also played football at K-State so I was primarily watching to see how many times K-State could be mentioned.

Any pub we can get, we take it.

She's just a mom, married to a K-State football player that my best friend was in love with in college, who loves to cook, who produced two children of her own and has adopted two, her last baby just recently. It's been fun to read along about her story with her kids as well as find some easy dinner recipes and some fun makeup/clothing recommendations.

She does a What's Up Wednesday with a few other blogger gals and I thought it would be fun to get in on it! So on the last Wednesday of every month, we will give this a shot!

What We're Eating This Week ...

Well... obviously if you read my post from Tuesday, you know that this one will not be very full! In fact, it's a repeat from Tuesday's post since Monday is the only day this week mama will be making anything -- Tuesday is a late pom/pom class for Sloane and Wednedsay and Thursday of this week, Matt is gone. Which means hot dogs and mac-n-cheese for the kids (and me - who are we kidding, I love some mac-n-cheese)! 

But as a reminder, I made the Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos from my Pinterest board for our good friends, the Stacey's. It smelled amazing all day long and luckily, it was amazing! It was SUPER easy to throw together in the crockpot, left it there all day, shredded the chicken at 5:30 and then we ate. My kind of cooking!

What I'm Reminiscing About... 

I've had two different adventures pop on my TimeHop app this week and both were awesome trips that make me want to immediately go back! 

 

This first picture is of Matt, Sloane and I - Sloane was just about 11 months old. We took a Clark family vacation, which included us, Matt's parents and his brother, Michael out to New York. We visited New York City and drove to Cooperstown, New York to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was a part of their dad's Father's Day present from the boys (sidenote: Cooperstown in the fall is the most picturesque fall town -- absolutely adorable and I would totally move there from August - November)!

It's hard to remember life with just one child (because it's impossible to remember life BEFORE one child), but I can tell you this -- this girl and I were TIGHT. I just adored her ... and I still do. But once she hit the age of one, we basically have butted heads. I'm slightly kidding when I say this, but I feel like the next time she will ever appreciate me is when she's had her own first little girl. So... we've got awhile! 

This picture is from a hotel room view in Maui, Hawaii. Matt and I went there for our five year anniversary, which has already been three years ago (YIKES)! It was absolutely amazing! And we are already counting down the days until we go back! 

What I'm Loving...

It is no secret that Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! I love decorating for fall, fall smells, fall colors...

I love pumpkins as well and have never, ever, ever seen a better selection of pumpkins that right here in northwest Arkansas at a local fireworks stand. 

Yep.

It's seriously amazing! The selection is so crazy - these are pumpkins you see on Real Simple that you can never find in real life. And they are between $5-10. 

It's our version of a pumpkin patch down here! I let the kids go and each pick one out. So they drag a cart around, pick out teeny little pumpkins and then drag my HUGE pumpkins around! #winning

What We've Been Up To...

My parents and niece Perry came to visit last weekend! #meltingheart

We are busy people! We are constantly go-go-going! We spent this last weekend at home and will do the same this weekend before October weekends are consumed with traveling to Manhattan, Kan., for K-State football games, a sorority sister's wedding and my Kappa Kappa Gamma 100th Anniversary Reunion!

What I'm Dreading... 

Flu shots. 

Enough said.  

And they didn't make the mist this year. 

Let that sink in.

What I'm Working On... 

Oh, you know... just everything.

I've been working on Two Dots this week, getting summer items moved to the sale rack to get ready for new items coming in this week and next (20 percent off all sale items this week with code FALL20 at checkout)! It's been hard to keep up with the store since Tess came into the picture and it could easily go away. But my sister and I really do love it, so we'll keep going!

Yes, it's that time when scarves are a mainstay at Two Dots.

Plus we just found out that we made it into another show in Kansas City in early November - Gift Gallery at Cure de Ars in Leawood on November 12 from 9 am - 3 pm. Mark your calendars! 

What I'm Excited About...

Do we even have to ask?! 

Which is why I celebrate it all month long, every year.

PS. Don't forget to enter the Etsy Gift Card Giveaway at the bottom of the post that I'm hosting JUST because it's my birthday! The winner will be announced on Friday on my Friday Favorites!  

What I'm Watching/Reading... 

I'm not afraid to admit to you all that I LOVE Bravo TV and Real Housewives shows. New Jersey is one of my favorites and this season makes me laugh because when I'm trying to explain to Matt what is happening (who could care less but will pretend to watch five minutes with me), it goes something like this "So that girl on the left, she just got out of prison and so they are all taking her to Vermont to celebrate that she just got her ankle bracelet off and taking one last girls trip before she becomes a single mom because her husband is about to leave for prison."

That's a fairly accurate description from Sunday night's episode. 

I'll start reading next week for Book Club. 

I hope.

What I'm Listening To...

Once September rolls around, when the kids and I are in the van, we are almost always listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown Holiday Hits (click the link to listen to some songs). Yes, it has some Christmas songs... but it also has The Great Pumpkin Waltz, Thanksgiving Theme... so it's not just Christmas! 

But I love the piano and it always, always, always makes me happy! So why not?!

What I'm Wearing...

This week FINALLY became Fall! As in the weather and the actual season are meshing together! Woke up to 49 degrees this morning, but it warmed up to upper 70s, so it makes it hard to dress in the mornings.

It's definitely jean season and despite a good effort on my part to lose the baby weight from Ms. Tess, my favorite JCrew Factory jeans are still too tight. Which is a bummer. And a real problem. Since I only only these jeans in the same size. So... this means either I need to make a stop at my local JCrew Factory three hours away or figure something else out. Like constant leggings?

I found this pullover the other day from a blogger (Styled Snapshots) and LOVE it. And need it. It's perfect with jeans and booties, or jeans and sneakers for those days where I just need to be comfy AND cute. :) It's also from Abercrombie & Fitch, a store I haven't visited since 2005.

What I'm Doing This Weekend...

This is where I should insert a large question mark! Because I don't know! The only thing I do know is that Friday, my birthday, we will be spending it at the Bentonville High School football game, where Sloane will be dancing at halftime. 

Who wants to spend their birthday watching their daughter dance at a high school football game? 

Well, you know it's me! Seriously... I love high school football and cheer/dance so this is right up my alley! 

My mother-in-law is coming down Friday and I think Matt made birthday plans for us on Saturday, so I'll let you know. It's currently a surprise and I'm going to try and let it stay that way (which I never do ... I am almost never surprised)! 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month... 

I LOVE to travel... but I think once October is over, I will never want to leave my home again (though we will be traveling so much the rest of the year, I might as well get over it)!

We are taking the kids on a surprise trip to the Gulf Shores for Sloane's Fall Break. They don't know it yet and we really haven't meant to keep it a surprise but we just haven't mentioned it to them... so I think we will keep it that way until we leave! If you've ever been and have some tips on things to do/see, comment and let me know!

We've got tons of birthdays to celebrate next month, including Sloane's 6th birthday, as well as one of my dear friend's weddings (on Sloane's birthday), football games and my Kappa reunion so it's going to be a packed month! 

 
What Else is New...

Nothing. I think I told you my entire life story on this post. 

Go buy your Glade Pumpkin Dream candle, ASAP! 

XXOO,

Allyson

PS. The link to the Etsy Gift Card Giveaway is below - enter before Friday! 

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