Texas Tuesday {vol. 6}

Happy Texas Tuesday, y'all!

(Don't know what Texas Tuesday is? It's a weekly link-up hosted by Amanda of Princess of the Panhandle and I, that's open to anyone, not just Texans! All you need to do is write about something Texas related, post our little button in your post, then come back here and link up! That's it!)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.ohheyitsj.com/" title="Texas Tuesday"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/34zftph.jpg" alt="Texas Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

(Right clicking is disabled on my blog, to get the button, highlight the code, and hit "control" and "C")


If you know anything about me by now, you know that I'm all about everything Texas related. Every. Thing. Artwork, home decor, jewelry, clothing. Especially clothing and jewelry. And I just so happened to buy a new t-shirt yesterday that is positively Texas-fied perfect. Once I got home and modeled my shirt for a bit, I got the urge to track down more Texas tees and such. Wanna see my new wishlist?

Born and raised, y'all.

Source: modcloth.com via J on Pinterest

Hello, lovah.

Source: t-shirtguru.com via J on Pinterest

Y'all

Source: thevintagepearl.com via J on Pinterest

Perfectly rustic. Until I can get my hands on these little pretties, I'll be rocking out in my new Texas tee.

Texas pride, y'all, werk it.

(Edit: my mom asked me why the Texas is backward. I took the picture in the mirror, just to clear that up!)

Have a great Texas Tuesday!!

Monday's Mantra (And A Winner!)

Source: rambleroadvintage.blogspot.com via J on Pinterest

This is definitely the way I want to live my life!

Happy Monday, my loves, I hope you all had a great weekend! Don't forget, tomorrow is Texas Tuesday! Are you linking up?

P.S. Amanda was the winner of my giveaway! Thank y'all so much for entering, and for following me!! If you didn't win, you can still purchase one of Brandy's jersey necklaces from her shop, and check out all of her other awesome merchandise while you're there!

I'm linking up with Sarah from A Cat-Like Curiosity for her Monday Mantras Inspirational Linkup. Head over and check out the rest of the Monday Mantras!!

Cardboard Box Diet {week 4}

New to the Cardboard Box Diet? Go here for all the details!

Y'all, I figured this week would be horrible since I pretty much took this week off, but it ended up being pretty good. Let's get to the details, shall we?

• Weigh-In: I'm down three pounds from last Thursday!! 
• Exercise Completed: Honestly, I didn't do any "formal" exercise. Saturday we went to a street dance, and between taking M seven times to a bathroom three blocks away, and dancing with her until I was exhausted, I think I got plenty of exercise that night. Then I did quite a bit of yard work yesterday, which, according to MyFitnessPal, burned almost 300 calories. So, yeah, I think I did a bit of exercising this week.
• Splurge/Guilty Pleasure: Ugh, on Saturday I had two Dr Peppers and a hot dog. And then I had chocolate pudding last night. Shhh, don't tell.
• Success Story: One word: water. Water has become my best friend. And I'm actually not completely hating salads anymore, so there's that.
• Recipes: The only recipe I have this week is for braised cabbage. We went to my mom's for dinner on Monday, and she made quick skillet steak (yes, again, it's my new favorite!) and braised cabbage. The cabbage was sooooo good! I may or may not have taken leftovers and ate it for lunch the next day. And I was so busy eating it, I forgot to take photos. You can find the recipe here, and I'm not 100% sure about the calories, but there's no way it's that much. 
• Photos: I keep forgetting to take photos, so it's back to a inspirational photo for this week.

Source: itsfitnessbaby.com via J on Pinterest

If you're doing the #CBDiet, let me know! And if you're on MyFitnessPal, add me!

Have a great Thursday, m'dears!

Texas Tuesday {vol. 5}

Happy Texas Tuesday, y'all!

(Don't know what Texas Tuesday is? It's a weekly link-up hosted by Amanda of Princess of the Panhandle and I, that's open to anyone, not just Texans! All you need to do is write about something Texas related, post our little button in your post, then come back here and link up! That's it!)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.ohheyitsj.com/" title="Texas Tuesday"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/34zftph.jpg" alt="Texas Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

(Right clicking is disabled on my blog, to get the button, highlight the code, and hit "control" and "C")


Let's talk boots, shall we?

I have an ongoing love affair with cowboy boots. When it's not 112 degrees here in Texas, I'm wearing cowboy boots. Every. Day. And I'm itching for a new pair, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

Tony Lama Cross Inlay square toes. Simple, yet fabulous.

Tony Lama 3R Buckaroos. Love, love, love these.

Ariat Pink Caliente Crossfire. Pink perfection.

Ariat Quincy Collection Bronco Billie Cowgirl. Ride 'em Cowgirl.

Tony Lama 100% Vaquero Cream Inlay. These are my most favorite. I'll take two pairs, please and thank you.

What's your favorite?

Have a fantastic Texas Tuesday m'dears!

Monday's Mantra

{via}

It's never too late, lovlies!

Happy Monday!

Bloggy Love

I've been a bad blogger. Four different fabulous bloggers awarded me blog awards, and I've never thanked them for it! 

Sarah from A Cat-Like Curiosity and Jules from A Beautiful Day both nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award, English from Be Freckled gave me the One Lovely Blog Award, and Lacey Renea from ...And They Call Me Mommy nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award! I am so very, very, very honored, thank you so much ladies!! 

OK, let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award and the One Lovely Blog Award

1. Thank the Blogger who nominated you. Thanks again, Sarah, Jules, and English!!

 2. Include a link to their site.

 3. Include the award image in your post. 

 4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.

 5. Nominate 15 other Bloggers for the award. 

 6. When nominating, include a link to their site. 

 7. Let other Bloggers know they have been nominated. 

OK, 7 random facts about me:

 

{1} We have a rooster, a hen, two ducks, and a goose at our house. All roaming around in our backyard.

{2} We also have a pet rabbit named Thelma who lives inside. And no, our house doesn't stink, she's liter box trained.

{3} I finished high school when I was 17.

{4} I had a brain aneurysm at 18.

{5} I got my first job at 14. I worked for a vet who ran a horse breeding program.

{6} I married B at the ripe old age of 20.

{7} I have a total of 6 siblings, 4 brothers and 2 sisters.

OK, here are my nominations:

Lil Woman from Little Woman, Little Home

Gigi from Sweet and Sassy Texan

Amanda from Princess of the Panhandle

Holly from A Cajun Belle

Jaime from Not Your Average Crazy

Mrs K from Mrs K and Captain J

Sarah from Scissors and a Whisk

Tiffany from Blabbering Thoughts

Brandy from brandy-son Zen master flash

Amanda from The Insurance Outlaw

Nicole from The Tape Diaries

Danette from All My Love for All My Days

Apples and Glue

Kourtney from The Queen's Court

Kenj from Silkybowties

Alright, now on to the rules for the Liebster Blog Award 

1. Choose five up and coming blogs to give the Liebster Blog Award to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them. Thanks, Lacey Renea!

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they've received the award.

5. Share five random facts about yourself!

Here's who I'm giving the award to:

Kourtney

Danette

Nicole

Brandy

Amanda

Mrs K

Amanda

Gigi

Yes, that's more than 5, but I couldn't choose just 5!

OK, 5 more random facts about myself. Let me think.....

{1} I had reconstructive knee surgery at 23.

{2} I wash my face with honey. Yes, you read that right. (I should really blog about that)

{3} I'm addicted to Burt's Beeswax lip balm

{4} I'm part of the Pretty Physicist's Pretty Panel

{5} I'm the social media manager for the Blank Canvas Tour. (more on this later in the week!)

If you have already received one of these awards, it's not necessary to blog about it, just consider yourself a rockstar blogger!!

Happy Sunday, my darlings!

It's Friday, Let's Have A Giveaway

See that little Google Friend Connect widget over there on my sidebar? It has over 200 followers. I am amazed that so many of you want to follow along on our journey. It means the world to me. Every comment, every email, every tweet, brings a smile to my face. I have made so many amazing friends through my blog, and I'm so glad that y'all have stuck with me for so long.

So, to show my love and appreciation for your fabulous people, I wanted to give you something, so I'm having a giveaway.

Wanna know what I'm giving away?

The ever so lovely Brandy has offered to giveaway one of her jersey necklaces from her shop! 

Adorable, right!?

I love, love, love these necklaces! I've owned the mustard one for awhile now, and I wear it all the time! (I had a photo of my mustard necklace and I, but I left my memory disk at home and I'm writing this from work!) The jersey material is so soft, and even though they look heavy, they really aren't, and I've had countless compliments every time I've worn mine!

Anywho, back to the giveaway, you have a few options to choose from as far as colors. There's the mustard (like mine), the yellow and white, the mint (two versions!), the gunmetal, the red, the brown and lime, and the olive and hot pink. Pretty sweet, huh? The giveaway will run through next Thursday (the 26th) at midnight, and you've got a ton of ways to enter! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck, y'all, I'll announce the winner next Friday! I hope you all have sensational weekends!
X's and O's

Cardboard Box Diet {week 3}

No, I'm not eating cardboard, if you don't know what I'm talking about, go here to find out! 

I am happy to say that the third week of the cardboard box diet didn't treat me all that badly, despite the fact that I didn't eat that well! There was only one day that I went over my calorie intake, and it wasn't by much. So, let's get down to the details, shall we?

• Weigh-In: Last week I was at my mom's, so I wasn't able to weigh in. I'm extremely pleased to tell y'all that when I weighed Friday morning, I was down a couple of pounds! I'm writing this on Wednesday night, and as of right now I'm down a pound from last Friday. I'll update this once I weigh in on Thursday morning. I know a pound isn't much, but it's at least something.
• Exercise Completed: Mostly Wii tennis, boxing, and baseball. We did get a treadmill this week, and I walked on it once for a bit, but it's not the same as walking outdoors, which I love. Even if I am dying of a heat stroke by the time I make it back home.
• Splurge/Guilty Pleasure: Ugh, my whole weekend was a splurge. Friday night B and I went to see the new Spiderman movie (side note: if you haven't seen it, do so immediately. Also? Helllloooooo, Andrew Garfield!) and I had a soft pretzel with cheese and a box of Raisinettes, but I did stick to drinking water! Then we headed over to Brenham for the Hot Nights Cool Tunes concert, and I shared some cotton candy with M. But I stuck to drinking water!! Then on Monday I had some ice cream at work, but we're not talking about that.
• Success Story: Despite my not so healthy weekend, I still managed to lose a pound. And I'm drinking a whole lot of water, which is apparently a good thing. It's funny because despite only losing 9 pounds all together (so far!), I see a change in myself. My clothes fit differently, and I have more confidence. Plus, eating healthier is starting to get easier. I'm making better food choices without even having to think about it. I have more energy, and I feel better overall. I wonder what it's going to be like when I hit 20 pounds!?
• Recipes: I don't really have any recipes this week. I made stuffed peppers last night with ground turkey, Spanish rice, and a bit of cheese. One pepper was 271 calories, and I served it with Bush's Best Grillin' Beans. It was delicious! (If you want the recipe, let me know in the comments and I'll email it to you. It's easy peasy!)
• Photos: I had no food or lovely red faced photos this week, so I'm back to motivational photos. Y'all are ok with that, right?

Source: fastrecovery.tk via J on Pinterest



Source: helpwithweightloss.org via J on Pinterest









Source: marathonmama.net via J on Pinterest

That's it m'dears. That's week 3. Not the greatest, but at least there was progress! If you're joining in, let me know! I'm using MyFitnessPal, and you're more than welcome to add me there if you're using it too! 
Have a fabulous Thursday, lovelies!
{P.S. you may want to swing by tomorrow, there may or may not be a giveaway going on!}

Texas Tuesday {vol. 5}

This post is going up late, Blogger apparently ate the original post that was scheduled for this morning!!

Happy Texas Tuesday, y'all!!

(Don't know what Texas Tuesday is? It's a weekly link-up hosted by Amanda of Princess of the Panhandle and I, that's open to anyone, not just Texans! All you need to do is write about something Texas related, post our little button in your post, then come back here and link up! That's it!)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.ohheyitsj.com/" title="Texas Tuesday"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/34zftph.jpg" alt="Texas Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

(Right clicking is disabled on my blog, to get the button, highlight the code, and hit "control" and "C")

Most of you know I was born and raised here in this great state. B and I had a brief stay in Alabama a couple of times (Roll Tide!), but for the most part, I've called Texas home. I grew up in Brenham, Texas, which, at the time, didn't seem to be that exciting. I did what most teenagers do once they graduate, I got out of there as quickly as I could. But, as I've gotten older, Brenham has pulled on my heartstrings just a bit. Most of my family still lives there, and even though we don't live there, it's still my hometown. Now I take pride in telling people I grew up there, so, I wanted to share with y'all what makes my hometown just so great.

First of all, Brenham holds bragging rights to the oldest county fair in Texas! The Washington County fair was established in 1868, and I've been nearly every year since I was born. It's a week long event, complete with a carnival, livestock shows, rodeos, and concerts. There's a ton of delicious food to eat and a ton of beer to drink. I look forward to it ever year. There's nothing like fair time in Texas.

Besides the fair, Brenham's claim to fame has to be Blue Bell Ice Cream. 

{via}

Blue Bell Creameries opened their doors in 1907, and has been going strong in Brenham ever since. Blue Bell is only sold in 26% of the nation's grocery stores, yet it ranks as one of the top three selling ice creams in the country. It's good, y'all. The creamery holds guided tours (and free samples!) on weekdays. But the best part of Blue Bell is they participate in a program with the local state school to offer the residents jobs. 

But downtown Brenham has to be the best part of the town. There are tons of boutiques and antique shops, and quaint little cafes and flower shops. It's definitely my favorite part of Brenham. In the spring they have th Spring Eggs Art Walk and the Maifest, in the summer they have the Hot Nights, Cool Tunes concert series, in the fall they have the Scarecrow Extravaganza, and in the winter they have the Christmas Stroll. They even have a farmer's market that's open every weekend from March to December. There's always something going on in downtown Brenham. They shut the streets down, and it seems like the whole town comes out. We make the drive and take M to just about every event they hold downtown. It's pretty much become a family tradition.

So, if you find yourself on Highway 290 between Austin and Houston any time, be sure and stop in somewhere in Brenham, you'll definitely find something to fall in love with.

Monday's Mantra

{via Busy Philipp's Instagram}

Dine well, darlings!

Saturday Sensationals

{via}

It's the weekend, y'all!! *high five* Are you ready for some Saturday Sensationals?

This video is the cutest thing ever. I was crying by the end!
I'm so in love with these photos. (Although, it may have something to do with my obsession with Busy Philipps!)

Hang ten.

Be kind, y'all.

Do you love moving your body?

One of my most favorite blog posts from this week: Completely Imperfectly Made

I'll take a dozen of these amazing cookies, please!

I love this post about how motherhood changes you.

M (and every other little girl, for that matter!) needs these adorable shoes, pronto!

This is how I will deal with anger from now on.

Manhattanhenge, y'all, it's gorgeous.

I don't know why I like this so much. Don't judge me.

I love, love, love the Blues Brothers.

OK, my loves, have a wonderfully lazy weekend. Or go out and do something extraordinary. Just make your weekend count!

Is This What You're Looking For?

Like any crazy obsessed normal blogger, I check my stats from time to time. Ok, quite often. OK, fine, on a daily basis. I like to be in the know, dang it! Anywho, from time to time some real gems come up in the Google search terms. And yes, there has been a time or two where the search term has been really quite frightening as the mother of a little girl, but for the most part, they're harmless. And sometimes pretty funny. So, when I checked my weekly stats yesterday, I figured I'd take a screen shot and help some of those Google searchers out!

1.) Hot Dad

Which one are you looking for?

Source: blondeepisodes.com via J on Pinterest

This one?

 

Source: blogs.babycenter.com via J on Pinterest

This one?

Or this one? This one, right? Yeah, he is pretty good lookin!

2.) I'm too scared

What are you scared of? All we have to fear is fear itself, right? So, suck it up, and don't be scared. It'll all work out in the end.

3.) Goal Getting

Here are my goals, but if that's not what you're looking for, maybe this will help?

4.) Toddler Cowgirl Party

This will help. Or, ya know, you could just hire me to plan your party. I do own an event and children's party planning business, after all!

5.) Zac Efron saying hello

{via}

How's that?

6.) Awkward poses on couch

Listen, I'm not sure what you're looking for, and I'm not sure my blog can help you. Yes, I am awkward from time to time, but I normally don't pose on my couch. I sit on it. In a non-posing way. Maybe you should try looking somewhere else. Sorry.

7.) Birth day princess weheartit

What? I don't even.... first of all, birthday is one word. Secondly, yes, I am the princess on my birthday, but what's that got to do with weheartit? 

8.) Black and white kitchen towels

Here's a few ideas.

9.) Cheap black and white damask kitchen towels

Well, first of all, let me say that I am all for saving money, but I personally feel like you shouldn't skimp on kitchen towels. You want them to last, right? Anyway, check out the answer above, you may find what you're looking for there.

10.) Don't know what to do on birthday party

Seriously, just hire me! Or, you can shoot me an email (ohheyitsj{at}gmail{dot}com) and I'd be more than willing to help you come up with an idea.

OK, I hope this helps all of you searchers out a bit!

Have a great weekend love bugs, and come back tomorrow for some Saturday Sensationals!

Cardboard Box Diet {week 2}

If you've never heard of the Cardboard Diet (or #cbdiet), go here to get all the details!

Y'all, week two of the Cardboard Diet didn't treat me very well. Once I was over that nasty little virus I had last week, and was actually able to eat food again, I gained 2 pounds back. But! At least that was it, no more than the 2 pounds, which I count as a win!

• Weigh-In: After I gained those pesky two pounds back, I maintained my weight from Friday through Monday, which was pretty frustrating, but seeing as how I was.... emotional, bloated, and in "EAT ALL THE SWEET THINGS" mode... I'm claiming that as a win too. I haven't weighed in since Monday because we've been at my mom's and she doesn't have a scale. I'm calling this vacation.
• Exercise Completed: We hit the pool and swam on Friday, then it rained all weekend, so we were stuck in the house, but we dusted off the old Wii and got busy. Between Wii tennis and bowling, I burned a whole lotta calories. FYI: 55 minutes of Wii tennis burns 412 calories. 75 minutes burns 562. Two days of Wii tennis makes you feel like you've been hit by a Mack truck. It's definitely a workout.
• Splurge/Guilty Pleasure: Um, yeah, I had a mini Dairy Queen Oreo Cheesequake blizzard on Tuesday. It was worth every calorie. All 380 of them. Then I had a chopped beef sandwich yesterday. Like I said, I'm on vacation. I'm terrified of stepping on the scale once I get back home.
• Success Story: Does it count that I've tried to stay under my calorie intake each day I've been at my mom's? Oh, and I passed up a seriously delicious looking chili dog for lunch. That's a win, right?
• Recipes: The first night we were here my mom made Skillet Steak and Onions from Skinnytaste. Holy cannoli, it was good! Plus, it was only 95 calories for a 1/2 cup serving. Make this, pronto! Also, on Sunday I wanted a quick lunch, and didn't feel like cooking much, so I warmed up some canned chicken and a can of fat free refried beans, mixed it up with some salsa and lettuce, and chowed down. Extremely good and 220 per bowl. Confession: I ate two bowls!
• Photos

Breakfast: Three egg whites, salsa, and a kiwi.

One hour of Wii tennis will make you extremely red faced.

 

B even got in on the Wii action. He's the baseball champ.

My second week wasn't as good as my first week, but I'm going home today, so I plan on getting back into my routine and kicking some serious tail. I'm definitely more motivated than I ever have been before, and I feel like this time, I'm going to be successful. Hopefully I don't eat my foods and give into the ice cream craving I'm having right now!

Have a good Thursday, m'dears! And if you're joining us on the #cbdiet, or if you're on MyFitnessPal, let me know!! I'd love to follow along!

Life in Photos {vol. 4}

I finally backed up my phone yesterday, so I figured I'd do a quick phone photo dump and give y'all a glance at what's been going on with us lately! 

A Texas sunrise...

A Texas sunset...

And a mason jar of sweet tea in between!

Bright eyed and bushy tailed after her nap.

Dance parties with Rockstar Elmo are high on our list of to-dos.

Life lessons, yo.

She said they were all in timeout. I'm still not sure what they had done.

M, we eat our broccoli, not play with it.

Diva with a capital "D"

This is not my idea of putting toys away. However, it appears to be M's.

Hope you have a great day, my loves! X's and O's

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