Trendy Thursday: For the Love of Kendra Scott

So this past Tuesday, Lauren and I headed out to Uptown for my sweet mother in law's (her mom) birthday!! We had so much fun! Of course we ate at Breadwinner's, rode the trolley on McKinney Avenue, got energized at Starbucks and then made a visit to West Village to the Kendra Scott store.

Let me just say....the sales gals probably thought we were crazy ladies!! We were so stinkin' excited and overwhelmed! I had never been to an actual Kendra Scott store. I had only looked at her stuff at Nordstrom's.  Can I just say that I am officially in love and I think that birthday/holiday shopping just got easier for Joey because there were so many pieces that I loved!!! So today I am going to share my purchase and my wish list!

Here we are basking in the cuteness of Kendra Scott

I was really impressed with all that they had in store. They had so many colors, shapes, and varieties of everything. I was SO in love with their earrings but I can't wear very heavy earrings at all. I have said this before but my heart is broken over the fact that I can't wear all her cute earrings BUT I did find one pair that wasn't too heavy!

These were the only ones that didn't hurt my ears....I loved them but want to get a bright color

I am thinking these!!! These are the Jane drop earrings in Magenta, I had them on in white.

I also found a lot of necklaces that I absolutely loved!!!

Loved this pink one and it's only $65

I loved the clear Rayne tassel necklace. It could go with so much!

This was hard to see but it was like the pink one above but in white

I love the way this person layered these two. Lauren got one of these in a different color and I am loving it, too!

So what did I come home with??? Well, I would have came home with more BUT I wanted to see if I could get any of it at Nordstrom so that I could use my Nordstrom card to get points. Luckily, Nordstrom has the necklace I want there so I can buy that and rack up those points. I did however get something that you can only get at free standing Kendra Scott stores. I got a ring from the Color Bar. It was so fun creating it and they put it together right then and there for you to take home. No waiting...which is great because I stink at waiting for things I am excited about!!!

 

I wanted to make something that could go with a lot of things so I went with pearls and clear stones. I was so tempted to make a fun, bright one but...again...I wanted something that I could wear with a lot of stuff. You can also choose if you want your setting to be gold or silver. I got silver because the girl helping me said it is not as noticeable and could go with everything!! The necklace and earrings I get will be bright so this was a pretty, simple piece.

What is neat about the Color Bar at Kendra Scott is you can make just about anything: necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings. I loved it but remember it is only available at the actual Kendra Scott stores and you can make your own unique piece.

Before I go,  I wanted to share about this little vest. I LOVE it and had a lot of people ask me about it when I posted about it on instagram/facebook last week! 

Excuse my freakish looking arm. I paired it with blue skinny jeans, leopard wedges, and a striped tank. Simple but fun!

I can't for the life of me find it anywhere but I did find some similar ones! I actually would like a 2nd one for fall and winter! You can add it to a dress or over a long sleeve fun print shirt! Believe me....I never thought I would say I love vests. But I am starting to love jackets and vests more. I think it's because it can make outfits look more put together and layer nicely! So here's what I found:

This one is super cute and edgy. Not sure I could pull it off. You can find it HERE. It is part of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and is only $84.90 but will go up to $128 after the sale.

This one would be great for the weekend and work! I am loving this one! It is also part of the Anniversary sale. It's on sale for $57.09 but will go up to $88.

And this is the one I am ordering NOW! It is on sale for $23.40 and here is the best thing...it comes in a coral color, bright blue, and white!! You can find it HERE!

 And I want to share one more that I think I will also be ordering today. This is a cropped, drape front blazer that would be cute with jeans and heels, a dress, or a cute skirt. Perfect for a fall date night or to work. I am thinking the pink or blue for me! It's on sale for $23.40!!!! Find it HERE

 

Don't forget to check out Lauren's blog HERE! She purchased some super cute Kendra Scott stuff and it was so funny to see what we were drawn to!!! 

Tuesday Tip: Body Image and Happy Birthdays!!!!

Growing up I was outside all of the time running, jumping around...doing something. In high school, I remember coming home and just running around my parents' land numerous times and they live on 5 acres. My body felt good when I worked out...I had energy and I enjoyed being active.

Let's fast forward years and years later. When I was pregnant with Grayson I worked out a lot during my pregnany. I did prenatal yoga, took walks, and did prenatal aerobics. When I had that 9lb 2 oz baby I felt great. After 6 months of having him, I had lost all the baby weight plus more. I watched what I ate and worked out. Simple, right?

Well, fast forward to my pregnancy with Ella. It was my first year as a counselor and I was at my desk a lot. I ate out a lot. I ended up on bed rest and gained 50lbs. After having that 10lb 5 oz baby, I didn't feel like doing anything!! I literally just lost all the rest of the baby weight after having to change my lifestyle due to my stomach issues...and she turned 4. Yeah, that didn't come off as easy. Did you hear me people....it took 4 years!!! Geez!

But I want to point out...it's not about weight and it's not about size. It is about feeling like the best you in your body. Being active and eating food that is nourishing your body. Whether that is a size 24, 14, 4....whatever...what is important is that you feel good...healthy!

Two weeks ago, I stopped weighing myself. I have been eating gluten free and mostly protein and veggies. I am not super skinny, I don't have super cool abs.....but I do feel good. I feel the healthiest I have felt in a long time. I am learning each day.

I have been trying to work out more and balance that as a working mom which is a tough thing. Luckily, I found 30 Day Shred which I love!!! I swear Jillian M. kicks my bottom and I feel it the next day. Her dvd's are intense. The workout is only 20 minutes so I have no excuse for not having time!!! You can get it on amazon HERE.

I even have the cutest motivator. It is no joke that Ella tells me to work out everyday. When your little one is telling you, I feel like it is important for me to set a good example. As a mom of a girl....I also want her perception of beauty to be how she feels about herself as in being healthy, being spiritually fit, and comfortable with herself and not as much as being "pretty" or comparing herself to the media. Because as a counselor I handle a lot of self image with girls and it breaks my heart. I think we have to build up girls to focus on feeling healthy and comfortable in their own skin and not labeling anything as "fat" or "skinny" or "pretty" or "ugly". I could go on and on about self worth and image but I will stop here...maybe I could save that for another post.


So for all of you that feel like you don't have time, the above dvd is great and fits nicely into any schedule.

I also have some birthday "shout outs!" My mom and mother in law are both celebrating birthdays today!! Crazy, huh? They are both wonderful ladies and I hope they had the best day!!!

 

My mom had a party Saturday and we are all going out to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate her!!

 There was a dj and lots of Filipino food!!! 

Today, Lauren and I headed to Breadwinner's in Uptown and West Village for my mother in law's birthday!

 

It was a great day celebrating wonderful women!!! Don't forget to check out Lauren's post HERE. She posted about wish lists and has some great items!!! And we will have a good Trendy Thursday post this week!!!

Make Up Monday!!!

So, this weekend I received an email from a sweet reader of this blog and my counseling blog about my makeup! She had a super sweet comment and as a mom of 2 and a mess most of the time, it kinda made my day!!

Now, honestly, I keep it all really simple. I think I use color so maybe there are times that it looks like I wear more but it literally takes me 10 minutes to do my makeup.

Here are some pictures of my makeup....sorry my face is under it...haha!

So to start off, I don't have a fancy skincare routine. Joey and I use the same face wash and it is the only face wash that doesn't bother my skin. It is the Purpose face wash and you can find it HERE.

Then I follow it up with Purpose Dual Treatment Moisturizing lotion with SPF-15. It is amazing and again is one of the few things that won't break my face out. You can find it HERE. Both of these are very inexpensive.

Now to the makeup....the only brand of makeup that has touched my skin and not made me break out into a rash or something crazy is Bare Minerals. I have tried a lot of other brands and have spent tons of money but Bare Minerals feels so light and yet gives me a really good amount of coverage. I swear, even when I sweat it stays on beautifully.

I wear the pressed foundation and it is amazing. I switch between the original and the pressed. The original gives my skin a glow and the pressed gives more coverage. I do not wear concealer....I just use their maximum coverage concealer brush to touch up spots using the foundation. FYI: when I refer to foundation I am meaning their mineral powder not a liquid foundations.

this concealer brush is amazing

Then I use their full flawless face brush to put on my foundation. Although their new perfecting face brush is on my wish list!

The new brush I would love!!

Then I use their blush, mineral veil, and one thing I do use that is not Bare Minerals...is Laura Gellar's Bronze and Brighten, it seems to add a glow to my face. Let me tell you, this stuff lasts a LONG time too, I have had it a year and I haven't put a dent in it!!! After I have done my powder, blush, mineral veil...this goes on as my last face step!

For my eyeshadow, I use the Naked 2 pallet but have recently starting using my Lorac skinny in navy that I got from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I have loved the colors in the Naked pallet but will say I am very impressed with the Lorac one, the colors are very rich. I linked in the Lorac nude color one because it looks like the navy may be sold out!

The foxy color is a great color for the inner corners of your eyes and to highlight with

Then I line my eyes with Almay eyeliner. I have tried $30 eyeliner and this is still by far my favorite at about $7. It wears so well. It advertises that it gives 16 hour wear and I sure believe it!!! It has been hard to find lately so when my hubby sees it anywhere he tries to buy at least 3. My eyes are what I try to emphasize the most so I line the top and lower and then throw on some mascara. I usually use Loreal Voluminous which again is cheaper but out performs the pricier ones I have tried. I also use the 3D Fiber Lashes when I want a more glam look and that is pretty amazing!!! 

I fill in my eyebrows with a cheap little pencil and that's it....I am done!!! Well almost, I finish up with some lip gloss and my favorite is Bare Mineral's Marvelous Moxie Lip gloss in Maverick. This is my go to lip gloss because it has color, is minty, and feels good. It goes on very smooth and is not as sticky as other lip glosses. You can find it here.

 Again, I have very sensitive skin and this is what works. I feel like Bare Minerals is actually rather healing for my skin. Months ago, I had switched makeup for something with heavy coverage and I swear my face was awful, I switched back to this and it cleared up so fast!! 

What make up is your must have item? I would love to know! Feel free to comment below or on facebook!!!

Have any questions for me or an idea for a post...or for Lauren?

Email me at: melroseacker@yahoo.com or Lauren at laurenlou5644@yahoo.com

Sum It Up Sunday!

Hey y'all! I hope you are enjoying every minute of the rest of your weekend. Each day is so precious....even more so when you go back to work soon!! This week and next week I hope to let the kids take the lead on ideas of things they want to do all while trying to also check off my to do list!

This past week seemed pretty hectic!!! The kids attended their first VBS and I volunteered for the first time. It was so much fun and the worship songs have been in my head non-stop! I even found myself singing every song on the cd and trying to do the movements! Haha!

So here is a glimpse of our week:

Day #1
We had our first day of VBS. My niece, Liv, came along and it made it even more exciting!!!
They were so stinkin' cute!!

 

Day #2  The kids headed to VBS and I headed to celebrate my best friend's birthday!! We enjoyed a fun day of shopping, lunch, and of course Starbucks!!

We came kidless but spent our time reading joke books in the kids' section laughing so hard!

 I also had to run back to take this cutie to golf lessons. He literally ran up the hill at the course to get to the car to read my new joke book...haha!

 

I rushed back and remembered I was going to host a ladies' bible study at my house which was fabulous! I loved getting to know each one of them and share our faith...and just chat!

Day #3 I was a crazy woman this day and don't know what I was thinking....we had VBS, a dentist appointment, and a play date....then I had a meeting for the Forney Arts Council's 2nd Saturdays (which I will share info on...on my Friday Faves).

Ella got to help clean Grayson's teeth

I was being a yesmom and let Grayson wear his snake shirt...haha

After all of the dentist fun we headed to meet some sweet friends at Chick Fil A and they were exhausted!!!

Day #4

I got Nordstrom packages which made my day, we headed to day #4 of VBS, and it was a super rainy day so we headed home after that. The kids played Just Dance and I relaxed with a cup of green tea, and I posted a throwback Thursday pic of when me and my sister said we were going to the movies and to eat but instead rode with Joey to Louisiana just to eat and walk around and drive right back!!!

Day #5 

We missed the last day of VBS because Olivia was having an allergic reaction. I made a yummy breakfast so they wouldn't be so sad. I had to run to school, it was my turn to go to the dentist, and then we tried to race home since we were having a sweet family over. It was the perfect night for pizza in the backyard...so cool out for Texas!!!

Yesterday, we headed to the movies and sweet Grayson offered to pay for us with his "money." Then I headed to my mom's party...alone! It was pretty late for the kids and so Joey offered to stay home with them!! 

And today it was like any other day....ya know...Grayson pretended to be a shark and tried to bite Ella while he wore a floatie and she was trying to practice her French.

 

Today, I was organizing and cleaning stuff out and found that I truly have a love for journals and planners...especially ones that are monogrammed!!!

 

I also found some sweet treasures in my trunk that melted my heart. I found an envelope with a picture of me and my Granny and a recipe she had written to me! I also found a sweet book that Joey gave me the Mother's Day that we had Grayson and Ella. I love finding things like that!!!

So that is my week summed up! Tomorrow I will be talking about my make up must haves since I have received a question about it! Don't forget to check out what Lauren is up to HERE!!!