five on friday

one. twinkle twinkle
last weekend we started the process of decorating the house for the holidays.  it is definitely a process!  thankfully I had the hubby graciously hang the garland on the mantel (because that thing is heavy!) and fluff and light up the tree for me.

we also got the twins their very own tiny pink tree for their room this year!  it is so stinking cute and they LOVE it.  besides it was less than $10 at Hobby Lobby so we couldn't resist. 

two. chicken parm in the crock pot!
it was another delicious pinterest win for dinner this week!  I posted a picture to my insta story and had so many people ask for the recipe.  I made it on a whim because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and I finally felt like I could eat something different than cereal for dinner..
it will definitely be in our rotation this cool weather season!
the Ragu pasta sauce makes it a little sweeter than what I would normally prefer for chicken parm, but the saltiness of the parmesan balances it out.
check out the recipe HERE and thank me later:)
AND while you are at it.. let me know some of your FAVorite crock pot meals.  I'm down for anything easy.

three. sister love
we went out and about last weekend for a bit of Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving and just had the best time.  the girls were in such great spirits and it was just the five of us for the entire day.. Parker and Jolie have really started to included Baker in everything they do, and its basically making my heart explode.  Parker has started calling her "Bakes" and everything from coloring to blocks to playing with Barbies, Bakes has become "one of the girls". 
this week I heard P+J talking about how much they love each other. and their little conversations and the voices just KILL me.  never gets old.  ever.

I love this picture.. until I realized Jolie was playing with chewed gum she found on the ground.

four. makeup by Jenna
girls night this week was FUN. my friend Jenna has been giving me facials and doing my brows for years and she has recently gotten into professional makeup and hosts classes to teach the basics.  ya'll! I learned how to contour. and have a much better understanding for what all these different shapes of my brushes are used for:)
I've got her on the books to glam me up for my maternity photos next month and it wouldn't hurt to see about making her travel to the hospital on D Day!
too much?
nope.

five. holly jolly fitness

camp gladiator is offering BOLD members a special code that can be redeemed for a free camp in January.  Jordan and I both LOVE CG and I have been able to continue working out through this pregnancy and really have seen results and friendship come out in our commitment to this bootcamp.  shoot me an email me if you are interested! you wont regret it!
see my other posts about CG HERE and HERE.


Happy FRI-YAY!

five on friday

happy weekend before Thanksgiving week!!
how is it already time for turkey?

one. thankful

this week we celebrated thanksgiving with a chicken tender + green bean feast at the girls' preschool. I am always eager to see what creative things my girls come up with at school especially during this time of year- so many cute little arts and craft projects that Parker and Jolie are SO proud to show me. last year they made these really darling placemats- and I was excited to see them again this year!  when I went to admire Jolie's mat my eyes welled in tears for what she is thankful for.  this girl has a great big heart, I tell ya.  they apparently talk about baby brother A LOT in class, which makes me really happy!

in case you were curious- Parker Jane is thankful for the color pink.

me too, girlfriend.  me too.

two. thanksgiving!!!

I cannot believe we have ended yet another week of November and are walking into the week of Thanksgiving!  I totally have my stretchy pants ready. 

I always skip the turkey and go straight for the green bean casserole, potatoes, stuffing.. Jordan's mom always makes broccoli rice casserole and its gone in minutes.

this year we are staying close to home and not traveling to several holiday meal gatherings- just one! turkey day will come and we will eat, probably multiple times that day, watch football, and take naps.

probably multiple times that day:) 

what are ya'll making for the big meal?  

these smashed sweet potatoes sound delicious!

holiday brussels sprouts!

classic corn casserole is always super easy to throw together..

I've made this wild rice casserole before and its so yummy!

you can always make the risotto I mentioned above! I am actually going to make it for our gathering because its so darn easy!  Ive made this butternut squash and spinach dip a couple times last year over the Christmas season and it was a giant hit!

I just cant wait to eat. 

reflecting back on this month and what its truly about, I'm so thankful for so many things.. including the color pink.

three. easy in the oven

ya'll!  I made risotto in the oven this week!!  this butternut squash risotto was delicious.. and freaking easy.  I was really skeptical.. 5 minutes on the stove + another 20 minutes in the oven- how well would this actually turn out without the constant 30-45 minutes of stirring of the rice to creamy perfection. BUT I was pleasantly surprised and excited to try it again with different versions of this creamy goodness.  risotto of any kind might be Jordan's favorite meal, so this is a giant game changer for me!  

four. more nursery things 

more progress!  this week knabe woodwork installed the custom bar wood door in the nursery.  the room is oddly shaped and there is really only one large wall where the crib and most likely the changing table will go.. but the closet door opens up onto that wall- loosing space I didn't want or have. I told Jordan when we decided on making this room the nursery that I wanted to just take the door off and have an open closet or something of the like- I had seen on pinterest and other blogs.. and then then after many other ideas we decided together about the barn wood style door.  

ITS AMAZING. 

there is a large window with stained brown shutters on the opposite wall of the room that match this barn door- the accents of wood will go perfectly with the style I'm going for!

 when Caitlin and Nick came to install the door they also brought this sweet little baby gift.  I probably cried.  I guess its been an emotional week for me:) 

..AND we have started to discuss paint!!  going for a true grey color in his room.  we did decide on a crib and we are picking it up next week (!!) and after dinner the other night Jordan and I swung through Lowe's to browse color options.  this is just one of the few sample cards we picked up- I'm all ears for your recommendations!  I really don't want yellow or green or blue undertones at all whatsoever.  there will literally be zero blue of any shade in his room, so I want to stay away from that in paint.  

fire away those ideas- please!

five. back to the basics

tired of seeing the belly, yet? I have felt really large this week. 

just saying.

THESE amazing Gap pure body tees (I also LOVE the tanks + henley's + long sleeve crews) are on super sale.  $10 bucks for the tanks (normally around $24), and $12 for tees.  I end up getting two in most of the colors I buy mainly because I love them for both sleep and wearing outside the house. tanks for layering under anything and everything, henley and long sleeve tees for wearing under vests, cardigans, and casually with jeans and boots or sneakers! 

Use code YAY at checkout for 40% your entire purchase 

the best maternity basic I can recommend. hands down.

five on friday

this is what I woke to this Friday morning. pallet on the floor next to my bed and two little babes in their Christmas jammies. 

one. so.much.love

all the encouragement and lifting of my spirits is SO appreciated.  I cried through reading all of your experience and mama drama and I am thankful for each and every one of you.  I saw this quote on the blanqigirls IG while browsing before bed last night.. and its PERFECT.

 the texts and calls and emails and comments.  seriously overwhelmed with support.

we've got a great community!

..and this little gem laded in my inbox last night as I was getting everyone in bed.  

if only Starbucks delivered Amazon Prime style.

my friends know what I need and when I need it the most.

two. speaking of my favorite drink!

I about lost my marbles when I pulled through the drive through at Starbucks and saw the picture of their Christmas drinks- chestnut praline latte is BACK!  ya'll.. last year my Kroger Starbucks put the left over bottles of chestnut praline syrup on sale for like $4 bucks.  and I bought all that they had:) 

its so good. 

half-caf, non-fat, no whip- please!! 

the salted caramel mocha has been too sweet for my pregnancy tastebuds, so I had been getting picky with my order (1 pump mocha, 2 pumps toffee nut.. etc) and this is the perfect amount of sweet! 

three. baby boy things

I've spent the entire week thinking and planning for a baby boy.  I'm about to hit 21 weeks (on Sunday) and literally cannot get over HOW DARLING baby boy things are!! I plan to do nursery updates as they come along.. but, as of right now, the nursery is piled with clothing I need to box and ship from the incredible closet purge I did of the girls' clothes over at my IG sale page(@shopmasseya) last weekend..oh and a giant gun safe that is as tall as I am.  BUT. we have a a few fun details we have picked up and BB has surprised me with so many fun things that are perfect for his nursery, too!  

I LOVE this bronze star mobile- none of my kiddos had mobiles in their room, so he will be the first! these pacifier clips.. and omg the personalization is so sweet! this tank romper, that I need to find the sweetest black cardigan for him to wear home from the hospital with his personalized beanie hat- all his sisters had these hats for the hospital (and after) and he has one, too!! the weather is so weird in March- its either 90 degrees or snowing.  so we will see:)  I also have a few of these newborn bodysuits to tote along in my hospital bag for the little guy.

four. christmas jammies! 

hands down my favorite place to buy pajamas, outside of hanna andersson is gap and old navy.  they are relatively cheap and go on sale about half the time.  HA are SUCH good quality, and the twins are actually able to wear their hanna christmas pajamas from last year and they still look brand new, but by the time I buy three pairs of pajamas its over $100! so I have to be picky about how I spend my monies there.  just for fun.. here are some of the holiday jams I stocked up on while they are on sale this week!!

five. birthday planning fun!

I sent the twins' party invites out this week!  I cant believe I'm about to have two FOUR year olds next month!  life is flying by!! I thought Baker's strawberry party was my favorite, but I really think this paint party might be even more fun!  I got a giant box in the mail from sweet lulu this week and I about fell over dead with all the precious rainbow details.

five on friday

one. photo maniac
this week we took our annual fall family photos. I always do them in October because I like use these pictures for our Christmas cards and I love to send out our cards the week of Thanksgiving.  Or how about.. I love the idea of sending them out that soon.  I often dont have my crap together to actually get them in the mail by then and they sit on the counter for a week before I'm motivated to address them.  But thats what I shoot for, anyway.
this year we mixed it up a bit and headed out to the Texas State Fair.  such a fun change of scene from our typical fall photo and I'm excited to share them! this was the twins' first time to the fair and they were completely overwhelmed with everything going on around them- the most exciting thing to watch is your own children taking in an experience like this. they rode the rides and although Parker was always SO excited to get on them, she ended up tucked in the fetal position by the end of the ride.  homegirl cant even go on the swing at the park without freaking out, so her excitement to ride over and over surprised me.  But eventually she started to love it all and got the hang of it with each new ride she rode.  Jolie was just as happy as can be- smiling from ear to ear, hands in the air and loving every minute.  it was hilarious to watch how different they were in their response. BB + Papa tagged along to manage the chaos of picture taking in such a public place with three toddlers and were such a giant help.

AND.. the twins' four year pictures took place this week.  anyone want to take a guess at their party theme is for this year?? :)  

I cant believe I'm going to have four year olds!

two. girls night
I feel like girls night needs to be once a week.  I always come home feeling refreshed from a night out full of girl talk and laughter and just a good time.  this week Jordan volunteered for daddy-duty and I grabbed a bite to eat with Britt and then went to painting with a twist to meet her sister and friend.  it was just four of us in the class, we brought dinner and wine (diet coke for the non-preggo splurge) and painted for 2 hours. I've always wanted to do the painting class and it was SO fun!
also. chipotle literally has been on my brain since I ate it earlier this week.  I need it again!
barbacoa (double meat! the only meat I think I like right now..) + brown rice + pinto beans + fajita veggies + ALL the salsas + guac + a little sour cream!  I am obsessed with their vinaigrette dressing but want more stuff than lettuce, so I get the bowl instead of the salad and ask for the dressing on the side.
(side note: floral wallet from better life bags!)

three. we have a nursery!
anyone thats ever been to my house, has NEVER been in the front room- ha! its basically the catch all room for anything and everything.  party items + holiday decor + clothes + toys.. toys.. more toys.  when the girls were about 18 mo old we moved the once office space out and rearranged that front room into a play room for the twins.  that didn't last very long. SO- our dining room is now the play room and that front office/room has remained behind closed doors ever since.. until now.
this week while the big girls were at preschool and Baker was spending the day with her BB, Jordan and I cleaned and cleaned and threw away and donated until we could finally see the floor!  10 bags of trash and twice as many donations later we have an empty room.
its so embarrassing.
 BUT, I am so excited to be able to actually get in there and start planning a baby boy nursery!  ALSO.. those bags. bags and bags and bags are full of baby clothing- so follow along @shopmasseya for a baby/toddler clothing sale next week!

four. weather shift + patch success
the weather made a shift toward the end of this week and OMG we are so thankful. we were pushing 90 degrees in October and didn't even want to be outside.  its going to be the most GORGEOUS weekend and we plan to be outside the entire time.. starting with a picnic dinner this evening:)
we've been really consistent with patching Baker's left eye this week and she's such a rockstar.  she doesn't even fuss when we put the ortopad on.  she wears it for about 2 hours everyday in hopes to strengthen  her right eye's muscles.  thankful her vision is not impaired, but we don't want it to get worse. we go back in a couple months for a follow up.  until then sweet Baker will be the sweetest and tiniest pirate. gosh, I love her.

five. bootie love list (under $100!) 
I'm not the biggest "shoe person".. I usually stick with one or two great pairs and rotate them in and out with different outfits.. but over the last couple of years I've really taken heart to LOVING/obsessing freaaaaaking out over a great pair of booties.
I have a lot of booties.
plus, they dont have to be super expensive, either!  I did a quick search for styles I'm totally loving this season.. I cant get enough of olive or wine colored suede.  dont be afraid of stepping outside of the usual black/brown color options.  the deeper reds and greens and variety in shades of brown are all basically a neutral this time of year:) 

five on friday

one. beauty finds

I branched out in my go to lip polish this week and busted out the fall colors.  I've mentioned my Buxom love before- and they have a giant rainbow of lip colors and I have fallen in love with another one: Vanessa (lavish mulberry)  

I'm looking for an amazing red lip gloss or lipstick to wear for our family pictures coming up on Monday..I've never worn RED before, and in fact this mulberry color is the darkest I've ever gone.

anyone have an amazing red they love!?  please share!!  

ALSO.. my shirt.  non-maternity and so gorgeous! 

two. a little bit of velcro

 another fab find this week.. velcro rollers.  I posted on my IG stories the other morning and there was a little confusion around the velcro rollers giving me the loose curls- they dont. they DO give me amazing volume!  I put them at the crown of my head and front "bangs".  I put the rollers in, spray dry volume spray, blow-dry for 5-10 seconds and then allow to sit for just about 15 minutes.

I haven't teased my hair in a week:)

no teasing!  just enough volume. 

I AM working on doing a hair tutorial.  you guys have stressed me out enough about it so I'm finally pulling the trigger:) 

..oh and theres that bebe boy.

(check out my midi-length sweater + favorite maternity tank) 

three. toddler ponchos

yes. I went there!  the cutest ponchos for the fall season. I am so excited for dressing the girls in cooler weather clothes starting with these adorable ponchos made by one of my long time favs- odarling handmade.  Emma was among the very first small shops that I ever purchased anything from.. and aside from these amazing ponchos (that come in a variety of colors!) she makes our favorite leggings and harems.  baby brother will definitely be sporting some of her fantastic handy work!

use code PBANDJ for 20% off ponchos- code works through the weekend!

four. kid talk

THESE girls have been cracking me up beyond words right now.  

Parker has this new found love for the "poop smile" and when I told her to do something different with her face this is the look I got:

and then she started SCREAMING 3 seconds after this picture because 

JOWEE is choking me!!! GET OFF ME JOWEE. 

but omg.  I love them.  the conversations we've had lately are just tear-worthy and I find myself saving things that they say in the notes section of my phone or else I will definitely forget.. and I never want to forget! 

Jo: what is THAT?!

me: it's tomato soup in a bread bowl 

Jo: well. I don't like you soup

me: you haven't even tried it!

Jo: well. I can smell you breath. 

me: go to bed, jolie.

Parker: hey! did you know my mom have a baby brother in her tummy? 

me: I did! ..Parker.. am I your mom? 

Parker: NOPE! 

(in the car to go to BB's house)

Parker: we're off the see the wizard! 

Parker: mom. what his baby name?

me: we haven't decided yet

Parker: his name should be Kendall. Rainbow Kendall. 

me: Kendall is your cousin's name.

Parker: yaaaa. but it so beautiful... just beautiful. 

I never want them to change.  

but look at these babies!!!  same outfit.  going to preschool.  not even a year ago.  

they look so little!

five. baby steps.

I last mentioned my parents a couple weeks back.. I had zero intention of writing about them on such a casual post like five on friday.. but the words kept coming and the tears were flowing and it just ended up out there for everyone to see.  ANYway.. I'm hosting a baby shower at my house this weekend and asked my mom on a whim to come in town to help me get everything set up and put together.  all those last minute details I always feel like I'm going to completely fail at the final execution- it helps to have someone cheering you on even if they don't do a thing, ha!  she obliged quickly to my request, so she and my dad are coming in town for the weekend.  I'm excited to see them again.. and the girls are excited, too!  which brings another level of relief to my anxieties.  wishing for an easy going weekend with those folks.  and a fun time celebrating my good friend's baby boy!  say a little prayer, for me.. will ya? XO!

see ya'll on Monday!

five on friday

one. fair days
I made an impromptu trip to the fair this week- no kids.  no husband.  just me and the cotton candy.
and corn dogs.
..annnd lemonade.
Brittany asked me to tag along to a photoshoot she had planned at the Texas State Fair because last minute her family couldn't make the trip- so of course I said yes! I haven't been to the fair in about 12 years- which is like blasphemy here in Dallas, but Jordan isn't a HUGE fan, but omg I was like a giant kid in this candy store.  completely fascinated by everything and I just had the best time- even if I was just tagging along.

OF course you can find me eating.

you can get my amazing sweater tunic (super lightweight) here and maternity (!) moto leggings here

two. birthday shopping
my sister in law and I are exactly one month apart in our birthdays.. we've celebrated 17 years of birthdays together (she came looooong before the hubby) and spent the majority of our high school years connected at the hip.  Bree (her mama) and Bree's bestie Teresa, who is basically like a second mother to me, wanted to treat Jenna and myself with shopping + lunch for our birthdays so we planned for a day when Jenna didn't have school (fair day!!) which happened to be this last Wednesday.  we spent the day at northpark and had lunch at maggianos- and let me tell you.. it was SO good for my soul.  I just had the BEST day and I was sad to see it come to an end.  

three. preggo style

sooooo many of ya'll loved my plaid tunic!  I LOVE it- and I snagged this amazing item during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and was so excited to finally wear it.  it is such a unique item in my closet and while I own about eleven duster cardigans I don't have anything remotely close to this!  I will say, this is LONG- I am relatively tall at just about 5'7" and it comes to my ankles when wearing 3in booties.  unfortunately, I cant find this tunic anywhere but I did come across a couple other options similar to it!

PLUS- my other favorite pair of motherhood maternity jeans, this time in a medium wash and I love the distressed denim look.  I can totally still be fashionable AND pregnant, you know:)  I also linked a couple other items I picked up this week that are NOT maternity but still fit my belly relatively well right now.
four. halloween jammies (!!)

October first rolled itself around (finally!!) which means it is 100% appropriate to be wearing halloween jammies every single night of the month.  OK- so we dont have that many pairs, but thank goodness for the 15 minute quick wash option on my washing matching.. amen??

it is no secret that I love jammies in general, and so when the festive wear starts to hit the shelves between now and Christmas I just cannot help myself.

AND- these sass pant little girls. wear their boots and their pajamas.

starting trends.

lets hope this one doesn't catch on.

just a few of my favorite halloween holiday jams!

five. forts
Jordan made the twins this giant fort in the kitchen covering the kitchen table- complete with a lamp and all the comfortable bedding you can think of.  these two stayed in that fort seriously for HOURS.  I swear they didn't come up for air from noon until 4pm.  they ate lunch and a snack in there and watched movies and youtube kids, and no body minded.  Baker had the playroom to herself.. so it was like managed silence in our house for that time.  I didn't even know what to do with myself!  we needed an evening walk after they laid around all day- but how fun is their dad for building this?!  the weather is rainy here today.. so maybe we will have some more fort building.

its FRI-YAY!!!

five on friday

one. another perfect afternoon with my cutie Baker girl.  

I REALLY miss the twins when they are at preschool but I LOVE my time solo with Baker.  she's always a second thought when I have a busy house, so just one on one with her really makes me appreciate how darn cute she is!  I had a Dr. appointment to check in on the little dude and she tagged along and we grabbed breakfast afterward before running the many errands on my list I stick to when I only have one baby on my hip.

two. toe socks.

seems so silly, but I actually love these things!!  they came in my September fabfitfun box and I'm kind of obsessed.  +fresh paint on the toes for the first time since the temperature fell below 110 degrees.. I'm so SO excited for all the fall colors!

three. all things caesar.

when I am pregnant I want to soak/douse/lather/drench everything in caesar dressing.  I find myself craving salad because I want to get my caesar on. I came across this caesar shrimp scampi tacos recipe the other morning and went on a pinning spree to search for other fun recipes to fill my need! 

how about these roasted chickpea caesar pita wraps- they look an amazing and a delicious vegetarian option!  OMG.. cucumber caesar salad.. and will someone PLEASE make me these caesar white bean burgers!? AND a side of caesar grilled asparagus as a side to my giant chicken avocado caesar salad.

I just cant help myself. 

four. click list

I hopped the bandwagon and tried click list this week (Kroger's version of the order online/pick up at the store service)!  I LOVE IT!  you have to order earlier in the week if you expect to pick up on the weekend, but I made my list on Sunday morning and picked up the groceries on Monday afternoon.

seeing my online cart fill and the estimated price at the end allowed me to stick to my actual budget for the week's groceries when in all reality it is so easy for me to bust that budget at target every week.  I got most everything I needed and while there were a few things they needed to supplement I kept my bill under $150 for the entire week of breakfast+lunch+dinner at home for my family.

I had coupons to use when I arrived so they scanned those before they printed my final ticket and swiped my card and didnt have to leave my car.

I'm a believer, guys! 

five. product snob

I've found yet another product I've fallen in love with- living proof, you have done it again.  I went to ultra to grab my favorite dry shampoo and saw this sitting next to it on the shelf.  completely gives life and body to my late afternoon hair!  it doesn't feel heavy or sticky, just spray and tousle a little.  I have been applying it after I fix it in the morning and I don't even have to tease my hair:)  the above and below pics I didn't tease my hair at all!

here I am with coffee..again..

someone asked me in the comments on my last blog post about having caffeine and the answer is YES.  I drink coffee all day, and in the morning I'll have a cup (or two) of half-caff and the occasional diet coke at lunch.  most things I read says 200mg of caffeine is fine, which is about a grande size fully caffeinated beverage from starbucks.  so, I stay away from that and stick to the half caff if its before lunch.  I just really LOVE the flavor and idea of coffee.. iced or hot, so its not even about the caffeine part. I had people giving me a hard time about the decaf coffee thing in one of my posts before I announced and it basically giving my secret away, but seriously.. I drink so much I have to go with decaf because my heart with beat out of my chest, ha! 

Happy Friday!!  Have an amazing weekend!