If you read my two posts about Chattanooga or follow me on Instagram, then you've probably realized that we are in the thick of dance competition season over here. On the off chance you haven't noticed the ridiculous number of sequin filled selfies, then consider this your formal announcement. Ella has been dancing for almost seven years and this is her fourth year to dance competitively. I feel like I need to tell you that this isn't something we pressured her to do, because people seem to assume that dance moms are living vicariously through their children. We started her early because she wasn't in school or daycare and we figured she needed some sort of structured activity with other girls her age. It didn't take long to recognize that she had natural talent and that she loved spending ...
Hand-Painted Easter Egg Tutorial
Please tell me I'm not the only one who waits until the last minute for everything?! I am notorious for dyeing Easter eggs or carving pumpkins in the wee hours the night before they are needed. My girls always like an impromptu craft night brought on my procrastination and nostalgia, but believe it or not, this year I actually had it all together. Just in case you're falling behind or simply need a little creative inspiration, I'm sharing this Hand-Painted Easter Egg Tutorial over at Oh My! Creative and I bet you already have everything you need to make them. Pin Our Hand-Painted Easter Egg Tutorial! I team up with Susan at Oh My! Creative the third Thursday of every month to bring you crafty kid projects, easy holiday printables and more. She and her team of moms share fun posts ...
Where to Visit: Chattanooga (Part 2)
On Sunday, the kids were exhausted, but we decided to sight-see our way out of town. We let the girls sleep in and then got a slow start over breakfast before making our way across town to the Tennessee Aquarium. After I realized we would have a few extra days in Chattanooga, I reached out to a few highly-recommended children's attractions and we were gifted tickets in exchange for a mention on the blog and social media. This is not a sponsored post, but we were so thrilled to visit Chattanooga's Tennessee Aquarium and share our experience with you! The aquarium is divided into two different buildings showcasing the Ocean Journey and River Journey. We began with the Ocean building (because it's our favorite) and started our morning with a quick break in the photo booth. Paige ...
Where to Visit: Chattanooga (Part 1)
This past weekend, Ella & I set out on a road trip adventure with a few of our favorite friends. She was dancing in her first competition of the year and we were thrilled to find it was in Chattanooga because we had such a great time dancing there last year! We were lucky she was out of school on Friday, so we planned to leave bright and early and enjoy a little non-whole30 breakfast on the way. I need you to know that those Chick-fil-A Chicken Minis did NOT disappoint. These three girls were so excited to see each other and to be on the road. They were nervous about dancing the next day, but were super excited to spend the day sightseeing together. After I realized we would have a few extra days in Chattanooga, I reached out to a few highly-recommended children's attractions and ...
Hi, it’s me
The first time Kelly hosted bloggers for Show Us Your Life (way back in 2010), I had tiny little girls and a baby blog (I had only been at this for about eighteen months). I didn't link up every week (the home tours were definitely my favorites), but it was a super fun way to connect with other bloggers near and far. When I saw her announcement earlier this week that she was bringing back SUYL, I thought it would be a super fun to jump in occasionally. I didn't have anything planned for today's post, so a little reintroduction sounded just perfect. If you're a regular, bear with me while I dish about all the things you already know. If you're new here, grab a cup of coffee and let's get to know each other a little bit better. My name is Kristin (I love a random parenthetical) and I blog ...
Spring Cleaning
Most of you know that we've just recently put our house on the market. We had several showings the first couple of weeks, but February was slow. I'm trying not to be discouraged because I know that God has a grand plan. At the moment, I'm pretty convinced that his plan involves both selling this little cottage and buying my childhood home, but I'm trying to be open to whatever He has in store. At the moment, it would be pretty disastrous if our real estate agent called to schedule a viewing given the current state of our home... Although we have plenty of square footage for a small house, our storage is somewhat limited. We are lucky enough to own a century-old beauty, but with that charm and character come tiny closets and interesting floor plans. The previous owners turned the fourth ...
February by the Numbers
How is it March already? No really, we are already a week into March and I am starting to panic. The last nine weeks of 2016 have passed by in a blur and I'm not ready. Sure, I'm looking forward to daylight savings time, warmer weather and ALLTHESUNSHINE, but I am not ready for this year to get away from me yet. February was a fun one. We packed in so many fun events this month and I tried to be super intentional with how we spent our time. I am loving the longer days and can't wait to continue enjoying this beautiful weather together! We continued to rock out our healthy living challenge this month. There were a few unnecessary splurges, but I think the way we are planning and enjoying cheat meals is completely changing the way I think about food. I feel guilty when I stray from our plan ...
What I Read in February
Warning: Affiliate links appear in the following post. Although shopping the embedded links won’t cost you any additional dollars, it might mean that I download a few extra audio books this month. Your support of my reading habit is always appreciated! Who's ready for February's Books?! When I first started drafting this post (I usually try to write the reviews immediately after I finish each book so that I don't forget anything!), I thought this might be a slow month of reading. My goal for the year is 52 books, so I'm trying to average one book per week. I know I will read far more than that over the summer, but I still hate to get behind this early! Most of the time, I'm "reading" two books at once -- I listen to an audio book during my daily commute and then read another book at ...