Family Photos: Lazy Labor Day!

Trying to beat the Monday-on-a-Tuesday blues?? You’re most definitely NOT alone! I’m sitting here in the waiting room of the hospital, nervously awaiting a blood test to re-check my cholesterol, and I’m missing the weekend already.

Le sigh.

We had such a relaxing Labor Day weekend, and it was certainly a great way to end the summer. We met my aunt and uncle for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch and I logged some quality time browsing Walgreens in my quest to become a verified Beauty Guru! #GoodTimes

Then yesterday, we finally took that summer walk we’d been planning on since, umm, June…haha! Gosh, I love the Midwest!

We ventured up to the gas station for some fountain drinks and classic snacks. Because potato skins and Little Debbie Zebra cakes are required purchases in such places, right?? It was nice to get out on such a nice and sunny day. The blue skies! The green trees and grass!!

I hope you all had a wonderful last day of summer!! Here’s to the fall and plenty of new beginnings!! xoxo

Family Photos: Goodbye, Summer!

Oh, hello there, September 1st…how’d you manage to sneak up on me so quickly? You’re a rather bittersweet day, aren’t you? Bittersweet and a little deceiving. You pretend that you’re just another day, but we both know what’s coming — we both well aware of the subtext that whispers in the changing winds, if you will. It’s a new song.

The song of fall.

I don’t know about you, friends, but I’m not prepared to say goodbye to the summer months. At all. My Facebook feed is already full of Pumpkin Spice talk and littered with the requisite leaf emoji, and it all makes me very sad and wistful. Wistful for yesterday, when it was still August and I could at least console myself by saying, “It’s still August and everyone knows that August is still summer, so…“

Well, I suppose I’ve got to face the harsh realities now. There’s no time left to deny that the seasons are a-changing! BUT!! At least I can comfort myself with these commemorative end-of-summer snapshots. At least I’ll always have the memories of Summer 2016, like my recent hair cut, above…my classic style, of course…

My mom captured her first day back at work, where she got caught in a monsoon of a rainstorm in the morning! Hello, 2016-2017 school year! What a way to kick things off…

Speaking of my mom, her green thumb endeavors were successful this year! She planted these glorious tomatoes and the joy on her face was, I think, even more delicious than the tomatoes themselves…

And these muffins?? A true sign we’re getting back into our breakfast routine. I’m not sure how my mom does it, but she ALWAYS manages to make them even more scrumptious every single time! I’m also back to my classic ham sandwich lunch while at the library…

Finally, no Family Photos would be complete without a couple shots of Harry and Stella, who never seem to let the changing seasons bother them. They’re probably the chillest cats in the entire universe!

Happy September, friends! Are you excited?? What do you have planned this month? Anything exciting?? Let’s chat in the comments!! xoxo

Found: The prettiest water bottles

It’s a well-known fact that I don’t drink enough water — not nearly enough, actually. Maybe that explains why I was always so prone to dehydration as a kid.

But if I’d had one of these snazzy S’well water bottles like this back then, I would have been drinking all day! Wait, that came out wrong. Anyway, how pretty are they? They keep drinks cold for 24 hours and warm for 12 and feature the photography of Gray Malin. I imagine all the cool kids will be sporting them in their backpacks on the first day of school… xoxo

P.S. This week’s Tuesday Tunes is coming up! 🙂

Summer Binge-Watching: Stranger Things on Netflix

Have you caught Stranger Things fever yet? It’s pure madness, I tell you, and I’ve been powerless in resisting it. We started watching the series over the weekend and are already halfway done — and there are only EIGHT episodes!

Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder as Joyce, a mom determined to find her son after he vanishes without a trace. Of course, just like any good thriller, you quickly realize that nothing is as it seems — odd, strange and downright supernatural things start to happen. Everything is one giant mystery, but one thing is clear: The boy’s disappearance is not your average run-of-the-mill missing persons case.

The show takes place in Indiana in 1983 and the decade is captured perfectly — the music, the fashion and a bit of John Hughes-style teen romance thrown in for good measure.

If you’re in the mood for a nostalgic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I highly recommend Stranger Things. It’s the perfect summer series that will leave you constantly saying, “Oh, just one more!“

What are you binge-watching this summer, friends? Any favorites? You know I’m always looking to add to my Must-Watch List… xoxo

Family Photos: My Snazzy New Shoes!

Breaking news: Yours Truly is now the proud owner of these snazzy, dazzling new shoes!

For the first time in 10 years.

Oh, yes, this is the first pair of new shoes I’ve bought in a decade.

The backstory: Because of Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, my feet are quite the sight. They’re a bit deformed and have never been symmetrical, so traditional shoe shopping is out the window. I’ve always had to get custom shoes made, where they make special plaster molds of my feet and those molds become my shoes.

So last month, we went to get my feet casted. I sort of felt like Cinderella trying on the glass slipper!

We went to pick up the shoes last Friday, and honestly, it was all pretty exciting. Granted, I got the shoes in the same color (I hate change, remember?), but they were all new and flashy. I felt like a new woman — like Cinderella making her grand debut at the ball. As I walked with my walker, it was like walking on a cloud.

Ahhh, nice new shoes!

After our appointment, we took a stroll down by the river and snapped a few photos.

You my mom and I love getting our pictures taken; maybe it’s a little narcissistic of me, but I do love to strike a pose for the camera.

On the other hand, this was the only shot of Janelle that we could get. The entire day. Apparently, she really hates the camera! I’ll never understand that one.

So think of me, friends, as I break in my uber stylish shoes! Aren’t they just the epitome of high fashion?? What are your favorite types of shoes?? xoxo