What's Up Wednesday | May

I seriously feel like I just did What's Up Wednesday for April! Why is this year flying by so quickly?! I still have no pictures from my computer, the bathroom still looks like a work zone, and I have no fence in the backyard.. more on that later. As we speak (talk, read, idk!) Tate is at the doctor getting checked for Strep. I sure hope he doesn't have it, but it would explain why we both feel so bad! I just hope if he has it, I don't! Yuck! Anyways, didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer! Happy Wednesday! :)

Shay | Sheaffer | Mel

What we're eating this week...

Sunday - grilled pork chops and veggies
Monday - tacos
Tuesday - BBQ (spring sports banquet)
Wednesday - Steaks (again, on the grill!)
Thursday - Teriyaki salmon
Friday - Sunday we'll be at the lake... probably grilling some more!

What I'm reminiscing about...

Every single day this week and some of last week somebody mentioned Lajitas or Big Bend and it has me reminiscing about when Tate and I went down for a few days. It was our first 'real' vacation alone and I think we're ready to do that again! We had such a great time!

What I'm loving lately...

When I went on a search for a new makeup and primer I sampled this one from Clinique and so far, I'm loving it! The sample is almost out so I need to decide it I want to purchase or not. Decisions, decisions!

What we've been up to...

Bathroom drama, a little bit of home renovating and  7 on 7 football... nothing too exciting, but enough to keep us busy.

What I'm dreading...

The mess that is about to be my bathroom. It wouldn't be such a big deal it it wasn't the main bathroom in the house. I'm hoping there's no mold and the mess will be minor - I can only hope!

What I'm working on...

Since we decided to hire a painter I had to pick designs for each room. I'm just about finished - our bedroom is the only one I cannot decide on! I found this on pinterest and loved it, however, Tate did not like the yellow. He chose a dark red, I like navy. The colors look great together but I really don't want a red/white/blue patriotic look or a nautical look... Can I do this? I really wanted to stripe one wall and I think navy stripes with white/gray bedding and pops of red would look great. Whyyy must this be such a hard decision?!

What I'm excited about...

I'm off Friday so this mama is getting a mani/pedi before we head to the lake! Woohoo!

What I'm watching/reading...

Watching:
The Bachelorette, of course! My top three are Jordan, Robby and Luke.. with Jordan being her pick! What do you think?

The Real Housewives of Dallas - I do believe it's getting a bit better. Cary is my favorite!

Friends - Every day at lunch I watch an episode.

Mistresses starts Monday after the Bachelorette and I cannot wait!! I missed a lot of last season and wish it was somewhere to catch up on.



Reading:
I haven't read a lot this month. A few years ago I had like a 5 hour layover in the DFW airport so I bought a few books, LA Candy by Lauren Conrad was one of them. I never read it and it just got stashed on my shelf. While waiting on my new book to come in I started reading it and just haven't had much time to finish it - I'm only on like chapter 3 but once I start a book I must finish it!

What I'm listening to...

Eli Young Band on Pandora. Love them!

What I'm wearing...

This top, skinny jeans, and my favorite cardigan!

What I'm doing this weekend...

Friday we head for the lake! Yay!

What I'm looking forward to next month...

Well, we have Tate's birthday, Father's Day, a wedding and lots of pool time!

What else is new...

We are finally getting our fence up! We've been playing phone tag with the guy. He was supposed to be here Monday morning - no call no show! Tuesday he shows up at lunch.. with two other guys and beer. Last night we had no fence whatsoever - hello we have dogs! And today I'm crossing my fingers that he finishes! Hooray for a privacy fence!

What I'm looking forward to this summer...  

Vacation with my little family - that we really need to decide on! Lots and lots of pool time and bbqs! Hopefully Tate and I can getaway somewhere before football really starts!

Weekend Scenes and Plans

Working on a Monday should be optional. I mean, I can't say Monday's altogether because that would mean we skip straight to Tuesday and I'd miss the Bachelorette premier tonight - not happening! But working on a Monday, I mean, why? Kinda like Friday. Why work on Fridays? Adulting can be hard sometimes.

But, we did have an interesting weekend. Not a ton to share about the actual weekend because I forgot to take pictures and that's okay. We did enjoy our little mini tip to Fredericksburg - if you're from Texas you totally understand! I love going there for any excuse, even if I have to watch 7 on 7 football in the rain while I'm there.

We came back Saturday evening with just enough time for dinner and a bit of tug-of-war.

Sunday we did our usual trip to the grocery store, lunch and a trip to the mall. I attempted to try on swim suits but had no luck. Why must I be an in between size - super frustrating!

And then we came home for some 'pictures on my frozen phone'. Ha. Brylee is always bringing her phone to me saying let's take a picture on my phone. I just so happened to have my phone this time so we did both.

Now lets get to the interesting stuff. We've been wanting to redo a lot of our house and have a master list of plans. First was the living room. We painted the wood paneling, finished the decor and had plans to lay wood flooring down in place of the carpet. My step dad was going to come help lay that once we got the floors ready. First step was to rip up the carpet and clean the floors. This weekend we got the bright idea to pull up part of the carpet just to see how hard it would be (the carpet in there now is the original carpet) and much to our surprise the floor underneath was cement not wood like we were told! So now we are changing directions and instead of laying wood panels we are going to stain the concrete! I am so excited about this because I love the way stained concrete looks! Add some fun printed rugs - I cannot wait! This is the color we are going for.

And now for the fun stuff. The second room on the list is Brylee's bathroom. It's the bathroom used most of the time and I just hated so much about it. The out of date sliding shower doors, all the wood, the brass, the watercolor southwest colored wallpaper - so much! Anyways, most nights Tate gives B her bath while I clean up from dinner. Wednesday night I heard a ton of commotion coming from the bathroom and in checking it out saw that Tate had taken down the ugly sliding shower doors. Perfect, except we didn't have a shower rod. I had an old shower curtain but no rod. Late night trip to Walmart it was. The next night, which so happened to be the day I had a bad day, Tate started to rip off the wallpaper. That was totally fine because we hired painters and needed to get the wallpaper off so they could paint it. What wasn't totally fine was all the mess we found once we pulled it all off. That picture on the left was much worse before I wiped some of it off.

Our first thought was black mold so we started researching ways to get rid of it or what to do about it. We knew we didn't know much about it and you certainly can't believe everything online so we decided to wait until the next day and I would call our realtor and see if she could point us in the right direction of who we needed to talk to. After talking to the realtor, an environmental specialist, our home inspector and a plumber they've decided it was just high water moisture from the bathroom not having any ventilation or bathroom specific paint and glue. I didn't even know there was a such thing as bathroom specific paint! We are having a plumber come check it just to make sure but we did clean the walls with bleach just in case. I'm hoping there is no mold, water leaks or damage and that it really was just high water moisture. Bathroom checklist: bathroom specific paint and some kind of ventilation. To make things even better (insert sarcasm), we have to replace all the trim as well because it's a lost cause.

Here's to hoping y'all had a fantastic weekend and we all have a great week!

xx
Leah

Finally Friday!

Happy Friday! After the day I had yesterday, which got better and then worse, I couldn't be more excited for today! We leave to one of my favorite little Texas towns tonight for a 7 on 7 football tournament and we're going to make a mini vacation out of it while we're there. Bring on all the German food! :)

ONE //  On the beauty front, I went to Sephora the other day in search for a new makeup for oily skin. She gave me a ton to sample as well as some primers and this nifty little Blotterazzi by BeautyBlender. I love it! Unlike blotting paper it doesn't smudge my makeup and it's actually perfect to do touch ups. You clean it like you normally would a beautyblender so it will last longer than blotting paper. Oily skin? You totally need this!

TWO //  I've expressed my love for the Rodan + Fields Unblemish line before on here. My all over acne cleared up and I don't get the strange breakout all over my face anymore, but, it didn't help with the hormonal jawline acne or the oiliness. The acne definitely wasn't terrible but it's still something that I've always been insecure about and I feel like the oil control moisturizer didn't help with my oiliness at all! So, when I was at Sephora (see #1) I asked about a spot treatment for my jawline. She showed me the Kate Somerville EradiKate (that I've seen on so many blogs and videos) and I just knew I had to try it. One week in and I love it! I wish I had a before and after picture because this stuff is amazing! It has sulfur in it so It doesn't smell great and it does burn a little when you put it on but quickly goes away! And don't worry, it dries clear so you can put it on before makeup! And, in the package I got a sample of her Oil Free Moisturizer and I've already purchased it. Oil control under control -for the most part... if not I use my blotterazzi! haha. 

THREE //  Two of my absolute favorite actresses are Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis - put them together and it's always hilarious! Have you seen the trailer for Bad Moms? I've probably watched this 10 times and cannot wait to see the movie! It's going to be so funny!

FOUR //  Throughout the week I've done a lot of cleaning and organizing and it feels so good to finally get that done! Brylee's room and closet were a priority and I knocked those out over the weekend while she was napping one afternoon. I moved a shelf that was in the entry way to her closet so I could put her books and puzzles out and in her reach rather than in the guest room and top of the closet. She loves it! Last minute I decided to do the hall closet and I'm embarrassed of the before pictures! I cannot believe I let that closet look like that!

FIVE //  Brylee absolutely loves puzzles! She got this United States puzzle for Christmas and is just now having an interest in it - we put it together every single night and she loves learning about the states. It's a favorite of mine that she loves learning so much!  As she puts each state down she says it's name (or tries to) and we talk about it's capital and any other info that I may know about it. If I'm being honest, it's been a nice geography refresher for me! I've been trying to teach her the Nifty Fifty song (please tell me y'all know what I'm talking about) but we aren't quite ready for that yet.




That's all I have for you today! I hope y'all have the best Friday and a great weekend!

xx - Leah

Linking up with my favorite Friday gals.

Erika | Andrea | Narci

April | Christina | Natasha

Karli | Amy

Heather

Amanda

Rainy Day Confessions

Today has not been my day.. and it's only 10. I didn't have any intentions on doing confessions today, because I had something else planned... something I've been working on for weeks. This morning my NEW computer (got it for Christmas) freaked out on me. It didn't crash, but might as well had. I lost everything. I wanted to cry - I've been meaning to backup my pictures for months and just haven't done it. I've already lost all pictures once of B when she was a newborn because my old computer crashed. Once that crashed I transferred everything I had onto Tate's computer and when I got my new one transferred everything to my new one. I'm hoping I left them on Tate's and didn't delete them - we haven't used his since I got the new one. I was so upset I was sick! The tech thinks he can save everything and I so hope he does. But, lets get to my confessions.

I confess that every single towel I own is on my bathroom floor. Why? Well because while I was curling my hair this morning the toilet decided it just wanted to overflow. Just because. No reason for it's madness. My bathroom floor was flooded. I'll add that I was also running late. The only good thing about this was Brylee cheering me on as I was cleaning up the floor. 

I confess that my hair looks terrible today. You see, I was in the middle of curling it when the toilet freaked out. I guess this is the morning of freak outs - computer, toilet, mother nature, me. 

I confess that it wasn't raining until I was trying to put B in her car seat. Then it poured. Of course it did. I grabbed my little umbrella to put over me to keep from getting soaked.

I confess that it's very hard to buckle a car seat with one hand - the other was holding the umbrella.

I confess that I broke my umbrella. Somehow a piece of the umbrella got stuck in the little area where the window meets the car (I really don't know how to explain that) and after trying to get it unstuck with one hand I gave up, let the umbrella go with my other hand, used two hands to try and pull the stuck piece out and broke it in the process. 

I confess that I was wet at this point and glad I had a hair tie in my purse!

I confess that I came super close to just calling in, but instead was just 30 minutes late.

I confess that I seriously need to have a talk with mother nature. This bipolar weather has got to go! As well as these allergies. The balloon head is back and I wish I could breath.

I confess that I am a Dallas Cowboys fan, will always be, and I find this funny! Yes, it's a hot topic right now, but this is funny!

I confess that the guys at work (remember I work at the police department) got me a taser and I have no clue how to use it. In fact, after they showed me how it worked, I'm a bit scared of it! ha. 

I confess that I may be sending my toddler to you northerners getting snow for the weekend because last night she prayed for it to snow. Not here girlfriend, no ma'am! 

I confess that Tate took down some of Brylee's wallpaper in her bathroom last night (yes, the one that flooded this morning). A few weeks ago I noticed some of it was held together with tape so it needed to come down stat! I'm not real sure what his motive was for doing it last night and not finishing it, but now I have a bathroom covered in towels and half wallpapered - half drywall with no intentions of fixing it soon. If I didn't already hate it, I would now. ha

I confess that this is my last confession today. I'm at a point of giving up on a certain relationship in my life. I don't want to but I really don't know what else to do. We've just about hit a brick wall and  cannot seem to work around it. It's been a struggle to make it work and I've finally had to come to my senses and realize that some people will never change and you cannot make them change. Sometimes your relationships need a detox too. I'm hoping we can figure something out, it'll be a tough relationship to lose. :(

Thank goodness it's Thursday and tomorrow afternoon we'll be headed out for a little mini vacation (and some 7 on 7 football!).

Have the best day, y'all!

xx Leah

The Sweetest Game Plan | Moving to a New Place

No, we're not moving, at least not that I know of. But then again, Tate may throw me for another loop and make a decision to move last minute. But let's hope not. Now, if you haven't read my post yesterday, go read it so you'll know what The Sweetest Game Plan is all about.

A year ago Monday my mom, sister and I packed up my entire house in McAllen and brought me to Odessa. Tate had been gone for about 6 weeks at this point, only coming home every other weekend, and my family did not feel safe with me and B being that far away alone. Fine by me! A few weeks later Tate and I went back, loaded up the u-haul and brought it to a storage unit in Ballinger. A few months later we bought our house and moved everything once again. I've become an expert packer, but that's another story for another day. 

This was my second time to move somewhere knowing not a single person, no job, no day care lined up, no schedule - I was a hot mess of emotions, both times! Each town was very different. McAllen was much bigger than Odessa. I was a stay at home mom and Tate worked 35-40 minutes away depending on traffic. Ballinger is much smaller than Odessa, like way smaller! I finally found a job, have a toddler in day care, and Tate works less than 5 minutes away. Very different, very!

With the anniversary of our move being this week I thought this would be a good game plan to start with. Moving is a game plan with multiple parts - this is just the start!  

Part 1 - Do your research!

Google your new area | Seriously! Look at the data on schools, crime rates and good/bad areas! The city website should be able to navigate you around everything. If you have a realtor, don't be afraid to ask them! They have a ton of resources and will be able to help you out. While doing this you should be able to also figure out what area you want to live in.

Learn your way around | I'm a very hands on person and seriously spent days driving around McAllen. Ballinger was much easier because it was super small, but I did spend a day driving around. I just wanted to see what each place offered. Trust me, if it looked like I probably shouldn't turn down a street, I didn't! Within the first day I was able to know how to get to a park, grocery store, restaurant strips and the mall (haha!) It actually made me proud to have to navigate Tate somewhere.

Locate your emergency services | You need to know where the nearest hospital is. It may also be a good idea to know where the police department and fire stations are. And the phone numbers! Sure, 911, but it's always nice to have a direct line for reference. I'd hate to be stuck in an emergency situation and not have a clue where something is.

Find healthcare providers | Primary care physicians and pediatricians (crucial for us) are good to start with, as well as any particular medical concern you may have. It's nice to have references to ask around! See if there are local blogs or Facebook groups, but beware, some people are very opinionated so learn to take other people's (as in not some one you know personally) personal stories with a grain of salt. Find some one and trust your instincts you'll know if you shouldn't be there. 

Learn the weather in your new area | this one was huge for me! McAllen had a lot of rain and tropical storm type weather. Ballinger gets pretty bad storms and usually has a few tornado warnings (luckily none yet!) You need to be prepared for what you could possibly face and be prepared for it. Flood? Tornado? Extreme heat? Blizzards? Because of the rain in McAllen I told Tate I wanted to invest in a good pair of "weather items" - good rain gear, snow gear, etc. - for each place we lived.

Find home service providers | There's a chance you'll need pest control, a plumber, an electrician, or something of the likes at some point. It's better to go ahead and have a provider's name and number so you aren't searching for one when an event arises and you need one. This would be a good one to ask your realtor about.
   

So there's part one. What's coming up in the moving game plan? 

-finding a home

-moving in and getting settled

-meeting people and making friends (that's a tough one!)

Have you ever moved somewhere completely new?

Is there anything you would add to my list of things to research on before you move?

Have the best Wednesday!

xx - Leah

The Sweetest Game Plan

Happy Tuesday friends! I've been feeling pretty yucky lately - dang seasonal allergies! It all started Sunday afternoon and completely turned my world upside down for the past few days. I don't feel 100% better today, but my head no longer feels like a balloon, so there's that. Enough of my allergy issues, I have something fun for you today! I'm starting a series here on Chasing Texas! I've thought about doing this way before I changed my blog and have finally got it all sorted out. Now I present to you - The Sweetest Game Plan! It is, of course, the tagline of this blog. Let me explain:

You see, my life revolves around a game plan. When you're in the coaching world everything is revolved around a game plan. Your wins and losses (off and on the field) are a result of a game plan. That game plan can control the mood of your coach when he gets home, and in return can control the outcome of how many hours they put in that next week planning - which also controls how often you see him that week - see! It controls everything!

However the outcome may be, you should always plan for a success. While most of Tate's are football related, I have some game plans of my own. It could be how I clean my house and stay on top of laundry like it's my job or the must haves for my pool bag. It could be a list of tips or tricks or maybe a story of what not to do. It could be things I like and feel the need to share or things I hate. Whatever it may be, it is my game plan, The Sweetest Game Plan. :)

You're probably getting tired of the words game plan, huh?  Haha - welcome to my world! 

To read about my game plan (I know, I know!) on moving to a new place and knowing absolutely no one, come back tomorrow!

Have the best evening!

xx- Leah

Friday Favorites

Hip hip hooray for Friday! B and I stayed up entirely too late last night watching movies - I'm talking like past 10. Didn't even realize it was that late until Tate called me to let me know they made it to the hotel.. oops. On another note, I'm already scheduling football season - 7 on 7 for us starts next weekend. I'll blink and we'll be back in 2 a days. So crazy. It's supposed to storm all weekend but I'm hoping it calms down a bit so I can make the drive safely to my cousin's dance recital! Brylee is over the moon excited and I wish so bad I had something to put her in here. She would love it!

Enough of my ramblings. Let's get to some favorites.

one  // I finally found Brylee's shower curtain! I had an idea for her new bathroom back when we still lived in McAllen but never found the shower curtain I liked. Finally! I'm super excited to get her bathroom complete!

Bathroom inspiration:

two  //  My lip scrub! Y'all I completely forgot about making my own lip scrub until I really needed it earlier this week. All you need is olive oil, brown sugar and vanilla (totally optional). I don't measure, just put a little bit of each and mix it up. I keep it in a container in my bathroom and just scrub it on and wipe it with a damp cloth. I've been using it every single day this week and now remember why I love it so much!

three  // My pants are falling off. Fantastic for Operation Get Fit but not so fantastic for my wallet! #buyallthepants

four  //  It's no secret I love Lauren Conrad - just ask my sister or best friend! I have since her days on Laguna Beach. Her Kohls collection is always a favorite of mine and this week she showed a Chic Peek of her May collection and I'm swooning over everything. I must have this chambray tank with these white ankle pants and with my cold shoulder obsession, I need this too! Another favorite - they're all on sale! :) You're welcome!



five  // this video. So freakin cute! Brylee watched it a on repeat last night and now wants a duck.

 // ICYMI: I shared some favorites and our weekend, had an interview with Brylee, and a very important life lesson.

Favorite reads this week:

Amanda encouraged us to spring clean ourselves!

Modern rules for baby shower etiquette - love this list!
Jojo's men. Not going to lie, some look creepy by their photos. If I had to choose one right now, I'm going with Jordan, because Arron (hello!). 

As always, linking up with my favorite Friday gals!

Have a super weekend friends!
xx