High Five Y'all

Whoa!! I seriously did not mean to go on a full blown hiatus this month. Sometimes, time away can be a good thing. Time to reflect and focus. Well it would be great if I had used my time for just such things. However, I have been super busy with things such as work, church, and my family. It was much more wisely spent on the later three than reflecting on posts. I do have some fabulous high fives to share though!

 1| While B was gone this past weekend I got a little domestic. I've been searching for the perfect valance for our kitchen. Much due to my pickiness I haven't found one. So what to do? Just make it myself. I also made the cutest window treatment for my laundry room.

 2| The work week is over and that should always be celebrated. I've started the celebration here in Arkansas by watching Lonesome Dove and eating kabobs for lunch.

 3| My sweet angle cuddled with me all day Monday. Tippy Tutu loving is and essential everyday.  WE love doing memory verses together.

 4| So I know that I do not talk about my family a whole lot on this space and it's totally not because I don't love them. It's just a subject that I don't want to constantly highlight (I do not mean this in a bad way). So, for many of you, telling you I have an older brother will be new news. Also, telling you that he is vet school in the Cayman Islands might also be a news flash. Well... in even bigger news! My brother just found out this week that he has been excepted into the Oklahoma State veterinary program to complete his last year of clinicals here in the States. I'm so beyond proud and excited for him!

 5| This past month I hosted my very first paid sponsorship! The fab Gipsy Dharma. Gipsy Dharma specializes in unique, one of a kind, clothing and boots. Check out their great website!

 

Happy Wednesday y'all!  Today I am sharing one of my favorite summertime treats... lemonade!  But this is not just any lemonade; it's homemade  fauxmade lemonade.  

For the fabulously tasty summer treat you will need:

1| Country Time lemonade mix

2| citrus juicer

3| fresh lemons

 

 4| Cut two large lemons in half  and squeeze them onto juicer.
 5| go ahead and slice up a third lemon into thin slices.

 6| Pour lemon juice into pitcher of lemonade mix.
 7| Add lemon slices.

The fresh lemons truly make all the difference in this lemonade.  It's sweet but with a hint of tartness.  Hope y'all enjoy it as much as I do. 

If your feeling really wild add a few leaves of citrus balm mint.

Tangerine Romper

{raybans}  {romper}  {sandals}  {cross body bag}

Five

1|  Tomorrow is one of B's closest childhood friends wedding!  We are so excited to be able to celebrate with them and to see his family while we are there.

2|  I'm missing being on vaca this week.  St. Louis was such a blast and I can't wait to visit again.... next week B?  I wish but I do promise to post the deets from our, in the fab words of my BFF, "anni" trip real soon.

3|  So two weeks ago a group of ladies from our church began a women's bible study.  We are doing Children of the Day by Beth Moore.  Y'all to say that it is super fabulous just does not do it justice.  Oh and the study is great too.  No but in all honesty it is so refreshing to know that I have a core group of ladies who love me, pray for me, will pray with me, and will build me up and keep me accountable.  If you'd like to check out the study go here.  This is a summer siesta study so it's super duper laid back.

4|  Monday afternoon I walk into Hobby Lobby for some picture hanging wire and wood glue.  Well, after walking in the door I always make a hard left toward the seasonal section.  Today was no different.  I came to the one isle with Fourth of July decor on it and was disappointed to learn that apparently I missed this beloved holiday because Fall leaves and pumpkins were adorning more shelves that the red, white, and blue.  So I just keep walking past all the pumpkins and spice and behold in front of me like a blessed sign from God are the sweetest words.  CLEARANCE 80% OFF!!!  WHAT?!!  I seriously peed myself a tad when I saw it and squealed out loud.  I racked up on some super cheap things I had been eyeing for a while.  I did FINALLY remember, through all of my excitement, to get the wire but I did forget the wood glue.  Priorities though am I right?

 I've been staring at this cake plate for months now but could not justify the 20 smackaroos for a silly cake plate.  Well y'all... I can certainly justify $8!  This little lovely now sits on the edge of my tub and holds my precious bubble baths.

 Well, this fellow is now lighting up B's man room and is doing it very well I might add.  This is another item we've been looking at since last summer but $100 for a table lamp?  I'm sorry by Dave Ramsey said no.  Well, Dave would probably still say no to $20 but oopsies.

I could not get the cake plate without the matching pitcher but I could honestly not decide which color I liked best so for $6 a piece both of these fancies came home with me.  You really can never have too many pitchers.

5|  After an unexpected evening of attempts at breaking and entering, B and I are thrilled to say that our home is in fact the second cousin, twice removed, of Fort Knox.  We finally did get in but be looking for the funny/I'm trying to laugh so I won't cry because Tippy Tutu is locked up alone in the house post.

Today I am so super excited to introduce/ leave you in the very capable hands of the lovely Mrs. Hayley Hayes.  Hayley is the uber fab, hilarious, super mom, couponing machine over at It's Kind of a Big Deal.  Seriously though... she is a whiz kid with a coupon book.

If you are looking for a great laugh or for a great couponing resource she's got you covered! It is such an honor to have her grace my blog and I hope ya'll enjoy her just as much as I do.  Now let's show this lady some love.

Here's Hayley! ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gooooooood Morning everybody! I'm so honored that Molly has asked me to post on Fiddle Dee Dee today. As you, her faithful audience knows, Molly is a good ole southern girl. In the spirit of her personality, I decided to write about life as a southerner. Here are 3 signs that you're southern.

Like what you read? Be sure to visit me over at www.hayleyhayes.blogspot.com 

3 Signs That You're Southern

1. You paint everything white. With rustic accents. 

We love finding furniture deals. And it doesn't even matter what condition the furniture is in because you can allllllways just paint it white. My mom finds furniture by the curb on her daily walks and isn't afraid to packmule it back to the house for a fresh coat of white paint. 

There are different varieties depending on what look you're going for. The "crackled" white paint is used for items that need to look like they've perfectly and beautifully aged in a very clean barn where there are no animals. The kind of white paint we prefer to use is called "touch up paint." For some reason, Mason thinks we should cover up nail holes when WE (I can say "we" here because WE are married and there's no need to point fingers) decide that some things hanging on the wall need to hang in different places on the wall. You see? White paint is versatile. Throw in a mason jar (if your husbands name is "Mason" insert a witty joke here) and you've got a nice living space with a lot of good ole southern charm. 

2. Everyone has a story. Everyone. Everywhere. Has a loooooooong story. 

I'm not sure if this is a strictly Southern thing, but I do know that when I was in New York the residents did the OPPOSITE of tell me a story. When I asked someone where the bathroom was, all I got was half of a head nod... to the bathroom that was 16 blocks away. Thank you for the clear instructions. When I was in Chile the people were friendly, but I don't think they really told stories either. Of course, it's hard to say WHAT they were telling me because I know, I know I have a degree in Spanish but they speak so dad gum fast.

In Arkansas, EVERYONE will tell you a story. I was at the Avis rent a car the other day (not renting a car), and the elderly lady beside me set to work telling me alllllllll about her family, her husband, how she forgot to put her teeth back in today, how she wasn't really supposed to be out of the house. I didn't mind listening- the only problem came when she couldn't hear my follow up questions. She told me that her grandson was about to graduate college so I asked what his degree would be in.

"HUH????!"

"Your GRAND. SON. WHAT is his degree in??"

"Hun, I can't hear you, speak up."

"THE DEGREE! What is it in??!?"

"I'm hard of hearing, WHAT NOW HONEY!??"

"THE DEGREE! THE DEGREE!!"

"What degree??"

So then I didn't talk anymore. I just let her ramble through her gums. When she left the Avis guy looked up from the counter and said "Wow, she was really telling you her story wasn't she? You know- my wife is pregnant. We're sorta nervous because its our first baby. We just knew it was a girl but it's a boy...."

10 minutes later, it was time to go so I had to cut him off.

Thats how it is in the South. We have something to say and anyone with ears gets to hear it. Why do you think it takes 3 hours for a southern woman to get a haircut? She has a lot of talking to do.

3. We love outdoor weddings. 

Picture it: the sunset is beautiful. All of your friends and family are sitting on pretty white chairs. It seems that the bride must have gotten a very good deal on burlap. And Mason jars. Which are looking pretty in the sunset too. We're all sitting there smiling. No one is thinking about the heat. Except that... 

Yall. We've got good glands. No amount of speed stick can match the sweat that comes with an outdoor Summer wedding in the south. And by "sweat" I mean "glisten profusely." 

The hottest I can remember being in my life (outside of any summer camp experience- have MERCY CAMP. IS. HOT.)  was at an outdoor Alabama wedding in season of "burning furnace" also known as Summer. The chairs might as well have been stacked vertically, since we were literally overlapping sweaty arm jiggle with our neighbors. It was around this time that we started coining shortcut phrases to describe our sweat.

Mason: I have got some serious swack. (sweaty back)

Me: Ohhh, I've got swack and 2 swarms (sweaty arms)

Mason: Well, I feel sorry for the person that has to wipe this seat down because I have the worst---- well, I can't share this one for the sake of keeping this post PG, but you get the idea.

All joking aside, outdoor weddings really are beautiful. And even if I have to rehydrate through an IV the following morning, they are totally worth it. The amount of sweat sweated is almost like a meter measuring fun. If your guests dance the night away, forgetting about their paper white skin, and sweat out everything they drank that day, you know your wedding was a success.

Welcome to Wednesday guys!  Today B and I are officially on our way out of town for our anniversary trip.  Praise the Lord!

So today I am introducing to you and turning the blog over to the super talented, beautiful, soon to be mommy,  Leslyn.  She is one of my favorite bloggers to read and beyond honest to a fault.

It's such an honor to have her here today and I hope y'all love her just as much as I do!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Hey y'all!

My name is Leslyn, and I blog over at Leslyn's Lovely Life!  I'm married to my precious husband, DJ (fun fact: He and Molly's husband were pledge brothers in college! So fun!), and we're expecting our first kiddo in just a few weeks! I'm also a proud mama to two sweet little puppies.

Yes, I realize this is a picture that was going to be used for our Christmas card, and that it's June. But it's the most recent one of our entire little family.

Anyhow, on to the interesting stuff that I know you care much more about!

So there are two things that you need to know about me.

1. I love Pinterest.
2. I love to entertain... And my favorite part about entertaining is the part where I get to cook.

I figured I would put together a fun little menu for what I would make if I were having you over for dinner at my place! :) Just click on the pictures for the link!

**Note: All of the items listed below have been pregnancy cravings of mine. So the choices that I made for this menu were extremely biased. But I think you'll love them. ;) 

Y'all- if I could marry 7 layer dip, I probably would. It contains every good and sacred ingredient known to man. So. Delicious. And I love the idea of the individual servings. More time consuming? Yes. But worth it? Duh. 

Just look at this. LOOK. AT. THIS. One pot (read: easy clean up) chicken burrito bowl. I'm actually making this for dinner this week. Because mercy in heaven this is just too delicious. I mean, look at that stringy, cheesy deliciousness. 

One of my number one cravings throughout this pregnancy has been fruit. So the side dish, dessert, and drink are all some of my favorite things. Mainly pineapple (if you read my blog at all, you know this about me). Anyhow, I've seen this fruit salad EVERYWHERE on Pinterest, and it's SO GOOD. And I love how colorful it is! 

Again: Pregnancy craving. Grilled pineapple. It changes people. I promise. 

Lastly: A toasted coconut pineapple cocktail. Served in a pineapple. Y'all. This is out of control. In the most glorious way. This mama is going to drink this after the baby is born. You better believe it. 

I hope that you try (and LOVE) these recipes! And I'd love for you to follow me on the blog, social media, etc.! Here's my info, loves!

Twitter & Instagram: @leslynjacks
Blog: http://leslyni.blogspot.com
Bloglovin: http://www.bloglovin.com/leslynslovelylife

Spring Vox Box Vlog

All products included in this review were received complimentary through Influenster and all opinions of the products are my own.

Be prepared for some awkward tampon talk and whoever comments first after finding the "Popeye the Sailor Man" face wins a free guest post.  Disclaimer:  There is one distinct "Popeye" face and you must state the correct segment of the video or product being reviewed when the face appears.   Also, this is a face that I make.  Not an actual picture of Popeye.

Rimmel London Scandeleyes Retro Glam Mascara:  $5.99

Kiss Everlasting French Nails: $ 6.49

Peach Pie Car Freshener from Labor Day the Movie: DVD retails for $39.99

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance: $3.99-$4.99

Nivea Skin Firming Hydration Lotion: $2.49 (2.5oz  TSA friendly) $10.99 (13.5oz.)

Softlips Cube: $3.49

Two Years of Bliss

Marriage is one of the most amazing gifts from God and today I'm so blessed to be celebrating my marriage with the most wonderful partner.  Happy two year anniversary to my amazing prince. We have been blessed with our very own dysfunctional bliss.  God truly knew what he was doing when he brought B into my life.  This man is constantly seeking after God, leading our family faithfully, and loving me fully everyday.

If you can believe it only one month before I met B I had vowed to myself and told my mom that I was done with guys.  I remember telling my mom that there was no one for me at the university I attended and I just could not wait to get away from it and on the next thing.  Boy, does God have a sense of humor.  I wouldn't change any detail in our story though.  From how we met to our wedding day; it is part of our testimony. 

I'm sure all of those blessed with the relationship of a Godly marriage would agree with me when I say that year after year marriage just gets better.  I love this man so much more than the day we took our vows.  I had no idea that was even possible.   B is my "go to".  He's "my guy".  

We laugh together, share inside (sometimes not so nice) jokes, cuddle on the couch, and still drop it like its hot in the kitchen.  He tells me I'm beautiful everyday and loves to listen to me sing in the kitchen.  He holds my hand just because he can and still looks at me the same as he did on our wedding day.  Every girl deserves to have a man look at her that way.  God has so beyond blessed me with an amazing husband.

B and I will never have it all together, that's for sure,  but I wouldn't trade our crazy, busy, functionally dysfunctional life for anything.  Our love is truly wonderful.

5 on Friday

[ONE]

We booked a bed and breakfast for our anniversary trip to St. Louis!  I'm so stinking excited about this trip and getting to spend some time away with B.  Oh and did I mention that our sweet little B and B is actually an entire loft to ourselves? I feel just a little bit fancy.  We have exactly four more days until our trip begins, three more days until our second anniversary, two more work days for B before our trip, and one more work day for me. So so much to be excited about!

[TWO]

I bought my very first calligraphy set.  I'm super pumped to begin beautifying my penmanship.

[THREE]

This week B and I started season three of Scandal on Netflix.  To say that he and I are obsessed is a minor understatement.  It's safe to say at this point that I want to be Olivia Pope.... minus the whole having an affair with the President thing she's got going on.

[FOUR]

I finally finished a post that I have been running through my head for months.  Does that ever happen to y'all?  You find a subject, have about 50 versions of it in your head but just can not seem to get it completely together.  I finally found some courage this week and made myself sit down and start to type.  Check out my southern women post.

[FIVE]

I was so excited this week when I scheduled my very first two guest posts!  You will get to meet these two lovely ladies while I am out of town next week. Love my blog friends!

Southern Women

From a young age we are bred and molded to exhibit an air of gentility.  Etiquette is of the upmost importance and manners are practiced until they are but second nature.  Emily Post adorns all family book shelves and being a debutante is anything other than archaic.  We are the point where sass meets class.

We are southern women.

We know how to make the perfect glass of sweet tea, know that pearls are the perfect accessory to complete any outfit, and can sling a list of twenty adjectives together to describe a single situation.  However, we are more than meets the eye.

Do not be fooled by a sweet southerners accent.  A southern lady will slice your juggler quicker than any Comanche (no offense).  Our words are our ammunition.  We are not necessarily taught this tactic but, I believe, that it is something that we are born with.  We are subtly brazen beings but when you mess with us.... Oh honey, let's just say don't poke the bear, alrighty?

Fragile is not a term I would use to describe any southerner.  Us gals can sure hold our own.   We fight tooth and nail for what we believe in and what's ours.  Like a dog with a bone we are relentless.

We all know that the secret to good hair is a good teasing comb, the perfect hairspray, and sheer determination.  The higher the hair the closer to God y'all.  There ain't nothing wrong with a good bouffant.

We are stubborn to the core.  Truly,  Heaven help the men who love us.  We put them through so much.  Loving a southern woman is not for the faint of heart but loving one does mean having the most loyal partner in life.  

We can be the best or worst people you will ever meet.  When you befriend a southern woman you can guarantee that you have a friend for life.  She will be one who will not ask questions when told to pick up a shovel and start digging.  

We are incredibly complex creatures.  Growing up a southern woman means growing up in an elaborately competitive society.  This is the perfect atmosphere to create such well rounded women.  We can hunt our food, skin it with a golf ball, and serve it up to our families; then turn around and host the ladies from the junior league in our dens.  We are chameleons that blend perfectly in our society.

We are southern women.

summer casual

During the summer I love nothing more than to be cool and comfortable.  You know... the usual.  At the same time I want to look cute and fashionable.  Nothing is more fashion forward than a brightly colored crop top, high-waisted shorts and some spunky flats.

Just add a brightly colored bag and your ready for shopping, vaca, or touristing in style.

What are some of your favorite running around casual styles?

summer casual by molly-johnson-kucginski featuring green high waisted shorts

 On July 18, 2010 I woke up completely and utterly exhausted.   The night before I had completed my final night of competition in the Miss Arkansas pageant.  My feet throbbed, my spray tan was beginning to fade in spots, and I was wearing makeup from the night before.  I sound lovely don't I.

Since both of our families were together (because of the pageant) we decided to visit one of mine and B's favorite "day date" spots in Hot Springs, Garvan Woodland Gardens.  Little did I know that this particular visit would change my life.

Remember how I told you I was exhausted?  Well,  to say that I was in a piss poor mood is putting it WAY too lightly.  I was totally horrible!  I was hot, my feet hurt, wah wah wah!  I'm truly surprised B did not hightail it out of dodge.  He was so sweet though and went ahead with all of his plans despite my disgruntles.

On the half moon bridge  over looking the koi pond B got down on one knee.  Commence REAL ugly cry.

 We knew we would have a long engagement... thanks to me and my school but it gave us plenty of time to plan, choose the perfect season for engagement photos, and for me to take pictures in my wedding dress in every season and setting (yes I did buy it two years in advance).

B and I were engaged for nearly two years before we finally said "I do" but having a longer engagement allowed for us to have the most amazing engagement photos with the most amazing photography studio, Strain Photography.

We chose October of 2012.  The leaves were beginning to turn gorgeous colors and mums were in full bloom.  We chose to do a casual set, a vintage, and of course razorbacks/golf.

 In the vintage photos we used family heirlooms for our props and the dress and hat I am wearing were my grandmother's.  The dress is actually the same one that she was married in.

All of our time planning and the special touches made our engagement so much more special and precious.  It was such a fun and exciting time in our lives that I truly treasure.  FYI... B has not hightailed it yet!

5 Things on this Fabulous Friday

1|  Less than one month from now B and I will be celebrating our second anniversary.  How is that even possible?  It really doesn't seem real.  Hopefully I will get to around to writing about our engagement soon.  Until then check out how we met (here)... It's pretty great!

2|  B and I have started a new workout plan and have actually been to the gym three times this week.  I know that may not sound like a big deal but around here it surely is and to say my body is feeling every bit of those three workouts is an understatement.

3|  This... enough said!

4|  My new glasses and contacts came in this week.  Praise the Lord for new contacts!  I have been on my last pair since well before deer season opened this last fall.  B is not the biggest fan of the new rims but they were just too completely precious to pass up... black rims and turquoise earpieces= must have fab.

5| Monday I found out that a group of ladies will be starting Beth Moore's new siesta summer bible study "Children of the Day".  The whole shindig kicks off on June 2nd and I can not wait to see what God does through this study and this amazing group of ladies.  If y'all would like to join or would like more information check out Beth's blog.

Don't forget to grab your ad space under the sponsor tab.

Hope your Friday is full of sunshine 

DIY Simply Divine All Purpose Cleaner

If you were to search on pinterest or google for home remedies of household cleaner you would find a plethora of endless possibilities.  That is exactly what I did just yesterday.  I conveniently ran out of the cleaner I use on my counters after I had gotten back from Kroger.  Typical right?  So, I began doing a little searching for home recipes.  There are seriously umpteen billion out there.  My thought... take an idea from this recipe, a little ingredient from that one and voila my very own recipe.

What you'll need:
+ white vinegar
+ dish washing liquid
+ empty squirt bottle

Measurements:
+ 3/4 cup of white vinegar
+ 1/4 cup of dish washing liquid or add as desired. (I estimated)
+ fill rest of the bottle with warm water

After adding all the ingredients to the squirt bottle shake very well.  I loved how the cleaner turned out. Not too sudsy but just enough dish washing liquid to make the mixture smell sweet.  There was still a slight undertone scent of vinegar but not strong at all.  The fragrance and cleaning ability are just Simply Divine.

In the Now

Today I am going to make a confession.  I am a planner.  I think towards the future and am constantly day dreaming about what will happen next.  It is not, at all, uncommon to hear me say "when I'm a housewife", "when this happens", "when I get a job closer to home", etc.  I have completely deserted the present and am living for the what ifs.  Is there anything wrong with dreaming and planning for the future?  Of course not but by constantly living in the future I am wasting the precious time of the present; where God has intentionally placed me.

God chose and designed so masterfully to place me in this city, at this time, in the city where I work, in the job I am blessed to have.  So why do I continually look for the next thing around the corner rather than enjoying the precious life God has given to me.  This post is not just about me confessing but it is also about accountability.  I have worked this post over in my mind at least a billion times over the past two weeks and just have not been able to bring myself to actually type it out into words.  So why am I always looking for what I think might be better?  The answer, truthfully, is I have no earthly idea.  I'm only human right?  Still, that is no valid excuse.

So, excuses stop here.  Starting now I am trying my hardest to be intentional and live in the now.  God has much greater plans for me in this place than I could ever dream.  There is nothing wrong with dreaming and planning but living in the now has so many wonderful blessings that get overlooked daily.  So I am now living in the now, in this time and place where God has intentionally placed me.

High Five

1|  If you missed my post yesterday then you missed out on a huge announcement.  My sponsorship page is now up and running.  Woo hoo for me investing in one of my passions.

2|  A few days ago I stumbled upon the most precious little gem of a store; a little furniture consignment  store in West Conway called Trio's.  I actually popped in to look for a bombay chest for my future sister but instead I FINALLY found what I've been looking for.  Well, not exactly but sometimes I really don't know what I am truly looking for until I see it.  Here it is y'all.

Originally I wanted a piece, like this, to use as a china cabinet in our dining room.  However, now I'm having other ideas for this sweet lovely.  I can't wait to see where it fits best in our home.

3|  I had a little mini "staycation" this week.  One of the dentist I work for was out of town so the hygienist took turns working this week.  I had my regular Monday off but then also had Tuesday and Wednesday off.  To say that I enjoyed myself would be a massive understatement!  

4|  One more point in my favor for being a housewife.  B walked in, Tuesday evening after work, to me in the kitchen skewering vegetables and venison for our kabobs.  With a surprised look on his face he says "man you sure are a great housewife".  I replied "I know right".  This just further solidifies that I am called to be a "stay at home".

5| This week our church was blessed to be able to help three families who lost everything in this past Sunday's tornado.  The clean up process is still going on and will continue for some time to come.  Please continue to pray for all those families affected and for those who lost loved ones.

Sponsor

I'm so excited to announce that I have now ventured into the world of sponsorship.  This is an incredibly huge step for me and I have to admit that it is, just a bit, frightening.  To grow you have to invest; right?  My blog is still considered very small but I have had the privilege to see growth over the past few months.  I have even been pinned.  Read about that here.  

If you are looking for a great place to gain exposure or promote your blog or business I would love the opportunity to work with you.  All pricing and ad spots can be found under the sponsor tab on the home page.

Grab your spot today!

Travs Game

Before I get rolling today please pray for the residents of the Central Arkansas area.  Last night we were devastated by fierce storms and tornadoes.  Many families lost their homes, many were injured, and some lost lives.  

All my life I have lived in Arkansas.  I've done almost every Arkansas native musts.  I love razorback games, I've climbed Pinnacle Mountain, and with summer around the corner you just can not forget about the hometown festivals.  To say I've frequented festivals is an understatement.  

However, in my twenty five years, I have never been to an Arkansas Travelers game.  That is... until this past Friday.  B's company hosted an employee night during this past weekends series.  To say I was a tad bit excited just does not do it justice.  I literally looked forward to this all week; mainly because I wanted a hot dog!

We had an absolute blast!

If you are a Natural State native or just passing through a Travs game is a definite fun and family friendly experience (and budget friendly).