Groundhogs & Bikinis - Guest Post

This is Laura from over at Walking in Memphis in High Heels.  My sweet SIL asked me to do a guest post for her today.  Since you're stuck with me today, I will go ahead and apologize that I don't have any pictures of the nephews or any good stories about the baby truck.  = )  I mainly post about my everyday life, my family, restaurants in the Memphis area, working out, my lack of cooking skills, but mainly I post about fashion. 

I don't know if you've heard yet or not, but Punxsutawney Phil in fact did NOT see his shadow.  Early spring here we come!  I could not be happier!  It's the little things, okay?  Since it's basically spring (I can dream, right?), I'm going to post some of my favorite spring fashion wants, and in true Operation Red Bikini style, I think it's time we start looking at bikinis.  After all, why else have we been slaving away at the gym and hitting the pavement all winter long?  With emerald being the color of the year, and mint still really popular, I'm especially craving bikinis in all hues of green this year.  Plus you can never go wrong with classic, timeless silouettes or bright colors and fun designs.

 

Boys + Arrows Bikini.  $156.  This beautiful canary yellow color will look great on tanned skin this summer, and that convertible bandeau top looks so flattering!

 

 

 

Seafolly Goddess Bandeau Top.  $92.  I have this exact top in two other colors.  It is perfect for women with larger chests, and you can also criss cross the straps or tie them around the chest to make the top a bandeau style.  And the material is the softest I've ever felt on a bikini.   

 

 

 

Juicy Coture Prima Donna Bandeau Top.  $94.  Timelss and gorgeous.  It might be too pretty to even get in the water.

 

 

 

Betsey Johnson Atomic Hottie Halter Top.  $74.  This girl is seriously making me want a gingham bikini!  I could see Maryann of Gilligan's Island wearing this after a few pina coladas.

 

 

 

J. Crew Neon Floral Underwire Top.  $54.  Something about this color combo and pattern keeps getting my attention.  It's simple but will still stand out.

 

 

 

B. Swim Fringe Bikini.  $114.  Mint green, floral and fringe.  Big in 2012 and they're here to stay.

 

 

 

J. Crew Scalloped Underwire Top.  $52.  This is such a gorgeous cobalt blue color, and I love the scallop detail! 

 

 



Just Call Me Minnie Pearl and We Have a Winner!!

Just yesterday I totally messaged my friend, Janessa, telling her that my next post would be titled "Women Be Shopping" but a little mishap noted this evening changed that.

Today my FIL came over and watched Caleb so I could get out of the house and do some brief shopping. He and my MIL are so good to us and love their grandbabies. I mean what man VOLUNTEERS to come watch your snotty/poopy baby before he goes to work all night so you can get out of the house? I am very grateful!

First things first, I dropped Carter off at preschool. Today was pajama day for the letter "P". I just knew he wanted to wear his Cars 2 pajamas but he went with Angry Birds.

He's so precious. When I picked him up today, I asked "Did your friends have pajamas on too?" He replied, "Yes, mommy, it was pajama day, DUH!" Guess I deserved that one! 

So, I went for a quick run (yes...I am addicted already) and did what any woman without kids would do...headed to Target! I found the EXACT mirror that I have been looking for to hang in my bedroom. I first saw it on Pinterest but it was one of those pins that didn't take you anywhere when you click on it. I thought I'd never find it. The bonus was it was on sale for $15! Winning! Next, I hit up Dick's Sporting Goods. I tried on several different brands of running shoes and really like the Brooks best. My girl, Mel, is a total Brooks girl. I'm hoping that I will be too. I will def keep y'all posted!

My new kicks! The deal with these...they were $119. Not bad. I had a coupon that I earned with my Coupon Sherpa app. The last time I went to Dick's I used the app for a coupon to be used with my next purchase for $25 off, which happened to be today's purchase. Plus I had an additional $10 coupon for filling out an online survey with my last purchase. So that was $35 off. Again...winning!

Now I know you are wondering, Lindsey, what is all this talk about calling you Minnie Pearl or you may be saying just hush and announce the winner, yeah I know you've already scrolled to the bottom...that's cool.? Today I was wearing my new shirt from Jamie, at Southern Glow Airbrush Tanning, and it is super cute. It says "Glow Me". I knew it would get some attention!

I just realized I was in a purple mood yesterday...shirt, shoes...anyways, it's a really cute shirt!

I also wore my new Silver Jeans that Brian bought me. I specifically turned in front of him and asked did I get all the tags off? I didn't see any but wanted him to double check. You know where this is going...I did get a lot of looks but I thought it was just my glowing tan or my cute shirt. Well, about 7 PM I noticed a huge tag in a most obvious place! Really?!? How did we both miss that? Embarassing!!

Seriously...

Howdeeeeeeee! If you don't know Minnie Pearl then you are obviously not from around these parts! We watched this lady on our old console TV every Saturday night when I was a kid. SALUTE!

Back to shopping...I spent an afternoon last week on the Court Square in my hometown, Covington. I don't go there very often anymore. It's not that it's far but everything I need is right here in my town. I did some shopping as there are lots of neat stores there. I love to shop locally when possible! 

Our Courthouse. Isn't it beautiful? My mom worked there for like 30 years. Look to the right at the water tower...it has the logo for the high school I attended. I was a Covington Charger! I love small towns!

I also love this ring I found in a jewelry store on the square! Our 5 year anniversary is this year and I really want to upgrade. I loved this one and a BLINGING ring guard that fits my engagement ring. Excuse the pitiful nurse hand and nails. What do y'all think about it?

Tonight my little Caleb ate corn-on-the-cob for the first time! He wasn't sure what to think. He just kinda stared at it for a minute then began to eat it on the end. Poor baby! I remember Aubree doing the same thing! Carter had lots of questions, like always, about where corn came from. I explained and somehow threw in there that it stops growing once it is cut/harvested/picked. His response "so corn is like my boogers because after I pick them they stop growing too, Mommy." Yes, Carter like your boogers! Seriously, people, I can't make this kinda stuff up! Hahahahaha!

Hahaha! Sweet little man!

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for...the winner is Laura from Serrano Style!!!!!!  Congrats!! Laura is a wife, mom to 3, and is a runner. I enjoy reading her blog and you will too! Go visit her and ask her how excited she is to be the winner of a new wristlet/wallet?? 

I plan to do another giveaway when I reach 150 followers just to say thanks again! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

It's a Witchfest Up In Here!

Well, this is fo sho' a side of me the blog world has yet to see. I was super bitchy yesterday. Ugh. Lawdy. To all my new readers I am not normally like this but I feel like I must keep it real for errrbody! I would hate for y'all to read my blog and think that crappy days don't exist in the House of Smith! Ha! I haven't been able to go to bible study the past 2 weeks and I can tell! I think it all started with the storm from Tuesday night.

Anyways, it was storming really bad here Tuesday and my DIRECTV craps out! Of all times! We just switched to them and I am not impressed! At all! So, I get out the laptop and watch a live stream, and our weatherman, Tim Simpson, is talking some noise about take cover and a bow echo (I need to google that because I am clueless) so I get my 1 and 4 year old up to seek shelter immediately like the man said even though the sirens weren't going off. They were so wired. Apparently sitting in a closet with mommy in the middle of the night is fun! Who knew?! Then there was the loud crash in the attic that I have yet to figure out. Water was leaking in one spot up there. What a mess! I am thankful that it wasn't that bad! See I'm not a total witch!

When it first started to thunder Carter said, "Don't be afraid, mommy. I will protect you." My sweet little man. He's a mama's boy!

They are beautiful even in the middle of the night. All Carter wanted to talk about was his wiener and Caleb kept farting. Ugh! Story of my life! Hahahahaha! Aubree was at her dad's but had she been her she would've been a wreck. Girlfriend does not do storms! She gets it from her mama!

I went for a morning run again. It was tougher today for some reason. Maybe all the wind blowing in my face? Not sure but I pushed through it. I have to confess that my blog friends are big motivators for me to run. I am sure I would've said screw it today had I not read so many stories that have touched my heart. Thank you runner blogger friends!

Women be shoppin' runnin'!

While cooking lunch for the boys today I noticed it had been a couple minutes since I'd seen Caleb. I looked for him and couldn't find him. Then I noticed the pantry door was cracked. I guess I didn't shut it completely and there sat my little monkey. Ha!

He was so calm and just sitting there like he was thinking, "hmmmm...sooner or later she will come find me but I'll just sit here until then." He is into everything!!!!!!!!!!!

I still spent my day cleaning up lots of poop and snot. What mommy post is complete without mention of snot, boogers, poop, puke, etc? Anyways, I'll be so very glad when his teeth come in. He is quite miserable. 

On a happy note, I went to see my friend Jamie at Southern Glow Airbrush Tanning to get sprayed. You can find her on Instagram at Southernglow! She is awesome! Thank you, Jamie for making a tired and grumpy mommy glow! I got a cool t-shirt from her that says "Glow Me"! Love it! FYI to any of my friends out there that get airbrush tans...if your child has massive diarrhea in the hours following your spray tan and you MUST bathe him and you notice that your tan is coming off because said child is splashing as though the tub  is a wavepool, all you have to do is apply lotion to the area and rub it in thoroughly! Works like a charm! Ha!

I mentioned Stephanie from The Not So Secret Lemne Life a couple days ago.  She is having a giveaway so go visit her page!

That's all I've got for y'all! Finishing off this snotty/poopy day with a nice bottle glass of red wine. Cheers to being out of this funk tomorrow! 

It Keeps You Running...

Yeah, it keeps you running...are you picturing the scene from Forrest Gump when he was running? Best. Movie. Ever. So, I started running again yesterday. Why? Because I want to be cool like everyone else I workout a good bit but I miss running. I used to run after I had Carter and quit when we were trying to have Caleb because it was causing some fertility issues and I never started back. I miss that feeling you get when you run. I always have so much energy afterwards and it's a great way to relieve stress. Another reason is that I have a really, really bad family history of cardiac problems. My dad has 12 stents! The first time that he  had angioplasty he was basically a walking dead man who had been driving across the country in his 18-wheeler jamming gears and blasting 18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses. My Paw Paw and his father both had massive heart attacks and there's this valve problem on my mother's side of the family. So...yeah...I have got to stay in shape so I can stay healthy because we all know from the pics that I post of my dinner almost every night on Instagram that I don't eat right most of the time.

We have a few nice tracks to choose from in our town but I chose this one right here.

I chose this one because not only is it the closest to my house but if you look in the distance you will see a building with a green roof. That would be the Atoka Fire Dept and that would be the primary reason that I chose to run here. Hahaha! I had an issue with the fountain in the pond. It was very windy today and every time I would make that turn it would spray in my face! Ugh! All I kept thinking about was E.coli and Legionella! Yuck! So I had to turn my head away when I would get to this point. I prob looked like a freak to the cars passing by. 

Easing back into it! 

Follow my blog with BloglovinIt was around 70 degrees here today. Carter wanted to go play outside so we waited until Caleb was taking a nap because it was way too windy for him with all the ear issues he's been having. I told him to go put on a shirt (he hardly ever wears a shirt while we are at home) and some shoes. He came out wearing this. 

What do you say to that? I mean...he did what I told him to do. This was a shirt he wore when they were learning about Native Americans. Ha! He's so silly!

My little Caleb is having a hard time with his ears and he's getting a couple teeth too. He's been feeling rather miserable, crying frequently, and has a serious case of the mud-butt going on! This morning while I was changing his diaper Carter had to come sit with us. He got a big whiff of what was in little brothers diaper and he froze, his head dead this weird Parkinson's Disease like shake, and then he started dry-heaving. Y'all I laughed so hard that I was crying. 

He looked at me and said "Chee" today. It was so cute. 

One of my favorite bloggers, Mel, at 4KOTTEZ is going to have a giveaway when she reaches 300 followers and she is almost there. She is adorable and makes me tired just looking at all the pics of her working out. She is a mother to 2 beautiful children,wife to "E", a runner, and a hard working lady! I don't see how she does it all. I get to meet her in March and I can't wait!

Check out my new friend, Stephanie, at The Not So Secret Lemne Life. She told me last week that when she got to 10 followers she would have a giveaway and she is at 12 now! She is a mommy blogger and a nurse. Go see her. You'll love her. 

I know you have heard me talk about my friend, Jamie, that does my airbrush tan and how awesome she is! Well...she now has an online boutique with some very stylish clothing at auction prices. She is currently taking pre-orders via paypal. You can find her on Instagram at southerncoco2! Here's a few of my favorites!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway that ends on Friday. You can go here to enter! My SIL will be doing another giveaway starting tomorrow with a gorgeous bracelet. You can go enter but I plan to win that one! Ha! 

Umbrella's, Margarita's, and a Giveaway!

Hahahaha! Catchy title? Yeah, well, you can stand under my umbrella ella ella ella eh eh eh, lol, now that I FINALLY bought one! It's just one of those things that you never remember that you need until you're sitting in the car and it's raining so hard that the car next to you floats away. 

My new umbrella and my shadow! Ha!

Got this cute thing at Kirkland's for $5.00!

So, let's recap my exciting weekend as a weekend nurse, shall we?  On Friday, my FIL was watching Carter so Caleb and I went shopping. It seems like it's becoming a Friday thing for me and Caleb. Anyways, he was kinda moody since he's getting two molars so we only made it to Kirkland's. I was kinda disappointed because there was a time that I could go in there and find exactly what I had in mind but not this time and a lot of things looked really cheap to me. I did get a good deal on a canvas that I have no idea what I'll do with. Ever do things like that? Yeah...me neither. 

It kinda matches my room so it may end up there, or the bathroom, or a closet...who knows?!?

It was originally $129 and marked down to $69 plus I had a coupon for $25 off. I have an app on my phone called Coupon Sherpa and that's where the coupon came from. There are a ton of coupons available on this app and they have always worked for me. I highly recommend it! Oh, and let me just tell y'all that I forgot and left it in the car and hubby found it while I was at work. He thought I'd spent $129 on it as that price was still on the pic...so what do you think he did? Yeah...he went and spent $130 at Bass Pro just to be fair. Lawdy!

I forgot to mention that Caleb is still working on his climbing skills. 

Here we have the little monkey climbing the stair gate. Note his left foot is on top of a suitcase turned sideways to block him from climbing under. We did have 4,000 pillows blocking it but he can now remove those and I choose not to say how we discovered that. 

Brian's parents watched the kids Friday night so that we could have date night. We went to one of the 4 Mexican places in our very small town. It was really good. We went right back home after dinner. Quick date I know but sometimes just going to eat without kids is relaxing. I felt like it was a really special night because we went in the baby truck. You can read about that here.

And when the restaurant is serving up Margarita's like this, how can you not relax? They were very generous with the Tequila. Ha! 

The rest of my weekend consisted of working and working. Big surprise!

Tired nurse legs and feet with destroyed living room in the background. Does this count for color blocking? I think it does!

Ok...ok...now for the good part. A few months ago, I was saying that I had a goal of 10 followers by December. Met that with no problem. I can't believe that I have over 100 now. I'm loving it and I am so glad you are all here! I decided that when I got to 100 I'd have another giveaway and I am over 100 now so I am a day or so late. My SIL is the queen of giveaways so check her out if you haven't already. She will be doing a guest post for me next Monday. 

I am giving away this black, genuine leather wallet/wristlet. I used a couple of these as "Dirty Santa" gifts and those ladies were about to fight over them. Ha! It is from our local Merle Norman in Atoka, so local friends check them out. They have more than just makeup! Lots of stylish clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, lotion, candles, plus Yon Salon is in the back and my girl, Jaclyn is the bomb.com. Just wish I had time to go see her. 

 The front holds 6 credit cards and 1 ID

The middle portion has 2 pouch like openings for cash, receipts, or whateva otha stuff you cram in there. Not that I would know anything about cramming stuff in my wallet and there's also a little coin storage area with a zipper.

On the back there is storage for 6 more credit cards a husbands nightmare  with a little snap over thingy to keep them secured. 

1.To enter this giveaway you must be a follower via GFC. 

2. You must leave a comment below telling me that you want to enter

3. A winner will randomly be chosen and announced on Friday! Easy enough? I thought so!

So, go tell your friends and good luck! Find me on Instagram at linzlee1982. Let's try not to blow away today fellow Midsoutherners! It's tornado season, you know? Thanks for reading! 

Welcome Friends!!!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Oh my goodness! I am so excited about all the new friends I have here on my blog! Thank you all for stopping by and I am glad that you are here. I feel a giveaway coming on soon as a way to welcome you all! I hope you like what you see! Good luck to those who entered the giveaway!

For my friends who have not entered the giveaway and want to win some AWESOME prizes, go visit my friend, Lora, at Raising Steppe Sisters for details on the prizes and how to enter.

Just to tell you a little about me, I am a child of God first and foremost,  I am a mommy to 1 pre-teen girl, Aubree. I have 2 little boys, Carter and Caleb. I am married to my best friend...well, he's my BFF most of the time. Ha!  I am a registered nurse and work in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). I work on the weekend so I can be home during the week. I get 3 glorious weekends off a year but it is so worth it to be available to my kids during the week. I am blessed!

I look forward to getting to know all of you! Please leave me a comment to let me know who you are and tell me a little bit about yourself and your blog. 

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

My kiddos!

Mint Jeans Update and In My Makeup Bag

I mentioned in a post a couple weeks ago that I was so excited to get a pair of mint jeans. I purchased mine from Tilly's. My SIL did a post on how to wear them, you can read that here. I said I would update how I was going to wear mine so here we go!

I love this! The shirt is from Wet Seal and was only $5.  I got the mint necklace from Ophelia503 which you can find on Instagram. Now I am not sure what shoes/boots I will wear with this. Opinions please! I really want to do either my brown Candence or Riding Boots both by Steve Madden.

Next is the "Around Town Top" from Kiki La'Rue in ivory. It is very sheer so I am wearing a white cami under that I purchased from Ophelia503. One of my friends owns Ophelia503 and I am loving everything about it! The riding boots are Steve Madden. 

This shirt is also from Wet Seal and was $5. It was too good of a deal to pass up. I didn't plan on pairing it with the mint jeans but ended up liking it. The sideways cross necklace in gunmetal is from Kiki La'Rue. Still not sure about shoes though. I just don't look right in flats.

Now for what's in my makeup bag. This is a linkup with Trista that looks like fun to me! The older I get the more I love makeup/skin care and jewelry! Ha! 

First, let me say, I may have been blessed with many good qualities but my skin is not one of them.  I had terrible acne after having my first 2 babies and have the scars to prove it. I think my hormones have finally balanced out and with some good skin care it's much better than it used to be. I have always been very self conscious about it and piled on the makeup. With time, I have learned that less can mean more! I mean, I think caking makeup on just made it look worse to me. Also, I am a Clinique/Merle Norman kinda girl with a little Cover Girl here and there. 

First things first! Before I even start with my makeup bag I wash with Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap, followed by Clinique Clarifying Lotion (not sure why they call it lotion bc it's a toner), last is Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.  Love, love, love these!

Now for the makeup bag!

Next is Foundation Primer Plus by Merle Norman...would by it by the gallon if they had it. Wear this and your makeup goes on very smoothly and is going NOWHERE until you are ready for it to. Plus it's SPF15! Trust me, I've tried Smashbox and several others. 

After I let my primer set for 3-5 minutes, I apply Clinique Even Better concealer followed by Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Foundation and I do use a Foundation brush by Merle Norman to apply. I think it makes a difference to use the brush. It seems to go on much smoother and evenly.

Next I apply Clinique Stay Matte Sheer pressed powder very lightly. I feel oily without it and feel that it helps set my foundation.

I don't use much blush or rouge as my Grandmother called it. Ha! So I buy Cover Girl. The color is use is Rose Silk. It's very, very light.

For the eyes...not really big on eye makeup for myself. I use Cover Girl eye shadow in Taupe. I then apply Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus eyeliner in black/brown. I have used both of these for years...not sure what I'd do if they got discontinued. Also, I only apply eyeliner to the bottom part of my eye. My eye will not relax enough for me to apply it to the top...whatever, I am a weirdo like that sometimes. Can't put contacts in either. For mascara, I use Clinique High Impact or Loreal. 

For the lips, I use Merle Norman in Sparkling Wine and LOVE it! 

Throughout the day to stay moisturized and to add color when I am fading a bit, I use Baby Lips. I included it in my recent give away and my friend, Amanda, is hooked!

When the day is over, I use Clinique Take the Day Off cleansing milk. This stuff would take makeup off Snooki and Lil' Kim without hesitation. I then follow up with my toner and moisturizer. 

Scary, pre-skin care, pre-makeup, dead girl, Lindsey with my little camera hog!

Finished product! I'd like to add  that between the before and after pic I had to stop and pack a lunch, clean a poopy diaper, and cook breakfast for my starving hubby! Ha!

I'd like to give a shout out to my friend, Angela, at Mean Ang. I call her Sweet Ang because she is anything but mean. Lol! I think a friend called her that and it kinda stuck. Anyhow, she is New Jersey gal and I just love her. Her family has a home on the shore that was effected by the recent hurricane and she shared pics. She's also about to celebrate a birthday. Stop by and wish her a great birthday!

Happy Friday to all of you people that belong to the normal 5 day a week workforce! My week is just about to start. Lucky for me, I only have 2 day weeks! =)