Life in pictures...pic heavy...

As always, it has been a busy few weeks. I often start out with great intentions to blog and then something comes up and I have to get to them. 

September was an awesome month. I celebrated a birthday milestone. To finish out the month, I did a photoshoot and felt really beautiful. I will share those pictures later. In the meantime, here is a bit of a sneak peak of what we've been up to. 

I made this tee for my birthday. Continue scrolling to see what I paired it with.

My #1 JOE is turning 5 in less than 24-hours. HOW did the time go by so fast? She is having a trolls themed party. As always, this DIY mom started on her stuff. 
This is the door sign. I wish I could say all her birthday things are done but I just haven't had time. So it'll be crunch mode this week. YIKES!

I purchased this fabric to make a special outfit for me for my birthday. I am so glad I did. I wore this lovely skirt and even though I drafted it when I was a little heavier, I still LOVE the way it looked. 
Everything but the skirt I am wearing (hairband, earrings, tee) can be found on our site AyoBE Boutique.

On our way to church.

Ready and about to head out to my photoshoot. This is the Kion African Print mini skirt and can be found here.

After the shoot. Yes, I wore a tiara! I felt like a queen! Check out my little photobomber behind me. She obviously didn't care for my selfie.

That smile gets me all the time. She really is beautiful. I know every parent says that so obviously, we are all biased but I think bothmy girls are the most beautiful in the world! Yup...I am partial to them :-D.

And since something always comes up, the following Tuesday after my photoshoot, I fell at work and had to go to the ER in addition to wearing this. NOT FUN!!! I mean, can I at least get a chance to wear some of my shoes? Geez!!!
I am OK but just so done with this.
The positive? My nails were done the week before for my photoshoot.

JOE'S Kindergarten school pictures are out and boy, I had to bite my lips not to tear up. My baby girl looks so beautiful in these pictures! 
The photographer captured her real smile. 

Off to church. Yes, my little JAE can be a trip. LOL. The earrings I am wearing can be found here.

My big girl JOE has been requesting her hair styles for school. This "puff" appears to be her favorite. This style below was done in September. Yesterday, she requested the same style for the week so she is sporting it again this week.

So my baby JOE joined the kids choir at our church. Here we are heading to choir practice. She was so excited!

And there she is singing at Church. Lower left hand corner. J and I are SOOOOOO proud of her. She really did great. We go to a mega church and I thought for sure she would be intimidated. Nope. Not my baby. She asked to go back again. FUN times!

Each month, I introduce something new to AyoBE Boutique. This month, this is my new favorite hair pin. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It really is a beautiful way to add an accessory to your hair and it has so many different colors so it will definitely match just about any outfit you have on.

 Also, a new product that was released in October is this rope necklace and button earrings. In these, you will definitely make a fashion statement.

There is a matching headband for the pin for kids as well. My JOE loved this so much, she requested to wear it to school the next day!

A blogger I follow (Faith) recently posted a picture about her house plants. She inspired me to try my hands at having more green around the house. 
Behold my new obsession. I have never been successful taking care of plants so let's hope these survive. From what I have read online, it takes a lot to kill them. I have already replanted them and will share pictures later. 
Wish me luck!

In keeping with my DIY theme for JOE's party, here are the party bags and JOE's headband. She will be none other than Princess Poppy from The Trolls for her party. Fun fun. 
For the record, I officially HATE glitter tulle!

Keeping with our family tradition, we painted pumpkins to celebrate the Fall. Check out my little JAE painting her pumpkin!
JOE is a pro already.

Pumpkins all done and decorated with tulle and googly eyes. I love these. JOE decided we should all be trolls this year and I think that was a fun idea.

My parents came out again this year to hang out with us for a few days and decided to go with the girls when we visited our local mall. JOE is dressed as Skye and JAE as Marshall from Paw Patrol. Paw Patrol is JAE's current obsession. She LOVES that show. Needless to say, they both loved their costumes. 
Sorry for the bad pic. We were rushing because it was a bit cold. 

JAE wanted to take a break. Yeah...my baby has a busted lip thanks to a playground incident at school. Not even going to talk about that here because I was SCARED OUT OF MY MIND when the school called. Thankfully, she is OK.

We also visited our local farm and went on a hayride with my parents. It was so nice to be able to do these things with them. I haven't physically seen them this year so it was nice to see them after so long. There was a time when I went home to MA every 6-weeks. I guess life happens and the kids certainly keep us very busy. 
Next year, I plan to do better when it comes to visiting with them.

My origins...

Me and my girls...Yup...I am wearing a headband and tee from AyoBE Boutique. I totally wear my brand because I love how comfortable and beautiful they make me feel.

My beautiful mom. 6-kids and 9-grandkids and looking so youthful. 

My parents wanted to celebrate JOE's birthday early. They did the same thing last year and I love that they make the effort to acknowledge her birthday even though they aren't here on the day itself. 

And not to be outdone, JAE wanted to blow out a candle too so we let her. Check out her effort to make sure she got it. I love this determined young girl. 

They went out Trick or Treating with dad while I stayed home and passed out candy. It was hella cold out there so I am glad I didn't have to go out. 
The girls came back with LOTS of candy!

Me and my #1 JOE. I often leave work a little early on Thursdays and pick up JOE earlier than on other days. When I pick her up, I often take her out for frozen yogurt. 

I will be starting a new job next Monday which means my schedule will be in flux for a bit. I sure will miss our one on one mommy and me time. 

I am hoping that we can start back up again soon. I told her I'll do my best to make sure we still go every now and then. 

So there you have it. Our September and October. Now to finalize birthday items for JOE's party and then begin working on hosting Christmas. 
But first, my 40th birthday trip is coming up soon. YAY!!! I am so looking forward to it!

Have a fabulous new week and remember to be kind to strangers!

I'm a dress girl

I have always liked dresses. To be honest with you, I think I have a slight obsession with dresses. 

With my recent weight loss (-41.5lbs and counting), I find myself wearing more dresses. For some reason, I feel more confident and sexy when wearing a dress than I do in pants or a skirt and top. 

Since turning 40 (yes, I know I am only about 2-months into it), I feel more confident in my own skin. There is something really beautiful that starts to bloom once you turn 40. 

Anyways, here's to a year filled with dresses that flatter, show my confidence and make me feel uber sexy! Afterall, 40 is the new 20. 

Pictures are taken in order from May through last week. 

I'd love to hear from you. Do you have any particular clothes that make you feel sexy? If so, do share. 

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to be kind to strangers!

40 brings: 5 Things that changed when I turned 40

I feel like the last 10-years FLEW by! There is no other way to describe it. I met J a couple of weeks before my 30th birthday. So that means, I have officially known him for 10-years. :-). I guess I have also officially entered cougar category since I am 6-months older than he is :-).

I recently turned 40 and while I feel more energized and more confident in who I am, I have had a few things have me scratching my head so I figured I'll blog about what being in my 40s has brought so far. 

When I had JOE, there were a ton of things I had NO CLUE about and only found out with experience. This list is similar. There are few things I am starting to uncover that make me go ohhh---kayyy???

So here are 5 things that made me go hmm...

1. I got more hair: 

Ideally, having more hair is a GREAT thing. But alas, the hair I am talking about is not on my head. Nope...it is in my nose! I now need a nose trimmer! Yes, you read right...I purchased this nose trimmer because I spent 3 weeks trying to figure out why I kept feeling something in my nostril and confirming that I didn't have something hanging out of my nose. One day, I finally decided to get closer to a mirror to see the culprit and sure enough, I had hairs growing out of my nose that were causing an itch all the time. WONDERFUL! Chin hairs? That's a whole nother story but let's just say I am thankful I have not reached the "waxing" stage.
If you are wondering, this is the trimmer I got and I love it. I wasn't sure of how it would feel but honestly, it was very comfortable and I don't feel any yanking but I know it is working. 

 

2. A bunion is not a special type of appetizer: 

I developed a bunion on my right foot. WHAT THE HECK IS THAT??? I wish I could say it is a bun that has an onion on it but alas, I would be completely off! Talk about having a foot issue. Since when did I become that lady that sometimes feels like I have just stepped on an annoying kid's toy? It has not been a pleasant experience but according to my Orthopidic doctor, this is normal. Sigh...
To help with the inevitable corns I have developed, I now wear these. It has provided some comfort. 



In addition, I get my nails done every 2 - 3 weeks to ensure my nails aren't growing too long and causing my discomfort. Incase you didn't know, I am a shoe girl and have a lot of shoes that I don't want to part with just yet.


3. I see you:

My vision has not been 20/20 for a while but I recently noticed that it is not as good as it used to be. I can see things but with each year, my prescription has gotten somewhat stronger. Thankfully, they aren't anything too crazy yet and I love the glasses I have chosen. 

4. I weigh 125lbs:

I am 125lbs in my head that is. When I turned 30, I immediately noticed a change in my body's metabolism. It was harder for me to lose weight. The same appears to be the case with turning 40. I guess my metabolism got even sloooooooower. I mean, is there like a timer in my DNA that tells my body "once you hit this mile marker, slow down"? It is really interesting and weird at the same time.

5. Like fine wine:

I feel like the experiences of the last 40-years have truly made me a better version of me. I feel like I am much more in control. Truth be told, this started shortly before I turned 40. I no longer let things stress me out as much. I have come to realize that my life and  my health is important to the ones I love and to foster positivity around me. 

When things happen, yes they may sting but I figured "God is in control. Better I know now than later."

Overall, I am loving this new phase in my life and I feel tremendously blessed to be surrounded by so much love and positivity. 

What are some changes you have experienced with a milestone birthday? Did it change your outlook on life?

Have a wonderful week and remember to be kind to strangers.