First Friday in November - what?!?

All I can say is - how is it NOVEMBER?!!  Kansas (and what seems like everywhere!) is so unseasonably warm.  I love it because I HATE putting coats on and off of my kids period.  But I hate it because there are still bugs.  And I'm still like sweating randomly in November.  What?

And just so you know that it's just not the weather that is confused - my daughter is very confused why it's so warm - hence her ridiculous outfit last night.  Oh Maddie.

{ONE}

First things first - my amazing friend (and former co-worker turned real life forever friend) finally hit publish on her blog that she's been thinking about for a long time.  She came to visit Mikey and I and we talked about it and she asked me all these questions and even took notes.  She nailed it with the title of her blog - the Flawed Perfectionist!  I just love it and love her and you must check her out and follow her!

{TWO}

Halloween 2016 - that was Monday night, right???  Oh sheesh.  I literally only took like 4 pictures - and here is one of them!  We had a change of plans at the last minute and ended up having the Strathman crew over to trick or treat with us since they haven't moved into their new neighborhood yet.  These boys - I love them and their parents and our kids love them too.  it was so fun - and there was FAR too much candy!!!

Their favorite part might have been passing out candy together after we were done! It was so cute and quite the team effort!

{THREE}

Bad news on the dress I posted last Friday on here - 

I purchased.  It arrived.  I tried it on.  Failure.  It's not as nice as it looks (duh, it was like $26) but it also fit soooo weird.  I would totally not have been comfortable in it at all.  The good news is there are free returns (yeah!) but the bad news is that now I'm on the hunt for another dress.  I think that is going to be my lunch time activity for Friday!  

I am sticking with long, so thanks for your comments and feedback!

{FOUR}

Have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with Aldi?  Oh yeah, I am. 

Aldi seems to be a place that not everyone is willing to try out (because there are some weird things about it!), but after doing some serious and detailed comparisons of the prices and quality of the food....I just have such a hard time shopping anywhere else because I save SOOOO much money.  I of course have weighed in the lack of convenience there, as they don't offer pick up or delivery (like they do at HyVee), but I think it's so much easier to pop into an Aldi really quickly and get one or two things (because the store footprint is smaller) than a traditional store.

ANYWAYS....I'm blogging next Tuesday at KCMB about my love for Aldi and give you a true life comparison of a weekly Aldi trip versus HyVee.  Check it out (I'll post the link when it's live next week)!!

And - on my fitness blog, I have some healthy and clean recipes (lots are freezer meals - my love!) that the recipes go along with what is the weekly meat specials at Aldi - because meat tends to be the most expensive driver in your grocery bill - trying to help you save $$ and eat healthy!  Check it out!

Obviously, my love runs deep for this place.

{FIVE}

Did I mention that the day after Halloween was picture day at Charlie and Maddie's school.  Are you KIDDING ME??  On top of that, it was trash + recycling day and the day our cleaning lady was coming - so that meant trash out and house picked up.  But the worst of these 3?  Picture day because our kids despise and protest wearing normal people clothes.  You know?  Jeans, non-under armor type shirts.  Pants,  Underwear.  Shoes that match.  You name it.  So you better believe getting dressed for picture day i super fun.  throw in the Halloween hangover and yeah....

But somehow, I gathered up the energy to dress little brother in a coordinating outfit and bribing them with candy before school to get a picture of their adorableness.  Seriously.  They look so cute here.

And then five seconds later they were not sitting nicely like this.

But they melt my heart.  Let's hope they are all smiles tomorrow morning when we are attempting to get at least one decent picture this fall (my sister is taking them!).

Happy happy weekending.  I am looking foward to some QT time with my family and my kiddos as we plan for going out of town next weekend!!!

Linking up with:

Sept Farm | Oh hey Friday!

A. Liz Adventures | Five on Friday

Momfessionals | Friday Favorites

Noah's bandage project link up - September 28 - GET YOUR BANDAIDS!!!

YOU GUYS.  I am in shock.

So I sent an email a few weeks ago to some of my blogger friends that I had done other exchanges/link ups with.  It was pretty casual but just reaching out to say I had a small idea.  Our next door neighbor's lost their son, Noah, to pediatric cancer in June 2015.  His story is amazing and he was one amazing little boy (here is my KCMB article with a little more details and see the YouTube video below that is amazing).  Well, they have a sign in their yard since it's September and it's pediatric cancer awareness month and EVERY single time I drive up/leave our house...I see that sign.  And it makes me think of Noah and all the little kids and their family's out there affected by pediatric cancer.   I kept thinking - there HAS to be something I can do.  

All I did was send an email to some bloggers.  I told them Noah's story and I said...wouldn't it be a great way to give back to such an amazing cause (Noah's bandage project) AND involve your kids in this?  Use it as a way for them to pick out bandaids and teach them more about the serving attitude that all of us need a little more of?  I said...just if anyone was interested, they could post on September 28 about NBP, the pictures of their kiddos buying bandaids and send me some bandaids that I could pass onto Deb and Scott, Noah's parents.

I knew these were some great ladies...but MAN.  Within a matter of hours, I was receiving emails from bloggers that I had never heard of.  Two, three and four forwards later to just a few of their blog friends, turned into who knows how many people that saw that original email that I sent about this idea.  I'm in shock and so moved.  Deb is so moved after I told her about my little email.  What an amazing community of bloggers out there - thank you thank you thank you!

Instead of just having everyone send to me (while I will be collecting), I have some more details if YOU want to help with this cause or you want to share more details with your readers on where they can send their bandaids.  AND I'll be hosting a link up on September 28 that you can link your post on Noah's Bandage Project so we can see just how many amazing family's are talking about and giving to this amazing cause.

Here is the image you can post for the link up - along with some hashtags if you want to post on your Instagram!  I know I have had some people say that they want to participate, but they don't have a blog - not a problem at all.  Just post this picture or a picture of you and your kids (if you have kids) getting bandaids - or whatever you want and hashtag this.  I'm literally beaming with excitement about this!!!  The love from this blogging community around this amazing project that sweet Noah started is unbelievable.

If you do have a blog and want to post about this and give your readers the chance to participate as well - here's some additional details:

• Bandaids cannot be sent directly to hospitals, as they are hospital supplies, so funneling them through NBP is the way to go!
• Monetary donations are also always welcome - the Wilson's are working to increase the lack of funding there is nationwide for pediatric research (only 4% currently!!!).  So far, they have raised $100K and that number continues to grow (donations can be made on their website: www.noahsbandageproject.com)
• If you'd like to send bandaids to them, here is the PO address where they collect them:
• Noah's Bandage Project
  119 N Parker Street Suite 110
  Olathe, KS 66061
• Link up at www.justanotherdayinparadise1.blogspot.com on September 28 to promote NBP and pediatric cancer...OR use one of the hashtags on the image above on Instagram or Facebook to show your support

THANK YOU again for all your amazing support with this.  It's just such an amazing organization to give back to and we all know how much our kids love bandaids, so think of how much a child that is undergoing cancer treatments will love them when they get a Batman or Elsa bandaid instead of the boring tan one during their normal treatment.

Hope to see you back here on September 28 - if you have any questions, you can email me at brittanycarter410@gmail.com.

Seven years of blogging- things change baby

We always say "time flies" as adults, as moms, etc.  I think many can attest the older you get the faster the time seems to go.  There are some LOOOONNNNGGG DAYS (yes yes yes) but then all of a sudden I feel like throw in a couple of those and next thing you know another month...or two has passed.

That my friends is the only way I can even begin to fathom in my head how SEVEN years has passed since I posted my first blog post to this little sight.  Seven freaking years.  I was 23!!! Ahhh!!

My first post was just an intro as to why I was about ready to start this blog of mine - mainly because weird/funny/random stuff happened that I wanted to share with friends near and far.  What's amazing to me is how much blogging has changed since then and it's crazy how for so many now it's a full time job where they make lots of money - how amazing is that this day and age!??

Things that have changed from my first post:

• I no longer have a boyfriend - I have a husband of almost 6 years...(it's so weird to go back to my second post and see the phrase "when my boyfriend, Jimmy...".  Lucky for me I've got to call him husband for a while now
• We've bought two houses - and I sold my condo downtown, bought a house in cute Prairie Village, sold that awesome house and moved to our current house in western Olathe
• Jimmy and I both have new (and in our opinion better) jobs!
• We gained two family members (Charlie and Maddie - our human kids) and lost two family members (Milly and Willy - two of our three dog kids)
• My sister went from being a "kid" in college, to an adult with a real job, real house who is getting MARRIED!
• We lost my sweet grandpa
• My dad got diagnosed with prostrate cancer and beat it

Things that have stayed the same since my first post:

• Still in love with Jimmy
• Brown hair is still there (dyed or not- might have a few stray grays...thanks kids!)
• Working in finance- and still loving it
• Living in Kansas City- note above we have bought TWO houses in seven years but haven't left the suburbs of KC
• Still have some crazy best friends from college and high school and so thankful for them!!!
• I'm still about as random as they come - just have learned how to function on little to no sleep

Life is a crazy thing and while I'm not the same person that I was 7 years ago with that first post, I'm glad to report even with all the big changes that have come our way through these years, I am so so happy and blessed with the way life has took it's turns.  During good times and bad, I'm so thankful to have my family, friends and number 1 guy by my side - which makes the road so much easier.

And while this blog is nothing big, it's served as such a wonderful space in my life for 7 years and I love looking back to see all the changes and what I was feeling at the time and reflecting on the person I was, thoughts I was having then and the person I am now.  Sometimes I feel the pressure to attempt to make this whole thing "bigger and better", but then I realize, regardless if no one ever read a post, I love this space I have in the world wide web and hope I can keep it up for 7 more years to come!!

Thanks for readers old and new and cheers to many more years of fun!

And just for fun - here is one of the first pictures I ever posted:

(babies getting engaged!!)

4 year blog anniversary

I cannot believe that it was 4 years ago today that I randomly started this blog with this silly post. I had no idea I would keep blogging for 4 years in a semi-consistent basis. But oh what changes my life has gone through these past 4 years. I'm so happy that I have had this space to document the good and bad.

Lets see- in the past 4 years my life has pretty much completely changed.

 On February 13, 2009, I:

• Lived in a condo with my 2 dogs downtown KC
• Was dating Jimmy but not engaged or married
• Had a job in retail finance at Hallmark
• In my spare time I volunteered for Pi Phi as an advisor

February 13, 2013, I:

• Live in a house that Jimmy and I bought together in May 2009
• Have been married to Jimmy for almost 3 years
• Still work at hallmark, but work in sales finance
• What spare time?? I am finishing up my MBA part time, work full time and have a sweet baby boy...spare time is non existent!

Crazy just looking at that super short list...as there are some pretty huge life changes in them. And how fun to have it all documented. And if you have been following along for even a short amount of time, you know that the documentation was of the good, the bad and the ugly that came with all those changes. This is my journal. This is now my family's journal. And I intend to keep it up and continue to be honest...as I want to look back and remember it all someday.

So thank you for following along. I know some of my friends and family have literally read all all 600  posts in the past 4 years (oddly enough it's exactly 600...this is the 601st post published - craziness). And some you might have thought I was over dramatic, provided you with TMI, or was just plain silly. But no matter what you thought- it's an honor to me that you've taken the time to come back and read them. It really does mean a lot!!!

What about some of my favorite posts?? Well here they are:

• "I said yes" - the post about getting engaged.  The list at the end is my favorite.
• "Gym stalking" - if you are looking for a laugh, this is the one.  
• "Appropriate meter" - a post about breastfeeding...when I had NO idea anything about breastfeeding.  However, going back to read it...I still feel the same way now that I'm a breastfeeding mama.
• Wedding posts - "wedding word vomit" and Style me pretty-ish post
• "Have another beer in Mexico" - Courtney and Brian's wedding - omg, so much fun.
• "New twist on a math problem" - our pregnancy announcement
• "Boy or girl?" - this one makes me cry reading it still.  
• "The debut of Charlie Carter" - Charlie's entrance into this world...

It's amusing to me looking back what I used to blog about.  I kind of miss those random posts - maybe I will bring some of them back.  Gym stalking one still gets me every time.

Blog goals for the next year!? Hmmm- keep it up and not to only blog about Charlie. I can't promise that because he's just so cute and consumes my life and heart, but there is other stuff that I think about!! Oh and I really want to make a yearly book. A blog book. So I can have something tangible. Because I love cyber space, but sometimes it's nice to have your stories literally in your hands.

Cheers to 4 years of blogging and lots of fun. I also have absolutely loved following other people's blogs so much. I feel like its this little community and I get more and more excited about it. So also a thank you for those that have your own blogs I follow, it's a pleasure and an honor to follow along your life!!!

Change is here!

Can you tell something different when you checked my blog today? That's right....I have a new design that I love! Brea from Utterly Chaotic Designs put this together for me and I love it! I love the colors, I love the font, I love the coffee mug at the top (right up my alley...)! I pretty much love it all. She did a GREAT job for a GREAT price and so fast. I found her through a blog friend, Laura, who I met in the blog world when I was planning our wedding. I went to check out her wedding blog to see if she was still keeping it up after she got married and discovered she started a new life blog with an awesome design...and you guessed right, Brea designed it! She is awesome to work with and I couldn't say more wonderful things about her. And she has two adorable little boys :)

Thanks Brea! It's a great reflection of me and my blog! I couldn't have asked for anything better. If you are interested, she has the prices of her services available on her website, so check her out!!!

A great blog

Sometimes you just find a blog randomly that you cannot stop looking at. That every post you read you end the post wanting more...another post, some more pictures, more funny jokes, more heartfelt stories. It's so good you go back almost every 2 hours thinking "maybe they put up another post". And when you have spare time, you want to read through past posts to see what you might have missed before you knew about the blog.

If you haven't found a blog like this or are looking for a little inspiration each day...try out this blog. It's called Enjoying the Small Things and is written by Kelle Hampton. Quick synopsis...a married woman who becomes a mother of one and then two. What happens in her life, to her perspective, to her family when she finds out that her youngest has down syndrome (the birth story- well that's incredible and grab a kleenex). She seems like an awesome and incredibly strong woman who also likes to have a great time. Although we don't have much in common, I really do appreciate her inspiring posts that put a happy spin on any side of life, especially when it might not go the way you think it should. So check it out! :)

PS A great bonus is that she's a fabulous photographer as well so she has pretty awesome pictures!!