Exploring Waco and Austin

This past weekend, my mom and sister in law were in town for Gretchen's birthday! We were so excited to have them! My mom hasn't been since we moved in, and my sister in law hasn't been here at all.... so, we're thankful that they came down to see us. 

After Gretchen's friends left Saturday morning, we drove to Waco for a day trip.

Of course, our first stop was the silos at Magnolia. We did some shopping, and then grabbed lunch at their food trucks. 

Gretchen chose a dish from the Club Sandwich food truck, and her lunch was so yummy! 

These girls played while they waited on their lunch. 

My mom went to the Magnolia restaurant food truck, and scored these Lemon Lavender doughnut holes, and they were every bit of delicious as they sound. 

I sure do love this birthday girl!

We checked out the garden shop....

and attempted one more photo before we left. But, apparently, the sun was bright!

And since, we never get a picture of the big girls, we had Gretchen take one. 

We left the silos and went to The Findery, which is right across the street, and seriously so cute! 

We found our way to Magnolia's warehouse store, visited Jimmy Don's little shop, and Harp Design Co. and then wound up at Spice Village. 

If you've ever been to Waco, and know of any other must-sees, let me know! It's such an easy day trip from here in Austin! 

Sunday morning, we slept late, had breakfast, and let the girls play. After lunch, we took them to football to show them around. We showed Yaya how to "hook 'em"

We found the new Sugar Bowl signage and Addy wanted her picture made. 

And finally, we ended our evening on S. Congress eating at Guero's. It was like a day night, except there were 6 other people tagging along. 

Like these girls.....

and these....

and her..... 

and her.....

I love that these cousins are also best friends, we absolutely love having Yaya here and can't wait for their next visit! 

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday?!?!

This commercial has been back on TV, and I've been so giddy every time I see it. It never gets old. 

Today, I'm linking up with Sheaffer and Shay for What's Up Wednesday. If you're new here- welcome!!! 

Each month, we link up and answer a few questions...... so, here we go!

1. What We're Eating This Week.....

Whew, this week is crazy, but after the weekend and all the junk food, I'm craving grilled chicken and veggies... We need some healthy food! On Monday, we had spaghetti, but friends, I don't meal plan well, so I don't know what the rest of the week looks like. But, if you're really needing ideas, head here for a few of our recent favorites. 

2. What I'm Reminiscing About.... 

This precious baby girl just turned 11, and it feels like yesterday when she was turning a year old. The days are long, but the years are SO short. 

3. What I'm Loving.....

I just ordered these clips from Ryan and Wren. The girls aren't in to hair bows much, but they still need something to keep their hair out of their face, and they love these clips. 

I'm also trying this new deodorant from Sprouts, and so far I'm loving it. 

I'm also obsessed with this water and juice.

4. What We've Been Up To.....

We celebrated Gretchen's 11th birthday this weekend with a Harry Potter themed sleepover! 

5. What I'm Dreading....

Like I said, this week is crazy busy! I had a meeting Monday evening, another meeting on Tuesday, a meeting planned for Thursday, and then a continuing education course on Friday. To top it off, we have plans Saturday morning too, so is it fair, that I'm dreading this entire week! 

6. What I'm Working On.....

I'm currently working on lots of oily stuff! We have a ton of newbies in our oily community, and we're working on lots of education and help designed especially for them! If you've been interested in essential oils, you can join me over on Instagram or shoot me an email.

7. What I'm Excited About....

You know, I haven't thought much past this current week. We're definitely looking forward to Spring and getting out and exploring more. DJ and I desperately need a date night, so hopefully we can make time for one soon!

8. What I'm Watching/Reading....

I'm watching The Bachelor, but finding it hard to actually get in to this season.... and reading Michelle Obama's book. I don't get a ton of time to read, but I'm almost finished, and can't wait to share my thoughts on it! 

9. What I'm Listening to.....

Currently, Raven's Home is on in the background... 

And, I know this song has been on for a while, but it's one of my favorites on the radio right now. 

10. What I'm Wearing....

Friends, I need to desperately go shopping. I mean, at work, I'm wearing yoga pants and comfy tops because I'm working with kids all day

But, I'm obsessed with this top from Ralph Lauren....

and, I recently picked up this top from Nike, which is super comfy. 

11. What I'm Doing This Weekend....

Gretchen is competing in her school district's competition for Oral Reading on Saturday. She'll be there all morning, which means that I'll be there all morning. And, we're on the hunt for a new church, so on Sunday morning, we'll head to church. I have lots to share on church hunting, and it's been on my mind to blog about, so hopefully I can share soon!

12. What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month....

Well, after having 954 days of January, I'm excited that February only has 28. I think the calendar gods made January the longest month ever, but thankfully, they were smart enough to give us only 28 days in February. I'm also looking forward to celebrating Valentine's day with the girls and attending their class parties! 

13. What Else Is New....

Well, if you're a Young Living member, Roman Chamomile came back in stock on Monday, so I hope you grabbed yourself some! This oil has been out of stock for over a year, and I love it on my skin and for sleep. 

Bonus Question this month.....

What's Your Favorite Family Valentine's Day Tradition....

PIZZA!!!

When Gretchen was a newborn, DJ and I wanted to go out for Valentine's day, but we also didn't want to ruin romantic meals. So, we opted for a local pizza place because we figured most people wouldn't be thinking pizza = romance. But, that pizza place was crazy crowded! Ha! Ever since then, we take the girls and eat pizza on Valentine's day! 

Thanks for stopping by today friends! I hope your Wednesday is wonderful!!! 

Gretchen's Harry Potter Birthday Sleepover

Gretchen turned 11 on Saturday, and she requested a Harry Potter themed birthday party after reading the books back in October. We decided that we would have a sleepover with her BFF's from school, and we had the best time! 

I set up the dining table with all things Harry Potter. 

Confession- I've never read the books or watched the movies. So, I relied on Pinterest, Amazon, and Gretchen for all the ideas!

I found this party pack from Amazon, which included table cloths, plates, napkins, cups, silverware, and party favors! 

We added a few candles, hufflepuffs, paper straws, books, and chocolate frogs to complete the dinner table. 

These chocolate frogs were easy to make. I purchased melting chocolate at Michaels and found this frog mold. 

On our side table, I put up a quote from one of the books, and Gretchen made golden snitches.

We also bought Bertie Botts and made Butter Beer. 

We also DIY'd this huge sorting hat. 

And since we don't have a fire place, we hung floating letters in our entry way. 

Our birthday girl was ready to party! 

11 years ago, this girl made me a mommy :)

We had a little photo "booth" set up with Harry Potter props, and took full advantage before Gretchen's friends arrived. 

Gretchen requested a super chocolatey cake with sloppy green writing, because that's the cake Harry gets for his 11th birthday. I guess in the movie, the cake has pink frosting, but Gretchen insisted it was chocolate in the book. 

I found our Butter Beer recipe here. 

Here's what our butter beer looked like. 

Gretchen wanted to watch the movie at her party, so we had lots of popcorn, white chocolate, and candy. 

Gretchen's friends arrived, and we took lots of pictures, and they played outside. 

Then, it was pizza time! 

After dinner, Gretchen opened presents. 

She was spoiled with gifts!

Then, we had a scavenger hunt! 

I used clues found here and hid them all over the house.  

One clue was hidden in Gretchen's bed, and they were literally tearing it apart! 

They searched and searched and finally......

found their Bertie Botts! 

After the scavenger hunt, we sang Happy Birthday to Gretchen and had cake and ice cream.

Love this birthday girl!

Eventually, we sent the girls upstairs... they even cleaned up Gretchen's room... and then they settled in to watch a movie. I cleaned up the kitchen table, and  re decorated it just a bit, so it would be ready for breakfast.

Around midnight, I went to bed, but I hear the girls stayed up until 4 am! 

Saturday morning, they ate cinnamon rolls, per Gretchen's request, and left around 10:30. 

I think Gretchen had a fun time, and we loved celebrating her!!