Hot Pink Hunt

Girls, I'm asking a favor.

I am on the lookout for a hot/neon pink cocktail dress for my sister's rehearsal dinner. I just want to wear hot, neon pink because it's an amazing color. So have y'all seen any said color dresses that are fun and flattering but also rehearsal dinner approps?! If so...send any ideas my way. Please, please, please! [And though I'm a maxi fanatic, I'm looking for cocktail length since we're wearing long dresses the on wedding day.]

 

I went to two local consignment stores yesterday and didn't see anything. I'm not trying to spend a fortune...because that's just not my jam. :)

 

Inspiration:

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This dress is perfection. I'm obsessed with it. But it's on back-order nearly everywhere...and even if it were available, I'm not spending $280 on a dress. (Oh, yes. That is Kim K rocking the dress. Don't hate. Mark has been traveling for work and I am almost all the way caught up on last season when North was born. Yep. I will return watching it as soon as I publish this post. Also my booty is large too. So if she can rock that dress, so can I. Truth. Owning it.)

 

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Love this. But I think I'll get too hot in long sleeves on May 31. This price point is what I'm talking about thought...$39. Bam.

 

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Yes, I professionally stalked and pinned this now out of stock dress by Naven after someone wore it to a rose ceremony on the Bachelor this past season. I think it was Andi? #confessions Anyway, Naven knows how to nail this color (they call it pop pink!), but it's still out of my price range at $253. Which brings to ask: why isn't Naven on Rent the Runway?!?!? That would've solved this problem. Meh.

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Cute. But too much for an extended family filled rehearsal dinner with a cutout back?! I don't know. What do you think? $79 for this one which isn't too shabby. Only available for pre-order at the moment. Meh again.

 

Okay, girlies...I'll take any thoughts/ideas/opinions. Or a slap of reality to choose another color. That works too. Help a sista out. But I still love me some hot pink dresses the most. Thanks, lovelies. Comment below or holler at me via email! {cheersyall.elise [at] gmail.com} Woopwoop!

Cheers, my dears!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

 

A Passionate Life

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This past week of longer-than-usual to do lists filled with phone calls, transfers of service, errands to Lowes (and Home Deopt and back to Lowes and maybe back to Home Depot again)...well, this past week has really revealed and unveiled the passion I have for home design. It's a hobby that I love. A lot. But then I got to thinking: the joy these little homemaking and nesting tasks bring me does not compare to the biggest passions of my life.

I've been digging deep and reflecting on this question: What am I passionate about? What are the biggest passions of my life? 

I am a passionate follower of Jesus.  

I want to know Him, grow in Him, and shine for Him more and more with each passing day. I hope to bring glory to Him and emulate Him in all that I do. And I'm thankful for the endless grace He gives me along the way.

I am passionate about community. 
 I've never been good at being what I call a "surface level friend." Some might call them acquaintances, but they're more than that. It's the people who are your "friends" but you don't have (or want to make) time to truly invest in each other...you know? I thrive off of and in deep, long-lasting, intricate relationships with people. My passion is to surround myself with people that don't just live life alongside each other but rather people who do life together. This includes how I live life alongside friends and family (as a wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter, etc.).

I am passionate about kids.
I have always said that I never want a job where kids aren't the center. I worked at a summer camp for 5 summers, taught elementary school for 4 years, and now I am a nanny. And that's where I play to stay until Mark and I are blessed with our own little ones someday. I just can't imagine living day to day life without little souls in my life. I'm smiling as I type this just thinking about sweet, sweet kiddos I have known and how much they have taught me. Children are my heartbeat.

I'm passionate about creativity.  
I love to write (hello, blog!), to design, to capture memories, to bring visions and ideas to life, to dream, to create space that reveals purpose...[the list goes on]...Simply put: I love to create.

So that's me. That's what has been stirring in my heart this past little bit. Passions. Woven together, my passions make me who I am, and I feel deeply thankful for that.

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What are you passionate about? What is it that makes you who you are?

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Homeowners!

Last Thursday, April 3, we closed on our first home. We have officially entered into the new life stage of home ownership. And there's no one I'd rather adventure through it with than Marky!

We are blessed to say that this process was extremely [and, from what I hear, unusually] easy for us. Our realtors are our friends, and to say they took care of us would be a huge understatement. They led us in the right direction with each decision. Everything went off with out a hitch. We couldn't feel more grateful!! Glory to God!

Here are the pictures through which we'll always remember this day!
(Thanks for snapping away for us, Kristin! ;))

I had to fight back my excited, happy tears the whole car ride over.

Closing time! 

 Of course our first stop after closing was...our new house! (OURS! EEEEEE!)

Time to get the keys and the garage door openers. Yeah, we're really pumped about our garage. Suh-weeeeet!

 CHEERS!

Our first home :)

 Woohoo!

 Just a little bit pumped.

Looking up from our front yard at sunset. Pink blossoms and palm trees. Be still my heart!

That was our day in a nutshell. Full of smiles so big that your face starts to hurt. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day too! I'm all the more in love with the palm trees out front and our "house made out of seashells" as one of the littles I nanny for put it. ;)

This was my weekend. Blissful. My version of fun.

This picture also epitomizes me becoming my mother. Down to the pomegranate seltzer water.

Needless to say, I have hundreds of new blog post ideas spinning in my head. There will be many decor, DIY, and before and after posts. You know it! I can't wait to "show y'all around!" 

Lastly, I cannot let this post end without saying thank you for sharing in this adventure with us. Every "yay!" and "congratulations!" means the absolute world to us! Romans 12:15 instructs us to "rejoice with those who rejoice." Thank you for rejoicing with us.

 Cheers to growing roots at the beach!  

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

5 on Friday: Our First Home (P)inspiration Edition

Cheers to the ladies of this 5 on Friday link-up: Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha

Everything is officially official...signed, sealed, delivered...we are HOMEOWNERS! [Read the story of our first home here.] I have visions of making this house our home. I want it to reflect us, purpose, our beach life (and "beachy" personalities), and simplicity.

Here are a few projects I cannot wait to get underway...all thanks to Pinterest.

ONE

PAINT
A little paint goes a loooonnnnng way. Seaside neutrals, here we come!

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TWO

KITCHEN
Disclaimer: remember that this is (p)inspiration. Our kitchen will not be this fancy or ginormous. ;)
Things I can't wait to do to our kitchen:
- Paint cabinets WHITE!
- Add a white backsplash
- Ditch linoleum countertops.
- Put in new hardware just like in the picture below!
- Oh, and hardwoods. Add hardwoods in the kitchen (and beyond). I'm swooning over the color of the hardwoods in this pic too!

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THREE

SHOE STORAGE
My new closet has a wall that's possibly screaming, "insert this shelf from Ikea for your shoes!" I think I just might have to make this happen [eventually].

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FOUR

LAUNDRY ROOM CUTENESS
Why, yes. I am absolutely over the moon excited that I have a laundry room. And, as I fold, I intend to make it cute and happy looking in there. The blog linked to this orignal picture has the BEST on a budget ideas. I mean, I'm happily cheesing over the "Just remember God separated light from dark" printable you can partially see on the far right! Yes, please.

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FIVE

WET BAR
This one is super far down on our makeover totem pole, but we do have a wet bar that will be fun to accent with DIY upgrades. Someday down the road we'll figure out how to add a mirror to the back and some glass shelving as seen below!

To see more pins that inspire me for our new home's decor, you can view my Our First Home Pinterest board. It has been a secret board for over a month now, but it's finally time to share it!

Cheers to Pinspiration!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Closing Day!...Gift To Myself

It's a very exciting day for my little family...it's closing day! We close on our first home today, and I think we're still pinching ourselves. This crazy dream of a story actually becomes reality today! Thank you, Lord Jesus!!!

I treated myself to a little something before closing to celebrate our first home, and I wanted to share it with y'all!

Insert Midwest Modern Girl Etsy Shop. It's the cutest shop that had exactly what I was looking for in price, customization, and customer service!

I meeeaaan....eeeeeeeee! I'm obsessed. The laurel...the monogram H...our new address! I ripped open my box (and some precious packaging) to find this delightful little thing.

Mark was even genuinely pleased with it as I was ooooh-ing and aaah-ing when he walked in the door from work. Seeing our new address on the stamp looking all official was a happy moment for both of us.

I can't speak highly enough of Danielle, the shop owner. She customized the address exactly how I wanted it to look (even down to the dots between the "more spread out looking" zip code that I requested). And instead of sending me one proof option, she sent me a proof with THREE different font options to choose from! I couldn't have asked for a better customer service.

I loved her prices, the included shipping, and the fact that the stamps are rubber instead of self inking. I want to be able to pick the color of my ink based on the time of year or who I'm sending the letter to. Think: pink for girlfriends, gold/silver for fabulousness, red for Christmas, etc.

Be sure to check out her shop!!! She has various other address stamps as well as custom stationary, cards, and more. AND she is giving a 10% discount to you lovely Cheers Y'all readers from now until May 31st! Just use the code CHEERS10 at checkout. YAY!

Midwest Modern Girl

I hope y'all enjoy Midwest Modern Girl as much as I did! Now off to enjoy our new home sweet home!

Cheers to a new chapter!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

All Of Me (& PB Giveaway Winner!)

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I don't know about y'all, but I definitely love this song. The lyrical content plus the simplicity of the piano just makes my heart overflow! If you know me, you know music is a big, big part of my life and my heart.

I found this cover last night. Add a little harmony into the mix...eeeeee! 

I try to sneak the 3rd part in there for my own entertainment. 

 

Keeping it short today. Music speaks for itself.

Enjoy. :)

Love y'all!

P.S. The winner for the Pure Barre giveaway is...

[Winner chosen through Rafflecopter's use of random.org]

I'll be emailing you soon, Heather! 

And for you PB lovers, don't worry! We have more to come in the future!!! ;)

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Sweet Potato & Quinoa Turkey Chili

It's technically spring...but the cold weather and rain last week couldn't keep me away from throwing one more batch of chili in the crock pot. It's no secret that I love chili. So when I saw this recipe floating around on Pinterest with sweet potatoes and quinoa, I knew I had to try it. Sweet potatoes? Quinoa? Chili? In one? Already sounds like my favorite chili recipe ever.

I used this recipe as a baseline, but I adapted it so I didn't have to run to the store for this and that. I'm a firm believer in "use what you have!"

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped [I left these out...hubs doesn't like onions.]
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper [I did not add salt.]
3 cups chicken broth (plus extra for re-heating) [Used water instead. Worked well for us!]
28oz can crushed tomatoes [I used 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of tomatoes & okra]
15oz can baked beans [I used vegetarian baked beans]

I added a can of black beans...because chili without black beans seems silly to me.
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 large sweet potato (about 1lb,) peeled and chopped [Didn't peel. I'm weird and like the skin. :)]
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt [Didn't add]
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
Toppings of your liking 

Directions

[from Iowa Girl Eats]

Add ground turkey and shallot to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season liberally with salt and pepper then cook until no longer pink, breaking turkey up as it cooks. Add garlic then cook for 30 more seconds then add to a 6 quart crock pot. Add remaining ingredients, except toppings, into crock pot then cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 5-6 hours, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Serve with toppings. May need to add more chicken broth when reheating. 

 Throw it in a pot recipes are my jam.

I served Mark's with sour cream, cheese, and avocado.

To keep mine as healthy as possible (matron of honor duties are calling!), I just garnished mine with avocado.

I hope y'all enjoy this one as much as I did! If a cold, rainy day creeps its way in again before warm weather is here to stay, be sure to throw this one in the crock pot! Easy, hearty, and healthy for the win!

Cheers to Pinterest recipe success!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!