What’s Up Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, Everybody!  It’s time for us to join up today with Shay and Mel and let everybody know WHAT’S UP with us this fine Wednesday!

*WHAT WE ARE EATING*

Do you remember when I shared about Brandless back in September?  To review, it’s an online store where everything is $3 (and some things are less)! I shared recipes for my favorite Quinoa salad and the tuna salad that I grew up eating, and I also highlighted some of the Brandless snack foods that I loved.

After I was so pleased with my first Brandless order, and after getting so many awesome comments from y’all about your experiences and favorites, I decided to partner with them for the next 3 months.  So, I’m going to try new Brandless items each month, and I’m going to share my favorites with you.   I can now say that I’m officially hooked on the brand, and I have definitely found some new favorites.

Y’all.  Their snack foods are SO tasty, and I love that they are “better for you” products.  To learn all about Brandless, their mission, and their products – head to my original post.

Here are my 4 new favorites that I found this month. I tried the coconut cookies and the trail mix thanks to reader recommendations, and OMG y’all were right.  SO FREAKING GOOD.

glazed almonds / corn and quinoa puffs / toasted coconut cookie thins / sweet and salty trail mix

This trail mix just might be the best I’ve ever had.  It’s absolutely delicious.

I mentioned this organic corn and black bean salsa last month, and it’s still a favorite.  And this time we tried the organic blue corn tortilla chips (2 bags for $3!)  YUM!

I took this next pic before I’d tried any of the dressings or marinades, but I’ve tried all of the salad dressings now and can say that they are all so incredibly tasty.  We are going to use the teriyaki marinade on chicken later this week, so I can report back on that soon!

organic teriyaki sauce and marinade / organic poppy seed dressing / organic balsamic vinaigrette dressing / organic sesame ginger dressing / organic italian dressing

I’m still using and enjoying their cleaning products too!  Head to the first post to read about what I’ve tried so far.

And if you are a reader that uses Brandless and has some tried and true favorites, please leave your faves in the comment section!

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*WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT*

We headed to the ranch with my sister’s family a couple of weekends ago.  We didn’t take many pictures because we were having too much fun!  It was a great little weekend, and I love it when Carter and Brody get to spend time together.  They love to go rock hunting and are always so proud of their discoveries.

We had so much fun in fact, that this is how Brody fell asleep on Saturday night.  That’s the sign of a good party, y’all.

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*WHAT I’M LOVING*

As always, I love hearing feedback from readers with your thoughts on things I recommend.  I especially love hearing when y’all are just as crazy about something as I am.

Well, Clara was sweet enough to take the time to leave a blog comment to let me know that she too is OBSESSED with her Kopari deodorant.  Click HERE to get to the post I dedicated to educating y’all about the natural deodorant.  If you’ve been thinking about making the switch to a natural deodorant (I switched 6 months ago and have never looked back), you need to read the post.

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*WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO*

Erika hosted a Halloween Party for some girlfriends, and we had the best time!  She reserved a private room at Harvest and planned the decorations, food, drinks, and favors.  We all felt so loved, and as we always do when we’re together, we had wayyyyyyyyyyyy to much fun.

Harvest is known for their deviled eggs and their hot pimento cheese.  I was so happy when Erika had arranged for us to have both!

As you can see by this picture, it was a costume party.  I’m not typically a big costume girl, but there was NO WAY I was going to miss this special party, so I decided to go the festive route.  I pulled out my Christmas tree from the 5 Days of Fabulous Giveaways last year.  All I had to add were my MUST HAVE leggings and some over the knee brown boots (I love the “chestnut” color and these have fantastic reviews).

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*WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND*

This weekend I’m headed to New York with girlfriends!  On Monday’s post I took y’all along on a shopping trip with me, looking for sweaters and a coat for the trip.  Click HERE to head to the post if you too are looking for a coat or some sweaters.  I found some really great ones!

In that post I talked about how I had only planned on taking sneakers for the day, but because of rain in the forecast, I was thinking about ordering some waterproof options.  I ended up ordering these short rain boots (although I’m thinking they aren’t going to have enough support) and these Sorels in the “elk” colorway as possibilities. They are both supposed to arrive today.

But then I talked to Erika, and she convinced me to just take THESE.  I mean, they have been MY FAVORITE WINTER SHOES FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS, so OF COURSE that’s what I should take!!!  #stupidsillyme  They are incredibly comfy, warm, and waterproof! And here’s the big bonus: THEY’RE SO CUTE ON!  I actually highly recommend these shoes as Christmas gifts for a really nice present for a loved one.  They are slim with a little bit of a wedge.  I’m obsessed.  I have the chestnut color, and they are true to size for me.

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*WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT*

I’m realllllllllllllllllllllllllllly excited about 3 things right now!  WooHoo!

1.  I’m pretty sure I’ve made it clear that I’m excited about NY.
2.  And let us not forget that the Gibson Holiday Line launches November 12!  Y’all.  The line is FABULOUS.  And my top is FANTASTIC. It’s just the right amount of sweet and sassy!

And you can’t see my earrings in this picture, but they are greatness.  Click HERE because they might be perfect for one of your holiday parties!  I got the red/pink/blingy combo!  They are seriously gorgeous.  And my black dotted mesh heels?  They are so sexy!  I’m not sure if I’ve ever used that word on the blog before, but they ARE!

fancy velvet pants (TOTAL splurge!)/ clutch / black dotted mesh heels

3.  I’m also excited that due to several requests from y’all, Accessory Concierge agreed to bring back the poncho deal until Thursday at midnight! Click HERE for the poncho.  Use the code PONCHOPARTY to get it for ONLY $27 (reg. $55)!

Head to the original post if you want to see how I styled each colorway and to hear my thoughts!

One more thing I’m excited about!

Do y’all remember my friend Candace?  She was the mom of one of my students when I was a speech therapist for McKinney ISD, and she was the one who inspired me to do the Special Mama Giveaways!  She was the recipient of the 2nd Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Shopping Spree, and you can see our trip to Nordstrom HERE!  It was on this trip with Candace way back in 2014 that I first tried on ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TOPS OF ALL TIMES (that is still available)!  I now own it in grey, wine, and oatmeal.  It’s THE BEST.  You need it. And probably in multiple colors.

Look how adorable Candace’s family is.

Candace has an etsy shop where she sells autism shirts that you can be proud to wear. Just look at the latest design! I’m in LOVE.

Here’s what Candace would like to share about her t-shirts and her mission:  I am a special needs mom with a melancholy personality, so it is vital that I stay focused on HOPE and not allow myself to get overwhelmed by all the what ifs. The message of this shirt is HOPE. It’s filled with encouraging phrases and words that help me stay positive, encouraged and moving forward.

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 13:12 that reads, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Special needs moms all long for different things: that their child would walk, talk, have a friend, have someone to care for them after the parent is no longer living (sad but true), etc. My sweet Camden has autism and he has come so far, and I am truly grateful for that. Camden is an amazing kid and I adore him just as he is. I also long to know him more fully and to have back-and-forth conversations with him and for him to really play and connect with his little brother. My preference is that we would experience these things on this side of heaven, but if not…thanks to the hope we have in Christ, I know that Camden will be fully healed one day.

The word “overcomer” is included on the design for my boy. He loves and has memorized Mandisa’s “Overcomer” song.

I’ve had numerous requests for a v-neck design and a comfy hoodie. I finally listened. The adorable and talented Emily Brown from my home-town of Lubbock, TX, hand-lettered the shirt design.

The tee is short sleeve, soft-style, Heathered gray, preshrunk and true to size. The hoodie is the same color and is a super soft design by Bella and Canvas. I will take pre-orders up till midnight on Sunday, November 4. They will ship out on or before November 16.

I love Candace, I love her heart, and I love how DARLING these new shirts are! I think a lot of mamas would be proud to wear this!  Click HERE if you would like a shirt for yourself or a loved one!  What an amazing gift this would be!

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*WHAT I’M WATCHING*

My favorites right now are A Million Little Things, This is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, and Flipping Out.

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*WHAT I’M LISTENING TO*

Silence.  As I’m writing this post, I’m the only one home and the pups are sleeping.  And I’m listening to GLORIOUS SILENCE.

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*WHAT I’M WORKING ON*

I’ve been working hard over here trying to get future posts ready so I don’t have to worry about blogging at all when I’m in New York with my girls.  I’m excited about the blog content I have coming up for y’all!

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*WHAT I’M WEARING*

I’m not sure if y’all saw this, but a couple of weeks ago I did an instagram takeover of the Gibson Look handle.  On my takeover, I did some try on sessions with some of my favorite Gibson pieces and I took everybody along on some of my errands on the McKinney Square.  I thought it would be fun to post those on my stories today for those of you that missed them, so head to instagram stories today for some try on sessions and to see some of our downtown square.

These are some of my favorite cozy Gibson pieces that I’ve had for awhile, but if you haven’t seen the new cozy Gibson x Living In Yellow collection that launched on Monday, head over to see it right now!  It’s an entire collection dedicated to being cozy.  YES, PLEASE.

Y’all have seen this twist front top many times before because it’s a perfect basic.  I have the red in a small for the length, but this one is a medium petite.  If you need it in a petite, those are on a separate listing for some reason.  Click HERE for the petites!

cozy twist front top / favorite earrings / blingy necklace / step hem jeans / black boots / snakeskin bag

This cozy turtleneck is pretty much sweeping blogger nation.  It’s 2 in 1!  On the left, you can see the criss cross in front.  On the right, the criss cross is in the back.  Man, I love a two-fer.   I’m wearing a small in this, and it’s definitely a relaxed fit.

cozy turtleneck / favorite earrings / blingy necklace / step hem jeans / black boots

The same turtleneck comes in this striped version as well, as well as the following colors:  blush, grey, black, and purple.  I’m wearing a petite small here for a closer and shorter fit.

cozy turtleneck / favorite earrings / blingy necklace / step hem jeans / black boots

This hoodie is one of their newer pieces, and it’s definitely a new favorite of mine. I’m wearing it here with my UGG loafers, but I wear it most often with jeans and my favorite sneakers.  I will also be wearing it with my joggers.

cozy fleece hoodie /  favorite earrings / blingy necklace / step hem jeans / ugg loafers

After doing the try on sessions, I headed to the downtown square for some errands.  And like I mentioned earlier, I storied my time on the square, so hop over to instastories sometime today to follow along!

ballet neck fleece / camo jacket  (plus size camo jacket)/ favorite earrings / blingy necklace / step hem jeans / Holt necklace no longer available / ugg loafers

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*BONUS QUESTION:  FAVORITE HALLOWEEN COSTUME

When I think of Halloween, I will always think of Carter the Halloween of 2009.  He was 1 year and 1 month old, and he was the cutest dragon you ever did see.

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Have a happy Wednesday, and don’t forget to link up!

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