All the Joys Blog

Currently, in June

June 22, 2016 | 16 Comments

Well, June sure has flown by, am I right? I feel like we were just having the last day of Kindergarten and making plans for the summer. And here we are with one month almost over. I’m actually not complaining about this, because Texas gets “summer weather” in March and it will last until at least October. These days we are hitting 100 at least, and I am not used to that! Now that I’ve discussed the weather patterns here, let’s touch base with a Currently post, June edition, shall we?

Reading: I’m still reading The Plain Truth. I love all of Jodi Piccoult’s books. I’ve also been loving these blog posts:

“Trying to Do Good” by Love the Here and Now

“How to Grow Your Blog without Spending a Penny” by Christine Everyday

“The Hope I Have is Bigger” by Ember Grey

Watching: My DVR is so full from being gone for over a week, so I’m playing catch-up. But that will all be put on hold tonight when Big Brother starts!

Listening: to the girls eating breakfast. They are surprisingly not fighting right now, so I’m enjoying the moment.

Thinking: about my birthday next week. And that I wish I could spend it with my besties in Chicago. All of our birthdays fall within three months, and I’ve missed them all this year along with two new babies.

Wishing: See above. Moving away is hard!

Hoping: that the girls realize how special their sister bond is. Although, speaking from experience, I know it will be awhile until it sets in.

Loving: that I was able to spend so much time in my favorite place (besides with my friends in Chicago) – Iowa. I saw my family and my best friend from high school.

Wanting: Not much, actually. Just to find peace with being in Texas.

Needing: I actually need clothes for this weekend. I am going on a work trip with my husband to Laguna Beach! Have you seen any great casual dresses lately that I need to have? I’m making a trip to Anthropologie later so hopefully I find some great things.

Eating/Drinking: Nothing at the moment. I just had some strawberries and need to drink a lot of water!

For the Blog: I’m working on my Napa post before I forget all of the details! It should be up next week.

What are you currently up to?

*Edited to note that my girls started arguing promptly as I hit “publish”.

A Beautiful Giveaway

June 20, 2016 | 6 Comments

I am still in the process of recovering from 14 hours in the car with two small children… twice. But, we had a lovely time in Iowa and I’m ready to get back in the swing of things!

Until then, I didn’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to win this fun giveaway, hosted by Emelia at Dream Big and Buy the Shoes. Enter below, and Good Luck!

Lauren // Rachael // Andrea

Kate // Emelia

Lindsay // Becca // Meagan

So let’s pop the champagne (palette) and get this party started! A celebration is in order for 2 years of blogging at Dream Big & Buy the Shoes and a bunch of my blogger babes are helping me with all the fun. A group of us have put together the chance to win a $50 Sephora Gift Card and Becca x Jacyln Hill Champagne Glow Face Palette to ONE LUCKY WINNER. Details are listed in the giveaway widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recent Readings – June 2016

June 7, 2016 | 17 Comments

I’ve always been a reader. I love getting lost in a book, often feeling as though I know the characters. I know I am not alone in this – based on the number of book review posts I read each week, I know others are just like me. Although I do use Goodreads to keep track of what I’ve read and what I want to read, I thought this would be a fun way to document the books I’ve read, in more detail. Welcome to Recent Readings! I plan on doing this quarterly – and I hope that you find some new reads!

First up, The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. My sister gave me this one, and I have to be honest, I didn’t really get in to it until about half way through. I won’t give anything away, but the ending really took me by surprise and I found myself not wanting to put it down for the last five or so chapters.

The next few books deserves a little disclaimer: If you are not a preteen at heart and love young lit, like me, skip ahead! I absolutely loved The Selection series. (The Selection, The Elite, The Crown). I read all three in a matter of a few weeks. With two littles and a lot on my plate, that is a huge accomplishment! I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one, The Heir.

Luckiest Girl Alive. Eh. That’s pretty much how I sum this one up. Ani really bothered me, but I kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended. If you read it, what did you think? I was hoping to like it more since it seems to be pretty popular.

Have you read any of these five books? Which did you like, didn’t like? Also, I’d love to know what you are reading now – I’m always adding books to my Goodreads list. If you are on Goodreads too, please add me so I can get recommendations from you!

June Goals

June 3, 2016 | 9 Comments

I can’t be the only one thinking “how is it June??” 2016 is half over and I’m coming up on one year in Texas (!!). Of course, with a new month comes a new month of goals and items on my to-do list. Before we get to that, let’s take a look back on May and see how I did.

May Goals:

Blog at Least Three Times a Week: Not fully done. I blogged at least twice a week, which is an improvement over April. I’m slowly getting back in to it!

Read Two Books: Done! I read two and started a third. Not too bad!

Work Out: Done! I averaged three times a week, which is great for me. This is an ongoing struggle as I lack motivation, but I’m working on it!

Give Up Diet Coke: DONE and so happy about it. I used to drink one a day, which isn’t terrible but isn’t good either. Now I mainly drink water and an occasional pop on the weekend.

For June, I’m focusing on summer and fun:

Read Two Books: Again, this in ongoing.

Set up Summer Schedules for the Girls: I don’t want summer break to be a blur of sleeping in, laying around and not doing anything. Sure, there will be some of that but I’d like to keep a schedule of fun activities going!

Enjoy Iowa: I’m going home for over a week and couldn’t be more excited! I plan on eating all the pork and sweet corn I can, as well as pick up some Hawkeye gear, as Texas isn’t too fond of the Big 10!

Recap Our Napa Trip: This is more for me, so I remember where we went – but who doesn’t want to see pictures of beautiful scenery and wine?

What’s on your list for this lovely month of June?

Stitch Fix – May 2016

May 31, 2016 | 26 Comments

Another month, another fix. By now, we all know how this Stitch Fix works, so I’ll skip that part! My past fixes have varied in excitement, and I have been very close to cancelling all together. I decided to give it one more go, and I am so happy I did! Let’s get right to it, shall we?

Liverpool Taylor Cuffed Denim Short – $48. If there is one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I despise shorts. I really dislike how they cut off my legs and just haven’t ever been a fan, so when I saw these in my fix I was disappointed, but decided to try them on anyway. Friends – they are amazing! Soft, stretchy, not super short. I KEPT these and am just as surprised!

Dolce Vita Jaelyn Woven Strap Sandal – $65. I’ve actually been looking for some sandals that could be worn casual or dressed up a bit, and these were perfect. Kept.

THML Nimue Zipper Detail Top – $54. Love at first sight. It’s a pop of color, I love the zipper, and it fits like a dream. Kept.

Market & Spruce Bernadette Lace Overlay Raglan Top – $58. This shirt was made for me. I love a casual top that adds a bit of something – and the lace is perfectly me. It might be too hot to wear this now, but I’m saving it for Fall (in six months, ugh!) Kept.

Papermoon Tesi Woven Split Back Knit Tank – $44. I’m completely obsessed with this top. I’ve worn it twice already and love everything about it! Kept.

For those of you keeping track, yes, I kept everything! Everything – finally, after twenty five fixes, I was given a stylist who “gets me”. My total after the styling fee credit and the 25% off (when you buy all five pieces) was $182. It made a large dent in my spending budget for the month, but there wasn’t one item I could say no to, and actually, it was cheaper to keep it all with the discount.

So, what do you think? If you’re interested in any of these pieces for your next fix, feel free to pin them – and ask for my amazing stylist Erica!

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