Impromptu Photo Sesh + My Favorite Slouchy Knit Beanie

Sundays are the best days. Not only because we are spiritually refueled, but because it is the one day that we get to completely enjoy each others company. For the most part, life slows down for a brief moment. 

Sometimes those moments need to be documents and out comes the camera for a mini sesh. You don't need a photographer. All you need is a camera, some natural light, and and inspiring muse. This little nugget was all the inspiration I needed in her comfy GAP sweats. I love the detail on the little jacket shoulders. 

 She is in love with "MIMI" (Minnie) right now and occasionally i'll hear her sweet little voice calling for "FIA" (Sophia the First)

 Seriously, she could store our winters food supply in those cheeks. I LOVE it! 

 The bond between mother and daughter in indescribable. I love my boys to the moon and back, but there is something, a twinkle in her eye, a feeling that rocks me to the core, a heavenly bond. I feel like she has been with me waaay longer than her little lifetime! I knew she was coming before I even saw those double lines. Having a daughter is equally gratifying as it is terrifying. My relationship with my mom has been the root of those feelings...but that is another post.

 I love anything comfy-cozy and this beanie from Target is all that + the chips! They have a great selection if you keep missing all your favorites from the boutiques. Can I just tell you that it has taking me almost 30 years to feel comfortable in a beanie? I instantly felt like I should lower my voice and start hunting or something. In other words, manly. Maybe its the whole confidence with age thing. 

 The Mr. decided to join in. Doesn't he look adorable snuggling with Minnie? ha ha 

I sure do love this man. He is a Godsend for putting up with me and all my crazy. He hates the spotlight and I love it...it just works. 

 Let's talk about boyfriend socks. I like to call them hubby socks. Where have these been all these winters??  This is one trend I am tardy for the party for. They are my new favorite winter staple. Best of all..if you don't want to buy them I'm sure you could just go raid your significant other's drawers. Just stay away from the unmentionables. 

Don't worry. I'll never grow up and I plan on rocking latest fashions until I'm 80+. Even if that makes it UN-fashionable. I don't care what consensus says. But then again... I never have.

Slouchy Knit Beanie// Target

Plaid Chiffon Top// Rue 21

Faux Fur Vest// Brickyard Buffalo

Pants// Kohls

Boyfriend Socks// Kohls 

XoXo,

Sheena 

I Like Big Drums And I Cannot Lie

Big, shiny, massive, sparkling, washer and dryer drums that is! 

Ahhh…big drums.

It all started when my husband found a killer deal on these LG babies at amazon.com

Click click SOLD! They were going to be here in 7 days! So that meant operation Laundry Room was in full makeover mode! We had never touched our laundry room since we bought this house 5 1/2 years ago so it was about time we showed it some love. 

That's embarrassing. No wonder I hated doing laundry!

So we got to work!

 First up- Cabinetry and a pedestal. 

Once again the cars get kicked out of their room to clear a workspace. I worked on giving our cedar cabinets a makeover using the AMAZEBALLS Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I used pure white with a little bit of light gray mixed in. Then I used ebony stain to dirty it up.  It was my first time using Annie Sloan and it will not be my last! I fell in love like you fall asleep…slowly and then all at once :)

*SIDE NOTE*

-Did you see The Fault in Our Stars? Holy fantastic! I left the theater with bloodshot eyes, snotty nose, and a headache! It was THAT good!-

While I worked the brush, my husband started the pedestal. He 100% designed and built it himself! That man is crazy good at everything he does!

Next we painted the laundry room our favorite shade of gray Behr and did the board and batten. 

It was a long week but the washer and dryer arrived to one excited momma with a room all fancied just for them. 

ARE YOU READY??!!! 

TADA!!

I am in love! There are so many times that I just stood in there..staring, marveling. Isn't that how it goes when you makeover a room? You just want to camp out in it for a week? I have noticed that my decor styling is leaning to a more clean and simple look. Think as in.. you will probably never see a colored accent wall in my house, but a textured one. 

Here is the amazing pedestal that the hubby built. I used the same method I did on the cabinets to paint and distress it. I used to keep my laundry baskets on top of my washer and dryer and it drove me nuts! Now they have a perfectly spaced little home right underneath. 

This little gem of a rug I found is from Kohls. I feel in loved with it because it allowed me to play around with more pops of color. But the thing that sold me? If you look in the picture below you will see a strip of black and white Aztec fabric with pops of neon. It was like they designed this one from the desires of my heart. 

 Ever since I saw Shelley's tutorial for an ironing board hanger over at House of Smiths (I'm talking forever ago) I knew I wanted one of my own someday. So I got a little crazy with my painting and it now looks a little like a party on a board…but who doesn't love a party? I mean, right? Right?! 

Then we installed a bar so I had a place to hang dry clothes. 

My washer and dryer are HUGE! I had to put something on the corner of the top of my washer because it was just too much negative space. I found the glass jug and frame at TJ Maxx and the mini stool at Hobby Lobby. This is one of my all time favorite picture in the history of ever that Jamie took for me. My grandmother holding Ariana in her blessing dress.

 I want to place them in a cute little tray, but I haven't found the perfect one yet. 

We don't have any sort of mud room in our home and with school starting soon, I wanted a better place for coats and backpacks other than doorknobs. Up went the board and batten and some fab hooks from Hobby Lobby. The Birds on the Line art is from Hobby Lobby as well!

What do you think? If success is measured by how much laundry is getting done.. then I would call this  a HUUUUUUGE success. Also, I've only had to pull Hudson out of the dryer once. So theres that.

Have a good weekend my loves!

XoXo,

Sheena

When Life Hands You Lemons… and a Kimono

"Somebody's got a case of the Mondays"

I wonder how many times that line has been used in the blogging world? Heres my contribution. Is anyone else draggin butt today? MAN O MAN. I hope you all are out killin it because I am sitting here still in jammies with a vanilla COKE. That's right..it's not even diet. 

I am so grateful for the fashion industry for showering us with a plethora of Kimonos. I heart them. I'm talking pulsating heart emoji them. Guess who has a million of them at affordable prices? Tj Maxx. So now I can go buy a Kimono at Tj Maxx and then drive down to Bountiful Swig and get a 32-ouncer and a swig cookie and feel totally great about. I wish I were kidding… 

I'm pretty pumped to find all the different ways I can wear my Kimonos. Yes plural Kimonos. I bought more than one!

I decided to start with a more dressy approach and wear my best Kimono for Jesus yesterday. I bet he loves them just as much as me! Man I love that guy!

Have you ever had somebody make a decision that reeeeeeeeally annoyed you? Like, threatened the lives of your children and possibly ruined your summer annoy you? I did. It started a couple months ago when I woke up to some loud freakin tractors. I don't live on or near a farm so this was unacceptable.  I looked outside my window only to discover they were digging a hole two lots over. Now I'm sure a lot of you have experienced this and you might be thinking-

Who cares?! 

Get over it!

Homes need to be built!

Well let me explain why I was bugged. 

1. I'm being woke up and that automatically makes me angry

2. No one thought a house would EVER be built on this lot because it is about big enough to fit a picnic table on it

3. There will be Port-a-Potties. PORT-A-POTTIES. 

4. It is a little boys dream

Now before you start calling me a dream crusher, you must know that my two boys were born without fear. NONE. So I immediately started having visions of my boys falling and impaling themselves on rebar, climbing down a port-a-pottie hole, falling off the second story floor, (this has already happened once, but that's another post) or even falling IN cement. None of which were too farfetched.

I was so looking forward to summer because this year I was going to give Hudson a little more freedom to play outside with all the kids. We live in an awesome little cul-de-sac full of kids, so he was super excited to finally get to go run with the big kids instead of watching through the window. 

Hudson in awe of the tractors. Those are staples in the back of his head mind you..and bird poo on my window. 

Now what was I supposed to do? Did they not know who they were building next to? I think the 911 operators know us by name. Seriously. I had a neighbor tell me the other day that they heard an ambulance siren so loud as if it were close by, so they ran outside to see if it were at our house. DEAD serious. 

Summer is halfway over and they are halfway finished. No accidents yet. Knock on wood. So what do you do when you have an annoying situation but a beautiful Kimono? 

You turn it into a photo op.

Floral Kimono// Tj Maxx

BE-YOU-TIFUL Tee// Aeropostale 

Vera Wang Nude Pumps// Kohls

Gray Pencil Skirt// Sexy Modest

Belt// Kohls

Rose Gold Watch// Jane.com

Crop Tees Sealed with a KISS

 LETS GET, LETS GET, LETS GET, LETS GET ROCK! Bad cheerleading cheer? Nope, guess again! If you guessed Def Leppord then, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! Do people even say that anymore? Oh well.. this post is full of old throwbacks anyway. 

My husband and I got to go to the first show of KISS and Def Leppord's 40th Anniversary Tour. Now I loooove me some ol Def L, but KISS was never really my thing. Now they still aren't, but for a group of 60+ year old dudes they brought the house (well… it was at USANAwhich is outside sooo ...sky?) DOWN! I've never seen so many pyrotecqnics on a stage! I was legitimately concerned for their Aqua Net Hair. (wigs?) Also, I found myself daydreaming about how I could recreate those costumes. For my children. That's O.K. parenting right?

 Here's a little ditty I like to call "Love Bites". One of my all-time faves!

Have you ever loved a fashion trend but it didn't work with your modesty? It happens to me all the time. But GUESS WHAT?!! Jokes on you crop tops! You thought you were creating more skin but you are helping me cover up! 
You know those cute dresses you see everywhere that don't have sleeves?

BAM!

Problem solved. Crop Tees work perfect to cover the tops of dresses where you want more coverage. And you can normally get them super inexpensive! 

I'm surprised that when I walked to of Kohls with the cropped booties for $12 that the alarms didn't go off… because that was a STEAL! 

Get it? ;) 

I apologize… Thank goodness it's Friday.

Seriously though. A good deal is like a massage to my soul. That's the real retail therapy right there!

RAD Crop Tee// Rue 21

Plaid Dress// Forever 21

Buckly Booties// Kohls

"L" Necklace// Rue 21

I'll leave you with a few other options on how to utilize the crop tee. Have a great weekend Loves!

XoXo- Sheena

Whatever You Are, Be a "Good One" + Bachelorette Rambles

From your porch….. Just kidding. 

Abe Lincoln once said,

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

We love this quote and so does the super cute Kate from 

Ivory Kate. So much in fact, that she started making these amaze-balls Tees. Not only is the message "Good One" ..a good one, but the fit of these shirts are perfect. They are lightweight and LOOOOONG. What's worse than a short shirt? Almost nothing I say. I've washed my shirt 3 times and so far it is still in pristine condition. As per usual, just make sure you are following the care directions. Do this and your clothes will live long happy lives. Promise. 

This shirt comes in white or black xs-xl. Mine is a medium. I probably could have gone with a small but I always like to error on the "a little baggy" rather than "muffin top". Jamie loves it too! She is getting it in black so we can twin it like no ones business.

Be sure to head over to Ivory Kate while she still has a few of these left in stock. She has some amazing other products (accessories/ mary jane moccs) but she is on a little hiatus since she just had herself THE cutest little babe. 

You can find yourself the most comfy of shirts that you can dress up or dress down 

HERE

Did anyone watch The Bachelorette Part 1 last night? Prettttty sure I freaked a little when I saw 

Boys ll Men. They were my first concert EVER. I know… I am THE coolest….and old. Those boys butchered one of the best baby making songs of all time though. Let's just be real about that. And classically trained homeboy wasn't helping much. Like.. at all. I'm liking Nerdy Nick but I don't have any other loves thus far. Can we talk about how beautiful Andi looked as an older woman? I decided that when I get to be that age I will have to own a wig. It was her beautiful white hair! But there is no way I'm heading that direction with these thin locks. So I will be the old lady with the fabulous wigs. Who blogs about her fabulous wigs. ;) Bellami- Can you start working on that for me? Kay thanks!

Last but not least.. I can't help but feel a pang of sadness every time they show Eric Hill. Especially last night with all the talk of death and it could happen to any one of them. They were talking about Ron and his friend that had passed of course, but it was just eery. I couldn't help but wonder how it is for his family and friends to watch the show. Bittersweet I'm sure. 

Good One Shirt// Ivory Kate

Skinny Jeans// Rue 21

Black Pumps// Rue 21

Black Faux Leather Crop Jacket// Kohls

"S" necklace// Rue 21
Extensions// Bellami *Use code sheena for an extra discount*

Target Tees (say that 5x's fast)

Have you eve gone to someones house and it was super clean and decorated perfectly AND they have kids? That happened last night. I went to my monthly BUNCO night and my friend's house made me want to burn mine down and start all over.  Now don't get me wrong.. I am totally blessed with what I have. But times are a changing folks and I'm sick of my once "crepe" colored walls that are now a smoker yellow. No one smokes at my house! What the heck?! Seriously I am tired of the warm tones. Bring on the cool and clean! Anyway, I am hosting next month so now I have to get my rear in gear! This only includes:

*Re-painting my whole house

*Painting our kitchen cupboards 

*Planking our wall

*Putting a brick wall in our kitchen

That's all totally doable right?! In one month? Sigh…..Bring on the pink rockstars I suppose. And a tree that grows money. Actually a tree that hands it out would be better..who has time for picking? How about just direct deposit please. 

Today I wanted to talk about the perfect plain Tee. 

Sometimes you just need a comfy yet stylish tee that you can either dress up, or dress down. A dependable tee. One that has your back whether you've got a hot date, an interview, or  one that won't judge as you realize that you are going to bed in the same thing you woke up in. This shirt fits all those needs and is normally on sale for $5 in stores at Target. Dead. Serious. You guys I promise you can't go wrong with this Tee. They are made by Mossimo and feel and fit like a dream. They are 60% Cotton and 40% Polyester so you can totally toss them in the dryer and not have to deal with shrinkage. This is a seller for me because I literally hang dry almost every shirt I own.

You choice of colors online aren't great. However, in store there are more available options. The one I am wearing here is a salmon color. When I checked this weekend they had gray, salmon, black, white, jade, and a few different striped options.

A few ways to wear:

*Pair them with jeans and pumps (like I did here)

*Your favorite blazer over your favorite tee

*With pajama bottoms… duh 

*Worn tucked into a pencil skirt with a thick belt

*Paired with a maxi skirt 

Boyfriend Crew Tee- Target/ HERE

Premium Skinnies- Rue 21/ Similar HERE

Love Necklace- Rue 21

Feather Chain Necklace- Old Navy

Vera Wang Nude Pumps- Kohls

 Watch- Covet Boutique 

*photos by Jamie Healy Images*