Summer Outfits

It's gotten HOT in the Midwest. Getting dressed every day isn't quite as much fun knowing that you're going to sweat as soon as you walk out the door.  I've come up with a summer outfit formula that works for me - skinny jeans and flowy shirts, dresses or jean shorts and cute tops.  Any option leaves me feeling comfortable and confident.

I also really cleared out my closet to ensure that everything hanging in it is something I enjoy wearing.  It makes getting dressed every morning so easy!!  I'd highly recommend you trying every single thing in your closet and only keeping the things that you love, that you feel good in and that are flattering on you.

What are your go to outfits in the Summer??

Skinny jeans & flowy tops:
I adore this new Matilda Jane top.  I picked it up in the latest Good Luck Trunk sale and it's so cute.  The triple print is nice and it's different than anything else I own.  I just love it.  I also love these ADVdesign leather earrings!!

 

I picked up this cute Coffee (a hug in a mug) graphic tee from Sams!!!  It was around $8 and I knew I had to have it when I saw my friend Stephanie wearing it.  It's so soft, has a high to low hem and it's a really flattering fit.  Check your Sams for other design options.

Jean Shorts:
I am obsessed with my Old Navy 9 inch Bermuda jean shorts.  I bought them in the light wash and the dark wash.  They're so comfy, flattering and they are high waisted enough that they don't sag when you wear them a bit.

Dresses:
I didn't think the off the shoulder trend was something I'd ever get on board with, but I was wrong.  They make the perfect swim suit cover up!!  I picked up this mustard colored dress on clearance at Old Navy recently.  I just love it!!

This is my favorite Mint Standard dress that I started talking about last Summer.  My friend Kelley owns the shop and this dress is such a staple in my wardrobe.  It's so flattering.  It's very comfy and it has pockets.  I'm wearing the Black Cinch dress and the Black Shorties underneath.  You can check out the other styles here Mint Standard Clothing

Dressed Up:
I love a dressy top with black skinnies.  Add some cute accessories and you're set!  My top is from Target, Walmart skinnies, Kate Spade studs, Old Navy flats and a vintage woven clutch that was my mom's.  Glad I saved that from her donate pile a few years ago :)

Can't go wrong with a pretty dress with lace details.  This is one of my favorites!  Lace sleeved top is from Loft, dress is Liz Claiborne and my earrings are from a department store.

It's time to link up with my favorite Welcome Wednesday ladies.
Be sure to join us with a recent post or two.

Whitney at Polka-Dotty Place / Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter 

Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / Facebook

Keri at Keri Lynn Synder / Faceobok / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest 

Mauri at The American Patriette /  Facebook /  Pinterest / Instagram

Sarah at Sarah E. Frazer / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest 

Lindsay at Lindsay's Sweet World /  Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Birthday, Handsome!!

Kevin turns 37 today!!

We are so lucky to be his.  He's such a hard worker.  We've been along for the ride that was graduate school, internships and jobs.  We are so thankful to be back in Indiana cheering him on in his career in Psychology. 

Our 10 favorite things about him:

1. He plans our trips and drives everywhere we go.
2. He is so silly.
3. He is great at grilling.
4. He loves football and is invested in teaching us all about it.
5. He loves fireworks.
6. He gets excited for a good deal.
7. He is always asking what he can do to be a better husband and father.
8. He is a reader and spends any free time he has with his nose in a book.
9. He gets handier around the house as he gets older.
10. He pushes all of us to try new things.

We spent the weekend celebrating our favorite guy and will continue the party today!

We love you!

Friday, Family Fun & Fourth of July

The week after vacation is always a little bit of a struggle.  You go from lots of family time, relaxed schedules and fun to normal things like grocery shopping, cleaning and routines.  Thank goodness we had July 4th to add some extra fun to our week.  I've always loved holidays - the food, the decorations and the festivities.  Holidays with kids is even more fun!!

TACO NIGHT
These were the best tacos I've made in a long time.  My dinners have been pretty boring lately.  I really need to try some new recipes, but that seems like a lot of effort.  I will definitely be making these again - tons of delicious topping and we grated our own cheese.  SO good!

LEATHER EARRINGS
My very favorite earring shop is having a HUGE summer sale this weekend.  Everything is 30% off through Sunday!!  It's impossible to pick a favorite - rose gold, stripes, floral, cork, etc.  Go and check out ADVdesigns on etsy and start shopping.  The earrings are really affordable, super light weight and are so fun to wear.  Shop here --> ADVdesigns Etsy Shop

Here's my latest order from them:  I wear them ALL the time!

GROCERIES
The whole family went grocery shopping this week and these two were thrilled.  I've been doing more grocery pick up from Walmart than going to the actual stores.  These two were thrilled to go into the store and ride Sandy.

BLOGGY BDAY
My blog turned 7 this week!  You can read all about it here.

NAP TIME
Olive and I have been trying hard to do some fun things while Fletcher naps every afternoon.  She's been requesting to bake.  How can you say no to this cutie in an apron??  Matilda Jane has the cutest aprons and clothes!!

SODA SHOP
Confession: sometimes it's hard for me to want to try new things, go new places or to do things with lots of unknowns.  I almost always enjoy the new things, but I do have to make myself say YES to them.  I'm glad we said yes to this fun little road trip adventure.

We went on a quick little road trip with friends to check out a vintage soda shop.  We had lunch and enjoyed the treat.  The vintage decor was fun to look at.  Both kids were HOT from playing at a playground so the cool treat was a nice reward.  Fletcher wasn't thrilled to wait for his food.

Fletcher was just there for the food.  Licked his lunch box and moved onto ice cream.

Olive enjoyed the food, but was mostly interested in visiting and people watching :)

I'm always up for a good BLT.

We got to check out a new park while we were in a new town and it was great!  We'll definitely go back.

4th of July!!
We headed to the country club for the third year in a row.  It was so fun to be there.  It was super hot in Indiana which made it the perfect day to spend at the pool.  The kids loved the snow cones, the bounce house was a fire station and the pool felt great.  Poor Kevin got stung by a giant wasp.  His arm got really swollen and he's still having trouble with it days later.  He just does not react well to bee stings :(  Other than that, the day was great!  We grilled out at home, Kevin bought "just a few" fireworks and we all stayed up way too late.

Hope you have a great weekend!!  We have several fun things on the calendar - date night, 4th of July party with friends and a quick road trip!!  Should be great!!

Linking up with My Glittery Heart

HighFiveforFriday, FiveonFriday, and Momfessionals

8 Easy Ways to Save Money on Vacation

We just got back from a really fun road trip to Florida.  The kids did amazingly well in the car (13 hours each way) and we had the best time.  I felt like we hit a milestone where the kids were old enough to really enjoy the trip and their routines were pretty flexible.

We worked hard to plan ahead so we could save some money here and there.  All those little savings really add up!

Let me show you...

1. OUTLET MALLS
I look forward to going to the outlet malls every year when we go to the ocean.  It's one of my favorite things.  We made a super quick trip there this year and I found some cute tops at Loft.  Aren't these prints so fun!?!  I've been on the hunt for some lemon print for my wardrobe and I finally found it.  Everything was at least 40% off.  We also had good luck at the Croc outlet and the Disney store.  Not everything is a good deal so try hard to scoop up things that are on sale.

2. FOOD IN THE CAR
We packed a lot of food in coolers for the car and had almost everything we needed for easy snacks and lunches.  I chopped veggies ahead of time and made everything really grab and go.  The kids were happy to have their favorite snacks and we all felt great because we were eating healthy foods and not junk food the entire drive.  We had slices of cheese, cheese sticks, cucumbers, pepperoni, carrots and a variety of drinks.

This $14 cooler from Sams was a life saver!  It was such a good size.  The label says it holds 30 cans of soda and it kept everything really cold.  There are three exterior pockets and a lift flap top for easy access.  We used it in the car and took it to the ocean every day.  This would be a great gift or purchase for your family!

3. FOOD from STORES & RESTAURANTS
We packed our chain restaurant coupons and made sure to have restaurant apps on our phones.  We used the McDonalds app to save several times, used Hardees coupons and opted to buy a whole key lime pie at Publix for $7 instead of paying about $5 a slice for key lime pie at a restaurant.  We also bought a giant tub of Blue Bell ice cream for $7 and we ate it all week long.  It was a lot cheaper than going out for ice cream every night.

4. FOOD AT GAS STATIONS
We rarely bought things other than gas at gas stations.  The candy is marked up three or four times the price you usually pay at a grocery store.  I stocked up on our favorite road trip snacks ahead of time.  I made sure to pack favorite snacks for everyone.  These air heads are $1.99 at the store and I saw them for sale for $3.49 at a gas station.  We did splurge on candy a time or two to surprise the kids and add some fun to our trip.  They were thrilled to pick out a candy treat of their choice and it was an instant mood boost for the drive.

5. EAT EARLY or GET TAKE OUT
We would go out to dinner most night and arrive somewhere between 4:00-5:00.  Very popular, delicious restaurants were ghost towns at that hour.  It was wonderful!  Many places have early bird specials before 6:00.  We rarely waited longer than 15 minutes anywhere which was perfect for dining out with two little kids.  We ate take out a few times to save money and to make life easier.  I know we saved money by not buying drinks, having to pay at tip or ordering more than we needed.

6. FREE FUN
Pay attention to the free fun options wherever you go.  My kids LOVED strolling along the docks checking out the boats, fish and pelicans.  There was so much to look at.  We played at the ocean every day, went back for sunset strolls along the ocean in the evenings, swam in the pool, watching the free firework show one night and watched some movies at the condo in the afternoons.

7. FOOD in the CONDO
Bring food with you if you have room and stock up at the grocery store.  It'll be much cheaper to make burgers or sandwiches at home instead of going out to eat.  We brought down lots of pantry type things.  Then we ran to the store for fresh fruit, refrigerated items and frozen things.

8. BEACH TOYS and GEAR
We save a lot of money buying our beach toys and gear ahead of time.  It's plentiful everywhere you go in Florida, but it's pricey.  We got shovels, sand toys, squirt guns and these fun Tommy Bahama chairs before we left Indiana.  My MIL said these chairs are around $120 in Florida, but she found them for $50 at TJ Maxx in Indiana.  BIG savings to buy ahead!!

How do you save money when you're on vacation???

Red, White & Blue Menu

I'm so excited for July 4th!  We've got fun plans to eat red, white and blue foods, swim, snow cones, bounce house, grilling out and doing fireworks with our neighbors.  We've also got a fun 4th of July party to go to on Saturday so we will be spreading out the festivities all week long.

I thought I'd share some EASY, DELICIOUS red, white and blue recipes with you today.  I'm planning to make a strawberry pie, eat lots of berries and make some cookies with patriotic m&ms.  I'm a sucker for holiday foods!  Kevin is grilling brats and I'm making potato salad, corn on the cob, fruit salad and festive desserts.

What's on your 4th of July menu??

Add patriotic M&Ms to your favorite cookies.  I'll be adding mine to chocolate chip cookies.  These were added to Monster Cookies.

Summer Pound Cake.  So good!!  Details here.

Bomb Pops!!  They really are the perfect Summer treat.

Strawberry pie!

Fruit and marshmallow skewers.  The kids loved making these!

Rice Krispy Treat Pops.

 Star Studded Apple Pies - Details here

White Chocolate and blue sprinkle dipped strawberries

Red, White and Blue breakfast.  We have had this for dinner several times lately.  I just chop up blueberries and add them to a boxed pancake mix.  We like the Light and Fluffy ones.

Hope you have a happy, safe 4th of July!!  USA!!  See you back here on Thursday!

Seven Years

Happy Birthday to Polka-Dotty Place!!  My blog turns SEVEN today!

I started blogging back in 2011 as a way for my family to keep up with our lives in Utah.  I was a 3rd grade teacher documenting my days in the classroom, sharing recipes, outfits and fun travel spots.  So many things have changed for my family in these past 7 years.  We've added degrees, kids, changed jobs, lived in many different states and homes.

This blog has been a constant in my life through all that change.  I'm so thankful for it.

The other day someone asked me if my blog was successful when they found out I was a blogger.

My immediate reaction was YES!!

I quickly clarified that my blog is successful according to MY measuring stick.

After 7 years of writing, editing and photographing I still love it.

I still look forward to sharing all of my favorite things with you.  I have a long list of posts I'm hoping to write at any time.  I have more content that time to share and I've improved over time.  My pictures are much better than they were.  I have made many friends through my blog and I very much love this space.  I have collaborated with fun companies, make a little money for my family and meet new people all the time.

I have LOVED writing this blog.  I still say it's my favorite hobby and something I look forward to doing every week.  I am so thankful to have documented all of the good times and the hard times in this space.  I'm not much of a scrapbooker anymore and I don't have detailed baby books for each of the kids.  I do have a blog filled with tons of precious memories.  I refer back to the archives regularly for recipes, vacation details, holiday ideas, birth stories and more.

Thank YOU for reading, commenting, emailing and being interested in what I write.

I really appreciate it.  I'm so thankful for your friendship!!

I'm excited for the coming year.  I'd love to know what YOU enjoy reading here.  Tell me how long you've been reading my blog and what types of things are your favorite posts to read from me.

Here's to another great year in blogland!!