Oh, Dear Bows

I'm obsessed with bows. For me, for babies, for anyone! Love, love, love them. Someone asked me the other day if I thought a certain bow was too big for a baby. The answer .... "UMMMM CAN YOU HAVE A BOW THAT'S TOO BIG???" No way! I know my sister would agree. And KK would, too (for baby Cambridge). We grew up thinking it was almost a sin to not have a bow in our hair everywhere we went (OK, exaggerating a tad, but you get the point). Oh, and ... our hair was ALWAYS curled. Needless to say, now that I have a precious niece and tons of baby friends around, I'm in a bow-making-craze! All shapes and sizes, glitter, sparkle, black, white, bright, hot pink, neon, feathered, sequined - a girls gotta have 'em all! I'm sharing some pix below. And judging from the following pix ... yes, maybe my niece, Rylynn Rae (or RyRae as Auntie Ki calls her), thinks she might be a bow model. I say we gotta keep her closet stocked because you never know when she'll hit the "don't you dare put a bow on my head" phase!

 Ki & RyRae with a Purple & Pink Headband Bow made by Holley

 Ry and her wild side with a Leopard Bow by Kiley

 Custom Pink Bow with Sparkle Ribbon and Sequins on a Pink Headband by Ki

 All Custom Bows - Sold. Hot Pink Bow with Center Flower and Bright Orange Poof with Sparkle Ribbon by Ki

 Custom Bow - Sold. Bright Turquoise Feather Fluff on Turquoise Headband by Ki

 All Custom Bows by Ki & Holley

Ry with her Flower, Pearl & Hot Pink Ribbon Bow by Ki

 Rylynn with a Hot Pink Ruffled Poof Bow

 One of my favorites - White Feather Fluff on a Hot Pink Headband

 A better shot of the Purple & Pink Headband Bow made by Holley

How could anyone think this is not just precious. Ry & her GIANT Purple-y/Blue Knot Bow. LOVE.

I can/will do custom bows/headbands. And I have several laying around ready to go. Want more details? Just ask!

What's your happy place?

There are oh-so-many things in life that make me happy. Here are just a few.

Bible doctrine. My husband. Purdy-bear. My GIRLS! Walks on the beach with my sis, Mom & Auntie. FAMILY. A long workout that involves, sun and a sparkling outdoor lap pool. Crushed ice. Sunglasses. New SHOES. Finding a lipstick I've been wanting for 6 months. New green & BLUE eyeliner. Shopping. Mani/Pedis. Seeeester time. Fun times with my girls. DECORATING. Trip planning. Baby clothes. Making bows for my niece. My niece, Rylynn. My sweet Auburn. Oversized coffee mugs. Fresh ground Starbucks every morning. Road trips with Jake. New adventures. PINK. Anything shabby chic. Texas Longhorns. Mexican food, particularly Mi Tierra. Austin, TX - and all that entails. Antiquing with DD. Gyming it with Jake. Skiing - water and snow, alike. Memories. Diamonds. Weddings. Ruffles. New pink headbands. Long talks with the ones I love most. Relaxed attitudes.

I could go on ... and on ... and on. Just thinking of all these things makes me happy. What sends you to that blissful place?

Meet Auburn Michael Smith

I'm totally and completely in love with Auburn. He's so tiny and perfect. He looks just like his handsome Daddy, but you can definitely see some of his beautiful Mommy, too! I can't wait to get back to ETX in about a week and get some more lovin' in with little Aubs. Jake says he can't wait to meet the little killer. I had to share these pix because I'm so proud of him. I show him off to everyone I see. I can't even imagine how proud Ash and Aaron are! I love you, Ash, Aaron & Aubs! Y'all are amazing. We can't wait for Auburn to get bigger this summer so y'all can bring him on a South Texas road trip to see the beach and the jets! 

Already a longhorn. We knew he would be. Hook 'em. \m/

Rylynn Rae Frederick

My sweet niece was born on March 24, 2011. Now we have Jake 4/24, Kiley 8/24 and Rylynn 3/24. Happiness all around for this uncle and aunt! We are so proud of Kristi, Joe Bob and our little princess. We can't wait to meet her.

I have to share pix b/c they're too cute not to. I love her so much already, I can only imagine the love Kristi and JB are feeling right now! Congrats bro & sis! We love y'all and baby RyRae!

Here's the newest little Frederick.

Isn't she just precious? Our perfect little angel. We love you, Rylynn Rae!

Home

I got to come home for Ashley's baby shower, and I stayed the week to spend time with family. It's been a non-stop weekend and week, filled with work, family time and good friends. Ash has 8 more weeks until little Auburn makes his debut. We can't wait. Seriously. Holley has dubbed him little "Aubs," and I must say — I think it's stickin'.

Tread has been my faithful little large work companion. As I've been working from Mom and Dad's house, he sits  faithfully outside the kitchen window and keeps watch. The wildflowers are in full bloom. It's gorgeous here. I'll have to take some pix.

I love going to Daddy's church. The new building is so charming with it's barn-like look, wrap around back porch and authentic picnic tables designed and built by sweet Kerry and Daddy. Thank you God for Kerry. We're glad he's happy and free of pain now by your side. Everything about the new Gracelife Fellowship building is that much more special knowing that Daddy put so much time and hard working into getting it where it is now. There's still lots to be done, but it's so warm and inviting. Right down to the mason-jar arrangement of bridal bouquet. I love being home. It has been too long.

Bunks and I spent some quality time together last night. We played basketball, talked, made snacks (or David did), laughed our heads off ... and spent the night filling out scholarship applications. My baby bro is such a great writer. I'm so proud of him. He's amazing.

I miss my hubby and puppy.

That's the only downside to my weekend/week. But they are keeping each other good company, I know.

See you Saturday, lover & pup. Miss y'all.

Glossaholic, seriously.

I love my lipgloss, lipstick, liner, Chapstick, balm, moisturizer ... the list goes on. Given my obsession for all things that contribute to pretty, plump lips — you can imagine my excitement at finding a new fave! Ready?

Hard Candy's Glossaholic lipgloss. I bought out the colors in stock — "Rise & Shine Energizing Coffee Cafe" and "Lush." Rest assured I'll be going back for more. When a girl find a gloss that's just right, vehicles, purse(s), backpack(s), desk drawers, bathroom counters, kitchen nooks, gym bags and pockets must be stocked. See how fitting the title of this blog post really is? For fellow gloss-lovers out there, I have to say this particular gloss is a close second to my current cheap fave — COVERGIRL Wetslicks Crystals Lipgloss.

This gloss sticks on your lips, but doesn't stick to everything else. Know what I'm talking about girls? I hate glosses that are so sticky you end up picking up every fly-away hair, fuzz, string, bug and who knows what else that the wind blows your way. Not so pretty by the time you arrive at your would-be-destination. But if the gloss isn't somewhat sticky, you find yourself re-applying, oh, every 30 seconds. No need for re-applying with this glossy must-have, the applicator brush is so big you can cover your lips with just one douse. So, take my word for it. This is a gloss worth stocking up on. Try it out!

Here's what Hard Candy has to say about their fabulous gloss:

Glossaholic: Sequin Saturated Shine Lip Gloss
SUPER HUGE MEGA WATT LIPS: one dip covers your lips! Ginormous applicator with gloss cup deposits gloss to your whole mouth in one swipe! These super lustrous lip glosses are infused with prisms of color that make lips appear fuller and plumper. Out of this world hyper-reflective prisms of pearl make lips sparkle like crazy! Feeling tired or wired? Two Glossaholic sparkling clear top coats are infused with mood altering elixirs to help you Chill Out or Rise & Shine! – You can wear alone or as a top coat.

That's all for now. Until next time, pucker up and enjoy! XO.

P & the blow dryer

Purdy has a love/hate relationship with the blow dryer. I started blow drying the curls on the top of her head so that they'd stay. Now every time she hears the blow dryer go on she gets all fired up and comes charging! It's too cute! I hope y'all get as many giggles out of this clip as Jake and I did (and still do).

When Purdy throws her head back and howls it reminds me so much of the pup on Fox & The Hound when he's "trackin'." OK - I'm smiling and giggling again. Time to re-watch.

Crazy how you can love a litte dog so much! XO.