How to remove dried paint from wood

~ jen ~ 3 Comments

We’ve been painting our entire new home here in Austin (pictures to come!) and one super useful tip I found is how to remove dried paint from wood. I’m not the cleanest painter and we have wood (laminate) floors in the whole house. After a google and Pinterest search, here’s a successful and super easy method that’s worked for me:

Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or cloth with . Scrub.

how to remove dried paint from wood

Ta-da!

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(I’ve only used this method on laminate wood, test first in an inconspicuous spot)

Fiesta Friday: Things to Celebrate

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

things to celebrate happy weekend links

Found this recipe for Blueberry Buttermilk Cake – looks delicious and easy!

Amazing photos of a thunderstorm from a pilot’s view (from Colossal, one of my favorite blogs that always posts awesome images)

Currently shopping for easy to care for indoor plants and found this post very informative and helpful. Any recommendations?

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Corgis

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

We have a sweet little corgi named Bruce who is 5 years old who has been a fun part of our family and so great with our 2 little kids.

He was a surprise birthday present from my husband! He was born on a small farm (owned by a breeder) in Virginia so we got him when he was just a 6 week old puppy. I’d always wanted a dog growing up and couldn’t love him any more!

welsh corgi puppy brucethe day we brought him home to our apartment in Virginia ^ and Bruce today:

corgi

Here are a few random facts about Corgis:

Corgis have the best smiles

Corgis are the preferred pet of the Queen

Corgis shed a ton, like all year around!  We read somewhere online that corgis don’t shed – lesson learned: don’t trust everything you read on the Internet ha ha!

Corgis have natural herding instincts. They’re commonly used to herd animals like sheep. When Bruce was a puppy he would try and ‘herd’ us when we took him for walks!

Corgis come in 2 general colors: tri color (usually with black and white) and red (sable).

Corgis love to play! We were part of a corgi meet up group in Salt Lake City and the corgis get crazy when they’re together!

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Eyebrow pencil: current product love

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

I’ve used a few different brow fillers – both pencil and powder – and have found one I’m currently loving! It’s the Anastasia brand Brow Wiz pencil ($21). It has a crayon on one ends that glides and fills in very naturally and a brush on the opposite end.

I love that the crayon is retractable (so no sharpening) and how smooth in fills in sparse areas. It’s easy to use and comes in 10 shades (I got the ‘ebony’ shade).

Brow pencil- current product love

eyebrow crayon anastasia brow wiz

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How we wore it: Work out Clothes

~ jen ~ 9 Comments

This is my first time linking up for a ‘how we wore it‘ post and it’s kind of perfect for me because I love exercise clothes and am always on the hunt for affordable, stylish workout wear that allows free movement and sweat, ha, ha.  I’m at the gym 6 days a week with my kids and have  played sports basically my whole life and love exercising, running, cycling, yoga, and my true love: soccer.

The inspiration for this post is from Jacque from Looks for Lovelies:

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And this is how I wore it:

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Top  (similar) / Capri bottoms* / Running shoes from Asics

*I LOVE  Lululemon products because of the fit, stretch, comfort and style. They are pricey but definitely worth it. I don’t spend a ton of money on clothes and everything I have from  Lulu was a gift or from a gift card. I’ve had the black capris for NINE years and they’re still going strong!

Make sure to check out these other inspired looks:

Deidre from Deidre Emme

Ruth from My Little Nest
Jenn from What You Make It
Kiana from Glitter & Donuts
Jessica from Mason Jars and Lemon Bars
Alyssa from Pinsent Life
Sierra from Sierra’s View
Madeline from CaseyLand
Riley from Riley Jo Blog
Samantha from The Samantha Show
Beverly from What a Day
Brooklyn from Brooklyn Jolley
Amber from Amber Nicole blogs
Erica from Good Job Momma
Shelbie from 365 With RyGuy and I
Jenn from Give This Girl Coffee
Kelsi from Lovestrong
Justine from Little Dove
Chelsea from Tessa Marie
Monica from It’s All About

good things cometo those who

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Red, White and Blue: 4th of July Independence Day Outfit Inspiration

~ jen ~ 4 Comments

Any day is a great day to celebrate America, I feel extremely blessed to have been born and to live in a diverse country where we enjoy so many freedoms. Having lived and traveled to other countries around the world (including living in a 3rd world country), I hope to never take for granted liberties and prosperity we have in the states.

Our 4th will be spent painting, unpacking and organizing – it’ll be exactly 1 week since we moved to our new home and it’s coming along slowly but surely 😉

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Shirt ($9!) I also love this red tie dye top 

 

Linking up with these awesome bloggers today who are also sharing Independence Day inspired outfits:

Kiana at Glitter & Donuts

Madeline at CaseyLand

Cait at Cait’s Cozy Corner

Chelsea at Tessa Marie

Kelsi at Lovestrong

Monica at It’s All About

How to have a happy marriage 

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

Today, my husband and I  celebrate TEN years of marriage! I can’t hardly believe it, time sure has flown. We’ve had so many adventures together – 10 moves, 7 foreign countries visited, 1 dog, 2 kids, and 15 ballparks visited!

While we’re far from perfect and life is all about progress and becoming, I wanted to share a few things we’ve learned on having a happy marriage.

-Be the first to apologize and forgive. Don’t hold grudges or let grudges fester against your spouse, nothing good can come from it. Compromise. 

-Give 100%, not just 50% even though you’re a partnership. 

-Invest time in you as a couple – time with no distractions.

-Share the work load, work side by side and learn together.

-Find things you can do together – hobbies, exercising, vacations. 

I am in no means perfect or even good at most of these but I know our efforts to create and maintain a strong marriage will pay off! I’ve loved the last 10 years travelling with Dave and becoming parents together.

Any good marriage or relationship tips?

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*Fiesta Friday returns next week- we are finally closing on our home today!*

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Life lately: moving to Texas 

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

The last 3 ish years since leaving the east coast we’ve been in Utah and loving our townhome we built and being close to friends and family, not to mention the gorgeous mountains. We love to travel and see new places and never closed doors to moving almost anywhere in the world. We had a few places in mind: California, Portland, Austin, DC and we’re always talking about moving back to Scotland. We visited Austin last month to visit our friends we met in Virginia and with whom we traveled to Portland last fall.

Austin is lush with rolling hills, unlike anything I’d ever pictures Texas! When we returned from our trip, Dave was contacted by an HR consulting firm in Austin. Everything has fallen into place to allow us to move our family to Texas where we hope to stay for a while. We’re currently in an Airbnb until we close on our home the end of this week (on our 10th anniversary no less!)

So excited for this new chapter in our lives and to discover a new city!

Any Austin recommendations?

A Day at the Park

~ jen ~ 4 Comments

A Day at the Park

Usually I take our BOB double jogging and run with my kids to the park BUT it’s currently in storage along with 90% of our stuff until we close on our new home here in Austin.

And let’s be honest, my hair usually never looks this nice but we took these pics after church ha, ha!

What I pack:

-sunscreen

–zip  up picnic blanket

-snacks and water bottles (I NEVER go anywhere without snacks for my kids!)

-park toys (buckets, shovels)

What I’m wearing:

-relaxed fit, breathable top because Texas 😉 this one is from Forever 21 but it’s out of stock- I also love loose tees from H&M, Old Navy – I’d love any recommendations forother casual tees that don’t require a second layer!

–Zella live in leggings which I highly recommend, they hold and stretch in the right places, quality material, hold color and shape after wearing and washing. They’re perfect for chasing kids around the park.

–Birkenstocks

–Nena & Co day bagDSC_1430

Linking up with these awesome bloggers today!

Kiana at Glitter & Donuts

Madeline at CaseyLand

Monica at It’s All About

Kelsi at Lovestrong

Samantha at The Samantha Show

Jessica at Mason Jars and Lemon Bars

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