New Look!

After a year or so of toying around in the web/blog world and pretending like I knew what I was doing, I finally bit the bullet and contacted the fabulous Marina at Penny Lane Designs to help me give The Transplanted Texan a new look.   I have seen her work through various blogs I read and really like how clean and classic her layouts are!  While eventually I would love to have her do a fully customized look for The Transplanted Texan, I started with one of her pre-made layouts and then customized it to what I wanted.  I must say, I love it!!  I initially told her that I wanted pink as one of the colors, but that I had no clue on the other.  Marina sent a few ideas of her own, and of course the first one she sent was my favorite!  
We had a few conversations about fonts and what not, and in the end she gave me everything I asked for...and more!  I am so excited about my new look and I look forward to continuing to share the craziness of our family!  

The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch....again!!

If you've been reading since day one, you'll remember last year's post about our trip to the pumpkin patch! Miss K was so cute and we got some really great pictures of her.  She was more in awe of everything but obviously didn't really understand where we were as she was only ten months old.  This year, we started talking about the pumpkin patch literally on the way home from the apple orchard last month! Miss K is all about some "punkins" and we have to point out EVERY "punkin" in the neighborhood when driving in and out of the 'hood.  We finally had a chance to go this past Saturday (yes, cutting it close, I know!) as we have officially entered the crazy time of year here at Casa de D.  Basically, beginning two weekends ago and through the first weekend in January, we are only home or without company for two weekends!  One being this last weekend and the next being in December.
So Sunday morning we loaded up bright and early and headed up to Burt's Pumpkin Farm in North Georgia for some pumpkin fun.  The way up there, Miss K was asking if we were getting a biggg punkin and some baby punkins.  When we pulled in, she actually got mad that she had to wait for me to put her jacket on since it has gone from chilly to down right cold in a few weeks!  Once we made it in, she was off!

With much protest, Big Poppa and I were able to wrangle her for a few photos with each one of us, but as you can tell by the looks on her face she wasn't really wanting to hold still and smile!!

Notice she's smiling, but not looking at mommy? 

Literally trying to scooch off my lap as we're taking the picture! (PS-Totally forgot to take off my jacket and sunglasses for this pic!  I look like a goofball :))

We ran around looking at all the different punkins and then she saw the big green tractor and was ready to go on a hayride!

After the hayride, we gave the pictures another go, and then got serious about picking our punkins!

Mommy and K sharing some secrets!

Helping daddy choose some punkins.

Not so sure of riding in the wheelbarrow!

We had so much fun this year and Miss K has already asked when we can go back!  I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Fall weather and had a fabulous Halloween!

Hump Day Dump Day!!

There is a bunch of randomness going on in my head and in my world, so I figured I'd share them with all of you to make some room in this here head of mine!!

• So I'm back on the Weight Watchers train.  I did WW before Miss K and had pretty good results, and I'm one of those people that can't be told to NOT eat something or I want it that much more.  That's the good thing about WW... I can eat whatever, I just have to make choices.  In good news, I was down 4.6 this week!! Yes, I lost 4.6 lbs in ONE week!  (Please note....I still have at least 25.4 to go)
• Miss K is absolutely cracking me up these days!  We're working on our colors and last week we were getting dressed for school and I put on a red hoodie with white polka dots on it on her.  I asked her what color her jacket was and she said red.  Then she asked "Whas this?" pointing to the polka dots.  After telling her that was a polka dot, she proceeded to say "cocoa cots".  Adorable, I tell ya! When I picked her up from school, one of her teachers said they were cracking up for over an hour because Miss K kept saying "cocoa cots" and they thought she was saying "cocoa puffs" (which she has never had, nor do I buy them!) until she kept pointing to her jacket and matching socks and they finally figured out she was saying "polka dots"!! 
• I've finally gotten the majority of my fall decorations up.  I'm still trying to figure out what works in Casa de D and adding on the existing decorations.  I printed a really cute subway art printable from Pinterest and made a few other Pinterest-inspired decorations this weekend. I printed and framed it in just the standard 8.5 x 11 size and put it on my mantle with leaves and pumpkins!  Love it! (the pic below is from Pinterest)

• Here's a few of the fun crafts made this weekend!

• A while back on Gilt, they had Hunter wellies and unfortunately sold out of my size (9!) in the pink ones I've been coveting.  Even though I've never had any luck on items I've put on their wait list, a few weekends ago, I got an email saying they were available!! SCORE...totally ordered them!  They were beautiful.  Noticed I said "were".  They were too small on my calves.  I seriously have the largest calves in the world.  Sadly, they were dropped off at the post office this morning to go back to Gilt.  
• Big Poppa and I are going back to New York for our anniversary next month.  We both really love NYC and it's the perfect time of the year to be in the city.  I love Broadway shows, and last year we saw Billy Elliot as my cousin is currently in it.   Big Poppa is not so much a fan of musicals so when planning this trip I was trying to get tickets to a show that I know he would enjoy.  I decided to try and get tickets to Book of Mormon since he was a South Park fan back in the day.  Y'all they are SOLD out until February.  And have been since this summer.  So, if anyone has any good recommendations, I'm all ears! We did get tickets to the 9-11 memorial and we are really excited to go see it.  Last year it was still so under construction that you couldn't really tell what it was going to look like. 
• I'm not going to pretend like I didn't buy 4 Erin Condren gift certificates from One Kings Lane... but the great thing is I had enough credits and a Plum District voucher and didn't pay a dime!  Oh Happy Day!!  I have loved everything from EC that I have already ordered, so I am super excited to order more goodies!!
• I FINALLY finished my second Texas Tech wreath for the other front door!  Everyone agreed from this post that I needed two wreaths so against my OCD self, I made the second wreath.  It doesn't match the other one perfectly, but I do think it looks so much better with both of them!

• Since moving into Casa de D last summer, I have been struggling to keep up with all the cleaning that is involved in keeping the house up.  Even though I came up with a weekly chore schedule in my Home Organization Binder, I still find myself not being able to get it all done.  And I've really gotten down on myself since I stay at home now and think that I should be able to get it all done.  After some creative maneuvering in the budget, I am so excited to finally get some help with the cleaning! I think having someone come every other week to help me keep up the big stuff will be a huge help!

There are still tons more bits of randomness in my head, but I need to get my grocery list together before Miss K wakes up from her nap!  Have a great rest of the week!!

An Apple a Day

Can I get an AMEN for the absolutely gorgeous weather we're having in the ATL right now?? Seriously, if I could find somewhere that was like this year round, I'd move (again) in a heartbeat!  To help welcome the official start of fall here, we made a trip out to an apple orchard this past weekend.  Miss K had so much fun and Big Poppa and I had a blast watching her soak everything in.  I can't believe how much of a big girl she's becoming, and this weekend it was bittersweet to see her asking so many questions and just "getting" everything!

I don't want to ruin this post with my ramblings, so I will leave it the pictures to give you the play-by-play!

                                                                     Rockin' the trike!

                                                                      LOVE these two!!

                                                                    Oh my cuteness!!

                                                                    Our little family :)

                                                                        Loving the tractor

                                                                           So sweet

                                                                      Picking her first apple

                                                             She got the hang of it in no time!

                                                             Focused on finding more apples!

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather!  Happy Fall, y'all!

Scarf Swap

Over the past few years, I have become a big fan of scarves.  I'm still trying to figure out various ways to tie them and of course, convincing myself that I don't look like a complete goofball when wearing them!  A few weeks ago, the adorable Meredith at Merry & Bright hosted a scarf swap so I jumped in on the fun and was paired up with Rebecca from I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess.  All I'm saying about Rebecca is THANK goodness I don't live near her, or I would be as big as a house!  This girl can bake a mean cupcake!!  After chatting back and forth about what we liked, I sent Rebecca two scarves because I just couldn't decide between the two.  I of course forgot to take a picture of what I sent Rebecca, but was sooo excited when I got my happy box in the mail!

OK, is her Ashley Brooke notecard not the cutest?!  And the scarves?? LOVE THEM!  The pink one is fabulous (my fav color) and the buffalo check/plaid one is beyond adorable.  I had a chance to wear the plaid one last week and against my better judgment, I'm posting my first ever self-photo.  Don't laugh (ok, laugh, but not too loud)!  I can not stand to have my picture taken, so taking one of myself was pure torture.

Thanks again to Meredith for hosting the swap, and Rebecca for the fabulous scarves!!

Showing my Life Planner Love!

It's no secret that before having Miss K, I was a bit OCD when it came to organization.  I'm that girl that keeps her shoes in clear plastic, labeled shoe boxes.  My pantry shelves are categorized and our DVD/Blue Rays are in alphabetical order.  And bless all my former students' hearts- you've never seen more organized 8 and 9 year olds.  My files were organized by subject and then by the quarter in which they were taught.  My planner/agenda/calendar was with me at all times. Even once I got my iPhone, I still had to have everything on paper.  I couldn't commit to anything without checking my calendar. In the almost 2 years since leaving the classroom and having Miss K, I have been nothing short of a chicken running around with it's head cut off.  I kid you not.  It didn't help that in the first eight or so months after having Miss K, we sold our house in NC, moved into a corporate apartment for two months then finally moved into Casa de D last summer.  Total chaos, folks.  NOT my style.  As K and I became busier and I started getting involved in more things, the chaos intensified.  For those of you that don't know me in real life, when I feel unorganized or out of control, I become a

lunatic.  More of a lunatic than I already am.  Enter the self-intervention this past summer.

While home in Texas, I was trying to figure out how on Earth I could get a grip on my life. Then it hit me...  You see, I realized that I wasn't treating my new job like it was a real job.  And you know what's funny?  This new job, the job of Miss K's mommy/stay at home wife/mom is one million times harder than any of my eight years of teaching.  No lie.  But for 18 months I hadn't been giving this new job the respect or thoughtful planning that I gave to my old job.  If I would have run my classroom the way I've been running my house and my life- I would have been fired in a heartbeat.  Then as though the blogosphere and twitterverse had been hearing my thoughts, I was introduced to Erin Condren and her AWESOME products, including the Life Planner!  Let me tell you, I am hooked!  Never again will I own any other planner, and I have owned my share. It has been a lifesaver and between that and my Home Organization Binder, I am pleased to say "I'm baaaaack"!  Gone are the feelings of unorganization and total out of controlness (not a word, I know).  My days are planned, my meals are planned, my cleaning is planned, my PLANS are planned! 
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Life Planner, here are a few peeks into mine. 

After MUCH debate, I ordered the taffy stripe in navy and pink! I loved all EC's choices, but this was my fav!! (The marker is covering my last name!)  The front and back covers are a thick lamination and I love the spiral binding on the side.

EC does a great job of including inspirational quotes and sayings throughout the planner, this one is at the front.  You can also see the tabs for each month along the side.

This is at the back of the planner- on the left side is a 2-sided pocket.  I keep my matching note pad in one pocket and use the other pocket for important receipts, etc.  On the right side is a clear pouch that has stamps, business cards, pens, address labels, and the fun freebies that EC sent with my planner!

Here is the monthly view that is the first page of each month and the page that the tab is attached to.  I am a color-coded person; each family member is a different color, and if it pertains to all of us it is a separate color!  We've been busy this month at Casa de D!!! (Notice the fun bookmark in the top right?  EC send you 2 of these to use in your planner!!)

Here are what the weekly pages look like!  I love that there are three separate spaces for each day- morning, day, and evening!  I follow the same color rule on these pages as well.  I write my daily chores in here as well so that I can keep up with what I've done and still need to do. 

There are SOO many more great things that the team at EC have thought of to make this planner perfect!  There's a place for important dates, lined pages for notes, a sheet for important numbers, and these AWESOME color-coded (SQUEE!!!) stickers for various things like birthdays, games, hair appointments, etc! 

Y'all get this- they have so much more than just the Life Planners!  I also ordered new family stationary with return address labels, circle address labels, notepads, and as soon as Big Poppa comes back from California this weekend, we're deciding on and ordering our Christmas cards! (Well, I've already decided, but I guess I'll let him have some say!)  And to top it off, their customer service is hands down, the best! 

*I am in no way being compensated for saying these things about Erin Condren.  I am just a huge fan and want to spread the love! 

School Days

This is our "new" smile!

Today was Miss K's first day at school!  She has been so excited about going to to "skeww" this last week, that's all she's been talking about.  Last Monday night, Big Poppa and I had Parent's Night where we went and met her teachers and got to talk and ask questions sans kiddos.  We used the need of our babysitter that night as an impromptu date night and headed out to dinner at Marlow's Tavern beforehand (culinary swoon).  It was kinda fun and sad to be the parent and not the teacher, but guess who got sucked into being the room mom? Yep, that'd be me!  So, in true room mom fashion, I hit the ever trusty Pintrest to find the cah-u-test gifts for the first day of school!

I think they turned out pretty cute see as how they were soooo easy to make!  Thanks to Pintrest, I now have enough year round teacher gifts to get us to at least middle school!  :) 

I was a little worried about Miss K and school this year because we have her going 3 days.  Last year (for half the year) she went to MMO two days a week and by the end of the year was a total rock star!  We were originally going to keep her in the MMO program she was in again this year since her birthday is Christmas Day and she won't be 2 until then, but through a friend we found an awesome preschool that has a class for 18-23 months.  This is a bit more of a structured program with circle time, music class, etc but is still 9-1 like MMO.  Big Poppa and I went back and forth on whether or not to keep her in just 2 days a week because I'm not ready for her to go 4 days but decided to send her 3 days a week because this momma needs a break.  It's fun because there are only 5 kids in each of her classes and her teachers are the same.  **I'm just going to once again give MAD props to all the single moms out there.  I'm pretty much a single parent about half the month and I can tell you what- by the end of the week when Big Poppa is out of town, I'm about to lose my you -know-what.  It's flippin' hard with no family to help out. (Maga, no pressure to move to the ATL:)  That's why when people ask when we are going to have another one, I instantly start breaking out in hives before they can finish their sentence!

Miss K had an incredible day today and was so cute when I picked her up and she said "Hi, Mommy" like it was no big deal that I had been gone 4 hours.  (Well, really only 3 since I had to wait an hour for a locksmith to come unlock my car because I locked my keys in the car trying to get everything to her classroom in one trip this morning.  One hour and $65 of my life I'll never get back.  Le sigh)
Tomorrow you can bet that I will not be locking my doors when I drop her off!

With her teachers at Open House