5.16.15

Happy Memorial Day!

Sparkles! Geez, a WHOLE month has gone by since I did my last post. That makes me sad, but I have been so busy and I put my blog on the back burner for a little bit. We are now in the wedding season frenzy..one wedding down and one more to go, all within one month!

We just finished up with my sister's wedding. She got married  in Atlanta, GA. It was so gorgeous and it was so fun to see everybody!! May 16th is a date that gives me butterflies whenever I see/hear it. It now holds two meanings: It's my sisters wedding anniversary and Wendell and I have been together for a solid 10 years, freak me out! How amazing is that? That's the day he asked me to "be his girl" (kinda but not really) when we were only 15 years old!

 I hadn't been to HotLanta since 2011....I loooooove that city. Since it had been so long since I'd been there, everything looked fairly odd to me. I never noticed how many TREES there are. Oh my gosh, it's literally a city in a forest...a huge city in a forest. So many trees....

Anyway, I took some awesome pics during this time that I think y'all will enjoy! Really, pictures mean a lot to me. I can look at almost every single pic I've ever taken and tell you what was going on before and after. I love it.

My oldest sister, Val, with her daughter Maddie

How cute are my 2 nieces?!

All of us!!

My brother with his daughter, Zoe 

So much fun!  Thanks for stopping by!

Love and Sparkles // Chels

4 Tips on Making Free Time!

With there only being 24 hours in a day, I am very careful with the way I spend my time...well..sometimes I am. Lol. 

I am a person who loves to be alone most of the time. I am interacting with humans of all ages (literally 5 years of age to 70!!).  My perfect day would be spent reading,writing, and eating while watching numerous episodes of reality tv. This SOMETIMES happens, but not often! 

I conjured up this post idea because I have a few days to myself this week. It really got me thinking that we all should have at least a couple of hours worth of free time to ourselves!

1. Stop Making Plans!

I am the worst at this, and this is really going to be one of those "practice what you preach" lessons. oI get ahead of myself and and will make plans a month in advance. The moment I say yes, I usually regret it! I hated saying no, crazy as it sounds. The more life goes on, the busier it gets for me. I hate that burned out feeling, and complaining just doesn't always work for me either. Now if someone asks me to do something with them, I usually say "Let me see how I'm feeling in that moment", and it works! I mean, why lie and say yeah when I know I'm probably not going to be able to do it anyhow? 

Or take a selfie of yourself. It's really refreshing...yeaaaah.

2. Or DO Make Plans!

Oh dear, I hope I am not confusing you. Before I said to not make plans, meaning, don't make plans that you know you can not keep. Trust me, people hate when others flake. But DO set goals and make plans that will benefit YOU. For instance, this weekend I am making firm plan to enjoy take my dog to the park while enjoying a boba. It doesn't have to be huge, just needs to be something where you can connect with yourself.  

3. Take Advantage of Every Second!

Omg, again, this is a "practice what you preach" lesson. Time passes us by like crazy. I can have a solid hour of free time and use it on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Haha, I know I am not the only one here! Can I get a witness? I get so angry at myself once that hour is over with and I've run out of time. One of my main goals is to use my wisely. I could be caught up on so much if I just got everything completed and out of the way.

4. Use Organizers to Help You

I have 3 organizers that keep me updated.

 Desktop Calendar: Located below! For starters this was just too cute so I forced to buy it. It really is just one big huge reminder of what events I have to focus on.

 Pocket Planner: I keep this in my purse at ALL times. It has all of my events, blog posts, shopping lists, menu for the week, and odds and ends that need to added. This planner is a life saver. I keep a pen on me at all times, and add ideas to it daily. 

iPhone: My iPhone is my biggest form of organization. The hubster and share the calendar on it and it really lets us know what's going on. Anytime I have to nanny or we both need to be somewhere, we update our calendar. I also use it like crazy for notes I think of so many blog post ideas while on the go, so when I do I just type them in my notes!!! I keep tabs on picture inspirations, looks ,and locations I would like to use as well. I also use my phone as my source of work while I'm on the go. I work as a freelancer and much of the work can be completed on my phone. Phones are amazing, point blank.

I hope this advice will help you with your free time! Remember, it's all about using your time wisely. #WorkHardPlayHarder!

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday// Boulder Take 2!!!

Hello Sparkles! Say it with me...SPRING.BREAK. 

I hope your weekend/week has been just as great as mine! I am thoroughly enjoying my spring break. It is only the second day I have already accomplished so much!! Been to Target about 4 times in 2 days! Lol, what am I going to do? This weekend was great, but the real fun didn't start until Sunday. Our Sunday Lunchday was at this place I have been wanting to try for a while. 

It's called Southern Hospitality, yes, lol. All the way up here in Denver! Did they have it?..Hmmm, maybe.

We sat on the patio right along the street and enjoyed people watching as we ate. Haha, we love doing that sometimes! You can learn a lot, I tell you. 

For the meal I had my classic chicken and waffles, I rarely say no to that. This was bone in chicken, but I would much rather have boneless. The waffle itself was totally perfect!! It was thin and crispy, just how I like them. I hate thick waffles...I hate thick anything {except for hair}. 

The hubster had a steak sandwich and sweet potato fries. We took a stroll on 16th street mall afterwards. 

Monday was great! Some gal pals and I drove to Boulder for the day. It was absolutely amazing, I mean I had the BEST time!! My friend Merilee is a Boulder native, and if you only want the best you should always go with a native!

We strolled Pearl St. and did a little shopping. Then we had lunch at this yummy place called Med. This pizza was bomb. 

I should work at this boutique :)

Merilee was a real good tour guide haha!! She showed us her family horse, Lizzy!! We got to brush her and feed her. She is truly a gorgeous horse. 

We also walked the campus of CU Boulder, it was so fun! And definitely strange for me as I've never really been on a college campus before! We had happy hour "On The Hill"  where I got a cool hipster vibe from!

 Goooooooo Boulder! And happy spring break!

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday // Boulder

Hello Sparkles! Finally, another Sunday Lunch day post! This week has been a doozy, I finally got hit with the crud that's been going around. But thanks to my *Young Living Essential Oils* and some DayQuil ,I quickly got over it. After weeks of snow we are finally on the bright side, I can't wait to show off some of my favorite spring outfits!

The whole entire weekend was just gorgeous, y'all know I live for sunny days! Basically, I just spent this sunny Saturday taking selfies and eating cookies.

Sunday is by far my favorite day of the week and it always has been. It's just a day to relax and get prepared for the week ahead. We finally found a church home {shout out to Heritage Christian Center!} and that is a great kick start for the day/week.

We were bold and went to Boulder for lunch today. Basically, I just wanted to be outside livin' it up. Soooo off to Boulder we went! 

This is the crazy view we got to drive into.

We ate at this local pizza joint called "Back Country Pizza". I love local pizzas because they just never come out the same, which makes them unique. I got the supreme pizza, and the hubster stuck with a burger. I was too hungry to get a great pic, sorry!

This pizza was so yummy and full of cheesy goodness. And really the best part is the fact that it reheats SO well (score!) Oh! And that crust..crunchy on the outside and totally soft on the inside. Thank you for treating us with love, Boulder :)

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday // V-Day

I. Loved. This. Weekend. More than you will ever know. Nothing like spending time with the Hubster and good friends. V-day was amazing, ah! I love when we have the best days that are so good they can't even be relived.

The hubster definitely spoiled me this v-day, I thought we had a mutual agreement on not exchanging gifts this year, but of course he's the hero in this relationship. He woke up earlier than I did and when I came downstairs this baby was waiting for me.

You can close your mouth now, I know its a beauty.

I have to tell you a secret, this is the first bike I have ever owned! I rode a bike for maybe a day and, yikes, haaaated it! I just remember my brother pushing me down the driveway and it was over from there. I'm not an outdoors-y, girl anyways so...it wasn't a loss. However, I am in loooooove and can't wait to ride around Denver on my new bike! I feel closer to a Coloradoan now.

Really, it was so gorgeous Saturday. This photo reminds me of my home in Mississippi greatly. That metal gate, barb wire fence, and that pasture, wow. 

We (I) finally had Dunkin Donuts, the cutest and sweetest heart donut just for this special day.

It was super sweet though, almost couldn't be consumed.

And more gifts...I'm telling you...this guy...

Phenomenal day with a phenomenal guy. I tell you, I (we) are truly blessed. This guy and I have dated since we were 15 years old. He is my first and only boyfriend. I love him so much. 

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday // Avalanche Game

I love you, weekend. You are such a tease, I could learn a lot from you. As usual, we had another busy weekend it. I can't imagine what life will be like when we have kid(s) compared to now. I barely have one breathing moment in between activities, and I wouldn't trade it in for anything else right now.

Wendell and I got to experience our first Avalanche game Friday night (the hockey team, in case some of you don't know). We went with my best friend Jules and her fiance Brian. It's always a good time with them, we are the silliest and craziest duo to walk the streets of Denver. Nothing gets by us and I love our friendship.

Y'all hockey games are so dang entertaining. The fans are hilarious and the players are aggressive, its just so fun to go to. I didn't understand a single thing, but it was fun to watch.

I was exhausted.

Have I mentioned how much I love sushi? It's one of my favorite meals, and thankfully my dear friend Alicia feels the same way. We had a sushi date on Saturday, and...It. Was. Dee.Vine.

Hubster and I have a weekend problem: We can't stay away from the sonic slush. There's no greater weekend night than driving the 1 mile to sonic and getting 1 Route 44 for him, and a medium for me. We've been doing it since we were 15, but when we lived in MS we had to drive 12 miles. Yep, we are originally good ole country folks.

Our Sunday Lunchday was a snowy adventure. It snowed all of Saturday night, out of no where, what the heck?

We ate at a restaurant in Capitol Hill called Sassafras American Eatery. It was so delicious and everyone was super duper friendly, which makes the experiment way better. We arrived at 1:30 and they closed at 2:00 that day because of the Super Bowl.  We only had to wait for 10 minutes or so and they have a whole room just for waiting upstairs.

I got biscuit and gravy as an app because it looked delicious and I had a 50% coupon from Yelp, booyah.

It is an eccentric place with a home-y vibe. Our food was great, they are know for their buffalo hash, which is what Wendell got. He really enjoyed it, it's just one of those petite dishes.

I also got the shrimp po boy with sweet potato chips...mhhmmmm as Phaedra Parks says.

I would definitely go back here again. I mean the staff was so friendly and the food was great, win win.

So it's all over, another 5 days before we start the fun again. Hope yours was as enjoyable as mine.

Love and Sparkles // Chels