Down with the Dearmore's: July 2013

{headband heaven}

As Ella's hair continues to grow, I'm loving getting to do so many different styles with it....all down, bows, headbands, pigtails, clips....on and on!

Recently, I've found a new love for knotted headbands! They are just too cute! Here are a few we've picked up lately or have my eye on!

So fun, right?!? If you know of some more fun headband finds, please do share! Happy shopping!

Happy Monday! We had a very nice and relaxed weekend around our home! We've been out of town the past 2 weekends, so it was nice to be around. We enjoyed family time, a small get together with friends on Saturday night, church and a visit with Josh's grandparents. I do enjoy "go with the flow" kind of weekends {even though I am a very much "on the go" kind of girl}! Here is a small look into our weekend through pictures.

{one} We began Friday and Saturday morning with donuts. Doesn't get better than that {well...with a cup of coffee in hand as well}!

{two} Yes, you're reading that right....it is HOT here in H-town! We try to stay as close to a pool, water hose, slip-n-slide, you name it, to stay cool!

{three} Ella wanted a picture with her beloved Mickey and Minnie! You can't see it in this pic, but she was sporting her very first Mickey t-shirt that she was SOOO very proud of! ;)

{four} Friday night we drug daddy to Target {only our second trip of the day}! It's not a successful trip to the store unless we bring at least 2 babies, a sippy cup, and blankie!

{five} Slam dunk! Ella's first basketball goal and she's already a pro!

{six} My little bathing beauty trying to stay cool in this heat!

Have a wonderful week, friends!

{five on friday}

Wow....already Friday?!? This week flew by for us! Excited to link-up again for 5 on Friday with some fun bloggers! I've really enjoyed getting to "meet" some of you through this link-up! Okay, here we go....

{one}

Loved getting to meet up with one of my bests this week for a play date with our little ones! She lives in OK, so we don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but enjoy the time when we do see each other!!! We met up at the splash pad {where else on a HOT summer day} and let the kids run wild then headed over to Potbelly for lunch. Such a fun day with Sarah, Brayden and Cooper! Come back soon, we miss you already!

{two}

Okay, y'all....we're less than two months away from Ella's 2nd Birthday! Really?!?!? I feel like yesterday, I was writing about planning her 1st! I have some fun ideas in mind...I have to be very careful, or I can go really crazy over the party planning! It's so fun for me though! Ella has always, and I mean always, been obsessed with Minnie and Mickey {since the day she could recognize the TV}, SOOO...I couldn't think of a better party for her than doing a Minnie Mouse party! I had many other ideas, but at the end of the day, it is about HER, and she might quickly grow out of her little Minnie and Mickey obsession! Let the planning begin {or continue}! ;)

{three}

Maybe it's just me {or maybe I just had really good luck}, but Old Navy has stepped up its game lately! I've had our Cali trip on our mind, so I'm trying to find a few fun new pieces and ran across this skirt yesterday! LOVE! Comfy, cute and affordable!

{four}

We made these Black Bean and Chicken Nachos for dinner last night...and one word...DELISH! We absolutely love our mexican food over here and these were a win in our book! You can find the recipe here.

{five}

I'm in the process of updating a couple of prints in Ella's room and think I found the perfect one! I can't help but smile when I read it! So very true!

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you all a very Happy Friday and Weekend! Can you believe it's almost August {aka my bday month}?!? ;)

{five on friday}

Happy Friday! Linking up for 5 on Friday! You know the drill....

{one}

This is one of my favorite tops I've found for Ella this summer {not to mention it is very reasonable}! She has recieved many compliments on it, so I thought I would share it with you!

{two}

I think I've found my next DIY. How cute is this?!?! I didn't know my morning coffee ritual could be anymore fun, but I'm thinking otherwise now with this mug! ;)You can find step-by-step directions here.

{three}
I bought this adorable romper at Loft earlier this week...

and then I got this e-mail 2 days later....

Why does it always work out that way?! ;) No worries, I now own two of these rompers {until I take back the full priced one that is}! But seriously, this romper is SO cute! So much you can do with it...dress it down with flats for a fun day of shopping or slip on some wedges for a night out {can you tell I'm getting ready for my trip in a couple of months}?!?

{four}
She absolutely melts my heart! Ella has always LOVED babies, but this week in particular, she has been SO busy with her babies....loving on them, pulling them in the wagon, giving them pacifiers and water, reading to them, etc. I have loved getting to watch every second of it! She sure will be a good big sister ONE day {no, this is not an announcement!!!!!!}! ;)

{five}
We're on the countdown!! 40 days until college football {wreck 'em tech}!!!! Sadly, we won't be going to any games this year, but you better believe we'll be rooting on our Red Raiders from home {and on vacation}!

Wishing you all a fun filled weekend! We're headed back to the beach to celebrate my precious nephew's 1st Birthday!

{tasty tuesday} chunky mango avocado salsa

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

I'm so excited to share today's recipe!!! I could go on and on and on.....but there's not much more that needs to be said other than this stuff is incredible! One of my most very favorite thing to eat is avocados, so as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it was a must! There is so much you can do with this salsa...simply use it as salsa, use it in fish tacos, on top of chicken, or just grab a spoon and go to town!

Chunky Mango Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup diced mango (I used frozen chunks, much easier!)

1 large avocado, diced

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved and quartered

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Add the mango, avocado, tomatoes, shallot and cilantro to a bowl.

Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture and sprinkle with salt.
Toss gently to combine.
Chill for at least twenty minutes.
Serve with baked tortilla chips, over grilled chicken, in fish tacos...endless possibilities!

Nutrition

WW PP 4; Calories 137; Total Fat 7.7g; Saturated Fat 1.1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 6mg; Total Carbohydrates 18.6g; Dietary Fiber 5.0g20%; Sugars 11.8g; Protein 1.8g

weekend shenanigans

Happy Monday, friends! Where oh where did the weekend go?!? We had a full, but very fun weekend! Today, I'm linking up with Sami for the first time for her fun serires Weekend Shenanigans! Here goes....

{one} Friday morning, one of my bests came over with her new little mini, Connor. It was the first time Ella got to meet this sweet little one! She absolutely adored him {as you can see in the picture above}! She is quite the little helper...practicing for one day! ;)

{two} Friday evening, we went to my cousins gender reveal party. Her and her husband found out at the same time we all did, so that made it even more special! We are SO excited to welcome a new little BOY into our family in November! This makes the number even with all the cousins...4 boys and 4 girls....we are a growing "little" family!

{three} Saturday morning, we headed to the beach for a mini getaway. We had such beautiful weather on Saturday, and enjoyed most of the day outside playing in the water! Ella had a blast {as always}! She's quite the little beach babe. One of her very favorite things to do at the beach is ride on the golf cart with Gram and Double. She likes exploring for birds, turtles and fish! After one of her rides, she came home screaming, "Mommy, titty"....bahahaha.....yes, she found 2 kitties and was so proud!

{four} When we got home from the beach, Ella had a little "work" to do on the iPad {since it was pouring down rain outside}! I'm amazed at how she knows exactly how to navigate on that thing {I guess a little scary at the same time}!

{five} I had two fun surprises when we got home! I'm loving my first BridierBaubles necklace! I just heard about them recently and pretty much want one of everything! I also got this JCrew inspired necklace from Groopdealz. Such a fun piece! A great mail day in my book!

And there you have the Dearmore Weekend Shenanigans!

{five on friday}

Happy Friday, y'all! I've taken a little break from blogging over the past week and a half, but was excited to get back for today's link-up! Such a fun series! I love getting to read other's "top 5" for the week as well as meet new bloggers!

{one}

We had such a fun 4th of July, I had to share some of our pics! Ella was in her first little parade {I was quite proud of our little wagon, if I do say so myself}! E and her little friend had a fun time waving at the other kiddos and throwing out candy...oh wait, not my child, she ate 4 suckers by the time we were finished with the parade! Oh well...a day of celebrating = a day full of sweets and treats! ;) Later in the evening, we ventured down the street to celebrate with friends. I made these red white and blue fruit skewers with cheesecake yogurt dip! They were delish! You can find the recipe here. I didn't go all out decorating our home this year {which I normally LOVE to do}, but I did manage to set the table with some festive red, white and blue goodies {thank you, Target}! We ended the night with fireworks....E loved every single one!

{two}

If you know me, you know I have a major sweet tooth, no really, it's a problem! You name it, I love it...but I'm especially a fan of all things chocolate and donuts! If I could only start my morning out with coffee and donuts EVERY morning....ahhh, bliss, but then my hubby would hear me complain even more about "my looks"! I know, I know, I do it to myself! Am I the only one out there?!?! All that to say, Dunkin Donuts is opening up right around the corner from us!!! How dare I not show support for our neighborhood's newest business, right?!?

{three}

How cute are these seersucker backpacks?!?! I just got Ella's in the mail the other day {pink with a navy monogram}! Sooooo cute! I bought ours from this ETSY store. They did a wonderful job! Highly recommend!

{four}

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw this picture a couple of weeks ago, but I still wanted to share! I finished Ella's IKEA activity table for her room and was SO very pleased! She has had more fun with the chalk table. I'm about to buy a second one for the playroom! You can't beat that $14.99 price tag!

{five}

I have been on a hunt to find anything and everything to help with polish chipping! It never fails, I paint my nails and the next day, they look as if it were a week old manicure! Grrr.....This is what was recommended to me, so here's to hoping!! I can't give an accurate product review as I used this for the first time yesterday, but a review is in order!

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!!!

{tasty tuesday} Raspberry-Banana-Yogurt Freezer Pops

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

I thought it would be a good idea this week to share a recipe that would work for the 4th of July as well as one that would work all summer long to keep cool! You can always adjust what berries/fruit you want to add for a variety of colors/tastes.

Ingredients

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 banana

3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup honey

craft sticks

Preparation

Process yogurt and banana in a blender for 30 seconds or until smooth. Bring raspberries and honey to a boil ina medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, using back of spoon to squeeze out juice and pulp. Discard skins and seeds. Cover and chill raspberry mixture 30 minutes. Pour yogurt mixture evenly into 10 (2 oz.) pop molds. Top with rasperry mixture, and swirl, if desired. Top with lid of pop mold, and insert craft sticks, leaving 1 1/2 to 2 inches sticking out of pop. Freeze 6 hours or until sticks are solidly anchored and pops are completey frozen.

Tip: For a different taste, substitute 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or halved strawberries.

Recipe courtesy of Southern Living

{say yes to the dress}

Summer is in full affect and if I'm not in a bathing suit or cover up, I love me a good summer time dress! Anything to help keep cool, right {and stylish}?!? Here is what I'm loving lately!

{one}