Five For Friday Linkup

It's Friday!!  Hollla!!!

I'm ready to kick off this weekend with another great linkup... "Five on Friday"

I usually do my "fact filled Friday" post on Fridays, but when I saw over at "the good life blog" that Darci and a few other gals were hosting a very similar linkup, I thought, why not join their little group?  I mean a chance to do what I normally do on Fridays, but meet a bunch of other cool chicks too?  Done deal!

So here you go, my "Five on Friday":

1.  My Mom texted me this picture of my Dad and my son while we were on our trip this past weekend.  It melts my heart to see two of the men that I love more than anything in this world so happy to be together.  My Dad is in remission from stage four melanoma skin cancer, after he was diagnosed when I was junior in college.  So to see him get to be a "Papa" to my little guy, makes me happier than I could ever describe!  Madden kept saying all weekend "I'm a Farmer 'rike' (aka like) Papa!"  Bless his little heart!!

This picture screams a canvas for Father's Day, am I right??

2.  Summer time has finally arrived in Nebraska, but our mornings are still pretty chilly (like 60 degrees chilly).  So, when I dropped Madden off at school this morning, I decided to pull the tags off this new gingham button up I bought (on sale at Nordstrom) this past weekend.  I'm in L.O.V.E. with the Kelly green and white combo, and paired with a cuffed short, it was extra "Jessica Simpson esque" from Dukes of Hazard...anybody else getting that vibe?  I will definitely be wearing this look a few times this summer!

Don't judge me if I wear this outfit again this weekend, please...;)

3.  I just recovered the cornice boards in our family room this past week, and I've gotta say...I did a pretty dang good job!  I wanted to find something that blended with our oak woodwork, circa 2002, and they were a cinch to whip up, and SUPER reasonable...would you believe me if I told you that the paisley patterned fabric is actually a table cloth from Target?  No joke.  I was able to cover both windows for under $15.  Plus, the sheer drapes were a steal that I found in the clearance section there too!  Grand total for both windows came in at a mere $23 and change...Score.

Any volunteers on coming to my house to paint the woodwork??  Anybody?

4.  I bought these sandals last year at Old Navy for around $10 and have gotten so many compliments on them.  I honestly wear these about 3 times a week so I went back to find some similar pairs for this year, and let me tell you what...if you haven't been into Old Navy lately, you are seriously missing out! They are definitely stepping up their game when it comes to fashion and at their prices, you can afford to pick up a few new items every time you go in...at least that's what I keep telling myself! ;)

Please excuse the finger-like toes...that was one trait my Dad blessed me with! 

5.  My newest summer drink obsession:  Straw-ber-itas by Bud Light Lime.  Seriously, soooo yummy!  I just laughed when I saw that Darci had ranted and raved about these bad boys after this weekend, because I was right there with her!  They honestly taste like Kool Aid, but their downfall is the fact that they are a whopping 200 calories per can...so note to self: only have one at a time!

Seriously, heaven in a can.

Well that about does it for this week!  I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!

Until next time...

Summer Bucket List Link Up

Hello all you lovelies!

So this week was a little bombarded with my vacation recap, so I thought I would toss another post in the mix for good measure!

I love doing things like these to hold me accountable.  I am a list maker.  I am a planner.  I will literally write things down on my to-do list after I've already done them just so I can check them off my list!  I am one of those people...So when I saw that the oh-so-sweet Holly was hosting a link up with the word "list" in the title, I knew I needed to link up!

Without further ado, my Summer Bucket List:

1.)  Head to the zoo at least every other week with Madden.  Omaha's Henry Doorley Zoo was ranked as the #2 zoo in the United States just a couple weeks ago.  The fact that it is literally 20 minutes from my doorstep to this zoo and we've only taken him twice since being back is quite sad.  So I am making it a priority this year to get there at least every two weeks!

2.)  Take a mini "honeymoon" to somewhere for a long weekend to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary on June 21st.  It's so crazy to think that we've been married that long, and I feel like we deserve to celebrate that "marriage landmark!"  I'm thinking someplace warm where we can just lounge by the pool or the water, drinks in hand, and not do a darn thing...

3.)  Spend 3-4 days a week at our gym's pool with Madden.  I mean heck, we're paying about $80 per person per month to be members there, so we should probably take full advantage of the slides, kiddie pools and water falls, right??

4.)  Take a long weekend trip as a family to start a tradition every summer.  Even if it is just to Kansas City or someplace close, I just want to start making memories that become traditions every year with Madden.  Some of my fondest childhood memories were ones where my family would go to a lake about an hour from our house and camp out for two nights...nothing fancy, but we looked forward to that every year and I want to do that with my own family!

5.)  Have a weekly "girl's night out" where I do dinner and drinks with my girlfriends.  We have to be able to sit outside so we can enjoy the warm summer nights and our child free time...

6.)  Learn how to water ski.  This is a biggie for me for a few reasons:  1.  I can't swim worth a darn. 2. I am very uncoordinated. and 3.  There are no decent lakes in Nebraska that I would even consider learning how to in.  But, I'm determined to try!

7.)  Spend more nights with the hubs on our deck, after Madden has gone to bed, just talking, dreaming and of course drinking a glass (or two) of wine :)

8.)  Make more trips to see my parents and family back in my hometown.  Since both my Dad and Brother are  farmers and both my Mom and Sister are teachers, they will all be home for the next few months, which makes it the perfect opportunity for M and I to sneak back there (it's only an hour and a half away) a few times this summer.  Plus, ALL of my Aunts and Uncles and Grandparents and ALL of my in-laws live there too...so I'm sure we would "run" into a few of them as well!  (with a population of a mere 28,000 people, it's bound to happen)

9.)  Just be care free and love every minute I have with my sweet baby boy.  I'm realizing every day just how quickly they grow up and I really just want to freeze time right now.  In this very moment...

What are your "Bucket List" plans for the summer?

Until next time...

Vacay Recap {The Final Chapter} + OOTD(s)

This is it.  The final entry of my Arizona vacation recap.  If you missed part one, you can read that here.  You can find part two here.

But let's finish up with the third part now...

After my traumatizing tubing experience, I was informed that there were still two and a half days left in the trip and that I needed to suck it up and move on...so I did my best ;)  We headed back to the villa that early evening, showered (which was the most painful experience ever, because not only did my skin burn of fire every time the water hit me, but the "bruise" on my back had developed a beautiful strawberry the size of a melon so that stung like a "b" as well) and got ready for the evening.

We met back up with our friends for a fancy dinner at the golf course we were staying at.  I enjoyed a pomegranate martini, an absolutely amazing kale, beet, pear, candied pecans and dried 'razzcherries' salad with white poppyseed balsamic dressing, blackened butterfish with a light tomato sauce couscous and broccolini, and a strawberry shortcake that was drizzled in a roasted strawberry reduction and served with a side of roasted strawberry semifredo.  The meal was heavenly to say the least!  That was an early night, as we were all burnt, tired and a little hungover and we just wanted to sleep!

sad, but true: this is the only picture of my food that I took all trip!

Sunday morning we all slept in, then met up at a little diner for breakfast before the girls went off to do some shopping, and the guys headed for a day of golf.  And let me tell you...shop, we did!  Oh my goodness!  Given that it was Memorial Day weekend, there were sales galore!  Let's just say I did my fair share of damage at Nordstrom's, H&M and Dillard's.  I'm pretty sure I walked away with two new pairs of wedges, a new pair of sandals, four new dresses, a couple new skirts, a new pair of white skinnies, and a bunch of new tops and jackets.  Then, of course I had to replace my sunglasses so I bought myself a new pair of Marc Jacobs and then a pair that I found in the juniors department at Nordstrom's for occasions like the one I lost my good pair on! But I felt better about all of my purchases when I bought the hubby some new cologne and a few new tops...I figured if I brought him home some things then he couldn't be too mad at my little purchases!  A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right??

Ummmm hello! It was the half-yearly sale at Nordstom's...HEAVEN!!

These are the glasses I got to replace the ones I lost...I actually like them better anyway, so it's a win-win!

We literally shopped til we dropped, which was around 4:30, met the guys at the golf course for a few drinks, headed back to freshen up, and then met back up for our final dinner of the trip.  This was a catered dinner of lobster and filet and other delicious sides and apps and we finished the night off with night caps before saying our good byes.

Monday morning was a beautiful morning for coffee and breakfast on the balcony of our villa, followed by a walk through the neighborhood, then back to pack and head back to Nebraska.

Enjoying the view during coffee

The beautiful "moonrise" off the balcony

We were sad to leave, but we definitely had a great time just spending some one on one time with each other to reconnect with one another.  We truly believe in doing that every so often, as we feel that our marriage can tend to get stale if we don't have alone time.  We seriously feel like newlyweds when we are away and I love every minute of it!  Sorry for the gushy stuff...

Anyway, I seriously have the most fun picking out outfits to wear when we are in Arizona.  Maybe it's because I typically live in my gym clothes when I am at home, and when we're on a trip I dress up every day, I don't know.  What I do know is I felt the most confident in these outfit selections for this trip for some reason!

Friday:  Travel Day

Saturday Night: Nice Dinner at Golf Course

The "long shot" version

Sunday: Breakfast and Shopping

The "long shot"

Sunday Night: Catered Dinner

The "long shot"

Monday: Travel Home Day

And one more "long shot"

Until next time...

Vacay Recap {Part Two} - The One With the "Accident"

I'm in the process of recapping our little getaway to Arizona...if you missed part one of my story, you can read that here.

But now, I must continue where I left off...

So we had our little "barge" of tubes just floating gently down the river...probably going no faster than 2 miles an hour.  In fact, at some points it barely felt like we were moving at all, it was so slow.  So relaxing.  But randomly there would be spurts of "rapids" that sent our tubes flying (about 10-15 miles an hour.)  And even though the water wasn't deep, there would be areas in those rapids that huge rocks were protruding above the water...so, whenever we saw one, we would just try to paddle and maneuver our tubes around them.

Well, at about 2 hours into the float, when we obviously were all a few lot of drinks deep, (I had probably already consumed 5 of those yummy Bud Light Straw-beer-itas that taste more like kool-aid than alcohol) our guard-dog instincts of watching for rocks kind of slipped our minds.  That is when the rapids kicked in again.  At this point, my tube was facing backwards, so I couldn't see what was coming.  Therefore I was just relying on my "friends" to tell me what was ahead.

This isn't us, but this is what we looked like floating down the river...

The next thing I knew, I looked at A and I hear him say "Oh shit babe, there's nothing I can........"  That's when it went black.  I had hit a rock.  It flipped my tube and me right over like a pancake being flipped in the air.  I flew off, and got sucked under the rapids.  I remember nothing more than being under water for about 10 seconds as I tried to desperately grasp another tube, a rope, the cooler, basically anything I could to pull me up out of the freeeeezing cold water.  All the while, my body is being drug through the rapids, hitting every other rock and boulder along the way.

When I was finally able to come up (thanks to my girlfriend grabbing my arm and pulling me half-assed onto her tube) I was delirious.  I don't remember anything but all of my slightly intoxicated hammered friends just busting out laughing after they so kindly asked me if I was ok.

I finally came to and just shook my head, trying to put two and two together.  Did I hit my head? No...I don't think so.  Did I break anything?  No...I can move all of my joints, but my lower left back was throbbing like a mother.  Where did my sunglasses go?  Welp, those are a lost cause...I mean I was literally blocking out everything anyone was saying to me, except when I heard A go "Hey babe, I'm sorry I couldn't stop that boulder from nailing you in the ass, but ummmm.....you might want to tuck your left boob back in your swimsuit...."

So yeah.  not only did I make a fool out of myself by flipping off my tube, get dragged for a bit, lose my towel, my designer sunglasses and my beer, but my swimsuit top decided to pop halfway off to put my boob, in all it's dried up nursing glory, on display for everyone to see.  Let's just say, I sobered up pretty darn quick after that!

So yeah, I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life, as I really doubt any of my guy friends, that were on that trip, will be able to look at my boobs me the same!

Also, if you happen to be in Arizona, and find yourself on the salt river tubing excursion, and you come across these sunglasses, I would greatly appreciate it if you would send them my way! :)

RIP my favorite sunglasses :(

Tune in tomorrow as I finish up with part three, the final entry, (the one with all of my ootd's) of our vacay recap!

Until next time...

Vacay Recap {Part One}

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Did you miss me?  At all?  I'm sure not, but I have to admit, I did miss this little 'ol blog while I was gone!  (Obviously not enough to take time out of my vacation to pop in and say hello, though!) Ha!

Anyway, The hubs and I got back late yesterday afternoon, and like all good trips, the worst part is not only saying good bye to the relaxation and time away, but it's the laundry and unpacking that I hate the most!  Grrrr!  I wish those things would just take care of themselves!!

Yes, I know I wasn't around here on Thursday, even though we didn't leave until Friday morning, but the day came and went so fast, I didn't have time to sit down and whip up a post, so I apologize!  That day started with a shellac manicure (if you've never had one, do it. I promise you won't be disappointed!)

The perfect neutral shade of pink "I Theadore You"

and starbucks with a girlfriend in the morning, followed by lunch with another girlfriend and our kiddos after I picked M up from school.  Then it was home for nap time and my mad woman packing skills for ALL three of us!  You would have thought by the looks of our bags that we were going to be gone for a week, not just four days!

This was just for Aaron and I...Madden had two bags just for himself!

Friday morning was a typical school morning...then home to shower and finish last minute packing (makeup, straightener, blow dryer, etc.) My mom and sister picked M up right after school because he stayed with my parents for the weekend. I said my goodbyes, which get easier the older he gets as he's basically saying "peace out" Mama as I'm  trying to hug and kiss him! 

I waited for A to pick me up, then it was off to the airport! We literally pulled up to the airport 45 minutes before our scheduled flight, walked up to our airline desk, checked our bags, breezed through security in two minutes flat and were sitting and waiting for our flight within 10 minutes of getting there. The luxury of the small Omaha, Nebraska airport! 

The weather we had to "deal with" while we were down there...

We enjoyed a nice 2 1/2 hour flight, along with cocktails and some reading, and were in AZ by 2:30.

For some reason, my cocktail of choice while "mid-air" is always cranberry vodka...

We got to the villa we were staying at, changed clothes and freshened up before heading out with some friends for pizza, beer and wine. And, like any other vacay, underestimated our limits and drank a tad too much! Whoops! Lesson learned!

Saturday morning was an early one as we had a sunrise hike planned on the appropriately named mountain: Sunrise Mountain. It was gorgeous.

We made it...a 6 mile hike, but we (both) made it!

After the hike, we went back to the villa, changed into our swimsuits and met back with our friends for an all day salt river tubing trip. This entailed five and a half hours of lounging on black tubes, tied together with our friends like a barge, with a tube designated strictly to our drinks (beer and straw-beer-itas; yummy!!) all while floating down a saltwater river. Needless to say we got waaay more sun than expected, and drank waaay too much again!

This then led to the moment I will never forget. A moment that will be burned into my brain forever...

Tune in tomorrow to hear this story and part two of our trip!

Until next time...

Flashback Wednesday

Ok y'all...Do I have a treat for you!  When I was at my parent's house over Easter, my Mom wanted me to go through my old closet and get rid of anything I didn't want, by putting them in a garage sale pile, a trash pile and then a "take home with me" pile.  Please tell me I'm not the only 27 year old woman who still has things at her parent's house?  Like, seriously, my room still looks the same as it did when my parents built the house and I was a sophomore at the time, so let's just say my tastes have changed just a bit!  And that 5 disc CD player?  Um yeah, still has my fave CD's in it:  Keith Urban, Christina Aguilara, Brittany Spears and I think there might have even been a Hanson CD in the mix!

Lookin' good there Keith, Brittany and Hanson bros...Man, what was I thinking back then??

Anyway, as I was cleaning out the closet, I came across some of my old scrapbooks and yearbooks.  Now let me tell you something.  I don't care how many glasses of wine I had, those suckers didn't look good!  And to think, at the time, I thought I was too cool for school!  Haha!

I came across a picture of my high school car...it was a hand-me-down from my Mom after she upgraded to a 2000 Grand Prix.  I thought I was so cool at the time, to be a Freshman in High School, having my own car that I could take anywhere to school with my learner's permit!

A 1988 Buick Riviera.  I was hot stuff cruising down the street gravel roads with this bad boy!

I went through the phase of being an "oompah loompah" from tanning too much in high school:

Can you spot me??  I am the second one in from the right, in the back row...Classy, right?  How did I ever think being that orange was a good look?

What about the short hair, and single curl bangs escapade:

Again, I'm the second girl in from the right in the back row.  Not only was my hair amazeballs, but how about that oversized t-shirt under my jersey and mid-calf white socks??

And didn't we all go through the "duck face" phase at some point or another??

Oh yeah Jenna...that's super hot.

But one of my favorites had to have been my "raccoon eyes" stage:

I mean really?  Was I trying to be gothic or something?  I just don't get that one!

I could have probably added about one hundred more, but I will save those for another time!  It was hard enough looking at those few!  

Just wanted to share a little of my past with y'all...I hope this gave you a good laugh, because it sure did me!

Until next time...

Memorial Day Vacay Prep...

Hello lovelies!  I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but the hubs and I are taking a little trip this upcoming weekend for Memorial Day!  We are hopping on a plane on Friday and heading south to Scottsdale, Arizona for four days...sans the little guy.  I am extremely excited for our little get away, but I seriously feel like I am so far behind this week and it's only Tuesday!  I am running around like a chicken with my head chopped off, trying to get things in order for while we are gone.

Yesterday was mowing and trimming of the lawn, laundry, and cleaning.  Today is running of errands to get all the toiletries and extra "stuff" that is needed for vacations.  (All of that takes a full day in itself...but shhhhh!  I secretly love this part of vacation prep!)  Tomorrow is the start of packing.  I've already picked out a few things that I'm wearing, but I haven't fully committed to just anything yet.  You know how that goes!  I just don't quite know what I will need, depending on all that we do!  I always end up over packing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Here are a few of my options.  Which ones are your faves?  Which ones need to stay home in my closet?  I need your honest opinions!!

Then Thursday I've got a mani/pedi scheduled because heaven forbid my nails and tootsies are bare down in that tropical sun!  Followed by last minute packing and list making for my parents for when they watch M.  And, of course, packing for A.  He is like a man child when it comes to that.  Seriously, is my husband the only man who is refuses to pack his own bag?  Drives me nuts!  So, basically, I am packing for three!

Then Friday morning we are off!  I cannot wait until we step onto that plane, because then that means all I have to worry about is relaxing and working on my tan!

I don't know all of our plans yet, but I do know there will most definitely be some a lot of lounging by the pool, shopping, amazing eating,  and an early morning mountain hike on Saturday morning.  I don't know what it is about hiking, but it seriously is one of the best workouts you can do.  It works all your muscles, but at the same time, gives you some beautiful sites to take in.  I can guarantee you one thing:  I will definitely not forget to take pictures this weekend!

This is the mountain we will be hiking:  Thompson Peak...it's 6 miles up, for a total of 12 miles there and back!

We've been to Scottsdale a few times before, and we absolutely love it, but is there anything y'all would recommend we see or do there?  I am always looking for new and exciting things to try and would love your feedback if you've been to the area before!

Welp, I better get back to my "to-do" list...unfortunately it can't complete itself :(

Until next time...

Weekend Recap

Hello all.  I know it's Monday and I usually start the week off with a recap of what happened this past weekend...I add in some nice pictures to talk about what we all did, and that's that.  It makes for an easy post for me to whip up and I like doing it because I can look back on past weeks and remember every last detail of the memories we made as a family.  However, this past weekend was kind of a flop in my book.  I didn't take very many pictures, nor did we do anything exciting.  But we all have those, and if I didn't document that, it wouldn't be real life...so here goes:

Friday night was spent at home with my little man because A didn't get home from his work trip until after M was in bed.  This meant that he and I got some snuggle time in Mommy and Daddy's bed, watching movies and eating popcorn until bedtime.  Those are the moments that I just want to bottle up and always remember, because I know that they won't last forever!

Always has to lay on "Daddy's side" when in our bed :)

After M was down, and once A got home, he and I went and sat out on the deck, and had a few cocktails (me: raspberry vodka and soda and him: Summer Shandy) just to get caught up on the past week.   We were also waiting for his sister and brother-in-law and their three kiddos to come over, because they were staying with us that night.  It was a very quiet night, and we were in bed by 10!

Saturday morning I headed to the gym bright and early (around 5:30), rather than my normal Saturday morning basement routine because that's where one of our guest bedrooms is and my sis-and-bro-in-law were sleeping.  I busted out a nice long 7 mile run and lifted pretty heavy...it felt really good to change it up!

Came home to the entire "clan" in our kitchen eating breakfast and making a mess...nothing like getting me all worked up!  There is nothing worse, in my book, than rude house guests who leave things dirtier than the way they found them!  But that's a whole other story for another time!  I chose to ignore the mess and ran upstairs to shower and get ready for the day.

I did snap this pic of M building his "tower" of "reggos" when I got home...melt my heart!

We spent Saturday morning at the ballpark, watching our 9 year old nephew play baseball.  Then we headed out to a lunch of sushi with my mother and father-in-law.  Whom we spent the entire day with when they came home with us after lunch.  Needless to say, nothing got accomplished around the house like I had originally planned, so the day was pretty much shot.

I did get to enjoy a nice snack of carrots, hummus and wine while his parents were here, so that was a plus!

Saturday night was just the three of us, so I requested wings, beer and pizza for dinner.  For some reason that combo just screams summer to me, and with the temps being near 90 degrees all weekend, they just hit the spot.  All of that goodness was followed by some yummy 1/2 price sonic shakes before heading home for the night.  If you ever want a tasty treat, try the peanut butter cookie shake. oh.my.word.  It was heaven in a styrofoam cup.  Delish.

Sunday morning was church.  Now, I don't know if it's because it's my time of the month, causing my hormones to be all out of whack or what the deal was, but I was like a little crying baby all through the service!  I am usually moved by the messages, but for some reason yesterday it was as though Pastor was speaking to me.  I have never been more moved by a service and I left there feeling like a new woman, with a calming sense of peace over me.   Now, I won't go in to all the details, but all I can say is this:  Whenever times are tough, when you feel like you can't find a way out, just know this:  He is with you.  He will never leave your side.  In fact, He is holding your hand every step of the way, every single day.  Just know this.

Anyway, Sunday afternoon was spent watching for tornadoes and hail before we made a trip to Costco for our bi-weekly stock up!  Then, being the classy people we are, we all three had the $1.50 Costco Hotdog and Pepsi special for dinner.  Classy, right?  Ha!

Then last night, we had our neighbors from across the street over for drinks and snacks, before calling it a night at 9:00 last night.  A late night for us, that's for sure!!

There you have it.  Our laid back, boring weekend.  But hey, that's life sometimes and I wouldn't trade mine for anything!

Until next time...

Fact Filled Friday

It's finally Friday y'all!  This week has been absolutely gorgeous around these parts, and that makes for a very happy Mama...I don't know what it is about beautiful weather, but it just seems to put our whole house in a better mood!

Anyway, on to the good stuff...

Fact:

• I may or may not have made three trips to Wal-Mart, on three separate days, to get 45 bags of mulch for our landscaping.  Remember I told you that I do all the yard work?  Well, that includes landscaping as well...You know, if my "job" had a title, it would have so many commas in it, you would get breathless just reading it:  Jenna Schaben; Wife, Mama, Cook, Maid, Laundromat, Landscaper, Taxi Driver, etc...I could go on and on, but I won't!  It does look beautiful though, so all of my hard work and dirt caked fingernails were worth it :)
• I made my first attempt at potting flowers...let's just put it this way: I do not have a green thumb!  Who knew that plants need water annnnd sun?  Yep.  Failed on that count.  Poor suckers were looking pretty wilted after a few days of being in the shadows of our entryway...let's just hope they make a come back now that I have moved them!  But M was more than excited to help me plant them!
  
• M and I have eaten on my Mother's Day present more times than I can count this week...that said, I'm not bitter about it anymore ;)

• I have worn my pink J Crew shorts three times this week...without washing them...Please tell me I'm not the only one who has done this?  They are just so comfy, I didn't spill on them, and I saw different people each time I wore them, so it was like I was wearing them for the first time, right??  No?  I digress...

  

  Shorts: J Crew, last season; T-Shirt: J Crew; Jean Jacket: Vintage Old Navy from sophomore year of high school!

Until next time!