You Make Everything Glorious!

The last few weeks have been absolutely beautiful here.  I know I sound like a broken record, but after a really hot summer (hot according to Northwest Arkansas standards) I am so so thankful that God is blessing us with beautiful weather and dear dear friends to enjoy it with.

 We have been spending lots of time outside.  Lots!  After being cooped up for a lot of the summer it is wonderful to be outside!  
One of Cilla's favorite things to do lately has been having picnics!  She has loved picnics with one of her besties, Laci.  We have packed a lunch and snacks (of course) and headed to the park for the entire morning.  You just can't do that in July!

 I keep finding myself humming the David Crowder song, "Everything Glorious".  Not that I do not always feel that I serve a BIG God who does wonderful things for me and my family each and every day.  I believe, without a doubt, that God loves me beyond comprehension and blesses me far more than I deserve.  But, sometimes I feel like God gives us simple things, like beautiful weather, to remind us of how He cares about the little details in our lives, too!  And just to think that I am HIS and HE is mine.
Now that is worth singing about!

The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than its hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

My eyes are small but they have seen
the beauty of enormous things
Which leads me to believe
there's light enough to see that

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Fall is in full swing here in Northwest Arkansas and we are LOVING it!

I have a picture that is too cute not to share!

Last week, my friend, Sydney, kept Cilla while I attended a Junior League meeting.  While I was sitting in my meeting, I got a text with this picture.....

The first text read, "Future Junior Leaguers?" I busted out laughing and I am sure no one appreciated it!

Then she resent it and it read, "Princess Flint and Princess Tom!"  Which made me laugh even harder!!!  Those are their daddies and both girls look so much like their daddies!  LOVE THEM!  They are such sweet little friends!

Tis the Season

It is that time of year for us!  Football and birthdays fill our weekends!

This past weekend Nana and Poppa came to town for the Razorback game so we got some quality time with them.  We love when Nana and Poppa come into town to love on us and spoil us!

 We have also been busy celebrating our friends.

This past weekend we celebrated sweet Jillian's first birthday.  This little girl is seriously the definition of a living doll.  She is beautiful and sweet and we loved helping her celebrate!  Her party was so dainty and cute.

Her mommy thought of every little detail.  It was so cute and so personalized.  Check out Jennifer's blog for more on Jillian's party!

Cilla supervising the birthday girl while she works a puzzle. 

 Then the bigs took over opening presents!  Little Jillian was not doing it fast enough to suit them!

 How cute is Harper munching on a cookie?!?!
One thing I love about birthday parties is seeing our friends whom we don't get to see often enough.  Cilla and Harper are a lot alike, so I always love exchanging parenting stories with Kelly and just visiting with her too.

Welcome to the life of toddlers.  

Cilla and her buddy Hannah.  

Of course mine is the toddler getting into trouble.  

Cilla decided she needed to adjust the lighting. This picture makes me laugh because it shows what happens when you turn your back for 20 seconds!  

The weekend before last, we got to celebrate the birthdays of Lilly who turned 3 and Reid who turned 2.

It was a beach themed party, and oh my goodness, Sara thought of everything to make the party perfect! And it was perfect all the way down to the weather!

Sara had beach cupcakes and jumping dolphins in jello!  The banner was made from letters written in the sand and there were balloons covering the ceiling over the food.  Seriously, EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. was thought through! 

Some of the food was served in beach pails and shovels were used as serving spoons!  Genius!  Each food item was named something cute and the food labels were sea creatures made from the kids' hand prints.  Love!

As usual, Cilla didn't love all the craziness and the crowd, but she still managed to have some fun with all her little friends.

Cilla loves her friends Hannah and Stella.

The birthday boy chowing down!

And for all of you who always comment on how Cilla is always put together and looks so cute, here is proof that we live a normal life with toddler and I get tired of fighting battles, too!  It was a huge fight to get her to put on the hog dress since it is red and not pink!  Too bad the University of Arkansas colors aren't pink and purple!!!  Oh yes, and her hair...that is a whole post of it's own!  And have I mentioned that she went to this birthday party barefoot?!?!  Because she did!  Because this momma didn't have it in her to fight over shoes!  Oh, and two days before, she face planted on the concrete!  So, just like your house, we have our own battles!  

Like I said, we love when the Grands come to town.  

Look at this face!!!  Doesn't she just look spoiled and loved down to the core?!?!

I love this picture of Cilla laughing at her Poppa!  So cute!

We have been trying to soak up every ounce of this fall-like weather!

Our weekends have been full.  But they have been fun!

Tailgate Extravaganza and Gameday Gear

It is not out of the ordinary for Ole Miss fans to empty their dining rooms of their finest.  Drag it all out to The Grove.  Hire someone to setup (including the chandelier), serve , and watch the tent all day.  They party into the wee hours of the morning.  Then they take it all back home and do it again the next weekend.  Not too shabby!

But, that is not the reality for most people.

I love a good tailgate party.  And there is so much out there these days to put that special little touch on your party- no matter how big or small and no matter your budget.

This past weekend, my Razorbacks played at home away in Little Rock (figure that one out!)  So, the Harris house decided to throw a little shindig to watch and celebrate from home in Fayetteville!

I shared some of my favorite details from our party on HolyTurf.  

Click here to see more

So, I had big intentions of making one of these, but when I found one in a local store, I knew that would save me several hours!  And this one is way cuter than mine would have been!

I did, however, make this burlap banner.  Can you tell I am loving burlap?!?!

Some of you may remember this post: TV and Modeling-Fail

This time last year, my friend Randi launched a website that has all things you would need for college game day.  Here are a some of the cute "big girl" items.  But they also have super duper cute stuff for the littles.

Last year Cilla was asked to do some modeling for Passionately Rivalicious and it was a train wreck!  She was super cute in all of her Hog gear, but she was very overwhelmed and was just being a nineteen month old.

Look at this little girl.  What a difference a year makes.

Well, Passionately Rivalicious is have an awesome giveaway.  

You can win a $100 gift card to their site!!!  

Today is the last day to get in on the giveaway, so act fast!!!

Go here to HolyTurf, 

the details on how to get entered!  

Drama Queens

Today, I kept our friend Laci and I thought it would be fun to take both girls to jump at our local play zone.  

This little girl was a MESS!   

She didn't want to put her socks on to bounce.  She wanted to sit in my lap, play at the water fountains and play on the rocking horses.  She has such a mind of her own.  Sometimes I wonder why I even bother!

Laci tried to get Cilla to put her socks on and go slide with her, but Cilla just threw a fit.  

 I told you...such a MESS!!!

Other than that, it was a fun morning.  These two are two peas in a pod and I feel sorry for any teacher that has them in class together!

Mmmm, Mmmm Monday: Caramelized Onion Dip and Queso

I have been drooling over the Caramelized Onion Dip since Kelly shared it, so I decided to make it for our tailgate party over the weekend.  It was love at first taste!

Caramelized Onion Dip
2 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch-thick half-rounds. (Yielding about 3 cups of onions)
Heat the oil and the butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat (it works better to NOT use a non-stick pan). Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 40 more minutes, stirring occasionally (but not too often-the onions should start to stick to the pan) until the onions are browned and caramelized.  Add the Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes.  The onions will turn dark because of the Balsamic Vinegar.  Allow the onions to cool.Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and the mayonnaise. Whisk until smooth. Add the onions into the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine.  Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to combine.  Serve at room temperature with potato chips.  I used Kettle Chips and it was YUMMY!


I also made queso for our football party, because, well, football and queso just go together!!!  So in honor, I thought I would share my recipe.  It is super simple, but it is always popular with the crowd!

Queso
Large block of Velveeta
1 can of Chili (no beans)
1 can of Tamales
1 can of Rotel


Cut Velveeta into small pieces and put into a large microwavable bowl.  Add Chili.  Mash Tamales and add to cheese mixture.  Add Rotel.  Microwave until cheese is melted and serve with your favorite dipping chips.  I think it is exceptionally good with homemade tortilla chips.  But it is yummy with Tostitos Scoops or Fritos!

We Remember

I can't believe it has been 10 years.

Just like everyone else, I remember that morning.  I remember exactly where I was.  And I remember my world stopping that September day.

I will always remember the events that changed our world forever.  I will also never forget the lives that were lost and the brave men and women who stepped up that day and in the days thereafter.  Rather than accepting defeat, they showed we are a strong nation.  They exemplified what it means to be an American.  Because of 9/11, I have a pride for our country and appreciation for our serve people that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

"With the distance of a decade, 9/11 can feel like a part of a different era, but for the families of the men and women stolen...that day will never feel like history," 

-President George W. Bush

This boy is rubbing his dad's name from the memorial at Ground Zero.  That touches my heart so deeply.  So many innocent lives affected by such evil acts.

 These images still move me to tears.

We remember.

Hair Bow Hanger and Door Wreaths

I recently went on search for the best way to keep all of Cilla's hair bows in one place. We had bows everywhere.....until recently!

I have seen several cute ideas for hanging bows.  So this is what I came up with.

I took what looked like an old frame, but it was new at Hobby Lobby.

Stapled chicken wire, which can be found at any home improvement store, to the back.  I bought a small roll of the wire for just a couple of dollars at Lowe's.

Finally, I stapled thick ribbon to the back.  I wanted to be sure it was strong enough to hold the frame.  

The back is not pretty.  It is FULL of staples from the stable gun, but it works!
I had some questions about my Razorback door wreaths.
Basically, I just raided the Christmas section at Hobby Lobby for anything red and white or football.
The balls, footballs and the ribbon are actually Christmas decor!  That is the good things about being red and white!
The Hogs are magnets and I just used hot glue to secure them to the wreath.  You could probably find these at your team's store or your university's bookstore.  And lastly, the "Go Hogs" are just decals that I stuck to red card stock.  That is why they are a little bent.  Then I used hot glue to secure those as well.  Not the best option for being out in the weather, but they held up all last fall.  So, I have faith

And there you have it.
I want to see your wreaths!  Please share!

Princess Potty

One day my daughter will be so embarrassed about this, but I want to have some sort of record of Cilla potty training, so this seems like the perfect place.

Cilla has been wearing big girl panties since Sunday (for the most part) and she is doing quite well!  I will admit, I have been dreading the potty training stage and might add that I still dread what is ahead,.  But, she is ready and ready or not, Mommy, here we go!  She has had a few accidents, but that is going to happen.  Our biggest struggle is that she wants to wear the big girl panties, but doesn't want to get on the potty.  So......we pulled out a book that Cilla's friend Laci gave her called "Princess Potty" and it has worked like a charm.  The book is hilarious and each time we have a successful trip to the potty, a "jewel", otherwise known as a sticker, gets to be added to the princess tiara!

Viola!  Our little Princess on the potty!

 Can you believe this face?  

 A must have for little girls!

We have been taking it slow because that seems to be the best method for us.  I know everyone has their opinions about this.  We still have a little way to go, but at least we are going in the right direction!

Does anyone have any good tips?  I sure would appreciate them!

Family Ties

Saturday, Cilla and I got up early and headed to my grandparents little town for a little family get-together.

I am surprised I had not been disowned, since it had been so long since I had seen that side of my family.  Traveling with a toddler is just not as easy as it used to be.  But, I was so glad that we made the trip.  I got to see my grandpa whom I am sick I did not get a picture with.  It is always good to see family and catch up and Cilla actually met some of her distant cousins and instantly became besties with them!

Cilla and Mazy

Marleigh, Cilla and Mazy.

Cilla enjoying a the lov'in from her Aunt Vicky and Uncle William

He even got suckered into pushing her in the swing!

Cilla insited on wearing her new Razorback Team Squeaks.  I normally take the squeakers out of her shoes before she wears them, but this time I forgot.  She loved jumping around and hearing herself squeak all day long!  It was so cute!    

We didn't get to stay very long because we were hurrying back to Northwest Arkansas for the Razorback game.  It was a fun quick trip.