PETS WHO PARTY

real talk: i have some super talented friends!

caroline and ellie being two of them. 

they came up with this brilliant idea  : PETS WHO PARTY. 

what: they create a personalized watercolor portrait of your pet(s) having a good time! cracking open a cold one, smoking a stogie, wearing a party hat and enjoying a birthday cake-  or however you think your pet would live it up!

how: pick your portrait size. send a picture of your precious pet and then let them know how your pet likes to party!

its genius, truly. hats off to these two sisters to come up with this darling idea and run with it!

i guess thats what you get when you have amazing talent in the family :)

if your looking for a great birthday gift, anniversary gift, or go ahead and knock your christmas shopping out - these girls will not let you down!! 

for more information visit Pets Who Party or email them: petswhoparty@gmail.com

images via: petswhoparty.com

SHIDLER, AMERICA

Y'all. You heard me right, I'm bustin' out the 'y'all' today for this post. 

It's necessary. 

Last week while at the ranch, we met up with SP's best friend and his wife, the very same darling couple we hit the slopes with this year. 

On our way to dinner, I pointed out that there was a 'sign' for a bar in the small town we passed through leaving the ranch. In Shidler, America there is a new 'bar' - marked by a pallet with purple spray paint: 

R E D N E C K S   &   R H I N E S T O N E S

So while at dinner, we decided we would give the ol' bar a try. 

Y'all: with us there were a total of 10 people in the bar. 

Including the owner, who brings his two dogs into the bar with him. 

There was a Jukebox - a pricey one at that, $0.50 per song!

And $2.50 cold beers- the only drink of choice. 

Two pool tables, $0.75 per game. 

And of course smoking allowed.

Here is a little peak into the bar.. I know, it looks so crowded, right?!

SP and I ran the table a few times- yeah, we're good like that!

The owners sweet yellow lab : guarding the bar.

But really just taking any of the 'lovins' he can get!

So, y'all, as you can tell Shilder, America is hoppin' and packin in the crowds on a Friday night. 

Not sure we will be back, but sure can say we had a large time!

BRECKENRIDGE

if you follow me on instagram then you probably saw a few of these pictures a few weeks ago. 

every year, sp and i take a ski (snowboard) trip to the mountains, and this was the second year in a row we went with two great friends! sp's best friend and his wife- mr and mrs coe. 

love em!

when i started going through  pictures from the week i realized there were too many favorites to choose from, so i apologize for the picture overload - but i couldn't help myself - they all make me smile!

    

 

we are clearly total cheese-balls at times... selfie-kiss-pic is the new thing, right?!

we try to take a double handstand pic every year we go. this year we decided it would be a good idea to try this at the top of the mountain.. lets just say its super hard at 12,840 elevation to nail a handstand... clearly!

i love that we have this tradition with good friends!

already looking forward to next year- maybe invite a few more friends and make it a fun week of friends, snow, drinks, fun and games!

ON FAITH | LINEN AND LACE

last but defiantly not least of this weeks guest posting on faith... 

is the sweet and loving mama Brittani!

although i can't remember how brittani and my blogging paths crossed, she has become a dear blogging-buddy, wonderful supporter and just all around inspirational mama!

. . . . . . . . . . 

Hi to all of you readers! I'm Brittani and blog over at linen and lace. 

I'm so excited to be able to share my thoughts with you today on this sweet blog.

I began blogging about a year ago with the intentions of taking perfect pictures, having all sorts of DIY projects, to -die-for desserts and launching my small business and Etsy shop. 

Well, some of those things are still true today,

 but

why I blog has changed.

I blog because it makes me stop and look at the world around me for just a minute or two. 

It has taught me to appreciate all of the goodness of this life.

With the goodness of this life came a deeper appreciation for my family, my boys and a way to put my soul out there for whoever chooses to see.

Happy or boring, beautiful or funny. 

I blog to be raw, real and to hopefully inspire someone along the way.

When I think about why  I choose to blog about my faith it stumps me.

Why wouldn't I?

I don't think I ever made a conscious decision to declare my love for Him or to shout it from the rooftops. 

This is my space to share my heart

and He is my heart.

He has blessed me with more than I could begin to think I deserve.

How could I leave him out? 

I don't have a perfect life, my blog isn't bursting at the seams with followers or comments, but it's my little story to share with you.

I feel that the Lord has led me to {hopefully} inspire you in your own life. To get excited about the things present and also to come for you and your family.

Our God is so good, how can we not sing his praises?

And who do I think I am to not listen when he says "speak"

I hope that you feel empowered, excited and ready to embrace whatever season of life that you are in.

 It is only for a season.

 It will pass and the time will slip away. 

All that will be left is the memories and the glory that you give Him.

Shout it out, lift it up and see the beauty of all that He has given us.

Love to you, my friends!

. . . . . . . . . . 

be sure to stop by and show brittani some love!

and you don't want to miss out on her darling etsy shop : linen and lace ! 


thank you to the three lovely ladies and women of God who agreed to guest post here this week, but more importantly, thank you to each of them for sharing their faith and writing from the heat- we need more women like Amanda, Brittany and Brittani to utilize the space in the blogging world to spread the GOOD NEWS and God's love for each of us!!!

ON FAITH | HAPPY IS A CHOICE

it's wednesday - you've made it half why through the week!

continuing with another great guest post on faith....

today the darling newlywed Brittany is taking over the blog! 

i have been following 'happy is a choice' since before her engagement and wedding to her amazing husband and man of God! her words of wisdom on 'praying for your boyfriend' is what got me hooked!

. . . . . . . . . . 

Hello Life of the Lane Fans! Our gorgeous girl TheLane is enjoying a couples getaway and she invited me to keep her blog, and you company this week.

My name is Brittany and I blog over at Happy Is A Choice. My blog is a lifestyle blog where you will read about my life as a newlywed, running,  my faith, and everything in between. I am a follower of Jesus and my one true goal and intent to my blog is to glorify Him in everything I write.

Sharing my faith on my blog is scary at times. I feel pressured to please everyone, to be funny and make readers laugh, and to write posts that people will like. But the one thing I’ve learned from following Christ is that we are called to be counter cultural. To live differently than the rest of the world, and shine His light in such a way people know there is something different about us.

There are a lot of people that don’t want to read about Jesus and how He’s working in my life. But I am not writing for them. I am writing solely to honor God. My words might get bypassed by 99% of readers, but if they touch one person, if they give hope to someone who is hopeless or remind one person how desperately loved they are, then I will continue writing what God writes on my heart. He works in the craziest, most magnificent of ways and I feel like I can use my space, my audience, my corner on the intent to speak truth and life and freedom into the lives of women.

Sharing our faith doesn’t have to mean a long explanation of what the bible says about a certain subject, or taking on a hot button issue, or sharing your testimony. It CAN be all of those things, but instead, when you make God the center of your life and allow Him in to the smallest moments of your day, you will find Him woven through your everyday posts in a beautiful way.

You can find Him in the beauty of nature on a walk with a friend, you can notice His provision and perfect timing when you get that new job or promotion. He is with you in those hard conversations with loved ones, and is the calm to your anxious and stormy heart.

You see, God isn’t in a box that we pick up for thirty minutes a day when we read our bible, and he’s not in the once a week blog post where I write about my “faith.” God is in every minute of every day, and I can’t help but talk about Him in my blog posts because I blog about this beautiful life He has blessed me with. Whether or not I write about faith as a topic, or mention His name, my one goal is to glorify Him. Every day before I hit publish, I ask myself if I am bringing honor to Him or not. And sometimes, it takes me stepping away and getting some perspective about whether or not I need to be posting that specific post on the internet, influencing and touching the lives of my readers.


Blog || Twitter || Instagram || Facebook

ON FAITH | THE LADY OKIE

good morning sweet readers!

as promised, this week the blog is full of a few of my favorite bloggers to have taken to sharing their faith on their own blogs- and have inspired me to do the same!

today my sweet friend amanda is taking over the blog and I know you will just adore her. 

i have been following 'the lady okie' for probably almost two years now and i keep going back for more! amanda is an avid runner (wish i had the desire to run like this chick does!) 

but also an avid Christ lover!

. . . . . . . . . . 

'It is not easy for me to share about my faith on my blog. I wonder if people will think I’m foolish. I worry they will stop following me or leave me a rude comment. I don’t blog about faith a lot, but it is very important to me that people who come to my blog know that I am a Christian.

One of my goals for 2014 was to spend more time in daily intentional prayer. (You can read about my index card system here.) I pray for my husband, my friends, and my family, and recently I was also convicted about praying for the people who visit my blog.

I know there are people who read my blog who aren't a Christian, and I forget sometimes that I have a unique opportunity to be a witness through my words to people across the country and even around the world. When I get scared to publish a post about my faith, I pray for peace and tell myself that it doesn't matter whether or not someone unfollows my blog or leaves a mean comment. I need to speak boldly and be like Paul, who says in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel." So I pray for those who read my blog, and I pray that they will be encouraged and that they will see Christ through my words.

If you're interested in reading a few of my favorite posts that I've written on faith, I direct you here and here.' 

. . . . . . . 

ok ladies, head over to Amanda's blog, time to be inspired!

thank you sweet girl for being my guest blogger today- it's such an honor to have you:)

xo

BACHELORETTE WEEKEND | THE LADIES

thanks for following along this week with all things #bachelorette weekend for my sister!

it has been so fun to share all the details with you lovely little readers.

here's a quick recap: the invitations || the details || oh shit kit + glitter 

and now for a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend with the leading lady and her lovely bridesmaids who made everything so memorable and made the bride smile all weekend long!

me and my sis, the bride! 

and the BRIDE discovering her 'groom-to-be' sent up a few chilled bottles to toast to the weekend!

after a lovely brunch with $2 mimosas!

beautiful ladies in matching shirts!

all did up and ready to take on the town!

thanks for hosting us PALOMAR dallas- so many highlights that were included in our stay!

we will be back:)

 

this is probably my favorite picture of the weekend!

the BRIDE, all dressed up, living in the moment and dancing the night away!!

we went out for drinks at SYMTH. everyone got a specialized drink and a personalized picture ;)

secret location, secret-never to be recreated drinks - oh what a night!

#laneletsloose

thanks to all of her 'maids' for making a memorable weekend happen!

so excited to celebrate THE DAY with my sister and all of her favorite people in just a few weeks!

BACHELORETTE PARTY | THE DETAILS

its all about my sister bachelorette party on the blog this week!

yesterday i shared with you the perfect invitations that set the mood for the whole weekend. today i am sharing with you a look into some of the details that shaped this party into a perfectly girly pink and gold wonderland!

we framed the invitations and placed them on the front entry table along with the gifts my sister made for all of her little bridesmaids!

matching shirts with BM (bridesmaid) on the front and then her hashtag for the weekend #laneletsloose across the back of the shirts. the shirts were wrapped around a personalized jewelry bag for each girl!

since i wanted to make all the girls feel special, and thank them for making the perfect weekend happen for my sister.. i had a cute gift bag for each of them with a personalized lingerie bags! 

(white with gold stitching of course!)

as for the bride- she didn't want just another hot pink and black bachelorette sash.. so i made her a very special one... vintage lace personalized with 'future mrs. richards'!

all of the personalized details are thanks to my amazing at southern belle monograms.

anything monogram, personalized she should be your go-to girl:)

 

these cups were such a hit!

i love that they combined the brides favorite quote and were a take-away for everyone at the party to remind them of all the fun, even after the weekend was over!

the cups were such a fun project to collaborate with my friend over at gunn promotionals with. 

for the lingerie shower there was no shortage of PINK and GOLD!

my mom and i made a darling felt 'pin the panties' banner.. 

my dear friend caroline's mom helped us with the oh-so delicious cake-pops! 

(this was the only 'dirty' side of the party;) !!)

we had perfect pink sofia minis for everyone chilled, a yummy cheese tray, and jd's chippery cookies!

it was so fun to see all the details come together!

i just love that everything was in-keeping with the theme and even down to the wrapping,

everything was perfectly girly and PINK and GOLD!

 p r e t t y  l i t t l e  d e t a i l s: 

{brown gift bags and leopard tissue-paper-- hobby lobby}

{gold alphabet stickers -- target} 

{invitations - LOCDesignandPaperie}

{pink shirts - target}

{sash and lingerie bags - southern belle monograms}

personalized cups - gunn promotionals}

{mini sofia champagne cans - francis ford coppola winery}

BIRTHDAY RECAP

its hard to believe that my birthday has already come and gone. why is it that days we look forward to for so long pass by so quickly?

my golden birthday was this past weekend and it was blast! full of love, loved ones, laughter and memories made!

i enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee and breakfast with my mom and sister before picking up sp from the airport later in the morning. he flew in town for a long weekend of birthday celebrations !!

we headed straight to brunch with some dear friends!

from there, sp and i decided to enjoy the beautiful weather dallas was offering that day and took a good long walk around the arboretum - it was so beautiful, countless pumpkins everywhere!

momma lane hosted the most fabulous dinner party for my 'golden birthday'!

all i asked for was family style italian dinner and champagne with my favorite people- and of course she went above and beyond! from decorations, a true italian feast and family and friends with new memories that will go down in the birthday history books!!

 

after a fun filled weekend with family and friends, sp took me out on a birthday/anniversary date at what might be my new favorite restaurant in dallas - savor. 

with the park all light up for the holidays, it was so beautiful!

the staff, the food and even the deserts were outstanding- its a must if you are in dallas any time soon. 

we capped off the weekend with a glass of bubbles, of course, at lark in the park.

cheers to a really fun birthday with loved ones and lots of laughter!!