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

ELEVEN QUESTIONS

my blogging friend theresa has the cutest blog… she love her some outdoors and adventure with her family! secretly i think that why we are kindred spirits :) 

last week she tagged me in this eleven question post and i thought it would be fun to answer the 11 questions she tagged me and several other darling bloggers!

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

when i was little it was: a 'flower lady' -- insert definition: german florist! a ballerina, an actress. then later on, almost up until college: a news anchor like christiane amanpour or finnuala sweeney! 

2. What is your most prized possession? 

i don't like to think i am 'attached' to my things. but for college graduation i asked for a special 'class ring'. i didn't want your everyday typical class ring. so my mom designed the most special stackable rings for me. 4 rings that represent 4 years of college. one of the rings has my birthstone, one has her birthstone. i just so lucked out that our birthstones together are baylor 'green and gold'! 

3. What is the best vacation you've ever taken? Why?

every year my family takes a trip to the beach together. we spend a whole week together, in one house. it is  just as crazy as it sounds. but its the most 'funnest' week we spend together every year. there are only 10 of us and each year it is such a sweet reminder of what family is all about. 

4. What did you do last weekend?

last weekend.. friday night sp and i hosted my girl friends from college and their spouses, and now babies, for dinner on the patio! saturday we went to a local food and wine festival, and pat green concert! and sunday church, brunch and sunday sunday activities poolside!

5. Do you remember your dreams? 

mostly, yes. but i sleep really deep and don't have dreams every night.

6. If there was a movie made about your life, what actor would you want to play you?

 it's a tie between sandra bullock and julia roberts!

7. Where is your favorite place to travel to?

italy. the lifestyle, the food, the people. i day-dream about it a lot!

8. What is the best dish you make? (bonus: add a link to the recipe)

i love to cook! especially italian food - it's my comfort food! 

my go-to, from scratch, could always have more of, is spaghetti and meat sauce!

recipe: on the blog.

9. What is your favorite room in your home? Why?

this is a tough one. i love all of the 'things' i have collected over the years in each of the rooms. but maybe my bedroom is my favorite. white sheets (always), long- flowy curtains, one of my favorite junk finds: old, peely and loved for many years, wooden mantel.

10. If you could have lunch with a famous person, who would it be?

seeing as i would love sandra or julia to play me.. i would love to sit down to lunch with these lovely ladies!

11. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card if you never had to pay it off?

so many options! i'm thinking maybe anthropologie!!

. . . 

the rules say I need to tag eleven other bloggers to play along with a new set of questions. so I'm tagging: 

brittani : laura : ashley : mallorie : ali : harley & jane : laura : lauren : chelsea : caley : tara

and my eleven questions to you fabulous ladies are:

1. what or who inspires your most?

2. what is a personal accomplishment you are most proud of?

3. do you have summer travel plans?

4. what is one thing you must enjoy about blogging (your blog)?

5. what is your go-to comfort meal to cook?! (add link to recipe!)

6. mountains or beach vacation?

7. what is your favorite room (space) in your house and why?

8. what book are you currently reading?

9. how did you celebrate your last birthday?

10. what is on your bedside table?

11. what are you most grateful for today/this week?

HIM & HER | MAY 2014

him: showers at night

her: showers at night or immediately after yoga

him: Christmas

her: Christmas

him: left side of the bed

her: right side of the bed

him: strawberries

her: pineapple

him: fall/ autumn 

her: spring

him: romans 8:28

her:  ephesians 2:10

him: football

her: college football 

his: beach

her: beach

him: isle seat

her: window seat

him: medium (steak)

her: medium (steak)

this cute idea comes from the darling blog: harley & jane!

pictures are from my sisters wedding weekend!

wedding details and pictures to follow as soon as they come back from the photographer!

HIM & HER | APRIL 2014

him: she cuts his hair once a month

her: cut and color once every few months

him: art&marys jalapeño chips

her: apples and peanut butter

him: fight: winning the battles that matter most

her: the gifts of imperfections 

him: economics

her: marketing

him: oklahoma

her: texas

him: eastbound and down

her: suits 

him: gets up after first alarm

her: likes to hit snooze a few times

his: love language :  words of affirmation 

her: love language : quality time

him: ace venture | when nature calls

her: french kiss

him: boxers

her: nighty 

this cute idea comes from the darling blog: harley & jane!

happy april fools day :)

HIM & HER | MARCH 2014

him: 65 to sleep

her: 62 to sleep

him: whiskey and coke zero

her: hand-made margaritass

him: facebook

her: instagram

him: steak
her: loaded salad

him: resistance
her: yoga

him: ram 1500
her: jeep laredo

him: full time
her: part time

him: one pillow
her: two pillows

him: 5'6
her: 5'4

him: youngest of three
her: oldest of two

how is it already friday?! this week flew by- hence the lack of blog post this week, it still only feels like wednesday in my head. TGIF for sure- but it still doesn't feel like it!

i saw this idea over on my friend theresa's blog last week and thought it was such a cute idea and a fun way to get SP involved on the blog a little more!  plan is to do this once a month.... but if thats too generous, than maybe once every few months:) 

this cute idea comes from the darling blog: harley & jane

*this picture is from our snowboard trip last week!

THE JOSHUA CODE | WEEK 9

first, can we talk about how amazing the ladies were last week for sharing their faith here on the blog?!

a huge THANK YOU to amanda, brittany and brittani for opening up and sharing from the heart !

these lovely ladies are amazing women of God who fear Him, and run after Him zealously. 

if you missed their posts ON FAITH, treat yourself to amanda's, brittany's and brittani's posts now!

we are on week 9 of the JOSHUA CODE - but if you want to catch up on the first few verses you can do so by going back a few weeks in the blog and looking for the same image as above! 

take it one verse at a time, or feel free to just pick it up with us this week!

Here is last weeks and this weeks verses:

w e e k -  n i n e 

"Do not be drunk with wine, 

in which is dissipation;

but be filled with the spirit."

e p h e s i a n s  5 : 1 8

. . . 

THERE IS INWARD EVIDENCE :  'singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.' (Ephesians 5:19)

THERE IS UPWARD EVIDENCE :  'giving thanks always for all things to God.' (Ephesians 5:20)

THERE IS OUTWARD EVIDENCE : 'submitting to one another in the fear of God' (Ephesians 5:21)

. . .

'As you memorize this verse this week, meditate on how much God longs to reign as Lord on the throne of your heart, to fill you with HIs own fullness, and to empower you to overcome and live and life of blessings. After all, if it is great to get a blessing, it is even better to be a blessing. Confess your sins afresh and anew to Him. Crown Him the Lord of your life. Remove yourself from the throne of your own heart and welcome Him there. Then claim God's fullness by faith. '

(The Joshua Code, pg. 58).

i love what Hawkins says in the introduction of this book talking about the 'Joshua Code':

'The Joshua Code  is a challenge to keep God's Word in our mouths through memorization and to keep it in our hearts through meditation "day and night"'. 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,  that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" 

 j o s h u a  1 : 8 

I pray that you continue to come back to the blog for the weekly verses as we learn and memorize scripture verses together and grow in faith and love together!

Do you want a copy of your own JOSHUA CODE to read along and go more in depth every week? Get your copy HERE!

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

THE JOSHUA CODE | WEEK 8

we are on week 8 of the JOSHUA CODE - but if you want to catch up on the first few verses you can do so here, here and here and last weeks two catch-up verses here and week 7 is here.  

take it one verse at a time, or feel free to just pick it up with us this week!

>> important information: READ THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS POST :: EXCITING NEWS!!! <<

Here is last weeks and this weeks verses:

w e e k -  e i g h t

"Ask, and it will be given to you;

Seek, and you will find; 

Knock, and it will be opened for you."

m a t t h e w   7 : 7

. . . 

THREE LEVELS OF PRAYER:

THE LEVEL OF PRESENTING A PETITION :  'Ask, and it will be given to you.'

THE LEVEL OF PRESSING A PETITION :  'Seek, and you will find.'

THE LEVEL OF PERSISTING WITH A PETITION : 'Knock, and it will be opened for you,'

. . .

'As you memorize this verse this week, meditate on these three different levels of prayer - and don't simply ask, but seek. And yes, keep on knocking. Never give up. 

We have HIs precious promises: "It will be given to you... you will find... it will be opened to you". '

(The Joshua Code, pg. 54).

i love what Hawkins says in the introduction of this book talking about the 'Joshua Code':

'The Joshua Code  is a challenge to keep God's Word in our mouths through memorization and to keep it in our hearts through meditation "day and night"'. 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,  that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" 

 j o s h u a  1 : 8 

I pray that you continue to come back to the blog for the weekly verses as we learn and memorize scripture verses together and grow in faith and love together!

Do you want a copy of your own JOSHUA CODE to read along and go more in depth every week? Get your copy HERE!

>> and now for the EXCITING NEWS! <<

I have asked three of my favorite bloggers, the very ones that originally inspired me to start sharing my faith on my blog, to guest blog here this week for you! they will be sharing their love for the Lord and why they felt lead to share their faith on their own blogs! 

I am so very thankful these lovely ladies agreed to be a guest on my blog this week - but sure to show them a little love!!

GIFT GUIDE: FOR HIM

letherman wingman and sleeve || kenneth cole chukka boots || MAKR one wallet || scotch&soda gloves

ted baker travel kit || j.crew sweater ||  mens stationary || gap boxers || j.crew belt

finding the perfect gift for the men in your life can he really hard. 

finding the perfect gift for a rancher can be even harder - there were horse blankets, hammers and 

cinch buckles on my mans wish-list this year. 

but above are some of my favorite finds for the men on your list this year- with plenty of time to check off the list. there are still a few days left to order online and have the boxes arrive in time for christmas!

or if you dont trust some of the delivery times, nordstrom for example will let you order online and then email you when its ready for pick-up in a store close to you. genius!

oh and i am so excited to be one of the featured bloggers on happy is a choice this morning!! 

head over to visit brittany's blog- theres a starbucks giveaway to win as well!!

FALL FAVORITES GIVEAWAY

you guys... i am so exited to team up with some amazing bloggers and offer this fun 

'fall favorites giveaway'! 

the beautiful karissa of kasrissa&company and brittany of happy is a choice teamed up and came up with some of their fall favorites and now YOU can enter for a chance to win ALL of the goodies!

follow the instructions below - who doesn't love meeting new friends and finding new blogs?! 

the winner will be announced next friday. 

                                                Karissa & Company                  Happy is a Choice

                                  Life Style Love               The Florkens                Always a Blogsmaid

            Life of the Lane                   Karly Kim           Marvelous Flight of Cara        Everyday with S&J

$10 Starbucks Gift Card | Kenya Starbucks Coffee | Cable Knit Sweater Mug | Journal          

             Essie 'The Lace is On' | Pumpkin Carving Candle | Elf Lip Gloss Set

One winner will take home all seven prizes. Giveaway will end next Friday. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CASHMERE & CAMO

yall, i am so excited slash super nervous about todays post and pictures!

an outfit post? on my blog?

i guess there's a first time for everything!

to give you a little back story.... i came across the cashmere & camo blog a few years back and have been hooked ever since. the writer behind the blog, brandy, shares a love for all things outdoors, hunting and can i get an amen: c a m o !

recently brandy opened her very own and very amazing cashmere & camo s t o r e !

she caries some super cute pieces (and very affordable!), one of which i have obviously been drooling over since day one. this beautiful 'camo for brunch' sweatshirt that even has pockets. i mean, does it get any better?!

on tuesday i checked the mail and was so surprised to find the above cute package in my mailbox.... and as soon as i snapped a few pics and unwrapped it, i changed out of what i was wearing and wore this sweatshirt for the next two days. to everything!

now for the outfit pictures... 

bare with me. my self-timer on my nikon took these for me. 

i'm not loving the pics, but i do LOVE this sweatshirt!

if you follow me on instagram, you will probably see my in this sweatshirt a lot over the next few months! 

brandy, you know me well - this sweatshirt is my new favorite item in my closet!

thank you, thank you, thank you!!

s w e a t s h i r t || cashmere&camo

j e a n s || quicksilver, similar here and here 

b o o t s || frye boots

brandy has guest blogged on life of the lane to share her holiday decorating spirit and style and i have guest blogged on cashmere & camo to share my diy antler project.