'An All Things Lovely Blog'
Ugh, Mondays. Right?? Thought I’d share a little funny with you. Hope this makes you smile and sets you up for a happy week! 😉
Whenever I laugh here lately, whether it’s at the TV, something someone said, etc, and Klara hears me she starts laughing. So now it’s a game. I fake laugh, she fake laughs, which causes me to really laugh. Hours of entertainment! 😉
Hey there friends! Happy Friday! In case you missed it I shared my progress on my 20 wishes list and Kayli shared her progress this last week. We also shared the link up as well as a GIVEAWAY for those of you that want to write and share your 20 wishes with us. I also reviewed the items I received in the #JAdoreVoxBox from Influenster.
Here are the features from Fancy This #168!!!
First up, I adore this Baby Boy’s Nursery that Valerie of The Caldwell Project shared with us. So cohesive and so cute!!!
Next Kay of Love Food, Will Share’s recipe for Cinnamon Fudge Cake sounds so decadent and delicious!!!
And finally, this Coral Chair Makeover from Christina at She Re-Purposed It turned out so good! The color is perfect and so pretty!
Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you three mentioned above! Hope you’ll grab one and share it over at our own blogs! 😉 Don’t forget each of these features gets pinned to our !! Check it out for past features and some fun ideas!!
Now onto this week’s party!!!
Thanks for linking with us lovelies!!! Hope you have a safe and fun weekend!!!
March already! Here’s my progress.
My February updates are in pink.
My March updates are in green.
We hope you’ll join in by linking up your own list of wishes.
1. Buy a pair of TOMS.
2. Take a cake decorating or chocolatier class. Or both.
3. Get a pink or purple streak in my hair.
4. Go to Julienne Jewelery.
5. Reread Harry Potter.
6. Donate Blood.
I did it! Our campus was doing a blood drive last week and I walked by the bus a million times before I talked myself into it. It was a super cool experience though. The people on the sidewalk cheered for me when I told them I wanted to donate, and then the people on the bus were INCREDIBLY nice. They were playing good music, I got to just sit and hang out, it was pretty painless, and then they gave me a Gatorade, a bag of chips, and a t-shirt. One of my best friends, Sonia, met me outside of the bus with a muffin. I felt like a champ all day. haha
7. Switch my phone to Spanish for a full week.
8. Pay for a stranger’s order in the drive-thru.
9. Try archery.
10. Paint something. Anything!
11. Upgrade my phone.
12. Go out frequently with the girls, specifically to a Karaoke night at some point.
Doing good! No karaoke yet but we’ve done dinner a couple of times so we’re getting somewhere! 
13. UPDATE: Go to General Conference in Salt Lake City. (I kind of like where I live. You can see the wish I replaced here.)
14. Read The Complete Sherlock Holmes.
Started this! Hopefully I’ll finish it by summer!
15. Go to Graham’s.
16. Do the Color Run Kaleidoscope Tour.
Did this! We went in January and it was a blast! (As always)
Katie left, Me right
We party hard.
17. Set up and go on at least one double date. They’re so fun!
I went on a double earlier this month and it was awesome. Seriously though. But I’ll leave this uncrossed for now.
18. Start a letter album for Klara.
19. Finish my quilt top.
20. Learn how to play Poker.
So far so good!!! I hope your first month was full of progress, and if not, you still have a bit. (:
xoxo,
It’s time for our March Twenty Wishes Progress Link up!!! First, if you haven’t written your list of 20 wishes yet and would like to join us, we would love to have you! Simply write your list and link it up here at the bottom of the post in the link up. For those of you that have been working on your wishes it’s time to report on your progress. You can see my progress here and Kayli’s here.
In the meantime here’s a button to add to your side bar to remind you to come back and link monthly, and to serve as a little encouragement to work on marking off your wishes!!
Just as a little reminder, the link up will be the last Wednesday of every month. Each month one or two of our ten hostesses will offer a little something as a giveaway for those that link with us. Your 2014 hostesses are…
If you are unfamiliar with our Twenty Wishes Project here on Truly Lovely we want to invite you to peruse the prior link for the what and the why and then join us by writing up your 20 wishes list and coming back here on Wednesday, March 26th (i.e. TOMORROW!) to link it up with us! For those of you already in on the fun, it’s time to share your progress for March 2014!!!
Updates for March are in blue. Updates for January and February are written in red.
1. Visit Disneyland with my little family.
Reservations have been made! We’re going to go with my husband’s family this coming summer! We’re nearly to the single digits for weeks until we head out for our vacation! 😉
2. Paint my master bedroom.
3. Plant an upside down Mulberry tree somewhere at my house.
4. Visit Build a Bear and build a bear for Klara.
In January we made a visit to Build a Bear at the Chandler Mall. We had the best time picking out a little cowgirl bear for my Klara. You can read all about our visit here.
5. Send a handwritten letter, note or card to someone via snail mail once a month.
I sent a handwritten card and printed a few photographs to my grandpa for his birthday in March, when I called to wish him Happy Birthday he said he’d received the card and was happy to see I’d sent pictures of Klara too. 😉
So far I sent two handwritten birthday cards in January and a handwritten Valentine card in February.
6. Save for and buy myself a tablet of some kind. Maybe an iPad or a Surface. I’ve always wanted one… 😉 I happened to mention to my husband that I wanted to save up for a tablet. I decided I wanted a Surface because they’re more like a little laptop and I thought that would be better for blogging. The morning of Valentine’s Day when I went in to turn on my work computer, I found a brand new Surface and a Valentine note from Nate sitting in my desk chair. Yep, I married a keeper!!! Any Surface users out there? What are your favorite apps, etc?
7. Complete my reading goal of 55 books in 2014.
8. Host and/or participate in a Google + Hangout with some bloggie friends.
9. Have the carpet in my house professionally cleaned. I know this sounds like an ought to do versus a want, but I ought to clean the carpets myself… I WANT to have someone else do it!! haha
10. Make over my guest bathroom.
This is a work in progress. I already ordered a new shower curtain and floor rugs. When Kayli is here over her spring break she has promised to help me paint!
11. Take Klara to The Color Run for her “second” time. Technically last year she was just riding in mommy’s tummy. This year I plan to take her in her stroller! We did our second color run in Tempe, AZ back in January!! It was a blast just like last year and Klara did so well! You can read all about it here.
12. Get a front screen door for my house.
13. Get together monthly with at least one friend. Dinner, shopping trip, lunch, etc.
This month Kayli and I went shopping here in town for some new TOMS shoes when the ones I ordered didn’t fit… FYI, be careful ordering TOMS online. The sizing can be really weird!!!
In January my sister, sisters in law and I went to Tempe for The Color Run, we went out to the mall the night before, had dinner and did some shopping, so I’m counting that. 😉 February we went with the entire family to the steakhouse in town for my sister in law’s birthday. We took Klara with us and she got to have her first apple sauce and ‘meal’ in a restaurant. 😉
14. Visit here in Safford. I’ve wanted to go since they opened, but haven’t ever made it since it’s across town!
15. Figure out a system for organizing and saving the baby clothes and items that Klara has outgrown.
16. Get tickets for and attend the 2014 National Finals Rodeo.
17. Build a container garden of some sort for my backyard.
18. Pay off my credit card. I’m SO close!!! I’m sure I can have it all paid off by the end of this year.
19. Take a photography class or workshop. At the beginning of March Kayli and I attending a photography workshop held at the local college by Impact Photography Group. They are a husband and wife team that is well known and highly popular in our area. We both learned a ton of good information and can’t wait to attend the next one they host. Here’s a photo of my sister in law and new nephew that I took the afternoon of the workshop putting to use some of the new things I learned while attending. It’s straight out of my camera, no editing involved other than adding my watermark. Yep, so worth it! If you’re interested in seeing more of my photography check out my website or .
20. Throw a surprise party for someone.
Again, don’t forget to get your list written and come back here on Wednesday (March 26th) to link it up with us!!! Past… There’s a giveaway if you share your 20 wishes list and/or progress so far!!! 😉
Valentine’s Day is long gone, but the goodies that I received to try out in the #JAdoreVoxBox from Influenster are perfect for you and your sweetheart any day of the year! I made a using the products I received as inspiration for a little date night out with your honey and here are a few of my thoughts on each of the goodies in the Vox Box.
First up, I don’t know a single person that doesn’t like Hershey’s Kisses… I’m sure they’re out there, but I just don’t know them… haha. I love that they wrap the kisses up for different holidays. Makes things feel more festive! I put most of the Family Sized bag of kisses in a serving tray on my kitchen counter… They’re almost all gone. And that was a HUGE bag. 😉
Next, I received a few samples of Creme Caramel Red Rose Tea and a sample of Lemon Chiffon tea. I LOVED the Creme Caramel. SO much so that I used all of the samples within a week and had to go online and order some more. I also ordered a box of the Cinnamon Streusel tea which is decaffeinated. The only drawback to this delicious cup of tea is that they don’t sell it anywhere in AZ or NM… So ordering online is a must do. But it arrived quickly and I enjoy a cup every morning.
The Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask was interesting. I rarely use any type of mask and hadn’t used any in years. But this one was easy to apply, dried quickly and forced me to sit and actually relax for the ten minutes required for it to set. Which, come on, every momma needs an excuse just to relax for a few minutes! Afterwards it was easy to wipe off and made my face feel soft. I would think with weekly use it could really make a difference in the way my skin feels. The only drawback to the mask… ? It freaked out my 8 month old daughter when she saw mommy’s face covered in green… haha. But after she realized it was me and I was ok she was fine.
The JAdore Vox Box also included some Vaseline Men’s Spray Lotion. I tried it out myself and realized why it says MEN’s on the side… It has a men’s cologne scent to it. The scent actually smells really good, it’s just not what I would like to wear myself. 😉 My husband also tried it out and liked the scent as well as how easy it was for him to apply. I shot a short video of him applying it on his dry arms after a long day in the sun. You can see that here.
One of my favorite goodies was the John Frieda Frizz 3-Day Straight Flat Iron Spray. I wear my long hair straightened almost every day, so it was perfect for me. And as a mommy getting three days of wear out of one time doing my hair… ? Yes please!!! The spray itself smelled nice and left my hair feeling soft and shiny. It also helped tame those little frizzies you get when you wear your hair down and straight all day long.
Last but not least is the Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes. So, here’s the thing. I am a stay at home, work from home momma. I haven’t done a single thing in the last two weeks or so to warrant wearing pretty fake eyelashes. Instead of wasting them on a day when I was just going to stay at home I decided to wait until this coming weekend when I get to get out of the house and go to a concert with the husband! 😉 I’ll let you know after the fact how they turned out!
Your turn: Do you use any of the products that were featured in the Inluenster #JAdoreVoxBox? What’s your favorite??
Happy Friday! So sorry I’m late getting the party up today… If you happened to notice. 😉 Life just has me running around like a crazy person these days!!!
So in case you missed it I introduced you to my new baby nephew this week.
Now onto the features from Fancy This 167! First though, can I just say we had 105 links last week! I’m pretty sure that’s our largest party to date! So thanks for linking with us and we hope you’ll join us every week!
First up in our features from last week Robin from Mom Foodie at blommi.com shared a recipe for the cutest Easter treat, Peeps Pudding Cups!
Next, everyone knows better blog photos make for a better looking blog, so Alice Emma of Mums Make Lists has compiled a list of 28 photography tips for better blog photos. Of course, these tips can be applied to better photography in general.
And finally, we purchased a flat screen over Christmas and thought about mounting it on the wall. We ended up just setting it on a stand, but these tips for Hiding Cords for a Wall Mount TV from Andrea of Decorating Cents would have come in handy!
Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you three mentioned above! Hope you’ll grab one and share it over at our own blogs! 😉 Don’t forget each of these features gets pinned to our !! Check it out for past features and some fun ideas!!
Now onto this week’s party!!!
Thanks for linking with us lovelies!!! Hope you have a safe and fun weekend!!!
Did that title catch your attention? 😉 No worries, Klara is still an only child for the time being, BUT she does have a brand new baby cousin! The first week of March my brother, Brent, and sister in law, Jessie, had their first child… a sweet little cowboy they named Grady. Things just happened to work out where my dad was at my house so Klara and I took him to the hospital, in another town a few hours away, to meet his new grandson. My mom was already there.
After HOURS, literally, of waiting…
Papa (my dad) and Klara were getting impatient…
We finally got to meet the newest member of our family! Being able to see my brother’s face when he came out to announce that his baby boy had arrived was worth all the waiting and then some!
Jessie and Brent did a good job! Mister Grady is the cutest!!!
Klara was too cute! She leaned over to check him out and started waving. They will grow up almost exactly 8 months apart. I’m so excited to watch the relationship between them develop and grow. My mom can’t wait to have two grandkids so close in age to visit and entertain.
Nana and Papa with their two youngest grandchildren
Little mister Grady is blessed to have loving family on both sides. (Shown above with his other grandma.)
It’s an amazing thing to watch your little brother become a daddy. When everyone around you, including yourself, has grown up, gotten married, started a family… it’s incredible how life changes. For the better of course.
Happy Friday!! SO I was busy this week editing photos and working on my photography business so the posts here were nonexistent… Sorry about that friends. But if you want, here’s my photography website: Kassi Mortensen Photography. Or you can check out my to see what I’ve been up to lately and what’s been keeping me from Truly Lovely. 😉
That said, we’ll just jump right into the features from Fancy This 166!
First up, Leslie of Lamberts Lately shared her FREE Ultimate Blog Planning Notebook. Wish I had this back when I started blogging! Just click over to print each page and make your own notebook.
Next, I love the transition from the before to the after of this Family Room Makeover from Bonnie at Our Secondhand House. Beautiful room! And ADORE the names in tiles on the wall!!!
And finally, Easter is next month!!! How about a cute Burlap Bunny for your wall! Love this one from Mellisa at The Life of a Craft Crazed Mom.
Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you three mentioned above! Hope you’ll grab one and share it over at our own blogs! 😉 Don’t forget each of these features gets pinned to our !! Check it out for past features and some fun ideas!!
Now onto this week’s party!!!
Thanks for linking with us lovelies!!! Hope you have a safe and fun weekend!!!
Well Friday is here!!! How was your week? I shared a post about a mama’s love for her kiddo if you missed it. We also still have the $20 Target gift card giveaway going on!
Here are the features from Fancy This 165!
First up, Kimberly of Lou Lou Girls shared a mouth watering recipe for Rolo Cupcakes. I love the Rolo candies… this is right up my alley! 😉
Next I adore this Red Dresser Makeover from Sarah at Purple Patch DIY. The color is perfect!
And last but not least did you know Duct Tape makes a FABRIC tape!?! Sweet right! Check out this Shoe Makeover using Duck Fabric Tape from Cheryl and Sew Can Do.
Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you three mentioned above! Hope you’ll grab one and share it over at our own blogs! 😉
Don’t forget each of these features gets pinned to our !! Check it out for past features and some fun ideas!!
Now onto this week’s party!!!
Thanks for linking with us lovelies!!!
Hope you have a safe and fun weekend!!!
