Things for Spring

The weather in Texas has dutifully warmed up even beyond our normal temperatures this spring, making me think our summer is going to be that much hotter. But for now we're all basking in the easy-going mid- to high-60s with a few afternoons peaking at 70 degrees. Flowers are blooming and I've broken out all the kids new sandals for the year.

I wanted to go into the weekend with just a quick post highlighting some of my favorite photos of our spring thus far, like a pretty arrangement of grocery store blooms I picked up and displayed on a $3 Target tray on our kitchen island. Flowers always make me happy!

If blooms are on sale or come in a bunch, I often split them up into various arrangements and use roses or carnations or even greenery as filler to get more bang for my buck. So far, I've got lots of flowers and greenery—both real and faux—scattered throughout the house to lend a fresh air for the new season. I even saved a couple of blue-green hydrangeas and dried them out so I could continue to display them on top of my piano because they were so pretty.

Our entryway table hasn't been officially decked out for spring or Easter, but for now it's got some fresh decor with more faux greenery, framed photos and a burlap bunny all in neutral tones. I've got a DIY Easter banner to string along the wall hanging and some more cute bunnies the kids will enjoy looking at. 

Speaking of good weather, today the kids and I enjoyed a walk through our neighborhood after their naps. They loved picking up sticks, weeds flowers, acorns and other nature finds. All four do a fantastic job of staying on the sidewalk, not running too far ahead and crossing the street carefully with me. It's a great opportunity to practice basic safety habits and get a little fresh air and exercise! Plus, the crew broke in their new shoes I get from Wal-Mart each year (one of the few times I go there, I'm a Target girl all the way!). They can easily slip the shoes on themselves and the kicks are perfect to wear around the house and yard in the summer. They're plastic slip-on, clog-type shoes for less than $5 each and can be hosed off and dried with a towel for easy clean-up!

A couple weeks ago, I got a chance to spend some one-on-one time with Trystan. We went to brunch with some of my girlfriends and a few of their kiddos then did a little shopping for the afternoon. I love any exclusive time I get with my kids!

We stopped in at Anthropologie and Trystan loved their unique displays, like a collection of paint brushes suspended from the ceiling. The beautifully illustrated books caught her eye and at one point she settled onto the couch to flip through one of them. I was so smitten that she was smitten so we ended up purchasing Anne of Green Gables and I've been reading a chapter to the kids each night before bed. They really enjoy "chapter books," as they call them, and between myself and my mom they are getting to hear many of the classics read.

I've only ever owned one pair of Sperrys, so when I saw these gold-toned beauties at TJ Maxx recently I snatched them up. Much less expensive than full-price versions and very comfy for days full of walking!

On a separate round of errands, I made a few returns at Marshalls and browsed around before leaving when I found these pretty blue glasses for just $1.99 each. They are 100 percent recycled glass (which is what it says on the front) and the husband and I decided they're perfect for our new whiskey and coke glasses! We like to mix up a few, especially on the weekends when we do a DVR late night binge after the kiddos are in bed.

As spring rolls on, we look forward to more outings and little adventures with the kids and have really enjoyed watching them learn so much and so fast at school right now. Next week is spring break and we've got some bonus time to spend with grandparents and our quad buddies, but first up is a day date I'm really looking forward to with the husband tomorrow! 

The quads turn four years old at the end of May, which is so hard to believe. They are truly turning into big kids now! I've settled on a dinosaur theme for their party and already have so many fun ideas and DIY projects I hope to accomplish for the bash. The kids are excited about the dino-centric day and I've already purchased their first gift!

These four sweet babies are the best of friends and we see evidence of that every day. Just this evening, while cleaning up the dinner dishes, the husband and I heard Harrison and Trystan getting frustrated with each other in the play room. Then Harrison says in a totally calm voice, "Trystan, I love you very much, but you need to build your own lego tower!"

We never know what they're going to say! One of our favorite post-dinner laughs often comes from asking the girls to clean Harrison's face if he's thoroughly enjoyed his dinner and dessert and left evidence of it all over his mouth. The girls will each grab a baby wipe then take off giggling and chasing after Harrison who playfully screeches his protests but eventually lets them all have their turn. It's the sweetest thing! The other night they had a tickle fest and the girls are piled on top of their brother trying to get the biggest laugh out of him possible and he was the best sport, letting them poke and prod while laughing hysterically. Nothing brings the husband and I more pride and joy then seeing the unique and incredibly close bond that our children share with each other. 

It's time to pour another glass of wine and settle onto the couch with the husband and relax—the long week is officially over!

Solitary Retail Therapy

Last night, the husband and I stayed up well past midnight binge watching the first season of Madam Secretary. That show is so much better than I was even expecting it to be and we are totally hooked! A bag of popcorn and a slightly frozen Coke were the perfect TV accessories. I cracked a window in the living room to get some fresh, very cold air in so we could snuggle under extra blankets. Temps have been in the mid-30s for much of the week and promise to stay chilly over the weekend. Two days of rain have only added to the need to stay warm and comfortable, hence the giant crock pot of turkey chili I let slow cook all day yesterday for our dinner.

But before the watery weather hit and post-Christmas buzz, I got the chance to enjoy some alone time shopping when the husband offered to take over things at the house. My first stop was H&M since I'd seen some cute things through the window recently and wanted to further investigate. I snagged a bra for $7 (ahem, not pictured!), some cute flowy tops that'll be perfect with leggings and boots and an adorable set of hair bows for the girls.

A striped tunic top from JC Penney...

...and some super cute stuff for the kiddos, thanks to a thoughtful gift card given to them for Christmas. The plush princess dolls are awesome, even I think they're cute. Trystan found the pink Rapunzel one at church one Sunday and she carries it around the whole time she's there each week. Her teacher even told me how much that sweet girl loved it and was tempted to buy one for her! I had already received the gift card for the quads and knew just what I was going to be getting! I got the Cars slippers for Harrison on clearance for only $6.99, which was perfect since the girls got some super cute reindeer slippers from their cousins. The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse figurines have also been a big hit.

I pretty much can never walk by Victoria Secret without going in. I just love that store and everything in it—especially things that fit. I believe one can never have too many comfortable sweatshirts. Or turquoise.

this is the back of the same shirt, with a unique cut out - nice air flow for exercise??

I also dropped in at Carter's to use a bit of yet another awesome gift card the kids received from a dear friend. I was thrilled to find a set of tunic tops for the girls, some cute jeans and a sherpa vest for Harrison. It looks so charming over his button-up shirts! I'm excited to have still saved a good chunk of their gift card for the spring to invest in some cute warm weather pieces when Carter's starts bringing out new stuff. That store is such an addiction for me. Who knew I would love shopping for baby and toddler clothes so much!?

Last but not least, during my grocery stop at Super Target (a different one from where Trystan had her awful seizure this past Tuesday) I picked up a bottle of Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz by Boots Botanics at Target—it was recommended by a cute fellow blogger I read regularly—and a new Rimmel Natural Bronzer. Only $3.99 and I love the stuff. Kailey dropped my old one on my bathroom floor and it broke into a million pieces, so I figured I could invest in a new one at that rate.

It felt good to find some nice budget-friendly purchases and slowly sip a Starbucks iced tea while I meandered through the mall at a leisurely pace. So often these days I feel the pressure of sticking to a schedule or having at least four (little) people needing my assistance every other second, making time for myself a very treasured thing.

Happy weekend!

An Afternoon in Boston

Hi, I'm in Boston! The weath-ah here is gaw-gus and my ears perked up as soon as we arrived at our hotel and started overhearing that distinct accent.

"Welcome ta Bah-stun!"

It's a work-and-pleasure combo trip, so while the husband put in some valuable face time at his corporate office today, I've been walking my boots off all over town. I found Newbury Street where there's plenty of shops from Louis Vuitton and Valentino to Urban Outfitters and Ann Taylor Loft. I went into the latter and found some really cute stuff for 50% during a special sale they were having.

pants | top | sweater (similar style)

I headed back toward the hotel by way of a park in the middle of town and stopped to snap a few more photos. The weather here was originally supposed to entail loads of rain all weekend, but instead it's resulted in beautiful blue skies and mild temps. Today was around 72F, I think.

Just as I was about to turn onto our hotel's street, I remembered I'd spotted a TJ Maxx nearby and found some more great buys. Don't you love it when you find such wonderful things without even trying? Sometimes I think I shop better when I'm not in search of something particular. The two tops below are Michael Kors and I got them for $29 and $25, plus a bright blue bag that just looked like fun! I wanted to some more color in my wardrobe aaaannd I think that'll do it. Also snagged a cool Nautica tie for the husband, some acai berry face wipes for me and under-eye cream from Bliss (my fav spa).

Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, the husband and I each loaded a suitcase and carry-on bag into the truck and headed toward the airport in the quiet of a not-yet-completely-awake Thursday morning. My parents had spent the night and both they and the babies were still sound asleep when we made our departure, and by the time they were awake we were boarding our flight to Boston!

| bag - sold out at Target (similar) |

shirt | leopard-print flats

It turned out to a busy day since we dropped our bags at the hotel room and freshened up then headed over to the husband's company corporate office and did a meet-and-greet with everyone. It was nice to put faces with names! After that, two of the guys from the office and their lovely wives drove us all out to the Patriots vs. Jets game at Gillette Stadium and we had a blast! The Pats won in the final seconds of the game and we met some really cool people around us in the crowd, like a local fireman who has three daughters. One of them is a police officer and was working stadium security that night, and his older daughter was sitting with him. He wore a patriotic red, white and blue custom-painted fireman's hat, which he said was his original fireman's hat that he had painted after 9/11 to commemorate the tragic event and our country. He wears it to every game! 

I've been enjoying a break from miles of walking this afternoon at Starbucks with my trusty green tea, but now it's time to get ready for dinner. Both the husband and I can't wait to get some really good lobster bisque—one of our favorite soups—so we might be heading over to The Boston Chowda Co. And I am also booking tickets for a duck tour tomorrow to get a true feel for the city.

Happy weekend!

Target $1 Easter Goodies & Carter's Haul!

I know Easter is still a ways off but sometimes when you see a good thing, you've just gotta grab it. I knew I wanted to put together some simple little bags of treats for the quads to give them during the holiday and when I spotted several perfect items in Target's $1 section, I snatched up some goodies. Here's what'll go into their Easter bags:

Um, how hilarious are those stick-on mustaches!?! I figured Harrison can wear the yellow one and the girls can take the other colors. I'm also excited for them to use their carrot-shaped chalk on the chalkboard in their play room since that's a favorite new activity they enjoy. And the flower headbands will be adorable on the girls, so cute. 

We're still trying to decide where and how we'll do an Easter egg hunt for the quads this year. It'll be their first and I'm pretty exited. I always have good memories of Easter as a kid and look forward to teaching them how to hunt for eggs and collect them in their baskets! I also realized I need to stock up on a few small decorations for our house so I can put them out each year moving forward, which means a trip to Hobby Lobby is in my future. I've been pinning ideas for wreaths onto my Easter board on Pinterest and plan to come up with some simple, rustic-inspired decor ideas for our entry way. Send me any good ideas if you see some!

But back to Target, they also had a bunch of cute odds and ends for a buck so I put together this little gift bag that'll be a perfect surprise for a friend of mine in a few weeks. :)

After getting an icy pedicure with my triplet momma friend on Sunday, I stopped by Carter's to check out their clearance racks and made out with some good buys. And yes, I realize the only thing in there for Harrison are some socks! But he's pretty set with all his clothes right now, its the girls that are outgrowing shoes and pants and trying to outfit three of them requires a bit more supply. ;)

I love the new tennis shoes I got for Kailey, $7!! She just moved into size 5 shoes and those are so her style. I'm much more into the hot pinks and coral-hued pinks than baby pinks and am always exited to find stuff in those colors. Like those coral pants. How adorbs are the teeny pockets on the butt?!

What fun finds have you discovered lately? And do you decorate for Easter?