Girls Traveling

sponsor post | bubbly + buttercream

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

morning. afternoon. good evening.

it's wednesday (already) which means two things:

#1. it's my day off. farmer's mom is taking turtle for the day and i'm headed to the big city to do…whatever i want. (read - pick out a king mattress. mail a package. sit in my car and revel in the silence. grocery shop by myself.) oh…and i get to have dinner with my very best gals on a 70º day on the patio on one of my favorite restaurants. i've been looking forward to this since last week.

and...

#2. today is the day i feature a new, wonderful, smokin' hot gal who's taking over September FARM today!

we have jennifer here, and for not living on a farm girlfriend knows her farm living: no people. no makeup. no grocery store. it's like she grew up in our tiny town.

go jennifer go!

hello september farm readers! i'm jennifer and i blog over at bubbly and buttercream. i usually write complete randomness about baking, working out, the five billion things i try to cram into my day, or just my everyday life in the big city of dallas.

me.

dallas out my car window.

one of the things that first caught my attention on karli's blog was the fact that she lives on a farm. growing up, i always thought i'd be great at the farm life. i also thought i'd make all my own food and raise home-schooled farmer's children. obviously i read too much "little house on the prairie." my grandparents are farmers and every summer when we'd visit, i thought it was the coolest thing ever. you can see for miles. there's no traffic. plus, i look great in cowboy boots and shorts.

but the more i think about it, the more i realize i'd be terrible at it. and here's why.

i love making lists. sorry in advance.

one. you have to wake up before the sun. and pretty much go to bed with the sun because you get up so ridiculously early. i'm a morning person, but i'm not great at the whole "going to bed at a reasonable time" thing.

two. all that early to bed early to rise nonsense means dinner time is at like 5:00 or 6:00. my normal dinner time? whatever time my favorite show that night comes on. usually 8:00.

three. you can't just "run to the corner" when you forgot milk. or butter. or powdered sugar. or toilet paper. or whatever essential item you forgot at your previous three trips to kroger this week. the store is FAR. starbucks is FAR.

four. you have to know directions. there aren't nearly as many street signs out in the country. you need your north, south, east, and west. and you can't just use a post it note like i do working on plans. i'd get lost on day one. and day two. and even day eighty-three.

five. you don't see as many people on a daily basis. i think i'd like this some days, but then, when i bake cupcakes on a random tuesday, who would eat them? and what motivation would i ever have to dress cute or fix my hair?

six. dirt. mud. bugs. snakes. critters. all of the above.

so needless to say, i think i'll be sticking to my city life... but stop by and say hi sometime!

and of course, a big thank you to karli for letting me take over today!

___________________________________________

you're very very welcome, jennifer! THANK YOU for taking over my blog today and saving me from having to think of something to bore people with since i ave no new DIY's or recipes to blog about. maybe i'll get inspired next week.

if you want to get in on this feature action (or some other sort of action…no not that kind of action) visit my advertise page and get crazy. it's just money, after all.

why kaye + i don't get dressed on the regular (+ short shorts in CA)

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

here are the facts.

1. we live on a farm and it's rare if kaye and i see anyone but our farmer on a regular basis.

2. maybe sometimes kaye and i stay in our pajamas…or something that looks oddly like pajamas (but i'm claiming are not pajamas)…at least ~~two~~ ~~three~~ ~~four~~ many times a week.

3. fact - i have some lovely clothing rotting away in my closet.

4. fact - so does kaye. the $$ i've spent on her clothing that doesn't get "ooo'd and aaah'd" makes me cringe. don't tell my farmer…though i'm sure he has a pretty good idea.

let me get to my point.

when kaye and i went to california the weather was stunning. 70 - 80º every day with little to no breeze. count me in.

you can see kaye wasn't used to the warm weather from her sweaty forehead and flushed cheeks.

a stark contrast to the 55º and wind gusts up to 60 mph on the farm.

it's safe to say that if kaye wasn't napping we were outside. and since we were outside we were around people all the time.

people at the park. people at the coffee shop. people at lunch. people on campus. (both my brother-in-law and sister work at chico state.)

we had to look good! i'm talking hair done and matching clothes. which is about 100% more than what we do to get ready on the farm.

above kaye is sporting her easter outfit. while some people take a more relaxed approach, (read: the shortest shorts i've ever seen on a man…must be a california thing.) kaye wanted to be in a dress, complete with matching sandals…and enjoy a rousing game of darts.

i guess we'll have to head back to california if we ever want to get any good use out of the clothes we have…either that or purchase a second home in a more habitable locale.

first world problems, people. first. world. problems.

a minted mother's day post + inspiration board

Monday, April 28, 2014

mother's day. it's definitely right around the corner.

last year on mother's day we had friends over for a brunch with mimosas on our deck. and i ask you this…when does brunch with mimosas get old?

answer - never. never in the history of time has that combination been overdone. who's with me?

also, if i recall correctly, i believe it reached 90º+ that day and we went for a boat ride.

which is exactly why the weather here in southwest idaho has two weeks to shape up or we're shipping out. (that's an unrealistic threat.)

as i sit here dreaming of mimosas on our deck the hail/sleet just started. the only upside to this crap-tastic weather is the fact that kaye is tucked in sleeping soundly for her daily, glorious three hour nap and our farmer spent the morning with us…and will probably be spending the afternoon with us as well…due to weather.

it's a good thing. he needed a break from his 20+ hour days.

on a completely related note, i've been hoarding some beautiful lilac pictures waiting to compile them for an inspiration board.

i typically don't care for the color purple, but when they come in the form of popsicles, floral arrangements and luxurious fabrics i'll yield to purple's beauty.

i teamed up with minted today to feature two of their beautiful products in an inspiration board just for mother's day…in appropriate shades, of course.

i swoon for minted products. i actually want to have a baby just so i can send out one of their birth announcements.

i chose the life is better with doodles planner and the personalized floral notes planner, and they fit in perfectly.

but there are dozens to choose from in a ~~trillion~~ many many shades, so don't limit yourself. there is also an entire mother's day section for you to drool over full of cards, art prints, calendars, day planners…you get the idea.

let's also have an honest moment here. the odds are your main man won't be aching to purchase you your very own minted product, so maybe you should treat yourself…know what i'm sayin?

but be warned before you click any of the links…you'll want to have a baby. just like me.

credits
row 1 | bouquet // dessert // life notebook // popsicles
row 2 | soaps
row 3 | chair // lilacs // necklace // floral planner

saturday confessional | yellow mango life

Saturday, April 26, 2014

happy saturday. i hope you all are drinking coffee and watching harry potter from your DVR…~~just like me.~~ just like some nerdy person i know.

today i'm jazzed to bring you the very first saturday of saturday confessional with September F A R M. so fun, right?

how it works: e-mail me letting me know you have an awesome, embarrassing, shameful story you would like to guest post on my blog. we'll get it scheduled for a saturday…and that's all there is to it.

the hope is that these posts will bring a smile and a giggle to September F A R M readers at the expense of the author. yes…we'll be laughing AT you…and i can't wait.

today we have katie from yellow mango life. if you haven't stumbled upon her blog yet…do so. girlfriend stole my heart from day one.

and if that doesn't entice you enough, maybe the fact that she works for a casino and gets to take clients on cruises will spark your interest. plus she has an adorable boy named cruz…and she's pretty. so there you have it.

go katie go -

Hi-ya September Farm lovelies. I'm Katie from over at Yellow Mango Life where I talk all about my little man Cruz, my main man Nick and, of course, myself. It's a mish mash of goodness (or at least I like to think so) as we navigate everything this life throws our way. I could tell you all about myself, but feel free to read it here. It saves me all that work typing it out.

When Karli posted her first confessional here, I knew I needed to be a part of it. Well, first I laughed. A lot. But then I knew I needed to email her to get me signed up. I just love knowing that there are others in this world who are not all perfect, with their perfect little life, in their perfect little houses, raising their kiddos...perfectly. And I am far from perfect.

Especially at this raising kids thing. I have had my fair share of mommy fails since having Cruz 2 1/2 short years ago. Like this one here. Seriously, Kate, let's let your child play with an hot curling iron. Good one.

But this post isn't about Cruz - I know, first time for everything - nope, this post is about me. So here goes.

After college I did my internship in NYC. I worked for the New York Knicks, lived on the upper West Side and mastered the subway. Well, sort of. More about that in a bit.

I thought I was all Sex & the City living in New York, checking out the celebs court side, hitting up some pretty bad ass parties, hanging with the players in Westchester on autograph day. Let's be honest, those are the things I told my friends and family when I called home.

When in reality, I was an awkward 21 year old. Trying to rock my Charlotte Russe clothes in a Devil Wears Prada industry, schlepping who knows what around in my knock off Kate Spade bag, living in what was basically a dorm room with single 65 year old cat ladies, maxing out my credit cards on rent, $10 beers & street vendor pizza - and really just not fitting in.

I mean, I remember this one time when I was prancing around the streets on my lunch break, thinking I looked pretty good in my discount pumps from Century 21 and got my heel stuck in a grate. And guess what? It broke off. I couldn't go home because I had a meeting to get back to, so I had to hobble step it back to the office through crowds of people and all through Madison Square Garden for the rest of the day.

Then there was another time I was in a really important meeting with my boss, his boss' boss and a bunch of MSG marketing folks...and it was taking forever. And I was tired because a bunch of us interns had hit up happy hour the night before. And by happy hour, I mean drinks from the time work ended until the wee hours of the morning. I must've been in some sort of daze because I started using my pen to lightly touch my pant leg - I don't know it was relaxing or something. Well, the meeting finally ended, I got up to shake hands with everyone in the room and looked down and realized the cap of my pen had been off and I had drawn all over the front of my khakis. Like all over. It was so noticeable and I know everyone saw it, but tried to pretend they didn't. Yet again I had to finish up my day at work, not only wearing khakis (ugh), but khakis covered in pen. And I had done it to myself.

Seriously, I can't even imagine what they thought of this ridiculous little farm girl from Nebraska.

But my greatest moment of stupidity had to be this one. My subway story.

Since I lived up north and most of the other interns lived in the neighboring boroughs, if I wanted to hang out, we generally ended up around midtown or farther downtown. One night, we got pretty toasted after a game and I realized I needed to get myself home before I passed out on the bar or made a fool of myself. I made my way to the subway and settled in for the ride to my 85th and West End place.

Well settle in I sure did, because when I woke up - yes, woke up, meaning I passed out on the subway in one of the biggest cities in the world - I was on 135th in Harlem. Me, the little farm girl born & raised in a town of 800, who moved to a college town of 25,000 and ended up in NYC having never been there before in my life, was asleep on the subway at around three in the morning and traveled 121 blocks before I realized it, purse cradled in my lap.

As soon as I got myself together, you would think I would've just walked over to the other side, took the southbound train and made it to my place safe and sound. But, nope. I couldn't find the downtown train for the life of me. Like I seriously looked around and couldn't find it. And ended up walking all the way back to my place.

Fortunately nothing happened.

Phew.

I really dodged a bullet with that one. I mean, what would they have gotten but my ID, some cheap make-up and a credit card that I had probably already maxed out, but still. It could have been bad.

I waited until morning to call my mom and tell her all about. I thought she was going to hop on a plane and drag me out of that big, scary city right there and then, but I was able to talk her out of it. Saying something about learning my lesson, yada yada yada.

And I thought I had. I mean, it almost scared me sober.

That is, until a couple weeks later, I did it again. Yes, my name is Katie and I passed out, hard core, two separate times on the subway in Manhattan during the wee hours of the morning. And I lived to talk about it.

Morale of the story? Don't drink. It makes you stupid.

Come on, don't tell me this story doesn't make you feel smarter. Right? Well, it should.

And follow along for more shenanigans over at Yellow Mango Life or via the many social channels below...you'll be sorry if you don't. =)

Facebook // Instagram // Bloglovin' // Twitter

{Oh, and please note the pictures used in this post are of me, but not me during my internship time. I think I officially destroyed each and every single one of those. Imagine bad roots (no way was I wasting money on Manhattan stylists!), cheap & even cheaper looking clothes (remember, champagne taste & no budget), pale as all get out and a bit chubbier (thanks to all that pizza) but these give you a good idea, right?}

A big thank you to Karli for letting me take over her bloggity blog for the day!

5 | must-haves to get ready for summah summah tiiime

Friday, April 25, 2014

well kids. it's darn near may which then brings us to june…and if you live near the surface of the sun like we do it'll reach the 100's this summer.

one must be prepared.

there are the essentials | deodorant, a semi-regular wax job, sunscreen, and air conditioning. it's a dry heat here. feels like you're baking right in an oven. AC is where it's at.

then there are the wants…and i have compiled a list.

1 | a solid pair of cut-offs. i bought a pair of white cut-offs a few summers ago and i can't get enough of them. it's no secret that i'm 30 and i love me a pair of short shorts. throw in a pair of cowboy boots and you're in bizz. i even rocked that look for my maternity pictures with kaye.

no, they aren't maternity. i had no business being in these shorts at 34 weeks pregnant.

but i have yet to find a pair of cut-offs in just a simple blue wash that don't look like mom-shorts. i don't have time for mom-shorts. i'm walking a fine line of feeling old and hanging onto my youth.

recommendations welcome.

2 | sunglasses. i need a new pair of sunglasses, like, yesterday. i love the way ray ban shades look on other people so i ordered myself a pair last week. sh*t-tastic is a great way to describe what i saw in the mirror.

source

i have a small face (the only small thing on my body) so finding a pair the doesn't drown me is going to be key.

i'm going to give ray ban one more go. they have some shades out that are supposedly smaller than the originals. we shall see.

3 | sunless tanner. let's rewind about five years when i spent 30% of my life in a tanning bed. i cry at the thought of what my skin could look like had i NOT been obsessed with that perfect glow.

source

i picked up some l'oreal sublime bronze self-tanning towelettes yesterday and i'm excited to try them out. they received good reviews and will hopefully keep me from blinding the public when i'm in my super short shorts.

4 | garden-fresh tomatoes + herbs. i know. i'm dreaming. i'm 95% positive i won't have a garden again this year. mostly because…i'm married to a farmer and while he can grow corn like it's his job…literally, it's his job…i lack motivation. if i did have a garden…i would do raised beds in troughs…something like the below. but luckily i have a gal-pal who's planting a garden bigger than most people's lawns. i'll just sneak over there when they're at church.

source

5 | bikini. there…i said it. i need a new bikini top asap. well…i actually need new boobs, but until that happens, i'll settle for a new top.

if you would like to support me in my endeavor to save for a new and improved set…buy an ad spot!

kidding kidding of course. but seriously, if you want to get in on may's group giveaway or any other ad space action visit my advertise page! enter the code APRIL for 30% off any ad space.

go get your link on!

guest post | a Q + A with perpetually caroline

Thursday, April 24, 2014

i have a fun Q + A on the blog here today.

when i read the answers to these Q + A's i find myself smiling ear to ear because they are just so darn funny and give you a unique, little look into their personalities.

definitely a different look than what you might get from just a regular guest post or something else lame written up by me.

it makes me want to do a Q + A, but i've never received an e-mails from anyone just dying to know about a farmer's wife or what it's like mothering a turtle. what gives, guys?

i'll give you one more chance to prove your…love? or whatever. have any random questions for me? i'm an open book.

why do i cook so much canned food? what's it like living in a town without a gas station? can i drive a tractor? why don't i shower on a regular basis? ask away…e-mail me.

ummm, hello self-involved…i'm a big jerk. let's get back to caroline from perpetually caroline.

caroline - hi. i love your blog. not to mention the new design. remember that terribly inappropriate conversation about paul rudd we had? the one where i said i would…ummm…never mind. that brings me to my first question.

KARLI | have you ever met a celebrity?

CAROLINE | when i was in middle school i went to china. i ran into one of my FAVORITE chinese soap opera actresses shooting a TV series. i took a picture with her and she was perfection, ethereal, fairy-like peach. and there i was at the peak of my awkwardness - sweaty face, terrible hair, pizza-faced, with my bra line showing. maw. duhl. model.

KARLI | girlfriend…there's a bright side. look how far you've come! you are gorge. now. gorgeous.

so…we both share a pretty deep passion for harry potter. if you could marry a harry potter character, which one and why?

CAROLINE | i would want sirius black, james potter, and remus lupin to brother-husband it up. and maybe lily evans too. she'd probably wear the pants in our crazy family.

KARLI | you're brilliant. i never even thought of that. and while remus lupin is a stretch, i can appreciate your creativity. let's replace remus with neville longbottom. that guy actually turned out to be a hottie.

what's the most expensive purchase to date? was it worth it?

CAROLINE | on my parents' dime, i've gotta say my education. with my own pennies, it's probably train and plane rides around europe. or tory burch boots. one of these things was more worth it than the others, and i won't say it wasn't the boots.

KARLI | yeah…europe is cray expensive. especially for an idaho girl. but you know what…i bet you look smokin' every time you put those boots on. worth it.

where do you see yourself in five years?

CAROLINE | four years away from thirty, flirty, and thriving.

KARLI | excellent answer. live it up girl…and make out lots. i think that's what i regret about my single days. i should have made out with more boys. those were the days… *sigh*

what's your most favorite post you've ever written?

CAROLINE | piggy-backing on the harry potter question, i wrote a guide to visiting the wizarding world of harry potter, and i love it because it was the third best day of my life (the first best day was when i got into college, and the second i'm reserving for the day i meet mindy kaling because it will happen.)

KARLI | i have high hopes kaye will share my harry potter passion and i'll get to take her there one day. if not…i'll go it alone when i'm in my mid-30's and look extra creepy.

have you ever been in a girl fight?

CAROLINE | i'm just going to put it out there…even a single day in my seventh and and eighth grade life was more dramatic than my entire three years of college so far. i don't know if that's sad, embarrassing, or both?

KARLI | i'll be writing you an e-mail for at least one dramatic seventh grade story. i was so oblivious back then. i bet people talked about what i nerd i was and i just thought everybody was my friend. rose-colored glasses.

last question…then you're off the hook. tell us about your most embarrassing moment.

CAROLINE | when i found out kate middleton was pregnant i was at breakfast, surrounded by super hot swimmers. i started screaming, hyperventilating, and dropping plates. when jennifer lawrence won her oscar, someone asked my friend if i needed an ambulance.

KARLI | you know what…i think it's awesome that you can express yourself whole-heartedly. get it girl.

thank you September FARM readers for taking a peak into miss caroline's life. now go have a looky-lou at her blog and show some love. or…you can find here here -

bloglovin' | facebook | twitter | instagram

would you like to do your own Q + A with me? or perhaps share a guest post? check out the details here!

sponsor post | tabitha from a hundred tiny wishes

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

you know what's pretty rock star about having sponsors on your blog? (besides the money party…of course.)

you get to see/meet/read new gals just like tabitha. girlfriend is totally relatable and tells it like it is.

who doesn't appreciate a gal like that?

she also shares important information on her blog about protecting your content/pictures, blogging tips…and why she's obsessed with erin from living in yellow.

but who isn't?

when you spare a few minutes, pop over to read all about tabitha. you'll need those spare minutes because you'll get sucked in. you can't help it.

tabitha wanted to share a fun story about life with a toddler…which is true as true gets. right down to applesauce baths and averted car accidents. meet tabitha...

Hey there September Farm friends! I'm Tabitha, and let me just tell you how much of an honor it is to be here!

I blog over at a hundred tiny wishes, which is basically a blog about life in general, children, food, style, beauty, DIY projects, and whatever else comes to mind. I am the type of girl that believes in love at first sight & everything happens for a reason, loves flowers, hates paying full price for anything retail, enjoys a great cup of hot-cream-based goodness from Starbucks, would love to live life in flip flops, has a collection of coach purses, and an overabundance of makeup. I also have a moose obsession and believe that a glass or three of pink moscato wine can fix anything, even my procrastination tendencies.

Yeah, that was alot... I'm sorry (it's my first guest post). So anyways, like I said, I like to blog about children, and today, I am going to tell you about the the applesauce fiasco with my three year old.

Have you ever been driving, and all of a sudden your child wants something? Typical, huh? Well, if it's a short trip, you may tell them that they need to wait, because you are driving, and they may chill out and wait.

NOT MY CHILD.

If I don't tend to his needs right at that moment, Lil Man acts like the world is coming to an end and screams like holy hell. Try to drive like that... yeah, not fun.

To combat this issue, since it's generally fruit snacks or something to drink that he is requesting, I usually keep the diaper bag full of snacks and his cup in the passenger side seat. When he asks, I reach into the bag, usually swerving a little bit, retrieve the coveted fruit snacks, open the package, and give them to him. The same scenario happens with his cup.

Anyways, the other day I was driving, and Lil Man requested an applesauce. We give him those green applesauce packages that come in apple cinnamon, apple strawberry, etc; and are kinda expensive. We buy them primarily for the convenience. It's like paying more for Verizon cell service, because they have amazing coverage.

So, I reached into the bag, pulled one out, twisted the cap off, and gave it to him. I stop at a stop sign, then as I start driving again, Lil Man says, "Uh oh, Mommy." What happened now?

I ask him what's wrong, and he says "Look." So I turn my head, and see that he managed to get the applesauce all down his pants, and on his car seat. Shit. Lil Man is they type of kid that would have used the applesauce as paint, and the car seat would have been covered, if no intervention was done.

Mind you I am driving. And I was already at the point of running late to a doctor's appointment (that cancels your appointment if you're more than 15 min late).

I reach into the diaper bag and grab the wipes package. Opening the plastic thing, I realize that it is an unopened package. Are you kidding me? So I dig my finger into the tear off thing, and open the package. After swerving and getting some dirty looks, (I was doing like 15 in a 25) I finally grab some wipes, and give them to Lil Man, asking that he clean up the mess.

All of this would have been so much easier if I had been driving a car, instead of a Trailblazer.

Needless to say, he only cleaned up his pants, and I now have to steam clean his car seat.

Oh, and yes, I was late to the appointment... by ten minutes.

Kids...

But, he is the driving force behind my Etsy shop... tiny wishes creations! I started the shop so I could earn some extra money on the side and be able to stay home with him. :)

Today I am offering September Farm readers a chance to win their pick of anything in my shop! And if you can't wait for the giveaway, I am also giving September Farm readers a 40% off coupon! Just use TINYWISHES40.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

why we spent easter without our farmer

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

'tis true. we spent the easter holiday without our farmer.

a few months ago farmer and i discussed that around the end of april he was going to be super super busy planting corn and that it might be a great time to take a trip with kaye so that we could get out of his hair.

(basically whenever we leave for a long weekend our farmer pulls all-nighters so he can maximize efficiency while we're gone. he's amazing like that. then when we come home he's back to playing dedicated husband/dad with dinners at 5 o'clock and making sure he's there to put kaye to bed most every single night. basically i won the lottery.)

so i booked the trip to chico, CA to visit my sister and her main man. little did i realize it was over easter weekend. clearly we're all very religious like that.

it also left my farmer to spend the holiday alone and basically slave away. i guess that's how we roll.

so while farmer was slaving my sister was making sure kaye had her first memorable easter for the books, complete with a basket full of goodies and enough chocolate to kill a pack of dogs. (which i ate.)

farmer even left me a little easter surprise in my suitcase. thanks for the spending money, babe!

we proceeded to color easter eggs in our pajamma-jammas with food coloring hoping they would turn out just like the pinterest pictures. what a load of sh…crap. what a load of crap. the day i have a pinterest project turn out is the day i also lose ten pounds by not working out and eating frosting.

what we did succeed in was kaye getting food coloring all over her fingers, face and clothing. she also managed to puncture a few hard boiled eggs rendering them useless. thanks turtle.

following our easter egg dying fail we decorated cupcakes with tiny m&m carrots, and they were absolutely delightful to the eye. i was tickled with how they turned out.

also a pinterest project, but one of those projects that you knew would turn out from the get-go…ya know? no guess work involved.

you may notice our cupcakes or misshapen. well…my sister, we'll call her betty crocker, failed to realize she has no cupcake pans…so we improvised. we ended up with oblong cupcakes. but it's all in the taste. no harm, no foul.

source

when the turtle awoke from her midday slumber we handed her a basket larger than she and explained the rules of egg hunting. girlfriend didn't "get it." next year turtle. next year.

but when you're as absolutely darling as she is, rules don't apply. turtle does as turtle pleases.

and while we missed our farmer terribly (seriously, we've missed him so so soooo much), it was a wonderful holiday still spent with family and new friends.

and cupcakes.

april giveaway | move your boo-tay

Monday, April 21, 2014

we have a treat du joir for you on the blog today.

i have been struggling lately with motivation. that's no secret. i need to get motivated to move my boo-tay. i need to get motivated to stop putting complete garbage food (read: canned frosting, nutella, whipped cream, etc.) in my face.

do you know how i like to get motivated?

i buy myself new goodies. it's shameful trickery and it works every single time. i'm simple-minded like that.

maybe you want to buy some new music? workout clothes? an iPod? options people…we have options.

we have options because we have $$ up for grabs here. $130 of cash. cha-ching!

feast your eyes on these tasty licks. all of which i'm eyeballing…especially those leggings. i'm a sucker for leggings that hide my love handles.

source | ipod // fuel band // leggings // water bottle // shoes

and when you've finished up drooling over these goodies have a looky-lou below because we've got some more eye-candy for you.

the wonderful ladies who've brought you this glorious fitness-inspired giveaway.

the good news is the giveaway is cash. so if getting motivated to sweat isn't your thing…buy yourself a starbucks and something from j.crew and call it a day.

we're all winners here, people.

show some love and get busy on your entries. GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

should you want to get in on the giveaway action in may go HERE and enter the code GROUPGIVEMAY for 30% off!

i don't want to f-word blog today…and probably tomorrow and the next day and the next

Thursday, April 17, 2014

short and sweet today, kids.

i was supposed to post something for minted today. i had a plan. i had it scheduled. the post is 95% written…but i just don't want to.

and you know what…the harder i work at this blogging bit…the more i don't want to do it altogether.

but at the same time i want to. i want to because i love reading your comments.

i love knowing that even though i'm out here on the farm, pretty secluded, i can still have a quasi-conversation about something that is interesting to me at that moment or complain about how kaye had a total freak out at gymnastics this morning.

no really. complete meltdown, freak the eff-word out. no more starbucks hot chocolate for her before class.

sugar apparently = the devil.

so…maybe that's why i'm feeling negative nancy. kaye can pretty much make or break my day.

kaye is in a good mood? mom is in a good mood.

kaye is in a b-face mood? mom is going to be a b-face…to everyone.

she's napping now. i told my farmer that if he comes home at 5 pm and she's still in her crib…that means i left her there.

don't call CPS just yet. i'd never ever do that. but at about 10 am this morning when the other moms were looking at me with pity…i could read right through them. they were saying with their eyes, "get it together. i didn't come her to listen to someone's kid throw a bi*ch-fit."

i hear ya sister. i wouldn't want to listen to your kid either.

the cherry on top? we have a flight to chico, CA tomorrow. that should be super fun with the way kaye's attitude has shaped up lately.

send your well-wishes my way. the passengers on the plane are going to need it.

afterthought…

sometimes we have intense cuddle sessions where she can't possibly cuddle any harder and i think all is right with the world. i'll survive.

sponsor | maddie @ with all our hearts

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

can we talk about something pretty serious? and when i say serious…i mean rats.

i have a pretty intense loathing for anything that scampers and leaves tiny poops in your pantry. you may remember me briefly mentioning our mouse epidemic of 2012. i was pregnant and we had just moved into our house on the hill. i think we killed 14 mice in less than a week. i thought we were in the beginnings of the apocalypse.

anyway…it seems we now have a bit of a rat epidemic. i now know two people (girls nonetheless) who used to be pet rat owners. dear god.

yes friends…today i bring you maddie who, dare i say, used to be a rat caretaker. read our Q + A. you'll laugh out loud. just like i did.

KARLI | if someone were to be jealous of you, what would be the reason?

MADDIE | i have been asked multiple times if i'm of asian descent. i'm always flattered because i think asian people are some of the most beautiful, of which i'm jealous. so, if people think i look asian there's bound to be someone jealous of that.

KARLI | girlfriend. you've got that right. i think it's the beautiful complexion and amazing hair i always find myself lusting after. next question!

what annoys you the very very most about your hubs?

MADDIE | i tried to be a good wife and think of one of those things that is annoying but is also a strength at the same time, but the first thing that came to mind was when he uses my laptop and leaves it plugged in all day/night. i just can't think of how that could be a good thing.

KARLI | you're right. it's a bad thing. i heard it ka-ills your battery life. so…be annoyed. you're justified. next question!

where do you see yourself in five years?

MADDIE | where do i hope to be or where will i actually be? i wish i could end up with my little family near an ocean living the simple life and taking too many pictures. but we'll most likely be wherever jon ends up for his residency (maybe it will be by an ocean, fingers crossed!!) and hopefully have a little babe or two runnin' around.

KARLI | if you could be on a reality tv show, which one and why?

MADDIE | cake boss. 1. because, cake. duh. 2. because i'm the worst when it comes to details so i admire people who have the patience to create masterpieces out of cake.

KARLI | have you ever been in a girl fight? (verbally, physically, emotionally)?

MADDIE | the only time i can remember getting in anything resembling a physical fight was in elementary school. it was with a girl named malena who was twice my size and always bullied me for no reason i knew of. (i found out later she liked a boy that liked me.) one day she came up and literally tackled me. i remember looking at her face that was inches from mine and she had mayonnaise on her lip, so naturally i yelled, "you have mayonnaise on your face!" so she started choking me. so i punched her. she left me alone after that. oh, and also, verbal and emotional fights? totally, just none that stand out at the moment.

KARLI | i hope with all that is good and holy that one day you'll remember a standout verbal fight and post about it. i'll be eagerly waiting.

tell us an embarrassing story por favor.

MADDIE | i was actually just telling my coworkers my embarrassing stories the other day, and this is one of my favorites:

when i was in 7th grade (which is already awkward to begin with) i had two rats named lucy and frodo. they had babies, and then they had babies AGAIN. so, on the first day of 7th grade, our teacher mr. andersen, who was known for being the coolest in the school, asked us each to say our name and something unique about ourselves. most kids said something super cool and not totally weird like, "i have a black belt!" or "i scuba dive!" when it got to me i said, "my name is maddie and i like to breed rats." mr. andersen said, "um, what was that?" so i said it louder and added, "i have 16." some girl (trying to be nice) was like, "oh! you have a niece?" and i said, "NO, i have 16 rats." she was like, "…oh." everyone got quiet and mr. andersen said, "OKAYYYY next person." even though it cracks me up, i still don't know what i was thinking. also, rats disgust me now, so there ya go.

KARLI | really? 16 rats? you have to share what you did with all those rats. did they have more babies? did the brothers and sisters start making babies together? so many questions…

biggest life accomplishment to date…go.

MADDIE | giving birth to my baby boy. he only lived a few days, but i'm so proud to be his mom. also, if i could get a celebrity to retweet one of my tweets, that would probably be the second biggest accomplishment…kidding! (sort of.)

isn't maddie just the best? you're in love? i knew it. anyone that cares for rats is totally lovable.

maddie wanted to say a few words…

hello September F A R M readers! i'm maddie from with all our hearts. if you weren't totally weirded out by my Q + A, come stop by my blog! i love meeting other bloggers! i blog about everything from health tips i don't always follow, weekend getaways with jon (my cute husband), and random thoughts i have, which a lot of times evolve around that baby boy you saw above. anyway, come say hi! i'd love to meet you!

you can also check our gal maddie out at the following -

facebook | twitter | instagram | pinterest

should you be interested in having your very own feature on September F A R M have a looky-lou HERE! i also have options to be a part of the monthly group giveaway or just a simple sidebar ad!

i'm going to lose my mind | figuratively + a giveaway

Monday, April 14, 2014

i'm absolutely going to lose my mind if i have to endure one more day of 50 mph+ wind on the farm. as i sit here typing this up i'm literally watching our bbq roll across our deck. the wind is relentless. since we're on a farm and our house is on a hill, there is absolutely no reprieve from the wind. no hills. no buildings…nothing to break the wind even slightly. it makes me want to throw my laptop through a window and curse at the dirt that's blasting my face.

you can forget styling your hair. pointless.

you can forget taking your turtle outside to enjoy the sunshine. also pointless.

you can forget sleeping because the wind is rattling your entire house.

i've been up since 4:30 am. shoot me.

in my misery i bring you generosity…

gals. it doesn't get much cuter than a rainbow of hunter rain boots…now does it? i already own a pair of bright green, but that doesn't stop me from coveting the yellow, pink, rust, navy…most all of them…definitely not that lavender color. anyway...

also pretty darn adorable are the ladies below who have teamed up for this snazzy giveaway.

giveaways are where it's at. or as i recently heard…the bomb.com.

i also recently heard that facebook is for old people. could this be true?

regardless // get yourself entered, visit the ladies below and see if you've found your new favorite blog, and send me your well-wishes before i burn our house down…forcing us to move to a more habitable locale.

the prizes
(1) pair of hunter boots // (1) monogrammed rain jacket // $30 paypal cash

your best gals