our thrifted lifestyle

Growing up Christmas was always my #1 favorite Holiday of the whole year. As I got older I started to develop a love for Independence Day! (Of course Christmas is still up there on the list, but for different reasons than when I was a kiddo.) I think my love for the 4th of July stems from the tradition that my friends and I started in High School of climbing a hill near our house to get the best view of all the fireworks going off all around our town. We usually preceded the fireworks with swimming and BBQ. These 4th festivities usually included my then crush and now husband which also made it the best holiday :) (Shirtless and tan teenaged hubby- YES PLEASE! Such good times!) Over the years and after the local wildfires our hills are always blocked off and patrolled so our tradition has taken a hiatus for now. But my love for the 4th remains in tact!  I am super excited to celebrate this year because now we have a little one of our own! Wyatt will be One in a c...

I would never say that I was a videographer, but I just love capturing these simple, amazing little moments with my boy! 

 March 15, 2018- Wyatt Wray is now 8 months old, going on 10 years old! He is crawling at lightning speeds, trying to start teething and is constantly gabbing away. He is always yelling, "DA-DA-DAAA-DA" or "Nanana-na-na-naa" or "Neee-nee!" I like to think that when he says, "Na-na-na" he's trying to say, "Mama" but who knows? Wyatt enjoys playing with blocks, crawling after Ruby and trying to grab her feet/face/any general part of her. He is starting to do a little bit better with being patient in the car seat, but definitely hits a max every time. His night time sleeping hasn't changed much (unfortunately) and he is still waking up about 2-3 times a night. Sometimes when his mouth is hurting, I have a hard time getting him back to sleep. But most nights he's back knocked out in about 10 minutes or less! Wyatt usually takes 2 decent naps a day. He loves going on walks with Mommy and Ruby. He is finally taking ...

First off let me just say, I have always wanted to be a writer. I've taken a creative writing class and read hundreds of books over the years. As far as writing skill goes, I am a far cry from where I hope to someday be but I'm ok with that. I'll just sit back and type away on my little corner of the web for now. I absolutely love to read. I would eat a good book for breakfast, lunch and dinner if it were possible. Maybe if I were a goat? One of my failings as a lover of books is that I don't usually stay up to date on books that are hot off the press. I tend to judge a book by it's cover and usually select my next read off of "related searches/products" on Amazon.com. Lame, I know. The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo has been on and off of my radar for a few years but I never could quite get a copy into my hands. I was often reading another tasty piece of literature or doing something "motherhood related" as of late. Finally after gettin...

One of my goals as a mother is to try and take lots of videos of my kids and family as we grow up. We live in a world full of technology. It is everywhere all the time... which for me, is a double edged sword. I like it and I hate it! But I am so pumped that we have such easy access to cameras and videos all day long so that I can capture so many of the fun things happening around us. The video above I made back when Wyatt was almost 6 weeks old and it is to one of my absolute favorite songs! It's called "If You Asked Me To" by Mckenzie Porter (she's Canadian!) and the music video she made is adorable. As a kid my favorite Sunday pass time was to watch home movies and look through photo albums. I want the same thing for my kiddos (and me) in the future so NOW is the time for me to break out the video camera (and iPhone camera, lol) as well as keep up with my tradition of printing a photo book every December for Christmas! Two years down, a million to go! Now for...

My baby boy is 6 months old. I have absolutely no idea how this can be true but alas, it is. I just sit and stare at him sometimes in awe at how quickly he learns to do something new and how bright he makes every room that he smiles in. Time is flying by so fast that it's hard for me to feel like I'm caught up on my mental "to do list."  But I have watched my sweet boy grow and develop. I've learned so much about myself and the natural drive I have to be a good (enough) mother. I always knew that I wanted to have children. I knew I wanted to raise strong, intelligent and faithful kids, but I really didn't know how much my heart would love it.  I live every day for my babe. I love to see him smile, giggle, sleep, cry and learn new things every day. When I sit in his nursery with my sweet baby at my breast I am filled with so much love. I am filled with a stillness that I want to hold on to forever. Looking down at those fluttering eye las...

So while I was preggo and working on my baby registry I wasn't sure which baby items would actually come in handy and which would be a waste of money. I asked around to friends and family who had recently had babies. They told me some of the things that they loved and some that they didn't ever use. The following items are my top picks for Wyatt's nursery and everyday use. They're also pretty inexpensive and affordable. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of high-end, pricey toys and gadgets that mom's out there are buying and I'm sure they're great! But this first time mom likes to find well priced, good quality items that will be used over and over, kid after kid. 1. Summer 3D Lite Stroller  I seriously love this light-weight packable stroller. It takes the idea of an umbrella stroller to the next level. It has a sun canopy, padded handles, a storage basket and it reclines! We used this on our trip to Hawaii this fall and it was perfe...