Today.

Today was supposed to be a day where I write a playful post 

and announce the winner of my most recent giveaway. 

But today...

...today is different now.

Today is the day I watch my best friend lay her mom to rest.  Someone I've always considered my second mother ended her battle with cancer on Sunday.

While a huge part of me is engulfed with feelings of sadness for Julie and her family, I can't imagine how elated her mom is to be done with this life and to be starting an entirely new canvas in a place where sickness and cancer don't even exist. Can you even fathom a world without sickness? 

Death is hard. Funerals downright suck. And knowing that life is about to drastically change because you've lost a family member will scare the shit out of you. It's not something I would ever wish upon my worst enemy. Ever.

BUT...

With a whopping 26 years of life experiences, I've come to
handle death much differently...

So to my sweet, sweet friend, Julie:

Today is not easy. It will never be. It's okay to cry. It's okay to be sad, and you know what, it's okay to be pissed off at the world and ask "why me?"...but you know what? While we're all here mourning the loss of your mom, she's looking down over us all (with my dad, of course). She's happy and darn it, she's finally healthy so don't be sad. We're the lucky ones. I may be a tad bit bias but between you and I, we pretty much hit the guardian angel jackpot. Two angels to watch us every step of the way, to leave us "pennies from heaven" when we need them most and to bring a smile to our face when we bring up our fondest memories of them.


Ya...we're the lucky ones... :)


 So if there is ever anything in this life I can teach you, I hope this is it: from the most incredible sweet tea to ever grace this earth to the countless times we laughed as she choked on "too much pepper"...momma Joni still has a lot of life to live...but that part is up to you. As long as you talk to and about her and carry on her legacy, she'll hang around for much, much longer. And that, my friend, is a promise. <3

For my husband...

With tiny tears that glistened, my eyes were fixed on you,

And thinking of the life we'd share, we softly said "I do".

Our hearts were knit together from the 

Time that we first met,

And memories were gathered, that we

Will never forget.

While daily living life with you, you saw the real me, 

And still you chose acceptance, 

A lifelong mystery.

With many happy days gone by,

And others when we cried

Some days we'd share so endlessly,

While other days we'd hide.

With all the ups and downs we've had,

In learning to be friends,

I know that in this heart of mine,

I'd marry you again. <3


(...and again and again and again!)

Homebuying Hump Day: Dining

Decorating the dining room may be one of the things I'm THE most excited about! I've never really had a "decent" dining room so you already know I am chomping at the bit to find the perfect table, chairs, centerpieces, napkins, place settings, etc. Sigghhh...so many options! I'm really trying to channel my inner Pottery Barn here so bare with me...

This first one...I am head over heels in love with. From the burlap curtains to the soft country feel... Now if I can just plan on having fresh hydrangeas as a centerpiece everyday I'll be doin' good...

I found this exact table the other night and wanted to strap it to the top of my car and bring it home with me. (You think I'm kidding?) Beau is a little indecisive about it but if he gets to put dead animals on my walls, it's only fair that I get to choose the dining room table, right? ;) 

Currently swooning over those chairs and the burlap cloth
but can we talk about the lantern chandelier?!

Again...the chairs. The dark wood. THE CHANDELIER! AHHHHHH....

Not really loving anything in this particular dining room EXCEPT those cedar beams, the stone fireplace and the coral walls. Holy gorgeousness. (Psst..even Beau liked the paint color!)

God LOVE Pottery Barn for this piece of amazingness. Amiright or amiright? 

Burlap lamp shades...YES PLEASE!

Oh Z Gallerie...I love you too. Our friends have this over their dining room table and it looks incredible. And the best part? If you ever lose power, you just light all the candles and voila! You have light! It's all about practicality people...

I've always loved these chargers from Willow House but the plates I am loving even more. Though I am slightly obsessing over the coral walls above, I'm envisioning a red/light blue color scheme. Thoughts?

 Besides furniture hunting, there's really nothin' major going on housewise. We have to complete 4 design center appointments before they even break ground and our second one is this Friday afternoon. I mean, do I really need to know the type of sink faucet I want before you start digging? REALLY??

Yes. I am the most impatient person you will ever meet. EVER.
And that's a promise. 

Boozing in style

I don't know about you but I love me some good accessories! I've been eyeballin' MANY of Lilly Pulitzer's pieces for quite some time now so I've finally put a few items to the test and as a blogger, I feel it is my civic duty to let you all in on the goods. {Yes. You are welcome.}

Between pinning the crap out of everything on their site and literally clicking on every single product, I finally decided to go with the Lilly Pulitzer acrylic wine glasses and insulated cooler from Lifeguard Press and gave them a test drive when we went to the river for the 4th.

I'm prone to breaking wine glasses so the fact that these are plastic AND dishwasher safe AND as precious as ever are a win/win/WIN in Stephanie's book. Seriously-how perfect are these for traveling?

 {yes I put ice in my wine, no you can't judge me, yes this is $3 wine, no it did not give me a hangover, yes it did get me to my happy place, No. I will not share.} ;)

And, well, if you're gonna lug around booze you might as well look quite while doing so, right?

Right.

This baby packed all the wine, vodka, snacks and sandwiches a girl could ever need for a river trip and I must say I looked felt pretty darn cute while doing so! ;)

Obviously-I can cross a couple of things of my Lilly wish list but trust me...there are plenty more accessories that I am luh-huh-ving and totally wouldn't hate it if these just magically appeared on my doorstep! ;)

i. insulated cooler shown in "Floaters"
ii. acrylic wine glasses shown in "Fan dance"
iii. iPhone case shown in "Fan dance"
iv. camera case shown in "Fan dance"
v. acrylic tumbler shown in "Delta Gamma"
vi. large agenda shown in "Gimme some leg"


As a "retired" sorority girl, I can't HELP but fall in love with Lifeguard Press' new sorority line....specifically the Delta Zeta pattern! (DUH) So much pink & green goodness...makes my heart do the happy dance!

Ahhhh...now lets all go spend our paychecks on accessories, shall we?! ;)
***
PS-my SwimSpot giveaway ends Thursday so if you haven't already enter, you might want to re-think that! Enter here.

If you really knew {him}...

Good morning friends! Happy Monday! (Or maybe not?) ;) Either way...let's attempt to make it good one, shall we?!

My post from Friday (titled "If you really knew me...") got so many fun comments and emails I thought I'd stir up the pot a 'lil bit. I seriously loved reading each and every one of them!

So today...you're in for a real treat because, wellllll....we're gonna let THIS GUY steal the show!

I just want to eat him UP in this pic... ;)

That's right, girls (& boy?) Beau is here to share with you a few things that "If you really knew him", you would know. (Isn't he such a good sport?!) So crack open a cold one (or in my case, if you're stuck behind a desk, pretend your coffee is spiked with vodka) , sit back and enjoy my husband's VERY FIRST guest blog post. (This, by the way, has been 2+ years in the making so if he doesn't get a handful of loving comments I will lay money on it that he won't be making another appearance....ok...he told me to write that...)

Without further adieu...

(He's in black, I'm in gray.)

***

If you really knew HIM...

*You would know that I still wear clothes from high school. {True story, ladies. Polos, jeans, cargo shorts..you name it. They all date back to about 2002.}

*You know know that I own one pair of flip flops, one pair of tennis shoes and six {YES. SIX!} pair of cowboy boots. Priorities, people.

*You would know that my favorite shows are Pawn Stars, American Pickers, Storage Wars and, of course, Shark Week. {Don't kid yourself, babe. You know you love some Bachelor Pad action every once in a while...}

*You would know that I hate wearing sunglasses and I won't go anywhere without a baseball cap. {FACT. One time his mother had to hide all of his hats from him just so he would be forced to go a day without wearing one.}

*You would know that my laugh is really goofy and typically makes other people laugh when they hear it. {One of his best qualities. I just adore it!}

*You would know that I played college baseball. {A boy in uniform. That's what I'm talkin' about! Rawr.}

*You would know that, thanks to 3 knee surgeries, I only have one ACL but three Achilles' tendons. You do the math... {Word. I got this whole "nurse thang" DOWN.}

*You would know that I can't stand making the bed. Do you tie your shoes after you take them off? That's what I thought. {Man after my own heart. I refuse to make the bed. Ever.}

*You would know that I can still do a back handspring to this day. {Mah man has skillz, people!}

*You would know that I don't have ANY social media accounts. No Facebook. No Twitter. No Instagram. No Pinterest. Not a one.

*You would know that I won "best smile" and "class clown" in high school. {Now do you see why I married him?!}

*You would know that I'm allergic to just about everything...including all jewelry except Titanium, which is the cheapest metal you can buy and would also explain why my wedding band only cost $7. {Okay. It was $12 with shipping on Black Friday and he refused to let me upgrade him to the $30 ring. A girl can only do so much...}

*You would know that I got 3 tickets for Minor in Possession and one ticket for Minor in Consumption all between the ages of 18 and 21. {Y'all didn't know I married a criminal?}

*You would know that I was once the president of my fraternity. Well...the last president, to be exact, before we got kicked off campus for hazing. {Rule breaker, I tell ya.}

I mean, really. How could you not love that face?! <3

If you really knew me...

Hi there lovers!! <3 I don't know about you but I am so so happy to be reunited with my good friend,  Friday. She really needs to come around more often, dontcha think?! (Who decided that we only get one Friday a week, anyways?)

I saw this on Michelle's blog and thought it was perfect so I had to jack it and do it for myself. ;)

If you really knew me:

*you'd know I LOVE me a good set of cowgirl boots

*you'd know my biggest fear is needles (and guns and death, obviously...)

*you'd know I'm highly addicted to lip balm of any kind & I don't go anywhere without it. And I mean anywhere.

*you'd know that I take way too many pictures of absolutely nothing

*you'd know that I used to want to be a dentist

*you'd know that I'm the worst movie watcher ever in the history of movie watchers

*you'd know that I can fall asleep anywhere, at any time, in any way, shape or form (which would explain why I'm the worst movie watcher in the world...)

*you'd know that I've re-taken wedding photos twice now

*you'd know that I have huge feet for my 5 foot 5 body...size 9.5 to be exact. Sometimes a 10 on a good day...

*you'd know that my first job was at a sno-cone stand

*you'd know that even though I played softball my entire life, I refuse to step foot on another field

*you'd know that I have two tattoos

*you'd know that I once peed on myself at work (true story)

*you'd know that my dream vacations are Bora Bora and New Zealand

***

If I really knew you, what would I know?

Or better yet, if you really DO know me, what do YOU know!? ;)

(You would also know that, thanks to genes and hormones, I have the worst skin known to mankind and had to airbrush the crap out of this pic. Ha.) 

***
PS-don't forget to sign up for my SwimSpot giveaway! (Ends next Thursday!)

New swimsuit, anyone?!

Who doesn't love a good swimsuit?

No. Really.

Swimsuits are one thing I refuse to skimp on when it comes to quality. Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of Tarjay bikinis but let's be honest...they don't last 1/2 as long as the ABS, Gianni Bini or Vicky brands do nor do they fit 1/2 as well.

I've said it before and I'll say it again (& again & again & again)...

when it comes to swimsuits, ladies, price IS a proxy for premium.

Enter SwimSpot.com: designer swimwear at reasonable prices...

I'll go ahead and cut to the chase...the fabulous ladies at SwimSpot.com contacted me to giveaway a $50 gift card to SwimSpot.com which means, yes, you can get your little fingers on one of these and be sportin' a brand new designer bikini for your next water outing!

A few of my faves: 

Stripes. Navy. Bandeau top.

GET. ON. MY. BODY.

Marcel Stripe Tunnel

I've never been a one-piece wearer (with the exception of when I was 2 and not old enough to know better) but I just thought this was too precious! So girly & perfect for anyone sporting a baby bump this summertime. ;)

Dandy Swim Dress

Navy & coral...'nuff said.

Ella Moss-Calypso Stripe Bandeau

Those darn ruffles...the get me every last time!

Reef-Floralicious Bandeau

That's right.

One of these could be yours. (Or mine?)

Not gonna lie...I thought long and hard of a way to rig this so that I would win but then I decided that was unethical and too much work on my end so I ignored the devil on my shoulder and decided to actually give it away to one of my lovely, faithful, die-hard readers. The things I do for y'all...  ;)

Since nobody likes rules, let's make this quick and painless shall we?

To enter, just follow Beautiful Mess via Google Friend Connect (if you don't already) and leave a comment letting me know A) that you follow me and B) which swimsuit on SwimSpot.com you like best. (Just leave both in one comment.) That's all. None of this 5 comments per entry junk. None of this Facebook/Twitter crap...that's just too much work and Lord knows we all have enough to do. (I mean-if you want to tweet about it, I would't hate it...) 

Giveaway ends on Thursday, July 19 at midnight. 

Winner will be announced next Friday morning!

Good luck!!

***

Oh-I'll be submitting Keep Clam & Blog On t-shirt orders first thing next week so leave a comment or shoot me an email if you want to get in on this action...(only $20! including shipping!)

Yes. I'm wearing a zebra bra in this pic...judge away.

TTFN

(Bringing back the old AIM lingo...don't mind if I do...)

Homebuying Hump Day

I've decided that since Wednesday's are officially devoted to all things "home", we might as well name it something. I like to name things...don't you?

Ok good. 

Cuz "Homebuying Hump Day" is in full force starting now. 

Right meow.

If you missed the first few posts, start here and then read here,  here and here. 

Or don't. Whatever makes your meat loaf...

Back to the topic at hand...

This past week we had our first of four appointments with the design center (AKA: dream land for ANYONE buying a new home.) It's essentially an office building that's built to look like a house on the inside. But not just any house...a very perfect, and extremely upgraded dream house. Kitchen cabinets here, carpet there, light fixtures galore, granite options everywhere...anything you could possibly need or want to design the inside of your house...they got it covered...and then some. Beau and I have been looking forward to this appointment for two months now so I may or may not have peed a little when we got the appointment scheduled last minute.

Since it was our very first appointment, we took care of all the "big stuff" first...countertops, cabinets, flooring, tile, etc...and let me tell you...THREE hours of this, though fun, is EX-HAUS-TING.

First and foremost, let me introduce you to quite possibly the most genius invention EVER...no really...

Yes. You read that right. HARDWOOD CERAMIC TILE. I kid you not...this "hardwood" tile is identical to hardwood floors without all the scratching, scuffing and buffing. It has all the sturdy qualities of regular tile with the hardwood floor look. Seriously-I need to meet the brainiac behind this idea. (Daltile makes it, if you're interested.) 

Ohhhh kitchens. Where do we start?! This was probably the #1 thing Beau and I were the most excited about. We ended up going with a two-tone kitchen...white island with dark kitchen cabinets. SWOON. I've loved this look forever and a day so to know this will soon be a reality makes my little heart flutter.

Countertops. Did you know there are over 30 something colors of granite? Oh-and not just that...there's at least 5 different ways to can have the edges look...ridged, bullnose, squared...etc. I'm telling you...I've learned way more than I ever wanted to know about countertops...

We went with a light St. Cecilia granite, whatever that means...and because I know you were all dying to know the specific color name...either way it will look something like this...

Our shower tile of choice was slate. However, slate, ironically enough, costs a pretty penny so our designer talked us into going with a regular shower tile and adding slate tile accents. That woman...she really is a girl after my own heart.

Oh-and after our appointment, I played with a diaper wearing, fruit snack eating monkey named Logan. 

Ya. It was a pretty successful day if you ask me. ;)

A Sunday morning surprise

I must say my photo collages of our 4th of July weekend from yesterday's post did no justice to the surprise we woke up to on Sunday morning. Let me take it from the top...

When I speak of this infamous "Frio River", you should all know that we stay at Beau's aunt's house. She has 4 houses there; 3 rental homes and 1 of her very own. (4 beautiful houses, I might add.) Between 3ish horses, 3 donkeys, 2 goats, 3 dogs and a couple cats, the woman is busy, to say the least.

She was heading out of town on Friday morning so it was kind of up to "the rest of us" (aka...the men) to take care of everything. Sure...we got this.  Friday goes by, everything's cool. Saturday goes by, everything's cool. As long as all the animals are alive and well, everything's cool.

Fast forward to 10ish am on Sunday morning. (Yes-I'z a snoozer.) We're all passed out upstairs when we hear Beau's cousin come upstairs and tell his wife that she needed to come downstairs because she "had extra duties to do". As any smart woman, she questioned him with these "extra duties" to which he responded "Get your shoes on. Angel had a baby this morning."

Skuuuuuuuuurt.

There aren't many things that can make me fly out of bed on Sunday morning but apparently baby horses are one of them...

"Angel? The horse? Had a baby? Angel IS the baby?"

I'll be darned!

I toss up my hair and walk my non-brushed teeth down to the barn...pajamas and all...(hey, horse don't judge) and SHORE ENOUGH...a friggin' bambino!

The most precious baby horse you ever did see all tucked up underneath her new mama. :)

I think it was safe to say we were all just as confused as this guy was...

(Sidenote: my husband dresses himself. I take no credit for this look...)

The craziest part of this all...Beau's aunt had NO idea she was even pregnant!

Can you imagine the phone call Aunt Frances received, halfway across the country, first thing in the morning when she picked up the phone and the first thing she was asked was "Who dropped off a baby horse this morning?" Which was then proceeded with her questioning "What baby horse?" 

'tis true.

The woman has grown up and raised horses just about all her life but had NO earthly idea her little Angel baby was pregnant. (Apparently Angel "got around" at training camp last year and sister got herself knocked up. Bet she won't be doing that again..)

The things that happen when you live on a ranch...le sigh...

How to celebrate 'Merica's birthday...

Hope all of you had a wonderful 4th!

Now can we go back?!