Chalk School

On Saturday I had some family and friends over for Chalk School! I heard about Chalk School classes that were being offered at a local store and thought it sounded like fun. When I looked up info on the classes, I found out that I could host Chalk School at my house, rather than just attend a class somewhere. I immediately contacted Amber from I Do Signs, who teaches Chalk School, and got signed up to host!

Amber was so great to work with from getting the class scheduled, staying on top of registrations, and then the actual class/party itself was so fun! Amber was professional, yet down to earth and had some GREAT tips and tricks that she shared with us. If you live in the West Michigan area, you definitely need to go to one of Amber's Chalk School classes or host one of your own! If you're not in Michigan, still go to Amber's website (HERE) and check out her amazing chalk board creations.

So, in case you didn't gather from the title, Chalk School teaches you how to make those super cute chalk board signs that you've probably seen on other blogs, instagram, pinterest, etc. I was a little skeptical because I am not very creative or artistic, but Amber was a great teacher and all of our signs turned out super cute!

I would go to another one of Amber's Chalk School classes again in a heartbeat! I talked to most of my family and friends after the party and they all agreed that they had a great time. It's such a fun way to have a girl's night (or afternoon in my case) and create a fun piece of decor at the same time.

Thanks again Amber for all of the great information and for teaching us all of your tips and tricks!

Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY I have going on right now for a custom house portrait! Just go HERE to enter!

Custom House Portrait - Giveaway!

For a while now, I've wanted some type of drawing of our house that I could frame and hang up. Since this is our first house, I thought it would be a fun way to remember it and bring it with us if we ever move. A couple of weeks ago, I randomly saw a house drawing that Kim had done on Instagram and I fell in love! I immediately went to her Etsy shop, GallaDoodle, and contacted her about doing a custom house drawing for me. Kim was quick to respond and super helpful. I purchased a custom drawing listing from her shop, sent her a photo of our house, and she knocked it out of the park! I LOVE the way this turned out and can't wait to print it and hang it up.

Just for reference, here's the photo of our house that I sent Kim:

Didn't she do an amazing job?? I reached out to Kim and asked if she'd be interested in doing a giveaway for custom house portrait on my blog, and she was kind enough to say yes! You can enter using the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

If you don't want to wait to see if you win, be sure to check out Kim's Etsy shop and buy one for yourself! They would also make a great housewarming gift :)

You can also follow Kim on Ingstagram, where she posts pics of the fun drawings she does, and read more about her adorable little girl and fun projects on her blog, Galla Baby.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Weekend Recap

What a productive weekend it was for me! I took Friday off from work and ran several errands, got a hair cut, and did some more painting in our basement (you can see progress on Instagram--full post on this coming soon). I headed to my parents Friday night because I was running a race in that area on Saturday morning.

My sister and I met up on Saturday morning and headed to run the Shamrock Shuffle 5k in Muskegon. The weather was great, especially for March in Michigan! I ended with a new PR so I was super happy (my time was 29:15). I headed back home after the race and spent about four hours doing yard work with Kevin. I had plans to do more painting, but had to take advantage of the gorgeous weather. We got a lot accomplished in the yard, so it was totally worth it.

Sunday was spent catching up on things around the house...laundry, dishes, cleaning, all that good stuff. And more painting in the basement. I swear it's a never ending job!

I love weekends that are full and productive. Happy Monday!

P.S. Look for a fun giveaway coming this week!

Happy 5th Birthday Admiral!

I can't believe it, but Admiral turns 5 today! Well I guess he's actually 35...but 5 to us :) The past 5 years have gone by so fast. Since 5 is kind of a milestone (or just an excuse for me to do something special), I ordered a super cute pupcake from Dogwood Barkery for Admiral to enjoy. They did such a cute job and even decorated the box for him!

He's also been spoiled with a new football, tennis balls, t-shirt, and treats. Happy Birthday to our fur baby!

Louisiana Vacation Recap - Part 3 (The End)

You can find part 1 of my vacation recap HERE and part 2 HERE

After getting back to Baton Rouge, we headed toward New Orleans for more Mardi Gras parades...where we once again got more beads!

Deep fried bacon. OMG

These are all of the beads and goodies my mom and I got from our Mardi Gras fun...35 pounds of beads (yes--we weighed them)!

Since we had to leave super early on Thursday to catch our plane, we spent Wednesday relaxing, shopping, and of course, eating. We went to Walk-On's for lunch, which is a sports bar place...funny story: On the way to Baton Rouge, I sat next to a chef from Walk-On's that was headed home. We got to talking and he ended up giving me a gift certificate to the restaurant, which is why we decided to go there. They had a great menu and the food was delicious.

My trip to Louisiana was amazing. I loved spending quality time with family and getting to experience Mardi Gras. If you ever get the to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, do it! The people watching, parades, and food are so worth it! I would definitely go back again...and I just might have to :)

Have you ever been to New Orelans and/or Mardi Gras? What was your favorite thing to see or do or eat there?

Louisiana Vacation Recap - Part 2

You can find Part 1 of my vacation recap HERE

On Saturday, we headed to New Orleans for the day. We headed to Cafe Du Monde for beignets for breakfast. OMG the beignets were amazing! Who knew powdered sugar tasted so good?

We went to the French Market and did a little shopping before heading to the truck to drop off our purchases (and to grab a daiquiri from the cooler). Then we headed to Jackson Square to take a few pics before heading down Bourbon Street.

I had so much fun walking down Bourbon Street and people watching. I can't believe how many people ended up fitting down that street at the end of the day--so crazy! I of course had to try the "hand grenade" drink that everyone talks about down there. It actually tasted good but it will sneak up on you ;)

After hanging out on Bourbon Street for a little while, it was time to go watch some parades. Now, I'm from a small town, so I'm used to parades being 15-20 minutes, max. These parades were a couple hours long each! They were so awesome. We got lots of beads and goodies (and no, you don't have to do anything to get them--except cheer)!

pretty blue skies!

Mom and I waiting for the parade to start.

And this is what the street looks like after one of these parades rolls through:

After watching a couple parades, we headed home (after making our way through the thousands of people on Bourbon Street). The next morning, my mom and I got ready and headed to DeRidder to visit more of our family. We made the three hour drive and were greeted with Crawfish Etoufee for lunch--so good!

There were also two more King Cakes to eat--Maple Bacon and Black Forest flavors (I told you all I did was eat):

We spent Sunday hanging out and watching the SuperBowl with my cousin Nichole, her husband Malcom, their sons (my godsons) Nicholas and Alex, and my Aunt Laurie (my mom's sister). And of course, more amazing food! Including homemade Kimbap (it's a Korean dish that resembles sushi).

We spent the next day in DeRidder just hanging out, eating, and being silly.

That night, we headed back to Baton Rouge where we would spend the last couple days of our trip...with more Mardi Gras fun! The last recap coming soon,,,,