#EveryDayWithShae: Week 2

I'm really enjoying 2015 so far! I mean, I haven't stopped writing 2014 on everything yet (I'll get there!), but so far I would have to say the year is a success.

Last week, the creative & talented Brenna posted on Instagram a picture wearing a blanket scarf and tagged it #DIY. Say what? Yes, this friend of mine made her own version of the blanket scarf I've been drooling over for months. Immediately I asked her to share how she did it and made a trip to Hancock's to make my own. 

Friday night Matt and I stayed in - he did some homework, we watched Criminal Minds (duh) and I spent some time crafting....I promise to reveal this as SOON as it's done because it's going to be SO AWESOME. 

Saturday morning I got to go watch my oldest favorite Panther (I have two!) play basketball - FINALLY! K broke his ankle during the first game of the year (which I had to miss) and was out for the first half of the season. He got to start playing again after Christmas break, and Saturday was the first HS game I've been able to make it to this semester (they've only had a few!). I love watching K and Kale play basketball and show their steers...well really I just love everything about being their sister! 

On Sunday my parents made my dreams come true....we saw GARTH!!! You see, my mom introduced me to great music even before I was born by "taking me" to a Sawyer Brown concert. My childhood soundtrack was full of songs like Thank God for You, I Cross My Heart and The Thunder Rolls. I'm a little hurt that they decided to make the George Strait concert they went to a date night and left me at home...but all was forgiven with this show. With every song Garth played on Sunday I would turn to my mom and say "THIS IS MY FAVORITE!!!!" My parents bought the tickets for themselves, me & Matt, and my brothers for Christmas. Mom has the video of the 4 of us "kids" opening our stockings and I'm afraid my screaming might have broken her phone speakers :) So, again....Momma and Daddy - THANK YOU!!!!!

 

On Monday night, after I helped my Grandma Nett set up her new iPad, I went home and worked a little more on the craft project from above...Yes, it has a name! I have one step left, and I think I'll be able to get it done this weekend then I'll share what it is. :)

On Tuesday, I shared a real picture wearing my scarf. I love it so much and thought the outfit was so cute that I totally used Photo Booth to take a picture before having coworker take one for Brenna's blog! Since I know everyone wants one, go over to the Frilly Farm Girl blog to see how to make your own (PS the flannel was half off at Hancock's last week when I went, so maybe you'll luck out and only pay $6 for this incredible scarf, too!!). This is literally a 3-minute project, not including drive time. 

 

Yesterday was going to be a busy day, and Thabo just knew he was going to need extra sleep to tackle it. When Matt leaves for work in the morning, he tosses the puppies on the bed with me and I get to snuggle with two adorable little faces for a few minutes until my alarm goes off. Then, they lay on the bed patiently while I get ready. When I turned on the lamp and got out of bed on this day, Thabo gave me this "Please, just a few more minutes of sleep!" look. Yesterday's busy day involved a full day of designing, designing, designing at work (I'm really glad I'm not having some sort of weird creative black right now!) followed by the New Members Class at the church we are joining (yay for fellowship and new friends!), then Arby's for dinner (double yay for not having to cook one night, haha). 

Today is yet another busy, full day at work ("busy season" is in full swing right now...though it never truly stops around here!) and tonight we might finally get our tree down. I had a dream last night that we did, so it's a good sign, right? :) Don't forget, you can follow #EveryDayWithShae on Instagram and see what else I'm up to!

#Snowklahoma STATE!

Ya'll, apparently we have been transported to Antarctica or something. Oklahoma has turned into a frozen tundra and is covered in ice/sleet/snow. We don't deal with this kind of weather in Oklahoma very well, so Thursday the office closed early, Friday we were off, Saturday half the state about 60,000 of us went to Stillwater, and again today church was closed. Since it still isn't above freezing and roads are a hot frozen mess, school is out for my brothers and all the surrounding schools tomorrow as well.

A lot has happened since we went bear hunting, so let's get to it.

Pre-Snowklahoma, in addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, I (1) got a lap full of Tate snuggles, (2) had a blast on a date downtown with Matt and (3) took my brother to work with me!

#MyLifeAsAuntieShae: Being Tater Bug's Human Mattress 

We dressed fancier than normal and went for a yummy dinner followed by watching some great football! #SweetLife

Kale came to work with me and volunteered! He got to meet my pal Bernie, too!

Then Oklahoma turned into a frozen tundra.

The nice thing about this is I had plenty of time to decorate for Christmas! I have two trees in my room this year - thankfully it's big enough to handle both of them! 

Dad cut a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree for me! | Our Elf on the Shelf, Chester, likes to "watch over" us...
Christmas decorations aren't complete until Santa Shae is out! | My other tree has plenty of ORANGE on it!

Since it's been so cold, I've been getting plenty of Molly snuggles, and anytime I've ventured out, I've worn Uggs and fleece lined leggings to keep toasty. At night, I've been extra thankful for my heated mattress pad (seriously, get yourself one) in these sub-freezing temperatures!

 

Saturday was Bedlam, the day that divides families and friends like nothing else. We braved the weather with layers upon layers of warmth to watch our Cowboys lose in a heartbreaker. All I have to say about this game and people's actions: no matter what team you support, don't be so mean. I saw things I was disappointed in on BOTH sides. Don't take everything so personally that is said about "your team." Don't trip the other team's players. Don't flip off the crowd when you're shown on the jumbo-tron. Also, I am proud to live in the land of the free and the home of the BRAVE where we are all able to support whatever team we like and enjoy football games in 10 degree weather. 

Matt & me
Matt, me, Kaden, Momma, Daddy and Kale

Church was cancelled due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions, and cabin fever began to set in (yes I was out yesterday, but otherwise, since Thursday at 3, I've been online shopping in my sweats). Dad talked me in to going to check cattle with him, Kale and Hunter, so I pulled on a jacket and joined them. 

Left: target practice at the farm
Top: Daddy visiting with our donkey, Bugs
Bottom: cattle across the frozen pond

And now, as I'm writing this, since my brothers and cousins are out of school tomorrow, two of my little cousins just walked in the door. Hunter and Uncle Shawn have hung out with us most of the afternoon, but they brought Julie back to hang out, too. Julie came in wearing a mustache and I said "I mustache you a question!" I got blank looks from mom, Uncle Shawn and Julie, while Hunter excitedly responded "But I'll save it for later!!" Goodness I love these two kiddos. What a great way to end a blessed couple of weeks. My heart is full and happy.

Oh! And since it's about time for Christmas cards share your bloopers on Instagram! Cassie came up with the idea of sharing those not-so-cute, awkward and unplanned moments that won't make the final card cute but are still absolutely hilarious (at least for the rest of us!). Use #ChristmasCardBloopers2013 when you share on Instagram!

PS - for overwhelming cuteness, watch this video. Thanks Kristen for sharing!! Happy Monday!

Linking up with Sami

Bear Hunting

I had a feeling it was going to be a good weekend. After getting to hang out with stop by a food drive Desmond Mason was signing autographs at last week, I was just feeling the orange power :)

My Cowboys were overcoming the Corso Curse bear hunting playing Baylor on Saturday, so we headed to Stillwater to watch in the appropriately cold temps! I had FIVE layers of shirts/jackets on, two layers of pants, ski socks, boots, gloves, a scarf, somewhat working hand warmers, two layers of head wraps and I was STILL COLD. Oklahoma turned into Antartica on Friday evening and it just kept getting colder, I think. I did have two blankets, and we sat on one...but since we started out the game on a good note and I wasn't wrapped in blanket #2, I couldn't use it. It's only weird if it doesn't work, and obviously, it worked, because my Pokes WON! Such a great game and worth every second of shivering.

College Gameday was in town so of course we had to get a picture!

We LOVE seeing you in ORANGE, Collin!! :) 

This is about the time I decided I need a warmer jacket before we go skiing!

Yesterday was a snow/ice day so my family spent it playing Phase 10 and online shopping. I'm always a little amazed when there is no blood shed over a game of Phase 10 - my family is competitive and intense. After most of the afternoon and evening, the game was settled and Kaden won. The most satisfying part? Mom lost! :)

Labor Day Weekend...a little late

Yes, thank you, I do realize Labor Day weekend ended 3 days ago, but I've been a busy girl and I'm just now turning on my computer to do anything except work.work.work. #PGP, major.

My weekend happiness was centered around the success of the QB situation the Choo Choo Train the Walshing Machine the OSU defense. That's right, there's no way I was missing the first game!

Even though Molly didn't go to the game, she supported the Pokes from the comfort of her corner of the couch, wearing orange and white, of course.

Matt rented a car for us to drive down to Houston, so after picking up the car (and one for my parents to drive, but more on that later)  bright & early Friday morning, we started south! Of course, we didn't even make it to WinStar the Texas border before I had to stop to get a drink, and it wasn't too long after that time that I started side eye-ing Matt needing a bathroom break. But, we finally made it across the Texas border and stopped at the most delicious place on earth - Chickfila - for lunch. Because clearly there were no other options in Texas like in-and-out burger.

Obligatory "drive friendly, the Texas way" sign pic.

After finally making it to Houston (I slept a lot of the way so really I shouldn't complain), we went to the Galleria and again ate a place we could get in OKC - Raisin' Caines. In  my defense, I hadn't ever tried it and the other option was Chili's. The sauce was amazing, though. 

My family finally got to H-town around 3:00 a.m. They had to go to work/school (ha!) and then stopped outside of Dallas to pick up my mom's new car! We sold my jeep a few weeks ago, she gave me her jeep (upgrade!) and she got a giant Ford Expedition. It's super nice. Anyway, their 3 am arrival meant they woke me up from a nice sleep so I could let them into the hotel. Sorry to anyone who might have caught me dragging through the lobby in my sweats looking like a rag doll. 

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to get burgers at Lankford Grocery, recommended by my high school ag teacher. Mom got a burger that was so hot I thought she was going to cry, Kaden got one with mac & cheese on it, Cindy got one with Fritos on it, and mine was just so big that I barely ate half. Everyone else got chicken or hot dogs. 

Lankford Grocery was featured on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives! We knew it had to be good.

My brothers dressed alike. How cute.

We met a group of Miss St. fans at lunch, and one of them brought over his cow bell from college. Clearly, I had to take a Pistols Firing pic with it!

The first Mississippi State fans we ran into were still sober at noon on gameday. I didn't know the SEC allowed that. :)

As we were leaving lunch, we realized dad had officially broken in mom's less-than-24-hours-old car. He parked on the wrong side of the street/going the wrong direction, and got a ticket.

We finally got to the game and headed up to our seats, but were stopped before making it all the way up the escalators...they needed to fill seats on the first level, and we were upgraded! Now we must pause for picture overload from the OSU game...

Matt & I had our pistols firing | Cheering on the Cowboys with Daddy
Spark + Cowboy Football = AdvoCare Texas Kickoff Classic | The view from our upgraded seats!

Sheriff Gundy after the win | I got to see Caylee & Maureen!
After the game with mom | Dad needed some Spark

After the game we ate at Pappadeaux and headed back to the hotel. On Sunday, we went back to the Galleria before heading home. I got a cute pink owl phone case, which of course I haven't taken a picture of yet. #BloggerFail Just think Jess's Bunny Case (from New Girl), and imagine it being a pink owl. That's what it looks like. After shopping a while, we headed back home.

Yay for a fun weekend! Boo for a long drive home! | What a beautiful sunset to come home to!

Bonus Weekend Day Monday was filled with family and fun - the Kennedy side of the family came over for lunch, swimming and horse riding, then we went over to Aunt Kandi's for dinner. 

Such a great weekend. So much fun, so much family, so much ORANGE. I just love fall. 

PS - my weirdo cousin Mag will soon be blogging over at Chasing Squirrels. Follow her and love her. 

So I turned 24...

...and apparently forgot I had a blog. Really, I didn't, but since that magical day of #Shaes24th, I've been a really busy girl and my dear little blog got a little neglected. #sorrynotsorry though...

The night before I turned 24, I spent the evening with my favorite 8 year old - painting our nails, watching TV and having a super fun girls' night.

I had to work on my birthday, but never fear, I wore my fancy pants shoes so I could celebrate all.day.long.

When I got back from meetings that day, I had a huge delivery on my desk - Matt had sent me flowers! 

It's now been almost two weeks and I think they're still getting prettier and definitely still blooming. Good job, Matt. Gold stars. That evening, Matt and I celebrated my birthday with a BARBIE CAKE.

I was clearly very excited about all the birthday fun and how he much surprised me with such a great day, as evidenced by my excited face in the pictures we took that night. 

Every birthday princess knows that a birthday party isn't complete without a slumber party, so clearly I had one that night! Julie and Kiera were ready to celebrate when I got home from my celebration with Matt, and celebrate we did, until I was so tired that my eyes wouldn't stay open. Then the next day, we continued celebrating, by fixing our hair and makeup like princesses do, of course! 

Ready for our slumber party!

Have you ever met more beautiful fairy princesses?

My girls. The only thing that could have made the slumber party better is if Mag could have joined us for a cousin night! :)

On Friday Matt and I celebrated again, but I didn't get any pictures. #bloggerbirthdayfail. On Saturday, I met Twin Lori and Baby Tate for a birthday lunch! I'm telling you, I celebrate my birthday right! :)

Saturday night, my family came over to celebrate. I'd told momma I wanted a sparkly pink cake, but she outdid herself with this delicious made-from-scratch, glittering, pink, pearl Shae-cake.

After eating cake, Tate had to try pickle juice. He liked it, I promise. 

On Sunday, we had the Pikey Family Reunion because my great-great-great grandpa Benson Pikey was inducted into the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame on Tuesday! I enjoyed the event so much - there's always so much Chickasaw history and I find it very interesting to learn more about the people who have given so much to my tribe.

Great-great Aunt Marie - Ben Pikey's granddaughter - had to hit the casino floor for a bit after the Hall of Fame! She will be 102 this summer and is still just as rotten as they come :) 

On Wednesday morning (I think - my days are running together - eep!), my baby brother Kale was on TV! AmPo was chosen as OKC FOX's Cool School and Kale and the Elementary Choir got to perform! It was too cool. I asked him for his autograph and he told me I wasn't a "real person" so I didn't get it. Ouch!

Matt and Thabo came over last Wednesday night for dinner - I made pizza from almost-scratch (lies. It was totally from a box). Molly and Thabo weren't quite sure what to think of each other - my sassy little pug doesn't like to share, but tries to be as lazy as possible while defending her territory. At one point, she was sitting on Matt and staring down Thabo as he played. They haven't seen each other since Thabo was a tiny baby puppy, but by the end of the night I think they'd decided to be friends. 

On Friday, Magan, Kiera and I ran around the countryside taking pictures, and I got to see a beautiful sunset after taking pictures in the middle of the road. I'll be sure to share some pictures from their photo shoot soon :) 

On Saturday, I got up bright and early (for the weekend) to go to Letter Carriers' Food Drive! My job was to go to various sites and take pictures, and Matt's job was to drive me. I had such a fun day and really appreciated Matt going along with me to work! After the food drive, we went to dinner, watched the Thunder and even shopped a little! Such a solid Saturday :) 

Almost done with our day of work! 

Sunday it was time to celebrate MOM! My brothers and I are blessed with a truly incredible woman to call momma. We had a day at the ponds with our whole family, complete with fishing, homemade fried chicken, hot dog roasts, smores and sunburns! I can't wait for more days like this all summer long. 

Daddy said the rule is if you're driving the truck, the windows are down. I agree. 

I did an activity called "princess fishing" at the pond - I threw the line(?), reeled in the fish, but daddy took it off and held for the pictures. I don't touch gross things like that!

Such a busy, fun couple of weeks! God has put some truly wonderful people in my life and I am so, so very blessed! In conclusion: I'm seriously liking 24 so far.