four years

four years ago, today, we did this...



here...



and in front of family and friends...



yep. it has been four crazy years for sure. i have learned so much about myself in the last four years and then you throw a kid in the mix and its like you start all over again. kids change everything. for the better, of course. but it definitely has added a whole new dynamic to our marriage.

i wonder what the next four years will hold for us?

giveaway time

two posts in one day. no way!

just noticed that my blog now has 200 followers! this makes me so happy and i want to do a small giveaway.

one week from today, i'll randomly select a winner using random.org. i will make the winner a burlap ruffle wreath. and if you are the winner, i will make it specific to your liking and i will ship it to you! all as a way to thank you for being a loyal reader of living the high life blog.



entry rules:
1-must be a follower of the blog.
2-if you are not already a follower, become one.
3-leave a comment with your name and e-mail address and a quick something you like about the blog or something you would like to see from me on the blog.
4-that's it!

thanks, again, for being one of the 200 followers of the blog. i'm so glad that 200 people out there like to read what i have to share!

hair

jessica did exactly what i asked of her. remove the dead hair and shape it up a bit. she also took some weight out of the front so that my hair is not always falling in my face.

decided against bangs. i've been talking myself out of it for days. kept remembering when i did have bangs how my forehead was always greasy and broken out. i didn't want to have to mess with that this summer. when fall, and cooler weather approach, i might decide to get some then.


i am so happy with my hair. it feels so light and healthy.



tada! not a big change, but a healthy new 'do. now if it would only grow like 5 inches in the next few months. my hair grows so slow. ugh.

home sick with ellie bean today. started running fever yesterday afternoon. i noticed when i got her up from her nap. she doesn't act like she feels too bad. just whiny mainly and clingy cuddly. hopefully whatever it is leaves quickly.

tasty tuesday {olive cheese bread}

first off, i completely forgot my dad's birthday yesterday. well i didn't forget to tell him happy birthday...i just forgot to let the world know that it was his birthday.


dad introducing elle to the lawnmower. she was not a fan.


nana rescuing elle!


bapa chasing nana and elle. he is so ornery.

happy birthday dad and bapa! we love you so much and are blessed because of you!

and, finally, a tasty tuesday recipe. i can't remember if i've done this one before so if i have i am sorry!

pioneer woman's olive cheese bread


ingredients. minus the green onions. mine spoiled.


chop up the olives (and the green onions if you got 'em).


mix with the mayo, butter and cheese.


spread on half of loaf. i froze the other half for a later day. pw says you can freeze it for up to 6 months! bake in 325-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.


and, tada! a real treat.

Ingredients

* 1 loaf French Bread
* 6 ounces, weight Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives
* 6 ounces, weight Black Olives
* 2 stalks Green Onions (scallions)
* 1 stick Butter, Room Temperature
* ½ cups Mayonnaise
* ¾ pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated

Preparation Instructions
*Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.
*Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.
*Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers.

i'm linking up with 33 shades of green! so head on over to the blog and check out all the yummy recipes!

monday musings

musing noun : meditative

while nothing of a deep meditative nature, just some recent random going-ons in my life {and cute pictures courtesy of instagram}...



saturday afternoon i made an iced coffee. elle said "drink?" and while letting her have a sip said "honey, i don't think you'll like it..." and after her sip she said to me "i yike it!". and from then on i've been making iced coffee for us to share. need to probably buy some decaf.



the newest member of my family was born friday afternoon. she is absolutely precious. elle and i spent the majority of our sunday with them. lots of loving and snuggling took place. brand-new babies are my absolute favorite thing.



elle had fun swinging with her big cousin.

elle is going through a very interesting "mommy's girl" phase right now. i'm not sure what to make of it. but have consulted a couple of my friends with babies e's age or a little older and they all say their babies went through the same phase and that is was short lived. i'm ready for my little social butterly to return.

aaron has been out of town since last thursday. i have not slept. he gets home today. i will probably crash tonight when my head hits the pillow.

peaches is back at the clinic. poor, pitiful peaches. she now has some bronchial infection, along with pnemonia and a gi tract thing. not sure all the medical terminology that was thrown at my, but the vet (not my uncle this time...he is on vacation) told me she will be okay its just going to be a slow healing process.

so, since peaches is m.i.a. from our backyard, our little dog, peggy, has been escaping. she has been inside with us for the last few days. and she is so good, just like peaches. she just lays in the same spot all day and goes outside to go to the bathroom. escapes through the hole she dug and sits at our front door until we let her back in. elle is totally freaked out by her. i think she's a little too "friendly" for e's liking.



today is my first full-day back at work. so i had to pack a lunch.
i brought my favorite chicken salad.
here's the recipe:
apple-walnut chicken salad
1 big can (i think 12 oz) of organic white chicken
1/2 fuji apple, chunked
3 celery stalks, sliced
8 green grapes, quartered
2 oz chopped walnuts (or pecans. whatever you prefer)
mayo, to taste
black pepper, to taste
***mix it all up. yummy for my tummy! i eat it with wasa crackers. would be even better on stonemill's cranberry pecan bread.



while aaron was out of town we went on a little shopping spree. ha, not really. but i did buy elle a few things over the weekend. i had $10 rewards at baby gap so i got her a new shirt (above that i've been eyeing for weeks) and a sweet one-shoulder strap dress. with ruffle eyelet trim. i'm a sucker for anything eyelet!



we met aunt boo boo (SIL) her kids and gigi (MIL) at the mall saturday night. elle loves her cousin, p. they are both so rotten. cracks me up. we are definitely gonna have to keep our eyes on them. they are going to be partners in crime. mischevious lil boogers.

guess that's all the musings i've got.

happy monday.

something sweet saturday

it is the very end to a long and hot saturday. but, i wanted to post before it was no longer saturday.

thursday afternoon we met shannon and westin at my parent's house for a little swim! westin and elle play together really good. they are both sweet, yet ornery. at one point, westin, just walked right into the pool. like it was nothing. good thing his momma was there to catch him.



hey, westin, give me that cookie!








can you see the length of that boy's eyelashes? they are so long they seriously touch his eyebrows! i am jealous!

we had so much fun with our friends!

fashion friday {pretty skirts}

went back through all my "wardbrobe essentials" and "my style...inspired" pins on pinterest for some fashion friday inspiration and dang (!) i have pinned a lot of skirts. i love skirts. they are easy to wear. make you instantly feel put together. they can be casual. they can be dressy.


via anthropologie, modcloth, spotted moth and forever 21.

some of my recent wardrobe essentials and inspired style pins...

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

love striped skirts. love them. pretty and preppy rolled into one.

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

if i've said it once, i've said it one hundred times. an accordion-pleated skirt needs to get in my closet asap.

Source: tumblr.com via kari on Pinterest

i love the casual look of this skirt paired with the white tee and flats. a very modest approach to the body-con trend.

Source: makersofshoes.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

sucker for a pretty floral.

Source: theneotraditionalist.com via kari on Pinterest

and, this whole ensemble...too cute for words.

happy friday!

hair

jessica is cutting my hair on tuesday. i want something fresh and different without taking off any length. came across this blog tonight via lookbook.nu. love this girl's hair. love the layers and thick chunky bangs. and i love that she wears it the ways i most wear mine. straight. curly. and in a top knot/high bun. and her hair is really almost the same color of mine. and i think i might dye it this weekend a little darker. because right now i've got the two-tone color going on from my diy ombre dye a couple months ago.

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

Source: maddinka.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

but, then i look at my other pinned hairstyles and i love the grown out bangs. the more hippy-esque hairstyles.

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

Source: stylebistro.com via kari on Pinterest

Source: lookbook.nu via kari on Pinterest

and then i see jen aniston rockin' the bob and i just want to chop it all off.

Source: sheknows.com via kari on Pinterest

i will refrain. my hair is finally past that weird middle-length phase. you know, when it feels like your hair doesn't grow for at least a year? it feels healthy and i really love it long. more than any other way i've ever worn my hair.

if i remember i'll be sure to take before and after pics of my hair. 
i'm ready for a new 'do.
we'll see what i decide between now and tuesday!

y'all...one more morning and i am back to my old schedule of working only 2 days a week. i am so excited i can barely stand it. besides my haircut on tuesday we don't have any plans during the day. i want to go to the farmer's market during the week. and take some early morning walks. of course, go to the pool and spend lots of days in our jammies.

p.s...i am FIVE followers away from 200! as soon as the blog reaches 200 followers i am going to do a giveaway as a way of saying thank you! and, what am i going to giveaway you ask? this wreath! or, something very similar. i will make it custom to the winner's desires.

water

i have never been a water drinker. i think its boring i suppose. but i do know that drinking water is single-handedly one of the most important things you can for your boday and i also know that i do not get enough of it in a day. sometimes at night i'll think back to my liquid consumption during the day and i'll realize that i haven't had a drop of plain water to drink all day. i do drink lots of tea (have yet to master a good brew at home) and coffee, so there is some water but not the same as having a big ole glass of ice-cold water!

for my birthday my friend/co-worker gave me a reusable insulated drinking cup and i love it. i fill it up in the morning and take it to work with me (if i remember to grab it on the way out door), fill it back up when i get home and drink a couple glasses during the day and then fill it up before i go to bed. drink a little bit during the night but have a nice glass of room temperature water in the morning to get me started.

i've really been making a solid effort the last month or so to drink a lot more water. i still stop and get a sonic happy hour iced tea pretty much every day. it is so good and cold on these hot days! but, no diet coke. haven't had one in about 21 days. i can't even believe it. i'm sure i will have one again but i've been resisting the cravings pretty good lately. but for now i'm happy with my coffee, my tea and my water.

my hydrangea is a bloomin'

3 beautiful pink and blue blooms. i have a feeling this flowering bush is going to be big and bountiful this year.



i'm so excited to see this bush grow bigger and better every year. hydrangeas are my favorite flower, along side the sunflower, so it brings me a lot of joy year to year.

pretty grand, huh? considering it started out as a very small $8 plant just 3 summers ago.







i'm so glad that the iphone takes such great pictures in natural sunlight. if it didn't, i would not have captured these sweet moments. elle louise happy to be home and playing in the flower bed.