one for the record books.

elle louise is pee-peeing and poo-pooing in the potty.

well...she's done each duty only one time. and the #2 duty was tiny as a mouse's turd. but, hey, you gotta start somewhere.

#1 duty happened on thursday the 21st and #2 duty happened monday night (the 25th)!



lemonade on the right. tiny mouse turd on the left.



proud sweetie sitting on the potty.


we are so proud of our girl! hopefully we tackle this potty training business with grace and ease! i know daddy's pocket book would be very happy if it was done buying diapers every 3rd week! ha!

tasty tuesday {slow-cooker chili chicken meat}

3 reasons i decided to use my slow-cooker last week:
1-its so dern hot outside i didn't want to heat up my kitchen by turning on my oven.
2-worked all day and needed something that would be ready when we got home.
3-this recipe looked really good and easy so i wanted to try it (and with only 5 ingredients, very cheap!).


slow-cooker chili chicken meat
derived from: martha stewart
makes 4 servings (really it makes a lot more and i didn't use quite 2 lbs of chicken)





ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breast
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2-cup of chunky salsa (pick your heat)
3 tbs canned chipolte chiles in adobo sauce, coursely chopped + some of the sauce (use only 1-2 tbs if you can't take the heat. we like it spicy in our house!)
1 tbs chili powder

directions:
dump all ingredients in slow-cooker. cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. and voila you have meat for chicken tacos, burritos, nachos, salad, and etc.



i made this last wednesday. we were supposed to have some friends over for dinner but they couldn't make it and we ended up eating dinner with aaron's family that night. so, i stuck it in the fridge for thursday and we ate on it all weekend and aaron took the last of it for lunch today. it lasted us a long time.

martha's recipe is a little different, go {here} for her version.

once again, i'm linking up with 33 shades of green today. so head on over for some good recipes.

i found this strawberry crumb pie recipe, via the link-up, last week. plan on making it today! looks so delicious!

happy tuesday. elle louise and i are beating the heat by staying in doors! yea oh yea. we only have a few outdoor activities today...popsicles, bubbles, the bank and sonic happy hour!

hipstamatic

some hipstamatic pictures i took last fall/winter. not sure if i've blogged these or not, but i can't believe how much elle has changed since i took them.



12-30-10


10-25-10


10-21-10




10-22-10


10-22-10


11-29-10

gosh she was so chubby!

i can't even begin to imagine the ways she will change in the next 8 months or so. so wild how they change so much the first few years of their lives. they go from being dependent little chubs of goodness to independent on-the-go toddlers in a matter of months. blows my mind.

i love...

...brand new babies.



...this shampoo for elle. smells so good.



...tiny toddlers with roly poly legs.



...that elle's bathing suits from last summer fit her this summer.



...the park.

happy sunday.

crafting

we met my in-laws (elle's gigi and aunts) at the mall for lunch today. i had zero dollhairs to spend, but have some forever21 gift cards so after we ate i did a little perusing. but between a screaming toddler and nothing really jumping out at me we decided to depart with the mall. i like to buy. and there are times when i love to shop. maybe its because i have a very active child, that does not like to be confined to her stroller for long periods of time, that i have fallen out of love with the hunt. whatever it is, i'm just not really into it lately. don't get me wrong. i love clothes. i love fashion. i love getting dressed and putting pieces from my closet together and making an outfit. and i love how every once in a while i love what i'm wearing. its just i really don't find shopping to be very much fun anymore. so that's that.

i must praise my child though, because she sat in her highchair for a good 30-45 minutes with only a slight meltdown and a little digested hand sanitizer. i actually was able to eat 75% of my salad before she was just done.



cousin riley let elle borrow her oh-so-cool-80's sunglasses today. and to my suprise elle loved them... because she was getting a lot of attention with them on.

we got home and elle went down for her nap. very easily. she was pooped out. i started crafting. in may i bought elle several blank tanks from american apparel to embellish and i'm just now getting to the last few...



hand-appliqued bird. like my friend shannon did with westin's shirts. so easy and so handmade. ha! and the white tank i just added white rosette trim to the collar. turned out super fancy!



up close its a train wreck. but from a distance it turned out pretty cute.



i bought these felt balls at hobby lobby a while back and i also got some ribbon to match them and i'm going to make some clips for e's hair. they were 30% off $3.99 for all three. you couldn't felt your own balls for that.

aaaand...i think that's about all the crafting i've got in me today and elle's nap is coming to an end. happy thursday!

tasty tuesday {creamy lemon crumb squares}

found this recipe via pinterest about a month ago and it has been my go-to dessert lately. tasty, light and easy to make.



i took this picture just to show you what little we have left. i made last friday afternoon and its almost gone and no one has eaten a single bite but me. i need help!

creamy lemon crumb bars
derived from the pioneer woman

Ingredients:

* 1-1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
* 1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
* 1 cup Oats
* 1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
* 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
* Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat of to 350-degrees.Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.
Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don't press.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.
Serve cool.



garden-fresh tomatoes. straight from my in-laws garden. we are having caprese(ish) salads tonight. i'm going to add some spinach. yummy!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via kari on Pinterest

it won't look this pretty, but i'm sure it will taste just as good. can't beat garden-grown maters.

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



p.s. this is what i just captured elle doing...



cutest thing ever!

the last few days

if you follow me on twitter, you might just want to skip this post all together. it is pretty much everything i've tweeted the last few days...



at the end of may, we had a total impromptu photoshoot with rachel blackwell and on saturday the prints i ordered arrived. elle louise is quite photogenic when she wants to be!



the last few days (thursday. friday. saturday. sunday.) have been trying. just gonna put it all out there...i told aaron tonight that i was actually looking forward to work tomorrow. and then after i said it out loud i felt guilty and like a horrible mom. maybe i am. but, elle is so busy these days and testing her every boundary. example: we went to my cousin ruby's 3rd birthday party saturday afternoon at my aunt and uncles brand new house and elle managed to ram ruby's miniature, metal shopping cart (that she got for her birthday) into a wooden column in the kitchen and make a huge indention. i was mortified. we were supposed to go to our twin niece's swimming party this afternoon but we opted out. it was for their friends and there were going to be lots of people there i didn't know and i was having so much anxiety about going and elle acting out in front them that we just decided not to go. aaron was totally on board because i think he was a little worn out after the birthday party saturday too. we know. we know. she is only 17 months old. yes, we get it. but we also don't want her to be a hellion when she is 3! so, we want to establish boundaries and instill in her a sweet and obedient spirit now so that when she is 3, 4, 5, elementary, and etc she is a sweet, well-mannered, and gentle person. so, there. ha!



elle, dada, dog and bawk-bawk playing chase this afternoon. sorry, if this picture makes you dizzy. it kind of does me. it was super cute to see in person though. even if i was having major weird stomach cramps and a horrible headache.



friday night we had dinner at greenhouse grille with our friends from little rock. hands down. my favorite. i had the eggplant napoleon and i will never be the same. fire-roasted eggplant, garden tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and parmesan, drizzled in balsamic vinegar. my mouth is watering.



our friends have two kids; a 7-year old son and a 2 1/2-year old daughter. the son sweet as pie. the daughter sweet as pie with a little sass thrown in. at dinner elle and the daughter (or the baby as they call her) were rotten...i am so glad they had live music to drown out the girls. they were sweet though. just feeling their oats. like toddlers do.



saturday, sarah and i shopped for our friend, ashley's, baby shower that's next month. we had so much fun and laughed a lot. the fabric is for a little something we are doing at the shower. can't share now but i will because its going to be fun, artsy and creative. can't remember if i took that picture before or after sarah spilled her iced latte all over her lap. oh yeah, it was before. ha!



gave myself a mani and pedi. i painted my nails this new color, sage, from forever21 and my toes a coraly neutral that i've had for 3 years...got it at urban outfitters in nashville forever ago. and it remains one of my fav's. so my nails are sage. my toes are neutral. aaron thought that was weird but i find it weirder that he's just now noticing. i never paint my nails and toes the same color. it makes me itch. personal preference though because it doesn't bother me when other people do it. and most people do.



aaron's mom brought us these vintage pyrex mugs last weekend. i. love. them. wish i had more! they were aaron's granny deloris's. going to start scouring flea markets and antique stores for me. been seeing lots of vintage pyrex on pinterest and am in love with it all.


well, i guess that's all i've gots for ya...

hope you have a good week! we have a pretty low key week ahead and i'm so looking forward to it!

talk soon!

elle loves daddy

elle and her daddy are tight. makes my heart skip a beat.

she was hammin' it up for the camera last night and showing her daddy lots of lovin'.

giveaway winner

and the winner is valerie griffin. the first commenter.

Valerie Griffin said...
I believe I found your blog through Rachel Berrys but I started following because I love your precious girl's name! I have always loved the name "Eloise" from the book/movie. I just love how you spell it! So fresh, young, & fun! I really enjoy reading your blog!

i used random.org number generator to determine the winner. i tried to save the image but could not figure out how to do so, so you'll have to trust me :)

thank you everyone for entering my giveaway. when i get to 300 followers i'll do another one.

valerie, thank you for your kind comment! email me at thehighlifeblog(at)gmail(dot)com and we can discuss wreath deets!



and a quick little something from our day...

this morning i took elle louise to an indoor playground with all inflatable bounce houses and slides. we met shannon and westin there. westin played so good. elle was a little indifferent. she only got on a bouncy toy once for about 10 seconds and then she decided to ride the playskool rockin' horses instead. she definitely had the most fun getting into everyone's bags and belongings and trying to steal other kids/babies sippy cups. whether i want to or not, we will be going back for more though. i bought a voucher for 4 times for half price, so we have 3 more pre-paid times. hoping next time she actually gets her bounce on!



westin playing in the baby/toddler area! oh yeah, we went during "toddler" time and let me just say there were some big toddlers! and i didn't know that 5 year olds were still considered toddlers? shannon made w's shirt. go {here} to check out how she did it. it is even cuter in person!



yip. i know. she looks like such a big girl here. the outfit. the pigtails. oh my lanta. and yip. i paid $3 for my child to ride a plastic horse for all of 20 minutes.

after our bouncing fun we went to lunch. she was a mess y'all. would not sit still. sat and stood on the table numerous times. and so loud. i'm sure shannon thinks my child is insane. westin was a perfect angel. sat in his highchair. ate his lunch. and only made a couple peeps. elle needs to be taking some lessons from that sweet boy! shannon said he just had some good entertainment. lord, help me!

the bounce house wore her out. we ran another quick errand after lunch. bra shopping. yip a roonie. and she fell asleep on the way home and is still asleep. i'm hoping for a four-hourer today!

totally random monday post...

i'm still recovering from our weekend. i felt like a zombie for the greater part of yesterday and woke up this morning with that same hazy feeling. not sure if its being away from home for a couple of days or the massive heat wave we are experiencing, but geez i am beat. or maybe its my go-get-'em girl that is always so busy busy. honestly, i've been trying to make an effort to eat right...like complex carbs and protein for lunch and dinner (i can't do breakfast) and to make a point to drink a lot of water in a given day hoping for some added energy but there is none. i always feel so drained. one day elle louise will be more independent and i will wish that she needed me more. so, i guess, for now i will embrace this stage of life. foggy and all...

i purchased a new app last night. its called diptic and it allows you to make collages using your iphone pictures or pictures from your flickr app. i played around with it a little last night after elle went to bed. its really fun!


elle is not this dark/orange. i think i messed with some color settings or something...
this was taken outside of toys r' us last night while we waited for daddy to check out. elle had a mini break down in the store but was cool as a cucumber when we got outside. we went shopping for our twin nieces' birthday party that is wednesday. let me say...you would think that it would be easy to shop for 7 year old girls, but i was at a loss. aaron totally picked out their presents.



i bought elle a few clips (bumblee bee. ice cream cone. crotchet flower) and a big bow at polkadot posies about a month ago. kelle hampton had a 10% off code on her blog and i took advantge. i think my order ended up being $11 with shipping. you should check them out. they have some super cute ribbon clips, crochet flower hats and clips and big bows. the bow i bought from polka dot posies is a little big for my liking but i think it will be so cute for ponytails when e's hair gets a little longer. i will be purchasing more from that cute shop! awesome customer service and fast shipping. AND they even sent me a complimentary flower clip.

well. i guess that's all i've got for today. i'm just going to survive this day. wishing for quittin' time already and the day as barely begun. looking forward to "sleeping in" tomorrow.

happy monday!

lake + giveaway

we are home from our 2-night stay with my parents at the lake. we had so much fun. we were tempted to stay just one more night but decided probably be bestest to come back home and make that money. i took a lot of pictures this weekend. so, get super pumped for another lake post with a lot of pictures. i know you can't wait. ha!

my main reason for posting tonight is to remind everyone to enter my giveaway, if you haven't done so. i will select a winner tomorrow evening sometime and announce tuesday!

have a great week!

friday! friday! going to the lake on friday!

well i said i wasn't going to blog this week due to my work load, but i've come out of hybernation for several reasons. one being that it is very quiet in the office this morning and i need something to make this morning go by fast. we are leaving for a little getaway with my family (mom. dad. brother.) this afternoon and i'm super excited.

and, a few other reasons why i decided to blog today...

{neon}... my new favorite super trend.

Source: cocokelley.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

give me!!!!!!!!!!

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

my friend, sarah, found an almost exact replica of this dress at the goodwill in our town! i was so excited when i saw this on the sartiorialist yesterday. pretty lace dress with an oh-so-80s neon green belt. who would've thought that would make a good combo? that pretty girl did. looks so fun! i'm sure sarah will be rockin' this look soon! she's on the hunt for a skinny neon belt now.

Source: citified.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

neon + neutral

Source: citified.blogspot.com via kari on Pinterest

neon + denim

i came across this alphabet wall display yesterday on apartment therapy. i love it for elle's play area in our living room. love the color-blocked square on the wall. the whole thing is so fun and bright and colorful. now where in the world am i going to find all these fun letters? i guess we will be scouring junk stores and flea markets!

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via kari on Pinterest

while looking at all home tour pictures of the awesome "chic geek" farmhome, i came across red lockers (i'm assuming are also in the playroom along with the alphabet letter wall). i'm not too sure the history behind them but i got a brilliant idea. we have several sets of lockers in our garage that we use for storage. they are in pretty janky condition but i think we could bring them back to life and use them in the nook in our living room that now houses a couple shelves filled with crap and our printer.

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via kari on Pinterest

take the geek chic farmhouse tour {here}

i am not a cat person. we had two cats growing up. the first one had a seizure and died under our kitchen table after many years of failed suicide attempts. her name was frisky (i think) and she road in the hood of my dad's truck from our house in the country to our church in town. about 10-15 miles. someone found her and called us. we had family pictures taken with that dern cat. after she died my mom got my brother and i another cat (where were the dogs, mom?) for christmas. we named her noel. soon after we got her my parents had her de-clawed and then after a couple years of my dad and i suffering from allergies we started shaving her. she was a freak. the only person in the entire family that she liked was my mom. all she did was lie under the dining room table (where frisky died) and hiss at anyone (except mom) when they walked by. something happened to noel. maybe she had the seizure. i'm not sure. obviously you can tell i wasn't a fan of either cat if i can't even remember their demise.

all that to say...

the night before last aaron and i laid in bed and watched several videos of cats. it actually made me like cats a little more. and one blessed day when we have our dream home on our dream land with our dream farm i will have an outside cat. they are pretty cool and smart and weird.

check out these cute you tube videos of cats.









pretty cute, huh!?

well, how's that for the most random of random posts?

hope you all have a great weekend! i should be back to my regularly scheduled posting next week! and don't forget, the giveaway will be monday. if you haven't already entered please do so!