things I'm dreaming of {july}:

 

these easy to make S'mores bars.
this WWII story.
a camera lense hood.
this sweatshirt for working out.
a skirt perfect for church and work.
this cute doormat.
a desperately needed hair product.
the coolest lounge t-shirt ever made.
this treat perfect for sharing with friends.


image via

catching the fever.

I've never been much of a football or basketball fan. However, soccer and baseball? That's a whole different field. (Get it? Field, haha.) And by "whole different field," I mean that I don't get as bored watching them as I do football and basketball.

St. Louis is a huge, huge baseball town. There are Cardinals flags and signs plastered around the city and surrounding areas, and it's impossible to go to any store without seeing Cardinals merchandise near the checkout. At work, people wear their Cardinals shirts/sweatshirts/socks/ties/hats/earrings/anything red on game days and I can guarantee that if you have a two minute conversation with a stranger in the elevator, the Cardinals will somehow pop up. It's impossible to avoid the fever. Already, Ben has become quite the Cardinals fanatic; he diligently watches all of the games, has attended quite a few already this season, and he even has a shirt. ;)

This week they had a "Mormon Night at the Cardinals" - meaning we got really cheap tickets and sat by 200 missionaries who were having the time of their lives. Ben and I split a cherry snowcone (red, of course), kicked up our feet, and enjoyed a night under the stars with friends watching some baseball.

Go Cards!

a quote everyone needs to read.

Take five minutes out of your day and read the rest of the talk here.
I can pinky promise you that it's worth it.

Happy Thursday!

primary-isms, round 2.

I teach the 6 to 8-year olds at church and these are some of the gems I've heard recently.

Sister W: "What do you guys like to do when you're feeling reverent?"
9-year old boy: "I like to eat a banana and go serve someone."


8-year old boy: "Is church almost over? We're gonna go see Transformers after church but this is taking too long."


Me: "So let's review! What's the first step of repentance?"
7-year old boy visiting class: "What would happen if you murdered two people and then ran to your house and hid under your bed and blamed it on your twin brother? Dang it, there's a rock in my shoe!"


Sister D: "Do any of you have stories about your ancestors that you want to share with us?"
7-year old boy: "My grandpa fought in a war with George Washington but I can't remember which one."
Sister D: "Oh, did one of your great, great, great grandpas fight in the Revolutionary War?"
7-year old boy: "I've never heard of that, but I know he was in Korea or something like that."

Original primary-isms post here.

feelin' like i'm in hawaii.

This past weekend was especially great - largely in part to the perfect (not humid!) weather we enjoyed and those gigantic flowers up above that made me feel like I was somewhere tropical. . .or anywhere other than the city. ;) Ben and I acquired a few mosquito bites and sunburns, but we just couldn't refuse the chance to enjoy the weather.

In other news, here are some links to waste a little more of your time. :)

This post on inexpensive sunless summer tanning products!
These 6 tips for living frugally.
An easy recipe for baked cheesecake and fruit sauce.
An outfit that makes me regret not buying that skirt.
A cute print for your home.
This tutorial on messy waves for short or medium hair.
Chocolate Chip Cookie S'mores found here.
The cutest baby shower gift.

Some Life Rules // Part II

1. Don't ever gauge if a bathroom stall is taken by looking through the little cracks. It's creepy.

2. Stock up on candy the day after a holiday.

3. Don't discipline children that aren't your own.

4. It's okay to ask the group of teenage girls who are giggling/talking during a movie to be quiet - as long as you do it nicely and with a half-smile.

5. Take the stairs instead of the elevator if possible, or walk the long way if you have time.

6. When you're in a social setting, put your phone away.

7. Keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your purse. And band-aids.

8. When making brownies, make sure you lick the spoon and bowl clean. It's worth the risk.

9. Celebrate the little things.

10. Give yourself plenty of time to get to places you need to be. It's better to be early than late.

You can find Part I here.

Some Life Rules

1. Don't buy something you don't need just because it's on sale.

2. If you're going to waste calories on junk food, make sure it's something delicious like homemade cinnamon rolls or warm chocolate chip cookies, and not a bag of Tootsie Rolls.

3. Think of others.

4. When grocery shopping, always buy the cheapest option/store brand unless it's something really important like chocolate chips. Or candles.

5. Make your home a place you want to be.

6. Treat yourself to something nice every once in a while.

7. There's a difference between being busy and being stressed/rushed. Being busy isn't a bad thing if it's time spent doing important things and/or the things you love.

8. Pray.

9. Not everyone will see things the way you do or agree with your beliefs, and sometimes they'll attack you for it. Ignore them and move on.

10. Little kids are easily bribed with treats. Take advantage of that.

The end.

now.

watching. Parks & Rec.
excited. To go to Chicago this weekend.
loving. Spending time with Ben.
annoyed. With this humidity and how it makes my hair frizzy.
missing. My family.
obsessed. With cleaning.
craving. Raspberries & peaches.
enjoying. Life in general.
wondering. How to motivate myself to get through Stats.
laughing. At Harry Potter memes this morning.
wishing. I could ditch out on work today.
wearing. A button-up shirt, a pencil skirt, and wedges.
drinking. Water, water, and more water.
wanting. A massage and/or pedicure.
looking. For a yoga class.
waiting. For Christmas. :)
smelling. Cherry Blossom lotion from Bath & Body Works.
thinking. About the book I'm reading.
feeling. Happy and busy.
smiling. Over those Harry Potter memes still.

Stole this idea from Simply Clarke because I had no clue what to write about. ;)

4th of July & Visitors!

Ben and I had been looking forward to the 4th for quite a while this year. First, his parents were planning on coming out to visit (we all know how much I love visitors :)! Second, America + red, white, and blue + time off of work! All of that good stuff.

I'm happy to report that this past weekend did not disappoint. We busted out our patriotic colors, went gallivanting around the city, and enjoyed some great firework displays. America, we sure do love you.

 

^^Old Courthouse downtown and the Arch in the background^^

^^The Old Courthouse gets dressed up with flags each 4th of July and it's so fun to go see!^^

 ^^My cute in-laws & Ben and I. (Side note: the Arch is so big that sometimes it's hard to get the whole thing in pictures!)^^

^^Thomas Jefferson. My very favorite part of the Missouri History Museum.^^

^^Watched fireworks from the top of a parking garage by our apartment with this cute guy. One of those moments in life that you want to bottle up and save for for the future. :)^^

^^A room in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. (Learned that there are 41.5 million tiles in the basilica! Crazy!)^^

^^The crowd at Fair St. Louis waiting for The Fray concert and fireworks. SO. Many. People. This picture doesn't even do it justice.^^

Not pictured:

a million other activities and places, fun restaurants, and the many miles we walked around the city

We sure love our family & our country!

these little piggies went to market.

The Soulard Farmers Market is one of my favorite things in St. Louis. Tons of produce, freshly baked bread, big hunks of meat displayed for all to see, mini donuts, all different kinds of pastas and soaps and clothes. I'm pretty convinced that they sell everything and anything at the farmers market. And the samples are the best part!

Some friends invited us to tag along with them this past Saturday, and I'm pretty sure that we all walked away with way more than we were looking for (hello, two racks of baby back ribs and enough food to feed an army). The nice thing is that everything is so cheap and delicious enough to make it worth it! If you live in the area, I'd definitely recommend checking it out at least once. :) The people watching alone is worth it!