My Happy Place!

I LOVE the beach, like can't wait to move there one day!!!  It is the most relaxing place ever and I wish I could go every month!!  Life would be complete! 

Mexico is the place I go to most.  Cancun and Playa Del Carmen are were we visit.  I am a water girl and pick the place with the BEST water!!  I love crystal clear water.  Cancun water is pretty clear, Playa....not so much but still nice.  We honeymooned in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and that water was the CLEAREST water I had ever seen!!   It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!

See what I mean about the water in Punta Cana!!  This picture does not do it justice!!!

Visiting Isla Mujeres while in Cancun.  This is a MUST if staying in Cancun!

Mommy and Ridge in Cancun for New Year's 2014.  It was Ridge's 1st time at the beach and 1st vacation.  He turned 4 months old while we were there.  It is some of the best memories I have with him as a baby.

Ridge playing in the sand in Destin.  We went with my Sister's family for summer vacay in June 2015.  We rented a condo on the beach and loved the fun in the sun. 

Picture in Destin with My sister and her two kids, Luke and Lily. 

Ridge and Lily!  Ridge loves him so Lily!!  In fact, it is the only name he says!

Family picture in Destin!

At dinner in Cancun on my Husband's Company trip to Cancun in January 2016. 

Me at the beach in Cancun at Live Aqua.

The beach is my happy place and I hope that Ridge loves the beach as much as his Mommy and Daddy do.  So far, he is a little beach bum!!  I can't wait to go to the beach with him in a few months since it will be the first time at the beach for him since he could walk.  It will be very interesting for sure!!  Can't wait to share that will you guys! 

Until next time,

Lesley

Toddler Life

My Son is 17 months old and ALL boy!  He loves to challenge me, daily!!  If I tell him to get out of something, he will turn around and go right back to it.  It can be SO frustrating!  Then, I look at his little face and it is SO hard to be mad at him!!!

The pantry is his favorite place to "play" and it makes Mommy, crazy!!

But then he does this and I can't possibly be  mad at this sweet boy!!!

My desk his his second favorite place to "play"! 

I can't even!!!! 

Being a Mom is the GREATEST job of my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world!  It is also the most challenging job ever!  My sweet boy definitely keeps me busy.  There is never a dull moment in my house with this little guy around!!  He melts my heart!!!

Until next time,

Lesley

Favorite Easy Weeknight Recipe

One of my favorite recipes to make when I am having a not so super healthy dinner is.....

Mix and Match Mama's Spinach Pesto Baked Tacos!! 

They are super easy to make a full of flavor!!  You must make them!!

Shopping List 1 pound ground beef (or you could use ground chicken or turkey)
1 package taco seasoning
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of all the excess water
1 cup store bought Pesto
2 cups salsa
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
5 taco shells (I used the "stand and stuff" ones...but regular will work)
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a tablespoon or so of EVOO over medium-high heat in a skillet.  Add in your ground beef and cook until browned and crumbly.  Stir in your taco seasoning, spinach, pesto and salsa.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in an 8x8 inch baking dish, line your 5 taco shells up.  Divide the ground beef mixture between all 5 shells.  Top tacos with cheese and pop dish in the oven.  Bake about 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.


That's it!  Simple, right?  And of course...you can mix and match this a million different ways!  Trade out your fillings for beans, chicken, fresh spinach...go nuts!  The tacos get so crispy when you bake them that you'll never go back to unbaked tacos again.  Trust me...this method is life changing :).

Until next time,

Lesley

Friday Favorites

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

I absolutely love Fridays!  I start my day with my Favorite Trainer to kick off my weekend. 

The Beach......I LOVE the beach!  I am a beach bum and plan to move to the beach when Ridge is off to College.....in 18 years!!! 

This was the view from our room at Live Aqua Cancun. 

If you are a busy Mom and love to cook and back, but have no time, you need these cookbooks in your life!!   They are by my FAVORITE Blogger, Shay Shull of Mix and Match Mama.  They have very quick and easy recipes for life on the go!  Nothing fancy, just easy meals!  The Cakes book is fantastic for a quick and easy cake for any last minute party.  I can't wait to get my baking on!! 

If you know me well, than you know I am OBSESSED with The Kardashians and especially Khloe!  She wrote a book called, Strong Looks Better Naked.  It is actually very inspiring!  You can tell she put her heart and soul into writing this book. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Until next time,

Lesley

Boy Mom

The life of a Boy Mom is so much fun!  I love love love having a Son.  He is the sweetest little guy around.  He just LOVES to LOVE!!  He is so happy and everyone notices it.

A few years ago before I got married, I moved in with my Sister to help her with her Daughter, my Niece, Lily Grace.  She is my first little love for sure!  She and I share a VERY special bond and I cherish her so much!!!  I got to experience the life of a girl "Mom" since I spent every day of the first year and a half of her life.  The difference between girls and boys is CRAZY!! 

Lily and LuLu (this is what she calls me)

Lily loves to play dress up!  My other niece, Finley in the background.

Boys are SO mischievous.  :-)

They get into EVERYTHING!!  I mean EVERYTHING!! 

Ridge standing on the dishwasher.  Silly boy!

They LOVE hard!!  This is my favorite about little boys.  They really do LOVE their Mamas!!! 

My little guy is SO cute!!

I just LOVE his face in this pic!

Until next time,

Lesley

It's Been A VERY Long Time!!

Well, I decided my break from blogging about my life needed to end.  So, here I am again to blog about my life as a Mom in Dallas!  I never thought I would be a Mom much less living in Dallas and not the suburbs.  But, here I am and I must say, I love it!!!

So much has happened in my life since I stopped blogging so long ago and I would be here all day if I tried to catch everyone up.  But, here is a snippet of my life the past year and a half....

My HANDSOME son was born on August 29, 2014 and my life was forever changed for the better!!  He was such a good baby from the beginning and LOVED to sleep!!  He is now almost a year and a half old and is still a pretty good Toddler with the exception of his little temper tantrums when he is told NO! 

Ridge Ryker just a few minutes after being born!

Our 1st Family Photo!

Mommy and Son!  He melts my heart!!!

My FAVORITE picture of him at 4 days old!

We also moved into our new house shortly after Ridge was born, so not only was a busy with a brand new baby, I was also extremely busy trying to finish the building of the house with a sweet little baby in tow!  It was VERY EXHAUSTING!!  I was SO glad when we FINALLY got moved in to the new house in November 2014!

Then we had Thanksgiving at our house and Christmas came!

Ridge's 1st Thanksgiving with his Cousin, Luke who is just six months older! 

Ridge's 1st Christmas!

Our Family Picture on Christmas Day!

After Christmas, several of the family members went to Cancun for NYE.  It was very relaxing and a much needed quick getaway!  Ridge LOVED the beach. 

My Little Beach Bum!

Just chillin' after dinner in my pj's after dinner!

Mommy and Baby ready for the beach!

Family Picture in Cancun!

2015 was a year of getting my house together, soaking up my sweet baby boy and just living in the moment!  It was also the year I decided to take something for me.  I hired my Personal Trainer I had before my wedding.  I got my tired self in shape for the first time in my life.  Have you heard the term, "Skinny Fat?"  Yep, that was me!!!  I might have looked relatively small in clothes and worn a size 2, but I was VERY out of shape!!   As I continue my blog posts, I will share with you all my journey of getting into shape. 

Now that we are in 2016, I am still on my journey to be the healthiest I can be.  This year is going to be a VERY busy year of travel for my household.  I am SO excited to make some wonderful memories.  Jason and I spent a few days in Cancun while Nana (aka my Mom) stayed with Ridge.  He had so much fun with his Nana and Pawpaw! 

At Dinner in Cancun

Until next time,

Lesley

Update Part 2

So, July was my first month EVER to set goals for myself.  I may have bitten off more than I could chew for my first month.  But, I was pretty happy with myself for what I did accomplish the first month of goals. 

The first goal I set for myself was to get in shape.  It is REALLY important to me to stay in shape since I am getting older and menopausal.  It is a lot harder to lose weight when you have both of these things against you, BUT I am not going to use that as an excuse.  One can still get in shape and be healthy.  So, I did go to the gym a lot as well as yoga with my Sister in Law.  I actually LOVE yoga.  I love it more than just going to the gym and getting on a treadmill and lifting some weights.  But, the Hubby LOVES lifting weights and I wanted to do something with him.  But, I did learn that yoga is what I want to focus on so I do feel like I accomplished my first goal! 

My second goal was to eat healthy and only have one cheat day.  This was REALLY hard with trying to sell a house and never being home.  But, I did do pretty well and even managed to drop 5 pounds eating better.  I typically do eat pretty healthy during the week anyways, but the weekends do me in!! 

My third goal was to only drink alcohol once a week.  I will go ahead and day now that I FAILED this one REALLY BAD!!!!  Let's just keep in at that!

My final goal for July was to practice walking away from idiotic comments and I will tell you all that I did accomplish the goal I set for this one!!  I am pretty proud of myself because there were a few times when I could have indulged in this one!  But, I didn't!  YAY!!!!

So, for my August goals I wanted to make my goals a little bit more relaxing and obtainable since this is the month that I will be REALLY in deep with the house wrapping up and Little Man's arrival creeping up! 

My first goal is the MOST important.....Getting my house packed up.  I really want to get this done way before Little Man arrives so that I don't have to take time away from him to pack.  I started packing quit a while ago, then stopped but I am back at it!  I can do this one for sure!!

The next goal is to continue my workout regimen which is going to focus on yoga.  I want to spend this month really getting my practice in so I can have a routine when Little Man arrives as I will have to practice at home after he arrives. 

The next thing I want to set for myself is the direction I want to take this blog after Little Man arrives.  I want to turn my blog into a fashion blog with some of my life in it as well, but mainly just fashion.  I am excited about sharing all my outfits I have pinned on Pinterest that I am going to re-create from my own closet. 

My last goal is more about a matter of necessity.  I MUST get ready for Little Man's arrival at home.  It has been really quite depressing not being able to have a room set up for him when he gets home.  I learned back in early June that there was NO WAY possible the new house would be ready before Baby.  It really devastated me because it was the one thing I wanted to happen before he arrived.  But, it was something I had to accept and get prepared for.  So, I changed gears and just went ahead and moved forward with the décor I wanted for his room and just put it in a closet to pull out when we did finally get into the new house.  I placed the order for the bedding, had the drapery Lady get going on making the drapes for his room (which I can't wait to see) and get the furniture for his room.  I also knew he wouldn't be in his own room for a few months anyways, so it did help knowing his room wouldn't be used anyways.  I didn't want to waste time setting up a room in our current house just to take everything down when we moved a few weeks after he arrived anyways.  Plus, I am not a fan of the wall color or trim color in the two spare rooms in our current house, so it was easy to not fret over making a room in this house for him.  The crib was actually delivered yesterday and I had them set it up in our room.  I am sure the people that tour our house are like, WTF???  HA!!!  So, I have half of his stuff in one of the spare room and his crib in our room.  It actually looks like a baby store blew up upstairs.  There is stuff everywhere up there.  I sure hope whoever the random people looking at our house, like Baby stuff......

Update Part 1.....

I have been SO busy lately that my poor little blog has suffered a bit!!  I am trying to get ready for Little Man to arrive.  It's only about 4 weeks now and to say I am SO ready for him to get here is the understatement of the world!!!  I am SO ready to be a MOM!!!  

My days are spent keeping my house spotless at all times for any last minute notices for showings.  This is a common occurrence!   Then, I got over to the new house and check on things, meet contractors and spend hours upon hours there.  It is really just easier for me to spend my day there because if I leave, I get a phone call from a contractor to come back.  Good thing it is only 10 minutes from the old house to the new one. 

The house is coming along great!  Firing the "Father in Law" was the BEST thing I ever did.  I know it sounds harsh, but he truly can't handle three different projects.  The City was probably more relieved than me.  Things have been running SO smooth without him involved.  The stucco will finally be done this week and I absolutely LOVE the color I chose!  The wood floors are done and all the trim will be done mid week.  The sink vanities will be delivered this week along with the cabinets and fireplace surrounds.  The wood for the stairs and the railings will also be installed this week.  It will be an exciting but VERY busy week!  The following week will be the start of paint and wallpaper.  I am wallpapering the laundry room and master closet.  I can't wait to see them when they are finished!  The paint will take about three weeks to complete, which seems like FOREVER!!!  The wood floors will get stained and scrapped after we have the AC turned on.  I have no clue why we have to have the wood floors stained while the AC is on, but that is what I am told we have to do, so I guess we will get the Certificate of Occupancy from the City before that happens.  This sucks since it means we can't just move in the day we get it like we should be able to.  It will delay that for about a week.  So, at this rate, I feel that we will be in mid to late September.  UUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

NOTE TO ALL: NEVER BUILD A HOUSE WITH "IN LAWS"  Trust me on this.  Just trust me!!!!

So, this means Little Man will be here way before we move in the house.  I am sure it is going to be to so much fun finishing things up with the house with a newborn much less moving with one.  Fun times ahead for sure!!! 

Part 2 of my update will be about how I did with my July goals as well as my August goals! 

Until tomorrow,

Lesley

GOALS.....

I have been reading Mix and Match Mama's blog here... http://www.shullfamily.blogspot.com/ for a while now and I LOVE it!!  She has really inspired me in so many ways.  One of the many things she does is making monthly goals for herself.  She writes down a few things every month that she wants to try hard to achieve.  So, I decided that it was time I start setting my own (realistic) goals. 

I love organization, but when it comes to setting goals, I have a really hard time following them.  But, no more!  I am going to start living the life I need to live and that includes setting monthly goals.  I think it holds me accountable for many reasons in this hectic, chaotic life of mine.

I may be a few days late on starting off for the whole month of July, but what's seven little days, right???  I wanted to start off with a few that are very important to me and I am really wanting to hold myself accountable for. 

Writing down my goals and looking at them everyday is going to be a great way to stay in check!  (Ignore my horrible penmanship!)

#1-I have really been missing the boat on my workout.  I was doing really well before the house stuff started, but then......well, you know!!  But, I had an epiphany after I was told something to the extent that I had the arms of a 60 year old......WOW!!!   That one really hurt!!!  So, I decided getting my fitness on was a MUST for July!!!  Did I mention that is was my "Mother in Law" that isn't really my Mother in Law that said that????  I know a lot of people look at me and say I am crazy for thinking I need to lose weight, BUT I really do.  Have you ever heard the term Skinny Fat???  Yep, that's me!!!

So, here are a couple people that I admire and helping me obtain my goal!

I mean seriously, Yolanda Foster is simply stunning!!  If she can look that good being older than me, than I KNOW I can do it!!

I love Tamra Judge!  She has a potty mouth, says what she wants and doesn't care what people think of her.  Wait....I know someone JUST like her!!  HA!!  Seriously, I love her because she is real and beautiful! 

Need I say anything???  Alexis has the PERFECT body and if mine could look half as good as hers than I would be ecstatic!! 

Kyle Richards is just classy!  Love her style, love her look, just love her!! 

#2-I would say for the most part that I really do eat healthy, but there are a lot of times when I eat pizza, enchiladas or burgers a little too much in some weeks.  So, I have decided that I will only eat those foods once a week.  This is going to be the challenge since we are selling our house and eating out way more than usual.  But, I can eat just as healthy at a restaurant as I can at home.  It just isn't as fun!  Must sacrifice for a killer beach body!!! 

#3-There are days during the week that I like to enjoy a glass or two of wine while watching TV with the Husband, but I know that drinking and the way you eat has an effect on weight and health.  So, I am only going to drink one time per week.  The weekends are going to be REALLY HARD since we pretty much go to nice dinners every single weekend!  I am going to really have to plan for this one!!!  And....if you have read my blog long enough, you know I need to drink to put up with some of this family of mine!!!  #lordhelpme!!!!

#4-The last one of my goals is actually one of the BEST and HARDEST goals I set for myself.  Why you ask???  Because if you know me, you know I am not one for walking away when I feel attacked!  But, I have also learned that people are who they are and some people just like to make idiotic comments to start a fight and I no longer want to give in.  I think this is going to be the most valuable of all my goals if I can achieve it.  I know I can do it though!  I will know that I walked away the better person! 

The Last Adventure....Maybe???

So, the Hubby has been wanting to go see his Cousin in California since our wedding, but there just hasn't been time with their schedule and ours to even nail down a date.  But, that all changed a month ago and a date was finally set.  I told Jason I didn't want to travel to far from home the last two months before Baby R's scheduled arrival date, so this is probably our last trip before Little Man arrives!  Maybe??? 

We left on Tuesday and came back on Sunday, so it was a decent amount of time to be gone.  Let me tell you, I am SO glad we went to Southern California when we did.  The weather was AMAZING!!!!  Like, I am ready to pack up and move there anytime!!!  I fell in love with the place RIGHT AWAY!!! 

We rented a convertible and it was the BEST THING EVER!!!  Driving all over San Diego and Orange County with the top down was AWESOME!!  Perfect weather to drive around such a beautiful place!  The views are spectacular!! 

The view from the car leaving our Hotel

We didn't get to the hotel until Tuesday night, so we just had  some dinner and did a little gambling (shocking, I know) before getting some sleep. 

On Wednesday, we just did a little relaxing at the pool and then got ready to go to dinner at a little Italian place in La Jolla.  OMG!!!!  LA JOLLA!!!  Love it!!!  It is SO cute!!!  I am SO glad we drove up to this little town. 

The pool at Harrah's was really pretty!  I was quite impressed!

The beach in La Jolla

Thursday, we took another road trip to Irvine so that Jason could take some cupcakes to a new client they are bringing on.  I was SO excited when I found out that Irvine was in Orange County!!  UUUUUHHHH, hello my favorite Housewives!!!!  Of course I didn't see any of them but I was sure hoping to at the mall!  Oh well, I did see a lot of the places they film at.  After we left the client's office, we drove up to Laguna Beach and had lunch at a Las Brisas on the beach.  The food wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad either, but the view was worth going to alone.  Oh, and the margaritas were REALLY good!!! 

This was our view while having lunch in Laguna Beach!

Friday we checked out of the hotel and drove back into San Diego to meet up with Jason's Cousin, Anne.  She invited us to lunch with her Company.  They provide lunch to their employees in Fridays to talk about the week and go over goals.  It was pretty nice to see how another person's Company is ran since I really only have experience with Jason's family business.  (Is there an eye rolling emoticon on this thing???  I would insert it here if so!)  They could take some pointers from his Aunt and Uncle for sure, but they won't!!  You all should check out their Company here.......http://www.environmentallights.com/.  If you need LED lights, this is your place!!  They are seriously the smartest people I have ever met!  Jason's Uncle knew LED lights were the way of the future before LED lights were even talked about in the lighting world. 

So, after lunch we went to his Anne and Greg's house.  Their house is simply beautiful.  It is on a an acre and a half on a hill and just SO pretty!!!  A girl could get used to this lifestyle for sure!!!  Did I mention that you can sit outside and not get eaten alive by bugs???  How great is that???  I think the Hubby got super excited when I said I wanted to move to Cali!! 

This was one of the patios at his Aunt and Uncle's house.  I could sit out there forever!!

The lemons from one of their lemon trees.  They are HUGE!!

I am so glad that I got to spent some time getting to know Jason's Aunt and her Family.  They are such wonderful people and I really wish we could have spent more time with them.  This was also the one of the first times since our Honeymoon that Jason wasn't obsessed with work stuff, so he said it was so relaxing.  I was SO SHOCKED!!  He is ALWAYS obsessing with work stuff on ALL our trips and it makes me completely CRAZY!!  This trip definitely goes down as one of my favorite trips we have taken!  Can't wait to go back with our Little Man!!! 

Until next time!

Lesley

 

Finding A Happy Place.....

Anyone who has talked to me personally in the last couple weeks knows I have been pretty down over the events that took place at the last Doctor's appointment.  No point in re-hashing it now.  But anyways, I have really been working HARD at rising above it and getting back to my happy place instead of curling up in my bed and just staying there for A LONG TIME!! 

So, what to when I am down......a few things!  1. My little Buttercup, Lily Grace has really cheered me up!  She can always make my heart happy.  LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!  She has spent the night with us a couple of nights over the past two weeks and it really did cheer me up, A LOT!!!  2. Getting everything ready for My Little Man's arrival!!  I just love to wash all his little clothes and squeeze them!  I know that is SO weird, BUT it makes me feel close to him!  #youwouldntunderstandunlessyouwereinmyshoes  So excited that his chair is coming on Monday!!  Can't wait!!  One of the guest rooms has become the storage room for all his stuff.  #ineedmynewhousealready!!!  Pretty much put in my mind this house WILL NOT be ready before Little Man's LONG AWAITED ARRIVAL!!!  This is 35 years in the making people!!!!  I can't believe it is only 2 months 20 days away according to the countdown app!!!  HURRY UP DUDE and get here already!!  3. Shopping.  Who doesn't love to shop when they are down??  It sure as heck helps me!!  I have done a lot of shopping for my Little Man!  I actually think I am ready for his arrival.  I just need to get the formula and diapers and I'm set!  #helloHolleformulaandHonestCompanydiapers!!  Only the best for My Little Man!!!  You should see his little swim outfits for the beach!!  OMG, I could just eat them up!!!  Oh, and the handmade destroyed denim jeans I am having made for him!!!  I can't even stand it!!  Get him here NOW!!!  I probably won't put him down until he is about 4 days old!  Sorry Friends and Family, I doubt you will get to hold my Little Man!!  I will be too busy eating every ounce of him up!!!  4. Lunch with my Sister.  This has been difficult to fit into the house building schedule, BUT due to the circumstances, I fit the must needed lunch dates in!!!  She can ALWAYS cheer me up with her cra cra comments!  I am sure everyone in the restaurant gets a kick out of our conversations!  You know these people listen!!  5. A little core yoga action at Exhale.  6.  Erin Condren.  The woman is a pure genius!  Just trust me on this one!  She will CHANGE.YOUR.FREAKING.LIFE.  Go look for yourself.....www.erincondren.com.  You will thank me later!!! 

So, you know what the BEST part of me being down is.....My Father in Law has been SO much more calm with me and totally butting out of my house building!  Which, has made my trades people SO HAPPY too!!!  I think they might be even happier than I am!!! 
#hereallydoesdriveEVERYONEcracra

My Little Buttercup wearing my Kidd Rock concert shirt!  If you haven't seen this Dude in concert, you are missing out!!  She thought she was SO big in that shirt!  Gosh, I love her!!!

 

So, back to Erin Condren....This is my little gift from her!  It is simply amazing!  It's wrapped like a dang Christmas present first of all.  How cool is that???

The goods!  It's my life planner.  It's personalized with my name on it.  LOVE IT!!  The cover is interchangeable too, so as soon as my Little Man is here, guess what the cover will be????  People, this is LIFE CHANGING!!  I know I said it once already, but I am telling you, it is going to change my life! 

This is the back cover of my Life Planner.  You can customize this little gem! 

I think I might have a problem!!!!  My other Erin Condren book is an address book, BUT let me tell you something, this is no ordinary address book.  This thing is an address book on steroids!  My Life Planner will be going pretty much everywhere I do for the next 18 months!  I can't believe I can even plan Little Man's 1st Birthday in the same planner as his birth!  HELLO.......what is better than that??  Well, except the fact that a year is going to go by WAY TOO FAST!!!!  Ok, I will just keep planning his first Halloween, Christmas and Beach trip!  Oh boy!!!  This Little Man is going to be one busy little Baby!  He might need his own Life Planner!!  :-) 

 

Until Next Time My Loyal Followers,

 

Lesley