{Five on Friday // Firmoo Giveaway}

Happy Friday everyone! This week seemed to pass by quickly. I have a love/hate relationship with that right now! Love because it's the weekend and hate because that puts us another week closer to Mason starting Kindergarten. {don't even get me started!!}

Joining in for Five on Friday.

{O N E}

We are camping at Jellystone Park - Rustic Creek Ranch this weekend!! Today we are at Pirate Cove Waterpark!! So excited about this trip and can't wait to see the expansions they made on the waterpark. We are camping with Nate's family, but my family will be coming to camp as well. Mason is excited to see all of his cousins. We always have a fun time at Jellystone.

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{T W O}

What is it about slow motion videos that make me love them so? We were invited over by some friends for an evening of swimming and hanging out and had the best time. Before this night Mason wasn't one to run and jump in a pool. He did it over and over again that night. Needless to say, he slept really well that night. 

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{T H R E E}

I'm looking to update our Summer playlist. What songs do you have on repeat right now? Share! 


{F O U R}

In case you missed it...this week I posted about...

Our weekend
It's the Little Things
Date Night at the Ranger game
{F I V E}

Firmoo was so kind to give me a pair of glasses back in March and I am still so in love with them. They are my go-to glasses! Not familiar with Firmoo? They are the worlds most popular online Eyeglass store. And they're back and so generously letting me give away a pair of glasses!! 

About Prize:

One pair of Firmoo glasses with free shipping to US from this page: http://www.firmoo.com/collection-for-bloggers.html

Glasses include the frames, standard 1.50 index single vision lenses. Upgraded lenses and add-ons will be charged for an extra fee.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a great weekend everyone!!

{Date Night // Texas Ranger Game}

Nathan and I had a date night last night!! And where did we go? The Ranger game of course!! We scored some awesome seats just 18 rows up from the field!! It's no secret that the ballpark is one of my favorite places to be and last night did not disappoint. The atmosphere and the game is just unbeatable. I know I say this with every Texas Ranger post on my blog, but I can't help it. I just love the smell of ballpark food, the sound of the baseball hitting off the bat or into a glove, the hustle and bustle of everyone trying to find their seats, all of the red & blue shirts, the hootin' and hollerin', God bless America during the 7th inning stretch, fireworks after a homerun, the dot race, and even those unruly people yelling at the opposing team! Last night we played the Yankees and there was a man in front of us that was clearly not a Yankee fan. He kept everyone laughing.



We got to the game a little late because we stopped for a quick dinner. We were expecting our seats to be on first base side, but were surprised to find we were right up from third base. It was pretty crowded in our section and we were smack dab right in the middle of our row, but we had a wonderful time. 



Another one of my favorite things to do is to listen to the Rangers walk up songs! That's always interesting, sometimes funny, and sometimes surprising. There's nothing more that I love than a player having a Christian/Worship song as their walk up. Robinson Chirinos walked up to "Nothing is Impossible" by Planetshakers. 

Through You,
I can do anything,
I can do all things,
For it's You who gives me strength,
Nothing is impossible

How awesome is that? To glorify God while on the field? Oh man, I just love that.  




Rangers won 5-2!! #hellowincolumn So thankful for a night out with my love, and thankful for a mother in law who is always more than willing to watch our sweet boy!! 

Are you a baseball fan? Which team do you root for?

{Guys behind the blog // July edition}

Nathan recently had headshots done for work and I just loved them! My handsome guy!! :)

July's Guys Behind the Blog is all about food! Yum, what guy wouldn't be on board for that? 

1 // What is your all time favorite food?

Mexican...enchiladas...oh wait, I guess it would be round steak & rice.

2 // Who is the cook between you and your significant other?

We split it. I feel like I cook just as much as you do. {hello grilling season!!}

3 // What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Octopus during my Freshman year Biology class.

4 // Are there any foods that you absolutely detest?

{he had to think for a long while on this one. such a guy} Chitlins or Menudo

5 // What is your favorite local, little-known, or hole in the wall place to eat?

Oma's Jiffy Burger {I've posted about this before here}

To see previous Guys behind the blog posts {april, may, june}

{It's the Little Things}

Yesterday evening we went over to some of our good friend's house for some swimming, bbq'ing and hanging out. We had the best time! I am now convinced that pools are the saving grace for wearing a child out and getting him to sleep well at night. ;) Mason usually sleeps in his bed an hour and a half before he wanders into our bed, but last night he slept in his bed until 5 am. That hasn't happened in a while. 

When we got home it was fairly late for a week night so Nate and I told Mason we needed to go straight to bed. Of course he asked for books. I was so tired and didn't want to read, but when he picked the Easter story I couldn't say no! This book is a favorite of my sweet boys {and mine}. And a chance to read about Jesus? Yes, please! 

Mason's eyes were very heavy before we laid down so I didn't figure he would last long. But as soon as we finished the book he started asking all kinds of questions about Jesus, Heaven, and praying and talking to God. Oh my sweet boy! I could talk to him about Jesus forever. 

And before he rolled over and went to sleep his last words were...

"I want to live for Jesus and do what he wants me to do. I want to go to Heaven."

Oh, me too my sweet, sweet boy. Me too. 

{Weekending}

Another weekend that came and went entirely too fast! But it was a good one, and I thank the Good Lord for that! It was much needed after the week we had. Mason was a complete terror. I'm chalking up to the ear infection and that he still wasn't feeling well. But, all excuses aside..it was tough. Real tough.  The weekend made up for it, though. 

Friday evening I went with my Mother In Law and my brother in law's girlfriend to Costco to get some things for my BIL's birthday bash on Sunday. We had some fun girl time! After our shopping trip I grabbed my boys and we headed over to Nate's parents house to help get things ready for the party. We just ordered pizza and hung out. It was nice.

Saturday morning we got up and decided to make a roadtrip. Nate had found a couple of trucks in a town about 2 hours away and we had nothing better to do so we loaded up and went. It was good to get away and just have a nice road trip with my boys! Mason was on his best behavior and was so enjoyable. The trucks were a bust...but the company, conversation and just family time? That was a major win. And of course we couldn't go through Temple without stopping at Buc-ee's. Such a fun store! We wandered around looking at everything and left with some fountain drinks, beaver nuggets, and a gold digging kit for Mason. He was ecstatic and couldn't believe he was 'only five and had real gold'!!! He talked about it for a solid 20 minutes before we asked him to please put his headphones on! haha. We love him and love that he was excited, but man alive. One can only talk about gold for so long. He was cute, though! 



When we got home Nate and Mason got busy digging for his gold. And by 'they' I mean Nate. He said it was kind of difficult. Mason watched, dusted and played with the magnifying glass. About an hour later we met my family for dinner at El Fenix. It was delicious and nice to visit with them. 



Sunday morning Nate went into work for some overtime and Mason and I slept in and then went to get groceries. Then back to get ready for Nate's brother's 21st birthday bash. His parents rented a building in a town nearby and Ty invited his closest friends and family. Despite a fire alarm that was accidentally pulled and blared for 25 minutes before the volunteer fire department saved us, it was a great party! We truly are surrounded by some amazing people. 



How was your weekend?

{Loves // Hates}

I was tagged by sweet Sarah from Foxy's Domestic Side for a little love/hate post. A post of 10 things you love and 10 things you hate. And then I tag 10 other bloggers to join in. It took me approximately 1 minute to fill in all of my loves {and I could have kept going}, but I had to dig deeper for the things I don't love so much. 



+ Jesus
+ My family & friends
+ Photographs
+ Traveling, Camping & staying in cabins anywhere and everywhere
+ Planners. stationary, pens, etc.
+ Fall & everything about it
+ Mason jars, burlap and anything rustic
+ Jeeps
+ Sunsets
+ Texas



+ Getting off track {diet, exercising, work, life, anything}
+ Storms & Tornados
+ Snakes {no matter how big or small}
+ Cancer
+ The sad state of the world we live in today
+ That I can't protect Mason from everything
+ Mosquitos {especially when they sneak into your bedroom and attack you in your sleep}
+ The distance between Texas and Tennessee {where my grandparents live}
+ Doing the dishes
+ How fast time passes by

I tag:

Amy @ Keepin' Up with the Smiths
Desiree @ Macke Monologues
Liz @ Chasin' Mason
Gillian @ Comes In Colours
Ashley @ Everything's Hunky Dorey
April @ Our Little Loves
Courtney @ Sweet Turtle Soup
Melissa @ The Rambling Llama
Jasmine @ Classy, Sassy & A Bit Smartassy
Emily @ Ember Grey

What do you love/hate?

{Things to do in my town // Waxahachie TX}

Linking up with Kailyn Marie for Thursday Coffee Dates. Today's theme is things to do in your city. I found the link-up through my friend Jasmine and was so excited. I love where we live. 

Our town is fairly small and there isn't a whole lot of things to do here. We don't have a mall, or a Top Golf, or anything of the like. However, we do have a few little gems in our town that we love to visit. 

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You can go get yourself a greasy burger and bottled coke at our favorite hamburger joint, Oma's Jiffy Burger. It's been a Waxahachie staple for years and years. I love the old time diner atmosphere of Oma's, but Mason likes to sit in their covered outdoor sitting area. Either way, we love this place.

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Once you're done with your burger you can head just across the way and visit our townsquare/courthouse and all the neat antique shops nestled around the courthouse. I may be biased, but I think we have one of the coolest courthouses and square. At our downtown area you can find events like Junk in the Trunk, Summer movie nights, Texas Country Reporter Festival, mini Grand Prix races, etc.

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While you are downtown before to visit the Dove's Nest. It's a very unique antique store & boutique. They also serve lunch. So, if you're not full from your Oma's Jiffy Burger grab you some lunch at the Dove's Nest. 

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Also, be sure to visit the Historic Rogers Hotel. It's rumored to be haunted. They've recently opened a Japanese restaurant called Toshio's there and it's fabulous. Nathan and Mason also go to the barber shop at the bottom of the hotel. It's neat and setup just like an old time barber shop.

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And while you're still in the downtown area hop on over to Boyce Feed and Grain. One of the coolest feed stores ever. They also sell other things like decor, boots & clothes, jewelry, etc. They've built on to the feed store in the last few years, but they kept the original building and still use it. I love that they didn't tear down this piece of history.

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Catfish Plantation - serving souls & spirits - is also a must visit. This is another Waxahachie staple. It's been featured on many different TV shows and is another place that is haunted. Click here to read the history of the place. The restaurant is in an old victorian house and is super cool! They have books upon books of stories of haunted things that have happened over the years.

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Waxahachie is also home to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival that comes every April & May. We've never been to this one, but maybe one day. I know a lot of people come from all over to this festival.



And my favorite - during the month of December be sure to visit Bethlehem Revisited. You can walk the streets of Bethlehem on the night of Christ's birth. This was one of the neatest things I have ever done and I was so happy to share this night with Mason. This is a definite must!

Did you join in on this linkup? Leave me the link. Or do you have posts similar to this? I'd love to learn more about your town!

{It's the Little Things // I never want to forget}

Just a few of the little things about Mason right now that I do not want to ever forget. Ever. 

Like the way his freckles brush over his cheek, then across his nose and to the other cheek. And how summertime really brings out those freckles. He used to call them sprinkles and I loved that. But now that he's a big ol' five year old he has started calling them freckles. Sigh. And those eyelashes...and those sweet little lips. And we can't forget his signature cow-lick. Everyone points out, loves and remembers him by his cow-lick. A couple of weekends ago we were camping and Mason got a sunburn, but not where his cow-lick hair hung down. It was the wildest & funniest thing. 

I also want to remember how he always has to be near me. All day every day. That's okay by me...I can't get enough of him either. Or how he will call out "Mama, Mama" like something is wrong or he needs me quickly only to tell me "I love You!" He's got a sweet soul and tells me and his Daddy he loves us {along with a plethora of other sweet things} a million times a day. He completely melts me daily.

Another thing I love is how he says, "Mama, I gotta tell you something" every single time before he says anything else. When his Daddy was his age he did something similar. Nate would say, "Let's talk about...{insert anything and everything}." I just love this.

Oh how I love this child. Thank you Jesus. Thank you for choosing me to be his Mama and for trusting me with one of yours.

{Local places // Sim's Library}

One of my July goals was to take Mason to get a library membership. We've only lived here for 8 years so it was high time that we did so. I'm not sure why we waited so long. I think it was mostly because I was confused how it all works. We live in the same town as the library, but pay taxes to a different town and are in a different school district. Weird, I know. And so honestly I wasn't even sure we could get a membership there. I thought they would probably end up sending us to the town of the school district we are in. And then I would be majorly bummed because this is the coolest library I have ever seen. 



Sims Library is so old and cool looking! It's by far one of the most awesome buildings in our town. Every single time we pass by it I am mesmerized by the building itself and always wondered and dreamed of what it must be like inside. Sims Library, built in 1905, is registered as a historic site. Neat, right? It's tucked away a good distance from the road and nestled in the trees down on Gingerbread Lane...one of the most beautiful areas of our town. I just love it. So, to say that I was excited about going to the library was a huge understatement. I just had to take a few pictures.



And it didn't disappoint. As soon as we walked in the doors I knew it was just as cool as I had always imagined it was. So much character and history in this building. I didn't take any pictures of the inside because I was too busy soaking it all in.

We were able to get a membership, but had to pay for it since we live outside of city limits. Okay by me!! I would have paid them $35 just to walk around and tour the building. We filled out all of the necessary paperwork and then headed for the children's area of the library. It's tucked away in the back right corner {good planning since children have a hard time being quiet...even in a library} and was huge and filled with so many books. We were only able to check out 2 books our first time {bummer} but we still had a good time checking everything out. And we more than made up for it our next visit by checking out 10 books!! 





I am so glad we finally went and did this. We are enjoying it so much. They had an event this past Wednesday for the kids where Critterman came and brought all kinds of critters to play with. Mason had a blast and was so excited to get his autograph. Oh and we can't forget the Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey circus ticket he got for reading 5 books. He's ecstatic about that. He asks me almost every single day if we can go to the library. I love that he loves to read and has a passion for books.



Do you have a library membership?

{Weekend Wrap-up}

Our weekend was filled with lots of sickies, cuddling, rest & relaxation. All of last week Mason had a runny/stuffy nose and a bit of a cough. We thought it was allergies, or the summer cold he always seems to get when temps hit triple digits here. Then Nathan came home from work on Thursday feeling crummy and called it an early night. He worked some overtime on Friday, but came home with a fever, body aches, headache, cough & congestion. He was pretty much in bed all afternoon & night. I went and grabbed us a pizza and thankfully both of my boys ate! I kept Mason in the living room and Nate stayed in our bedroom. We weren't sure what Nate had, but with the fever we didn't want Mason catching it. Nate watched Netflix in the bedroom, I watched Twilight's Breaking Dawn part 2 and Mason played games and watched Netflix on his iPad. We finally went to bed around 12:30. I slept with Mason in his room so that Nate could have our bedroom to himself. 

Saturday morning we woke up pretty early, around 7:30. Totally not normal for Mason to do so. We laid in bed for a minute and Mason complained of his right ear itching. After some twitching and whatnot it went away. I took him to the living room to get him away from Nathan. We hung out for a bit and then decided to go get donuts. On the way back Mason started complaining about his ear hurting. And within seconds he was miserable and crying and screaming. We came home and Nate got a heating pad ready and I called to get a dr apt. The next available one was for 5:30pm. Ugh! It was only 10amm but I made the apt and prayed we'd be okay until then. I got some homeopathic ear drops into Mason's ear and also got him to take some medicine. Within about an hour he was comfortable and perking up a bit. He tried playing on his iPad, but got sleepy. He crawled into my arms and fell asleep. He hasn't done that in a couple of years!! After he was good and asleep I was able to transfer him to our bedroom. I laid down with him and read a book for a while and then ended up taking a 2 hour nap beside him. Mason slept for 4.5 hours. I had to wake him up for his dr apt. And when he woke up he didn't have any pain in the ear. I had a feeling that was the case because he slept good and solid for that 4.5 hours. I figured if the ear was still hurting he would have tossed and turned and not have slept as good. I kept the apt anyway because I didn't want the earache to come back and then be without an appointment or prescription {if needed}.

Nate's mom picked Mason and I up and Nate stayed home to rest because his fever came back once again. The doctor checked him out and said that he had a really bad ear infection and the drum looked like it was close to bursting. She said it would relieve some pressure if that happened, but could lead to other infections. We just have to watch it closely. She prescribed him a pretty strong antibiotic he has to take for 10 days as well as a numbing ear drop to use when needed. I am so amazed by this little guy. He hasn't complained at all since early Saturday morning and the dr says it's pretty bad! Such a champ.



That evening was much like Friday night...Nate quarantined to our bedroom while Mason and I watched movies in the living room. But not before Mason and I ran to Target for ice cream. While driving there we saw an amazing sky & also the moon & venus. 



Sunday morning Nate went into work for overtime and was actually feeling much better. I went to the grocery store and Mason stayed at his Nana's house. Then Mason and I ventured out to lunch and to Home Depot. Nate came home around 3ish and we hung out inside for a while. He was feeling better so we wandered off outside. We took the trail wagon into the pasture looking for a stump to cut for a little DIY. We spent a couple hours outside and then back home to prepare for the next week.


It's Monday morning and Mason is feeling better and Nate's getting there. He stayed home again today because he didn't sleep much last night between a headache, leg cramps and Mason having night terrors {more on that later}.

How was your weekend?