the best place i've ever shopped for a greeting card

The following is a review of my experience using Cardstore.com. I was given a promo code for a free  greeting card in exchange for this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are 100% my own. 

If you're anything like me, you wait until the last minute to buy greeting cards for special occasions. I will absolutely never make a trip specifically to buy a card. I always tell myself, "I'll buy mom's birthday card when I go get groceries in 6 days." But in 6 days, I've forgotten.  So mom doesn't get a birthday card. Or if she does, it's late. 

Enter Cardstore.com.  It's an easy to use website with super cute cards for all occasions. Best of all, most of the cards are customizable with your own photos! Just kidding, the best part is that you don't have to go to the store to buy your card. At least that was the best part for me. :)

Check out the great card I made Dustin for Father's Day--personalized with pictures of our little one. The photo does not do it justice. The quality of the card was great, and it arrived super quickly. Like, days before I thought it would.

There's space for you to add your own message as well--you can even scan in your own handwriting if you feel so inclined (no way am I techy enough for that!).

Cardstore.com gives you the option to have the card sent to yourself so that you can take care of mailing it (or giving it to your loved one in person) or sending it directly to your recipient. Convenient right?

I absolutely loved my experience with Cardstore.com and will definitely be using them in the future for my greeting cards. My sister in law's birthday is coming up, and that girl needs a card! 

first father's day

We had a wonderful time this weekend, celebrating the man who is my best friend and partner in crime. He's the one who will snuggle me in the middle of the night when I'm freaking out because I had a nightmare about bears again, or literally run to the grocery store because I forgot something important for our dinner.

He's an amazing father to our funny little kiddo. Dustin is a pro bum changer, makes the best jungle gym, and gets our boy to laugh harder than I ever could. He's so dedicated to his little boy, and I am so grateful for that. 

I a watch for Dustin for Father's Day--he's been wanting one for a long time and I finally found one that  was just perfect. I also bought matching ties for my boys--something I think I will turn into a tradition. Our boys will always match on Father's Day (here's hoping we have an army of little guys in the future!)

After a lovely barbecue with Dustin's family, we had our sister-in-law snap some photos of the three of us. A few turned out great...

 ...but most of them turned out pretty silly because our little man was pulling my hair, or dad's hair, or wouldn't look at the camera. Photographing babies sure is tricky!

The bottom line is, the babe and I sure love that guy in the plaid shirt. He's our everything and we're so glad we get him forever!

Looking for some cute accessories? Check out this sweet little shop!

watermelon. lemonade. need i say more?

One of my favorite things about summer is sipping on cold lemonade on a hot day, or biting into some bright, juicy watermelon. Why not combine the two? We used some fresh mint from my in-law's herb garden to make this summer drink even more refreshing than it already was. Everyone loved it, and it will definitely be a staple at our summertime get togethers.

You'll need:

6 cups of frozen, cubed watermelon

1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate + 1 can water

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Add everything to the blender and blend until slushified (cool word, huh?)

Pour into a mason jar (because things look prettier in jars for some reason), add a straw and enjoy!

What's your favorite summertime beverage?

p.s. I'm guest posting over on Simply Clarke today--and giving you a chance to win $25 to Williams Sonoma. You're welcome. Check it out. :)

Looking for some cute accessories? Check out this sweet little shop!

throwback thursday: our wedding

Dustin and I were married in the Albuquerque, New Mexico Temple on July 23, 2011. It was the best day of our lives. 

It was a very DIY wedding. I made all of the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres. My mom and some wonderful ladies from our church did all of the decorations. My good friend handled all of the food. I did my own hair and makeup. 

It was an absolutely sweltering hot day--highs were in the 100s. I felt like I was melting during the photos.

My brothers look like absolute dorks in this photo. I love them so much. :)

We held our reception in my parent's backyard, which had always been my dream as a kid. In typical Albuquerque fashion, the morning was blazing hot and sunny, but in the afternoon it absolutely poured. All our decor got soaked, but the rain stopped 45 minutes before the reception and we got things dried off in time. 

 

The storm made for an absolutely perfect sunset that night--but then, Albuquerque sunsets in the summertime are always beautiful. The sky was on fire that night. 

 

Looking for some cute accessories? Check out this sweet little shop!

finding blogging inspiration

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find it difficult to come up with content for the blog. Most of the time, ideas just flow and I have a stream of good posts written up and scheduled, or else written down in my notebook to use at a later time. Every once in a while, though, I get crazy bad writer's block. Does that ever happen to you?

I emailed a few of my favorite bloggers to see what they had to say about finding inspiration for their blog posts and what they do when they are feeling uninspired. 

"Most of my inspiration comes from how I'm feeling; proud, sad, happy, content, nervous, excited, etc. I try to write from the heart and be as honest as possible on my blog. I also find inspiration from my two boys, who are the most important people in my life. Other inspiration comes from one of my biggest hobbies, shopping! I love keeping it real with fashion ideas on a budget and inspiring other mamas to stay trendy, even as a mom. 

When I'm feeling uninspired, I usually go back to a running list of blog post ideas I keep in a notebook. There are posts I haven't gotten to yet that I save for a rainy and uninspired day. I also find inspiration in other blogs, and give the blogger credit for inspiring me! There are so many different styles and themes of blogs out there and I can always seem to find something to write about after reading a few other blogs."  -Samantha, Hooah and Hiccups

"I find inspiration in almost everything around me! Sometimes I'll even be reading a post from another blogger and it sparks a thought or a differing opinion, which leads to a post. Most of the time, I try to keep a notebook with me and every time I see something that makes me think of a good post idea, I write it down!

 If I'm feeling uninspired,I pull out my notebook and pick a topic out of there. This has helped me come up with so many posts. I try to schedule posts early, but sometimes I wake up and have nothing written and have no fresh ideas. Keeping an ongoing list allows me to look through it and pick an idea on days where I have no clue what to write about!" -Kaitlyn, Wifessionals

"As far as inspiration goes, I sort of just write what is on my mind, always. If something is bothering me, if I"m having a super bad day, or if I'm super excited about the wonderful date night I just had, I write about it. As my career, I am a writer. So I have learned to write. There's a quote that perfectly describes this. It is: "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say." It's perfect  & describes my situation.

When I'm feeling uninspired, sometimes I'll post a video, a talk, or a song I love. If something is still not coming to me, I just don't write. After all, I don't necessarily write FOR my readers, I write for myself."- Amanda, We & Serendipity

"The best way for me to find inspiration is to write about things that happen in my everyday life! I always appreciate when bloggers are genuine and talk about what they’ve been up to lately, what they’ve been learning, etc – so I try to do the same. If an idea pops in my head, I write it in my phone quick so I can remember it for later!

Sometimes the best thing to do when you don’t feel inspired is to just not blog. There’s no reason to publish a post just because you feel like you “need” to. Take a break, and maybe you’ll be more in the mood to write!" -Emily, Newlywed Moments

"I usually get inspiration from other blogs. Hate to say it but, I love that about the blogging world. One post can inspire me to write about something totally different!

When I am feeling uninspired I tend to take a break for a few days from my blog, I will usually come up with something. My ideas tend to pop in my head right before I'm about to sleep! Its all about knowing the reason you blog. I use my blog as my journal and a way to get things out, helps me stay sane sometimes. Once you know why you blog, you will be able to think of things to write about. Always remember to be you when you blog!" - Eryka, ABCDE

"I will usually go to other blogs I admire and scroll through them. If I see an idea I  like, I will expand on it to make it my own. (But still give credit to where I got the original idea!) 

I have a bunch of drafts saved for when I just don't feel like writing. Whenever I get a good idea, I quickly write down the topic and a blurb about what I want to say. Later, I will go back and write the post. Right now I have about 10 of those waiting to be published just incase I hit a wall on what to write. Even still, there will be weeks that I only post once or twice. I think readers understand that you do have a life that needs more attention than a blog." Tanika, Growing Gracie

"I find inspiration all around me; I have a notebook I carry around and jot things down when I think of them :)" Marquis, Simply Clarke

These lovely ladies shared a lot of how I feel about the subject. Sometimes if I'm not feeling inspired, I have to remind myself that it's okay not to blog for a day or two! The times that I have posted because I felt like I had to have never been very successful. I have found that post-wise, quality is way better than quanitiy.

As far as where I get my inspiration, I read. A LOT. I get inspiration from books, magazine articles, other blogs, scripture study, etc. I can't think of a time when cracking open a book when I was feeling uninspired didn't lead to lots of ideas written down in my notebook. 

What do you do when you are feeling uninspired? Where do you find your blogging inspiration?

Looking for some cute accessories? Check out this sweet little shop!