Hello Friday

Hello sweater dress from Old Navy.  You could not be any more comfortable.

dress: old navy   scarf: gap    boots: dsw

Hello Christmas cookie decorating.  My mom has made these same cookies since I was little and this year brought the cookies, frosting and everything over to our house to decorate.

(and hello to Lauren and I looking like we are 12 years old)

Hello amazing neighborhood Christmas lights that are set to music.  Thank you for putting me in a Christmas mood.  I will definitely be back this weekend.

Hello Vampire Diaries.  My new teen drama thanks to quite a few recommendations.

Hello weekend ahead that will hopefully be filled with some present wrapping, a niece's first dance recital and some good tv. 

Have a good weekend!

Fashion blogger? (plus a giveaway)

I'm super excited to introduce you to one of my blogging friends Erin.  She has such a sweet heart, fun personality and a blog you will want to read!  And she is quite funny too - her post will definitely make you smile.  Plus she is giving away one of her customized pallet signs, which I was a lucky recipient of this one a month or so ago.

Hello lovely For Lauren and Lauren readers!!!
I am Erin and I blog over at Cali-Land Chic. I am a California girl living in Maryland where I blog about my home renovations, exciting projects, cute & handy husband and even more amazingly cute dog!

I am thrilled to be here today guest posting for Katie, because she is one of my favorites! Katie is one of the sweetest bloggers I have ever "met" and I am lucky to "know" her. Now girl ... let's meet and hang out already, so I can borrow all your clothes??? Mmmmk. Great, not creepy or stalker-ish at all...

Now if you are anything like me...guest posts are either hard to get through or easily skimmed over - because they are in short, not the reason you came to read one of your favorite blogs! But because I share these sentiments and this happens to be my first (ahem - ever) guest post, I will make it short, include your beloved Katie and hopefully keep it funny and uncomfortable - a couple of adjectives that best describe my personality.
First ever guest post topic: Why I am the most kick-butt fashion blogger out there...not.
Picture proof that I in fact am the BEST fashion blogger out there and the reason to stop by my blog would surely be for fashion tips. But the pictures wouldn't be an accurate portrayal of how bad I really am with fashion; if I did not compare myself with my favorite little fashionista, our very own Katie!
Enjoy lovers, as this might be the only time you will see this over at my blog.

 {she is always adorable - i on the other hand refuse to take a picture without my mouth open}

{completely normal mirror pic vs. my version...more alien like. obviously.}

{i defiantly have the head down fashion blogger pose DOWN.}

You're welcome, and hopefully you are now done laughing, and you can take a minute to peel yourselves off the floor, because I would love to meet you! So come on over to my blog and say hi!

{me, my husband & dog - Rascal}

I am so excited to make you your very own customized pallet sign! So enter away and I hope you win!  Here is a picture of Katie's sign she showed you earlier...it will be similar in size and color but you can choose your writing and font!

My Etsy shop opens January 1st, where you can purchase your own, any shape and size! I am currently accepting customized pre-orders! If you are interested please feel free to email me: erin{at}cali-landchic{dot}com.

Enter below - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feeling . . . .

Feeling like I should share some of my favorite Fall outfits from this year. 

1 / 2 / 3

Feeling that my scarf addiction is yet again proven, as I didn't even realize until I added the pictures that all but one outfit has a scarf. 

4  /  5  /  6

Feeling incredibly grateful for the blogging community.  For the support and encouragement to continue to share what is on my heart.

Feeling happy to have watched two Christmas movies this weekend.  Next on my list is Four Christmases.

Feeling a little too sad that I finished all the seasons of One Tree Hill.   I've now completed Felicity, 90210, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars.  Is there a teen drama left that I need to see?  Please tell me what I'm missing!

Feeling happy to introduce these ladies to you:

First is Kristine from Heart Shaped Sweat

Kristine in an adorable mom to two boys, an army wife, working mom, and somehow manages to work out and stay healthy!  One of Kristine's goals for her blog is to help you stay motivated and encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices, like why you shouldn't be afraid of the gym, or reasons why you shouldn't make excuses!  Kristine is one motivating, sweet and impressive lady you should meet! 

blog //  twitter // facebook

Next is the company Datevitation.

I am really excited to share this company with you, because not only do that have great products but also a really neat story behind the start of their business.  The company was founded by this man who realized how much his soon to be wife loved his thoughtful cards.  Check out their adorable proposal here! 

Datevitation is the web's first online platform to create a custom love coupon book.  Unlike other pre-packaged coupon books out there, you get to pick the dates and can customize the text.  Then they will print it out and ship it to you in a ready-to-go gift box.  This would make a perfect stocking stuffer!

You can use the code "lauren" for $5 off your order.  Check out their site here

Next is Sarah from Total Basset Case.

I loved Sarah's blog as soon as I started reading it, because not only is she adorable, but she also has a really cute dog named Floyd who is beyond talented.  So talented he can brush his own teeth, bring her and her husband beer, and is the self appointed neighborhood watch dog.   She also shares about date nights with her husband, DIY projects and delicious recipes.  

blog  //  twitter // facebook

Last up is Jen from Team Bowen.

I love the meaning behind Jen's blog, as her husband told her before they got married that as soon as they become a family they would be a team.  Jen is a mom to an adorable little girl with another baby on the way.  And I must say she is one cute pregnant lady!   Jen blogs about her family adventures, as well as different projects and recipes she makes.

blog // facebook // twitter

And I'm pretty sure you would be happy too if you checked out these fabulous ladies!

Some truth

Today all I have for you is a blurry picture of me on my couch.  No outfit post or project.

 Because the truth is that the last two weeks have been a struggle for me.  (More to come on that later)

And I have had very little motivation and desire to post outfit pictures, favorite things, funny stories or much of anything. 

A part of me feels like if I don't post an outfit or even anything at all, I will lose readers, interest or the appeal to my blog.

Except I realize that isn't why I want people to read my blog.  Of course I want people to like the outfits I wear or the projects I make, but what I really want is for people to know me.

I don't think there is anything wrong with bloggers that don't share their personal lives on their blog, and only chose to share a small piece of their real life.  I like those blogs because they make me happy.  And I'm thankful that I've been able to use this blog sometimes throughout this last year as an escape from things when life is hard.

But I want my blog to continue to be a mix of the happy things in my life, but also the real things in my life.

And real life is that things don't always go exactly how you plan, which I have been learning over and over the last two years.  You think you have something figured out and immediately start thinking how the other pieces in your life should go.  and then they don't.

As I sat on my couch last week I felt sad that I hadn't enjoyed enough Christmas music yet, hadn't put up certain decorations I've wanted to, wrapped any presents and have yet to finish Christmas shopping.   And I was feeling really disappointed.

The more I thought about it the more I realize that I have what I have right now.  In this moment.  And that needs to be enough.  And it is.

Even if it doesn't come with a cute outfit, a funny story or a creative project.
Today I'm filled with mixed feelings of anxiety, joy, fear, gratefulness and hope.

This is where I am right now and that is okay!

High Five for Friday

sweater: loft   jeans: target  boots: gojane.com  

1. While I don't feel like this outfit is anything fancy or necessarily post worthy, this is what I wear most weekends.  Jeans, sweater, boots and scarf.

2.  Want to get in the Christmas spirit?  I watched this video yesterday and was surprised that it made me all teary.  Something about all those people singing songs with truth about the Christmas season.

3. We were a little delayed in getting our ornaments up on our tree, but finally did.  Here'a few of my favorite ornaments.

And let's just say the middle child ornament has caused a few disagreements with my siblings.

4. One of my good blogging friends, Carly, has a husband who is in a band called Uncle Daddy.  And I'm really excited to share them with you!

Uncle Daddy calls themselves a "roots rock" band.  On Tuesday this week, Uncle Daddy released an album as part of the Grammy ReImagined project, which showcases up and coming artists, and allows them to cover two Grammy winning songs, along with two of their own songs. 

Their album, Uncovered, is available on ITunes, and you can also view some of their videos on Grammy.com. 

Here's a video of Uncle Daddy's song, Crossroads.  

5. My sister texted me this picture this morning.  How could this not make your week better?

Happy Friday! Hope you have a great weekend!

*This post is sponsored by Uncle Daddy, but the opinions are my own.