Five on Friday - Cutest Vest for Winter, Yumboxes, and Good News

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Happy Friday, y’all!!  I was originally supposed to be going to Atlanta on a girls’ trip this weekend, but plans fell through and were rescheduled for early next year, so we have nothing on the agenda for this weekend.  Like, nothing at all… besides church and our usual Sunday family meals, of course. 

This is our last weekend of freedom before ALL THE THINGS START – soccer games for Jacob, fall activities, and COLLEGE FOOTBALL – and I’m not sure exactly how we’re going to spend it.  I’m thinking a little bit of downtown time on Saturday morning for our local farmer’s market might be nice since we probably won’t get another chance to do that for a while.  Plus, the weather has been absolutely lovely these last few days with sunshine, lower temps than we’re used to for this time of year, and surprisingly low humidity… we can’t let that kind of weather go to waste! 

Georgia, WHO EVEN ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?! 

I don’t know, but I like it!

Now for some favorites!

O N E – Walmart Fashion… Again

Remember my post about Walmart fashion last week?  Well, I didn’t intend to post about it again today, but I found yet another darling item that I just couldn’t resist mentioning.  Check out these quilted sweater vests!!  Oh my word, I saw the pink one in my store the other day and I just had to have it!!  It's so warm and soft and it also comes in grey, navy, black, and white.  It is very well made (doesn't feel cheap) and it’s even cuter in person than it is in the picture.  AND IT’S ONLY $12!!!!  Y’ALL.  If Walmart keeps it up, I might not be doing much shopping at other stores. 

On another note, I did order a few of the things from my post last week and they have all delivered.  I love every single item I bought, so I’ll be trying them on for a post next week so you can see how they look on somebody you “know.”  ;o)

T W O – Yumboxes

Well, after two excruciating weeks of trying to get the kids to eat sandwiches in their lunches, I finally broke down and bought a Yumbox for each of them.  I bought this blue one for Jacob and this pink one for Olivia because the NYC theme was so darn cute!  I had been holding off forever because they are just so expensive, but I have a strong feeling they’re going to be worth every red cent.

Our kids aren’t big on sandwiches anymore and they prefer to eat little bits of lots of different things, so I bought one six-compartment box for each child and they were both very excited about them.  I now have enough compartments for everything I need and Olivia can now take her favorite Greek yogurt without worrying about anything leaking.  If you’ve been holding out, too, just take the plunge and get one.  You won’t regret it.  They come in lots of colors and lots of different compartment sizes, too.  There's something for everybody.

T H R E E – Good News

I haven’t had a chance to update y’all on Olivia’s thyroid situation lately, so here it is!  In case you’re new to the blog, here’s a quick rundown for you.  She has a nodule (cyst-like) on her thyroid, we had it drained and biopsied back in March, and it came back benign (thank you, God!), but the nodule came back about a month after they drained it.  They don’t want to operate on her thyroid as it can be detrimental to her growth, so they want to be able to monitor it until she is old enough to have it removed surgically (our goal is to make it at least until she’s 16). 

Well, in order to be able to avoid immediate surgery we had to first make sure that her thyroid is operating properly.  We had to see an endocrinologist about a month ago to have some extensive blood work done, and we are so happy to announce that all of her hormone levels are normal!  Since there is no indication of any issues we have received the all-clear to leave the nodule alone (for now) and not have the surgery.  Since we are opting to not have the surgery, she will have to be monitored closely.  We will have to see her ENT every three months for an ultrasound so they can measure the size, and as long as it stabilizes and doesn’t continue to grow, we will be able to leave it until she’s old enough to operate.  If for some reason it continues to grow (which our ENT doesn’t think it will) then we will have to have it removed.  We do NOT want to have to have it removed any time soon as it could result in her losing 50% or more of her thyroid which would mean she would have to be on medication for the rest of her life.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers!

F O U R – OG OOTD Pic

Y’all, I just had to share this little gem that popped up in my Timehop last week.  If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I post a lot of pictures of Olivia and I in our outfits for the day.  Well, the other day I was reminded of the first EVER picture that we took like this… when she was a mere year and a half old.  #AllTheTears 

At the time, I never had any intention of starting a series of photos like this with her.  I just randomly snapped it on our way to meet our friends for breakfast one Saturday morning when Brian and Jacob were out of town.  Since they weren’t home, I had no one to take a picture of us, so I just decided to snap it myself and that was the best I could do! 

Now here we are, three years later, still taking the same pictures.  And just look at my precious girl, y’all!  That romper that she’s wearing is probably my all-time favorite of hers.  It is one of the few outfits that I saved to give to her when she’s older.  Maybe one day her daughter will wear it, too.  :o)

And if you want to see all of our pictures together, just follow me on Insta and search for the hashtag #MommyAndOliviaStyle.  There are now 344 of them!!  WOW!  

There's also one random picture of somebody else that we don't know.  #GirlStoleMyHashtag  Haha.

F I V E – Lunch Dates

I had not one, but TWO lunch dates with old coworkers this week and it was good for my soul!  I took the whole summer off from lunching with everyone since I was uber-focused on the kids, and even though I talk with these two pretty frequently, I hadn’t seen them face-to-face since May, so it was nice to hug their necks!

S I X – Blog Posts

There’s been a lot of project-work going on over here and I’ve also been blogging about some old projects, so I’ve had quite a few fun DIY/organizing posts going up lately.  Have you caught them all?  If not, here’s a little summary for you!

Back-to-School Command Center

DIY Embroidery Hoop Wall

Infant Keepsake Boxes

Happy weekend, y’all!  One more weekend until I officially start FALL!!!!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.