Valentine's Day Fun

Happy last day of January!! Tomorrow is February 1, meaning that Valentine's Day is only two weeks away!

I don't know about you, but I love Valentine's Day! I know that it's not everyones favorite holiday {and it's by no means my favorite... Hello! Chritmas?!} But what girl doesn't enjoy getting cards and pretty flowers!? :)

Regardless of whether or not you have a significant other, Valentine's Day can be a fun day! Here are some fun ideas to get you in the spirit of looove!

via

via

via

via

via

via

via

via



via

via

  

via

via

I'm really loving all of this pink and red on my blog! It makes me happy!

Are you a fan of Valentine's Day? Well if you are {even if you aren't a fan}, I have a fun DIY project to share with you later this week! And for the first time ever, I decorated our mantel for this lovey-dovey holiday! I can't wait to share!

Happy Tuesday, ladies :)

Monday Randoms

Happy Monday, ya'll! It is a beautiful day here in Fort Worth!

First things first, this so called "winter" is pretty darn amazing. I believe we have had maybe a handful of days where the temps have dropped below freezing. Lately, most days seem to have temps up in the 70's. Not really sure what's up with that. But I'm not complaining!

This weekend was fairly uneventful. Friday night, Corby and I went to the Fort Worth rodeo with his cousin Jeff and Jeff's girlfriend, Erin. We had a great time! I loooove the rodeo!

no clue why I look like I'm all hunched over

Like I said, I do love me some rodeo! But I'm afraid that the horses, hay, goats, other animals, etc. made my allergies HATE me! Saturday I stayed in bed most of the day because I felt horrible. I did get up long enough to do laundry and make dinner. Saturday was one of our cooler days this "winter". The high was only 50 and the low was about 30. So I decided to make chicken tortilla soup for dinner!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cup water

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 teaspoons chili powder, depending on preference

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup frozen corn

1 can white hominy, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 4oz can chopped greed chiles

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

grated cheese, sliced avocado, green onions, tortilla chips etc. for topping

Directions:

Cook chicken breasts to your preference. I planned in advance and placed frozen chicken breasts in my crock pot with water, chicken broth, salt and pepper for 4 hours on high. Once they were cooked through, I shredded the chicken and set aside.

Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Saute chopped onion and garlic until soft. Add chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, hominy, black beans, chiles, cilantro and chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with grated cheese, sliced avocado, green onions or crushed tortilla chips. Whatever your preference. Enjoy!

Sunday morning I woke up to my alarm set for church and felt even worse than I did Saturday. I was so stopped up, sneezing/coughing and felt a migraine coming on, so I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep and slept until almost noon! That never happens! Corby got up and made us "breakfast" and we snuggled in bed most of the day watching The Wonder Years on Netflix.

I remember watching this as a kid and wanting to be Winnie Cooper soooo bad. :)

In other random news... I'm planning a trip to Houston in March to see all of my besties and to go to the rodeo! I'm hoping the weekend of March 17 to see Brad Paisley! But nothing is set yet!

Also, after praying about it, Corby and I have decided that we will wait at least another year before buying a house. We've decided at this point in our lives, it's not necessary to buy when we can continue to save and pay off some debt {darn student loans and Victoria's Secret card} :) But we are hoping to move out of the apartment we are living in and either rent a house or a townhome! We are praying that God gives us some direction or where we should live!

Just one of MANY options available!

That's all for today. I'm linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for Miscellany Monday! I have some fun posts to planned this week! So stay tuned :)

PS... Are you as excited about tonight's episode of The Bachelor as I am?!

PPS... Like the new life is aMAYESing page on facebook!

Friday's Fancies - Blog Swap

Happy Friday, lovies!

I am home today. I have vacation days from last year that have rolled over and if I don't use them by March 31, I lose them. So happy three-day weekend to me!

Alison over at Long Distance Loving has been hosting Friday's Fancies for just over a year! {Congrats to you, Alison!} So today, she is hosting a FF Blog Swap! I was set up with the lovely Tammy of Lemons, Avocados and the Bay! Go check out her blog, it's pretty great!

Tammy described her style as little bit eclectic, a little bohemian and a little bit preppy. I had a lot to work with on this and had so much fun creating an outfit for someone else!

Here is the outfit I created for Tammy! I hope you like it! :)

For Tammy by liajoymayes featuring mini handbags

Here is the outfit Tammy created for me:

partner by bayparkdream featuring dot jewelry

If you've been reading my blog for at least a week, you know that I LOVE stripes! And for the most part, I would consider my style fairly casual {don't get me wrong, I love to dress up too}. I love how she chose a casual outfit, but dressed it up with accessories. And I looove pops of color! Great job, Tammy!

What are your thoughts? How would you describe your style?

Don't forget! Once I hit 100 followers, I have a BIG giveaway planned!! :)

One Year

Happy Thursday, girlss! {today is my Friday! YAY!}

Today is my One Year Blogiversary!

I can't believe that my little blog is a whole year old!



In honor of my blogiversary, there has been a big change over here at life is aMAYESing! Check out my new URL!!! I am now calling www.lifeisamayesing.com home! :)

If you look back at my first several post, it's very clear that I had no idea what I was doing! I've come a long way in a year. I never dreamed that blogging would become such a big part of my life and that I would "meet" so many amazing people!

Don't forget, once I hit 100 followers, I have BIG giveaway planned. You won't want to miss out! Tell your friends :)

A Lot to Love

Happy Wednesday!

Aren't Wednesday's great? Smack dab in the middle of the week. It's such a great feeling knowing the week is downhill from here! Per usual, I'm linking up with Michelle and Jamie! And ya'll, there are a lot of things that I am loving this week!

{i'm loving} that this is a 3 day work week for me! Tomorrow is my Friday! *hallelujah*

{i'm loving} everything about spring 2012 fashions! Can't wait to start shopping!



{i'm loving} the thunderstorms that we've had in DFW over the past 12ish hours. There's nothing better than falling asleep to the sound of rain!

{i'm loving} that Corby and I are headed to the rodeo this weekend! I love the rodeo!

{i'm loving} the time that I get to spend with my hubby this week/weekend. He leaves next Wednesday to work on audits in Dallas and Plano for 6 weeks. :( I'm going to miss having him home every night!

{i'm loving} looking at houses online! We haven't quite made a decision about buying a house yet, but we're thinking/praying about it. Our lease ends in August, so that may be the time. At this point, we are praying that God will lead us in the right direction with this major decision!

{i'm loving} my best friend and husband!

And without further ado, my favorite pins of the week!

{You can follow me on Pinterest here}

love it all

i'm gonna have to figure out how to do this

yes.

bag envy

so very true

 

ahhh sweet tea

master suite is an understatement

I am HIS

  

christian louboutin

 

hilarious

Have a happy day :)

{ps... I'm 20 followers away from 100.. I have a BIG giveaway planned for when I reach 100 followers!}

Let's Talk Bachelor

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means... Last night we all sat in front of our TVs for two hours completely engulfed in the dramatic nonsense that is The Bachelor. {my guilty pleasure? check!}

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really getting into this season. Don't get me wrong, I still think Ben is a complete snooze-fest, but I really like a lot of the girls this season.

Let's start with Ben's one-on-one date with Rachel...

Honestly, I like Rachel. She seems like a sweet girl with decent intentions. But their one-on-one date was painful. I am surprised that Ben gave her the rose. I didn't see any chemistry between them. The converstation was forced and it was flat out boring. But, I'd rather see Rachel stick around as opposed to some other girls....

Group date...

This group date seemed like a lot of fun. I love the outdoors, so this is right up my alley. {I'm a country girl, remember?} I am so glad that Courtney got to experience a group date, although, I don't think she realized that the show does not revolve around her. And I cannot believe that she caught the only fish. That had to be rigged.

Once they were done fly fishing, they each got to spend a little time with Ben. I am so happy that Ben sent Samantha home. She seemed much too superficial for Ben.

And I can't believe that Ben gave the group date rose to Courtney. Especially after he had such a sweet moment with both Nicki and Kacie B. I know Courtney threw herself a pitty party just to get the rose. She knows exactly how to play the game to win. I just wonder if this is a game to her or if she is really falling for Ben? Either way, I don't like her one bit.

Now, for Jennifer's date...

I think Jennifer and Ben really compliment each other. And they seemed to have a great time on their date. I think Ben really likes the fact that Jennifer can just go with the flow. Their conversation flowed easily and I think they had great chemistry. And I love that they went to a Clay Walker concert! I love Clay Walker! :) I don't think Jennifer will be the girl that Ben proposes to, but I do like her and hope she sticks around for a while longer.

Now on to the rose ceremony... Wow. I already didn't like Courtney... Then she opened her mouth again and reassured my feelings. She is flat out mean. What Emily said about her is true. I like how after Casey S. was talking to her about what Emily told Ben, Courtney said that she's not a mean person, yet she proceeded to say that Emily is on her #*&% list and that she will *#& her up. How is that not mean? Ugh.

 And her eyebrows seriously bug me. But that's neither here nor there.

And speaking of Courtney... Did you notice how she kept saying "winning"?? Annoying.

My favorites are still Kacie B, Lindzi and Emily. But I'm really liking my fellow Aggie, Nicki! And it looks like she gets a one-on-one date with Ben next week! YAY!

Speaking of the previews of next week's show... The group is headed to Puerto Rico... Did anyone cantch Courtney say {in a bragging manor} something about her just being in Puerto Rico? Rude. And did you see that Courtney sneaks out and takes Ben skinny dipping? Umm... How is that even right?

Until next week...

{ps... Allison at Moments Like This is having an AMAZING giveaway! Go enter!}

Loving Stripes

Happy Friday, loves!

TGIF for reals!

With this crazy bipolar Texas weather we've been having, I'm over this pretend winter! {I will probably regret saying this...} It seems like every week we have one cold day that but every other day we get up into the high 60's/low 70's. Welcome to Texas, ya'll.

With a forecast of sunny and 79 today, I'm getting anxious for spring! So today, I'm talking spring fashions!

I think this spring, bold colors and stripes are going to be big! And I couldn't be happier!

{I love me some stripes!}

What fashion trend are you looking forward to this spring?