Happily Ever Mock

Archives for July 2015

Hallie’s 1 Year Pictures are Here!

I absolutely LOVE how Hallie’s 1 year pictures turned out and I can’t wait to share them here with you! First I have to tell you about the day…er days we took these photos.  We were just coming out of that major flooding that Dallas was having! Remember me talking about those weeks of nonstop rain? Yep these photos were taken right at the end of that and the humidity was at it’s finest of course…don’t believe me, check out my hair towards the end of these photos!
Anyway, Hallie was also in a fairly grumpy mood the day we went to take the pictures (even with Whitney trading Hallie little pieces of tortilla for smiles…Bribery works folks!) so we ended up  stretching them over 2 days! (Thanks Whitney!) So that’s why you might spot some inconsistencies with the balloons and what not! But even after all the fuss, as usual Whitney did a fantastic job with the photos!

So without further ado…some of my favorites!

The purple blanket was her favorite baby blanket

This is the crown she wore in her newborn pictures

This is the sweet one we used for the party invitations! 

Those eyes!

Of course Princess Margot had to make an appearance

The pearls were a gift from Hallie’s Memi when she was born

Mini Daddy

Thank you again Whitney for the lovely photos! I am having a hard time choosing which ones to frame, so any thoughts are welcomed! Also if you want to check out the rest including Hallie’s lovely bear crawl photos (since she couldn’t yet walk and refused to crawl on the pavement) you can check them out here!

Happy Thursday!
<3 Kelly

Who, What, When, Where, Why Wednesday with Sara

Happy Wednesday friends, and welcome back to another edition of Who, What, When, Where, Why Wednesday! Today I have Sara from My Journey of Doing over to tell us a little more about herself and her blog! I LOVE that Sara, like myself is from Dallas!

Who?- Who are you? Tell my readers a bit about yourself 

 Hi!  I’m Sara – a petroleum engineer turned college counselor.  I run a non-profit organization in one of the largest urban school districts and oversee 12 high schools and a staff of advisers who help 100% of the senior class apply to college!  When I’m not pretending that I’m still 18, I can usually be found with my husband, volunteering with Junior League, or plotting my next vacation. 
What?- What do you Blog about? 
I feel like my blog has been taken over by trying to plan our renovation that actually started this week (finally!) and Travel Tuesday link-ups (because I love to distract myself from all the work that is coming up in August with the start of a new school year) lately. I enjoy trying and sharing new recipes, posting about DIY/decor projects (though admittedly there haven’t many of those in anticipation of the remodel!), and bragging on my staff and our students.  I’m constantly resolving to be a better blogger.   

When?- When did you start blogging?

Oh boy.  I’ve been blogging since the LiveJournal days of 2002. (LIVEHOURNAL! Thanks for that blast from the past Sara!) I’ve run through quite a few different blogs since then, but this one appears to be here to stay! 

Where? –Where do you live? 
 Dallas, Texas

Why?- Why did you decide to blog
When I started this blog, my then-boyfriend-now-husband had just started his own law firm and we were trying to get it off the ground.  I was still working in oil and gas consulting, and I felt like all I did was work.  I started this blog to try and make myself DO MORE – whether that was baking or cooking, making projects, or getting involved in things outside of work.  I wanted a space that would allow me to embrace more of my creativity and challenge me to quit focusing solely on work. 

Ready to get to know Sara a bit better? Here comes the fun part:


1. What show could you watch reruns of over and over and never get sick of?

 There’s not just one.  There couldn’t be.  The Newsroom and West Wing are two shows that my husband and I will watch together non-stop.  Aaron Sorkin is a genius and his writing (and high-mindedness) inspires me – where are these newsmen and politicians that he writes about??  I really think we should seek to emulate them to improve our world!  My guilty pleasures are Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl.  Gilmore Girls because it reminds my mom and me of our relationship and Gossip Girl for Blair’s clothes and headbands… and because I wish I looked like Blake Lively. (I am with you on those last 2!)

2. What is your favorite recipe to make? 

My dad’s semi-homemade chicken alfredo!  It’s easy, tasty, and it’s been a part of my life for over 20 years… which is actually kind of ridiculous to think about now.
3. Tell us about your favorite memory from your wedding.  
 Oh my.  So hard to choose.  Let’s start with the fact that as soon as the priest said the final words on the last reading, my husband didn’t wait for the priest to proclaim us husband and wife, he didn’t wait to be told he could kiss the bride, he just went for it.  The photos of my bridesmaids reacting to it always makes me laugh.  There’s also a moment that wasn’t photographed – but, right before my Matron of Honor walked through the doors of the church during the ceremony, she turned to me and whispered, “You’re getting married!”  It was the sweetest thing ever – I doubt she remembers it – but I remember the sheer excitement that she shared with me at that big moment – and it touched my heart.  (Doesn’t Sara look gorgeous?! Fun Fact…she got married in one of my favorite Churches!)  
4. What is your favorite spot in your home town?
If you come to Dallas, you HAVE to go to Mi Cocina.  They have the best salsa, the best margaritas, and the best food.  I have a really special place in my heart for Nasher Sculpture Center, and I love the Dallas Arboretum.  If you’re coming to shop, NorthPark mall is where it’s at now – but don’t go on the weekends (unless you get up super early!).
5. What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on? 
 Impossible, Kelly!  Obviously, the dream trip was our two-week honeymoon to Europe.  We put it off for eighteen months because my non-profit program grew significantly right before we got married.  (Canceling it was SO HARD.  So many tears.)  We finally took it this past April, and it was amazing.  Neither one of us did ANY work (unheard of!) and we spent our days wandering through Italy, France, and Ireland.  It was such a luxury to be able to take two weeks off from work and just enjoy being with each other.  Speaking more practically, we absolutely love Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco.  We did our mini-moon there and whenever I’m stressed or overwhelmed, I just think of what it would be like to be there, enjoying the cool weather and the ability to do absolutely nothing but enjoy the beautiful coastline. (I AM SO JEALOUS YOU GOT TO GO TO HALF MOON BAY! Each time I got to San Fran I always think I am going to get out there and never do! Next time!) 

Thanks Sara for joining me today! Y’all don’t forget to check out her blog today!
<3 Kelly

Pearl the Mermaid

Being a Summer baby, I was dying to get Hallie a little Mermaid doll! I had seen a bunch advertised and had settled on a precious one from Etsy! The day I finally went to make my purchase (if you know me at all I tend to stew on possible purchases FOREVER before I finally take the plunge and make the purchase) I found that the shop owner had practically doubled her prices! I just couldn’t justify this doll purchase. I searched Etsy for days and found several shops with some very cute dolls, but was stunned when I found these precious hand made dolls from Lunnita Studio.

            
She has so many adorable dolls both in her shop and on her Facebook page! I just couldn’t decide! I had been dead set on a mermaid from the beginning though, so eventually I went with this precious Mermaid doll, which we affectionately named Pearl, after Hallie’s birthstone! 
Pearl is gorgeously handcrafted and completely flawless! 
She is perfect for play
And is also great to cuddle up with! 

We couldn’t be more pleased with our selection!  I am completely blown away with the quality! The customer service of the sweet shop owner is amazing as well.  She is super quick and so easy to work with! Speaking of easy to work with, she also does custom orders! Please make sure to check out all of the beautiful dolls she has crafted on her Facebook page before making your selection on Etsy! There are so many gorgeous dolls to choose from!
We will definitely be back for more dolls!
Happy Shopping!
<3 Kelly

Christmas in July

Hallie and I had a wonderful weekend! We got to spend plenty of time with family! Hallie got to see ALL 4 of her grandparents and even some of her friends!

And of course being the 24th and 25th of July (Friday and Saturday) we celebrated Christmas in July! Aside from listening to nonstop Christmas music for 2 days, this is how we celebrated:

On Friday:
Cleo and Sadie still had some business to attend to before we could get to the fun stuff! They had reading to do and some math to practice and what not.  Hallie busied herself reading Christmas books and playing with her favorite Christmas buddies:

Where is Baby’s Christmas Present / Frosty the Snowman

I tried to make Math fun by giving the girls Christmas themed word problems

After math, the girls were anxious to watch their favorite Christmas movie! So we curled up with some popcorn!

 Cleo and Sadie both wore red for the occasion

After the movie we baked some cookies

While they were cooling though I had a fun game planned:
Christmas Carol Pictionary:
 I wrote names of Christmas Carols on paper and the girls took turns drawing them out for us all to guess which carol they were drawing! It was hilarious!  Among my favorite guesses was: “No talk Night” (Silent night) Sadie left us in fits of giggles! 
When the cookies cooled, the girls had fun decorating and eating their yummy treats! 

We made a lot more, but my hands were starting to get sticky and covered in frosting! It was a great day though!! 
Saturday:
After some fun playing with her friends, Hallie and I went to downtown McKinney with my parents to have some lunch, do a little shopping and of course we HAD to stop into Emporium Pies for their Christmas in July pies! 

They were super delicious! Hallie loved them of course! 
Hope everyone else had a FANTASTIC weekend! Did you celebrate Christmas in July?
<3 Kelly

Oh hey, Friday and Merry Christmas in July!

I am kind of a Christmas freak….I am a holiday freak really, but Christmas is my ABSOLUTE favorite! The carols, the movies, the weather, the cozy clothes, the decorations, mugs of steaming hot coffee, and just the peaceful feeling it gives me! Unfortunately we cannot celebrate Christmas in July with Midnight Mass and the decorations…and the weather certainly isn’t cooling off for the occasion but at least the girls and I can make believe a bit! Make sure to toon into the blog next week to see how we celebrated! 

But for now it’s Oh hey, Friday and I am sharing some of my favorite recent pictures of baby girl!

1.

Here’s baby girl helping me reign in those crazy big girls! 

2.

Rocking the piggies for the first time!

3.

So strong! 

4.

Posing for a picture! Such a model!

5.

Earlier in the week we went swimming with buddy Mira! Her Mommy used to be a teacher at my big girl’s school, so they were dying to play with Mira!

Can’t wait to share all of the fun Chistmasy shenanigans we get into today! 
Merry Christmas and a Happy Weekend!
<3 Kelly 

Pesto Ranch Chicken Pasta

This is my go to easy crock pot meal! Everyone in the house LOVES it too!  And guess what….?
It is 4 ingredients!

Ingredients:
Pasta of your choice
3-4 Chicken breasts (depending on size…if they are large I do 3)
1 jar of Pesto
1 Ranch seasoning packet
(Optional Parmesan and mozzarella Cheese to top)

To prepare:
Place chicken breast in crockpot.  Season with 1/2 of ranch.  Dump pesto over the chicken.  Season with the rest of the ranch.  Let cook on high for 4 1/2 hours.  If you choose you can add a little mozzarella to melt on top in the last 1/2 hour.

Cook pasta according to package. You can also toss a little olive oil and italian seasoning in with your pasta.  The olive oil will help keep it from sticking to the sides.

 Top the pasta with the chicken and a little of the sauce from the sides of the crockpot.  Garnish with cheese if desired!

Enjoy! <3 Kelly

Who, What, When, Where, Why, Wednesday with Leslie

Happy Wednesday again Ladies and Gents…any Gentlemen readers…aside from my Dad? 
Anyway, today I have Leslie here from This is For Keeps!  Her daughter Mila is just the cutest!  You should definitely go give her some blog love today as well as getting to know her here! 


Who?- Who are you?
I’m Leslie and I blog over at This is For Keeps.  I’m a 30-something working mom and I’ve been married for nearly 3 years to my husband, Tim.  We have a daughter Mila (who turns two this weekend) and a furbaby Leonidas (he’s our 7 year old yorkie poo who needed a tough name).  

What?- What do you Blog about?

I blog about a little bit of everything, although I’d say mostly Mila and parenthood.  I started out mostly recapping miscellaneous parts of my life, but once I discovered this little blogging community, I tried to expand my writing a bit so it’s somewhat interesting to other readers!  You can expect to read about anything from Stitch Fix reviews to potty training and everything in between!

When?- When did you start blogging? 
I started blogging back in 2011, a few days after Tim and I got engaged.







Where? –Where do you live? 

I live in eastern Pennsylvania and I’ve lived here all my life.  I often complain about our bitter cold winters here, but I don’t think I could ever move away!

Why?- Why did you decide to blog

I started my blog as sort of a journal for myself, chronicling my wedding planning and then my pregnancy.  I love to write, so a blog kind of just made sense.  This is For Keeps evolved from wedding planning to pregnancy and now to parenthood, so it’s pretty cool to have everything in writing to look back on.  

And for my favorite part of the show…5 random questions to get to know Leslie a bit better!

1. Which celebrity’s closet would you want to raid?
Lauren Conrad for sure.  I love her style!  I’ve been trying to spruce up my wardrobe and a little help from Lauren’s closet would do wonders!
2. What one destination are you dying to travel to? 
This is a toss up.  I would really love to visit Greece, but I’ve always wanted to stay in one of those little bungalows over the water in Bora Bora.  There is probably more to do in Greece that Tim and I would mutually agree upon and I’m guessing Greece is also a bit more child friendly than Bora Bora.  So I’d probably say Greece if I had to choose between the two.  If I happened to find a million dollars lying around, I’d happily visit both places though!  😉
3. Sneakers or high heels?
Sneakers, no question about it.  I despise heels.  I don’t know how so many women do it, wearing heels all day.  I wear heels for an hour and feel like my feet are going to fall off!  My sister and my mom have both made fun of me over the years for my lack of style in the shoe department.  As much as I’d love to have all the cute shoes, comfort is priority when it comes to my feet. 
4. If you had a day to yourself and money was no object,  what would you do?
If I had a day to myself?!  Well, first off, that would be glorious and my first reaction is to say that I’d sleep in and lounge on the couch all day!  However, I think I’d grab Tim and take a day trip somewhere close.  Cape May, NJ comes to mind – where we could enjoy the beach, hit up some wineries, and grab dinner and drinks in their cute little town.
5. What’s your favorite room in your home? 
Hands down, our living room.  It’s the biggest room in our home, so it makes for a great entertaining area whenever we have family and friends over.  We also get lots of sunlight in there and it just has such a comfy feel – I can (and usually do) spend all day in this room.  Another reason why I like this room so much is because of our bold color choice.  The rest of our house is very neutral, but our living room is green – my favorite color.  Growing up, I always wanted a green bedroom and my parents wouldn’t go for it (although, at the time, my favorite color was lime green, so I see their point…).  I was thrilled when Tim said he was on board with the green color swatch I picked out before we moved in.  While a bold green room isn’t most people’s style, it works well in our living room and we absolutely love it.  (Disclaimer: our living room usually doesn’t look like this with a toddler on the loose!)
Thanks Leslie so much for joining us today! 
Please shoot me an email at kelhof87@gmail.com if you are interested in being featured on Who, What, When, Where, Why Wednesday or with collaborating with me here at Happily Ever Mock.  
<3 Kelly

Summer Bucket List Check In

The girls and I have been having a nice and busy Summer! But between their trips, dance lessons, soccer practices, piano lessons and tutoring (my smarties getting ready for their school year early) we have still been able to cross a few things off of our list! 
S’mores
Unfortunately we chose a fairly windy day, so instead of using the fire pit, my Dad was kind enough to let us use his grill!

But they were still yummy!
Hallie thoroughly enjoyed her first S’mores experience! 
But it left her wanting S’more
Celebrating Cleo’s Birthday and Ice Cream Social

 Cleo’s parent’s went ALL OUT and decorated the lawn for her birthday! So cute!

 And we celebrated by inviting the girl’s friends over for an ice cream social!

Movie Theater



We went a few weeks ago to see Max.  I figured Hallie would be good because she loves puppies so much, but she got pretty antsy! We ended up watching 75% of the movie standing in the side aisle.  Oh well. What I saw of it was pretty cute, but I am not sure I can call this Hallie’s first movie going experience.

Swimming

One thing we have done a lot is swim! Oh my it has been so hot here, and the best way to beat the heat is jumping in a cool pool! With 4 weeks of Summer left, I am sure we will get plenty more pool time, as well as checking off some more things from our list!

Hope everyone else is having a great summer and finding some fun ways to beat the heat!
<3 Kelly

Our Blank Canvas Weekend

Like I said Friday, our weekend had absolutely no plans! Sure I had to grocery shop and catch up a little on house cleaning, but no birthday parties, no dinner plans, nada! 

So Saturday morning we got up and went to the gym, because apparently I am one of “those people” now! Hallie of course was a perfect angel in the Kids club the first time we went, but made up for it on this second visit. I was in a  Piyo class (1/2 Pilates 1/2 Yoga) and every few minutes I see Christopher walking over to relieve the caretaker…sorry about your non workout honey!

The rest of the day we did a little shopping, ate little lunch with Tia Joyce and then we played and played and played some more!

These toys were given to her by her buddy Brayen from when he was little and she has yet to put them down!
P.S. NOT okay with how grown up she looks here!

I turned on Marley and Me because Hallie is OBSESSED with dogs and she curled right up with Stella to watch it! It was the CUTEST thing ever!

Sunday we spent the WHOLE day practically by the pool! It was awesome! We went to my parent’s house and Hallie splashed! Her favorite thing though by far was stealing my nephew’s water guns and playing with the pool thermometer! 

 My awesome little sister made me a yummy healthy lunch pool side (which I might have ruined with chips and dip on the way home)

Hallie was super tired and grumpy after the pool so I tried coming up with a way she would sit in her highchair while I made dinner…. 

 My plan consisted of her eating, and throwing the crayons and hugging the characters I gave her to color…at least we know goofy is well loved.. also please excuse the post swimming pre bath hair!

Somehow I was still able to knock out a yummy dinner of chicken in a white wine, mushroom cream sauce and steamed broccoli….which we might have also ruined with ice cream (Don’t tell Hallie!) 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Happy Monday!
<3 Kelly 

Oh hey, Friday!

Yay! It’s Friday! It’s a Friday with a blank canvas weekend ahead! I can’t remember the last time where I had NOTHING planned for a weekend! I think some pool time might be in order!
This week was a busy one celebrating birthdays, lots of fun with the kiddos, AND…I joined a gym you guys…I AM SOOOO SORE!

Anyway here are our cute pictures from the week!

1.

This is how everyone drinks their milk, right?

2.

Too Many Toys!!!!!

3.

Fun in the pool!

4.

We had an ice cream date with Sadie this week…I didn’t get much

5.

Clapping for the birthday girl!!! Happy Birthday Cleo!

Hope everyone had a fantastic week! Happy Friday!
<3 Kelly