The Perfect Tee

Shirt: similar
Denim: LOFT
Sandals: Target
Hat: Stole from my dad's closet

I nearly fell off my chair when I saw my friend, Lisa, wearing this Beatles tee and I HAD. TO. HAVE. IT. 

This truly is the perfect tee and is subsequently my reigning favorite because, A) it's the Abbey Road album cover, which is, in my opinion, their greatest album (I like to think that's why my parents put an 'e' in my name -- you know, some sort of subconscious nod to the gods of classic rock), and clearly where this blog gets its name and B) it's the perfect, slouchy fit and goes with practically everything. 

I would also like to clarify that I am in no shape or form a Yankees fan, it just so happened that this hat fits like a glove, and I've been wearing it every day in an effort to oblige to the baseball cap trend. Speaking of the raging Normcore trend, these Birkenstock sandals would be the perfect shoe to complete this look. But, hey, shoe choices are limited when on vacation, and I really tried to not be that lady who packs 100 lbs of unnecessary junk. (Over-packing is a real struggle, my friends.) 

How To Tolerate Your Husband And Such Nonsense

"Matt, come on!" I hissed as we were beginning to weave our way through camping chairs and legs.

"I am not walking in front of everybody, especially with a DOUBLE STROLLER," he distinctly replied in husband-putting-his-foot-down voice.

Fine! I thought to myself. I commandeered our mammoth, child-toting vehicle, parked it by the nearest tree and stomped through the crowd of people to find the spot my sister-in-law had staked out for our night at the concert in the park. Luke and Wes were in their respective places -- Luke hand in hand on my right and Wes on my left hip. We swiftly sat down and cozied in for the most angsty, semi-depressive music in the world. (Think CW primetime, teen dramas, circa 1999 -- what up, Dawson's Creek?) But, Matt was nowhere in sight, and the concert was actually quite fitting for the minor spat Matt and I were engaged in. I think I may have laughed out loud at one point.

Read more here »

Back To Class Style

Booties: Steve Madden c/o DSW
Dress: similar
Jacket: H&M

Fall is just around the corner, which means everyone is heading back to class and shopping is a must. This time of year is always one of my favorite times for style and fashion. While the leaves and trees are slowly fading away, new trends are being born and reinvented, and there is a special buzz that only the September issue of Vogue can bring, right?

In celebration of all of this, I've teamed up with DSW to bring you a series of "Back to Class" looks. This first look today is an easy transitional look from summer to fall. (If you live in a warm climate like I do, these transitional looks are vital!) I am all about comfort, especially in a classroom setting. For a laidback, yet stylish look, I've paired a vibrant shirtdress with a denim jacket and classic, lace-up booties. FYI, the trend for fall is boots, boots, and more boots! Over-the-knee boots will be all over the place (which kinda, sorta terrify me with my 5'2" frame, but I am wanting to try!) as well as the ankle bootie. They look great with a skirt, dress, or a pair of distressed skinny jeans. Once it gets a little colder, I will be wearing some chunky socks for a more textured, winter look. Basically, you can't go wrong with a pair of ankle booties, and DSW has hundreds of styles to choose from. Also, if you sign up for their free rewards program, you earn points on every purchase and you'll receive $10 once you've hit 1,500 points. I've been a DSW Reward member for over five years now, and I always look forward to the birthday coupon, because, almost free shoes! There are tons of others perks, which and you can read about and sign up for here!

Stay tuned for my second look and an awesome shoe giveaway next week, follow along with the hashtag #DSWShoeHookup to see how other people are wearing their DSW kicks, and be sure to take a peek at how my fellows blogger ladies are styling their fall looks!

• Along Abbey Road
• My Fashion Juice
• Sequins and Things
• Poor Little It Girl
• much love, illy
• Kacie's Kloset
• lovefashion | livelife
• Sparkling Footsteps
• Flashes of Style
• Merricks Art
• M Loves M

*This post is sponsored by DSW. Thanks for supporting our sponsors!

Family Reunion

Here are just a handful of the hundreds of photos I snapped over the weekend of our family reunion. We spent a day at Deer Creek Reservoir, BBQ'd, gabbed, and played. Summer is officially my favorite this year.

Stay tuned for an even bigger photo dump coming soon!

Taking Stock

I wanted to take note of my thoughts and feelings while we are home here in Heber at my parents' house. This place is so beautiful and holds so many dear memories, and I want to remember it forever.

Making: travel plans.
Cooking: the most delicious pot roast and gravy for the famdamily.
Drinking: gallons of water.
Reading: text messages from my burning hunk of love, also known as Matt.
Wanting: an Ocean Commotion ice cream from Dairy Keen. That stuff is addicting!
Looking: out the window to blue skies and green pastures.
Playing: outside from sun up till sun down.
Wasting: nothing. Everything feels just right.
Sewing: a hand-embroidered top with my mama. Tutorial coming soon!
Wishing: on shooting stars in these breathtaking country skies.
Enjoying: unrushed time with family.
Waiting: for the fireworks tomorrow night. (Pioneer Day, folks! When in Utah, right?)
Liking: all of the fresh air and greenery around me ... I think we need to move to Midway.
Wondering: if that will ever happen.
Loving: my boys and watching them spend time with grandma and grandpa.
Hoping: these cramps will go away. Any mamas with c-sections have terrible cramps before starting their menstrual cycle? TMI? Sorry, guys.
Marveling: at the mountains. I just can't get over it.
Needing: sleep, but having too much fun staying up way to late and waking up way too early.
Smelling: popcorn. Movie time!
Wearing: my beloved Hello Apparel sweatshirt and pajama bottoms.
Following: tiny dirt trails, which lead to a muddy, messy boy playing in the garden.
Noticing: the simplicity in my parents' life and loving it.
Knowing: I have a family that will always be there for me, for which I am incredibly grateful.
Thinking: about what adventures await us tomorrow.
Feeling: happy.
Bookmarking: ice cream recipes.
Opening: a can of good ole' Dr. Pepper. Pop! Phzzz!
Giggling: at Luke and Wes giggling at each other. Truly one of the absolute joys of motherhood.
Feeling: Hungry. (But then again, when am I not?)

See my first Taking Stock post here. 

A Random Thing Or Two-sday

Tee: Madewell.
Denim: LOFT
Shoes: Old Navy
Headband: Forever 21
Sunglasses: Free People

1. I am living in tees and cropped denim this summer. It's easy, takes no thought, and can be styled with a bright accessory like a headband or scarf.

2. Fact: Women speak about 20,000 words per day. That's about 13,000 more than men (source).

3. Who watched the "Men Tell All" on The Bachelorette last night? I think "Women Tell All"  is always more entertaining because of the above-mentioned fact, however I liked this one. Mostly because of the lie detector test results. (I'm looking at you, Marcus!) I reaaaalllly wish she would've opened Josh's lie detector test results. I knew Josh lied! I just knew it!

4. Wes is THIS close to crawling. It probably has something to do with the plush carpeted floors here at my parents' house. (I wouldn't want to crawl either if I had to learn to do it on wood laminate floors... first world baby problems.)

5. Would you rather live in a decked out tree house with all the fixings, or a house boat that had to be at least five miles out on the water when you came home from work and outings?

Instagram

It's summer time, and the livin' is easy, especially when you are spending time with your family! We are in Heber at my folks' house for the next couple of weeks, so it might get a little quiet around here on the blog, but I will be overgramming my way through this vacation, so you can follow along with our adventures on Instagram here or @alongabbeyroad!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! xo

Banana Berry Frozen Yogurt Popsicles

Ahhh, summer. The season of popsicle, after popiscle, after popsicle. This banana berry frozen yogurt popsicle takes just 10 minutes to whip up and has just a few simple and healthy ingredients. And yes, the entire thing is edible with those carrot stick handles! The best part is these are kid-friendly, which makes for an entertaining activity to do with your best little buddies.

Come find the recipe and directions over here on the article I wrote for Parenting.com!

Have a fun and tasty day!

A Random Thing Or Two-sday

Top: similar
Skirt: similar
Shoes: Old Navy (on sale!)
Watch: ASOS

1. My thrifting escapades have been slam dunks the last few times. This fabulous skirt was only $6 and they were having a half off sale. I didn't even know thrift shops run sales! I take that as fate smiling upon me.

2. Fact: The brain operates on the same amount of power as a 10-watt lightbulb (source).

3. Have you seen Colbie Caillat's new "Try" music video? I couldn't love it more, and want to give her one of those hugs where you practically tackle the person because you hug em' so hard. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, I've shared my sentiments on body image, my face with no makeup, and learning to be comfortable in my own skin, and I think it's an incredibly important message to spread among us women.

4. These pictures of people from history and their celebrity look-alikes are amazing.

5. Would you rather have delicious edible hair that regrew each night, or retractable wheels on the bottoms of your feet?

A Date Night With My Boys

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and BJ’s Restaurants, but all my opinions are my own. #DineInOrderAhead #pmedia http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Over the weekend my handsome brood of boys took this lady out on a date! We hit up our local BJ's Restaurant, because, PIZOOKIES. I sincerely mean this when I say it would be on the menu if I could only eat one more meal in this lifetime. So good. Also, when you've recently moved and are planning to be out of town for weeks, the stocked pantry situation can look rather bleak. Dining out is usually the best option, so dine out we did!

BJ's Restaurant has created a genius new app called Dine In Order Ahead, which made the night even more breezy. I was able to pick our restaurant location and order our entire meal earlier in the afternoon with my phone from the comfort of our bed (sidenote: we got new bedding with the move, and there are few greater things than new bedding AND Pizookies, wouldn't you agree?), and then paid with my phone using the Mobile Pay feature. I really liked it with the kids because as soon as we checked in, they started making our food and it came out just moments after we sat down. There were no meltdowns, and the Pizookie was within our grasp that much sooner. (Fist pump!)

My only complaint about the app is that it was a little slow at the beginning and crashed a couple of times, but hey, that's technology. Also, we didn't really interact with the server a whole lot since they basically only brought out our orders which they didn't have to take down or memorize, so there was that. That can be a good or bad thing depending on the level of social interaction you like, and opens up the discussion of 'did they or didn't they really earn their tip?' (That dinner conversation can go one of two ways, so try not to let it turn into a heated political debate, unless you're into that sort of thing.) Overall, I give it two thumbs up, and will absolutely be using it every time we go now. (And I hope other restaurants will follow suit — with little ones, I'm all about convenience, friends.) You can download the iPhone version here and the Android version here.

Pasta, pizza, and burgers were on the menu. We like carbs, what can I say?

And we saved the best for last, of course! Dunt-duh-duh-dahhh! This here's the chocolate chunk, triple chocolate and peanut butter Pizookie trio.

Thanks for showing me a good time, Rodriguez boys. I am a lucky gal :)

Pins To Inspire Your Weekend

A simple outfit for getting out and exploring. Via Pinterest.

Make this darling lemonade stand with your little crew! Via Caravan blog.

It's fair season, and that means eating cloud after cloud of cotton candy. Anton Stenander via River of Bones.

Make a gallery wall of photos using washi tape for the frames. Via 100 Layer Cake.

Cool off with a tall glass of this fresh blueberry and mint lemonade. Via Joy the Baker.

You can follow me on Pinterest here. Have a delightful weekend, friends!