Back in the saddle?

Sometimes, you just need a break.

A six month break, to be exact.

Since I last posted (back in May!) my life hasn't changed much. Yes, we've made some advancements with the house, Philanthropy opened and is a huge blessing and success in my life, and we've added a new fur baby; but really it's business as usual. Business except blogging.

I love writing, but I don't want to be a slave to it. I want to live freely and write when there's something interesting to say. Whether that be a handy recipe I've tried that I think others might appreciate, an outfit that I think might inspire others, or just plain words that get you (my readers, if you're still out there!) thinking.



This has been our life lately. A frenzy of blue prints and straight edges. Now that we're finally in the actual building stages, these house plans don't really mean much. We change our minds all the time. And that's ok. It's our dream house, so I'd say we're allowed to.




Our 2012 family photo, taken by the amazing Emily Williams. From left (in case you've forgotten) that's Daniel, Zoey our newest fur baby, John who will turn four in a couple months, smiling me and Mia our happy Great Pyrenees. We're all growing up and loving every minute of it.

I can't promise that I'll blog weekly. But what I can say is that if you like reading about dog hair, puke, building houses and following Jesus; then stick around. I might have more to say.


I leave you tonight with a picture of John watching a movie in bed. Because who doesn't love a baby butt?

Until next time, loves.



Day Off DIY: Artwork Display.

Hi friends. Hope you had a great weekend!
When the store opens, my days of rest will be Sunday and Monday. Sunday I won't be posting because I'll be spending time with family, but Monday evenings I'm going to showcase something creative that I do that day. Whether it be planting in the garden, organizing something in my house, or working on a sewing project. This week I decided to put up a nifty little display for my son's artwork.

John comes home from school with tons of beautiful paintings, and we do a lot of artwork at home too. I don't want to throw these pieces of art away, and it seems sad to stuff them in an album and forget about them. I got some inspiration from a blog I follow, The Pretty Bee, and with the help of a friend we set to work. I think the finished product turned out really nice!

I used regular twine and my friend Julie nailed in the ends for me. I bought a box of antique clothes pins from Annie Laurie's Antiques and grabbed this week's artwork. As John draws new artwork I'll put those pieces up, and store his older work in an album.

If you don't want to put something like this in your kitchen, I think this display would look really cute in a bedroom or playroom too!

Happy Monday everyone!

Day to Night.

Happy Friday! John and I are headed to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri to give some extra love and attention to some sweet babies waiting for a home. We picked up a bag of food to donate and hope that with the donation they will in turn let us walk and cuddle with some furry friends. All John talks about these days is "Meow's" and "Woof Woof's."

This outfit has to take me through the busy, warm day today and into the cool evening for Tunes at Twilight  and dinner later. This tank it cotton and super comfy, and the skinny jeans are soft and easy to wear.

Tunes at Twilight has become our standard Friday evening activity. There's always room on our blanket, and I might even save you a Blue Moon.

John and our good friend, Adam, at Tunes last week.

Tunes at Twilight starts at 7pm, hope to see you there!

Lovely things on a Friday.



Riding on the mower with Dad has become John's favorite afternoon activity.





On Wednesday we went down to the river to throw rocks and watch the barges pass by.





We made homemade Mother's Day cards this year :)





An early Mother's Day gift from John and my Nana. So sweet!





Some of John's homemade cards.





A sneak peak of the dress I'm wearing to an event tomorrow night :)



We've had a great week! I feel like we have accomplished a lot at the store, and I've gotten tons done at home too. John has been doing awesome with his potty training, praise God, and I've been working on his application for PreK 3, which starts in August! My little man will be going to school in just three short months!

We have lots of fun family stuff planned for the weekend, including showing some extra love and attention to our Mom's and Grandma's. Since becoming a Mom, I love any kind of holiday that brings my family together, like Mother's Day. It doesn't really matter what we do, or if I get a gift or card; what matters is that we have an entire day devoted to spending time with each other. I never want to be one of those Mom's that begs for attention on Mother's Day, because as far as I'm concerned, Sunday isn't even about me. I wouldn't be a mom if it weren't for my family anyway!

I hope all of you ladies have a wonderful weekend, and a lovely Sunday! Happy Mother's Day!

Calling all Women: Be You.

I haven't blogged in awhile, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty! The store is coming along fantastically and I truly cannot wait until we are able to open. If you are a local, I'm sure you are aware of the Broadway street renovations going on in the Downtown area. With all the dust from the renovations, we plan to just keep working on making our store perfect before our Grand Opening Celebration. Time goes by quickly, so we will be open before you know it! I'll share more details about my job in the upcoming weeks.

With Mother's day just a few days away, I've been thinking a lot about my role in family and in life. (I know, heavy stuff!) My new job and the amazing ladies I have met through this process have reminded me just how precious and powerful my contribution to this world actually is. I used to think that little o' me couldn't really do much to make this big world a better place. Then I met some smiling ladies who are literally bursting to share the love of our Savior with others---and I was reminded that seeds are planted every day through my actions and kind gestures to those around me.

This life is not about how many church functions you attend, how many small groups you're involved in or even how many Sunday mornings you choose to go to (or, to skip!). It's about being Genuine. Being you.

Get into the Word, fill your mouth and heart with love for every. single. person. you encounter and stop focusing on being this person you think people want you to be. We are never going to live up to the expectations of those around us. What we can do is strive daily to be the woman God has planned for us to be---that loving, supportive, woman washing the feet of a stranger.

In the midst of me writing this, John literally threw up the snack he was eating all over the dining room table and himself. I immediately stopped typing and rushed to his side to make sure he was alright. The kid was laughing. He pointed to his juice and said "oops." Toddler Translation: juice went down the wrong pipe. He was ok.

Isn't that how life should be? Full of puke and laughter?

Be yourself, ladies. It's ok to laugh and puke. No one will ever be perfect nor should we try to be. We just need to keep loving Christ and loving others.

This outfit is all me. Messy braid and hat, flowing tee, black skinny jeans and sandals = Leslie Carol Hazelwood.

When the store does open, I want you all to know that when you come in to get styled by either myself or one of the other talented ladies, we will style you in something that you feel confident, beautiful, and 100% yourself in. That's what getting dressed is all about. That's what living is all about. Being you.

Chinese Food.

This week I've actually used my brain to decide what I'm going to wear, instead of just reaching for whatever is warm/has drawstrings/clean. When the weather is beautiful and I'm going to eat Chinese food with my grandmother, I think that deserves a little bit of mind power....don't you? My Nana loves to dress up so naturally I like to get a bit fancy when we are together.

Nana said I looked like Jackie O in this outfit. That's a good day right there, folks.



Button Down: Old Navy. Smurf Jeans: DKNY via TJMaxx. Basketweave Flats: Kohls.





To the farm.

In case no one has ever filled you in on this incredible piece of information, allow me to enlighten you:

Farm fresh milk from a glass bottle is the coldest, most satisfying milk you will ever drink in your life.

There is seriously something magical about pouring farm fresh, ice cold milk over a bowl of cinnamon Life cereal. If you've never had farm fresh milk before, come on over to my house either first thing in the morning or about 10:30 at night when Letterman's on. I'll pour you a bowl of cereal and you can see for yourself how amazing it is.

Just another great reason to wake up in the morning.

I buy my farm fresh milk from Jones Heritage Farm and Market. My weekly trips to pick up milk and eggs are one of my favorite parts of the week. John and I like to stroll around the farm and pet doggies, chase a few chickens and "Baaa" right back at the little lambs. Eventually we'll venture into the store and check out their weekly specials, then load up our basket with two gallons of milk (that's four glass bottles) and a couple dozen eggs. I plan to continue this tradition with John for as long as I can. It's just a special activity that I love sharing with him.




Love the gentle giants, Great Pyrenees.


For a trip to the farm, I always go with extra comfy. And throw on a hat, of course.

Learning how to wear a maxi dress is one of my summer goals. It seems like it would be easy, but I think this one-piece ensemble could use a little something to spice it up. Be it jewelry, a scarf, or a jean jacket.

Hat: Target. Jean Jacket: Old Navy. Maxi Dress: JCPenney

Next time I wear it I plan to try tying a button down shirt in front.

Hope your day is lovely, xoxo