Major Catch-up! {Weekend.Gratitude.}

I've been missing for a while now! I've been playing catch-up in school and now it's time to play catch-up on the blog!

First I'll update you all on my wonderful weekend! Friday was my youngest brother's birthday! He turned 12. I called him that morning to wish him a happy birthday and then I got 'roped into' visiting my family. I wasn't really roped into it though. My brother mentioned it and I knew that it would mean a lot to him if I came so I threw some stuff together and headed down to the valley. Unfortunately Race didn't get to come with me because we also had family coming to visit us in Flagstaff.

Friday night we celebrated my brother's 12th birthday and it was lots of fun. ALL of my siblings {except for my brother who is on a mission} were there with their spouses and cute babies. We ate yummy food, opened presents, ate delicious yogurt pie, and just enjoyed each others' company. It was a perfect evening.

Saturday was spent thrift shopping, getting some Christmas shopping done, and hanging out with family some more. I got to see my brother and sister-in-law's new house and it made me SUPER house hungry! I didn't even know that "house hunger" existed! But now I can't wait to get into a real home someday!

Sunday was spent going to church, hanging out with one of my cute nephews in the hallway, and being in the room while my brother received the Aaronic Priesthood. The Spirit in the room was AMAZING. And it is so crazy to think that Solomon was the last of the eight Olmstead boys to receive the priesthood! Sunday was a good day. :] It was followed by making pizzas for dinner and then driving back up to Flagstaff.

The weekend was a lot of fun but I really missed Race and he really missed me. It was funny because normally he does okay if I am gone for a couple of days but this time around he called me and left cute messages where he just kept saying how much he missed me and kept asking when I was going to be home. It was funny. I was so excited to see him and Sunday evening was spent enjoying lots of snuggles!

The birthday boy!

Edmond makes cute faces {when he's getting his diaper changed}!

Helena and I like to cuddle on the couch. Even when no one else is on it with us. 

Now for some things that I've been grateful for recently:

11.17.11 Sisters & Sisters-in-law

11.18.11 Celebrations with the family! {Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc.}

11.19.11 Thrifting! I haven't been thrifting in a long time {especially since Flagstaff's thrift stores are kind of expensive and they don't have sales very often} so it was fun to go with my mum and sister-in-law for a little bit. My mom bought me a skirt and two shirts! For under $10! It was fun! 

11.20.11 I am so grateful for my brothers and their willingness to live righteously so that they can hold the Priesthood. It was amazing cramming my family in a little tiny room while my dad gave my brother the Priesthood. 

11.21.11 I am grateful for surprise date nights from my husband. We went and saw Breaking Dawn after making ourselves some dinner at home. This was the first time I had been to the movies in a while and I had forgotten how fun it is to cuddle up in a dark movie theater, eat some popcorn, talk about the previews, and giggle about silly things in the movie. It was also fun to play each other in Scrabble on my phone before the movie started! I was totally beating Race. :] Otherwise I might not have mentioned how fun it was to play! 

11.22.11 Today I am grateful that I got two tests out of the way! 

How were all of your weekends? What did you do? And what are you grateful for today? 

Fashion Guest Post: Autumn

I'm excited to have Autumn of Stay gold, Autumn posting on my blog today! Autumn is one of my swap sponsors and she is one of my wonderful blog friends! I absolutely adore her clothes, she takes gorgeous pictures, and her words are always inspiring. You can see her blog here, her button to your right, and another guest post by her here! Have fun viewing Autumn's very first {I'm pretty sure} outfit post!

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Emma always has the cutest outfits and so I decided to try my hand at my very first fashion post.

 Cardigan - Macey's

Blue shirt - Sam's Club

Gray under shirt - Bella Bird at Walmart

Blue jeans - Levi's 524 skinny cut

Shoes - Walmart...from high school 

Headband - Provo farmer's market 

Belt - random store in Arkansas

Coat....yeah, I should have been wearing one.

Since beginning teaching I have found myself in a rut with my hair and clothes; this rut is called having to leave our apartment at 6:50 AM for work. Until I began blogging I thought people were born with innate talents of mixing and matching clothes.  What am I realizing?  Like every talent, some people are naturals, but we all have to practice.  For me?  I didn't really start practicing until I came to BYU. Someone once told me with my body type I shouldn't wear an empire waist anything- that person was silly and I have a beautiful empire-waist cut wedding dress in my closet.  Someone else once told me cargo pants would be slimming on me in middle school....what?! What I do know?  I try on a lot of different types of clothes and I'm often surprised at how they fit or lay.  I know that I often try a little too hard to blend in, but at the end of the day?  My husband thinks I'm pretty and that's really all that matters.

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I LOVE her outfit! Don't you?! And I agree that in the end if my husband thinks I'm pretty it really doesn't matter if I blend in. I love that! Thank you for this wonderful post Autumn! Can I borrow your outfit?!

P.S. Today I am grateful that I am more than halfway done with this semester. And way more than halfway done with college! One and a half more semesters!! 

ReBlog.

I guest posted over Brooke's blog Silver Lining last week. 
It was all about Winter Dressing and I 
just wanted to share it all with you. 
I added in where everything is from. Enjoy!! :]


Emma's Tips on Winter Dressing:
 I am fairly new to the whole winter dressing thing as I grew up in Chandler, AZ where it does not get cold. I moved to Flagstaff, AZ where it snows just about as much as it does in Utah. In fact, a couple of years ago it snowed more in Flagstaff than in anywhere else in the US {excluding Alaska}! That year was awesome. Our finals were cancelled! Anyway, I'm off topic! This year will be my fourth winter in my life so here are some little tips and tricks that I have learned on how to stay warm {in no particular order}!

Warm boots are a must have!
From left to right:
Land's End- $40{?}
Kohl's- $8
Kohl's- $15

Scarves! Wear them over or under your jackets and outfits. 

Either way they keep your neck nice and toasty warm!

Top Left: Old Navy- $5

Top Right: H&M- Scarf Swap!

Bottom Left: WalMart $3

Bottom Right: Old Navy- Gift!

Tights! I wear tights with everything! I even wear them under my jeans when it gets super cold. 

But they're much cuter when paired with a skirt or dress!

Top Left: Charlotte Russe- $3

Top Right: Old Navy- $2

Bottom Left: Target- $5

Bottom Left: Charlotte Russe- $3 

Cardigans & Sweaters {layers!}

Layer everything with a cardigan or sweater for extra warmth!

Top Left: Target $8

Top Right: Old Navy- $3

Bottom Left: Target- $4

Bottom Right: Target- $6

Cute coats! Every year I like to add a coat {or two} to my ever-growing collection. 

A cute coat on top of your outfit makes everything just that much classier!

{Other tips: Coats can make a boring outfit look super cute! And every year OldNavy has coat sales sometime before 

Christmas where almost all of their 

coats are 50% off. Look for those!! I am pretty sure they have that sale going on RIGHT NOW!}

Top Left: Old Navy- $10

Top Right: Target- $6

Bottom Left: Charlotte Russe- $10

Bottom Right: Newport Beach- $20

Hats/Earwarmers!

Keep those ears nice and cozy with a cute hat or some earwarmers. 

I just learned how to make earwarmers thanks to Pinterest! 

Top Left and Bottom Right: Made by my sister-in-law- GIFT!! 

Top Right and Bottom Left: Made by me from old t-shirts- FREE!!

Well, that's all I have for you today!

Dress warm and enjoy the winter!! :]

Today I am grateful for my adorable new blog design! {I seriously can't stop looking at it! Teehee!} 

What are you grateful for?
And what are your tips for staying warm during the winter?

I Love Me Some Fall Clothes!

Does anyone else just absolutely love fall style? I do. I love the colors and the warmth/comfiness that all fall clothes exude! Here is my favorite fall outfit so far this season! Also, my favorite way to do my hair this season is in this awesome sock bun! Check out this tutorial for help on making it look as awesome as mine! ;) 

{This is the most perfect spinning dress. AND it has pockets. Basically it's perfect in every way.}

Breakdown:

Shirt- Old Navy {$10}

Dress- Old Navy {$3}

Belt- Wet Seal {$0.99}

Tights- Charlotte Russe {$?}

Shoes- Target {$6ish}

Jacket{Ruffles are seen in second picture. Full jacket seen here}- Charlotte Russe {$10ish}

Grateful Catch-up!

Sunday: A home that can hold our huge family. {We had EVERYONE over to our itty bitty apartment for dinner after church on Sunday. It was crazy but we got everyone to fit and it was just so full of love. It was a good day!}

Monday: I was grateful for how gorgeous our campus is covered in snow. The first snowfall is always so magical!

Today: I am grateful for cute fall/winter clothes! I love the change up in outfits with every season. {Is it weird to be grateful for clothes??}

Well, have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! Come back tomorrow for a post about my crazy awesome weekend with our family!

Also, you should check out my outfit post over at Thrifty {Modest} Threads! 

And you should go to the Thrifty {Modest} Threads Facebook page and do some liking! 

Phone Photos Ep. 5 {Insta-Friday}

My week in Instagram photos!

Happy Halloween everyone! This is what one of the maintenance guys at work 

recorded as what he had got done on Halloween day! So funny!! :]

Some outfits I wore in the past couple of weeks.

This picture is from a post I wrote for Kylie's blog.

You should all go check it out!

A shoe collage. Didn't this turn out geometrically awesome?! 

Earrings that I made! I LOVE them! 

Apples+Caramel. My favorite snack that I had pretty much every day this week. 

I didn't always have the caramel but I love apples with or without caramel. 

I have eaten an entire bag of apples by myself this week. Mmmm!

Race was a little excited to rent this game from Redbox. Haha. He's been playing it nonstop. 

{I can't wait til he finishes it!}

Well, that was my week in photos! :]

This weekend is Race's dad's birthday so there will be a little post about that. 

There are some cute little stories in there so you should definitely check it out! 

Also, these giveaways are ending so you should check that out!

And, my sister-in-law wrote a cute post on our blog so you should also check that out!

And don't forget about my guest post on Kylie's blog!

So many fun things to check out! Now head on over to Insta-Friday and link up your

week in cell phone photos!

Today I am grateful for my phone. I use it for everything. Mostly for pictures and entertainment when I am bored. But really, iPhones are just so much fun. So that's what I'm grateful for today!

Phone Photos Episode Four

Sneak peek of an outfit post that is up on Thrifty {Modest} Threads. Check it out!

Snow/hail in Flagstaff, AZ on October 7, 2011

Socks with flats. {They have snowflakes on them in case you can't tell.} Tacky--maybe. Warm--definitely!

Funny towel ears. {Check out this post by Kaycie of Redhead Memories to learn how to wear your towel like this and not damage your hair! You also get to look like a Babushka!}

My adorable shoes that I had forgotten about {Target clearance from forever ago}. Plus some cute floral.

My super cute husband on his way to class. I always scare him as he messes with his phone walking down the hill from our apartment and then I make him stop and give me hugs and kisses and let me take his picture. Haha. He still smiles for the pictures. Thank goodness! :]

My cute little sisters. Although pretty soon they will both be taller than me. Helena {the one in the adorable maxi skirt} already his and Gelsey is about the same height that I was when I was in sixth grade and she's in third grade. So it won't be long. {So far only two of my siblings have NOT surpassed me in height. That's out of eleven of us and I am the fourth oldest!}

A bow that I did in my friend's SUPER thick hair. It lasted about two seconds because I didn't have any good bobby pins. Next time though...next time. :] I do love playing with people's hair though!! 

My adorable lil neighbor in the valley/my fourth cousin once removed or something like that. This picture is super old but I love this little girl and her chunky sad face. Haha.

The triplets I used to watch on their second birthday. {I hung out with one of the other nannies that I worked with today and got to see pictures and videos of them now. They are so grown up and  I miss them like CRAZY!}

My Halloween costume from a couple of years ago. Does anyone know what it's from because no one did when I was wearing it and it was kind of embarrassing. Haha. {This was not my whole costume just the helmet part that I made with the help of my sister-in-law and sister}.
Oh, and I need help figuring out costume ideas for Race and I. So you all should help and throw some ideas out in your comments, eh?

A scarf made into earwarmers/a bow. How cool is that?! Does anyone else think this is cute?

Because I totally did and everyone laughed at me.

But if I actually made this it's something I would seriously wear.

Am I weird?

Well, that's all for now! Have a lovely week everyone and tell me a little somethin' about your weekend! :]

P.S. Check out this post  if you're interested in swap sponsoring.

Check out my new blog about all things crafty, cute, and cheap here.

And check out my soon-to-be three lovely swap sponsors here, here, and here.

Quick Update!

I'm in Thatcher, AZ right now enjoying spending time with cute nieces and nephews, cousins, and my in-law family. :) My nephew Austen was baptized today! I am loving spending time with family and cuddling two of the cutest baby girls ever!!

Baby Madison





















Baby Ella











And my outfit/favorite comfy shoes ever {...maybe. I have lots of favorite shoes}









Here I was trying to get a picture of how many people are sitting on the couch but this is only showing 5{ish} of the 8 people on the couch!




Have a wonderful weekend! Relax, read a book, go on a date, take a nap, and then come back and tell me all about how awesome it was!

{Random: I'm halfway through Divergent right now! You should all read it. :)}

Outfit Post #9

ANOTHER "outfit-y" picture I found. Goodness. I hope these outfit posts aren't boring any of you! They're getting me all excited and making me feel stylish or something. Haha.

I wore this outfit to present my group's research project that we did for our Junior Level Writing class for my Psychology major. I also got complimented on it while there. Apparently some girls were giggling and pointing at me while my group got our awards{I didn't notice} and one of them came up to me afterwards to assure me that they were just talking about how cute I looked. I hope she was telling the truth!  

Anyway, here's the breakdown: 

Shirt- Anchor Blue, I believe?

Cardigan- Old Navy 

Belt- Nordstrom's Rack 

Skirt & Black undershirt- Forever 21 

This outfit totally won me this award! {Just kidding, my group's awesome research project won the award.}

Anyway, I am glad that I actually look nice for the important things in my life {since I don't bother to look good on normal days...usually}. And I love red and yellow together {wedding colors!}. :] Also, once again don't mind my mess of a house!

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was great. My parents came up to Flagstaff to visit Race and I so we hung out with them and I got to chat with my mom for three days straight {usually I just call my mom thirty times throughout each day}. I love my parents. In fact, a year ago on Sunday my Facebook status was, "I love talking to my parents." I told my dad that and he asked me if that is still true. I said, "Of course it is!" Does anyone else just love talking to their parents? Sunday was dubbed wear-a-fancy-hat-to-church day so Teal {Race's sister}, Ellie {Race's cousin} and I went hat shopping and didn't buy any hats because we're cheap and didn't really find anything we loved. But I did get three shirts and a really cute watch! I am loving my watch and hearing the itty bitty tick of the second hand. I know, random. I got some Nutella and have been eating it with bananas and Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal all weekend and all week so far {I'm actually going to do a tutorial on how to make my little banana, Nutella, Cracklin' Oat Bran creation. Mostly it will just give me a good way to test out the "tutorial waters"}. My dad and I played some Michael Jackson: The Experience on the PS3 Move. It was awesome. I love that game. And it may or may not have been some of the only good exercise I got all week. Yeah, I need to work on that. Anyway, it was a wonderful weekend. How were all of your weekends? What was the most exciting thing you did?

Race and I eating Panda Express/Chipotle

Race and I posing for my dad to take pictures after church. {My dad takes pictures of EVERYTHING to send to my brother who is on his mission in Bulgaria}

My mum and I before they headed home. {I love love love my mum. I wish she could come and visit me every weekend!}

A new shirt. 

"I'm like a bird. I wanna fly away!"

My new watch that I LOVE.

The only picture of my dad since he was taking all of the other pictures. My parents went on a hike while I went hat shopping with Teal and Ellie. They found a super cool horned toad lizard thing and a thunderstone!

It was a good weekend. :] Now don't forget to tell me all about your weekend!