Brantley goes to Hearts and Flowers

As stressful as the holidays can be, the little traditions make it worth while. Every year we go to a little primitive decor store called Hearts and Flowers. We pick up Christmas decor and we each get an ornament.

We used to pack a picnic and go on a girls trip with our neighbors for a girl trip. They moved away and we decided to make it a family trip and the boys got to go. Sorry, Anne but you ditched! Come back!!

This year was baby Brantley's first trip. We decided to take a girl's day. I drove to mama's house and fed Brantley his bottle while everyone got ready. Then we were off!

We shopped and snacked on holiday cookies. We chatted with the owner's and shared that Brantley is the fifth generation to take part in the Hearts and Flowers tradition. They were thrilled! We picked out candles (my favorite is Cornbread and Honey) decor and ornanments and said our goodbyes promising to be back with all of the guys soon. We stopped on the bridge for a quick picture and then by the sign. Tradition!

On the way home we hit a few antique stores. I was a total nephew hog but hey, Anna gets to see him every day.We stopped at a little cafe on the way home and I didn't want the day to end. I cant wait to introduce him to more traditions, There is something so special about sharing them with the little ones.

Bye bye Bear

This one is going to be hard.

This is my therapy so here goes...

Yesterday, my dog of 17 years crossed the rainbow bridge.

No pictures... I cant bring myself to dig them out right now.

Bear-Bear,
It's been a whirlwind life and you have been there for 17 years. Wow. We brought you home 2 weeks before Christmas. You weighed 8 ounces. Being a black long haired chihuahua,  you looked like a tiny bear cub. We called you our baby bear.

That first night you were missing your mommy and litter mates so I slept in the living room floor with you wrapped up in a quilt. If we hummed Silent Night it soothed you. I perfected that song over the next few weeks until you were used to us.

After the timid phase was over, your feisty side showed. Your nickname was killer, because of your vicious growl. You were 5 pounds of crazy.  You went camping with us, to the farm and even a horse show or two. We dressed you up and snuggled you like a baby.

You refused to be house trained and favored Sara's belongings.  You guys were never friends. You outlived 3 other rescue dogs. You preferred exploring outdoors even though you were tiny.  You were never a yappy chihuahua and you were very brave.

As you grew older my respect for you grew. I watched you lose your vision and most of your hearing. I prayed for you to go peacefully and you did, after your morning outing and during your nap. I love you little man. Go rest with Link. I will see you later. Be ready for snuggles and my awful singing voice.

Love you,
Sissy mal

I bought the truck and I am still married!

So two days ago we were arguing because my dear husband couldn't help me make a decision about the truck. Today, I went to the credit union and signed the papers and bought it! I decided our regular bank could take a hike. This girl knows what she needs.

 Guess who is singing my praises. That's right, the Mister. Apparently, he didn't want to make the call but is VERY happy with my choice. Win. I also may have had a melt down about not having any support. He agrees to help more. We shall see.

Any who, the truck has already performed a horse task and made a trip to the feed store for shavings and grain. I felt like a real horse person again. Bonus points the back is huge and the puppies love it!

How the hell am I married?

I haven't been to this space in forever. FOREVER. Here lately it's only when I need to let my mind GO!

Let me just warn you... I have nothing nice to say today. Just questions. How the hell am I married? Why is he so afraid of decisions? Why am I the grown up in this relationship?

Why all the questions?

Because I thought I would be an amazing wife and purchase the hubs a truck for Christmas. We share a vehicle and it is HELL. I hate waking up early to drive him to work when I don't have too and I hate borrowing my company vehicle to get hay and horse supplies. It is ridiculous. We need a second vehicle and we need a cheap one. We are just using it for horse supplies and our 6 mile trip to work which he only has to make like 3 or 4 times a week.

So I went on a quest and found the perfect truck. A 2006 Dodge 2500. It was clean and in good shape and would haul horses or hay or whatever.

Problem is the bank says it has to have under 90000 miles. That is impossible to find in the state of Georgia for under a decent price.  My answer was okay we find another bank or another truck. The hubs answer... Let's give up and continue sharing a vehicle and borrowing one for the horses. Every option I give him, he says whatever you want. He won't help me at all.

How did he commit to me if he can't commit to buying a truck? How the hell has he made it this far in life when he can't make a single decision? Why are men 12?

I think I am just putting the damn thing in my name and he can take the car.

Amicalola Falls

Hello lovelies,
We are on vacation this week and have decides to just explore our gorgeous state again. We went to the farm and clayton and Dillard Georgia but those posts come later. Right now, you guys get to here me whine.

We went to Amicalola falls. It's a gorgeous waterfall in north Georgia. I want to get in shape and I wanted a park where I could take the dogs. The park fit the criteria and I hadn't been there since I was like 5. If 5 year old Mallory can make it up the mountain and the 604 stairs to the top then surely 25 year old Mallory would have no issue right?

Wrong. First the dogs haven't really been in public around other dogs since we bought the mini horse farm. There is no reason to go to dog parks when they have acres to run on here. That is changing this week. They wanted to play with every dog they met.

We found a quiet wooded area away from everyone else and had a picnic. Riley was an angel. Duh, he is my dog.  Lacey barked at everybody that passed. Apparently she had claimed the woods as her own. Brat.
After our picnic we started our hike. Bad idea. About half way up, after being pulled up the mountain by a very excited pit/lab at a very fast rate, I started feeling nauseated. Don't run up a mountain with a very wild pup after eating.  I was pretty sure everyone on the trail was about to witness a very ugly post lunch moment.

We found a bench and I sat there for 20 minutes trying to calm the jerk down.  I was silently cursing 5 year old Mallory for making this trail look so easy. We started up the stairs again and Riley panicked a little because he could see through the stairs. It slowed him down a bit, but now I was ready to run. When we got to the top it was worth it. The views were breathtaking. 

 

I did learn I need to work out more. I also learned the dogs need to get out more and that kids have way more energy than I ever will.  Maybe next time when we go back I will be in better shape and can enjoy it more.

Count down to vacation ... 4 days!!!!

It is feeling like fall here in Georgia.  Gorgeous 70 degree weather, brisk air, leaves falling. It is my favorite time of the year.  This is the time of the year hubs decided he had fallen for me. 9 years ago next Wednesday! We were babies. I was a baby hoe, but whatevs.

This vacation is much needed.  We are visiting the family farm, which my parents put on the market. If you have read this blog for any amount of time you know its the house that built me. If your new, you can read about the magical place in the archives. My heart hurts. I pray no one wants it but just in case this is a good bye trip.

We had plans on also visiting some parks in the area but the goverment put a stop to that with their little shut down game. Whatever that means more time in the saddle for me. I will ride instead of staring at battle fields.

I might actually have time to blog! Who knows,

This space....

Lately I have been so busy. I have been consumed with meetings with the church ladies, work and home life is hard to juggle.

It hasn't left much time for this area of my life. That is so weird for me. This used to be my outlet. The little world I could escape too. I used to read my faves and interact with my blog besties daily. I honestly couldnt tell you what's going on with any of them and that sucks!

I need this space. I just don't know which way this little blog is going to go. I will of course still be that horse loving, southern girl blogging about her life but I dont think I will offer sponsor spots. Just swap spots. I also know I can't make it here everyday like I used too, but I really want to share as much of this crazy ride as I can.  So be patient and stay tuned.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Have you guys forgotten about me? Probably.
I have a really good reason as to why I have been absent. I was chasing a $10,000 bonus. Did I get it? No, but I did promote! That's one thing I love about It Works! Global. I can promote every month and I control my income. I am really excited to see what september brings.

Speaking  of September... it is normally around 90 degrees in Georgia in September,  this weekend it has been in the 60's! We might actually get fall weather in the fall and not the winter.  Fingers crossed!

I hope to get to post more.  I went and bought a new tablet because my laptop was a pain to lug around to events and meetings so that should mean in downtime I can post. Hopefully. Right now I am headed outside to enjoy this weather!

Breathe in , Breathe out

Hello! I feel like it has been forever. And it has.
I have been working my normal 8-5 at the family business, working on a new business venture and it's hay season on the farm. Can you say hectic?!

I feel like in the mad rush, I have forgotten to breathe. I feel like moments of panic creep in again. I hate panic attacks. I haven't had one in forever but here recently I feel like they are constantly in the background.

I just need to remember to take deep breaths.

Kinda hard when you do not have a spare minute.

Also, We are really aggressively paying off all of our debts and falling Dave Ramsey's plan. With that your bank account hits "0" every month. That is terrifying. I let it hit 0 one time and panicked. It's supposed to hit 0 again next week after I pay the house. Actually, I do not plan on letting it do that again. I am supposed to next week, but that I cheated and paid everything early with the intent of not letting it hit 0.

Oh and my hubs is picking fights, because you know it's Friday and that is what he does.

I need a drink.

Viva La Dog Spa!

Recently,  I had the great opportunity to try out Viva La Dog Spa's Rescue Me! Deep Conditioner. I watched the mailbox and the second it came in I rushed Riley and Lacey to the basement dog shower!

Riley was seriously in need of some rescuing. He has always had horrible allergies which led to bad skin and brittle hair, so he went first. I opened the tube and wow, it smelled fantastic. I definitely didn't get the normal chemical smell from most dog shampoo and conditioners. There may or may not have been a moment of " hmmm....  maybe this should be mommy's conditioner." Kidding. Maybe. I probably will buy some for myself.

Anyways, I put some on him and started rubbing it in and I instantly felt his coat getting softer. I kept scrubbing and when I rinsed it out his black coat looked blacker and softer. I was amazed. I dried him off and the change was really noticeable. He had a shiny coat, a soft coat and he smelled great!

I grabbed Lacey and put her in the shower too! She is the stinkiest of the 2 so I knew if it made her smell better we had something. After her bath her normal doggy smell was gone.

Throughout the day I notcied that they were both scratching less than normal. Another perk, my hands were baby soft! Win-win.

**I was not financially compensated for the post. I received samples of the product for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

The weather is bad and other excuses...

So there for awhile, I was working out like crazy. Well kind of crazy. Every other day crazy, which is good for me. I was motivated and proud of myself.

Then the rain hit. I think it has been like 2 or 3 weeks of rain and we are waiting for Noah to show up any day. The first few days I walked in the rain anyways. See? Motivated. Then thunder and lightening hit. Oops, can't walk in the lightening!

See, what's happening? So after I skipped the thunder storm day, I didn't return to the park. I have been using drizzle as an excuse and the gully washers we have been having for the past 8 days definitely mean no work out.

Chris pointed out that we have an elliptical and a punching bag in the basement. I shot him a look and he quickly shut up. Then he pointed out that he bought me all the Zumba videos and Yoga videos. I ignored him.

Then we took 4 days off. I had so much time to work-out nap. I practiced being a professional nap taker this week. Professional athlete I am not ( well I am supposed to be. You know, equestrian and all.)

I really need to get back on track, but it's supposed to rain for 6 more days. That is 6 more days of naps and not walks y'all! 

Reasons I love Georgia Summers.

I am sitting here in the AC,  staring out at a super sunny day, dreaming of being off in 3 days for a 4 day weekend. I love summer and I cannot wait for summer activities this weekend.
I thought I would share some of my favorites...

My piece of Heaven on Earth 

1. Banana splits.
Actually any ice cream treat, but this week my favorite is the banana split. So many awesome flavors in one thing and it's cold. Plus, I can say it's healthy, there is fruit in it!


2. The lake or river or pool, we have it all here.
I am a water bug. I love floating around and playing on the boat and I am not happy until I have been out on the lake. Sadly, our boat is down but that doesn't mean I can take advantage of the beach or one of the many dirt road swimming holes around here.

 

3. Driving.
I love driving my car with the windows down and music up. I love driving the jeep with the top off. I love driving the Gator or the four wheeler or even the tractor. There is just something about the warm air and the sunshine and wheels.

4. Tanning.
Sleeping in the sun in a hammock. Yes please.

5. Lightening bugs.
I can sit and watch them forever. Last night there were fireworks going off  and we sat in the barn with the horse and watched them while the lightening bugs danced.

6. The food.
Bar-b-Que , funnel cakes, ice cream, fresh veggies, fruit, anything on the grill... I love summer food. Plus, you eat most of it with friends, outside. Magic.

What's your favorite part of summer?

Father's day - A Cardstore review.

When Lauren at CardStore contacted me about reviewing one of their cards I was super excited!
I had noticed some of the cards around the blogosphere and have always thought that they were so cute!

I decided that I would pick out a Father's day card. There were so many to choose from and they were all adorable. Should I pick a sweet one? A funny one?

 I Picked a sweet one.

The next part was super fun. I got to add a picture and a special note. I chose a picture of me and dad from my wedding and wrote a sweet note about how amazing he is. He loved it.

The card was so easy to make and customize and I didn't feel like I was handing him something generic. I can't wait for another reason to use Cardstore.

spring voxbox!

I just received my second voxbox! My spring fever voxbox had some amazing goodies and I enjoyed every single product.

                                 

1. Schwarzkopf Proffesoonal Osis rough rubber- oh my... The texture it gave my hair was amazing. It didnt make my hair feel greasy or weighed down and it held forever! 

2. NYC New York color lipgloss- this stuff is amazing. My sister "borrows" it all of the time. It is smooth and stays on long. The appleicious flavor is fruity and the color is subtle but beautiful. 

3. Secret deodorant- I loved the scent of the deodorant. At first I thought it left a smudge on my dress but I realize now I had used my old deodorant. Last night I slipped on a new black tank top and no marks! 

4. Tasty Kake - yum. I got the s'mores version and it was light and tasty! 

5. Impress broadway nails- I loved the way they looked but with horses they just were not practical. I took them off after 4 days so I could ride but they would have lasted longer. I think I will buy more for date nights later! 

                                             

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Breaking point...

As of Friday I had reached the breaking point. Admit it ... We all have one. Don't pretend you don't.
Mine just happens to be really ugly. REALLY, REALLY ugly.

Chris asked me why I dispatched a customer request the way I did and I came unglued. I am talking screaming, cursing, psychotic.

A coworker told me to smile. I told him to make me. (I swear I am 5).

Anyways, this weekend was much needed.

Saturday, I went to a women's church group meeting and then had dinner with the hubs and his grandparents. He treated me to chinese food even though I was a crazy lady.

Sunday, We went to Mass and then a church potluck dinner. After the potluck we went to a birthday party for our Godson. They had zoo animal cupcakes! I should have taken pictures, but I made myself not think about this week, which meant not thinking about work, the blog, working out... so no pictures.

After the birthday party Chris spoiled me and bought me new running shoes. I love that man. He just ordered take out so I don't have to cook. Sorry ladies, he does not have a brother.

A beautiful weekend...

Ahhh, the weekend. 

I did absolutely nothing and I am not sorry. 

I got the award for being lazy this weekend. 

Seriously. 

Okay, lets start at Saturday. 

I slept until .... let's just say really late. 

I woke up and got dressed in my lazy girl jeans and headed to the barn. 

I didn't even muster up the energy to ride, y'all. How sad is that?

I spent the day watching training horses, snuggling with Soul and helping the kids bathe their horses after their rides. I was content with the coldest bottle of water, the breeze blowing and sun and sand. I pretended I was tanning at the beach. 

I came home from the barn and soaked in the tub and then decided to take a nap. 

See how productive this weekend is turning out to be so far? 

I get lazier if you can believe it. 

Sunday, I slept late again. 

I worked on making a new "It Works" binder for all of my client sheets. 

(shameless plug: newyouwithmallory.myitworks.com) 

I napped again. 

And finally decided to drag myself to the grocery store to buy wine and cookies. 

It was the perfect weekend. Perfect. I hope to do it again in 5 days! 

Ps- If you want to tighten tone and firm, check out my It Works website. If you are interested in becoming a distributor email me! 

The reason my name could NEVER be Grace....

Remember when you were little and you played house or barbies and you ALWAYS chose a name other than your actual name? 

Am I the only one who did that? I always wanted to be a Stacey or Lilly, but my favorite name was Grace. Why did mom name me Mallory and not Grace? All the Grace's I new were adorable, dressed well and had the best toys. And they got away with more because their sweet name played tricks on people. 

Okay so I only knew one Grace, but the brat was living large. I mean I was spoiled rotten, but she was spoiled and petted on by all the teachers. 

I found out last weekend why my name could never be Grace. 

Ugh..  this is embarrassing but here goes... I broke my toe. Here is where I should make up a story... I fell was thrown off a wild stallion, my foot was ran over by a car while I saved a fellow pedestrian, I was in a bar fight in stilettos. Nope. 

The truth is, I broke my toe at a church retreat. I was sitting down when it happened. We were sitting at tables and some of our backs were to the speakers so we had to turn our chairs so we were not rude. The speaker at the time was the Priest. Okay, best behavior time. I listened attentively and when it was time for group discussion I kind of picked up my chair but kept my butt in it. I then proceeded to put the chair on the toe and plop down oh so gracefully. Then, because the Priest was behind me and I could not shout profanities I did this number....

I am pretty sure my face really caught fire. As soon as I could I ran to the restroom to check my wounds. I was gushing blood and was the first person to use the new meeting facilities first aid kit. I am a legend, I tell you. I spent the rest of the weekend limping every where we had to go. It was really cute and graceful.

 My husband tried to look concerned when I got home but he then he busted out laughing. It's okay, I milked it and he cleaned Casper's stall for a week. Laugh away Chris, Laugh away. 

So that is why my mom was right in not naming me Grace, but instead opting for Mallory, which in some baby books means "unlucky". Come to think of it, the next Grace I knew was a terror so she can keep her lovely name. It doesn't work for me anyways. 

 

Palmolive soft touch review!

This time my Influenster Vox came just at the right time. Why?
We bought our house in October. I haven't had a dishwasher since October. It's been awful. I haven't kept my nails painted because, what's the point? I am just going to ruin them when I clean up the kitchen.

Well, Influenster sent me a solution.

Palmolive  is Tough on Grease and Soft on Hands! Finally my nails can stay pretty. I kept the vitamin E formula and gave the coconut butter to mama. I hope she enjoys it! 

PROS: 

• Suds easily. I hate when detergents do not get sudsy so I was happy to see bubbles!
• Pleasant scent
• Made my hands super soft
• Easy on the nail polish!!! I had just painted my nails so I was reluctant to try it, but no chips! 
• A little goes a long way

CONS:

• If you use to much it is hard to rinse it all out.
• The scent kind of sticks to plastics (Maybe because I used to much?)

I will definitely be buying more of the vitamin E soft touch formula. I washed dishes and for once didn't feel like my hands were suffering! For more reviews click here. To buy your own, head to Wal-Mart!

 "I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Prayers for Oklahoma.

Tonight, I am praying for Oklahoma, a state I have come to love through my horse shows out there. It is a beautiful state with some of the sweetest people you will ever meet.

So tonight I am praying....

Praying for all that are still lost.
Praying for those that are still searching.
Praying for those that didn't make it.
Praying for their families.
Praying for the injured.
Praying for the scared.
Praying for the dogs, cats, horses and cows.
Praying that they find more survivors.
Praying  that the community can be rebuilt and hearts somewhat restored.

Happy Birthday to me!

May 7th 1988 I made my entrance. My mom's water broke while working at the family business.  25 years later, I was sitting behind the desk at the family business. Things come full circle folks.

This year Chris's grandma was having hip replacement surgery, so I worked and he spent the day at the hospital.

My sissy Sara stepped in to make my day awesome. She knows about my obsession with office supplies and got me an amazing notebook and some super cute pens to use for my Bible study. I was ecstatic. I am a nerd at heart. Don't judge. 

Oh and I have already lost the pink pen. I was distraught and it triggered a whole OCD episode. That's a different story for a different day. 

Then Chris decided to be super sweet and posted a super sweet message.

Did I mention I got married on my birthday? He only has to remember 1 day. Lucky, lucky man. 

Sissy Sara knows that a true southern woman has red velvet cake for her birthday celebration and she brought me an amazing one. I may or may not have had 2 pieces. 

Chris picked me up from work and we watched his cousin play baseball. It was a super close and exciting game! They lost though. Oops.

When I got home that evening, these amazing chairs and pillows were waiting on my porch. Thanks Mama! I plan on painting my porch black to make them pop.

We finished the evening picking flowers that randomly grew in my horses field. 

It was a perfect day and I was reminded that I am blessed. A happy birthday to me! 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful mama! 

Dear Mama, 

 I am so blessed to have your guidance. From you I have learned to stand up for what I believe in, to hit my knees when things get hard, to love with all I've got and to remember where I came from. 

I know that you are where I got my love and compassion for animals and I appreciate it. It's made my life so much more rewarding. 

I know that you are where we get our riding talent from. You are the reason we feel freedom on horseback. You have supported us and hauled us to lessons and shows and sacrificed for us to get where we have made it. 

You've taught us how to be graceful ladies and if I can be half the woman you are and teach my kids half of what you've taught me I have done something.

A look at the guest room

Do ya'll remember when I showed you guys the blogging/craft room? It was a work in progress at the time but its almost done now and I thought I would share another room in my house with you.

Today I chose the guestroom. I decided to go with a vintage, old sophisticated equestrian (but girly!) theme. Did you just go "huh?"

Here, look at the pictures...

: :    The rocking chair was my great-grandfathers and he sat in it every evening after taking care of the      horses. We always gathered around for story time or crawled into his lap. After his death it was left outside to rot. My husband (then boyfriend) went and got it out of the yard and restored it for me for Christmas. It made it perfect down to the crooked diamond on the back I traced as a kid. I knew then I had to marry this man. 

: :    The horse in the back ground was painted white for contrast.

: :    The bed is an old antique that came from Grady Hospital in Atlanta. At first I thought that was creepy, but now I appreciate the history and think it's pretty cool.

: : The lace curtains have been in my room since I was a child.

: : Those stirrups were the ones I rode in when I won my state championship with Casper. Now that he is retired those stirrups mean a lot. 

: : The vase is an antique my mama bought me as a housewarming gift when I first moved out. 

: : The candle is my unity candle from our wedding. It has 1 Corrinthians 13 on it.

: :The helmet was an old show helmet I wore as a child.

: : The dresser is older that the hills and needs to be redone, but I love it. I love the curve of the top drawers and the details on the tilt mirror. It was a gift from my sister (she couldn't fit it in her new room.) and one of my favorite pieces.

: : You can't see it in the picture but there is an old dressage whip in the corner that was the one I used the whole time I rode Casper. Again, I am a sentimental freak.

: : I wish you could see the girly chandelier but the light is on. It is adorable and I told Chris even if we have a boy and he moves into the room, the chandelier stays. 

: : The roses on the ground have been in my room since the day I came home from the hospital. 

: : That white shag rug is so soft, that I may or may not lay on it and read. Thanks mama and daddy! It was the best Christmas gift of the year. 

So that's the guestroom. It is definitely my favorite room of the house. It's so girly and equestrian-ish all at the same time.

What do y'all think?