5 on Friday

I love these types of posts because it's a time where I can get totally random and just spew whatever is on my mind! 

1. If anyone knows me or follows me on Instagram, you know that I love to 'craft'. I dabble in just about any and everything. Right now I'm obsessed with accessories for my little man. Check out what I've been working on this week. 

The top two bandana bibs are going out to a lucky little fellow but every bib I make for someone else I make one for Kingston too. Win win! Also, I upcycled this children's place jacket into a vest. I found it at a consignment store for $1.50 - cut off the sleeves, took a blade to it and added a little bleach! 

So cute and so trendy! 

2. This year I'm planning on making most of my Christmas gifts (if friends or family read this - act surprised when you get them!). I might as well put my craftiness to good use and save a little money. I'm thinking jewelry, scarves, candles . . . who knows! 

What handmade gift is your go to? I can always use new ideas. 

This is one gift I made - a hand embroidered monogram necklace. 

Think about all the different possibilities. 

3. The countdown has begun. I'm anxiously awaiting next Thursday night - Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder.

 Check out what else I'm watching this fall.

4.  CT has his first home football game tomorrow. Fingers crossed that Kingston has a better second half then he did at his last football game. He gets super fussy when he's tired, but I'm not complaining because when he does sleep he sleeps for 7+ hours (at 7 weeks - go BabyWise!). 

5. I officially have two months left on maternity leave. It's crazy how fast time is going by. If only I could be on permanent maternity leave and stay at home with my baby forever. *sigh* A girl can dream. If you'd like to help me accomplish this goal - check out my Etsy shop. 

I'd give anything to stay at home with this cutie all day every day! 

Linking up with: The Farmers Wife, Lauren Elizabeth, A Little Bit of Everything, XOXO Rebecca, A Blonde Ambition.

5 on Friday

1. Well, fall has smacked us right in the face with the whole weather change. 52 degrees today. What the fudgesicles?! Maybe I'm a baby but I had to turn on the heater in my car this morning. AND we don't really have the appropriate clothing pieces for our little man. Time for me to go find him some itty bitty jackets and sweaters. Anyone seen any good deals lately? 

2. Someone needs to make an invention that keeps a paci in a babies mouth. I know this would make my life easier. Can I get an Amen?

3. Tomorrow CT heads to Nebraska for the second weekend in a row for another football game. Kingston and I made the trip last weekend and surprisingly the drive went really well. We went up early to stop off at my parents house for a few hours and to help cut the trip time down. The first peep he made ended up being as we were pulling into town = score! Unfortunately, we messed up his 'routine' and the second half of the football game was brutal. 

I have a cranky baby when he's tired. 

 Bandana Bib

Slouchy Beanie

4. I have two small packs of disposable diapers left and then we will embark on a cloth diapering adventure. I built our cloth diaper 'stash' while I was pregnant and since having Kingston I've realized how easy and convenient disposables are. CT really wants to try them out but I need a little more convincing. 

5. Allergies suck. 

My eyes itch. My throat itches. I'm sneezing a thousand times. It's brutal. I didn't have them as a kid and came into them during college. I wish them on no one. 

Linking up with: The Farmers Wife, Lauren Elizabeth, A Little Bit of Everything, XOXO Rebecca, A Blonde Ambition.

Kingston: 1 Month

As of 8.28.14

9lbs 14.5 oz 

22 inches
Blue eyes. 
Strawberry birthmark on crown of head and back of neck.  
Looking exactly like his daddy but with my bottom lip/hands/feet.

Baby acne on cheeks and chin.

Craddle cap is almost gone. 

Clothes: still wearing a few newborn pieces but for the most part in 0-3 months.
Diapers: We went up to size 1 at about 2.5 weeks of age.
Shoes: We have a lot but we haven't worn any yet.

Eating

I call Kingston my little gremlin because this boy sure loves to eat. You know the song by Willow Smith - I Whip My Hair ... that's Kingston's theme song.  Except his is I Whip My Head back and forth as he goes in for the kill. 

My little boy is growing and gaining weight. He usually nurses every 2.5-3 hours during the day and every 3.5-4.5 hours during the night for about 20-25 minutes. For the most part he keeps everything down if we make sure to get out his massive burps. 

I have started to pump and build a small freezer stash. I'm going to kick it in gear soon so we will have a good amount stored up before my return to work in November. Kingston has taken one bottle from CT and it was the sweetest moment I've ever seen. See here.

Sleeping 

He sleeps great during the day and at night until his gas bubbles wake him up. {I have never heard such loud noises come out of such a tiny human.} Right now Kingston is giving me a few 2.5-4 hour stretches of sleep during the night and he takes a few 1.5-2 hour naps during the day. 

We tried having him sleep in a bassinet in our room for the first two nights home and he slept awful. The following night we moved him to his crib and he sleeps so much better. It's a win/win for everyone. He usually naps in his crib as well unless we have visitors or daddy who enjoy holding him. Daddy's chest - stomach to stomach - is both of their favorites. 

If it was up to Kingston he would love his hands free and by his face. Unfortunately, he always startles and wakes himself up so we swaddle him to give him the best sleep possible. Summer Infant SwaddleMe Blankets are what we use and they work like a charm. 

Milestones

Sleeping longer stretches during the night.

Cooing. 

Likes

Being outside.

Looking at the fan.

Laying in mom/dad's bed. 

Car rides. 

Visitors. 

Dislikes

Quietness. 

Being cold.

Gas. 

When I change his diaper and have to mess with his circumcision. 

(He has a slight case of penile adhesion so we have to work at retracting the skin during diaper changes which is super uncomfortable for my poor little guy. His wife will thank me one day but it is the worst thing ever for his mama.)

Misc.
Daycare has finally been decided upon. Starting in November CT will be taking Kingston to school with him and he will attend the facility at Southeast Highschool. CT will be able to stop by on lunch time or plan periods, it's super convenient and they don't charge for days when school isn't in session. After months and months of thinking and talking about it and interviewing providers, I'm so relieved we finally have something decided on.  

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This first month has F-L-O-W-N by! 

Kingston and I have been spending many hours at home getting to know each other but we also enjoy getting out of the house. We have made frequent trips to CT's school for lunch and to the football field for walks. This upcoming month we will be doing a lot of traveling for CT's football games and Tessa's volleyball games. Kingston is quickly getting accustomed to the athletic lifestyle.

I'm looking forward to what this next month is going to bring us! 

5 on Friday - Football Edition

If you've been around a while you know we are a big time football family. CT coaches college football - so that makes me a football wife. Needless to say, our fall is jam packed with tailgating, Saturdays at the field, Sundays in front of the TV and the many boys of fall. 

1. Today is CT's last 2-a-day practice. No more 515a wake up and gone till 630p. Tomorrow is the RED vs. WHITE scrimmage and then next weekend starts their regular season. 
So much to look forward to! 

2014 Friends University

2. During all my middle of the night feedings - I've been doing a little shopping on Etsy for Kingston. Check out what I have coming in the mail. 

via

I am SO obsessed with leather moccasins. 
Kingston already has a grey,red,black and white pair. I might be going a little overboard but they are just too cute!

3. CT and I also found some football attire for Kingston last weekend at the mall. 

It's funny how I no longer want to shop for myself and I want to spend all my money on him. 
How times have changed!

4. CT's first two games are in Nebraska so I'm trying to find a way {enough courage} to make the trip up there with a 5/6 week old by myself. CT will be able to ride home with us but it would just be me and Kingston on the way up. I'm not sure I'm up for the challenge quite yet. The game isn't until 700pm so it would be a super late night and I haven't quite figured out what you do when there is a crying baby in the back seat of the car. Pull over on the side of the highway? I don't know about all that. 

5. How sweet is this picture? 

He doesn't really have 7 rolls on his tummy. This was one of those shots where the photographer had to mesh two different photos together. 

It's crazy what can be done with photoshop these days. 

Happy Friday!! 

We Interrupt This Marriage For . . .

FOOTBALL SEASON! 

One of the many hats I wear is the hat of a football wife. 

The working all day and the coaching all night. 

The Saturdays on the field. 

The Sundays in film. 

My hubby is away more then he is home. 

From August to November I live on frozen meals and ramen noodles. There is no point in cooking for yourself or when you don't know when the husband is going to arrive home. 

It's lonely at times but amazing all the others.

I'm so excited to have Kingston join me on Saturdays as we cheer on the Falcons. I can't wait for his daddy to find us in the stands, for us to do our go to head nod, and to get him a snickers at half time. 

This year will be a year of firsts and I can't wait! 

I am a football wife but we are 100% a football family. 

Weekend Recap

Whew! What a weekend. Like all the others, it went by ridiculously fast. 

When are we as a country going to go to 3 day weekends? 

This needs to happen asap! 

Anyways, this weekend was full of sports: football, baseball, and volleyball.

Whenever anyone asks me what I did this weekend, my response is always sports related. It's just what we do. 

CT had a game on Saturday where they lost by two missed p.a.t's. 

Along with their physical loss, they also lost their quarterback to a torn ACL and their best defensive player to a broken fibula. 

Not a good day for the Friends Falcons. =(

But on a more positive note, the CARDINALS won and they are headed to the world series!! 

We are trying to find a way to make it to Sunday's game. 

Wish us luck . . .because we are only going if we can find tickets for under $200 a piece.

 "It's hard out here for a pimp." 

We are on a budget ya'll! 

 If it's meant to be it will be. 

Also, this weekend was homecoming at Friends and with that comes the alumni volleyball game. 

Bruised thumb and floor burns = old and broken.

 Need I say more? 

It was pretty brutal! 

Are any of you as sports consumed as we are?

Linking up with Monday Mingling and Sami's Shenanigans.

Recipe: Cayenne Crackers

Yesterday I posted about a delicious frozen bloody mary that would be perfect for a tailgate, and today I have the perfect snack to go along with it. When CT and I went to the Chiefs vs. Cowboys game a friend of mine brought some:

Cayenne Crackers

1 1/4 cup canola oil

2 tbsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 box of club crackers

2 gallon zip lock bags

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

- in a mixing bowl, combine the oil, spices, and ranch dressing

- stir well

- put 1/2 box of club crackers in a gallon ziplock bag with half the oil mixture

- put the remaining 1/2 box of crackers and oil in the other zip lock bag

- seal bags with air

-toss crackers and let sit for ten minutes

- continue to toss crackers every 10 minutes for 40 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

This is such a simple appetizer and would go well dipped in ranch or hummus. It has the perfect amount of salt and heat. 

A Tailgate Necessity

Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy with my new job and with football season in full swing, I haven't had time to make up my own version of this, but I stumbled across it on Pinterest and knew it would make the perfect tailgating drink! And if you aren't a tailgater, whip it up at home for some Sunday night football. It looks too delicious to pass up.

Frozen Bloody Mary

from A Beautiful Mess

According to Elsie, the night before you will need to freeze a tray or two of bloody mary mix. My personal favorite is Zing Zang which can easily be found at any grocery store. It's the perfect mix of spices and tomato juice. 

2 ounces vodka

Bloody Mary mix, frozen into ice cubes

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Tabasco to taste

Fresh lemon juice 

Liquid Smoke

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. You may need to add a little extra bloody mary mix to make it blend better. One tray of ice cube will make one drink, so if you are having a party, freeze a lot! 

Serve with a rimmed salt glass, a stalk of celery, and enjoy.

How delicious and easy! You may not be able to bring your blender to the football field, but don't let that stop you from making some at home to take with you. For my version, I would probably skip the tabasco. I'm not a fan of too much heat and the Zing Zang comes really well seasoned.

 You can never go wrong with a bloody mary! 

Football Filled Weekend

So, I'm just going to tell you this now - if you don't like football or sports in general, you should probably stop reading now and come back around May. With being and athlete, marrying an athlete, and having a husband that teaches and coaches our lives are jam packed with sports activities and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This weekend CT had his second football game of the year where they were unsuccessful in beating Benedictine College.  After his 6pm game, we busted it to KC in order to get plenty of beauty sleep for the following Sunday football game, Chiefs vs. Cowboys. 

This was the first time CT and I have really had a trip or vacation with our family since being married. We always go home and we get together for the holidays but we don't really do much outside of that. This was nice. 

You can tell from my outfit that I went the comfy casual look. It rained a bit while we were tailgating and at the beginning of the game so I'm glad I wore a light jacket. Also, knowing beforehand that those chiefs fans were intense, I didn't rep the navy star this weekend. CT got hackled enough for the both of us, but I still was in the color scheme: navy, white, and silver. 

We really had a good time besides the fact that we lost by a point. =(( 

Tony Romo sealed the deal with me yesterday. I'm really no longer a fan of his. His performance was extremely disappointing. You make 100 million dollars dude, show us why. 

Did your team have better luck then my team did yesterday? 

Linking up with Sami Shenanigans. 

Football Fashion Friday - [Part 2]

While looking through my closets which are two fully packed closets I realized that I don't really have anything 'cute' fall football related. Ya I have some boots and ya I have some scarfs, but I can never pull together looks like I find on pinterest. 

I just don't have it! 

all via Pinterest

The top picture is something I would totes wear to a cold weather Cowboy's game. And the bottom picture - I have pieces, but I don't really have that many great pieces. Like the jacket = a great piece. So versatile and so in trend.

At the end of last week, I teamed up with Katie at Studious Style to talk about all things fall fashion related. I spoke on football fashion and about what I am going to wear to this weekends Cowboy's vs. Chiefs game. This week I'm teaming up with Erin and Erin to co-host Football Friday and to talk about all things football related. I figured since I talked last Friday about a lack of football related fall fashion, that I would dream a bit and show you a few pieces I wish I could add to my closet.

I stumbled across The Mint Julep Boutique and Monicas Closet Essentials via pinterest, and after window shopping I realized they have super cute and super affordable clothes. I have been drooling over some of these game day inspired pieces. 

Cowboys inspired dress that I would love to wear this weekend!

KU inspired outfit.

all via The Mint Julep Boutique

I don't have any team that I support that have these colors, but I sure love it this top! Maybe if I was a bengals fan {*cough* Erin} you might find this in my closet.

You could get a lot of wear out of this dress at many different athletic events. 

It would be super cute fall-a-fied (like this new word I just made up?) with a colorful cardigan, black leggings, and black boots.  

If I was a Denver Bronco's fan, I would totally rock this sweater. Comfy casual and you can't go wrong with chevron!

all via Monicas Closet Essentials

Oh how I wish I had this for this weekend! It would go perfect with my outfit and what a cool way to represent your team! 

What I've come to realize is that:

1. I need better pieces added to my wardrobe.

2. I need to learn to layer more, because ultimately that's what fall fashion is all about!

3. You don't have to wear a tee-shirt or jersey to represent your team. You can still look cute while showing your team spirit. 

I hope you are linking up with us today for Football Friday!

PS- Check out my first football friday post about CT and I's history with football. 

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I think I'll go back

So yesterday was my first day in the corporate world. Like grown woman status, totes a big girl job. It was exciting and nerve racking all at the same time. I really think this is going to be a fun job, with lots of interesting projects so I'm excited to see what's in store for me. For now . . . I'll go back! 

It's funny, because I use to tell my mom all the time that I wanted to work in a tall office building carrying a brief case. Well, I'm working in a tall office building and if I wanted to carry a brief case I could. It's crazy how the Lord know the wants and desires of our hearts and does everything in His power to get us where we want to be. I totally know this is exactly where I am suppose to be!

PS- I have found a few good book series that I was obsessed with over the weekend. I had a weekend full of reading!!

I started the Surrender Series by Melody Anne. 

The fourth and final book of this series comes out in November. 
Can't wait!

And then I also started the Captive Series by Erica Stevens. 

If you have checked out my currently reading page, you would know that these types of books are my favorite. Passion, romance, and a great story line! 

PSS - I'm co-hosting a link up with Erin and Erin this Friday. We did one back in August about all things football related and we are keeping it going. Check out my August post about CT and my football journey. Football is a huge part of our lives and will continue to be until the day we die! 

Football Fashion

TGIF! 

Well, for me I've had about a week of Fridays and I'm really enjoying this week off between jobs. It's super refreshing and nice to get caught up on everything. 

Anyways, today I am collaborating with Katie over at Studious Style over all things Fall Fashion related. She is doing a series on Fridays about all things fall fashion related. Check her out! She started blogging at the beginning of August and talks about all things fashion related, beauty related, and has the best sense of style! I wish I could raid that girls dresses. 

Since we here in the Trotter household are sports fanatics, I'm going to be talking about Football Fashion. Since tonight is the first SE Buffs football game {CT teaches at this school}, tomorrow is the first Friends University football game {CT coaches at this school}, and next week we are going to our first NFL game of the year {Cowboys vs Chiefs} I thought it was only appropriate to talk about football fashion. 

But first, let me start out by saying I am a simple girl.

 I like plain shirts that I can dress up with a scarf or a fun necklace, and in my closet you will find most things in black, white, or grey. With that being said, I have realized I need to spend a little less money at Hobby Lobby and a focus some of those dollars to help out my wardrobe!! 

In preparation for next weeks Cowboys game, I have already started thinking about what I am going to wear. It's a noon game in the middle of September, so unfortunately it's a no go on boots and jackets. 

Outfit choice #1:

Navy Sperry's // Nordstrom Rack 

Navy Shirt // Gordmans

Corduroy Shorts // American Eagle

Multi Colored Scarf // America Eagle

This look would be a little more comfy casual. 

Outfit Choice #2:

Gold Shirt // Gifted

Navy Shorts // American Eagle

 Gianni Bini Sandals // Dillard's 

This outfit is a little more fun and festive and will probably be the route I go. 

I can't forget the new NFL purse rule. 

Hopefully this one passes inspection! 

Just enough room for my phone, chapstick, id, and debit card. 

I also got my bi-weekly manicure to coordinate with the upcoming events. 

Navy + Glitter screams Cowboys & Fall

Linking up with Well Shut the Front Door, Venus Trapped, and Style Elixir.

FOOTBALL Friday!

I am so excited to kick off football season with this post! 


CT, my hubby, is a college football coach at our alma-mater Friends University. He was a receiver in college and is now the head receivers coach at FU, and he loves every second of it! His ultimate goal is to one day be an offensive coordinator at a big D1 school {hopefully KU}, and I will be here every step of the way supporting him. 

I was quite the football groupie {aka great girl friend} in college and I still am now as a coaches wife! 

Let me take you back in time a little bit. 

{Freshman year of college}

{Sophomore year of college}

Junior year of college CT tore his ACL one of the first practices, so he had to medical red shirt this year. 

{Senior year of college}

It's crazy seeing how much we grew up in those few short years of college!


Check out how creative I was with my fashion during our college football days. 

Sometimes I wish I could still wear these, because they are so cool.
 I love that my dad passed on the creative gene to me. 

I have the shirts saved away for the day when we have a man cave basement. I have already consented to it being decorated with all our sports memorabilia, so these will hopefully one day be framed on a wall. 


Now to present day football! 


I am looking forward to Saturday evenings under the bright lights, watching CT walk up and down those sidelines in his headset. 

I am anxiously awaiting Sept. 15th when we are going to our annual Cowboys game. Yes ya'll, we are die hard Dallas fans! 
{Don't you know, it's America's team. They even have a hole in their roof so God can watch His team. =)) } 

I can't wait to break out the skinnies and boots, for some fun fall football fashion. 

 {This is definitely not the type of football fashion I'm talking about!}



Can't you tell how excited I was about kicking off football season. 
SO excited - that I didn't have a clue where I was going with this post. 
EEKK! 
Happy football season! 


PS - I hope you link up with us to showcase your football Friday posts! 

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