Shining through

Did everyone have a good weekend? My was really great actually. My family and I headed to Whidbey Island on Saturday and I got to see all my bothers. I think that is the first time all 6 of us have been together in like 2 years. One brother was gone at Christmas because he was working out of state and of course our 14 year old brother couldn’t come to Vegas with us last October so it was nice to have everyone in one place.

Yesterday was a lot of fun too. I have been wanting to take my little brothers to the movies while I am in town and we got to last night. They are 14 so it’s not like they can drive themselves yet and the closes movie theater to my hometown is 30 miles away. So it is kind of a special treat to take them and we had a really good time. Although I did get pulled over on the way home. It was night time and I guess the front headlight was out on my parents car. The police man was super nice though and just told me to tell my parents to get it fixed. My little brothers were pretty freaked out though and I got to admit it’s always nerve raking getting pulled over, even when your sure you didn’t do anything wrong.

Anyways the rest of the way home we told scary stories and made each other laugh. It was a fun time.

Yesterday we also watched more of the NCAA tournament. I was routing for Gonzaga to beat Duke but I am okay with Duke too because they are a NC team and also I think Coach K is super classy. My bracket it totally busted though. We all put a couple buckets on our brackets at my mom’s house and I am pretty sure at this point my mom is going to win the money. Which isn’t much but still it’s fun to win haha.

Also meet Apollo, he is the big rottweiler / lab mix in a couple of these photos and honestly he is the sweetest dog ever.... well not sweeter than Knox but he is pretty darn nice.
love, Carlee

Shirt: TJ Maxx

Skirt: JCPennys

Belt: borrowed from mom

Shoes: Belk

Too Simple

This outfit is probably too simple to designate its own outfit post but hey here we are on a Thursday with an outfit post. The truth is I have been wearing fairly simple and casual clothes around and that’s totally fine. 

My little brother and I are spending the day together today. My mom and stepdad are working out of town so I am picking him up from school soon and we are making a day out of it. Get some food, play with the dogs, bike ride, eat junk food. You know the usual when the parents are away! Did you see my post yesterday about the vintage Etsy shop I help open?!!
love, Carlee

Sunglasses & Shirt: American Eagle

Scarf: Nordstrom Rack

Jeans: Macys

Sandals: Gap 

I helped my mom open a vintage Etsy shop!

Hey there so as most of you know I have been in Washington State for the past couple of weeks and while here I have been visiting with my family and enjoying time in my hometown. 

Another thing I have been doing is helping my mom open a vintage Etsy shop. A few years ago she actually had a brick and mortar antique store that did pretty well in our little town but it was just a lot of work all the time. Over this past Christmas I was telling her she should open a vintage shop on Etsy since she still has so much cool vintage/antique stuff that she is looking to sell. Her shop name is Days Gone By Shop on Etsy and all the photos on there right now have been ones I have taken for the site. Needless to say I forgot how much work it was to open a shop from nothing and take product photos. Let me tell you, product photos are not for the faint of heart. haha. It would mean the world to me if you would visit her shop that she and I have spent a lot of time on and favorite it/ see if there is anything you like. Her prices are really responsible right now because she feels she needs to get established. 

Find all this vintage stuff in days gone by shop on Etsy! 

I think my favorite item in the shop are the pretty little dolls in the bottom row in the middle. There is also a really cute plush dog that is actually a tape measure. His tail pulls out into a tape measure. (Not pictured). I would love to hear your favorite item in the shop. 

love, Carlee

Sky blue florals

It was a little rainy yesterday but other than that the weather still has been super nice. Over the weekend, my mom, little brother and I headed up to their cabin in the woods and spent Saturday night. It was so much fun. I am going to do a whole post on that later this week but for now this is one of my favorite outfit shoot photos that I have taken while in Washington State. My little brother actually look them and I am telling you, future professional photographer! 

One thing I will say is that I miss my dog. But it is nice to have my moms and dads dogs around to greet me when I drive up. They are so friendly, I think dogs are the best pets. I know some people might disagree but I mean come on they are so loveable. The Jack-Russell in these photos is named Russell, of course! Let’s see what else has been happening. My stepmom made the best dinner last night. We had ham, mashed potatoes, corn, salad and she even made homemade apple crisp for dessert. I seriously think her apple crisp is the best, she also makes really good banana bread. 

Have you all been watching the NCAA tournament? You know, March Madness? We have been and I have been loving it. There have been so many upsets already and my bracket is definitely shot. My family all put a little money into a pool and whoever has the closes bracket or the winner at the end gets the money. My only hope left is Arizona. It’s kind of fun to get into it with my family even though I don’t really watch much college basketball any other time of the year haha. 
love, Carlee 

Shirt & Jeans: Forever 21

Cardigan: American Eagle

Converse: Nordstrom Rack

Happening 3-18-15

Hey y’all! How’s it going? It’s been going good here. I am in Washington State still visiting with my family. We are getting things figured out with my grandma’s funeral service. I think we are going to just have a small ceremony with close family and friends. I still thank my lucky stars that I got to see her and visit with her before she passed last Wednesday. And I know she is in a better place now. 

Sitting on the porch swing looking at that amazing view!

Flowers are blooming here!

My Dad bought a cabin in the woods up by Cle Elum and this is the view from the porch! Isn’t it amazing?

Apollo the Rottweiler and Lab mix. Also the best fetcher ever. 

The view on the drive home from Spokane on Sunday. 

Skyping my pup and my husband! I love them. 

View on the bike ride. 

Watching old videos! Look at my grandma and my older brother when he was a baby. 

Look at the green eyed kitty!

Russell! 

I brushed out my dad’s golden retriever this morning. He kept asking my little brother to do it but you know how teenagers are so since I had a free morning I decided to do it and let me tell you he needed it so bad haha. I also wrote Clark’s sister a letter she is a tourist on a cruise ship right now and I always think it’s nice to get some hand written letters. 

It’s also been nice to visit with my friends and see my little brothers for a while and not have to worry about leaving so soon. We have been playing the Trivia Crack game on iPhone. It’s pretty fun and I have also been learning lots. Like President William Taft got stuck in the White House bath tub haha. I also got to watch them play basketball which was nice. I have also been watching old King of Queens episodes on TV Land and there is a new show by the creators of Sex and the City called Younger and it actually looks really good. I might check it out. 

I will say that I miss Clark and Knox a lot. I have been talking to them on the phone almost everyday and also Skyping with him. It has been so nice to see them. I am excited to see them in a couple of weeks. What are you up to lately.

love, Carlee

Chicken Coop

Is there anything more spring than flowers blooming and chickens laying eggs. Maybe I just feel that way sense I grew up in the country and on an apple farm and now my mom owns chickens. Last year my mom and stepdad actually built this chicken coop behind me and now they have farm fresh eggs everyday! And they are so yummy. 

Yesterday was a good day, I went to Wenatchee with my mom and little brother. My little brother had a dentist appointment and we went and had a good time. We ate at this great little drive though called EZ’s. They have the best mini corn dogs and great onions, totally recommended if your ever in Wenatchee, WA. We also stopped at Target and I finally purchased Pitch Perfect, isn’t that like one of the best movies ever? I am very excited for the second one. And I will probably be watching Pitch Perfect on the plane ride back to NC and I am very excited about that. I also ended up getting in the cart while in Target and my mom pushed me around for a while my little brother who is 13 thought it was about the funniest thing in the world haha. But you know, life is to short to take yourself to seriously. 

We also spent yesterday bike riding and I met the cutest little pup with riding on the dirt roads but no worries cause he stayed right by his home. Tomorrow I am going to do a happening post and share more random photos. I have also found a bunch of old home videos at my grandmas house and they are just the sweetest thing in the world. It is so nice to see how much my grandparents liked their grandchildren. Happy Tuesday!
love, Carlee

Jeans & Scarf: Old Navy

Shirt: American Eagle

Jacket: Marshalls

Boots: Vintage (borrowed from my mom)

Sunshine

These photos were taking in front of my mom’s little cabin. She is actually fixing up a one room cabin and it’s so cute. There is no bathroom in it (yet..) but she has some pretty cool antiques in it and a day bed. Maybe I’ll do a little peek of the inside because it’s pretty nice from where it started. She even sanded down and refinished the hard wood floors. And I love this color of yellow that they chose for the outside, I think it is the perfect amount of bright and cheerfulness. 

These photos were taken last week and it was so nice and sunny, then over the weekend it rained both days :( but today it is sunny again, hence the name of the post. Also I was eating Sun Chips while writing this post so I thought it was only fitting to name this post sunshine. Did you know my favorite flavor of Sun Chips is original? I know ground breaking haha. 

This outfit is also a goodie. I love spring especially how the weather is in Washington right now. It has been around 50 degrees each day for about a week now. So you can layer up still but the flowers are budding and the sun is out so it’s like the perfect excuse to bust out multiple floral prints in one outfit. Don’t you think? 
love, Carlee 

Jeans: Forever 21

Cardigan & Tank & Sunglasses: American Eagle

Scarf: Old Navy (borrowed from my mom)

Shoes: REI (borrowed from my mom)

Duke

I flew into Seattle airport on Sunday evening and since my brother lives in Seattle he is like my personal chauffeur to and from the Seattle airport when I fly in and out of there. Anyways I am very grateful for that. Since I got in so late I stayed the night on his couch and got to meet his new puppy! He got his puppy Duke at the end of January and since we left to go back to North Carolina after Christmas this is the first time I have got to meet him. And he is so cute! I couldn’t help but snap a ton of pictures of the little fellow. 

It’s funny because he is only like 4 months old but in a lot of the photos he looks to much older. I have decided that it’s because his snout is kind of long for him being so young. Anyways though he is a really cute little pup. He has the fluffiest fur but I will say that he does have sharp little teeth and nails. I am not used to that since Knox knows not to bite me. 

I am hoping that I get to see Duke some more before I leave. At least I will be able to see him when I got back over to fly out of Seattle because like I said I have the best chauffeur/ brother haha. I know that Knox would love Duke and I can’t wait until they get to meet each other. I hope it is very soon. 
love, Carlee 

Backyard

Hey there. I am back in Washington State in my hometown. I flew back on Sunday and have been here visiting my family. My grandma had fallen really ill and that is the main reason I flew back, she passed away yesterday in her sleep. She was pretty bad at the very end and I am so glad that she is in a better place. And I am also very glad that I got to visit with her before she passed. GOD IS GOOD! I will be here for 3 weeks and I am excited to enjoy the pretty Washington weather. These photos were taken Tuesday and as you can see it was gorgeous and still around 50 degrees. There are plants sprouting and trees budding, it is just so excited to see spring some around.

I got this jacket from Forever 21. I actually ordered it online; I had a coupon and got a pretty good deal and free shipping. I love the jean jacket look but I don’t really like the feeling of wearing a full jean jacket. There isn’t much give in the arms usually so that is annoying. That is why this jacket is amazing because it has the jean jacket look with the fleece sleeves and it even has a hood. I just really like it, as well as the rest of this outfit. It is comfy and casual.

Also last week I finished up 2 pretty large paint by numbers. One was 11x14 and one was 14x20. I kept the 14x20 one for myself and the other one I gave to my mom for her birthday and I also got a picture frame for it. She loved it. You can see them both on my instagram.

Since I am in Washington, I have a limited supply of cards in the shop for the next 3 weeks. So if you need something soon order it now because there is not a lot of quantity of each. Some cards I only have 1 left. Visit my shop and see if there is anything you just can’t do without for about a month. I am packaging and shipping cards from here though so everything is still going on in 1-3 days and still taking 3-5 business days for standard shipping.

Happy Thursday!

Love, Carlee

Shoes: Belk

Jeans: TJ Maxx

Shirt: Target

Jacket: Forever 21

Sunglasses: American Eagle

Happening 3-6-15

Hey there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I feel like it has. Anyways I don’t have much of substance to post lately. Life has been kind of hectic. But let’s see what has been happening.

I purchases 2 shelving units from Ikea. They were $15 each and there awesome Just simple metal shelves that hold my mugs and greeting cards perfectly. I have been stoking up greeting cards lately too. I got in the habit of just printing as the orders came in. And it is way more time consuming so it’s been nice to stock up and be ready as the orders come in. I also recently made and designed a goat mug to add to my ‘animals drinking coffee’ mugs for sale. My mom actually specially requested them because her sister (my aunt) loves goats and it was her birthday so I made one for her and one for my uncle. (That’s the last photo) I plan on listing the goat option in my shop soon and also listing the option to add a name to the mug. 

We have our first day of sunshine here after like 5 days of rain. So that has been nice. I am hoping that the east coast catches up with the west coast in the spring department. I am seeing floral blossoms and sprouting buds pop up from my family on IG and Facebook. I am over here just hoping the temperature gets above 40 degrees and I see the grass start turning green. I mean it is March for Heaven sakes! 

I have been catching up on the new season of House of Cards. The first few episodes were slow but I am now on episode 5 and it is pitching up and has that sexy/sly feeling that season 1 and 2 had. 

What have you been up to lately? Tell me about it.

love, Carlee