Fashion Friday

TGIF! the weekend couldn't come sooner. i am really looking forward to a fun-filled weekend of family time, summer breeze concerts, birthday's and BBQ's. ryan's sweet niece Jayce is having her birthday. ryan and i will have a chance to break the dusty 8th grade speedskates out, and hit the skating rink at "skateland" for her birthday. yes, we still have our speedskates...don't judge. this should be good and i hope to get some candid shots of us on skates :) ryan's work is also having a big birthday bash for a friend he works with, which means tons of BBQ and great food, out on their land. we always end the evening with a game of sand volleyball. ryan and i have gotten kinda good and it has turned out to be a pretty serious competition with the bob's plumbing guys. the summer breeze concerts are this weekend at lion's park and so we just might have to take the doggies to listen to the bands. and of course I couldn't end the weekend without seeing miss Ivy League, so we will go down to the ranch and visit her. we have a jam-packed weekend, but tons of fun. i will be sure to share photos of the weekend festivities.

since it is Friday, i will do a "fashion friday" post. i wanted to share a favorite Stella and Dot item from the new collection, a DIY item, and a cute clothing item. The new fall collection is super cute, and i couldn't wait to see it. to have a party or purchase contact my friend Christine.


i am loving this Stella and Dot Olivia necklace, it is super cute. and goes with casual and dressy.

my friend ashley also made this super cute turquoise one that is a little similar, and best part is it is a DIY project! to see how she made it, visit her blog. i definitely plan on making this :) hehe. i will certainly share my experience. thank you ashley!

Jcrew is having a sale....and i like this corally sweater. best of all its only $29.99. fall is coming soon, right?

and i would definitely need the Stella and Dot horseshoe necklace to go with the sweater.

a fashion friday thought of the week....i really, really wish they would open up an H&M here. i know, we live in norman, but STILL. i am dying for an H&M right now.

XOXO The Stephens

Birthday's and Dominoes

so i had to share a few things going on in the last couple weeks. it has been a busy busy few weeks, but so much fun. July was definitely the month for birthdays and celebrations :)

my uncle bob turned 50! big time - yay! Happy birthday uncle bob! his sweet wife angela put together a full day of events for him and our family and friends. it was such a wonderful time, and she couldn't have planned the day better. everyone truly enjoyed it, and more importantly the birthday boy was so happy! the boys started off the day playing golf. and by starting out the day i mean a crack of dawn tee time - 6am. they all had a blast and the shanking of golf balls was kept to a minimum. then we all got ready for a wonderful dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant in Moore called "Banchettos" (pic below). it was really yummy. after dinner we all went and saw The Amazing Spiderman in 3D at Warren Theater. it was such a good movie, by far my fave of the spidermans.

the birthday crew...

ryan and i enjoying bob's birthday party...love my hubby. im so lucky.

the yummy birthday cake from cheesecake factory - peanut butter cup cheesecake. it was seriously amazing. if you haven't had it, it is a must! the best part about this picture is bob and his "50 attire". his wife angela (in the background) made him wear it proudly :) hehe. he enjoyed it.

one of my BFF's, Kelli, also had a birthday on July 5th :) Happy birthday to one amazing bestie. i am so blessed to have such a great friend. she is truly wonderful. we celebrated with dinner on lake hefner at Mama Rojas. it was my first time to eat there and i have to say it is now my new favorite mexican restaurant!



The first week of july we celebrated ryan's nephew, Konnor's, birthday with a family dinner at Los Dos Amigos - one of his favorite restaurants. it was so much fun! ryan and i love family time, and i am so lucky to have the most amazing in-laws. blessings! the best part was Konnor wearing the sombrero and the singing. every middle-schoolers most embarrassing moment. at that age, being cool is a must. love it.

first comes the hat....

then comes the singing....



then one of my dearest, greatest, long-time family friends, Anissa, turned 21 this week (July 11th)....and we had to celebrate with a lemonada! Such a sweet girl and so glad we got to celebrate.

we rounded of our wednesday evening last night with a good ole domino game of "Mexican Train" with my sweet grandparents. we love playing this game as a family, it is such a blast. grandpa fixed us salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies to start...then the competition began.

serious competition going on....grandpa's move.

and my winning hand finished off the two hour long competition....grandma looks as if she thinks maybe she has the winning hand :) hehe. love my sweet grandma.

a few people have asked me how to play this domino game of Mexican Train, so i thought i would share the "how to"...click here to learn how to play. Note : we use the double 9 domino as our first play. the instructions say to use the double 12 domino to start the game. this is not a requirement...you can just use the highest number you have in your set.

because i love to include random things in my posts, i had to share a "must have" item of the week, which i have to purchase. Christine Rorabaugh, a good friend, suggested this item for me as a must have....duh...due to my love of horses :) She knows my obsession. This is a super cute horseshoe charm necklace from Stella and Dot. Christine sells Stella and Dot jewerly, so if you are intereted in purchasing or having a party (to get free jewelry) contact her. The parties are a blast.

and because i love my horses....i had to end the post with a sweet picture of miss Ivy (Ivy League) getting her bath. she LOVES the water.



XOXO The Stephens

Jesus Calling

 happy wednesday! so, my sweet husband got me a book i have really been wanting, called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. he knew i really wanted it and surprised me with it :) he is such a wonderful hubby. love him.  i was so excited and couldn't wait to start reading it. this book was written by a missionary, Sarah Young, who traveled and studied the gospel. she went on a journey to find God and sought out how to be closer to him, and hear him. she put together the scriptures that spoke to her the most, the ones that she learned lessons from and that changed her life. the book gives you a scripture/lesson to read each day of the year. i wake up every morning and read it...it makes the day so much better and i highly recommend it.

i had to share this particular lesson that i read on July 9th....it really spoke to me. 

"Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth, hither and yon, weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those stick webs of worry. Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only "white noise". Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned after My own image. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Sit quietly in My presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking."

Deuteronomy 30:20; Genesis 1:27; Romans 12:2. 

this is so true, and often we get so busy that we don't really take the time to hear God's plan for us. we let the "things" going on in the world take priority. we spend so much time thinking of things that don't actually matter, and keeping up with things that don't matter...and somehow we are too busy for the things that really matter. this definitely made me think about re-focusing my life. thought i would share :)

i hope you have a great day!

XOXO The Stephens

Randoms and Reality TV drama

upon starting my new blogging venture, my good friend Christine Rorabaugh, introduced me to google reader...yup the obsession begins. pretty amazing stuff. how i wasn't aware of google reader is really ridiculous, i know. but i am now caught up on everyone's blogs and it might be consuming my life...just a tad. and dont mind me if i have subscribed to you and all of our friends.

here are my random findings for the day...

kortney kardashian and scott disick had their little baby girl a few days ago and named her penelope scotland disick. my aunt thinks that name is ridiculous, but i vote super cute! i am liking penelope, and scotland is a really cute middle name...just sayin. check out the baby news here. on a side note, i really like kortney's lipstick...

for all you bachelorette fans, emily decided to give sean the boot on yesterday's episode. bummer. i was really bummed because i actually really like sean...he is one of my faves of those that are left. arie is just odd....and he tries too hard. i kind of feel like he has something he is hiding. i mean clearly he did hide that he had a relationship with one of the production girls for the show. like emily said "what else is he hiding?". if you don't want to know how the bachelorette ends, and who emily picks in the end, don't continue to read :) some people like a surprise...as for me, i dont mind knowing the deets. i am interested to see if the "spoiler" peeps are right on who emily picks.

on to the big bachelorette news....

in reading reality steve, he tells us that emily is engaged to jef (yes, jef with 1 "f") at the end of all of this. also known as "1 f jef". i really actually like jef, he is genuine, seems to really care about emily, and wears his heart on his sleeve type of guy. plus his style is kinda cute. did i mention i love his ranch...but i didnt see any horses...that would be a must. i really wish i was a movie/tv show critic, and got paid for it...that would be a really fun job. getting paid to watch drama-filled shows and dish on all the gossip. sign me up.

pretty little liars comes on tonight, which is one of my all time favorite shows. i just may have to share the details, my thoughts on "A", and some analysis from the spoilers out there, for those pretty little liars fans.

a non-reality tv show random for the day is...MAC came out with a new line and there is one must-have lipstick in that line which i had the pleasure of discovering at this weekends mall trip. ladies go check out "fire sign"...it is a nice mix of red and pink, perfect for summer and looks great on almost everyone. it looks really red in the tube, i know, but goes on way more pinky than it looks...im loving it and haven't really seen a red/pink like it.  it is a must-have for sure! it is a limited edition one, so go out and get it.

while we are sharing make-ups....i have four make-up must haves for summer. in my search for fun, good make-up, i found these are my "gatta haves".

1. Tarte foundation - goes on for a natural look, yet covers really well, and doesn't make you oily - it is oil free. it is a 12 hour wear so it lasts, and its all natural, made of amazon clay! score. best foundation i have found yet.

2. NARSs blush in orgasm - i know, i know...weird name...awkward. but it really is the BEST blush ever. read all the mags, they agree. it is a pinky color with a little sparkle, looks great on any skin tone. you can get NARS "orgasm" blush at Sephora...and there is one right here locally in moore in the JC Penney's off I35.

3. The POREfessional - this amazing primer and pore-cover-uper by Benefit cosmetics, does exactly what is says - covers those pores you want to hide. it not only hides pores, but it is also a primer, and can be put on top of make up for touch ups. it is sold at Ulta and is only $29! i will never go without this...everrrr.

4. They're Real - i'm kind of a mascara snob, and i really want big, thick long lashes. so i always search for the best of the best in mascara's. i actually like a couple different ones, and have heard a few are good...but for now i will say the "They're Real" mascara by Benefit cosmetics is pretty darn good. i sometimes layer using two mascaras - They're Real and Mary Kay's volumizing mascara. i have heard the Bad Gal mascara by Benefit is also good and Dior Show. those are next on my list to try.

5. MAC Bronzer in "refined golden" - every girl needs a little bronzer for the summer. i really like MAC's bronzer's, they are probably my favorite, although i have only tried about 3 different brands of bronzers. my favorite is the "refined golden" because it isn't too dark, and has a little shimmer. it also isn't too yellowy...i not a big fan of a yellowish toned bronzer.

Thanks for reading my randoms :)

XOXO The Stephens



Everything to me....

So i haven't blogged in literally over a year, maybe two...well i take that back...i haven't kept up with our personal blog...i have been blogging away for our bridal business (Bridal Couture Girls), but have slacked in the personal blogidge. it has been so long that i forgot my log-in information for our other blog so i created a new one. lol. but i plan to keep up this one and share our stories and good times. my mom lives in  california, and we miss her dearly, so we want to make sure she is in the loop. so where to start? IDK my friends. how about a recap of the last couple years....quick rewind.

in the last two years.... Ryan and I got married...huge. I am such a lucky girl and he is one really amazing man. He is my best friend and the love of my life. Pure southern gentleman. i am totally in love with this man.He is everything to me... not only did i get an amazing hubby, i got some really amazing in-laws, who i am really close to. God is good...all the time.

Jana Carson Photography

We had one amazing honeymoon in Tulum, Mexico.

My mom got married to the most wonderful step-dad everrrr :) It was the most amazing, special day. I am so happy for my mom and Kris. Kris is one special guy, with a big heart. Thank you for sweeping my mom off her feet Kris.

Sky Cheshure Photography

My dad got married to a wonderful woman, hong. She is the most amazing step mom and I am truly blessed to have her. I am so happy for my dad and hong. She makes him happy and that makes me happy :)

Ryan and my family threw me my first surprise birthday party :) Did I mention I am so blessed? gosh my husband is cute :)

we got a horse, Ivy...her full name is "Ivy League". She is actually a champion horse and was retired from jumping. She is so sweet. We literally love her like a kid... Miss Ivy may appear a lot in our blog, as I mentioned im slightly obsessed with horses. its true.

BB now has a buddy, miss Ivy. BB and Ivy are pretty much BFF.

We had our 10 year highschool reunion...whoa we are old...but it was super fun and it was so nice to see everyone  :) My husband is a timberwolf and i am a tiger...so we party hopped that night between norman north and norman high's shindigs. Great memories.

 

In sticking with the highschool theme....i wanted to share another piece of my higschool past...my mustang GT. for those of you that know me, i have a love for cars...fast cars. it was not uncommon for me to spend a few friday nights at the race track. but i really enjoyed it. i picked out the custom paint job, rims, tires, hood, and the fun accessories. so girlie of me, i know.

but now we are adults, so the mustang is saved for the weekends. We bought a more family oriented car....our first car together :) And we are pretty proud of ourselves. It is our family car, for our future little Stephens family. Don't worry, we have since tinted the windows, so it looks much more sporty-like. I like to say it is "mom meets, professional, meets sporty".

post tinting job....

 

 We had some pretty awesome pool parties, with some awesome nieces and nephews. My in-laws are amazing and i am so fortunate to have these sweet babies in my life. Blessings, pure blessings! These are the memories i will never forget :) Priceless.

and we have shared some great family time with our two babies...our yorkies, Sissie and Beau. Look at those faces...yes they are spoiled rotten :)

one other very special thing that happened this year is that ryan and his dad reunited...it was a really special thing. we are so proud of his dad and how far he has come :)  it had been a long time since ryan has had a relationship with his dad. it makes me so happy to see them happy.

And i couldn't end the rewind without showing some of my bridal biz obsessions. Bridal accessories were designed, photo shoots were had, and bridal fairs attended. Score. Visit our bridal business website to see more. 



Bridal Couture Girls



XOXO The Stephens