Fourth of July!

I cannot believe that the Fourth of July is ONE week away! Where has this year gone? Anyways, one of my favorite things to do to get in the spirit of any season or holiday is to update some of my decor. One of the easiest things for me to change out is the frame on my entry table. I always have some type of print in there, and this will be my current one that I just finished.

For those of you that aren't into all that color, I just added a chalkboard version one as well:

I've decided to offer this as a free printable, so go ahead and get it here (for the chalkboard one click here). Just download the file to your desktop and print at home. It is sized for an 8x10 frame. Feel free to share with your friends, but please don't claim it as your own.

I hope everyone has a great and safe Fourth of July!

Meet Harper | 7 days young...

Remember this amazing couple? Well...  their sweet daughter, Harper has finally arrived. She was born on May 19th and is as precious as ever.

Forrest

The best part about heading to Indiana for a few days? Why seeing my handsome nephew of course! Forrest is almost 9 months old now, and I am so in love with him. His smile and laugh seriously melt my heart.

Happily Engaged!

I spent the last few days visiting family in Indiana, and I had a really great time. I was able to spend some serious time snuggling my handsome nephew (post is coming on him!) and hanging out with my parents and sister-in-law. It was a pretty low-key time, so imagine our surprise when we get the call that my little brother is ENGAGED! Say what?!

We love, love, love Lindsey... and I'm so happy she is stuck with us now! I have the hardest time believing this even happened because I still think of my baby brother as the 14 year old he was when I last lived at home. Obviously he's done some growing up over the last few years, and I'm really excited for them both. Growing up as the middle child stuck between two brothers wasn't always easy, I remember I always wished for a sister. Lindsey will make sister-in-law #3 and I. Am. THRILLED.

Obviously I had to sneak in some pictures of these two love birds before I headed home, and here are some of my favorites!

Gerrit & Lindsey.... congratulations on your engagement. I hope and pray that marriage brings you both a lifetime of happiness and joy. The best is truly yet to come!

Katie & Steve

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking some pictures of Katie & Steve who are expecting their very first baby next month. Let's just say little Harper is going to be one blessed girl, and she definitely has the CUTEST nursery I've ever seen!

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day...

Spring has sprung!

I think it is safe to say that Spring is finally here! Spring is definitely one of my favorite seasons. There is a fresh smell to the air, and the budding flowers can certainly brighten anyone's mood.

The best part about Spring in Texas? Beautiful blue bonnets. They fill up the fields and line the highways for the most breathtaking sight.

Love of the ball...

Today Damon was playing fetch with Dozer... and somehow he ended up throwing his FAVORITE ball over the fence into our neighbor's yard. We didn't want to sneak in to their back yard, and we're pretty sure they have a newborn so we didn't want to ring the doorbell.. so what do we do? Go buy a replica of course!

Happy boy!

One of the reasons we got a bulldog was because they were a lazy breed. Apparently not ours. He can run SO fast when it comes to his favorite toys.

I love his tongue :)

And just because I love my husband's eyes.. I mean.. look at that...

Hope everyone had as great of a day as we did!

Sin City

What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas, pretty sure that phrase is referring to my money. There is none left. We spent last weekend in Vegas, and as usual, had a great time :)

An Acton Christmas

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone. I've started taking some of the decorations down, but the house was looking SO empty, so I stopped!

Spending Christmas 1,000 miles from family definitely seemed daunting our first Christmas in Texas, but thanks to Skype, we don't even miss a beat!

Here is a quick glimpse into the VanderLugt Family Christmas. The best part is, we didn't even have to get off the couch :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I decided last night to force Damon & Dozer to take a picture in front of our tree before all of the presents are gone... getting those pictures *with* the dog can prove to be a disaster, see below:

Backyard Project

Damon and I have been in this house for almost 10 months now, and we are finally doing a little back yard makeover. We are *so* thrilled that this is happening! Our yard is pretty big (and Dozer loves it!) but our concrete patio was so tiny.

Baking Extravaganza

'Tis the season to bake! One of the best things about the holiday season is all of the amazing food, specifically, desserts! My mother-in-law brought some delicious cookies to us a few weeks ago when they were visiting, but those are long gone by now... so I thought I'd make some of my own. Damon also swears that we need to leave cookies out for Santa, but I know this is really just his ploy to get me to make gingerbread men for him.

I tried a few different recipes this year and thought I'd share them here.

Lists

Lists are one of my favorite things. I love the satisfaction of crossing an item off after it has been completed. Yes, I even will add things to my lists after I've done it JUST so I can cross it off. I'm that girl.

I absolutely *love* having a clean house, but I am not so in love with cleaning. I am constantly telling my husband how much easier it would be if we would just maintain the clean house instead of trashing it and having to start over each week. I also loathe Saturday morning cleaning days... they are just the worst.

Holiday Prints

Go check out my Etsy shop to check out the new Holiday themed prints! Feel free to leave me a note in the comments if there are any prints / invitations / designs that you'd like to see!

{LA} Paper Designs

*DISCLAIMER* I am writing this post on my phone, so sorry in advanced!

Today I decided to try and open an etsy shop. I always have *loved* designing small things like invitations and prints... so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Please check it out and pass it along to anyone you think would be interested. I only have 3 listings right now, but I am hoping to add more very soon along with some custom listing!

Thanks!

My Etsy Shop

Ironman

So here's the deal... over the last 14 weeks, Damon has been training 6 days a week.. hours each session. Match this up with him working over 55 hours a week (plus traveling), and I basically haven't seen my husband since July. But that is ok. It was all for this. This one day. Race day.

Forrest David

This weekend, Damon and I *finally* had a chance to meet our nephew, Forrest. Neither of us have spent much time around babies, so I'm pretty sure we were both freaked out a little a lot. He is 5 weeks old, and honestly the cutest thing ever. I'm already missing the way he snuggled his little head into me to get comfortable.

baby fingers :)

Can't wait until the next time we get to see him.

Love you Forrest!
-Aunt Laura & Uncle Damon

DIY Restoration Hardware-Inspired Shelving

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PUMPKiN DONUTS

What else do you on a rainy Sunday afternoon but make pumpkin donuts? I followed this recipe that I found on Pinterest (where else?)

I only put the sugar on the top of the donuts, but they were so good! I highly recommend you try making them RIGHT NOW!

Happy Fall!

Lens Love - Part II

Headed outside this afternoon to test out my new lens some more...

Damon wanted to test it out too!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!