I can’t believe it has been since JANUARY that I wrote last. I had just been overwhelmed and busy with regular life and work stuff, and I wasn’t feeling very inspired because everything just kept coming at me fast. But here I am, ready to write here and there whenever I do feel inspired and when I have the time! Just in time for school to start again…because I’m sure that won’t be busy, right?

There is definitely a lot to write about – I’m so incredibly thrilled to announce that Andrew and I are expecting a baby boy in the winter! Baby McClannon is due on January 29. I am about 4.5 months pregnant, so almost halfway there! Crazy to think about. It has gone by so fast in some ways, and slow in others. Waiting to tell people was so hard for us! We got Whitney to take some pictures for us for our anniversary and for a pregnancy announcement, and they are gorgeous. Whitney is so talented and that is not news to me, but the fact that she can make us look this good in the 90+ degree, 85% humidity of NC summer, WITH all three of our dogs…now THAT is impressive. Here are a few of my favorites!

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We did early detection blood testing for chromosomal abnormalities – mostly because we knew that it would tell us the gender much earlier than an ultrasound! We both really wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl. We would have been happy either way, and most importantly we just are hoping for a healthy baby! But we got the results on our one year anniversary, which was such a great gift. We were both so excited and in disbelief that it was a boy! But the test is over 99% accurate, so it’s a pretty safe bet 🙂 I am really thankful that I have not had any morning sickness/nausea throughout this pregnancy (but I have had plenty of other glamorous symptoms, don’t worry). I’ve been trying to walk as much as I can to stay active, drink tons of water, and get plenty of rest, and I’m drinking a green juice every morning to make sure I get enough veggies and fruits!

In other news, school starts on MONDAY. Or today, when you are actually reading this! I can’t wait for all of my old students to find out that we’re having a baby – since I teach parenting and early childhood classes, they’re always dying to know when we are going to have kids! Summer has absolutely FLOWN by, and we have moved our entire school into a brand new building while our school is torn down and rebuilt. We will be in the new building for 2 years, and it is amazing to have this humongous, brand new space that we get to make our own. I’ve worked really hard getting my classroom together, and as always, I have so many new ideas I want to implement and try out for the school year. The only drawback is that our start time is at 7:10am. As in, at 7:11am students are late to 1st period class. Staff arrives at 6:40am…so I am going to have to work on not snoozing the ol’ alarm in the mornings!

Those are the biggest new developments over here! I am going to try to blog more regularly again, because I really do enjoy it. I have struggled in the past with this blog because I’m never sure what direction I want it to take since I am so passionate about so many things, and what I want to write about changes so often. I do love makeup, hair, clothes, home decor, etc., but I also love teaching, cooking, reading, and writing about things like making this world a better place and making the people in it more empathetic and kind. So I think most of my hiatus was just kind of taking some time to myself to realize that this blog is really for me, firstly, and that anyone who benefits from my words or simply enjoys their time reading my posts is such a gift to me. So though I will never be an influencer or a famous YouTuber, and though I seriously need to invest in some basic photography tutorials, I am proud that I am a loving wife and dog mom, a future mom (!!!), a passionate teacher, and a sensitive and caring person. Those are things to celebrate. We are all worthy, we are all good enough, and we all deserve to go way easier on ourselves most of the time. So whatever direction this blog does end up taking at any given moment, thank you for simply coming along for the ride.

Good luck to all of the teachers who are starting school today, and good luck to all the parents and guardians sending your little ones off!

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I’m alive!

What. A. Week. For the first time, I’m actually writing my Friyay post on a Friday, rather than writing it beforehand and setting it up to post on Friday morning. It has just been that kind of week where I haven’t really had a second to sit down and do anything! But I am relaxing with the dogs, our Christmas decorations are finally up, and I’m watching Love Actually while Andrew is at a playoff football game with another coach. 

Did I mention that I am working towards getting my National Board Certification for teaching? I am terrified! But two other teachers at school in my department are going for it too, so we had our first off campus work day this week. We will submit everything in May and then we won’t find out if we got it or not until next DECEMBER OR JANUARY. So nerve-wracking! 

I went to Target today to get a couple of things we needed and some little gifts and stocking stuffer type items, and the traffic everywhere was insane! But Target, of course, has TONS of gift items that will really come in clutch if you need a little something but you just don’t quite know what. I was able to get a couple of gifts for a gift exchange this weekend very easily. 

I am on the hunt for a great artificial tree! I put up all my old decorations from when I was living in an apartment, and my tree looks SO tiny in our new house! I died laughing when I got it up and stood back to look at it. It will have to do for this year, probably…but I’m hoping things will go on sale after Christmas and I can snag a tree for next year. This one is already really affordable compared to all the other ones I’ve looked at, and it looks good to me!

I want to make this Chex Mix Christmas Crack before the holidays – I love a good salty/sweet combo, and this one adds in peppermint!

I got this mascara recently and I LOVE the way it applies and the way it looks. The only downfall is that it doesn’t wash off easily, but if you already use eye makeup remover, that’s no problem. I love it even with its one fault! I got it when Tarte was doing a sale and I’m so glad I did!

Tomorrow, some of my FCCLA club students and their parents are volunteering at Oak City Outreach Center to serve a meal to those in need. I think it will be good for all of us, and hopefully will help them see how important it is to give to others, even if it’s just giving time. Afterwards, Andrew and I are going to his school department’s annual Christmas party. Sunday, everyone is calling for snow, so we will see! You never know in North Carolina. 

Only 18 days left until Christmas! I can’t believe how fast it has crept up AGAIN. Stay tuned for a holiday gift guide like last year’s coming sometime next week! Happy weekend 🙂

FriYAY! Today is the second day back to school, and I’m just trying to pretend like it’s still summer break. It always flies by, especially when you’re working the whole summer! Here’s what’s new with me:

Last weekend, I got to tag along to one of Whitney’s photo shoots for an engagement session. The couple was so cute, and it was fun to see Whitney in action! She works so hard and takes the most beautiful pictures. The ones I’ve seen so far from the shoot I helped with are amazing! Check her out on Instagram!

Yesterday I worked in my classroom alllll day trying to get everything arranged. This is my third year back in the classroom, and the third time they’ve moved my room – I have a lot of work cut out for me! I’m teaching Parenting & Child Development again this year, which I love teaching. I’m also taking on two new courses, Early Childhood Education I and II where the students go out to help and teach lessons in child care centers in the community! I’m really excited about those classes. I’m mentoring two beginning teachers, and I’m also department chair this year, so I know I’ll have some big responsibilities. I’ve been spending short spurts of time hours looking through Pinterest for classroom decoration ideas! I like to have a bright, cozy, and inviting classroom. Yesterday I bought this plastic toolbox and I’m going to use it for school supplies – I’ll put on cute laminated labels, of course. It would be great for makeup, toiletries, jewelry, or anything around the house, too!

Whitney and I took a SkillPop class last night on branding your business. I have taken a few SkillPop classes and love the whole premise. It’s nice to try new things and the locations are always so cool! I want to do a handlettering class and maybe a watercolor class in the near future! Afterwards, we went and had sushi and chatted for a while. As life gets busier and busier, it’s hard to get together like we used to, so it’s always good to be able to hang!

I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, and I don’t have cable – but I have always loved The Office and Andrew and I are in the middle of re-watching that. We like to have a show to work through and I’m excited for the second season of Stranger Things to come out in the Fall! My sister and I are obsessed with Grace and Frankie – has anyone else seen it!? I love it! It’s hilarious and I love Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. You have to watch it and see for yourself!

Finally, up next on my list of things to try are this twisted crown braid and this Bare Minerals barePro foundation! I’m a long-time fan of the Bare Minerals foundation powder but hate the mess, and this new liquid foundation has great reviews!

That’s it for now! Have a great weekend! I’m gettin’ my hairs did and I am so excited! Always nice to have a fresh new ‘do.

You need to run to your nearest TJ Maxx RIGHT NOW (after reading this post, of course).

I have a friend at work (at the pub) who has great style. She had this amazing bag and I immediately started obsessing over it with my other coworker. We had to have it. After agonizing over it for days, I went after a lunch shift this past Saturday and snagged two:  One for me, and one for the other coworker who wanted one. I sent it to my sister and she immediately caught the bug, too. Luckily, my friend from work had also picked up an extra one for either me my other coworker because we had been so into it (seriously this is ridiculous at this point). So I bought that one off of her for my sister. The bag that keeps on giving!

oliver stealing the limelight

one side has the fun zippers, one has just the steve madden plate

room for all the things

it came with this pouch inside! 

makeup + girly stuff in the pouch

Seriously – if this bag speaks to you like it did to me (like, enough to write an entire blog post about it), GO TO TJ MAXX NOW. Who knows how long they will have these in stock?! Rumor has it there is another one with purple accents, too. For $40 you get this beauty – plus the inside pouch that comes with a cross-body length strap. SO YOU BASICALLY GET TWO PURSES IN ONE. This is going to be great for travel and everyday use. I love it!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Just a quick post to say have a great day. Enjoy time off (hopefully!) with family and friends, wear some patriotic colors, and be sure to eat some treats.

I’m spending today hanging with two of my favorite people:  My sister + Andrew! I plan on doing some yoga in the morning to start the day off right! Then, my sister and I want to finish up our patio DIY project (coming soon!). Our main plan is to grill steaks and scallops by the pool with Andrew and one of my sister’s friends, and then we might catch the Durham Bulls baseball game and annual fireworks show in the evening! Easy, fun, and pretty stress-free!

What’s everyone doing for the holiday? Enjoy the day and the fireworks!