In Case You Were PINTERESTed...

I have a recent obsession.
{recent as in created an account last weekend.. the weekend before school started}
the dumbest ...I mean... not my brightest idea because I tend to rather be pinning away then slaving away.

I didn't have a clue how to use it at first so leave it to me, I started pinning everything in sight without realizing I could change the caption on the picture or pin them to different boards haha
So I unpinned everything, learned how to use it, and started over.

These are my recent finds that I LOVE

A suitcase chair.. such a clever idea! I plan on making one of these someday. 

@ craftgawker.com

I'm swooning over this holiday wreath for my front door. Love the added yellow for color and the whimsical-looking snow. 

@ realsimple.com

I LOVE Tiffany Blue

I can just picture myself riding around small-town Pocatello on this tiffany blue vintage bike, picking wild flowers and putting them in the basket in the front.

@ everythingfab.com

Wish I could hang this beauty in my bedroom. 

@ etsy.com

When I get sick of our boring black kitchen table and chairs I think I'll paint it Tiffany Blue like this one!

@ hometowngirl.typepad.com

I'm lovin' this idea for a magazine rack! Gives me an excuse to start buying/reading more magazines so I can have one :) 

@ coisasdaorlas.blogspot.com

I love everything about this room (except maybe the pet dog) ... especially the yellow and white striped fabric draping around the bed.

@ countryliving.com

If you can't tell, I'm currently in love with these yellow, blue, and grey colors together. I think I just might add them into our bedroom. 

@ 7thhouseontheleft.com

I have also been wanting to do a gallery wall in our house and this is my favorite idea I have seen so far! I love how they got family pictures taken wearing the colors that inspired the colors in the whole room.

@ thehouseofsmiths.com

One thing you should know about me is that I have a slight okay okay, MAJOR obsession with polka dots. This is a DIY tutorial for making this yellow and white polka dotted skirt. I am also really into the high-waisted look (perfect for hiding the pooch if you know what I mean). 

@ sewingin-nomansland.blogspot.com

see what I mean.... more polka dots. haha

@ tumblr.com

If you found any of this PINTERESTing... you should check out pinterest.com
Happy Pinning!

In Over My Head

Dear over-stressing, over-planning, over-doing it me,

Just admit it... you are notorious for getting yourself WAY in over your head!! and I mean WAY IN.

You have outdone yourself this time.
Lets take a look shall we..

First Week of School
-Taking on 25 credits in one semester
(add in homework wherever possible)
-Work at the Dental Clinic the remaining time
-Young Women Presidency
(means mutual on Tuesday night)
-Babysitting Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
-Running an Etsy Shop
I think that should do it.

I'm not sure if you noticed but you LOOK and FEEL like this:

Lets take an even closer look shall we...

Enter zit one and two, dark bags, and a far off look in yours eyes that shows the world you just MIGHT be going completely CRAZY.

Gotta love the first week of school :)

(the one who wishes you'd cut back on the activities and try to fit in a little more sleep)

New Addition to 2LLB Shop!

This week has been absolutely CRAZY so far and it's only Tuesday!! I'll be back to tell you more about it tomorrow.

In the mean time....
I was dying to share with you the new addition to my 2LLB Etsy Shop!

I had a custom order this week and thus developed the new idea!

DANGLEY Pom Earrings

What do you think?? :)

Back to School and an Outfit Post

Summer is officially over tomorrow and it is back to school for me.
I know exactly how I feel about the end of summer (bummed) but have mixed feelings about going back to school.
BUMMED (that summer is officially over)
HAPPY (that I'm one step closer to graduating)
EXCITED (to be teaching again)
NERVOUS (that I'll walk into the wrong classroom)
WORRIED (that I'll struggle with Physics)
..... like I said, a whole mess of emotions.

One thing I always used to look forward to was going back to school  SHOPPING (for clothes)!

Being the newly-married broke couple that we are.. school clothes shopping wasn't quite part of the budget after tuition, books, supplies, blah blah.

However, when we were out the other night my sweet husband could tell how badly I was going to miss that part of going back to school so he dragged me in every store.
I would refuse to go inside (to keep from getting my hopes up) only to hear him say..
"You better follow me in here, all of these women are staring at me!"
.....eventually it worked. haha

We went into Down East Basics... LOVE that store! I would probably buy one of everything if I could. They had this small box in the front of the store with all of their clearance items.
The woman working in the store encouraged me to dig through it... and lets just say she didn't have to ask twice!
I walked out of the store with a sweater and skirt (both originally $35, both only $7.00) to add to my closet :)

So for my first outfit post, I just had to share what I found with you!

Pearl Necklace-Kaye Jewelers, Sweater & Skirt-Down East Basics, Cami-American Eagle, Shoes-Rue 21 

Friday's Favorite: Generation Edition

I love Boise. I always have. Most days, I feel like Boise has everything to offer a person.
A safe community, great outdoors (skiing, rafting, boating, hiking, etc.), 4 seasons...
But there is one thing that Boise is missing... and that is my extended family.
Most of them live in small little place called Mount Vernon, Washington.
It is because of this that growing up I didn't get to spend a lot of time with my grandparents to hear funny stories from their childhood, or become best friends with my cousins, or spend the night at my aunt's and uncle's houses.
Living close to family is definitely one thing that Boise never had that I always wished it did.
Even though I live a ways away from them, I still cherish the times we get to spend together.

There are two people in paticular that I've been thinking about a lot lately and how much they have blessed my life. Those two people are my grandma's.

Meet my Grandma Sue.

(p.s. I really wish I had some non-wedding pictures to share of them but since it was the last time I got to see them, we are stuck with these) 

My grandma Sue is beautiful both inside and out.  When I was little we had a "take your grandparent to school day" and this lady right here is who I took.  I remember feeling so lucky.. not that I got to bring one of my grandparents to school but that I got to bring HER.  We even made the newspaper that day (I wish I had the article to upload and share with you) but it's currently tucked away in my childhood closet.  She is the kind of lady that genuinly cares about everything you have to say.  I think that is one of the things that I love most about her, she always listens.  Whenever she comes to visit she will sit and talk with me and always cares about every aspect of my life.  If there is one thing that I have always wanted to learn from her, it's how to sew.  She is an INCREDIBLY talented seamstress.  She seriously can sew anything!!  She raised my goofy dad along with his 5 other siblings and takes such good care of my grandpa.  She is an excellent cook.  She is an angel.

This next special lady is my GRANDMA JAN.

Doesn't she have such a cute smile?! She has also blessed my life in more ways than one.  The first and most important one is that she has always been there for me.  If you are a grandchild that lives far away from your grandma you would totally understand how exciting it is to look out into an audience at one of your special events and find you grandma there smiling back at you.  Almost every major event that has happened in my life, she has been there: the day I was born, piano recitals, dance competitions, graduation, and the most recent one being my wedding.  She is always concerned about me and wanting the best for me whether it be the best education, the best husband, or even the best health :)  She was a nurse so my mom would call her whenever I was sick to get advice.  She loves her grandchildren.  Whenever I see her she is always telling me all the wonderful things my cousins have been up to and how proud of them she is. I know that she says the same sweet things about me to them in return.  I swear she knows every "domestic" thing there is to know about being a wife and mother.  She would hem my mom's pants, cook all the meals, work incredibly hard, etc.  She is truly one of a kind.

I've always been told that I can learn a lot from the generations before my own, and it's true.  Both my grandma's have taught me so much. Not necessarily in person but by action. They are wonderful women and I love them very much.

Beach Bum

2 words that best describe me.... BEACH BUM
There is a reason I was born in June.
I'm a barefoot on the beach, feet in the sand, soaking up the warm rays kinda girl.
And I don't know if you've heard, but Pocatello isn't exactly the beach-fulfilling kinda place
In fact, there isn't a single spot of sand by water for miles (more like cities) away, and yet all I can think about is going there...

I had plans to do just that this last weekend in Boise... yes, it wouldn't be the ocean but really any sand, warm rays, cooling water, and the smell of sunscreen would do just nicely. But, this skin problem I've been having really got in the way.

I have this fairly-recent obsession with photography. I've always loved searching for unique and creative photographers and then adoring their work but lately, it is something I have been wanting to pursue more and more. Not so much in a business kind of way but as a fun hobby where I can let my creative side shine.
I'm a get lost in the beauty, adore the creativity kinda photography-loving girl.

I know what you are thinking, these two topics don't sound like they go together AT ALL, but I assure you they do!

Since I am without a place to curl my toes in the warm sand, I get lost in beautiful pictures instead.
Beautiful pictures of the place I love most,
the place I dream about the most,
the OCEAN.

{created by Moonlight Photography}

Ah I love love love the splotch of colors in this photo.

{created by alibubba}

This is the kind of creativity I love in photography.

Isn't it great?!

{created by Donna Geissler}

{created by Jonathan Kingston}

I've always dreamed of learning to sail at sunset...  

{created by Looking At Clouds}

I mostly dream of the magic of it all.

Thank you photography for fulfilling my much needed desire to see the ocean.

If you could be anywhere in this moment, where would YOU be??

Drum Roll Please....

I have to be honest...
When I decided to open my 2 LITTLE LOVE BIRDS shop I was prepared for a slow start.
I thought a giveaway might be just what I needed to spread the word!

Welllll.....
It wasn't as successful as I had hoped.
At first I would check back every few minutes to see if anyone had entered (pathetic I know)
First day... no luck.
The disappointment began sinking in...
Then the next day was crazy busy and I couldn't check it.
So Saturday morning I rushed to the computer, dying to see if anything had changed.
I can't even explain the excitement written all across my face (and the bit of squealing my family heard from the other room) when I signed into blogger and found one sweet comment from my dear friend Mady!

I think my face looked a little something like this

Image from google

Mady said: "I think you're just to creative for you own good, dear Meagan! Such cute earrings. I would totally help promote through my facebook account but alas, I do not have one. I wish you tons of luck though and will tell friends by word of mouth instead. :)"

I want her to know that it made my WHOLE day!
Actually, more like my whole WEEK!

My views suddenly changed and I was perfectly content with her being my winner.
Her comment got me thinking... maybe I made this too complicated.
It was my first go at it, so I updated the post with a simpler step.

The last day to enter I got one more sweet comment from my friend Melanie. Which also made my day!

So ladies, thank you both SO much for entering. It really meant the world to me!

and with that said... 50/50 chance... I would like to announce the first giveaway winner of a pair of earrings from 2 LITTLE LOVE BIRDS shop....

CONGRATULATIONS MADY!!! :)

*please email me (nicandmeag@gmail.com) with your email address and what pair you would like to have.

I am grateful for all that I learned from this first giveaway and am excited to try again in the future.

Our Weekend

It was time for a much-needed vaca this weekend for Nic and I.
I spent all morning slaving away on Thursday so that I could come home to a clean-smelling house (best decision) and waited anxiously for Nic to barge through the front door.
Much to my surprise.... he got home EARLY! By 4 hours!! So we took off for destination Merville for a fun-filled weekend.
We had made all sorts of plans and couldn't wait to get there!

It all started with a best friend and a salon.
I've been considering dying my hair for a while now (like 5 months) but because of the best friend's advice, wasn't able to do it until now.
We got married 3 months ago and the best friend told me I would always regret it looking back in the pictures. I had been a blondie for 20 years.
Who wants to regret anything from their wedding day??
So I waited.
And I'm glad I did.

The appt. was for 8:30 pm and she so sweetly agreed to stay and finish it. She had been there since 10 that morning! That is a LOOOOONG day people!
I used to be one of those people that would FREAK when I had to get my hair cut.
Even a half an inch made me sad.
My hair has pretty much always been long.
Since I wasn't able to dye it before the wedding I cut it short instead and LOVED it.
My first brave step!!
But Thursday I had to be even more brave.
The process was longer than I thought. I have had my hair highlighted with a few different shades of blonde for several years so first she had to apply a color that would even out all of those different tones. I admit, I might have had butterflies racing in my stomach when I saw orange paste being slathered on my hair. But, after the sitting and the rinsing it just looked like a medium shade of brown.
I LOVED it already. I was so excited and thought we could be done haha but there was still the color that I chose that needed to be added. Just like the color before it... after the applying, the sitting, the shampooing, that conditioning... I looked in the mirror and saw a whole new me.
and might have had a bit of identity crisis the rest of the weekend.... but all in all, I LOVE IT!!

So what does my sweet, patient, husband do while he has to sit and wait and wait and wait at the salon...
Me: "Sorry you have to wait so long, what are you doing?"
Nic: "I'm catching up on my celebrity gossip!"
I'd occasionally glimpse over when I heard shriek of excitement.
I should have known that every time it would have to do with "a SWEET car"

Friday was a very exciting day and I had been anticipating it for a while now.
I have been 3 other times so I warned Nic that some of it gets a little crazy.
As we pulled up, with the semi-shocking look on his face, the look that said (I think YOU are the crazy one for going to this), I said to Nic
"Welcome to VANS WARPED TOUR"
and by the end of the day he was really happy he went.  

Wait, you have never been?? Let me fill you in...
It is a mad house. Millions of people.
It supplies the best people watching including crazy hair styles, people who are shirtless that really shouldn't be
Moshing (people flailing their arms and legs looking pretty ridiculous) and Crowd Surfing.
Sweating from standing in 90 degree weather for 9 hours.
But the BEST part of all... some of the greatest bands ever!

SUM 41

I was totally "in too deep"!

Remember the greatest song ever 1985?

or maybe Ohio (come back to TEXAS)..... sung as IDAHO today I might add.

how about the song that you TOTALLY related to.. or at least I feel like I do.. High School Never Ends?

Be prepared to get even more excited....

I give you...

BOWLING FOR SOUP

They gave the BEST show I had seen in a long time.
The lead singer's humor, just like Jack Black, funniest comments of my life!
AND, they even stopped in the middle of a song to pose for a photo for everyone.
Did I already mention how cool they were??

If you didn't know I am obsessed with the band RELIENT K.
I have every cd, every song memorized, and a t-shirt that makes me look like a total groupie. I love it.
THEY CAME! and I of course ran to the stage early before they played and missed out on A DAY TO REMEMBER because I am that much of a creepy fan haha.

It was the lead singer (Matt's) birthday.

So everything went AS PLANNED so far.
I'm a total planner by the way so this made me a happy camper.
Until Friday night.
I've had this thing going on with my skin for two and a half weeks now.
Talked to two doctors who can't figure out what it is and have tried 4 different creams, none have helped.
They originally thought it was ring worm but none of the medicine took it away and no one has caught it from me. Ringworm is SUPER contagious FYI.
Well, I wore flip flops to Warped Tour. BIG MISTAKE. It wouldn't typically be because I always have a pair of flip flops on but with this skin thing, it was.
All day I felt like I had blisters forming between my toes. I got band-aids (that struggled staying on) from a paramedic but they didn't help. I got home at the end of the day with really swollen feet and itchy rings covering them.
I felt like they were bruised and beaten.
I'll leave the picture out of this one.

From there all the plans started getting canceled... no more bonfire at a friends, or going to the beach the next day, (which I had been DYING for you'll see in my post tomorrow), or getting a pedicure with my mom, or sleeping for that matter.

It was still the perfect weekend.
We went to a few consignment shops on Saturday that were small (not a lot of walking) and I wanted to buy just about everything I saw haha
I LOVE distressed furniture.
Besides money, not being able to fit in our car was the good excuse the husband came up with to keep my hands tied behind my back.

We FINALLY saw the last Harry Potter movie.
SO GOOD!
I was a little confused at some parts though, I guess they left quite a bit out that helped explain some of it.
Basically, I should have read the book first.
Saturday night I got to see my two cute little nieces and wanted to take them home with me.

Then Sunday we had to leave way earlier than usual to get back and go to the doctor once again.

To sum up the weekend:
I love seeing my family.
I love Meridian.
I love vacations.
I just loved getting away.

Hope you all had a fun weekend too!!

GIVEAWAY at 2LLB Etsy

Things are getting crazy around the Williamson household as the summer is rapidly coming to a close with trips, fun in the sun, summer school, 2 week countdown to regular classes, work..... and it's about to get even crazier!

....and with that said I would like to introduce to you


2 LITTLE LOVE  BIRDS Etsy

At my little shop you will find pom earrings with sterling silver posts in an assortment of colors and patterns.

The perfect accessory for any outfit!

More items will appear over time so keep checking back :)

For the GRAND OPENING of my new little shop I would like to announce my first GIVEAWAY!

Yep, you heard me right!!

To enter the giveaway all you have to do is 2 simple steps

1. follow my blog (nicandmeag.blogspot.com)

2. comment on this post with your name, email address, and what pair of earrings you would LOVE to have from my shop

EASY PEEESY!!

The giveaway opens TODAY (Wednesday, August 10th) and closes MONDAY AUGUST 15th at 5!

The winner will be chosen based on a random generator and announced that evening. 

I couldn't be more excited about this new change! I mean who doesn't like a crazy life right?! :)
Let the GIVEAWAY BEGIN!!

Overly Ambitious

Is there such a thing as overly ambitious?

If so,

I am.

My BUCKET LIST is about a MILE long

-travel the world

-witness a miracle

-complete my personal progress

-make a difference in my student's lives

-Volunteer teaching ENGLISH in Africa

-Ride in a HOT AIR BALLOON

To name a few…

My GoALS are never completed

As soon as I check one off my already long list

I add another

-Finish my Bachelor’s Degree

-Be a mommy

-Get my Masters

-Learn a foreign language

-practice the Piano every day

-open an etsy shop

-Quit my HABIT

-Learn to Knit/Sew

Not to mention my daily TO DO LIST

-school

-laundry

-work

-run

-grocery shop

-snuggle with Nic

-etc….

And with each day I fall short

Because sometimes, I’m just not sure there are enough hours in a day

But even if each day, I check just one thing off my list

It's one more thing I have done than the day before

and I'm happy :)