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Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope your weekend has been restful, fun, and/or relaxing! We've had plenty of rain and the circulation pump is broken at our neighborhood pool, so we're suffering a bit of cabin fever! I just double checked to make sure all of my Google Reader blogs have transferred to Bloglovin'! Have you done that, yet? Today's the last day Google Reader will be available, so make sure you move your favorite reads!

Have you followed ALBoT on Bloglovin', yet? If not, all you have to do is click the icon below and hit "follow" at the top! Thanks so much and see y'all tomorrow!

Hawaiian BBQ Pizza

I don't know about y'all (oh dear... the South has gotten to me), but I really love a fast, easy meal for Friday or Saturday nights. Who am I kidding? I love a fast, easy meal ANY night. But, for some reason, it seems more important to me that I'm not slaving in the kitchen on the weekends and that the outcome makes us feel like we got to go out, even if the budget didn't allow. I came up with this quick Hawaiian BBQ pizza from leftovers we had from the week.

 Thankfully, my experiment was a hit among the whole family! Sadie scoffed at first, as several four-year-olds do when faced with a new food. After I convinced her to take four bites (our rule has always been to take as many bites as you are years old), she dug into two whole slices. Norah loved the little bits and pieces I cut up for her to feed herself, and Clarke really just loves everything I cook, as long as it's not the Green Mush of 2006 (a failed attempt at bell pepper and turkey meatloaf). Good man, though. He ate it. It was disgusting.

I'd just made pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, two nights before, from a pork loin. Crock pot, pork loin, BBQ sauce, pineapple juice. Voila. We had a ton of leftover meat, so I decided to try and make a BBQ pizza. The elements just came together when I opened the refrigerator and saw what needed using up.

Hawaiian BBQ Pizza 

- 1 pillsbury whole wheat pizza dough (or make your own)

- 1/2 cup original BBQ sauce

- 1 cup pulled pork BBQ

- 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits

-1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 

- feta and/or gorgonzola to taste (I used both)

Just bake your pizza dough about halfway, add your sauce and toppings, and bake until cheese is melted and crust is golden. Let cool about five minutes, slice and serve up! We had ours alongside some roasted parmesan and garlic green beans. 

Let me know if you try this one and if your family likes it!

A Short Affair: Fashion & Faith Link-Up

... and by affair, I mean a loathe affair. Shorts and I don't get along. I have nubby little German legs (Don't kick me if you're German and have great legs. Let's be real... if you're German, tall, skinny, and tan, you're atypical.), sun damage on my knees that people constantly mistake for bruises, oh and... I love the body that I have, because God gave it to me. So, today, I decided to go against the grain of my 29 years of thinking and I wore shorts. I'm really just giving myself props for wearing something other than yoga pants and a ribbed tank to Norah's doctor's appointment.
Oh, and here's a peek into our living room since, well, it's dark outside.

 I'm a walking ad for Old Navy...

top: Old Navy

shorts: Old Navy (on sale for $10 until July 3)

shoes: Lower East Side

belt: New York & Company

 I'm not really a huge fan of this top. It makes me feel like I threw one of those highway cleanup bags over myself. It's enormous! The belt was meant to reign in the flow a little, but I think it'll need to be taken in for me to be happy. What other colors would you pair with these wild ikat shorts?

I'm linking up with Ruby Girl for Fashion & Faith Thursday! I'm so honored to have been asked to participate and look forward to posting outfit photos on Thursdays, at the least! Go Christian style bloggers! I use "style" loosely these days. Looking forward to the link-up and meeting some awesome new friends.

So, help me out, y'all! I need some other ways to pair these shorts. I'm such a shorts novice and these were too good to leave behind for $10. Maybe you could polyvore them for me and leave a link in the comments?

Don't forget to click that little Bloglovin' icon on the top of the right sidebar & follow! You won't get updates via Google after June 30!

Soft

I bought this dress for vacation because I thought it'd be a super easy thing to throw on with a belt, scarf, or just over my swimsuit. Best. Purchase. EVER. I wear it like three times a week. Can't go wrong with a LBD, right? And by LBD, I totally mean the very softest, most thin cotton of all time. Say, "Hello," to my new best friend (no longer available in black jack). 

 dress: Old Navy, scarf: c/o Happy Scarf, sandals: bridesmaid gift

 I also got about 6 inches chopped off of my hair last week. It wasn't supposed to go that way, but the lady who cut my hair first did a horrendous hack job on it. I asked for a trim with lots of layers and got a mullet. I'm not joking. It was the length you see now, but only in the front, and behind my ears, it was about 4 inches longer. The manager had to fix me up and I ended up with much shorter hair than I'd intended, but it's growing on me... and it gives me a reason to style it.

Have you ever had a terrible hair cut that you've had to get fixed?

Happy First Birthday, Norah!

I can hardly believe that the little Beaners is one year old, today. Last year, on June 17, which was Father's Day, I went into labor... three weeks early. This year, my baby girl is happy, beautiful, bright-eyed, pink-cheeked, sweet, smart, and into everything. She's our anti-sleeping angel and we love her so much. Happy first birthday, Norah Bean!

  

In the mood to reminisce? Here's Little Bean's birth story.

Vacation Necessities

We're up in the mountains of western North Carolina, enjoying a vacation with my dad's side of the family. I did a little shopping (sale items, only!) to prepare for some super comfortable things to wear while I'm lounging around a pool with the fam! Here are my favorites.

 1. Women's Slub Knit Jersey Dolman Dress

2. Women's Jersey Tube Dress

3 & 4. Women's Jersey Tank Dress

5. Women's Twisted Bandeau Control Max Swimsuit

6. Women's Active by Old Navy Mesh Shorts

I already love, love, love my swimsuit. Some of my dear friends bought it for me, because it wasn't in the budget after I got new suits for the rest of the family. I cried for an hour- it was so sweet! And it fits great and makes me feel so good. PLUS! The jersey tank dresses are awesome and I can't wait to wear my navy and white striped one with the girls' matching ones. Yes, I'm that mom. I'll be sure to snap a photo so you can see us in all of our matching cuteness. I hope everyone's having a good start to their week!

What do you have to have with you on vacation?

Sunday Smiles

If this doesn't make you smile, you need to go pet a puppy and get an ice cream cone, stat.

A Week in the Life

1. Norah and I after eating some delish Mexican food

2. Sadie trying on an outfit from Aunt Jenny

3. Norah at the pool

4. Sadie being brave and trying out the below freezing (ie: 74 degrees) water

5. Girls snuggling in the Harris Teeter cart

6. Beanie's signature goof face

7. My dress girl (more on that, later)

8. Sadie and I with our Hello Kitty tattoos

9. Blonde, again!

Impromptu

I posted this picture on facebook on Sunday...

which prompted a friend to ask me for a full-dress photo. Thus was born an impromptu, quick outfit of the day photo in front of my husband's work place, con iPhone. Excuse my lack of posage. I really just wanted my friend to see the print on my dress. My underarm chunk could really have used some camo, but you win some, you lose some. I'm just shocked that I showered before church.

dress: can't remember brand right now- got it at Ross (like it? I love it...)

shoes: fergilicious

sunnies: New York & Company

We're going on a week-long vacation from Saturday to Saturday. Then, when we return, Beans is gonna be ONE! She turns one on the 17th and I can't believe it. Our year has flown by and my wittle bebe is gonna get big and be a toddler. SAY WHAT? So, I'll take lots of pictures while we're away so I have something to share when we get back. I'm scheduling some posts for y'all to read while I'm away! Well, I'm scheduling some photo updates, anyway.