CELEBRATE September

September has always been one of my favorite months {birthday month, duh!}. It just seems like there is so much to celebrate: Labor Day, LOTS of birthdays {a few I've already mentioned here, here, here and here}, the first signs of cooler weather...and lots of other things I can't think of right now.

And here are a few more fun things to add to the list of September celebrations...

Baby Scarlett's Birth 

Precious Baby Scarlett arrived 12 days early.  She is A-DORable...and perfectly healthy with chubby little cheeks and a full head of hair! She and her sweet mom are doing well. 

Scarlett Josephine

Born to Christine and Jon

7 lbs., 9 oz. and 20.25" long

First Family Photo

My mom said my eyes were "glowing" in this pic...
I wonder if she's subtly hinting at something.

Congratulations Christine & Jon...I adore your little family!

Neices' Birthdays

Miss Mackenzie turned 11 on  September 19...

And this lil' diva {Miss Maddyx} turned nine on September 28.

Happy Birthday, Girls...we love you so much!

Genius Baby

My 9.5-month-old nephew can already write his name. Impressive, huh? This may have been my favorite birthday card this year...or ever.

Texas State Fair

I haven't been to the fair yet this year, so perhaps this should be an October celebration...but since the State Fair begins in September, I'm going to throw it in with this month. Plus, I got to wear jeans to work last Friday to celebrate the first day of the fair, which is worthy of celebration itself! And I can't wait to stuff my face with a funnel cake!

What do you celebrate in September?

Leslie Loves...{1.20}

Happy Fall Y'all!

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the start of a new season than with a new handbag. A new handbag is a fabulous way to celebrate pretty much anything. Or not celebrate...a new handbag can definitely make you feel better on a bad day. Whatever the situation may be, pretty sure a new handbag is the solution...at least that's the case in my little world! Sooo...after doing a little research {more like A LOT of browsing}, I've got some fabulous fall bags to share with you for this edition of "Leslie Loves..."

If I'm being totally honest, this would be my ideal fall bag. Pretty sure my bank account {and my husband} is {are} glad that it is sold out.  Isn't it beautiful though?

I'll get over it in time. Maybe. In the meantime, I've rounded up a few {more affordable} bags that I love....

1. Tory Burch Fringe Tote {available in 3 colors}
2. Big Buddha Alexandria Tassel Hobo Bag {also available in black}
3. Patricia Nash Benvenuto Leather Tote {available in 4 colors without map print here and here}
4. Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Medium {available in 9 colors here and here}
5. Coach Madison Small Phoebe Shoulder Bag{available in 7 colors}
6. GiGi New York Uber Clutch {available in 9 colors}
7. Calvin Klein Saffiano Tote
8. Kate Landry Leopard Print Color-blocked Tote
9. Ralph Lauren Aiden Tote {available in 4 colors}
10. Fossil Sydney Shopper {available in 7 colors here}
11. Fossil Sydney Satchel {available in 7 colors here}
12. Kate Landry Bucket Hobo Bag {available in 7 colors here}
13. Vince Camuto Riley Tote {available in 5 colors here and here}

What will you be carrying this fall?

Linking up with Amanda {Meet at the Barre} for "Friday Favorites," Andrea {Momfessionals} for "Friday Favorites," and Karli {September Farm} for "Oh, Hey Friday!" Thanks for hosting, ladies!

High Five for Friday!

TGIF! I'm just gonna jump right in and share five things going on in my world...

One: Anniversary Photo Shoot

Our fabulous wedding photographers, McGowan Images, held a "Know Your McG" contest with the launch of their awesome new website...and WE WON a free mini session! Here's a sneak peek from our {just a little bit early} anniversary photo shoot...

My brother saw this pic on Facebook and commented, "I didn't know you could climb trees Leslie Lukens Martin...I am impressed." Well, in all honesty, I didn't know I could climb trees either...nice little activity to attempt at the young age of 33, especially while wearing a sequin skirt and cowboy boots! BUT...this photo...TOTALLY.WORTH.IT!

Thank you, Chelsea & Mack, for capturing A-MAZing photos to celebrate our first year of marriage! I'll share more pics from this session soon...after our Christmas cards are mailed!  

Two: George Strait Live from AT&T Stadium

This was available on iTunes as of yesterday:

So what if I already own all of these songs...I NEED the live version {with guests} too. I also NEED a DVD of the entire show...when is that going to be available?!!?

Three: Blog Love

• Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting, by Six Sisters' Stuff. I'm going to attempt these delicious-looking little treats this weekend. I really am...planning on it.



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Four: Eric Church

I had no idea how many people I know in Omaha, Nebraska...but my Instagram and Facebook feeds were FULL of Church-goers last night in Omaha. Not gonna lie...I think I turned GREEN with envy seeing all the F.U.N. pics!

Katie's {from Yellow Mango Life} IG post...
How great were her seats?!!?

Five: Blogging Milestone

This past Monday I hit the publish button for my 100th blogpost! I didn't even realize it at the time. Anyway, I LOVE this whole blogging gig...the people I've "met," the comments I receive...it makes it all so worthwhile! Thanks for reading!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Today I'm linking up with "Oh, Hey Friday!" {hosted by The Farmer's Wife and September FARM}, "High Five for Friday" {hosted by Lauren Elizabeth}, and "Friday Favorites" {hosted by All the Joys}. Thanks, ladies, for hosting!

 

Celebrating 85

Today marks the 85th birthday of an incredibly special lady, my grandma. She's truly one-of-a-kind. Loving, generous, patient, strong, determined, kind, selfless...just a few of her countless characteristics. I'm so blessed to have such a close relationship with this remarkable woman. 

Since her birthday falls on a "Throwback Thursday," it seems appropriate for me to take you on a little stroll down memory lane...

September 1981

March 1982

Five Generations, June 1982

March 1983

September 1984

1988

Grandma chaperoning a school field trip with
Dawn Walters, me, Dacy (Larson) Woods, 1991

Girl Scout trip, 1992
Mom, Dacy, me, Grandma, Terri (Furman) Miner

1999

Thanksgiving & Christmas 2006

Summer 2007

My grandparents' 60th anniversary, October 2008

September 2010

January 2011

Thanksgiving 2011

November 2013

Grandma & Granddad with all of their grandkids and great-grandkids, Christmas 2013

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I love you so much!

Currently

Celebrating: Kiley's birthday! Happy Happy Happy Birthday to my older sister! Here's to making the last year of your thirties the best one yet! 

Working on: decorating for fall. Although we lived in our house last fall, I was so preoccupied with wedding planning and everything wedding-related that I didn't really do much in the way of fall-themed decor. I'm making up for it this year.

Listening to: "Perfect Storm," by Brad Paisley {listen here}...it's been a while since I've loved a Brad Paisley song, but I think this one might change that!

Anticipating: the Season 3 premier of "Nashville"...one week from today!

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Smelling: the fabulous fall scent of my newest candle, Sweater Weather, from Bath & Body Works. LOVE it! 

Wishing: I was eligible for a phone upgrade. Guess I'll be waiting until June to own the iPhone 6 because I refuse to pay $550 to get it now. I keep telling myself I've never been an early adopter anyway...but that doesn't seem to be helping!

Wanting: the iPhone 6...duh!

Thanking: my A-MAZing family and friends for making my 33rd birthday perfect! 

Planning: my picks for the office college football pick 'em pool.  As the husband says, "this pool is legit." It's against the spread...AND I have to assign confidence points to each game. 

I won the first week. 

Performed decent the second week...at least well enough to maintain the overall lead.
Last week was a disaster. I tumbled to 7th place.
BUT...I do have documentation to prove my brief reign at the top:

"Rock Chalk" is such a great name for a football pool, right?
Hey...just proving my loyalty to the crimson & blue!

And now I must get back to planning my strategy to claw my way back to first place!

Leslie Loves...{1.19}

It's been awhile since I've had a "Leslie Loves..." post, but I've got some fabulous "loves" to share with you today. Let's just get right to it...

TOMS Desert Wedge High Booties

I fell in love with these fabulous little booties when I saw them on the back cover of the TOMS catalog way back in July. The following text conversation ensued:

Fast forward to last Friday when I sent Kelli a pic showing her that Ryan had gotten me these fabulous booties for my birthday. Her response: "OMG! Those are so stinkin' cute! Ordering TODAY...maybe more than 1 pair."

It may have been brought to my attention in the past that Landon MIGHT consider my shopping habits and this lil' bloggety-blog to be bad influences...so I will go ahead and publicly apologize to my brother for the {possibly multiple} super-cute, very-practical, dressy-or-casual, amazingly-comfortable booties that the UPS man will be delivering to his house.  Actually...he should be THANKING me for finding these fabulously stylish booties that are less than $100...and support a good cause!  {You're welcome, little bro...always happy to help. I love you!}

Since I've only had the TOMS Desert Wedge High Booties for a few days, I don't have any good pics of me wearing them...so I'll share with you the pics from the TOMS catalog that initially caught my attention.

If you're looking for a versatile booty for fall, these are your answer! Pair them with skinny jeans or leggings, boyfriend jeans, bootcut jeans or even dresses/skirts...they go with everything!

And while we're on the subject of shoes...remember these fabulous sandals I raved about back in May? 

Well, they're now 25% off here. Let me just make a suggestion: BUY.THESE.SHOES.NOW! Imagine how excited you'll be next spring when you have the cutest, most comfortable shoes on the planet...AND you got them at a great price!

Too Faced 'The Return of Sexy' Eye Shadow Palette

I know everyone is obsessed with Urban Decay's Naked/Naked2/Naked3 eye shadow palettes, but I happen to think Too Faced's 'The Return of Sexy' Eye Shadow Palette is better...because it's got more COLOR! Oh, and it also comes with a small tube of eye shadow primer and full-size black eyeliner with a smudging tool on the opposite end.

The palette is divided into three sections: "The Ingenue" {warm neutrals}, "The Icon" {cool purples}, and "The Bombshell" {smokey grays}.

The very best part of this palette? It comes with instructions! I'm terrible when it comes to eye makeup, so any guidance is a BIG selling point for me. The instruction cards show how to use each section to create a day look and a night look.

The Return of Sexy palette is available at Sephora and Ulta for $49, but I found it here for $42 with free shipping! You're welcome.

Bath and Body Works Candles

I've already discussed my LOVE of B&BW candles here, but my obsession with these delicious, room-filling scents warrants more than one mention. PLUS...they're currently on sale {2 for $22}, and I don't want you to miss out! Time to stock up on fall scents...

A few scents that will be filling our home this fall.

What products are YOU loving that I need to try?

Birthday Weekend Recap

It was a weekend full of birthday celebrations. Thus, a photo dump to recap the F.U.N...

Special delivery of delicious cake balls to my office on Friday. My family spoils me rotten by sending a cake to work every year for my birthday. My co-workers LOVE my birthday! 

I've been looking for Skinnygirl Prosecco for months. Ryan found it {or had it shipped from New York} for my birthday! Nice work, husband!

Saturday afternoon was Lil' Midget Max's Bubble Guppy birthday party.

I even got in the bounce house...

On Saturday night, Ryan and I went to dinner at the restaurant where we first met. 

A cupcake for breakfast {from Max's party} and a few presents on Sunday morning...

A fabulous weekend spent celebrating another year of life. Here's to making this next year the best one yet!