Category: Family

Stepping into 2026!

 

Happy LOVE WEEK everyone!  Well, we have a lot to catch up on and I cannot believe we are already in the 2nd month of 2026!  Fall ended and then the holiday season just seemed like one big blur.  So, let’s catch up shall we?  Connor ended his football season last year, and it sure is fun to watch him play.  Unfortunately, most of you know that he broke his kneecap and was unable to play the majority of the season.  He’s working on strength building now and getting back into shape after his injury.  One thing he did ask me for was a good pair of insoles for his shoes and football cleats.  We ordered him those and are hoping they will literally help him get back on his feet!  They are the performance insoles, and feature an odor control top fabric that helps control heat, friction, and perspiration. (If you are a football Mama you know this is important!). The cushioning layer is made up of energy activating ShockAbsorb Premium Foam, great for all athletes alike!

With Valentines day this week I also wanted to share some of my favorite finds!!!

My headband is from Brianna Cannon.  As always, you know you can use my code 10BECKY for 10% off anything on the Brianna Cannon website.

This mock neck top from Abercrombie is on my wish list too!

This cutie little cup from Igloo is giving all the Valentines Day vibes!

You all know how much I LOVE Allie and Bess- and their new HEARTS COLLECTION is everything!  I own a lot of these pieces and they are so well made and hold up well.  If you are looking for a Valentines day gift- this is it!  My code is usually “BECKY” or “BECKY20”.

This Lisa Frank Pillow Case is giving me all the nostalgia and if you grew up in the 90’s like me then I know you had a Lisa Frank sticker collection. 🙂

My 6 year old daughter saw this and loved it!  She’s really getting into little purses and bags at this age.  This one had confetti inside of it and was so fun.  Here’s the LINK.

This little gummy bear lounge set is so cute and soft.  It’s from a brand called PixieLane.  You can save 20% by using this LINK and my code: JAVAMAMA.  This brand has the cutest clothes for tweens and little girls.

Okay- this is going to be a 2025 Christmas photo dump, but here we go!  Better late than never!

Christmas church service.

Santa Claus and school.

Christmas on the farm in Arkansas and we found the cutest newborn kittens outside!

Mom and Dad’s 47th wedding anniversary dinner.

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Christmas season with friends and a Happy NYE!!!

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I ended the year with a really bad car accident.  It was terrible.  I hit a tree on the way to work.  Don’t EVER bend over on your floorboards to pick something up!!!!  It took all of 5 seconds and I hit a curb. My car is gone and I’m in a rental now.  The good thing is that Heidi was not with me because I had just dropped her off at school and no other cars were involved thank you LORD!   I’m okay…here we are a couple months later and I’m happy to be alive.  Just waiting on this darn rib to heal and feel better.

It’s all going to look up….

We love you all and wish you the happiest 2026!

Holiday Gift Guide 2025

It’s TIIIIIIIME!!!!  It’s December 1st y’all, so if you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet let me chime in and show you a few things I love, as well as some fun things we have been doing this time of year.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  This is my absolute favorite time of year and I’m so excited it’s finally HERE.  Okay, so let’s get started and I’ll share with you some fun & unique ideas for your Christmas peeps and all around who’s of Whoville, because we ain’t Grinches around here!

  1. These butterfly stud earrings are so sparkly and beautiful.  Every piece of jewelry I have from Aurate has been superior quality.  These are made with a 100% sterling silver base and plated in a thick layer of gold measuring at least 2.5 micron.  Aurate does NOT use brass gold plating.  The gemstones are the highest quality, precious and semi-precious gemstones.

The perfect sparkle and it comes in silver or gold & a ring option as well 🙂

Just to put us in the mood….look at this hallway of ornaments.  If I could just book that trip to London to visit it.

2.  These earrings are so cute!!!  Santa’s workshop!!!

3.  Love this Sleigh Sweatshirt from Brianna Cannon.  It came home with me 🙂  DON’T FORGET TO USE MY DISCOUNT CODE FOR ALL BRIANNACANNON.COM – 10BECKY

4.  Does anyone else randomly pass people’s porches and take photos?  No, just me?  I saw this porch and LOVED the topiaries.  They are from HERE.

5.  Allie & Bess is another one of my favorite accessory shops.  They are still having their black Friday sales and you have to go check it out HERE.

6.  BlackRock Coffee bar is my fave!!!!  They have all their festive drinks out – go get festive and don’t forget to whip it.

7.  This TOTE is also on my wish list.  I love Radley and they have the most beautiful and functional handbags.

8. These Dolce Vita flats are another item; I just love the stud detail.

I’ll just throw this in here…but I made a HOMEMADE chicken pot pie from scratch for Thanksgiving and was so proud of it.  Crust, fresh herbs, and all!!!

Heidi and I went to the Colleyville tree lighting.  We saw real reindeer and everything.  The kids choirs sang, we decorated cookies, saw Santa, and more!

Our Happy Thanksgiving photo lololol!

9.  This tartan tote is EVERYTHING!!! I have always been obsessed with tartan, but apparently this year “Ralph Lauren Christmas” is a thing.

10.  I love this little bookstore from World Market and it lights up.  If you know me well, you know I love a good book!

11.  Speaking of books- this tumbler from Rifle Paper is so cute too!

13.  I got these Christmas coffee jammies for Heidi and they were only $10!!!  She loves them and they are so soft.

 

14.  My favorite lip gloss.  It’s all natural and a beautiful shade.  It doesn’t taste weird and keeps your lips looking good all winter.  Code: THEJAVAMAMA for a discount!!!

15.  This little light up book house from Target is so cute and only $5!!!

16.  If you don’t have a CampSnap camera they make a wonderful gift.  They are digital cameras that take vintage looking photos.  I’ve been using mine for over a year now and love it.  They are so easy to take with you everywhere and when you get home you can upload your photos and see how they look, just like the good old days!

17.  Riley and Rett has the cutest clothing for kids and Christmas jammies.  Use my code: BECKY10 for a discount here too 🙂  Heidi’s sweater is from here.

18.  My twin sister and I started a sweatshirt/t-shirt shop and you can check it out HERE.  We have a lot of fun holiday items in there right now.

19.  These are THE BEST JEANS!!!!  So comfy and you won’t regret it.  I was on the fence with the whole “horseshoe” jeans trend, but these changed my mind.

20.  I love the shape and structure of this bag.  It’s the perfect size and looks so chic.

 

 

 

Fall Fun & Things…

This post is going to be completely out of order- but I wanted to post some photos of our fall outings in 2025.

Here is Heidi at Pumpkin Nights in Arlington.

Heidi got her first Labubu

I won a gift card and we had fun shopping at the Galleria Dallas 🙂

Obsessed with this Confetti Frame we saw at Christmas in Cowtown

We had fun carving a pumpkin!

Heidi was “Heidi” for her First Grade book character parade on Halloween.

Photos from the pumpkin patch

Connor broke his knee right before school started so he was out of football all season.  Thankfully he is healing and doing a lot better!!!

I dressed up at Mariah Carey Christmas for Halloween lolololol.

 

School photos- 2025

Seems like yesterday!!!

My Bestie, Ellen, came to DFW to visit and go to Christmas in Cowtown.  We had a blast that weekend!!!

One last hoorah before school started at Gaylord Texan resort.

Fun at Christmas in Cowtown

Picking up our winnings at Galleria Dallas!!!

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Love this checkered blanket from Target

Homecoming parade 2025

 

We are gearing up for Christmas season!!! Don’t forget to go follow on INSTAGRAM– THAT’S WHERE I’M AT MOSTLY THESE DAYS!!!

Fall Fun Finds & Luxury Bedding

Hey Ya’ll & happy FALL!!!  Let’s catch up a little bit shall we?  So we’ve had a lot going on and I still need to blog about our Disney Cruise, hopefully I’ll get to it soon…I took 1,000 photos…so I’m afraid to look ha!  My favorite time of year is here, the “ber” months.  I’m patiently waiting for the weather here in Texas to drop below 85 degrees.  Speaking of hot, or hot flashes (because yes I’m in that time of life!!!  We got some amazing new bedding from Crown Goose.  Our exact duvet cover and pillow cases can be found HERE.  I can definitely tell they are high quality & have a cooling effect. This duvet is super lightweight, washes well, with high quality sewing and backstitching.

Terence & I have always preferred a clean white look in the bedroom & we accessorize with euro shams or blankets.  Because it is so hot here in Texas, the quality of this betting is breathable, especially during warmer months.  There are 16 loops on the duvet to keep it in place & it won’t be shifting around when you pull on the covers.  We are so happy with this product and I wanted to sleep with it for a couple of weeks to give my honest thoughts.  It’s 100% cotton, and I love that, because it’s clean, durable, and will last a long while.

I took the kids to the pumpkin patch last week.  We had a great time and got a yummy funnel cake, walked the corn maze, and got our annual pumpkin photo.

Heidi loved this giant squishy coffee lol.

Homecoming parade 2025

Pumpkin spice day at school 🙂

Dress like “fall” day at work.  My sweatshirt is from Brianna Cannon and I love it!

I have been busy with some fall photoshoots & getting ready for the holiday season!  If you would like to book photos this season visit my website HERE.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. xoxo Becky

The Best Toothpaste for Kids: Zebra Toothpaste Review

 

A lot of you know that my family is pretty “crunchy“.

(Someone had to explain to me what that meant at one point in my life)

If being “crunchy” is wrong, then I don’t want to be right!  Ha!

Several years ago our family started to make little changes in our home, diet, and every day living habits.  My husband actually just put four snake plants in our home because the are good for air quality -as they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.  (I like that they only need to be watered once a month too!).  Living in a major city like DFW, Texas will make you think about things like air quality.  You see, once you start to research products and educate yourself on what is actually IN them it’s shocking!!!

So, from house cleaners, shampoos, soaps, deodorants, toothpaste, and even switching all our plastic containers to glass ones….it’s been a process.  A process I am grateful we started and I don’t ever see our family going back to the toxic way of living we did once upon a time.  Most people have an “eye opening” experience on why they start to live like this.  For our family it was a bad reaction my son had to a vaccine as a child & that lead us to research what we were actually placing in our kitchen cabinets.  Living a natural and wholistic lifestyle isn’t easy and it’s hard to find TRUE clean products in the grocery isle.  Is it worth it to take a few extra steps to make sure I give my family the best I can?  HECK YES.  Are we perfect 100% of the time.  HECK NO.

We are thankful for the companies that are out there fighting for the best of the best to keep our families safe and healthy!!!

ENTER ZEBRA.  The only toothpaste you’ll ever need.

As a mom, I’ve spent countless hours reading labels, worrying about what my kids put in their mouths every day. Toothpaste, deodorant, even lip gloss, it all matters. I have been on the hunt for products that are safe, effective, and free from unnecessary chemicals, but for a long time, that felt impossible.

The Hidden Risks in Everyday Toothpaste

I worked in a dental office for over five years.  Many products marketed as “safe” or “natural” still contain ingredients that can be harmful over time. Take SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and other foaming agents—they may make toothpaste feel satisfying, but they can irritate gums, strip enamel, and trigger sensitivities. Even “natural” colors and flavors aren’t always safe, as they are typically petroleum derived and full of chemicals. It’s easy to overlook these tiny risks, but the truth is that these synthetic ingredients can cause harm, even in trace amounts. Over time, this exposure can impact overall health. I wanted to eliminate as many of these hidden risks as possible for myself and my family.

Why Sourcing and Transparency Matter

  • Every ingredient is carefully chosen and tested for safety.
  • Heavy metals are held to a strict standard of .001 PPM per serving, far below industry norms. To put it in perspective, that’s the same level you’d naturally find in many fruits and vegetables.
  • I know exactly what’s going into my kids’ mouths and onto their skin, no hidden surprises, no false promises.

The Real Benefits of Switching

Since switching to ZEBRA, I have peace of mind. What’s going into my kid’s bodies is the best I can provide for them.

A Tip for Other Moms

If you’re looking for safer, more transparent products, here’s what I recommend:

  1. Read labels carefully—avoid foaming agents, SLS, artificial colors, and flavors.
  2. Look for brands that test rigorously -and share their sourcing information.
  3. Think beyond marketing claims—ingredients like hydroxyapatite may sound good, but not all forms are safe or effective.

Switching to ZEBRA isn’t just about cleaner products, it’s about protecting my family’s health every single day.

 

Happy Summer 2025

Well, we have had a lot going on this summer & now all of a sudden school is about to start again!  Connor started football practice and Heidi has meet the teacher next week.  In between shuffling kids to extracurricular activities and my part time photography bookings I am pooped!  I’m still working at the bank, and I love it!  I say all the time that I’m ready to retire, but I guess that’s too soon at 44 huh?  I’ve been in banking and finance for over 20 years now, that seems crazy!  Time sure does go fast when you are living through it.  The one thing I will say is it’s SO important to take care of your finances and have your affairs in order, such as savings accounts, life insurance, and more!  As much as that’s a sensitive topic to talk about, it’s something I deal with every day with my customers. Connor will be starting college soon, and we try to live a debt free lifestyle.  Hopefully by the time he’s in college our home will be paid for, but it’s always good to set goals- even if sometimes life events happen, and things don’t go as planned.  Sometimes they DO!

One goal we had for this year is to remodel our “circa 1985” bathrooms….TBC….

We have had a summer full of birthdays.  Our Heidi turned 6 and had a wonderful party with friends.


My twin sister and I started a T-Shirt shop and here are a couple of the fun designs we made for fall:

You can shop HERE to support us 🙂

Love these back to school hungry caterpillar earrings from Bohemian Gemme.  Use my code: BECKY15 to get a discount!!!

And lets not forget the new gameday line from Brianna Cannon!!! Just look at all these cute earrings and there is so much more.  Not to mention the summer sale going on right now where you an get up to 60% off!!! CODE: 10BECKY for discount!!!!

I started a #bookstagram account and I’m loving sharing and finding new books.  You can find me HERE if you need a book bestie 🙂 Shirt is from Poppy & Pine.

Summer shenanigans.  The kids still love the pool!

Our Connor James was baptized, and we couldn’t be prouder of him and his devotion to Christ.  We love you SON-shine!!!!

Colleyville, TX has the BEST July show and we had a great time watching the fireworks and listening to country music with friends.

I turned 44.  YIKES!!!  I started this blog at 25.  Whaaaaaat?

The kiddos had a wonderful visit with my family in Arkansas.  I have a whole bunch of photos, but here are a few.

If you are a book lover like me you MUST get this night light.  It projects books, coffee, and fall leaves on the wall and it’s just magical.  You can also find it HERE.

Connor had a fun youth group trip for a week in New Mexico 🙂

Terence’s 44th birthday too!  We love you so much Ter-Bear!!!!

pumpkin topiary

Eyeing this for fall.  It’s giving McKenzie Childs vibes, but it’s only $12.99!

Up Next…. I’m going to share our recent vacation on the Disney Treasure Cruise Ship!!!  OMG it was the best time ever.  TRULY….I’ll see you soon 🙂

Recent Finds & Faves 2025

I’ll be turning 44 next month.  Someone hold me….I’m getting OLD!!!  Things are starting to crease and crack, but I’m so thankful for another year around the sun.  I plan on going home to Arkansas again for my birthday because my twin sister and I always love to be together.

So let’s catch up shall we?  Here are some things I’ve been loving for summer season & I’d love to share with you!

  • Speaking of aging I wanted to share some skin tightening cream I’ve been using lately that I love!  It goes on purple/blue, but fear not it doesn’t stay that way lol!  It’s working it’s magical powers and I’m realy loving how it makes my skin feel.  So soft and super moisturized, which is the key to age prevention ladies!  I used to not put anything on my face in my younger years and now I wish I would have started sooner.  I’ve never had any botox or anything like that, but good skin care is KEY!!!

  • This necklace came out a couple of weeks ago and I LOVED how colorful the heart charm was.  I had to get it, I’m super into stacking necklaces right now and Allie + Bess is one of my favorite places to shop.

  • I was shooting some bluebonnet photos and drove past this house.  I’m obsessed with wisteria.  LIKE OBSESSED.  So I pulled over like a crazy lady to snap a pic- and now this house will forever live in my mind. 🙂

  • My sweet Heidi girl enjoying her best 5 year old life.  She lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago and got a visit from the tooth fairy.  This age is so much FUN!

  • We are going on a Disney Cruise this summer, so I got my sister and I one of these Brixley Bags.  Y’all…..they are amazing and for the price!!!! I highly recommend.  The pockets and the divider in the middle make it key for travel or every day wear.  OBSESSED.

 

  • Current favorite phone case is from a company called “Blanc Space”.  I love a good ditsy floral and am saving up for this one!

  • Because everyone else is doing it…I had to do a ChatGTP Barbie.  What do you think?  Does it look like me?

  • Heidi’s first lost tooth 🙂

  • I photographed this beautiful baby shower a couple of weeks ago and it was stunning!  You all can check out my photography work HERE!!!

  • Our 2025 Bluebonnet pictures.  It’s a Texas tradition.

Oh how time flies!

Our family went on a little boat ride down the Trinity River in Fort Worth and it was so much fun.  We didn’t catch any fish, but it was the perfect day and we made some wonderful memories and saw lots of turtles.

  • We enjoyed a visit from Aunt Bonnnie, Jarrett, and Ella for the weekend and we had so much fun shopping and the boys went to a conference at church.

  • This book Javasok is giving me LIFE!!! If you are an avid reader like me, these next two finds are for you.

  • Heidi had Texas western dress up day at school and a performance.  It was so cute and she looked adorable!

  • Valentines Kindergarten party

  • Heidi also started gymnastics and has been doing so well.

  • We took a trip to build a bear.  We’ve been doing this every year and put a special message inside each one.  This year she chose a cat scented like strawberries.

  • The 100th day of school!  I love this day!  All the Kindergartners dress up like old people and have a parade.  It’s so cute.
  • Below is Connor’s 100th day of school from almost 10 years ago.

  • Some photos of me and my best buddy out and about.  Connor is in his teenage era and no longer wants to hang out as much….waaahhhhh!!!! But, I get that! I did the same thing at his age.

  • Speaking of my dear Connor, he turned 15 in March.  He’s on his way to getting his permit to drive, so watch out world & DFW freeways lol!  We love you sonshine.

  • This necklace is my FAVORITE thing!  It’s a new Brianna Cannon piece and I just love it.  Don’t forget to use my Brianna Cannon Coupon Code: 10BECKY

 

 

 

Anyway, hope you all are having a great start to summer – until next time xoxo – Becky