Happy FRIDAY! Today, I am linking up with Narci, Andrea and Erika for this week's edition of Friday Favorites!!

This week I went to Austin, for a little retail therapy with the Momma! It has been a rough couple of weeks between work, back pain and some little hiccups in the road.

I stopped into Banana Republic and I found some great traditional SPRING pieces. Here in TX it is cooler in the AM and then it warms up! These little sweaters are the perfect weight and I have bought them season after season. This year I got pink.

Here I am wearing it in green last year!

The green will be perfect for St. Patricks' Day coming up soon!
The SPRING Stella and Dot line launched this week. I love all the bright colors and textures they used with this collection. Hello corals, blues, greens and all things tropical. This collection makes me want to grab a drink and go to the beach!



Today we are throwing a baby shower for a couple in our small group! I am off to make some taco meat and chicken and some yummy enchilada dip!!

Welcome to Laundry Talk Tuesday...SPRING BREAK is fast approaching for some of us and before long it will be summer. It is so important to use sunscreen while out in the sun whether on the beach, in the pool or just outside playing.

If you have plans to hit the slopes this Spring Break be sure you are wearing sunscreen as well. It is amazing how the reflection of the sun on the snow will have you sunburned in no time.



However, what can we do when we get those dreaded sunscreen stains on our clothes?!?!

Many sunscreens have a chemical known as avobenzone. It is an ingredient that eliminates the harmful effects of exposure to long term UVA rays.

Yes, it is an important ingredient to have in sunscreen for the long days on the slope or poolside however, it isn't good for our clothes. It can cause orange or brown stains that seem to be impossible to remove.

If you have hard water it can only make your problem worse FYI.

First, find a good sunscreen that doesn't contain this product...here are a few on the market right now....
Blue Lizard
Kiss My Face




When it comes time to remove the sunscreen stains DO NOT use...
OxiClean or Bleach
It will cause the stain to appear much worse than it already is.

Some other products to try to remove the stains...
The Works Tub and Shower Cleaner
Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami in powdered form
Whink

Be sure to wash the stained clothes with whites or wash them alone so they do not bleach other items in your load.

Hopefully some of these tips help.

Opinion of Classy Southern Texan only....not responsible for any reactions to these products.

HAPPY FRIDAY! It is hard to believe it is the first Friday in March already! Where is this year going?



I am so excited to share 3 of my favorites this Friday. They include, TX, Dr. Seuss and my grandmother.

ONE

Happy Birthday to this amazing lady. Today she is 85 years young, and is also celebrating her 67th wedding anniversary. She and my grandfather got married on her 18th birthday.

My grandmother has taught me many things...she is the best cook. OMG her scrambled eggs, any veggie she makes is delicious and she taught me the secret ingredient to chocolate chip cookies.

She has been there for me from first steps to my wedding day and beyond.

Not many people get to say their grandmother is alive when they are 31 but I am very blessed to!

TWO

Today is TX Independence Day!

THREE

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss...I remember from a young age reading Dr. Seuss. From Green Eggs and Ham to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. 

I love all the fun riddles and messages hidden in his books! They are some that are quit the tongue twister!

Today, I am joining Mel, Sheaffer and Shay for What's Up Wednesday, where I answer a series of questions. I will be sharing a random assortment of things that are up in my life. Let's get to it....

 

1) What We're Eating This Week...

2) What I'm Reminiscing About...

3) What I'm Loving...

4) What We've Been Up To...

5) What I'm Dreading...

6) What I'm Working On....

7) What I'm Excited About...

8) What I'm Watching/Reading...

9) What I'm Listening To....

10) What I'm Wearing...

I am loving this fun scarf and earrings!

11) What I'm Doing this Weekend...

12) What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month...

13) What Else is New...

14) BONUS...What is your favorite place to travel for Spring Break?

Q and A with Kelli

Recently I have had a lot of reader questions from blogger and Facebook. I thought I would take a minute today to answer 7 quick questions.

Why 7? It is a lucky number :-)

Question 1

How long have you and your husband been married/ how did you meet?


We have been married 9 years. I can't believe that in October we will have celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss. :-)

My cousin introduced us. I knew that I was transferring to Baylor University, she was currently at Baylor. I had just broken up with my high school boyfriend...long distance is hard. She told me she had a guy I needed to meet.

We meet at the local Waco mall in a shoe store lol. Don't ask me the name I don't remember. My cousin and I were in their browsing. Greg and I had chatted on AOL IM  for about 2-3 weeks before we actually meet. We hung out at the mall and that evening he invited me to dinner.

He asked me out that evening and since then we have been together.

QUESTION 2

Where are you from?

I am from Killeen, TX. It is the home to the Ft. Hood army base. I grew up here and just recently returned in March of 2017.

Question 3

What is your favorite place to vacation to? I love both the beach and skiing. My favorite trips with my husband have been to VAIL, CO and the many Caribbean cruises we have taken.

Question 4

How old is your house?




It was built in 1969 and is a wonderful mix of modern and contemporary!

Question 5

Who often do you workout and what are your favorite workouts?

I try to workout 3-5 days a week.

I enjoy strength based training and running for cardio.

Question 6

What made you decide to move back to TX and run laundromats? (most asked question)




See this blog post....http://classysoutherntexan.blogspot.com/2018/02/why-laundrymat.html

It is a family business and I wanted to be closer to home.

Question 7

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?

The weekends are our busy time as people wait until then to do their laundry. However, I enjoy visiting either Waco or Austin on the weekends. I love to lounge and read. I take Saturdays and Sunday's to do cardio as I have a little more time.

Why a Laundrymat?

Many people have been asking why a laundrymat? What made you decide to go into the family business? As a woman can you do it?

What made you decide to go into the family business?

After 8 years of teaching third grade and being a school librarian this past March, I made a huge switch. I along with my husband decided to dive into the world of laundry mats. My father likes to call himself a textile maintenance engineer.

40 + years ago my father, along with his grandfather (my great grandfather) and my dads father (my grandfather) they decided that Killeen, TX needed a laundrymat. My great grandfather was in the construction business along with his son and another local friend.



At the age of 25 my dad build his first location, over the years he has built and bought multiple laundrymats throughout our city. I remember being in middle school and helping him build one of our locations. I was just 11 years old and in the 6th grade. He was building the store just a block away and I remember many long hours spent there while he laid floor, installed plumbing, ran electricity and the like. I remember learning about welding and realizing that having a laundrymat is so much more than just dirty clothes.


In high school, I was known as the girl whose family owned local laundrymats. My father has coined literally the phrase we "make our living a quarter at a time." Not much has changed in over 40 years of ownership. It still cost 25 cents to start a dryer and we have no washers that cost over 8 dollars for a load. WOW 8 dollars seems high however, this one washer can hold over 90 pounds of your clothing.

As a woman can you do it?

The answer is YES! This is just not a man's occupation anymore. We pride ourselves on the fact that we do fix all of our machines. Recently I helped my father lay tile at one of my stores, we can fix the fan in the hot water heater.


We supply all the candy, chips and sodas to our vending machines. I can clean up water on the floor or fix a machine when a sock is caught in the door.

If a dryer isn't getting hot enough, yes I can flip a switch and make sure the flame is igniting.

I can unstop a sewer line.

Is it a pretty job no! I don't get to wear fun jewelry or heels but I do enjoy every moment of everyday and have found something that makes me happy!

YES it is a messy job, but YES I can do it. Everyday, I constantly have something new to face. Everyday I am learning something new.

The biggest thing I have learned is that 99 percent of problems are really not that big a deal in the grand o scheme of things. It can be fixed or you can get the part in a matter of days.

WOOHOO for lots of snow, fresh powder and blue bird skiing. This past week the hubby and I enjoyed snowy CO.

We typically have visited CO during Valentine's/Presidents' Day weekend for the past 8 years!!

Here are some of our tried and true tips....We have skied Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek. My husband grew up skiing Vail and I have to say it truly is our favorite. We have flown into both Eagle and Denver.



My suggestion is to fly into Denver and get a car. Flying into Eagle can be tricky with snow, time delays and the like.

Rent your skis, boots, and poles in advance. This saves a ton of time. We have rented from various places on the mountain year after year. But it is so convenient at the end of the day to just hand your skis, boots, and poles to someone and have them stored vs wearing them around town, carting the heavy skis and your feet hurting.


The best feeling after skiing for me personally is putting on my SOREL boots!!

Book dinner reservations in advance!!! We have our tried and true favorites and they fill up quickly. We like to sit at the bar but getting a reservation is key. We typically book the first few evenings and then see where else we want to eat.

Day 1

When we first get into Vail, we like to either visit Red Lion or Garfinklel's. They have lots of seating and a wide variety of menu options! We like to either get a fish sandwich or burger. We personally have noticed that it is so easy to split a meal in Vail. The portions are huge and we don't want our bellies too full while skiing.

Day 2

Day 3