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Showing posts from May, 2016

DIY Copper Planters

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A few weeks ago, I spied these little copper beauties that I couldn't help but imagine would make the coolest planters ever. Turns out, they were trash cans, but at only $15, I had to have them. I brought them home to Brandon, and we decided they needed doctored up a bit. I was inspired by these West Elm planters that are so so beautiful, and hoped that we could DIY these into something similar. The total cost for each planter was only around $20! I'm sooo excited about how they turned out!! Brandon might be a bit worried about how much I love them because that just means more wood working projects in his future! ;) Tools Required // Table Saw or Router and circular saw or miter saw, Drill, Drill Bits & Screws, 2 - 8' 2x4s (cedar preferably for outdoor use), Copper Planter Steps // 1. Cut the 2x4 into four 18'' pieces and two 10'' pieces (NOTE: the 10'' measurement is based on the circumference of our planter going into this stand, so your meas

Summer Starts Here

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While our girls haven't actually been in school, I feel like we have been on the go nonstop with travel & Harper's activities. And even though it was just soccer twice a week & dance twice a week, I am so freaking relieved they are over! Waking the other two up from naps half the time to bring them along, all the while everyone is complaining that they don't want to go (mostly Harper, to soccer, she was so over it) or Eloise begging to go in the dance studio with Harper & throwing a huge fit when she couldn't. She did get to go to "bring a friend" day which was hilarious & horrifying at the same time, she basically ran around the room doing her own cotton-eyed-joe gallop while the rest of the girls actually did ballet. Needless to say, we are ready for a laid back summer schedule & no activities for a little while! ;) My sweetest big girl at her dance recital, we are so proud of her!!! We are soaking up every last drop of this gorgeous weat

Intro to Essential Oils

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I am so excited to be bringing something totally new to the blog today, my love for essential oils & all of the amazing ways that we use them!! I know many of you, maybe even most of you, already use oils because there are so many benefits for us and for our kids. I have been using oils for over two years, and after mentioning them a few times here & on snapchat, I have been able to connect with so many of you to talk about them and answer questions you have had. There are so many unanswered emails and messages, so I finally thought that I would introduce them here & share with you all of the ways that we use them and LOVE them. Let me just say why I finally decided to jump into using oils. When I was pregnant with Eloise, I became so frustrated with not being able to sleep, lots of stress, constantly feeling run down & feeling like there was nothing that could help me. I knew about oils, but never felt like I knew enough to start using them. But then I realized after t

Travel // Wedding Weekend in Iowa

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We just came home from a quick weekend trip to Iowa for a wedding. Harper & Eloise stayed here with my parents, and we took Claire on her very first flight back to the midwest, where she stayed with Brandon's parents for the weekend. We took off early Friday morning, and laughed quite a bit about how flying with your third child, and by herself nonetheless , was so different than when we flew with Harper for the first time. I think all we brought her on the plane was a bottle & a blueberry muffin, compared to half of our belongings & enough toys & snacks to stock a daycare center when we first flew with Harper. ;) The rehearsal Friday night was at the White Star Ale House in Cedar Rapids, which had incredible food & a pretty impressive craft beer selection. We had a blast catching up with old friends & loved being able to be a part of our friends' wedding festivities. Floral Maxi (similar options here & here ) // Cut Out Wedges Saturday morning, we

Good Snaps Workshop Recap

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This past weekend, we held our first ever Good Snaps Workshop , a hands-on learning experience in capturing moments. We hosted our event with Scobey Photography at the beautiful Avalon in Alpharetta, and enjoyed an afternoon of learning, laughter & plennnty of iced coffee. We covered everything from learning photography basics, to navigating through our cameras, editing & finding your photography style. We learned that everyone there had a vision, they knew what kind of photos they wanted to get but some of the technical details of the camera or editing process were missing. We were able to spend quite a bit of time doing some more hands-on learning, where we worked with each individual to answer their questions & help walk them through getting the perfect shot. We got so much great feedback from everyone & saw lots of "ah-ha!" moments happening all around the room, which made us so very happy! To the amazing group of girls that took a chance & came to o

Watermelon Fruit Pizza

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Nothing says summer like a fresh, juicy watermelon! All of our girls love it, and love making a mess of it, it's such a quick & easy snack. Claire has been such a champ eater, watermelon was one of the first foods we gave her when we started baby lead weaning. And as you can see, she's still a big fan!! With a fridge full of fresh fruit these days, I decided to put something a little more fun together for the girls, especially since they have had colds on & off for like ever ... so they need lots of vitamin c & hydration! I grabbed some blueberries & bananas, fresh coconut & what was left over of our watermelon. We sliced it down the center & cut it into pizza like slices, then I let the girls go to town making their pizzas. There are a million different ways you can make this, I've even seen it Caprese salad style with balsamic glaze, and it looked amazing! It would also be delicious with some sliced strawberries, pineapple & maybe some chocolat

5 Favorite Rainy Day Activities

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If you're a mom with a house full of toddlers, you know that a rainy day stuck inside can be bananas . Especially in the Spring, when you're just getting into the groove of being outside every day, our kids are sure to stand with their face pressed up against the windows just waiting to go out & play. So I'm sharing a few of our favorite rainy day activities that are sure to keep our girls happy & sanity in tact even when it's gloomy outside. Leather Playmat c/o Gathe // Ruffle Bloomers (similar) // Heart Denim Shorts // Polka Dot Bow // Sweatshirts c/o Childhoods 1. Take advantage of the covered porch. Just because the rain is falling doesn't mean all outdoors is off limits for us, we love to still spend time on our screened in porch! They love to have lunch outside, or just bring out toys to have tea parties or play legos. The sound of the falling rain is really calming to our kids, and it's something sorta out of the ordinary, so they stay enterta

Style // Mama + Mini Swimwear

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We have a major swimsuit addiction over here, and as soon as the summer weather rolls in, we will be spending as much time as possible at the pool! I love dressing three girls, coordinating their outfits is so much fun & swimwear is no exception. Today I'm rounding up a few of my favorite coordinating mama + mini swimsuits, including a few of my very favorite flattering one-pieces, and the cutest toddler swimsuit patterns I've ever seen! Watermelon Suit // Coral Plunge One Piece // Floral Bikini Palm Print Bikini // Lavender Tie Waist // Vintage Floral One Piece Swan Rashguard // Black Off the Shoulder One Piece // Green Ruffle The black one piece is my favorite, the ruffles are off the shoulder like the striped bikini I wore a few posts back. These are great nursing styles, or post nursing when you don't have a whole lot going on up top! ;) Do you have a favorite?! Wishing you all a happy weekend + lots of sunshine!! XO

Jump Around!

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  We are so excited to introduce our newest addition (and not a baby this time), a little piece of magic that turned our forest into a space that our kids could actually play in. It's a trampoline!!! We are so thrilled to have partnered with Springfree, World's Safest Trampoline , to bring a whole lot of fun to our back yard.    The girls are absolutely obsessed with it, but I think Brandon & I might love it even more. For the first time ever, we can send the girls outside to play. They can climb up into the trampoline & zip it shut, and jump their little hearts out!! The trampoline is designed to not only eliminate the springs (hence the name) but also the impact areas that cause most trampoline related injuries. If you have followed us for a while, you know we have been taking our girls to jump at the local trampoline park for the last two years, and they have been begging for one, so this was basically like Christmas morning to them! They love to bring th

Motherhood // These are the days.

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After the last few weeks of traveling & sick babies, we were so thankful to have this quiet weekend together. We had breakfast at our favorite spot & took the kids to the park to enjoy the crazy beautiful weather. Brandon got me an hour long massage which was Heaven on earth after toting a twenty three pound baby around in my ergo all weekend & then had a fun dinner out with family. Harper made me the sweetest homemade card, which was cut into a heart shape & had all three girls drawn on the front. I think it will have to remain on the fridge for the next 30 years. Maxi Dress c/o Rent The Runway // Striped Crop Top // Headband // Playsuit This was my fifth mother's day. It seems surreal that I have been a mom this long, yet I look back and really can't remember much about what life was like before my babies. It won't be long before these precious years are gone, the years of bringing life into this world, snuggling your tiny babies whose smell you n

Motherhood // 5 Favorite Ways to Relax & Unwind

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Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! Since Mother's Day is over, and we are back to the reality that is stress, exhaustion & complete chaos, I wanted to share a few of my favorite ways to relax & unwind. I'll be honest, most of the time I forget to do these things, I get so wrapped up in my endless to-do list that I completely wear myself out. I try to make it a priority to do have a little mom time out for at least 30 minutes each day to recharge my battery. Clarice Chair // Floor Lamp // Round Tray // Fur Pillow // Dot Pillow 1. Coffee & silence. I think all moms can agree on this one, right? Our bedroom gets the best morning light, I love curling up over here with my coffee before the kids wake up. This oversized Clarice chair by Jonathan Louis Furniture in soft charcoal linen is just as comfortable as it looks! And look, there isn't even a kid jumping on it! ;) 2. Putting it on paper. Whether it's a to-do list that is clearing my mi