Sunflower Unit Study

Last week, I was inspired to a do a mini unit study on Sunflowers with the girls.

With music playing, they colored pictures, explored the texture of the sunflower, munched on honey roasted sunflower seeds, and listened while I read "From Seed to Sunflower".

Nature, art, music, and time together. It's exactly what this momma heart needed. ❤

Happy Friday!

It's been a slower paced week. So thankful for that. Yet, somehow, I'm still behind on laundry. ;)

We've been hiking, swimming, reading, and sipping iced coffee on these slow, hot days of summer.

I'm quite ready for fall. Soooo tempting to decorate. But, I'm holding off. I usually get started at the end of August. But, I can just smell the cool crisp evenings of fall.

Until then, I'm ready for another dip at the pool! Hope you are all staying cool. Happy Friday!

Stress Busters For the Weary Mom

Stress relief is one hot topic for many moms! Over the last few years, I've earned simple stress management tips for our home that have helped me tremendously. I'm sharing not because I've perfected stress busters, but because I've had so many people ask me how I deal with it!

Of course, my tips are coming from my life as a stay at home mom. I know that many working moms have their own stressors (maybe one of you can chime in!).

1) Get Help When my second was born, I constantly battled fatigue and anxiety. That led to even more stress on our little family. There were many other things going on in the background of our lives, but I realized at the beginning of this year, that something needed to give. I realized I needed to talk to my doctor. While being tired and facing anxiety can be normal parts of life, the depth of what I was feeling was NOT normal. My doctor keyed into the fact that I was low on vitamins, and worked out a game plan for me. I followed her instructions, and the constant fatigue went away almost immediately. Which led to less anxiety. Which led to less stress. It's amazing how our bodies work and rely on intricate details! So my first piece of advice, is to get input on WHY you are so stressed. 

2) Set Boundaries This has been the hardest lesson for me. While I love the idea of attending every event and get together we are invited to, I have realized that it's okay to say "no". There are times when we keep our calendar clear and simply spend time together as a family of four. This allows us time to rest, heal, and bond together. This is also important during your daily routines as a stay at home mom. It's easy for nerves to get frazzled on all accounts! We have a set time each day that we reserve for quiet time. The girls get a special snack and show that is reserved specifically for quiet time. That way it's something they look forward to doing. I like to break quiet time into three things for myself: rest for a few minutes, speed clean and read or write. And of course, coffee. ;)

3) Fresh Air It never ceases to amaze me how fresh air can change attitudes. If I notice the girls getting fussy (or lets be honest, myself getting fussy) we will often grab ice pops and head to the front porch. Sometimes, we all jump on the trampoline or the girls play with their toys outside while I read for a bit in the shade. Regardless of what we do, getting outdoors and changing our scenery helps drastically. 

These are the things that have helped me! What steps do you take to keep stress at bay?

Papaw

My Papaw passed away this morning. I will miss him so much.

I had my grandparents for 30+ years of my life...and it just feels so sad to think of milestones and holidays without them. They were there for everything, always.

Would you pray for our family? It would mean so much.

Our Cottage Farmhouse Living Room

We've been working on our living room for a few months, now. My goal was to incorporate a little bit of English Cottage and Farmhouse style. The biggest change that we've made since moving in was adding wainscoting to our walls. We opted to paint the lower half a solid, pure white. My hope was to lighten up our living room. I think my favorite decorative change, though, was buying buffalo check curtains. I'm kind of obsessed with buffalo check! A few things that helped pull the look together:

• Neautral  Colors as the base, fun colors for accents! I went with turquoise and light green.
• Adding buffalo check seems to check off both cottage AND farmhouse style!
• Adding a few rustic and vintage elements. Namely, the vintage window!
• And can't of course my Magnolia wreath that gives a nod to Fixer Upper!

We also added the wainscoting to our kitchen/dining and hallway area. It really changed the look and added to depth to each of the rooms.

I have enjoyed having fresh flowers in our home for the majority of summer, but with the heat waves, I think that is coming to a close. So, I'm snapping pictures of my hydrangeas as fast as I can. ;)

Shopping Resources:
Curtains: Bullard Designs
Table Lamps: Tj Maxx
Pillows: Tj Maxx
Scripture Signs: Hobby Lobby
Manolia Wreath: Flea Market
Rustic Frames: Mud Pie

Repin Love:

Also, I love all thing white & blue! Happy Monday, friends. :)

Last Text Message

Last year, when we lost my Grandmother unexpectedly I remember thinking I wish I had something around my home to remember her by.

You see, when I was 14, I lost my Grandma Terri to cancer. I was very close to her, and I remember the grief coming like waves. Every night for weeks, months, and even years, I slept with the blankets that she made me. And now my entire family enjoys snuggling with them at night.

After Mimmie was gone, I wanted a simple reminder of her love that she had for us.

Fast forward a few weeks after her death, I was cleaning out my text messages when I realized I still had the last text that she had ever sent me. She had even included a message from my Papaw, who is now very Ill.

It may seem so trivial, but to me, it meant the world. I saved the image, and even posted it to my Instagram to look back on. I will also have it printed to frame for my gallery wall.

I love that God knows how much we need those little reminders. He is good.

Five Things Friday

Drinking: Ya'll, I've become obsessed with the swirled coffee flavors from Dunkin Donuts. I order an Iced Latte with Caramel Swirl. It is SO good. 

Reading: I had a chance to pick up a few novels from Mardel's. I'm about to dive into another Dee Henderson. Her crime novels are the BEST. 

Watching: Other than Incredibles 2, we haven't watched much TV this week.

Loving: We've been swimming every weekend so far this summer, and it has been wonderful. I don't enjoy the extreme heat, but swimming makes it much more bearable.  

Making: We have a potluck at church this week, so I will most likely make a batch of chocolate chips cookies or brownies.

How was your week? What things are you loving today? 

Family Movie Night: Incredibles 2

We loaded up the girls and headed to the theater for a family movie night. Incredibles 2 was the feature! I may have been a little too excited, because the previous week, I bought matching shirts. I mean seriously, perfect photo op! If only I had found matching shirts for us parents. 😁

I wasn't sure if the girls knew what we meant when we said we were going to the theater. It's been a while since they've been. But, as soon as we got in the car, Evie reminded us that the theater meant Popcorn and a magic show! (She calls movies magic shows, haha).

I was super impressed with the movie. Lot's of funny moments, action, and good old fashioned family jokes between the parents. ❤ More importantly, I love that Disney focused on the heart of family: learning to work through challenges as a unit.

Note: there were two curse words. My kids were too young to catch on, but if they were older we'd have pointed out that those are bad choices and not allowed within our family.

Be sure to check it out!!

Off to plan more movie nights and matching outfits...🎥🍿

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Recap

We started the weekend off with swimming! My parents live in a resort community where there are a plethora of pools to choose from. This was is so pretty with it's tree lined background. Also, I forgot what a great workout swimming is! I should schedule this into my week on a regular basis.

On Saturday, Evie woke up begging to go to a museum, so we did. This particular children's museum has tons of fun things to do for kids of all ages. I love that she has such a passion to learn and explore already! I'm also looking forward to starting Pre-K with her in the fall, as I've already narrowed down our curriculum.

Then on Sunday we celebrated Josh. He's truly an amazing father, and it's always fun to see the girls interact with him. He hung the stars and the moon in their book. ;) We also had a chance to visit with both of our dad's. The day will filled with lots of fellowship, pizza and more swimming!

It was a fun weekend! Hope you had a lovely one, too. Happy Monday!

My Girl

I feel like I blinked and this little girl changed overnight. Her toddler days are slowly melting into the pre-school stage. She loves to keep up with big sister: She works hard on learning the alphabet, she loves her PJ Masks (Catboy is her favorite) and she would eat chocolate all the day long if she could. She loves to walk around the house roaring like a dinasour (thanks to George from Peppa Pig).

They say she looks like me...but goodness, does she act like her daddy.

She's my wild & precious one. I love her so.

Simple Street Steak Tacos

There's a little whole in the wall taco shop that makes the most mouth watering tacos. I'd eat there every day if I could. I tried my hand at street tacos earlier this week, and they were so easy to make! I love that you can adjust the seasonings any way you want to fit YOUR taste buds.

Easy Steak Street Tacos

2 Cups of sliced fajita cut steak (I buy mine pre-sliced to save time!)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Garlic, chopped
1 Cup Onions, diced

For the sauce:
1 Avocado
1 to 2 tsp. Fresh Lime Juice
Sea Salt & Pepper (to taste)

For the sauce, you'll want to mash & whip the avocado until creamy. Then, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh squeezed lime juice. Add sea salt & pepper (start with about half a teaspoon). Set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté garlic & onions until tender. Add steak. Cook until meet is cooked thoroughly. Immediately serve on tortillas with Avocado cream sauce & fresh cilantro. I added a touch of creole seasoning for an added kick.

Hasta luego!