Let's start this Wednesday off with some trivia. Remember Super Mario Brothers? What are Mario and Luigi's overalls made of? Answer: Denim denim denim. 

HA. I couldn't stop laughing when I heard that one. And yes, you say it to the tune of the background music from the video game... hoping that one translates online ; )

But today, I seriously am all about the denim. Since I've been all about focusing on revamping my skin care routine (which, by the way, I have an update I added to that post about a new moisturizer that I found and love!), I haven't done a fashion post lately. But when inspiration strikes... and sometimes in the form of denim jackets... it's time to share!

On the casual side of things, I have been obsessed with adding my F21 denim jacket (picked it up last month for $29!) to every outfit. It's a perfect pop of color and texture when layered over shorts, flowy skirts, maxi dresses... you name it. 

You can even throw denim into the mix at work, like I did with this dark denim blazer.

And for proof that even the youngest of fashion icons look great in denim....

Those little denim overalls are actually vintage, passed down to H from David! How sweet is that?!

What do you think? Are you as big of a denim fan as I am lately? And, more importantly, do you have the Super Mario Brothers theme song in your head now? Denim denim denim.

Hellooooo my lovely friends! I am THRILLED to say that we have officially started the summer season. Can I get a woot? After a whirlwind, crazy busy week at work last week (like, the craziest since I've been back from maternity leave!) I enjoyed a fabulous weekend entertaining and being entertained by friends and family, working around the house, catching up on my reading, enjoying a local festival and eating a ton of good food. Really doesn't get much better than that, huh?

Now that it's past Memorial Day, we're officially allowed to break out the white. And if my Pinterest boards are any inclination, I have got all things white on the brain.

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Are you ready for more summer white or WHAT?! How was your Memorial Day weekend?

Things are slowly but surely coming around at our new rental house. I guess after three months of living here, I guess I can stop calling it "new" since it’s not exactly new to us anymore, huh? Geez, time flies.

Last week, I shared the layered frame vignette I created on our awkward fireplace mantel in the living room. On the wall adjacent to our fireplace sits our sofa, opposite a wall with the TV. I wanted to create a fun gallery wall above the sofa, but decided to keep it simple to avoid putting too many holes in the wall. Our landlord has given us permission to hang things on the wall (in fact, they sweetly said, “make it your home!”) but to avoid having to repair holes later, David and I have been trying to put as few holes in the wall as we can by hanging less or using Command strips.

Above the sofa, I took the “hang less” approach. This little gallery wall consists of just three pieces, but it’s kind of like the little engine that could… they certainly pull their weight. I love it!

In this space, I hung my DIY rustic wall art sign. It’s seriously my absolute favorite DIY project that I’ve ever done. And it was so easy. And free! If you haven’t already, check out the tutorial for the sign here.

I hung a piece of art that my mother-in-law created when she was a young teenager. Isn’t the painting and the frame beautiful?! She passed away several years ago, so the painting is a sweet reminder of her. I also hung a piece of the gold-flecked bark that I picked up at the Country Living Fair. Remember when I used it for my rustic + glam golden Christmas mantel last year? Oh yeah, now it’s finally making an appearance year-round! My friend Katelyn also has some of the bark and framed hers in an open handmade wood frame that she painted cement gray. It looks amazing, I’ll have to get pictures and show you someday.

While I’d certainly love to hang ten million pieces above the sofa to create an eclectic, beautiful gallery wall, it’s just not practical at a rental house. So I took my best shot at creating a simple arrangement that works for this temporary phase of our lives. Hey, it’s waaaay better than where we started, right? You can see the "just moved in" living room tour here.

I'm coming along with my to-do list for the room.

TO DO: 

For more information about the sourcing of the items in my living room, check out these posts.

the sofa, slipper chairs and coffee table

oil rubbed bronze lamp makeover

the wool rug

And for a fun visit back to our old house, check out my formal living room makeover and our slate room/family room makeover.

 Hey guys. Just wanted to throw out a quick thank you for your support and love last week. My car accident was no fun, but I'm lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people (including you virtual peeps!). I really appreciate it. I'm feeling 100% and my car is in the shop making it's way to 100% as well. Thanks again for the love, y'all are the best!

Many, many weeks ago, I asked y'all to help me figure out a new makeup and skin care routine. And I'm fiiiinally back to report to you on the skin care side of things.

You guys gave SO much good advice, so thank you. I seriously sat down and took notes as I read through the comments... y'all know where it's at when it comes to beauty routines. You showed me and my teenager-worthy skin care routine up, that's for sure. I'm certainly glad I'm keeping up with my New Year's resolution to stay on the ball and step up my game in this department. Y'all have inspired me!

My problem is that I've (annoyingly) decided to narrow down my beauty options to mostly all-natural products free of certain things like parabens, phthalates and fragrances. I've mentioned it before, but I'm kind of on an all-natural kick lately and I'm trying to implement all-natural products throughout my life (like my all-natural DIY multi-surface cleaner!). And beauty products are no exception.

When I became pregnant last year, I tried to take some "no no" beauty products out of my regime, like anything with salicylic acid, etc. But it wasn't until recently that I decided to get a clean beauty routine going. See, HDawg does this adorable thing where he kisses me on my cheek. Except his version of a kiss is opening his mouth as wide as he can and plopping it on my cheek. I love it. Every time. The more slobbery, the better. But there's a problem with that... follow me. A few weeks ago, David gave me a kiss on my forehead right after I had washed my face. He immediately pulled away and looked like he had licked an ashtray or something. Apparently my face wash and lotion tasted like poison. I realized then that I had no clue what ingredients were in those products... for all I know, it could be poison. Okay, not literally, but you know what I mean. And my little HDawg was literally licking that stuff off my face every night. Hm. 

I've done some research and found that a lot of the ingredients in beauty products are not the safest for us. In addition to making sure my face is lick-worthy for H, I want to pick up a regime that I can maintain for the rest of my life, whether I'm preggo in the future or I have more babies making out with my cheek or if I'm just trying to be healthy for myself. Sooooo, to make a long story even longer, I have decided to try and use mostly all-natural beauty products. Unfortunately, that means I had to rule out great products that you guys recommended like Retinol and most name brand aging products. Wah.

And, just for the record, I'm totally not judging anyone who would rather use traditional beauty products. Hey, I'm not totally opposed to those products myself. Just the other day, I dabbed on some of my old acne solution on a problem spot. I just figure that if all-natural, safer products are available that are better for me and my family, I'll try them.

Have you guys fallen asleep yet?

On to the product reviews.

To start, I took Julia's advice and I've started taking my makeup off with a hot (like, steaming hot) wash cloth. No extra makeup remover gunk, just good ol' hot water. It feels great after a long day, that's for sure.

Next up, I use a face cleanser to freshen up. I chose this Origins foaming cleanser for every day use.

Origins anti-aging serum

This serum is silky-soft and lightweight, which is key in my book. I didn't want any heavy duty anti-aging products as I was afraid they would be too heavy and cause breakouts. This stuff rocks. Of course, it will take awhile for me to review whether or not it helps in the anti-aging category (check in with me in 20 years? will there still be blogs in 20 years?!), but it feels great. I layer it on after I wash my face.

After the serum, I use this Origins product around my eyes. It. Is. My. Favorite. Seriously. I literally can't speak good enough about it. Within a few days, I noticed that my eyes and the lines around my eyes were firmer, no joke. The bags/dark circles that have permanently set up shop under my eyes since I had HDawg have lightened up. My eyes generally seem less puffy. Even David, the guy who didn't notice when I got six inches cut off my hair, mentioned something about the difference. I love it!

Okay, now here's where I'm still having trouble. Moisturizer. Blah. I've tried three different brands over the last few weeks (Origins' A Perfect World, Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer and Kiehl's Ultra Moisturizer- the last two are not all-natural, paraben free, etc. by the way) and I'm still not happy. I've disliked them for various reasons (too heavy, too greasy, not natural). I'm ready to stop playing Goldilocks and find the right fit! I think my next try may be Korres (which some of you recommended in my last post) or bareMinerals. I'd really just love a natural lightweight oil-free daily moisturizer for normal to dry skin. Any suggestions?

*UPDATE*


I have found a new moisturizer that I loooooove. It's Korres Wild Rose cream... it's natural, light, moisturizing and smells faintly of cinnamon and roses. I've been using it for about a week and I highly recommend it. My face has no more dry patches, which is awesome and says a lot more than most other moisturizers. I don't feel like it's too heavy under my makeup. I'm still waiting to see how my skin reacts in terms of bumps or blackheads (TMI), but so far, so good!

Alright, well those are my two cents! I hope you find what I've learned so far to be helpful. And if you've got any more insight, bring it! The more I learn, the better. If you're looking for more skin care or make up advice (I will be doing a natural make up review soon!), check out the comments in this post. They're legit!

Today, I'm finding myself filled with a lot of love.

Earlier this week, I was in a car accident. I’m okay, first of all. And thank the good Lord, I was alone in the car, heading to pick up HDawg from daycare. A lady decided to stop, entirely, in the middle of the 70 mph trafficked highway, directly in front of me. Somehow I was paying enough attention to go from 70 mph to zero mph quickly to avoid hitting her, but the fully loaded 18 wheeler tractor trailer truck behind me couldn’t slow down as quickly. The driver did slow down a lot, though, and his collision with my small SUV was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Besides a cut on my forehead and some bruises, I am okay. I walked away. Actually, I was even able to drive my car away, just to get it home. Amazing, right? I don’t think that too many people who are hit that hard by a tractor trailer truck can say that. I am blessed.

Needless to say, I’ve spent the better part of this week hugging David and HDawg extra tight and praising God for watching over me. Moments like this are always a special reminder to enjoy the small moments and spread your love as much as you can.

Today is actually an extra loving day, as it it’s mine and David’s five year wedding anniversary. I cannot believe that it’s been five years since I married this man. What a journey. If you don't know our story about how we met (hint: it was 25 years ago!), you can find it here.

Look at those two wild and crazy kids.This picture was circa 2006. I loved him then, sweaty and crazy on his friend's boat on the lake. I loved him when I was nine and he was the hottest kid at our elementary school. I loved him when I was sixteen and he let me borrow his letter jacket because I was cold in fifth period. I loved him the day we said I do, five years ago. I loved him the day he became a father last August. I even love him when he refuses to shut cabinet drawers and doors or leaves the contents of his pockets piled up in every nook and cranny of our house. I really do.

As he told me at our wedding... you were my first love and you'll be my last love. Happy anniversary, D!

Today, I'm filled with a lot of love. I hope you are too!

Happy Friday, friends.

The fireplace mantel at our rental house is whack. Well, that might be a little harsh. But it’s kind of hard to work with… mantel, it’s not me… it’s you. Seriously.

If you remember from the rental house living room tour, the brick fireplace is halfway painted so it’s a ghetto shoddy nice mix of tan and antiquey white paint. Furthermore (ten points to me for using that word in a sentence!), the mantel itself is really bulky and really high on the fireplace. It makes for all kinds of awkward decorating, which is why it’s probably taken me three months to decorate this thing.

But, ta-da, a decorated living room fireplace mantel.

I decided to use a layering effect to give some dimension to the mantel. Because of how oddly high it is, a lot of three-dimensional pieces (vases, bowls, etc.) looked weird up there. So I stuck with frames, but got some depth by layering them.

I mixed together white frames to brighten the space with dark wooden frames to ground the vignette. Most of the frames have family pictures in them (ie. lots of HDawg!) as well as some art mixed in. I think it works!

On the left side of the mantel is an Etsy art piece we used to have hanging in our master bedroom at the old house. I got the sunshine art from the Country Living Fair last year.

 

I printed out this iPhone photo of H and put it on some grass cloth wallpaper for unconventional matting. I love the texture it lends to the space.

On the right side of the mantel, I have cute baby pics and a framed vintage dictionary page stamped with the letter “R.” The page is actually from the R section of the dictionary, which is super cool. I picked it up at the Country Living Fair last year, as well. I’m pretty sure it cost a quarter or something. Love it!

Here’s the view from afar.

Wonky paint color and awkwardly placed mantel aside, I love how it’s looking today! What do you think? have you ever had to work with an awkward mantel like this before? Share your tricks!

Hey hey hey, my friends. I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend. I know I did! A happy late Mother's Day to all of you amazing momma's out there. I'm always amazed by the strength of all of the wonderful women out there, especially mothers. Y'all rock! I hope you were celebrated.

And yes, I totally threw out a mother-lover reference... c'mon, any SNL/Andy Samberg/Justin Timberlake fans out there? Funniest. Skit. Ever. I'll let you find it instead of linking up to the clip since it's a little vulgar, but wow. It's hilarious. If this is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Let's all be mother-lovers, peeps.

I kicked off my weekend on Friday by thrifting with my friend Katelyn. As you know from this post, I'm on the hunt for some new nightstands. I may have some final contenders (although if you have any suggestions, they are still welcomed!), but these were a few options I ran into while shopping.

 

I didn’t actually buy either of these options (couldn’t haggle down the mid-century nightstands from $150 for the pair nor the curvy nightstand from $125!) but I have a good idea of a final solution. Can't wait to share!

I spent all day Saturday with my sister, Tori, who (as you know) recently got engaged. If you haven't read her engagement story, check it out. It's a good one! We (along with my mom, my other sister, Callie, and my friend Katelyn- who also happens to be Tori's planner and caterer!) visited Tori's venue and went dress shopping. It was such a perfect day! I'm totally in love with the rustic barn vibe that she's chosen for the ceremony and reception... this is going to be one pretty wedding!

 

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to spend the entire day with just me and my two favorite boys, David and HDawg. David let me sleep in and then surprised me with a picnic at the park. It literally couldn't have been a more beautiful day. It was heaven! I'm so lucky to be a momma to this sweet little bean.

 

I hope your weekend was as wonderful as mine. Have a great week!

Three years ago, I was young. Three years ago, I was care free. Three years ago, I am pretty sure I had a lamp and an alarm clock on my nightstand. My nightstand most certainly did not house an iPhone, a baby monitor, a Kindle, a glass of water, a parenting book, a tube of Burt's Bees chapstick, a pacifier, a Sophie teething giraffe, a stack of four different magazines that I've only read two pages of and a pile of assorted breast pump parts. But now? Oh yes. That's currently what's on my night stand.

Needless to say, David and I have outgrown the adorable blue nightstands we created three years ago.

They are teeny tiny. We need more bedside counter space! So, lately, I've been eyeing a few potential suitors. If I can find the right pair, I'd really like to do a mismatched set. Maybe a more manly, industrial piece for David and a circular, curvy painted piece for me? Or maybe I'll just go with two matching pieces with a fun punch of color? Hm. The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few nightstands that I'm loving right now.

West Elm

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Pottery Barn

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Of course, momma's taste doesn't exactly match momma's budget. I need to get two (preferably solid wood) nightstands for pretty cheap... maybe I'll get lucky at a thrift store or on Craigslist?! A girl can dream. Hey, I may even DIY or makeover something. I've been known to do that a time or two ; )

Have you seen any totally awesome, quality, inexpensive, large (wow, I'm picky!) nightstands around lately? Hook me up with some counter space, please!