Lilly Enchanted Forest
5/31/2016
When I was pregnant with Lilly Austin and I went on a shopping trip. I wasn't far along in my pregnancy that we knew the sex, but I was just positive it was a girl. On this shopping trip I stumbled upon the most perfect bedding for a baby girl. The bedding was at TJ Max so there was no waiting, we either purchased it before we knew the sex or left it behind for good. Since it was so affordable we went ahead and got the bedding and a few weeks later we found out in face we were having a girl. The floral quilt was the inspiration for the nursery theme, an enchanted forest. I have yet to find another theme I love quite as much, so even when we transitioned Lilly's nursery to a big girl room I kept it.
Her nursery started in California, where we lived in military housing and were limited in what we could do. Since then we obviously have purchased a home and the sky is the limit. Well the money tree is the limit more like it, but you get my point. Anyways, I never quite felt like things were "finished" until recently.
To create the enchanted forest look I mixed woodland animals, unicorns, and touches of princess decor. I love the birch tree wall I painted and think it really ties the theme together. Sometimes I just go lay in Lilly's bed because I am so happy with how her space turned out. She is one seriously lucky little girl.
All prints were from Life with Peanut. I also have Meghans prints elsewhere in the house and I can not get enough. Seriously y'all, love them. Be sure to go look at al she has to offer, and put in discount code "LITTLEBITS" while you are checking out. The white Pom Pom Garland is from Jae To The Wall. You can find similar garland at Anthropology and pay a lot more for it or you can support a small business while saving money at the same time.WINNING. The adorable mint rug is from Lorena Canals and guess what, it is machine washable. Stay tuned because I will be doing a full review on it coming very soon.
I also put together a few Enchanted Forest items for you to shop if you are looking to create a similar space. If you do, I would love to see how yours turned out!

Summer Pajama Round Up
5/30/2016
Things are starting to warm up around here and it is time to start switching their warm comfy cozies out for something a little cooler at night. I love this time of year, where their clothing shows off their cute rolls. Well Pipers rolls that is. I have scoured the internet looking for the cutest prints and here are a few of my favorite summer pajamas this year.

Thursday Threads
5/26/2016

tick-tock
5/23/2016
I have never been one for watches, who needs one when you have a phone right? Well lately I try and put my phone down so I am fully engaged with the girls. Most of the time I cant even find my phone anymore. Which honestly I don't mind at all. However that leaves me wondering what time it is. A lot. Is it nap time, snack time, why are these girls acting so crazy, someone please tell me what time it is! I also have this bad habit of not setting the clocks in my house to the right time. So, moral of the story I am left wondering what time it is. A lot.
This meant one thing, I could either set the clocks in my house. An obvious answer. Or I could shop for a new watch. Okay I take it back, this is the obvious answer. A little looking around and I settled on this gorgeous watch from Jord Wooden Watches.
Their watches are yes wood, and I love the unique look the wood band creates. I have honestly seen nothing like it. The watch I choose is a self winding automatic which means no batteries, another feature I love. It is bright and beautiful for the upcoming summer months and I cant wait to style it in different ways.
Whether you are looking for something for yourself, anniversary gift ideas, a fathers day gift, or a birthday gift with a wide selection of cool watches for both men and women Jord has something for everyone. So I have paired up with Jord to giveaway a $75
e-voucher. But that's not all, everyone else who enters (excluding the winner) will get a
$20 e-gift card that can be applied to any watch on our website.
ENTER HERE.
ENTER HERE.

Thursdays Threads
5/19/2016
I love styling outfits, especially for the girls. I cant say no to a good outfit, and I cant resist dressing them for a special occasion. So this week I got the idea to start sharing what we are currently loving in the style department with you on a weekly basis. So... welcome to my first Thursday Threads.
I am kicking this off with this fun outfit for Piper by a company we are currently loving. First I should remind you Piper loves hedgehogs so this is obvious for her.
I am kicking this off with this fun outfit for Piper by a company we are currently loving. First I should remind you Piper loves hedgehogs so this is obvious for her.
Hairbow by Bumbelou
Shoes from Old Navy (sold out but similar ones can be found here)
Hedgehog stuffed animal from Jellycat
Not only does Milkbarn have unique and adorable prints but the clothes are also made from organic cotton. We own multiple pieces from their Spring line and they do not disappoint. Check them out.
Shoes from Old Navy (sold out but similar ones can be found here)
Hedgehog stuffed animal from Jellycat
Not only does Milkbarn have unique and adorable prints but the clothes are also made from organic cotton. We own multiple pieces from their Spring line and they do not disappoint. Check them out.

DIY Concrete Countertops
5/18/2016
I don't think I have ever been so excited to share something with y'all as I am these. With a little hard work and elbow grease Austin and I turned our not so cute laminate counter tops into gorgeous concrete counters. Best part, it cost us less than $100.
This project took us about five days, but we also have two little ones at home that needed us so most work wasn't done until after the girls went to bed. I think the most common question I am asked is if it was hard. This is a very forgiving project. If you make a mistake you can just start over. But it was extremely messy, we took a whole day just to clean after they were done.
This project took us about five days, but we also have two little ones at home that needed us so most work wasn't done until after the girls went to bed. I think the most common question I am asked is if it was hard. This is a very forgiving project. If you make a mistake you can just start over. But it was extremely messy, we took a whole day just to clean after they were done.
What you need:
Feather Finish
Feather Finish
Sand Paper (60, 80, 120, 220, and 320 grit)
Cement Color - Only if you want to adjust the color, it is also available in other color options.
Bucket
First start by sanding your counters down. We used the 60 grit sand paper to do this. We also took an box cutter and scored them really well. After they were roughed up we vacuumed the dust up and wiped them down the best we could.
Next you start applying the cement. First I want to say that this stuff dries fast, so you don't want to mix a lot at a time or you are going to waste a lot. We mixed about 2 cups at a time and when we ran out we made more and kept going. We did not do a section of the counter all in one batch. We also chose to add concrete color into our mixture to give it a darker color.
This is where things get scary. Or at least they did for me, putting that first glob of cement down on my counters was nerve wracking but this stuff is really easy to use. After you apply your first coat you will need to let it dry. Once it is you sand it down. We used 80 grit sand paper for this. I highly suggest doing this by hand or you will start to go through all your hard work and have to start over.
I kind of started freaking out here so listen to me when I say the first coat was the hardest to apply and the hardest to sand. It was a very rough surface but as you add more coats it gets better. After you sand it down take the vacuum to it again, and wipe it down. Do this for 3-4 coats, trying to make each coat smoother than the last. After the first coat we switched from the 80 grit to 120 grit sand paper for the sanding. Every layer work on building your edges and corners up. These will see the most wear and tear and it is important you have a good layer applied. I found it easiest to use cement that was starting to dry and a little thicker, then apply it with my finger.
After the last coat is applied you are going to sand it down with a very fine sand paper. We started with 120 grit then moved up to the 220, then the 320. You are going to want to take your time and make sure you are left with a smooth surface that you will be happy with. Once you are happy with it you can go ahead and clean the mess up.
The final step in this process is sealing the counters. There are lots of options out there but there are two basic ideas. First you want something that is food safe. Second you want something that will protect the counters from inevitable wear and tear. We decided to give Hemp Oil a try. It stained our counters much darker which gave them a look we love, but it doesn't seem to be protecting them from water and oil very well. We will be trying an acrylic concrete sealer next. Whatever you decide to use I suggest doing a test area because there are some horror stories out there of the sealer damaging all the hard work.
If you have any questions please let me know, and if you decide to give your own a shot please tag me in your photos. I would love to see. You can find me on Instagram here or on Facebook here. I look forward to coming back later to tell you about how this project has held up for us. But for now I am loving the cheap upgrade.

the first nap is the hardest
5/12/2016
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Bedding from Target / DockATot / Blanket by Stella & Lu / Hedgehog |
With Piper being the second child I hold her a little tighter and I baby her far more. I know how much I will miss the cuddles when they become scarce, and I have been in no rush for her to sleep without me. At night we co-sleep with Piper, we have since day one. During the day she napped downstairs in her mamaroo, but she outgrew that a few months ago. We replaced it with a DockATot which we have loved. I am constantly posting pictures to instagram of her passed out in the livingroom floor in her dockatot.
I have considered the fact that if I put the DockATot in her crib she would probably sleep there, where she has never ever slept before. Not even for a minute. But I always come back to the same thought, I am not ready for her to be independent of me. So ironic isnt it. You miss having time to yourself, but you don't want to be away from them.... because you will miss them.
Well y'all, there are NO words for this week and something had to give. Today enough was enough, so I took both girls upstairs and said that is it, joint nap time will be happening. I put Lilly in her bed then I took Piper into her room determined to get her down for a nap. I nursed her to sleep in the rocker, then placed her in the dockatot in her crib. She woke up but didnt cry. She laid there for a few minutes till she fell back asleep.
Two hours later... my house is far more clean, and I am far more relaxed.
It might be time to start transitioning my sweet Piper to her crib, but am I ready? I just don't know. Its such a big step, and we will never get to go back.
This is something I am going to miss, and I am so scared to let it go.

Pipers Unicorn Garden
5/08/2016
Whoa, where did the last year go? I cant believe that my little baby is one. In fact I was in serious denial and threw a party together in basically two weeks. Thankfully some amazing small shops stepped up to the plate and I was able to give my sweet girl a gorgeous first birthday party full of love and celebration.

For her party we turned our house into a magical unicorn garden. What is a unicorn garden you ask? Well it is my way of using decor we already have around the house. I am either cheap, or creative the call is yours to make. Anyways unicorns, flowers, and all things delicate and pretty were inspiration for her party and I love how it turned out.
The confetti, unicorn garland, and cupcake decorations were all from Daisy and Decor. They were seriously all so gorgeous and really helped sell the unicorn part of the theme.
I made Pipers cake with regular cake mix, stacked three layers and frosted with white frosting. I took this darling unicorn toy from The Wooden Wagon and used it as a cake topper. It is solid wood so once we were done I was able to just wash it off and now the girls love playing with it. The morning of her party I ran to the store and picked up a few bouquets of flowers and pulled the stems off and stuck them into the cake. I cannot get over how well it turned out.
I made Pipers cake with regular cake mix, stacked three layers and frosted with white frosting. I took this darling unicorn toy from The Wooden Wagon and used it as a cake topper. It is solid wood so once we were done I was able to just wash it off and now the girls love playing with it. The morning of her party I ran to the store and picked up a few bouquets of flowers and pulled the stems off and stuck them into the cake. I cannot get over how well it turned out.
Piper loves hedgehogs and we are in the process of adding touches of hedgehogs to her room. We got her this custom handmade hoop art from GAV + RO that will be used in her room and used it as decoration on the gift table.
We had so much fun celebrating Piper. I was shocked when my girl who is normally all about her food wanted nothing to do with her cake. She was to busy wondering what everyone around her was up to. I know she wont remember the day but she looked so beatiful and my heart was so full.
For the special occasion we had a romper made by Rylan Nicole Designs. She wore bracelets by Goldy Fox, moccasins by Freshly Picked, and I made her the flower crown.
We had such a hard time picking a present for Piper because the girls have everything. But we eventually found some really great treasures that I daydream of my grand kids playing with one day.
First we had a special Peg Doll set of our family made for her. Lindsay from Peg Heads knocked it out of the park. Everyone who knows us cant get over how spot on Austin is.
We also kept with the hedgehog theme with a backpack from Milkbark Kids and these sweet Maileg Hedghog Family from My Sweet Muffin.
We had this gorgeous lovie made by Stella and Lu.
Then we threw a few more little wood toys from The Wooden Wagon in there.
She ended up getting completely spoiled by us, but each of these gifts were so special and unique.
To share the love and because we love our toys from The Wooden Wagon so much we have teamed up with them to give away a $50 to their store. You definitely want to win that one so be sure to head over to my Instagram and enter!

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