our room

with the help of pinterest i'm slowly figuring out what i like when it comes to home decor. my style is traditional, simple and clean. i don't like clutter but just a few pretty decorative items like a candle or flowers is a must. i put together a room inspiration board and so far i've acquired half of what i think will make our master bedroom complete.

• candle holder (target during christmas)
• large black mirror (tjmaxx on clearance)
• white bedding (target)
• nightstand (ikea. we have the 2 drawer white hemnes)
• dresser (ikea hemnes-exactly as pictured)

here is a small look into our current room situation. we are in need of a headboard! we're also currently renting so in the future our walls will be grey. don't worry they're not as orange in real life. they're more beige/tan.

so far it looks like the theme is white, navy, gray with black accents. i was leaning towards more neutrals like beige (think burlap pillows) but i think this way it's not too girly for the hubs ;)

p.s. that lamp is awesome! :)

random confessions (5 on friday)

1. 

I don't watch the bachelor/bachlorette. i've never even seen a single episode. i don't even have cable to watch even if i wanted to. that being said i love this bloggers recaps of the episodes. but her whole blog is pretty good. she's seriously so funny! 

2.

i want a pair of camo pants. i bought some camo flats from express several months ago and they've been patiently waiting in my closet for the snow to melt. i tried them on with a few spring outfits and they seriously match everything. i'm hoping they won't go out of style by than because i can't wait to wear them. this fact has made me realize i need camo pants. not to wear together obviously, i'm not going hunting. but i think they would be cute with coral tops and striped tees. i like these. 

3. 

i'm such a night owl! it's my guilty pleasure. it's my time to pin a million things i will probably never bake, make or wear, catch up on blogs, read, write in journals i keep for my daughters and eat the occasional junk food. my hubby is currently out of state so i feel less guilty about doing all this past 11 pm :) 

4.

since juliana's 2nd birthday i've become more attached to her. is that even possible? the answer is yes because i can't let this girl out of my sight. i've become more protective and (a little embarrassed to admit) clingy. it just hit me how quickly she's growing! she's changed so so so much in just the past few months let alone the past 2 years. i could go on and on how intelligent she has become and how she blows me away every day but i'll stop here. i just love that girl to the moon and back. 

5. 

that being said i am selfishly happy i have another daughter that i get to love, hug, squish and watch develop. just getting to reuse juliana's old clothes on lucy brings me joy. i'm so thankful i get to almost relive everything with lucy because the 1st time everything just flew by! i'm more conscience of cherishing every moment. i spend more time cuddling lucy because i know i'll blink and she'll be walking or it'll be her 1st birthday. she's already almost on the verge of sitting up by herself right in time for her 6 month birthday and starting solids. another milestone i love is how much more Lucy smiles! she used to be so serious but smiles constantly now! it's awesome seeing how alert she is of her surroundings and recognizing people. Juliana especially makes Lucy smile which just melts me :)

link up here with natasha & September farm

Latey...

It's been absolutely freezing like -9 in the morning and when it warmed up to zero (!) I finally left the house. I don't mind the cold at all but it sucks not being able to take the girlies out anywhere so they've been cooped up inside. It's probably for the best being its flu season and all...

So here's what we've been up to this past month...

The only place I absolutely make myself go is the gym. Even Target has been put on hold. I always celebrate a workout with a selfie (not pictured). Even though I feel ridiculous and hope no one sees me. I workout with a friend and having someone to meet there definitely keeps me from giving myself more rest days than I need :) 

Speaking of working out, the hubs and I are trying to lose weight (he also goes everyday. We actually take turns going so one of us is home with the girls) so we've been eating a lot of soup. This Zuppa Toscana is the 4th one this month though I'm not sure how healthy it is... It has kale so it must be ;)

But sometimes you just gotta have a waffle with ice cream and strawberries for breakfast. 

And Five Guys burgers on Valentine's Day because you're too married and have (two) many kids to go out. Just kidding. We don't really do Valentine's Day because our 1st date anniversary is the 19th and that's more special. 

We also hit up tjmaxx and old navy recently but came home empty handed because this little goofball would rather run around the store touching everything while I chase her around. As you can see here she is sneakily plotting her escape out of the cart. Side note: she loves sunglasses and I love that she loves them and let's me try 10 different pair in her :) look how cute she is! I could just eat her! 

And the best day of all this month has been the day we celebrated my little girl turning 2. I teared up all night the day before her birthday and even snuck her into bed with us so I could snuggle her while she was 1 for the last time. The emotions were on full blast that day. We just spent time as a family and were thankful for warm weather so we could go to the aquarium, get the best pizza around, visit great grandparents and back home for a cake, popcorn and a movie. Juliana's party will be next Saturday and that's when we'll invite her cousins, aunts and uncles. I'm so thankful for this girl and a day to celebrate her. There are not enough words. 

top 5: beauty

top 5: beauty philosophy face care

1. philosophy purity cleanser. i picked up a trial version of this cleanser after wanting to try philosophy for a long time. totally worth the hype! my skin feels smoother and cleaner. around the same time i started using this cleanser i started to wash my face twice at night. once to wash off my makeup and the second time to really clean the pores. i feel like this helps so much.

2. sally hansen is my #1 lady for nail polish. essie does not do it for me. the insta-dri formula is thick,  and the brush is wide so you need less strokes which equals a smoother, more even application. i just got this blush color from target and it's my new fav.

3. clarisonic. i was probably the last person to start using this thing. lets just say i wish i started earlier. i used to use it daily but reduced it to every other day. it does clean really well and on these days i use #4 and i strongly believe the clarisonic helps absorb anything i put on my face after using it 10x better than without it.

4. ester lauder advanced night serum: i love all things estee lauder. this is definitely worth the price. i put it on at night and wake up looking brighter.

5. john frieda sheer blonde. this is my favorite shampoo and conditioner combo ever. my hair feels clean and super soft after using this stuff. i'm not as blonde as i used to be but am planning for highlights in the future. regardless, i love using this stuff.

excuse all the lowercases i. i typed this one handed while holding lucy :) yes it took forever.

link up! 

IKEA purchases (five on friday)

ikea purchases featuring an acrylic throw

we live really close to IKEA which is good and bad because I go way too often. Like weekly.

I loooooveee home decor and seeing how people decorate their house. I'm one of those people that always needs a home tour when they first come over. Pretty much I'm just a creep. Thank goodness for Pinterest where people share their homes willingly and we can steal their good ideas. and thank you to Ikea for their awesome showroom. Seriously love that place.

1. I love stripes. Especially chunky black and white ones. This throw is super soft and only $20. I honestly don't even know where to put it but I love it so there it is.

2. I found one of these fake green plants (the middle one) in the AS-Is section and got it even though I thought it might look cheesy but the green really brightened up my windowsill and now I'm obsessed with fake potted plants.

3. The reason I went to Ikea in the 1st place was because I saw this lamp on sale in the catalog. It's such a classic design. I've wanted it for ages and now it's mine for just $20 yay! It's easy to assemble and really good quality.

4. This is a wok but I wanted a skillet with higher walls because I'm kind of a messy cook. This will do. $10.

5. A home for my fake potted plant haha :) $4.



linking with Natasha :)

Better Food

One of my resolutions has been to eat healthier along with everyone else in the world. Usually by the end of January I've completely stopped trying but this year I'm doing better now than I was at the start of 2015! I'm really excited because I feel like I finally found my groove when it comes to better choices. 

One thing that has really helped is having a list of simple and quick food ideas consisting of things we almost always have on hand. It's hanging right on the fridge so I can always see it. Numbers 1, 2 & 3 are at the top of the list for a reason. As you can see really simple stuff but things I know I love. I try to get a veggie in with every meal & use only real ingredients. I'm mindful of what nutrients I get from everything I put in my mouth. Not only important for me but Lucy too.

My breakfast almost daily and no I don't get sick of it. I try to stuff spinach in as much food as I can. The bread can be better but you only live once. 

More eggs, more veggies and more avocado toast. Always coffee. 

Another fav meal that's not the on the list (why?!) is lemon tilapia and broccoli with garlic. Takes like 11 minutes and so light but filling! Bonus: Juliana eats it too. 

Sorry about the ugly picture but my favorite way to eat sometimes is by replacing bread or tortillas with a romaine lettuce leaf. I can eat like 4 of those bad boys and be stuffed just from a small can of tuna, onions and a little mayo with S & P. 

This is my go to dessert. I found it on gimmesomeoven.com (awesome stuff! Go now!) they're supposed to be energy balls but I mix all the ingredients, keep it refrigerated and just grab a spoonful when I crave something sweet. The mix tastes like a perfectly soft peanut butter Chewy bar but without preservatives and all natural ingredients (except the chocolate chips) 

Being more food conscience makes me feel like such a grown up sometimes ;) 

Love Month...

Happy February First!

I'll be honest I wasn't always the biggest fan of February but now it's one of my favorites months...

1. Top reason being it's the month my precious firstborn daughter was born. In 13 days Juliana will turn 2! So bittersweet.  

2. It's the "love month" thanks to the heart shaped holiday that follows Juju's birthday. Pink, glitter, flowers and hearts everywhere! It's especially fun when you have daughters. 

3. It's the month my husband and I started dating. This 19th we will celebrate 5 years since we first met for a coffee and took a freezing walk around "Love Park" (it's actually called Centennial Lakes but everyone refers to it as Love park because that's where every one we know starts dating, gets engaged and/or takes their wedding pictures there. 2/3 are true for us. It's a beautiful park!)  

4. It's the shortest month which is pretty special, right? Exactly 4 weeks long. 

5. It's a sweet transition between wintery January and some signs of spring in March. *fingers crossed spring is coming!* 

It's also the Super Bowl but I'm not really about that. I'm guessing Hawks will win though. 

Instagram the source of all things awesome led me to this free February calendar print here

I want to frame it with a heart around the 13th and hang it in Juliana's room.  

This is another free printable @mscraftberrybush (Insta) 

This is the Shutterfly calendar we currently have hanging in the hallway. The quality is the best and the options are endless. Love this month's roses :)