MY JOURNEY TO WORKING IN EDUCATION

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Hi! Happy 2024. I’m currently on a little social media break, but being away always gives me more time to blog and write - a huge passion of mine.

The Outfits.

I am so excited to finally share all about my journey towards a part time career in education. This post has been a long time coming. First things first, I have LOVED finally having a reason to wear the clothes in my closet. If you were around for my 30 day “shop my closet” challenge late last year, it helped me realize that I do have clothes that never get worn, because I find myself in leggings or sweats every day since I work from home. It’s been fun to shop my closet and find outfits to wear to school! Here are pics from my first 14 days in the classroom. And yes…in case you’re wondering…it’s been so HARD sneaking pics of myself before the kids arrive, and I’ve been terrified I’m gonna get caught taking a selfie from another adult. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL #IYKYK I’ve gotten really good at resting my phone against my water cup and taking a pic quickly. ;)

 
 
 

ALL ITEMS ABOVE ARE LINKED HERE: (simply click on the item number and description. Please note these are affiliate links, and I do receive a small percentage. Thank you for supporting us in this way!)

1. AND 2. STRIPED SOCKS

3. GINGHAM SOCKS

4. SHEER HEART SOCKS

5. AND 6. BAGGY HIGH WAISTED WASHED PANTS

7. AND 8. BAGGY HIGH WASITED COLORFUL PANTS

9. LONG CARGO PANTS

 
 

The Story.

I remember being a little girl, lining up all of my Lisa Frank stationery, and acting like I was a teacher with my Barbie dolls sitting so quietly and patiently. I was an only child, so being creative with my barbies, Lisa Frank + Sanrio, Saved by the Bell reruns and a handmade dollhouse from my sweet daddy, kept me occupied until sports took over my life. But the dream of teaching began in those innocent Barbie moments. It was either teaching, sports broadcasting, or becoming a meteorologist. I knew I’d be one someday.

Fast forward to 2010. I graduated with a B.S. in Math from Auburn, and I honestly never thought I’d use anything I learned after 5 grueling years of studying all about differential equations, algebraic topology, and real analysis. That was because my life took a huge turn during college when I joined ROTC at Seton Hall and Auburn, and eventually commissioned into the Army as an Aviator. I clearly embarked on none of those aforementioned career paths. Yet little did I know that two amazing little girls would come into my life and pull me away from a career of flying for the military. Do I miss it? Yes…but I have absolutely zero regrets. I’ll never regret the last 6 years I’ve spent by their sides, while also being able to support my husband as he continues to serve and fly.

In 2017 I started The Ever Co, and in 2018 we launched our first apparel line in our online store. Being able to work at home with a full time job, while also being able to attend my kids’ school meetings and take them to doctors appointments + therapies was a dream come true. Don’t get me wrong…the balance was (and is) tough. Hence my social media breaks. It’s where I find my peace in the absence of technology and online hustle. But I would be naive not to admit that it is that very technology and hustle that’s allowed me to stay home with my girls. So for that, I’m endlessly grateful.

As thankful as I am…I realized a few years ago that selling clothes was not my endgame. As much as I loved and adored creating holiday apparel for your littles, and as much as I beamed with joy seeing your littles (and you) dawning them for your memory making adventures…I’ve known for quite some time that my heart just wasn’t fully in it. More on that at another time, but I’ve always said that if I lost the passion for something, I wouldn’t keep doing it just for the money.

So in 2019 I started praying for a different path, and that’s when it all started to make a little more sense. (Ironically…2019 was also the most money we ever made. It was a massively profitable year for us…but if that doesn’t show that money doesn’t buy happiness, I don’t know what does.)

In 2020 I took a 6 month social media break and really leaned into my thoughts on how I could continue growing and sustaining the business online, while also being as present and content as possible offline with my family and friends. Yet for the next 3 years I continued to sell clothes, because I was scared to step away.

This is a very sped up version of this story, but fast forward to 2023…I finally admitted all of this to you, our community. I said I’d be stepping away from clothing sales and all of the income that came with a successful clothing business, to lean into my deep desires to be more involved with education and the kids of future generations.

In summer of 2023 (after a VERY LONG hiring process and some things that slowed me down in my personal life….more on that in the future) I was hired by our county, and finally this month (January 2024) I actually started working. I planned to start subbing in August, but I instead took the last 5 months to ensure my heart and mind were ready before stepping into a classroom. I didn’t want to bring my personal life struggles into the school. I wanted to ensure I was fully ready.

So now here we are. I’ve been in 13 different classrooms at 6 different schools! I can genuinely say I know this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing in this season of life. The conversations I’ve had with kids, the lessons I’ve taught, the teacher interactions I’ve shared, the hugs I’ve been given from students that were strangers just eight hours prior…it’s all exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I THINK I LIKE THIS LITTLE LIFE.

 
 

What’s next?

I’m gonna keep subbing for now. I’m working 2-3 days a week in Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth. I’ve also realized that I LOVEEEEE working with the special needs kids in the Multiple Disabilities classrooms. I think that’s my sweet spot. I owe so much of that passion to being so involved with my daughter’s therapies + IEPs over the last 6 years, and being highly involved in my youngest daughter’s inclusion class last year. Inclusion classrooms get a bad rap, and I hope I can help erase that stigma. There is SO MUCH beauty, empathy, and understanding found in those classrooms. Those kids truly just need and want to be loved the same. I love inclusion classes. I’ll always accept those positions first before any others.

The Balance and my Schedule.

Working part time, 2-3 days a week, allows me to still do a lot for our business while also maintaining my responsibilities as wife and mama. I love the balance I’ve found in this season.

Here’s what my daily schedule looks like on the days that I sub:

5:00 wake up, coffee, read devotionals, and watch news

6:00 shower and dress

6:30 get kids dressed, fed, and their bags/lunches packed

7:00 finish getting ready and packing my bag / lunch

7:50 out the door

4:30 home and relax + read 50 pages of my current book while I unwind with the kids from school. They get to watch a show together after school while I read.

5:30 start dinner prep and kids do homework ***caveat that this is allll based on it being a non activity day i.e. no gymnastics and no soccer; things are about to get really hectic for us when spring soccer starts back up, so this routine will likely change***

6:00 dinner and family time (card games or just quality time)

7:00 lift weights while kids play

7:30 shower

8:00 kids to bed, respond to any work emails or personal emails and texts, then watch a show with Blake or read next to each other on the couch.

9:30 Blake and I head to bed. We are asleep by 10 every night.

On the days that I don’t sub, I go on a long run or 5 mile walk and listen to podcasts, run errands, clean the house, and shoot any content that needs to be done. (During sub days, I typically eat lunch and listen to podcasts at the teacher’s desk unless I want to meet some other teachers in the workroom. But I’ve learned that I LOVE a quiet dark classroom and a mind break mid day to reset for the afternoon.) I’m still learning how to get through the day without an afternoon coffee. At home, I typically hit a slump around 1-2 and make another iced coffee, but I don’t have that luxury at school. I’m trying hard to not have to take another cup of coffee to school, but we’ll see if I can keep that up. I’ve also realized it’s hard to drink a lot of water at school because I then have to pee a LOT. That’s all still a work in progress.

Here are some other things I’ve learned / My personal thoughts:

  • Subs don’t get paid enough. It is NOT easy stepping into a class of students who don’t know you and who you don’t know. Even more…teachers REALLYYYYY don’t get paid enough. Like how is it like this in 2024?!? Let’s just say I’m definitely not in this biz for the money.

  • Wearing comfortable clothes and shoes is so key to a more relaxing day. I LOVE getting dressed for the day now and finding cute, trendy, clothes that the kids will love, find colorful, and bring them joy. Jeans are generally okay, but I like wearing colorful baggy high waisted pants to keep me comfy. I also love wearing fun bright shoes and funky socks too. The kids love them. Andddd it’s also nice that since I work in so many different schools, I never need to worry about repeating an outfit too quickly hehe.

  • I love brushing my teeth mid day after eating lunch at school. It gives me a little boost of energy. Weird? Idk.

  • Prepping lunches is actually really fun because I know how much I look forward to eating it come lunchtime. I’m such a snacker…so getting through the day until lunch is tough! Gum and mints have been my best friend.

  • Subbing has made me more confident. I never thought I’d be unconfident in front of a bunch of 6,7,8, and 9 year olds….but here we are. But every time I’m in there…I find my voice more and more. Nothing like being in front of VERY HONEST little ones, and strangers at that, to make you put on your big girl pants. ;)

  • Finding the schools you love, the teachers you love, and the areas you love is key. If you love the school you’re working at and the teachers you’re working for, it’s so much more enjoyable!

  • Teachers are DESPERATE for good subs who they can trust and who will stick to their lesson plans. They want people to love on their kiddos the way they do. Be that person for them. Leave them notes about how amazing their kids are when you can.

  • I love seeing how different each teacher is in the way they leave lesson plans, in the way their desks are organized, in the way their classrooms are setup, in the way they’re teaching tools are displayed. It’s all so fun and reminds me of my little Barbie days. I also love leaving each of them personalized notes at the end of the day. I make these during the students’ specials time while they’re out for art, music, library, or PE. If I’m honest, one of the biggest reasons I initially wanted to get into teaching was to be able to get all the fancy notepads and pens and to decorate a classroom. It’s all so cute! A girl can dream though. ;)

  • Working a “9-5” again makes me realize how much less money I spend since I’m not using little shopping trips to Target to fill my time. It also helps me snack less which I also love.

  • My only two gripes at the moment are 1. I don’t get to go on my daily walks right now because it gets dark too early and Blake doesn’t get home until 8pm every night and 2. I don’t get to read as much as I want. (I have a goal to read 50 books this year, and I’ve read 4 so far!) ohhhhh and…I’m reallyyyyy tired at the end of the day. When I get home I just want to crash. Working on seeing what vitamins I’m needing more of to help me with this. “There is no tired like teacher tired!”

  • As much as I love this job, it’s also given me clarity that I don’t want to be a full time teacher. I LOVE LOVE LOVE working with different kids each day, and I love the spontaneity each day presents me with in tackling new challenges, new tasks, and new roles. It’s like I never know what to expect, which is truly refreshing for this planner girl’s heart. No day is ever the same. But I also love the flexibility in being able to choose which days I work, where I work, and when I work. I need this in order to be able to continue building The Ever Co in the way that I want to, and I need this in order to continue pursuing other dreams too. Part time work / substitute teaching + tutoring gives me the flexibility I need to make this happen. But it’s also giving me life skills and tools to continue pursuing other dreams too.

  • Know (and prepare yourself) that you will have both REALLY GOOD days and REALLY HARD days. That’s just the nature of the biz. Accept that, and every day will still be worth it.

  • If you see a teacher has multiple openings back to back, do yourself and that teacher a favor and select all of those days. Routine is so important for these kiddos (especially any kiddos with disabilities), and change is really hard for them. It’s also nice to know the teacher’s classroom and materials for multiple days!

  • I generally work now off of teacher referrals or teacher requests. This way I know the teachers I’m gonna work for or it’s at least one of their coworkers who they’ve recommended me for. Since I’m not working full time, this gives me a really nice load and balance of days on and off.

  • Post a set of “rules” to follow along with your name on the board when you get in. Here’s what I write “I’m Mrs. Hawthorne, or you can call me Ms. H. Here are my rules : 1. Be kind / honest 2. Don’t give up and try your best. 3. Follow your normal teachers’ rules. 4. Level one or whisper, no screaming 5. Most important rule - let’s have fun!

  • I’ve learned so much in just 14 days of work. SO much about myself, about kids, about our community, about teachers, about administrators, about education. It’s even helped me learn and realize things about my own kids. I’ve learned so much in so little time and it makes me want to cry happy tears.

    ***an update to the original post***

  • I know this post shares all of the glitz and glam of the classroom, but I would be remiss not to mention the flip side. Because the fact of the matter is, there are so many teachers hurting, scrambling, pleading for resources, begging for help, praying for funding, and doing their all not to throw in the towel. My husband is the son of two educators (one elementary teacher and one high school teacher / coach) and he’s always said, and i quote “teaching is the most under-appreciated and underpaid profession there is.” I never understood what he meant until I was in the classroom too. There is so much that goes on behind the curtains, and now that it’s been pulled back a bit and I have full access to see…it’s just so much. And I don’t even have to use my planning periods to plan things or go home in the evening to grade papers or respond to parent emails or schedule conferences. There’s genuinely so much that they do, and I am so wildly grateful for it all. It’s why I’ve always been and will always be an advocate for spoiling our teachers every chance we get. … if only everyone could see and understand the complexities and depth of what a day in the life entails … if only. But at the end of the day, this is one of my biggest reasons to step into subbing. To prayerfully give our teachers a break when they need it. All teachers should be authorized a number of mental health days quarterly. I don’t know the policies for that, but they genuinely need a break. I hope to be someone they can trust their babies with, in their absence. As much as I’m doing this for the kids…I’m doing this for my fellow teacher friends too. We try to do so much for our local community through Mission 31, and through this business in general, and I’m loving this season of giving back to my local community through substitute teaching. A place where I can truly see and feel the impact with the youth of future generations.

 
 

I will become an Author.

Teaching has further ignited the spark I have to write more. I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book and a “self help book for women” of sorts. I’ve shared this many times online over the years, and those closest to me in my circles on and offline know this, but writing it here makes it feel more concrete.

…I’m gonna make it happen.

Mark my word…by 2026, I will have a children’s book and adult book published or at least very close to being published. *i think i can i think i can i think i can*

I do hope to get more reading certification credentials under me so I have more credibility in the reading world (academically speaking that is), but I also just REALLY want to learn how kids’ brains are wired and what creates reading deficits. Even more so, I want to learn how to help children with special needs or learning disabilities to read in a more effective and more efficient way. I want them to love it. I love books so so so much, and if I can combine my love for reading and writing with my love for kids and their futures…….

well…I think I’ve just spoken my next 10 year plan. A book store on a pumpkin patch or Christmas tree farm anyone? ;)

 

Click the number and title below to go straight to the link

The Links.

Before I signed offline, I told y’all I’d share some of the links to some of my favorite items I purchased to start this new journey. I’m so HAPPY to report that I use these items everyday and still love them! I’ve repurposed my iridescent planner and it’s now gonna become my teaching scrapbook of sorts as I’m using my other planner more and realized I don’t need two. I’ll share about the teaching scrapbook when I get back online, but for now here are all of the links I said I’d share. As always these are affiliate links, so thank you for shopping them if you choose to do so which in turn supports our business.

  1. MONTHLY PLANNER - CHEAPER VERSION BUT AMAZING QUALITY AND LOTS OF COLORS - A monthly planner is critical to see the days you work and the hours you work in one spot. Plus you can add in any important family events to ensure you don’t double book.

  2. PENCIL BEAD BADGE LANYARD - My new go to teacher gift! I am so i love with this cute little pencil lanyard for my county teaching badge.

  3. TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER - I love brushing my teeth after lunch at work and it weirdly gives me energy to get through the afternoon. Maybe the mint smell? Or maybe it feels like it’s morning again and I’m getting freshened up? Anyways I got this toothbrush holder set and gave the others to my family for traveling.

  4. MONTHLY PLANNER - MORE EXPENSIVE VERSION. This is the one I have and I love it! It also has some goal setting pages in there which I think is wonderful for a new year.

  5. SUBSTITUTE NOTE SHEETS FOR TEACHER - I have been told by nearly every teacher I sub for how much they love these note sheets, and I couldn’t agree more! They make it so easy for me to leave notes for the teacher, and I love how cute they are.

  6. A HOT PINK CLIPBOARD - Because duh. I love being able to have the class roster on me when we go outside for recess or to specials, and it makes taking attendance easy too.

  7. PORTABLE MIRROR WITH LIGHT - Let me tell you how much I LOVE this mirror. It is amazing and so compact and I think I’ve found my new go to “stocking stuffer” / mother’s day / friend’s bday / anything and everything gift!

  8. BADGE HOLDERS - They’re sparkly and glittery and come in a pack of four. I’m OBSESSED with how cute these are.

  9. KAWAII HIGHLIGHTERS - I love highlighting notes on the sub plans to remember things or to highlight notes for the teacher to see and these are so cute to do just that.

  10. THE IRIDESCENT PLANNER HOLDER - This is JUST the case, but this is truly so versatile. I think I’m gonna turn mine into a teaching scrapbook to remember all the memories I make while subbing.

  11. PLANNER INSERTS - If you want to use it as a planner, here are the inserts for it!

  12. PLANNER INSERTS - If you want to use it as a planner, here are the inserts for it!

  13. POLKA DOT PENCIL CASE - I love how versatile this case is and it stores everything I could possibly need at school from all of my pens and highlighters to sharpies and etc. I also keep some extra bandaids and tylenol in it.

  14. STRAW TOPPERS - I’m still figuring out the balance to drinking water while working and not being able to just get up and leave the class to go pee, but I do take my Stanley with me everyday! I’ve noticed I leave it sitting around at my desk though, and there’s a lot of coughing kids around, so I got these to help protect the top of the straw from germs.

  15. STICKY NOTES - Aside from the sub note I leave the teachers, I also leave some sticky notes on top of the kid’s finished worksheets and any extra worksheets. These make it fun. Yes I’m that person. ;)

  16. THE BAG THAT HOLDS IT ALL - How in the world do I take this all everyday? Well. This bag has been a lifesaver for me. It’s meant for traveling, and don’t get me wrong I use it for that too BUT I love that the shoe compartment at the bottom is actually my lunchbox on work days! I stick everything in there. I never have to worry about anything not fitting.

 
 

Thank you for stopping by, and if there’s anything you found useful here, please feel free to pin any of these images to come back to it at a later time!

Happy January, and I hope you and yours are well!

xx, Amy

 

HALLOWEEN COSTUME ROUNDUP PART 2

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IT’S BACK! We’ve updated our favorite family friendly costume roundup and it’s here!

This is great for anyone needing to throw together a last minute family costume, and even great for those planners who are ALREADY dreaming of next year’s family costumes! (me - haha!)

I hope you find something that catches your eye, and I also hope you are able to pay a visit to so many of these wonderful families who have put together the cutest, most clever, silliest and pretties costumes EVER!

We are honored to be able to feature them here, and be sure to pin this image below to your pinterest board for easy reference for years to come!

We can’t wait to see what you dream up this year! (Be sure to tag us so we don’t miss it!)

 
 

Below you will find a collection of curated halloween costume images, collected from Instagram. Each owner of the image is tagged below their picture, and you can visit their profile for more details on the costume!

I chose to feature costumes that were mostly DIYs, as we want these to be fun to make and create, and we always love that with DIYs you can add your own personal touch!

I’ll start with our own family costumes from the last few years. You can find all of these on our business instagram @theeverco ! They were so fun to make!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Paw patrol theme by @KaylaSerr

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Golden Girls by @theblushingbluebird

 

UP by @elsabowman

 
 

Be sure to pin this image to pinterest for years to come so you have an easy reference for future Halloween costumes!

I hope you loved seeing these as much as I loved curating them!

Now, let’s get to creating!

XX, Amy

June 2022 - moving from TX to VA and taking another summer off IG

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Hey hey hey!!! I don’t know who will see this (if anyone haha), but HIIIII! I hope you’re doing well!!!

It’s been about a month since I deleted IG off my phone for the summer to move our family across the country and to be more present with my little ladies + my man and my pups, and I must say - I NEVER REGRET THIS.

Sure it takes about a week to get used to, because my fingers so naturally want to open IG and scroll endlessly to keep up with my friends and family…and yes, there’s also FOMO,

but let me tell you - the memories made with my people with no obligation or timeline to post and share make these breaks so so so so worth it!!!

I first took an IG break in 2020 for 6 months, and since then I’ve been taking every June, July, some of August, and all of December off when my girls are out of school. If you’re feeling a pull to step away and shift priorities for a bit, I highly encourage IG breaks! If it’s your business, then yes it takes sacrifice and unfortunately you’ll probably lose momentum, growth, and money, but I am a big believer that the Lord will provide in other ways.

So let’s get to it! Wanna know what we’ve been up to?…LET’S CHAT! :)

 
 

WE MOVED!!! We are now Virginians! and I must say…Viriginia is truly for lovers! It’s a beaut!

We have yet to receive all of our household goods, but here’s a peak into our place! We don’t know how long we’ll be here, sadly, but we’re determined to make the most of it while we’re here! We are gonna make a few home updates, but here’s the start! The story of how this place landed in our laps is such a sweet one that I’ll share one day!

 
 
 
 

We haven’t received any of our main household goods from the Army yet, and we’ve been sleeping on the ground for about 3 weeks, but we’ll hopefully get our main things in the next couple weeks so I can start truly putting things away, cleaning, and decorating! I need our furnitureeeeee!

But let’s backtrack to leaving TX. Oh man…that was definitely the hardest house we’ve had to leave. We loved the TX house SO SO SO much and all of it’s unique character. And if it weren’t for the market, we would’ve held onto her. Sadly, it was time to say goodbye. Here are some pics from that departure. I’ll never get over the high ceilings, the brick fireplace, the archways, the concrete floors, and the one level open floor plan.

 
 
 
 

While the summer’s been filled with highs and lows and lots of travels, we’ve also made lots of fun memories. Most of which have been on our bikes as a family! It’s no secret that we LOVE cycling, and both girls learned to ride on their "Guardian Bikes” that I rave about. They’re genuinely the safest bikes on the planet with their sure stop braking system, and both girls have so much confidence on them.

Here’s the link for them if you’re interested : http://go.guardianbikes.com/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=1021

They were also shown on Shark Tank, and we’ve upgraded to the bigger sizes for both girls now too. That’s how much we love them!!

 
 

Here are their first bikes from Guardian, and now we’ve upgraded to their 20” bigger models! We can’t get enough of them!!! Shop them here : http://go.guardianbikes.com/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=1021

 

We traveled with their bikes + our bikes on the back of my Ascent via a LOLO racks system which I can’t recommend enough! I’ll share more about it when I get back on IG in august.

 

In addition to lots of bike riding, we’re calling this the summer of softball + board games. Here’s a peak at some random fun memories we’ve made thus far.

Wanna know something crazy? My favorite number is 3, and Everly just by luck got number 3 for her jersey number AND was placed on the “Kentucky Wildcats”…one of my dad’s favorite college teams. When he passed away, he was found next to his UK baseball hat that I still have. So bittersweet seeing her in this.

I feel him ever so present every softball season and just wish more than anything he could be here to hear all about his little Everly shining in the sport. …miss you so much daddy.

 
 
 

Aside from tons of family time, we’ve also said many goodbyes along the way. Here are some pics from all of those farewells. It’s been a bittersweet month in every sense of the word.

We’ve done this moving thing so so so so so many times, but let me tell ya - the goodbyes never get easier. :(

 
 
 

After leaving Texas and setting off on our road trip to Virginia, we decided to stop midway in Birmingham to see Rachel and her family!!! Rachel is our shipping coordinator, head of logistics, and strategizes/designs alongside me, and it was SUCH A SPECIAL TREAT for Blake and the girls to meet her family! we were sorority sisters in college turned business partners, and man…EVERYONE needs a Rachel on their team.

 
 

Here are some more pics from the trip as well! We took about 5 days and went 5 hours a day which was so wonderful for the girls and I. Blake drove separately in his truck with the pups and pulled a Uhaul, while the girls and I hauled the bikes (and my houseplants)…pahahhaha! Yes, I move my houseplants, and yes I water them at the hotels along the way. 😂😂😂

Anywho! We drove 5 hours a day which worked out perfectly because we were able to sleep in and have breakfast at the hotels, depart around 10-11, stop around 12-1 for lunch, then finish the drive and arrive at our next place to checkin by 3 in time for swimming and dinner! It never felt rushed and we truly enjoyed the drives because they weren’t too long. The girls and I all get car sick too, so that was a great distance each day.

We stayed at Hilton hotels due to our rewards and membership with them, but this trip we tested out their newest line (Tru Hotels by Hilton) and we loved them! They were great for short stays, so family friendly, modern, clean and had tons of activities! We also loved how bright and colorful they were. Plus they’re dog friendly!

Towards the end of the trip, since we’d swam in so many hotel pools, Everly nearly mastered underwater swimming (go E!!!) and the girls also got their ears pierced so so randomly on a whim in a mall! hahaha! Reminded me of my Claires days from childhood.

We were going through a severe storm with winds up to 80 mph and were told to seek shelter immediately so we detoured to a random mall, and the rest was history. We figured we’d turn a rather scary situation into something memorable, and I can definitely say the girls will NEVER EVER forget this roadtrip.

 
 
 

Since we’re starting to get settled in VA (although we’re still waiting on all of our things which will likely still be another few weeks since it’s delayed :( ), I wanted to share some fun summer links that have helped us get through the month, or that I’ve found since being away. You can shop these affiliate links below!

 
 

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT
NINE | TEN | ELEVEN | TWELVE | THIRTEEN

ONE - MY FAVE HAIR CLIPS FOR THE SUMMER. SO MANY FUN COLORS AND WOULD BE SUPER CUTE FOR TEACHER GIFTS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL!

TWO - WE NEVER GO ON WALKS IN THE SUMMER WITH THE PUPS WITHOUT THIS! IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE WATER AVAILABLE AND WITH A BOWL TO DRINK OUT OF. THE DOGS LOVE IT!

THREE - THE BIKES FOR THE GIRLS THAT ARE THE SAFEST ON THE PLANET THAT I NEVER STOP RAVING ABOUT. CAN’T RECOMMEND THEM ENOUGH AND SO WORTH THE SPLURGE.

FOUR - GONE ARE THE DAYS OF PUTTING WATER ICE CUBES IN MY ICED COFFEE. I LOVE THIS THING FOR POURING ICE COFEE INTO THE HOLDER TO MAKE COFFEE ICE CUBES THAT I CAN JUST GRAB WHENEVER I NEED!

FIVE - OUR FAVE BATHING SUIT BUY OF THE SUMMER! THE GIRLS ARE OBSESSED WITH LIME GREEN LIKE MAMA, AND IT’S SO CUTE!

SIX - MY ALL TIME FAVE DAILY MOISTURIZER AND YEAR ROUND SUNSCREEN THAT GIVES A LITTLE GLOW. I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS PRODUCT AND IT’S GREAT FOR MY SENSITIVE SKIN.

SEVEN - WE GOT THESE SCOOTERS AS THE GIRLS HAVE OUTGROWN THEIR OLD SCOOTERS AND THEY’VE BEEN WORKING SO WELL! THEY ARE ON MAJORRRRR SALE AND ARE SO CUTE!

EIGHT - OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE DAILY SANDALS EVER. ON MAJOR SALE AND WE HAVE THEM IN SO MANY COLORS!

NINE - MY NUMBER ONE ESSENTIAL FOR THE FAMILY WHO PLAYS SPORTS, CAMPS, GOES TO THE BEACH, THE LAKE, OR DOES ANYTHING OUTDOORS. WE GET COMPLIMENTS ON THIS CHAIR EVERYWHERE WE GO AND IT HAS HELD UP SO WELL FOR 3 YEARS! WE LOVE IT!

TEN - THE DRESS OUR GIRLS ARE LIVING IN THIS SUMMER. SO CUTE FOR $10!

ELEVEN - THE BEST FAMILY SUNSCREEN IN THE HISTORY OF EVER. WE LOVE HAVING THIS IN OUR CABINET AND BEING ABLE TO USE THE ENTIRE THING AS A FAMILY AND IT DRIES SO WELL AND DOESN’T LEAVE US FEELING GREASY. WE LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

TWELVE - I LIVE IN THESE SANDALS YEAR ROUND, ESPECIALLY WITH MY RECURRING TOE INJURY. THEY’RE COMFY, CUTE, EASY TO DRESS UP AND DOWN, WATERPROOF, AND I EVEN GO ON LONG WALKS IN THEM!

THIRTEEN - THE SHOES HADLEY IS LIVING IN ALL SUMMER LONG. THEY’RE THE BEST FAUX DOC MARTENS, AND SO CHEAP, BUT WELL MADE! WE LOVE THESE STYLISH PLATFORM SHOES!

 
 

A few bonus items that I forgot to add and didn’t feel like updating the graphic heheh! Just some cute colorful things that I’ve gotten for the new house or for back to school (and Halloween hehehe!)

  1. BIRD DRESS FOR $4.99

  2. DAISY DRESS FOR $4.99

  3. CHECKERED PANTS FOR $9.99

  4. FLORAL PANTS FOR $9.99

  5. LEGO SWEATSHIRT

  6. BUNNY TEE

  7. FLORAL TOWEL

  8. GREEN CHECKER TOWEL

  9. GREEN CHECKER DRESS

  10. SKULL VASE

  11. FLORAL PILLOW

  12. FLOOR CUSHIONS

  13. FLOOR CUSHIONS

  14. STORAGE CRATES

  15. RAMEN BOWLS

  16. CHECKER MUG

  17. BRIGHT SHEETS

  18. CIRCLE VASE

 

And yes for those asking via email or anywhere else, I still plan to launch presets and some fun new products ASAP!!! I’ve just been so busy with the fam, so I promise it’s good reasons I am delayed.

Until then, if you haven’t seen our summer sale, it’s still live in the shop and Rachel is still able to ship items over the summer from our shipping center! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions!!

You can check those sale items out here via this link! I even opened up preorders for some sold out pins!

 
 
 

oh….one last thing…the highlight of the summer? …

It’s most definitely Top Gun with my man, and Jurassic World with the fam. We are such a movie family, and for both of these movies to come out this summer back to back - wow, what a treat!

 
 
 

I’ll end with this. Texas sunsets have been my favorite in my life. Every few months (maybe 3-4 times a year) we’d get a bright pink, cotton candy sunset over our backyard. I was so sad knowing we wouldn’t get one final sunset to look at before moving, and just as God always does - He gave me a little wink, reminding me that everything would be okay. Capturing this sunset, mixed with the garden that my hands built from the ground up, was Heaven sent. This is how I’ll remember this home.

It’s no lie that moving is super stressful. Doing it as much as we do, is even more difficult.

And I’ll never be able to explain how timely and simply perfect that final sunset was on the eve of leaving our special central Texas home.

now, we’re off on new adventures. capturing new sunsets, making new friends, building new memories, decorating new spaces, and remaining hopeful that tomorrow will always be a better day.

I sure hope you and yours are doing so very well in whatever season of life you’re in! I appreciate you checking in here, and know that as always, every time I step away, I GENUINELY MISS CONNECTING WITH YOU! so please reach out and keep in touch if you feel like it. If you want to reference any of these pics or this blog post in the future, please don’t forget to pin any image here for easy reference and bookmarking.

Happy memory making friends!

I’ll see ya in August! :)

 

TRAVEL TIPS FOR MAMA

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This post has been written a few times throughout the course of our business, and I’m excited to update it with new links and new tips and tricks for the anxious hearted mama - when it comes to traveling!

Since implementing the tips and suggestions you’ll read about below, I’ve flown with the girls many times by myself as well as countless trips solo, and my anxiety is nearly gone! I know that continuous travels have helped so much with minimizing my anxiety with traveling, but I also feel so confident that practicing and believing the information below is what’s made the difference!

I also wanted to add this; I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to get it all right (especially when traveling and doing new things). It adds so much to our anxiety. But what we forget is how adaptable our kiddos are. So what(!) if their routine is thrown out the window for a few days. You’re traveling to make memories and to have a great time. So join me in releasing some of the expectations we place on ourselves and our kiddos, and let’s give ourselves lots of grace.

Original post:

I feel as though I'm a seasoned traveler. I love traveling. I love exploring. 

I've driven and flown to nearly every state in the U.S.

I've driven across the country from Alabama to Washington State and back twice. Once was with a two month old in the back seat. 

I drove up to Maine by myself and traveled down the entire East Coast on a "soul searching trip".

I even have the word "wanderlust" tattooed on my side.

Yet, here I am. Two days before flying across the country with my hubby and two littles and I'm kinda FAAAA-REEEAAAAKKKK-INGGGGG OUT! 

I’ve always struggled with anxiety. I'm anxious for plane troubles. I'm anxious for the girls not behaving. I'm anxious for the girls not sleeping. I'm anxious for the three hour time change. I'm anxious for the people around us on the plane. Alll...theeee....things.

For me, when I get anxious, the best thing I can do is plan + prepare for what's to come.

 
 

Before I get into the blog post, here are the links for 20 must have travel items that will be discussed throughout this blog post. Just click the number associated with the image and it will take you directly to the affiliate link listing. Thank you for supporting us through these links!!!

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE |

SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE | TEN |

ELEVEN | TWELVE | THIRTEEN | FOURTEEN | FIFTEEN |

SIXTEEN | SEVENTEEN | EIGHTEEN | NINETEEN | TWENTY

 

FOR PACKING:

1. When packing, go day by day, outfit by outfit. I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten the shoes I needed for an outfit or the slip I needed to go under a dress. This will make sure you don't forget anything! This also makes you pack the least amount of clothes because you will have specific outfits for each day.  If something's in the wash, make a note to grab it before you go. Speaking from experience there too! Put a few garbage bags into the suitcases so you have somewhere to catch all the dirty clothes throughout the travels too! Bonus if you can wash your clothes before you return back home! It’s so nice coming home with clean clothes to unpack!

2. Put a cute bright ribbon of sorts on your suitcase OR getting bright colored easily identifiable suitcases. Something I learned when our luggage was stolen was that black, simple, suitcases that look like everyone elses are so much easier to get stolen because the person stealing it won’t be identified as easily! If you put hot pink ribbons around the handle or have a bright pink suitcase, it’s so much less likely to get stolen.

3. For kiddos, pack anything and everything you can (but not too much) that reminds them of the comfort of their own bed. i.e. we pack their sound machines and favorite small blanket/stuffed animal if we are flying. If we are driving somewhere, we take more of their things because we have more room.  They will love having the scent of their home with them on the go! 

4. Do NOT pack big bulky items if you don’t have to!!! We use Baby Quip to rent all of our bigger items upon arrival at wherever we’re going, and let me tell you-it’s amazing!!! You can use code THEEVERCO which is good for $20 off a rental of $100 or more for first time customers. It's valid through June 7th. We essentially just use a single umbrella stroller for our bigger girl if she’s not walking (and this one is our favorite that we HIGHLY recommend) and then I would wear our little girl in a wrap when she was little. We get off the plane and just get our suitcase and then have car seats, strollers, pack n plays, and all the big items waiting for us at our car rental! Your Baby Quip rep will meet you wherever you want to be met and will even deliver to the hotel or home you’re staying at! I have LOVED my experience with Baby Quip and know you will too! Let me know if you have any questions and you can book your rentals here for future travels! p.s. I always love working out while traveling, so this is my way to rent a Bob double stroller while traveling and to go for a run in a new city! The girls love doing this!

 
 

also seen here!

 

5. I always roll our clothes in the suitcase. An army trick we're taught early on. It saves SOOOO much room! 

6. PACKING CUBES ARE LIFE. But so is cute, color coordinated packing stuff. Here are my current faves! Well made, durable, and super duper cute! If they’re out of stock there, you can also check here. We just love this brand and their quality!

 

And here’s my fave laptop case brand! They always have so many cute styles.

Speaking of laptops - I LOVE LOVE using time on the plane to clear off my desktop, delete unwanted items, and to free up storage or organize. It’s a great way to make use of your time while not needing internet to do so!

 

7. MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE WEATHER! This will let you know if you need to give up some room for a jacket, which is typically what takes a lot of room. And most importantly, if you’re able to - just wear the jacket! I highly recommend wearing your bulkiest items, weather permitting, as it frees up so much space. It also works for a built in pillow or blanket on the plane!

8. I'm realllyyyy bad at packing too many pajamas. I don't know why, but I always feel like I need eight MeeeeeLLLL-YUN pairs of comfy pants. When really, you don't need many pajamas. When you're traveling/on vacation, you've typically got lots of people to see, places to be, and things to do. You'll only put on your comfy clothes at night to sleep in. There's not too much lounging around on the couch watching movies in your jammies all day, so just pack a couple and wear them over again! I promise, I won't judge!  Here are my fave go to travel jammies that take up super little room!

9. Shoes take up so much room! AM-I-Right? But we want to take alll the pairs! Take shoes that go with multiple outfits! You'll save tons of room! If you're going on a trip that you'll work out and go hiking in, bring shoes that are dual purpose and you can do both in! Also try to wear the heaviest and bulkiest shoes to the airport to save luggage room. I always wear my boots in the fall and winter. Not as comfy, but it’ll save so much room!

10. Don't forget swimwear and swim necessities! I feel like everyone forgets this. And that's why all those beach shops make so much money! Pack sunscreen, bug spray, swim diapers and all the things you'd have to pay an arm and a leg for at the beach shop! 

11. Just one book. haha! Unless you’re a speedy reader and an avid one, I feel like I always pack one too many books because so much of my time is taken up with activities. One book is always enough for me. Unless of course it’s a solo trip where you’re planning to unwind by the pool! Books take up a lot of room so this seems to be a happy medium!

12. Wear the hat! If you’re a hat girl like me, then wear it at the airport because they just take up so much room in the luggage! Now I’m not talking a ball cap. But a fedora just doesn’t belong in the luggage. so wear it! If you are taking multiple hats, then I highly recommend this travel hat carrier that works with suitcases too!

 

FOR THE AIRPORT:

13. Check in early and reserve your seats! BUT, make sure your tickets actually have those seats when you get to your gate! Sometimes they accidentally double book seats! (tip: the back row on most planes are typically the least ideal to book, which makes it the PERFECT room for families! We always end up getting an extra seat open next to us cause nobody booked it!) Along with this, as much as it stinks being the last one to board and last one to deplane, it is SUCH a bonus to be next to the bathrooms! Most airlines allow families to board first anyways, so it’s nice to get settled into your back seats where nobody will bother you!

UPDATED TIP 11.5 We unfortunately had our luggage stolen off the belt this past Christmas. Now granted, that is likely a very high stolen baggage time, it still SUCKED and we lost so many precious meaningful items. As much as it stinks being separated on the plane as a family if there are two adults traveling, it’s honestly really nice to have one parent sit at the front of the plane to be able to get off and rush straight to baggage claim. We will be doing this from now on! I always have to go to the bathroom (as do the kids) right when we deplane, so this allows us to still take our time while the other parent goes straight there.

14. But, if not, when you get to the gate, beg, plead, do whatever you can to see if there's any rows with open seats! If so, see if you can book those seats and pray that nobody sits there! 

15. Bring your own water bottle!!! For the whole family! It not only is sustainable and reduce plastic waste, but most airports have water filtered filling stations now! I love to add lemon slices and cucumber in the bottom of mine so that when I fill it up past security it has some flavor! Fill up your own water bottle at a water fountain to save another eight-MEEL-yun dollars. You won't die, I promise.

16. Referencing #4, we try not to bring car seats or big bulky strollers and instead rent them wherever we are going from Baby Quip. We use our Kolocraft stroller (that’s only $26 and gate check it - it’s cheap so if it gets messed up (which it hasn’t in 5 trips!) then you aren’t losing a ton of money!) I always wear the little one in my sling which is so easy and comfy to travel in cause I have free arms to do whatever! IF we do check a stroller or car seat (sneak a few things into those check in bags! There's always tons of room in there and I've thrown shoes or jackets or blankets in them and had no problem! and those are free checked bags!)

17. If you are able to book a flight that's during nap time or nighttime, that may work great for you if you have kiddos that sleep well in new places! Some people get to the airport early to let the kids run around and tire themselves out so they're a bit calmer once they get on the plane. However, some kiddos don’t do well with this, so it may be better to actually plan it out to where you only have about 30 minutes prior to boarding your flight by the time you’re past security. You can go to the bathroom, get some food and board last if you have antsy little ones to get as little time on the airplane as possible. My kiddos can’t nap or sleep on the plane, so that option generally worked best for us when they were little.

18. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. We don't wipe everything down they touch, we just wipe their hands down after they touch everything. :) OH, and ELDEBERRY GUMMIES and thieves essential oils are our lifesavers while traveling for immune support!!! We never leave home without them!

19. Get some food in the airport that they may want on the plane if it's a very long flight. There's nothing worse than hungry babies who don't want the airplane food. I love bringing surprise food of different sorts from home because it saves money too!

20. WEAR A CROSSBODY PURSE AND HAVE A WEEKENDER THAT GOES OVER THE SUITCASE HANDLEBARS. Truly a game changer. If I am traveling by myself I have a rule that I WILL NOT CHECK ANY BAGS. One, it saves so much time, but I also don’t have to worry about anything being stolen off the belt. I’ll travel with a small crossbody bag so I have free hands and I have easy access to my phone and wallet, headphones, sanitizer, and chapstick. (that’s all i need readily available with kids or by myself) HERE’S MY ABSOLUTE FAVE AND SUCH A GOOD PRICE!!! . Then I also have a small weekender and a small rolling suitcase. It’s so so easy to travel this way!!! This is a great option for a bag that works with a small suitcase! 


 
 

FOR THE AIRPLANE (most tips apply to car rides as well):

21. I personally like getting on last with the kids. If Blake's with me, I'll let him get on first with Everly (our oldest) and all of our luggage to secure the overhead space above our seat, then he gets her seated and settled in.  I wait with the baby until the last minute cause she's the one who will have a hard time sitting still. Some people like to get on first and get settled, but nope-not me.  (this was when they were little, now since they’re older, we love getting on first and getting cozy and situated before everyone is on)

22. As far as where you sit, that's a personal preference. Some like to go to the very back cause they feel like they're the least of a disturbance back there. Some (myself) like sitting as close to the front as possible. For me, it's less to walk and quicker to get off at the end. But, I also like sitting next to the engines cause that's the PERFECT white noise! I also always let the kiddos take the window seat. Not only do they always have something to look at but it also keeps them from going into the aisle or accidentally getting nudged by someone while they're sleeping! (But remember #11 cause the back row typically has free extra seats!) (update : now i prefer the back of the plane because of proximity to bathrooms!)

23. For the first few airplane rides I took with the girls, I gave all those sitting around us ear plugs and a sucker in a little ziploc bag! I’d print a little note off and staple it to each baggy that said "plug your ears if the girls get loud and if they do, remember they’re really just as sweet as this sucker. They’re just new to this!” They always get a kick out of it, and it eased my nerves of flying with little ones! (update: I haven’t done this for our last two trips cause the girls are soooo used to airplane rides now, but it’s great for mamas on their first trips with littles! and if this isn’t your cup of tea that’s fine too! some just have more anxiety with this than others)

24. Bring headphones for the kids (if they can wear them), otherwise they won't be able to hear their gadgets! We love these from Amazon!  Additionally, DON’T FORGET YOUR HEADPHONES! I always bring my airpods and a plug in kind because sometimes bluetooth won’t work.

 

25. If your baby is nursing, breastfeed at landing and takeoff to help with ear pressure. If they're not nursing or bottle feeding, give them a sucker or some water to sip. The sucking and swallowing will help relieve pressure. 

26. Dollar store and Target dollar spot toys for the win!!! Get a bag with a bunch of dollar toys/fun things that they don't get to see until the plane ride! It will be such a fun treat to see what's in the bag, and they love the surprise! It's a must for us every long trip we take! We get enough to last us for the trip back as well! Right now our favorites are window clings, twistable crayons (so they don't break mid flight), play doh, slime, washi tape, magic coloring markers and shoelaces! We also love Melissa and Doug water wows and reusable stickers! 

27. Same goes for snacks. I hate paying quadruple the price at the airport, so I stock up on little snacks that I know the girls will love. We do mini oreos, mini cheeze-its, plum gummies and all the things they don't necessarily get to eat at home. Yes, they get spoiled on trips! 

28. If your kiddo is potty training or is recently potty trained, DON'T EVEN SWEAT THE PLANE BATHROOM! Just forego the potty training for the trip and stick with pullups! Who wants to mess with a wet seat mid flight, or run to a plane bathroom. They'll get back into undies after the trip. Grace upon grace!

29. Along with the last one, bring garbage bags, ziploc bags and changes of clothes with you at all times. You just NEVER know when an accident will happen. Because hey, accidents do happen.  Put a dryer sheet in the bags just in case it's a stinky and it'll hold in the bad smell a little better! 

30. When they were younger, I’d spoil the girls with pacifiers on trips too. The big girl doesn't ever get one at home, but the little one does during nap times.  But on trips? Again...we spoil. I need them to be good for my sanity! There's no shame in that friends! 

31. Layer everyone's clothes, including babies, kids and adults! It's so much easier to warm up and cool down in the ever changing plane temps with layers! I also suggest wearing close toe shoes, cause my feet always end up freezing! For the kiddos, put them in shoes that slip on and off easily! Nobody wants to be messing with those difficult shoes on a plane! 

32. Extra baby wipes and hand sanitizer. Let's face it. Airports and airplanes are filled with germs. We always wipe down the arm rests and table tray before the girls touch them. Nothing worse than getting sick while on vacation! So be sure to oil up, increase your Vitamin C intake, and take some vitamins before you travel (and during!) These are the elderberry gummies the girls take for immune support.

33. Download Netflix movies to your tablet and computer! It is SO nice having movies downloaded that the kids love that are quickly accessible but also aren't charging you for data!  Here is my ALL TIME FAVORITE tablet case that the girls love! They stand up on their own and also have great handles and come in both boy and girl options!

34. If you have a little baby that likes being worn, after about an hour or two on the plane, get up and walk up and down the aisle. They'll be able to look around, but also (if you're lucky) may get them to fall asleep! 

35. If you have plane anxiety, just pray. Close your eyes and pray. (whether you're a believer or not). Meditate, breathe, relax. You are protected, my friend. I promise. 

FOR THE DESTINATION: 

36. This is where it's great if you have Baby Quip waiting for you at the car rental or passenger pickup area waiting with car seats and a stroller for you! You didn’t have to lug it around, and your personal ones didn’t have to get messed up, yet there’s clean safe rentals right there at your destination! I despise getting somewhere then having to get the carseat and base out and put it into a rental that is brand new to us! We just wanna get to where we're going! That way you can just load everyone up and get going! 

37. As soon as we get to our destination, I immediately start getting our room ready for nighttime. Even if it's morning or midday! I want to let the girls know that this new place is comfortable and that we are going to sleep here, so I start preparing the pack n play and pulling out all of their things from home. This also helps after you're out site seeing and being busy, you get back to a room that's all ready for bed! If you travel often…this gadget is a MUST in my opinion!!!

38. OR If we’re staying at a hotel, we put the pack n play in the closet! One half sticks out and the other half sticks into it where the sound machine is. This not only makes the baby feel like they're in their own room, but it adds so much darkness and calmness around them!  Here’s our must have white noise machine! We’ve had the same one since the girls were babies.

39. We always always always try to get a suite! When there's two sides to the room, you can make one side the "play side" where the kids can watch tv and play (kinda like a living room at home) but the other side is only for sleep. How hard would it be if your kiddo had to play and sleep and eat and do all the things in their bedroom all day?! Right? We try to take the same approach we have at home into our new space when traveling! This also helps if you have multiple kids and they have different bed times. You can quiet and black out one side and still make some noise on the other side. 

40. Having a suite also allows you to have a kitchen! We always try to get groceries as soon as we get to our destination, cause not only does this allow us to eat healthier but we also get to save money! The girls love being able to eat the same stuff they eat at home too!

AND...

LASTLY, CHARGE EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU GO!!!! PHONES, LAPTOPS, TABLETS, ALL THE THINGS! Don't forget your chargers!!!

WHAT'S EVERYONE ELSE SAYING?

Today I asked my IG community if they had any other tips I hadn't mentioned! Here's what they said! 

FOR THE CAR: 

@bryanalikes says "On road trips it is absolutely necessary for everyone's sanity to plan stops for the kids to get the wiggles out. When traveling from Idaho to California, we like to pre plan the parks and indoor eat and play stops. This way we can say "only 40 minutes til we are at the park!" 

FOR CHECK IN: 

@faithfulmommyhood says "if your airport offers curbside check in through your airline...DO IT! We had a sleeping baby in his car seat, dropped all our checked bags with the airline workers at the ramp then drove our car to its parking spot before walking back to the airport with only our carry on bags and baby! 

FOR A KID WHO DOESN'T LIKE THE PACK N PLAY: 

@nichols.lauren says "a game changer for us was a pack in play mattress. We got the "3 in dream on me" from amazon prime. Our little one hates the pack n play, always sleeps terrible. Since using an actual mattress instead of just that thick glorified cardboard, she sleeps great! 

FOR EXPECTATIONS:

@meghanstone6 says "tips? mainly lower your standards...a lot! haha! but seriously, throw out a ton of expectations and rules. Offer lots of snacks and special activities that they don't normally get. One of the best tips I ever got was to not allow screen time (tv, tablet, etc) for a few days prior to travel. Then when it came time to fly, she's so excited and missed her favorite show!"

FOR LUGGAGE: 

@whitekg says "If there are multiple bags being checked, I spread out everyone's clothes across the bags. So days 1-3 will have outfits for everyone and days 4-6 will have the rest of everyone's clothes.  Rather than each person having their own suitcase. Just in case one goes missing we still have clothes!" 

 

*****There's a bonus below for sticking with me this long!*****

 
 

As a bonus, here's my packing / to do list that I use EVERY TIME we travel! Some trips I don't need it all, and based on where we are going I have to add or delete some items, but I keep this on my phone in my notes app! I mark things off as I pack them throughout the week prior to leaving! These are in no particular order. 

  • Baby wipes + diapers (don’t forget nighttime diapers!)

  • Camera, camera equipment and tripod

  • Shoes (for all)

  • Coffee (for the on the road) + mug for destination

    • If you’re a wine drinker, take a wine bottle opener so you don’t have to buy one IF you have room.

  • Water bottles (for all)

  • Food in the fridge (to go)

  • Car seats (rent with baby quip)

  • Strollers (one small one for airport and rent a double with baby quip)

  • Dog stuff

  • Book

  • Suitcases (duh-but I'm a lister, so I have to list it)

  • Baby blankets and sleep things (sound machine, bears)

  • Jewelry

  • Swim stuff

  • Jackets

  • Check-In (verify seats)

  • Bags for dirty clothes

  • Take out the trash

  • Turn on Alarm for flight

  • Clothes

  • Do nails

  • Bobby Pins + Hair stuff

  • Purse + Planner + wallet

  • Tablet, Phones, Computers, Chargers

  • Makeup, hygiene bags (for all)

  • Clear out laundry

  • Bottles + Pacis

  • Undergarments

  • Baby Bows

  • Food in Pantry

  • Toys

  • Medicine

  • Hiking Shoes

  • Headphones

  • Gift if needed

  • Baby Wraps

  • Important documents (passport, id cards, birth certs, etc)

  • Turn off everything in your home (but maybe leave a self timer light on)

 

I hope you found this useful, friends!  Be sure to pin this image above if you want to reference it in the future!

XX, Amy

2021 EASTER BASKET FAVORITES

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I already shared our Shop Small Easter basket, but if you’re needing some last minute ideas, I’ve rounded up my favorite Easter Basket favorites from big box stores (like Amazon, Target, Walmart) .

Some of these are leftovers from Christmas stocking stuffers, and others I’ve collected over the last few months. I am all about collecting things little by little so holidays don’t become overly expensive at once!

You can simply tap the title of the product to be taken directly to the store’s website to check out what they have!

What I love is that many of these ideas are also GREAT for other holidays, gift options and stocking stuffers! So be sure to pin this blog post to reference it in the future if you need a gift idea for a little one!

Happy Easter Basket making!

 

Here are the big box store ideas!

Above, you can see all of these items in the girls’ joined Easter basket. I am a believer in practical items that the girls can use for a long time! (just added to a cute basket to doll them up a bit, hehe!)

  1. DRINKING BOTTLES - we get a new one every couple years, but they are hands down our favorite drinking bottles because of the style, ease to clean, colors, and durability!

  2. FACE MASK NECKLACES - we have these in every color and the girls never leave home without them! They are the best to ensure the masks don’t fall on the ground, especially while at school.

  3. PAJAMAS AND BIKE SHORTS - I’ve been sharing these for years and they’re still some of our faves! So many sizes, colors, and great quality for the price! We love using the pajama bottoms as every day bottoms too!

  4. CLAY SLIME DOUGH - a great sensory activity for only $3.99 and great for road trips! JUST BE SURE TO PUT A SURFACE UNDERNEATH THAT YOU DON’T MIND BEING STAINED.

  5. WIRELESS HEADPHONES - PURPLE and BLUE ones linked here, and PINK ones linked here. We are so excited to have wireless headphones so no more messy and tangled cords!

  6. CLEAN KIDS MAKEUP - love that the girls can play with this and I don’t have to worry about it causing break outs and ruining their perfect baby skin!

  7. PAINT SET - we are so excited for this paint set!!! We’ve heard nothing but amazing things about these sets, and I love that everything can stay in their containers, mess free.

  8. PAINT BRUSHES - just $9.99 for this cute set of brushes and they come in multiple colors!

  9. SURPRISE TOYS - some linked here and others linked here. These are so fun for dino lovers and lovers of the little surprise toys!

  10. HAIR CHALK - so excited to let the girls play with these on a sunny day outside! They will have a blast making their hair change colors!

  11. BENTO BOXES - the girls love bento boxes for snacks and school, and I love the simplicity and colors of these, plus I don’t have to worry about their warm dishes melting any plastic!

  12. CLOSED SANDALS - these are just $9.99 and we wear them alll the time and I love all of the fun colors! Waterproof too so great for the lake and beach!

  13. OPEN SANDALS - these come in the best colors and sell out fast so be sure to get them when your fave colors are in stock! Size down from your normal size or get 2 sizes to be sure as they do tend to run big.

  14. BIKER SHORTS - $7.99 bike shorts which our girls will live in all spring and summer! So many colors!

 
 
 
 

If you wanna be able to reference anything in the future, be sure to pin one of the images above so you can come back to it! At the end of the day, we pray that we never forget the meaning of the season and how important it is to remind our littles to not get lost in the Easter Basket goodies.

Thank you and God Bless!

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DREAMS

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June 24th, 2021 is our 10 year anniversary.

WHAT?!?! How did that happen.

We were married in 2011, in a small country courthouse in Enterprise, AL right outside of the military base where Blake and I attended helicopter flight school for the Army. That’s where we met and were set up on a blind date.

We were young, and in love, and didn’t even care to have a wedding.

AKA we didn’t want to spend a lot of money, time was not on our side, and wanted the Army to station us together! Ha!

After we were married in the courthouse, we naturally went across the street and got matching “H” tattoos.

It was a “H” family crest that he hand-drew in basic training, inspired by his Italian heritage! He said one day he dreamed of having his future wife getting the tattoo, and there we were. Making his 18 year old dreams come true. Ha!

Here’s a pic from our “wedding” day. I had to go to work right after. hahahah!

 
 

Fast forward a couple years later and we found ourselves (just the two of us) in FIJI!!!

That was where we had our official wedding ceremony and honeymoon.

Here’s some (blurry) pics from that magical day and my “trash the dress” sesh after with Lia and Stu photography!

 

My fave wedding pic, that we’ve tried to recreate multiple times and failed haha!

 

My favorite pic walking down the “aisle.”

 
 

Trash the dress sesh!

 

My dress was from Winnie Couture in Atlanta, GA!

 
 

While we were happy to have such a romantic and exotic vacation, we knew we eventually wanted to celebrate with family and friends. We spent so much time in the mountains of Washington, dreaming of a big wedding in a log cabin, and our dreams were crushed when we realized it couldn’t happen. Here’s a pic from our meeting with a wedding planner, when we were certain it was going to happen! This was in front of the window we would’ve been married next to.

 

Unfortunately, with a military rotation for both of us to Korea, our plans were postponed, and just never happened.

This was at my Change of Command ceremony in Korea.

 

We are PRAYERFUL something small and intimate can happen this year or next, as a renewal of vows ceremony of sorts. However, we’re completely open to plans shifting due to his military obligations and COVID, and thus are in “dream” mode right now.

So that’s where this post comes in! A place for us all to dream about beautiful, secluded, winter escapes in the beautiful PNW!

 

Our dreams are to have a small, intimate renewal of vows ceremony in Washington state or Oregon (his family is in the Pacific Northwest and is much larger than mine), because it will be our 10 year anniversary this year!

Given COVID circumstances, and the nature of ever changing military service obligations, what I love about this option is we can be secluded from others (versus at an hotel or resort for example) and still have the intimacy of family time. Almost like a mini reunion!

Now we know things will be up in the air until the very last minute, and quite honestly we’ve done zero coordination for this, but that’s something I love about Air BnB.

We are able to reserve a place up front, to lock in the location and dates, and cancel for a full refund on many locations up until the week prior!

SCORE!

So…here’s to DREAMING BIG about some possible locations for our renewal of vows.

And here’s to dreaming that the welfare of our nation is better by then too!

Because at the end of the day, our special day can wait…but it doesn’t mean we can’t keep dreaming. 

Come with me down dream lane. 😊

 

NOTE : FOR ALL LOCATIONS, YOU CAN HOVER OVER AND CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE LOCATION

AND IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THEIR AIR BNB SITE FOR BOOKING! :)

 
 
 
 
 

And here’s some other options, if Blake and I end up deciding to just take a mini trip by ourselves - which is a very likely option if COVID continues to keep our dreams a little small for the time being.

Either way, we just want to celebrate us, and 10 years of highs, lows, resilience, strength, courage, love, perseverance, forgiveness, faith, and commitment.

WE CLEARLY LOVEEEE THE AIR BNB A FRAMES!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WASN’T THAT FUN TO DREAM A LITTLE?

All of these places are so magical, and I love the policies that Air Bnb has in place for cleanliness.

These options are super host options as well, so they’ve been vetted even more with high reviews!

Be sure to pin an image in this post so you can easily reference it in the future too!

Gahhhh I can’t wait to make our dreams come true.

Until then, I hope you find some inspiration through here for your PNW travels, or even some home décor inspiration from these gorgeous homes!

Happy (safe) travels!

And more importantly, happy extravagant dreaming.

XX, Amy

TAKING A SIX MONTH BREAK OFF INSTAGRAM - THIS IS MONTH 6

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Well friends…we’re here.

It’s been 6 months since I signed off the gram and…wow. I can’t believe this break is over.

I’ll be super duper duper duper honest…

Last week this post was going to look a lot different.

I was going to hop on here and let you know that I’d be continuing this break for 6 more months. I was sick to my stomach to have to share that, but it felt right.

…but God has a way of working in the most mysterious ways, and after speaking to my old Pastor this weekend, I heard the Lord loud and clear:

“YOU ARE READY AMY. IT’S TIME. AND YOU CAN NOT LIVE IN FEAR OF THE FUTURE.”

I’ll be sharing ALLLLLLL about what I learned, how I felt, what the Lord taught me, what He spoke to me, and so much more here in about 2 weeks when I gather all of my thoughts, so be on the lookout for that.

Until then, let’s share what all we’ve been up to this month!!!

 
 

First things first…who’s missed #HawthorneGirlsChalkArt ?!?!?

I think it’s time to start that back up!

And now we have another 4 paws to join in on the fun!

 

We started the month off with Nona’s trip to come visit Texas from Washington State!

With the unexpected wildfires and smoke, the timing of her trip couldn’t have been better. We are so thankful she got to experience TX!

 

We got to show her one of our FAVORITE areas of Austin, The Domain! I didn’t think anything could compete with The Plaza in KC, but Domain definitely gives it a run!

 

The girls’ outfits are from No Small Miracle!

 

And here’s some fun pics from her trip!

Shopping with the girls, lake trips, lots of Korean food + more!

 

And of course, we watched Derby! So so weird experiencing it in the fall, and with no fans in the stands, but as a Kentucky girl…Derby day will always be special regardless of the circumstances!

 

I always make a charcuterie snack tray for Derby day, and the girls love it! We also play with their toy horses all day too!

 

With the weather cooling down a bit, we haven’t had the chance to go to the lake as often or set up the water slide…soooo….we’ve had some “pool parties” in the shower and the girls have LOVED it! I talk it up a bunch and we wear swimsuits and it’s been a ton of fun making the most of what we have!

 

This is the kids’ body wash and shampoo that we use all the time!! We love all of their products!!!

BE SURE TO USE THAT LINK CAUSE YOU’LL GET 15% OFF THERE!!!

 
 

Andddddd HOW BOUT THEM TIGERS!!!

Oh what I’d do to be able to talk to my daddy about that game! I’m so excited to see football again!!!!!

And so thankful for families who get to experience their hometown Friday Night Lights.

It’s been so fun seeing the girls light up about Auburn when they play. It’s music to my ears hearing their little “War Eagles”! ;)

When I signed off in March/April, I had a big wish to see some football come fall. Here we are, ready for kickoff. Be still my heart.

 

Speaking of my daddy. September 25th was the 3 year anniversary of his passing, and it stung so bad waking up that day. But…ironically…that same day, this purse arrived in the mail from his ex wife. I don’t know if she meant to send it that day (I don’t think she did) but it was the purse he bought her when he was married to her. And she wanted me to have it. 😭😭😭😭😭 Oh bless it. I can’t even deal! It is now SO SO SO special to me!

 
 

I got these sweet pictures on National Daughters Day, and they mean the world to me. How lucky I am to have these babes, and how lucky I am to be their mama.

Tops are from my girl Ford and Wyatt!

 

Our sweet pup is still doing AMAZING and he’s truly just the perfect addition to our family!!!!

He’s so attached to his big sister Bella, and it’s just the cutest. Everywhere she goes, he follows. And he always pushes his nose into her neck. It’s just the cutest. My heart!

Heres the bed linked here

 

Here’s some more backyard updates!!! We have a roof, a patio, and now some landscaping back here! It’s all continuing to come together!!!

 
 

Just some cute pics of the girls before Everly’s therapy one day.

 

If you haven’t tried apple cider mimosas, do it now!!!! Just apple cider + your bubbly of choice! The perfect fall adult beverage!

 

The girls were playing outside one day, and they set up all of their barbies on daddy’s scrap wood pile, and I had to get a pic of this cuteness.

 

Our Sunday morning worship sessions are so sacred and special. The girls are OBSESSED with Run to the Father and a few other songs, that are very special in this time of our lives. I’ll be sure to share a playlist, but here’s the link to my spotify one if you wanna check it out!

 

My FAVORITE Halloween jammies linked here!

Womens

Kids

 

Here’s our fall porch thus far! I just need to add some big mums!

 
 

We have some major tests coming up for Hadley this next month, so your prayers are SO appreciated!!!

 

I think this may be one of my fave pics of E in the history of EVER! She is INCREDIBLE at building legos!

 

And lots of walks with the dogs every morning and night. This is our happy place.

 
 
 

And some final pics of our home decked out for Halloween! I love adding these pops of orange throughout the home! This is our entryway!

 

And our living / kitchen areas with a few touches of fall.

 
 
 

Well…I guess it’s until tomorrow friends! I can’t believe it! So surreal.

If you’re pondering whether or not you should take a longgggg break from IG. Here’s my advice.

DO IT and don’t you dare look back.

It is SO SO SO SO HEALING!!!!!!

I’ll share all about the journey in the next couple weeks as I gather my thoughts. There’s just so much to share!

P.s.

  1. If you missed the month 5 update, you can click here to read!

  2. 2. Be sure to pin this image above or any image in this post so you can reference it in the future if there was anything you don’t want to forget!

XX, Amy

HALLOWEEN + FALL 2020 BLOG ROUNDUP

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Hi!!!!

I wanted to share a roundup of my favorite Fall / Halloween blog posts we’ve shared here! Some are hidden in archives, so I wanted to bring them to your attention in case you’re needing some MAGICAL inspiration!

 
 
 

Our favorite fall finds for 2020.

CLICK THE NUMBERS BELOW TO GO TO THE LINKS!

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE | TEN | ELEVEN | TWELVE

THIRTEEN | FOURTEEN | FIFTEEN | SIXTEEN | SEVENTEEN | EIGHTEEN | NINETEEN

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LOOK AT THESE ADORABLE PRINTS FROM MY GIRLFRIEND AMANDA @WOODENTHATBESOMETHIN !!! ARE THEY NOT PERFECTION?!?! She is SO INCREDIBLY talented, and I’d love for you to support her shop!! Visit her IG too to see the amazing things she makes on wood!

you can shop them all HERE: woodenthatbesomethin.etsy.com

She even added Otis and Bella. Can you even?!?!

 
halloween bucket list copy.jpg
 
fall food.jpg
 
 

And here’s some of my favorite fall / Halloween pics from years past!

OUR FAMILY COSTUMES!

ONE: Monster’s Inc (2016)

Two: Charlottes Web (2017)

Three: Grease (2018)

Four: Dinosaur + Tour Guide (2018)

Five: Jurassic Park (2018)

Six: Aladdin (2019)

Seven:….2020….

and an angel and silly wig pic for good measure!

 
 

Girls’ bedroom Halloween 2019

 

Office 2019

 

Pumpkin carving 2019

 

Halloween piano 2019

 

Halloween playroom 2019

 
 

Girls’ bedroom 2017

 
 
 
 
 

Fall decor kitchen 2017

 

Fall porch 2017

 

Halloween cookies 2016

 

Fall mantel 2020

 
 
 

Fall porch 2018

 

Halloween bar cart 2016

 

Halloween room 2017

 

Pumpkin carving 2016

 

Halloween pancakes 2017

 

Halloween decor 2020

 
 

Halloween photoshoot 2017

 
 

Halloween Cookies 2016

 

Fall porch 2016

 

Boo’d Fairy Garden 2016

 

The Boo’d craft cart 2017

 

Fall decor 2019

 

Halloween decor 2020

 

Fall decor 2020

 

Be sure to pin the image above or any image found in this blog post if you want to reference back to this post in the future!

Thanks for reading!!!

p.s…..any guesses on our family Halloween costume this year?!?!? hehehe

XX, Amy

TAKING A SIX MONTH BREAK OFF INSTAGRAM - THIS IS MONTH FIVE

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Not gonna lie… I feel like I JUST gave my four month update! Ha! August went CRAZYYYYYYY fast, anyone else?!

And what?!?!? It’s September 1st?!?! HOWWWWWWWW????

Anywho, I canNOT wait to share what we’ve been up to this month…because…………

First things first…

WE ADOPTED A DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!

WORLD…MEET OUR SWEET BOY, OTIS!

 
 

Here’s the story:

We’ve been wanting to adopt a little brother or sister for Bella for yearrsssssss.

We know our time with Bella is getting shorter and shorter by the year (she’s 11), so we wanted to do our best to extend her life with a sibling and also to begin growing close to another furry animal too!

Well…we moved to our current neighborhood in Texas and while I don’t have facebook, Blake does.

We noticed a sweet little beagle kept getting loose in the neighborhood and to make a long story short, he kinda became a neighborhood pet because everyone at some point took him in until the owner was found.

About a month went by, and in early August I was on facebook and I read the most “meant to be” message I’ve ever read…

“Otis is looking for a new home.”

My heart felt so many emotions right away, but mostly it was “I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS IS SO MEANT TO BE.”

For us to be in this neighborhood, at this time, and seeing a BEAGLE of all dogs up for adoption (a dog we’ve been looking for at adoption shelters for years) just basically fell into our laps.

 

So…I messaged the lady who posted about him on the facebook page, praying nobody had messaged them yet - and I was the first!

I said…and I quote, “My husband has been away and will still be away for awhile, so I kinda feel like I need to get his permission, but I am 100 million percent interested in adopting Otis regardless of what he says.” ha!

Honestly, I knew without a shadow of a doubt Blake would say yes as we love our fur babies, but I felt like I owed him the respect to ask. haha!

The sweet girl messaged me back and said, “it’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission!”

hahah!

Well, I went ahead and called Blake and basically just said…”I hope you don’t mind that I’m getting another dog this weekend. I know I’m so stressed with homeschool and the business and you being gone, but hey…what’s another dog in the mix!?”

hahah!

We both laughed and without hesitation he said, “GO GET THAT DOG AND BRING HIM HOME AMY!”

ughhhh CUE THE TEARS!!!!

 

The day before we adopted him, the girls and I watched “All Dogs go to Heaven,” and it was the sweetest time for us. Little did Bella know, she’d be getting a little brother the next day.

 

Here’s the sweetest picture that sweet Everly drew for the family that was allowing us to adopt Otis from them. She knew their family was sad, so she drew them a precious picture to always remember that Otis would be in great hands. Oh my heart!

 

And then……..WE GOT HIM!

He’s around 2 and a half years old (we think) and was living on the streets for quite a bit of his life, but he is now safe and sound in his forever home!!!

And as best as the vets know, they say he’s a beagle! I mean….HE IS SOOOOO DREAMY!

 

I cannot believe we get to keep this sweet boy. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

We fell head over heels immediately in love. He’s the missing piece to our puzzle.

 

He's the biggest lover, has so many silly quirks about him, LOVES ATTENTION and just wants to be loved on 24/7, plays non stop, and took no time to get used to all these girls in the house! hahahah! He is in LOVE with everyone!

 
 

These pics were within a couple hours of bringing him home, and at first Bella was a little timid because he is almost 10 years younger and he likes to play a lottttt, butttttt…..

 

Within a day or two…they were inseparable and are now the BEST OF FRIENDS!!!!! We are overjoyed.

 

Anywhere Bella goes, Otis follows. He’s her little shadow (even though he’s bigger!) The girls are just smitten with him, and he’s just as smitten with them.

 

Okay, and I won’t lie…he is SPOILED rotten!

 

The girls gave them their “Indy and Pippa” comforter and they have officially claimed it in their “bougie bed.” 😂😂 I mean truly, this bed was worth every penny, but I never thought I’d spend so much on a dog bed! ha! They sleep in it every day though, TOGETHER, so it’s truly so worth it! I’ll link it here!

Dog Bed linked here! I got the Large and both dogs fit in it comfortably. They are 18 and 24 pounds respectively.

 
 

Look at these angels!!!!!

I mean honestly I’d pay $1,000 for a bed to give him the life he deserves!

 
 

I love all of the color options!

 
 
 

A few other things we got! Some bags to hold their poopie bags while on our daily walks, as well as these adorable customized dog tags with their names + our phone number on it!

Dog bags linked here

Dog tags linked here

 
 

These are the leashes we got them too! I love all the colors they come in, the handles are super soft, and they were less than $10!!!

Linked here!

 
 

He’s also the BEST addition to our walks! He just loves being with us more than anything, no matter what it may be! He still needs a bit of training for leash etiquette, and he wants to say hi to every single human + animal + leaf + breeze we pass, HA!, but he’s just so stinkin friendly and sweet!

 

And…he is definitely a begging beagle, just like his big sister! Those beagles will do anything for food!

 
 

And so this has basically been our month in a nutshell! All about Otis! Hehe.

Daddy still hasn’t met his little boy, but he loves to facetime him, and we canNOT WAIT for that sweet reunion. I’ll be sure to share pics when that happens!

 

Other than Otis, it’s been a lot of continued mirror selfies with the girls, getting dressed up for absolutely no reason to go absolutely nowhere, except to pickup groceries and coffee, and trips to the lake!

 

And this sweet girl gave Hadley and I a little photoshoot and I’m obsessed with the pics she took!

 
 

And they had a little shoot of their own!

 

Look at them here with their new No Small Miracle outfits!!! We’re in love!

 

These sweet tie dye tees are from their too! Handmade from Kelsey’s mama!

 

We are still homeschooling Everly (and also using her virtual school program) but she did start therapy 2 days a week, and as always LOVES her new teachers (therapists) there!!! Our car selfies before sessions are such a sweet reminder of this phase of life.

 

Here’s a few pics of her month from school! We’re so proud of you little E!

 

I also wanted to share a few of my favorite recipes this month!

The Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew was FABBBBBBBB but pricey. So I wanted to share a cheaper option!

Order a grande iced cofffee, with light ice.

Get 2 pumps of pumpkin sauce but NO classic syrup.

Add in heavy cream (or your cream/milk of choice)

Add in cinnamon powder.

Request a nitro lid.

AND ENJOY!

And here’s my favorite smoothie! (That the girls eat too!!!!)

handful of spinach and/or kale (or both is what I prefer!)

milk + water to cover the greens. Blend.

Once you have the liquid, add in handful of frozen peaches, 1 frozen banana, handful of frozen pineapple,

1-2tbspn of honey and blend!

If I have them I also add in frozen avocado chunks too.

The girls loveeee this smoothie and it’s a great way to sneak in veggies!

 

This was our last little family hike before we got Otis! He sure does fill up this picture more!

 

Remember our backyard porch addition?!?! Well…..let me show you all the progress we made this month!

 

Our concrete was poured!!!! It’s been AMAZING having the extra porch out here!

…but then…

 

We got our shade!!!!! And it doesn’t even look like the same house!

The plan is to paint the window/door trim black and to hang black fixtures as well. More to come! We’re still under major construction!

 

And here’s our updated kitchen! The plan is for Blake to build our dining table, but for now this will do. We are in LOVE with our new dining chairs!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. They’re pricey, but I plan on keeping these bad boys forever and ever so it’s worth the investment.

I turned our books around and love the area so much more. Plus our Indy and Pippa sign from Opal + Olive really does finish this area off!

Dining chairs linked here.

Rug linked here.

Light linked here.

 
 
 
 

This is what the space looked like with the books turned normal and it was just so distracting with all of the colors, so I love how the neutral side tones it down a bit. The console is super easy to push out so we can just pull it out when we’re looking for a book. I also added the fan wall and picture and hope I don’t get tired of the clutter, but for now it works!

 

Here’s an update on the kitchen. I’m still trying SO hard to get Blake to paint these cabinets black or white (haha!!) but for now, we’re living with this gray, and it continues to grow on me. I’m really just trying to appreciate the bones of this house for what it’s worth. One of the nicest things about constantly moving and being in new homes is figuring out what we like and love about some and dislike about others. With hopes that one day, we truly can have our dream home.

I do love our globes up top though! And all of the natural light that pours into this open space.

 

Anddddd….FALL HAS OFFICIALLY HIT THE HAWTHORNE HOME!!!!

I CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE MORE PICS COME OCTOBER!

 

I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Fall/Halloween finds soon!

 
 

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE PUMPKINS THIS FALL SO FAR!!!!

Linked them all here!

1 | 2 | 3

 
 

To end the month, Nona came to visit, and we are so grateful to have her here with us this next month! More pics to come from Nona’s trip in September!

 

Well, it’s been five months off instagram and we officially have one month to go.

I’ll be honest….I really don’t know if I’m ready to come back.

I’m supposed to sign back on in ONE MONTH, and I’m really having to listen to the Lord this month to figure out what’s next.

I’m stuck between getting back on, because our business depends on it, and taking another 6 months away to continue resting my mind and heart.

We’ll see what happens!

If you missed out on why I took 6 months off, you can read about that here.

I’ve also been giving monthly updates since I signed off, and you can find those on the blog too!

I’ve also shared all of our back to school posts on the blog.

Next up is our Halloween book wall and 6 month update!

I can’t wait to see y’all again!

Happy fall y’all! (Even if it’s still 100 in Texas hehe)

Be sure to pin one of the images below if you want to be able to reference this post in the future!

XX, Amy

 
 
FALL DECOR.jpg

OUR BACK TO SCHOOL PICS

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Tired of all of the back to school posts yet? Well, I’ve got another one for you!

Here I’ll share the girls’ back to school pics and their updated bedroom with back to school prints!

…like this!

 

First up, I changed out the girls’ bedding and rug so the room was a tad bit more cohesive with a little less pattern, and with that I was able to change up the prints behind the girls’ bed!

Here are the girls comforters : CLICK HERE

Here are the girls duvet covers: CLICK HERE

Here are the girls pillow cases / sheets: CLICK HERE, CLICK HERE, CLICK HERE

Here is the rug: CLICK HERE

And, here are the new prints!

 

“we’re all in this together, hand in hand.”

 
 

“you can sit with me forever.”

 
 
 

And now…you ready for it?!?! How are my girls this big?!?!?!

Everly Brynn : Age 5.5

Starting Kindergarten in Texas! (Virtually with a school) as well as a homeschool program with mama!

 

Hadley Rae: Age 3.5

Starting pre-k homeschool in Texas with mama!

 
 

Mrs. Hawthorne (teehee): Age 33

Living out my dreams of being their mama!

Hat linked here

Bookbag linked here

TEXAS gear linked here, use AMY15 for a discount!

 

And these are the girls posing with their new lunchboxes!

I shared all about those here!

 
 
 

And there ya have it! Our back to school collection is officially live! Thank you for all of your support!

If you wanna be able to bookmark this, just pin an image above so you can always reference back to it!!

I sure do hope your school situation (whatever it may be) is going swell!

XX, Amy

TAKING A 6 MONTH BREAK FROM INSTAGRAM - THIS IS MONTH 4

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It’s been four months off Instagram, and every month I give an update on how life’s been here in the Hawthorne house! You can read about month 1 here, month 2 here, and month 3 here, but be sure to come back here to catch up on month 4!

So, let’s catch up!

This month’s been all about having my mom come visit, saying bye to daddy for military stuff, making this new house a home, and continuing to get settled into Texas! (Mixed in with a broken septic, broken AC, lots of master bedroom sleepovers + more) So let’s get to it!

 
 

We started off the month with celebrating the Fourth of July with a festive charcuterie!

Strawberries, dried strawberries, raspberries, bananas, blueberries, cheese, and crackers make for the perfect mix of Red, White, and Blue!

 
 

And then of course came a pool day + fireworks! And by fireworks, I mean sparklers because our city doesn’t allow fireworks. The sparklers were still a hit! And because we live up on a hill we could see fireworks all across the lake which was so so fun to see!

PS funny note about this tee - My maiden name is Farris, and I was called “Bueller” when I was younger as a nickname. I found this tee for $11 and had to have it hehe! More importantly…I was born in 1986!! So this tee was truly just meant to be LOL!

 

Then! My momma flew in! Which was such a treat since it’s been a while since we last saw her! We enjoyed so much sunshine with her, in our backyard, and at the lake, and she loved it here!

 

Here’s some pics from our backyard waterslide parties, and Bella sitting in the shade. hahah!

Slide linked here!

Double chair linked here!

 

We went on so many walks with my mom, she played so much piano, we took endless pics, the girls drew her countless pics, and we just truly enjoyed each other’s company. Oh…and we ate a lot of yummy Korean food as always!

 

We spent some much needed quality family time at the lake behind our house a few times before we had to say bye to daddy. This trip in particular is probably my fondest memory of the entire month. We were splashing each other, giggling, and just loving life, summer, and family time. I’ll never forget these moments with my Italian stallion. ;)

 

Texas - 2020. Loving life at the lake.

This is how empty it is every time we go. We always go early in the morning before many people are there, and it’s just totally dreamy. We are in heaven.

 

And how precious is this little peach float! Only $!5 and we all love it so so much! It’s the perfect little lounge float, and not to mention it’s cute. :)

Linked here.

 

Everly says she wants to be a surfer! Andddd she’s really getting the hang of swimming! Look at her pulling Hadley on the board with no floats on!!! She is so eager to master swimming AND surfing, and it’s just the sweetest! Our little adventure girl.

 

I mean truly, LOOK AT THESE SEA BABES!!!!

P.s. you can get this Sea Babe hat on sale with my code AMY15 at www.bittybrah.com !!! We love these hats because they actually stay on the girls’ heads!

 

OKAY BUT TRULY OUR ABSOLUTE NUMBER ONE FAVORITE ACTIVITY THIS SUMMER?!?!?!

SNORKELING!!! and we don’t have to be at some crazy cool reef to do it! Although that would be neat.

We’ve found that it has truly helped with the girls’ water confidence, and it’s been SUCH a fun family activity!

YOU MUST check out this video below to see them in action!!!

 
 

If you follow me on IG, you know I rave about the cordless vacuum. Ha! This is right up there with it on a must have for families. This will be on every gift list from here on out!

 

While Everly’s learning to surf and swim, Hadley’s still wearing princess dresses, twirling around to Kidz Bop Shine Bright Like a Diamond - by Rhianna and Believer - by Imagine Dragons (hahah!), and asking daddy to paint her nails, which he secretly LOVES doing. :) She also changes clothes every hour, every day, and I never thought we’d be in that phase! It’s hilarious. She tells me every other day she doesn’t want bangs anymore, and then she says she loves them. She ALWAYS puts her clothes on backwards, and her shoes on the wrong feet, no matter how much we try to teach her otherwise…maybe it’s cause she’s left handed? We haven’t quite figured it out LOL! She also adores the song Little Drummer Boy which is so sweet and random hahahha! Especially when we’re blasting it in the middle of July, LOL! At nightime, she scratches her armpits to put herself to sleep.

Truly, how’s that for sweet?!?! And her middle of the night sneaking into my bed while Blake’s away is truly my favorite. Don’t tell Blake, but she may be a better cuddler. ;)

 

Everly on the other hand adores Thunder - by Imagine Dragons! AND SHE LOST HER FIRST TWO TEETH THIS MONTH!!!! LIKE WHAT?!?!??!! How is she getting that big. Her two bottom front teeth came out and it was the weirdest experience hahaha! I get grossed out easily, but we managed LOL! Tooth fairy came too and she brought the sweetest little tooth keepsake box and mouse fairy that you can find here! Everly was in love!

She also got a special zoom call from her preschool teacher in Kansas as well as the sweetest package from her. We miss her so much!

A few other fun things from this month: she has started putting the dishes away for me and 1. YAY because I despise doing it, but 2. she chose to do it all by herself! She really does want to be a little helper, and I adore it! She lip syncs songs and doesn’t think anyone is watching, and it’s the cutest thing ever to watch. ANDDDD AT AGE 5.5 SHE IS FINALLY NIGHT POTTY TRAINED!!!! Guys! wait until your babes are ready, and don’t feel like you have to force it!!! I promise they won’t go to college in diapers, though it may feel like it in the moment haha. Since we waited until she was ready, it was SO EASY!!!

We also got her set up with a new ABA clinic here, and I’m so excited for her to dive back in. She THRIVES in therapy and she’s eager to be back with the most extraordinary therapists in this world!

 
 

Before my mom left, we were sure to make a trip up to Waco to look around, grab some food, some great coffee, and walk around to see all the pretty construction / decor! WE WERE IN HEAVEN!!! I can’t believe I live here you guys! 45 minutes from the Silos. Dream come true!

 

Wanna hear something hilarious? I got stopped about 27 times and was asked for an autograph and to take a picture with people because they thought I was Joanna Gaines. hahahahahah!!!

One, I am NOT that pretty.

Two, I am Korean like her so understand that.

Three, the mask makes it very hard to tell and I wore a typical Jo outfit so I get it, but it was HILARIOUS!!!

 

We also went on a rainy day so we wouldn’t have to deal with a crowd and it worked!!! There was hardly anyone there which was SO NICE!!!!

 

That same day, we met with Everly’s new audiologist here to keep up with her hearing aids! He was great, and we feel like she’s in great hands once again! So proud of that girl.

 

One of the last mornings Blake was here, we asked my moms to watch the girls so we could have one final date. We live right next to a mountain bike park, so we got up with the sunrise, and rode around for 10 miles, just the two of us.

It was so special.

He cycled for West Point and was incredible. He’s a phenomenal athlete, and I’m so grateful he always pushes me out of my comfort zone to try new things and to always stay active and fit. Cycling is one of our favorite family activities, and I’m excited to add mountain biking to the list of my favorite activities!

 

Buttttt…all good things must come to an end. And early in the month we had to take daddy to the airport to say goodbye for a few months. Everly snapped this picture of us, and I’m happy we have a little mini photographer in our house now. hehe! Makes it easier so we don’t have to go ask neighbors to take pics for us anymore. hahaha!

 

The sweetest/ saddest pic of the month.

The girls had to say bye to daddy. Though they don’t understand a concept of time, they do know what “a long time” means versus he’ll just be gone a few days.

This one’s a long time. :(

I always thought it was harder when they were younger because they just didn’t understand, but I’m starting to realize the older they get, the harder it is to say goodbye.

They get it now. And they miss him so much already.

 

Onto a lighter note (hahahha) let me toot my horn a bit and tell you HOW HARD AND SCARY it is to mow our yard. We live on a hill and this sucker is scary going up and down it. BUT I’ve been doing it for three weeks now and I just want to say PRAISE YOU to all the men and women out there doing yard work alone. haha! (p.s. I’m trying to save money and dpn’t want to hire anyone, which is why I’m doing it myself. )

 

Y’all also SHOWED UP once again for our family during our 1 July restock! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

We’ve got some big big plans in store for our October launches, so stay tuned Ever Co fam!!!!!

 

Another project we’ve been working on is our back patio!! We are adding in a lot of new concrete to extend it out + adding more overhead for more shade! We spend so much time outside, so we wanted to make sure we had enough cover from all of this Texas sun! We aren’t making many upgrades to this house, considering it’s only a few years old, but this is one investment we’re making as we do think it’ll add some great value to the house once we resell or rent out! I’ll be sure to keep you guys posted on this progress!

 

Wellll and of course in TRUE solo parenting fashion, the day after Blake leaves we start having all kinds of issues around the house that I desperately rely on him to take care of. Not because I’m incompetent, cause let it be known that I CAN hold my ground…but because I’m just lazy….HA!!!

So our aerobic septic had issues, and we couldn’t use the toilet for 3 days…..LET ME JUST SAY THAT THE HOUSE SMELLED HORRIBLE, EVERLY’S POOP WAS EVERYWHERE, AND IT WAS HORRIBLE. HAHAHHA!!!

AND THENNNNNNNNN our AC broke out of nowhere.

Actually, it broke while the plumbers were here fixing our septic/toilet so I legit blamed it on them.

Insert palm to face emoji here. hahahahha!!!

I was like wait so you’re telling me it was purely coincidence that our AC broke WHILE our toilets are getting fixed?!?!?!

Yep.

Purely coincidence. AND EVIL. hahaha!

So anywho, it was 87+ inside the house for two days and 100+ outside and straight up MISERABLE.

I can’t make this stuff up.

We had some not so comfortable hot, naked, slumber parties in the master, and well just tried to make the most of it.

But anyways…it can only get better from here…right? hehe!

P.S. my quilt in Bronze is linked here, just $69.99 for the king!!

My sheets are linked here and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM!!! the mocha color is stunning and they’re sooooo soft! And only $35 !!!!

 

That also meant I was not about to cook any long extravagant meals, because I one didn’t have the energy (since I was conserving it to not die from heat lol) but also because I didn’t want to warm the house up much.

So we had a lot of PF Changs lo mein on our pretty new plates. (with a side of vino for mama) and it truly made life a bit better.

Plates linked here, here and here! So presh and great prices. Would also be cute gifts for teachers or therapists!

 

We’ve had lots of girls days, which has been stressful + enjoyable + memorable all in one.

They’re driving me nuts a lot (let’s just be real) but man do I feel lucky to have this quality time with them!

My outfit is Lullaby Club, H’s is Zara and E’s is Indy and Pippa!

 
 

With lots of pictures together, of course!

top = Zara.

 

We’ve also gotten lots of sweet time with our precious angel Bella who will be 11 this year!!!! WHAT?!?!?!? oh man, we love you Bella!

 
 

Most of the other items are from Shop Sweet Lulu, Poppy Toys and No Small Miracle!

 
 
 
 

Here’s a few other fun memories from the month! Playing school in the living room, getting new doll clothes in from No Small Miracle. setting up our new bird feeder (linked here), collecting rocks / seashells, grocery shopping trips, macaroons from the Korean bakery, lake days + more!

 
 
 
 

Andddddd if you’re still here reading (phew, praise you! Cause these blog posts take me about 6 + hours to do!!!!) then here’s your very first hint at what’s to come in October…..can’t wait to share more!!!

 

Honestly though, have there been stressful days? Yes. We all have them.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve lost my cool since Blake’s been gone. These girls are desperate for socialization, their old friends and a return to normal. Heck I am too!

But we are ALL in this boat.

So I challenge all of us to not fall into the woe is me trap, because honestly things could be so much worse for so many of us.

There are so many battling much much harder things, and we have to maintain that perspective when the going gets tough.

So…all in all I truly can’t complain. Things could be SO SO MUCH WORSE, and every day I remind myself that tomorrow the sun will rise again, a new day means a fresh start, and truly I am so lucky to call these girls mine.

I’m so lucky to call this life mine.

I just pray to God that one day when they’re old enough to say it, they’ll feel the exact same way about me.

I love them something fierce and am beyond grateful for all of this quality time I’ve gotten with them over the months.

I knew the Lord called me away from the online world back in January, for a purpose far greater than my own understanding.

Little did I know we’d enter into a pandemic and these girls would desperately need their mama’s undivided attention. I sure hope they look back on this time together as true quality time together, because my perspective of motherhood has entirely shifted.

The to do lists, IG posts, picture ops, business opportunities, and collabs can all wait.

While my heart for entrepreneurship, small business, and success have not changed, (and honestly I’m more on fire for those things than ever!!!) my heart for balancing those things with faith, motherhood, and wifehood have.

I will continue seeking that balance long after this IG break ends.

You can read my blog post about balancing priorities here, which continues to be an area in my life I will always strive to improve!

 

Well…I guess it’s goodbye once again.

It’s so sweet getting your messages on here, your emails, your texts, and all the in between during this time away. I LOVE catching up with you all when you message me here. It’s so fun to know some of y’all are actually here, reading, and still hanging around….I hope I don’t come back to IG in October to nobody…hahahaha!!!

But…if I do, or if there’s only 100 of you there, I know I did what the Lord called me to do.

To step away and tend to these four little feet around me here.

And for that, I know that I know that I know that I’m standing right where I’m meant to be.

Until next time, sweet friends.

Love you and sending you SO much light + love + prayer during this time.

Heads up! I’ll be posting a blog post on Chatbooks next week (with a code!!! cause I know yall love them as much as me!) as well as a back to school blog post and indoor / outdoor activities for kids blog post, so stay tuned!

Alsoooooo if you’re really still reading….thank you to everyone who’s noticed the blog refresh! I’ve been working hard behind the scenes on some rebranding all by myself, so it’s been so fun to mess around here! Can’t wait to share more!

TAKING A 6 MONTH BREAK FROM INSTAGRAM - THIS IS MONTH 3

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Hey hey hey!!! It’s been three months since I signed off Instagram and I’m back again with another monthly roundup so you can keep up with my little family if you so choose. ☺

You can read about month one here (April 2020) and month two here (May 2020)! But be sure to come back here so we can catch up when you’re done. hehe!

Grab a drink, and let’s chat!

 
 

This month’s been all about getting settled into our new home in Texas (we moved for the Army), learning the area, exploring, celebrating Father’s Day, celebrating our 9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY…do whattttt, and preparing for daddy to leave for 3-4 months of training. (insert sad face here) We also got to have Blake’s dad in town which was so good for our souls to see family again!

So let’s get to it! Let me show you around our new place, a little of what we’ve seen around Texas, and share some incredible memories with the family.

(The girls’ sandals are linked here, the girls’ outfits are from Indy and Pippa, and my outfit is from Lullaby Club)

 

First thing’s first…we made it to Texas!!! We’re nestled in a small town outside of Fort Hood, about an hour from Waco (OH YES HEY JOANNA!!!) and an hour from Austin! YEAAAAA ATX!!!

 

One of my favorite things about being here is seeing all of the desert plants everywhere! Talk about picture backdrop heaven hehehe!

 

Of course, when we got to Texas, we got In-N-Out, because why not? ha! The girls loved it! Obligatory selfie of course. paha!

 
 

The girls and I arrived first before Blake did, so we had about 2 weeks to get settled into the house! Which by settled in I mean we set up our backyard and ENJOYED THE TEXAS SUN like nobody’s business! ha!

We don’t plan on doing much with the house as far as renovations go, but we do plan on extending the back patio/roof so I’ll be sure to share progress shots of that!

The water slide is linked here! It’s been our saving grace this summer!!! And we love our blow up pools, linked here!

 

These are some of my favorite pics of the girls this month! They are having a blast with all this sun!

 

We got to see/meet some of our favorite (and not so favorite haha) friends! The day I got here I found a tarantula by our front door, and that took some getting used to…especially after I found numbers 2 and 3 as well hahaha! But I’ve learned that they are so kind. So we just let them be!

We also got to see JOC JOC AND SWEET BEAUTIFUL BABY LILY RAE!!!!!! And our sweet EMMY AND LANDON! And we got to watch my handsome nephew graduate 8th grade online! So many fun memories!

 

We are a food family, that’s for sure, and love trying new places! Thanks to my dear friend Porshia who’s from San Antonio and super familiar with the Hood area, we’ve been able to try so many places! (Including learning all about H.E.B. which I am OBSESSED WITHHHHHHH to say the least!)

This month we had Home Slice pizza (a must!) Whataburger and JuiceLand (where the peachy green drink is my all time favorite jam now). I also have been making summer salads at home and endless blueberry + banana french toast! Food’s been great this month!

 

BUT OUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT OUR NEW HOUSE?!?!?!

 

IS PRACTICALLY IN OUR BACK YARD!

 

THE LAKE!!!! WHERE WE CAN’T GET AWAY FROM! There’s so much room and hardly anyone ever there, and boy oh boy it’s been the best time for our souls. Thankfully I’ll have this while Blake’s away this summer and beyond. So grateful for God’s creations.

 
 

Our bestie Haley from Indy and Pippa launched some new summer sets and we’ve had so much fun in them all summer so far!!! They’re our favorites to wear! So comfy and lasts for so long because of their oversized fit!

 
 

And another sweet friend Kelsey from No Small Miracle has been launching the sweetest stuff all summer long too!!! We love the sweet baby dolls and accessories we’ve received from her shop!

 

I’ve really been putting my health first this month, and working out every day, which has truly felt so so good. I have stopped caring about counting calories and watching the scale, and instead I’m embracing my body for what it is. I’m finally proud and content with the woman in the mirror. I feel healthy, and that is truly what matters most. I wanna be able to play ball with my grandkids one day.

 

And finalllyyyyyyy we got reunited with daddy halfway through the month and we missed him so much!!! I’d show you the video of the girls seeing him for the first time, but I didn’t realize Hadley had no panties on and she flashed the camera hahahaha!

 

The girls made Blake these little canvases for Father’s Day all by themselves so that was super special. We also got Bella some new toys to welcome her back home too!

 

We made a Starbucks stop in The Domain in Austin and LET’S JUST SAY I’M IN LOVE WITH THAT PLACE!!! Blake shared his drink with Hadley and the pic I snapped is hilarious haha!

 

Another restaurant Porshia told us about was Hopdoddy and it too did not disappoint! We ate there for Father’s Day and we loved it! The girls were being so silly for pictures. We got it to go and ate outside all by ourselves which was our very first time in 4 months eating out, and that was weirdddddddd.

 
 

Our all time favorite family activity is neighborhood walks, which we really loved in Kansas, and we’re so happy to continue that here. Here’s the view of the lake from behind our house! It’s so beautiful here, that’s for sure!

 

Here’s daddy’s first trip to the lake with the girls! Let’s just say they love LOVE having daddy home haha!

 
 

Daddy snapped some pics of the girls and I while we were out and about and I sure do love these pics with them. Motherhood has both wrecked me and raised me this month, but when I stop and thank God for these tiny little blessings, I realize just how Blessed I am.

 

And now for a tour of our house!!! This is the mirror in our front entranceway, and yes! OUR FLOORS ARE CONCRETE! HOW COOL IS THAT!!! I’ve always seen it on pinterest and never thought we’d get the chance to have a home with them, but thank you Texas!!!

We have had the same furniture in our house for the last 9 years since we got married, so this year we upgraded a lot of it. That allowed us to sell a lot before we moved too! We plan on this furniture lasting us our final 10 years in the military, so it was fun to redesign the home together…but it was sad saying goodbye to furniture that’s been with us since the beginning of us!

 
 

Here’s some more pics of the entryway and little Hadley posing because HELLO MOOD! haha! Bella’s corner also cracks me up haha! She’s so spoiled. My mom’s friend drew us that pic of her! YES DREW. How crazy is that!?

Our entry light is linked here, and we love it!!! It also comes in gold!

 
 
 

Another favorite little spot is this rug by our back door!!! I ordered it with this peace bowl for the girl’s play kitchen and I highly recommend both of them!

 
 

Another favorite little spot in the house is this archway to the bedrooms on the other end of the house. Which btw it’s our first time in a ranch style house and we LOVE IT!!! I love not having a second story so so much!!! These little wall weavings were from a small coffeeshop in Kansas that I got before we moved, and I’m so happy to have them displayed here. I love the story behind them so much and that they were handmade!

 
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This is a little picture wall above our piano, and I have to get the pictures reprinted but we love it so far! I’ll be adding a few more frames to each end as well.

 

Here’s our cozy little fireplace nook. I can’t wait to see garland up there for Christmastime with a tree by the fire! I think we’re gonna paint this white too! (Well, if I can convince Blake!)

 

And here’s the living room!

Our tv console is linked here.

Our couch is linked here.

Our ottoman is linked here.

And sadly our rug is not available anymore. :(

 

Our dining area is a work in progress, and we’re still waiting for our dining light, but here it is thus far. Lot’s of work to be done.

 

Our bedroom is super simple, which I love, but we still have work to do. Here’s a progress pic!

 

We upgraded the girls’ play kitchen too! I’ve been eyeing this one for awhile because the last one was just too large to keep moving and I love that this one is all one piece! The quality is wonderful and it was much quicker to put together. It’s definitely pricier, but it was kinda our present to the girls for the new home, new lives, new school (maybe), new friends, etc. We know they’ll make tons of memories with it here and beyond!

It’s linked here!

 

The girls’ bedroom was one of the first rooms I got ready, andddd I am not the biggest fan. It’s way too busy and cluttered. Soooooo there will likely be changes over the next few months, but for now here’s Hadley’s princess corner, their reading nook, and Everly’s CRAZYYYYYYY dino corner hahaha!!!

You can shop the Believe in the Magic poster in our shop!

 

And to end the month off, Blake’s dad came and stayed with us for a week and it was FABULOUS HAVING HIM HERE!!! Wait, are these guys brothers or father and son? hehe. We toured Blake’s stomping grounds on post and got to see the airfield a bit where he’ll be working when he gets back from training too!

 
 
 

We also got to take him to our lake, which my word we had so much fun with him there! Can’t wait to take his mom and my mom there as well! The girls love their grandpa!

 
 

But to end on the best note.

I got to celebrate 9 years with this man. We got to kiss in the lake, and he squirt me with a toy water gun just like he did 9 years ago on one of our first dates at a lake in Alabama. I was lucky then, and I’m even luckier now. I jove you BRH. Here’s to the future, and next year blessing us with a decade together. Wow.

 

So there ya have it! Month three down, and I’m still loving this time away from social media. I truly think everyone needs to do this. I’ve realized how unhealthy it was in so many aspects of my life, and I’m grateful the Lord called me to rest.

But this time with COVID is just wild, isn’t it? I just don’t know what’s to come for the girls’ school and whatnot this fall, and it’s driving my planning anxiety crazy. However, I am generally way less risky when it comes to health stuff, especially when it involves the girls because they do both have weakened immune systems with their health issues. Therefore, I’d much rather be safe than not. We have no idea if we’re gonna homeschool or not, but it sounds like Texas is giving parents the option to keep kids home or send them to school. Such crazy and scary times. The girls just keep asking for their old friends back and for all the people that are sick to get better, and it truly breaks my heart every time they cry because they miss the way life once was. This just isn’t fair. It’s all just a bit sad, huh? It’s crazy to think that these same insecurities, fears, pressures, anxieties, stresses are the same ones my relatives are dealing with in Korea, and all the people across the world are dealing with. When in our lifetime have we ever been able to say that, ya know? That something has affected ALL of us the same.

Honestly, my heart just breaks for my girls and other kids who just wanna be with their friends. My heart breaks for teachers who just wanna see their students. My heart breaks for the playgrounds that just wanna have kids swinging, and sliding, and twirling all around. My heart breaks for families who just want to be reunited. I just want things to go back to the way they once were, but alas…this is life.

And together, we will adapt and overcome.

I was in Target the other day, and getting emotional as per the usual.

I stood there looking around at everyone with their masks on, keeping their distance. How we’ve all just adjusted our lives in an instant to this new normal, this new way of life.

And as I stood there tears filled my eyes, because for the first time it really really really hit me. To see how resilient our nation is. How we, in 2020, are dealing with a pandemic like we’ve never dealt with before, and we’re doing it. We’re learning, we’re changing, we’re growing. Are there bumps in the road? Of course. But we are doing it, and we will continue to do it…I just know it. It may not seem like it now, but I just feel deep down we will come out of this stronger than ever before.

I know we tend to see and hear how far we have to go, and don’t get me wrong…we have a long ways to go…but can I just say for a second how proud I am of how far we’ve come?

I know there’s so much work to be done, and I will continue doing that hard work too, but hey you! Whoever you are reading this. Know that I am so proud of you and everything you do every day to help our nation win this fight.

Thank you for your sacrifices day in and day out.

Thank you for learning and growing with me.

Together, we can do this. Hang tight friend.

Oh and hey, wear your masks. ;)

Well, I guess I’ll end there.

I’m halfway through this break and this journey, and I’m loving every minute of it.

Be well, be still, and be safe.

XX,

Amy

anddddd HEY P.S.!!!

 

I’ve worked two days this month, and one of them you can see here. I sat outside at The Domain in Austin all by myself and worked on my dreams. There’s so much ahead for The Ever Co that I can’t wait to share. But for now know that our shop is now live with what we have left from the error sale! There’s more information there, but if you have any questions leave a comment below or email me! Thank you for supporting us!!!

MAY 2020

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Hey there friends! ♥

It’s officially been two months off the gram, and it’s truly been healing for my soul.

You can catch up with how month one went here by clicking this link to go to my April blog post, AND why I chose to take 6 months off of Instagram here, but be sure you come back here to read this one too!

I promised to give you a monthly recap at the end of every month to let you know what our little family’s been up to, and let me just preface this post by saying - phew…this month’s been a doozy!

BECAUSE…

WE MOVED FROM KANSAS! AND WE ARE NOW TEXANS!

But with that move, we had to say goodbye to daddy. :( He’s unfortunately not allowed to leave Kansas yet due to COVID, so the girls and I are in Texas alone at our new home until they allow him to move.

This is our 9th move in 10 years with the Army, and Everly’s 5th move in her 5 years of life! WOAH!

So let me backtrack and tell you all about May. Grab a drink, and let’s catch up. ♥

 
 

We started the month off with relaunching the website on May 1st, and you continued to blow me away with how much you showed up for our family. Even while I’m not physically showing up for you. So thank you for supporting us, it means the world.

I made my final few runs to our Fort Leavenworth post office, and the girls made a couple trips with me on their scooters too! It’s a 3 mile round trip and we loved making post office runs to get a little workout in together. The postal workers are incredible ladies and we will miss them so!

My plan is to relaunch again somewhere between July 1st and July 15th, so stay tuned! I’ll reload all remaining “error” inventory I have at discounted prices. We have to get settled into our new home first before I can start the business back up, and since Blake’s not with me that’s proving to be challenging. I will keep you all updated on the blog and via the newsletter!

 
 
 

The Kentucky Derby was canceled this year, and that made this Kentucky gal super sad - BUT it was the best decision. We still celebrated the first weekend in May with our traditional Derby charcuterie, mixed with horses for the girls which they loved! We can’t wait to see the beautiful horses running for the roses again.

 

And then came May 4th, and let me just say - MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU! hehe

We are HUGE Star Wars nerds in this family, and the girls are already becoming quite the fans themselves! Everly is obsessed. They had fun with their lightsabers, I did their hair in Princess Leia and Rey Skywalker hairstyles, and we watched all of the movies all day long! It’s a favorite day every year for us!

These are also some of my favorite pics of them ever now.

 

That first weekend in May was SO busy, because Derby and Star Wars Day were bookended with Cinco De Mayo! Which is truly a day we look forward to every year, because we LOVEEEEEEE a good homemade taco bar. The girls love picking and choosing what they want on their tacos, Blake and I love getting creative (and the margaritas), and we all watch Coco to celebrate the Mexican culture which has become such a fun tradition for us.

 

We knew this was our last month at Fort Leavenworth, and what a last month it was. It is SO HARD moving constantly. I wont’ sugar coat it. But the hardest part is saying goodbye constantly to friends that become family. It’s heartbreaking truly. I can only imagine that as the girls get older and have even deeper friendships that it will become harder, but for right now we’re doing all we can to make the most of each move. We try hard to teach the girls how proud they should be to be a military family, that it’s never “goodbye” but see ya later, and we always try to remember how resilient they are at their young ages.

But it doesn’t make it easy. This move was especially hard because we didn’t get to give all of the hugs to teachers and friends that we wanted to. We had a few socially distanced neighborhood gatherings, which was so so fun (but also weird and sad). We took advantage of some photo ops, had some AMAZING cookies by our new neighbors who own Cookie Cartel Co, jumped in our dino sprinklers (linked here) with our best friends, and had a few incredibly fun nights of music with our neighbors. Let’s just say the girls are officially Tom’s groupies. ;)

Nevertheless, we had to say goodbye. It was hard. It was sad. But the show must go on. This is the military life.

 
 
 

My plants started to THRIVE in the May sunshine! And let me just say…I LOVEEEEEE MAY IN KANSAS!

 

I wrote a lot about this in our Father’s Day Gift Idea blog post, which you can read about here, but BLAKE GOT HIS MBA WITH A 4.0 GPA!!! I am so so so proud of him. Not only did he graduate his masters, but he also finished a rigorous course-load at his professional military education for the Army too. It’s been a busy academic year for the family, but he did it and he’s officially a CLASS OF 2020 GRAD!

One of our best family friends here got us some donuts when Blake finished his masters, and it was quite literally the sweetest and yummiest surprise.

Not only did Blake finish school, but our sweet little Everly Brynn graduated preschool and is officially on her way to Kindergarten!!! Our military base had a parade for all graduating seniors and we sat out on the road with our balloons and cheered them on. It was so sweet to teach the girls how we can celebrate others!

 

Speaking of graduating and school, Teacher’s appreciation week this year was one to remember. While we couldn’t squeeze and hug our teachers and see them up close, our elementary school had a drive by parade for all parents and students to drive through, deliver presents, and say THANK YOU to our teachers, administrators and staff. I will never ever ever forget that day, and I don’t think our girls will either.

We gave Everly’s preschool teacher, assistant, and school speech therapist these apple glass trays (will be super cute on their desk or at home for little candies or jewelry or something! - they were Anthropologie but I found them at Nordstrom!) as well as a gift card and some yummy nuts/candies. They all loved the gifts!

We also drew a chalk drawing and sent it to her teachers too.

 

And here’s a look at how we rolled through the parade. The girls loved helping me paint all of these signs!

 
 

We were fortunate enough to run into some of the girls’s teachers and/or live near them, so the girls will never forget their beautiful faces! We also got to have one final zoom session with Everly’s class. WE LOVE YOU ALL SO SO MUCH AND WISH WE COULD’VE SAID GOODBYE TO ALL OF YOU IN PERSON!!!

 

The girls didn’t get to have their dance recital this year, but we did still get their dresses! Here’s a pic of how precious they would’ve been had they had their recital. We hope next year is different!

 

I’ve also maintained cutting Hadley’s hair by myself, and it actually isn’t too hard to do! I highly recommend doing it to save money if you have a little one with short hair. We go outside about once a month to trim it up, and she loves this mommy daughter salon time. ;)

 

Both of the girls have continued rockin their bikes, and we’ve loved watching them learn/master a new skill! They’re so proud of themselves which is just the sweetest thing to see.

 

We’ve been able to face time / zoom so many family and friends during this downtime, and it’s been so special for the girls to see their faces online. Here the girls were face timing with Joc Joc (Everly’s old nanny) who was expecting her first little girl Lily this month! WE LOVE YOU JOC!

 
 

Mother’s Day was SO SO SO SPECIAL this year. I’ve never had so much time with these girls, quality time at that, and to be off instagram and away from social media during this time time has truly been a blessing.

For Mother’s Day, I woke up to the yummiest breakfast and handmade card from my dearest Blake.

Everly drew me THE BEST picture ever (an assignment from her teacher) and she put our family around a Christmas tree cause it’s her favorite memory for our family. (CUE THE TEARS!!!!)

We went on a long 5 mile family walk/hike with the girls and watched the ducks / geese in a pond.

ANDDDDD likely my favorite memory in the month of May?

WE CAMPED OUT IN OUR BACKYARD FOR MOTHER’S DAY, and it was a BLAST!!!!!!

We ate pizza in the backyard, made smores, and all slept in the tent, freezing cold but making memories. We will never ever ever forget these memories.

 
 
 
 
 

For one of our final weekends in May, we observed Memorial Day at the beautiful Fort Leavenworth cemetery. It is such a breathtaking place that truly leaves me speechless every time we walk by it. The girls went and paid respects to different stones, we spoke about Soldiers and how some die protecting us, and the girls walked up and down the streets in silence. It was truly remarkable to see how calm and respectful they were. I am so proud of these little Army girls.

We also spoke about their grandpa, my dad. And while he didn’t die serving our nation, he did serve our country for 30 years. They think he’s buried here, and every time we walk by they say “HI GRANDPA!” While he’s buried in the Kentucky Veteran’s Memorial cemetery, I’m okay with them thinking he’s here too…because honestly? Being stationed here at Fort Leavenworth (which was he and my mom’s first duty assignment when they got married) makes me feel really close to him. It’s bittersweet leaving Kansas, because I feel like I’m leaving my daddy here again.

 

Two days before we moved, we learned about the Shawnee Dog Park! WHICH OH MY WORD IF YOU GET STATIONED IN KANSAS OR VISIT KC, YOU MUST GO! It has so many hiking trails, bike trails, paddle board ramps, dog parks, etc and we loved it! (The only thing I didn’t love is when we got there, I realized Everly got into the markers in her carseat anddddd that made for an interesting walk…Everyone thought she had dog poop all over her! HAHAHHAH!!!)

 

We sold our couch. (insert crying face). So I got one final pic of the girls on their “trampoline” hahha! This couch has been with us for 10 years, through 9 Army moves, and the girls have grown up with it. We will miss it, but it’s time to say farewell. Luckily it went to another family with 2 little boys, and I know lots of memories will be made there.

 
 

On the last night, with all of the boxes packed up, the girls asleep, and Bella and I sleeping on the floor of our living room, I pulled out our Blu Ray disc player (since the other tv was packed away) and I pulled out my old DVDs and watched them non stop with a glass of champagne. It’s one of my favorite things to do when we’re moving. I just love these classics. I watched all of Saved By the Bell again hahah! And p.s. LOOK AT THAT DOG. Is she spoiled or what?!

 

Last began my solo road trip with the girls from Kansas to Texas.

We first stopped in Oklahoma City, OK and stayed in the cutest / quaintest little Air BnB in a historic neighborhood that had all of the best restaurants nearby!!!! I highly recommend this Air BnB if you’re ever in the OKC area! Follow this link and search “Charming Gatewood Guest House” and I know you’ll love it too!

 

We got the YUMMIEST pizza at Empire, the YUMMIEST ice cream at Roxy’s, and the best breakfast + coffee at Elemental all while in KC too! The Plaza District is wonderful for food! Here’s some pics from our exploring!

 

We stayed up way beyond our bedtime, watched Maleficent on Disney + while eating ice cream, cuddled in a full bed that was WAY too small for us three to cuddle in and I legit didn’t sleep AT ALL hahaha, but memories were made and we had a blast. That’s what matters. :)

 

andddddd TO TOP OFF OUR STOP IN OKC?!?!? We got to see Brittany Viklund and her precious boys during a little drive by to their house, and it was the sweetest meet up ever! I am so thankful for that girl’s friendship! And thanks to her hubs for snapping this precious pic of us all WITH EVERYONE LOOKING! hehe!

 

Our next stop was Fort Worth, Texas where we stopped at a little park to stretch our legs and walk a bit, and apparently see our first “danger, alligator” signs which ummmm…made me feel VERY comfortable. hahha!

 

And finally, after a long 11 hours in the car by myself with the girls…we passed by Waco, TX and just one hour south made it TO OUR NEW HOME SWEET HOME!!!!

I celebrated with a mini bottle of rose’ and a Magnolia magazine in bed. HA!!! That drive by myself was nuts, let’s be real. ha!

 

One of the things that sold me on this house was all of the natural light that pours in, both in the morning and at night. Our first evening, pictured on the left, and our first morning, pictured on the right, show just how much light pours into this home and it just makes me smile.

We plan on painting the cabinets white, changing out the lighting fixtures, and making some other modifications to make it a little more us, but nevertheless THIS IS HOME!!!!!

 

We watched the sweetest graduation party across the street from our house on our second night here, where the kiddos did a bunch of traditional Hawaiian Hula dancing, and it made us smile! The girls LOVED seeing it and loved hearing all of the Moana music! And here’s also a look at our new mantel that I can’t wait to dress up! The globes won’t stay there, but it’s a good place to keep them safe for now. And finally, there’s a sneak peek at my new office! Many more sneaks to come!

 
Running 2.23 miles for Ahmaud Arbery’s birthday who was killed on 2.23nin Georgia. #IRunWithMaud

Running 2.23 miles for Ahmaud Arbery’s birthday who was killed on 2.23 in Georgia. #IRunWithMaud

And finally, to end our month of May, I wanted to share a few images this month that really made me stop, reflect, and breathe. I obviously haven’t been on social media, so I don’t know the extent of what’s been said, not said, acted on, not acted on, etc. I also haven’t been watching the news much, simply because it’s been a VERY busy few weeks for us with moving to a new home.

But I do know that this country is in pain.

I know that my Black brothers and sisters are hurting.

I know our Nation is hurting.

I know our communities are confused, scared, anxious, fearful, and quite frankly losing hope.

Here’s my promise to you for my personal community on Instagram, my blog here, as well as with our business for The Ever Co:

I will never, ever, ever stand for racism or division in this community. Neither will my family.

We will do our part to spread the good Lord’s message, and we will also do our part to end the hatred. We will continuously look for ways to donate to minority group organizations within our community and beyond.

Because I know we are privileged to be where we are, and to come as far as we have. We will always seek to amplify voices within the Black community and beyond.

We have preached since day one of this company that inclusion is incredibly important to us, and representing People of Color (POC) will always be a mission of ours, because we want to include everyone in this community.

It’s not for our brand. It’s not to check the box once a month.

It’s because we believe EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU BELONGS HERE.

But sometimes, just reaching for inclusion isn’t enough. No, IT’S NOT ENOUGH.

Sometimes quoting MLK on significant days isn’t enough. No, IT’S NOT ENOUGH.

So right now, I specifically want to speak to my Black brothers and sisters. My Black People of Color. (BPOC)

YOU MATTER!!!!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!??!?! YOU MATTER TO ME. TO OUR FAMILY. TO THE EVER CO.

BLACK LIVES DO AND WILL ALWAYS AND FOREVER MATTER. PERIOD.

I will scream it until the day I die.

This is not a political statement. This is not a religious statement. This is not a social media trend. This is not a statement about an organization.

THESE ARE PEOPLE’S LIVES WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. What more needs to be said?!?

Racism is a system, not a trend.

Systemic racism is brutal and real, and oppression is alive. WE DO NOT STAND FOR THIS.

I wish BLM weren’t considered a trend or fad, because that makes it seem like a temporary thing. Rather, this “movement” should be our every day lives. FOREVER. That is how we end racism.

And I pray that when these “hot topics” sizzle out, that this desire and passion for inclusion and the desire to end racism continues for all, long after our favorite influencers are posting about it.

IT STARTS IN OUR HEARTS, IN OUR HOMES.

And to any of my friends, family, or followers that don’t understand the BLM phrase or are confused by that phrase, let me give you a scenario that spoke profoundly to me this month.

Hadley has been throwing tantrums nonstop lately. She’s 3.5. It’s going to happen, I know.

She is still learning how to best speak her words without being punished and how to act without getting into trouble. But when she doesn’t get acknowledged, when she doesn’t get the response she’s hoping for, when she isn’t heard, SHE SNAPS. She acts out because she wants to be treated a certain way. She wants to be heard. As do most toddlers. As do all humans.

Right before I took the picture of she and I below, the one where I wore the HOPE shirt, we had a long talk about her crying and I was telling her that she can’t go to the big girls’ school if she acts like that, and she looked me straight in the eyes and said,

“BUT MOMMY, YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!!!”

Woah. Gut check.

She was right. I wasn’t listening to what she wanted, and why she was throwing a tantrum. I was specifically focused on the tantrum itself. How I didn’t want to hear the whining, bickering, crying anymore.

Since then, I’ve been trying to focus on the “why” of her tantrums. And ya know what? IT’S WORKED!!!

And I relate that situation to our current state of affairs.

BLACK PEOPLE WANT TO BE HEARD!!!! They want to SEE and FEEL action. They want to be a part of progress.

It is NOT ON THEM to teach us how to change. To teach us what to do. To teach us how to take action.

WE MUST TEACH OURSELVES.

And they’re “snapping” now, because they’re sick and tired of NOT being heard. There are thousands of peaceful protests happening, yet the media portrays the dark and ugly side of things. The side that makes so many throw their hands up in disbelief when they see Targets, and local mom and pops, and barber shops on fire. But think about little Hadley in her tantrum. The more I don’t listen, the more painful it gets.

OUR BLACK BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE IN PAIN. AND THEY HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.

I am not for non peaceful protests or destruction of property, but unfortunately I get it. And I can say that if I were in their shoes, maybe I’d be the same.

The point is, I’m not in their shoes.

I am (seemingly) white.

I am privileged.

Ironically, I have actually never identified as white or caucasian. I’ve always considered myself Other or even Asian in some instances. But I look white, talk white, dress white, and sound white, and if it barks like a dog and walks like a dog, then it’s probably a dog.

When I go to Target with the girls to pick out barbie or baby dolls and pajamas, I don’t have to look far. The ones that look like them are all right there in front of me.

When I say bye to my husband when he goes to work, I don’t have to remind him to be safe to and from, in the sense that something bad’s going to happen to him because of his skin color.

When I go to Disney with the girls, I don’t have to search all over for the one Black princess in the park. The ones that look like us are all over. I don’t have to look far.

When I go to the store by myself in oversized clothes and jackets and a big purse, I’m not followed around and watched like a hawk. EVEN THOUGH I was arrested in my teens for shoplifting…nobody would ever know or care because I don’t fit the part.

This is all white privilege. And WHO ARE WE to say that Blacks don’t experience these things if we are not Black. If our Black brothers and sisters say they feel this way, THEN WE HAVE TO LISTEN AND TRUST THEY FEEL THIS WAY. And really? I mean who wouldn’t?

This is a system. Racism is a system. and when a system is broken… we fix it.

Have we come a long way? Yes sure. But good golly we have soooo far to go.

We have not been doing our part to listen. We collectively have so much work to be done. It’s not their job to teach us, guide us, lead us.

We have all of the tools needed right at our fingertips.

WE MUST TAKE A STAND FOR THEM. WE MUST DO THE HARD WORK AND EDUCATE OURSELVES.

So here I am friends.

I, and The Ever Co, are here with open arms welcoming you into our lives, our hearts, our homes, our community, our conversations, our church, etc. and we want to help.

We want to do our part to make you feel heard and understood.

We promise to not use Black children in our feeds JUST to check the box or just because it’s the thing to do in 2020. That is performative and we won’t stand for it.

It is not okay to just post quotes in stories and take no action beyond that. It’s performative.

It’s not okay to pull out black baby dolls and books just in the month of February. It’s performative.

If we are going to lessen white privilege and racism, these need to be year round actions.

I realize I am not black. I realize I do not understand the depths of pain you have been through since you stepped onto American soil. I, and my children, will never experience the overt racism that my Black brothers and sisters experience.

But that doesn’t mean I can look away. That doesn’t mean I can see horrifying graphics and videos and say “oh that’s so sad” and do nothing beyond that.

As the daughter to a full Asian woman (100% Korean) I do understand the depths of racism and how painful it is. She can’t relate to much in America with the lack of Asian representation, so I know she feels it to her core.

I also know that I was raised by a father who was born in 1940. Who lived during some of the most racist times of our history. And I PERSONALLY had to help him overcome weaknesses of his own throughout my childhood, because he was biased based on when and where he was raised. Not because he hated POC. He was the sweetest, kindest soul. But he was raised in a different time, and he just needed to UNLEARN so many things.

AND PEOPLE, THAT IS OKAY!!!!!! We can unlearn things, just as well as we can learn them.

One of my favorite moments when I think about memories of him was around 2015. He called me to tell me he met a black man at the local Waffle House that was now his best friend. My dad was about 77 at that time. I will never forget that conversation. 77 AND STILL LEARNING, PEOPLE!!!

And there’s the proof. It’s okay to mess up, misstep, and fall.

Just get back up and try and try and try again. Even at 77 years old.

I am so passionate about this for many reasons.

One because I do not stand for injustice and hatred.

But mostly because I have so many CLOSE friends hurting right now. I can’t see them cry anymore.

I’ve dated black guys. Most of my best girlfriends growing up were black as well, and some still to this day. I’m grateful for being from Radcliff, Kentucky cause the diversity was EPIC. Being raised on/around a military base, I was so fortunate to have been exposed to so many races/ethnicities from an early age. It was truly a cultural melting pot. And to this day, Blake and I serve with countless Soldiers of color who fight to defend our country.

My dad always knew how important it was for me to know he accepted all of my friends, boyfriends, etc, and that was why even at 77 he called to tell me that.

WE CAN DO BETTER PEOPLE. He’s proof.

So let me go back to the story about Hadley.

While this shouldn’t be about our family, I hope this simple story can help put things into more perspective for anyone not understanding the pain of others or the statement Black Lives Matter.

This moment in our history isn’t about us hurting. It’s about them hurting.

When she yelled that “BUT MOMMY, YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!!!” I immediately started holding her and comforting her and showing her so much affection.

Everly watched me do this and I could tell she was getting jealous of how much attention Hadley was getting.

I explained to Everly that “Yes, I do love you too, but this moment in time is not about you. This moment is about Hadley and how much she’s hurting. It’s about acknowledging her and seeing WHY she’s throwing tantrums. And trying to help her and make things better.”

That does NOT take away from my love for Everly. That does NOT mean I love Hadley more than Everly.

It simply means I am focusing on my child who is hurting right now.

And honestly? I think that’s what Jesus wants. I KNOW that’s what Jesus wants.

He wants us to help His hurt children.

Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

WE MUST COMFORT THEM NOW MORE THAN EVER.

He COMMANDS us to love thy neighbor.

So let’s take it to the altar.

Hadley wasn’t saying “I matter more.” She was saying “I matter. Period.” Isn’t it ironic?

Our black friends are not shouting “BLACK LIVES MATTER, MORE.” They’re shouting,

“BLACK LIVES MATTER. PERIOD!”

What if when Hadley was crying, and Everly got jealous, I looked at Everly and said, BUT HADLEY MATTERS MORE TO ME! No…that’s not what I said. I told Everly I am focusing on Hadley right now because she is hurting. She is in pain. She needs me more right now.

And so…here’s my point to all of this:

Do all lives matter? Yes, of course, absolutely. Every life matters because Jesus died for every life.

Every police officer matters. Every Soldier matters. Every doctor matters. Every homeless man/woman matters. Every teacher matters. Every firefighter matters. Every white, asian, latin, Indian, middle eastern etc etc etc life matters.

Our Black Brothers and Sisters have NEVER once said they matter more than any of those listed above.

As I’ve heard many say, “their house is on fire, and they just want us to help them put out the fire!” They want to be heard.

SO LET’S HEAR THEM OUT! LET’S GIVE THEM THE PLATFORM TO SPEAK. Let’s do our part, white friends, to amplify their voices and give them the floor.

It’s our time to change history. It’s our time to step up and collectively acknowledge their pain and to say BLACK LIVES MATTER.

And ya know what? When something happens to one of us, I guarantee you they’ll have our backs too.

BUT we HAVE to prove to them we have theirs first. Let’s do this.

Let’s be the change.

My struggles:

I’ll be honest, I’m not really proofreading this and just kinda rambling and typing my words as they come to me. For so long I’ve tried to audit my writing to make sure I didn’t strike a nerve or cause controversy.

But not anymore. Now, I will write from my heart, and hope and pray that it speaks to maybe even just one of you reading. That’s where change takes place. When raw, real, transparent, and vulnerable conversations happen.

And while I’m being honest, let me tell you my greatest personal struggle that I’ve had to overcome with the phrase “Black Lives Matter”, because maybe it’s something you’ve struggled with too. I’ve spoken to many of my black friends about it, and I just want to share the conversation notes. Maybe it’ll change your outlook.

Often when I used to hear Black Lives Matter, my immediate thought was that it was synonymous to “Anti Police” which don’t get me wrong - I am STRONGLY against police brutality, but I am not against the good police. And my greatest struggle was that I have so many friends that are police officers, and so many friends’ parents or spouses are LEOs, and friends and family who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and it just breaks my heart because of how this is affecting the entire police community. I’ve listened to so many police officers beg to not be labeled as “bad” and phew it breaks me to my core, because so many would die for us; they are protectors for our streets, our children, our communities, our homes, our country. I’m nearly brought to tears every time I see a police officer on the streets now doing good things, because I just have so much passion for them and our military service members.

BUT…It took a lot of soul searching, and a lot of research and listening to black people speak to realize that they are not synonymous. Wanting to lift the voices of Black people and to listen to them doesn’t mean we hate police officers. At all. We can LOVE AND LIFT UP BLACK VOICES while also LOVE AND LIFT UP LEO’S TOO. Because you love one doesn’t mean you hate the other and vice versa.

So if you too struggle with those two ideas, then know you aren’t alone, and most importantly ASK QUESTIONS and have honest, open dialogue with friends, coworkers, and your community so that you can walk a mile in other shoes and try to understand their battles too.

Additionally, as the wife to an Active Duty Army Officer and as a current Army Reservist (who could very well go back to active duty), I refuse to share my personal political beliefs on my social media platforms. I choose not to provide my political stance in these spaces, in order to honor the sacrifice my family (and thousands of other families) make to serve our country regardless of who is in office. Military law also doesn’t allow participation in partisan activities such as soliciting or engaging in partisan fundraiser activities, serving as the sponsor of a partisan club, or speaking before a partisan gathering. With that, I consider my social media platforms a place that I’m unable to express my political beliefs based on my families current military status. My husband is in charge of hundreds of Soldiers at a time, and he could very well go to war with them. He will serve and protect the brother to his left just as well as he’ll serve, protect, and lead the Soldier to his right, because in the military that’s a matter of life and death. So I choose not to jeopardize his position in leadership in the military to honor and respect him and his Soldiers.

I wish we collectively could stop making “Black lives matter” a political statement and more of a statement about LIVES DYING. Then maybe it wouldn’t be as controversial. What is really so hard about saying “Black lives matter?” I mean truly? It boggles my mind.

So I urge you not to write someone off that says “Black Lives Matter” because you feel it’s a political statement or a statement about an organization. Instead, how about we look at our Black brothers and sisters in their faces, and start the dialogue now. Ask them what we can do to help them. Ask them what we can do in our homes to end racism. And take action.

I have used my platform since day one as a “to each their own” and “everyone is welcome” place. And, I do still mean that. But I know many of my followers and friends don’t feel the same way.

I think the Lord created us all differently, and there needs to be some of us who are the more confrontational “go get them and run up the hill” kinda people, and then there’s those of us who need to continue fighting for peace and moderation and unity.

I CHOOSE TO BE A BRIDGE BUILDER. I choose to fill the gap. I choose to be a peacekeeper.

I am not a fan of cancel culture. I don’t agree with it. Because I know what that can do to someone’s mental state when they are canceled. I know the depths of mental illness and depression, so I choose to give second chances. I always will. Just as Jesus does.

Wanna know why? Because if I was canceled when I made some bad mistakes in the past, I’d probably be dead. I would’ve taken my own life if nobody grabbed my hand and held onto me.

So I will be that person for you. If you have felt a certain way on this all of your life, if you’ve had racist thoughts before, if you’ve said bad things before, I know some will never forgive you. And believe me, it hurts me too that you felt this way. I am ANGRY that you have felt that way. But let me do the dirty work for you. The hard work. Let me help you so that I can try and help you change. I will lay my life down for you to change, because I want to see more black lives live.

I will not give up on you, and I will help you rise. Because I know it’s possible. I’ve seen it.

I will always strive to love like Jesus. I will pray for you, and I will help you rise out of the ashes of your past.

I choose to see the good in people, and I choose to be an eternal optimist. I physically cannot give up on humanity. The Lord didn’t wire my heart that way.

But Black friends who are hurting, I know many of you can’t extend that hand. And quite frankly I don’t blame you. You don’t need to. Let me do the hard work for you. Let my white friends do the hard work for you.

I may be soft spoken and kind in my approach, and I realize the world needs realist (my husband) and those who will loudly and boldly shine light on negativity so that change can happen.

I’m a big advocate for both of these kinds of people. And I try hard to find a middle ground.

I won’t fail you. My family won’t fail you.

I refuse to live in a divided world, for the sake of my kids, and my kids’ kids. And so forth.

I will never stop fighting for a world that locks hands and loves one another, through the good and the bad.

I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR EQUITY AND EQUALITY.

For any of my friends stuck somewhere in the middle, know that neutral in a broken system gets you nowhere. Whether you’re a democrat, libertarian or republican, and whether you’re a Christian or an atheist doesn’t matter. You don’t have to be loud, you can be soft, as I’ve chosen to be, and you can still take a stand against racism. You can still be FOR Black lives.

That’s the only way this system gets fixed.

And hey…the more we bicker at each other about politics and how much we hate each other, the less action takes place.

Stop fighting, and let’s do the hard work.

LET’S GO!

I’ll end with this…Thank you Hadley for teaching me such a powerful lesson.

***Blake and I have both read “White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism” and I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it for anyone struggling with this topic. It’s been eye opening for us.

Additionally, I’m often asked how I teach the girls about racism and inclusion in our daily lives, and how we ensure they are exposed to all races at their young ages. Here’s what we do:

  1. We ensure the girls have toys and dolls of all races.

  2. We ensure their books display kids of all races. NOT just during Black history month. Not just on Juneteenth. BUT ALL YEAR.

  3. We ensure the girls (and ourselves) surround ourselves with friends of different races.

  4. We do NOT teach them to be color blind. Rather, we tell them to recognize our differences and how uniquely God created us, yet he loves us the same. “Jesus loves the little children” is a phenomenal tool for younger kids!

 
 

This was the very last picture we took at our home in Kansas before me moved to Texas. And I pray that each one of those kids knows they are so incredibly loved and adored. They are the future. We must fight for justice for their sake.

 

So what are some ways you can make a difference in your own home? I’ll create a blog post soon with all of my favorite inclusive toys/book, etc, because it starts in our hearts and in our homes. For now, here’s my blog post from January that I wrote to get ready for Black History Month. You can find a ton of books there that represent all children!

 

And if I may end with this video, which brings me to tears every time I watch.

Jesus, be near.

Sending you all so much light + love.

All my best, as always. I miss you.

Amy

THE ULTIMATE FATHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE

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We’re not only celebrating Father’s Day this year, but Blake finished his MBA with a 4.0, graduated from a rigorous military school, and got promoted to Major, so we have a LOT to celebrate!

We’ve updated our father’s day (+ beyond) gift guide this year and I have to say…it’s now probably my favorite gift guide on the blog! (And that’s saying a lot considering there’s about 20 ha!) These ideas would be great for birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, and Christmas too!

I think it’s mostly because EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of these items are used religiously in our household, and Blake and I have truly grown to love and appreciate them all. He put a lot of thought into these items, and he’s really big on reviews/research, so these items all come highly recommended from the man himself!

 

So here she is, the ultimate father’s day gift guide! Be sure to scroll over the image title, description, and price to be taken directly to a link to shop! We appreciate you and hope you + yours have the BEST father’s day ever!

 
 

  1. DOUBLE CHAIR FOLDABLE - ~ $100 depending on color.

    This is what we got for Blake this year as an early Father’s Day/graduation gift and WE ARE IN LOVE!! I will do a demo of it when I get back on Instagram, but it’s likely my #1 favorite product to gift to men (and women) now! Aside from the cordless vacuum of course. hehe! Two people can sit comfortably, the drink holders are EPIC and can fit anything and it folds up so easily and as small as a single chair! Highly recommend!!!

  2. CORDLESS HIGH TORQUE SQUARE DRIVE IMPACT WRENCH - $400+

    We use this tool often and it’s an essential for a tool drawer in our opinion. An expensive investment but well worth it in the end!

  3. WET / DRY UTILITY SHOP VAC - $50

    This is the perfect mini shop vac for your garage and we love using it for tiny messes from wood working projects outside! It also works as a great car vac for the garage too!

  4. SMARTWATCH - $318

    This is the watch Blake wears daily and he loves it. It’s the perfect sporty, yet not too sporty, masculine watch that he wears for working out and to continuously check his heart rate. It also plays playlist too! It’s a great watch for someone who loves fitness and the reviews speak for themselves!

  5. LOVE AND RESPECT BOOK - $15

    The best Christian based book for marriages! A great read for men and women alike! Check out those reviews!!! Can’t recommend this book enough.

  6. 2 PACK PLIER STORAGE AND ORGANIZER RACK - $25

    Simple, easy organizer for anyone who loves tools and has a lot of them. These fit perfectly into his tool chest and separate the pliers and other similar tools easily.

  7. MULTI-HEAD RATCHETING SCREWDRIVER -$35

    The ultimate gift for any man! (and woman!) I LOVEEEE this gadget and it stays in our kitchen and we use it all the time! it has every screwdriver head /bit you need! Would be great for in the car on the go too! (or anyone who loves IKEA furniture haha)

  8. FIRE PIT STOKER POKER - $59

    This is the fire poker seen in our last picture in this post, and Blake gets so giddy about this one hehe! He’s a man that LOVES building a good fire for his girls, and this gadget helps do that! IS IT A POKER? IS IT A STOKER? Well actually it’s both. We could use a stick to move the logs, and dump gasoline on the wood to get it going, but Stoker Poker is really very effective and safe. If you see that the fire is going out, you can easily re-arrange the logs from 4 feet away and simply blow through the Stoker Poker to re-ignite the flames. It’s incredible!!!

  9. TO HELL WITH THE HUSTLE BOOK - $10

    This is your wake-up call to resist the Hustle culture and embrace the slowness of Jesus.

    Our culture makes constant demands of us: Do more. Accomplish more. Buy more. Post more. Be more. In following these demands, we have indeed become more: More anxious. More tired. More hurt. More depressed. More frantic.

    What we are doing isn't working!

    In a society where hustle is the expectation, busyness is the norm and information is king, we have forgotten the fundamentals that make us human, anchor our lives, and provide meaning.

  10. BEST PILLOW EVER - $60

    CHECK OUT THESE REVIEWS!!! Truly just the BEST pillow you will ever use in your life, sure to give you a good night’s sleep and completely adjustable to your liking! Every one of us in the family has one and I don’t ever complain about neck/back pain anymore!

  11. COLLAPSIBLE WAGON - $!00 +

    This is our favorite wagon for lugging kiddos + sporting equipment + more around on trips and at the beach! It’s rugged enough to drag along the sand, and great for pulling kids + coolers to neighborhood gatherings. We love this one!

  12. CHRISTMAS TREE STORAGE - $10-$15

    Is the hubs tired of carrying the big Christmas tree box up the stairs? We have your solution! This bag has lasted through three moves and it stores trees + wreaths + bases + tree skirts and more! It’s held up so well and makes carrying the heavy tree so much easier. It also makes it really easy to spot in storage!

  13. CORDLESS VACUUM - $50

    In my humble opinion, this is the most important item every mama and daddy needs in their home. We use it every single day!

  14. SHOULDER DOLLY MOVING STRAPS - $35

    These have made moving SO MUCH easier for us!!!! They allow Blake and I to carry all of our large pieces of furniture without having to borrow neighbors haha! We love these things!! You just slip them over your shoulders and it allows you to use your whole body. We moved a washer and dryer from the basement up to the garage with these! Fascinating.

  15. WATCH REPAIR KIT - $24

    If your person likes doing their watch repairs themselves or is a techy guy/gal, this is a great item to have on hand! It has 16 tools and a 41 page illustrated maintenance and service manual which makes it easy to repair different watches.

  16. RICH DAD POOR DAD BOOK -$12

    Rich Dad Poor Dad is Robert's story of growing up with two dads — his real father and the father of his best friend, his rich dad — and the ways in which both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing. The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to be rich and explains the difference between working for money and having your money work for you.

  17. MAGNETIC SCREWDRIVER ORGANIZER - $24

    Built with 16 high tension clips that will hold your screwdrivers and other small tools firmly and securely. 

  18. DIGITAL INSTANT READ THERMOMETER FOR COOKING - $22

    Digital meat thermometer for grilling features advanced thermocouple technology that provides 2-3s response time; 4.0'' food grade probe thermometer guarantees an accurate temp reading to ±0.9°F (±0.5°C) with a wide temp range of 14°F - 572°F (-10°C - 300°C). Great for someone who loves being on the grill!

  19. BEST RUNNING SOCKS EVER - ~$15

    Comes in so many colors and we both LOVE running in these! If you or your person love socks that feel good on a long run, this is them!

  20. GRILL SET - $30

    4-Piece Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Barbecue Grilling Utensils - Premium Grill Accessories for Barbecue - Spatula, Tongs, Fork, and Basting Brush

 

Be sure to pin an image in this post to your pinterest board or save it to your bookmarks to ensure you can reference it again in the future!

Happy gifting friends!

XX, Amy

APRIL 2020

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Hey friends!!!

It’s been just about one month since I signed off from the gram, and I thought it would be a great way to journal my time away by doing a one month recap at the end of every month! This will help me keep a journal of the pictures I want to print each month (or send to my chatbooks) and also serve as a way to keep in touch with y’all and let you know what we’ve been up to!

I love this blog, because unlike Instagram I actually own this domain. This is my creative home, and it’s a joy to still be able to share my little family with you. I truly do need a creative outlet, and I love that this keeps me away from Instagram but still filling a creative void!

So…what have we been up to? How’s my heart doing one month into this process?

✿ Here’s a snapshot of April 2020. ✿

 

We started the month off by decorating our door! Below you can see what we did, but we used back of mailers, posters I had laying around, cardboard boxes, etc and now everyone that walks by our home gets to see our messages! The girls had a blast doing this!

 

The tree in front of our home also started to bloom and it is so so so so SOOOOO DREAMY!!!!

It arches over our doorway and just makes me smile every time I see it.

I tell everyone I am SO THANKFUL this all happened during this time of year, when trees and flowers are blooming, the sun is beginning to shine more, and overall the Earth feels like it’s coming to life out of the dead of winter. I think all this Vitamin D and sunshine is doing wonders for our souls.

Trees all around the post have also started blooming, and this one reminds me of the ones in my neighborhood growing up. It is very nostalgic every time we pass under it!

 

Speaking of walks, we go on at least 3 mile walks every day, and it’s 100% been my favorite part about being off of Instagram. We explore all over post. While Blake does teleworking on the computer, the girls and I like to wake up with the sun and go all around the base. We play “I spy with my little eye”, say hi to birdies and squirrels, and spend so much quality time together. It’s incredible. (Sometimes Bella even sneaks in a ride in the bottom of the stroller too if it’s too hot for her. heheheh)

 

Truly, look at this dog! Is she spoiled or what?!!? The girls have been pushing her around in their doll stroller too, and Bella actually LOVES it. She is so comfy and loves sniffing the air on our walks.

I can’t help but think about how happy and lucky all the animals are for having their best friends at home 24/7. I know Bella is thriving off of our company all the time. What a time for our fur babies!

 

While doing some spring cleaning, I came across a package that I found at my dad’s when we were cleaning out his place after he passed away. It was a package he had when he was stationed here at Fort Leavenworth back in the 80s. On it, I found his address. I dropped to my knees.

The next day, Blake, the girls and I went on a walk to go find his home.

This is it. I feel so connected to him. 🖤

 

When Blake does get a break from class, he joins us on our 3 mile walks and we love it! We go to our local track field and throw the ball for Bella or just run around the track. (Not at all to burn energy off the girls, I promise! hahah!)

This time has been so healing to get so much time back that we’ve lost from military training.

I keep saying I’m learning more about Blake and the girls than I’ve ever known…which let’s be real - has it’s ups and downs lol…but it’s like I’m relearning the people under my roof. It’s so sacred and special. 🖤

Honestly? I don’t think I would be this intentional if I were still on Instagram. I know how I am with my work schedule and being away has allowed me to prioritize these people first. Hallelujah.

 

We’ve been playing out on our slip n slide nearly every. single. day. It’s been epic. I just love getting down and playing with these girls and the hubs! Highly recommend this cute slide. It has a big blow up portion at the end that allows the girls (and myself haha) to not fly off the end!)

These are just $15! We add a little safe dishsoap and it makes them even more more slippery hehehe!

The watermelon slide is linked here.

The blue slide is linked here.

 

Possibly most exciting of the month?!?!

EVERLY LEARNED TO RIDE HER BIKE!!!!!

It was strangely super easy, and I think I thought it would be a lot more difficult, but we let her ride the bike with training wheels for about 3-5 months and then one day decided to take the wheels off! We just watched a couple of youtube videos on “how to teach a kid to ride a bike” and voila! She’s up and riding! I love this little video compilation of her first few days of riding. She LOVES IT!

 

Homeschooling has been so interesting. There’s easy days and hard days, but really I just feel like I’m learning so much more about patience (and my lack thereof). I am grateful for this experience, regardless of the hard days. I know I will look back on this time one day when both of the girls are in school and be thankful I had this time to do it myself. I have so much respect for teachers, administrators and therapists. It’s extraordinary what they do for our babes. Here’s some pics of Everly during her homeschooling activities and when she got to zoom her class and bring a show and share item with her. She chose her dinosaur we built together and her sister. 🖤

 

Speaking of therapists, Everly gets to do teletherapy with her speech therapist and zoom sessions with her ABA therapists too. She lights up when she gets to see them, and I can only pray that she gets to actually hug them goodbye before we move away. She loves them so so so so much. Here she played dinosaur with them hehe.

 

Easter was so yummy too! We had Annies Mac n Cheese (hahaha), turkey, green bean casserole, and deviled eggs. It was so fun setting the table and having a beautiful Easter dinner to celebrate our Lord!

As far as cooking goes, I’ve completely fallen head over heels with home cooked meals now. I’ve cooked dinner every night for 3 weeks straight and I hope I never go back! I can’t wait to share all of the recipes I’ve been learning!

HE IS RISEN! Easter 2020 will be one we will never forget!

 
 

Something else we will never forget is Blake’s 37th birthday! We kept it simple with store bought Cheesecake Factory slices, balloons from Target, and a couple presents from his wish list. We loved surprising daddy when he came downstairs from teleworking!

 

He’s been working so hard in his classes for work while also getting his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) which he is about 2 weeks out from getting with a 4.0 GPA! We couldn’t be more proud of you daddy!

 

He’s also been so supportive of me still doing business stuff, which I’ve totally neglected for about 5 weeks and it’s been a nice break! Tonight (May 1st) I will have a small “error sale” and this was a progress shot of getting through some inventorying during the week! You can find out more information about the sell and our plans to keep doing this until we get through our error inventory over the next few months while I’m taking a break. This has allowed me to truly pace myself which is so refreshing!

 

These are a few pics that truly mark this time of quarantine that I never want to forget. Masks for all, and care packages from my mom filled with items that make my half Korean heart very happy. hahahha! (This is truly a box from a Korean mom, is it not? lol. I LOVE IT!)

 

So, how have I been?

As far as motherhood goes…truly, it’s been a mix. I’ve felt myself losing patience with the girls a LOT but it’s because they’re butting heads a lot (as are most siblings all across the world). BUT I am SO in love with this time with them, to work through their struggles, and really be fully present. I am so grateful that this break from Instagram coincidentally fell into this time of quarantine. I can’t imagine still running my Instagram, business, blog and doing all of these duties as their mama. I am sending all the love, courage, strength, and prayers for you that are doing it all!!!! I have so much respect for you all right now!

As far as marriage goes, we’ve spent more time together than we have in almost 10 years of marriage…which btw next year is 10 YEARS OF MARRIAGE…WHAT?!?!?! Feeling so lucky to call him mine. I’m loving making dinner for him every night, loving working out with him every day, loving sitting on the porch drinking wine and reading books after the girls are in bed, loving movie nights on the couch, and seeing him teach the girls new tricks. Also loving when he starts the coffee pot for me and letting me sleep in a bit. hehe.

As far as health and fitness go, I’ve been working out hard for 3 weeks straight and feel better than I have in about 7 years as far as that goes. I am so excited to finally see change, but more importantly to feel it. My heart, mind, body, and soul feel so good. I’ll share more about my fitness journey next month!

As far as my Faith, I’ve been reading so much and listening to so much praise and worship, and I feel so close to the Lord now. I am eager to share more about that journey, but it’s very sacred right now, so I’m gonna keep it private for the time being. More to come.

So overall, it’s been so refreshing this first month away.

Someone asked me the other day, “do you miss it?”

And my honest to God answer: No. Not at all.

I feel so content with the decision to step away, and I’m very interested to see how my heart continues to transform over these next 5 months + beyond.

I want you to know I am praying for you all and sending you all my love during this time. I can’t wait to be “reunited” for the sake of me missing you, but I also can wait for the sake of my heart and home.

I’m grateful I’ve come to this point in my life.

In light + love,

Amy

PS Here are the blog posts I wrote this month as a recap in case you missed them!

  1. My break from Instagram (explained)

  2. DIY Dollhouse plans

  3. Mother’s Day Gift Ideas + Pictures

MOTHERS DAY 2020

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Hey hey friends!

I wanted to share some of my favorite items that are practical that I use nearly every day of my life, while also sharing a few of my favorite things that I’m asked about often. These would be great for Mother’s Day gifts, birthday presents, anniversaries, Christmas and beyond! So be sure to pin an image here if you want to reference it again in the future.

But first, every year the one thing I ask my husband for is a mini photoshoot with my girls.

I’ve done it for three years now! The first year we did a bathtub shoot followed by a Strawberry Patch shoot, and we did the same last year too! But this year was just in pajamas on our bed! I can’t wait to look back at all of these pictures one day! Let me take you down memory lane. :)

 

Mother’s Day 2018

Mother’s Day 2018

 

Mother’s Day 2019

 
 
 

And now here are some of my favorite every day items!

  1. FAVORITE PILLOW EVER -. All four of us have one and we will never use another pillow!

  2. CORDLESS VACUUM - I never wanted to make the investment and we finally did earlier this year. I can’t believe we didn’t get this sooner! Talk about making vacuum duties a breeze! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

  3. HANDS FREE MAMA BOOK - A book that changed my life. Teaches priorities, managing time, how to put the phone down and all the in between. Perfect for Mother’s Day.

  4. AVOCADO PJS - These are the ones we wore in this year’s Mother’s Day pics and I LOVE THE COLORS! I sized up for the girls so we can wear them next year too.

  5. SLIPPERS - The best slide on slippers you will ever own. I wear them EVERY DAY of my life, and don’t remember life before them. Ha!

  6. CAR STOPPERS - Why was I living in a hole about these for so long. So goodbye to dropped items next to your seats, lost makeup, lost keys, lost phones and more. These won’t let anything fall next to you when you’re driving!

  7. SNEAKERS - The best every day sneakers that literally go with everything. I wear them with skirts, jeans, leggings, shorts etc! You won’t regret this buy. Plus black is the perfect neutral.

  8. DAISY PJS - These are the same brand as the ones we wore in this year’s Mother’s Day pics and I LOVE THE COLORS! I sized up for the girls so we can wear them next year too.

  9. CORDLESS HANDHELD VACUUM - I share this every holiday. THIS IS MAMA’S BEST FRIEND and makes cleaning up any mess so much easier. No cords, no hard to reach places, THE BEST.

  10. FAVORITE PAJAMAS - These are my number one recommended pajamas and I love gifting them to other mamas for special occasions. BUTTERY soft.

  11. WIRELESS CAMERA MONITOR - This simple, cheap, easy to move camera can be set up straight to your phone which makes those restless nights of worrying about your kiddos so much better! We’ve had ours for 5 years!

  12. APPLE WATCH - Another gift we finally bit the bullet on, and there’s no turning back. I can’t recommend the Apple Watch (series 5) enough! I love every single feature of it.

  13. LEMON PJS - These are the same brand as the ones we wore in this year’s Mother’s Day pics and I LOVE THE COLORS! I sized up for the girls so we can wear them next year too.

  14. DIFFUSER - My favorite pretty diffuser that doubles as a calming night light too.

  15. WINE OPENER - I will never open another bottle of wine differently again. This invention is pure genius.

 
 

I hope you found something here you liked! It’s so good to catch up with y’all and to share with you a little tradition of ours every Mother’s Day. I hope you too can start something like this to have many pictures to look back on one day!

 
 

Be sure to pin an image from this post so you can reference back to it in the future!

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!

XX,

Amy

SIX MONTH HOME ORGANIZATION CHALLENGE

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As a military family who constantly moves, it is imperative for our family to stay organized.

I have always been a lover of organization, but this last year got the best of me with a growing business and a mid year move halfway across the country.

And guess what…we move again in 6 months.

So! That’s where this challenge comes in!

I’ve created this 6 month home organization challenge for ALL OF US to get organized! And if you’re a military family this is especially for you, because we know all about the pains of a PCS. (Permanent Change of Station - Military lingo)

We’ve been in this new place for 6 months and I’m STILL not unpacked because I wasn’t organized during our last move. It’s time to OWN THIS NEXT ONE!

Each month we will INTENTIONALLY tackle specific areas of our home so we don’t get overwhelmed!

The best part is, you do NOT need to start this in January! Or February! This is designed to fit into your calendar when it best fits…so if that means you start month 1 in June, then do that!

I made it 6 whole months so we can be thorough and intentional but also not feel rushed or overwhelmed.

So let’s give ourselves a 6 month window to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Who’s in?

 
 

This template will be our guide!

Each block has extra space for you to write any specific information that you or your family needs to remember. i.e. specific dates, specific projects, extra areas, extra details etc!

So here you can print out this above printable to have for your home! Print it off, hang it on your fridge, put it in your planner, wherever! Just make sure the dates get added to your family calendar so everyone knows when it’s organization time!

UPDATE ONE: (I completed the majority of our basement which works as storage for our family, houses our gym, holds boxes for moves and all of our military gear - here’s what I took away from that!)

  1. thought process going in was “if I haven’t used it in 6 months, I can sell, donate, recycle or trash it.

  2. goal was to make our next move easier since we move so often in the military.

  3. put like items together in storage places so they’re easier to find.

  4. separate items into four sections: trash, recycle, sell donate

  5. put all holiday items/decor into storage bins that match the holiday you’re in. i.e. fall/halloween stuff goes into orange bins, christmas into green etc.

  6. if you don’t have holiday specific bins then at least put them into clear bins so you can see the decor.

  7. if you are a family that moves a lot or knows you will be moving, keep your small appliance and electronics boxes (i.e tv, mixer, coffee pot, dvd player etc) so they all have boxes specifically made for them to pack away. This also works great for resale!

  8. save empty boxes from a previous move that didn’t get messed up so you don’t have to buy new ones! you can cut them down to take up less room.

  9. buy a tree bag, ornament box and wreath bag for those items! saves so much hassle and room.

  10. we keep a humidifier in storage to keep items dry too.

  11. invest in a trailer if you are a military family and move some stuff yourself! you’ll make money every move!

  12. as you organize, be sure to separate stuff into sections for what you will take and what the movers will take. saves so much time.

  13. have outdoorsy, military stuff organized in an easy to find manner so you aren’t having to dig to find stuff.

  14. invest in conticos for breakable items.

You can see all of these tips in action on my instagram page @amylouhawthorne in my “organization” highlight button!

 

My starting point - lot’s of empty containers. January 2020.

Here’s what I want you to remember:

This is meant to organize items so you always know where they are.

This is meant to declutter.

This is meant to donate unused items.

This is meant to give you motivation to have a spring yard sale to make money off of items that have been sitting around for a decade, or items you simply don’t need.

You do NOT need all the bells and whistles to make this happen.

You just need discipline, time and motivation.

So if you need time to do this, ask for it. Blake and I sat down on January 1st and mapped out the next 6 months.

We marked off which weekends I would have to work on this massive project - and yes, this is my project because I LOVE organizing. On those weekends he will watch the kids and I will have full freedom to clean.

If there’s a point of contention, just remember to advocate that you are doing this for the whole family.

And above all else, once we get passed this challenge let’s do our best to keep our homes organized for years to come!

 
 

Want information on which storage containers I use throughout our home and which ones I love most?

Linking them all here for you! Just click on the item name and number to go!

  1. Seagrass Baskets || 2. Big tubs || 3. Tall wire baskets || 4. Clear containers || 5. Closed baskets || 6. Pink closed containers || 7. Wire Baskets || 8. Pink locked containers || 9. Open rattan basket || 10. Open pink storage || 11. Gray closed containers || 12. Open pink and white bins

 

Here’s how I use them throughout my home!

As I get to each room where I’m using them, I will add pictures to this post to share how I used them during my organization challenge. This blog post will be ever evolving until I reach month 6!

  1. I use these for the girls’ shoes, small toys and lotions/ essential oils

  2. I use these for the girls’ old toys and old clothes that I don’t want to get rid of but want to have access to. Anything bulky. (Also great for toys)

  3. I use one of these in the garage for sporting equipment so I can see in it and grab what I need and also for craft storage.

  4. My favorite bins. I use these for everything. Craft storage, out of season clothes and company inventory.

  5. Closed baskets are what I use for something that looks ugly but I use often. So I use it as a mini paper trash can in my office and for office supplies that I need on hand.

  6. My favorite for storing the girls small educational / sensory items. We keep these in our downstairs closet. They store coloring books, puzzles, magnets, legos, sand, playdoh etc.

  7. These are the prettiest for storing cookbooks, handtowels, and anything you need to store and keep contained but want to have visible.

  8. These will be used for office/craft storage.

  9. Love these for storing blankets around the home.

  10. These will be used for office/craft storage.

  11. My favorite for storing the girls small educational / sensory items. We keep these in our downstairs closet. They store coloring books, puzzles, magnets, legos, sand, playdoh etc.

  12. We use these to store the girls’ toys in. i.e. cars, train sets, and small items.

 

And here’s some pics of them throughout our home!

 
 
 
 
 

If you liked anything you saw and want to reference back to it in the future, be sure to pin any of the images above so you know where to come back and find it!

HAPPY ORGANIZING!

XX, Amy

EASTER BASKET FAVORITES

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It’s officially been the longest break I’ve taken from the blog, but I’M BACK!

I’ve rounded up my favorite Easter Basket favorites from both big box stores (like Amazon, Target, Walmart) and from small shops that I’ve found on Instagram! You can simply tap the title of the product to be taken directly to the Instagram shop or to the store’s website to check out what they have!

What I love is that many of these ideas are also GREAT for other holidays, gift options and stocking stuffers! So be sure to pin this blog post to reference it in the future if you need a gift idea for a little one!

Happy Easter Basket making!

 
 
 

First up, BIG BOX STORE ideas!

Above, you can see all of these items in the girls’ joined Easter basket. These are products I’ve tested and believe in! Not just sharing for no reason. I am a believer in practical items that the girls can use for a long time! (just added to a cute basket to doll them up a bit, hehe!)

  1. Bunny Lunchbox - cutest little lunch box for boys and girls! Insulated and fits a lot! I also love that its easy to spot clean with soap and water! (other colors available too, but my girl LOVES bunnies!)

  2. Jammies sets - I love a good quality, affordable set of simple basic pajamas, and I LOVE that these come in a million colors to choose from! The price is great for a simple basic set too! (and amazon prime is a bonus, of course!)

  3. Instant Printing Camera - LOVE this as a gift for any holiday / season of the year, but it’s small enough to fit in a basket. I love it cause it’s a great time of year to gift it right before all of the summer adventures that’ll be made! It’s like a polaroid camera, just not so vintage. ha!

  4. Best water cup EVER - Let me tell you, the girls have dropped these a million times and they still look brand new, but I’m SO in love with all the colors they come in! They’re stainless steel, easy to clean and keep their water cold! Win win!

  5. Bouncy Balls - no matter how old, the girls LOVE bouncy balls. We love these the most because they aren’t super hard so if they accidentally get hurt, they don’t hurt their little faces/bodies. I get the big set and before a road trip or airplane trip we give them a new one to play with! They love them so much!

  6. Kinetic Sand - I RAVE about this stuff constantly, and any holiday we go through, I tend to get a new bag for the girls because it is OUR MOST played with activity! Amazing for fine motor skills, very limited mess and so much fun!!!

  7. Toothbrushes - It is a tradition to get the girls a new toothbrush every Easter and Christmas for baskets / stocking stuffers. Practical and a fun tradition!

  8. Chalk - But this is our favorite brand! It’s a great price, comes in the BEST fun colors, draws sooooo well and the best part is that the company has a great mission.

  9. Doodle pads - we LOVE taking these on road trips and airplanes. They’re easy to put inside a bag and the girls can use so much imagination with these!

  10. Bandaids - kinda like toothbrushes, these are another must have for Easter and Christmas for us!

  11. Quality leggings - we’re in that fun transitional period called spring, and I love these simple basic leggings that come in various colors and are super cheap! (size up if concerned about sizing)

  12. Burp cloths - whether you use these for what they’re meant for or simply just want them for the gorgeous pattern (me) they’re a stunning addition to a basket. We actually use them as baby doll swaddles and they work perfectly!

  13. More pajamas - these are the ones I raved about during Christmas time, and they are the softest jammies the girls own! I sized up for longer wear and they’re amazing quality and a great price!

  14. Peppero - these are the only sweets going in the girls baskets, and they love them! I am half Korean, so the girls are a 1/4 so we love these Korean treats!

  15. Water Beads - just like kinetic sand, water beads are a must have for indoor and outdoor play! But especially since we are getting into outdoor playing season, you must try these out. Great for sensory play and fine motor skill development!

These are the pajamas listed in the # 2 link. Everly is 4 wearing a size 5 and Hadley is 2 wearing a size 3. I always size up for longer wear. Their faux Birkenstocks are linked here and are soooooo cute! The bows are from Indy and Pippa and the purses are from Little Moon Leather which will both be linked below in the shop small basket!

 

These are the pajamas linked in # 13. Sooooo comfy and soft!

 

This is a look at the leggings listed in # 11. Both girls are wearing the 3-5. Tees from Jean and June!

 
 

And now for the small shop Easter Basket finds! I am A BIG BELIEVER in shopping small and supporting small business because now we are one! So be sure to check out these shops for ideas for any future gift giving needs! You’ll fall in love with the ladies behind these shops too!

 
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And here’s some closeup shots of the shop small basket!

 
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If you wanna be able to reference anything in the future, be sure to pin one of the images above so you can come back to it! At the end of the day, we pray that we never forget the meaning of the season and how important it is to remind our littles to not get lost in the Easter Basket goodies.

Thank you and God Bless!

THE ULTIMATE KIDS' GIFT GUIDE

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IT’S HERE! AND JUST IN TIME FOR BLACK FRIDAY, SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY AND CYBER MONDAY SPECIALS!!!

I’ve created an ultimate shopping list gift guide for kiddos age 0-10 “ish” and most of these items have both boy and girl options available! So even if the picture looks like it’s for a boy or a girl, there is likely a boy or girl option also available! So be sure to follow each link to check out the other options. Most of these are on MAJOR sale this weekend only! You can shop easily by clicking the item title below! Also, many of these items are from small shops like ours, so we LOVE being able to support small business!

Happy shopping for those littles in your life!

 
 

  1. Smithsonian Dinosaur Book - We always check this book out from our local library and I found it for a great price, so Everly will get a big surprise this Christmas. She LOVES learning about the dinos in this amazing book!

  2. Cuddle and Kind Mermaid - For every doll purchase, 20 meals are donated to children! A beautiful doll with an even more beautiful purpose!

  3. Banwood Bike - Dream bike. #AmIRight? Enough said haha.

  4. Little Belle Fairy Nightlight - Also the DREAMIEST nightlight! Can’t wait to get this in for the girls. They love fairies and this one is just pure magic.

  5. Moses Basket - Hadley LOVES baby dolls, so she’s going to love putting her babies to bed in this basket.

  6. Fawn Design Mini Bag - The mini bag is the perfect bag for little girls to twin with their mama!

  7. Oli Ella Shopping Basket - The prettiest basket that kids can use to “grocery shop” in play kitchens or to store toys in!

  8. The Daydream Republic Sunglasses - Been wanting these forever. I mean…the girls have been wanting these forever. ha!

  9. TrioKid Stroller - We have the pink Vivi of this and the girls are constantly fighting over it because it’s just THAT good. Gotta get another so they each have one hehe. And the price for the quality is UNREAL.

  10. Patagonia Jacket - A staple. The comfiest, softest, best quality jacket that lasts for so long cause it just fits that well. Also comes in so MANY COLORS!

  11. Picasso MagnaTiles - The girls have a smaller package of these and it’s just not enough. These are THE BEST TOYS we own. They are amazing for sensory processing and the best quality and what we love the most is they grow with the kids. They play with them and imagine with them for hours!

  12. Bravery Magazine - The sweetest, prettiest magazine to teach our girls to be BRAVE!

  13. Kerri Makes Plates - Can’t recommend these personalized plates enough. We have them for almost every holiday and they are truly to die for. AND SAFE IN DISHWASHER!

  14. Dinosaur Hooded Towel - Everly loves dinos and I’ve been searching for one of these forever. She can use this for YEARS!

  15. Anywhere Chair - Can be monogrammed and the cover is machine washable! Win win!

  16. Jet Kid’s Suitcase - So excited for this. The kids can ride on it in the airport AND they can be set under the seat to extend the seat on an airplane for kids to put their legs on! Brilliant!

  17. Tubby Todd Bathwash - Our all time favorite bath products. HANDS DOWN. Our girls have very sensitive skin and it’s the only products we can use that they don’t have issues with. We love all of their stuff!

  18. Fjallraven Kanken Backpack - Everly’s backpack for school and it’s truly the BEST! Pretty, amazing quality, waterproof and washes well.

  19. Smallable Canopy - The perfect addition to a bedroom or playroom to bring the magic! Would be gorgeous in a reading nook!

  20. Range Rover - Hands down the girls all time favorite Christmas gift. We have this one in white, and the review are absurd. They are all about it coming damaged in the mail, and that happens with large items. If it does, just ask for a new one! We love our little range rover!

  21. Rey To Z Hats - The cutest personalized hats for the whole family!

  22. Amelia Earhart Book - We are pilots. This book is gold. :)

 
 

If you loved this gift guide, or want to reference it in the future, would love for you to pin this image to a board on pinterest so you can come back to it later! Thanks for stopping by friends! And HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOPPING!

XOXO, Amy

HOLIDAY JAMMIES

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The most requested blog post for the holidays is here!

Our “Halloween jammies” blog post was so popular (which by the way-lots of those are on sale if you wanna snag some a size up for next year!), and y’all are begging for Holiday jammies! So here it is! The best holiday jammies I’ve found for kiddos (both boys and girls) plus some extras for mamas and papas that are just so so good!!!

 
 
 

AND BONUS! Here are some favorites for the adults! Many of these have matching kiddo versions, so you can dress the whole family! Just follow the link and search for the matching sets!

 
 
 

My number one favorite Holiday jammies EVER!!!! They’re pricey but the quality is amazing, you get 2 in the pack, they can be worn year around AND THEY’RE GIRLY DINOSAURS which aren’t always the easiest to find! YES YES YES!!!

 
 

Here’s a few more I found later in the season that are also must haves! AND ON SALE! The red and grey thermals are here, and the pink snowmen ones are here!

 
 
 

And some more for the adults! Also on sale! 1, red striped jumpsuit is here, 2. THE most comfy pajama pants are on sale here! and 3. The cutest charcoal year round grey jumpsuit here! OH and here’s some awesome mens’ styles HERE and HERE!

 

If you loved our jammies’ roundup, be sure to pin this image below so you can easily reference it and so others can see it too! We are so grateful for your support!

XOXO, Amy