Dear Princess

Sweet Brooklyn Grace,

It is so hard to believe that you have been on this Earth for just 14 short months. Some days I have trouble remembering a life without you. Every day that passes just continues to get better, your personality is quite amazing and you constantly put a smile on my face. 

Lately you have become enamored with Disney Princesses. Whenever one comes on tv you get incredibly still and quiet, like you are mesmerized. It's very much the way your dad and I feel about you. We are just consumed with love for you, sometimes it is almost overwhelming. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for you. It is truly the greatest joy in the world to get to watch you grow. 

I love you so much. 

Sunglasses & Starbucks Giveaway

Today I'm so excited to join up with some fabulous ladies for a fantastic summer giveaway. Lets face it, sometimes we just have rough days or even lazy days and just need a little extra something to cover up and a strong cup of coffee. Hence, the Sunglass & Starbucks giveaway from Simply Clarke & friends. My sunglasses are my go-to accessory when dashing out the door without make-up, looking a hot mess. 

They are also a MUST HAVE for summer...duh! :) Personally, I love my Kate Spade ones, but have my eye on the Tory Burch ones in the pic below! 

Here are the ladies that are bringing you this awesome giveaway; make sure to go show them some love!

1. Marquis // 2. Kayln // 3. Danielle // 4. Laura // 5. Mikaela // 6. Lauren // 7. Rachel // 8. Sybil //
9. Gayle // 10. Brandi // 11. Sarah  // 12. Chania // 13. Sara // 14. Dara

ENTER AWAY MY FRIENDS

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Citrus Chicken Salad

I feel like Summer is the season of the sandwich. Our family is always super busy, whether we're headed to the beach or Busch Gardens or just scrambling to make a quick lunch after a long morning in the backyard. That's where the sandwich comes in, because it's fast + easy to make + and super tasty. 

Now I'm a chicken salad girl, I just feel like there is nothing better than a fresh chicken salad. Since we grill out a lot when the weather gets nice there is almost always leftover chicken to be used. So here is my tried and true recipe. 

Citrus Chicken Salad

2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded
1 rib of celery, finely diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, just the zest
1/3 cup mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add/subtract mayo to your preference. Sometimes I squeeze in a quarter of the lemon juice as well, it just depends on how lemony you want it. Feel free to toss in some grapes too. I usually alternate between batches when I add them in.




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So You Had a Baby... Now What

I'm linking up with the fabulous Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals for part of her baby series. 

Today they're discussing bringing a baby home and surviving the first few weeks. We got discharged from the hospital on a Friday, Brooklyn was two days old. 

Our first weekend home was actually really nice. My dad and Stephen's mom both brought food, and Stephen was home with me as we got acclimated to being a family of three. Then Monday came and S had to go back to work. I was terrified. I was also sick. I had ten long months to get accustomed to the idea that I was having a baby, but now I had no idea what in the hell I was supposed to do. Here are my tips for your first few weeks at home.

-Relax. It is scary knowing that you are in sole control over the precious life of your little one, but I promise that it will all be ok. Take a deep breath. Take it moment by moment. Your mama intuition will kick in and you will know what to do.
-Process. Having a baby is a massive life change, give yourself some time to take it all in. You might have some baby blues, you will d.e.f.i.n.i.t.e.l.y. be emotional. All of that is totally normal.
-Create a routine. Initially baby will sleep a LOT. Maybe you will nap some, maybe you won't {it's ok if you do though}. You can get yourself into a routine even if baby isn't. Blog during the first nap, prep dinner during the second. Set yourself up for some future normalcy.
-Enjoy. Babies grow so so so fast. Treasure every coo, every gassy smile, every tiny cry. You will blink and your baby will have changed tremendously. So it's ok if you sit on the couch and watch tv just holding your baby for hours. It's ok if some days you dont shower until your husband gets home. Time goes all too quickly, enjoy this while you can.

Most of all just know that whatever you're doing is okay. The first few days I was in shock, and I cried a.lot. I cried over how blessed I was, I cried over how beautiful my daughter was, I cried because I scared. I cried over everything. Eventually my shock went away, I felt more in control and I was able to venture out. Just know that every baby and every mama is different, so take things as they come for you. Your baby will just be happy having you there.

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I also want to introduce you to two of my fabulous sponsors Katie and Katy! They are chatting a little about their spring plans.

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Summer Beauty Essentials + A Giveaway

The weather is changing, and as a result so is my beauty regime. I have super dry skin, so when the weather gets warm I have to keep it {and myself} as hydrated as possible. Not only do I wear less clothing during summer months, but I wear less makeup as well. My summer beauty products are a bit different than my winter ones. Here are my warm weather go tos:

summer beauty by tinymrsh featuring mac cosmetics

-Chapstick! Ack, I die without it. Like my lips get sunburned and peel. Sometimes they resemble the black death. It's gross but true. This lemon Eos is my jam.
-Moisturizer. I still use my old faithful Clinique. I've been using it since high school, but why mess with what works right? It doesn't irritate my skin and it keeps me nice and hydrated.
- Blush. This and mascara are pretty much the only makeup that touch my face from May to October. I love Office Hours by MAC so so much. It is peachy and a bit shimmery and absolute perfection with a tan.
-Perfume. It's hot outside = sweaty people. Need I say more?
-Moroccan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner. The perfect product to keep my ocean and pool affected hair from turning into a monstrous affro. Fact.

Do y'all change your beauty products with the seasons?

And in honor of beauty products I have a super sweet giveaway. My friend Meghan is a Perfectly Posh consultant, and sent me some fabulous products to try out. I had never heard of them, but I quickly fell in love. Their bath bombs rival Lush for half the price, and their soaps smell heavenly. But the product I loved the most were the face masks. They arent your typical mask where you slather it on your face and have to wipe it off. It resembles a baby wipe in texture and has eyes, nose, and mouth holes and you lay it on your face. Works just as well {if not better} but you dont have to deal with the mess! Today I'm giving away two! Enter below to win!

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Long Distance Love

This week we found out that the husband is going to be traveling quite a bit for work the next few months, he's gone for twelve days in May and almost all of June. Now we live in a very military heavy area, many of my closest girl friends are navy wives and some of my very best Biffles {Samantha & Kaitlyn} are army wives, so I do not take my time with S for granted. I'm trying to go into it really positive, because being a Negative Nancy doesnt get you any where and I know that S is a little anxious about leaving us as well. We're going to try and have a few date nights before he leaves and a few more when he is back for the two weeks before leaving again. I'm also going to try and tackle a bunch of Pinterest ideas that I've saved. And more than likely this blog is going to get LOTS of love, not to mention BK is going to be smothered in affection. I'll be doing anything to keep busy, which shouldnt be too terribly hard with a toddler running around.

What would you do with your free time? I'd love some suggestions, anything from Pinterest ideas to recipes to mommy daughter dates. Or any ideas to keep the spark up long distance with S.

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I also wanted to introduce two of my fabulous sponsors Nicole and Alexa as they talk about what they are looking forward to most this Spring. Arent they the cutest?

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April Cara Box

Serious y'all this week has been the busiest week ever! And as a result I am so sad about how slack I've been, I mean I didnt even reveal my Cara Box yet. If you don't know what the Cara Box is you most definitely need to check it out. It is the most creative and fun way to meet new blogger friends.

This month the fabulous creator herself, Kaitlyn, had me for the Cara Box. And lets just say that her box definitely did not disappoint.

Look at how spoiled I was!

Can we talk about how Little Miss BK made out this month? She had one of those Plum pouches open in approximately 2.5 seconds, and I can say that How Romantic is officially her new favorite book. I think we've read it 100 times and she carries it from room to room. 

Brooklyn helped me plant the cilantro and the strawberry & I cant wait for the first little buds to pop up. S bought me bigger pots for them yesterday.

That bottle opener went straight into my beach bag, I felt it was only appropriate, and the Luna Bar went straight into my belly! Thank you Kaitlyn for supplying the day's snacks. 

May's Cara Box sign up is open for like one more day so hop to it, you wont regret it! 

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