Spring/Summer Fashion....my essentials.

What a fun post! I loved reading about all of your fashion ideas!!! I love spring/summer fashion because the weather is warm and the look can be simple....yet bright and fun! I thought I would give my 2 cents on this topic too! Let me preface this by saying I am no fashion guru...these are just my thoughts. Here are my spring/summer essentials....

Essential #1....SUNDRESSES! I loooove sundresses and honestly live in them all summer long. They are cool, easy, and can look dressed up or dressed down depending on what you put with them. I'll wear one with fip flops to run errands and with strappy sandals or heels for dinner out. When I say I get my money out of these things I am NOT kidding!! Ha!

Essential #2... GREAT PAIR OF JEANS. Every body has a different size or shape so jeans are really personal. You just have a to find a pair that you are comfortable with. I wear jeans all summer long because I roll them up and wear them like capri's. I've done this with my skinny jeans...and now I'm kinda diggin' the boyfriend jeans that are out.
ESSENTIAL #3....A WHITE TEE. I wear white tee's all the time, but I feel that fit is super important. You don't want it too baggy (helllloooo bra straps and back bulge) and you don't want it too lose (not trying to look like you stole your husbands under shirt). Another thing I personally think is important is length. I don't like to have my rear hanging out of my jeans....but I'm a mom on the move....so longer tees are better for me.

ESSENTIAL #4....BLACK FLIP FLOPS. Do I really need to explain this one? My favorite are the Colin Stuart ones from Victoria's Secret.

ESSENTIAL #5...HIGH HEELS. Alright...I know I may not have many people with me on this one, but I'm just gonna lay it on the line....heels look sexy. On anyone. With just about anything. I wear my heels with everything from sundresses to blue jeans in the summer time. I love black patent ones, but I also love fun bright colors - red being a favorite. I know the picture below is small and I am by NO MEANS a Christina Agulara fan...but I do love that pop of color her red heels give her outfit.

ESSENTIAL #6...CHUNKY JEWELRY. To put it simply, it's fun and it can totally change an outfit. And on top of that, you can get it pretty cheap!

I know this one is kinda over the top in the chunky jewelry department....but I soooooo love it....and I soooo want it....and I so felt I had to share......

ESSENTIAL #7....A JEAN JACKET. I am girl that is forever cold. When we go out at night I usually always bring my jean jacket with me. I wear it with my sundresses, with shorts, with skirts....even with my swimsuit. The only thing I won't wear it with.....jeans.

Last but not least....

ESSENTIAL #8....A BRIGHT PURSE. I just purchased one that is screaming yellow and I love it. Again, it's just fun.

BRING ON THE SUNSHINE.....this Mama is ready!

Pictures from Google Images

Question....

I read a blog post this week and it got me thinking....what are my wardrobe essentials. What are the pieces in my wardrobe that are staples and I always turn to?

I sat and let that thought stew for awhile and came up with what I think mine are....but what about you?

The question I want answered is.....

What are your spring/summer fashion essentials?

Easter Craft Time....

"Easter spells out beauty....the rare beauty of life"

--S.D. Gordon

Just another attempt...

To get my kiddies to eat their veggies...

and this time it worked!

They asked for seconds of those "little red things".

Ahhh....music to my ears.

Welcome Spring...let the cleaning begin!!!

Jaden looves walking around in his spring mud kickers!


Ahhhhh.....anyone who knows me knows that I looooove warm weather. I love absolutely everything about it.

I love being outside.
I love having the windows open in my house.
I love driving with the windows down.
I love going on walks.
I love bike rides.
I love grilling out.

I LOVE IT ALL.

My list of reasons that I love warm weather is endless....to put it simply sunshine makes me smile and warms my soul. Luckily, we've had quite a bit of that pretty early in our neck of the woods lately....much earlier than we usually do. Our family has taken full advantage of it and we've spent a good amount of time outside - the kiddies and I even had our first picnic lunch outside last week!!!

There is actually another part of spring that I look forward to....and that is spring cleaning. After being cooped up all winter there is something refreshing about letting in some fresh air and giving my house a good scrub down. This whole process started a few weeks ago when I surprised Matt by completely organizing the basement....and I just keep plugging away at it little by little. Last week I cleaned out some cabinets. When I cleaned out my cabinet I keep all of my cleaning supplies in I replaced all of my cleaning supplies with natural ones -something I've wanted to do for awhile but instead was using a mixture of natural products and nasty chemicals. I have fallen in loove with the Method brand cleaning supplies from Target! Today we tackled the grout and floors in the kitchen.

Ever heard of child labor laws??

Ya, well I say PHOOEY on them! A bit of hard work is good for the little ones....and I put mine to work with scrubbers and baking soda...

I sat there and drank a glass of wine and watched.

Just kidding! Ha! Actually, we got a lot done pretty quick since we worked together! Would you like to see my newest weapon in the fight against nasty grout?

Ohhh yaaa!! Bought this little bad boy at the grocery store. It was about $15 and I knew I was gonna either love it or kick myself for spending $15 on a piece of junk.

I love it.

I just sprinkle a little baking soda on the grout, add a little water, and go to town with this thing (which is basically like an electric toothbrush but a lot more rugged). It works great! If you need something for grout - this would be my recommendation. Anything I can do to make cleaning easier is worth it to me!

Curious...what are some of your cleaning tricks that you use?! I'm always looking for new ideas!

Happiness vs. Joy

You would assume these are the same things wouldn't you? I did...until I recently read an article explaining the differences in one of our church bulletins and the article stuck with me.

I love things like that. Things that make you think.

As I sat and let this article stew in me for days this is what I discovered....

HAPPINESS is having all of the laundry done and the house cleaned. JOY is having a pile of laundry and and messy house, but knowing that I have a house to live in and people I love to do laundry for.

HAPPINESS is a beautiful warm sunny day. JOY is a rainy day and seeing that it allows the kiddies and I to curl up with books and read or play games.

HAPPINESS is taking that perfect photograph. JOY is knowing that I have the skills to keep learning.

HAPPINESS is one whole night of uninterrupted sleep. JOY is being up for the 5th time and saying a silent prayer thanking God for entrusting me to care for these two beautiful children.

As the article I read stated..."Happiness may warm us...but JOY creates that fierce heat of emotion that takes our breath away. Joy is a constant simmering, bubbling thing just under the surface."

JOY is with me when I am stuck in a traffic and my daughter is going to be late to school....when I run out of milk for breakfast....when my son is throwing a tantrum in the grocery store....when my laundry is piling up by the minute....

JOY is there just underneath the frustration or anger or impatience I feel as a fleeting emotion.

JOY is a choice.

Tap into it.

You're a STAR baby....

I've come to the conclusion that being a parent is a little like being the agent to a top Hollywood Star.

As parents we spend a lot of time pampering and fussing over our children. We dress them in adorable clothing and do their hair just right. We learn that as our "client" ages they have their own ideas about fashion and we must adapt to those beliefs while still making sure they look "acceptable" in public.

We schedule "appearances" a.k.a. playdates, birthday parties, and the such. We make sure everything is taken care of for these dates down to the very last detail.

We do everything we can to build up their self esteem and tell them how wonderful they are because we've learned that pride, self respect, and dignity are just as important at age 3 as they are at age 33.

We protect our "clients"....always keeping a watchful eye on them and all that they do. On top of that we occasionally have to run interference when they start to do something they shouldn't. We wouldn't want any "bad press"!!!

Sometimes our little "stars" can become extremely moody or quite irate at something minor and we do all we can to smooth over the situation trying to keep everyone happy.

Last but not least we've learned what alllll good Hollywood agents know.....the best way to handle a Hollywood Star is to come up with a great idea and make the star think it was THEIR idea alllll along.

Sound Familiar?

Welcome to Hollywood Baby.

Drumroll Please....

First of all....thanks to EVERYONE who entered this giveaway! It was the first giveaway I've ever done like this and I appreciate you all playing along - especially those who posted the link to their blog!! Sooo....without further suspense....the winner is....

CONGRATULATIONS TO AMANDA!!!!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Many of you know how much I loooooove craft time with my children. I love seeing their little creativity and I adore their works of art!! Thanks to CSN stores craft time can be even more fun for you and your little ones!!!

Why you ask?!

Because this company asked little ol' me to do a giveaway and let ME PICK the item I would be giving away!! How COOL is that?!! On top of that they have so many great products like toys, kids bedding, furniture, and games that this Happy Housewife had trouble deciding! I mean seriously....it was like going on a little shopping spree for my readers! I loved it!

So...(is the suspense killing you?)....would you like to see what I picked out? Ta-Daaaaa.....

Yep, this absolutely adorable easel for TWO by 2Step! One side is a dry erase board that comes with a 74 piece foam number and letter set and the other side is a classic chalk board! It also has a clip at the top to hold those ever-so-precious paintings and drawings your little one does aaaaaaaand it has a large storage tray (because this Mama loves organization)!

Would you like to enter the giveaway?!!! Here is how:

1. Leave a comment on this post (1 entry).

2. Mention this giveaway on your blog (and link it) and I'll enter you TWICE! Please let me know if you do that so I can be sure to get the correct number of entries in for you!

If you win CSN Stores will ship this easel to your little Picasso! It's as easy as that! You have until Tuesday to enter!

Good Luck my friends!

GIVEAWAY....coming tomorrow!

Just wanted to give all of you a heads up about something pretty exciting!! I was recently contacted by CSN Stores and asked if I would host a giveaway of one of their products! The amount of merchandise they have is amazing and I had a ball looking through it for the perfect item to giveaway - kinda like free shopping!! I am toooo excited my friends....

Check back tomorrow and make sure to enter yourself in this giveaway! In the meantime, have a beautiful day!

Hugs!
Jamie

...And then again....sometimes you just know.

If you read my last post you know that occasionally I may have a little freak out moment or two that is completely unwarranted. I've learned over the years that when I respond to a situation in a panic I am usually not thinking completely clearly (as is evident in the last post).

Then sometimes things happen that - for whatever reason - cause me great concern but do not send me into a total tizzy.

On Sunday my little guy came down with a fever. It was on and off during the day and I just kept an eye on him (careful not to overreact). He spent the day playing with his sister and was running around so I wasn't too concerned.

Later in the day the fever started to creep up. Those of you that know me well know that I don't usually give my children Tylenol for a fever until it hits around the 102 degree mark. I have been taught that a fever is the body's natural way of fighting off things and you don't want to take that natural source of defense away. However, at 102 degrees I tend to administer Tylenol. When Jaden's fever got to that point I gave him Tylenol.

Not much of a response....the fever remained and continued to creep up.

At 102.7 degrees I put him in a lukewarm tub. Just a side note...the little guy wasn't happy about it and you KNOW you are a mom when you willingly climb into a tub of that temperature with your child and act like it's the best bath EVER!!

That brought his temperature down to about 100 degrees but he was starting to act lethargic. I sat him on my lap and in a matter of about 5 minutes watched his temperature climb back up to 102 degrees....

....then 103.....

....then 103.2....

....then my thermometer wouldn't even read it....it just said, "HIGH"....

I knew my little guy needed medical attention and a trip to the ER was in order. This time there was no panic - I just packed up and left.

To make a long story short, once at the hospital his fever had climbed to 104 degrees and he was diagnosed with walking pneumonia. He was put on an antibiotic and by the next day (actually by later that night) he seemed like a new boy.

Bottom line....sometimes as mothers we respond in a panic (and in my case usually get a pretty funny story out of it)....and sometimes there is a calm voice inside of us that lets us know we need some help beyond what we are able to provide. What it alllll boils down to is that we love these little people more than life itself and will do absolutely anything and everything in our power to make sure they are alright.

Mothers are just like that.

ME overreact?!! Neeeever.

Jaden and Eva have both been fighting colds this week. Nothing too unusual this time of year. Jaden has been a little more congested than Eva so I have just kept an extra eye on him....but again, I wasn't worried at all.

Until Friday.

The kiddies and I had met my mom for lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. After we had ordered we were all sitting there enjoying the chips, salsa, beautiful weather, and conversation. It was a wonderful afternoon.

All in sudden Jaden began grabbing his chest and crying. I kept my cool at first and just assumed he bumped his chest against the table. I tried to get him calmed down but failed so I took him outside thinking the fresh air would help him. To put it lightly...it didn't help at all. He began clutching his clothing on his chest and pulling at it. The whole time crying hysterically and telling me his chest hurt.

I started to freak out.....

Something was seriously wrong. He was breathing alright but his chest was in pain. Could he have pneumonia? Could it be something more serious??!!!

I told my mom I was taking him to the ER. I got him buckled into his car seat and dialed my doctor's number. I informed the nurse that answered about what was going on and told her I was on my way to the ER. She very politely told me that she would rather I bring him into the doctor's office instead.

Didn't she get it?!! My child needs an ER doc! My child is going to need X-rays!! Something is SERIOUSLY WRONG WOMAN!!!!!!

I pulled myself together and VERY RELUCTANTLY allowed her to convince me to drive to the doctor's office instead of the ER. Inside I was kind of seething. I got to our doc's office, signed in, and waited. Meanwhile Jaden seemed absolutely fine. I chalked it up to whatever was wrong had temporarily subsided and would probably rear it's ugly head in full throttle any time soon!!! Maybe THEN the nurse will see that I should have taken him to the ER!!!!

We finally met with our doctor. He thoroughly checked out Jaden from head to toe. Meanwhile I am standing next to him telling him exactly what happened and exactly how serious the situation is (because I was sure he needed to be reminded). Surely he would agree with me and send us off to the ER...maybe even calling the doc on call and letting him know we are coming.

After he finished checking Jaden out he looked at me and smiled very calmly. He said, "Jamie, Jaden is absolutely fine. He seems to have a little cold but other than that he is fine. I think what caused his discomfort was that he swallowed a chip at the restaurant incorrectly."

Oh. My. Word.

He was soooooo right and I knew it. That explained why Jaden's chest hurt. It explained why it came on so fast. It explained why he recovered so quickly. It explained everything.

Who ME overreact??!!!!

NEEEEEEEEEEVER.

A Morning at the Barber...

There is something too precious about a little two year old at an old school barber...

A Surprise for My Guy....

Matt and I both like things organized. We do not flourish in clutter. Unfortunatly, that was what our basement had turned into. For the past two years we have used our basement simply for storage - but this winter we have started the process of finishing the basement. That meant that instead of having the entire basement to store things we now only had 2 small storage rooms down there. On top of that when we started the process of finishing our basement we did not have time to organize what would be our storage rooms - everything literally just got shoved into those rooms. Have you ever seen an episode of "Hoarders"? Ya....that is kinda what it looked like. I am not exageratting AT ALL when I say you couldn't even WALK through it. The whole project was just kind of looming over our heads.

Sooooo....this last weekend my husband was on a business trip and I decided to surprise him by completely organizing and cleaning the basement. Eva, Jaden, and I pushed up our shirt sleeves and got to work. The little ones helped me sort and put things in piles, as well as box things up. The whole process took the three of us 2 days - but it was sooooooooo worth it! I wish I had some pictures of the "before" just so you could see what we started with but I didn't think to take any. Here are some "after" pictures...

Everything is organized and labeled on the shelves!

All of Eva and Jaden's outgrown clothing is organized in tubs according to size and gender.

All seasonal items are put together in one of the storage rooms for easy access.

I even hung my seasonal wreaths on the wall so they stayed nice and I could access them easily!

I think Matt was surprised and happy that the kiddies and I tackled such a huge project and surprised him with it!!! Eva, Jaden, and I said it was a simple way to show Daddy just how MUCH we LOVE him!!!!!!