Style File | Barefoot, Not Pregnant

CHURCH ... dress, target | lace cardigan, pink blush

I first wore this dress when I was 32 weeks pregnant with Max. I love love love maternity clothes and other closet treasures pieces that can transition through life with me. It's good for my pocketbook and it's equally good for my self-esteem. This dress is one such piece and so is this gorgeous lace cardigan I recently paired it with. I bet you can't even guess which one is technically maternity clothing?

Do you have maternity clothes you've worn during pregnancy and long after? How about "normal" pieces that have seen you through your 9 months with child? Share and you may win $25 to go shopping at Pink Blush Maternity!
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P.S. Are you on the hunt for trendy maternity clothes? Stop by Pink Blush! This, this and this are my current favorites!

Starbucks Copycat | Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

I've always been a breakfast girl. French toast, yes! Pancakes, even better! Toast with apricot jam, one of my favorite! But recently, I've come to realize that I feel much better throughout the day if I start it off with a protein rich breakfast. Hence, the birth of a Starbuck's copycat - the Sausage and Cheddar Classic Breakfast Sandwich which I have dubbed the breakfast sandwich of champions. 

Now, I'm sure you're thinking, what's so special about making a breakfast sandwich. Who needs a recipe for that? Well, let me tell you, the surprise lays in the egg preparation ...  

SAUSAGE, EGG AND CHEESE BREAKFAST SANDWICH 

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 egg
  • dash of milk
  • dash of salt & pepper
  • 1 slice of cheese, Colby Jack is my preference
  • 1 sausage patty
  • 1 English muffin, toasted and buttered
DIRECTIONS
  • Toast your English muffin, butter and lay open on a plate.
  • Prepare sausage patty according to directions. I purchase Jimmy Dean patties at Costco and you can prepare them on a skillet or microwave them. Place on top of one side of the English muffin.
  • While your sausage patty is cooking, crack your egg into a coffee mug, add milk, salt and pepper and whisk. Microwave* for one minute. Add cheese on top of egg (while it's still in the mug) and microwave for another 15 seconds.
  • Scoop your egg out with a large spoon and place on top of your hot sausage patty. Top with the other side of the English muffin and dig into your protein rich breakfast!
*Every microwave is different. Play around with yours to get the perfect timing.
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This post was originally published on the Baby Gizmo Blog.

{GUEST POST} Confessions of An Elementary School Teacher

Leah is at it again. I pretty much stare at my inbox most of the day waiting for a fab email from her witty mind. It's besties like her that make the rough days less rough and the good days more awesome. Today was no disappointment.
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It should be noted that this post is based on zero facts and absolutely no research.  It is a confessional.  MY CONFESSIONAL (and I’m not even Catholic) … so, do not assume that all teachers do/say the same things that I am sharing. Know that each teacher has their own dirty laundry though (I’m just hanging mine in public).  Enjoy.

CONFESSIONS OF AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER
  • I keep a backup pair of comfy shoes in my desk (aka: metallic gold boat shoes) to slip on just in case my heels start hurting my feet.  (9 times out of 10 I take the heels off within the first hour of school).
  • Sometimes, during a really great activity or assignment, I step back and think to myself, “Wow!  I am awesome!”
  • I rely on my class to get us where we need to be on time.  I figure there is no chance                  that 32 5th graders are going to let me teach through PE, lunch or recess.
  • When I make a mistake in front of the class, I act like I meant to do it.  I usually say something like, “Just checking to make sure you were paying attention.” Or “I was wondering when somebody was going to catch that!”
  • Being that I spend the majority of my day with 11 year olds, I find myself adopting their hobbies and passions. I now regularly play Angry Birds and have a secret obsession for One Direction. 
  • I often spend the first 15 (plus) minutes of my planning time sitting in front of my computer staring at the screen “checking my email” because it is the first time I have sat down all day and I am that tired.
  • When the students ask, “Who is your favorite?” and I say, “You are ALL my favorite!” (I am lying, obviously.)
  • Pranking other teachers is one of my favorite things to do.  (I’ve done this already this year and plan to do this to our principal).
  • Most of my good lessons come when I’m flying by the seat of my pants and then I can’t repeat them later.
  • Whenever the kids are not in the classroom I turn the lights off.  Somehow dark and quiet seem fabulous together.
  • I feel like parents who give me coffee cards really understand me.
  • I go to the office several times a day just to see if anything yummy has been put out in the staff room since my last visit.
  •  I love reading out loud to my class.  I secretly think I’m a great reader/story- teller and make them listen to me daily.  (I think they like it, too).
  • I cried almost every night my first year teaching.
  • I still cry over my students sometimes.
  • I have a secret hope of having one of my students end up on Oprah as an                                  adult because they grew up and turned out awesome.  In my mind I can                                      just hear them… “I don’t remember much about elementary school… but my 5th grade teacher was so smart and funny and she really believed in me and she is the main reason I am what I am today!”
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Isn't it kinda fun seeing inside the mind of a teacher? With the end of the school year in sight, maybe consider doing a little something fun to motivate the teachers in our life to stick it out these last few weeks. I hear some of them are very motivated by coffee cards, wink wink.
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A Day In the Life

a little project, goodwill silver platter painted with chalkboard paint and "what was intended for harm, he made good" genesis 50:20 | my after nap babies | the newest member of our family, socks c/o blabla | this man loves to eat | making cookies can be messy | loving on theo c/o blabla | avocado egg salad, thanks pinterest | summer has begun | peekaboo | so squishy | practicing the art of sharing | mama time | always washing something | jem inhaled my black bean soup freebie from panera | yes, i'm still unpacking

There was a time, a few short months ago, that making it through the day was nothing short of a miracle. I was near going crazy being pulled in too many directions. Trying to meet too many needs for too many people. On occasion I still have freak out days - um, hello, like Jem's epic meltdown yesterday that ended with a 2 1/2 hour nap - but for the most part we're in a real good swing of things.

Kind of boring to list out our daily happenings. But I did it once when Jemma was 16 months old and I've liked looking back at what our schedule used to be like. So, for now, at 2 years and 7 months and 9 months our days tend to look like this ...

7-8 am | Max usually wakes up first, if Jemma has snuck into our bed he wakes her up shortly after. Then there's a giggle eruption. Jammies come off, new diapers go on and we all head into the bathroom so I can get ready. Every mama needs to don a fresh pair of yoga pants in the morning, right?

8-9 am | Breakfast time! It doesn't come soon enough for Jemma who has recently learned the word "hungry" and chants it quite a bit. I'm thinking that a box of cereal is going to start residing in the corner of our bathroom. Jem and I love sharing pancakes or "cheese sandwich" a la Starbucks. Applesauce is also high on Jemma's list of breakfast requests ... and every other meal or snacktime too.

9-10 am | We attempt to accomplish some chores - dishes or laundry. Sometimes we play or color or read "stowies". Sometimes the littles hop into the bath to splash around. With our new to us jogger, sometimes we head out on a walk. There is a farm stand just a short walk away and we all love picking out fresh produce.

10-11 am | Max's morning nap and Jemma's quiet time. Yeah - half the time it ends in Jemma waking up Max earlier than he wants, we're practicing. My best solution has been to give her my phone for a  movie or game time and tuck her in a little pillow corner of our room. 

11-2 pm | If we're heading out for errands, this is the time. If not, we'll work around the house (chores and projects seem to be never ending!) and eat lunch.

2-4 pm | Afternoon naps for all! I'm guilty (or is that lucky) of stealing a nap most days. It's just so quiet and calm and Max will sleep twice as long if I'm next to him, so, I stay. He smells like the ocean and I love laying next to him letting him nurse to his heart's content. Honestly, I can't wait until the day that I can convince them to both snuggle with me for a snooze - I mean, they would now, but I doubt anyone would actually sleep. On a good day we'll all rest for an hour and a half or so and spend another half hour snuggling before we actually get up. 

4-5 pm | Dinner prep and sharing practice :) If dinner plans are quick we've been making it a regular event to head to the neighborhood park. Vitamin D, grass and the yellow slide for the win!

5-6 pm | Clutter control and waiting for Daddy to arrive home. This can be a rough hour as everyone gets antsy for food and some Daddy snuggles. 

6-8 pm | We eat and everyone gets ready for bed. Max is more than ready to be in bed by 7 and Jemma follows sometime around 8 or 8:30. It's been later than her normal 7:30 bedtime lately thanks to the late setting sun. We do teeth, story (her choice), Bible reading (always the story of Jesus' birth and on occasion the story of Joseph which are apparently her favorites) and prayers which she says herself now - too darling.

8-? pm/am | Jemma usually gets up once or twice asking for more hemp milk or searching for a particular stuffed animal. If she wasn't so sweet, peeking her head out of her door and calling for us, it would be annoying , but it's not and I know she won't need us at bedtime forever. Max needs to nurse or be rocked once or twice as well before fully settling in for the night. During my up and down with the munchkins, I wrap up chores that take two hands, blog, respond to emails and all that jazz. Sometimes Dominic and I will watch a show, but usually he'll relax with his and I'll watch Nashville or Grey's, Revolution or Call the Midwife once he goes to bed. Yes, I've gotten into a bad routine of staying up until the wee hours again. Alas, the quiet is just so peaceful, I can't seem to keep away.
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Someday Hair

I'm sure you've noticed, but I did it! I got a fresh new look and am oh so happy with how light and fabulous it is. Plus, taking the short{er} hair plunge seemed worthwhile when I had a good 12 inches to send off to Locks of Love. Have long hair yourself? Have you thought about going short and donating to Locks of Love? You should! Read about the donation requirements here, there aren't many.

Not ready to chop it all off? Well, lucky you ... you can still manage this elegant updo:
 
 Um, isn't Judy adorable? I seriously love how her hair turned out!

Don't forget to enter the sweepstakes and check out the prizes and promotions from BlogHer!
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P.S. This is the last hair update for a LONG time. Cross my heart.
This is a sponsored post through the BlogHer Publishing Network. Thank you for reading, watching and taking a moment to support the companies and networks that support this lil' ol' blog.

Progress & Permanence

Lately we've accomplished a few projects that are really making us feel settled. It has been coming slowly because we've been doing other boring house things like installing a garage door opener, addings window screens, placing curtain rods, buying appliances (also known as necessary money pits) and having a front door peep hole added. It's funny, when you buy a new construction home, all the things you have to/want to add to actually function in it. We still have a list of un-fun things like blinds (another money pit), a backyard fence and garbage disposal ... someday, someday.

I promise I'm not complaining. Just logging the little things I didn't think about in the beginning of our home journey :)

Now, the fun projects ...
Master closet upgrade! Three cheers for more storage! I've been sorting through clothes - slowly but surely parting with my former office wardrobe and coming to grips with my mom size. So much I want things to be simpler and reducing stuff will make that happen.

Inspired by this pin, we made a collage wall. It's pretty much my favorite thing! I have some photos tagged with photo sizes so I can order updated prints, sorting through iPhoto right after this post is done. This wall is kind of in the entry - right across from the formal dining room.

We be killin' dead space in the garage! I can't even tell you how much I love our storage shelves! There is officially space for kid's clothes bins (since I thrift and garage sale most of their pieces, I buy ahead and have a bin for each size) and holiday stuff -yay! 

These are the plans for more shelves on the other side of the garage. And yes, that is a parking spot for our stroller :)

That's our Annie Sloan dresser in the breakfast nook. I'm planning to put my cookbooks and such on the shelves and do my best to keep my little orchid house (did you know that's what those glass houses were called?) plants alive.

Best of all, I'm feeling settled because my life long dream of having an address stamp has come true! We're going to be here for awhile and nothing says long-term like having your name and address permanently fixed onto a return address stamp. Am I right, or am I right? 

Amy of Yellow Fish Paperie was so kind to send me one of her awesome self-inking stamps. It took Dominic and I awhile to agree on the perfect design for us, but we finally did - the SMITH one on the left was our final pick - and I'm smitten with it! I want to send out tons and tons of mail just so I can stamp our home's address in the top right of a billion envelopes :)

A little bit about Amy of Yellow Fish Paperie ...
I have always loved snail mail and used to write daily letters to my grandparents as a kid. I embellished these as much as possible with stickers, sealing wax, personalized stationary, embossers and of course, stamps! Getting a personal letter in the mail is a great feeling and I love designing and creating products to help give letters and invitations that extra something. This interest led me to create Yellow Fish Paperie. When I’m not making stamps and stationary, I enjoy cooking, gardening, and reading scripture and books of all sorts. I live in Oregon with my wonderful husband and work part time at a non-profit that helps charities to meet their goals.
Isn't she just a gem? I totally love that she believes in and promotes snail mail. Snail mail rocks. And I'm not talking bills and such, I'm talking about the friendly note that we all love seeing appear in our inbox :)

In case I'm not the only one who has been dreaming of an address stamp of their very own - Yellow Fish Paperie is giving one away! Enter here ...
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Loved

It's been a lovely little break from blog land! I definitely need to do this more often. Unplugging is a great feeling, very peaceful and calm ... even if I did stumble along the way and Instagram a few pics and catch up on Call the Midwife. 

During my week off I took the chance to recreate a picture based on this darling "Loved" onesie. Jemma and Max are almost spot on in age - just a week or so off - can you believe how full Jem's cheeks were?
Although this picture is freakin' adorbs, and I kinda can't wait to do it again when #3 comes along someday, the biggest news of the week is that Dominic's had his first week back to work - YIPPEE! In the end, he received two job offers and we were able to really assess his career future and what fit him best. Such a blessing and answer to prayer. He is working at a building supply company - the same field he was in before - but in an administrative management role with a bend on finances ... a perfect role for him to apply his talents and passions. I'm so happy for him! The kids and I are planning a lunch visit once he gets moved into his office - we can't wait, especially Jemma, to see Daddy's new "wert" (work)!

In other big news ... my little sis graduated from college and we hosted a family party for her on Sunday evening. Even better, she didn't leave after the party! Aunt Hannah is taking up residence in our guest room. She's one of my besties and I'm thrilled the kiddos will get a hefty dose of her since she's been away during her senior year. It's gonna be a good summer. My Mom and other sis are teachers, so by the end of June we're all in heaven because we love doing life together!

What's been new with you lately?
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P.S. I went headband shopping over at Gizmo - LOVE! Oh, and Dominic snuck a pressie into my Mom's car this week so I wouldn't find it ... I wonder if he saw my Mother's Day gift idea post?!?!? Oh, and every month I eagerly await Oana Befort's new desktop calendar. They are the. most. gorgeous. and I smile every time I open my computer. May is no exception.