4.29.2016

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is right around the corner, a wonderful day to celebrate becoming a mother and our journeys in motherhood and to celebrate our own mothers! So I've rounded up a few of my favorites to give my hubby some ideas and you can also send to your man if you spy something you can't live without! These are some of my top wish-list items (especially that recipe box *hint*) and top loved items that I'm sure you'll love!
 
 
Seriously, how gorgeous is this? I was planning on going with a citrus theme kitchen, but as soon as I saw this I changed my mind and am going with a farmer's market herb and veggie theme! It's the perfect accessory to any kitchen, and you can fill it with all your favorite family recipe to hand down to your kiddos years down the road!
 
I talked about these in a blog post recently (found here), they're a staple in my wardrobe and to my mom uniform and they're super comfy! Also head over to the blog to win a $50 shop credit to Ruby Claire Boutique so you can get yourself a pair!
 
This shirt is so, so, so comfortable. I literally can't say it enough how much I love this shirt, not only for the comfort factor and the way it feels like it was custom made for me, but for the words, truly as a mother, my hands are full, but my heart is even more full, so "hands full, heart full" is the perfect saying for this shirt! And don't forget to snag a matching tote bag! Plus you can use my code JOYFULTRIBE10 for 10% off!
 
I'm just a little copper obsessed and this pretty colander is the perfect addition to ANY kitchen! Perfect for every day use, or as decor... maybe even both!
 
I mostly only drink water from glass, to me water from plastic has a weird aftertaste and with glass you also know that you're not getting plastic particle and chemicals seeping into your water and therefore into your body. These are so pretty with all of the different colors they come in and the mint is my favorite.
 
This sign just gets me with alllllll the feelings. It makes me think of all the little moments you don't even think about as being memories, but become some of the best memories. We definitely need this one for our home.
 
I've heard such good things about this book, I always love clearing things out and donating things so I'm thinking this book is right up my alley.
 
IN addition to being obsessed with copper, I'm also obsessed with gold. I've been searching for an affordable gold leather bag for some time and came across this one on Etsy a few months back, needless to say, it's on my wish-list.
 
This tiny little sign is less than 5 inches tall, is handmade with reclaimed wood and it's the perfect addition to any nightstand.
 
I've heard nothing but good things about Lush and their bath bombs, especially this one, The "Sex Bomb" (funny name I know lol), it say's its scented with jasmine (one of my favorite scents), clary sage and ylang ylang! Ahhh, sounds like bath-time perfection!

4.26.2016

My Mom Uniform With Ruby Claire Boutique

When a woman becomes a mom we usually find what we like to call our "mom uniform" a few months after our baby is born... that comfy, just throw it on outfit that you never have to worry about what you're going to wear because you pretty much wear the same outfit every single day with only slight variations.
 
Well my go to outfit just so happens to be skinny jeans and a tee! I feel they flatter me and I don't have to put a lot of thought into it because goodness knows we moms (and women in general) always have our minds going in a million different directions and a thousand miles per hour.

 
That's why this outfit from Ruby Claire Boutique is perfect! The tees are soft like butter, breathable and come in so many colors and shades! The jeans? I mean, come on, there's nothing like a trusty pair of skinny jeans, am I right or am I right ladies?! I literally wear this outfit everywhere now that it's spring and starting to warm up enough that I can put away the cardigan until this coming autumn.
 
I had the chance to team up with Ruby Claire Boutique for a collab and I chose the boyfriend tee in black and in gray, both are colors I especially gravitate to because I feel they're great for almost any occasion! I also choose a pair of jeans, The Kenzie skinny jeans and I am loving them!


As you can tell from most of the photos,  I'm a pretty active mom with an even more active toddler, and I put these tees and jeans to the ultimate test by chasing after her at the park (with my hubby too) for a few hours! Oh the fun! And yep, these tees and jeans more than passed the test with flying colors! Jumping on the swinging bridge, hiking up a hill, walking by a stream and feeding some organic crackers to a friendly pair of ducks, swinging on the swing set and exploring under a bridge!
 
I love clothing that is not only durable but affordable, comfortable and functional and these fit the bill for sure. I cook in them, I clean in them, I change diapers in them, I play and spend time in the great outdoors with them, I chase a toddler in them, hold my hubby's hand while wearing them, shop in them, photograph in them, blog in them... these essentials are great for everything... why? Because it's really a uniform, my mom uniform.

 

4.25.2016

Curated: Bumbelou Hairbows

You guys! I am literally so thrilled to tell you about a little something today! As you all know, we recently went on vacation to visit my family (which I'll be blogging about soon), and when we got back we had a little package waiting for us that came in the mail while we were away. The prettiest little set of hairbows ever!
 
I'm extremely excited to tell you all that I had the opportunity to curate a hairbow collection with Bumbelou hairbows!
 
When I was contacted by Jenna (the owner of Bumbelou) I was beyond ecstatic to say the least! I mean, it's not everyday you get to curate and design hairbows! I'm a girl mom so hairbows are a big part of our lives, we are hairbow lovers obsessed with, well... hairbows! Especially these!
 
 
Our little family is very into the outdoors, all things botanical and floral, so that's why I chose the blossom hairbow as one. And the color lilac because not only is it one of mine and my husband's favorite flowers, but its also one of mine and Bella's favorite colors AND it's one of the main colors in the theme of her big girl room (which I'll be revealing soon! Yaaaaayyy!).
 
I feel that the gold bow is pretty straightforward and classic. Clean lines and you can never go wrong with gold, or any metallics for that matter. It goes with pretty much any outfit and for any occasion.
 
 
Today we paired these adorable bows with one of our new favorite outfits, a mint shirt, striped shorts, gold shoes and our favorite backpack! Either bow goes well with this outfit and we had a blast playing outside, eating a lollipop and bird watching.
 
This sweet collection is available THIS WEEK ONLY in clips (which is what we chose) or headbands, so click here or head over to Bumbelou to get your snag a set for your little, a friend's little or even yourself! And don’t forget to save 10% all week with the code "SAVEWITHAPRIL"!
 
 

4.14.2016

Shepherd's Pie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Colgate-Palmolive. All opinions are mine alone. #FusionClean #CollectiveBias

You know those meals, the best ones, the most delicious ones, the ones you don't make very often, or the one your mom used to make and you'd love to try your hand at, but you think its too messy to make! But now there isn't any reason to not make them... because we have Palmolive® Fusion Clean™! And it is good!
 
I love cooking, but sometimes I also avoid certain meals just because I know the cleanup is a pain. But now that I've found a good dish soap, I don't have to worry about messes anymore when I cook, and now you don't either! With this dish soap you can cook up a storm!
 
While grocery shopping at Walmart the other day I was in need of some dish soap, so as I was looking over the dish-soap aisle, I thought to myself "why not switch things up and try something new?" So I grabbed the new Palmolive® Fusion Clean™ dish liquid from the Colgate Palmolive Company!


They sell both Lime and Grapefruit scents, but since I'm always a sucker for anything Grapefruit scented I just had to get that one! The Fusion Clean dish soap from Palmolive combines Baking Soda and the amazing and fresh citrusy scents of Lime or Grapefruit to give you "A Modern Twist on Cleaning™" and inspire you to try something new. It's ultra concentrated formula is formulated to dissolve and loosen even the toughest of stuck on foods (even if its been stuck on for 24 hours, because we all procrastinate with washing dishes sometimes), it even removes unseen food residue and cleans 2.5 more dishes versus Palmolive non concentrated dish soap formulas! How cool is that?
 
This soap is ready for whatever you dish out! That's why I decided to try my Mom's famous Shepherd's Pie recipe! I've never made it before because its such a messy meal, even though its simple and easy to make, but being a busy mom with an active toddler running around, I simply don't have much extra time to devote to scrubbing stubborn stuck on food when I'm washing dishes. And there's nothing like making a familiar childhood recipe to bring back those memories, right? Since my Mom lives almost 800 miles away it's nice to be able re-create one of her recipes, this one is comfort food at it's best, and it's even more special to be able to feed it to my own daughter and husband. Here's the recipe below!

 

Shepherd's Pie
 
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
 
1/2 lb. ground beef
 
2 cups beef broth
 
1/4 cup brown gravy mix
 
2 cups frozen peas
 
3 cups sliced carrots
 
1 cup onion diced onion
 
4 potatoes (you can also use instant mashed potatoes)
 
1 stick butter
 
3/4 cup sour cream
 
salt and pepper and parsley to taste
 
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
 
 
DIRECTIONS:
Put your ground beef in a skillet and cook until brown, once browned, put in a bowl and set aside.
 
After you start the ground beef, skin your potatoes, cut up in chunks and boil in a saucepan with water - Skip this step if you're using instant mashed potatoes. Once the potato chunks are soft remove the water and mash them, add in your butter, sour cream and salt pepper and parsley to taste.
 
Next, add your frozen peas, chopped onion and carrots  into an empty skillet with a little beef broth, and cook until the carrots are soft.
 
Once your carrots are cooked soft, add your ground beef back in and the rest of the beef broth with your brown gravy mix. Let it thicken, about 5 minutes or so, stirring.
 
Set your oven to 350 degrees. Pour your gravy, ground beef and vegetables into your cooking pan (I used a 9x9 round pan), top with your mashed potatoes and then your cheese. Put it in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes!

 
That's it! Now it's time to enjoy your Shepherd's Pie! It's messy, but it's so easy and it's even more delicious! Just make sure to use your Palmolive® Fusion Clean™ dish soap to get the stuck and baked on food off of your dishes. Oh and don't forget to use this digital coupon available on coupons.com until April 23rd (4/23) for $0.25 off any Palmolive product!



4.13.2016

DRESSing for Spring with Ruthie Grace Boutique

 
Ahhhh, spring! You're FINALLY here at last! One thing I love about the warmer weather approaching is the opportunity to wear adorable dresses without freezing! There's something so nice about feeling a warm breeze sweep past you, gently blowing enough to make your dress dance in the wake of its path, or am I the only one who loves that?

And I'm super picky so for me it's difficult to find dresses that are both beautiful, comfortable AND flattering all at the same time... but these beauties from Ruthie Grace Boutique will steal the show, they check off all of my list of requirements when it comes to a dress and well, they're pretty much perfection.
Oh and they're pretty affordable too!
 
I recently had a wonderful opportunity to work with the most amazing shop, Ruthie Grace Boutique! I was sent 3 dresses and though they're all beautiful (and I'll highlight and talk about each one a little bit) The Grayson dress has especially stolen my heart.

 
 It feels so classic and timeless, such a classy cut of dress and the fabric, a chambray is gorgeous. I kind of feel like Joanna Gaines when I wear it for some reason (lol yeah I'm a fan girl, but seriously I think it looks like something she'd wear), oh and did I mention IT HAS POCKETS! Lets all stop and sing "Hallelujah! Hallelujah" in chorus together over that little bit of info, I mean, come on, I'll say it again... pockets!!! *Hallelujah! Hallelujah* (okay I'll stop now lol).
 
The Grayson can be dressed up with heels or flats for church, a cute pair of Keds or slip-ons for every day wear or another nice occasion and if you're going to the farmer's market for fresh vegetables and blooms it pairs perfectly with Hunter boots! Goodness how cute would this dress be in that setting, just strolling along with a basket of tulips thrown over your arm, don't mind this dress... oh but wait, do mind it because its gorgeous ya'll!

 
I'm also loving the Maui Wowie dress, I'm such a lover of stripes AND floral too so, yeah, kind of literally obsessed. You'd think with a jersey dress that it'd show all your bumps and lumps but this dress doesn't! I have to say I was impressed with its smoothing qualities! A fun casual dress for sure but could be gussied up a little with a statement necklace and fancier shoes!

 
And the Bluebonnets dress... Oh myyyy... Remember me saying I loved floral? I kind of want all the things in this fabric. This dress is a looser fitting dress and I love it's twirling capabilities! It's perfect for impromptu dance parties with my little for sure, or one of those random times my hubby grabs me and starts slow dancing to whatever song is playing at the moment. And it's sleeveless which means it's perfect for summer! I'm thinking this dress might need to be worn to a lantern festival this summer!
 
Oh and a little birdy told me one of these dresses (hint: The Grayson dress) might be on SALE over at Ruthie Grace Boutique starting now so go snag one or two or all three of these gorgeous dresses for yourself! I promise you'll thank me later! XO!