Happily Ever Mock

Dear Mothers

Dear mothers of children all ages, you are so loved and appreciated for all of your hard work.  From kissing boo boos to helping with homework, your love and devotion to your child does not go unnoticed.  New and expectant mothers, you are holding a true gift. The sleepless nights, backaches and swollen ankles are sacrifices you are making to bring your darling child into this world.  As you nurture and rock those precious babes, know that their coos and smiles are their thanks for all that you do.  And especially to those mothers of angels in heaven.  Know that your darling babes are looking down on you from Heaven.  Though this day is painful to you, I ask God to comfort your hearts.  I celebrate you and am sorry for your loss.

To my Stepmother Linda, thank you for all that you do for our family.  I know it must not be easy to inherit 3 new children and 2 Grandchildren, but you make it look easy, by loving us as your own.  Your positive nature and giving heart are truly amazing.  We hope you know how loved and appreciated you are.

To my dear Mother in law Beth, your devotion to your family is the most incredible thing about you.  I admire you so much and we love you and are so thankful for all that you do, including driving 400+ miles round-trip every other weekend to spend time with us.  You are truly a blessing to us.

This weekend I thank my husband and my own daughter for making me a mother.  Hallie Anne, your mother is so thankful for you.  You are my greatest accomplishment.  Though some days as a mother are not easy, you make is so easy to love you.  I thank God every day that he chose me to be your mother.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend fellow mothers.  This weekend I am wishing all the Moms out there a day of love and peace.

Finally, to my dear friend Larissa with Purple Moments Photography, thank you for the lovely Mother’s Day photos.

  

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Mother’s Day is fast approaching! We have just a little over a week to buy our gifts and sign our cards.  If you don’t have your gifts yet, please don’t fret.  I have some great ideas for you no matter your budget.  

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Serve Mom breakfast in bed with this adorable breakfast tray in a new cozy robe.  Both from the Hearth and Home Magnolia collection from Target.  While you’re at it, give her these precious ice cream PJs or toss in a papering lotion gift set!

Want a more personal gift? Get mom a personalized name necklace with her children’s names or an initial ring.  Choose one of her favorite family photos and place it in this beautiful Kendra Scott frame.  Another fun idea is for the list maker mom. Grab some of these adorable Rifle Paper Co journals. I know I am always grabbing for a journal to write down an idea for the blog or make a grocery list.  If you’re looking to snag something stylish for Momma, pick out a pretty Summer dress or some sandals. I just love this floral dress from J Crew.

Finally, if you really want to blow Mom away this Mother’s Day, don’t miss the Freshly Picked Sale starting this Friday 5/4/2018, for Fringe Members (who get an EXTRA 20% off) or for non members 5/8/2018. Get 20% off The cutest diaper bags for Mom and shoes for babe! Trust me, Mom will love you! In addition, Fringe members get early access to the sale, will be permitted to stack their discounts and receive Free shipping! Sign up for Fringe now, so you will be ready! Mom will thank you!

What’s on your wish list for Mother’s Day?

Momma Spring Style

As a mom, sometimes I forget to shop for myself.  I spend so much time wearing yoga pants and old Tshirts running around town.  Last weekend, my Mother in Law was in town.  She spoiled me with a couple new wardrobe staples and it got me thinking that I could really use a wardrobe makeover! Here’s what I have come up with!

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I’m a big fan of dresses that can be dressed up or down.  This one I snagged in a  jewel tone green and it is precious paired with these sandals. The dress and sandals are both on sale for $15 right now, so act fast! This hooded pullover is everything for the busy mom on the go.  I have it in teal and wear it at least once a week with some joggers.  Big surprise, I am wearing it right now as I type this! T-shirts, drawstring shorts and comfy slip-ons finish out my list! How cute is this flutter sleeve top?

So, what are you wearing this season?

Spring Kid Style

Spring is in full swing here in Texas! There have been plenty of rain puddles to jump in balanced by warm sun shiny days.  Allergies aside, we are loving the cool mornings and warm afternoons.  Dressing in layers has been the perfect way to plan for these Texas spring days.  Here are our favorite wardrobe staples this spring.

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My sweet mother in law took Hallie and I shopping over the weekend, and got her this adorable denim jacket! Hallie and I are both obsessed with it and she has been sporting it with every dress she owns.  Speaking of dresses, the little striped dress is on sale now!  The polka dot swing dress from June and January is a perfect dress to transition from Spring to Summer. You can get 20% off your first order with June and January if you follow this link!

Hunter boots and adorable sunnies are perfect Spring staples, and these precious Toms Mary Jane’s are also on sale!

What are your Spring Must Haves?

 

Currently April

If April showers bring May flowers, then May in DFW is sure to be beautiful! It has been a very rainy spring so far, but Hallie is loving it! Her new favorite thing to do is jump in puddles! Spring sure is flying by though, and we are getting pumped for Summer vacation! It will be nice to have my baby girl home with me all Summer long before sending her back to school for her FINAL (HOW?) year of Pre-K! Besides jumping in puddles and watching the calendar pages fly, here’s what we have been up to!

READING:

I have been writing a lot more than reading lately. If you missed it, I started writing monthly posts for the Dallas Moms Blog.  Here’s my latest article about “Threenagers” and how I am “The worst Mom in the world!”Check it out!

I do however have an AWESOME kids book to share with you! Bertie and Blue– a tale about a giraffe who lives a humdrum life.  Then he meets a new friend who  looks different than him and teaches him to accept things and people who are new and different.  

WATCHING:

Christopher and I are binge watching Quantico on Netflix, and I am currently catching up on season 6 of New Girl!

EATING:

Did you catch my Caprese Chicken recipe on Pinterest? It is so delish!

WORKING ON:

The Birthday Prep continues! Are you following my Instagram Stories? I like to share all the details on party prep there! I also have the honor of throwing my dear friend Sindi her baby shower at the end of June, so I am just starting work on that as well!

LOOKING FORWARD TO:

My best friend Joyce is having a birthday next week! I always enjoy celebrating with her, then of course, my birthday is right behind her.  Here is a cute photo from our birthdays last year! And a link to our cake smash photo shoot. Can’t believe we will be 31! #oldladystatus

LOVING FOR MOMMY:

It’s Sandal weather in Texas! And I am digging these! 

LOVING FOR HALLIE:

You guys! This ice cream dress is EVERYTHING! And it’s under $15.  Hallie’s gonna need it!

What are you up to? I want to hear!

Flower Girl

Our family welcomed a new member this weekend. My Dad married the love of his life. Linda, his new bride, is just about the sweetest woman I have ever met, and is such a blessing to our family. Hallie was the flower girl, and did such a great job throwing flowers down the aisle!  She looked darling and had so much fun!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the very special day.

                                                                            The Happy Couple

                                                      The cutest Little Flower Girl you ever did see

                                                      She totally posed like this on her own

                                                                 Her Beautiful hairdo

                                                                All the Grand kids

                                                                       Our Beautiful Family

                                                             Hallie and her cousin Brayden

                                                                            My Sweet Girl

                                                                         Just a Couple More

                                                     Cant Get Enough of her sweet face

Hallie is going to be a pro Flower Girl by the end of the year! She has already booked another gig for November, and just can’t wait! And if you are in need of any “Flower Girl Tips”- The best advice I can give is to let them practice.  Hallie walked down a pretend aisle at our house for months throwing fake flower petals, and she nailed it!

A Rainy Day Playlist

Spring in Texas means plenty of rain! Hallie really enjoys getting out her umbrella and jumping in puddles on a rainy day.  My favorite thing to do however, is curl up with a cup of coffee with an awesome rainy day playlist.  So, here are some of our favorite rainy day tunes.

Hallie’s favorite by far is Prince’s Purple Rain.  Though I am not the biggest Prince Fan (I know!) I love hearing her sing this song!  Of course I had to add some Glee love to the list! Absolutely love this mashup!

What do you like doing on rainy days?

Eat Like a Gilmore Unofficial Cookbook Take 2

Where my Gilmore Girls fans at? Have you heard of the  Eat Like a Gilmore Unofficial Cookbook?  This cookbook is my favorite and my most used to date.  All of the recipes are delicious, and each one reflects a meal eaten in the show.  I love that there are a variety of recipes for both beginner and expert chefs like Sookie.  Each recipe fits into one of these 4 categories: Luke’s Diner, Town Favorites, Emily’s House, and Sookie’s Kitchen.  Luke’s Chili and Sookie’s Caramel Marshmallow Chocolate Chunk cookies are favorites around here! And if you have ever wondered how to replicate Luke’s Santa burger, don’t hesitate and grab the book now!

While there are many great recipes in this cookbook, it definitely left me wanting more! Evidently I wasn’t the only one who craved more, because author Kristi Carlson has a second cookbook in the works.  The new cookbook will include everything from Broccoli Tarts to Pop Tarts!  Carlson has promised to incorporate Lorelai and Rory’s love for Pizza and Chinese food as well as all of those recipes us fans have been requesting! Not to mention an entire chapter dedicated to pie!

Because Kristi loves her fans, and the town of Stars Hollow as much as we do, she created a Kickstarter Campaign to get the project started! The book will include at least 60 recipes from the show along with a throwback to the episode that made it famous!

Kristi is looking for $15,000 in funding for Eat Like a Gilmore 2nd Unofficial Cookbook and offering some great incentives for the generous backers such as:

  • Recipe Request
  • Cookbook Pre-order
  • Signed Cookbook
  • Hand Written Recipe Card
  • Cookbook Gift Set
  • Design Artwork for the Cookbook
  • Writing the blurb for one of the recipes

If you are a fan of the show, you are in for a treat! Let’s help Kristi take us all back to Stars Hollow for another amazing cookbook so we can all Eat like a Gilmore.

Oy with the Poodles already, what are you waiting for? Jump on over to Kristi’s kickstarter to donate!

Caprese Chicken Recipe

For those of you that follow me on Instagram you know that I made a seriously delicious Caprese Chicken last night. (Check my stories) I polled my audience and it was clear you needed this recipe in your life, so here we go:

Ingredients:

  • 4 Chicken breasts butterflied (or pounded thin)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Ranch Seasoning Packet
  • Olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 diced Roma tomatoes
  • Fresh Mozzarella slices (about 8)
  • 8 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
  • Balsamic vinegar

Steps:

  1. Once your Chicken is butterflied or pounded thin. Salt and pepper both sides.
  2. Mix ranch packet with a little olive oil so it creates a sauce and spread on the chicken.
  3. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
  4. Cook chicken covered for about 6 minutes on each side until browned.
  5. Remove chicken and keep warm
  6. Add garlic to pan (with more olive oil if necessary) and cook until browned (about a minute) while scraping chicken bits stuck to pan
  7. Add in tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes.
  8. Bring chicken back to pan and top with mozzarella.  Cover and let melt.
  9. Once mozzarella is fully melted.  Top with tomatoes and basil.  Drizzle Balsamic and serve

You could serve with pasta or fresh veggies. We did Brussels sprouts, and it was so good!! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! It was a hit for the whole family! Don’t forget to pin it to Pinterest!

Currently March

Seriously friends, how is March already half over?! This month has been crazy! Busy with Hallie on Spring Break, the store’s official opening, and 2 weddings, including my Dad’s at the end of the month. Hallie is the Flower Girl and we just can’t wait! Here is everything else we have been up to:

Reading:

Oh hey, it’s time for a shameless plug! I have been reading a ton of awesome posts on the Dallas Moms Blog.  One of which, yes I actually wrote! It’s my first one and I am beyond excited to be a contributor for them each month! This post is all about Candy Alternatives for your Child’s Easter Basket. Check it out!

Watching:

Christopher and I started watching The Good Place, it’s hilarious! What do you guys think?  I am also trying to catch The Voice this season.  I’ve missed some here and there, but I think it’s going to be a great season! LOVE Kelly Clarkson…not just because she has an awesome name! On that note, while trying to watch one night this week, this happened: (Hallie was playing with a Minnie Mouse watch that played the Hotdog song)
Hallie: Mom, say “Play” and I will make it sing. Me: No, honey, Mommy is trying to hear this. Hallie: (Whining for several minutes) Me: Hallie stop whining.  And if you aren’t going to play with your ponies, please pick them up. Hallie: (HUGE SMILE as she presses the watch) You said PLAY!!! Touche child!

Eating:

These Spinach Enchiladas are LIFE during Lent.  I found them on Pinterest! PS, don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest!

Image by: twopeasandtheirpod.com

Working on:

I just started party planning for Hal’s 4th Birthday! How is this possible?! We are also in the process of decluttering. With my Dad getting married he is selling his house and has been giving us some of my childhood things. Including beanie babies….remember when we thought those were going to be worth something? Any suggestions on what to do with them now?

Looking Forward to:

Watching the store grow! Christopher is doing just awesome! Big things are coming this year! I can feel it!

Loving for Mommy:

It’s Sandal weather in Texas! And I am digging these!

Loving for Hallie:

Hallie is in love with everything Rainbow lately, so we are definitely going to have to nab these sandals for her. What are you up to? I want to hear!