Sunny & 75

TGIF! Gals, Spring weather is starting to appear. The skies are brighter and the afternoons are warmer.
Vivian Louise and I have been playing outside today and currently she's napping (she has a brand new molar and got her 15 months shots today so I'm hoping it's a long slumber) I'm going to share with you my favorite outside essentials. It's sunny and 75 here in Charlotte right now so here's what I've pulled out for this happy occasion.

1. Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Gals I can't scream about sunscreen enough!!!!! Your skin is your largest organ. Take care of it.  Protect it from disease. And preserve your beauty with the prevention of wrinkles. Pale is pretty and I'm not just saying that because I glow in the dark #truth

2. Sunglasses

Sunglasses

How cool is it that Polaroid is making polarized sunglasses. It makes sense though. And they're affordable.  I was ready to splurge on a designer pair but every time I try them on they all are just way too big for my face.  I literally feel and look like a clown.
PS We defiantly had a polaroid camera growing up :)

3. Sunhat

Sunhat

Look chic and cool while shading your face, neck and shoulders. I'm a baseball hat kind of gal when I'm hiding my dirty hair and make up free face but when I'm playing outside or out and about I prefer a sunhat. They're lady like, lightweight and just so pretty.

4. Sandals

Sandals

So I know these aren't designer or even pretty.  In fact my sister is constantly making fun of them but goodness gracious are they comfortable and perfect for playing outside when you don't want to wear sneakers. They're supportive so you can still chase your toddler if you have one.  I'm constantly thinking about those things now.
These sandals have come a long way in colors, patterns and styles. I had to find the snazziest style so I chose the metallic rose gold.
Sidenote: I remember splurging on a pair of these in high school.  That was sooooo much money for me those day.

5. Smiles

Smiles and Squeezes :)

Enjoy the sunshine with your sunshines.  Just being outside in God's creation brings me great joy, but sharing it with the ones I love, well it doesn't get better than that!
I can't wait for our landscaping to be complete so we can lay in our hammock on Sunday afternoons just soaking in our blessings.

Dress Beautifully in the Sunshine

XOXO Sarah Louise

Mamma Monday: Anxious Free Heart

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Yesterday in Sunday school this was the passage I taught my middle school class on.

Yesterday's lesson wasn't just for them, in fact God gave that lesson to me!

I've heard these 2 verses many times and had the attitude of 'yeah yeah I know be grateful and give your situation to God. Don't stress.' Well, I'm a very type-A person/control freak. It has been easy for me to be that way for nearly 15 years. I did what I wanted, when and how I wanted to do it. Mr was long distance for nearly 10 of those years so even he wasn't a huge factor. I worked hard and focused on my career.

Then came our years in military and a deployment. No Control. Talk about being anxious with your husband in the Middle East! But I still went about my day-to-day working hard and staying hopeful.

Then came baby Vivian Louise! ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL!

Now I must say, she's just like her Mamma. She thrives on schedule and routine and follows it 99% of the time.

She sleeps like a hibernating bear ~16 hours a day!

She's never cries! Just a whine every now and then when she's hungry or tired. She's truly a joyful happy baby. Don't hate me :)

But she's not the best eater. Which is hilarious because I wasn't either as a baby nor am I now. We both don't care about food. She's moody about it. She'll love something one feeding but the next she may hate it. It drives me crazy when she throws food on the floor! I hate the mess!!!

She's also a wiggle worm which creates more mess.

Sure I worried before her, about hitting the sales numbers and landing a new account at work, about my family members, about Ryan etc..

But with Vivian Louise it's so much bigger. She's the greatest gift; a blessing beyond words. She's our responsibility and we want to raise her in a manner that glorifies God.

Biggest and most rewarding job.

And with such a great treasure comes great worry. Big and little. Her health, development the list is endless.

Here's an example of my every day worries ...

I worry since she's never been sick (again don't hate me) when it's going to happen. I catch myself compromising my workouts to avoid the gym daycare (in my defense it is flu season)

I worry that she doesn't eat enough when I know she eats plenty and it's all very nutritious.

Mr constantly reminds me that babies won't starve and that she's tiny.

I worry about her falling - she's not even walking yet! And I'm a horrible mother that hasn't ordered a baby gate for the stairs. Add that to my list today.

I worry I won't be able to finish the tasks I want to complete during her nap times. I don't consider this selfish. I'm a happy Mamma when I do things for me.

My point today is to encourage you to stop all the worrying because you're not trusting God. There are so many 'what if's' out there that you'll drive yourself crazy.

Talk to God when you start to get flustered.

He will guard your heart.

It's easy to complain about our situations and compare to others but stop and be grateful for where you are and what you have. You are blessed beyond measure!

Dress Beautifully Mammas with a Grateful Anxious Free Heart

XOXO Sarah Louise

Mamma Monday: Heirloom Dress Gallery

There are so many keepsakes and items from Vivian Louise's first year that I want to hold dear and cherish forever.
While I can't keep every garment she ever wore or every toy she played with, I have hand selected pieces to keep that I can pass down to her.  I love that my Mamma saved things from my childhood.  Vivian Louise has even worn a dress that I wore as a baby.

Typically items are put away in a bin/box and stored in a closet rarely to be revisited. But just like a framed photograph can take us back to wonderful memories, I wanted to embrace that concept with some items from her first year.

Since I love dressing her in traditional, timeless clothing I thought it would be precious to frame a few of her heirloom pieces and display them in her nursery.

I used 16x20 frames and used white fabric for the backing.

I wanted to hang them 2x2 above her crib but they would hang too low and I didn't want her to be able to reach them. So we hung them on the opposite wall and they fit perfectly!

Left to Right:

This is a Feltman Brothers dress with delicate embroidery and lace.  I wore this brand as a baby.

This was the first dress I ever bought her, just 2 days after finding out she was a girl.

It's a Sarah Louise (I couldn't wait to dress her in this brand).  She wore it for her 3 month pictures and Easter Sunday.

This dress was a gift from my Mamma.  She wore it for her dedication celebration.

This is the gown she wore for her baby dedication. It was a gift from her Granny. 

Cherish those special pieces that make you remember the precious moments!

Dress Your Baby's Nursery Beautifully

XOXO Sarah Louise

Mamma Monday: A ONEderful Birthday!

Hey gals! Cheers to a new week and hopefully you're still energized and keeping up with your goals for the New Year.

I wanted to share with you Vivian Louise's 1st Birthday celebration.  While it's a bit of a personal show and tell, I feel it's important because you, as a reader, stuck it out while I posted sporadically once she was born.  And she makes me, me so it's also a celebration of my first year of motherhood.

 Good Morning Baby Girl

Her birthday party was held at our home, and since we recently moved it was a great opportunity to host our friends that hadn't yet seen it. I highly recommend having your baby's first birthday party at home because it's the place she was nurtured and cared for during the first year. It's also cozy for your guests and extremely convenient for scheduling around naps.  You want to schedule it right after your baby wakes up so that they are nice and happy!

INVITATIONS
You gals know I'm obsessed with the mail (I even got this beauty for Christmas). Checking the mail is one of my favorite activities to do in the afternoon with baby girl - Santa even brought her this play kit! That being said I ordered and mailed her invitations.
The design was PERFECT.  Her color is lavender and I felt they were classic and delicate, just like her.

Invitations & Thank You Notes

THEME

Vivian Louise LOVES the very hungry caterpillar.  She received several toys and books at my baby showers and has since has collected lots of caterpillars.  So I incorporated it in the cupcakes, treat bags and used her favorite stuffed caterpillar for display and pail to hold utensils. I used her color, lavender for the remainder of items: balloons, plates, napkins and flowers.

DECORATIONS
First, I'm NOT a Pinterest Mamma. No crafts. I believe that clean and simple is beautiful.
I used classic lavender balloons and fresh flowers, along with her newborn photo, her favorite caterpillar and milestone blocks on the console table.  I framed the invitation to display on our entry way table. Her treat bags and cupcakes added to the hungry caterpillar theme.

I also created a hanging display of her monthly pictures so that guest could see just how's she's grown.

FOOD
Since her party was at 1:00 pm I chose light snacks. I served cucumber tea sandwiches, pretzels, goldfish, animal cookies, a hummus and veggie platter and my favorite punch (because it's delicious and light so no staining if spilled).
I also used my vintage linens with a touch of lace and pink embroidery on the table.

CAKE
I wanted her cake to be simple so I chose a white cake with white icing and lettering in lavender.
I must share that when I picked it up I was a bit disappointed that the baker took initiative and added lavender dots on the side.  Even though I expressed more than once that I wanted it simple, no extras. Oh well it was still beautiful.

My sister makes all the birthday cakes in our family. She even made Vivian Louise's dedication cake.
She made a hungry caterpillar using cupcakes! It was so perfect and fun.

PS I made the kids eat their cupcakes outside on our covered patio. No way am I going to have dirty hands with green icing in our home!

FAVORS
I ordered these adorable hungry caterpillar treat bags and filled them each with 2 oranges and an apple for the kids to take home.  The Mammas giggled because they know I'm very nutritious (not sure if the kids actually liked them)

I thought I would cry and be super sad that my baby was 1, but I didn't.  I was completely overjoyed at the wonderful and precious gift that God has blessed us with.  I truly celebrated her!!!
Our hears are full of gratitude to our family and friends who gifted her fun toys and shared love and encouragement to us.

*I want to raise Vivian Louise to have a grateful heart. I plan to teach her how to write thank you notes. I also make sure to send pictures of her playing with toys or wearing outfits to those who have generously given to her.

My Top | Her Dress

Dress Your Birthday Parties Beautifully

XOXO Sarah Louise

Mamma Monday: Baby's First Christmas

Gals, Christmas is only 15 days away! I can't even tell you how special this year is now that baby Vivian Louise is here. Christmas used to be my least favored holiday (I'm an Easter gal all the way) but now I'm loving the magic and joy of it all.  Dressing her up in her Christmas dress, adding her stocking to our mantle and especially being Mrs. Claus!

Shopping for her is always fun and something I can't avoid no matter where I am but putting presents under the tree for her is extra sweet.  I always imagined Mr and I going shopping together to pick out her toys but let's be real he's at the hospital over 200 hours a month and while we could take her with us (she won't remember) it's no fun dragging her here & there in the hustle and bustle.  So, 90% of her presents were ordered online and have conveniently arrived on our doorstep.

So I thought I'd share what Santa Claus will be bringing her for her first Christmas.  I only have a baby girl so most are girlie but if you have a baby girl of your own or shopping for a niece or friend these are great gifts.
Also great for a 1st birthday ... She's turning 1 just 3 days after Christmas!!!

Radio Flyer Walker Wagon - I love this because it will help her when she starts to walk and she can push her toys around and even use it when outside. It's a classic!  Her Grandma is getting her this wagon.

Swing - Vivian LOVES to swing at the park! We have a humongous magnolia tree in our front yard that is perfect to hang a swing from.

Chair - While I do NOT allow her things to overtake our home (her toys are in her room or in a basket that stores in a closet; even her cage folds up to store away) I'm ok with a chair of her very own that's easy for her. I chose the regular size that she can grow into.

Teepee - I can't wait to crawl into her teepee and read stories and play with her! I like the size of this one because it won't overtake her room.

Doctor Kit - since her Daddy practices medicine it couldn't be more perfect.  I like this one because it's felt and soft for her.

Noah's ark - same company as her doctor kit.  I love the classic fabric products.  They are easy for her to play with.  She also has this fabric bible.

Silver Hair Brush & Comb - I believe heirloom pieces are important.  This is definitely more for me than her but she will appreciate it when she's older.  They also allow for up to 18 characters for engraving so I was able to put her full name.

Mailbox - We love checking the mail!  I've passed my obsession with snail mail onto her.  She sees me write notes almost daily.  I even asked Santa for a this copper mailbox for our new home.

Blocks - A classic toy and great for learning!

Peek-a-Boo Bunny - this cutie is so fun! Vivian loves to play peek-a-boo. It comes in an elephant too.


Her birthday is just 3 days after Christmas, we are gifting her these:

Baby Doll & Outfit - I wanted a doll small enough for her and soft.  I also loved the traditional outfit so that it looks like her :). This doll was my second choice.

Baby Doll Pram - I love this one because it's classic and just like her stroller.

I have no doubt that on Christmas Day & her birthday that she's going to have more fun with the wrapping paper and boxes but over the next year she will grow and play with all of these things.

Of all the gifts we give her, our time and love are the most important! That's really all she could ever need :)

Dress Your Baby's First Christmas Beautifully

XOXO Sarah Louise