Easter look for my little men

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Spring has usually sprung. It's warm and flowers are blooming. Celebrating our risen Lord, the boys hunting for eggs, being with friends and family and of course eating way too much candy. It is just the best. I remember growing up my favorite Easter tradition was picking out a special dress to wear to church on Easter Sunday. Sometimes my incredible mom would even make me one. Thankfully for me there is online shopping. Even though I don't have little girls to dress in frills, dressing up my boys is just as fun thanks to our favorite shop, Sugar Bit! I am absolutely loving all their new Spring looks. Here's a peek at what my little men will be sporting Easter weekend. And of course you know my bubs would never be without a hat, eyewear and/or a themed mask.  My boys love a good accessory. So what are your little ones sporting this Easter?

Hat | Shirt | Sunglasses

Sandals | Shorts | Bunny Masks

Want to be a good mom?

You may have seen this graphic floating around social media on Friday. It could not have come at a better time for me. This is everything. Well, minus the "tell your mother-in-law to shut up" because my mother-in-law is amazing and I love her and this past weekend would not have happened without her.

So for the past several weeks I have been a broken record constantly repeating, "I need a break. I need a break." So much was starting to pile up on me. Little projects around the house. Never ending to-do lists. Ceremony + Fuss orders, new inventory and website updates. Plus the usual cooking, cleaning, errand running, being a wife/mom/friend etc. I was overwhelmed and was struggling to admit it and then own it. And sadly I was taking it out on B and my kids. And then one night last week in the midst of one too many rants and complaints from me, I mentioned what I would give for just 24 hours alone in my house. I went on and on about what I could get accomplished and how nice it would be to just be in my own home alone without any whining or interruptions or schedules. I realized other than a few hours here and there while the boys are at school, I have never been by myself in my house alone. And even then I still have my sweet Amos with me. So after my patient husband sat there and listened to me go on and on, he graciously offered, "Why don't I take the boys to my mom's this weekend?" I laughed and responded I didn't think I could drive all three of them by myself for seven hours to Louisiana so how in the world could he?? He simply said, "I got this." And he did. We packed the boys' stuff up Thursday night and they went to bed eagerly awaiting their boys trip in the morning and by 7:15am Friday they were backing out of our driveway. 

And there I stood waving goodbye with tears welling up in my eyes so much that I could barely see them driving away. I was so taken aback by this emotion. I was the one that so desperately wanted this time to myself and was given this gift yet suddenly was questioning it. I came inside to the silent house ready to make a cup of coffee and get into all the things I had planned on doing with all my free time. Yet all I could do was cry. And I'm talking ugly cry. I sat on my couch sobbing for a good solid twenty minutes. How silly I thought I was being, but I couldn't control it! I missed them all so much already. And I was so overcome by how amazing and selfless my husband was for recognizing my needs and going above and beyond to meet them.

I think as moms it is so hard to ever put ourselves first. We do everything for our families and always put their needs before our own. Sadly I was doing that so much that it had caught up to me and was affecting how I was as a wife and as a mom. The joy was gone, and I desperately needed a reset. And believe me, I got it! I completely cleaned out the boys' rooms and playroom. We are talking filled five trash bags, six Trader Joe's bags and two big boxes all with clothes, toys and baby stuff to take to a local nonprofit. It felt so good to start and complete that project. But don't worry, I definitely relaxed too. We are talking an hour long bath sipping prosecco followed by catching up on all my Bravo favorites. This is the stuff dreams are made of. And the best part is that the boys were having the best time too! They went fishing and played outside and got dirty like little country boys should. I sat on the front porch eagerly awaiting their arrival Sunday afternoon and couldn't wait to hug them! It wasn't ten minutes later we were out back playing and the all too familiar sounds of my boys' usual "He took my bat! He's licking my popsicle! I found a worm" were calling out, but this time my reaction was simply to smile and feel grateful. Grateful for my family and grateful for the time needed to get myself refreshed and renewed. So grateful for the opportunity my people gave me to be OK.

Chocolate Dipped Valentine Cookies

I have always been a sucker for Valentine's Day. I love everything about celebrating all those you love. My boys are all about the candy and sweets that come with said day of love. As much as I enjoy baking and crafting, these days we are all about finding the easiest activity to keep my little men entertained. These dipped cookies did just that!

Ingredients:

Sandwich cookies {we used vanilla Joe-Joe's from Trader Joe's}

Melted chocolate {we used chocolate bark and candy cane Hershey's kisses}

Sprinkles {Target dollar aisle has the best!}

Melt chocolate in the microwave in thirty second intervals stirring each time. Let cool for a few minutes. Lay out parchment paper and let the kids dip the cookies and then sprinkle. Note that more sprinkles may make it into their mouths than actually on the cookie! 

Place decorated cookies on parchment paper and let dry until chocolate is hard.

Once completely dry move to a plate or bag up for gift giving. These would be the perfect treats for teachers and classmates!

What is your favorite Valentine treat?

SNOW!!!

One of my resolutions for the new year was to blog more. Well, I guess February 1st is just as good a time as January 1st to start! I'm back. And hopefully for multiple posts each week! We shall see... Between wrangling three kids and starting a new business, this little blog sadly took a back seat. It was never my intention to stop blogging, and I am so sad with everything I missed documenting. My reason for blogging always has been to have an outlet to share pictures and memories and be able to look back one day. Poor Amos does not have too many memories shared here but that is all about to change!

This weekend we welcomed B's mom, MeMo, for some family play time, down time, rest and relaxation with the boys. A lot of that time was spent outdoors since it was 70 degrees!! But last weekend. That's another story!

Last Friday we woke up to a winter wonderland. It was truly magical. For us southerners a light dusting is usually cause for excitement but this was the real stuff. The boys were in heaven with all the white stuff, and B even stayed home from work so I was in heaven too. We built snowmen, had snowball fights, made snow angels, went sledding and ate way too much snow ice cream. Our nights were spent by the fire complete with jam sessions, dance parties and Mexican food. We ventured out Sunday for our absolute favorite donuts and some bigger hills for sledding. It really was the perfect winter weekend. I love how the snow forced us to slow down and stick together for some intentional family time just our family of five. But don't get me wrong, I was more than thrilled when the snow melted away Monday and school was open Tuesday!

Scenes from the weekend...

Hello friends! I cannot believe how long it has been since I last blogged. It makes me sad because my main reason for blogging is to keep up with our little family and all we do so I can one day look back on it all. I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things around here and will catch you all up on life lately, but first let's recap our Thanksgiving weekend.

For once we did not travel and no one came to visit. It was glorious! Ha! We did miss our extended family but it was so nice to not have to pack up or rush around or be on a schedule. The last two months have been two of the craziest ever, and I was so grateful for a few days with just my little family.

Our Turkey Day was spent in comfy clothes and kicked off with cookie decorating and Bloody Mary's. The perfect morning in my book! We lounged and watched the parade and enjoyed a little fun with Target dollar aisle goodies and our selfie stick. Maybe a little too much fun! I was torn on whether or not too cook because we definitely wanted to enjoy all the traditional Thanksgiving goodies but were not interested in slaving away all day in the kitchen just for us. Thankfully we made the decision to get takeout from one of our favorites, and it was AMAZING. Seriously I might have them cater every holiday. Our menu included turkey, truffle corn pudding with Parmesan and thyme, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, garlic rosemary mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. The best part? It was ready in about thirty minutes! We stuffed ourselves silly, put the boys down for a nap and rested ourselves. The rest of the afternoon was spent outside in the back playing baseball and relaxing on our deck. Early bedtime for the boys and leftovers along with a funny movie for us made for the best Thanksgiving ever.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing some more. We did venture out to go meet our best friends' newest little man at the hospital and enjoyed sweet snuggles. Is there anything better than a newborn?? We got a babysitter Saturday afternoon for our littlest man and took the big boys to see The Good Dinosaur. They had been talking about it all week and were so excited! Not sure if they were more into the slurpees and popcorn or the actual movie, but it was quite the experience trying to get Jude to sit still for two hours! Thinking our next family outing will be somewhere a little more active. Church Sunday morning followed by more lounging as I attempted to start Christmas decorating wrapped up the coziest of weekends.

Scenes from the weekend...

Happy Monday, friends! How was your weekend? We were nonstop but enjoyed lots of fun with family and friends. B's mom, sister and her boyfriend all came in this weekend for time with the boys and to participate in the Walk to Defeat ALS. B's dad passed away from the terrible disease so it was important and special for all of us to come together and raise awareness. So many of our friends came out to walk as well! Afterwards we enjoyed a quick taco fix before heading home to change and venture out to Franklin for the Pilgrimage Festival. Such a fantastic lineup! Our favorites included Cage the Elephant, Sheryl Crow, Chris Stapleton, Wilco, Weezer, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Band of Horses and Dawes. Afterwards we went home to check on MeMo and the boys and then ventured back out downtown. Downtown is usually not my favorite scene but since our visitors were dying to go, I obliged. Always plenty of jaw dropping people watching to entertain us, and of course we counted seven different bachelorette parties! We bid farewell to our family Sunday and spent the day recharging and resting. I even managed to get some work done! Packed up lots of our fussbox orders and hosted our first Ceremony + Fuss giveway on Instagram. Ended the day with takeout and DVR with my main man! So ready for a fabulous week. My mom gets in tomorrow, and we are headed to Napa just B and me. No kids, no schedule, and plenty of wine. Counting down and cannot wait!!!

Five on Friday

{ONE} Fall Favorites -- I have been so wrapped up in life lately I barely even noticed it's officially my favorite time of the year, FALL! I love Autumn and all that it entails. We have had the busiest September, and I am so looking forward to slowing down these next couple of months and enjoying all the season has to offer. Cool weather, cozy sweaters and pumpkin patch visits are a few of my Fall favorites. What about you??

{via}

{TWO} Life Lately -- And speaking of being so wrapped up in life, this poor little blog took a backseat these last couple of months. In an effort to not miss any of the fun we have been having since Amos joined our world, I blogged a little recap here and here.

{THREE} Walk to Defeat ALS -- We are so excited to have B's family coming in town this weekend and are looking forward to participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS. B's dad, George Washington Bolton III, passed away from this terrible disease, so our family will be sporting these temporary tattoos on Saturday as we walk in his honor.

{FOUR} Ceremony + Fuss -- Did you hear the news?? I started a new business! Yes, I might be crazy for doing this while trying to wrangle three kids three and under, but it has been a dream for so long. Ceremony + Fuss offers lovingly curated gift boxes to splendidly celebrate life's special occasions. We officially launched yesterday and are open for gifting!

{FIVE} GIVEAWAY -- And in honor of our launch we are giving away some of our favorite goodies from our You're a Gem fussbox! Head over to Instagram and check out all the details.