Bella’s Summer Style

Anyone who has a diva-of-a-four-year-old at home knows how important it is to buy clothes that they’ll actually wear. And for Bella, that means it must be a dress. Buying anything else for her is a waste. Trust me, I’ve almost pulled my hair out trying to get her to wear shorts, pants, ect. In fact, we may even have dresser drawers filled with tons of sassy little shorts and shirt outfits that she refuses to wear…

I’ll save the battles for something of actual importance, like manners or following directions or playing nicely, haha!

Another really important requirement for her summer wardrobe is it has to hold up to tons of washing. I purchased almost everything for her from Gap and Old Navy. Bella has the flutter dress in white from the Gap and she wears it pretty much every other day. It still looks brand new. And that’s saying a lot!

 

Also, the pink saltwater sandals are so comfortable that she even insists on wearing them indoors. The leather is soft and seems durable. Even better, they can be worn in the water.

Perhaps my favorite buy for Bella is the A-dorable gold bow hairband from rubyblueinc. I can not even wait for it to come in the mail. Hairbands are Bella’s favorite thing to wear and the gold color will go with everything.

 

Shop Bella’s Style!

1. Glitter dots dress

2. Pineapple print romper

3. Gold messy bow head wrap

4. Fishie eyelet-trim dress

5. Salt water sandals

6. Pink eyelet dress

7. Embroidered flutter dress

8. Star print t-shirt dress

The lovely little dresses in this post were courtesy of my sweet MIL for Bella’s birthday. I had a blast picking them out!

Hopefully, I’ll get the next post up on Hailey and Mary Kathryn’s summer style soon!

Last day to enter this fabulous Author Giveaway!!

Trust me. You do not want to miss the chance to win this adorable mug from Ashley Brooke Designs and, of course, a signed copy of my contemporary romance novel My Only Exception!!

Just go to www.facebook/erikatrevathanauthor to enter to win. It’s the last day so hurry and enter before it’s too late!:)

Winner will be announced tomorrow on Facebook, Instagram, and on this blog. GOOD LUCK!! 🙂

 

Giveaway!! Ashley Brooke Designs mug & paperback copy of My Only Exception

Giveaway!! Ashley Brooke Designs mug & paperback copy of My Only Exception.

Giveaway!! Ashley Brooke Designs mug & paperback copy of My Only Exception

Follow the below link for a super easy way to win this adorable coffee mug and a signed copy of the contemporary romance novel, My Only Exception!!

Wouldn’t you just LOVE to sip coffee or tea out of this fabulous mug while reading? Me too! I ordered myself one as well!

Follow the link below. You can enter daily until Friday at midnight! Winner will be announced this Saturday March 15th!

https://www.facebook.com/erikatrevathanauthor

Taking Stock

 

Making: A cute new dress for Bella. As soon as I pick up the sewing machine from my Mom.

Cooking: Spaghetti for dinner tonight. Made with bacon-burger and lots of cheese. And it’s calorie-free. Yep…

Drinking: Lots and lots of water. And hot tea and coffee. That’s pretty much it.

Reading: Edits for the third book in my vampire series.

Waiting: On my new planner from Emily Ley. Not so patiently….

Looking: For fun, unexpected gifts for those hard to buy for people on my list. Three of those left. What to get… What to get…

Playing: Is there time for this?

Wasting: Energy. Picking up the same toys over and over and over…

Sewing: Nothing yet, but I have a long list starting with the dress for Bella. Also, drapes for my dining room, a pillow for the bench in my entryway…

Enjoying: The season. Can’t believe there’s only three weeks left. What will I watch on tv when Hallmark is no longer playing Christmas movies?

Wishing: For snow. The light fluffy kind with no ice.

Waiting: For something in particular.

Wondering: What kind of surprises the future holds. Don’t we all?

Loving: Three sweet faces and a handsome one.

Hoping: That my book is finished by the end of the month. Not so sure I’m gonna make that deadline…

Marveling: At the way of the world. This is a broad one I know, but it truly confounds me everyday.

Needing: A new mattress for my bed.

Smelling: Christmas cookies. And Downy.

Wearing: The comfiest sleep shirt from Target. And those really soft, fuzzy socks they have for wearing around the house. They’re the best.

Following: A tight schedule. Always…

Noticing: Everything. I notice everything and can recount it to you years later.

Knowing: That I should be sleeping right now. Oh well…

Thinking: That I have so much to do today/tomorrow. Hey, it’s 3am. I never know whether to consider it today if the sun hasn’t risen yet.

Feeling: Lucky, stressed, blessed, under the weather…

Bookmarking: My favorite shopping websites. Am I the only one that loads up an online cart just for the fun of it?

Opening: A bag of muddy buddy chex mix – in just a minute.

Giggling: At pawn stars. The Old Man on that show cracks me up.

Feeling: Accomplished.

Thanks to Pip’s blog for her fun idea.

 

Hope you’re sleeping better than I am right now!

Goodnight (Or good morning! Whichever way you want to look at it.)

XOXO,

Erika

DIY personalized Christmas gift tags

 

Okay, so obviously there will be lots of Christmas filled posts for the next 3 weeks. I’m kinda on a roll and completely in the spirit, soooo… On with the post!:)

Can you buy gift tags from Target, Walmart or pretty much anywhere that would adequately serve the purpose of identifying who a gift is for and who the giver is?

Absolutely.

But, why not scrape up a few craft supplies you probably already have and whip up your own that serve the above mentioned purposes while being unique and fun?

Besides, it gives the kids something to do while your trying to wrap everything. Not that you didn’t totally need their help…

So… What you’ll need:

scrapbook paper ( the thicker the better)

scissors

pop-pops ( or any other embellishments you’d like)

stamp and ink

twine

hole punch

I had most of these things in my craft box and picked up the green ink for the stamp at Hobby Lobby.

Let’s get started!

First, I used this handy paper cutting thingy. But if you have scalloped scissors you could use those, or anything really.

I chose to use a letter ‘T’ which is the initial of our last name. I can think of a ton of holiday stamps I could have used though.

Now the fun part!

Decorate!

I used poms in sparkly colors. But I think buttons, glitter, lace, ribbon or sequins would give it pizzaz as well!

Cuteness, right?

Next, just punch a hole, thread in some twine and add it to your gift.

See? Really easy. Plus, I just sat there and made a huge pile of  assorted colors so I’ll have them at the ready for whenever I’m wrapping gifts.

The present above is for my husband. I flipped the tag over and used a metallic pen to write the to and from part.

An added bonus. I don’t have to worry about smashing bows. I may even do some using ribbon instead of twine. The possibilities are endless and I like it so much better than the little sticker tags.

All crafted out yet?

How about baking? I whipped up my first batch of made  from scratch cookies courtesy of a recipe posted on abc’s 25 days of Christmas Facebook page.

So yummy!

How about some Elf business?

Cody the Elf has returned and with him the responsibility of reminding him to change positions nightly… I may forget to remind him occasionally.

Here’s a snapshot of the morning he returned. My youngest, Bella, looks a little untrusting of him, haha!

Hope you enjoyed my holiday update and tutorial!

XOXO,

Erika

Marking things off my to-do list

Oh how I love the holidays! No lie: I have stayed up late practically every night since November 1st watching Hallmark Christmas movies. Most of those nights I’m one or two in the morning before going to sleep. Am I tired the next morning? Absolutely. But there is something about sitting in my living room with the only light coming from my Christmas tree and the glow of the tv that just makes me happy.

Oh, did I mention?

My Christmas tree went up the very first week of November. See? I’m a holiday fanatic.

I like to enjoy the full two months of the season. I like the house to be decorated and ready to go on Thanksgiving day when my girls wake up to watch the Macy’s Day Parade and the yummy smell of Thanksgiving dinner is wafting into the living room.

It makes us happy. So, why not?

On the Friday after Thanksgiving we decorate the outside of the house. I’m totally respecting the feelings of those that like to enjoy one holiday at the time 😉  So, I do wait on letting my Christmas joy spill outside until the day after, haha 🙂

Things I have marked off my holiday to-do list?

– Christmas tree up and decorated

– Major Christmas gifts purchased

– Christmas gift buying list made and ready

– Outdoor decorations purchased

– Christmas Cards ordered!

Here is a sneak peak of the cards I ordered. You have no idea how difficult it was to get this picture with all three girls looking into the camera! I have so much respect for photographers!! This was the best of about fifty duds.

I was happy with the final product though! 🙂

And for the close family and friends that receive one of these there is a surprise pic on the back and a note from us!

To my blog friends reading this: I wish I could send each and every one of you this card! Thank you for taking the time to follow our story. We hope you have a magnificent holiday season filled with lots of love, laughter, and joy!!

 

P.S. Stop by Bloglovin and visit me :).

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XOXO,

Erika

 

 

A few things I can’t live without…

I know that I have been MIA lately and my only excuse is that I wasn’t sure which blog I wanted to use. You see, I have a blogger blog that I was using to document my family life and a blogger blog I was using as my author blog and then this one. It became so much trouble to post to all of them and I was having a hard time deciding which one to use… Then, finally, I decided that I liked the layout and look of wordpress more than blogger, and after making a few changes, I have combined them all.

So, basically this blog will be a blending of all the aspects of my life: motherhood, writing, lifestyle and everything in between. I hope you will continue to follow along!:)

Now, onto today’s post!

I love reading posts about products people have tried and loved and ended up going back to again and again. It saves me from having to waste time and money trying out new things. And nine times out of ten, I end up loving the product too! So, here is me sharing a few of the items I am loving right now…

Elf concealer and highliter

It is da bomb and only 3 dollars! It covers under eye circles easily and brightens the eye area dramatically, making you appear awake (even if you stayed up all night with a crying baby) and youthful. I get mine from Target, but you can also order it online. Run and get some. You won’t regret it!

Now onto my dirty little secret: I totally drink pumpkin spice coffee year round. Once upon a time, you could only get it starting around October and then it was off the shelf by sometime in January. I used to stock up so that I could drink it longer, but I always ran out by March. It would make me so sad. Then I discovered that Archer Farms was selling it year round at Target and now I drink it pretty much all year long! I can’t help it -perhaps it’s the warm fuzzy memories of the holidays that it provokes. Whatever the reason, I’m a self confessed pumpkin spice coffee addict!

I LOVE a good deal and I’ve pretty much found the motherload of good deals recently. Designer jeans that cost practically 200 dollars have never been something I was willing to do. Well, I found this upscale consignment shop near my house, Plato’s Closet, and snatched up a pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans for 25.00 dollars! And they had a ton of them along with other great brands like 7 for all mankind, J brand, Miss Me and lots more. Anyway, my Citizens jeans are now my new favorite thing in my closet. They are so comfortable (like, buttery soft) and fit perfectly. If you can find a consignment store like this where you live, or if you have more money than you know what to do with and want to by them at cost (not me!), then you need a pair of these jeans!

And then we have this little gem above: Suave keratin infusion dry shampoo. Let’s get real here. I have long hair and a ton of it; not to mention three little girls to get ready every day. I just don’t have time to wash, dry, and curl/straighten my hair everyday. And unfortunately, I’m not one of the lucky few that can just wash and go. My hair looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket when I try that. Just not a pretty sight. So, I depend on dry shampoo to help me on those days I don’t wash. I spray the Suave keratin dry shampoo on my roots and it soaks up any oils and leaves a fresh scent behind -nothing overpowering. Sometimes my hair even does better on no wash days after using this dry shampoo. Even better than it does right after washing. Best part: it’s less than three dollars. Need I say more?

 

Something else I have been sucked into lately? -Pretty little liars. Oh, how I love this show! I didn’t jump onto the bandwagon until recently when I caught up by watching the previous seasons on Netflix. But now? Totally into it. And Ezra/ Ian Harding is worth watching the show for even if the rest of the show wasn’t good. But it is. So good.

Okay, last thing for this post. May Books.

Words can not describe how this planner saves me on a daily basis. It seems that, like most moms I know, I have a million and one things going on at any given time. Doctor appointments, work schedules for my husband and I, cheer practices and competitions and the list goes on. This planner keeps it all organized in a cute little book. I love it because it’s small enough to fit in my pocket book, but it’s also adorable and I don’t mind pulling it out in front of people. The price is a lot better than some of the others you can order online and I love that this one can be personalized from the monogram right down to the cover print. And I think the cost is only a little over twenty dollars. It is well worth every penny.

Now it’s your turn! Let me know if there are any products out right now that you can’t live without. I’m always on the lookout for great stuff!!

 

XOXO,

Erika

 

25 Secrets of Happy Moms~ Secret # 21:)

I love reading parenting magazines for a lot of reasons. To get new ideas and insight, to find out the latest info, to read about things that relate to my life right now, and to feel connected with other moms like me. When editors ask questions that inspire me, I usually respond. I have been lucky enough to have two responses I’ve written published in American Baby magazine within the last year and a half. I thought that was kinda neat, but I was really suprised when I saw something I’d written in this article by Parents magazine! Check out “secret” #21 at this link written by yours truly;)

25 Secrets of Happy Moms

Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely spring weekend and soaking up lots of family time!:)

Beachy Post:)

I am one lucky girl:) To celebrate Mother’s Day this year we made the short 1 1/2 hour trip to Emerald Isle for the weekend. ( I so appreciate how convenient it is to live so close to the beach!) Our Saturday was spent with our sweet friends the Braxton’s on the beach soaking up the sun. Unfortunately we didn’t get too many pics that day because we were so busy chasing kids:) But my girl’s sure did love their 10 month old Knox and I loved getting to have his momma Jordan to hang out with:)

Day 2 ~ Aka~ Mother’s Day was awesome. We spent it playing with the kids on the beach near fort macon and relaxing just the 5 of us. It truly was a perfect Mother’s Day. Of course Hailey, who has been studying the pirate Blackbeard, was filling us in on all kinds of fun trivia. Like that Blackbeard’s house, the Hammock house, is a few miles away in Beaufort and that his ship is, according to Hailey, underwater 12 miles off the coast at fort macon. I love that she is really into history like her momma:)
We saw lots of fins in the water which were, of course, dolphins. Though you never know on the NC coast!. Tons were out Mother’s day, jumping all around near shore. It was so much fun for the girls to watch! And the subject of fins brings us to our all time favorite week of summer~~~~ SHark week~~~. Yes, we know we have a couple of months to wait, but we are shark fanatics here and we anxiously await it every summer. And we are getting so close to summer! Just a few short weeks of school left for the girls and then off to Myrtle beach for our summer vacation! Can you tell I’m getting just a little bit excited for summer…. until then here are our pics from our beach Mother’s Day!

Happy late Mother’s Day to all of my fellow blogging mommies!! ( Okay, I’m a few days late but, hey, I’m a mother of three and part time worker bee. But I do try:)