DIY Stain Remover

Hello hello!!

I'm sure everyone has seen this recipe on Pinterest, but I've got to share! The Pin calls for 1 part blue Dawn to be mixed with 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide. I didn't have blue Dawn on hand, but I DID have pink Palmolive, so let's live dangerously. 

Here are my (Layla's) stains. I honestly have no clue what this is, but I'll guess either cream soda, cheezit residue, or coffee. 

I hosed the entire front of the tee with the solution and let it sit for about an hour. 

Okay revision: I got sidetracked, forgot about this project and went to bed, leaving this tee, one of mine, and a dress sitting on the counter in the Laundry room, BUT I threw them all in this morning (afternoon) when I realized! I ran them through an express cycle set on low soil, and here's the tee fresh out of the machine, still wet:

And after drying! 

The stains are GONE! Keep in mind, these stains were a few months old and the tee has been washed about ten times since they were created, so they were definitely set-in! I'm glad I made a big batch of this, because it's now a staple at our house. 

Let me know how it works for yall!

Xoxo

Lauren 

P.S.

Love this tee? You can find it at http://www.thelightblonde.com 

Labor Look

God is *SO* good, yall!

I had a rough lead up, but my actual labor was a breeze! Due to excessive amniotic fluid I was induced at 38 1/2 weeks, but once we got into the delivery room to get started it was clear we picked the right day! By 11:30am Lucy Kate Woodard was here! 

Chance posted a couple of pictures of us before and after labor;

and received a lot of questions about me having a hair and makeup team stashed away. Anyone reading this knows of my vanity (my favorite sin. God and I talk about it all the time), and even though my hair guru WAS there before (she's my cousin! Of course she was!) and my makeup MIRACLE WORKER was one of the first to see this sweet baby before she'd even been weighed, they weren't on the clock. *wink*

While waiting on the doctors to make rounds the next morning I documented my entire look for the day. I woke up Tuesday morning with severe contractions, so at 4am washed, blew out and curled my hair, so that's all leftover, but as far as makeup:

Started out with a fresh face

Since my face has cleared up, I haven't worn foundation in months. BB cream is YOUR BEST FRIEND. On the day of I wore my DIY BB cream, but the lid on my bottle is janky so I packed this one for my hospital bag and it's not as great as mine, but works in a pinch. 

Step two, a layer of bronzer on the apples of my cheeks, of course. I use GloMinerals loose powder in Bronze. 

Then brows. I use GloMinerals brow pencil in brunette. 

Curl lashes. Goes without mentioning but hey, someone may not know the life or death situation here. 

Two layers of mascara on top lashes only. No one has time for raccoon eyes in the event of happy tears! 

The staple of my LIFE is Baby Lips. I think I've posted about these sweet tubes about ten times, but it's just amazing. 

And BAM, you're set for the entire day, photo ready in 5 minutes flat. Maybe even more like 3! 

Until next time...here's another shameless pic of my sweet angel baby Lucy

Xoxo

Hospital Bag for baby

We're in the HOME STRETCH! 

Now that I'm 38 weeks and have induction set for this Saturday (I'll be 39 weeks then!) I've got my hospital bag packed! We spent two nights in the hospital when I had Layla and had no idea what I would really need, so poor Chance had to run back and forth between the house, store and hospital.

This time around, I've got it down. 

For the baby:

The hospital supplies a little t-shirt, hat, endless blankets, all the diapers, wipes, snot suckers, bathing tools, and medicines you could possibly need, so forget all that crap. If you're not planning to breastfeed, they also supply formula and bottles, so leave those at home too. 

New babies are tiny, but holding even a 6 pound baby for a stretch can get uncomfortable, especially for mom who's exhausted, and may have had a c-section. The pillows in the hospital are COMPLETE ass, so no support is given there, which is why I'm taking my boppy pillow this time around. It'll also help take some stress out of letting younger kiddos hold the baby, because you know she'll be supported everywhere. (I made this one, but you pick these up anywhere!)

With Layla I packed a bunch of snacks, like trail mix bars, beef jerky, Special K bars....that was stupid. No one wants to eat cardboard after delivery, and Whataburger is a block away! So scratch that. 

I also made the mistake the first time around by bringing cutesy, complicated outfits for Layla to wear, but that was a waste because I sent Chance after plain little onesies by that evening. For this baby I'm taking two little elastic bottomed gowns. 

If you're a first time mom, I can't stress enough how great these are!! The elastic is tight enough to conceal their little feet, but can be pulled up for a quick diaper change. Layla wore these even until she was crawling because they would sit comfortably around her knees. You can NOT have too many of these! 

I'm also taking socks and a hat that's much cuter than the one the hospital supplies, plus a receiving blanket for pics with all of our visitors. The hat and blanket are both sheer vanity on my part, so if you care nothing about this, feel free to leave them both out because the hospital will supply both for you!

I had every intention of showing what all I took for myself but then woke up at 4 am with contractions so I ran out of time! Some highlights that I couldn't have lived without:

*My ultra plush Barefoot Dreams blanket. It's just nice to be able to toss the scratchy hospital blanket aside and sleep under something from home. (It helps that Barefoot Dreams blankets are complete luxury, and this one just so happens to be a gift from one of the best humans on the planet!)

*Always Infinity pads. Hospital-issued pads have no sticky back! 

*super comfortable full coverage cotton panties. The mesh ones from the hospital were not working for me. 

*Phone and iPad charger

*Comfy lounge clothes for receiving visitors

*Forgiving outfit to wear home. I chose a black maxi dress. You'd like to think your favorite, prepregnancy skinny jeans will zip right up, but unless you've sold your soul to the fallen angel that's not going to happen! 

Have I forgotten anything? Have any cool items to add? Let me know!

Until next time!

XOXO

Lauren

NexGen Nails

Hello There!

I'm very fortunate to have always had good. healthy nails. They grow long and thick and tolerate any shape I put them in. They never get brittle and will peel before they break, but I have the HARDEST time keeping them polished! I'm assuming since I'm used to them being long and tough I forget to baby my polish, and I end up having to do touch ups almost daily. Who has time for that?! 

On Friday I made plans to change my polish, but remembered a friend of mine posting a picture on Instagram of her NexGen manicure so I texted her and she couldn't say enough great things about it and had just come from an appointment herself. She sold me! 

I contacted Amanda Seay at The Parlour here in Paris, TX. They're located downtown in a BEAUTIFUL historical building.  You can find them on Instagram at @TheParlourParis , or if you're local you can message Amanda directly at: (903) 905-0099.

Here's what I walked in there with:

Naked, unpolished, unbuffed, sad nails.

Before starting, Amanda ran me through the entire process, step by step.  She was completely patient with every question I had and was very detailed.  This is actual colored acrylic layered over your natural nails with no tips required (although available!), but get THIS picture out of your head:

Because that is NOT happening here.  Can we all just make a pact and promise to let these tacky nails die? Preferably right this second?  If you're wearing these on your poor, mistreated fingertips at the moment, do yourself a favor and call Amanda at The Parlour. Tell her I sent you.

My entire appointment, including my mini lesson on how the process goes, shaping, filing and buffing my nails, applying the NexGen AND an additional coat of Crystal Set, (which was suggested by Amanda because I warned her that I'm hard on my nails), PLUS the entire mani process of cuticle oil and lotion massaged in, I was in and out in less than an hour.

When I left the salon I sent these pictures to all of my girlfriends and told them I felt like I had had a hand transplant.  I'm AMAZED with the results and can assure you all that I am hooked.  

They're hard, but not thick, and y'all have to remember that I have an extra coat, so if you're not a mechanic or a bull in a china shop you won't even need it.

I had these done on Saturday.  Since then I have had a 3 day weekend of cleaning my entire house, doing endless loads of laundry, feeding and watering animals, packing for the family, pool partying with 8000 kids and endless girlfriends, snapping peas, peeling shrimp, making beds, YOU NAME IT; all of the things that wear your nails out, and here they are on Tuesday:

Like a brand new manicure.  Not a chip, not even a dull spot! 

If you're a nail girl, get on this train right away!

Until next time!

xoxo

Lauren

Belly knot

Hello There! 

As I enter my 7th month of pregnancy, it gets harder to get excited about getting dressed, and I refuse to buy new clothes knowing I won't be in them for long. A girlfriend gave me this amazing black maxi dress since she bought it on a whim, got it home and realized she would have to grow a foot to wear it. It's strapless, so I've worn it a couple of times with cardigans but May in Texas calls for something more light weight for work. 

I've had this express tank top for LITERALLY 5 years. It's shortened up a bit from all of the washing so I haven't worn it recently. (Maternity crop tops should NEVER be a thing.) Thrown on and knotted over this maxi? Perfection! It's hard not to feel like you're wearing a parachute when you no longer have a waist so the knot draws it all in at your "new" waist. 

I'll definitely carry this look into post-pregnancy with tanks and tee shirts! 

If you try this one, tag me on IG so I can see and get inspiration from how you styled it!

Until next time!

Xoxo

Lauren

Easter 2015

I can be a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to some holidays, like Christmas (over commercialized, and our kids have so much while so many have so little) and Valentines Day (since when does showing love require spending a week's pay on an ostentatious spread?) BUT I really like to bring it back to the basics to celebrate most of them. 

In honor of Easter, we had a house full of friends and family this afternoon. The kids hunted eggs (Heather goes over the top with everything, so she brought *250* stuffed eggs) while Chance grilled burgers. We had enough food to feed an entire congregation, and my refrigerator looks like the day after Thanksgiving!

With kids whose ages range widely, it can be hard to keep gifts on the same page, so here's what mine will receive in the morning in their Easter baskets:

Chesney is 13 and has outgrown egg hunting, but she'll get an Easter basket from me until the day I'm delivering them to her kids! Since I'm all about reusing, I bought these clear, oblong tubs instead of baskets since they can be used for storing nail polish, bath toys, anything! They were each ONE DOLLAR at Dollar Tree. 

Chesney's basket is stuffed with Gel pens, ponytail holders, a new summery candle for her room, neon nail polish, headbands and candy. 

Mayson is 10 and helped us hide the eggs for the little kids this year instead of hunting them. His basket consists of two gliders, two packs of sunflower seeds, and candy. 

Caycee is 8 and is still an avid egg hunter. Her basket is filled with a new water bottle for softball, headbands, ponytail holders, neon pink nail polish, a bunny mask and candy. 

The last one on the roster is Layla, who at 3 is just now appreciating an egg hunt. She had a party at school, went to another Easter party with a girl friend of mine, AND was gifted an Easter basket filled with gifts and candy, so I took it really easy on hers. She received a water bottle just like Caycee's, a straw cup, a bunny mask and candy. 

Easter baskets don't have to stop when your kids reach a certain age; you just have to tweak them a bit!

I hope everyone has a great holiday!

Xoxo, Lo

Maybelline Fit Me review

Hello, Dolls! 

For YEARS I've used Bare Minerals foundation because it's so great for my temperamental skin, but since I've passed my early twenties (and rounded the corner a bit) I've noticed it settles into my fine lines a bit too much, and seemed to wear off quicker than it used to. 

Before Bare Minerals, I wore a heavy "cream to powder" by Lancôme that I loved, but I just can't justify paying that much for a beauty product now that I'm not a single girl making more cash than I can spend. 

I picked up this Almay mousse makeup, which claimed an airbrushed finish. I LOVED the coverage and feel of the makeup itself, but since it's packaged in a pot you have to put your finger in it to get any out, and it gets under your nail and just isn't user friendly. Half way through the container I decided it wasn't worth it and moved on. I also noticed this dried my face out TERRIBLY! By mid afternoon my forehead would get scaly! Not gonna work for me! 

On a whim, I saw this Maybelline Fit Me pressed powder on sale at Walgreens and picked it up. I'M LOVING IT!! It's a really dense, smooth powder. (My color: Natural Beige) 

This is me with NOTHING on my skin. I usually apply BB cream before any makeup but wanted to show the coverage given with this pressed powder alone. 

Annnnnd okay so I have my eyebrows on but one blog post on here without them is enough for one lifetime. 

Anyway, naked face:

Notice the redness, under eye discoloration, and mild breakout areas. 

Here's after applying the Maybelline Fit Me powder ONLY. 

I'm amazed and VERY happy with the coverage. For those who like a little more coverage, I'm sure it could be applied more liberally, but one swipe is just right for me. 

I've been using this for about a week now and it lasts all day, washes off easily, doesn't get oily or dry, and is so quickly applied. My bronzer and blush go on a lot more smoothly and the color shows more true than with other foundations I've used. I never noticed how mineral foundations seemed to zap the two before! 

If you're in the market for a new foundation, or are over the multi-step processes of cream foundation followed by powder, give this one a try! I'd love to hear what Yall think about it!

Until next time!

Xoxo

Lauren 

DIY boot-cut to skinny jeans

When I was pregnant with Layla I had FOUR girlfriends who had just had babies and were wonderful enough to give me all of their maternity clothes.  I wound up with about 15 pairs of jeans.  Since this was 2011, most all of these were either boot-cut or straight legged and I wore them until the day I delivered...and if we're being honest here, for a few weeks after delivery.

Now that it's 2015 and I'm pregnant with another princess, my style has changed a bit.  Instead of going out and spending a small fortune on jeans that I'll wear for 4 or 5 months, I've decided to alter the ones I was so graciously gifted and make them exactly what I want, and here's how you can do it, too:

Turn the jeans you're wishing to alter inside out, and lie flat. (Keep in mind, this can be done to ANY jean, not just maternity!)

Top your fixer-upper pair with a jean whose leg you love.  Again, this can be anything from a jegging to fave pair you haven't been able to button since Clinton was in office, as long as the leg fit is right!  Line them up crotch to crotch, outer seam to outer seam, as shown.

Mark your new inner seam

Using a straight stitch on your machine, follow the line you made while holding the leg tight so the outer seam doesn't roll on you, keep the fabric taut and flat.

After straight stitching, the extra fabric can be removed, and a I used a zig-zag stitch to finish the raw edges so fraying will be at a minimum.

Now stand back and admire your work!

This also works perfectly for jeans that are too short, or any whose hem has been damaged, since taking them in at the ankle elongates them significantly.  I'm tall so I never have an issue with jeans being too long but if I didn't anticipate rolling these at the bottom every time I wear them I would definitely need to take an inch or two off of the bottom! This would be a great thing to do for kids who outgrow their length before their waist!

Until next time!

XOXO!