Sewing for baby.

This weekend I finally had time to sew for myself (or baby that is). I've never made a diaper cover or baby bonnet before but I think they came out pretty good. The diaper cover took a lot longer than I thought it would to make, but even H loved them and thought they were adorable. I can't wait to have more time to sew more things for all my girls. 

Life Lately..

Gosh the last few weeks have been busy, mainly in regards to the business. So much going on and so much work that had to be done. back to back boutique orders, getting a new collection ready, etc. There have been days where I've had to start my work as soon as H gets home and keep at it stopping to make dinner or throw a load of laundry in the washer. Then I put the kids to bed and continue working till about midnight. H has been so supportive and tending to the kids when he gets home and giving me more time to focus on my work. I even had my mom fly in for a few days because my seamstress was on vacation. It's a lot and there are some days where I miss the slower days in the beginning but I'm so grateful for my growing business. I know a big part of my problem is letting go of some of the control, but it's just so hard to find good help. I've gone through plenty of seamstresses  and my current help is good, but there are still some quality control issues I'm having with her, that takes time away from my day having to fix. There is some other help I get and services I've utilized online so I'm grateful for that. In maternity accessory news, I cannot wait for them to be ready. It's taking awhile but it's a process. 

As far as family life, Serena is on summer break so I've had all three girls home and it's been fun when they aren't fighting and getting under my skin. Some days they screech and bicker in the morning before it's even 8:30 am! Ugh. It's also been so hot and taking them places while it's hot and I've got this big belly to lug around--well it makes it hard. We still get out a few times a week though for sweet treats, library days and shopping. Today we left the house early for Dunkin donuts and then went to the mall. I actually got lucky this time and found some things I love. I'm extremely picky so usually I find something for the girls and nothing for me. Our first stop was A Pea in the pod maternity and I found a white scoop neck maternity tank, then Nordstroms where I finally found a going home outfit for the baby. Yay! I've been on the hunt. I also bought a cute crochet hem swing top from the juniors section that is perfect for a growing bump. Bath & Body works is having another one of their huge clearance sales so we stocked up on some lotions and hand soaps.

{A Pea In the Pod Maternity}

{Nordstrom}

In growing baby news, It's hard to believe I'll be entering the third trimester soon. I'm 27 weeks and 4 days today and things really feel like they go fast between the last half of the second trimester and part of the third and then they slow down around weeks 36 till you deliver. I told H awhile back that I wouldn't mind if we gestated like elephants and were pregnant for 22 months. Haha! I love being pregnant--for the most part. I have been a lot more uncomfortable and she loves pushing in my ribs but it's an amazing feeling to grow a child and feel her kicks and pokes.

Have a great weekend!

Summer Vibes

I know it's not officially summer yet, but it's been hot as Hades around here in Boca so it's been feeling like summer since March. I recently posted about a few new items I bought, one being this gorgeous white chiffon dress. It finally got here, and I can't wait to wear it for some maternity photos. I do need to take it in a little around the bust since it's one size fits all, but the length fits fine. 

{Lancome all-in-one blush} {White embroidered dress} {Sequin hanger}

Yesterday the girls and I went shopping for some last minute Father's Day gifts and I couldn't resist these adorable Old Navy Sandals for Mariam from Old Navy and cloth napkins from Sur La Table.

{Glittery T-strap sandals} Currently on sale

{Cloth napkins-similar}

Have a great weekend!

26 Weeks Pregnant!

Total weight gain: I haven't weighed myself in about a week so I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure my bad M&M habit has me up at least 11 pounds by now. 

Maternity clothes? Yes but not exclusively. I wear some maternity tops. The bottoms are getting pretty tight. 

Stretch marks? No new ones that I can tell. I have a few little ones leftover from my last pregnancy.

Sleep: As usual, at least one of the girls is still climbing into our bed in the middle of the night so yes I'm always tired, and I am getting up at least once to use the restroom.

Best moment this week: She is a busy baby and it's nice to see little limbs poking out and feel them when she leaves them pushing out for a few moments.

Movement: She moves a ton!

Food cravings: Cold M&M's.

Food aversions: Nothing. I had food aversions in the first trimester and part of the second, but once the nausea was gone for good, I was ok.

Labor Signs: Nope! 

Symptoms: I've been more tired than usual these past two weeks, but that's partly stress from the girls giving me a hard time and all the work I've been doing for FHJ. 

Have a great Tuesday!

Love'illy, the easiest gourmet pies you'll ever have!

I haven't really had many cravings this pregnancy, but for the past few weeks, I've had a craving for apple pie. I recently came across the company Love'illy and was very intrigued by their gourmet pie mixes. Just add fruit and pie crust. Heck yes! For a busy mom like me convenience is key, and if I can save time like cutting out the time it takes to make a pie sauce then I'm all for it.

Sydney the owner was kind enough to send over a few samples and we've only tried the apple spice so far, but let me tell you right off the bat what I thought. Delish! 

All the ingredients I used besides the pie mix were 9 granny smith apples and a pillsbury refrigerated pie crust. I simply peeled and cut my apples, put them in a bowl mixed the Love'illy apple spice pie mix in and viola! Ready to bake. At first I wondered how it would all come together since no water is to be added but upon mixing it a bit, I saw that it liquefies. So cool and I may have eaten a few apples with just the mix before it was baked. 

I used a ceramic pie pan covered the edges with foil before I put it in the oven. I baked it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, took the foil off the edges and then brought the temperature down to 350 and baked for another 35 minutes. 

The pie smelled so good while it was cooking and once it was done and it came out perfect! It was soooo good. My mom is currently visiting us from Texas and she raved about it as well and had seconds. My whole family devoured it and I would have had more than 2 slices but I wanted to save a little for the next day. 

You can find Love'illy gourmet pie mixes here. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveillyGourmet

Instagram: Loveillygourmet

Have a great weekend!

Lancôme Blush Subtil Palette Review

Two weeks ago Serena and I ran to the mall one Friday evening for a little one on one daughter/mommy time, and while I wasn't on the hunt for anything in particular, I've been big on adding a little more glow to my every day makeup. I love the beachy bronzy look--though I'm not that great at it. I looked at a few products at Macy's and saw that Lancome was having one of their specials were if you buy $35 worth of product, you get a free tote and free products.

I settled on a contour, blush, highlighter duo and I'm loving it. Normally these type of deals where you get product free, I feel like the colors aren't that great and they don't match my skin tone, but I loved them this time. I have been using all the products and I also really like the night cream.

{Peche Savvy All-in-one contour, blush & highlighter}

I went a little (ok a lot) heavy handed on the definicils mascara (oops) , but here is yesterday's face wearing the pink and gold eye shadow, the kohl black eyeliner, and the contour, blush and highlighter duo. I guess I need to apply more makeup for it to show up better on camera. It feels like a decent amount, but then it's hard to see. It shows up more on my cell phone.

Have a great Wednesday!

My flower child.

{Chambray dress} {Gold sandals} {Floral headband}

Layla has such a tender heart. Currently she loves flowers, snuggling my arm like her little sister, wearing my pink t-shirts and sweets. She had her terrible 2 moments, but I really enjoyed age 3 and her age now. She still fights with Mariam a lot and screeches often when she's angry, but she is also very sweet and doesn't give me a hard time when I ask her to do something. It's so hard to believe she's 4 now. I know I say this all the time with the kids, but these years just went by so fast. 

Recent hair products I'm loving

I've had 2 of these products for a couple months now and I've been meaning to review them, but you know how life gets. One thing after another and I wouldn't have it any other way. ;)

The first hair product I want to talk about is the Fekkai blowout primer. 

Designed to deliver a sleek blowout, this priming spray wraps hair in a protective shield to prevent heat damage and calm frizz. Now I'm not one to normally shell out much on hair products since my long locks tend to use a lot of product, but I couldn't resist this spray. It's about $20 at Target and completely worth it. I love the way it smells and after using it for a month, I do feel my hair feels better and it stays smelling better. We spend a lot of time at the beach and with the sun and blow drying after a shower I was looking for a product that would help the stress I've been putting on my hair and this product delivers. 

I've mentioned before that I love adding volume to my hair. The easiest and fastest way to do it is with Schwarzkopf  Osis hair dusting powder (get it here) but it does leave a type of residue and I save the dusting powder for special occasions. Lately I've been using L'Oreal's Boost it blow out heat spray. It's supposed to provide lasting volume and serves as a heat protector. This product also has a great smell. What I tend to do is just apply the blow out spray to my roots and then from the  middle of my hair down I apply the Fekkai blowout primer.

The most recent hair product I've bought is Garnier's full control anti-humidity hairspray. I normally use Tresemme hairspray but I saw Garnier products were on sale when I made a stop at CVS so I thought I'd try it. So far so good. It has good hold and smells nice. Even H commented on the smell. I will be buying this one again once I run out unless I decide to try something new. 

Have a great weekend!

Birthday Dress

Monday June 1st was my birthday but I got to celebrate the day before as well. I actually spent most of that Sunday working (my request) while H played with the kids, but for dinner H made dinner and had bought a cake so the girls could share in the birthday festivities. On Monday we went out to eat just him and I and it was so nice to get away for a little date! Since moving to Florida away from our families, it's rare we get a date night. I always welcome a day where I get to get dolled up as well. 

Originally I wanted to do a smoky eye look to go with the dress, but I just can't seem to get it right and nixed it instead for a bronzy look. It seems like whenever I try to change up my makeup I feel like I still end up looking the same haha! Does anyone else feel like that?

24 Weeks pregnant!

Bikini: {Forever21}

Total weight gain: 9 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Yes but not exclusively. I wear some maternity tops. 

Stretch marks? You know I'm just not sure. I can't tell if some of these small ones around my belly button are older ones that I can see more clearly now because the skin is more stretched, or if some are new ones. 

Sleep: Not too bad these past couple weeks except I need to stop going to sleep after midnight. The little ones still sometimes climb into our bed in the middle of the night and wake me up.

Best moment this week: Hmm. Well baby related nothing new much to report. Layla got to feel the baby moving which was adorable. This little baby loves to move around! In non baby news, today is my birthday and Serena finishes 6th grade on Thursday so looking forward to the summer with my bunch.

Movement: She moves a ton!

Food cravings: Not much. 

Food aversions: Nothing I can think of this week.

Labor Signs: Nope! 

Symptoms: The heartburn and indigestion have been pretty bad this pregnancy. My stomach has been hurting a lot these past few days as well which isn't much fun.

Have a great Monday!