Boho Chic

Lately I've been inspired by the bohemian look..but with the recent bleaching of my hair, I was giving it some time to recover before I tried the beachy waves again.

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Well the day has come.  Sort of.  So it's still a little hesitant to bounce back (pun intended) to it's usual form...but it's enough that it doesn't drive me completely crazy, haha!  You can't deny that these boho beach waves make for an effortless style.

I've had this headband sitting in my drawer for who knows how long and I decided I should finally get some wear out of it.  What do you think?  Oh yes, and this lace tank?!?  I tried it on forever ago on a girls night out and COULDN'T get it out of my head.  Well when I went back the other day, I happened to find it on the CLEARANCE RACK!  It was just my day what can I say?  Because I also snagged that fabulous gold ring and the sunnies below >>>>>

Yep, these.  There a little 80's and I kinda love them.  And don't mind the crazy shot....with these dark shades I didn't exactly realize that I was having the kids look directly into the sun when I was trying to get them to pose for this shot.  Oh well.

Have I mentioned the sunshine is my happy place?  True story.  And the reason I parked my caboose on our little private drive here?  There's a dead rat in my backyard that I refuse to go near.  My kids keep telling me to handle it so they can go play, but I'll tell ya right now - that's not going to happen.

Ha!  And I see there's bird poop on my chair.  Classy as always, right?!? ;)  

Headband: Francesca's Collections (similar)
Lace Tank: Francesca's Collections (clearance)
Gold ring: Francesca's Collections (clearance)
Sunnies: Francesca's Collections (similar)
Cross Necklace: Forever 21 (here)
Bathing Suit: ASOS (here)

Proud to be an American!

Ooooooh how I wish this was posting weeks earlier than it actually is!  Haha!  So is life.

The Fourth of July.  It really is one of my favorite times of year!  I mean, parades, good food, good friends, fireworks...what could be better?!?  Oh yeah - and SUN!!!  It's one of the few dates that us in the PNW can pretty much guarantee will be sunny.  And the sun-kissed faces and red "tan"lines the day after are proof that we enjoy it to the max!

This year, we entered our kids in the Kiddie Parade once again.  We do it every year and the kids have come to love it.  They were SO excited to decorate their wagon and wave their flags and dress up, so we went all out as usual.  We even got crafty and made some toilet paper roll rockets for a little pazazz!  Hollywood was very proud, given rockets are pretty much his favorite thing ever!

This was my sneak peek on Instagram the day before the festivities!

The clothes this year were a piece of cake.  Cocoa's outfit from last year still fit (yep, she's that tiny, don't let the pictures fool you!) so all we needed was a $6 red t-shirt for Hollywood.  Easy enough, right?  Being that it is also National Afro Day, Cocoa rocked her Fro's on the Fourth (and even won this year's Instagram competition)!

A few friends have asked me what the Kiddie Parade actually is.  You just sign your kid up and show up with your registration info (a simply form you print out online) and check which category you want to be "judged" for.  I don't remember all the categories but we always check "best stroller/wagon".  We never win though.  All the fun is in the kid's faces.  They get a participation ribbon, and those who do win for their category get to be at the front of the parade.  Then come 11:30 we all walk the parade route and wave at everyone watching, and then sit at the end to watch the big parade!

"Yaaay, participation!"

Me with my BFF who willingly faced the crowds with us!

When we reached the end of the parade, our friends Joe and Trish (and their little cutie Katie) were there saving a spot for us to watch the big parade.  Our little ladies hadn't seen each other since last year's parade, but ran into each other's arms squealing anyway!  

We found the BEST spot across the street from air conditioned bathrooms and a FREE popcorn stand!  The kids were in heaven.  

Had to show you my FRO-TASTIC little lady!!!

I promise I did NOT pose this - she did it all on her own and I (thankfully) captured it!!!

After the police motorcycles and firetrucks, things got even MORE exciting when an ice cream truck came buy throwing popsicles and ice cream sandwiches into the crowd!  My kids each got their favorites and savored them with joy.

Oh yeah, and the kids got an amazing opportunity to sit on a police motorcycle!  They were both a little freaked out by it, but mostly because of the hot seat.  They agreed to a picture and then they were OFF!  All in all it was a great day, followed up with great food, and great fireworks to end the evening!!!!!

But if you really wanted to summarize the fun, you could just take a peek at my Instagram posts for the day!!!  Hahaha!  

Hope y'all had a great 4th of July as well!  Proud to be an American!!!!

Less Is More

Summer fashion this year has me just drooling.  The colors and textures are just right up my alley, like I've mentioned here before.  I love pastels, and fancy bows, and girly ruffles and lace.  But since I'm paying for my own wardrobe and money doesn't grow on trees (somedays I really miss my high school allowance), I have to fight the urge to buy every trend that hits the shelves season after season.  In reality, I understand that most of us do.  What I have learned most over the years is that when you need to buy less, you carefully think through each purpose.  You look over the quality and make sure it will last.  And when you do that, sometimes it turns out that less really is more.  Because high quality pieces (and especially timeless high quality pieces) will last you season after season and year after year.  And that's not to say I spend a lot on my clothes.  But I do look at what they are made of and if I can use them for multiple seasons.

I love this outfit.  It's simple and chic and honestly....really comfortable.  This tank is flowy and breathable, but not too low cut and doesn't show your bra straps.  It's a great way to stay cool on a warm day while running errands with the kids.

Yes, I am very aware that my pedicure is chipped and needs to come off (how embarassing ;) but busy moms don't always make time for those kind of mundane tasks.  BUT - I did want to show you my new shoes I got!  I was looking for a comfortable pair of black heels, and well, these wedges had me at hello!

A chic out fit needs a simple hair do, and what's more perfect on third day hair than the simple top knot?!?  Have you tried this look this summer?  Another go-to for me when my hair is too greasy to be left down but I don't want to wash it quite yet.  (Sorry if that grosses you out, just being honest!)  Have super fine hair and wondering how to make it last one more day?  Invest in a little hair powder, brush it through, and then sweep your locks back into something like this.  Try it - you might just thank me!!! ;)

Oh how I love the light airy colors of summer.  I'm going to miss pulling off these tones come fall, that's for sure!  Thankfully there will be a lot of bold and vibrant hues to replace them!  =)

Speaking of summer, I'm doing the dreaded bathing suit shopping now.  Our family is headed to the lake not too long from now and my last year's bathing suit no longer fits!  That's actually a good thing....but I still hate bathing suit shopping.  Especially when my body is not where I want it to be yet. But oh well, getting healthy takes time if you do it right.  Right?!?  ;)

Happy Monday friends!  Would love to hear how y'all are doing.  Maybe we should have another blog coffee date?  Thoughts??

Top: Francesca's Collections (similar)
Pants: A Boutique in Franklin
Shoes: Target (here)
Earrings: Francesca's Collections (old)
Watch: Francesca's Collections (similar)

A Year In Review

Looking at my stats I noticed my number of posts has been cut in half two years in a row.  Pathetic according to my standards.  Since you all have missed out on so much of our lives in the last year, I thought I quickly catch you all up by doing our year in review!!! =)

2012: In Review...

January  

-In January we finally celebrated Cocoa Puff's first birthday with a huge zebra-themed birthday bash.  She looked darling as ever in her zebra and pink tutu!

-We were also blessed many snow days to keep us occupied.

February

-Taking advantage of all the holidays, we celebrated Valentine's Day to the max with a mommy date to Starbucks and incredible chocolate heart shaped desserts!  

-The kids finally got to enjoy the great outdoors without the need for a big winter coat.  

-Mom got experimental and we began another chapter in Cocoa Puff's hair journey with flat twists.  

-Daddy celebrated his big 29 with Mexican food and a rainbow cake (all Hollywood's idea)!

March

-We celebrated my 27th birthday, along with a surprise delivery of cupcakes sent from an amazing friend living all the way in California.

-We had even more snow...yes, in March!

-We Finally got all the cousins together again for a big birthday bash and spent the afternoon at a water park with all 8 of them!

April

-This month we celebrated Easter - including a huge feast and an egg hunt in our back yard with friends!

-It finally got warm enough for mama to start walking again, so we broke out the sweatshirts, sunglasses, and stroller for several strolls around the block.

-The sun shined warm enough to risk blinding the whole world with my vampire legs.

May

-In May, daddy finally agreed to let me renovate the living room with board and batten and a fresh color scheme!

-I celebrated my first Mother's Day with my husband HOME, which meant lots of him spoiling and me relaxing!

-We broke in our new ride with a road trip to California to visit the Bentley family and reunite our girls for the first time since Hannah's Hope!

-While in Cali we also drove down to Little Ethiopia to meet up with the Skidmore family so Cocoa could see another one of her Hannah's Hope buddies!

June

-We celebrated Cocoa Puff's first Gotcha Day (June 26th) with a photo shoot and some excellent Ethiopian food, (I can say that because I didn't make it this time =) and also debuted her Gotcha Video for the first time.

-It got warm enough outside for bathing suits, swimming pools, and water balloon fights with the neighbors!

-We spent a weekend with the extended family for a much needed updated family photo.  Cocoa Puff turned on the charm and Hollywood cried the whole time.

-We said goodbye to the Bentley's as they moved their family to Ethiopia to begin their ministry there.

July

-In July we celebrated Cocoa Puff being home for one year (July 2nd).

-We entered the 4th of July Kiddie Parade for the first time along with some of our dear friends, followed up by the BIG parade and our annual BBQ with daddy's work buddies!

-We finally planted our garden (we missed our one sunny opportunity because of our Cali trip) and watered daily, anxious for those seeds to sprout.

-We spent a weekend at Deception Pass with the extended family and soaked up the rays on the beach.

-We spent our annual "Church Camp" on the lake with friends and family.  It was Cocoa's first camping trip and Hollywood's first time catching a fish!  We spent 4 days, and next year hope to go for even longer.

-We celebrated great-grandma's last birthday with us over chocolate cake!

August

-Cocoa Puff got her first set of yarn extensions in only her favorite color!  Time consuming, but fabulously worth it.

-We spent the majority of the month sun-bathing and swimming in our backyard.

-Hollywood outgrew his bike and asked for a new one for his birthday.

-We spent a weekend helping grandpa and grandma while they were caring for great-grandma in her last weeks.  The kids helped pick some corn and feed the cows (with some help from grandpa) while mom and dad prepared dinner.

September

-We finally started collecting some produce from our garden - zuchinni, squash, carrots, and pumpkins!  The corn never made it past a couple inches tall (thanks to the racoons that help themselves).  The jalepenos and green onions just never got big enough due to being planted so late.  Oh well.

-Hollywood started preschool (at home).  

-We soaked up every last ray of sun before it disappeared for another year.

-Mama finally got a girl's day out - a relaxing and much needed break.

-Cocoa Puff started potty training herself...

-Hollywood celebrated his 4th BIRTHDAY in style with a construction theme he has been dreaming up for the last 9 months!!!

October

-October started off with an impromptu road trip to California for our Great-Grandma's funeral.  We celebrated her joy-filled life in style and gained some much needed family bonding time.

-We returned home to a 30 degree temperature drop and all got sick.

-We enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch with friends and lots of yummy snacks.

-Although we spent a lot of time raking leaves, I think we ended up only tackling about half of them since there is a slimy trail imbedded in our driveway.

-We spent Halloween at our church's annual "Trunk or Treat".  Mom and Dad dressed as bank robbers while Hollywood chose both his race car costume as well as Cocoa's butterfly costume.

November

-November we were proud to exercise our right to vote once again!

-Family pictures finally happened...and we could be more thrilled with the results!

-Cocoa Puff got her first haircut and hair straightening (don't worry, it was just the flat iron...nothing permanent)!

-We spent Thanksgiving with BOTH sides of the family and enjoyed tea parties, Grandpa snuggles, and helping our uncle and aunt pick out their Christmas tree!

December

-December was more hectic than ever!  Because of our jam-packed schedule we started Christmas shopping early, treating the kids to lunch as a reward for behaving so well.

-We spent the first weekend in December picking out our Christmas tree - woohoo it was a beauty!

-Cocoa had surgery mid-December.  Her tonsils were shaved and adenoids removed to treat sleep apnea and snoring issues.

-Cocoa Puff turned TWO!!!  But we had a low-key birthday due to it being one week post-op.

-We got to spend Christmas Eve at HOME for the second time EVER!!!  Mama was soooo happy =)

-Big Christmas celebrations with both sides of the family, but spread out, made for a fun and festive holiday!

-New Year's Eve was spent at my cousin's wedding and then home a little early with sick kids but an awesome New Year's kiss =)

Phew!  That was quite a year...wonder what's in store for 2013!!!

So what's next with This Domesticated Diva?  Instead of playing two years of catch up, I decided I would just start with the now, and if I have a week with nothing to blog about, I may do some flashback posts.  Sound good?  Hope so, cuz that's what's happening here!!! =)  Here goes 2013...

Deception Pass

Every July, my mom and her sisters enjoy a week of camping at Deception Pass.  Being an approximate halfway point between our home and our parent's home, it's often a great place to meet up.  Although we absolutely LOVE camping there, the reservations need to be made months in advance.  With some pretty significant schedule changes at work (not to mention an adoption that rocked our world), it was just not possible this last year to plan that far in advance.  

Uncle Dean showing Cocoa the dog and how to be gentle (she LOVES puppies).

 Thankfully, my parents offered to let us camp on their site.  Now, I am by no means a "diva camper" (which may surprise several of you)....but a tent has proved unsuccessful with our two little monkeys.  Okay....if I'm being completely honest with you, the last time we tried it was when Lil Man was a babe, but it was SO AWFUL we have no desire to attempt that again.  Props for all you families that make it work!  We just decided it was not in our best interest.

So how do we camp?  No we're not "glampers" (but again, if I was completely honest I am not at all opposed to the idea).  We prefer the tent-trailer method.  My husband's parents own one that they have used since they had little kids and they graciously lend it to us each year.  But again....this was not a planned camping trip, so we didn't have time to make the two hour trek to pick it up, pack it, and tow it to Deception Pass.

My ultimate favorite picture of my Lil Man right now =)

So where exactly did we sleep for our one-night adventure?  In my parents' trailer - which is admittedly a "glamping" situation.  It is roomy enough to pull out the couch, add a blow-up mattress, shove Cocoa's pack-in-play in the corner, and a sleeping bag on the floor for Lil Man.  All within the kitching/living area.  And my parents still have their own bedroom!  Perfect for a one night stay....although if we had chosen to stay any longer we would have needed to come up with a new plan.

The best part about the campground at Deception Pass is the easy access to two beautiful beaches (separated by a small rocky cliff).  The north beach, which we favor for the privacy, has a stunning view of the bridge, which makes an excellent backdrop for photos.  (Although I don't have any good ones from this year, you may remember from our first family photos last summer.)

My favorite of Cocoa from the weekend

We were blessed with a beautiful weekend.  Some of our first consistent warm weather of the summer! I tried to keep Cocoa's hair protected from all the sand, but it was a lost cause.  I told you this girl likes to get dirty, right?  She was dumping buckets of water all over to make mud and then would throw the mixture into her hair!  (The bottom of the tub was COVERED with sand when we got home.)

Lil Miss looked like a baby model in her gap bikini and polka dot head scarf (in my very humble opinion that is not at all biased =) and strutted her stuff along the rocky shore!  She's one of those kids that gets a constant stream of lingering stares, pointing, and whispers about her evident adorableness.  Sometimes I pretend like I don't hear it (I don't want her to get a big head after all...well, bigger than it already is with that 'fro).

Cocoa deep in conversation with her oldest cousin, Caleb

 Mama thankfully got a little time to lay out.  But a tan was kind of out of the question thanks to a certain little lady covering me in sand, mud, peanut butter, and salad dressing (weird combination, I know).  Grandma had lots of toys to distract her, but the girl can't stay away from touching me for too long!  =)

After several escape attempts to the shore, I begged daddy to talk Cocoa into the water (a panic swept over me every time she got near, and my heart couldn't handle it).  After her toes took their first dip, she had a moment of panic at the freezing temps of the water (Remember - this was our first WARM week...water hadn't warmed up in the slightest yet.  Wait.  What am I saying?  The water never warms up here.) before she decided she didn't care and splashed around like nobody's business.

And where was Monkey during all of this?  Well...he spent a lot of the time in time out for being a cranky butt and then several hours playing cars in grandma's trailer.  Like I said.  Cranky butt.  Hence the lack of pictures of my Lil Man.  But I have plenty of Cocoa!!!

Back at the trailer we noticed a vast change in temperature.  And a huge rise in the number of mosquitos.  That is why Lil Miss is covered head to toe.  We grilled up some hot dogs and chicken nuggets and had a quick dinner before we put the kids down for bed.  Thankfully, there was no fight in that area.  Then it was back out to the fire where my aunts and uncles and cousins and their kids all gathered for smores and a trip down memory lane =)  Kids slept peacefully...then again, I did shush the crowd on multiple occasions =)

Grandpa and his princess

The grill masters (hubs and my oldest brother and his two kids)

Playing peek-a-boo from the trailer

Monkey's cozy corner

And so goes Cocoa's first camping trip EVER!!!  I don't know if it counts since we just stayed the night with grandpa and grandma....but it was a great test for the UPCOMING camping trip in the tent trailer!!  And now that Monkey has had his taste, he can't WAIT to get going!!!