Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Mango Slaw Recipe


Last week we shared the Blue Hawaiian Cocktail from our Summer Recipe Series, and this week we're breaking out one of our favorite Summer side dishes. This Mango Slaw recipe was new to us for the magazine shoot, but quickly became a Summer BBQ go-to moving forward. 


The Mango Slaw is everything you want in a Summer side dish. It's light, crisp, and refreshing all in one. It's a traditional favorite with a tropical twist and we can't get seem to get enough. 


MANGO SLAW RECIPE

Ingredients
- 2 cups of chopped slaw
- 1 cup of mango, chopped
- 3 green onions
- 1 tbsp of ginger
- 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp of sesame seeds

Instructions
1: In a small bowl mix together ginger, vinegars, oil, garlic powder, lime juice and sesame seeds.
2: Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins. 
3: In a large bowl, add chopped mango and green onions to slaw mixture. Lightly toss together. 
4: Serve cold and enjoy! 



Check back soon for another tropical delight from our Summer Recipe Series


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Monday, July 27, 2020

Home Sweet New Home: We've Moved In!


Hi friends! It's been a few months since I've given an update on our Home Renovation Project. I laugh and laugh and laugh at the thought that when we originally bought this house back in September we thought we were going to move in February. 

And were nervous about the kids being forced to transfer schools mid-year. 

And what would happen if we sold our house too quickly. 

Just goes to show you God has other plans sometimes. 

School? Well, y'all know what happened there (#pandemic2020). In the end moving schools was the least of our worries. 

Our other house? Still own it. 

New house? WE OFFICIALLY MOVED IN! 

| Cup | Bracelets | Pool Details

We actually moved at the end of May. With Summer approaching, the kids done with "school", and renovation at a point that was livable we decided to just go ahead and move in. Mostly because it was becoming tough to manage the renovations from a far. It was also tough keeping our home show ready at all times with three kids and a furry shedding dog, when there really isn't any where to go. 

| Beaded Light

The kids were troopers through it all, and since the pandemic is still going strong, we didn't really get to say goodbye to our old neighborhood like we wanted to. We are still close enough to visit, but it still wasn't the way we wanted to leave. 

| Beaded Flushmount Light | Outdoor light | Large Outdoor Light |


To speed up the process we did a lot of the finishing details ourselves. It helps to be married to a super handy husband. 


In the end, when we moved renovations were about 85% done. The Master Bath and the basement were still under construction. And if I'm being honest didn't really finish up until last week. 


Last minute we decided to gut and renovate our Master Bath.  The sub contractor we used said what we wanted to do was relatively easy and would take him under two weeks with his full team. We were on track for that, but The Rona got us. Logistically at least. 



| Lighting

The garage renovation started last week and it's the last thing on our list. For now. We've already determined that in the next few months we are going to have to replace all the windows on this house. But that's a quick project. Once the garage is finished - we done. 




Slowly, but surely we've been unpacking and making this house our home. While I am super sad to be leaving my old neighborhood and the memories we created in our old home, this has been a fun process for us. 




It's been fun turning something into our own. It's been amazing playing in the pool daily, and we've had a blast entertaining people. Having a large yard and quiet streets has been a huge positive for our family. I can see what kind of childhood they will grow up with, and it's more than made the decision worth it. 


| Wall hook | Mirrors (sold out - round version) | Cabinet | Faucets


I'll share more details soon. It's amazing to see some of the before and afters of each room. 



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Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Blue Hawaiian Drink Recipe


Last year a travel magazine asked us to create some content for their upcoming Summer issue. We came up with a fun Hawaiian theme, and had a huge spread within the publication. As part of our agreement with the magazine we couldn't publish the material on our own for one year. Now that that year has passed, we thought we'd share some of the yummy we created with you guys. 

The goal was to create bright, fun recipes that screamed "tropical paradise" - even if you were just creating a dinner for two in your backyard. Also staying true to our brand - we made these super easy. 

And with lots of alcohol. 

You're welcome. 

And since we all are wishing we were somewhere tropical right about now (thanks 2020!), we thought we'd share these throughout the next few weeks as we get into the heart of Summer.

First up - the Blue Hawaiian Drink. And you're being warned now. It's almost too good.


THE BLUE HAWAIIAN COCKTAIL RECIPE

Ingredients
- 1 oz coconut rum
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz of Blue Curacao
- Optional garnish: pineapple slices

Directions
1: Fill glass with ice. 
2: Pour rum, pineapple juice, and Blue Curacao over ice. 
3: Stir well. 
4: Garnish with pineapple and enjoy! 




Check back soon for another tropical delight from our Summer Recipe Series! 


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Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Fashion Fix: Eva Franco + A Giveaway!

Who's happy to finally have a reason to start wearing cute clothes again?!?!  While most of quarantine had us living in loungwear and summer has us living in swimsuits, we are so happy that things are starting to open up and give us a chance to wear some of our new favorite pieces.  Date night anyone? Girls night out? Just a random trip to Target? We're here for it ALL!!!


We love Eva Franco for so many reasons, but most of all because of the bright and colorful patterns she uses in her designs. It just makes them so fun for summer.  


We also love the feminine details like ruffles, tiered skirts, and the flattering cuts of all her pieces.  A lot of her styles can be found at Anthropologie, but you can find even more on her own site and right now everything is on major sale! 





They also offer a lot of different styles of masks which we know everyone is in need of right now.  Our favorites are the ones that attached to a coordinating headband and these jersey knit ones because they are so soft.


We're very excited to be hosting a giveaway for one of our lucky followers to win a $200 gift card!  You'll be able to pick out some very cute things for yourself or even something practical like some new back to school masks for your kids!  Either way we know you'll be excited to win!  Head on over to Instagram and look for the picture below to enter to win!


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Friday, July 10, 2020

The Best Pool Time Accessories for the Whole Family

This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.


Owning a pool is new to us this year, but having fun poolside all Summer isn't. The South is H-O-T HOT from Spring until Fall, and long ago I found that the key for all of us surviving those humidity filled scorchers is cooling off in a pool.


I was nervous as a new pool owner that we would feel overwhelmed with the maintenance or feel out of our element. I admit it does feel a little weird just walking out the back door and not carrying a large armload of stuff, a wagon packed with pool toys, and enough snacks to feed the entire neighborhood. But now a few months in all my worries were for nothing. It might actually be the easiest thing of 2020 so far.

I have a great list of pool must-haves (stay tuned!), but before I go on about my favorite sunscreen or the item that keeps my pool deck clean the most, there is one pool time accessory that stands above the rest. The whole family enjoys it. Any friends that come over enjoy it. There's even a good chance our dog even has enjoyed it a time or two. And it can be used in the lake, at the beach or even in your bathtub if it's big enough.


This magical, universal pool accessory is...a SwimWays pool float!


Okay before you laugh at my dramatics - it's true! When I was sitting down to write out a list of my "pool must-haves" for you (stay tuned), I realized there was one pool time accessory that everyone loves, the kids fight over the most, and we take with us even on vacation.

We're long time SwimWays fans, and think they are leaders when it comes to both swim safety and swim fun. As babies we let our kids splash in the Baby Spring Float and now they are a little older (insert big ugly mom tears) they are having a blast playing with the wide variety of fun floats offered by SwimWays. They are designed by water lovers, for water lovers and it's obvious when you come to our pool they help take the fun to the next level.



They don't look like they are having any fun at all, right?


Our love for the Original Spring Float goes way back. For years it is the float that we make sure to always bring with us. It's easy to pack, easy to set up, and is the ultimate game changer when it comes to floating in the water comfortably.

One of my biggest pet peeves about a float is that "stuck to it" feeling you get as your body leaves the rubber of some floats. The Original Spring Float is made of durable fabric and a soft cooling mesh bed that allows you to float in the water. No awful suction noise as you move on it (winning!), it's nice and cool since you can actually be in the water, and it has a soft pillow to rest your head back. In the off chance we get to actually close our eyes and relax on the water - it's like floating on heaven!


It's also the first float the kids steal from us.


They love lounging on it too. And playing on it. Making it a pretend pirate ship, a mermaid rock, a frog lilly pad, or their personal favorite - playing "mommy".

What can I say? Good moms set a good example. And that includes not bringing weak float game to the pool party.


In an effort to save my favorite pool floats for myself and my mom squad, I gave the kids these fun Papasan Floats and this Huggables Panda.



The Papasan Float is similar in make to the Original Spring Float. It has that same outer fabric and mesh center - just in a circular papasan style shape. We love packing it on the boat for the lake. It packs so small that it's easy to just throw in a pool bag or bring along for any water adventures. It's also super comfortable for adults and kids alike to enjoy.


These also last forever. Like we have a few that we've brought to the beach, the lake, and many a pool season and years later they are still going strong. The fabric has held up remarkably well for the amount of use and abuse it receives each season. Well worth the minimal investment just knowing I'm not buying new floats every single year.


The Huggables Panda is just plain FUN. In addition to the Panda, the SwimWays Huggables line has a Bear and a Sloth. If you polled any kids who are swimming in my pool currently what their favorite float would be - this is it. So much so that I had to go back and purchase back ups. We even brought it to the beach with us a few weeks ago.



I have yet to be given the opportunity to ride on it, but I love that it has a cup holder and looks super comfortable. It's the perfect size that the kids think it's "huge", but really it is just a fun slightly oversized huggable panda bear ready for fun.



And fun it has.


SwimWays and their pool floats will always be synonymous with pool time fun for us, and I promise they are the ultimate water time accessory to have on hand no matter where you plan on floating this Summer.

You can purchase SwimWays floats from Amazon, Target or Walmart. To learn more and see all their amazing float options you can visit Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter

Happy Floating! 



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