Magnolia Mamas

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Project Deck: The Beginning

If 2015 was the year for all things baby, 2016 is the year for all things home renovation. While we are still working out the final details of our nursery, and we are tossing around kickstarting our kitchen renovation, the first major project that we are going to accomplish this year is our back porch.

This project has been a long time coming. We live on a small lake and have a gorgeous view to enjoy each day. Every evening we get to take in the beautiful sunset sinking into the trees and the lake - but from inside our house.

Our deck, while relatively new and fairly large in size, we rarely take advantage of it. Even with major upkeep on our parts, we determined last Fall that a few sections of it are to dangerous for small children, and during the summers it is just too hot to sit out and enjoy since it is directly in the sun form most of the day. Except for grilling we realize we aren't utilizing the space to its potential.

At the turn of the year we put Project Deck into full swing, and hopefully soon will have a wonderful screened in living space that we can sit and actually enjoy those gorgeous views outside as well.

Now the hubby wasn't even about to let me share one of my infamous inspiration drawings with any of the contractors we have met with, even though I do feel as though mine conveyed the design we were going for if I do say so myself, but he and a highly recommended GC came up with the deck of our dreams.

I absolutely love the vision and can't wait to see it come to real life!

I've done a lot of hardcore research (ahem, thanks Pinterest) on exactly what we would like to have on our deck, and thought it would be fun for you to follow along, see our inspiration, and share ideas along the way.

Follow Magnolia's board Outdoor Living on Pinterest.

I am leaning towards doing a classic southern feel. Lots of blues and whites mixed in with seasonal pops of color.

I found these throw pillows, and this lumbar pillow and thought they were just what I was looking for, and then I became side tracked by another cute navy one with a pop of coral on it, so I put them back to do some more investigating.

And then I found this crab lumbar pillow and fell in love! I love adding a little nautical touch in! They make a square version too, and thought about putting a few on the chairs at the table. I'm so torn, but it is definitely in contention.

These anchor pillows spoke to me too! Still nautical, and anyone knows me knows I love a good anchor themed anything.

And I'm not going to lie...it has crossed my mind to throw in a Lilly pillow or two (or all) into the mix if I can. I think Mr. Cute would put his foot down though. The mermaid one is calling my name though, and it would be easy to fit right in the with the blue and white theme.

We are on the hunt for furniture and even though we are swinging into the height of patio season here in the south, this has proven to be a more difficult task we thought. We love this look, but are trying to determine between a couch/chair set up vs. sectional - and to do it without breaking the bank. We've started to look online a bit since sectionals seem few and far between locally - this set intrigued us and so did this one, but it is hard to purchase something like this sight unseen. Any suggestions?

We have a lot of decisions to make in a fairly short amount of time, but we can't wait, and hopefully soon we'll be relaxing, sipping our sweet tea, and enjoying that gorgeous sunset from our newly finished back porch.

PROJECT DECK CHECK LIST

- Take down the old deck. (Buh - bye!)

- Finalize final deck layout and design. Begin building!

-Have an outdoor fire place. S'more making a must!

- Purchase lighting/fans for the space.

(Do we do all fans or pray for cooler southern summers and opt for pretty??)

- Purchase furniture and decor.

- Create a usable outdoor living space beneath the deck on the patio.

- Landscape the surrounding areas.

Can't wait to hear your suggestions and share all the details with you along the way!

Friday, April 8, 2016

Friday Favorites: Spring Break Edition

Happy Friday everyone! How did we get here so fast?!? This week was our Spring Break and I think it is safe to say while it had its ups and its down it was so nice to relax and get a break from the hectic day to day. Now the countdown to summer officially begins!!!

As usual linking up with some of our favorite bloggers for Friday Favorites, but first to announce and congratulate our winner of the Monogrammed 18k Pearl Studs giveaway from The Pink Monogram.

Congrats...

Barb Gary!!

Shoot us an email at themagnoliamamas@gmail.com and we will get all the details from you for your new pair of studs!

ONE

My first favorite of the week was the kick off to our Spring Break. We spent Saturday morning at the soccer fields and then the rest of the day planting all of our flowers and doing yard work. About halfway through getting our gardens ready, I received a text from Carrie Beth asking if we wanted to do a last minute impromptu dinner with them. Yes!

We grilled out, had some s'mores, obviously had some great wine, and had a ton of laughs! I think this might be my new favorite picture of us! I have no clue what was said at this moment, but it was so nice to be outside, relaxed and enjoying life with our best friends - crazy kids, crazy husbands and all!

TWO

Now that Easter is behind us, I have officially put the winter clothes in the back of the closet and switched over to my spring everything. That means changing up my diaper bag and tote. I love love LOVE all things seersucker and that includes my new monogrammed tote.

I love how big it is, but its still pretty lightweight. With all that comes with toting around three kids, the lighter the better.

My bag is available HERE, and there is a $10 discount if purchased through the link. We can all be suckers for seersucker together.

THREE

At the beginning of the week, I ended up learning that I had to have a little oral surgery. Boo! Totally not my favorite!! I planned a jam packed week of fun since Mr. Cute had work obligations to handle at The Masters all week (rough, right?). It limited us on what we could do throughout the week, but I was determined to sneak in a fun adventure or two.

We made our way to the movies on Wednesday and saw Zootopia. I hadn't really seen any previews for it, but saw that it had animals, and a few people that I knew who had seen it had raved about it.

It am so glad we ended up going because the kids absolutely loved it! It was a super cute story and had a lot of great meaningful messages mixed in throughout the plot. It also was action packed, which helped keep the attention span of my two Crazy Cutes.

They were super into it. L.C. was sucked right into the drama, and let out a rather loud "oh no!!" or "watch out!" on occasion.

I would definitely recommend taking the kiddos to go see it if you haven't been yet!

FOUR

And this just made me laugh...

Because after being trapped in the house most of the week, it's so totally true!

FIVE

Now while I wasn't able to attend the Master's this year, the hubby did take a quick break to check on us and drop off some Master's goodies.

He got everyone a little something, and I love what he brought me home. This super cute pink pull over and an adorable pink seersucker hat. Pink and seersucker - he knows me so well!

SIX

And since I have been couch bound for a good part of the week, I have been able to catch up on a lot of reading.

I am totally sucked into The Nest from our book club suggestions this month. It is definitely a juicy little tale that I can not put down!!

That's rounds it out for my favorites this week. I hope you guys have a fabulous weekend!!

What were some of your favorites this week?

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Color Run Stained Hair

If y'all follow us on Instagram you might have seen the hair fiasco I dealt with last week. A color-run activity gone bad would be an understatement. Without going into the details of how and why it happened, all you really need to know is that my sweet little blonde haired baby girl came home looking like this last Monday and I was not happy. I was just hoping this would be one of those times that I would look back and laugh, because at the time I was in tears.

While I was frantically researching how to get the color out I came across a few blog posts that gave tips and suggestions. They were helpful and gave me some hope. Most had completed a color run 5K and most had their hair stained from the powder. Some of those people had to have their hair professionally colored to cover up the color run stains and some just dealt with it until it faded. I really hope none of you ever have to deal with something like this, but just in case I wanted to share our experience in case it could help someone else.

Because her hair is SO blonde, things that wouldn't be a problem for most other people become a problem for her. If she gets in muddy water at the lake, the red clay can stain her hair and give it an orange tint. Chlorine is a whole other problem for us in the summer. Needless to say, I am no stranger to dealing with her hair color, but never in a million years did I think I'd have to worry about something like this.

I sent her right upstairs to the bath as soon as she walked in the door and started rinsing it out. My worst fears were confirmed and the color run powder had stained her hair a deep purple/pink. After the first wash with regular shampoo it still looked as purple/pink as it did when she got off the bus and that's when I started sobbing. I told her it wasn't coming out and she started sobbing, too. She's always told me she wanted straight hair that is dark brown, but as soon as I gave her the news about the state of her hair she immediately started saying she loved her hair and just wanted it to be blonde again.

I would like to just note that during this whole time I kept trying to remind myself that it was just hair. I knew deep down that it would be ok. She wasn't hurt, she wasn't sick, and there are a million other horrible things that could have happened to her that would have been so much worse. I tried putting it into perspective, but while I was freaking out about the color of her hair it was just so hard to do and I was so upset. You see, I love her hair. Everyone we run into loves her hair, and it is a defining feature of her looks. Yes, it is just hair, but to me, it is something so special that I treasure and I was so worried it would be ruined for quite some time.

After quickly researching tips and tricks to get the color out and talking with a friend that is also a hairdresser, I began washing her hair with some of the craziest things. I used a shampoo that was meant for removing/repairing chlorine damaged hair, ketchup, blue Dawn dish soap, laundry detergent, white vinegar and baking soda. Such crazy things, but these were all suggested in some way or another so I was willing to give it a try.

I couldn't really tell what was working best and I was in such a panic that I just kept repeating them all over and over again. I only used the vinegar once though because she said it was burning her scalp. As mad and upset as I was about her hair, I didn't want to hurt my girl, so I washed it out as quickly as I got it on her head. I probably washed her hair about 10-15 times total and then it looked like this.

We had to go to tumbling and honestly, it was probably best that we had somewhere to go because it forced me to stop washing her hair. I put it in a ponytail wet and off we went. All of her friends at tumbling said they loved her pink hair and I'm not sure at this point what she was thinking. She might have secretly liked the pink highlights, but she knew better than to tell that to me.

When we got home that evening it had dried and I could assess what it really looked like. The truth was that it was still really pink.

Not bright purple that it had started out as, but it certainly was still very pink. I kept thinking about Frenchie from Grease. I had a lot of people trying to help me feel better about it and saying she looked so trendy with her pink hair, which apparently is really in right now. Well the problem is that she is 6, not 26 and there is no way in you-know-what that I would every allow my 6 year old to dye her hair pink. I was so worried that this would be our reality for the near future. From what I had read I thought it would take a month (or more!) to fade and every time I saw her hair I just wanted to cry.

Later that night I decided to put her back in the bath and begin the routine of shampooing over and over and over again to see if it would help. This time I just used the Chlorine remover shampoo mixed with baking soda and also a few washes with the Dawn. I washed it about 10 times and then put her to bed with wet hair. It had a brassy look to it and still what appeared to be a pink tint. The next morning when I woke her up for school I felt her hair and it was like straw. It was so dry and brittle and damaged feeling that it felt like if I brushed it it would literally break right off. Also, it smelled SO bad. I don't know if it was the combination of what I had used or one specific product, but there was no way I could send her to school like that.

I knew I had to do something so I began to wash her hair one more time with a shampoo I remembered that I had bought at my salon in the summer when I needed something really good for her hair that had been damaged from the pool. It was Eufora Urgent Repair shampoo. Then I lathered her hair in Eufora leave-in conditioner and had to send her to school with it wet and in a ponytail. Because it was still wet I couldn't really see what it looked like or how much color was still in.

When she got home and it was dry I was able to get a good look. Let me just say that I have never been happier. The pink was almost all gone. You can definitely still see it, but it is WAY better than it was and something I can totally deal with until the rest of it fades. Also, the shampoo and leave-in conditioner did WONDERS for the texture of her hair. It was bright and shiny again and I was just so very happy.

It has continued to fade over the past week, but it still has pink in it. I think it's just going to continue to fade over time. If you end up dealing with color run stained hair this is what I would want to share with you...I knew going into it that a lot of the products I was using on her hair would be very damaging. I knew they would be harsh and dry out her hair, but honestly I didn't care. I cared more about getting the pink out than I did anything else so to me, it was worth it. I am continuing to wash her hair with the repair shampoo and keep using the leave in conditioner which has really helped.

Happily, I can kind of laugh about this whole situation now. My mom joked that she must have had the cleanest hair in town and it's probably true. The good thing that came out of this is an even greater appreciation for her hair. Not so much on my part because I always knew I loved it, but for Miss Blondie herself. Of course you always want what you can't have (in her case that is dark, straight hair), but she now realizes just how lucky she is to have such pretty blonde curls.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Designing Our Dream Kitchen

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kohler for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

At the beginning of each year we always sit down and plan out a few projects that we would like to accomplish around our home. Some years these are small projects, and some years these are big projects. We moved into our current home around six years ago. We were newly married and even though we already owned a home, it was a home we knew we would quickly outgrow if/when children came into play. We took advantage of the down market and found a neighborhood we absolutely loved.

We spent months working with the builder meticulously designing every last detail even down to switch plate covers. The advantage of building a home in the down market is that pricing on several items and labor was a lot less expensive than it normally was. The disadvantage, in our case, was that it often came with a price - usually in the form of irreversible mistakes.

Our kitchen took the largest hit. While the overall vision was what we were thinking from afar, up close it was missing a lot of the features we had dreamed of. Long story short, the builder made a lot of design miss-steps (i.e. wrong backsplash, wrong island cabinetry, wrong color granite - you get the idea), and wasn’t willing to change them even when pressed. After a lot of back and forth, we decided to roll with the punches and just plan for a kitchen renovation shortly after we moved in.

As each year has passed, we’ve always brought up building our dream kitchen, but ultimately couldn’t decide on what we truly wanted, and other projects seemed to take precedent (hello, three babies!). Well this is the year! We have finally decided to tackle this fun project to create our dream kitchen, and are completely stoked about it. Even more important, Mr. Cute and I have agreed on design and feel that we both like! That, my blog reading friends, is almost harder than the actual renovation itself.

Our old house had a white kitchen, and it was extremely hard to keep clean all the time. When we designed our current kitchen we ended up going very dark, and while we love the rich tones, we find ourselves wanting to lighten it up just a twinge. For our dream kitchen, we found this photo for inspiration.

We love the grey cabinets and the white marble counters and backsplash! We plan on keeping most of our stainless steel appliances, and think it will coordinate perfectly. We’ve also thought about keeping our current island cabinetry, which is expresso with a bead board style front, as a contrast, but aren’t 100% on that yet. Thoughts?

One “must-have” item on our list is a new sink design. We really want a farmhouse style sink, or at least one large basin. When we originally designed our kitchen I didn’t think to measure the sink against our pots and pans to see if they would fit well in it. The current set up makes for some awkward, and extremely wet cleaning sometimes.

I also can’t wait to see our current faucet go! It was one of the things we “upgraded” with the builder, but we ended up with the basic faucet. It’s never quite worked properly and often leaks. I’ve done a little browsing on one of our many trips to Lowe’s and found myself gravitating towards two different Kohler faucets. I love the Kohler brand designs and the quality is always top notch.

The Kohler Cardale Kitchen Faucet is a sleek little design, that comes with a lot of features we are looking for. It specially designed with a Sweep Spray feature that creates a large force of water to sweep away even the toughest of food that gets stuck-on dishes and pans.

I also love that it comes with a temperature memory feature that allows the faucet to be turned on and off at any temperature setting - no more guessing when hot is too hot! With additional features, such as a 2-function spray head, the ability to have a left or right handle install, and 360 spout control, the Cardale Kitchen Faucet is definitely a top contender.

The second Kohler design that I like is the Elliston Kitchen Faucet. It is available in two different finishes that would both compliment our dream kitchen design, and comes with optimal height and reach so that we will have plenty of clearance beneath the spout for our larger pots and pans - definitely a major on my list!

The Elliston Kitchen Faucet also features the Master Clean system on it’s spray face so that it resists mineral build-up and makes for easier cleaning. I love knowing that the faucet will be a breeze to maintain. It is also designed with Kohler’s unique Scratch Shield so that the finish of the faucet itself will resist corrosion and tarnishing - bonus because the last thing I want to do is to plan to replace a faucet again!

We are so excited to get this project underway in the upcoming months. The kitchen is where we spend most of our time with family and entertaining, and we know that creating our dream kitchen will make this feel even more like our forever home.

What would you include in your dream kitchen?

Best Spring & Summer Shoes for Tween Girls

As much as I hate to admit it, I have two girls approaching the "Tween" phase of life. One is full on tween and the other acts like she is 7 going on 17, so I might as well lump her into that category, too.

We agree on most clothing and for the most part they still like have my input and suggestions on what they should wear. That isn't always the case, but I am thankful that we have come to some great compromises. One thing that is hard as they are getting a little older, especially Little Mama, is shoes! Her foot is growing so fast and it's gotten so big that she is almost out of kid sized shoes. Makes this mama sad, but it's hard to find appropriate looking shoes.

A while back we had a neighbor pass along some hand-me-down shoes and she was SO excited about some wedge sandals that were in the bag. Well little miss Blondie said she wanted some, too. I have never let them wear them before, but I decided they would be fine for church and special occasions so we have entered that phase. They LOVE their wedges and call them "high heels" which I think is just the cutest thing ever.

It got me thinking about some of the other shoes they like to wear or have on their wish lists for next fall. For today though, I thought I'd share some of our favorite spring and summer shoes for tweens.

Keens
I started buying Keens for my kids years ago and I always get them for the girls each year. They are waterproof and hold up so great. When it starts to get warm they hate wearing socks and tennis shoes so Keens are the perfect alternative. And, for our school that is picky about shoes, these are cuter with dresses than sneakers.

They are great for when the kids need to have good, steady shoes on for playing outside, riding their bikes, and wearing to school for PE days, etc. There are so many fun colors and patterns!

TOMS
Another brand we love are TOMS! They are fun to just slip on and go. I find the sizing to sort of be all over the place and not always true to size, but once you find a pair that fit, they are so comfy! They are super cute with shorts, jeans or capris and even dresses for school. Last week Jen sent me a text to tell me about the new partnership TOMS is doing with Oceana to help give back to save marine life like sea turtles. Sea turtles are Little Mama's VERY favorite animals. She is obsessed with them, did her school research project about sea turtles, collects sea turtle things, etc. I hopped online and ordered them right away.

I have put them away in a closet until her birthday in a few months, but I can't wait to see her reaction when she opens them! Here is the whole collection...they have something for everyone and they are so fun for summer.

Wedge Sandals
As I mentioned above, this is the first year I'm letting my girls wear wedges sandals, but they are definitely their favorite pair of shoes. They feel so grown up and big wearing them. If you are like me an just entering the world of wedges with your girls, I think the key is to find some that are low wedges (so they don't fall and twist an ankle) and to just set parameters ahead of time. I told my girls they were not to wear to school and they couldn't wear them when playing outside, etc. They are for special occasions like going out to dinner, going to a birthday party, church, etc. I got neutral colors (gold or silver) so that they can match all of their spring and summer clothes. Here are a few other options I thought were really cute!

Ballet Flats
Another shoe my girls love wearing and one that I totally can agree upon are sweet ballet flats. They love the sparkle and details that can come with it, but it's still a practical shoe, in my opinions. They instantly feel dressed up a bit when they put them on and they look super cute, too!

Flip-Flops
What would summer be without flip fops! We love flip flops around here and although they can't wear them to school, they are perfect for when we are rushing out the door quick, for the pool and of course the beach! We love Yellow Box and also Corky's, but I always find cute ones at Old Navy, Target and Wal-Mart, too.

Silver Sandals
Last, but not least, sandals are a must have for spring and summer. My girls wear them on the weekends for now because they can't wear them to school, but come summer they will be a regular part of their wardrobe. I usually get them each a pair of silver sandals because I feel like they can match anything and it's perfect for when we are traveling because packing one pair is so much easier than worrying about shoes to match all of their outfits!

Plus, with silver or another metallic, the sandals will usually have some sort of jewels or beads or something to dress them up a bit and add just enough sparkle to make my girls love them.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Book Club: April

Book Club day! Last year we read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and last month we chose the sequel in the series Glass Sword. Not being ones to shy away from the occasional latest teen lit sensation, we were instantly hooked and couldn't wait for the follow up novel. Were you guys just as intrigued? Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Carrie Beth's Review:

Jen's Review:

I remember last year instantly getting sucked into Red Queen. It reminded me a little of The Selection Series and a little bit like the Hunger Games series, but with a twist. This book took me a little longer to get into just because it was a lot more discussion about the societal influences around the characters and less about the love story, but I found myself continuing to read and finished this book in two days so obviously it sucked me in at some point.

I was team Cal last year, and as for this year still most definitely team Cal! I can't wait to see what the next book in the series has in store for Mare and Cal, and I am hoping above all hopes she does not go to ultimately be with Maven. I also found myself cheering on what happened to the Queen. Because at the end of the day, who needs a crazy mind reading mother in law hanging over their heads?

If you don't mind dabbling into Teen Lit occasionally and want a fast paced read, I definitely recommend reading this series!

Now to Discuss:

Did you think that the Red Guard was being truthful with their intentions to Mare? What do you feel about Mare's relationship with Cal? With Maven? What did you think of the result of the Queen? Share your thoughts!

APRIL'S SELECTION:

We thought we would switch this month up a bit and do a free read. This format was a hit in December and we thought it would be fun to do again. The beginning of April marks to huge events around here - Spring Break (wahoo!!) and The Master's Tournament (wahoo again!!). Long time readers will know we are huge fans of both. :)

Not being ones to shy away from theme anything, here are some of our suggestions. Can't wait to check back in next month and see what you choose!

1: Miracle at Augusta by James Patterson (note: sequel to Miracle on the 17th Green)

2: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeny
3: The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich
4: The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery
5: As Close to Us as Breathing by Elizabeth Poliner
6: The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
7: Dear Carolina by Kristy Woodson Harvey

BOOK CLUB 2016
| January | February | March |

Happy Reading!

Friday, April 1, 2016

Fashion Fix: The Pink Monogram {Giveaway}

Happy Friday! We are so excited to kick off this weekend for several reasons: 1.) It marks the start of our Spring Break vacation, and 2.) We have a fun new shop and surprise in store for you!

Being true southern ladies, there is nothing we enjoy more than a good monogram. Living in the south it's pretty much our birthright to have our name or initials proudly displayed on just about every object we own - and we love it!

We are always on the hunt for fun and unique monogrammed pieces to incorporate into our wardrobe, and recently we were introduced to this darling little shop - The Pink Monogram. As we browsed through the shop, our southern style hearts were swooning over all of the fabulous preppy fashion and monogrammable items available.

With another sweet baby entering my world, I've had to stow away a large portion of my earrings and necklaces to keep them safely out of the grasp of those tiny, but dangerous hands. The Pink Monogram has a fabulous selection of personalized earrings, and I decided to try out a pair. I wanted something that would stay out of the reach of curious little fingers, but that also would still allow me to feel as though I was on trend in the accessories department, and the Monogrammed 18k Gold Plated Studs seemed like they were the perfect fit.

I was simply smitten when my new earrings arrived. The monogrammed gold studs were just the delicate, yet trendy, touch I was looking for in a day to day earring.

The pearl back is unique and gives an already gorgeous gold stud a little bit extra "wow" factor. If there is one thing southern ladies might love more than their monograms, it would be pearls. Combine the two and you just might have our hearts forever.

I've given the studs a good test run, and have worn them almost daily - both dressed up and dressed down. I've been very impressed with the quality of the earrings, and have received tons of compliments on them.

I already can't wait to place another order with The Pink Monogram, and already have my eye on a few fun things - like this adorable sailboat shift dress.

Or these fun needlepoint anchor themed ballet flats. Actually, any of their needlepoint flats please - they are SO cute!

They have a little something for everyone, covering everything from fashion for the whole family, tailgate gear, rainy day accessories, and even home decor - I am in love with these pillows!

And just one more reason to love The Pink Monogram, they have decided to help share in our fun over finding their boutique by giving one of our fabulous readers a set of Monogrammed 18k Gold Studs.

To enter, just leave a comment below letting us know what your favorite item from The Pink Monogram is. Also check below for additional entry options. A winner will be announced next Friday, April 8th.

To enter the giveaway you must be a U.S. resident 18 years or older. Winner must contact us within 48 hours of announcement or a new winner will be chosen.

To learn more about The Pink Monogram:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

What is your favorite item from The Pink Monogram?

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**We were gifted this item from The Pink Monogram in exchange for a review. All thoughts and fabulous opinions are our own.**