Monday, March 30, 2015

An Early Easter



On Saturday, we drove down to my cousin Dayna’s house for an early Easter celebration with my side of the family. Dayna, her husband Nick, and their two kids have been living in their new city for two months, and we were excited to see their new house and surroundings! We never got to visit them when they lived in Houston, so we’re really grateful to have them close now :)

My mom and Don drove down as well, and Dayna’s mom (my Aunt Sally) was visiting too!

Dayna had a lot of fun up her sleeve for the kids! We snacked on Easter-shaped Jello jigglers and pink lemonade. Then we started on a craft project.



We helped the kids glue pretty pastel strips of scrapbook-paper to a white half-sheet of cardstock.



Once the paper was full of strips, we cut them into large eggs!



And we framed them! Aren’t they cute?



After the craft, we sat down for a big Easter feast of ham, baked potatoes, rolls, pineapple, and veggies.




After we ate, Dayna got us started on dessert! She had chocolate pudding cups with bunny Peeps and crushed Oreo “dirt” to layer on top. Then we formed carrots out of orange Starbursts and pieces of green Twizzlers.



The kids loved them! And so did all the adults too, of course :)



We took a group selfie with Dayna’s iPhone to send to my Grandpa in Indiana.



Ephraim turned 14 months-old that day, and he got his very first haircut by Aunt Sally! The haircut made him look so much older and more boyish! I will miss some of those wispy blonde curls in the back ;)

It was such a great day!

How was your weekend?!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Friday Favorites



F R I D A Y   F A V O R I T E S !



We are so happy that it’s Friday again at our house! We have some fun plans for the weekend, so that’s exciting! This morning, I have a periodontist appointment to talk about my receding gums, and I am nervous. Hopefully I’ll have good news to report on Monday!

On to the favorites. . .


Yesterday, I wrote a post about some thoughts I had on generosity. In the comments, some of you left me some wonderful ideas on how to be generous while toting around little ones. Thank you! I’m definitely planning on implementing a few of them!

I loved this very doable one from Stefanie:

”One of my favorite inexpensive things to do is drop off treats to people. When my kids or I have a doctor/dentist appointment, I pick up a box of frosted or chocolate chip cookies at the grocery store bakery, and give it to the staff when I sign in. I do the same thing when I have to visit my son and daughter's school, and I try to take cookies to our local library once a month. It really only costs me a few dollars, and it makes them so happy!”
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In case you missed it, on Wednesday, I shared a thought about fashion blogging along with my favorite outfit of the week. For only $1.00, the necklace perfectly completed the outfit!  Click here to read.


I had a lot of fun reading the feedback on Monday’s nail polish post! Thanks to your recommendations, I now have a few Essie shades (Mink Muff, Ballet Slippers, Teeny Bikini) that I will be saving my pennies for!
Whatever Wanda

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway to win, “Whatever Wanda!”—a cute new children’s book by Christy Ziglar. It’s the third book in the “Shine Bright Kids” series, and we love the lessons they teach!
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Last fall, I was asked to review Kara Tippetts’s book, “The Hardest Peace”, and I was drawn into her story. Her battle with breast cancer was emotional for me to read and close to my heart. Kara and I became friends on Instagram, and I loved seeing the beautiful photos of her while she savored the time she had left with her family. I was so saddened to hear that Kara passed away last weekend (at 38 years-old), leaving behind her husband and four children. She is fully healed now, with Jesus in Heaven, but she is so missed here. I loved Ann Voskamp’s blog post from the other day, “How to Recover the Lost Art of Dying Well: What Kara Tippetts Taught Us”. Definitely worth a read.

Resurrection Eggs

A year ago, I did a post about making your own Resurrection Eggs. As we’re approaching Easter weekend, I thought I’d share them again in case you want to make these with your kids or grandkids! :)

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And one last favorite. . . SPAGHETTI NIGHT with babies! :)  :)  Always a fun mess to watch!


Enjoy the weekend!! Hopefully where you are, it’s feeling like SPRING :)


Follow along with me and my family on Instagram! @floralandfudge

Linking up for Friday Favorites with Erika, Andrea, & Narci.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Generosity

I’ve been thinking today about what it means to be generous.
With my time. With my money. And with my heart.

When it comes to my time, I am both super busy, and not busy at all. As a stay-at-home mom, I am “working” twenty-four/seven watching the boys. At this stage of my life, I don’t feel like I have much time to give outside of my family to do acts of service. On the other hand, on days when I’m home, I often long to go out and DO things. So I ask myself: How can I be generous in my community as a stay-at-home mom? Maybe I can open up my home to host play dates for moms and kids who need friends. My boys and I can deliver meals to new moms and flowers to the hospitalized friends from our church. I just have to get creative.

As for money, I know I hang onto it a little tightly. My husband is a student still, and we manage by living off of his part-time jobs. I make excuses for us that we’re just getting by financially, so how can we give to others? But God is constantly spreading the message that if we give generously and unselfishly, He will take care of us.

2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

I challenge myself, and I challenge you, to go one step farther with giving. There will be enough left over.

Lastly. . . my heart. As a mom and a wife, I am giving a lot of myself every day. I am learning how to “die to self” daily and put my sons’ needs before my own. (This is really tough!) I wonder—how can I give more than that? The answer is—I have so much good in my life. I have more than what I need. And since my cup runs over, I can give freely to others outside of my family. Our hearts have this large capacity—this amazing ability—to grow and to love more and more. I hope that our kids grow up to see Steve and I model generosity to others so that they will in turn become generous young men.

Where are you being generous in your life? What might be keeping you from giving to your community with your time and money and self?

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

What I Wore

Stripes and Jeans

I’m sure that if you told a younger Rachel that she would be doing a weekly fashion post on a public blog, she would not have believed you. I’m not a girl who needs to be the center of attention, I don’t like to be on a stage, I don’t like public speaking, and I can’t stand being on a video camera.

Sometimes I feel silly posting photos of myself in various outfits, but I want to model an affordable and attainable way of dressing your best as a mom. And I want to stay accountable to taking care of myself and looking nice, even if it turns out only my husband and my sons see me.

I truly believe 1 Peter 3:3-4: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” :)

Stripes and JeansStripes and Jeans

Cardigan | Mossimo at Target
Top | Daisy Fuentes
Jeans | American Eagle Artist
Shoes | TOMS Desert Wedges
Statement Necklace | Walmart (Got it for $1.00!)

Stripes and JeansStripes and JeansStripes and Jeans

I’m linking up with Lindsey, Alison, and Shanna.

 

This post contains an affiliate link for Target.com. A purchase through this link could result in a small commission for me. Thanks for supporting “Floral & Fudge”!

Monday, March 23, 2015

Nail Polish Favorites

Essie shades

Hope this Monday morning is finding you well! Today, let’s talk nails! :)

I love having my nails painted. It makes me feel put-together and fancy. I don’t pay for manicures (I’m a frugal student’s wife), so I do my own nails at home. With my lifestyle, the polish never lasts more than a couple of days, but it’s fun nonetheless :)

My favorite brand is Essie. Though Essie polishes may not hold up better than any other brand, the colors are beautiful, the paint is quality, and they don’t dry up.

 

My newest favorite is the middle—Essie’s “Chinchilly”. It’s a pretty gray with a purplish tint.



Essie’s “Mojito Madness” is a great green for March and the onset of spring! (I’m actually wearing it right now!) Any color looks fun coated with the shiny confetti of Essie’s “Jazzy Jubilant”!

When I want to spend less for a pretty color, I go with Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri. They’re only about $3.99, and they dry quickly and last quite a while. The brush is thick and easily glides onto the nail.




The “Cinna-Snap” and “Jet Set Jade” are really dark, so they’re typically my winter colors. But Sally Hansen’s “Pink Blink” is light and pastel for spring or summer!



When I have time, I apply a topcoat of Essie’s “No Chips Ahead”. It seems to make the paint job last an extra day or so.

 

And if money was no object, I’d be snagging these beautiful shades for warmer weather!



Left | Essie “Hip-Anema
Right | Essie “All Eyes on Nudes




Left | Essie “Fiji
Right | Essie “Blossom Dandy




Left | Essie “Good as Gold
Right | Essie “Turquoise & Caicos

 

And the cheaper options:



Left | Sally Hansen “Peach Breeze
Right | Sally Hansen “Blue Away


What’s your favorite color to wear? Do you use regular polish, gel, or Jamberry wraps?

Blogging friends—if you want to participate in our “Every Girl” link-ups, sign up to receive link-up reminders by emailing your name and blog URL to everygirllinkup@gmail.com

Astleigh and I will send out reminders a couple of weeks in advance to remind you of the upcoming link-up theme! There are two link-ups in April, so be sure to send that email :)


Linking up with Andrea and Erika for their “Favorite Things Party” today!
 

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Target, therefore purchases made through the links in this post could result in a small commission for me. Thank you!

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