It's been too long...and I'm so sorry for that!

We've gotten knee-deep into summer around here with playdates, playgrounds, pools, and crafts :)

The hubs and I headed out for the west coast a few weeks ago, and of course parent's can't enjoy a kid-free getaway without one kid getting pneumonia and another getting pink-eye!

Oh parenthood.

But we were determined to not feel guilty, we were going to enjoy our vacay!

We took in all San Fran had...we were total tourists, walking the streets with our unfolded maps, taking the ferry to alcatraz, checking the golden gate bridge, sausalito and of course the red woods :)

It was 5 jam-packed days, but it was so much fun! A little awkward finding our groove in the beginning since me and the hubs are so used to it just being us PLUS 3 kids! We found our groove though, and really enjoyed spending time with eachother

We didn't realize how much we actually needed some "us" time until we were there!

Special thanks to my mom for watching the girls during our getaway :)

Now we're gearing up for a family trip to North Carolina to celebrate our nieces birthday and then it's back home to celebrate the twins turning 2! 

2!

crazy! Then the girls will be off to a new morning program we just signed them up for!!!

Lots of fun stuff coming up and  I'm ready! I'm also ready for fall and pumpkins, and baking, and did I mention Christmas???

Yep, I'm ready for Christmas :)

Friday's Five!

My top 5 for the week...

1) Old Navy

have you been there recently?? I've always loved their kid clothes, but they have got some bangin' styles for women as well. LOVE! Lots of cute flowey (apparently this is not a word according to spell check) tops (which when you have 3 kids, is a must in your wardrobe) and adorable colored jeans that are all the rage right now...head on over!

2) Naptime Missions- my new summer resolution: get something productive done in the house while kids are sleeping, yesterday was re-organizing my pantry...

YIKES! It was a tad bit out of hand, but now...

It's gorgeous, and makes me happy whenever I sneak in there for a snack!

3) Pool time!

When we're not at the neighborhood pool or at my parents house using their pool,  it's nice to have an inflatable hippo pool you can throw in your back yard on these 100+ degree days! This one is from Target, and we have gotten our money's worth :)

4) Instagram!

I'm a little late to the party, I know, but I love this thing! It's so much fun putting different filters on the pictures and making them look perfect....like this one

and this one...

All 3 girls on the 4th of July before we headed out to the neighborhood parade!

Which brings me to #5

5) Independence Day!

I hope yours was filled with fireworks, good food, and good company :)

Feeling Fancy

I just ordered some awesome prints off Etsy, and had to share!

We are about to re-do the Big Girl's Room since she's ready to toss the toddler bed for a twin sized bed..

I fell in love with these prints, I love the colors and I love the perspective they are shot from :)

I ordered the bottom print for MY bedroom!

We have been in our house almost 3 years, and still we have nothing on the walls in our bedroom (gasp)

I feel like this is a good starting point, it's fun, romantic, and vintage which are 3 things that I love!

The top 3 prints are from, here

and the bottom print can be found, here

Enjoy!

Aunty Em, Aunty Em!!!!

Sorry for the delay in posts...we've been dealing with tornado's over here!

In Richmond, VA !?!?!?

The hubs had foot surgery friday so the big girl spent the weekend with the grandparents, and it was just us and the twins.

Friday night around 11 p.m. we had a SEVERE Thunderstorm warning.

Now, I love thunderstorms as much as the next girl, but this storm was CRAZY! Our house is surrounded by trees, so when we were watching the news, and our trusted weather man said to brace for 80+ mph winds, we got a little nervous, and when we looked outside and saw the trees bending over, we got really nervous.

Nervous enough to wake the babies up and huddle in the downstairs bathroom until the storm passed.

As if that wasn't enough excitement, Saturday came and when 7:30 p.m. rolled around, a tornado touched down a few miles from our house.

I have never been so scared.

Again, we were huddled in the downstairs bathroom, as the house shook, and we could hear limbs and debris hit the house.  Luckily no major damage at our house, just some downed limbs, the kids outside play equipment got picked up and tossed all over the yard, but those things can be cleaned up.

Some of our neighbors experienced down trees, and while we didn't lose our power, tons of people in the area did, and they are still out.

I can't even explain the feeling of helplessness, when your sitting huddled in a bathroom clutching your child and praying that mother nature passes your house.

Especially as a mother, feeling out of control when it comes to the safety and well-being of your children is the MOST frightening thing in the world!

Of course, we've been battling sweltering heat down here in the south, 101+ days, which has been contributing to our crazy storm activity.

I hope everyone who has been in the path of these storms is safe and doing well, and hopefully we will find relief from this crazy heat soon!!!!

FLASH SALE

I love fan favorite sales, because YOU get to pick the items you want discounted!!!!

The results are in, and sale prices are good until Thursday, so don't miss out!

Shop at www.stelladot.com/jamie

These are great pieces, and simple ways to add some flare to any summertime outfit :) I wear my labrodorite ring all the time!

Get on it!

Favorites, Friday!

Happy Friday! 

This week has brought a lot to love, but here's just a few snippets....

1) Lulu's Creamery

This isn't a chain, so you can only enjoy if you're a Richmond local (sorry)! Other than my house, this is my favorite place to be! They make they're own ice cream, whip cream, and roast their coffee beans to order! Their ice cream is seriously SO GOOD, I treat myself to at least one root beer float a week, and I'm always in there for their coffee of the day, and a banana split here and there! I can't say enough about how great this place is, you just need to check it out for yourself!

Like them on facebook!

2) Target Bathing Suits

I mean for $12.99 how can you beat this kind of cuteness :)

3) Ballerinas

We had dress rehearsal last night for the BIG RECITAL which is tomorrow! That's my Big girl on the left end! These girls were so much fun to watch...their excitement was contagious, it's safe to say, they will totally steal the show tomorrow :)

4) The weather

The weather has been UHHH-MAZING this week! Think high 60's, low 70's nice and breezy. It's been feeling like a warm fall day, and I like it! We've been outside all day everyday, the breeze is keeping the bugs away, and the cool temps are keeping my kids from overheating.  I love summer, but I dread the scorching heat we get here in the south, so it's nice to have a nice laid back and breezy week!

5) San Francisco!

We are heading to sunny San Fran in August (sans kids) for my husband's cousin's wedding! I'm so excited, although I'm nervous about leaving the kids, I'm excited to have some grown-up time as well :)

Happy Friday!

Filling the void..

So, I've been on a book kick lately! 

It started with the Hunger Games, continued with 50 shades of Grey, and ended with the Twilight Series and now I have a major void in my life.

I've started reading a biography on Catherine the Great, it's really good (I'm a history buff, so don't roll your eyes, I enjoy reading this kind of stuff)!

Anyways, it's really good, but I want another fiction story/series that really gets me hooked.

A friend of mine told me about this site, What should I read next?

you type in the book you've just finished and then it pulls up recommended books to read!

Genius!

So, when I typed in Hunger Games, I had a few suggestions, but this one caught my eye....

I love the show (don't tell me ANYTHNG, I haven't watched the finale yet) so I think the books will probably be amazing, and it's a nice long story for me to get good and settled in to.

When I typed in 50 shades of Grey, this caught my eye...

I haven't heard of this, but it seems intriguing.

I'm not one to quit a book in the middle, so once I finish reading about good ole' Catherine, I'll be moving on to one of these series!

Which one to start first???