Headband & Turban Giveaway with J. Lovan!

Hey, friends! I am so excited to be hosting a very special giveaway this week! My friend, Julia, is the lead designer of the lifestyle company, J. Lovan Designs. Her Midwest-based business offers a range of clothing, accessories, & home items made locally from sustainable materials.

The new Fall line & website will launch sometime in September, but some teaser pics will be sprinkled across the web under the hashtag #ProjectLov until then.

I am wearing:

Headband - J. Lovan Red Velvet Headband
Necklace - ViBella Santa Fe Necklace"
Top - J. Crew (thrifted)
Bracelet - Purchased in an Italian market

This girl is ALL ABOUT anything that sparkles so, naturally, she ADORED wearing this headband. If you are interested in purchasing a child-sized headband, J. Lovan will do customized orders upon request.

Ruby is wearing:

Headband - J. Lovan Gold Glitter Headband

Dress - Crewcuts (hand-me-down)

Shoes - Kenneth Cole Reaction (hand-me-down)

Like what you see? Well, YOU could be the lucky winner of this pink polka-dot turban AND red velvet headband! Simply 'Like' LoVan Designs on Facebook & let me know if you did in the comment section here. One winner will be drawn at random. Giveaway closes at Midnight, September 30th. Winner will be announced on September 1st.

Julia is also offering a special discount in her online shop for soZealous readers! Enter coupon code "soZealous25" for an additional 25% off your order. Now go buy some pretty things & enter to win! xx

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ruby!

I can & can't believe we have a 3 year old now. It feels like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital...but it's also hard to imagine a time when Ruby (or Sterling) wasn't around. Just one of those weird, parental time-space continuum sort of things. Like the whole thing about life flying by even faster when you have kids...? Well, it's true.

We thought it would be super fun this year for Ruby to go on a camel ride at the zoo for her birthday. Our family has a membership this year, so it's not uncommon to swing by to see the animals for a bit. We don't always partake in the extra special, paid activities though.

As I look a this photo, I see a Mom setting the birthday bar a little high. Admitting it is the first step, right?

After the zoo, we had a small birthday dinner & celebration with our immediate families at home. We decided that until Ruby is old enough to invite her own friends, we'd avoid the drama of forgetting to invite somebody.

I was fortunate that Sara's baby shower was just a few days prior, so my house was still relatively clean and I was able to carry over some of the party decor.

Happy Birthday, dear girl. You make our lives so very sweet. Hope this is your best year yet! xx

Orchard Day [2/31].

Since becoming a SAHM, I've been able to join the mom's playgroup from our church. The whole thing is a little out of my comfort zone, but it's been good to get to know more like-minded mamas and break up the week with a fun activity for the kids. This week, we trekked to Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, IA. 

Few things beat Fall in Iowa. I never realized how cleansing it is to have four definitive seasons until I spent a year in New Zealand. I'm a visual person, so to witness the changing landscape throughout the year is like reading chapters in a book. And Autumn, BY FAR, if my favorite. 

We took Ruby to Center Grove when she was a baby, so to see her this time old enough to embrace all of it's amusements and enjoy them with her friends warms this mama's heart.

My friend Shana, and fellow playgroup Mama, taught me a new trick today. How to get your kid to look at you when taking their picture. Just say, "Look at my nose!" Even if it means your child will translate it as an invitation to touch their own nose, there's a better chance of them facing your general direction;)

The biggest trampoline EVER. Worth the admission price alone.

I'm pretty sure this girl would fit right in on a farm. 

I forgot to add that I forgot to bring sunscreen! Mama fail. Temps climbed up to the mid-eighties and poor Ruby had to wear a jacket most of the day. Note to self: always bring sunscreen.

Chillin' in the corn pool. Also worth the admission price. I have at least two excellent reasons now to take this girl back before the season is over.

We were both finding corn in our drawers after taking this picture. So worth it though;)

Sweet Sterling slept at least 95% of the time we were at the orchard. But he was super happy when he was awake for the other 5%. Love this little guy SO much.

I was going to write here about how I thought I was going to be a rockstar Mom and get Ruby home before naptime (a.k.a. me time) and how she decided she wasn't going to take a nap and how frustrating that was, but duty calls. I've got Lalaloopsy dolls on my lap and a box of diapers to get from the store, else we might not make it to day 3...xx

The Start of Something [Day 1/31].

After linking up with the other 31 Days bloggers last night, I was feeling excited and confident. I went to bed early (well, 11pm if you consider that early) with the intention of writing my first post before the kids woke up. But when kids are involved, I should know better not to plan for things like that.

Sterling was up at least every two hours throughout the night. And each time I was up with him, my mind raced over possibly 31 Days topics. So when I woke up for the day too early (if you consider 6:30am early), I was beginning to feel like I had signed up for a marathon that I didn't train for.

I took a shower. At least my chances of succeeding in this day were slightly increased if I felt somewhat refreshed. I sat down with the laptop. And then the kids got up. The whole part of being a SAHM is spending intentional time with my children, so I closed the laptop. I made breakfast, even going as far as blending up some smoothies (!). I pretended to be a mama lion (and a mama horse and a mama duck, at Ruby's request). And after I tidied up the kitchen (key word: tidy, not cleaned), I cuddled with my kids on the couch.

Unless I turned on the telly for Ruby and plopped Sterling in his swing, this post was getting further and further away from being posted. So, I did the next best thing. I walked my babes down to the coffee shop.

I knew Sterling would fall asleep in the stroller and Ruby could watch an episode of Caillou while I cleared my head and loaded up on some caffeine. I am still re-acclimating myself to the stuff. I gave it up during my pregnancy, so I still get a bit shaky upon consuming it. Any little boost of energy helps though when there are two little people involved.

I also received acknowledgment of my resignation this morning. If it didn't feel official yet, it does now. We've been working toward this for a long time, but it still wasn't an easy decision to make. I am walking away from a really good job. It'll be tight on one income. I may still need to pick up some part-time work in a couple months.

But I believe that God has given me enough confirmation to go through with this. He's definitely opened some doors that otherwise would not have made this opportunity to possible. And I am so, SO grateful. I believe that he will take care of us in this new season. And I am looking forward to documenting the ways he reveals Himself to me as a beginner SAHM throughout this 31 day blog challenge. xx

Post script - The first draft of this post was written by hand.

Ruby's 2nd Birthday Party!

The 4th of July has become an extra special day for us since it's the day we celebrate Ruby's birthday with our families. This year, we partied in Union Park which, minus the stress of finding a picnic area on a major holiday, was the PERFECT location.

The birthday girl has recently developed a penchant for all things ballet so, naturally, she wanted to wear her dance costume for the occasion. 

This might be my favorite picture ever of Ruby & "PeePaw". 

Heritage Carousel in Union Park.

I only made box cupcakes for the party, but they turned out pretty good. Ruby even helped me put the sprinkles on them and that was super special. 

We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The weather was amazing, we had a great spot in the park, and the kids enjoyed all the fun things Union Park has to offer. 

We are SO thankful for all the people in Ruby's life that love & care for her so much. I'll never forget the smile on her face when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Warms this Mama's heart:)

Hope this was the best birthday yet, sweet Ruby Jayne! xx 

Hey, Everybody! We have a TWO YEAR OLD!!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is two years old. Ruby wears pigtails, sings songs while she's coloring, and sleeps in a big girl bed now.

Watching her grow up is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It's a reminder of how fast time is going by and how little control I have in this life. Oh, but this girl has made our lives so sweet. SO very sweet.

Ruby's day of birth was celebrated by meeting up for lunch with Daddy in the beautiful Better Homes & Gardens Test Gardens at Meredith.

We feasted on gourmet hot dogs from Hot Shots and Creme cupcakes (which would have been pictured if I hadn't dropped the box on the ground).

Ruby had a bit of a fever this day, but the sunshine did her good. She wanted to swim in the fountain so badly.

After lunch, we strolled through the garden and took notes of any flowers we may want to integrate into our own landscaping projects. 

Thank God for you, sweet girl. It is my joy to be your Mama, Ruby. xx