Confessing my Love for Ju Ju Be.

My new favorite diaper bags:



And how cute is that song?! Love it.

I think I've become obsessed with this company. Okay, I have. Kind of embarrassing, but really, I have.

Honestly, (in my opinion) as far as functionality and loveability (I just made that up... but come on! ... a Mommy pocket in most bags, and the bags are machine washable?!? HELLO!??!), they blow Petunia Pickle Bottom and Coach's diaper bags out of the water! They're awesome.

That is all. :-)

PhotoBoothing with Hattie at 8 mos.

Every month, I try to come up with something different to get her to smile for the camera.

But she's had a fever off and on (she *is* cutting four teeth, but I don't think that's what's causing the fever) 

for the last week, so she's a bit... not herself. :-(

Then again, I'm sick too, so maybe we're both just a couple of sickies right now. :-p

(Please pay no attention to the water stain on the carpet. Oy.)

This pretty much captures her look most of the time right now... :-(

But she's usually in pretty good spirits, despite her fever. :-)

This is where I place my chapstick on top of the camera... LOL. ;-) 

(Man, she LOVES that chapstick! ;-) )

Then it's time to chew on something...

 Ah yes, here we go...

the more she stares at herself on the screen, the happier she gets. LOL.

And when she gets excited, she claps her hands...

Then I decide to tickle her,

and she erupts into hysterics. LOL.

Oh, I love her little laugh... and her blurry little self. ;-)

Finding Navy Things for Hattie.

I *love* putting Hattie in blue. LOVE.

Maybe it's because she has beautiful, blue eyes, 

but I think even if her eyes were a different color,

I'd still want to dress her in lots of blue.

Because blue is my favorite color. :-)

And when I see something in navy, well...

umm... let's just say I have a *very* difficult time

restraining myself. LOL. :-p

Cute blue stuff I've found...

Adorable suit from Janie and Jack. 

I'm not too keen on 2-pieces (especially for babies :-p ), but still, this is adorable. :-)

Too bad I've already bought Hattie several bathing suits for the summer.

(Jeremy's parents have a pool! :-D )

I think I spent less money on FOUR bathing suits, 

than the price of this *one.* Hee hee.

I'm such a sucker for bucket hats for babies.

Hattie has two, and if I find one like this one (from Mini Boden) in a store,

I'd probably buy it. :-)

Oh, sweet florals and faded blues. 

Be still my blue-loving heart. :-D

These overalls are also from Mini Boden.

A little out of my price range, but adorable nonetheless.

A friend lent us an *adorable* vintage, navy, sailor dress

(similar to this one, but has a red bow),

and I can't wait for her to wear it!

I found this one on Etsy, and it's precious. :-)

I had some very similar to these Saltwater sandals when I was a little girl!

I had them in white though. :-p

I would have *loved* to find them in navy (for less),

but... no such luck yet.

I *did* find them in white (her size) on ebay for less than half of retail.

I snatched them up. :-D

(I did find her some cute navy sandals, like these though! ;-) )

Oh my. 

When I saw this romper, I knew I *had* to get it for her.

I waited till it was 40% off. Hee hee. :-)

And last, but certainly not least...

don't forget about navy pajamas!

Hattie sleeps best when the house is cold, 

but she is toasty warm in long jammies.

Couldn't resist these... navy *and* seahorses? Yes, please. :-)

So do you find *your*self gravitating toward a certain color or shade

for you or your kids?

And see any adorable blue clothes/accessories for girls lately?

Link me up! :-)

Dealing with the Sickies.

I've had a poor, sick baby for the last few days. :-(

It's amazing how red her face got... and how pitiful she looks. 

Cuddling with the kitty totally made her feel better though. :-) 

But just being pulled-on wasn't enough for Kissa...

She had to rub herself all along Hattie's body. LOL. 

Too funny. :-p

Hattie's fever has broken as of tonight though, 

and I think she's starting to feel better too. Yay. :-)

Organizing the Master Bathroom.

Need some help organizing your bathroom? ;-)

Ours was in need of some revamping. Okay, so I'm pretty organized, but hubby's side seems to 

be in disarray every few months. He's very neat, clean and organized too, but...

well, sometimes he just gets... busy. ;-)

*Unless noted, containers/bins are from The Container Store. :)

His side:

On top of his sink, *Before*...

And *After*...

His side: drawers and top of counter, *Before*...

And *After*...

(I put my toothbrush in here too. Made more sense to me...) 

Second drawer, "Before"...

I moved the first aid supplies (from my side of the cabinet) to the bottom drawer,

and I moved the trimmer (which is missing from above photo

because it was in use) and dog stuff to the other bathroom.

And *After*...

Close-up:

Under his sink:

(This shot of the "before" pretty much stayed the same, so I don't have an "after" shot.

I just moved the extra "feminine stuff" to the linen closet instead...)

And my side:

On top of sink *After*...

(didn't take a before shot because the only thing I did was remove the blow dryer... LOL. :-p )

And my jewelry essentials (plus tweezers/nail clippers):

(When it comes to earrings, I usually wear one of three pairs,

so I just keep those in little Amac boxes on the left.)

My main drawer, *Before*.... 

And *After*...

(These baskets, from Ikea, were actually holding first aid supplies at first,

but I much prefer them in *my* drawer. So pretty. :-) )

Believe it or not, those are ALL the things I use on a daily basis:

my lotions, perfumes, make-up, etc. 

I used to have LOTS more,

but I just tossed everything I wasn't using. 

Love keeping it simple. :-D 

Back basket has eye cream, baby shampoo [to remove eye makeup], and blemish cream. 

Right basket has 2 perfumes, deodorant, 

sunscreen, and two facial moisturizers.

Front basket holds my makeup bag [Vera Bradley], 

and I only own *one of each* of the essentials: 

foundation, concealer, loose powder (translucent), 

blush, mascara, eye lash curler, concealer brush,

blush brush, foundation brush, 

eye shadow, chapstick, lip color/gloss. 

I *may* have an eye pencil, but I don't remember... LOL.

LOVE that I only have one bag of makeup, so I can just "grab and go" if I need to. 

99% of the time, I just wear concealer (under eyes only), blush and lip gloss/chapstick. :-p

My bottom drawer, *After*...

(Forgot the before shot, but it was all the first aid supplies.)

I'm addicted to Halls Breezers, so I always have a stash. LOL. ;-)

Under my sink (this didn't need organizing...) 

Hair barrettes, bobby pins, elastics are in left basket.

Nail polish, nail polish remover and files are in right basket.

Jewelry (other than daily essentials) are in the drawers (from Ikea).

 In top jewelry drawer: 

Bottom jewelry drawer: 

With top jewelry tray removed:

That's about it! 

Medications and other first aid supplies are kept in the linen closet

(which is also in our bathroom).

I'll be posting that soon! :-)

Hope this gave you some good organizational ideas!

Do you struggle with your bathroom organization, 

or do you feel like you have a handle on it?

Touring the Master Bathroom.

I thought it would be cool to do room tours on my blog. :-)

Kinda random, but I wanted to show our master bathroom today...

My side of the sink... (basket [similar to this one] holds mousse, hairbrushes, scissors)

Closeup of center:

soap pump, silk flowers in Ball jar, 

Ralph Lauren candle, Ralph Lauren fabric box (candle came in this; it now holds clothing tags)

small basket filled with everyday essentials:

earrings, barrettes, favorite bracelet, tweezers, nail clippers 

 Box on top of toilet came from Ross Clearance for $10.

Holds random lotions and scrubs.

Jeremy's basket holds his daily essentials:

deodorant, face wash, meds, etc.

This came from a garage sale...

Box to hold magazines and after-shower tile spray (had just cleaned it out, sorry :-p )

Trash can from Pier 1.

Little "Hope" bear. I just think he's so cute, and didn't know where else to put him.

Hey, he matches! ;-)

Mirror and shelf from IKEA. 

Mix and match towels. 

To the left of window....

To the right of window... 

Jute bath mat (we just lay a towel down on top of this,

and that way it's SO much easier to toss a small towel in the wash, 

than a bath rug. ;-)

That's it! Hope you enjoyed the tour! :-)

Growing Up: Hattie at Eight Months

Happy 8 Months to Miss Hattie Camille!

She's 28.5 inches long. (90% percentile)

She's 16 pounds, 7 ounces. (30% percentile)

She's very curious and interested in everything... seems to be taking in everything ...

Favorite toys: balls (her bowls that snap together to make balls...), purple chimpanzee "Chimpy," toy cell phone, toy piano.

Favorite books: still Goodnight Moon and Babies. 

And now she loves Jillian Jiggs too. 
(It surprises me that she can sit through this WHOLE book!)



Favorite things to do: Skype, look at photos, crawl around the house,

pet the animals (the dogs are over it, the cat still loves it! LOL.)


I said it two months ago, but I'll say it again, this child LOOOOVES photos.

Photos on the wall. Photos in books and magazines. 

Photos in my photo drawers (yes, she opens the drawers and pulls them out... 

every single day, several times a day ;-) ). I don't want to move them. :-(

... even photos of fit models on the racks at Target! LOL. 

Seriously, if there is a photo ANYWHERE, she sees it and *shrieks* with glee.

LOVES her Daddy, and gets SO excited when she sees him or hears his voice
(even on the phone). :-)

Finding clothes for a long and skinny child is quite the challenge. LOL. 

Since she's so skinny, she can wear dresses anywhere from 3-12 months (depending on brand/style). 

Tops/sweaters are 3-6 months and 6-9 months.

Pants/capris are 12 months.

Rompers... uhh... I think 9-12 or 12+ months. She's SOOOOO long! LOL. :-p

(Onesies are the spawn, I've discovered. LOL.)

See? A challenge! LOL.


Has very blue eyes. People comment on them quite often. I LOVE them. :-)



(This photo is actually the closest to her true color...)

Gets hot VERY easily. 

At night, *I'm* wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants, under a sheet, quilt and fleece blanket.

And Hattie? She's wearing a t-shirt and shorts and lying *on top* of the blankets... ;-)

For the past month, she's down to two naps a day.

(Although she'll sneak in a 3rd if we're in the car. ;-) )

Still loves being swaddled at nap-time.

But hates being swaddled at night. LOL. 

Whatever makes her happy... and sleepy... ;-)

Loves being outside.

Loves walks in the Ergo or the stroller.

We go hiking every weekend now that the weather is glorious, and she LOVES hikes. :-)
(Okay, this photo was the end of the hike, and she was *exhausted*! LOL.)

Loves ALL food. But I think smoothies are her favorite. :-)

Started her "army crawl" at 6 months, and she's gotten pretty fast now! 

Can go from sitting to crawling. (yay! She's STOKED about this one! LOL.)

Can pull up to standing from sitting.

Can back herself off the couch (no help!) to a standing position.
(Of course, I'm right there to make sure she doesn't fall.)

LOVES to clap her hands. 

Can do the signs for "more," "milk," and "mommy."

(Although I think she thinks that "more" and clapping are the same thing... LOL.)

Bathtime is one of her favorite parts of the day.

She loves to splash and crawl around and play with the drain. LOL. :-p


So excited for her first Easter. I actually got us matching outfits. Heeee!
(Okay, not Jeremy, but I should find him a coordinating tie... ;-) )



All in all, she's such an amazing baby!
She very rarely cries, and she's just SO happy and social and loving. :-)
We love her so. :-D

Happy 8 Months, Little Bunny! We're more in love with you every day! :-)