June Favorites!

Well, another sweaty hot summer month has come and gone and it's hard to believe our first "Back to School" catalog came in the mail yesterday. Geez, can they let the fireworks die down from Independence Day celebrations before they start throwing this in our faces?!?? While I don't have school aged children quite yet this still just baffles me how quick the stores are to shove summer right out the door....Anywho, we have been enjoying LOTS of outside play, a fun little family getaway to San Antonio, visiting good friends in Austin, as well as the flipside..... Miss B's first virus and Tripp had a bad ear infection. Both of which cut our 4th of July plans short and ended us back home but needless to say we survived.

I rounded up a few of my favorites for your viewing pleasure and thought it would be fun to post my favorite recipe for the month as well. I am by NO means a chef and will and cannot take any credit for this recipe. However, I will happily share recipes I find and are in the menu rotation at the moment. Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!!! XOXO

Dry Bar Bay Breeze Hydrating Shots

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If you read the reviews, they aren't all that appealing. However, I received a sample of one of these through the point perks at Sephora and instantly fell in love. These work better for my dry over damaged hair than any hair mask. They instantly transform my brittle hair from the harsh summer sun back to soft smooth strands. I actually like the smell from it but it sounds like many other reviewers aren't too fond of the smell for whatever reason. Any who, to each their own..... but thought I would share that I will definitely be keeping these babies in my little black book for a while!!!

B12 Vitamins

Ok, while I obtain ZERO medical degrees, I do want to share something my own doctor recommended to me that I thought I would pass along to other mamas (and dads too!). When reviewing the results of my annual physical, my doctor informed me I had extremely low B12 levels. She asked if I was tired all the time and I just chalked it up to being home all day with a 3 year old and an infant. Anyways, after looking at my blood levels, she discovered I was B12 deficient and put me on these pills to take daily. She recommends if you are going to take supplements to always try and go for the sublingual since more absorbs into your bloodstream that way. Since taking this I have noticed I have not been as exhausted and do have more energy! Is it the same amount of energy as slamming a Red Bull or other substance? No. But it prevents me from being groggy and feeling like it should be bedtime when it's only 2 in the afternoon. Anyways, just wanted to share to those that thought B12 was just a hair & nail growth supplement or something of the sort, because it's not! 

Trish McEvoy High Volume mascara

I wish I would have shared this product last month because it is definitely a summer must-have! I have never done waterproof mascara well, I just always wear regular mascara and end up looking like the crazy clown at the pool that forgot the waterproof mascara memo.Well, I found this little beauty a while back after hearing that it doesn't smudge or smear but it rolls off in little rubber like balls when getting wet. So hard to explain but it is definitely my favorite feature of this product. It also creates amazing length as well and is worth a shot if you are in the market for a new mascara!!! 

Yasso Frozen Yogurt Bars in Salted Caramel

These were seriously such a random buy for me that I am shocked I like them as much as I do! I am not a huge ice cream person, I prefer Dove chocolate or some sort of cupcake if we are talking sweets, but these appealed to me one afternoon while browsing the frozen food aisle at our local H-E-B. There are a few different flavors, but this one is definitely my fave. It kind of tastes like cheesecake if you like cheesecake?!? They aren't terribly unhealthy either!!! Anyways, if you enjoy sweets and frozen yogurt, give this brand a whirl and you may be surprised like I was!!! 

Chick- Fil-A Superfood Kale Side Salad 

Described on their website as "Chopped Broccolini® and kale blend, tossed in a sweet and tangy maple vinaigrette dressing and topped with flavorful dried sour cherries. Served with our roasted nut blend".

Even if you aren't a fan of kale, I highly recommend you give this salad a try. You may just surprise yourself! I personally love kale but have had many friends and family members say how much they cannot stand kale but love this side. I am so glad Chick-Fil-A replaced their cole slaw with this and I even order it instead of the waffle fries now! My only complaint is that the large size really isn't as "large" as I would hope. So you can't just get this as your meal or you would probably still be feeling some hunger pains..... and who wants to make a second stop through another fast food joint on your drive home? I don't know from personal experience or anything but it would probably be a Sonic cheeseburger with tots and a supersized drink so just do yourself a favor and order a side of grilled nuggets with this salad and call it a day. Rant over. You're welcome ;) 

Aaaaaand here is my recipe of the month!!! Panko Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon along with Roasted Garlic Asparagus with Feta. I don't have any pictures of our actual dish however here is the stock photo from the website I got it from for reference. This salmon dish is anything but "fishy" as most salmon recipes tend to be. The asparagus side is a perfect compliment to the zangy taste of the salmon, (is zangy even a word?). Anywho, click on the recipe name below to view the recipe and enjoy!!! 

Panko Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon

Roasted Asparagus with Feta

Just a little 8 month recap!!!

Well, I took a little break (ok, long hiatus) from the blogging world for a few months as we welcomed many new changes to our lives in a whirlwind of events! In a nutshell..... we finally welcomed our sweet baby girl into this world one month after my last blog post, celebrated Christmas as our first family of 4, (100% of my Christmas shopping was done online last year and I have to admit, I enjoyed it SO much more!), my husband accepted a new job opportunity across the state, listed & sold our house, bought a new one, and we MOVED. Let me just say, that packing up an entire house with a 2 year old and a 8 week old is for the birds. I literally don't know how I didn't end up in an insane asylum but needless to say we did it, we made it, and I lived through it all to tell the story! #lifeasacoachswife So, we are finally settled in to our new house in a small town outside of Beaumont, Tx and I am finally able to take a breath of fresh air! Or salty ocean air.... the humidity is little higher on this side of texas. #sweatingnonstop

Fortunately, one huge upside of the move is we are literally 82 miles to my parents front door step. So, it will be so nice to be able to enjoy their company more frequently and have that extra help I have SO longed for since having kiddos!!! However, instead of my usual weekly Friday favorites I will be posting monthly favorites since this mama is using every spare minute I get these days to regain my sanity refresh & unwind. I will still be periodically posting throughout the month little "life" posts about our family as well so I cannot wait to continue documenting our life as the Haverty family!!! Soooo moving on, here is a brief list of my favorite things lately:

BLAKELY!!!

How could I not start off by mentioning (yet again) our precious gift from the good Lord above, Blakely Ann Haverty. She joined our family on November 19th, 2015 via scheduled c-section at 37 weeks on the dot. She has been the most perfect baby and I truly couldn't be blessed with an easier child. She would have started sleeping through the night as soon as we brought her home from the hospital if we could have let her!!! Fortunately she got to the "magic number" of 8 lbs pretty quickly so it wasn't long before she was sleeping through the night. She typically goes to bed around 8 (an hour earlier sometimes an hour later) and sleeps until 8 or 8:30 am. The only downfall of having a baby that sleeps so much , (we have nicknamed her "Sleeping Beauty") is keeping her big brother distracted or quiet long enough to let her continue to snooze. #bullinachinashop Here is one of her newborn pictures taken by the amazing Brit Jones in Lubbock:

STEAMER

Ok, ok,.....I know I am a LITTLE late to the party but how is it I have gone my entire life without owning a steamer?!?? I HATE ironing and literally would let MONTHS go by and not wear a shirt solely due to the fact it required ironing. After my husband got home from traveling on the road for work he asked me to pick up a steamer so he could keep it in his luggage and not have to iron his shirts in the hotel, Of course it peaked my curiosity and after using his once I was hooked. I mean seriously I know I am repeating myself here but HOW DID I LIVE LIFE BEFORE OWNING A STEAMER?! It's like my wardrobe tripled in size overnight now that I have rediscovered all the cute blouses & dresses I can now wear again since getting the wrinkles out takes a mere swipe of steam! I bought this Conair one but have seen others that I may be trying since this one is a tad bulky and not exactly suitcase compatible.... otherwise it works like a charm!!! This would make a great Father's Day gift for anyone whose dad/husband/man of your life travels and hates ironing!! 

Conair Extreme Steam Steamer

JO MALONE PERFUME

I had to mention this since I have been wearing it for over a year now and still LOVE the scent. I don't usually like to buy a larger bottle of perfume since I like to wear fragrances seasonally and can get tired of the same scent. Yes I know you get more bang for your buck by buying the largest bottle but I usually buy a small bottle of perfume since I have a collection of them! However, this is one of those exceptions. I wear Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey year round because it is so great, light, fresh, and even layers well! Its a great day scent and night scent too. I actually discovered this from my good friend Megan who wore it and knew I had to have it. I have the body lotion on my wish list but have yet to try it. It layers great with Jo Malone's Blackberry & Bay cologne too!!! I didn't get a full size bottle of the blackberry scent, the lady at the Nordstrom counter was kind of enough to give me like 5 free samples of it and since I only layer it at night it has lasted me a while!

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey

KICKEE PANTS

I am well aware the next product I'm mentioning is a little out of the budget-friendly range, BUT you can find great sales at boutiques and online these days! I don't remember ever having any Kickee Pants for Tripp so maybe once again I am late to the party but we have received a few pairs of KP by gift and cannot say enough great things about them. The first thing you will notice is the fabric. Oh. My. Word. Seriously softer than a sweet baby booty. #saythatfivetimesfast Not only are they super soft and lightweight but they have super cute patterns or for those who prefer solid they have a wide array of solid colors to choose from as well. Here is Miss B posing in two of her newest favorites:

Kickee Pants Swan Romper 

Kickee Pants Ruffle Coverall in Garden Gate Lattice

BUMBLE & BUMBLE REPAIR 

So lastly, I became familiar with this product after my hair girl here highly recommended it. #productjunkiesunite I know I know, most of the time I agree when people say they are just trying to sell you product after you already shelled out $$$$ for a hair appointment BUT she doesn't work on commission and even told me that it was cheaper at Sephora than through their salon. #winning So moving forward, I bought this stuff to use before blow drying and it seriously makes my hair so soft! I know it is literally impossible to truly "repair" your hair from any damage done, but if the next best thing to chopping off your locks is this stuff then SIGN ME UP. I believe they have smaller bottles at Sephora and at their website so if you don't want to invest in the big one you can still try it out first! 

Bumble & Bumble Repair Blow Dry 

That's it folks, thanks for stopping by!!! Now its back to our usual routine, (I much prefer the word routine to schedule these days). Make it a great week!