Friday Favorite | Feather 4 Arrow

It's Friday!! Time for more of our favorites! You guys, I am so excited about these tees. I have shown my girlfriends these tees, and they are dying over the cuteness from Feather4Arrow.

We have learned how much we love camping, and these tees could not be more perfect for our little ones. We're finding out how much we love the outdoors, how much we love sitting around a camp fire, and how much we love the simple pleasures of livin' outdoors for a few days.

Run over to Feather4Arrow to snatch up these cute tees for your littles! While you're at it, grab some for yourself!

Jamie is graciously offering 20% off all orders with the code: TWENTY! Go to Feather4Arrow on Etsy to get your tees for your littles AND yourself! To stay up-to-date on new styles, follow Feather4Arrow on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter!

Giving Back | Operation Christmas Child

As a kid, each year, we were participated in this great program called Operation Christmas Child. While my Mom probably thought it was just floating in one ear & out the other, I have to say that this really stuck with me. I'll be the first to admit that, living where I do and how I do, I haven't an inkling of how bad it is in other countries. No clean water, no clean food, no medical advancements. I cannot imagine.

One of the main pillars I stand on in my parenting is making sure that my kids are grateful, thankful and giving. I want them to know that they are privileged, blessed, and spoiled as all get out. I don't even mean spoiled in the sense that they have cute clothes or the best toys - I mean, they have good, healthy food (minus the cookies for dinner the other night), clean, running water that comes out of the fridge at the perfect temperature, a 3000 sq ft house that is clean, dry and safe, they are healthy and when they aren't, we have a doctor's office right down the street. These things are so taken for granted, but I want them to know that this is not how the rest of the world lives. And hell, it's a great reminder for me, when I'm having them participate in things like this, that I am privileged and blessed and spoiled too.

This year, as Maddie is old enough to get it, we are putting together a shoe box full of things for a 5-year-old girl.

If you'd like to participate, please visit Operation Christmas Child's website for details on how to pack your shoe box and where to send it. I promise you that it will be such a great growing opportunity for YOU & YOUR KIDS.

Starbucks Coffee Cake Hack

If you're like me, you've spent nearly $459843759743 at Starbucks. I found a great recipe that I tweaked, baked & ate just for YOU. My faaaaavorite is the Reduced Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake. The recipe is BIG and costs about as much as one of their stupid squares.

I found a recipe here, but tweaked it in hopes being a little healthier.

Ingredients

• Crumb Topping
• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons melted light butter
• 
  Cinnamon Filling
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 
  Reduced Fat Coffee Cake
• 6 tablespoons cinnamon applesauce
• 6 tablespoons light butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large brown eggs
• 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Bonus: 2 drops of Young Living Cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9x12 pan.

Mix your crumb topping in a bowl and set aside. Mix your filling in a bowl and set aside. Mix your coffee cake fixins' together - we used a mixing bowl and stirred it ourselves, but it might be more efficient in your mixer. Pour half of your batter into your greased pan, sprinkle your cinnamon filling over the top, pour the rest of your batter over the top. Swirl your coffee cake batter with a knife to swirl your cinnamon filling around - don't overdo it. Sprinkle your crumb topping on the top.

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Enjoy! Let me know how you like this recipe!

Free Fall Printables

The crisp fall air has turned my nesting on full blast! I am painting, DIYing, de-cluttering, rearranging and everything in between.

In the midst of all of this, I am trying to write more and be more present here. As a thank you to you all for your readership, I want you to have these FREE Fall Printables! All you need to do is click on the one (or ones) you want, save them to your computer and print. I would recommend printing on cardstock for quality.

My absolute FAVORITE quote is "Today is a good day for a good day." I think about it all day long, mindful of having a good day on purpose. I even wrote it on our big kitchen chalkboard so that I see those words every morning, as I inject my caffeine IV.

Enjoy your printables! And tag me on Instagram (@andrealebeaublog) when you hang them in your house!

xo.

Friday Favorite | Southern Girl Styles

It's my favorite day of the week for two reasons: it's the end of a long week with three tiny ones AND it's Friday Favorites time!

This post is brought to you by Southern Girl Styles. I have a few fun goodies from this darling shop, but two of them I am saving for November! This darling tee is perfect for your little ones this Halloween!

Not only did I fall in love with Mischa's designs, but we found out that we have camping and photography in common. She's sweet as can be, and is a city-girl-gone-country. Just for ALB readers, Mischa is offering a discount code for all sales until the end of November with the code: ANDREA15. Not only does she rock darling toddler tees, but she has women's sizes, pillow covers, tea towels, aprons - everything a southern girl needs.

In addition to bragging on Mischa's shop, I am giving you ALL the opportunity to win this AWESOME dolman, long-sleeved God Is Good, Y'all top. There are 3 ways to enter and every entry helps increase your chances! Winner will be announced on Friday, November 6, 2015! Good luck!

Follow Southern Girl Styles on Etsy, Facebook & Pinterest to stay up-to-date on the newest arrivals!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kitchen Makeover | Part 1

This is my kitchen. I have a ton of great space - lots of cabinets, HUGE walk-in pantry. I do not, however, have a cohesive theme. Recently, I painted our living room to 1. brighten up the space and 2. give it a fresh, clean look. This is exactly what I want to do with this space.

When I painted this space, I painted it to paint it. I thought these colors would make you want to eat. It has, clearly, worked for me in that respect. I painted the cabinets because I hated the orange cabinets that came with the house. The paint is now worn off in places and is chipped in others. Plus, it's such a beautiful space that doesn't need to be so dark.

So, what is my plan? To start, I will lighten the walls this weekend with a beautiful paint from Sherwin Williams. The plan is to work on sections at a time with the cabinets. I will start (at some point this winter) with the island and paint it Paris Grey. I'll work my way around the kitchen, and make the other cabinets Pure White. Once these elements are finished, I want to start adding things to finish off the space. I'd really like to find a thrifted hutch or buffet for that large, open wall space, add some steel and more wood in the decorations and maybe a personalized coffee cup wall hanger.

The bottom line is that I want to draw people into this space. I want it to feel open, homey, and complete. Stick around to see the stage 1 next week!

Mermaid Waves | Tutorial

This is my first hair tutorial! I learned how to use my fancy, big girl camera to make a detailed video of my mermaid waves. This is my go-to hair style because I can wear it down, or add a braid for the days when my hair is greasy. On day 2, I can usually get away with dry shampoo and waves, but day 3 is when it's time to hide some grease in a braid or twelve.

1. Start with clean, blown dry hair.
2. Separate into sections.
3. I use a 1" Hot Tools curling iron, but you can use bigger or smaller depending on big you want your waves.
4. Take 1" sections of your hair and wrap around the barrel, clamp and hold for 30 seconds.
5. Spray with a firm hairspray.
6. Let your hair cool before running fingers through it to loosen your waves.

Scroll down to watch the video or click here. And don't forget to subscribe to my new channel here! xo (feel free to upvote the video;)

Stupid Crazy + An Excerpt

My life is stupid crazy right now. I have done this to myself. Not only am I wrangling three monkeys, keeping my marriage S P I C Y, and just making my way through life, I have taken on 1. a photography business that is STUPID busy right now, 2. an oil business that is STUPID busy right now because people are all crunchy these days and want to bathe in essential oils, 3. a book that is just shy of 10,000 words already, 4. a styled wedding, 5. family coming in from out of town for the next month, 6. trying to get my house whipped into shape, AND 7. working with awesome vendors who give me awesome things for me to take awesome pictures of my awesome kids in for my awesome blog.

STUPID CRAZY.

Also, I promised you an excerpt, so an excerpt you shall have. I have been spending about an hour a day working on the book. Only my closest girlfrans are my test readers right now because they will lie and tell me it's amazing. I will deal with haters and rejection once this book is finished and I'm shopping publishers. For now, I will remain in my bubble, believing that it is wonderful.

Enjoy!

Excerpt from I Love Jesus, But I Cuss A Little

A Good Little Baptist Girl.

I grew up in a normal home in Southern California. Three bedrooms, two baths, a mom & dad who tolerated each other, an annoying little sister named Rachel, multiple dogs, cats, rabbits and whatever other creature my mother happened to be rescuing that week. I was the typical firstborn: bossy, know-it-all, master eye roller, bitchy, strong-willed, show-off, and obnoxious.

Allow me to create a visual for you, a glimpse into what a little Andrea was like. At the ripe, old age of eight, I was hyper, loud, blonde, spastic, lanky, and toothless. My sweet little sister, Rachel, was Pollyanna. She was quiet, calm, kind, unassuming, and she was also stealing my spotlight with her cuteness. When Rachel turned six, her teeth started to loosen. We did what any normal family would do: we tied a string around that tooth and tied the string to the backdoor in the kitchen. Dad grabbed the video camera that was the size of a small truck, hoisted it over his shoulder and the red light began to blink. My Mom counted to three, swung the door shut, and a split second before the tooth flew out of Rachel’s mouth, I made a ballet leap in front of the camera and stuck my tongue out, to which my Dad replied, “Dammit, Andrea!” They had missed Rachel’s big tooth pull thanks to my inability to share the spotlight. This was the theme throughout our childhood. Poor Rachel was always upstaged by her big sister, the attention whore.

Friday Favorite | Elemeno Tees

**COUPON CODE FOR 10% OFF THROUGH TOMORROW 10/21. USE ELEMENO10 FOR 10% OFF ALL PURCHASES**

Finding cute, comfortable tees for my boys is no easy task. I think I can admit that I am a bit of a snob when it comes to dressing my boys. I was so convinced that cute boy clothes didn't exist prior to having them, but I was so wrong. Elemeno Tees are perfect for my boys! Their tees are high-quality, comfortable, and darling. Perfect for little adventurers like my boys. 

Jax's tee can be purchased HERE.

Jett's tee can be purchased HERE.

You can order the two HERE.

Check out Elemeno Tees on Etsy & Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest styles! Tag your pictures on Instagram with #tagyourtees and tag @elemenotees for a feature! Thank you, Ashley, for these darling tees and for letting me brag on your shop! 

Friday Favorite | Miss Giggle Buns

Summer is over. Sorry to tell you. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and pumpkin spice flavored everything has hit the shelves. With the crisp in the air, comes a desire to bundle and layer. Thank God because I can finally tuck things into chunky sweaters, behind scarves, and hide grease ball hair under beanies and hats. 

Beanie :: Miss Giggle Buns
Tee & shoes :: Target
Jeans :: H&M

This week's Friday Favorite is brought to you by Miss Giggle Buns. Katie's work is beautiful, handcrafted, and comfy. Jax is the only twin who will tolerate anything on his head, so he will forever be my hat model. I also got a red buffalo check beanie (!!!!!!) for this little dude, and that will on the blog in the coming weeks. 

You can get all of your little ones heads' covered in Katie's shop! Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for exclusive discounts, giveaways, steeply discounted flash sales, and sneak peeks.