Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm
Growing up in the South, I’ve learned one quintessential piece of advice that has served me incredibly well over the years for just about any and every situation that has come my way:
Whether you’ve got a potluck event to attend, you’re in need of a sympathy dish to take to a family, or you’ve just got a hankerin’ for something sweet, you’ll never go wrong with making a pound cake.
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ajinomoto® Windsor. All opinions are 100% mine.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you just wanted to throw your hands up in the air and do a happy dance because you were so excited to experience a little change from the mundane in your life? Earlier this week I had one of those glorious moments, and it felt (and tasted) so good to gain this coveted bliss in my own home in just a few minutes flat!
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With the holidays quickly approaching, I’ve been getting more and more anxious to get into our brand new house. Construction is so close to being completed, and we’re expected to be able to move in before Thanksgiving (which is perfect, because my whole family will be coming over for Thanksgiving dinner!)
So in addition to thinking about what our menu will look like, I’ve also been planning out the decor of my home. Y’all know my love of throw pillows, so I just had to do a little searching for some super cute Thanksgiving pillow covers to have on display around the house when my family comes in!
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For years my husband and I dreamed of one day building our very own home. We thoroughly researched all of the costs involved in the process, and we spent a good amount of time perfecting the plans and figuring out what elements we’d be able to do on our own and what we would have to contract out. My husband has been a total rock star throughout this whole entire process, and has taken the lead in nearly all aspects to make sure everything is done properly.
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As a work-at-home mom who chases (or is chased by) a tiny toddler all day long, my wardrobe has changed quite a bit since I left my full time office job in 2015. All of my dress pants and blouses got pushed to the back of my closet, and now they only come out on special occasions. Instead, I now tend to favor athleisure wear pieces, and clothing that can move and breathe with me whether I’m rolling around on the floor or toting a tot around on my hip while out and about.
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I know what you’re probably thinking after reading the title to this post. You’re undoubtedly saying to yourself, “Is this woman really about to talk about constipation on her blog? Why on earth would she want to talk about that?!” And to be honest, that’s totally a fair question. I asked myself the same exact thing immediately after I typed out the title, and to be honest I’m still sort of asking myself that. However, I’ve always made it a point to be very transparent with my readers and to bring you guys information that I feel is relevant and useful, and I’m hoping that at least one of you can take something from this post that is beneficial to you.
Constipation isn’t a fun topic at all, but it’s something that has recently caused quite a negative stir in my personal life and made me shift gears and start thinking about the causes, symptoms and the things that can be done about it to live a more normal and healthy life – constipation free.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve struggled with digestive issues on and off. It seems like my body almost goes through cycles where I have zero to very little trouble, to long periods with IMMENSE issues with having a bowel movement. For example, in June I noticed my body shifting and heading towards another bout with serious constipation. (Just to put it into perspective for you, I would go 7 days without ever having a bowel movement.) Yeah, you guys. It was absolutely miserable!
During the month of June, I visited my local medical clinic not once, but TWICE to see if there was 1.) Anything serious going on and 2.) Figure out how to get my body back into a normal schedule. After a few tests that came back normal and a long spiel about how I just needed to incorporate more fiber and water into my diet (which I already knew to do and had been doing,) I was sent back home with little information and no relief.
Later that month I started taking a product sold by a popular direct sales company that is supposed to help regulate your bowel movements and promote a healthy gut. After about 2 weeks on the product (which is really high in magnesium) I finally started seeing results, but it wasn’t long before I felt my body take another shift and start having a negative reaction to that product. I felt so overwhelmed by all of these issues. I just wanted my body to work properly, and it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t find a way to convince my body to work as it should.
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Things have taken a rather large shift in our household over the last two months. We’ve got a rambunctious (but incredibly adorable) little rugrat running around the house that has been showing us a side of the “terrific twos” that has often left us scratching our heads and feeling utterly exhausted by the end of the day. On top of the temper-tantrums and meltdowns that we face on what seems like a minute-by-minute basis, we decided to throw potty training into the mix. (We needed one more thing to keep us on our toes!)
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Hello there, friends! You’ll have to excuse me for just a minute. Both of my hands and my mouth are currently tied up from participating in some cookie-eating shenanigans, and I’m trying to keep it all under wraps and hidden from my toddler who is playing in the next room. She’s learned how to fine-tune her cookie-senses just like her mama, and she knows when there’s a cookie being eaten by somebody within a 50 yard radius. Trust and believe.
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This one is for all of you warrior mamas out there who know the struggles (and the absolute joys) of motherhood, and how challenging and demanding it can be to raise tiny humans while simultaneously keeping it all together. You are amazing, and there is no telling where this world would be without the sacrificial and genuine love of a mother!
“Mama” is a title I always dreamed of having, and has been a badge that I’ve been wearing proudly for the last two years. It’s the most difficult and most rewarding job I’ve ever had, and even though the days are long and the the years are incredibly short, at the end of each day I still love to stand in awe at the beauty of my tiny little toddler….even though she just completely destroyed the entire living room with a single granola bar. Ah, #momlife.
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The Halloween season is just a scare away, and I’ve already been plundering through the seasonal aisle at the big box stores checking out all of the new trends that will be frighteningly fun and fabulous this year! I recently made a post about Fall Farmhouse Pillows on a Budget – and in that post I talked about how decorating with cushion covers is one of my favorite ways to spiffy up a room because it’s so effortless. All you have to do is keep the insert and change out the cover each time the season rolls around and BOOm! No hocus pocus or magic spells required to make your home decor look festive!
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