Natalie's Friday Favorites {03-18-16}

1.

The Caravan Shoppe

One of my favorite products that I printed on my home printer.

I love a good printable and this business specializes in that! They have such cute ideas and I feel like you get a lot for what you spend {plus they have freebies too!}. 

2.

Fixer Upper

I also love a good transformation moment {who doesn't??}.  This show TOTALLY delivers on this and on so many other wonderful levels.  I love the relationship between Chip & Jo and with their children.  I love Jo's design style and wish she would come decorate my house! If you haven't given this show a try yet, do it this weekend. It's on Netflix. No brainer!

3.

Pretty Darn Funny

I don't know if they will keep making these videos or not, but what they have really is pretty darn funny.  Some episodes are better than others {my personal favorites are Basket Case and The Pinterest Plot}.  

4.

This Easter Treat

Super simple and super cute!  Just get some orange {colored not flavored} chocolate melts.  Melt chocolate. Dip strawberries & cool. Pipe {using a ziploc bag} some lines. Voila!  I made these last year for our Easter party and I also brought some doughnut holes covered in powdered sugar {carrots & bunny tails!}.

5.

 Daniel Tiger

I am a new parent so I'm just discovering {re-discovering} all of the kid shows.  {E} is in love with Daniel Tiger.  She makes her big "0" face whenever she hears the opening song and is totally entranced when it's on.  She gets bored with pretty much any other show I've tried so far.  I really like Daniel Tiger too!  Mr. Hardman said to me the other day, "I think I'm learning more than {E} when we watch this." Haha! It's kind of true.  We helped {E} spend the rest of her birthday money to buy these...

 

She hasn't let them out of her sight since we got them. You can get them at Target or Walmart.

{Natalie}

The Hair Cut

When Mr. Hardman and I got married, I remember telling him I WOULD NOT cut my hair after we had our first baby.  I always noticed that many new Moms would cut their hair so short after having a baby. Their beautiful hair that took years to grow out...gone!  Fast forward a few years and the birth of our first baby and I thought, "I should cut my hair." I think it must be human nature for women to have this thought.  It must be.  I voiced my idea to Mr. Hardman and he just laughed....and laughed.  Then he reminded me of what I had said.  Being a stubborn person I realized I couldn't cut my hair now...because of principle! So I have lived over a year with long hair and a baby. I know for certain that the number of days my hair has been a strange fuzzy/wet/curly/flat combination greatly outweighs the number of days I've been able to style it.

So the time has come.  I'm getting The Hair Cut.  The one I noticed in so many friends, neighbors, and co-workers. The one that comes after you begin to have children.

I have found a few haircuts that will {hopefully} make the loss of 5+ inches of fairly undamaged hair less traumatic.

The Pixie

I love this hair cut! I really wish I had the guts to go for it...maybe after a few more kids.

The Chin Length Bob

I think I had this exact hair cut in the 5th grade.  And then again in college. It's a classic!

The Long Bob

If my hair could look like this with no styling...it would be a done deal! I love this.

The A-Line

Longer in the front, shorter in the back. I remember this being BIG when I was in high school. It's not my favorite...but maybe worth a try.

The Layered Bob

I've always gotten layers..but I can't decide if it would be better to let them go this time.

The Blunt

The opposite of layers. The hair cut that looks like it was done with a machete. 

So what style should I do?!  I have a little bit of time to decide, but know that whichever style I end up going with, I know it will help save me time, give me a confidence boost, and will result in less hair loss {no more pulling Mom's long hair!}.  That must be why new Mom's cut their hair. ;) 

{Natalie}

Natalie's Friday Favorites {03-04-16}

1.

NieNie Dialogues

I started reading Stephanie Nielson's blog last year when I was pregnant.  I was always pretty sick in the morning and just wanted to sit and have my mind distracted.  I ended up reading her blog like a book {which she's also written a book and I really need to check out from the library!}.  I went back through her archives and saw her sweet, tragic, and beautiful story unfold.  Now I catch up on her blog once or twice a week {sometimes daily} to read her beautiful messages.  Her strength in mind, body, and spirit is inspiring.

Check out this video about how her life changed.

2.

Jesus Baskets

 
I read this post at Mercy River's blog about having a Jesus Basket for Easter.  I loved the idea.  As Easter is quickly approaching, I have already started to look for things to put in {E}'s basket this year that will help her recognize her Savior and the role He plays in her life.  I'm excited because last year she slept through the whole Easter morning experience.  {And I will ALWAYS put some candy in my children's baskets.}

3.
Fuller House

If you were a younger girl in the 90s, you loved Full House.  When I heard about this "remake/reunion" I rolled my eyes.  I thought, "There is no way that's going to be good."  Well, when Mr. Hardman was gone camping last week, I was looking for something to watch while not Netflix Cheating on him.  Fuller House came up on my recommended shows and I turned it on for background noise. Ummmm it's great.  It's super cheesy and there are a lot of forced moments to relive the old jokes {"Cut it out!" "Have mercy!" etc.}, but the wholesome lessons and moments are there, just like they used to be.  Plus, the kids in it are adorable! Especially Elias Harger...he is too cute!

4.
Baby Lit Books

I have an embarrassing number of these books.  I love these books because of their illustrations, educational material, uniqueness, and sturdy pages.  Each book is inspired by a piece of classic literature or a famous location.  But instead of telling a simpler version of the story, the characters are used to teach about colors, shapes, emotions, and more.  {E}'s favorite right now is Emma by Little Miss Austen where we learn about the emotions of Emma, Mr. Elton, Harriet and others.  You can shop at their online store or wait until they are featured on Pick Your Plum {they are on there at least once every four months it seems}.

5.
German Pancakes

This recipe is one I use at least once a month {whether it's for breakfast or dinner}. It might be the only recipe I've truly memorized...it's that simple.  We've topped these with pretty much every type of fruit, and it's always delicious {although our favorite topping combination is strawberries, bananas, syrup, and whipped cream..yeah it's pretty much dessert!}. Try them out for dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow!  No one will be disappointed...at least they never are at my house.

{E} devouring her German Pancakes

{Natalie}