love & lion

SUMMA SUMMA SUMMERTIME – OUTDOOR DINING

You guys! Its summer, and all I can do is think about outdoor dining. Well…. not literally, but it is kind of my fave! Even when my husband and I are scouting out a place to eat lunch or dinner, my first comment is usually “who has great patio seating?” It truly is one of my most adored thing in life…. dining al fresca.
We have been hard at work on our kitchen (I can’t wait to share), however, that has left us with not much time or dolla bills to whip our tiny little backyard and slab of a patio into shape. I am patiently waiting and dreaming in the meantime. Here are some inspirational pics that I can’t stop staring at. I love that outdoor dining (decor) doesn’t have to be “expensive” or even look a certain way. Globe lights are a must though! I just adore the family feel that comes with dining outside. Don’t you ?
^^ Dying dying dying over this gorgeous pergola with the baby swing attached! ^^
Enjoy your weekend loves! Grab a cocktail, and enjoy it outdoors with great company!
XO

THE ULTIMATE SUMMER SALAD

Hey you guys!! Hope you had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! We sure did! It is quite surreal to sit down and breathe in just what it means to have FREEDOM. It sounds so cliche to say, but I truly am grateful for the men and women that fight for our freedoms and put their lives on the line daily! Their wives, husbands, kids and parents are just as much of a hero as they are themselves. Thank you thank you!!
 I wanted to share my new favorite salad recipe. I threw this together for a party we attended yesterday and amazed myself. I am not super adventurous with salads, but definitely want to start trying to be. You guys!!!! This salad….. you will be SO happy you gave it a try! It has the sweet fruity flavor mixed with the spice of onion and tomatoes. Love love love it!!! It was a hit at the party, and I must add that I even had a helping at breakfast this morning….what??? 

What you will need….
1 16 oz. pkg. of Spring mix salad
1/2 of a small seedless watermelon
1/4 of a red onion
1 16 oz. pkg. fresh strawberries
1 4 oz. pkg. of crumbled goat cheese 
half of a 10.5 oz pkg. of golden snacking tomatoes
Dressing of your choice! 
( I prefer a balsamic vinaigrette and the fuji apple dressing from Panera was a hit at the party. You could absolutely just do a small pour of EVOO and toss the salad and love it just as much. The fruit adds so much flavor!!)
How I made it….
** I made mine for a party, so it is pretty large! Feel free to just layer these things in a much smaller bowl with smaller portions for your own personal salad!**
In a large bowl, layer spring mix, watermelon, tomatoes, onion, strawberries. Do this THREE times. Then, on the top of the salad, add all of the goat cheese! It will work its way down to the rest of the salad. ENJOOOOY!
-J
Oh…. and here we are with our littles over the weekend!!
^^ after church on Sunday! -J ^^
^^ Digging for Roly Polies in the garden! -L ^^

PAINTING PARTY AT THE VINEYARD + GIVEAWAY WINNER

Our party “throwback” this week is my daughter’s “Pom Poms & Painting” themed 2nd birthday party. Amara still enjoys painting so much! We kept it fairly simple by holding it not in our house… whoop whoop! outdoors at a beautiful vineyard. I assembled basket lunches for the adults, boxed lunches for the kiddos with juice boxes and canned sodas and called it a day! Of course we bought wine as well…. I mean, we WERE at a vineyard.

 I set up a painting table with a place setting ( 3 sheets of watercolor paper, an art smock and a paint set) for each little guest. Tags and invites done by Lauren at Rock Paper Scissors.
Follow our simple DIY party hat tutorial here. I additionally added some poms to each hat.  I hand -dyed some in water color water to get the pastel look. 
I actually cut circles out of one of Amara’s many paintings at home to make tags for the boxed lunches! It just made it all that more personal.
I filled clear paint cans ( found at Joann’s Fabric Store) with different colors of tissue paper to resemble “paint” and stocked each can with $1 items. My favorite favors were the mini paint sets!
I set up a dessert table with some sweet treats! I hot glued pom poms to the front of the table cloth to go with the theme.
homemade cupcakes with DIY cake toppers. I simply cut stripey straws into thirds and hot glued pom poms to the ends…. voila!
Rice crispy treats on a stick dipped in candy melts. These were much harder to make than I thought they would be, but they were a hit so they were worth it!
My favorite thing of all is the “year of instagrams” banner I did. I watercolored little flags, glued them to mini paper clips to label each month. I loved this banner so much!!

It was such a beautiful evening!! Now, its time to start gearing up for birthday no. 3… yikes!
** THE WINNER OF OUR STYLE ME PERFECT GIVEAWAY IS…….
MANDY LINTHICUM!!!!!!! WHOO HOO!!! **
CONGRATS!!! We know you will love the service, and even more importantly…. your sweet stylist!!
Thanks to all who entered!

THE ACCIDENTALLY AMAZING GLUTEN – FREE LEMON LOAF

Leah is definitely “the baker” between the two of us. I just fake it. I will get recipes from friends when they bake something I love, but there is no adding a little of this or that for me. I follow the recipe step by step!
I recently tried this lemon loaf that a friend made. I loved the texture and I loved how it wasn’t on the extreme side with the lemon flavor ( I am NOT a lemon fan). It is also gluten free!!! Something I am not necessarily trying to be either. However, when its good…. its good. I dare you to try this even if you  roll your eyes at gluten-free eaters. 😉 You can certainly choose a regular cake mix instead of a gluten – free one if you desire. We went to dinner at our friends’ house last night, and I baked the gluten – free recipe for dessert. I made substitutions where my friend did. It was so delish!! This would be a great brunch food for Mothers’ Day also!! I know my mom loves this.

**If you truly want it to be reminiscent of the Starbucks lemon loaf, then I recommend using lemon pudding instead of vanilla**
Recipe:
1 box cake mix ( I used gluten – free yellow)
4 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 box vanilla or lemon pudding mix ( I used vanilla)
1/2 c vegetable oil
8 oz. sour cream ( or you can substitute for mayo, which is what I used and it was still amazing!)
6 T lemon juice
Icing:
3 c powdered sugar 
4 T lemon juice ( I used less and added milk in its place – 2 T lemon juice & 2 T milk)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes ( no less)
Are there any amazing gluten – free desserts that we MUST try?! Send them our way!!!
Enjoy!!
-J

MADE BY GIRL: BEAUTY FEATURE

Hey friends!! I am sharing my morning beauty routine and favorite products over at Made By Girl today! If you haven’t visited Jen’s blog, you are missing out! Be sure to head on over and see what all the fuss is about. Thanks for having me, Jen. You are a gem! 
Have a super weekend!! Happy Easter!!
XO
-J

PIPER’S BUNNY THEMED 2ND BIRTHDAY

You are officially invited to the most fabulous 2nd birthday party for the cutest little bunny lover we know. When Lauren of Rock Paper Scissors was deciding on a theme for her sweet girl, Piper, there was no question that Floppy ( her little bunny) would need to be the guest of honor. Piper and Floppy are BFFs for sure! We love how Lauren took something so meaningful to Piper and created a party around that.
We are so excited to share this with you all…. especially during this Easter season. The touches are all so sweet and the details are nothing short of perfection!
^^ Lauren is our girl when it comes to invites! We are just swooning over this beautiful invite she custom designed for the party. Who wouldn’t want to come after seeing this!?! ^^
^^ Honestly, our absolute favorite detail were these pink painted carrots! SO creative!! ^^
^^ Right when you entered, there was a little coloring station where each party guest could color their own “floppy”…. after you put your bunny ears on of course. ^^

^^ Can we just talk about this for a second?! Each flower was handmade by the fab mama herself to create a garland along the mantel. Definitely time consuming, but absolutely worth it all we think! ^^
^^ The celebration wouldn’t be complete without this incredible cake to blow candles out on. 
Beautiful! ^^

^^ We love that there was a little something there for the adults to do. A little bunny origami 
anyone? ^^
^^ There were actually REAL bunnies there for the party guests ( adults included) to snuggle on! They were a huge hit, and seriously the “cherry on top” of this big ole fat, delicious cupcake of a party! ^^
^^ Lastly, each little party guest left with their very own finger puppet attached to a custom designed card showing little Miss Piper herself. ^^ 
Lauren! We adore it all!! Thank you for letting us share your party. It is clear that so much love and thought went into making this day so special for your little.

EASTER WARDROBE PICKS

I can’t believe that Easter is this week!! It is one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing up, going to church and celebrating Jesus, and enjoying an amazing meal with family/friends. It is usually rainy here in Tennessee and cold even. However, it is calling for a beautiful day this year, and that alone makes me ALMOST more excited than eating my weight in Reese’s Pieces eggs. ALMOST! This will be Amara’s first year hunting for eggs also, so that is pretty special.
Here are some of my favorite picks for the little ladies and gents. I totally believe in buying an outfit that my child will wear beyond Easter. We don’t splurge too much on Easter clothes, but it is still fun to buy a special outfit for the occasion, don’t you agree?
Look one: dress shoes / Look two: dress shoes / Look three: dress shoes

Look one: shirt tie pants shoes / Look two: shirt shorts boots / Look three: shirt pants sandals
Any special plans for Easter or special traditions you have with your friends/family?

STYLED: ENTRY WAY

My husband is not touring these next couple of months, which means he is HOME and I am putting him to WORK! Lots of things get left undone when he is away, so we have a lot of catching up to do. We are currently in the process of ridding our walls of the flat builder’s paint that has been here since we moved in, and painting them in Behr’s lovely “Chocolate Froth”. It is a lot of work, but so worth it! I absolutely LOVE this color! We painted our guest room with this color, and I knew immediately that I wanted it in every other room in our home! 
We are currently working on our entry way, which is (by default) part of our living room. I put together a little inspiration board of things I have pinned over time or recently purchased for this little space. I am  mostly excited about wrapping a parsons console table in fabric or grass cloth. Leaning towards grasscloth. Have you ever tried a project like this? I am curious to know any tips you may have!
-J

BUNNY TAILS AND CARROT STICKS

Easter is a very special holiday to my little family, not to mention all of the kids’ stuff that Target puts out every year is always so much fun to hang in Amara’s room. Amara has fun decorating her little tree (which we bought more decorations for this year) and hanging a wreath on her door. We just make a big deal out of it and she tells me how pretty it all is…. it is a win win really! I wasn’t super crazy about any of the garlands I came across, so I just decided to make my own. I wanted a more playful one since it was for a little girl’s room, ya know? I settled on bunny tails and carrot sticks. I simply used the items I already had on hand, which made it free… which makes it awesome!
Items you will need: I freehanded these little guys, so feel free to do the same or you can trace my kindergarten drawing HERE, one sheet of orange felt, 2 sheets of cream felt, two cotton balls, green yarn, and twine of some sort! Here is a great tutorial for making poms carrot tops if you don’t already know how to do it. Simply trace and cut, make your poms, break apart your little pieces of cotton and roll them into balls and go to town with your hot glue gun!
I bought this wreath and tree from Target! I probably could have saved some money and made this wreath by myself! Twine, yarn and a wreath form??? I went a little “crazy shopper lady” and snagged it off the shelf since it was the last one. I wasn’t thinking clearly people. 

I will certainly make my attempt to explain what Easter is really all about to Amara, and I anxiously await the day when she “gets it”. In the meantime, it is a lot of fun to just put up pretty things!!
What are some of your favorite Easter traditions / things to do with you kiddos? Any suggestions on how to teach a toddler?
-J

WHAT I WORE

Today, I got out and had lunch with a dear friend and did a little prep shopping before we leave this week to fly out to see my husbaaaaaaaand!!!! I am a little excited as it has been two weeks! Miss that guy.

jeans / t-shirt / jacket (sold out, but similar here ) / necklace (sold out, but loving this and this) / booties
Spring seems to be nudging its way in around here, which I gladly welcome. However, I am going to miss wearing my (faux) leather jacket a little bit. It is just a winter piece for me (mind games), but I may need to find a pretty tan or pale pink one to sport in the springtime. I paired it with a simple T and my new Joe’s jeans that I am absolutely in. love. with. They feel like leggings….truly. I haven’t splurged on a pair of jeans since being preggers with Amara. I guess I just kept waiting for my body to get “back to normal”…HA! It is as back to normal as its going to get, so my hubby let me indulge a little. I needed a pair that give this flat butt a little oomph (Lord help it), stay up when I am on the go, and don’t cut into my gut hips. 
This is a great day OR night look. I threw on one of my favorite tassel necklaces for a little sparkle along with my absolute favorite pair of ankle boots ( from Target ya’ll!!!). I feel like I could walk all day in them. Super comfy look, but still put together. 

lip color: I am wearing Flower Beauty’s coral floret
Photo cred: Mardi Wallace 
Hope you all are enjoying your Tuesday! 
xoxo
-Jenni

BEAUTY ESSENTIALS

{click on numbers below for links}
Hey friends!! I have been wanting to do a “beauty bag” post for a couple of weeks now. Something that some of you may not know about me is that I am a licensed esthetician in addition to my full-time mommy and part-time blogger duties. I don’t work in a spa or anything, but I love to take freelance jobs  doing make-up, waxing and talking to women about their skincare concerns. 
My little heartfelt testimony starts here….
I have struggled with my skin as long as I can remember. I have never been able to look in the mirror and see clear skin…..EVER! I am not being sarcastic or dramatic. This is all just real talk. I have just learned to deal with the fact that I don’t have a “poreless” face that tans and can go without make-up….even to the grocery store. It is THE. REASON I went into esthetics. Not only to help others, but to educate myself. { I am actually getting a little teary-eyed….what? } I have always said that working in the food/service industry makes you a better person on the other side. I feel the same way about acne as a teenager (or an adult). There was just nothing worse for me. 
 I have still not conquered my skin issues, but they are better than they used to be. I can’t drink a soda or use a dirty make-up brush without my skin letting you know that I did so. I can put on make-up and take a picture with the best of them. You would never know that I have acne scars, leftover pregnancy spots, or cyst like acne hiding underneath my makeup. My daughter is very good at picking out all of the “owies” on my face. It is always a highlight of my day 😉 This is not meant to be a downer post, however, with all of this information, you will understand how picky I am about my makeup products and exactly how important it is for me to achieve a NATURAL look without the clumpy mascara or cakey foundation. With that being said…. my make-up bag is full of products I believe it 100%. I would NEVER tell someone to use something that I would not use myself.
Lastly, most of my beauty buys are from the drugstore/Target. There are certain things that are worth the splurge, and then there are the inexpensive products that I believe are BETTER than the splurge. Quality is far more important than the cute label that you take pics of and post on your IG account. Yeah…..you know what I am talking about. 😉 Ok, I am done! Thanks for reading if you made it this far without skipping. 
Why I love these products so much:
1.  I love the anti-aging benefits of this concealer. It gives AMAZING coverage (reminiscent of the Laura Mercier concealer pot), but with a smooth, soft texture. It looks so incredibly natural I think.
2. LOVE. THIS. STUFF. BB creams have been extremely hard for me, because they either don’t cover enough, look too orangey, or wipe off on my husband’s shirt when I hug him. This so SO lightweight, but still evens out my skin tone. It smells lovely too. The BEST thing about this product is the fact that it DOES NOT sit in your wrinkles! YAY!!!!
3. Loving these colors for Spring! Turkish delight and Schiap. If you don’t wear bold lipstick, just try it. I PROMISE, it is not as bold to others as it looks to you. And for the love of Pete….don’t ask your husband. They just don’t seem to get the bright lip trend. Or maybe that is just mine!
4. Beauty balm is the way to go when removing eye make-up. This leaves your skin feeling sooooo soft without the oily feel. LOVE!!!
5. I just love this blush. I used it, left it, went back to it. It is just a beautiful color, and so natural looking. They have labels on the top to help you identify what shade works best for you. Cool or warm skin tone? LO’REAL has kind of taken over my make up bag. I use their face concealer as well.
6. Ok, I think this is my favorite product right now. I am obsessed with the twisting wand. I use one position for my top lashes, then click to another position for my bottom lashes. It. is. awesome!
7. This is my go-to powder. I am not a foundation kind of gal, but if it comes in powder form, yes please! There is also a new touch up veil broad spectrum pot that would be great for the summer if you don’t want as heavy of coverage.
-Jenni

CANDY PILLOW BOXES: ANOTHER VALENTINE DIY

Hope everyone’s week is going well! Just wanted to share what we did for Amara’s Valentines this year for her sweet little friends. She wasn’t allowed to actually help, unfortunately, because she is a little under the weather. Germs! So, I assembled these little candy boxes during 45 minutes of her calling my name from her room nap time.
It is no secret that we are in love with the Target dollar section. It served me so well for this holiday! I picked up a few chipboard letters, heart pillow boxes and some sprinkle tape. 
^^ Things you need: candies of your choice, foam mounting tape, chipboard letters, pillow boxes, sprinkle tape… ^^
^^ and some FABULOUS chocolates (from Olive Sinclair) – check! ^^
^^ For the non-kid chocolate lover, I just wrapped a few chocolate pieces in wax paper and tied it with twine. Perfect small treat! ^^
 ^^ Can we just talk about this sprinkle tape?! ^^
 ^^ I cut a few tiny pieces of the ‘foam tape’ for the back of the chipboard letters just to give it a “lifted” look on the pillow box. ^^

Hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day…
xoxo!
-J