This blog post is in partnership with HTH Summer Pool Supplies at Walmart. All opinions are my own.

We open our pool every year in mid May. It involves a few days of treatment before we can start swimming in it. This year we bought our pool chemicals from Walmart and went with the HTH products. The first thing we did was add hth® Pre-measured Water Soluble Pods Shock. The pool was muddier than most years because we had a ton of rain this year. Therefore, we had to use three containers of the shock over a course of 4 days. We also had to vacuum 2x a day for 4 days and backwash the filter to get the mud out!

Next we used hth® Pre-measured Water Soluble Pods Algae Guard 5.25 lbs. This took care of the algae growing in the pool and helped the water to look less green and more blue! Every week we use the HTH Multi-purpose 6 way test strips, to make sure the water is balanced. We dipped the test strip into the pool water, waited a few seconds and the results then appear on the strip. You can see what you need to adjust by comparing the strip to the chart on back of the HTH test strip container. You can also get the results texted right to your phone. It’s so easy and convenient! This showed us exactly what we needed to add to the pool to get it right. We learned we needed to up our alkalinity.

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Once we shocked the pool several times, vacuumed it, back-washed the filter, and added the algae guard, we had to add some alkalinity water soluble pods to the filter. After that we added the stabilizer to keep all the chemicals in the pool balanced and to extend the life of the chlorine tablets we add weekly. We try and keep our chlorine levels on the lower side since the kids use our pool so much.

Thanks to all the HTH Summer Pool Supplies at Walmart our pool care routine was made easy this year. Having pre-measured pods is a game changer. Plus getting the results of the test strips texted to your phone with instructions of what you need to do makes it a breeze!

Happy summer friends

Ashlee

The weather is getting nicer and I am dreaming of sunshine, swimming, and the beach. I made a list of some of my favorite summer essentials for myself and my 3 children. Everything is linked.

Kortni Jeane swim wear for the whole family. All the swim wear is mix and match to fit all different body types from pregnancy, babies, kids, and adults. You can do a family matching theme with all the fun prints, colors, and styles. There is literally a suit for everyone! You can still feel covered while looking super cute.

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Sunscreen for babies and kids. I love the Badger Sunscreen because it is thick, smells good, is hypoallergenic, and organic. They have a baby, kids, and sport options on amazon. I stalk up on all 3 for the summer season. Last summer we used Totlogic Sunscreen and I loved that is mineral based, hypoallergenic, paraben free.

Bug Spray- Buzz Away from Quantum Health works really well at keeping nats, ticks, and mosquitoes, away. It is deet free and doesn’t smell yucky. I used this a ton last summer on my kids.

Derma-E Sun Protection Mineral Powder SPF 30 I use this every day in the Spring and Summer. It gives you a natural flawless look while offering SPF 30. It also helps to absorb any oil you may get throughout the day.

OSEA Malibu Sea Mineral Mist This mist is amazing! It plumps your skin, makes your pores smaller, takes away redness, and gives your face a dewy natural look. I mist it all over my face after my makeup is on to set it in place. It’s also great to spray all over after you have spent the day in the sun. It contains organic seaweed and aloe vera.

Wowease swim suits– These swim suits are genius! They have a magnet bottom to make diaper changes and potty breaks a breeze! Lots of fun prints and styles.

Puddle Jumper life vest for swimming, the beach, pools, boating, and lakes. All 3 of my kids have had these and I swear they have helped them to learn to be earlier swimmers. They come in tons of patterns on amazon. Fits kids 30-50 lbs.

Thanks for stopping by as the Summer season hits us I will be adding more summer essentials to this list.

-Ashlee

*This blog post is written in partnership with Kichler Lighting

If you are looking to give a room in your home a major makeover without spending a ton of money, I would upgrade your light fixtures! It really can transform a room. Our dining room is very formal. We had a chandelier that was 30 some years old in a brass finish and I hated it. I felt like it stood out and dated the room. I knew we were going to keep the formal furniture so, changing out the chandelier had to be done. I wanted a more modern chic light that would help spruce up this space. After spending hours trying to find the right lighting my husband and I agreed on the Annette 25.5′ LED Crystal Pendant in chrome from Kichler Lighting. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. When the light hits the chandelier it makes a beautiful reflection on the ceiling. I also love during the day when the sunlight hits the crystals it reflects beautiful light everywhere in the room. We added a washable non toxic rug from RUGGABLE. This is a little more modern looking so I felt it helped make the room look a little less tradional.

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We wanted to add a modern ceiling fan to our Master bedroom. We decided on the Reid 56′ fan from Kichler Lighting. We knew we wanted a ceiling fan with a functioning light so that we could enjoy a breeze on warm nights. This ceiling fan is beautiful. I love the finish and how it goes perfectly with our cedar wood accent wallpaper and our bed frame. I also switched out our bedding to a fresh crisp white zip-up bedding set from Beddys. If you are looking to add a pop of modern to a room in your home, I highly suggest upgrading your ceiling fan.

Thanks for stopping by

xoxo

Ashlee

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How I picked the theme Pink Lemonade:

When I found out I was pregnant with Winter I had the best time shopping for girly pink frilly clothes. I remember I found this dress company on Instagram called Taylor Joelle. One of the dresses was a lemon print dress. I ended up buying the pink lemon tutu dress knowing someday my daughter would grow into it. Winter fits in this dress now so, when I started planning her second birthday I knew she needed to wear it. My theme pink lemonade was born!

I wanted to keep this birthday party simple and fun. Her first birthday was beautiful and a BIG celebration. To check out that blog post you can click here: A Magical 1st Birthday Party. The main focus for this party was the dessert table. To make it special we used a fun elegant table cloth, bought fresh yellow + pink flowers, and had two crystal bowls filled with lemons. We made a pitcher of pink lemonade. We had vanilla cake pops, lemon vanilla cupcakes, and a strawberry shortcake cheesecake. For food we did brunch items eggs, sausage, bagels, biscuits and gravy, ham, potato salad with fresh dill, spinach dip, bloody mary’s, veggies and hummus.

Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake

Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake with layers of strawberry cake, and cheesecake. This delicious cake is layered, and frosted with whipped cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled with strawberry shortcake crumbles! This cake is delicious but is very time consuming due to all the steps. Takes about 2 hrs and 15 minutes.

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Ingredients

Cake

• 15.25 oz of Duncan Hines Classic White cake mix
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 6 oz box of Strawberry Gelatin mix
• 1/2 cup mashed strawberries optional

Cheesecake

• 16 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Shortcake Crumbles

• 2 11.5 oz packages of butter cookies
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp ice water
• 6 oz box of Strawberry Gelatin Mix
• 3 drops of red food coloring
• Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Instructions

1. Cake
2. Sprinkle the cake mix into a large bowl, then whisk to get rid of the lumps.
3. Next sprinkle a 6 oz package of strawberry gelatin into the mixing bowl, then whisk in with the cake mix.
4. Add in 3 large egg whites, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of milk.
5. Mix the cake batter at a low speed, until the cake batter is smooth and lump free.
6. Spray (2) 9 inch cake pans with baking spray.
7. Pour the cake batter into each cake pan, filling them each about 3/4 full.
8. Bake the cakes on 350 F, for about 20 minutes or until done.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan, and cool on a cooling rack.
10. Cheesecake
11. Place 16 ounces of cream cheese, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup of whipping cream into a mixing bowl into a mixing bowl, and mix.
12. Start adding in the eggs, but one at a time.
13. Next add in the vanilla extract, followed by the sugar.
14. Mix until the cheesecake filling is nice and smooth.
15. Grab a 9 inch cake pan and spray it with baking spray.
16. Place some parchment paper at the bottom of the cake pan.
17. Pour 3 cups of cheesecake filling into the pan.
18. Place the cake pan on top of a cookie sheet, the pour about1 1/2 cups of water into the cookie sheet, NOT THE CHEESECAKE.
19. Bake the cheesecake for about 30 minutes on 350 F.
20. Remove the cheesecake out of the oven, and let cool completely.
21. Next add about 15 butter cookies into a food processor along with 4 tbsp of butter, and 1 tbsp of ice water.
22. Pulse until it resembles cookie dough.
23. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with baking spray then add the cookie mixture in the pan.
24. Press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the pan, and about 1/4 inch up around the sides.
25. Bake in the oven on 350 F for about 15 minutes.
26. Remove from the oven, and let cool.
27. Pour the remaining of the cheesecake filling into the springform, and smooth out.
28. Bake on 350 F for about 30-35 minutes.
29. Shortcake Crumbles
30. Add the remaining cookies into the food processor, along with 1 tbsp ice water, and 4 tbsp of butter.
31. Pulse until it resembles large crumbs.
32. Remove half of the cookie mixture, and set to the side.
33. Add a 6 oz package of strawberry gelatin into the food processor, and a couple drops of red food coloring.
34. Pulse until about 5 times.
35. Line a cookie sheet with foil, then sprinkle the red and white cookie crumb on the sheet,
36. Bake on 350 F for 10 minutes.
37. Remove, and let cook, then stir the crumbles.
38. Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
39. Add 1/2 cup of softened butter, and 8 oz of cream cheese into a mixing bowl.
40. Mix until well incorporated.
41. Add in 1/2 cup of whipping cream, and 1 tbsp of vanilla. Mix until well combined.
42. Sprinkle in 2 1/4 cups of confectioners sugar, and mix until the frosting is smooth and lump free.
43. Assemble the cake
44. First Layer: Cheesecake with Crust
45. Second Layer: Strawberry Cake
46. Third Layer: Crustless cheesecake
47. Forth Layer: Strawberry cake
48. Frost the sides, and top of the cake.
49. Sprinkle the shortcake crumbs on top of the cake, and pat on the sides as well.
50. Let the cake sit for about 20 minutes before cutting into it.

Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes + Raspberry Buttercream:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest (2 medium lemons)

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

line two muffin tins w/ 15 cupcake liners

In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, then vanilla extract, making sure to mix well after each ingredient. Add lemon juice and lemon zest, mix until fully combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to turn the batter and make sure everything is well combined. Evenly distribute the batter between the 15 cupcakes liners making sure to only fill them a little over halfway. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes. Until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Raspberry Buttercream Icing

1 cup unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup raspberry preserves from jam pinch salt

In large mixing bowl beat the butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until combined. Add in raspberry jam (or preserves) and salt. Continue mixing until fully combined. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.

The vanilla cake pops and table cloth are from Winter’s Godmother who own’s a dessert business. Carli Penelope Events. If you need a party planner in the New Jersey, New York , Pennsylvania area you need to check her out. Her desert tables are beyond stunning.

We had a blast planning Winter’s second birthday party. I hope you enjoyed the dessert recipes and got some inspiration for your next party!

xoxo

Ashlee