*This blog post is sponsored by Everstar but all opinions are my own.

The Holidays are a special time of year. My family loves to decorate the front of our home with bright lights. My children get so excited and nothing is better than seeing the sparkle of the holiday season through their eyes. I discovered EZ-Illuminations Super Sparkle lights in Cool White at Walmart and wanted to use them in our holiday display this season. What makes these unique lights stand out against the rest is the fact that every bulb twinkles independently creating a dramatic lighting effect!

Once we got the EZ-Illuminations Super Sparkle lights home, we lit our house up. It looked like a winter wonderland. We decided on net lights for our front brushes. They were easy to throw over the bushes as we took them out of the box. We used the mini lights for around our front door way. Then we used the EZ-Illuminations Garland lights around the banister of our front porch. These lights are perfect for front porches, trees, fences, or staircases inside of your home. Next we hung the icicle lights from the roof. These were so pretty as they hung down and twinkled. I also think they would look great over a mantle inside your home.

One of my favorite light pieces we added this year are the EZ-Illuminations LED Flame Light Bulb. It simulates a natural flame with flickering LED lights. The light flicking is so warm and inviting. I cannot wait to host Christmas Eve this year and let our guests feel the holiday spirit with this magical display. Be sure to check out Walmart for these festive LED Sparkle lights to bring some more holiday magic to your house this season!

Happy Holidays

Ashlee

*This blog post is written in collaboration with DHP Furniture. All opinions are my own.

One of my favorite rooms in our home is the living room. It has a large bay window that gets amazing natural lighting from early morning to mid afternoon. Unfortunately we hardly ever used this room due to outdated furniture that I couldn’t stand. I wanted to make the living room a space where my husband and I can have coffee together on weekend mornings and enjoy the sunshine. We also plan on using this room for holiday entertaining since it flows into the dining room.

In order to make this space more functional for us all we needed new furniture. I wanted to keep the vibe of the room vintage with a touch of fancy. I find navy blue paired with gold very regal and I already had an area rug that I got last year from a company called Nuloom. It is navy and gold with some touches of pink. I wanted to select my furniture based off of the color palate of this rug. Also our dining room is open to the living room and they flow as one large space. We have a lot of blue shades in there as well. Therefore, I wanted to select my furniture based off of the color palate of the area rug and the blues in our dining room.

I found Dorel Home Products ( DHP Furniture) through Instagram. They have a wide variety of designs, colors, and styles and even specialize in small living space. I decided right away we needed their Novogratz Upholstered Cassidy Futon in blue. I also went with the Novogratz Brittany Accent Chair in pink. They matched perfectly with my rug. I grabbed a floor lamp and some pink throw pillows from Target. Voila, our living room instantly got an elegant makeover! We couldn’t be happier with our selections. Now all we need to do is keep the kids from jumping on the furniture and we are set!

XOXO

Ashlee

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

The United States residents, in general, live a very fast-paced, hectic lifestyle with no time to slow down and really smell the roses. This is very different from how people live in Europe, especially in Italy.

In 1986, Italy founded the slow food movement, which promoted traditional, regional cuisine, as well as sustainable farming. The slow food movement progressed into a slow life movement.

Italy was the birthplace of another slow initiative as well – the Cittaslow movement that tries to improve the quality of life in cities by promoting a slower lifestyle, protecting the built and natural environment, and resisting standardization and celebrating the local uniqueness of cities. Now, Italy is known for their slow living and slow eating, which makes life much simpler, much easier, and much happier (for most, at least).

Since slow living promotes real food, happiness, and a stress-free style of living, it’s very good for your health. According to Very Well Mind, “When faced with chronic stress and an over-activated autonomic nervous system, people begin to see a negative impact on their health. The first symptoms are relatively mild, like chronic headaches and increased susceptibility to colds. With more exposure to chronic stress, however, more serious health problems may develop.

The effects of stress impact us emotionally as well, which is a truth both obvious and often ignored. While some stress may produce feelings of mild anxiety or frustration, prolonged stress can lead to burnout, anxiety disorders, and depression. A study of stress in America by the American Psychological Association shows that a large proportion of people (roughly one-quarter of respondents) feel their stress levels are harmful to their physical and emotional health and feel they aren’t doing enough to manage the stress. While short-term stress is usually harmless, prolonged stress can have serious implications for your health.”

Since a slow lifestyle promotes happiness, reduces stress, and helps your health thrive and flourish, I highly recommend slowing down, which will allow yourself to soak in the small moments – the moments that actually matter. Here are a few ways that you can slow down in your daily life:

Eat Real Food

The main goal behind the Italian slow eating movement was to promote real food. Food that is local, sustainable, and healthy. Although there is some processed food in Italy, there is not much. This makes meal and cooking times longer because you have to cook each ingredient, but the health benefits are very much so worth it. If there is anything to really soak in and use at home (from the Italian lifestyle), it is this. Avoid processed foods, shop at local farmers markets, and take the time to actually cook good, healthy meals for yourself.

Get Fresh Air Each Day

Getting fresh air each day will make you happier and healthier. It doesn’t matter what you are doing to get the fresh air – just do it. Take walks around the block or around the park, garden, do an outdoor workout, or read a book outside. Fresh air can actually help you boost your immune system, it can give you a greater sense of happiness, and it can energize you.

Work Less

I understand that you need to work, in order to make money, but do what you can to limit your workload, in order to reduce your stress. One great way of limiting your workload is by hiring help. For example, if you need marketing help, consider hiring a company such as NJ SEO for SEO Services NJ. NJ SEO is a full-service New Jersey marketing agency that provides and develops effective content strategies for forward-thinking companies. They offer professional SEO services that help websites increase their organic search score, which allows them to compete for the highest rankings, no matter how competitive the keywords are.

Matt Anton is the former online marketing manager of Liberty Travel and is currently in charge of client strategy and execution at NJ SEO. He is listed in the top 62 SEO marketers, has been cited as an SEO expert and has many endorsements and recommendations, as well. Matt, along with NJ SEO is committed to providing an outstanding service that is custom-made for each client, no matter how big or small the business is. If you are looking to turn your visitors into customers, improve your organic search ranking and gain more traffic without having to do the work yourself, then look no further than NJ SEO.

Be Present When it comes down to it, the whole premise behind the slow lifestyle movement is to be present in your life. Italians have slow meals to not only eat whole, healthy foods but also to allow themselves to spend time with their family and friends. Being present does not mean sitting behind a phone screen. Put your screens down, focus on the people you are with (and/or the things you are doing), and really allow yourself to soak in these memories that you are making.

So, as you can see, slowing down your daily life not only makes you happier but can help with your stress levels, as well. How are you going to start slowing down?

1. Talk to them about what is happening. Get them involved in the process. Take them bed/bedding shopping. Even at 18 months-2 years of age they understand!
2. You can always start with the mattress on the floor the first few nights and then move it to the bed.
3. Put up railings so they still feel safe and can’t roll out of the bed. We didn’t use rails this time but decided to arrange the bed against the wall and put the tall dresser on the other side.
4. Keep your bedtime routine the same as it was when they were in the crib.
5. Put a safety lock at the top of the door so they cannot get out in the middle of the night and roam the house (I never did this but I know mom’s who have).
6. If they get out of bed be FIRM. Pick them up without giving them much of a reaction. The only thing you should say is “time for you to go to sleep in your big girl bed, Night night” Leave and shut the door. Repeat this process as much as possible. Don’t go in the room right away. Each time give them a few minutes before you go in. Give them little reaction and hardly any words. Let them know they are safe and you are there if they need you but it is time for sleep! I promise it gets easier and they give up and pass out.
7. Use a security item (stuffed animal, special pillow, or in our case her beloved blanket) When I leave the room I tell her go night night with your blanky and that seems to give her peace.
8. Sound machine, dark room, and calming oils help!