And the winner is.....

I hope that everyone else had as much fun entering the Ooe & Auti Giveaway as I did hosting it. I'm the self proclaimed giveaway queen, entering any and all I can find and winning several, so it's really fun to be on the other side of things. 

I want to give a special thanks to Ooe & Auti for making such great products and helping to make my very first giveaway a success.  I hope that there are many more giveaways to come to the blog, but without further ado, the winner of the $25 Ooe & Auti gift certificate is......

((drum roll))..... suspense.....

Jessica Bower!!!

Congrats girl, I will be in touch about your prize!

Albion Fit Coupon Code

I've been doing lots of pinning over on Pinterest (Follow me here.) of cute items from a company called Albion Fit.  They make quality swim and active wear and I've been drooling for a while.

Here's a little taste of a few things that I adore from Albion Fit--

This ruffly goodness called the Stormy Seas Swimsuit in Charcoal Gray.

.... Or this nautical bow suit, the little shorts are just too cute!

Oh, and we can't forget the activewear needed to get your beach/swim bod. I can totally see myself running or doing yoga in a pair of these crop lounge pants.

... and how adorable is the pink and white draw cord top?

.... Cute stuff right?  Ready to order?  Well I've collaborated with Albion Fit to save you $10 on your next purchase.  Use the code "nest10" to save.  The coupon code will expire on 6/11/2013.  Don't forget that they offer free shipping on orders over $100 and thanks for stopping by!

**All photos courtesy of AlbionFit.com and all opinions are my own.

Ooe & Auti Giveaway

If you've been a reader for a while then you already know this about me, but if you happen to be dropping in for the first time, then I will just tell you, I LOVE birthdays!!  I'm not just talking about my birthday, I love all birthdays.  They are just all around fun.  (Hence the reason I was involved in the Love & Envelopes birthday girl club for two years.)

But when it comes to my kid's birthdays, I go all out.  I spend months pondering on the theme and searching Pinterest for the latest trends and DIY projects.  The gatherings may be small (for now) since we do family only invites, but the party is not lacking.  Themed invites, good food, decor, and you already know I make the cake... and every year the boys get a birthday shirt. Up to this point, the shirts always have their name and age on them along with a cute graphic that goes with the party.  Daniel seems to think that I can only get away with those until the boys are 5.... but I think we'll go beyond that. Even if they don't want their name on their shirt, they'll still get a themed shirt for sure.

And where do I get these adorable shirts you ask?

At an amazing little shop called Ooe & Auti, and you can find their Facebook here.

Here's just a sampling of the cuteness that you will find from this shop....

 More of Leeland's train party can be found here.

 Hayden's little man mustache party can be found here.

And Leeland's Bob The Builder 3rd birthday here.

Adorable, right?  Leeland actually helped pick out his "scoop" shirt for his 3rd birthday this year, and he anxiously waited for it to come in the mail.  

These shirts take the party decor cuteness to a whole new level, but don't limit yourself to just parties, Ooe & Auti has some fabulous designs for holidays and some really cute quotes and sayings for everyday wear.  Or, have a new addition coming to the family?  Don't forget their big brother and big sister shirts. 

I have been beyond satisfied with the shirts that we've bought from Ooe & Auti.  And even more thrilled with the excellent customer service, if they don't have what you are looking for, just email them, the result of that email could be something super adorable like Hayden's mustache shirt.

Now for the fun stuff-- I'm very excitedly giving away a $25 gift certificate to Ooe & Auti's Shop!  Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and be thinking about what you would order with the gift certificate if you win.

If it were me, it'd be a tough choice.... something cute for 4th of July? Or a sweet little shirt in honor of Daniel?

*Photo credit to Ooe & Auti

*Photo Credit to Ooe & Auti

 The giveaway will end at midnight on June 15th. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rainbow Cupcakes

There's at least 100 (maybe 1,000) tutorials out there for rainbow cakes and cupcakes, so I'll spare you the hairy details of how I made them and leave you to do a simple search on Pinterest..... But without further ado, here are the rainbow cupcakes I made for the dessert social at the Beautiful Life Conference this past weekend...

Beautiful Life Conference

Thanks to my sweet friend Jessica, I had the privilege of attending the Beautiful Life Conference this past weekend. What a wonderful experience it was.  As a Mom of two little boys, I have my moments, well, all moms do...
-Moments of mommy guilt that I'm not good enough or doing enough.
-Moments when I wonder if I'm completely failing them.
-Moments that I feel worn out and exhausted.
-Moments that I'm feeling touched out and wish for an evening of kids not clinging to my legs....

..... in all honesty, it's very hard for me to lay down my pride and admit that I have these moments.  I want SO badly to be "super mom".  I want to the be best and the greatest.  I hold myself to the high standard.  I try to do it all.... on my own energy and in my own power.... and I can't.

Sometimes us moms have to be a little "selfish", take some time to ourselves.  It isn't easy to get, but it's well worth it!  We need to re-energize, pray, and take a moment to be filled.  The days are long, but the years are short.

I so appreciate our wonderful friends Alex and Misty, and my parents for watching the boys this weekend so that I could have a little time.  Some time of worship (with Nicole C Mullen!!!!!), some time of prayer, and some time of reflecting on God's Word.  The weekend was filled with wonderful musicians like NICOLE C MULLEN, and Charles Billingsley and his band, along with some very powerful testimonies like Mandy Young's and some truth spoken from Angela Thomas.

... I walk away from this weekend feeling overwhelmed by God's love, and yearning to "be the sunshine."

"In Him was life, and that life was the light

of all people.  The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it."

-John 1:4-5

And I leave you with the song that's been stuck in my head all weekend....