Featured – Page 2 – Unlikely Martha

Featured• Living

life lately

As much as my heart desires to complete a project 365 I just can’t do it. I’m way too flaky to take a photo a day and the pettiness in me won’t let me take two photos on Wednesday and pass one off as being taken on Monday. Just not in me.

I still capture many random moments in our lives so I’ll share them from time to time as a glimpse into our life.

Here is life lately:

Imagine marinating the meat for your favorite meal, turning on the stove and discovering your stove cooked it’s last meal yesterday. This happened. I was without a stove for nearly a week. I did not cook and did not feel bad. In hindsight there is a crockpot and griddle that could’ve been used but that is neither here nor there . I had a week in which I did not cook and I didn’t feel any way about it.

We managed to throw the most bootleg Superbowl party ever. Cause we are all in eradicate debt mode our budget didn’t call for a full on Superbowl party. When a few friends asked if they could come over, we said yes but you have to bring your own food and drink.

I know. I know.

It was the chicken wings they left that fed us for the week while the stove was broken. Man, that really worked out. They got to see Bey in large form and hear her in surround sound and we got dinner for the week. WIN

I have dreams of a wash and go this Summer. I keep chopping on my hair not because I love it so much but that I am hoping to get my curls back. I think I see them, do you? Heat damage is a muva.

…and parenting these people has been challenging to say the least. They are developing their own personalities and are needing to be parented differently. Send wine and good vibes for my nerves of course.

Working on this for a March 1 launch. A little excited and a whole lot scared.

I’m sure I’m not the only mother who doesn’t sleep when her kids are sick. A spiked fever or a puke session in bed while I’m sound asleep, the thoughts keep me sleeping with one eye open when I have a sicky poo. Then they wake up well rested and I’m tired.

… and this is what strep looks like

I suppose she became sick and tired to avoid cleaning up?

What’s life looking like on your end?

8 Comments

Fashion• Featured• Mama Style

seasonal shift|15 spring shift dresses for under $50

Walking the babies down to the bus stop the other morning, Addi looks at the sky and asked me if it was that light at the exact same time a few days ago. I told her how observant she was and went on to explain that as the seasons start to shift depending on the season you will see the mornings either get lighter or darker.

Little signs of Spring are popping up. 60 degree days stuck in the middle of 30 degrees days is the most accurate descriptor of the globally warmed time that we live in.

After paring down my wardrobe last Spring, I didn’t really replace a lot of things but I’ve been on the hunt lately for shift dresses. Like obsessed with them.

Shifts are the epitome of effortlessly chic. How hard is it to slide a dress over your head, with some jewelry and go? I promise you can’t mess up a shift dress.

I’ve been in Goodwill and everywhere else you can think of hoarding ALL of the shift dresses. My favorite Gap dress from last year, has seen better days so it needs to be replaced. I was online and came across a few more for the super low.

If you need a jump on your Spring wardrobe get you some shifts. They make all of the fashion sense.

*This post contains affiliate links*

3 Comments

Featured• Mompreneur• small business spotlight

small business spotlight: bloom beautifully box

Bloom Beautifully is a bimonthly self care subscription box service for busy women. I was happy to connect with Tara Jefferson, the founder and chief curator of the Bloom Beautifully self care box to ask her a few questions on how she manages everything and what was her inspiration behind creating a self care box for women.

Being a wife, mother and entrepreneur it doesn’t take a genius to know that juggling all three requires a lot of hard work. For the woman that is looking to jump into the arena of business ownership, what is the one thing you would like her to know about the rewards and challenges that come with walking in entrepreneurship while running a family?

Being an entrepreneur is all-consuming, and so is motherhood. So I’ve found that the only way to make it work is to bring my children into the discussion. They are old enough now (9 and 7) to serve as my “creative team,” and they give me feedback on designs, vendors and pricing. When they were younger, I found it easier to work with them on my lap than to have my brain half focused on work and half focused on what they were doing in the other room. The beauty of entrepreneurship is that it doesn’t have to look one way. You can shape it to work best for you and your family.

Your self-care box is not your first wildly successful business venture. Looking at your track record you are one remarkable and astute business woman who has created businesses, products and conferences that center on uplifting and encouraging young mothers and women. Why not just stop there, what was your thinking about expanding into something as important and overlooked as self-care

I didn’t realize as I was doing all those other things (the self-care retreats, the conferences, the books) that everything I was dabbling in was bringing me to that moment. It’s one thing to attend a retreat once a year and focus on your self-care for a weekend, but it’s another thing to have something that comes to your house and rewards you for just being you. Women tend to be invisible to themselves, putting everyone and everything ahead of them, while their core self withers. I wanted something for women that would make their self-care habit-forming. Thus, the Bloom Beautifully box!

I’m just going to ask the infamous question that I think every woman who dares to be an entrepreneur has heard at some point. “How do you do it all?”

I have a very, very full plate, so I’ve learned to take small bites and not chew too fast. That means I don’t worry as much about tomorrow and instead try to focus solely on today. I make sure my to-do list stays manageable, no more than four things at a time and I rely on my calendar exclusively. If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t get done. I also make it a point to be available to my kids. If they ask me to play with them and I’m knee deep in work, I take a deep breath, push away from the computer and go play. I’ve found that those breaks with my children actually make me sharper, creatively and it’s a joy to be there, watching them grow.

A huge thank you to Tara for sharing her experiences and words of wisdom. I hope it encourages you to go after that dream or take a moment to yourself.

To learn more about and order the Bloom Beautifully Box visit the website at www.TheSelfCareBox.com

Tara Pringle Jefferson is the founder and chief curator of Bloom Beautifully, a bimonthly self-care subscription box for busy women. She is also the writer behind TheRenaissanceSuite.com and TheYoungMommyLife.com. Her work has appeared in Jet, Essence, What to Expect and Sirius XM. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. Find more information about the box at www.theselfcarebox.com and follow her on Instagram at @TaraJefferson

3 Comments

DIY• Featured• Home

$20 diy painted drop cloth curtains

I’m still on the journey to finishing up my son’s room. He has really been on me lately to finish his room and I totally understand, because his sister’s has been done for sometime now and he is feeling some kind of way.

Now that the walls and stripes have been painted, drapes are up next. I shared my inspiration for dropcloth curtains awhile back while I was trying to decide on a curtain option that would go with the industrial chic look that he wants.

To make sure that I would like the look initially I purchased one dropcloth from Home Depot for $10 and used the leftover paint from his stripes. After I hung the first one, he liked it so I went back and got three more dropcloths.

Here is what you need to create these super easy no sew drop cloth curtains. This is what I used to create 4 panels

Supplies

4 6×9 Painters Dropcloth
Level
Painter’s Tape
2 pints of paint
Tape Measure
Small paint roller and pan (my set came from Dollar Tree)

Directions

First determine how large you want your stripe and measure using your tape.
Start painter’s tape at the height you desire. Use the level to make sure you keep the tape line straight as you work across the dropcloth
Once everything has been taped off, go back and smooth down the bottom of the tape where it meets the dropcloth to help minimize paint bleed into the areas you do not want painted
Now paint, give the roller a little pressure to ensure a good coat.
Right after you finish painting pull off the tape
PLEASE make sure you put something underneath as the paint will bleed through. We will be replacing the outdoor carpet in our sunroom so I didn’t care but please keep this in mind.

Once you get ready to hang you can alter the length by folding the top and securing with curtain rod ring clips. I still have to adjust the lengths of the panels and steam them so this is a very preliminary look at them. I have two more panels to hang and start hanging a few of his pictures. I’ll be back with that update hopefully before the month is out.

Here’s a peek from the hallway at the before and after.

5 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts