Mikarose Review and Giveaway...

* the giveaway is at the bottom of the post. if you'd like to skip all my "pregnancy pictures" feel free to scroll on down** ;-)

first off, y'all know i don't post pictures of myself too often on the blog. especially my oh, so pregnant self. i'm mostly the one taking the pictures and i'm not ashamed to say that my two girls are way cuter than i am. 

there has to be a really good reason for me to pose for pictures. and a really, really good reason for me to ask my husband to take pictures of me (while keeping a straight face and not feeling like i'm prepping for one of those  "awkward pregnancy photo" ops.)

well, fear not friends. that really, really (really) good reason has been found! and it's none other than the fabulous boutique known as Mikarose. i have been a facebook "fan" of Mikarose for a while and have long admired all the adorable dresses in my facebook feed. but it was more of a, "oh, that dress is cuuuuute. too bad i'm pregnant and would never be able to wear it" kind of admiration/envy. ;-)

so when the kind people from Mikarose contacted me about reviewing one of their dresses, i was ecstatic, but a little confused. after all, i was pretty sure they did not carry "maternity" dresses so to speak. but who am i to turn down an opportunity like that?! so i decided it was high time to check out the Mikarose website and see if there were any options that would work for my ever expanding baby belly. 

i was pleasantly surprised to find that there were many choices that would work not only during my pregnancy, but would be able to carry over into the postpartum stages, as well.  win:win in my book! Mikarose sent over the Makenna Maxi and i was SO excited to get to try it out! 

when the dress arrived at my house, it was even softer and lighter than i had imagined. and in this georgia heat  - soft and lightweight are a pregnant girl's two best friends. the cut of the dress is perfect to fit over a baby bump (or a baby blimp in my case) and will be just as perfect at camouflaging those lovely postpartum "bumps" after baby girl is here. and honestly, even if i weren't pregnant, i would still love this dress! 

the neckline is probably my favorite. i love that it is a v-neck, but not too low cut. as a (pregnant) momma of two, i'm doing lots of bending and the occasional snapping. ;-)

and the LAST thing i want is to scare small children or give them an unexpected anatomy lesson because my dress is too revealing. i absolutely LOVE the way Mikarose's site describes their philosophy: 

" Mikarose is a clothing company that specializes in modest, elegant and fashionable dresses.... Our goal is to provide an extensive line of modest dresses, without having to sacrifice style." 

the Makenna Maxi is the perfect fit for their philosophy. i felt comfortable and covered, but still fashionable (which is MAJOR when pregnant! and when you're not, too.)

i did have to wear a camisole underneath because the fabric was a little sheer, and i would also recommend leggings, tights, or a slip of some sort for the same reason. 

the only issue i may have is when wearing this dress postpartum and while nursing a baby. while it will be an excellent fit for my non-pregnant self, i don't think it will be very conducive to nursing a baby (at least not in public since i'd have to pull the entire dress up).

i paired the dress with my denim jacket for laney's 2nd bday party. 

(please try to focus on the dress and not my "pregnant face"....-ha!) 

after the party, we went out to the park for a while with the girls and i traded my denim jacket for a lightweight coral cardigan. i love the turquoise and coral combo! 

(and in case you were curious, while at the park - the bottom totally fell out. it poured and we were stuck in the rain. you'll be happy to know that even when wet, the dress is not see-through.) :)

so...if you've made it this far and have suffered through the pictures of my pregnant self, you deserve a reward. guess what?! Mikarose has come through again! They have offered to give one of y'all a $50.00 credit to their online store. 

check out www.mikarose.com to see all that they offer. here are a few of my favorites, besides the Makenna Maxi. 

Julia (which comes in coral, too!)

Ellie

Irene

i mean, dontcha just want to be friends with own all these dresses?! :) 

want to know how to get your very own $50 credit to Mikarose? it's easy as pie! just follow the prompts below and you'll have multiple chances to win! 

and the good news is, even if you don't win, you can still visit Mikarose and purchase some of their affordable fashions for yourself! 

Good luck, friends! And thanks again to the fabulous Mikarose for sponsoring this giveaway!

Entry-Form

*disclaimer - i was provided with the dress and one $50 credit to giveaway  in exchange for my honest review. all thoughts, text, and opinions are my own. 

end of year - teacher gifts....(printables, too!)

**Free printables at the bottom of the post....**

i can't believe it's the end of the school year already! i don't even want to think about how different life will be after the three short months we're out for summer. when school starts back in august, libbi will be four (ah!), laney will be (hopefully) potty trained, and we'll have a new baby (double ah!!)

but for now, we're just focused on getting through the last day without tears (from me, not them). 

libbi and laney love school more than anything and look forward to going each week. i love their school and their teachers too, especially because i see how happy the girls are and how much they're learning. what better way to show our appreciation than a few end of the year gifts? i always like seeing what other people do for teachers and am so thankful to have new ideas to "file away" for when i need them. i think my girls get out for summer a little bit earlier than most, so hopefully if you're still looking for something for your end of the year gifts, these ideas won't be too late. 

let's start off with one of my favorite things (and my girls', too!): chickfila. we decided to give each assistant teacher a chickfila gift card along with a small personalized gift: 

a luggage tag, some notecards, and a "trinket tray" (i used my silhouette to add the monogram) 

i attached the gift cards along with a printable that i made. cheesy? absolutely. but if you know me at all, then you know that i LOVE cheesy. :) *PRINTABLE LINK AT BOTTOM OF POST**

for all of libbi's little friends, we found water bottles for a great price! i added their names using my silhouette and we filled them with starburst (well, i say "filled" but it's only about halfway full....those little candies are expensive!) ;-)

again, i added some ribbon (doesn't everything just look cuter with ribbon on it?!) and a printable that i made. easy and cute - my kinda project! :) *PRINTABLE LINK AT BOTTOM OF POST**

finally, the teachers and director's gifts. y'all, this is probably my favorite gift so far. i may give this to everyone i know from here on out. so if you have a birthday, special occasion, or just a bad day coming up - be prepared. :) 

i saw this idea on pinterest (of course) but took the basic premise of it, and then did my own thing. it's basically a "box of sunshine".... lots of yellow and lots of fun. i love the idea of giving it to someone to lift their spirits, too. maybe a family member or friend that has been sick or has been having a hard time? but it's really just such a happy gift that it would work for just about any occasion! 

here's what i included in our box of sunshine....

*a picture holder (currently holding an abc stationery card)

*yellow soap (personalized with my silhouette)

*lemon candle

*personalized tumbler (silhouette, again).

*golden oreos

*dessert delights lemon gum

*mr. goodbar

*yellow tea light candle holder (currently holding yellow starburst and lemonade mixes)

*yellow polka dotted napkins

*"you are my sunshine printable" in a yellow frame. (i made the printable, bought an unfinished wooden frame, painted it yellow and added the bow).

*yellow recipe cards

*yellow notepad

*yellow thank you ntoes

*another printable i made with a bible verse on it

*the yellow bucket (with a chalkboard label) to hold all the items

each teacher received a different tumbler (filled with yellow shreds and topped with a yellow ribbon)

i packaged everything in the yellow bucket, wrote names on the chalkboard labels (thank you once again to my silhouette) and added the yellow ribbon. i made another printable to tie to the finished product and each of my girls signed their names to the back. *PRINTABLE LINKS AT BOTTOM OF POST**

hopefully some of these things will help you if you're still looking for end of the year gifts! most of them were easy to put together and were also fairly inexpensive. 

here is a list of all the printables included. please feel free to email me if you have any questions or problems with the links. just click on the bold/title and you should be taken to the download page!

being in your class has been "my pleasure" (used with CFA giftcard)

have a refreshing summer label (used with a water bottle - 12 per page)

abc stationery cards (there are two different versions...one black background and one white. i printed these on card stock and used them as thank you cards. you could also print multiple copies, add envelopes and give them as a stationery set. or even frame one for a cute print to display!

you are my sunshine printable (5x7)

from sunrise to sunset printable (4x6)

box of sunshine gift tag (around 5x5)

hope you're able to use some of these! if you have any questions, please email me at:  mrsamytippins (at) gmail (dot) com 

happy summer! :) 

MY NAME!!!

our girls love to play together almost as much as they love to argue with each other - ha!
lately, things have been very...."territorial" at our house. we've had the "we don't say, 'MINE!'" talk more times than i can count. 
honestly, i truly think they just like hearing themselves say it. libbi will pick up a toy, (like that stupid stuffed dog for example) and say, "my dog!" and laney will reply with, "NO!...MY dog!" and the back and forth begins. it does not matter that no one actually wants to play with the dog or that it doesn't really even belong to either one of them.

sisters are such fun. :)

here's a prime example of what i'm talking about: the like to listen to a CD in the car that has old nursery rhymes and children's songs on it. both girls love it, but again - we're faced with the "MY turn..." / "NO!....MY turn" dilemma since they cannot both sing the same song at the same time. typically they take turns singing every other song, but inevitably one sister cannot help but chime in on the other sister's solo performance.

it's gotten so bad that when libbi sings "john jacob jingleheimer schmidt" and gets to the part where she sings, "his name is my name, too..." laney will vehemently respond with, "NO! MY name!!!" every.single.time.

we laugh about it, because it is so absurd. libbi is singing about john jacob jingleheimer schmidt and that his name is my name too and laney just can't help but argue back. when we were driving home from church on sunday, i caught a little clip of their exchange on video. enjoy :) 

(**FYI...jeffrey was driving, i was the passenger**)

thankful...

thankful...

thankful for these precious blessings. there is no sweeter sound than hearing them call me, "momma".... (unless it's being said 500 times in a row - ha!) ;-)

thankful for this guy. without him, i wouldn't have two of my most treasured roles in life: wife and momma. thankful that all those years ago, when i imagined he'd be a great daddy - i was absolutely right. thankful that he puts up with a house full of girls (with one more on the way!) and all of our drama. thankful that he cares enough to learn the names of each disney princess and will never balk at the chance to be the prince (or the beast) ;-)

thankful for my own mom. i'm blessed to call her my mother, but i'm honored to call her my friend. i'm thankful for the Godly example that she set for me and that she now continues to share with my own children. 

thankful for the gift of new life. what a privilege to be blessed with another baby. may i never take being able to carry a child for granted. 

thankful for the grace of God. grace that is greater than all of my shortcomings. thankful for the promise of new mercies and new mornings. thankful that i serve a God who loves me enough to guide me in this journey of motherhood. thankful that i don't have to do it alone. 

thankful. 

"Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."

Colossians 2:7