HAPPY HOLIDAYS + WARBY PARKER

Hi!! Taking a quick break from my working sabbatical to check in with you guys! Oh I hope you are SO WELL and enjoying this holiday time with your most favorite people and doing your most favorite things.. I've have been tacking up the snapshots of our Christmas adventures over on Instagram.

I'll be kicking off this holiday party season at Tony's company party and then at a fun little soiree sponsored by The Bitter Southerner and Warby Parker at the Atlanta store.  I was super excited when the folks over at Warby Parker asked me to help spread the word about the launch of the newest collaboration. 

The Concentric Collection, which introduces three new styles, alongside a new color, Whistler Grey - makes its appearance not a moment too soon, just about the time our heavy layers could use a little zing. The latest looks are all about complement and contrast, with a bit of luxury and a subtle dash of color. 

YES and YES PLEASE. 

As a fellow "four eyes" (they are much better than two), I'm always admiring and on the look out for stylish and statement spectacles. I've been wearing glasses since I was eight years old, and  I've pretty much decided I'll never wear contacts. I've grown quite accustomed to the smart sexy librarian look? Umm.. 

The Concentric Collection focuses on eyeglasses styles and sunglasses styles.  I Will be drooling over trying on a few pair and especially that crystal pair - which must come home with me I think are my favorite.

Which pair would you wear? Going to any fun parties? 

Not compensated for this post. I just thing these specs are super cute. Experience a day in the life of Warby Parker

xxB

P.S. Just like all of their existing collections, for every pair sold, they distribute a pair to someone in need through their non-profit partners. 

FINDING AND KEEPING ME. | 7 THINGS

photo via Pinterest.

I think I've posted this list somewhere before, but this week I feel like I need a reminder. I've been talking a little bit about how I'm approaching 40 and feeling like I need to refine and redefine me. These are the the things that make me happy and I hope will never change. 

1. Start my day with prayer and devotional reading. It just feels good to start the day with your mind in a good place.

2. Make my bed.  It's just a better start to the day, and if everything else goes to hell, coming upstairs to a made bed just makes it a good reset.

3. Read to the children.  Its good for them, we get to spend some focused time together, and it just makes me feel like a better parent honestly..

4. Read for enjoyment at the end of my day.Replace my nightly recap of The Young and the Restless with more purposeful reading.. at least for a little while (don't judge me).

5. Journal my thoughts and goals. Speaking (and writing) good things into existence...

6. Spend some time working and growing in my passions and pursuits.  Nothing like working on your goals and crossing things off your "to do" list to make you feel just a bit more fulfilled.

7. Snuggle with H.  I still like him A LOT. Most of the time.

What would you add to this list? Anything that helps keep you centered and feeling like yourself?

xxB

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THE {MINT JULEP} CARDIGAN YOU'LL WANT TO WEAR ALL FALL, A HOT LUNCH DATE + A COUPLE OF LINKS

I'm not certain why I'm not looking at the camera in any of these pics, but I am certain that I am IN LOVE with this cardigan and will probably wear it every day this fall. I was so excited when the ladies at MINT JULEP sent me a lovely note and this amazing sweater (perfect for an impromptu rainy day lunch date with h), and a gift card to share with you guys!

We met at our fave little cuban restaurant for some amazing cuban sandwiches, some quick (kiddo free) time and great conversation.

I felt relaxed and super cute in the See The Light Cardigan, my favorite chambray button up and navy patent leather ballet flats. H had a pretty big smile on his face when he saw me, so I think it worked out well:-)

I've actually tried the sweater on with a black shift dress (for church), and a white button up with khaki shorts (for Notre Dame/FSU Game Day) for some different looks. Its quite versatile, so I know it will be getting much play in the upcoming chilly months.

Thats my bae. haaa! I think that word is so funny. I almost spit my coffee out when I saw this Instagram post of (captioned) Oprah and her Bae.

                                     

CONTEST STARTS TODAY THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY (10/11) AT MIDNIGHT.

TO ENTER:

1. Sign up for the Mint Julep Email List <<<< CLICK You will automatically receive a $10 coupon just for signing up

2. Follow the boutique on Instagram  <<<< CLICK
3. SHARE THIS POST VIA FACEBOOK. And hashtag: #bunniehilliard

4. Check back here next Sunday. Random Drawing next Saturday night.

                                              ___________________________________

I'm looking forward to the weekend. The usual suspects - ballet, church, oh and Girls Scout Day at the Georgia Aquarium with the munchkin  and I'm hoping to meet up with one of my favorite mamas and her two girls for some fun...

In the in between time I'll be doing:

Some Decorating: Sprucing up the place a bit for fall guests - Perusing the chic and easy prints over at Lindsay Letters.

Menu Planning: Drooling over this instagram feed full of savory flavorful family dinner ideas - and jotting down a few for future reference.

Binge Watching: This show has been nominated for lots if awards over the last few years. I think it's time see what all the hullabaloo is about now that Taye Diggs recently joined the cast. Do you watch The Good Wife?

What are you up to this weekend?

-xxB

STARTING SOME GOOD HABITS BEFORE I TURN 40 | 21 DAYS

So I'm not turning 40 in 21 days... But as I understand it, it takes 21 days to create a habit. So starting the 1st day of October (and hopeful each month coming up here). I plan to start working on a few things. Creating some good/better habits. The fall tends to do that to me… Goals setting, organizing and such..

How this all started:

I was having a conversation with a good mama friend (who is in her early 40's) about life, and love, and the pursuit of happiness.. Well really about the Giggle Girls Book Club (launching this week!!!) and the elevator speech of a stay/work at home mama, we then moved on to some very important topics. Like why (and how) in the ham sandwich is her skin so smooth and flawless and what is she doing to it.. no EXACTLY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I know BLACK DONT CRACK and all.. but I really need the scoop. (She mentioned something about a Cetaphil cleanser and Lancome something or other from her mom, don't worry I plan to get it out of her).

But the bigger picture for me is, I'm turning 40 in a few short years and while these little people have me last on my priority list of things to take care of… I'd like to try and get to a place where my routines and rules for myself are pretty set so I don't wake up one day out of breath, with adult acne and lipstick on my teeth..

So a couple things on my list (no particular order) to get in order:

An easy early rise time - starting each day with meditation and preparation.
Eating Clean - some rules for eating healthy, minimal junk and processed foods.
Preventative skin care - 3 steps (or less).
Quick and easy make-up - polished, everyday easy.
Regular exercise - a way of life, not just for crash diets.
The Look - my signature style?

Now that the little person is sleeping well through the night with minimal interruptions, I've been finding it harder to get up early. LIKE I FINALLY GET TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!! But the way my goals and hustle are set up, it would really behoove me to get a jump start on the day. You know what they say, "The early bird…"

I'm planning to start  tomorrow October 1. Waking up an hour before the kiddos, my coffee, my devotional. Setting my alarm now.

Will you join me? Lets tag it #21dayswithBunnie What would you add do this list?

xxB

P.S. What do stay at home moms (with a few side gigs) say when asked, "What do you do?"

photo

PLAYGROUND POLISHED: 5 MINUTE MANICURE

So I've been doing a much better job these days of giving myself a little mani in lieu of getting an actual manicure at the salon. Not unlike most mamas I'm washing my hands a gazillion times a day, and it just feels like a waste when the polish is looking all chippy after day 2 and who has time to scrounge up nail polish remover and take polish off. Instead, I've found the perfect pale pink shade of polish barely noticeable when it starts to chip leaving me plenty of time to get back around to giving myself a little refresh. So my nails look pretty clean and crisp most of the time (pats self on back).

That was my round about way of saying, Here's my 5 minute manicure routine!!

What You Need:

Nail File
Olive Oil
Base Coat
Perfect light Pink Shade of Polish
Clear Top Coat

What to do:

Step One: File underneath nails with emory board - Makes them rounder and not sharp.

Step Two: Oil the cuticles with a bit of olive oil. I don't do any pushing back, but just rubbing around. I actually just wipe off the excess oil with a baby wipe:-)

Step Three: I've been using Essie's Grow Stronger as a base coat. Just one coat.

Step Four: Apply Color. One swipe down the right, One down the left, then in the middle, and then the tip.  Let dry for a minute, then apply another coat.

Step Five: After two days or so, apply a top coat to keep it fresh for the rest of the week.

Now about those hang nails.. another story for another day…

I'm a big fan of Essie polish. They do a really good job with the range of colors and is pretty affordable. I've tried Madmoiselle, and Ballet Slippers, but  Essie Sugar Daddy is quite the perfect nude shade of pink. Definitely my all time favorite, and looks gorgeous on all skin tones.

What is that on my skirt? who knows after a day of this and this with the littlest.

At any rate, This is super easy to do and I leave the polish on my little kitchen cart so that if I have a spare 5 mins I can give myself a quick mani before heading off to the play ground..

Whats your "go to" nail polish brand/color?

xxB

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SO LONG SUMMER… YOU WERE AWESOME.

Its so funny, we started the summer super excited and Gung Ho, but these last two weeks seemed to drag on FOREVER. All of our pals had already headed back to school and I was SO ready for school to start for us too - it seemed that summer would NEVER END. And now that it has, as I look back at the photos and memories I captured these past two months... seems like it flew by. SO AWESOME.  I miss it already.

I dropped them both off at school today finally. Little h started a half-day preschool (2 day/week). And as much as I couldn't wait to finally have a few hours to myself.. it was surely bitter sweet. The littlest, getting so independent.  When I went back to peep in through the window he was checking out all the "stations" all on his own, not a tear in sight - I think I may have cried even longer than he did (I just needed to release the anxiety I suppose)??!!

And my sweet girl. SO SMART. Sometimes I get in bed with her after she's gone to sleep and just stroke her hair, and pray for her, and smile at what an awesome little lady she's becoming.  I remember looking at her baby chubs and wondering what she'd be like. FIRST GRADE. She got in the car after school and said, "Mommy, IT WAS GREAT." And I could exhale...

Watching (and helping them grow up) so fast is equally exhilarating and terrifying. I often want to pinch myself, it seems so surreal to be a part of it all..

Feeling thankful.

xxB

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MAKING MEMORIES: SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN SERENBE

If you live in or near the Atlanta area you HAVE to make it down to Serenbe. Next to Palmetto Georgia it is the most perfect little community that is the best mix of modern and quaint. We headed down last week after playing hooky from church for their May Day celebration, and I can't wait to go back.

We ran into Dorothy from the Serenbe Playhouse. And the little munchkin was beside herself.

This new 2 year old climbed up on that horse and said Yee Haw (un prompted) and proceeded to ride that little beauty like he had been doing it all of his (2 years?) life. He almost had a nervous breakdown when we pried his little white knuckles from horn of the saddle. HE LOVED every minute of it. I on the other hand was a wreck as I tried to push all thoughts of the horse catapulting him to the ground. In the process of trying to find him a miniature rootin' tooting' cowboy hat.

Mommy's little equestrian. Sadly we didn't make it down to the in to see the baby farm animals, but will be sure plan for another trip down later in the summer to enjoy without the crowds.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all you awesome mama's out there. I hope you get some relaxation time and quality time with your littles. I will have both sets of parents in town and at the house for the weekend and munchkin's ballet recital. A house full of mama's can go either way:-) Keep me in your prayers...

What are you up to this weekend?

xx,
Bunnie

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MAKING MEMORIES: THE WONDER YEARS | 12/52

Fishing with the folks at Fort Clinch (Fernadina Beach, FL) Spring Break 2014

I've been channeling my Norma Arnold lately (after recently binge-watching the Wonder Years on Netflix). I recently read an article discussing the quest for perfect parenting and living a "Pinterest Worthy" life. Not excluding being a baking, crafting, decorating DIY maniac all in an effort to raise happy and constantly culturally curated kids (that was a mouthful). When if you really think about it (or it least when i do) my parents never even played with me (that I can remember), let alone made a 15 layer chocolate cake with matching aprons. But what I do remember is going down to Daytona Beach, staying in the Days Inn (and wondering how in the hell my mom ever got any sleep with my dad snoring that loudly), watching my dad fish and really just doing nothing except being together as a family. I felt safe, and loved, and lucky (no idea that the Days Inn was not the magical fortress I thought it was). I'm relieved to come to this realization (about life and re Days Inn;-). Maybe now I can cut myself some slack. And just enjoy being their mom. And even enjoy being myself without feeling like I'm scarring them for life or taking away any of the joys of being young and learning all you can. Because they will do just that. Whether we bake the cake together from scratch or just watch Nigella do it on TV (just this once).

did you do anything fun for spring break?

xx,

Bunnie

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MAKING MEMORIES: CATCH-UP | 8/52

A rough start to the week. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS has me making breakfast while its still dark out and drinking an extra cup of coffee in the afternoon.

This morning I got up a little late. I prayed for AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES!! What I got was a few let downs instead. Stats and unique visitors make me want to throw up can I just say. So. I've got a few extra hormones happening today which doesn't make matters easier.  I want to sulk and cry and put some Baileys in my coffee and watch the Bachelor finale and totally focus on nothing.

But I won't. At least not for long. These little people depend on me. And I depend on me. So I will download while the little naps today. And start again.

Playing catch up this week. Although my camera is never far from reach I've been a bit delayed with retrieving them. Here are a few of my fave from the last few weeks.

I decided to experiment with black and white this time. I'm hoping that this project will help me to learn more about my camera, fine tune my "eye" and do more research/learning on photo editing.   I've been using the free tool PicMonkey for a while, but recently downloaded the Adobe PhotoShop free trial for 30 days to see what I think (and if I can figure out how to use it). I used it to create this product collage and was pretty proud of myself!

So these are the kiddos over the last few weeks. The weather has been all over the place, but if the sun is out then so are we. I'm so excited that they are starting to play together and communicate with each other. He gets super excited when they see each other after being apart. And loves to ask her to read to him. He  says, "book!" or "reeeeaad!" It takes some of the pressure off of me when I can use a little break. I'm all like, "hey! read your brother some books!"

So in my attempt to build some skills here are a few online tip sheets and tutorials I dug up:

Some simple instructions on fine tuning your photos on Design Sponge.
- A whole slew of photography tips from lifestyle to interiors on A Beautiful Mess.
- Tutorials galore on 121 Clicks including this one on kid photography..
- And I haven't had a chance to explore this Canon DSLR basics site I stumbled on, but have it    bookmarked. It has virtual learn, play, challenge sections!
- Oh and I'm stalking following Clickin Moms on Facebook, a great resource for photography inspiration, learning and sharing.

Do you have any tips or references you could share?!

xx,
Bunnie
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P.S. Did you watch the Bachelor Finale? WHAT THE WHAT?! #burnJuanPabloburn 

MAKING MEMORIES: PROJECT 52: WEEK 3

Another week in the books!  What I need to know is HOW DO I GET INTO SOME OF THESE PICS??!! I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, and  she was saying that she has lots of pics from when she was growing up of her and her brother and dad, but not very many with or of her mom?

Um, because her mom was always behind the camera! I think I'm just going to have to become a celebrity so that at least I will have all of the pics from the paparrazi... How do I do that?

Oh. Well, will have to settle for either teaching munchkin how to take pics or handing the camera over to the husband.

Last week and the long weekend was pretty cool. Threw the ball around a bit with little h for the first time and took the training wheels off munchkin's bike (YAY 5!)!! She was not very happy about it. But she was brave and although she fell a gazillion times (and cried a couple), she kept getting back up and on. So proud of my courageous little girl!

Speaking of (Courage, Confidence and Character), I took the littles up to H's office so that munchkin could sell her Girl Scout Cookies!! Did I tell you she was a Girl Scout?!

So am I for that matter... Troop Leader - Woot Woot!! I know. Super Lame Cool Right?!

What have you been up to? Any advice on teaching this little squirt to ride her bike without training wheels? 

I think when the time comes we are going to start little h off with a balance bike?

xx,
Bunnie

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