Giveaway from Sucre

-This Giveaway is Closed-

I'm a sucker for a pretty pastry, especially ones as delicious as these! Sucré sent a box of their divine signature macarons to my doorstep, and New Year's resolutions be darned, I enjoyed every last mouthful. I love that they arrive in a pretty gift box tied up with a ribbon, perfectly packaged for giving to one of your girlfriends or your sweetheart (Valentine's Day perhaps?) Not living in a big city, macarons aren't readily available for me, so this was a sweet treat for sure. Sucré also offers king cakes, perfect for Mardi Gras, and a pretty Valentine's Day collection (chocolate covered macarons, oh my!). And I'm excited to say that Sucré is giving away a box of their signature macarons to one of my readers as well! If you have a sweet tooth (or know someone who does), simply visit Sucré and let us know your favorite treat in the comments below. You can enter through Wednesday 1/22/14. Best of luck! xo, Lauren

The macarons were provided by Sucré - all opinions stated are my own. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents. All rules and conditions are subject to change without notice. 

-This Giveaway is Closed-

My Everyday

I don't know about you, but I'm personally kinda nosy curious about what a typical day looks like for other mamas. So since I can't really be a fly on the wall, I asked some of my favorite bloggers to share bits and pieces of their everyday lives here on A Lovely Lark. Today's topic? Breakfast!

Here's what a typical breakfast looks like at our house...

Although we (of course) don't eat them every day, a big stack of fluffy pancakes is a regular occurrence around here. Violet couldn't have much in the sweet foods department when she was intolerant to dairy (it's in pretty much EVERY dessert known to man), but we found that good ol' Bisquick is dairy free if you substitute a cup of water or coconut milk for the cow's milk.

It's now one of her favorite meals in the world, so we try to make them a couple of times a week. Not the most creative or healthful thing in the world, but isn't there a saying about eating breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper? If there's any truth to it Violet has that one down in spades!

Now for some more healthful mamas ;) Here's a peek into Drea (who always has seriously mouth-watering food on her gorgeous blog - you should check out her "things on toast" series - who knew you could do so many yummy things with toast?!) of OhDearDrea's typical morning meal:

We typically do toast and a coconut yogurt or cereal of some sort:

1. (vegan) cream cheese and honey on sourdough toast

2. avocado toast

3. (vegan) cream cheese with avocado with blue berries and strawberries

...theres a trend there, huh? haha. I didn't even realize it until I started writing it. Guess we like our toast. 

Thanks Lauren!

Her food pics are always so pretty - I'm totally wanting some fun/colorful plates now!

And last but not least, Brandy of Heart & Habit (love her blog - she has the most adorable, uber stylish, happy kids on the block):

A typical breakfast for us usually happens before the sun rises - we are generally early risers and now the sun is a late comer. So I snapped a pic of my very own cold breakfast:

 The kids have caught on to my love for Grapefruits so instead of a full one I am left with two slices, my coffee is cold because I've been busy getting the day prepped (or just getting back from yoga) and I almost totally forgot to eat my breakfast (chia seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, strawberries and almond milk) because I was distracted by my people. In my opinion it's the recipe for a perfect breakfast. 

Mmmm - they seriously both look so yummy (and creative and healthy!) I'd love to see what all of the rest of you do for breakfast for your toddler/preschooler/kid/teen/self! It doesn't have to be pretty or styled or super healthy or wildly creative - just real. Your honest to goodness everyday breakfast. If you would like to share (and satiate my curiosity) feel free to link up below (or just leave a comment!) And if you want continue to share your everyday with us, I listed the dates and topics we'll be covering below. Feel free to suggest topics too - I'm totally open to more ideas on how I can be nosy ;) A big thank you to Drea and Brandy for sharing a tidbit of your lives with all of us! xo, Lauren

Wed Oct 2 - Stories we're reading

Wed Oct 16th - My mom uniform

Wed Oct 23rd - How we do the grocery store

Wed Nov 13th - Typical Lunch

Wed Nov 20th - Naptime

Dec 4th - Favorite Holiday Traditions

Wed Dec 11th - Favorite toys

Wed Jan 15th - Getting the chores done

Wed Jan 29th -Typical Dinner 

Wed Feb 12th - Arts & Crafts

Wed Feb 26th - Bedtime

Something To from Dani Hampton

I'm excited to have Dani Hampton of Sometimes Sweet for today's Something To post! Dani has a beautiful lifestyle blog where she writes about her adorable little boy, Henry, and her baby to be. I'm so excited for her and her family to welcome their new addition (and to see what she comes up with for the new little guy's nursery!) Here's what Dani rounded up for us today:

make: lemon curd tart with raw coconut crust
wear: 'yay' sweater and wild things crown
live: orange stripe teepee
read: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
play: make the connection toy set

Handmade Love

Love these handmade wood veneer cake toppers from Madeline Trait! There are so many pretty ones in her shop that I seriously had trouble choosing which ones to feature today. xo, Lauren

Food is Love

There's nothing like food to bring people together! Especially the sweet kind, baked with love. Violet and I went to our annual cookie exchange this past week, and I'll admit that I was a little nervous. She is old enough to know that she would be missing out on all of the gorgeous treats that would be spread out on the table, and I felt for her. Of course I brought some special dairy-free cookies along with us, but it's always more fun to eat something new and different and not mama's old standby sugar and gingerbread cookies.

After a lot of thought I decided to ask if the other lovely ladies attending would mind bringing their ingredient lists/recipes along so that I could hunt for a cookie or two that Violet could eat, and I ended up being completely overwhelmed by their generosity. Not only did some people make cookies that were specifically dairy-free for Violet, one even brought boxes of special store-bought (and dairy-free) cookies with (and here's the kicker) BLUE icing. Violet's favorite color. Combined with the fact that some of the cookies were packed in a red plastic bucket (which I promptly emptied and gave to her), she was in HEAVEN.

I couldn't tell those women enough how much it meant to me that they thought of my little girl and took time out of what I'm sure were very busy holiday schedules to make her feel special. So thank you, thank you, and thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.

xo, Lauren

It's a...

It's...

It's a Marshmallow World

Clockwise from top left: packaging, crown, tree, clutch, slippers, gift wrap, marshmallows, jumpsuit

Holiday Gift Guide 2012: For Him

1. The Zombie Survival Guide

2. The Grit Handmade Soap

3. iPhone Dock

4. Black Hawaiian Sea Salt

5. Whiskey Stones Gift Set

6. Fleece-lined Lodge Moccasins

7. Leather iPhone Case

8. Beer Varieties Print

9. Atari Flashback Game Console

10. Classic SIGG Bottle

11. Pain is Good Hot Sauce

12. Chocolate Coal

13. Ultimate Grilling Rub Collection

14. Grillhouse Gastropub at Home

15. My Dad Loves Me!

P.S. Last day to enter the holiday giveaway! The winner will be announced tomorrow...

Lovely Links

As you read this we are on our way back across the Pacific. I'm going to miss my sister and brother-in-law, and especially the handsome little guy pictured above something fierce. Luckily I have the trip ahead on which to focus to help take my mind off the fact that I'm leaving them far behind.

I'm actually fairly nervous at the moment - our trip here went much better than expected, so I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst on the trip home. I just feel like it can't be that easy! Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

In the meantime here are a few of my favorite things from around the web this week:

I could think of so many uses for these

Dressing like summer.

Ah two of my favorite things: polka dots and cake

And some more cake love.

Call me!

I could work here.

And I could definitely sleep here. Or here.

And a few of my favorites from over on A Lovely Lark:

Lovely little spaces: One . Two . Three

Lovely little things: One . Two . Three

Lovely little art.

Adorable way to announce a bun in the oven!

Recipe for bath time fun.

Happy Friday!

xo, Lauren

Steppin' Out Saturday

We managed to get out just the two of us for a date night while we are visiting here in Oz (thanks to my parents, sister, and brother-in-law!) We walked up and down the beach and had dinner overlooking the harbor. It was fun to try to remember to say things like chips instead of french fries and that we weren't supposed to tip! We shared a delicious bottle of wine and the Mister convinced me to try a bite of pork belly (eek!) I didn't absolutely hate it but I much preferred my risotto.

Really the thought of certain foods just totally grosses me out. Like eating baby animals (lamb, veal, etc.), or ripping apart the pieces of something as gross looking as a lobster or crab and sucking out the innards. Completely horrific. But then again I think that they should change the name of 'chicken' to something more nondescript. I mean they don't call beef 'cow', am I right?! Anyway, he's a pretty persuasive guy and definitely way more adventurous than me. Thanks for getting me to step out of my box a little, love!

Sometimes I forget how important that one on one time really is - it was great to reconnect and just be goofy together.


Oh and here's what I wore:
Striped Top & Earrings: Borrowed from my sister's closet
Skirt: JCrew Outlet
Shoes: Nine West


xo, Lauren

Lovely Links 7.6.12

Please transport me here.

Rainbow bridesmaids - so fresh and fun!

Perfectly peachy nails.

Adorable fourth of July pies.

Festive confetti programs

Such fun packaging!

So true.

Fresh fashion illustrations (via Nicole)

I NEED this.

And over on A Lovely Lark:

Keeping things personal

Furry friends

Gray + coral nursery

I loved this so much I bought one for Violet's big girl room.

Such a smart idea.

Neon + neutrals

And more lovely links.


Happy Friday! 

xo, Lauren

A Happy Sparkly Day

It was hot, it was sticky, but oh, how it sparkled!

We celebrated with cherry snow balls and flag waving contests

Violet's first sparklers and a few fireworks. 

(She was a bit too tired for the real deal this time)

And of course sprinklers and barbecues. 

It was a happy sparkly day.

Happy birthday America!

xo, Lauren


P.S. I've changed my blog name for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it makes more sense to me. Please let me know if you run into any issues!

P.P.S. You can follow me on Instagram @alovelylark

Have a Relaxing Weekend!

I'm so excited...in just a few short days I'll be home with my babe for the summer. First plan of action: put some blackout shades on her windows and hope she learns the art of sleeping in :) Hey, a girl can dream, right?

A few fun links for your weekend:

Sweet & simple nursery

Staircase shelves

What a fun way to sleep!

Pretty party supplies

Shop update with lots of goodies over at Quill & Fox

Finally - an easy way to manage my takeout menus

The cutest party photobooth

Cheeky little bikes

Cross-stitch cookies

Genius! rainbow table

Happy Friday! xo, Lauren


P.S. Image via my Instagram. You can follow along @withtwocats

Four Sweet Dairy-Free Treats

Most of you know that Violet is unable to eat dairy products, but now I'll be joining her in that quest as well. I have a couple of my own mild health issues that my doctor has suggested could possibly be improved by eliminating dairy from my diet. I'm willing to give it a go if it will help me get medication free and healthy, but I am definitely going to mourn the loss of my good friend, Cheese. Oh, cheese...

On the bright side, one good thing is that it will force me to prepare meals that are Violet-friendly rather than giving her something different from what we are eating. Another plus is that I already have a lot of dairy-free food substitutes in my repertoire and am an expert label reader as a result of her condition.

I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until last night I realized (in addition to cheese) that I will also be unable to eat a lot of the sweet after-dinner treats that I love. (AKA ice cream, chocolate, and, oh yeah, chocolate) After a mild nervous breakdown I decided to think things through like a rational person and instead of imploding dug through our stash of sweets. After furiously reading a few labels I discovered much to my relief that I can eat DARK chocolate. (at least most of it is dairy-free). Then I started brainstorming a list of a few other sweets that I can indulge in and came up with four good ice cream alternatives:

1. (most) Dark Chocolate
2. Italian Ice
3. Fresh Fruit
4. (most) Sugar Cookies

So I think I'm going to survive (other than the cheese thing). And if anyone knows of any good dairy-free or vegan blogs I'd love to add them to my blog roll. Thanks in advance and wish me luck!
xo, Lauren


Image Sources: one, two, three, four

Peach Perfection

clockwise from top left: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven

Somewhere Else

Sometimes I come across photos (mainly whilst surfing The Pinterest) that make me want to get away. Go somewhere else. Maybe back to our honeymoon? (We went to Germany and Austria). A little cafe in France? Joanna Goddard just recently went on an impromptu trip with her other half, and Amsterdam looks just lovely. Wouldn't it be great to have no responsibilities, plenty of money and just be able to jet set off to explore new places? I had a dream a couple of nights ago that I won one-hundred-and-forty MILLION dollars in the lottery. (It was a beautiful feeling.) And then the alarm clock woke me up...

I bought a lottery ticket the other day just in case.

one . two . three . four . five

Friday Favorites

A few fun + carefree links for your weekend:

An adorable DIY dollhouse.

Eight ways to pimp your lemonade.

You smell.

A worm party and a dirt party!

The basics of herbs

DIY avengers bookmarks - so fun.

1940's hair how-to.

Make your own graphic tee.

Play with your food

Be a Fruit Loop in a world full of Cheerios!

Happy Friday! xo, Lauren


Image Source

A Day for Mothers

Sorry that I was missing yesterday. I decided to lengthen my Mother's Day weekend by one more day! It was such a lovely couple of days with my little family. Filled with flowers and breakfast, our local Mother's Day fair, ice cold treats, and walks to the park. What mother could ask for more?

To all of the mothers out there - I hope that yours was just as lovely!

xo, Lauren

Violet's Second Birthday Party: The Fun Stuff!

So you've seen the food and decorations - now for the fun stuff! Since we decided to have Violet's party on the weekend before her actual birthday (which was Cinco de Mayo weekend) AND because a colleague generously offered to let me borrow the decorations from her Cinco de Mayo party, we ended up with a full-blown fiesta! The Hubster whipped up some fajitas, we played pin the tail on the donkey, and had a pinata (yes it was Cookie Monster which wasn't super Cinco-de-Mayo-ish, but Violet loved him and he got gussied up for the occasion). My sister-in-law and brother-in-law threw on some Latin music for the occasion and there was some serious salsa dancing going on in our garage :)

Violet got a REAL cake this year (as opposed to last year's felt version - see here and here) and she was in HEAVEN. She posed like a total pro for the camera and I think held out the longest "cheeeeeeese" ever in the history of the world (the girl has photo skills). She was soooo thrilled when she managed to blow out her candles (with a little help from the other kids who were all blowing along with her) and had the cutest smiled when everyone clapped and cheered. I about died.

And then she took the biggest bite of her cake and I think I did die.

We decided to get her a four wheeler, which she has absolutely no clue how to steer (but she loves it just the same). But I think the big hit of the day was the bubble machine! Her Uncle bought it for her and I have never seen the girl so happy. The kids ran around popping bubbles like crazy people forEVER. Seriously if you ever need to entertain a group of young kids, get one of these.

x

I think for Violet it was a perfect day. I'm so happy that she loved her birthday party, and even though she won't remember it, I think she'll know how much fun she had when she looks back at these pictures. Thank you to our family for all of your love and for helping us to celebrate the birth of our little girl.

We love you so much our little soon-to-be-two-year-old. Happy happy birthday!


xo, Mommy and Daddy

Around Here

I've been in party crafting mode this past week - trying to pull off a pretty party but on a budget. We ended up moving the party date (to this coming weekend - eek! ) to make sure that Violet's Grammy could be there. Since it's Cinco de Mayo I think we're leaning more towards that as a theme, especially since I'm going to a Cinco de Mayo work shindig on Friday and she's lending me some of her loot (free stuff - score!). And who doesn't love a good fiesta? Not going to go too crazy theme-y but maybe some fringe, some pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey action and a couple of sombreros thrown in there. Ole!

In other news I'm still working on Violet's big girl room. I hung the hooks in the above photo myself (well, with my Dad's supervision lol). But power tools and me have never been best buds, so I must say that I'm pretty proud of myself.

I've been doing pancakes on the weekends now so that Violet has a change from her normal eggs, toast, and cereal routine. She gobbles them up - so excited that she has something new and tasty to eat. And speaking of tasty I was so worried about her birthday cake being horribly inedible (baking is also not my thing - especially not a dairy and soy free cake!) but I found out that Duncan Hines cake mix is dairy free and mostly soy free (it has soy oil which Violet can have) so she's going to have a tasty birthday cake after all - hurray!

Other than that I've been finishing up a few projects that I've been procrastinating on around the house. Nothing like a party to get your butt in gear. I painted Violet's silhouette, am sprucing up the art wall in our back room, and we got half of the wallpaper up in the living/dining area. Unfortunately the Hubster seems to have been struck by some sort of plague (he normally doesn't get sick, like ever) so we'll see if he's up to another round of wallpaper cutting, pasting, and hanging before the party. Anyway, I'm off to  dive back into my world of crafting craziness. Wish me luck! xo, Lauren


P.S. Follow along on Instagram - @withtwocats