Happy Mother's Day! Love, Joy's Hope

Hello friends! I hope that you all have a fabulous Mother's Day weekend!  I'm feeling nervous but good about my talk on Sunday. Thanks so much for the kind thoughts and prayers this week.  I'm so blessed to know so many great people who love and encourage me.  Now if we could all pray that I can NOT cry so people can understand me I think it might go ok!

  

My friend Julie from Joys Hope is here with a last minute Mother's Day note for you.  Julie pretty much rocks and I can't wait to eat cupcakes and spray paint things with her in September.  She is the best example of being truly GOOD and I'm so glad to have her stop by.  Take it away lady...

Mother's Day is a beautiful holiday to celebrate the women in our lives that give so much.

That make us who we are.



To be celebrated by the little ones with whom we are entrusted to grow, mold and shape into brilliant, stunning, adults.

But I haven't always felt that way.

After the loss of our first daughter, I wanted to wipe the entire day off of the calendar.  I was a mother without a child.  How could I celebrate?



Thankfully a kind, thoughtful, and generous couple from our church sent us off on a weekend getaway.

For those few days, just to be away from the pain and crushing reminder, was such a gift.



Their goodness to us in our grief, deeply changed me.  It has made me think about those who face this coming Sunday with sorrow and dread.



Those who are separated from their children, be it from loss, or distance.



Those who feel the loss of their own mothers even more acutely.



Those longing for a the laughter of a little one to fill their home.



Those on the journey through the adoption process, be it nearby or oceans away.



Those who need to be remembered.  Thought of.  Comforted.  In simple tangible ways.



A phone call.  A note.  A hug.  A cupcake.  A little bouquet of flowers.



An affirmation of the beauty that they are as a mother.  As a daughter.



Who can you remember and bless tomorrow?

I asked sweet Heather from Life Made Lovely to make this sweet printable card.

Print it out and surprise someone in need with love and thoughtfulness on their porch.



You might never know how very much, such a simple thing could mean.



Have a beautiful Mother's Day friends.

  Thank you, thank you Julie!  Happy Mothers Day to you too sweet friend.

Today I have a fun post for you from my bloggy friend Andrea!  She was my hoop art swap partner and I'm s and I can't wait to meet her this fall at Blog Sugar!  She is one stylin mama and I'm so happy to have her here today.  If you are new from Andrea's Space welcome I hope you'll stick around!

Hi Ruffled Sunshine readers!  I'm Andrea from Four Flights of Fancy, where I blog about the things I love in life, primarily family, faith, fashion and food.  I post a weekly series titled Playgrounds & Lollipops where I highlight one of my favorite outfits of the week that is child tested and mother approved, and will hopefully give a little inspiration to step outside of your style comfort zone and try something new.

I'm excited that Jenn asked me to guest post today and share some of my tips I've learned along the way while working most of my professional life in the fashion industry.  I'm a stay at home mom now, but still love to feel comfortable and stylish on a budget.  My style is not complicated or fussy, so you usually don't see my doing a lot of layering, or wearing a ton of accessories.  Getting dressed in the morning shouldn't make your head hurt is my motto.  But there are a few things I keep in mind when shopping and choosing my outfit for the day that I'd like to share.

Basic Isn't Always Better is the whole premise that I try to build my wardrobe on.  When I first became a mom, I stayed home with my daughter for the first year of her life before I went back to work.  I was dealing with an infant and I was on a budget, so I developed this mindset that each new piece of clothing I bought or wore had to be basic so that I could wear it multiple times and with many different outfits.  But what I quickly found was that I just looked the same everyday and my closet didn't bring me any joy.  For me, getting dressed helps me feel good and is something I look forward to everyday.  It's my creative outlet.  So when everything in my closet shifted to solid colors with nothing as a stand out piece, I quickly lost my zest for looking good.  Look good, feel good is my motto :)

Now, to help me stay out of that basic is better rut, when getting dressed in the morning I try to incorporate at least one of these four things into my outfit.

1. Pops of Color - You can be wearing simple blue jeans and a pair of flip flops, but if you've got a bright pop of color on top, you instantly feel a lift in your spirits.  I swear wearing a bright color makes you smile more.  It's almost impossible to be down when you see your reflection in the mirror.

2. Fun Prints - Whether it's a bold graphic, a feminine floral or a nautical stripe, incorporating some sort of print into your look gives you an instant dose of style.  I usually keep the accessories to a minimum if wearing a bold print, which makes getting dressed even easier.  Let your print be your accessory.

3. Shoes With Style - I love shoes.  Give me a cute pair of shoes and I'm a happy girl.  I love that they can make the simplest of outfits chic, and elevate it to a whole other level.  They don't need to be fancy or dramatic, just a subtle detail can make all the difference.  The right shade of leather or an interesting detail take a pair of shoes from 'meh' to wow!  And I'd rather have 1 pair of good shoes than 3 pairs of cheap shoes, without a doubt.

4. Well Appointed Accessories - Accessories stress me out so I usually try to keep it pretty simple.  I only have about 6 pairs of earrings, 3-4 necklaces and 2 statement rings I keep on rotation.  And a couple of hats.  Accessories can be tricky when caring for little kids and can get in the way, but a cute necklace or a sweet pair of earrings can make all the difference.  And hats do keep the sun out of your face ;)

Thanks for the great tips Andrea! Be sure and check out Andrea's blog and say hi!

The Dreamy Giraffe {a giveaway}

Let me introduce you to Kathy from The Dreamy Giraffe.  She is so fun and funny and fabulous!  I ran across her shop at the beginning of the year and let me tell you I was hooked on the spot.  The only trouble is I had the hardest time deciding what I wanted to get!  I decided to wait it out until Kathy introduced larger prints and I got this one for Ivy's room.

Source: etsy.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Doesn't that just perfectly remind you of my sweet girl?  Although I had a hard time choosing between that and this one...

The fun thing about Kathy's prints is you can totally get whatever hair color or eye color!  Hmmm maybe I should still get that one.

Well The Dreamy Giraffe also has the most perfect prints for Mama too.

Isn't that so true? Also available in Ice cream and cookies!  

And for your craft room?  Perfection.  

The Dreamy Giraffe has so many fun prints I think you will have as hard of time deciding what to get as I did!

And one of you lucky ducks gets to pick an 8x10 print of your choice!  

Just leave a comment here telling me what your favorite print is after you visit the Dreamy Giraffe Shop. 

{winner will be picked Tuesday May 10th}

Of course Kathy didn't want anyone to feel left out so she is offering you all a special discount! Just use 

code: SUNSHINE at checkout and receive  20 % off your order.  Sweet!.  

Happy Mother's Day from me and the Dreamy Giraffe!  

Mother of Three {Lovely Lindsay}

not many can capture true feelings in words like Lovely Lindsay can and I'm happy to share my space with her today...




all of a sudden, i am the mother of three.
mother's day round five.
+++
i spent years dreaming of being somebody's mother.
stacks and stacks of journal pages devoted to someday babies.
hope chests full to the brim of newborn treasures.
i named them. mostly girls. four - no, six!
and then i waited.
and waited.
and waited.
+++
tonight we changed my baby's bassinet into a crib.
wasn't it just a minute ago that bassinet seemed way too big for my tiny bundle of boy number three?
+++
lucas, gavin and charlie grey.
snips and snails and puppy dog tails... and mine.
+++

Can't We Skip That Day?!

Source: blogginwithbobbi.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Oh friends.  Its my least favorite day of the year, and its coming up quickly.  Traditionally I spend the day trying to think of ways to get out of going to church, end up going to church but spend  a big majority of the time in the bathroom blowing my nose and cursing my face that gets tragically blotchy from crying, and the rest of the time fielding the looks of people who feel sorry for me and my tragically blotchy face.   I bolt for the door and then spend the rest of the day trying not to be {too} terribly depressing to be around.  


What?  Isn't that what you do on Mothers Day?  


oh.      


lucky.


Yesterday in church someone spoke  about a personal audit.  Oh man.  That is what has been going on in my head and heart lately.  I've been asked to share my feelings about mothers day.  On mothers day.  In church.  oi.  A year ago I would have flat at said no.  But something tells me I couldn't say no if I wanted to.  Sincerely, I wish I could say no.  The thought of hundreds of people watching me cry and share my thoughts on infertility and mothers day makes me want to throw up.  But my Heavenly Father has given me an opportunity to help someone else even though I have no idea who that someone else is.  


So while I need to keep focusing on that I've asked some sweet friends to stop by and say Hi to you this week.  And we'll talk soon.


HUGS...