Books, books, books.

I love reading. I think to read in front of your children is doing them such an amazing service by installing a love of books in them as well. From the time Andrew was a little baby and ask through his early childhood, I read to him each and every night. Now he adores getting lost in a good book as well, reading way past his age level. That makes a mom so darn proud. :)

I adore the library as well. We make it a habit to go to the library at least once a week. Andrew loves being able to go pick out a few books and movies, and so do I. It is comforting to know that you can read anything there and take it right back if you aren't clicking with the story line, no harm done and no money spent on a book you'll never finish! :)

However, my reading has sure taken a dip in the past few months and I have been ignoring one of my favorite pastimes. I need a new book to read though! And that means I need a little help from you all!

 

What have you been reading lately? What book can you not put down? Here is a little hint about what I like to read...

I love teen fiction books. Twilight and Harry Potter top that list. The Hunger Games series was fantastic as well. I have read Divergent and Insurgent and loved both. What else can I move into? I'll take any recommendations from you all. :) I am open to reading something different as well, maybe something that doesn't normally fit the regular teen fiction mold. ;)

Ok, recommendations....GO!!! Ill be sharing my latest book finds with you soon as well. :)
Thanks friends, and xo.

  

  

Missing you...

One year ago, we lost my amazing Aunt Jackie to cancer. That day, I lost a family member, a loved one, and a friend. I miss her all the time, but especially when I think about my children and my family.

My aunt loved my son Andrew. She was always ready to play with him, sit and chat, or stick him in a Target shopping cart and fill it with toys. {Seriously, no one loved Target like my aunt! ♡}

Aunt Jackie would have been so proud of Andrew. He started baseball this year, which was her favorite sport. I know she is watching him play from heaven, and that makes me happy. :)

I am lucky enough to have had her meet my husband, but we lost her right before our wedding last year, which was very hard. And that means that my second son, Declan, will never get the chance to know my aunt, which makes me tear up just thinking about it. :(

She did, however, get to meet her grandson, Breckyn. She was so in love with him and he loved his "TuTu"!! :) The photo below is of my aunt and Breckyn when he was littler. I am so glad he knew her. :)

We will always miss my aunt, but we will also always love the memories we have of her.  I love you, Aunt Jackie!!!

Giveaway Time!

It's time for a fun giveaway! Would you like to win a pack of my new thank you banner cards? :)

You'll get one entry for each:

-Leave a comment telling me something happy. ♥
-Like Mommy Holly on Facebook
-Follow me on Instagram (mommyholly13)
-Follow me on Twitter
-Follow me on Pinterest

Leave me a comment letting me know about each entry. GOOD LUCK! Winner will be announced on Friday! :) xo!

{Links to the left in the sidebar.}

New Directions

For the past two months, my main job has been to be a mom. Well, that is always my main job, but I haven't had any other work to worry about on top of that. My shop has been put on a temporary pause, aside from a few little things here and there, and it has afforded me to figure out where I want to go with Mommy Holly. I have been brainstorming new ideas and new directions to go in, and it making me so excited.

I want my shop to flourish, to grow, and to be a success, so having a little downtime proved to be easential to how I think about myself as a business owner. Not only do I want to do this job for myself, but I want to contribute to my family, yet still be able to be the mom who shows up to school each afternoon to walk my son home. I want to be a presence in my boys' daily lives and running a successful online shop allows me to do that.

Success is key. I have realized that in order to achieve that success, I have to be organized, prepare ahead of time, make lists, keep my space tidy, and ultimately, keep it all together. Can I do that? Time will tell. I am so motivated to make it work. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this momma can make big things happen. :)

SO... Here's to the re-opening of Mommy Holly, which will be happening very soon. I've got some fun blog posts planned and some new items that will hopefully make you want to shop, shop, shop. :)

In the meantime, be sure to follow me on facebook, instagram, twitter and pinterest. Links are to the left. :) Lots of updates in the near future, and there will be a giveaway tomorrow!! Stay tuned. :) xo!

Fashion Recap- Academy Awards 2013

Happy Monday, and happy day-after-the-Oscars!  That means it's time to recap the fashion that happened on last night's red carpet.  Might I say that nothing blew me away like years past.  There were some beautiful dresses and hair, but nothing jaw-dropping in my opinion.  Do you agree?? 

 

That being said,

here were my picks for best dressed!

 

The Good...

1. Reese Witherspoon is always one of my favorite people- she is always so beautiful and classic, plus she seems like such a sweet girl. {I have Legally Blonde love forever, might I add!}  She looked gorgeous in this blue color, and her hair was to die for.  Seriously.  How do I get shine like that? :)

2.  Zoe Saldana had on an incredible dress, in my opinion.  The top was so detailed and feminine, and her hair and makeup were kept simple to offset the drama of the dress. Love, love. {And loved you in Center Stage way back when, Zoe. :) }

 

1.  Naomi Watts looked incredible!  Her hair and makeup were flawless and that assymetrical sequin gown was GORGEOUS.  Way to go! :)

2.  I have to say, she is never one of my top faves, by Nicole Kidman looked radiant last night.  {Or maybe it was the cute hubby at her side as well?}  The dress was beautiful and shiny.  Love!

 

 

My pick for best dressed couple?!  Obvious choice here.  Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.  Two of my favorite people in Hollywood because they seem like such wonderful people and such wonderful parents to those three adorable kiddos.  I love Jennifer's dress and Ben looked classicly handsome.  Plus, she was so darn proud of her husband, which makes me smile. :)

 

And now for the WORST dressed.

 

The Bad...

1.  Oh, Anne Hathaway.  Where do I start?  Your dress looked straight from a 90's prom, in a very bad way.  Not a flattering look across the chest either.  Horrible color on you, and the hair is still not working for me.  Wrong choice, ick

2. Salma Hayek, I have one piece of advice for you.  If you have amazing curves and gorgeous cleavage, maybe you should show that off instead of covering it up with that awful velvet and gold halter.  Not a good look.  Again, it looks so very dated!  And the hair looked pretty awful too.  Who told her the tiara was a good idea??

 

OK, that's it for my recap!  Who were your favorites?  Who were your least faves?  I'd love to hear your opinions as well! :)

xo!

one month old.

  Happy one month, Declan! Declan is the best little baby.  He rarely cries unless something is wrong.  He is starting to make the cutest little coos and sounds.  He is focusing on us like crazy!  He watches me walk through the room and i sstarted to smile a little more.  Not sure if that should still be blamed on gas, but it sure is cute. :)  He went in for his one month appointment and is packing on the pounds!  He gained three pounds in the past three weeks and is now a whopping 9 pounds 8 ounces!  Hungry, growing boy! :)  He is sleeping in longer stretches and we sometimes get five or six hours of sleep straight, which is wonderful.  We just love having him here, part of our daily lives, and we feel blessed to have such a content and happy baby so far!!   Technically, I should have posted this photo on February 1st. It just took me six days to actually get this photo edited and blogged. Life of a mother with a newborn, right? But I really want to take these monthly photos- they are so important! OK, baby needs a bottle and momma needs a nap. xo!   PS. New things are being planned for this little blog. I am desperately wanting to be back here with lots of new ideas and exciting updates, so please stay tuned. Liking the new look to the blog?? Did you notice?! :)