Introducing Rush Atlas Draffin: Newborn Family Pictures

                 Hello my friends! Long time no talk huh!? Boy oh Boy has it been a whirlwind since my last blog post from early January, posting Rush's sweet baby nursery and anticipating his arrival in late January. A lot has change for the better but it sure hasn't been an easy journey since he came into this world! Rush Atlas came into our lives on January 21st at 6:30 pm and he weighed 7 lbs and 4 oz. My delivery story definitely isn't a normal one and things didn't happen like you see in the movies where everything goes perfectly smooth but I know my birth story happened for a reason (sometimes thats hard to understand) but it made me stronger in a sense and God carried us through. Rush also came along way from being in the NICU for 6 days and then being able to come home. We are so thankful it was only 6 days and things could have always been a lot worse but were so glad things worked out.

                   My recovery was also rough and took some true patience and time to heal but again, it made me stronger and I know it happened for a reason. Once home from the hospital, my mom was home to greet us and stay with us for several weeks which was wonderful and so helpful as we adjust to having a new family member in the home. Not only was an adjustment for us but it was for Paw haha! He didn't understand for weeks, would bark every time the baby cried, thought the nursery was his, thought the babies toys were his haha! Let's just say it's been an adjustment for all of us. Shortly after my mom had to head back home to help Mam for her surgery, Reed's mom Barbara was able to come and help us as well (again so helpful)! With a lack of sleep, recovery, and trying to adjust to it all I can't thank our mom's and families enough for all of their help that's for sure. My first week at home by myself was going good until Reed's voice went out and he started a cold, and then Rush got RSV which was so hard to see a newborn sick anyways and then I got ahold of it right after; but, we made it through and they both have been doing much better thank goodness.

                 Our first couple of months home with Rush definitely haven't been easy but I have never had so much fun. Reed and I are enjoying seeing him start to smile and laugh and enjoying all the cuddles and play time. Life sure has changed but in the best way possible. We are so thankful to hopefully be on the mend and enjoying our time together as a new family of 4 (counting paw of course) :) I hope to share more each month about what Rush is up to and share some family photos. Below, are our first family photos/newborn photos. We worked with April Milan with April Milam Photography here in Spring Hill. She is wonderful and a great photographer to work with in our area. We couldn't be more pleased and in love with the pictures she took for us. She came to our home and we loved every second of it. Her website is  April Milam Website  if you ever need a photographer in the Spring Hill/ Franklin/ Nashville area. We took and received back over 90 photos but here are a few of our favorites. Thank you again April!

I hope you all are doing well and I hope you enjoy these photos of our little family! Thanks for reading and stopping by! xo Tesla

Style & Beauty: My Go-To Products

               Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all enjoying your week so far. We have had actual snow in Nashville and it has been exciting! Cold and snowy, my favorite :) With the cold weather and the dry skin I thought it would be fun to share my go-to products not only during the chilly months but year round. These are products I stay true to and love all year long. As many of you know, I am a consultant on the side for Beautycounter and a lot of my go-to products are Beautycounter but also other products as well. Whether you are renewing your products for the new year, wanting to try something new, or simply want to see what I love I put together a lot of information for you. I hope you enjoy, please let me know if you have any questions!

Here is a detailed list of my go-to's and why I love them: My notes are in red

Coconut Milk Bath Soak by Herbivore:

Product Details

Key Benefits:

• Perfect for hydrating and softening skin
• Leaves your skin soft and hydrated
• Coconut milk powder moisturizes and softens the skin
• Delivers anti-inflammatory properties
• Helps soothe inflamed areas of the skin
• Vanilla helps deliver a relaxing and calming effect on the brain
• Provides relief from anxiety, anger and restlessness
• Imparts a soothing coconut and vanilla extract

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) , Dehydrated Vegan Coconut Milk, Coconut Pulp CO2, Vanilla Planifolia Extract.

An ethically sourced, natural skin care line with a wide-range of products, Herbivore Botanicals stick to active ingredients for visible results.

If you need a good clean/safe bath soak this is a great product that I use when or if I take a bath. It smells great and the best part its safe to use. 

You can purchase it here: This is the best deal I have found on this: Coconut Milk Bath Soak

Beautycounter Balancing + Charcoal Mask:

As some of you may know, Beautycounter offers safe products with safe ingredients. All products are clean and safe of harmful chemicals and ingredients and safe for everyone in the family to use. 

Benefits: Activated charcoal and kaolin clay absorb excess oil and refine skin texture, giving skin a smooth, polished appearance. Infused with activated charcoal and ylang ylang, the Beautycounter+ Balancing Collection gently refines oily, uneven skin. 

The nutrient rich kaolin clay mask purifies and balances absorbing excess old and draws out impurities. Activated charcoal minuses the appearance of pores, giving skin a smooth, refined appearance while salicylic acid stimulations exfoliation. Perfect for all skin types and those concerned with congestion and oily skin. 

I use this twice a week and love the way it makes my skin feel afterwards. The mask dries quick and hardens deep within your pores. You skin will definitely feel softer and better just after one or two uses. This is also great for anyone that suffers from acne. 

To purchase: Charcoal Mask

Skinny Coconut Oil: Skinny Coconut Oil is the only 100% RAW, sustainably sourced, small batch, chemical free, preservative free, never heated and hand crafted coconut oil in the world.  The secret is our body and age defying patented Nutralock technology that produces oil below 100 degrees without using heat, chemicals or solvents. Heat and chemicals is the natural enemy of oil because it breaks down its vital medium chain fatty acids (MCFA’s) and naturally occurring enzymes rendering the oil less effective.

With Skinny Coconut Oil you are assured of getting those rare to find yet highly beneficial MCFA’s.  The miracle of MCFA’s is that they are quickly digested by the body instead of stored as fat and arterial plaque like long chain fatty acids found in seed and other types of oils.

Skinny Coconut Oil is also a natural form of MCT oil along with having over 50% lauric acid -the highest levels found in a coconut oil,  which is the immune building key to mothers breast milk.

Skinny Coconut Oil takes 30% more coconuts to produce and in its liquid state above 78 degrees readers completely clear and actually looks like water - the true sign of purity in coconut oil.

Skinny Coconut Oil gives you everything you need to hydrate, repair and protect your body and skin.  Our exclusive age defying patented process uniquely formulates a pH balanced coconut oil which maintains all of its natural occurring fatty acids essential for beautiful hair and skin.

Your skin is your largest organ and works hard for you - return the favor with Skinny Coconut Oil and indulge yourself in the best nature has to offer. Reap the many benefits of younger, hydrated and healthy looking skin and a slimmer, more focused, healthier looking you.  Skinny Coconut Oil is as close as you can get to handpicked from the tree.

Benefits:

• Paleo - Keto - Vegan - Non GMO
• Great healthy Fat for Energy
• Shown to boost metabolism

Details:

• Wild harvested coconuts are handpicked
• No chemicals, fillers, solvents or preservatives
• Patented NutraLock™ process uses cold air instead of heat

How To Use:

• Add to tea, coffee, or smoothies
• Use in place of butter or conventional oils
• Take spoonful for natural sustained energy

For hair, face, and skin care, view our Health & Body collection. Coconut oil may turn liquid above 76 degrees Fahrenheit and become solid again under 76 degrees.

Ingredients:

• 100% RAW Patented Nutralock Coconut Oil (cocos nucifera)

**All information found on the Skinny Coconut Website

I use this every night as a makeup remover to remove the makeup from my eyes before cleansing with my Beautycounter products. This product you can also cook with as it mentions above but I use this as a night time regiment for my makeup. You can also take a look at the website as they have entire section of coconut oil products for style and beauty.

To purchase: Skinny Coconut Oil

Peppermint Pure Castile Bar Soap: Our most popular scent & with a peppermint burst so pure it tingles! Scented with organic peppermint oil to cool skin, clear sinuses and sharpen mind. Our Peppermint Pure-Castile Bar Soap is made with certified fair trade ingredients and organic hemp oil for a soft, smooth lather that won't dry your skin. 100% biodegradable in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper.

Ingredients: Organic Coconut Oil*, Organic Palm Oil*, Sodium Hydroxide**, Water, Organic Olive Oil*, Mentha Arvensis, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Mentha Piperita, Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Tocopherol

*CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS
**None remains after saponifying oils into soap & glycerin.

** All information found directly from the Dr. Bronner's Website 

Reed and I both use this daily in the shower as a body bar soap and also as a hand soap by the sink. We love the peppermint smell but also love the way it leaves your skin feeling after each use. They have great products! We love the bottled castile soap also to clean our home as well. 

To purchase: I find this at Sprouts or my local grocery store also Target now carries this or online at Peppermint Castille Bar Soap

Beautycounter Nourishing Cream Cleanser: Soothe and nourish your skin as you wash away your makeup and other impurities with this ultra-gentle daily cleanser. Lightweight yet deeply moisturizing, the creamy formula contains witch hazel to tone skin, and coconut oil and aloe to help hydrate.

Dampen skin, then gently massage cleanser into your face, Rinse, and this is perfect for all skin types for the whole family.

I use this daily as my daily face wash either in the morning or at night. The other product I love that I didn't mention here is the charcoal bar by Beautycounter. I switch these two from day to night to cleanse my face. Excellent products!!

To Purchase: Beautycounter Nourishing Cream Cleanser

Beautycounter Color Pinch Cream Blusher: This brightens your cheeks with a natural, dewy color. Using jojoba ester and carnauba wax as it conditions and hydrates skin, making the smooth, non sticky formula easy to apply on the go. You dab this on your cheek bones on blend evenly with a blender sponge, your finger, or brush. This creates a natural looking glow and adds color to your cheeks.

 I use this daily and a little bit goes a long way! you just need a dab on each side of your face after you apply your foundation, powder, this is your finishing touch. 

Beautycounter Touchup Skin Concealer Pen:  Hide dark circles, redness, or other areas of imperfections with this concealer pen. Unlike other concealers that move or shift, ours stays put for long lasting, flawless wear. Plus, the click pen and brush applicator make it easy to apply just use the right amount on the go. Formulated with knotgrass extract, our concealer helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and photo aging so skin looks firmer, brighter instantly. 

I also use this daily as well under my eyes and any other redness areas of my skin that I want to touch up. This works great and another favorite product!!

Beautycounter Eye and Cheek Palette:  This Palette is currently sold out on the Beautycounter website but there is another palette called the Ocean and Pacific Palette that is equally great with incredible colors. 

This is the Ocean and Pacific Palette for you to get an idea of the quality and beautiful shades of eyeshadow but also that we offer multiple safe products 

To Purchase: Products shown here 

Beautycounter Peppermint Lip Conditioner:  Soothes and softens lips with peppermint and rosemary oils. Rub a small amount on lips to condition as much as needed. 

I use this daily, especially in the winter months. When your lips are cracked, dried, or whatever is going on with them and you want a good conditioner that works like a chapstick with butter haha I'm not kidding, its the bomb!! 

To PurchaseL Lip Conditioner Sold here

My Organizing Tips: A fresh start to the New Year

            Hi Everyone! Happy New Year! I took a couple weeks off of blogging right after Christmas which was so nice and relaxing but I am back to kick off the New Year with many exciting things coming up for my blog but also sharing ways to stay organized, new recipes, home decor ideas, and so much more! My blogging goal for 2018 is to share more content with you and hopefully inspire you to create things in your own home.

           2017 was a wonderful year for us filled with ups and downs, traveling, family time, and so much more. One way to kick off 2018 is decluttering and re-organizing. As you know, I am a pretty organized person and love the feeling of cleaning and keeping things tidy. Some of you are like this and some of you aren't, either way I thought it would be fun to share a few ways to start off the new year by giving you some of my organizing and decluttering tips that I use for our own home.

Here are a few of my organizing tips: 

First, start small 

         Pick a place in your house that needs the most attention. Start small by focusing on one room or spot, this way you aren't overwhelmed by all of the areas that you want to accomplish. For us, it was the kitchen. Once you pick your place in the house start by throwing away anything you don't use, need, or want.

Create 3 Piles 

         Create a donate pile, trash pile, and keep pile. This can apply to your kitchen, closet, office, kids play room whatever area needs the most attention. Once you start and give that one area a little attention, it will give you the motivation you need to start de-cluttering. Trash items you don't need, have wear & tear, or simply don't want. Donate any items you want to remove from your space to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army or maybe a family member/friend wants to go through your pile. I ask myself several questions when I am determining my "keep pile" (Is this something we need, something we will use in the future, or something we can do without?)

Utilize your space 

       Whichever room or area needs some help, once you tackle the cleaning out part of the job you can then start fresh with utilizing your space properly. What I mean by this, for an example we needed some serious cleaning and organizing in our kitchen cabinet area and pantry. With the rush of the holiday's we kind of starting throwing things left and right. Use plastic bins, fabric totes, door hangers, or containers to organize your space. This will not only make your area look better but it will feel better if everything has a place. Especially if you are working with a small space and need some extra room, using a door hanger for your cleaning supplies, crafts, or shoes will really help your space situation. 

Labeling 

     I know you are thinking, I don't have "time" to label. Well, maybe you don't but I can promise you if you label the folders, label the plastic bins, or label your pantry items it will help you stay organized throughout the year. I really stick by this and this has helped me stay on track throughout the year and not just at the new year. Even if it is one label or two it will definitely not only look better but also feel better. 

         Here are a few areas that I have organized in the past week to make small changes in our everyday lives. Even starting with one drawer in your medicine cabinet or in your closet will start to make a difference and keep you on track. I hope you enjoy my own organizing tips and I hope this inspires you to create your own organizational needs in your own home :) Thank you for stopping by!

I organized the small areas of our pantry that needed some organization by using jars, containers, tupperware and bins to create an easier way to find things we are looking for. 

Our kitchen cabinets quickly get out of hand and just taking some extra time to re-organize a cabinet or two goes a long way. 

I received this spice rack from my parents for Christmas and it has been a wonderful way to get our species organized in our pantry and I love how it looks also haha :) Another way to organize your spices is by purchasing these clear boxes or trays to separate your goods. Very inexpensive and easy! I purchased these from Target for $6.99 and $9.99

I don't know about you, but we have books everywhere in different locations I thought it make a good statement in our sunroom but also a great way to organize our books! I created two simple book ends with greenery and larger books on the other end. 

Same thing with my cookbooks, they were everywhere after the Holidays. I made a cookbook statement in the Kitchen to add some color and this was a great way to keep them organized as well. 

Going back to my bin and tote idea, I love using these totes and bins even in our drawers to keep product, medicines, or any excess goods organized. 

2017: new year, new goals

                       hey everyone! happy new year. it's hard to believe Christmas has come and gone and now new years as well. 2017 is here and instead of coming up with resolutions that will probably slip between the cracks i wanted to share my personal goals for this year instead. we all know everyone wants to be healthy and lose weight at the beginning of the year and you always hear the jokes about how many people open up a gym membership in january and don't ever see the gym again after february or start a diet and don't finish it; it's funny to me because i have been one of those people before. been there done that. 

                      i was so thankful my best friend jordan introduced me to whole30 in 2016. after about 45 days of strict discipline in maintaining the whole30 program i felt so good. yes i lost weight but i mean truly felt good inside and had more energy!  after eating bad food over the holidays (which was wonderful, don't get me wrong) it really felt like my body was hating me for how bad i was eating. it's amazing the difference you can make just by choosing healthy foods each day. thats my first goal for the year is to take care of myself and my family by keeping up the whole30 lifestyle and extending it past the first few months. i plan to keep this going as a lifestyle verses a diet. this might be a little easier to follow: heres a few goals i have for 2017

• HEALTH: put my health first- maintain the whole30 lifestyle and share recipes and ideas with others 
• GIVE: my goal is to give more throughout the year in ways we can impact others and through our church--  to actively seek new ways to give to others who are in need 
• BIBLE: my goal is to start a new women's bible study plan- anyone have any good recommendations for this one?? 
• SAVE: everyone wants to save more and spend less, but my goal is to save more each month 
• MEMORIES: reed and i love to travel, we will have more weekend time this year to make more road-trips and have more opportunities to travel often and even more than we did last year-- my goal is to keep this going and spend more time trying new things together 
• FAMILY: to continue to spend more time and as much time as we can with our families :)
• FREE WEEKENDS: this is a big one for us, my goal is to not plan every weekend packed full of things to do each weekend of every month-- plan weekends with nothing to do!!
• READ:  the goal is to put away the phone more often and grab a good book instead

those are a few meaningful goals for this year and i know you all have your own as well! I would love to hear yours as well, feel free to share and comment below! my hope for my blog is that i can share ideas with you through my little spot on the internet and inspire you to do things you love each and every day :) thank you for reading and for your support. have a great week  and cheers to a fresh new year with endless possibilities!! God is good!! see you again soon xoxo