Monica Lee

Laundry Day with Dropps

Hi friends!! I’ve recently discovered a brand that has CHANGED THE GAME when it comes to laundry and dishes and I felt like I would be doing y’all a disservice if I didn’t tell y’all about them!! We’ve been using Dropps in our laundry and dishwasher for about half a year now and they are the absolute BEST!!
{PS there will be a discount code at the end, so make sure you use it when you order!!}

There are tons of different reasons why we chose Dropps and why we’ve continued to use them!
Dropps formulas are made with natural ingredients, they’re never tested on animals, and the packaging is just plain old cardboard – no plastic containers!! I think my favorite part is how quick and easy it is to just toss the pods into the dishwasher and washing machine and not have to deal with any measuring or spills!!

If you’ve been around here for a while you know that Hayes started doing chores as soon as he could walk (check out my “chores” highlight on instagram for a good laugh), he LOVES helping out!! He’s started to do his own laundry and I’m pretty sure it’s his favorite day of the week now haha. He literally shouts over and over “IT’S LAUNDRY DAY!!!!”

Dropps literally has a pod designed for anything you could possibly need!
They have a newborn bundle, sensitive skin pods, pods for stain & odor removal, the list goes on!!
Make sure to use code MONICAK for 25% off your Dropps order.

I honestly don’t know how we lived without them for so long, this girl will NOT be going back to regular detergent.
Oh, and did I mention that Dropps is more affordable than other leading detergent brands?!
THEY ARE SO GOOD.

Infertility – An Update

So many of you have wanted an update or more details on what’s going on with us as far as infertility. I SO badly wish I could share every detail with y’all but I need and want to be respectful of Kyle (who is a much more private person than I am) so I will always keep some of the details private. There is also big part of me that’s always holding back and super hesitant to share since we have one baby already. I know there are so many of you who would die for just one baby. And because of this I’m always nervous to share…However, our pain of wanting another is still here. Wanting another does not make us ungrateful for the one we have. We KNOW that Hayes is a complete miracle and we can’t even put into words how grateful we are that God chose us for him. From the messages I have received I know that so many of you are thankful when I do share what’s going on with us, it honestly might be my most asked about topic …
so today I’m choosing to share.

On May 29th we went through with our very first IUI. I was SO hopeful, I just knew that this was it, this was our answer, this was going to give us our baby(ies)!!! I felt super happy & excited & hopeful the following days. I was analyzing every pinch, cramp & possible symptom. I had a quick video appointment with the fertility specialist the following week. I was told it was going to just be a quick “progesterone consult” so I decided Kyle could watch Hayes while I talked to her. Long story short, it was a lot more than a quick progesterone consult, it was moreso her telling me that it’s VERY unlikely that the IUI worked..she’s very concerned with “____” & “_____” and then she went on to suggest IVF. I just started sobbing. I was furious that she couldn’t have told us it was unlikely to work before we actually did it. It felt like such a huge waste of time, money & just an entire week of TRULY believing this was it. I can’t tell y’all how often I dreamed about twin girls just from the moment we started seeing a specialist and knew twins could be a possibility, like I could literally SEE THEM. I was so sad & so so angry. And SO defeated, because IVF just isn’t an option for us right now.

It honestly felt like a huge slap in the face, we were finally taking a BIG step towards a possible baby & everything was going so smoothly and perfect and then BAM it was like I got sucker punched in the stomach. After a full day of feeling sad I realized it’s going to be okay, we serve a God of miracles and i’m trusting that He has babies for us SOMEWHERE. He did completely surprise us with Hayes out of the blue after all. We’re planning on getting a 2nd opinion soon, & just taking a breather. Today was my “test day” & although I was so angry and sad and confused last week after she told me our chances I’m really thankful that I found out then and got out all of my feelings, because somehow this morning the negative didn’t sting quite as much. Gods plan is bigger. I’m choosing to trust Him during all of this. My prayer for those of you that are going through similar heartache is that you also choose to GENUINELY trust in His plan. That you lean on your partner and not away from him even though this heartache may affect you both differently. Praying that if you’re like me & you have a baby already that you use this time to POUR into him/her and soak in every bit of one on one time possible. Praying if you’re empty handed and aching so badly for a baby in your arms that you are reminded that God gave you those desires in your heart for a baby for A REASON. He sees you. For those who have lost babies, my heart is with you…I truly can’t imagine that pain. It’s hard because there are no perfect words, there is nothing I can say to make your journey easier, I wish so badly I could promise you a baby but I can’t. Just know that you aren’t alone in this, whatever your pain looks like. I know all of our stories and experiences are different but we are definitely part of a “club” together, a club that none of us want to be a part of…but gosh I’m thankful I’m not in this club completely alone.

Thank you for your prayers and kind words and encouragement over the last few weeks. Some days are good and others aren’t, and that’s okay / to be expected. My current prayer request for us specifically is that the new doctor we are seeing next week has answers for us and doesn’t give up or give us more bad news. It would be AMAZING if he were to tell us “oh that’s an easy fix” and give us some suggestions on what to do. No telling what he will say, but gosh it would be good to hear some good news!!

My Top 10 Favs – Quarantine Approved

Quarantine is hard, picking your outfit for the day shouldn’t be…
Today I’m sharing some of my all time favorite items with y’all and why I love them!
I reach for these items weekly whether I’m quarantined or not,
and you’ll be doing the same thing once you get your hands on them! 
It was hard narrowing it down to just 10 items but I DID IT. 


1. Tie Dye Tee – I mean there’s really no explanation needed for this one. Tie Dye is EVERYTHING right now and I seriously can’t get enough of it. So comfy, so trendy…and so easy to create outfits with! Tie it up, wear it over biker shorts or leggings, front tuck into jean shorts
2. I just purchased this “just do it” baseball cap!! Let’s be honest, we rarely wash our hair when we’re not quarantined and now that we aren’t leaving the house or seeing anyone those washes are happening even less…this little hat is the perfect accessory to cover all that dry shampoo caked into your scalp lol It matches anything and everything and would look perfect with any of these other items I’ve listed! Bonus points – guys usually love a girl in a baseball cap!
3. Camo Tee – I actually own this tee and wear it multiple times a week. It’s oversized and SO cute with biker shorts and leggings. I love it tucked into jean shorts as well! Super soft, great quality, washes well!! It also comes in an olive Camo which I love! 
4. Jogger/Leggings – These babies are the best of both worlds and are unbelievably comfortable. I own these in 3 colors and will 100% buy more once they have other options!! 
5. Split Hem Tee – I love lightweight long sleeve tees in the Summer! Whether you just wear them around the house or throw them on over leggings or jean shorts – this one is PRECIOUS & the color is too good!
6. Biker shorts – These AE biker shorts are a must. I got them last year and was a little to scared to rock them but now I grab them all the time!! Nothing more comfy than biker shorts and a loose tee! These have a thick waist band that sucks you in in all the right places!
7. Lounge shorts – I have these in 3 colors also! Hands down THE best lounge shorts ever! I even wear these with sneakers and a tee on errands!
8. Buttery Soft Joggers – These cuties are from Amazon and literally feel like butter, SO dang soft and so cozy! If you are a big fan of joggers you will DIE over these, promise! 
9. Black Birkenstocks – The perfect Quarantine sandal that will last you all Summer long. SO comfy
10.  Steve Madden Sneakers – These are a bit of a splurge but they go on sale often! and they go with eveythingggg in your closet! The perfect throw on and go shoe! I can’t tell y’all how many compliments I get anytime I wear them.

BONUS ITEM::
These athletic shorts have been a game changer for me! They have functioning drawstrings which make them fully adjustable but my favorite part is that they aren’t super tight in the waist, I have a super short torso and most athletic shorts hit me in a weird spot and give me love handles and these don’t! I have them in 4 colors and THEY’RE UNDER $15!!!!

Our Kitchen Makeover – & How we did it!

Well friends, Quarantine has done good things for this little home of ours! Now that Kyle has all this extra time on his hands he’s ALL about staying busy and taking on all of the projects I’ve been begging him to do for the last two years, haha! The main one being our cabinets!! Kyle pretty much did all of the work on the cabinets while I kept Hayes entertained during the day. It was a LONG and exhausting and chaotic and somewhat stressful few days but the outcome was BEYOND worth it. Keep in mind, it won’t take you near as long as us if you don’t have a wild toddler running around! I think the biggest pain was the kitchen being a disaster, meal time was always super difficult…but honestly I’d do it all over again now knowing how happy I’d be with the finished project and all I can think about is goshhhhh WHY didn’t we do this sooner!! 

Here is the AFTER.


Here is the BEFORE.


& here is a closeup of the backsplash! 

AFTER


& BEFORE


Since so many of you have questions and have been wanting to paint your cabinets too I figured I would put together a super easy “what you need” guide and then step by step instructions on exactly what we did!
So here is what you’ll need!
(we actually used Valspar cabinet paint but it wasn’t an option to link)


STEP BY STEP: WHAT WE DID
-Take cabinets off one by one, Remove first cabinet, label it A (we used painters tape) and then put all of the hardware in a baggy and label it A as well. Continue doing this (obviously with different letters) with all of the cabinets and their hardware! 
-Use soap & water to wipe down all surfaces that will be painted, making sure to get any grease off!
-Use TSP spray on all cabinets after wiping off soap and water (follow instructions on bottle)
-Lightly sand all areas with 220 grit sand paper 
-Wipe down well!
-Lightly caulk all cabinet door panels (use white if you’re painting white)
-Used paint sprayer (in garage) with primer did one coat on front and back 
we let the paint dry a few hours before using the real paint
-Used paint sprayer to paint all cabinets (we did 2 coats)
We used color ALABASTER on both the cabinets and the backsplash and love it!! 

We also used the paint sprayer inside too, if you do this make sure you cover EVERYTHING!
We followed all of the same steps as above!

We didn’t cover the floors well enough and had to buy some paint remover to get a lot of splatter marks off the tile.

BACKSPLASH:
This was shockingly SUPER easy…I just wiped it all down with water and then did 2 coats of primer (same as cabinets) let that dry overnight, and then did 3 coats of the paint (same as cabinets) The backsplash is my favorite part! We did a tester and we both thought it was going to look horrible but so many of you encouraged us to DO IT! Even while I was painting it I wasn’t convinced it was going to look good but once it was all done and dry I was completely IN LOVE!!

We spent about $150 on everything.
We already owned a paint sprayer because Kyle does so many projects! 

If you’ve been wanting to paint your cabinets there is NO better time then now!! 
Go for it, you will not regret it… (well maybe you will during)
but you will not regret it afterwards!! hahaha 

QUE-SO Hayes is TWO!

Our dude is officially a big two year old and we had THE best day ever celebrating him!!
I knew I wanted to do a fun theme. I wanted a theme that was “different” and something he genuinely loved!!
And well, there is truly nothing this kid loves more than CHEESE. So a Queso themed//Fiesta it was!!

Shop the items in these photos!

I found sooo many cute fiesta themed items but we don’t have a ton of space in our house so I tried REALLY hard to limit myself when buying decorations! lol This arch was a MUST and was so perfect for our entry way…I didn’t get a great picture of it but I linked it for y’all below so you can get a better idea of what it looks like!


Shop the Balloon Arch here


The 2 cactus decor items on this table are both from Hobby Lobby! Everything else is from Amazon which I’m linking below!





We got SO lucky and it was literally the most beautiful day in Houston so we left all of the doors open and spent the majority of the day outside! I didn’t snap one picture once the party started (classic) but it was such a special day celebrating our little man with our closest friends and family!!

A lot of you had messaged me about Hayes’s outfit so I’ll link that here for y’all!

I think my favorite little detail of the entire day was Hayes’s Queso pictures we took with LentillePhotography!

I’ll post them here as well so y’all can see them up close because they are TOO DANG GOOD.



…Que-So have a good day!!!

xoxoxo