The Dirty Work

Every project has some dirty work, right? You know, the hard part that absolutely has to be done before you can get to the fun part {accessorizing & putting it all together}. This project was no different~ plenty of dirty work, and by dirty work I mean painting, sewing {ya, sewing is a chore to me}, caulking, more painting, sanding, wrestling tree's to get that one branch... you get the idea.

It all started with this quilt I found at DownEast, and practically begged Nic for {I think he knew what was coming}... With the colors we were using, the ceilings needed to be white sooo... Yup, all by myself people. I only fell off the ladder once~Eventually I recruited some help...Pink walls! Could she be any more excited? Name the show~ if you guess it, you can be my new BFF:)Then Nicholas went to work on some trim. We wanted this wall to be a focal point~ how could it not be with that bright green paint? Ha ha...wowza! where's my sunglasses?

Not gonna lie, after her soft shabby~chic nursery, this bright green made me a little crazy, and took some serious getting used too. The nightstand was Gramy's, and after a little make~over it was perfect!

Next, we were on the lookout for fabric & trimmings {okay, this part not so dirty:)}
Yes, I destroyed that green shirt I found at the D.I....what?? It was the perfect color. And no, I do not always have shopping bags lining my washing machine~ it was Christmas time:)
Rylie was very much involved with this project, which made it even more fun. One thing I love about my girl is she loves to help her Momma~ and she is a great helper.

Blasted ruffle~pillows were a huge pain, but they turned out pretty fun. Rosettes anyone? My first time~ little shaky:)

A girl can never have too many pillows.

Don't you love this print? When it comes to fabric~ I just can't get enough!

Don't look close~ I'm not a promashional {kaden's pronunciation}, but they were made with love. And here's a little secret~ that is her Mommy's bed from when she {i} was a little girl, awe...

Just thought I would show you a little bit of what we've been slowly working on. Like tortoise slow. And not that it's perfect~ far from actually, but I've returned the 'backup' comforter to Target, and put the paint swatches away. For now the green can stay, not sayin' how long it will last, but Rylie is diggin' it~ therefore, so am I.

Check it out~

If you like giveaways, you're gonna love this one! The uber~talented Sharstin Miller is giving away a photoshoot, very cool eh? Hop on over to her blog for some serious inspirations and to put your name in the pot! View our fam photos here. I'm still dying over what a disaster the candy canes turned out to be... a big fat "e" for effort, right?

Think Green~

With St.Patty's Day right around the corner, I've been thinking green. I thought I would throw out a fun idea I found. Kade's allergy clinic is stocked with family fun mags~ oh! and HGTV {i love}. These bad boys jumped right off the page at me, and I knew I had to try them! Can you guess what they are? Did you guess pretzels? Who'd a thunk!?

Okay, so you start with some nice salty pretzels. I'm a total sucker for the salty~sweet snacks! Next you will place almond bark in a microwavable bowl, and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Soon it will be silky~goodness and you take those pretzels for a little dip...
You will want to use a fork to dip them, and tap off excess candy to make them smooth. Carefully form three pretzels together to form the clover, and then break another pretzel up for the stems. This part is kind of tricky, and you just might want to yell out a naughty word and quit! {I didn't do that~ I'm just sayin'...:)} When clover is completely cool and hardened, dip one more time in candy coating just to make it a nice thick coat...
Pipe green frosting along the edge, give him a little dunk in some green decorating sugar, and voila! These are tasty little treats~ and very festive.

When I think of green~ I can't help but think of Rylie's bedroom. Saturday I painted and hung these flowers... oh, her room is so close!

My girl in her helmet~ cutest thing ever!

And I am lovin' the sweet little green popping up as my Zinnia's are growing~

makes me so so excited for spring!

So, I really did not intend on this becoming a food blog. You know me and my goodies~ I ate this bad boy for breakfast on Saturday

{i know, i know} it was delicious!

Mint~Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Simple. Just get yourself a bag of Andes Mint crumbles, add half the bag to a devil's food cake mix, and bake as directed. Next comes the home~made butter cream with 1/2 tsp. mint extract, 1 tsp. vanilla, and tinted a pale green. Swirl frosting atop your cakes, and sprinkle leftover mint chips~ to die for and yes, green!

And who can eat just one? Not me.

Okay, this is not green~ but still had to share. My kiddos and I snuggled in my bed today and read this book. If you don't have it~ you must. It teaches some fabulous life lessons and is adorable to boot!

And that is all folks~ for now. That oughta get your green juices flowin'. If you haven't noticed, holidays are sorta a big deal around here~ any excuse to have some fun! Right?

Blessed

A little bit of what we've been doing this week... and some food for thought.

{you might need some food, I had a lot of thoughts;)}My darling friends Susanne and Scotty came over Tuesday to whip up the hand~outs for New Beginnings. Oreo~pops for our "Black and White" theme... seriously love these gal's.
We had so much fun, and New Beginnings was a great success. Everyone does their little part, and somehow it all comes together and amazes me. I love to see the different talents that each leader and young woman hold. It reminds me of the other day when Kaden looked at me and said, "Do you know it's better to be different than the same. Because if we were all the same, and had the same things, the world would be boring." {seriously, his own words} I love that he has learned that at such a young age. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and blessed in very different and special ways~ which gives us a reason to help and depend on one another. I really love that idea~ we are all good for somethin' right?

We celebrated the brilliant Dr. Seuss, and the wonderful gifts he has shared. His books are perfection~ so simple, yet profound.
One of my many favorite Dr. Seuss quotes:
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
I think that ties in perfectly with our "black and white" theme in that we have all been taught and prepared, but in the end it is our choice whether we are going to choose right or wrong, be honest or cheat, be kind and good or turn the other cheek, hold on to our virtue or let the ways of the world confuse us and let go of what we know is right. We can be who we choose.
And lastly, Meg came over today to get her craft on~ we were on a pillow mission. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and neighbors, especially when I get cutler's cookies on my porch (shh...don't tell Nic~ they are hiding;) It is slowly sinking in that this is where we need to be. It was a fabulous week that left me feeling uplifted and edified. Looking so forward to the weekend with my fam~ they are the best in the west!
Hope you all enjoy your weekend~xo

The 80's~ Revisited

Well rat my hair, and call me psyched! I love me a good 80's party...

Me and my boy. High~school dance style...
I about had a cow seeing everyone all dressed up!
Awww... is this wicked sweet or what!?
Casey's outfit was totally tubular! Banana~clip and tube socks~ too much!
These guys are bad to the bone... fer sure! Lance, you eating that chewed~up barf flavored jelly~belly was gross~o~rama to the max! But still major funny.
Me on the mic rockin' some 80's tunes~ loved every second of it!Karaoke baby~ ya!

Kelli and Brian singing "We are the Champions"~ for their beloved Dallas Cowboys, of course. And the birthday boy did not disappoint...
Sing it baby! Y~M~C~A... it's fun to stay at the Y~M~C~A!!...
(i've never been so in love;)
Love all these bodacious babes!

Can you believe these shoes I found... so choice.

So fun to party hardy with these guys. Some serious good times!! Nic and I were lulled to sleep with some soft sounds by Kenny G on the i~phone. Gotta love the 80's~ and is it just me, or are we living a revisit. Everywhere I turn they are threatening a come back... I definitely won't complain.

(Especially if I can sport my new kicks~ i'm kinda in love with em';)

Our Weekend

Ummm... The Hunger Games. You've got to be kidding me people!? I had my nose in this book the entire weekend. So morbid~ yet intriguing. Can't wait to dig into Catching Fire...

Friday night was Mexican food and roaming Ikea with the fam, which led to a realization that our house is in need of some love. So Saturday morning I hauled pretty much everything we own down to the basement. That is going to make for either one huge yard sale, or one huge donation:) Next we removed all vinyl lettering, and did some serious patching...

There were all sorts of visions going on, and I think Nic and I put together a pretty good game plan for accomplishing our update. Nothin' too fancy~ just a little spruce up!

Some fun finds from Anthropologie~ that store is happiness.

Some inspirations for the kitchen. Loving the stainless hood, and white brick patterned back~splash. Also, really loving these pendant lights...
With spring cleaning in full effect I dug into my cabinets...
They look and feel so much better.
Drooling over this rug for my entry~way. Lovin' blue's {in all their varieties} and green's {think moss} right now...

And this chandelier from Alice Lane

for above my kitchen table?? Can't get over how much I love it!

Oh! I also hijacked my bed frame over the weekend. Our furniture is getting a shiny new coat of white... so we've been sleeping on our mattress. We've also had a really cute little bunk~mate. Parker sandwiches are the best!

How about some pillow love? Really lovin' that lavender guy~ he is a must!

These pictures melt my heart. My baby girl right there is being registered for kindergarten this week, uhgg! She is so excited, and I am so um...excited for her {not!} Did I just say Not!? Just practicing for an 80's party this weekend:)

Oh, and that is baby Kade in that tiny frame. More than anything else I love love precious baby pictures. These are definitely staying put. Spring is right around the corner, and it feels good to be getting the house in order~ and giving it a fresh new look!! Hopefully I can share the outcome sooner than later:)

post edit note: Ha ha! Just got a quote on that chandelier~ not quite in the budget:) We will have to find a look a like, but a girl can dream~ right?