A Shower for that Sweet Lil Deer

I made it back!  I actually didn't go anywhere this time, but I've been going non-stop for the past week and things are finally starting to calm down...well at least my house is back to normal.  For the past week our house has been baby shower central.  Eric was so sweet to not say anything about the massive amount of baby shower decorations that had taken up residency on our kitchen table for the week...planning this shower for the weekend of his first football game of the season might have been my best idea yet because he was so distracted by football he didn't notice my giant mess. =)

After several weeks of planning, Sunday afternoon we showered my SIL, BIL, and soon-to-be sweet little nephew with love and food and tons of cute little baby stuff!  I had so much fun putting this shower together, from the invitations, to the food, to the decorations.  I was so excited to see how all of my Pinterest-inspired ideas came together and they did perfectly!  And now for the photo overload.....

Since my BIL is an avid hunter and they used had a hunting themed pregnancy announcement, I went with a [light] hunting theme. My goal was rustic baby hunter...not camo and orange overload.  I found an invitation I liked on Pinterest and re-created my own version using picmonkey.com.

Of course I had to incorporate some of my many chalkboard signs...this one was in our laundry room entryway.

These were my two main decorated tables in the kitchen: one served as the dessert table and the other was a day-of addition topped with a collection of pictures/prints/nick knacks.  I may be a little biased but I think they turned out pretty cute.

This table included the picture they announced their pregnancy with, chalkboard countdown board, his monogram, a print I found on pinterest and recreated with Picmonkey, a cute little onesie, and a few treats. My favorite parts were the "To go to sleep I count antler, not sheep print." and the monogram.

The monogram was a last minute addition Saturday morning.  I found the paper on one of my trips to Hobby Lobby and really wanted to use it for the shower, but had not found anything I really wanted to do with it.  Saturday morning I realized I did not have a single monogram to decorate with...shocking I know.  I pulled out my Cricut and went to cutting, well my Cricut went to cutting.  I had the easy job that involved a glue stick and putting it together.  I put it in a shadow box frame that I rotate my seasonal scrapbook sheets in, but them realized it doesn't have a stand and I didn't have anything to prop it up. Luckily one of the deer antler racks that I borrowed for accent decor was the perfect width and height to hold up the frame!

The dessert table was a lot of fun to decorate, too!  My Cricut did all the work for the Welcome Baby Banner on the wall, which turned out so cute! We were all on dessert overload after the shower, and we still have a ton of sweets leftover!

One of my most favorite parts of the decor was the centerpiece on the dessert table.   I found the W (for the baby's name) on one of my Hobby Lobby trips.  It was too cute NOT to buy to incorporate into the decor. I leaned it up against one of the burlap covered mason jar vases and set them in front of one of the deer antler racks.  It was perfect!   Funny story...I wanted to use some burlap to cover a few mason jars and to use as table runners.  I started to buy some and then I remember I had several pieces leftover from my SIL and BIL's wedding shower we threw them a couple of years ago, so I got to use the same burlap and mason jars for their baby shower, too.

These were the two desserts that I made (my MIL who threw the shower with me, made the others). I had originally planned to make blueberry lemon cupcakes, which would have been fantastic I'm sure, but the closer we got to the shower, the more I realized boxed cake mix would be just fine, so I picked up a couple of boxes of Devil's Food cake mix for the occasion.  I did, however, make the buttercream icing and dyed it blue so they would color coordinate.  They turned out so cute, and were absolutely delicious.  The other treat I made were dipped oreo pops.  I saw them on Pinterest when I first started planning the shower and knew I HAD to make them. They were a hit and I am trying to figure out a reason to make them again soon.

Of course we had more than just sweets to snack on.  My MIL got a delicious sandwich tray and made some pigs in a blanket which are my favorite! I made a couple of dips: cold spinach dip which I have made at least 5 times this summer, and ranch dip for pretzels and carrots.

My centerpiece on the food table was another favorite that was initially not going to happen.  My original plan for flowers was to put baby's breath in the mason jars which I had strategically placed around the house.  The week before the shower I made sure the grocery store had some, but wanted to wait until the day before the shower to get the flowers so they would be fresh.  Saturday I went to get them and my grocery store did not have a single cut flower in stock.  The weekend before they had a ton of them but the day I needed them they had nada.  I had to choice but to head to Montgomery to get some. I headed to Publix which I remembered having a small floral section by the cards, but at some point over the last year they have discontinued that section...I could not believe it.  Defeated, I headed to Costco.  I knew they'd have flowers, but I also knew they did not have just a bouquet of baby's breath like I wanted.  What I didn't know is that they'd have 2 bouquets of beautiful giant white hydrangeas waiting for me.  I was beyond excited and was so glad that the other two stores did not have baby's breath because the hydrangeas were absolutely gorgeous!  I realize that there were baby's breath in some of the pictures above.  I had some dried baby's breath that have been in mason jars on my kitchen table all summer, which I transferred to the other jars for the shower.  I don't think anyone noticed they weren't fresh.

The rest of the decor consisted of burlap covered mason jars and my tassel banners that I had strewn throughout the living room for a little color.  I made some for a wedding shower earlier this year and I just love them.  They're made of tissue paper so they're inexpensive and easy to make and they add a bright pop of color to a room!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to to meet that sweet little baby in a couple of months and I am so excited for my SIL and BIL to become parents!

An Amazing Weekend Recap

I am so thankful to report that we are still here and unscathed.  We had some crazy storms come through last night and spent from 2am-3am tracking the weather and trying to decide whether or not to hunker down in the closet with the pups.  Thankfully the rotation in the storms fell apart before they got to our area so we just had strong thunderstorms, but I had everything in the closet ready to go.  We are out of the woods for now but we have another round of storms coming this afternoon/evening.

What a way to be welcomed back from a 3 day weekend, right?  This one was right on time and boy did I need it.  Don't worry we made the most of it!  The first part was spent here:

That would be the beautiful Gulf Coast aka my happy place.  We decided last minute (of course) to head down to Orange Beach to see my BIL and SIL so the boys could go on another tuna trip.  We could not have asked for a more beautiful day on Saturday, so my SIL and I decided we deserved a day on the beach. The place we usually go was packed so we drove down a little further and found a perfect spot that was nearly empty and spent the entire afternoon lounging and soaking up the sun!

Since not everyone had the luxury of a random Monday holiday, we headed back home Sunday morning and decided on the way home that the pool cover was coming off....if we didn't do it then it would have been at least another week before we could do it, and voila!

Don' t you wish your pool boy was as cute as mine?  =)

It's still a little green but the good news is that it was completely full so we didn't have to fill it up!  Ramon the Pool Boy made his first appearance of the year and promised to have it sparkling in a few days!  Sunday night we grilled up some fresh Amberjack and I found some new favorite recipes that I will be sharing this week because they're too good not to.

Here are a few more pics from the weekend:

1. This is my I'm so excited I am on my way to the beach face...and I'm pretty sure this is my first ever car selfie.
2. My SIL and I decided we needed pedicures on Saturday night so we did. Just because.
3. The deliciousness that was our dinner on Sunday night: Grilled Amberjack, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Aioli, and Pecan Pilaf...recipes coming....I promise.
4. Sunday night's dessert that didn't make it to Monday night because we ate the entire 9"x 13" pan in less than 24 hours....Rolo Cake Mix Bars....don't worry this one's coming, too!
5. Pretty spring flowers to brighten up the kitchen.
6. One of my Monday Day-Off projects: shoe organization. I realized the other day a couple of months ago that we had exactly a 1.5 foot by 1.5 foot space in our walk in closet that we could stand in because of the overflow that was our shoes.  It started out with just my side, but Eric's gradually expanded until it mirrored mine. I had no idea how many pairs of shoes I had until I pulled them all out and OMGness.  I had completely forgotten I had about half of them. They have all since been sorted and organized....I even decided to chuck some.
7. Monday's lunch was my favorite BLP: bacon, lettuce, and pickle sandwich.  I figured out how to get Eric to come home for lunch....text him and offer to make him a BLT for lunch.  I got a "be there in 20" text response back almost immediately.
8. My other Monday Day-Off Project: Antiqued Mason Jar Vases. I've seen these floating around pinterest for a couple years and decided I needed some this weekend.  An hour later they were done and sooooo cute!
9. I ending up making two varieties of the mason jar vases.  I saw the American Flag Mason Jar Vases on pinterest this weekend so while I was at the store I picked up some red, white, and blue paint and got a jump on my summer vases. =)

We finished off the evening with a delicious home cooked meal that I failed to take any pictures of because we didn't sit down to eat until 8:45pm and we were both starving which meant we inhaled the meal, but in case you're interested we had Balsamic Marinated Chicken, Yellow Squash and Tomatoes with Parmesan leftover Pecan Pilaf.  It was all deliciously amazing and I am so excited we have leftovers. =)

I will leave you with my new discovery this weekend....our dogs LOVE squash.  I had a yellow squash that was a bit soft and had a few spots on it, so I gave it to Hawk to play with. Next thing I knew he'd chomped the end off of it and was eating it! Gah!  I freaked for a minute and took it away from him.  After a quick google search I learned that yellow squash is actually really good for dogs...it's on several Top Human Foods to Feed your Dog lists. Naturally I sliced that baby up and gave it to them piece by piece.  They LOVED it and made google-eyes at me as I sliced the other two squash up for our dinner.

Nutritious AND delicious!

If you're in the South, stay safe today!

DIY Dreaming: Pallet Furniture

I realized the other day that it's been a while since we've undertaken a new DIY project.  Sure I've made lots of fun recipes, and I done a few quick projects here and there, but I feel like I'm getting the itch to do a new big project.

I've always loved pallet furniture, and have always wanted to do a pallet project, but I just don't know what I want to make.  I don't want something too complicated, just something we could put together in a weekend or two.

Here are some of my favorites:

 The Corner Shelf

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I love this idea for inside the home for plants.  I don't have any real plants inside because I am paranoid and I am afraid that the dogs will try to eat them and get sick.  This would be a great way to incorporate them into the decor without the monsters getting into them.

The Hutch

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I really love this idea.  I want a hutch for our kitchen so bad I can't stand it.  Unfortunately the current furniture arrangement in our kitchen won't allow for one space-wise.  We will have to replace the kitchen table (which I have been ready to do for a while now) and we can't seem to come to an agreement on what kind of a table to get.

The Outdoor Garden

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Another item I would love to have at our home.  I want a vegetable garden like 3 years ago.  I have tried growing veggies in pots on the back porch which yielded about 20 jalapeno peppers and one small tomato a few summers ago. I can grow herbs in pots no problem, but other veggies need a little more room.  Something like this would keep them all together and keep us from having to dig up the yard to put in another bed.

The Vertical Garden

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 I really like this idea for an herb garden.  As I said I have several planters full of herbs, but they're all currently sitting under our tea olive tree, which I am pretty sure Eric likes because it means he doesn't have to mow right up under it.  I really like the idea of being able to display them, though, because they are pretty plants.

The High Table and Stools

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This might be my favorite idea of all of them.  It would certainly be the most involved, but I can already picture one of these babies on our back porch.  I love love love a high table (my dream kitchen table would be this way). Maybe because I am tall?  Plus I could totally imagine the table top and stools covered in bottle tops!  How cool would that be?!

32 Things that Make me Happy

The past few days have been nothing short of absolutely beautiful around here.  I think it's safe to say that spring has officially sprung and we have been taking advantage of every minute of it!  I feel like it's my duty to be outside after work enjoying every possible minute of it with the puppies, and Eric has gone fishing every day this week...I don't see him breaking that streak any time soon.

There's something about beautiful spring weather that puts a smile on my face, so this seemed appropriate....32 things that make me happy!

1. The weather lately...sunny, low 80's, no humidity...can it stay this way forever?!

2. Walks with the puppy dogs.

3. Flower beds that have been weeded.

4. Fresh clean sheets.

5. E-cards that hit the nail on the head.

6. This guy.

7.  These little monsters.

8. English muffin sandwiches.

9. Deals on Jane.com...I have an addiction to that site!

10. Goat cheese....especially on a pizza.

11. March Madness...despite my bracket being completely blown this year...thanks Michigan State.

12.  Spending time with family.

13. Cooking out with friends, especially while watching college football!

14. Making other people smile.

15. Waking up late and still getting out the door on time in the morning...it does happen (about every other week).

16. Tap dancing.

17. Teaching a new step to my dancers and watching their delight when they "get it"

18. Singing at the top of my lungs to the radio in my car.

19. A clean, pollen-free car.

20. Show tunes.

21. Finding a new project or recipe on pinterest, trying it, and having it come out perfectly.

22. Having no unread notifications on my messages/email/facebook/etc.

23. Exploring a new city.

24. Arni's Pizza and a Junior with Ranch on the side.

25. Driving by the houses I grew up in.  I am a total creeper when it comes to this.  I can't help it!

26. Beautiful scenery.

27. Fun walls...seriously you'd think a kid worked in my cubie.

28. Checking off an entire to-do list.

29. Peppermint Mocha Creamer in my coffee.

30. Saving more than I spend at the grocery store...it happens from time to time!

31. Telling old stories with friends you only see a couple of times a year.

32. Did I mention this guy? =)

Happy Thursday!

High 5! It's Friday!

Good news, I think my nose/head issues from earlier this week were allergy related to the pollen that made an appearance earlier this week.  The Bradford Pear trees (pretty flowers, but gosh they stink) bloomed this week and I think that's what got me.  I am 100 % better now, just in time for the weekend.  Thank goodness!

#1

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We are down to one week before Divergent is in theaters!  I am so excited for this movie because I LOVED the books.  Eric doesn't know it yet, but he's going to enjoy the movies, too.  I broke the ice the other night when we were watching tv and a preview came on. It didn't get much of a rise out of him, but then again the Hunger Games trailers didn't either and he has enjoyed the first two. 

#2

I have a new-old favorite snack....good old oatmeal.  I know I ate it as a kid but I recently re-discovered it on our trip to Colorado and I can't get enough of it now.  It's become my go-to 10AM snack at work....it's just enough to curb my food craving and it's so tasty!

#3

I went shopping this morning before work, on my dresser.  I was looking for a pop of color to wear with my green shirt.  I usually wear some kind of long gold or metallic necklace with this shirt, but I saw a picture of someone wearing a similar color shirt with a bright necklace the other day and loved it.  I have had this necklace for several years and have not worn it too often, but I am thinking I will be wearing it again!

#4

This happpened again this week.  I had some leftover brussel sprouts from the other night, so I whipped up another batch of Brussel Sprout Hash with Whipped Goat Cheese.  It was just as good as it was the first time.  I decided to swap the pearl onions for chopped sweet onions because lets be honest here, ain't nobody got time to peel and chop an entire bag of pearl onions.  I learned my lesson the first time.  They may not be as cute as pearl onion, but they taste the same and took about 1/20 the time to prepare.  I have updated the recipe I posted the other day with this important chance.

#5

We've done a bit of furniture swapping/redecorating in out living room.  It took some of it a little while to grow on me and I am waiting on Eric to remove one more large piece of furniture, *cough* the recliner *cough* but I am a fan now.  I have even put a few more holes in our walls and hung a few things since we have some new bare spots on our walls.  The monogram that I stained is now above the mirror on our "hallway" wall and I framed my favorite mountain picture from Colorado and hung it up. I am thinking a living room update post is in order next week (once the recliner is removed, of course).

Happy Friday!  

Weekend Recap

This weekend I had one goal in mind....do as little as possible.  After being out of town most of last week I needed a couple of days to recharge my batteries and just relax.  Lucky for me I got exactly what I wanted.  =)

We started the weekend with dinner at a friend's house, and by that I mean we took stuff over to that friend's house to cook.  Would you expect anything less?  We called it a night pretty early because Eric was invited by his brother to go on an over night tuna fishing trip on Saturday night.  He got up bright and early and headed down to the beach, while I opted to stay home.  As much as I would have loved to go to see my SIL, a 30 hour round trip to the beach just isn't my style.  He got home Sunday evening around 6, but the trip was well worth it.  I used not like tuna because the smell of tuna salad grosses me out, but fresh tuna?  I love it. Fresh tuna that had been swimming less than 24 hours before I ate it?  Can I have another please?! He pulled a tuna steak out and pan seared it as soon as he got home and we ate the entire thing in under a minute.

I split my time between watching the Disney Movie Classic Marathon on ABC Family and spending as I possibly could outside in the beautiful weather.  I even got a tan line from my SHORTS!  I really hope this amazing weather comes back to visit us this coming weekend.  Right now it's pouring outside and it's supposed to get cold again, but as long as it warms back up in time for the weekend I will be just fine with it.  The rest of my weekend looked a lot like this:

Clockwise from top left:
1. Goat Cheese Pizza on flat bread for dinner on Saturday night, would you expect anything less from me?
2. One of 4 walks the boys got this weekend.  I tried to stay outside as much as I possible could!
3. I really wanted to recreate one of the dishes we had at Laundry in Steamboat Springs last week (recap coming this week, promise!), and if I didn't hit the nail on the head then I got pretty darn close.  I was a little concerned because my goat cheese did not whip like I wanted it to, but the flavor was right on.
4. I ordered an unfinished wooden monogram from Jane.com a few weeks ago and it came in last week. I decided to stain it dark because most of our walls are pretty light.  I can't wait to find place to hang this beauty in the house!

Here's to another month of 2014 down.  I can't believe March sneaked up on me so quickly.With all of the fun things we have going on, I have a feeling it's going to be a great month!

Eric's 30th Birthday

I think I can say that Eric had a pretty great 30th birthday yesterday.  He said he didn't want to do anything big since he just got back from Las Vegas and we're going skiing next month.  We ended up going to his Mom's house to have dinner with his parents and she cooked an amazing steak dinner for all of us.  The best part though was the roasted garlic.  I have never had roasted garlic before, however I WILL be making some in the very near future.  That stuff was amazing.  We had them on Asiago Cheese bagel slices topped with homemade ranch dressing.  It might sound a little strange but it was one of the best things I have ever eaten.  I would have taken pictures if it weren't for the fact that I was INHALING it!

After dinner it was time for cake!  Yes that little beauty above (the cake not the boy, but he's pretty cute, too). I was so excited about his cake.  I found the recipe on pinterest several months ago.  It was one of those recipes that when I saw it I KNEW I had to make it.  I even put a note in the text part of the pin so I could remember when I searched for it.  It was a semi-complicated cake, made completely from scratch so I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but it turned out perfect.  It's called a Pecan Pie-Cake.

Ta Da!

Looks amazing right? But it's gets better.  I am sure you are thinking why call it a Pecan Pie-Cake if all you did was bake a chocolate cake and put pecans on the top?!  Here's why:

Holy Moly!

Yes that is an entire pecan pie baked inside of the chocolate cake!  Surprise! It's TWO cakes for the price of ONE! Eric told me later that if he had known there was a pecan pie baked inside the cake (I kept it a secret) he would not have eaten so much for dinner.  The only problem we have now is that we still have 3/4 of it left....ugh.  We're going to have to have people over this weekend just to finish this sucker off!

Cake anyone!?