Friday, February 28, 2014

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, friends!
Linking up with the lovely ladies to share what I'm loving this week.

Obsessed with these new drops from BaubleBar.
Thinking they are a must for my Palm Springs trip next month!

Are you guys familiar with Brit + Co.?
If you're not, check them out!
It's a fabulous site for all things DIY, food and fun.
I'm loving their new Community page where I shared my King Cake Bites.

She took the words right out of my mouth.
Read this post!

I love me some La Croix and am especially loving the new flavors.
Now to just close my eyes and pretend I'm sipping them spiked on a beach!

I have a slight addiction to really sugary kids cereal.
So I'm loving the fact that next week is National Cereal Day.
The boys and I just might have to celebrate with a cereal party.

Happy weekend, friends!


Thursday, February 27, 2014

Pinspired: New Mama Snack Box

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone you know is having babies right now?? Whenever you have a baby you can bet on a few things. Sleepless nights and lots of diaper changes, plus sweet friends delivering gifts for babe and dinner for parents. While showering the baby with onesies, lovies and such is nice and yes, the hubs enjoys the lasagnas delivered, mama is the one that really needs some love.

I simply fell in love with this "new mama snack box" idea I found on Pinterest. So perfect and so thoughtful. 
When one of my nearest and dearest friends delivered her second babe,  I just knew this would be perfect for her! The best thing about it is you can cater it to any new mama.
Just gather up some of mama's favorite snacks and treats...
Package them up and use Julep's darling free printables...


And put together the perfect gift for a new mama!
So what's your go-to gift for new mamas?
Anything you enjoyed when you welcomed a little one?
Be sure and also check out my favorite meal to take to new parents!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

King Cake Bites

I think the thing I miss most about living in Louisiana {besides B's family!} would definitely be the food! I loved eating king cakes during Mardi Gras and certainly could overindulge in those sweet treats. Over the years I was so spoiled by picking them up from local bakeries I never attempted to make my own.

I think I've made it pretty clear a time or two that I'm all about ease when it comes to cooking and baking. Simple ingredients. Simple steps. These king cake bites are the perfect treat and so easy, even the kiddos can help make.

King Cake Bites
Ingredients
2 cans of crescent rolls
4 tablespoons of butter, melted 
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon 
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Green, yellow and purple sprinkles


Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a mini muffin pan.
Roll out your crescent dough and cut each triangle in half.
Mix cinnamon and sugar together.
Drizzle melted butter over each triangle piece and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Roll up each piece and place in muffin tin.
Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
While the cake bites are baking mix milk, powdered sugar and vanilla together to create your frosting.
When cake bites come out of the oven let cool for a few minutes.
Drizzle frosting over each cake bite and generously pour on your Mardi Gras colored sprinkles.



Feel free to fill with your favorite filling.
Pecan praline, cream cheese or any fruit filling.
Oh, and don't forget the plastic baby!
Sadly no tiny baby was hidden in these bad boys since my little man is consuming them.
Happy Mardi Gras friends!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Scenes from the weekend...

Happy Monday, friends! Here's hoping you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend. Here's what went down for us this weekend.

{via}

Yep, that's right. No pictures. I was really convicted last week about my blog and sometimes feeling like I get caught in that trap of living to blog instead of blogging what I live. So I decided to take last week off from blogging and just focus on my family and our big move. When I saw this pic Jessi from Naptime Diaries posted on Friday, I decided to carry it out over the weekend. Would you believe I didn't even snap a single picture?? Trust me when I say we had a great weekend and took this challenge to heart. There were several things that were "too much" for the internet and this little old blog. The good including "too much" fun sitting around our kitchen table jamming to "We Built This City" {G's new favorite song} to the bad including "too much" bodily functions with Baby Jude being a bit under the weather, all helped me realize as wonderful as social media is we all need to take a break every now and then. I love documenting our lives and enjoy looking back over the years, but sometimes I miss experiencing the moment because I'm too busy trying to capture it.

Here's looking forward to starting a new week, attempting to pack and enjoying some fun with my kiddos!

Monday, February 17, 2014

Scenes from the weekend...

What a weekend! And considering B is off to today, it technically still is. Loving the fact the boys were still asleep at 8am, and B brought me breakfast in bed {donuts!}. No case of the Mondays here... We celebrated the day of love with breakfast with G {more donuts of course} and hosted a little party for all his friends and their mamas {hence the Sofia!}. He swapped Valentines, ate plenty of sugar and played hard. A successful party in my book. B managed to snag a babysitter last minute so we actually got dressed up and went out. Of course with no reservation, we posted up at the bar at one of our favorite spots and enjoyed tasty cocktails and delicious eats. Chatted the night away and decided it was our favorite Valentine's to date. Saturday we braved Monkey Joe's. A first for us but considering our wild man has been going stir crazy indoors, we thought it was worth getting some energy out. He had a ball! And Jude loved watching George bounce and slide. He absolutely adores his big brother. Sunday we enjoyed church and cheap Mexican. It's our standard! Finally the temps warmed up a bit so we took in a little park time. A perfect weekend that's not over yet. Trying to take advantage of these President Day sales and get some furniture for the new house! Will keep you posted...












Friday, February 14, 2014

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Agape Love

This is the week of love. Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and I'm sure you've all been crafting, decorating and baking all in the spirit of sharing the love. Whether you have little ones you're outfitting for school parties or meal planning a romantic night in with your main squeeze, it's easy to get caught up in the commercial aspect of this holiday.

Are you all familiar with agape love? It's unconditional love. Through a ministry I was part of when I was younger I learned a lot about this type of love, but just this week was reminded about it.



I do not know her personally, but I recently met her on Instagram. I am blown away by her. In an effort to learn to appreciate what she already has and not focus so much on "things," she made a resolution to not buy a single article of clothing or accessory for an entire year. 365 days of no shopping {my hero!}. She is a woman of faith and is sharing the gospel as she goes through this journey. I am in awe of the way God is working through her and the lives she is impacting just through the power of social media. She has created a Valentine's Agape Love Challenge this week, and it's one of those that makes you feel like there are still good people in the world. Do yourself a favor and stop whatever it is you are doing right now and check her out. The pictures and stories will speak for themselves.

Although I'm not officially doing the one year wardrobe resolution, I am trying to be more intentional with my shopping and purchases. I am notorious for just spending and always feeling like I need something new when I have a closet full of stuff! And it's not just clothes. I'm notorious for any holiday or special occasion feeling like I need to run out and buy all new decorations and get the boys lots of gifts.

Since following Christi, I decided this Valentine's Day I would keep it simple. The boys already have something red to wear and G's sweater from last year actually still fits. I have plenty of heart cups and plates leftover, and my boys are two and six months. A simple book on love and some stickers will more than suffice as a gift.

So we headed to Target yesterday to simply pick up the snack we were assigned for G's class party, a few supplies for his valentines and a couple household items. We all know the Target trap {it's like a casino, you lose all track of time and money}, but I really went in with the intention to not spend a lot and not be tempted to buy stuff I don't need. As we are checking out, I notice the total is $62. In my book and past experience, this is a victory! But the lane over there is a woman and her young son. I notice it's taking some time and effort to get them checked out. The cashier is moving stuff around. The mom is continuously swiping her card. She's telling her son to put stuff back. As we bag up our "bare necessities" and wheel out, the mom and son are still in line. I hear her say, "I guess we just don't have enough money" and turn to leave. I was immediately reminded of Christi's Agape Love Challenge and asked the woman if I could help. She was so sweet and totally unfazed by the entire situation. She responded, "Thank you, but no, we are okay. We just needed some cat food for our kitten." I offered to pay for the cat food and said I was happy to help, but she would not let me. She just smiled, and said, "It's okay. I get paid on Friday, and we can get it in then."

I watched as she and her son walked out all smiles, not downtrodden at all by their inability to purchase what they needed. Talk about convicted. There I was feeling so smug about managing to get out of Target for under $100 purchasing what very few would consider "essentials." It's funny that I was offering to help that woman, but she in turn helped me so much more.

We left Target in the freezing rain and decided a warm drink was needed. Not just for me, but for all those trying to warm up that cold afternoon. I went to my favorite coffee shop {who is all about agape love} and got myself a drink, a tip for the server and $20 worth of coffee for all those behind us. No, it didn't cure cancer and no it's not providing food for the hungry, but it was one small act of kindness. One that I'm working to challenge myself to do much more of.


So in the midst of the chocolates and roses tomorrow {donuts and stickers in our case!}, spend time really reflecting on the love in your life and what agape, truly unconditional, love looks like and how you can share that with others.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Easy Valentine's Meal for Kiddos

My little man loves him some pizza. Here's what we'll be whipping up for him to celebrate the day of love. Tasty for him and could not be easier for mom!

Valentine Heart Shaped Pizzas

Start with any bread or flatwich and cut out heart.

Spread pizza sauce.

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Stick under the broiler just until cheese starts to bubble.
Voila!
Add your little one's favorite fruit or veggies {shaped in hearts of course!} and you're set.
Valentine's dinner for the kiddos.


Monday, February 10, 2014

Scenes from the weekend...

Happy Monday, friends! I am happy to report my little challenge is off to a great start. The alarm went off this morning at 5:30, and I actually got up. Not going to lie, I didn't actually get out of the bed until 6:00 but hey it's progress! Showered and dressed {a sweater and corduroys!} and ready for the week ahead.  In other {way more exciting} news, we had a fabulous weekend. We bought a house! Signed our contract and will close and move in next month. We could not be more ecstatic. We celebrated with some bubbly Friday night and oohed and aahed over pictures of our new house planning how we will turn it into our home. Saturday brought on a new love for G {the harmonica} and B and me {avocado toast}. We played with the boys and put them to bed early heading out for a date night. Sushi followed by the musical talents from one of our favorite bands. Thankful for a much needed night out! Here's hoping this week goes by fast...








Sunday, February 9, 2014

A challenge for myself...

A new friend asked me recently if I felt like blogging held me accountable. I answered, "Absolutely." I try and live up to the theme of this blog {celebrating the everyday} whether that's with fun pictures of parties, trips and happy moments or small victories like actually getting dressed instead of wearing yoga pants/leggings for the fourth day in a row. I also try to make sure that if I write about doing something or sharing something, I do. So in the spirit of accountability I am writing this post tonight.

Something that has really been weighing on my mind and heart lately are some words my mother-in-law shared with me years ago before I had kids. I wrote about them here, and her idea of "beating them up" is really ringing true with me these days. Her advice was to "beat your family up." Not physically, but each morning "beat them up" by waking up before them.  Wake up, get completely dressed and have quiet time before anyone else gets up, so that when they do you can pour yourself into them.

Oh how I have wanted to do this, but alas I just hit snooze each morning.

Lately at the end of the day {usually when B is getting home} I find myself stressed, irritable and cranky for really no good reason at all. It all seems to stem from this pity party I have for myself complaining there is no time in the day for me. Wow, how self-centered does that sound? But really, I always had this disillusion that stay at home moms had so much time, and while I've definitely had my eyes opened to recognizing this is a full-time job with very little free time, I know there are ways to make the most out of my time. Ways that I'm not taking advantage of. And the first is waking up and getting dressed. Yes, this is not some brilliant new idea. I know all of you who work outside of the home are reading this thinking, "Big stinking deal. I do this everyday." But for me, this will be a big deal. Thankfully I have boys who sleep in, but I am guilty of sleeping in too until they wake up which is usually around 7:30am or later. Also, thankfully I have an infant who sleeps through the night and has been for the last four months. There is no reason why I cannot wake up earlier. And here's the other deal, I really have become that mom that is running around town in black leggings. I used to laugh when I saw women wearing yoga pants or leggings and think you had to take off your pajamas to put that on, so why not just put on some real clothes? Well my answer to that self-righteous, pre-kids version of myself is, "those real clothes will quickly be covered in spit-up, and I need to be in something comfortable enough to chase after my wild toddler."

So here's my challenge to myself this week {and anyone else that's interested!}. Get up each morning by 5:30am. Have intentional quiet time. Shower and get dressed in "real clothes." Put on some sort of make-up and at least brush my hair {no hats allowed}. I am so hopeful this will lead to much more productivity and an all around better attitude. If anything I just hope one week of this will help me recognize and appreciate that everyday I'm given with my two sweet boys and B is an absolute gift that I never want to take for granted.


So I need you guys to hold me accountable. Hopefully by putting this out there and knowing someone might be reading this I won't be as tempted to hit snooze in the morning...or put back on my black leggings.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, friends!
Linking up with these lovely ladies to share what I'm loving this week.

1. House Hunting
We are officially in house hunting mode, and I'm loving it!
What fun looking at so many amazing homes and thinking about raising our sweet family in one of them.
Now to just make a decision...my least favorite thing to do!

Our small group just started this study, and it has really been life changing.
It provides such perspective and really centers me daily.
If you are not familiar, definitely check it out.

So I stumbled upon this bad boy at Target when I was home in Dallas over the holidays.
Snagged one and fell in love.
Amazing!
So rich, and so tasty.
Was craving it again so I went to pick up at our Target, and alas, we don't carry it. 
Run don't walk to yours and see if you're in luck.
You can thank me later.

4. Cronut
And speaking of food, I made the mistake of going into my favorite donut joint the other morning.
The owner shared {and twisted my arm to try} this bad boy.
He says in an effort to be sued, he's calling it "his version of what the guy in New York is calling the cronut."
It might just be my new addiction.

And these have become my new uniform.
Not going to lie, as a stay at home mom with a crazy toddler and a baby who spits up, it's not always practical to get dressed in anything other than something comfortable {and washable}.
These fabulous pants the lovely ladies of Small Fry gifted me with at Alt are hands down the most comfortable thing I own.
And oh they're super cute too!

And speaking of Alt, don't worry I have not forgotten about it!
I have just been in constant motion since returning home, and pouring through notes, swag and inspiration has taken a backseat.
However I promise next week to share all the goodness.
Stay tuned!

Here's to a wonderful weekend to you all!