2 things
Here are two things around my house that I love:
orange 'birdcage' from Anthro
When we bought this the girl ringing it up actually asked if we had birds. If you look at it, you would not be able to keep a bird in this thing and I'm pretty sure the three things in the bottom are to hold candles.
vintage Temp-o-rama dishes
I bought these seven years ago during my freshman year of college. I recently found out that they are a huge collectors item and people will pay a pretty penny for them. I love them!
PS: look at what I made last night...
I had no idea what I was doing and I cut up an old shirt,
but I think it turned out pretty darn cute.
Maybe I will put it on a headband or something.
Bennett's Nursery Tour
I had two thoughts in my head when I was decorating Bennett's nursery:one: Nothing "cutesy" or "babyish". Not being a huge fan of characters, I wanted something that would grow with him but would still be kid friendly.
two: No pastel colors. I wanted more gender neutral colors, if any at all. I love simple, so I wasn't worried about painting the walls. I wanted to incorporate bold colors with the things I brought in.
This is what you see right when you walk in. The print is the very first thing we bought, way back before we knew he was going to be a boy. I loved it and knew it would be perfect for the nursery.
Sitting on top are some old Little People that me and my brother and sister used to play with.
I was on the hunt for a stylish rocker that we could use for a lot longer than one of these. I was so excited to get an Eames rocker and it's much more comfy than it looks.
We also purchased this cube lamp from Design Within Reach. Again, I wanted something that could be used for years to come. I also wanted something that would give an ambient light so I wouldn't have to turn on the bright overhead light for middle-of-the-night diaper changes. This is what it looks like when its lit up... pretty cool huh?
And here is where the little guy sleeps!
I wanted all white sheets and a white flat front (no ruffles please) crib skirt. I looked absolutely everywhere and I guess I'm the only person that likes simple because my mother-in-law ended up making this one. My mom made the amazing quilt and all last summer we collected/created "B's" for the mural. Bennett loves looking at the bold colors when he happens to be awake. I loved the crib and changing table when I saw them because they are super simple. Chris even put a receiver with speakers in the drawer which we hook our ipod to so he can listen to white noise while he sleeps.
I soon realized that we would need a ton of storage for all of the baby stuff we would soon be accumulating. Off to IKEA for an Expedit shelf. This one serves as a book shelf, toy box, diaper bag holder, and laundry bin. When he gets older we will have it out in his room on it's side so he can reach all of his toys and books by himself!
And there you have it...I'm sure if Bennett could talk he would tell me he loves it,hopefully :)
I want this in my back yard (if I had one)
Not much time to blog tonight, but I wanted to show you this cuteness that I found today!
Don't you want it?
Cookbook of Randomness
Last year about this time I decided to compile all of the random recipes I had printed out and torn out of magazines from years past. I knew I wanted something cute, water/spill proof, and durable so my future grandkids could use it someday (far, far away).
I found this loveliness at Target, along with some plastic page protector things. I went home and rounded up all my recipe pages, put them in, then got really carried away and started going through all my old Real Simple mags (I've had a subscription for years) and tore out all the yummy things I could find.
It only has two sections, dinners in the front and desserts in the back. When I try a new recipe and don't like it that much, I just take it out so only recipes I love remain! I started checking out cookbooks from the public library and making copies of sweet recipes I want to try...now I'm addicted!
Here are some from my book:
newest additions:
Do you have a favorite found recipe?
Twenty weeks ago...
I had no idea how much my life would change. I read all the books and everyone (believe me,
everyone) gave me advice, but none of it even mattered.
Twenty weeks ago I just kind of fell into motherhood and I think that's the best way to do it. I got so frustrated with all the different(and many times contradicting) advice that I just decided to stop listening and figure things out for myself. Besides, nobody else had Bennett...maybe their advice worked for Sophia or Jacob, but we were going to figure this out together.
Twenty weeks ago I trusted my own instincts and I'm so glad I did. This was the best change ever!
Sweet Treats
I love baking. I'm always looking for new recipes to try, try being the key word because if I ate everything I baked I would be a big fatty. Usually Chris takes whatever I make into work to give to his poor starving engineer coworkers. I'm pretty sure that after sixteen years of schooling, my high school cooking classes are the only ones I ever retained any knowledge from. For a while it was my mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever and I believe I found it here:
It has four different chocolate chip cookie recipes but the one I
love is the cakey chocolate chip cookies. They turn out perfect every time (as long as you don't mix up baking powder for baking soda) ;) Seriously, this is the best book ever! Also a fave, the
double chocolate cookies.So good! I think it would be so fun to own a bakery like Maggie Gyllenhall's character in Stranger Than Fiction, except for the fact that I would have to wake up while everyone is still snug in their beds.
I'm also pretty sure this would be impossible with a baby who is once again waking up twice a night to eat. A girl can dream!
Giant Chalkboard
ohdeedoh
I've never really liked the thought of putting one main picture in a living room (above the couch) because it seems so confining to me. I like to change things up every once in a while and I also like understated decorating...When I saw
this on Ohdeedoh a few weeks ago I knew it would be perfect!
I'm so excited for it to be finished and it won't even be started for a few more weeks! I will be sure to post pics of the finished product! My awesome husband will probably be doing most of the work and I'll just get to make it look cute afterwards...but thats why I love him.
Speaking of love...last night he said he was going to get something from the garage and came back with Starbucks that we could enjoy while watching The Bachelor together...now that's love! :)
I love me some veggies?
Ever since I had Bennett I have been trying to incorporate more vegetables into my diet to help me lose the baby weight.
I have been cooking a lot with this (it's honestly one of my favorite veggies now!) (I never thought I would use the words
favorite and
veggie in the same sentence)
I found this recipe and thought it was a great idea...mac and cheese with a little added/hidden nutrients (this means you can eat more right?) Anyways, I tried it and liked it so much that I sacrificed my ankle for it! It actually makes more like 8-10 servings. The panko is the best part so don't skimp on them!
Cauliflower Mac 'N Cheese1 x recipe Roasted Cauliflower (see below)
1 pound elbow macaroni, boiled
5 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko bread crumbs
4 cloves grated garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
Puree cauliflower with 1 cup of whole milk until you have a creamy-textured sauce. Pour in a saucepan over medium heat and add grated cheddar cheese. Stir well until melted then add cooked macaroni elbows. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a medium-sized gratin dish. In a mixing bowl combine garlic with panko bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Fold in parsley and wet with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly over the mac n cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and top is golden brown.
Time: 30 minutes; Yield: serves 4-6
Roasted Cauliflower1 medium-sized head of cauliflower
1/2 white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash cauliflower and break up into medium sized pieces (florets). On a sheet tray toss with onion and garlic and dress with olive oil. Roast in the center of the oven until tender -- about 20-23 minutes.
Time: 30 minutes; Yield: serves 2-4
I have been adding cabbage to everything asian lately. It tastes so good and makes the dishes go so much farther but you can hardly know it's there. One of my favorites is Trader Joe's Chicken Chow Mein...a super easy and quick meal with leftovers!
When we bought this the girl ringing it up actually asked if we had birds. If you look at it, you would not be able to keep a bird in this thing and I'm pretty sure the three things in the bottom are to hold candles.
