Monthly Goals. So Long April.

{April in Review}

Personal
+ daily Bible reading - sort of. I am currently about a week behind...
+ exercise 4x a week - yes.
+ work on photobooks & albums - NO. This just seems so daunting and I keep putting it off... does anyone have a good method for documenting their life that is not so time consuming?!
+ finish baby Adelee’s room - nope. I did work on it but there are a few little things I still need to finish.
+ relax - yes! (which is why I guess the last two had no's.... :))

Wife & Mom
I pursued all the goals that I had made for these specific areas of my life but I decided I needed something a bit more tangible so I could actually measure the goals. Excited to prayerfully work towards the goals I set for May!

Personal
+ blog 4x a week - yes! (pretty much, only shy one or two posts!)

+ begin website transformation  - No. Again... so daunting and seemingly less urgent so every day it gets pushed to the following day's to-do list.

+ new designs - Slow and steady wins the race... right? Hopefully in this case that is true. I am diligently working on these collections but it is just taking a bit longer than I anticipated. I want/NEED them finished before baby comes. So the goals for the month of May have been entitled the 'Crazy List.' I will share it with you should I actually finish anything on the list. ha.

{April in Pictures}

I helped to throw a pretty great Easter party!

Reminded the boys of the real meaning of Easter through yummy baking!

(Details & recipe in this post!)

 

 I spent a lot of time loving on these sweet faces.

We did some more t-balling. I think the parents get more joy out of it than the little ones since we spend the majority of the time laughing. (And when I say parents I really mean moms... because the dads are all too busy struggling with the fact that their little ones are, at this point, not showing any signs of being all-star athletes. :)

     

A sneak preview to the AadenSage collection. So near to my heart. 

So long April. You flew by and I honestly have no idea where some of your days went...

What I learned most this month is that beyond tasks and tangible goals, my biggest pursuit is to intentionally love those around me and to serve God with all of my might. Those goals cannot be measured by a checklist but by a heart that is being changed daily. I fail often but am trusting "and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

Projects For Your Weekend.

I am still (and probably will forever be) working on this project for baby Adelee's room (DIY Pom Poms.) It has been such a labor of love that if I ever do finish I am making her take it with her to college. :)

I have a few other little projects I want to finish as well, one of them being some type of paper flower mobile that will hang from the net that is centered above her crib. I found some beautiful inspiration you can see below.
 

Magnolia Flower Mobile by Pink Perch

 Flower Mobile by Pottery Barn Teen

 Swarming Butterfly Chandelier by Heartland Paper

(but in flowers, not butterflies)

I found this sweet tutorial from Bliss! for making tissue paper flowers that I think would work really great. Inexpensive and lightweight, perfect for hanging from the netting.

What are you up to this weekend?

Recipe: Pulled BBQ Chicken

{Original recipe from allrecipes.com}

Yummy (and super easy!) dinner that is perfect for any busy family!

Ingredients

• 6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
2. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Inside Real Homes: Nate (Part 3)

Nate's Home (Part 3) 

Master Bedroom & Bath

In case you missed Part 1 or Part 2!

Inside Real Homes: Nate (Part 1)

Inside Real Homes: Nate (Part 2)

 

All photographs by Kortni of Kortni Marie Photography

 

Nate's bedroom had beautiful bones that worked well with his taste and style. The lighting and view from this master bedroom is to die for. The flooring was the same light wood as the rest of the house and the walls were the same creamy neutral as well. Although Nate was drawn to an airy, neutral and calm palette we definitely needed to add in a bit of contrast and color for the sake of pulling the room together and creating a cohesive style. 

I added two gray panels to the two large windows. It was very important to Nate to not obstruct the view outside so instead of two panels on each window, I added only one to each therefor keeping your eye moving across the wall of windows. The gray panels are perfect, adding interest but still remaining within that neutral palette. 

On the floor, I added a slate gray area rug. The rug does a couple of things for the room. It provides a softness due to its texture, both visually and also under your feet. It also helps to visually define the different spaces in such a large master bedroom and it also breaks up all the cream that is found in both the floor and wall color.

For the bedding I paired a light gray, beautifully textured duvet with slate gray sheets. Two creamy throw pillows pull the bedding together.

Above the bed I painted two canvases with shades of gray and a slight pop of rust orange. The rust orange is the same color of fabric used in the accent chair across the room in a small reading nook. I love that slight hint of a bold color, it adds so much interest without being too heavy.

 

We found the accent chair on craigslist and I was in love! Nate already owned his bedroom furniture that was characterized by very clean, modern lines but he really had a taste for a more vintage, worn look. So by simply adding this chair as well as pieces from his world travels I was able to add some creative balance to previously very modern room. A side table, reading lamp, and stack of old books creates the perfect reading nook.

On the opposite wall, I used his travel treasures to create a large focal point gallery wall. The idea is that he will continue to add pieces to this gallery wall and it will become both a beautiful and meaningful display.

 The master bathroom was relatively simple. Again, great existing bathroom with beautiful cabinetry, counters, flooring and even hardware and lighting. I really only needed to pull it together so that it was styled and cohesive. I added a soft painting that helped carry in that vintage feel. I added rich espresso towels and rugs. And lastly, I brought in an accent table to house a few gray/blue accessories.

 

Despite the challenges of being a mommy while trying to finish this project I very much enjoyed it,

especially the finished product!

Next week I hope to introduce you to another Real Home... mine. :)

Have a happy Tuesday!

Pretty White & Peach

I am one very blessed lady. 

I have the best friends in the world and I am so thankful for them. 

This past Friday evening, my very best friends threw me and Adelee the most amazing baby shower. 

Adelee, you are one very loved and prayed for little girl. 

(And now you will be the best dressed too. :))

There were sweet presents and the most beautiful decorations and such yummy southern themed food, but my favorite part of the shower wass the time we spent in the Word and the time we spent in prayer. 

I am so blessed by these women who spent the evening praying over me, my husband, my boys, and my sweet Adelee.

Thank you sweet friends! 

I hope you know how much you mean to me and my family.

White Eyelet Dress + Peach & Gold Accessories

Recipe: Almond Joys

We had the pleasure of enjoying lunch last Sunday with sweet friends. The husband is the chef in the family and he served up the best tacos I may have ever eaten. Seriously. Amazing. For dessert he served a homemade version of Aaron's most favorite candy, Almond Joys. They were delightful!

He sent us home with the leftovers which I am slightly bitter about because I keep finding myself eating them.

He used a recipe from Mommy's Kitchen and they are called Almost Almond Joys.

I hope you try the recipe! If you do, make sure to let me know how they turn out!

Easter Party!

Our church hosted a little Easter party on Easter weekend that was so adorable and so much fun that I just had to show you some of the sweet details.

We set up a little photo booth to take pictures with the Easter bunny. I love our little family picture above despite our lack of coordinating outfits. ha. Please note that we have just about every pattern represented between the 4 of us. :)

Asher was not into the Easter bunny.  

 

{Decor}

I had a lot of fun coming up with table decor for this little party. I used candy that was leftover from stuffing the eggs to fill mason jars, tied coordinating ribbon around and added a peep on a stick. Super cute and edible! I added the little signs with bags so the guests could make their own treat bag to take home with them.

{Activities}

We had an Easter egg hunt for all the little ones. Of course Asher with his enormous sweet tooth was loving every minute!

I set up a basket making station as well for everyone to have a way to gather all their eggs during the egg hunt (just in case someone forgot to bring a basket.) Paper bags plus ribbon, paint and glitter is always a fun time! 

We had a bubble station complete with diy bubble wands made out of pipe cleaners!

Also, on the tables were coloring books and cups of crayons for the little ones to enjoy. My theory is that you can never have too many options for children when it comes to keeping them entertained!

There was a bouncy house and of course we had games! We set up tents, banners, and supplies leftover from our huge church Easter event last year. The little ones loved it!

So much fun!

Weekend Wardrobe: Black Maxi

 I spent all day Friday either in bed or on the couch. I was laid out with the most painful sinus infection. Imagine someone hitting your face with a baseball bat. Over and over. I have a pretty high pain tolerance which is often to my demise because when you couple that with my distaste for the cost of any medical treatment the only time I end up in the doctors office (except for pregnancy check-ups) it is typically too late for a quick healing. Thus, my Friday wardrobe consisted of pajamas and a comfy blanket pretty much all day.

On Saturday I pulled my sick self out of bed at dawn because of course we should all have yard sales when we are that sick. haha. I had been waiting about 4 months for the community yard sale so that I could unload a ton of stuff in our garage from our recent move. I refused to not have the yard sale, I had waited so patiently. My sweet husband joined me which meant the world to me since I know his disdain for that early wake up time on his one day to sleep past 6:30/7am. The end result was totally worth the pain because did in fact unload almost everything and made a few bucks in the process. However, after the clean-up I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, in pajamas. :)

Sunday I was feeling a bit better and decided that putting on something cute might make myself feel even better. So I donned the outfit below. Thanks to my sweet husband, again, who bought me a solid black maxi skirt, I now have something that is both cute and super comfy to wear for the remainder of this pregnancy!

I paired the black maxi skirt with a green scoop neck sleeveless top, gold accessories and black wedges.

What did you do this weekend? I hope it was fun and relaxing!

Sneak Peak: AadenSage Collection

This Sunday marks the 1 year anniversary of a dear friend's baby Nathan going to meet Jesus.

Tonight our small group bible study will celebrate his little life with cupcakes and books given in his memory. We will pray over this sweet friend and ask God to provide sweet peace and everlasting joy.

When we celebrated Aaden's first birthday a friend suggested we give books dedicated to him. I keep these books in a special place and when we pull them out to read, we have a special opportunity to remind our boys about their brother in heaven, about Jesus, about eternity. 

Below you can see a little peak at one of the AadenSage collection. I pray this little gift is a blessing to my friend.

 

We love this book. We bought this for Aaden's 2nd birthday and I can never read the end without weeping.

"And God wants me to make sure you know about heaven. It's a wonderful place.
There are no tears there.
No monsters.
No mean people.

You never have to say 'good-bye,'
or 'good night,' 
or 'I'm hungry.'
You never get cold or sick or afraid.

In heaven you are so close to God that He will hug you, just like I hug you. 
It's going to be wonderful. I will be there, too. I promise. 
We will be there together, forever. 
Remember that...
just in case you ever wonder."


~Max Lucado

Inside Real Homes: Nate (Part 2)

Yesterday I posted Part 1 of Nate's home featuring his open concept living and dining room. 

The next space I tackled was the kitchen area that included a large space he wanted to turn into a study area. His kitchen already had great features with upgraded maple cabinets, dark granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. The overall look of the kitchen before I even touched it was already a masculine one. Since the kitchen and study area are only separated from the living/dining room by a half wall it was important to continue the feel from that space into this space.

Welcome to

Nate's House

{The Kitchen}

 

Nate already had the eat-in kitchen table and chairs which were a dark espresso wood with clean lines. I found bar stools that had the same color and same clean lines to add to the bar area. And I added the same espresso curtains with stainless steel rods that we used in the living room to the two large windows in the kitchen.

 

  

I used Nate's existing desk but added a new chair that coordinated with the bar stools. I definitely wish I had a before photo of the chair that he used to have... :) I framed another antique map which did two things for this room: 1) carried the look from the living/dining room through to this study area, and 2) created a perfect focal point above the desk that filled the wall area exactly. I staged the desk a small accent lamp and another stack of old books from a thrift store.

 

In the study area we added two leather club chairs that we found for a great price on overstock.com. The color and feel of the chairs are perfect. They are masculine and comfortable with great lines. I found a gem of a side table at a discount store. I need a detailed shot of it, but trust me, it's amazing. It has an industrial, vintage feel and is wonderfully unique which is a nice quality to find when you are decorating on a budget because at times your space can easily become too matchy-matchy. We also added a dark espresso area rug, inexpensive coffee table, a throw (to soften the chairs a bit) and an accent lamp (it's all about the lighting.)

 

On the wall we framed and hung more antique maps. Again, the wall was large and in order to create a focal point and to fill that space for relatively no money, this was a perfect solution that turned out amazing. Nate had an old calendar featuring beautiful maps that we simply had matted and framed. We used a total of 9 and later he added two larger ones on either side of the collection for an even bigger impact.

This space turned out really great. I could definitely see myself spending many a morning in those chairs drinking my coffee and reading my Bible. 

On the same level as the living/dining room and the kitchen/study area is a guest bathroom.

Welcome to:

{The Guest Bathroom}

In the tiny space I wanted to add a bit of color, so I painted the walls a beautiful gray (Granite Boulder from Behr) and added hand towels in a darker slate gray with a dark red one as well. I think art even in the tiniest and seemingly unimportant of spaces is vital. So I found this beautiful painting on at a discount home store thought it was perfect. It has a vintage beach feel while not being overly beachy. I added stainless steel accessories by the pedestal sink and a really yummy smelling candle (a necessity in a house of men. :))

A friend once told me that guest baths are like throw pillows, an accent to the rest of the living space.

Best advice ever on decorating bathrooms. 

What do you think? How do you decorate your bathrooms?