Phone Case & Mother's Day

I have been on the hunt for a new phone case and was in love with ones from Dani Notes and Rosie Posie Designs on Etsy. At $50 each I knew there had to be a cheaper option. It was that same week that I saw a post on Honey Were Home with an idea to make your own. So that is what I did. I bought a clear case from ebay ($6.95 including shipping) and designed the rest on Microsoft Publisher. I got the specs for the phone size online and just used a hole punch so the camera would work. It was super easy and I can always change it out to another color/design.

Here are a couple that I did:

And my 1st Mother's Day was amazing! This is what I woke up to:

Yes, those are petals from some old tulips on the top of the placemat. Probably not my husband's most creative moment, but kind of cute. And my champagne glass is empty, but he did have mimosas ready.

Hope you all had an amazing Mother's Day!

Painted Wallpaper

I wanted to do something to one of the walls in my dining area. I thought of painting stripes, but I didn't think the wall was big enough for stripes to make an impact. I searched the internet and found a painted wallpaper tutorial that I absolutely loved. You can find the tutorial and stencil needed to complete the wallpaper here. I only needed a pencil, ruler, paint, paint brush and stencil. It required little patience and time (it took about 10 hours) to complete but it was totally worth it and I would do it again in a heart beat. I think it would look great in a bathroom.

Here are some pictures of the process.

You can kind of see the stencil marks in the background.

Almost done...

Finished product.

The pictures aren't the best (taken with my phone) but I was really happy how it turned out. There were a few things I learned in the process:

1. Start tracing the stencil at the top of your wall (I started in the middle but was lucky enough for it to come to a point at the top of the wall)

2. Get a good paintbrush. I ended up going through a couple before using a make-up brush that worked out great.

3. Trace the stencil in a downward diagonal manner. I did have to erase some and start over because I went across the wall and not down diagonally.

Thankful...

I've been sick in bed with the stomach flu for the past few days and it made me think of a few things I am thankful for.

1. My health. Throwing up and feeling really achy has made me really thankful that I am overall a very healthy person. (side note, this is the 1st year I have gotten the flu shot and have gotten the flu twice. Year's I didn't get the flu shot= no flu, go figure???)

2. My mom. One simple phone call that I'm sick and my mom comes and picks up Morgan and takes her for the day. I don't know what I would do without her!

3. My husband. He takes care of me and takes care of things around the house. I was in bed all day yesterday and woke up to find the dishwasher emptied, a clean house, and Morgan bathed and ready for the day. By the way, he gave me the best Mother's Day I could have ever imagined filled with homemade breakfast, bike rides and sweet gifts.

Hopefully I get better soon because I am not one that does well sitting at home.

Some Day....

I hope to have a little boy. And if money grew on trees I would have his nursery look something like this.

A Month of Meals- May

I've been trying to plan our meals at least one week in advance since Morgan was born. That way I can go to the grocery store once a week (which is an event with a 4 month old) and get everything I need. I aim at making dinner 4 nights a week, with left overs on Thursday or Friday. I leave the weekends open because we never know what we are going to do and I can always whip something up (quesadillas anyone???). Anyways, I decided that for the month of May I was going to plan a month of meals, go shopping for all my pantry staples at the beginning of the month and shop once every week or so for my perishable items. It took a good solid 45 minutes to go through my recipes and find some good new one's online but I think it is going to be worth it. Not like you are that interested, but here's a sample of what's on the menu:

Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata- CookingLight

Lettuce Wraps- my version

Chicken and Black Bean enchiladas- Picky Palate

Green Chili Pork Tacos- Picky Palate

Chimichuri Chicken & Steak- Epicurious

Thai Chicken Saute- CookingLight

Pappardelle Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta- CookingLight

Flank Steak & Arugula Salad- my version

Greek Salad- mom's recipe

Easter Treats

I was in charge of dessert this Easter and was eager to bake with all of the Meyer lemons my mom had given me from her trees. Martha Stewart had some fabulous recipes that did not disappoint.

First up was Glazed Lemon Cookies

The recipe can be found here.

Next was Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake

The recipe can be found here.

I can't say I would change anything about the recipes. I do want to try a half sugar/half Splenda to see if I can cut down on the sugar. These would also be great in the summer, both had a light, refreshing taste.

Things I can't live without

Here are a few things that I currently can't live without:

Lafco Office candle. I don't have the time or money to go to a spa but this lets my home smell like one.

LeCruset dutch oven. I cook with this every night. It heats up fast, keeps things warm and cleans up easily. If I only had one pot it would be this one.

Restoration Hardware hotel sheet set. Over the past few months I have learned how precious sleep is and these sheets make the little sleep I get so much better.

Aiden and Anais blankets. They are the best and get softer every time I wash them.

My UppaBaby Vista stroller. Quite possibly the best gift I have ever been given.

My daily cup of coffee

My Medela Symphony breast pump. Maybe too much info, but pumping only pumping for 5 minutes is awesome.

Wubba Nub pacifiers. The best pacifier ever invented!