DIY Burlap Votives

I was in Old Towne Orange last week looking for a painting to do another project when I popped my head in a cute shop and spotted some burlap wrapped votives. They were $7 each which I thought was a pretty good deal but thought it would be a fun easy project that I could probably do for a lot cheaper. I went home and searched for some more to see if I could get them for cheaper online.

Kaboodle.com -$8.50 each

Also found them at thenewgeneralstore.com for $7.50 each

I was still determined that I could make them on my own. I went to JoAnne's and bought some burlap for $3.99/yard {still trying to figure out another project to do with what I have left}. I tried printing it using my printer but had some major jamming issues. So instead I printed the numbers using a font I liked and put it behind the burlap and traced using a Sharpie marker. You really can't tell at all. I then wrapped them around votives that I got from my mom and hot glued them in place. Here is the finished project:

The "4" is cut evenly at the bottom which I think I prefer to the "5" which had extra that I glued under. A quick fix that I can do today.

I'm finishing up a project today that I tried really hard to document all of the steps. Hopefully I can post it later this week.

And in case you want to be really inspired you should check out this coffee table that my friend Brittany just finished.

Celebrating 75 Years

Last week we celebrated my Grandma's 75th Birthday! She has been such a wonderful grandma and we have had some great memories together. We celebrated by taking a Duffy boat out for a bay cruise with wonderful lunch and yummy dessert. I only hope I can look as good as she does after 75 years. I asked her what her secret was to keeping her skin look so nice {really she doesn't have any wrinkles} and she responded with, "sunscreen".

She was born on July 21, 1936. I did a little research and here are a few facts about what was happening back in 1936:

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt was President

2. Unemployment was 16.9%

3. Cost of a 1st class stamp $0.03

4. Gone with the Wind was first published

5. The first successful helicopter flight was made

6. Cost of a gallon of gas $0.10

7. Average cost of a new house $3,925

8. Completion of the Hoover Dam

9. Queen Mary made her maiden voyage across the Atlantic

10. First sunscreen was invented

Happy 75th Birthday Grandma!

Avocado Corn Chowder with Chicken

Remember this post, my summer to-do list? Well with the dinner I made tonight I think I can officially cross #10 off the list. I know I have a winner when Drew tells me I should make it again. It is adapted from Cooking Light but I made a few modifications. This would also be a perfect appetizer served withs a mexican or southwestern main course.

Avocado Corn Chowder with Chicken

2 ripe avocados

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 chicken tenders {or 2 full breasts}

1 clove garlic

2 ears fresh corn {husks left on}

1 large red bell pepper

1/2 cup cilantro

lime wedges

1. Peel and coarsely chop the avocados. Place in a blender. Add water, orange juice, honey, salt, pepper, and cilantro until combined.

2. Heat BBQ or grill pan over medium-high heat. BBQ chicken until done {approx. 3 min. on each side}. Place corn {with husks on} and bell pepper on BBQ and cook until corn husk is black and bell pepper is charred {approx. 9-10 min}. Remove from heat.

3. Remove corn husk and cut corn off the cob. Add to avocado mixture.

4. While running bell pepper under cold water peel skin off of pepper, remove seeds and white membrane inside and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to avocado mixture.

5. Shred chicken and set aside.

6. Spoon chowder into bowls; top with chicken. Garnish with cilantro and fresh lime wedges.

Trying Something New for 30 days

Have you watched TED talks? I've watched a few, some are better than others. If you haven't it is a site full of talks by some famous and not-so-famous individuals on just about anything and everything. It was brought up in our life group that there was a good one on trying something new for 30 days {in a row}. He mentions taking a picture {for 30 days}, cutting out sugar {for 30 days}, writing a novel {in 30 days}, etc... I wouldn't say that I'm in a rut and need to do something to change things up but I did like the idea of challenging myself to do something for 30 days because 30 days really isn't that long. So I got to thinking, what should I do for 30 days??? And I came up with the not so interesting and probably not so popular thing to do:

I will read the {a} newspaper for 30 days

You see, I used to be surrounded by the news with my previous job, especially business news. I knew what the market was doing, what political events were going on, what company had spectacular earnings. And well now, I feel like I could always tell you the weather. And I kind of miss it. And I don't blame anyone but myself because I sure do read a lot of other things during the day. So here's to my 30 days of reading the news {and not all the bad things that are going on, there are still good things happening out there too}!

If you would like to listen to the TED talk you can find it here.

What are you going to do?

Traveling with A Baby- We Survived!

We had a wonderful trip {trip- yes, vacation- no as my husband would say} to Hawaii with my in-laws and family friends. There were 5 kids under 3 which kept things busy. All kids napped at 1 and were asleep by 7 which was awesome! And we always had a babysitter {thank you aunt brittany, shea and grandma for watching little Morgie}. I had no idea what to bring so I brought everything. Here are a few things to note:

1. Airlines DO NOT charge for carseats, pack-n-plays or strollers. This was nice as I was checking all three!

2. Buy a $10 Gate Check bag for the car seat and throw other stuff in the bag. I also put in some blow up toys, sunscreen, etc... in the bag and it fit perfectly. My bag didn't get too dirty but will probably only last one more trip.

3. Bring a Boppy on the plane with you. This was key to saving my arms. Morgan was an angel on the plane {fell asleep after 5 minutes on the flight and slept the whole way home}!

4. I kept my toys in a plastic bag so I could easily pull them out of my diaper bag and it kept things clean.

5. I used the KidCo tent for the beach. It was wonderful to be able to put her in something that I knew was big enough and comfortable for her. They retail for about $60 but I'm sure it would be something you could borrow from a friend or find on Craigslist.

6. You can take as much breast milk/formula with you through security {they did have to bomb test it, which came back negative}.

7. The portable high chair worked great too. For $18 it was well worth it. It is still a bit big for her but it did the job.

We had a wonderful time and the overall experience was great. Now Drew and I need to start planning that vacation...

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

I bought a huge thing of blueberries at Costco and was determined to make some fresh blueberry muffins. I searched for some great recipes but a lot of them called for sour cream or buttermilk {both of which I did not have}. With a napping baby I was not about to go out to the store. Instead I decided to try some with Greek yogurt. They turned out great!

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour


1 tablespoon baking powder


½ teaspoon salt


1 egg


1 cup granulated sugar


4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly


1 cup sour cream


2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or line with paper liners) and set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Whisk the egg in a separate medium bowl until well combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add the yogurt in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

3. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. Small spots of flour may remain and the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix.

4. Using a large spoon or a cookie scoop sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, divide the batter amount the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Immediately remove muffins to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Sorry for the Instagram picture {my sister in-law has me addicted}!

Monthly Baby Pictures

I finally took Morgan's 7 month baby photos {a few days late}. I wanted to do something fun for the backdrop. I took a look at what wrapping paper I had on hand, and found one that matched perfectly. I found a wall wide enough that I didn't have to cut the wrapping paper. I taped it high enough on the wall that it wouldn't show when I took the photos and continued it down on the floor. I would probably do it on a harder surface next time {this was done on carpet}. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Here are some of the better one's. I think I took about 80 photos just to get these good one's. Some of her expressions were pretty funny.

One good smile.

This is exhausting!

One of my favorites

Note:

Babies love to wrinkle wrapping paper!

What she would rather be doing:

I'm not sure why these photos uploaded so blurry {they look totally clear on my computer}. Oh well...