nEsTiNg::::: the big girls' room

With the arrival of our 4th girl in just 9 days, you better believe I've been nesting like crazy.

Living on a farm, I realize that nesting is just a normal part of life for humans and animals alike.

Something happens when a woman is expecting a baby- whether in the womb or through adoption.

We fluff our nests, clean like crazy, re-organize, craft, paint, and find ourselves tackling projects we've put off for months all because a little one is about to grace us with their presence.

One of many projects we've tackled is converting Kaylyn's room into a room for her and Laney Rae to share. They were sharing her full bed, but let's just say that one of these girls sleeps a little on the crazy side (bet you can't guess which one) so two twin beds were in order.

My sister found the perfect twin beds at a gigantic antique sale for a bargain. We painted them a watermelon pink to match all of the pillows and linens that my friend and designer, Holly, had given us for Kaylyn's original room.

The other two pieces of furniture that are new in the room, is the great pink shelf my friend, Robyn, purchased at a garage sale and the white double locker I picked up at Warrenton this past year.

And let me just mention the monkey on Laney Rae's bed. My friend, Kirby, made that for Laney Rae along with 7 other kiddos in our homeschool group. It has become a favorite of Laney Rae's and she sleeps with it every night. I'm so thankful that it happens to be adorable and sentimental.

Do I have some great friends and family or what? I love that there are so many things in this room that were given to us or found for a great price with this room in mind.

**side note: You should go check out each of the lady's blogs mentioned above. They don't disappoint when it comes to "all things cute". Promise.

The prints above their bed are from Sarah & Abraham that used to be in the schoolroom.

I've gabbed long enough.

Here are photos of the finished product of the girls room that they now share.

More nesting projects to follow.

{tHrIfTy FiNds}

I've been slowly changing out the decor in my kitchen and re-doing the accessories.

I'm wanting to go for a more mod country look instead of a retro country look. The color scheme I'm aiming for is green, white, black, and browns- very earthy and clean looking.

Since I tend to have this desire to want to re-do things around my home often, I'm all about thrifty finds.

MOPS in Brenham had a garage sale last weekend and I hit the jackpot! I even found a few gifts for people. I love a cute gift for $3!!!

There was a box full of old kitchen gadgets that were green and metal.

In the photo below, the white flower pot is filled with the cute gadgets that I purchased. I also got those biscuit cutters and metal measuring cups.

I had the jars and metal tray already so I re-purposed all of this to go with my new look.


I also purchased these metal measuring scoops and this white little pot below.


Here are the photos of my shelves by my sink that I have redone. I had all of this around the house except the apple topiaries ($5 at TJ Max) and frames.



I still need fabric for valances above the windows so if you have any cute ideas, send them my way! I don't know if I should go with brown, black, white or green.

My sister sent a blog my way last week that you should go check out! I love her style over at The Old Painted Cottage. This was my inspiration for my kitchen. A lot of our bones are the same. Her kitchen is beyond beautiful.

I have my computer back at my house, so I'm going to be posting regularly again!

{nEsTinG} a BabY sHoWEr FoR Henry!

My friend, Missy, and I had a shower last weekend for our good friend, Holly. She is having her second boy….Henry! We are so excited for her and their sweet family. I’ve got to tell ya….these two gals mean the world to me. The Lord has blessed me beyond measure with their friendship. His timing is perfect!

Holly is a fan of all things décor and is an amazing interior designer herself. Of course Missy and I had to rise to the occasion! We made a really great team I must say! Missy is a talented florist and also has a great eye for design. I love to cook and also love design so we took this theme and ran with it! We had a blast too.

Our baby shower theme was “Nesting”. It fit perfectly with Holly having a boy because we used the colors blue and brown. We threw in some burlap and white linen cloths in the mix as well.

The shower would not be complete without silhouettes! Holly is a huge fan of silhouettes. I purchased the invitations from Sarah & Abraham. I’ve been following this gal for years in the blog world and knew her invitations would fit perfectly with our theme and Holly would love them.

For party favors, Missy put together terra cotta pots and rye grass seeds. I designed these gift tags to go on the pots.

Our friend, Hailey of The Muffin Top in Brenham, is an amazing pastry chef! She was in charge of the cupcakes. Hailey did an amazing job and also brought some beautiful décor to spruce up the cake table. I couldn’t get over how adorable the cupcakes were in little nests. Oh my- talk about cute! And they were not only adorable, but also tasted delicious as well! You should go and check her out!




Our menu (which I’m all about☺) consisted of French Toast Casserole, 2 types of Quiche, Pear Salad, Chicken Salad bites, lemon glazed muffins, and fruit. The guests all raved about the food- which always makes me happy since I love to cook for a crowd. I will post these recipes below. They are no-fail recipes. I had several gals asking for them. Yum!

Overall, the shower was a beautiful time of fellowship and prayer. It was amazing sitting there in a room full of beautiful women who love the Lord who desire to come alongside this precious family and help raise little Henry up to love Jesus.









Recipes:


Paula Deen’s French Toast Casserole w/ Praline Topping

1 loaf of French Bread
8 large eggs
2 cups ½ and ½
1 cup milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
dash salt
Praline Topping (recipe follows)
Maple Syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping

2 sticks butter (would you expect anything less, it’s Mrs. Paula!!!)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsps light corn syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.


Chad’s Quiche- I got this recipe from a very cool guy who loves to cook. He works at a local restaurant and prepares the most delicious quiches ever! This recipe is super easy. It does have Mayo in it and I swear to you that you can’t taste it!

6 eggs
3/4 cup Mayo
3/4 cup Half and Half
1 baked pie crust
Cheese (normally 3 slices)- I like provolone
Fillings of your choice- I used bacon and avocado

Pre-bake pie crust. Place cheese in bottom of crust and place in oven until melted. Take crust out and place filling on top of melted cheese. Blend together w/ hand mixer eggs, mayo, half and half. Pour over filling. Place quiche on top of pizza pan and bake in a 340 degree oven for 45 minutes.