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First Smiles

Oh, Rowan. Beautiful Rowan. He has really been smiling a lot these days. There is nothing like a good baby smile to brighten up one's day. So I am pleased to share with you these photos of my pride and joy.

He is such a happy boy! I am blessed with two wonderful, happy children.

Tuna Mac 'n' Peas

This easy, please-y meal will only cost you a few bucks and I can't even really say I call this a recipe. But it's something I had every once in a while growing up, so I can say your kids will probably love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 box original macaroni and cheese
• 1 can chunk tuna in water, drained
• 1 cup frozen sweet peas, depending on preference

Directions:

Prepare the macaroni and cheese as directed on the box. I usually will throw in the peas when the macaroni is halfway done so they can cook together in the same pot, but you may cook the peas separately, if desired.

Once the mac 'n' cheese is ready, mix in the tuna (and peas if they aren't already mixed in with the macaroni) until it is all evenly dispersed and creamy. Then serve!

It's as easy as that! And it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and cook. AND all three ingredients will only cost you maybe a little over a dollar each. You can very easily double the recipe for a whole family.

Enjoy!

Dear Adrianne 2/26/12

Adrianne, Adrianne, Adrianne... It's been some sort of week with you, young lady! As with many other stages you've gone through, you are hitting your terrible twos a bit early.

The tantrums are one thing. The deliberate attempts to disobey your parents are another. But you know what, it doesn't even truly upset me. Even if I act strict, like I'm mad, I'm not really angry with you. I hope you will understand that when this phase passes. The thing is, I know it just means that you are growing up, like every other toddler does. Maybe it even shows how smart you are because you are developing this new sense of independence so early. It really impresses me, to be honest.

Speaking of what impresses me...you spoke your first sentence today! We were having dinner at Nonna's house and you said "Nee-nee wan juice" as you were pointing to your cup! We were floored!

So many things you do are just amazing. I love how you sit at your table now, coloring and narrating to me what you are drawing. Mostly you draw Papa or Ro-Ro. I am always watching you in wonder. It's even more amazing to think of how young you are, and how much more growing you've still got to do! I think you will do great things in this world, baby girl. And I am already so proud of you.

Dear Rowan 2/26/12

I want to remember you tiny and cuddly, especially in this teddy bear snowsuit everyone adores. It's not even two months yet and you've already gotten so much bigger! Everyone says how much your cheeks are filling in so nicely. You really are plumping up, it's so great. You were so skinny when you were born! But already I miss how teeny tiny you were. You're already a baby, no longer a newborn infant.

I can see it in your hands and feet. No more wrinkles or peeling skin on your toes. Your hands are getting chubby and dimply. They don't seem so fragile as they did only a few weeks ago.

Your face is maturing and even your eyes are becoming slightly chocolatey. Your infant cry has developed into a slightly louder baby cry. You had such a raspy cry when you were first born. I hate to say that I loved your cry but it was so different than any cry I'd ever heard. It made me realize how different you were than Adrianne, somehow. It was like I could hear your personality in it.

However, with every milestone that fades into the past, new milestones are there to bring us more joy. You are starting to smile now. This morning when we just woke up and you were laying in bed with us, you were just so happy. You looked back and forth between me and your Daddy and just smiled at us. You were so alert and observant. Whenever either of us would make a sound, you would turn towards the noise. It was amazing!

Oh, I just want to remember everything. I love every second of you.

Busy days...

There's nothing like a good sale to make a girl happy. McCall's patterns at Jo-Ann's were $2 each yesterday!!! Needless to say, I have quite a few sewing projects lined up for myself now. I also stocked up on a few other craft project supplies while I was at it. Oh, I do love a good shopping spree at the craft store every once in a while!

This is the first top I am going to make for myself. I am so excited! I got a gorgeous blue/green paisley chiffon fabric for it. I bought the whole bolt, I loved the fabric so much, so I hope it turns out nice. Haha!

The day before yesterday was kind of exciting as well. I had my first non-Adrianne/Rowan photo shoot with a little cutie pie and it was a lot of fun! I need some more practice, but I think I may end up as a professional child/baby photographer. Whatever I end up doing with my career life, I know I will be working with little ones. There's no avoiding it.

When considering my future, realizing that I will inevitably desire some sort of job once the kids are in school and I have to spend entire days alone at home, I noticed that all the careers I would ever possibly get into involved children. Photographer, teacher, pediatrician, art studio instructor for kids... Well, you get the point.

Anyways, now after a photo shoot day and a shopping day, I am taking it easy, relaxing at my mom's house for the weekend. I'll catch my breath here and then hopefully I'll have the stamina to actually make something interesting and put up a fun tutorial for you guys. Until then...!

Cheesy Penne With Tomato Sauce

Now, this is a new spin on an old favorite of ours. This pasta dish has a chunky tomato sauce which is packed with flavor, not to mention melty, cheesy goodness that is guaranteed to fill you up to the brim while also leaving you wanting more, more, more.

First, you'll have to make the sauce, which takes a little over an hour.

Ingredients for the sauce:

• Olive oil
• 1 medium/large chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 28 ounce cans of whole tomatoes, drained
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried cayenne pepper
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Directions:

In a large dutch oven, pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Saute the onions and garlic over medium-high heat until they become see-through, about 5 minutes or so. Pour in the tomatoes and mash them up, easiest with a potato masher. Mix in the dried basil and cayenne pepper. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half until the mixture is chunky and saucy.

Ingredients for the pasta:

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup sliced olives (Kalamata or black)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cook the pasta for the minimum recommended cooking time, or even a minute under so that it is tender but firm to the bite, then drain.

Add the pasta to the sauce and mix it up well.

Have your little helper assist you in slicing your olives with a dull baby knife and grate the cheese.

We use black olives here because they are very mild in flavor, much more kid friendly. But Kalamata olives are delicious in this recipe as well.

Now, pour the cheese and olives in with the sauce and pasta. Mix it up as thoroughly as you can.

Finally, sprinkle with the parmesan and stick it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes until the pasta is completely heated through. You may wish to transfer the mixture to a large glass baking dish before baking if your pot isn't oven friendly or if you want it to look prettier!

Now enjoy!!

What A Mess...

I've been feeling kind of anxious lately as I walk around my home, gazing sleepily upon the clutter all over my floor, trying to figure out just how I'm going to tackle this daunting project. It probably doesn't help that Adrianne makes a habit of walking around as well, pointing at everything she sees saying, "Mess...mess!"

I think to myself, gosh I have a website all about nesting, my readers would be ashamed of me if they saw this place! But then I do realize...a good "nester" would have happy babies in her nest and it reminds me of this poster I saw on Pinterest a while ago:

And quite a few other words of inspiration. So I'm glad to say that I have remembered that a good nest isn't always about the appearance of the nest, it's about what comes out of the nest that matters most.

And I am pleased to show off that cute little babies with just-washed, fuzz ball heads come out of my nest, for one thing!

I can see clearly now!

After 10 or so years of stubborn eyelids, I have finally managed to put a pair of contacts in. Hooray! I realized I've never really actually been able to see my face clearly before (except in photos). And you know, I think I really like wearing contacts. It was a nightmare trying to get my eyes to cooperate but I did it!

I was determined. My goal was to not have to wear glasses for my wedding. And I succeeded! Now I can get all prettied up for the big day without having to worry about glares in my wedding photos. Haha...

Anyhow...In other news, our little cousin, Victoria, is turning THREE years old! I can't believe how fast time flies... We celebrated with her yesterday at her birthday party. She is just too adorable! (I'm stealing photos from my family members for this post because despite all efforts I still managed to forget to bring my camera to the party...)

Adrianne's hair was in pigtails, too! I've been waiting to give her pigtails for so long! It was funny actually, when I first gave her pigtails the other day I brought her over to the mirror so she could see and she just smiled, her jaw dropped and she went, "*gasp* Twooooo....." My little genius!

And here is my mom with Rowan. Even though Adrianne is going through an anti-social streak these days, at least we've got this little guy for cuddles! He was being particularly alert for almost the whole party. So many babies! And they are all growing up so fast!

Ramblings and Things

I finally snagged a picture of my lovely bunch of morning coconuts today! In all of their bed head and jammies glory! It reminded me that I need to shoot the four of us together sometime soon. I've just been so crazy busy with things lately that every time I think of it, I realize it's too late to do a photo shoot or anything resembling one.

Rowan had his first real bath tonight and we all expected him to scream his little head off, but he absolutely loved it! From the moment he got in that nice warm water, it was like he was in awe. It must have felt so good! You could tell he needed it too, because the water was actually pretty dirty (for a baby) when he got out of it. He has the cutest head of fluffy, fuzzy hair when it's washed. That I will definitely get a picture of soon.

After his bath, Rowan was just so content. He was awake for quite a while and just laying peacefully in his Daddy's arms. I can tell he really loves his dad already. He is always drawn to him when they're in the same room. Even though he gives his dad a hard time in the mornings (when I kick them both out of the bedroom so I can catch my beauty sleep) I can tell he is going to really admire him.

Some exciting things to come on the Better Nester: I plan on starting a recipes section for the blog, because I have a few staples that I think a lot of moms with no time or cooking talent would appreciate knowing about. I also have a few projects in waiting that I will make some nice tutorials out of. And finally, we have a birthday party to go to tomorrow, so hopefully that will mean some fun photos! (That is assuming I don't forget my camera again...)

So be sure to subscribe if you haven't already!

Anyhow, that's enough of my rambling, I've got some recipe and tutorial work to do for you all!

Dear Adrianne 2/16/12

I love how you favor the Prince over the Princess in your castle toy set. You like to seat him at the little table all by himself and then you wait on him with your kitchen toys and felt food and feed him and make him drink his tea.

It's so amazing watching you develop your preferences and likes and dislikes! You have a few Youtube videos that you will not let us stop watching.

First off, we have "meowstep."



You love this song, for whatever reason! You sing "meow" along to it and you always have to point out the potty in the video. Always.

Then, there's the wolves.



I don't know why but the sound of the wolves calms you down. Sometimes you make me play this audio over and over and over for hours while you sit quietly coloring at your craft table.

Finally, your new favorite song:



You refer to this song as the "poop" song because in the first couple of seconds there is a field of flowers with cow poop falling in the corner of the screen. But I just adore the way you stare mesmerized at the screen while you watch this music video and dance your cute little toddler dance.

You have weird tastes, baby girl. But I love that about you!

Love Is In The Air...

...or at least it would have been if I hadn't hopped out of bed and into the pediatrician's office with an inconsolable infant in my arms for Rowan's one month well visit only to return home to my hubby dashing out the door to work extra hours he couldn't get out of. Oh well! We just decided we would celebrate a Valentine's "Week" together this year, whenever we could squeeze each other in our busy schedules. Haha! I make it sound like we never see each other...It's not actually that bad!

Anyways, since my hubby was amazing enough to buy me a gorgeous piece of jewelry for Valentine's Day, I managed to scrape this little thing together.

It's just a little framed "I love you because..." thing, which has been going crazy on Pinterest lately. I am totally into dry erase markers on frames now as well. So now we can squeeze in a little love whenever we think of it! It's a super lame gift in comparison to the one I received. But since my hubby told me that Valentine's Day seems to him like a woman's holiday where the man ought to just pamper his girl, I figured I wouldn't argue. =)

Yeah, that might be the necklace I got for Valentine's Day........ =) Hehe! Oh, but I encourage you to check out Lunarieen's jewelry shop. Her work is absolutely breath taking and I aspire to create pendants as beautiful as her's someday.

As for this little goof ball, it just seems like Adrianne has been maturing like crazy lately! I can't keep up with her! (And why does it seem like every photo I take of her is post messy meal time?) She knows how to put her sunglasses on by herself now. And she says so many new words each day, while also improving so much the way she says old words as well.

She has also discovered the concept of privacy. She kicks me out of the bathroom and makes me close the door every time she has to go potty now!

Another thing, I swear she is a baby whisperer. She always knows exactly what Rowan needs. If I ever can't figure him out I can bet you I could ask her and she would guide me true! She will either tell me he is hungry, poopy, needs a binky, and just yesterday she told me he was just fussing because he had gas! I asked her what she thought Rowan needed and she replied that he needed to "toot." Haha! I can't believe her! And I think she was right.

Speaking of Rowan, he weighed 11 pounds today and measured 22.75 inches! Wow! He's growing way faster than Adrianne did! Sure is plumping up nicely, too.

What a little angel he is...I still can't help but think that, even after all the fuss he makes.

And he's so strong. He is already lifting his head like a pro. I still think he just got offended when I was like five months pregnant and remarked that he didn't seem as strong of a kicker as Adrianne was. Ever since I made that comment, he started working out like crazy. Boys will be boys, I suppose!

Well, I hope everyone has had a lovely Valentine's Day!

How To Be Creative

"I wish I could do stuff like that, but I just don't have an ounce of creativity in me!"

That is a phrase that I hear all too often. Is that you? Well, my hope with this post is to change your mind on that one.

It is my personal belief that creativity is something everyone has and it's sort of like a little muscle. Like any other muscle in your body, you have to use it and take care of it if you want it to grow and be strong. Also like any other muscle in your body, you have to start small and take it slow with your work outs if you don't want to burn it out and exhaust it.

Here are a few tips pulled from my own experience when working with creativity (both of mine and of others'). Hopefully they can help to rekindle that little spark of creativity within you as well!


ONE: CREATE THINGS

This one may seem redundant but it's like I said earlier. You have to exercise that muscle if you want it to get stronger. Sometimes it's not enough to just sit around all day and think up grand ideas. You have to actually get your hands dirty in order to "exercise" and get more creative. The more you create, the more it will empower you, boost your confidence, and give you experience to build off of.

So get to it. Any little thing will help. Try freewriting. Write something new everyday, like in a journal or something. Doodle on every scrap you ever lay eyes on. Get some scissors and glue and collage the crap out of an old magazine. Make lists about everything: projects you want to do, things you want to experience before you die, places you want to go. Force yourself to think and force yourself to get a little something done every day. Before you know it that daily little something will be a big, beautiful something.

Oh, and be a scientist. Experiment with things. Delve into things you've never tried before and see what happens.

TWO: EASY DOES IT

Also, like I said earlier, you have to start small and take it slow. You wouldn't want to try benching hundreds of pounds on your first try if you've never before lifted a weight in your life. You also wouldn't want to try painting the next Mona Lisa if you've never before held a paintbrush in your life. It's okay, you can even start with finger paints for goodness sake. You've got to start somewhere, so start somewhere basic. Just play with the colors, see what happens when you mix red and yellow. Who cares? Maybe something neat will happen. Then you'll want to keep going. Then maybe something even neater will happen! But whatever you do, take on projects that you know you can finish.

If you aim too high, it's all too likely that you'll get discouraged and easily bored of a project because it is just too daunting. It's happened to me way too many times. I get really excited about a really big project that I've started and I don't let myself take a break. Then I get tired of it because it's too hard and it's taking too long. So then it gets shoved to the back of the closet and forgotten forever. Don't do this to yourself. Just take it nice and easy!

THREE: GET INSPIRED

I read somewhere once that there is no original idea. No matter what you do, it's probably already been done before. Now, obviously this isn't always the case. But the point was that it's okay if you don't come up with a completely original idea because there is always room for improvement. If it's not original, just do it better, make it your own.

So go for it. Look around you and get inspired by things you see. Your ideas don't all have to be born out of nothing in the deep, dark depths of your own head. Take the best bits and pieces of all that you see and put them all together. When you see something you like, ask yourself: "What is it about this that I love and what would I do different to make it perfect for me?"

FOUR: BE A GOOD SPORT

So maybe that thing you just made is hideous and completely non-functional. Whatever, just laugh at it and keep going! Don't be a sore loser. Go back to your list of "Projects You Can And Will Finish" and start the next thing on the list. Or go browse around and see if you find anything that sets off a light bulb in your head, a way to fix your latest oops.

Just don't blame your supposed lack of creativity for a disappointing end result. Everything you create, whether it be pretty or ugly, is more experience under your belt. Have the courage to keep going. You'll be glad you that you did!

FIVE: DE-SCREEN YOURSELF

This might be the most important piece of advice I can give. Turn off your TV. Step away from the screen. Eliminate media from your life as much as possible. Screens suck you in and spit you out, making you wonder where all your time went. And what was it wasted on? "Reality" television?

Go outside. Talk to people. Walk in nature. Experience actual reality. It will open your mind in ways you never would have dreamed. It's amazing what this seemingly simple shift in your life can do for you. It will give you so much time and so much freedom within your own mind. It will pave the road for your creative chariot to charge down.




Now go forth and create! Every single thing you create is a piece of your soul, manifested in the world for all to see and feel. Immerse yourself in your creations and share them with anyone and everyone. Have fun!

Dear Rowan 2/10/12

Last night, I was lying in bed and you were laying on my chest. You were so squirmy, I didn't know what the heck you were doing! You kept trying to climb up, up, up. So I kept scooting you down, down, down. Eventually I just gave up and let you crawl all the way up to my neck. You lodged your head under my chin, right up against my throat and then...you fell asleep there!

I wondered if maybe you liked being there because it reminded you of being lodged in my pelvis just under a month ago...or if you just tuckered yourself out working on getting there for almost an hour! Either way, I couldn't say that I minded it. I can never get enough of baby cuddles.

Love,
Mom

My Babies' Height Chart

I finally finished this thing that I've been attending to for mere minutes per day for a week or so now! If you can't tell, it's a height chart. More specifically, it's a double sided height chart, personalized with each of my babies' initials at the top. Hehe!

The Pooh drawing was also hand drawn by me, inspired by the original illustrations by Shepard.

It was easy to make too! I just cut a long strip of fabric, hemmed it on both sides, and sewed down the top and bottom edges with the sides open so that I could slide a dowel in each end. Then I measured out each foot of it, labeling them from 2 to 6 feet and marked out every inch with a little dash or dot.

 The hubby had to hang it because I am borderline midget. But I've taken Adrianne's first measurement! She hit the 2 ft, 6 inches mark.

I am so excited to be able to track their heights without worrying about losing it all. Since we're currently in an apartment, it would be pointless to write her heights on the wall somewhere because we'll just be moving out (hopefully into our first house) sometime anyway. Then the walls will all be painted over and that will be the end of that. Now I have a portable height chart that I can even pass along to the kids when they're grown and dying for all my silly little baby keepsakes!

Dear Rowan...2/8/12

{Like the "Dear Adrianne" posts, this will mark the start of my letters to my little boy, Rowan.}

Today, you are 4 weeks old! I can't believe how fast time flies. But I am loving every second that I have with you and your sister. I can already tell that you are getting bigger. You are starting to plump up now, and your head is no longer a tiny little orange in the palm of my hand.

I'm going to miss you as a little newborn pipsqueak, but I am looking forward to your everyday on this earth. There are so many exciting things to look forward to!

I hope you get over your need to be awake at night though. It's amazing that you will sleep for hours at a time during the day. But at night you wake up every hour and a half to two hours! You also have a habit of clamping your mouth shut when I try to feed you, which is a very silly thing to do. But I love all of your little quirks because they make you you. It's amazing to think of how different you are from your sister already!

Speaking of which, I know you will love her so much all your life. I'm so happy that you two will have each other. There is so much fun in your future!

With love,
Mom

Dear Adrianne...2/8/12

{This will be the start of a new "series" of posts if you will, dedicated to my beautiful little girl, who I hope will someday be able to look back on how fondly I devoted myself to her and her little brother through these letters which I will publish here.}

I am so proud of you lately for being such a perfect and brave big sister. I love the way you cradle baby Rowan and how you try so hard to take such good care of him. It makes me so happy to know that you already love him. I know you will work very hard to look after him as the two of you grow up. I remember what it was like as a little girl, the feeling of having little boys to watch over. I felt so protective over them, and so proud to be their big sister. One of the greatest tasks was being assigned "bus buddy" for my brother at school. I had the great responsibility of walking him to class, and of course I also had to visit him in his class to check up on him whenever I could grab a chance.

You've been handling the big change very well. You certainly got a little disconcerted not to be the center of attention at all times anymore and you've gone through a couple of phases to show it for sure. But I am always amazed at how quickly these little phases of yours pass. You relapsed in potty training for a couple of days. You started throwing terrifying tantrums at the prospect of going to bed for a few nights. But always, these things pass and day by day you behave more and more angelically. You are simply amazing.

I'm starting to wonder whether or not I have a true genius on my hands with you. You are just so smart, I love bragging about you whenever I get the chance. "Oh, yeah, my little girl is potty trained. Yep, and she draws with a perfect writer's grip." Am I too proud? =) Well, I don't care if I am.

With love,
Mom

Breath Of Fresh Air

I love those random warm days in the dead of winter where the sun is shining, not a cloud in sight, it's like 40 something degrees out and the air smells like life again.

Today was one of those days. We went for a nice long walk around the town. Adrianne passed out in her stroller and Rowan was passed out in my baby carrier. And the hubby and I just talked and laughed and enjoyed the beautiful breezes.

I think the sunlight and fresh air really did me some good because I felt so rejuvenated after a horribly sluggish morning. Rowan had another tough night for use last night. (We're hoping for a nice and calm night tonight in contrast.)

Anyways, when we got home, we carried Adrianne up to bed so she could nap fully and then just relaxed before the hubby had to go to work. Spunky little Adrianne was obviously rejuvenated by the fresh air as well. She was full of energy (not that she ever isn't...) The picture here is her version of dressing herself. Doesn't she look so proud? Haha, I was if she wasn't, at least.

She also helped me tackle the monstrous pile of laundry that needed to be folded. Or at least she thought she helped, which is all that matters. Yet again, she was so proud of herself! As I sorted the laundry into smaller piles based on whose clothes were whose, throwing clothes into all corners of the room, she would walk around and pick up random articles and throw them randomly too. Then she would "fold" Daddy's clothes and stuff them in his drawers.

Eventually, I learned that I could fold his socks and have her put them away for me after each pair. That actually was helpful! She also started shaking all the clothes she could get her little hands on violently after seeing me try to shake the wrinkles out of the hubby's jeans. She is so cute!

Of course, Rowan helped too. Adrianne made sure he watched over the underwear very carefully (with his eyes closed), I discovered after finding a pile of them next to his head.

I love that I can be somewhat productive around the house again. Doing chores while Adrianne is awake is my new technique, since she loves helping out so much. I'll do the dishes and put bubbles in Adrianne's sink in her mini kitchen and she will very peacefully wash her own dishes along with me. She even babysat Rowan while I vacuumed. She got very protective over him when I told her I had to vacuum real quick! I love that she loves him so much!

Later at night, I was sitting with her on the couch, holding Rowan, and she just took him out of my arms and held him so proper you would have thought she herself was a mommy! She had her arm under his neck, holding his head up and she just cradled him so sweetly. Then she rocked him on her lap (obviously I was right there with a safety grip on them) and gave him kisses on his forehead and nuzzled him a little.

Now, usually when she is done with holding Rowan she just sort of pushes him back to me. I thought she was doing that because she started almost trying to lift him. So I went to take him but she said "no." She was just trying to sit him up! She sat him up on her lap and started patting him back to burp him!!

Then she cradled him in her arms again and kissed him some more, patted his shoulder and shushed him when he started grumbling about being moved around. She gave him his binky and a couple more kisses and then she handed him over to me. I was...stunned to say the least. It was one of the most blissful moments a mommy could ever have.

It's the things like that that make me totally okay with the fact that I can never get to the things that I want to get done, like making my Etsy patterns, sewing, crafting, whatever. It just doesn't matter as much.

Melts My Heart

The other day I posted about Adrianne staring out the window all day, every day. Well, it was requested by many that I get a few shots of her from the outside of the window. She's so tiny, and our window is so huge...it's a funny sight to see!

So...all day, every day, this is the view many strangers walking by get of our little girl knocking and waving to anyone and everyone that she sees. She even knocks and waves to parked, empty cars.


Why does she have to be so adorable? She melts my heart sometimes... She really does.

Déjà Vu

It seems like only yesterday I was sneaking photos of the hubby snoozing away with newborn Adrianne on his chest. Now here I am showing off this Kodak moment of the hubby sleeping with newborn Rowan on his chest.

We say we're not going to have any more babies. And we feel pretty strongly about that. But the more I think about things like Rowan someday being as big as Adrianne is now and like never having a teeny tiny little baby head in the palm of my hand again...the more I start to question my willpower. For now though I think I can safely say I am taking a very long break from the very exhausting process of having a baby at the very least.

Has it really almost been two years?

Pin Fix {v.3}

I go through these phases of obsessing over my future dream house that I'm going to build. Pinterest doesn't help. Or it does, depending on your perspective.

 

I love this living room! I want to incorporate as much nature as possible into my home. In fact, I would probably live in an actual nest if I could. Haha, not really... But I like the idea of living amongst plants and all things natural.

This apron is really cute! And it's a tutorial! AND it has built in hot pads!!! Need I say more?

And since we're thinking kitchen, how about these yummy looking cookie fruit tacos for a fun and somewhat healthy snack for the kiddos? Or for me...

This cute DIY skirt was made from old T-shirts. That's my kind of project! I really love ruffly skirts...

I hope to make a wreath that looks something like this soon, but maybe not exactly the same. If it turns out well, you can expect a tutorial! I am craving a home made wreath for the non-holiday seasons for the door that is rather welcoming. I think something simple like this would do the trick.

Speaking of "make..." I really want to make a bedding set for Adrianne that goes with the bedroom/nursery theme I am trying to go for, which is a gender neutral theme inspired by Classic Pooh. While I wouldn't use these colors, I like the ruffly pillows and comforter!

Ideally, I would make her something like this...Heck, I would make me something like this!!

I'd also like to make a mobile like this one! Again, going for the nature feel.

And finally, since we're all about nature in this post, I've been feeling inspired lately to start a small indoor herb garden. I'd want it to look a little like this perhaps, just maybe even smaller and...less dirt-y looking. Giant rubber balls flying through the house + mesh garden filled with dirt = I don't want to clean that. So back to Pinterest I go! Need to look at more weird herb arrangements!