Vampire Wreath

Me: Do you like my new wreath?

Mom: Are those boobs?

Me: What? No it's fangs....for halloween

Mom: It could be saggy boobs.

Me: Maybe we shouldn't talk about saggy boobs when I'm still breastfeeding.

Halloween Porch

Now that Fall has officially arrived, with it comes HALLOWEEN. This is a bit more exciting since it is the first time I have a little one around. Even though he's not going to remember this one, I'm starting early with holiday traditions and decorating for Halloween with be one of them.

Fall Wreath

I am SO glad that fall is starting. Northern California heat coupled with my postpartum hot flashes have sent me into this new loathing of all things summer. I'm ready for apple crisps, falling leaves and delta breezes.

Discovery Bottles

My baby is getting bigger. At 7 months I can barely equate him to the little puffy newborn he was just mere months ago. Now he is old enough to sit, grasp and crawl. That means this is my new life:

Put him on the floor. 30 SECONDS

No! Not the TV box. Get up, reposition him. 30 SECONDS.

Ack! Not my shoes. Get up, reposition him. 30 SECONDS.

Oh! Not the power cords. Get up, reposition him. 30 SECONDS.....

Repeat for hours.

Chocolate Sauce

Pregnancy is over but I have a residual sweet tooth that I can't get rid of and it hits every night. At any given time you can find ingredients to make cookies, cake or other tasty treats hidden in my cupboard. Last night I was all about the ice cream in the freezer but the plain old vanilla needed something a little extra. Then I realized I had the ingredients for chocolate sauce.

Terrarium

I've already said I am not a gardener. I stopped buying house plants a long time ago and recently gave up outdoor plants after the slow death of a hanging flower basket. But my mom, the optimist, gave me a small greenhouse with 6 succulents as a gift.

Apple Carrot Baby Food Puree

I never know what to do with extra vegetables. Really, I want to eat carrots with a meal one night but I don't want to eat 20 of them. This happens every week and inevitably I feel bad throwing away perfectly good veggies. Ya, ya, I know I can freeze them, make a soup or vegetable stock but I....don't.

Since my baby is over 6 months now, I've been trying out different fruits and veggies. He does not like carrots, but I have some that need to be used and carrots are a good source of nutrients like beta carotene and calcium.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with buying baby food. In fact, I really like the Plum Organic brand, but making baby food is really easy plus you get to used leftovers from your fridge.  And you don't need any special equipment, a standard food processor works great.

Star Mobile

Space scene

During the intense nesting phase of my pregnancy, I decided on an outer space theme for the nursery. What nobody told me was the "nursery" is really just a baby storage area because the baby spends all the time sleeping in your bedroom and playing in the living room.

One day my adorably decorated room complete with custom painted mural and framed space posters will be really cute for a little boy. Considering he sleeps next to me in my bed right now, I have no idea when that day will come. But I am really looking forward to sleeping on more than a sliver of mattress.


My mother hand painted the walls. Even though I didn't paint it, I'm adding the pics anyways. It still counts because it's in the family, right? Somehow that artistic painting gene didn't travel it's way down to me.

I needed a mobile to go with the theme (even though technically his crib is stationed next to my bed...and he doesn't use it). I couldn't really find anything "space" related. There was one solar system mobile but it was $80 and looked more like a science project than something for a baby. Besides $80?? I could make something way cheaper than that!

Popsicle Sticks Puzzle

I have a bad addiction to Pinterest followed closely by the dollar store. If only I could get fabric there, I might never leave.

Luckily Pinterest and the dollar store go together. Especially when it comes to the kids section. There are so many creative ideas for toys and activities. One really quick and inexpensive craft is popsicle stick puzzles. I found a set of alphabet cards (of course, dollar store) that would make great puzzles.

Glitter Jars

I was really inspired by the glitter mason jars all over Pinterest, specifically this one. Seems easy, it's just glue and glitter. Right? Well....

Peach Cobbler

We moved into a house last year with a peach tree in the yard. I was so excited to taste my first fresh peach and EW they were dry and tasteless. It could be because I didn't water the tree (disclaimer: you will never see a post about what a great gardener I am). This year is different, mostly because my husband took over watering, but the peaches are great! With more fruit then one family can eat, I decided to make peach cobbler.

4th of July Wreath

This is a little late but I made a wreath for our 4th of BBQ. I wanted something festive (and cheap) so after looking around on pintrest I knew I was going with some kind of fabric wrapped wreath. A quick trip to the dollar store with some strips of fabric I had on hand, the wreath was done.

Festive White Chocolate Tart

I was at Ikea and came across a tart pan. Picking it up in my hands I immediately had Martha Stewart-like visions of fresh tomato tarts. I had to have that dish since the tomatoes in my mom's garden were coming in. It has sat in my kitchen cabinet collecting dust ever since.

Fast forward 5 years and I decided to use it for a Forth of July BBQ at my house. I loved the flag cakes on Pintrest but couldn't quite find the exact recipe to use. I finally settled on a modified white chocolate pie from Pillsbury. It was AMAZING!

White Chocolate Berry Tart