Enchanted Underwater Maternity Photos...

As of today, I'm 36 weeks and counting down to the day I get to meet my beautiful little "ladybug". While we're still not sure if we're going to have a maternity session done {I know, I know...time is running out} I came across this AMAZING underwater maternity photo shoot done in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii by Ruth Powell of Ruth Anne Photography.  Expecting mom, Corey looks absolutely stunning. As many of you know, my husband and I married and honeymooned in Hawaii. A photo shoot like this would have been so beautiful to have done to mark this very special time in our lives.

These photos absolutely take my breath away! The photographer is so amazing, wouldn't you agree? Hubby and I are definitely going to have a newborn photo shoot done, and while we'd love the idea of doing a maternity photo shoot as well, I think we might just save the money and put it towards items we still need to complete our baby registry. Only a few more weeks until arrival....ooooh, I'm so excited! Thanks so much

for stopping by today...

From Guest Room to Nursery ~ It's Renovation Time...

Well, the countdown has begun. Only seven more weeks until little "Labybug" arrives. I can hardly wait to see her precious little face. In the meantime, I've been nesting away!! {Boy, have I ever}

Hubby and I decided we were going to use the spare bedroom downstairs for her nursery instead of one of the two spare bedrooms upstairs. Just seems more logical to have her room down here next to ours, don'tcha think? This way, when we decided to have our second child he/she can just take over the nursery downstairs and we can work on creating a little girls room upstairs for "Ladybug" once she's a little older.

So, here's a little sneek peek into the progess we've made on the nuresery so far....

{BEFORE}

I must say I was never really crazy about this room to begin with but didn't want to put any money into making it over because we knew we would be using it for a nursery one day. So until then the room became a "catch all" for miscellaneous furntire we had left over when we moved into the house.

{BEFORE}

Okay, now that those images are burned into your minds...

let's get to the good stuff shall we?

The carpet was the first thing to go! Hardwood flooring just makes

everything look so much better!!

Time to address that awful and bland wall color...UGH!

But before we could paint, hubby had to install the chair railing. We decided to go for the double chair railings, to add more character. I love the way it turned out!

 Hubby did a great job, I must say.

What a difference chair railing makes...

It really adds a little definition to the space don'tcha think?

Now, on to the wall color! We decided to go with a different color for her nursery other than the traditional pink. I figured that since we were having a girl, there would ALOT of pink already with her accessories and wall hangings. I wanted something for all that pink to contrast against so...

WE WENT WITH BLUE!

It's actually a soft silvery blue called "River Rock" from Behr.

After we chose the wall color I came across this gorgeous rug I found online at Layla Grace. It was the perfect little touch and a great color scheme to work off of. So now I have my full color palette for her nursery. The room renovation is finished, and it's on to furniture...YAY!!

I'm so excited to get started decorating!!  Some of the furniture has already arrived,

 it's just trying to figure out now where everything's gonna go. I'll keep ya posted...

 

Quite Possibly The Best Banana Bread Ever...

When it comes to Banana Bread, I've tried quite a few recipes. I came across this recipe the other day when I was looking to try something new. I have to admit the title caught my eye "No Ordinary Banana Bread". So I thought to myself....why not put it to the test and give it a try? Can I just say.....O'ma Goodness! This banana bread blew all the other recipes I've tried out of the water. It has a couple of ingredients that keep it super moist and the chocolate chips on top add a little something special. I can see this recipe will become a family favorite!

Banana Bread

¾ cup butter, softened 

2 eggs

1 ½ cup brown sugar

7 medium mashed bananas ( about 3 cups)
*Here's the secret. Substitute one of the cups of bananas with 1/2 cup crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup applesauce.

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon cinammon

2 ½ cups flour
1 (11 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter, eggs, brown sugar, bananas, applesauce and crushed pineapple with a mixer. Add baking soda, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and flour. Mix well.

Pour into 3 medium bread pans ( I like to use disposable foil pans) and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the batter. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes to 1 hour.

Go ahead, pour yourself a nice tall glass of cold milk and dig in while it's hot!
It's so moist and delicious...and really easy to make! 

Enjoy!!

Recipe courtesy of: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Boston Creme Poke Cake...

So, I'm well into my third trimester now and I'm craving ooey gooey sweet stuff all the time! Looking around today on the internet for a quick and easy dessert recipe led me to one fabulous  little place..... My new favorite slice of heaven!

If you like Boston Cream donuts, I promise you’ll like this easy recipe.

Boston Cream Poke Cake

Print

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 12-16

A simple and delicious cake-version of Boston Cream Donuts

Ingredients

• - Yellow Cake Mix (and cake ingredients)
• - French Vanilla Pudding (5.9 oz. box)
• - Chocolate Pudding (5.9 oz. box)
• - Milk

Instructions

1. Make cake as directed in a 9×13 pan.
2. Poke holes into cake using the end of a large wooden spoon while cake is semi-warm.
3. Make French Vanilla pudding as directed. Wait a minute for it to thicken up a little more and pour over cake.
4. Make Chocolate pudding as directed. Pour over cake as well.
5. Refrigerate at least for 30 minutes and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Lil' Luna.

This cake is seriously so quick and yummy! 

Enjoy every last bite...

Gumdrop Game with Free Printable...

It's no secret....I love me some good DIY Projects and Craft Ideas. I can't wait until my little girl gets older so I can spend time with her creating some really fun things!! I came across this super cute and fun idea today from this great little blog I just had to share it with everyone. Did you know that February 15th is National Gumdrop day? Huh.....go figure! To celebrate Kirsten from The Crafty Chicks came up with a great way to have a little fun. It's called the Sweet Shop Gumdrop Game and it's a great family game you can play with the kids....or I even think you could change up the questions and bring it to your next little get together with friends.

Supplies for the Sweet Shop Gumdrop Game

 (to make three jars full):

3 Mason Jars

Mason jar lids with a cutout

Striped twine

2 bags of gumdrops

Tags (see link below to print out) 

Hole punch

This is the easiest project. All you do is fill the jar to the top and screw the lid on. Then you take the twine and make about 10-15 strips of 15″ twine and tie a knot around the neck of the Mason jar. Then you go below and print out the tags and simply use a hole punch and small piece of twine to fasten all the tags to the knotted twine around the neck of the jar.

Instructions for the game: It’s super simple. This game is a fun conversation piece for friends & family. There are 7 colors of gumdrops in the jar. Each color has a coordinating tag that when you pick a gumdrop out of the jar, you answer the questions on the tag that coordinates with that color. This makes for a fun and “SWEET” way to snuggle up and have a fun conversation full of love and laughs.

COLORS & QUESTIONS:

RED: ”Tell me about something about 3 things you love most….”

ORANGE: ”Tell me about something that’s smelly…”

YELLOW: ”Tell me about something that made you happy today…”

GREEN: ”Tell me about your favorite things to do outside…”

PURPLE: ”Tell me about something that was silly today…”

BLACK: ”Tell me about something that makes you mad…”

WHITE: ”Tell me about a time when someone was nice to you…”

***FREE PRINTABLES FOR THE GAME HERE***

PENNANT TAGS: HERE

COLOR TAGS: HERE

What a great idea to share some laughs and have a great time with family for friends!

HAVE FUN EVERYONE!!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches...

Are you ready for some football??? The Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday and like most women out there we love watching it for the entertainment and great commercials. To be honest, I just enjoy having a few close friends over and cooking up a couple of tasty treats for them to enjoy while they're sprawled out on my couches.  Here's one of my new favorites recipes I'll be making, It's so easy, Ladies...

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I prefer and used chicken breasts)
• 1/2 to 1 cup Caesar dressing (I used Brianna’s Asiago Caesar)
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley
• pepper to taste
• 6 pieces romaine lettuce
• 6 hoagie style rolls or buns
• butter
• additional Parmesan cheese, if desired

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker with 1 cup water.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours until chicken is fully cooked.
3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.
4. Remove the water from the slow cooker.
5. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and add the dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top.
6. Stir until well combined. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes or until heated through.
7. Meanwhile, spread butter in the inside of the rolls and place under a broiler until toasted and golden brown.
8. To serve top each roll with a piece of romaine, followed by the chicken mixture and addition Parmesan if desired.

Recipe adapted from: Real Mom Kitchen

You're guests will LOVE this, trust me so make a double batch! Whatever your plans are this weekend, I hope you are surrounded with lots of love, laughter and make some great memories cheering for your favorite team! As for me....I don't care who wins....as long as it's not the Patriots!! {hee, hee}

Valentine's Day Ideas...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I must confess, I wish "Lady Bug" were already here! I mean  how cute would she look in this cute little number from A Sweet Sweet Boutique...

All together now awwwwwwwwww.....

With Valentine's Day less than a month away, I wanted to share some great little ideas I've found for you to not only decorate your home with but great little ideas for gifts to hand out to your loved ones. If you have kids you know how important these types of projects are. So here's all the goodies I've come across...

I love this DIY Project from from The Idea Room for Tissue Rosette Kissing Balls.

This heart garland  from Better Homes and Gardens would look adorable 

hanging from a kid's headboard. You can even change

 out their bedding to match, great idea!

Infarrantly Creative has a great tutorial on her blog on how to 

create this great Valentine's Advent Calendar.

How cute are these coupons from Better Homes and Gardens?

 You can create different versions for your hubby, kids, best friend....the list goes on!

A more unique twist on this popular idea is this DIY deck of love cards created with an ordinary deck of playing cards. Check out Paper Vinenz for more details.

The Fry Family is full of cute little ideas for Valentine's Day gift hand outs. 

Check out there blog for more great ideas!

Annie's Eats shares her wonderful recipe for homemade Valentine's cookies.

If you're gonna be in the kitchen baking....you mine as well look cute!! 

Mama Madison has some gorgeous little aprons available

 for purchase in her Etsy shop.

Here's another one of my favorite apron picks from Mama Madison! 

You've gotta check out her online shop!! It's adorable.

Add a little love to your front door with this rose frame.

 Thrifty Decorating shares a tutorial on how to create your very own.

If you're having a little get together don't forget a lovely little table display....

Need more great and inexpensive ideas? 

Well, here ya go...

Mud Pie Studio

I hope everyone found something super cute they could create within their own budget! 

I can't wait to get started on a few of these myself! 

Have a wonderful day, Everyone!!