Mardi Gras 2017

I think it's safe to say we have a couple of Mardi Gras fans on our hands; me included! I never really knew just how much I loved Mardi Gras - from the crowd to the music - until I experienced my first Mardi Gras event. Now don't get me wrong, I have certainly had my fair share of King Cake; I've even 'got the baby.' :)

We decided to venture out to the local Mardi Gras parade/event a few weekends ago, and, man, did we have fun! My girlfriend and her boyfriend and my in-laws met us up there, we ate, walked around, danced, checked out the vendors/shops, drank a few margaritas, and danced some more. My little guy, who had one heck of a bead collection, was tearing up the stage to the the awesome Zydeco music. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, either.

We even walked away with the cutest shirt - gotta have love for our local small shops!

See ya next year, Mardi Gras! 

Oh TWOdooles

We recently celebrated a very special boy's second birthday! Waking up to a balloon-filled crib, breakfast served with two candles in a giant cinnamon roll, being sung to all day long, and a Mickey Mouse party with family - he was certainly loved on and celebrated all day long.

His absolute favorite is Mickey Mouse. Every morning when he wakes up, he has to have his cup of milk and a Mickey episode. Every. Single. Morning. The kid loves Mickey. So, there was really no question when it came to his party's theme. From the cookie sprinkles to the wrapping paper, this kid got Mickey everything.

This was the best picture we could get of us three together - and it think it sums up his birthday perfectly!

Happy 2nd birthday, buddy!!

Happy Halloween

We've been so busy this month - something has been scheduled/planned every weekend. So, this weekend I was torn between having a (much needed) low-key weekend at home or hitting up the Zoo and pumpkin patch. We did the Zoo last year, and they do a really great job decorating it and hosting fun activities for the kids to partake in. I knew the Zoo would be jam packed this weekend, with it being the last weekend in October and all, so we decided to blow that off for this year. Zoo Boo, we're coming back for you next year!

We ended up taking a trip to the local pumpkin patch Saturday morning to show B all the orange pumpkins (his mind was blown, the grocery store pumpkin display had nothing compared to the patch) and to each pick out a pumpkin to carve. Got the pumpkins home, but it was too warm to sit outside and carve... so we waited and decided to watch a scary movie, The Conjuring 2 (B was napping), instead.

The weather finally cooled down a bit, so we gutted and carved our pumpkins! As we're carving, my husband told me some shocking information... he's never carved a pumpkin before. I mean, whaat? Who grows up and never carves a pumpkin? However, I'm not sure I totally believe him because he did pretty damn good on his pumpkin.

Anyways, we put the baby in his costume and showed him the carved pumpkins all lit up! I just love watching him experience things for the first time and how it makes him smile - pure sweetness. Not to mention, he totally rocked his TMNT costume. 

We're ready for our first trick-or-treat tonight. I'm really hoping he scores some Kit Kats! ;)

Hope everyone has a very spooky (and safe) Halloween. 

Fresh Landscape

When we moved into our house about five years ago, we knew it would make the perfect starter home. It was a foreclosure, and sat for quite some time, so we knew we had a lot in store for us in order to get it into good shape (the bones were good, just needed a lot of cleanup and updating). We quickly tackled the interior, but the front (and back) yard were put on hold. Just a note, the HOA are not fans of dead grass in the front yard. ;)

We worked on the front yard here and there, by giving the grass some much needed TLC, trimming up the shrubbery, adding fresh mulch and removing the dead tree by the front window. At this point, the front yard was considered good enough for the time being.

A few posts back I talked about my new hobby, gardening. So, a couple months ago we had two large inner shrubs removed from our front landscape to make room for some new (prettier) landscape. We also had the two large outer shrubs trimmed down - they were way overgrown, even worse than in the above picture, and such an eyesore.

I've been dreaming of doing this since the day we moved into our cute little house!!

Once the shrubs were removed, we added a fresh, much needed coat of paint to the shutters on the front of the house, which really helped brighten them up... considering they were looking very worn, dull and dirty, and have probably never been touched up like, ever.

I did the best research I could on plants to survive in a front yard that receives either a lot of shade or a lot of sun, depending on the type of weather given on that particular day, and lots of good ol' Texas heat. The best I could come up with were Hostas, Azaleas, and Liriope, which are a bit plain, but I liked the look of them together. So, we took a trip to Lowes and we ended up coming home with Liriope (on major sale), Hostas, two other plants that I can't even remember what they're called but they caught my eye and could survive in my yard (score!), and lots of beautiful dark mulch.



Paint color on shutters is Divine White by Sherwin Williams

This picture was taken after we planted everything a couple months ago; since then, we've lost two Hostas - couldn't stand the heat - and the other plants have grown a lot, as well as the outer shrubs have filled out since we trimmed them back.

That yard flag is looking a bit pathetic... (confession: it looks even worse now than it does in the picture) so I'm thinking of ordering this one.

Now I have a couple empty pots to fill with pretty plants and flowers to put in my backyard! Something about greenery that just makes me smile.

Until next time...

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

It's been really quiet around here the past couple of months, but I wanted to pop in to share something really delicious with y'all. Four glorious words: Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. Let me just add, the best Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins I've ever had/made (and maybe my husband, too, if he'd just try one already...).

 

We attended our neighborhood's National Night Out gathering last night, which was pretty fun and we didn't have to cook dinner (yes!), and made it home around 7:00. Got bath's done, dogs fed, and started relaxing on the sofa watching Big Hero 6 when I noticed our bananas had seen better days. I remembered seeing a recipe using bananas on Pinterest, so I took a peek into our pantry and decided to put these banana's to use before they're garbage.

 

So, there I was... 7:30 pm, in jammies, pulling everything out of the pantry to bake muffins while my boys are cuddling on the sofa quietly watching a movie.

 

I've been on a baking kick lately - hence the muffin pan and not just muffin cups inside foil muffin cups stacked on a cookie sheet - so I actually had all of the ingredients in my pantry. Meant to be.

 

They may not be the healthiest thing... and we're trying our hardest to stick to a healthy(ish) diet (do Donut-Fridays and 50-piece wings on Saturday count as healthy? No? Damn.), but they're worth every bite. Go ahead, give them a try and tell me I'm wrong!

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 medium, overripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mash the bananas (I just used a fork) until mostly smooth.
3. Mix in the egg, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Mix well.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Only mix until the batter forms. Fold in the chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
5. Pour batter into greased muffin cups (makes 12). Bake for 20 minutes.

 I originally found this recipe via Pinterest (here) for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 

Leave me a comment if you've tried the recipe and let me know what you think!

 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! We've made it through yet another week.

We're getting our roof replaced today...

RAISE DA ROOF! and that's pretty much all I can think about. You know you're an adult when you're stoked about a new roof. :) Dying to get home to see the finished result! But since this is a project we've been working on since January (thanks to insurance and homeowners), it's given me motivation to spruce up the rest of our house - inside & out.

I've been on Pinterest more than usual, getting ideas for my latest obsession: gardening! I'm loving orange knock-out roses, creeping phlox, jasmine vines (smells so good), and these tiny herb gardens - loving number 7!!

As probably mentioned on the blog before, I am no cook. However, I do like fun cookware! And right now, World Market has me wanting to buy everything in their cooking & baking section.

For a couple of years now, I've been using the Michael Kors Selma Large Satchel, but I find that it gets too heavy and becomes uncomfortable to carry on my arm and too awkward to carry on my shoulder or cross body, especially when there's a bunch of stuff in it. I still really love this purse, but I've kind of had my eye on the Madewell Transport Tote - but there are a few cheaper alternatives out there (Nordstom and Target).

My last, but not least Friday favorite is Sensodyne True White toothpaste. I'm going to share a little beauty secret with you: this stuff rocks! I have pretty sensitive teeth... and if we're being honest, am no stranger to a good cup(s) of coffee and/or glass(es) of red wine, so with my sensitivity, whitening strips were out of the question. :(  I've been a long time user of Sensodyne toothpaste, but recently tried the True White tube and I'm blown away. I'm about halfway through the first tube and I can already notice a whiter smile. Give it a try (coupon)!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spring Cleaning + Organization Inspiration

Y'all, spring is officially here. And you know what that means? Spring cleaning/organization time! If you've been slacking too busy to begin on your spring cleaning and organization lists like me, then here's a little inspiration to get you going.

Lately I've been eager about cleaning up and organizing a bit - we did our garage a few weeks ago - but our weekends have been so busy it's hard for me to start something and stop mid-project. Since my last two spring's consisted of being pregnant and having a little infant, I haven't been able to give the house a good deep clean in a while. So, I'm ready to get this house into tip-top shape!

First, I desperately need to clean out and organize baby B's closet. It's currently full of diaper boxes, which are packed with old baby clothes, bottles, etc., infant toys he doesn't play with anymore, important baby documents (need to find a better spot for these!), hats, shoes, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I would love to add a storage bin to his closet to help sort and organize his things, something like this where things are easily accessible:

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Then, our guest room needs some serious attention. It's currently a dumping ground for anything and everything. We got new master bedroom furniture, so we got rid of the old furniture in the guest room and replaced it with our old master set, so it takes up majority of the room (not a big room to begin with). I tidied up the closet a couple weeks ago, but the room still needs a good clean and there are a few decorative things that need to be hung and displayed. I'm also wanting to move my craft stuff from my closet into the guest room closet and organize the dresser to hold more craft stuff and my seasonal decor/junk. Something about a clean, organized guest room just makes ya feel good... and it'd be nice to be able to leave that door open. ;)

image (just because it's pretty)

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Another spot that needs some dire attention is our master bathroom linen closet and cabinets. I can barely look in them without feeling the urge to pull everything out and organize right then and there. I already know we have a lot of excess crap in there that just needs to be thrown out, and we need some type of system for organizing... These storage baskets look like they'd be perfect for storing all the vitamins, sunscreen, hair product, makeup, etc.

My husband thinks I'm crazy, but these images just make me happy. :)

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So, it looks like I need to stock up on some storage containers and get to work! All in due course, but hopefully I can start tackling some this weekend. If these beautifully organized spaces don't inspire you, then I don't know what will... (good thing all of these areas have doors to hide the messes, amIright?!).

What are some areas you guys have organization problems and what are you tips for keeping it tidy year round?