{Home} Kitchen Island

About a month ago, I took the plunge and finally painted our kitchen island. It was something I had been wanting to do for a few years, but also something I continued to stall on. When my little man and husband took a guys trip to Florida for spring training last month, I knew it was now or never because two kids equals never getting anything done.


I chose a creamy white color with grey undertones {it was actually a color my sister shared with me and used in her new home}. The island took three coats, and I thought I was going to die. I strongly dislike painting. I love the look of a kitchen island that is not matchy matchy with the cabinets. Truth be told, I'd like to paint all my cabinets the color of the island, but I might be 60 before I would have time to tackle that ;-}


Last year, we replaced all the hardware in the kitchen. I mixed a simple knob and a more modern pull. My little kitchen is far from the kitchen of my dreams, but it's cozy and cute, and fits our little family for now :-}

**TGIF!

{Holiday} Easter Dinner

Hello! Easter was ummm...almost three weeks ago now, and I'm just getting around to a quick post on some of the details of that day. Just can't keep up these days! I kept my tablescape simple, using some springy colors, sparkly eggs, tulips, and candlelight.


I created dinner menus and cut them in the shape of a bunny {thank you, Pinterest!}.


Just a close-up of some of the details on the table.


Another Pinterest knock-off ;-} I took an empty toilet paper roll, cut it, covered it with shimmery white paper, and plopped a monogrammed hard boiled egg inside to mark each person's place setting.


I kept my buffet table decorated with the springy greens I added a few weeks prior and changed my chalkboard to say, "He is Risen" to honor and celebrate our Savior on Easter day. The buffet housed my desserts for the night, which included the chocolate covered bird nests {below} and a berry pie {not pictured}. We ended up only having my parents as guests, so I didn't need to overdue it with tons of sweets.


Yum!

{Spring} Green on the Brain...

With spring on the horizon {YAY!}, I've got warmer weather, tulips and daffodils, and springy greens on my mind. I'm more than happy to leave ole' man winter behind :-/

I decorated my dining room buffet with faux potted greens for the spring season, and I'm loving the infusion of color in my home. And it also happens to be perfect for the St. Patty's dinner I'm hosting this evening too. Nothing fancy, just both sets of our parents coming over for a ham and cabbage supper and a little time with the grandbabes. Speaking of, I better get movin'!

**I'm hosting Easter this year too...details soon!
**Happy early St. Patty's Day to ya!

{Parties} Diggers Galore

We closed out last week with a digger party for our brand new THREE year old. It was a sunny winter day, and we so very much enjoyed celebrating our little man.

Diggers are something Dean just adores, so it only seemed appropriate to theme up his party a bit. I didn't go crazy...but I sure do love little details ;-}

The buffet in my dining room held Dean's dessert station. Check out the details below:


The chalkboard I found in TJ Maxx this fall was the focal point of the dessert table. I created a "Dig In" dessert menu listing all of the yummy sweets served. With a brown and yellow color palette, a chocolate themed dessert bar seemed perfect.


I used yellow chevron bags to hold party favors for the kids and adults.


I ordered a chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery for Dean's birthday cake. It was YUMMMMMM. I crafted some homemade cake toppers {a #3 and a digger}, added some yellowy orange candles, and called it a day ;-}


I've tried my hand at using melted chocolate over and over and just don't seem to have much luck, but I was able to squeeze out some chocolate covered pretzels covered in chocolate jimmies and...


...chocolate covered pineapple and strawberries. If you've never had pineapple covered in chocolate let me suggest you get on that ASAP. To.die.for.


Tootsie rolls also made an appearance because of their chocolate flavor and brown wrapping. Plus, my mom and sister love them :-}


In addition to my dining room buffet, I also decorated my mantle with some digger themed decor. First, I made a "Happy Birthday" banner. Then I filled a glass bubble vase with dirt from my backyard. Yes, dirt. Ha! I stuck a handmade digger pick in the dirt. I also borrowed a few of Dean's play diggers for the mantle.

My current favorite picture of my boy also made an appearance. One beautiful day last week, I took my little guy to the local elementary school, which is under construction, and situated him in front of one of the huge diggers. That was it...he was happy as a clam and smiled his head off while I snapped away. Ohhh, I just love him!


I also conducted a little interview with Dean in an attempt to document some of his current thinkings and likes. His answers were completely sweet and "my chat with Dean" is something I will save forever.


Last but not least, I set up dinner on my kitchen island {which is newly painted and I'll feature soon right here on my blog!} and added a caddy full of brown and yellow essentials including: stripey straws, cute napkins, and cups decorated with washi tape.

That's it -- a simple digger party for an anything but simple little boy ;-}

**Hallelujah it's MARCH! Come on already Spring!
**Post on the new kitchen island is coming soon. And also? We're painting our house. Yup! Stay tuned!

{Birthday} Oreo Pops

We celebrated my little mister's third birthday last Friday. I can hardly believe he is three. He had pre-school that morning, so I sent in some oreo cookie pops dipped in chocolate for his school mates. I wrapped each with a clear bag, twine, and a little tag I made. Easy!

ps~ I personally think working with melted chocolate is an absolute NIGHTMARE {hate it..ha!} BUT the taste is that good that I continue to torture myself by attempting to tackle it.

**We took Dean rollerskating on Saturday as per his request -- hysterical! He loved every second of it!
**On Sunday, I hosted his family party at our home. I'll be sharing the details this week!

{Holiday} NUTS for You Valentine

Dean and Drew delivered the last of their Valentines this afternoon to both sets of their grandparents. Dean helped me make chocolate covered peanuts and sprinkle them with Valentine sprinkles yesterday.


We bagged them and attached a "We're NUTS about you" tag. In addition, we threw in pink chocolate heart candies.


Lastly, we used dark and light pink baker's twine to tie everything together. These chocolate covered peanuts are one of my favorite treats! {And sooooo easy to make -- recipe here}.

** Dean also made a few extra bags for his pre-school teachers on Friday.
** My family has a simple little Valentine's Day tradition -- chocolate fondue dessert after dinner. Bo and I started doing this before we had our babies, and now they enjoy the fondue with us!
** Happy Valentine's Day!

{Holiday} Crayon Valentine

I just wrapped up Dean and Drew's Valentines. I borrowed an idea I found on Pinterest, which was a crayon Valentine. Dean's little friends are at a perfect age for coloring, so when I stumbled upon these crayon rings in the Target dollar bins, I scooped them up.

My boy just started going to Pre-school one day a week {WHAT?!?}, so I also made some for his little class of twelve.

I created little tags and packaged them in clear plastic bags. Easy!

I'm working on another Valentine for Dean and Drew's grandparents {and Dean's teachers}...stay tuned!

{DIY} Valentine Trees

I've never been so happy to see February in all my life! I appreciate all the beautiful seasons we are fortunate enough to experience here in New Jersey, but after two weeks worth of runny noses, sore throats, coughs, and cranky kids, I'm done! Not that February is much better in terms of the cold weather or sicknesses, but we are that much closer to spring.

This February, I decided to try a Valentine's idea I found on Pinterest...where else?

My little mister helped me craft these heart trees a few days ago when we were stuck inside due to the cold.

I decorated my mantle with the trees this year. They are super simple, but I really love the vibrant colors.

**Stay tuned to see the Valentine's I'm working on for my kiddies to give to their friends this year!

{Invitations} We're "Diggin' " #3

Dean's THIRD birthday invitations are just about ready to be mailed out this upcoming week. My boy loves diggers, tractors, trucks, etc. and he chose diggers for his "loose" birthday theme this year. I'm NOT going crazy with this birthday theme. Subtle touches...that's it...ha!

I crafted a digger for the front of Dean's invitation using different scrapbooking papers. I found a clipart picture of a digger online and created a pattern by free-handing it. Then I traced the pattern onto the scrapbook paper, cut it out, and adhered the digger to the front of the invitation with double-sided tape. Simple.

I kept the inside simple with the party details on the left and a big picture of my little man on the right. A few weeks ago the weather was nice, so I drew a big 3 with sidewalk chalk on our outside patio and had Dean lie next to it. He cooperated, and I just love his cute smile in this picture!

I can't wait to celebrate this boy! Stay tuned for the details :-}

{Decorating} A Few Additions...

I recently added a few more touches to my little man's big boy room. First, a growth chart ruler made by Jeff Kunkle Home Remodeling and Repair. I was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest, and my ruler looks just like the inspiration picture. I just adore it!

I'm going to start marking my kids' heights on each of their birthdays starting on my son's third birthday next month.

Next up...my hubby hung the old chalkboard that I used last year as a prop for Dean's second birthday pictures. It's cute, {and special because it was my grandmother's chalkboard} and Dean loves "chalking" ;-}

Lastly, I added this open frame to his shelf above his bed. I hung fishing line from some old nails already in the frame and then used mini clothespins to hang our Christmas card and Dean's Wilmington & Western RR ticket from this past Christmas season along with his 3rd birthday party invitation.

{Birth Announcement} Drew Rebecca

Today I'm sharing my baby girl's birth announcement. So...meet Drew, my little sweetie. Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having with a baby girl in tow? Well, I am. Case in point...the sheer, shimmery glitter I added to highlight her name.

As a matter of fact, this is what my kitchen counter looked like as I allowed each announcement to dry and the glitter to set.

Karen Carpenter Photography took some beautiful newborn shots of my girl, and I chose one for her announcement. Below I included some other shots that Karen took of Drew.

Simple wrap labels helped complete the look I was going for...girly simple.

Karen does gorgeous work and has such a way with these teeny tiny babes. She is very patient and takes her time to capture the most perfect pictures for her clients. Thank you, baby whisperer! L.O.V.E!

Oh happy day! It's New Year's Eve, and we are about to embark on another year. Before we do and the holiday season is officially over, I thought I'd share the brunch I hosted at my home on Christmas morning.

I'll be honest, I struggled a little to pull this all together. I had cleaning to do, a little shopping to finish up, presents to wrap, food to make, oh and a brand new baby and a 2 1/2 year old to tend to. As a matter of fact, my own mama was at my house on Christmas Eve morning helping me make the two breakfast casseroles I served on Christmas...thank goodness for that amazing woman! Thankfully, everything came together in the end, and Christmas morning actually ended up being pretty relaxing.

By the way, notice our elf, Jack, anywhere in this pic? Ha! He snuck his way into my lantern centerpiece, and I forgot to take him out for the picture ;-}

I kept my tablescape pretty simple by using my white dishes and the green water glasses I purchased for the last Thanksgiving dinner I served at my home in 2011.

I folded white dinner napkins and then tied each with a red ribbon to resemble a bow. Then I tried to keep it festive by using fresh greens to adorn the top of each napkin. Simple, right?!

I also added dark red chargers with rhinestone embellishments under each plate, but they are a tad hard to see because they are round and my plates are square. Oh well, I tried ;-}

I seriously DO NOT KNOW what I'd do without this buffet table in my dining room. It serves so many purposes in my home, and I use it every time I entertain. I LOVE it, and it has been one of my favorite and most practical purchases ever. Pottery Barn Outlet, I need to spend some more quality time with you very soon.

I set up some drinks and cookies on my buffet and arranged the food on the island in my kitchen. The menu consisted of: french toast casserole, egg and sausage casserole, fresh fruit salad, sausage links, and cinnamon buns. YUMMMM!

Mimosas are a MUST at brunch....

...and a little cranberry spritzer never hurt anyone either ;-}

About two weeks prior to Christmas, my friend, Patty, hosted a ladies cookie exchange. Great idea and ever so helpful as I prepared to host my first ever Christmas brunch. I made chocolate covered peanuts {recipe here}, and froze the assortment of cookies I received at the exchange. I even had plenty left over to take to my mom's house for dinner later that night.

So, that's it! Nothing earth shattering, just a fun-filled morning with family, food, and presents. Speaking of presents...

...this was my favorite Christmas by far because my little mister was absolutely adorable and so much fun opening his gifts. My hubby and I try not to go overboard with gifts for a multitude of reasons, but we couldn't resist purchasing this one, little guy for our number one boy...

...his very own dune buggie to ride around the backyard until his heart's content. And he did just that. Sheer delight when he walked outside to find this.

**I hope you and your family had a WONDERFUL holiday season!
**Happy New Year! Bring on 2013!