Moving to the Country...

...Gonna eat me a lot of peaches...

Indeed it's true, our clan in pulling up it's suburban roots and headed to the rural south. I am so excited about this transition, I really can't even tell you how much! For me it means big gardens, raising chickens, fishing, porchin' it in the nude (I kid, I kid) and the best part of all, living right down the road from my mom and grandmother. I'm looking forward to starting fresh, leaving our clutter behind and living simpler lives. I'm especially excited about sharing our new adventures here! 

Bye Bye Richmond

Richmond, Virginia will always have cozy little nook in my heart. It's the city where I met my partner in life and started a family. I've had some heartaches and headaches here and grown stronger from them all. 

But for now I'm just so stoked about the next chapter! Wish us luck! 

xoxo,

Sensory Play With Play Dough

What child doesn't love play dough? But we were getting bored of cookie cutter and food shapes so we took it up a notch by adding gems, bendy straws, wooden bugs, etc.  We got a good 45 minutes of play out this! 

Avery pressing lady bugs into her creation. The dough was a little wet so the kids added more flour, hence the white substance all over the floor!

Sawyer pressing gems in his dough. When we were all finished I bagged the dough with all of the trinkets still inside. We'll make a treasure hunt out of it in a few days!

Bendy straw landscape! So fun!

Avery spiked a fever last night so we've been hanging around the house even though it was a gorgeous 80 degrees outside! I can't say that I've been too productive so far today myself. I did want to share this adorable pennant tee.

Most Awesome Gift

"All the time a person is a child he is both a child and learning to be a parent. After he becomes a parent he becomes predominantly a parent reliving childhood." -Benjamin Spock 

We were gifted with another one of those random, incredibly mild days we've been having this winter. We headed to the park in jeans and t-shirts to de-stress and shed some winter blues. And to pimp my new bangs! 

This was one of those days when we remembered to slow down, let kids be kids, and let ourselves enjoy them. Those are the best days of my life. Hands down.

Being a mom, it's so easy to get caught up in the wheel of routine. Sometimes it's good to hop off and truly appreciate what you have.

Because kids are an awesome gift. Period. 

Remember to let them be little. 

Here's hoping Spring comes early this year! I'm ready for ice cream cones every day, flip-flops, tank tops and swimming pools! 

Friday Faves

Digging the funky pattern on this easy dresser restyle! Check it out over at Better After. 

I had a dream last night that I made a quilt. Yes, I am even a nerd in my sleep! This looks like a cute project for a beginner over. See how to make it at Originate and Renovate. 

Gorgeous botanical prints! I have plans to have a bunch of these printed and framed. Find many more at http://www.botanicus.org/.

Fun activity, especially for boys at Come Together Kids. 

I hope everyone has a wondful Christmas!

Monster Cupcakes!!

I must admit that I am pretty smitten with these guys! Given my terrible track record with ornate baked goods, I was shocked that they turned out as well as they did. 

The body is a normal cupcake with a mini cupcake on top to add height. The icing effect was made by cutting the very tip off of a Ziploc baggy and randomly stringing the icing back and forth. 

The eyes are so fun! They are just Dum Dums stuck through peach rings with M&M pupils. 

Most importantly, they were a huge hit with my FIVE year old and his class!

Original tutorial can be found here.

Creamy Tortellini Soup

I make it a point to try at least one new recipe a week. Creamy Tortellini Soup is hearty and comes together quickly on a weeknight. This could easily be modified for the slow cooker. Just throw in all of the ingredients except the tortellini and spinach and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Add in the tortellini and spinach about 15 minutes before serving. 


Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 Jar Ragu Garlic Parmesan Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 2 Cubes chicken bullion 
• 2 Cups Cheese Tortellini 
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
• Ground black pepper 

Saute onions and mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add water, Ragu, milk and bullion cubes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add basil, salt, oregano, pepper and tortellini. Cook another 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook another 5 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through. 

Recipe slightly adapted from BHG.