Friday, December 23, 2016
Christmas Menu + Table Decor
Over the weekend I made up our meal plan for the next two weeks and I'm so excited to plan Christmas weekend! Aside from indulging in the dozens and dozens of cookies we're baking, we actually have some healthier fair planned to enjoy. Alright, there are some pretty incredible desserts coming too.
When it comes to Christmas Eve we are totally basic and follow suit to The Holiday. We make Christmas Fettuccine and to go with it we also make italian wedding soup. Mike and I started making it together on Christmas Eve in 2006 which so happened to be the night he proposed. It's very special to us and has been a part of our Christmas tradition each year. Of course we binge watch Christmas movies all afternoon and into the night while we wrap and put together the last few gifts for the babes.
This is our first year to celebrate Christmas completely on our own. We’ve always traveled back to Nebraska or had family come visit. We’re actually very excited since we don’t have to travel anywhere and we can have our first Christmas with just our little family. We love our family and friends back home, but we also need to be able to start and create our own little family traditions.
Growing up our families did things differently. Mike grew up opening gifts first thing in the morning. At my house we were only allowed to open stockings in the morning and had to wait until mid afternoon once everyone arrived to open the gifts under the tree. Personally I prefer waiting a little bit to open gifts because it drags out the anticipation. Once everything happens first thing in the morning, it’s all of a sudden...over. It makes me a little sad. So we’re trying to come up with a balance and compromise.
One thing we definitely don’t need to compromise on is food. We love trying new recipes for holidays and although we try to stay on track with traditional food, we enjoy mixing things up a bit. We always have some kind of red meat for Christmas dinner. This year Mike came across a beef tenderloin recipe he called dibs on. For sides, we have to work around the babes. Kensi currently doesn’t like mashed potatoes, but loves rice. Finn loves mashed potatoes and broccoli. I’m always the one trying to get spinach on the table and Mike has learned to eat whatever, which wasn’t always the case, he’s come such a long way! Our final menu plan will include something everyone will love and I can’t wait for us to make it!
Main Course
Sides
Creamed Winter Greens
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Wild Rice Pilaf
Roasted Carrots + Broccoli
Buttered Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Buttered Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Desserts
Choice of the dozens of Cookies
As for our table decor, I like to keep it very simple with fresh flowers. Trader Joe’s is my usual go to store not only because they carry gorgeous blooms year round, but they are very affordable and last around two weeks. For Christmas I chose to mix white roses with winter greenery. For a little more texture I also added a few pinecones.
A few years ago I purchased the red chargers after Christmas and scored big. I paid $0.50 per charger! It definitely pays to stop by the big box stores for items like these in the days leading up to Christmas because everything begins to get marked down. I’ll also add my favorite acrylic hobnail drinkware I found from the Pottery Barn Outlet over the summer ( I also used them at Thanksgiving). Kensi gets so excited when she gets to set them out for dinner because she thinks they’re fancy.
Our table isn’t over the top for Christmas. It’s simple, but elegant and it creates a magical place for our family at Christmas.
\\ Sources \\
Runner - Target (two years ago, but similar HERE)
Chargers - Target (last year)
Dinner Plates - Pottery Barn
Flowers + Greenery - Trader Joe’s Grocery
A few years ago I purchased the red chargers after Christmas and scored big. I paid $0.50 per charger! It definitely pays to stop by the big box stores for items like these in the days leading up to Christmas because everything begins to get marked down. I’ll also add my favorite acrylic hobnail drinkware I found from the Pottery Barn Outlet over the summer ( I also used them at Thanksgiving). Kensi gets so excited when she gets to set them out for dinner because she thinks they’re fancy.
Our table isn’t over the top for Christmas. It’s simple, but elegant and it creates a magical place for our family at Christmas.
\\ Sources \\
Runner - Target (two years ago, but similar HERE)
Chargers - Target (last year)
Dinner Plates - Pottery Barn
Flowers + Greenery - Trader Joe’s Grocery
Monday, December 19, 2016
festive weekend
Happy Christmas Week!!! Kensi has been asking to decorate cookies with a friend the last few weeks. It's been hard to schedule plans since everyone has different things going on and we're smack dab in the middle of Christmas season. Luckily, we were able to set something up with a couple friends for both Kensi and Finn.
I don't often have time to myself without the kids so I was up late Thursday night rolling out our gingerbread dough and cutting the pieces for gingerbread houses. I tried something new this time and ever so lightly pressed the imprint of a star cookie cutter (and drew windows with a toothpick) into front piece of the houses. They baked and left these sweet little imprints on the cookie. So cute!
I kept things simple and used this template for the house, whipped up some basic royal icing and put out a few decorating candies for the kids. I have a tendency to grab everything to decorate and then it ends up being a total chaotic wreck. To keep myself in check we had mini marshmallows, peppermint candies, sixlets + dots for color. The kids had fun decorating and eating; there was definitely more eating than decorating going on.
We kicked Saturday off by making and delivering our cinnamon rolls to friends and neighbors. IT’s one our most favorite things to do during Christmas season. This year Kensi helped throughout the process. Her favorite part was sprinkling the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I was a little exhausted just from constantly asking her to wash her hands. She loves to help, but gets distracted easily and went to play between the steps. After a few times she said she was tired of washing her hands and was done helping. Haha!
Mike had the bright idea of doing the last of our Christmas shopping Saturday afternoon. It was pure crazy since technically I believe Saturday was 'Super Saturday'?!!? I guess we're a little out of the loop because neither of us knew this was a thing. Regardless, we were able to grab our last few gifts and spent the rest of the night visiting with friends who popped into town for a quick trip.
Sunday, officially one week until Christmas, and it seemed as if a switch had flipped. Our kids were bouncing off the walls. We had tantrums, fighting, sass, attitude....the works going on. In hopes of injecting some calmness we decided to go for a ride and check out the Christmas lights. Kensi kept falling asleep, Finn actually fell asleep and the lights were terrible. The plan was a dud and we're hoping to try again later this week. Aye, aye, aye let’s hope this week is a little more calm and we can enjoy this magical time!
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
stocking stuffers ‘16
With less than two weeks until Christmas we’re busy wrapping up our Christmas gifts for the kids. This year they were so much fun to shop for, but also difficult. We are really lacking in the storage department in the house, but especially in the playroom. Shopping for toys was a little bit of an annoyance because we don’t have anywhere to put them! Needless to say, the playroom will be our next project room to tackle after the new year.
When it comes to shopping for toys we like to find toys that spark their imagination and creativity. We don’t have many toys with buttons or noise for that reason and to keep our sanity. We have a lot of blocks, Legos, art supplies and Little People.
This year Kensi has asked for a baby doll crib. She actually has mine from when I was little (here), but has asked for another since she has two baby dolls she loves dearly. She came across two she liked and luckily Mike and I found plans from Ana White to build just like we did with the high chair last year.
Finn doesn’t have a huge vocabulary and kind of roared/growled/screamed when we asked him what he would like. We’re taking on our own interpretation of his language and getting him a lion rocker. He loves animals, dinosaurs, super heroes and building blocks. This also doubles as decor since we are also designing his room this upcoming year. (We’re totally lacking in all the bedroom decor department).
Olivia has so much that’s been saved and handed down from Kensi and Finn. She has a couple gifts under the tree, but most of her Christmas will be in her stocking. However, we will be building a fun little play gym for her to play under with her play mat. We just need to buy a set of toys to hang and I”m kind of digging this super cute tool rattle set. It’s fitting right?
Aside from a few fun toys to put inside their stockings the kids are also getting sets of toothbrushes, bows, socks, tights and sippy cups. We like mixing practical and fun in their stockings in order to avoid a bunch of junk that ends up getting thrown away in a couple months. Which also reminds me I need to get the kids to help organize and purge toys in our playroom before Christmas arrives!
xo
| Stitched Beanie | Gel Crayons | JellyCat Piggy | Rocket Teether | Bunny Chew Beads | Boon Water Pipes | Wind Up Diver | Zutano Booties | Petit Puzzle | Woodland Tights | Chunkies Paint Sticks | Numbers | Love is a Truck | Bead Set | Plush Dinosaur Set | Alphabet Block Set |
Aside from a few fun toys to put inside their stockings the kids are also getting sets of toothbrushes, bows, socks, tights and sippy cups. We like mixing practical and fun in their stockings in order to avoid a bunch of junk that ends up getting thrown away in a couple months. Which also reminds me I need to get the kids to help organize and purge toys in our playroom before Christmas arrives!
xo
Sunday, December 11, 2016
kitchen cabinet update
I’m so excited to share an update on our kitchen cabinets today! We’ve been working on our upper cabinets and adding new trim, but took a good week off during Thanksgiving. On Friday night Mike and I stayed up late sanding + caulking the cabinet boxes. We have to make time to work on these house projects when there are three littles running around. I love our late night projects together, drinking coffee and wine in shifts and watching our favorite movies will always have a special place in my heart.
Building the cabinet box for the refridgerator was simple, but our biggest challenge was dealing with uneven walls. If you didn’t catch our last post about this project, we used THIS TUTORIAL to pull the cabinet off the wall and create a built-in fridge box. Luckily, we built this piece with the help of my in-laws which is always a lifesaver!
Once we had all our add-ins in place, filled holes and imperfections with wood filler and caulked every seam, we painted everything with KILZ primer and very lightly sanded with 220 grit. After cleaning all the surfaces with a tact cloth, we were ready for our first coat of paint. We used the same type of paint we used in the kids’ bathroom vanity upstairs, Benjamin Moore Advance in a satin finish. This paint is water based and it works great for cabinets. We decided to use Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace color for our cabinets. I’ll be perfectly honest....there were several whites we were deciding over and we went with this one in particular because I liked the name!
We also added trim to the bottom of the upper cabinets. We used a 1x2 and a piece of MDF trim to create our finished chunky trim. Adding the trim to the bottoms cost less than $20 and has drastically changed the appearance of the cabs.
Once we had all our add-ins in place, filled holes and imperfections with wood filler and caulked every seam, we painted everything with KILZ primer and very lightly sanded with 220 grit. After cleaning all the surfaces with a tact cloth, we were ready for our first coat of paint. We used the same type of paint we used in the kids’ bathroom vanity upstairs, Benjamin Moore Advance in a satin finish. This paint is water based and it works great for cabinets. We decided to use Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace color for our cabinets. I’ll be perfectly honest....there were several whites we were deciding over and we went with this one in particular because I liked the name!
To paint the boxes I used a 2 inch brush and foam roller and painted by hand. While lightly sanding and cleaning between coats, I did a total of three coats of paint on the cabinet boxes. This process was easy and necessary since we were painting inside and have babes in the house.
However, we took the cabinet doors out to the garage and created a little spraying station and sprayed all our doors using a spray gun, and allowed each coat a full day to dry. This means we sprayed the fronts, let them dry one day, flipped them over, sprayed the backs, let them dry one day. Yes, one day per side, per coat to dry. DO NOT RUSH THIS! Since we used the spray gun instead of hand brushing/rolling we only did one coat on the backs (because it covered well and it’s the back) and two coats on the fronts. This was our first time using a spray gun and we ran into a couple different things. 1) Since we did each door one by one, we had to lay a new clean surface underneath each door before spraying or else it would sit in extra paint from the previous door. We cut pieces of cardboard and swapped it after each door.
2) We could only spray 3 out of 4 edges. We made sure to get the unsprayed edge painted on the second coat and because the spray gun has such great coverage it ended up being just fine.
The spray gun takes a little practice, but it becomes easy and it gives a very smooth coat of paint. It’s much quicker than painting by hand because sanding would be required between coats. The downfalls with a spray gun is the excess paint used. There’s quite a bit of overspray, so we went through more paint. It’s also a pain in boo-tay to clean. It must be cleaned after painting every time and there a a million small parts. However, for us, the results are totally worth it.
Once everything is completely dry we will hang the cabinets doors back up and add our hardware. Then it’s on to the lower cabinets.. We decided to paint the entire side of the kitchen white and paint the peninsula a dark charcoal gray. I can’t wait to share more updates as we finished each step in this kitchen makeover.
xo
xo
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