Wednesday, May 17, 2017
No Screen Month
I completely fell off my wagon of monthly resolutions when April came around. We got busy and felt like we were merely surviving life those weeks. Trying to get through each day with three cranky kids who were so over long work hours for Mike, I often just gave in and handed them an iPad or tablet of some sort in the afternoons to keep them calm and to keep my sanity in check. By the end of the month we were sort of able to get ourselves back into a routine, but our kids were crazy cranky, whiny, sassy and stubborn. They threw more tantrums than Mike or I could count. We tried making up for the loss time with special outings or one on one time with daddy whether it was playing legos or even going to the park.
Mike and I have always been pretty strict with screen time, but when the days got long it was just easier to say ‘yep here ya go!’ I used the tablets to keep them quiet so I could get some cleaning done or make dinner. However, I felt like I was going to lose my freaking mind with their attitudes and knew we needed to really kick our crap to the curb and do some hardcore discipline and routines. Knowing we had an upcoming trip at the end of this month we decided to get rid of the mobile devices: iPads, LeapPads and iPods...seriously anything that had games, movies, or shows. We're calling it No Screen Month. At first the kids felt like we had completely ended their world. After weeks of being able to use them in the afternoons and now nothing was pretty devastating to both of them. We had a lot of tears, whining and I can’t even tell you how many questions of ‘WHY?????’ and my favorite...”I can’t have it for FOREVER?!?!!” I didn’t know what was worse...dealing with the tantrums before we cut the cord or after. Trust me there were plenty of times where we so badly wanted to GIVE IN!!!! But we didn’t. Somehow we stayed strong and it’s been AWESOME!
Our kids know the tablets aren’t an option so they don’t even ask any more! They’ve found ways to fix their boredom on their own. They’ve always loved reading books, but the level of their literature interest has sky rocketed. I’ve also been struggling to get Finn interested in puzzles, but now he plays with them every day. He’s also picking up more words which is a huge answered prayer and I’m so grateful! The playroom is in complete disarray every. single. day. But I don’t mind, because it’s getting played in. Together Kensi and Finn have come up with the most creative ways to play. Sometimes I can find them rummaging through the kitchen drawers and cabinets because they’re ‘building something super cool!” They’re more hands on now then they were a couple months ago and it’s incredible to watch.
I’m not condoning any parent who let’s their kid use a tablet, but I am encouraging everyone to try taking a break from them and just see what happens. We are much more connected as a family where we spend our down time playing games, telling stories or playing pretend which is so much better than letting a screen have our time. When we travel in a couple weeks we will have the tablets with us, but I have other options to give them first. I also know it will be another struggle once we get back home and getting back into our new routine, but I’m willing to do it all over again. So get unplugged and enjoy something real.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Date Night: Thunder Storms
Temperatures have been really dropping off in the evenings and they’ve been accompanied by some of the best thunderstorms. Being from the midwest Mike and I have a deep love and appreciation for a good thunderstorm. Cooler temperatures, the smell of rain in the air, rolling thunder and lightning dancing across the sky. We find it pretty darn romantic and the perfect storm for a date night in.
Usually when there’s storms rolling in, we find comfort dishes to be our favorite. Depending on the season the dish can change. Sometimes its a hearty bowl of soup, meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes, or even salmon cakes with macaroni and cheese. Those are all things we grew up having throughout the year and they’ve claimed our hearts as some of our favorite comfort dishes because they remind us of home. Since living on the east coast twice now and learning the way of each city we’ve come to appreciate good seafood comfort dishes we just never had in our landlocked state, at least not done well.
Here in North Carolina a few staples we’ve learned about include banana pudding, Carolina bbq, collard greens and shrimp + grits. I can’t get Mike on board with banana flavored anything and no one will be able to change these Kansas City bbq souls towards Carolina bbq. It’s just not going to happen. However, I adore collard greens and we both can’t get enough shrimp + grits. They’re so dang good, I just don’t think you’ll be able to deny them either.
We originally started with a recipe from Food Network Magazine and have tweaked and made it our own over the last couple years. It’s definitely one of our favorite comfort dishes for anytime of the year, but we especially love it for cozy nights in. We can’t go wrong with grits, shrimp, garlic and butter. Paired with a thunderstorm and we have a very romantic date night for the two of us!
Garlic Shrimp & Grits
3/4 cup Stone Ground Grits (we like Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Romano Cheese, shredded
3 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled + deveined
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
2 drops Lemon Oil or Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tablespoons Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
Cook grits according to package directions. Once thicken, stir in cheeses and 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, covered, to keep warm.
While grits cook, season shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp, garlic, lemon oil and cayenne pepper. Cook until shrimp are pink. Remove from heat.
To plate, divide grits among bowls, top with shrimp and garlic. Drizzle some of the butter from the shrimp skillet on top and sprinkle parsleys over everything.
Usually when there’s storms rolling in, we find comfort dishes to be our favorite. Depending on the season the dish can change. Sometimes its a hearty bowl of soup, meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes, or even salmon cakes with macaroni and cheese. Those are all things we grew up having throughout the year and they’ve claimed our hearts as some of our favorite comfort dishes because they remind us of home. Since living on the east coast twice now and learning the way of each city we’ve come to appreciate good seafood comfort dishes we just never had in our landlocked state, at least not done well.
Here in North Carolina a few staples we’ve learned about include banana pudding, Carolina bbq, collard greens and shrimp + grits. I can’t get Mike on board with banana flavored anything and no one will be able to change these Kansas City bbq souls towards Carolina bbq. It’s just not going to happen. However, I adore collard greens and we both can’t get enough shrimp + grits. They’re so dang good, I just don’t think you’ll be able to deny them either.
We originally started with a recipe from Food Network Magazine and have tweaked and made it our own over the last couple years. It’s definitely one of our favorite comfort dishes for anytime of the year, but we especially love it for cozy nights in. We can’t go wrong with grits, shrimp, garlic and butter. Paired with a thunderstorm and we have a very romantic date night for the two of us!
Garlic Shrimp & Grits
3/4 cup Stone Ground Grits (we like Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Romano Cheese, shredded
3 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled + deveined
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
2 drops Lemon Oil or Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tablespoons Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
Cook grits according to package directions. Once thicken, stir in cheeses and 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, covered, to keep warm.
While grits cook, season shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp, garlic, lemon oil and cayenne pepper. Cook until shrimp are pink. Remove from heat.
To plate, divide grits among bowls, top with shrimp and garlic. Drizzle some of the butter from the shrimp skillet on top and sprinkle parsleys over everything.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Simple Mother’s Day Gifts
We have just a couple more days until Mother’s Day and simple, quick gifts are always a must. Yesterday, I spent nap time mixing up some fun scrubs to spoil a few moms around me. Using the book Hello Glow that I’m giving away with every starter kit order (under me) this month I made the Mint Mojito Foot Scrub. I had all the ingredients in the fridge and garden which made it a breeze to whip up in a few minutes. I also made a whipped grapefruit sugar scrub I adore. I love these two scrubs as they’re perfect for spring going into summer and keeping hands and feet soft and moisturized. They’re also great for a little pampered date night with the hubby!
Whipped Grapefruit Scrub
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1 cup White Sugar
Juice & Zest of 1 Grapefruit
25 drops Grapefruit essential oil
Mix together in a bowl and divide among mason jars.
Top with lid and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Mike and I also stayed up late sipping beers and baking cookies. I used my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and added flaked coconut and walnuts for some added crunch. If you’re deciding to use this awesome little trio, but don’t have time to bake, you can easily grab a package of your favorite cookies (I love Trader Joe’s because they have a variety of mini sized cookies) and package them up in a cute little mason jar.
Now I’m all set to spoil a few of my favorite moms with a little something that’s almost as sweet as them!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there!
XOXO
Whipped Grapefruit Scrub
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1 cup White Sugar
Juice & Zest of 1 Grapefruit
25 drops Grapefruit essential oil
Mix together in a bowl and divide among mason jars.
Top with lid and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Mike and I also stayed up late sipping beers and baking cookies. I used my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and added flaked coconut and walnuts for some added crunch. If you’re deciding to use this awesome little trio, but don’t have time to bake, you can easily grab a package of your favorite cookies (I love Trader Joe’s because they have a variety of mini sized cookies) and package them up in a cute little mason jar.
Now I’m all set to spoil a few of my favorite moms with a little something that’s almost as sweet as them!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there!
XOXO
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Kitchen Cabinets // Finished
It's been a long time coming to write this post and I've had several people ask me about the progress of the cabinets. You guys...They're done! They're done! They're done! I can hardly believe the day has come where these cabinets are actually DONE. However, the kitchen as a whole is not done. It’s definitely been a process to say the least and even more importantly a long one.
The biggest impact of our work besides the paint is definitely pulling out the cabinets above the refrigerator and building a box around it to create a built in cabinet. We also replaced our crown with something more substantial, also with adding a few little character details around the cabinets to give everything a more finished appearance. Now that the cabinets are painted and hardware has been added we find ourselves looking at other details in the kitchen and agreeing more needs to be done. We replaced our oven range within the last few weeks and we've actually returned it and now waiting for a different one. We love the style of the one in place, especially the large window in the door, but due to the door design the exterior of it can reach to 160 degrees F which a no-go with kids in the house.
We also hit a few hiccups during the process. What diy project doesn't? We originally discussed carrying the cabinets up to the ceiling, but we have a light in the way and we would have had to move it, therefore reconfiguring more than one to keep it balanced. We nixed that due to all the extra work involved. We also did endless amounts of sanding work to smooth out the trim we added under the upper cabinets. Word of advice...just buy the better, more expensive wood. Just do it. We didn't even think about it and that small detail cost a lot of time!
Our next steps are putting in a vent hood, replacing the countertops & floors and adding backsplash. We absolutely love the brightness the white paint brings to this space and we know with each addition the kitchen will continue to change dramatically!
And a little before photo, just to see our dramatic improvement!
\\ Sources \\
Paint: Benjamin Moore Advanced in Chantilly Lace (white)
Benjamin Moore Advanced in Chelsea Gray (gray)
Hardware Knobs: Cosmos Round Mushroom Knob
Hardware Pulls: Amerock Blackrock Pull
Looking back to late November when we decided to start painting the kitchen cabinets I honestly thought we would have them completed within a few weeks. Wrong! This project was time consuming and not for the faint of heart. The painting itself wasn't bad, it was mainly living in an over-exposed kitchen with no doors while we took our sweet time with each step.
It took as long as is did because we didn't allow it to change our everyday life which really allowed us to work only on the weekends. Throw all the major holidays into the mix, a couple toddlers, a new nursing baby, family visitors, three weeks fighting off viruses, an outage schedule and you have quite the renovation journey.
The biggest impact of our work besides the paint is definitely pulling out the cabinets above the refrigerator and building a box around it to create a built in cabinet. We also replaced our crown with something more substantial, also with adding a few little character details around the cabinets to give everything a more finished appearance. Now that the cabinets are painted and hardware has been added we find ourselves looking at other details in the kitchen and agreeing more needs to be done. We replaced our oven range within the last few weeks and we've actually returned it and now waiting for a different one. We love the style of the one in place, especially the large window in the door, but due to the door design the exterior of it can reach to 160 degrees F which a no-go with kids in the house.
We also hit a few hiccups during the process. What diy project doesn't? We originally discussed carrying the cabinets up to the ceiling, but we have a light in the way and we would have had to move it, therefore reconfiguring more than one to keep it balanced. We nixed that due to all the extra work involved. We also did endless amounts of sanding work to smooth out the trim we added under the upper cabinets. Word of advice...just buy the better, more expensive wood. Just do it. We didn't even think about it and that small detail cost a lot of time!
Our next steps are putting in a vent hood, replacing the countertops & floors and adding backsplash. We absolutely love the brightness the white paint brings to this space and we know with each addition the kitchen will continue to change dramatically!
And a little before photo, just to see our dramatic improvement!
Paint: Benjamin Moore Advanced in Chantilly Lace (white)
Benjamin Moore Advanced in Chelsea Gray (gray)
Hardware Knobs: Cosmos Round Mushroom Knob
Hardware Pulls: Amerock Blackrock Pull
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