Since i've got so much going on and my life currently consists of nothing but lists, I figured i'd link up with the girls of Carolina Charm, A.Liz Adventures, Hello! Happiness and The Good Life Blog and share 5 major (Beckett!) things going on this week!

1. Beckett is turning 1 (!) on Sunday and we are having his party on Saturday. I can't wait to share all the adorable details of his party, but you'll have to wait til next week! Here is a sneak peek of some of the decor!

2. Speaking of an almost 1 year old, we had his 1 year old portraits and a cake smash session taken a couple weeks ago, and we just LOVE how they turned out! How cute are these little feeties? Such a little boy picture.. overalls, bare, dirty feet.. Kristen (Kristen Hafner Photography) did such an amazing job! 

3. We started a new bedtime routine with Beckett and IT'S WORKING! If you have been struggling with getting your baby to sleep, changing your normal routine up a bit, paired with blackout curtains and a sound machine are currently working wonders.. we are taking 11 hours of SOLID SLEEP after months of getting up every 2-4 hours. WOO!

4. My son weighs 26 Pounds. 26 POUNDS. A one year old that weighs 26lbs has got to mean we have a future JJ Watt on our hands, right? We noticed his hands getting huge bigger this last week and after weighing him its no wonder he's heavier (by 2 lbs from 11 months!)! He's a growing boy! Even with all the running and walking he's been doing for the past month, he's still got a big appetite! Hello future football star!

5. The older Beckett gets the more he's learning (obviously) and he's talking a lot! He still says 'ma-ma', 'da-da', 'dogs' (or 'og') and 'hush!' because our dogs bark all the time. Sometimes he's really chatty and he always sounds like The Swedish Chef from the Muppets! It's so funny and adorable!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and come back next week to see all of Beckett's party goods!

Be sure to link up!

Finish This

I'm Linking up with these ladies (Nicole {Three 31} Lisa {The Coastal Chicster}, and Becky {The Java Mama} Jen {The Arizona Russums}) for a weekly series called Finish This. 

On Saturday morning I usually... indulge in a nice big breakfast. Sunday too. we are talking bacon, eggs, pancakes and a cup or two of coffee. cinnamon rolls if i'm lucky. I feel beautiful when... i'm holding my son. no make up, dirty hair, spit up on pajamas. he makes me so proud to be his mama.

from st. patricks day. im showered and clean here ;)

I wake up every morning...tired. There's no beating around that one. With a 2 month old, and breastfeeding through the night, its no wonder i'm a little groggy at 6-7 am. I perk up around 10am. A happy home... is one full of laughter. smiles and giggles make the world go 'round. When I have down time, I... take a nap, do some laundry or the dishes, and read trashy gossip online (Im partial to the Daily Mail!) 

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

This has got to be one of my favorite/most hated  pinterest crafts! I love the way it came out, but BOY was it tedious! Not to mention, I had some black and blue fingers from hammering all those tiny nails!
This is the original pin! (click the photo to take you there!)

I decided to take a step farther, and went for a simple monogram for above our bed!   Here's what you'll need!

 - A piece of wood (I got mine at Home Depot for $5) -Spray paint or acrylic paint to cover the wood -LOTS of nails! I used two packs! Use a short nail- less than 1" tall, and with a wide nail head so the string wont slip off! -Crochet thread of your color of choice! Yarn would work too, but yarn fuzzes! -A paper print out of your design! -Atrusty hammer -Ruler for spacing  -Super glue -Picture hanging wire and clips -TIME and lots of it!
Step 1

 First Paint your wood. I painted mine a metallic slate color that matches everything else I've spray painted in our apartment. It has a little shimmer, which really makes the string pop!
Step 2

Measure out your border. Since I did my design backwards, I needed a border AND letters to be outlined so that the letters were open. I placed and nailed a nail every 1/2 inch so that it would be close enough to be tight but not too spread out. This is the most time consuming part.
*Make sure you nail in the nails enough. Wiggle them a little to make sure, or else you'll be sorry later when they pop out when your in the middle of stringing them!*

Step 3

 

 

 Once you have your border completed, its time to add your design. In my case, it was 3 letters. I printed them out, then cut them out, and pinned them to the board where I wanted them. Once you have the design where you want, just like the border, nail the design in 1/2" at a time! 

And voila! You have all your nails done and are ready to string!
Step 4

  Start stringing! (I totally forgot to take photos of this part, oops!) I started the string in the bottom corner and knotted it on the corner nail. I super glued the knot, just in case!

Then go wild! There is NO rhyme or reason to the stringing! I took mine and looped it around 2x each nail so that it stayed taught. I was able to complete the entire stringing (except the inside of the 'A' with one continuous piece of string! You just criss and cross til your done!

Step 5

 Once your done, just flip the board over and measure out a couple inches on each side to mount the hanging wire! Super easy!
Step 6

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic, but you get the idea! Also, I know, I haven't purchased pillows for our bed and it looks naked!

Hang away! We put ours over our bed and it is the perfect over-the-bed artwork! Not too girly and catches the light! (You just can't tell with this crap-tastic photo I took!)
This was such an easy project, it just took a lot of time nailing in all the nails. Once you get the hang of it, it goes really fast, but beware of smashing your fingers! It will happen!
Let me know if you try this and how it comes out! Be sure to link up and share!

Weekend Shenanigans

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend! I figured this week was as good as any to start documenting my weekends on more of a weekly basis! I'm linking up with Sami over at Sami's Shenanigan's !

 

one. Oh target. shopping for kids gifts has never been more fun. In case you can't read that, it says ASS. haha. two. Friday night car dancing party. we may not get mexican food here, but we still get the music. three. Benjamin Cash's 1st birthday party! he is the sweetest little boy! also, kids parties are fun, even if you don't have kids! four. my husband is a kid magnet. he loves them, they love him. he's going to be a great dad someday! five. the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon? poolside with a cool beer. tory. and your monogrammed towel, duh. six. i finally took CL to the Ranch 99 Market. And im sorry,  but no matter how mature you are, Geoducks are funny. seven. date night. we'd so rather cook for each other then spend tons of money on the same meal in a restaurant. this time? seared scallops! eight. starting my last day of unemployment (yes! i got job! details coming!) with some delicious chocolate chip waffles and fresh strawberries. we may not have had syrup (oops) but we did have chocolate chips. and they were delicious.  nine. soaking up the last minutes of the weekend poolside. I am loving the sunshine and warm weather!
We may not have had a super entertaining weekend, but it was just perfect! The next couple weekends are jam packed and I can't wait to share with you, but just not yet!
I hope you all had a great weekend! Be sure to link up!

saw it. pinned it. did it.

I've got a ton of Pinterest quests to share with you! I've been stockpiling them, and im ready to start sharing! this has been one of my FAVORITE pins! Im on a health and fitness kick, and I love to cook, so this was a no brainer! And it's delish! Here's the original pin

Breakfast Quinoa Quinoa is a high-protien seed that fills you up, and is good for you! You can make it savory, and in this instance, sweet! Here's what you'll need!

 -2 cups whole or low-fat milk, plus more for serving -1 cup quinoa, rinsed (you'll need a mesh strainer; I didn't have one as you'll see!) -3 tablespoons light-brown sugar, plus more for serving -1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving -1 cup (1/2 pint) fresh blueberries, plus more for serving rinse your quinoa- use a mesh strainer, if you have one! I don't have one (currently) so I used a couple paper towels. It worked ok- a lot of the seeds stuck to the wet paper towel so yeah.

bring the milk to a boil in a sauce pan. remember that milk gets frothy (aka expands) when boiled, so be aware when choosing the size of your pan! add the quinoa, and bring to a boil.

reduce heat to low and simmer COVERED for about 15 minutes or until the 3/4 of the milk has been absorbed. stir in sugar and cinnamon. cook covered until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in blueberries! and cook for about 30 seconds (I used frozen berries, so there was a little cooking and a little extra liquid to cook off. )

 

Transfer to a pyrex dish to store! It's super easy to portion out!

You can serve it with extra milk, cinnamon, sugar and blueberries, but it tasted just fine without it!

Enjoy! Let me know if you try this! It was so easy and a great breakfast! You can eat it before or after working out and you don't feel weighted down!   Link up!