abby’s birthday

Let’s just go ahead and pretend that it hasn’t been 3 months since I’ve posted….ok?

Ok.  Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I thought it was due time I shared a bit about Abby’s birthday with you.  She turned 1 earlier this month and we of course had a little celebration.   I actually really struggled with how much of a party it needed to be; do you keep it simple or do you go-big-or-go-home?   Part of me really wanted to have a big party with a theme and decorations and everything-Pinteresty.   But the other part of me just kept thinking….dude.  She’s 1.

In the end, my rational-brain won and we decided to have a small family get together with our immediate family.  Because when I actually sat down and thought about it, the only thing I really cared about for Abby’s birthday was (1) making it special to her and (2) making her cake.   Besides, we have about 18 more years of birthdays that can be over-the-top if she wants.  For now, we were keeping it simple…and just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it can’t be kind of Pinteresty (are you following me?  You should!).

The Hubs and I are lucky enough that both of our parents and all of our siblings live close enough to drive to town for the day.   Wait, let me rephrase.  The Hubs and I are lucky enough that we have parents and siblings willing to drive upwards of 2 hours for a 1-year olds birthday party.   And since her birthday is in February, we decided a sledding party might be in order (sorry Abs, you’ll probably have lots of sledding parties….at least until you can ski).

We have a big park in the back of our house with a couple of rolling hills (great for mini-sledding) and a bigger hill (great for big-kid or brave-adult sledding).

So the plan was to do some late-morning sledding, come in for some chili and  then do cake.   And even though nearly all of the snow melted into a giant ice/snow rink the week before her birthday (thanksalotglobalwarming) we were still able to get some sliding around done.   And it was a beautiful bluebird day to boot.

I’d say she enjoyed it…..

So then it was time for chili.  Isn’t chili just one of those awesome comfort foods?  I love me some chili.  I made our favorite elk chili and then this tasty little number:

(image from ambitious kitchen)

Sweet potato, black bean and quinoa chili with smoked chipotle.  Go make it now.  Seriously.  Go.   Now.  It’s amazing.   I used to think nothing could beat our elk chili recipe but I was wrong….this is just as good if not better.  And it’s vegetarian (gasp).

We had all of the fixings of course, my award winning maple cornbread, fritos, sour cream, vinegar (please tell me you put vinegar in your chili too?), green onions, cheese….mmmm.   Maybe what I like most about chili is all of the fixings you get to put in it.  But I digress.

Birthdays are mostly about cake, are they not?  And I knew I wanted to make Abby’s cakes.  In fact, I hope I always make her cake…it’s something my mom used to do for me and something I want to do for her.

Hellooooooo doll cake!   You were my favorite!  And wow, Mom, I just realized you broke out the CHINA for my birthday.  Looks like we were slumming it with the paper plates for Abby.

I’ll spare you the details of making Abby’s cake….but let’s just say making a cake from scratch is not always easy.  And sometimes one itsy teeny weeny mistake like using PAM can mess the ENTIRE thing up.   Don’t use Pam.

I have to say though, I am quite pleased with how this all turned out.   Yes.  Quite pleased.   Because no matter how many awesome ombre cakes there are on Pinterest, I guarantee you there is not ONE tutorial out there for how to do it.   I should write one; but who am I kidding, I don’t blog.

Gah.  Too many words.  Let’s just get to the pictures, shall we?

Do you love that banner so much like I do?  I wish I could say I made it.

  I wish you could see the candle holders up close!  They are a fish, duck and pheasant.  So incredibly appropriate for a hunters daughter.  And actually pretty darn cute.

The “1” was actually a last-minute decision.  But I’m glad I did it!

And now…the Pièce de résistance

Oh you pretty little cake…how you tortured me so.

 Don’t let these pictures fool you.  She did not, I repeat not like cake.  There was no smashing.  No laughing.  No sticking her face in it.  No having to tear it away as she screamed for more.  She just really wasn’t interested.   Maybe next year.  Or maybe it just needs to be in the shape of a doll.

Here’s her birthday present.  She loves it.  Not actually sitting on it, but she loves standing on the chairs or laying on the table.  Cuz that’s safe.

Sorry, can’t talk right now…I’m riding a pony.

And just like that, the party was over.

Sometimes I can hardly believe that she is a year old already and sometimes I think she ought to be 5 by now.   In fact I ran across a quote the other day that really resonated with me…

“The days are long, but the years are short.  Don’t blink.”

I try to remind myself of that often.  No matter how long the day (or night) may seem, these years really will fly by.

Now can we just look at this again please?

fall wreath

I love fall.  It’s my favorite season for sure….cool enough to wear jeans, boots and sweaters, but still sunny and warm during the day.  Not to mention the beautiful colors that mark the changing of the seasons.

This year I was intent on making a fall wreath.  I pinned my little heart out on Pinterest….

via

I actually gathered up pinecones during a hike one day to make this wreath.  It feels more “wintery” to me though, so I haven’t made it yet!

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via

via

This cornstalk-top wreath (above) was my absolute favorite!  I really really wanted to make it but couldn’t find enough corn stalks.  Sigh.  Maybe next year I’ll start rubbing elbows with some farmers to poach their stalks come fall because I seriously love everything about this wreath.

via

In the end, I decided to make the Nonna Wreath – from Jones Design Company (anyone surprised?  I tend to always go to Emily’s site for inspiration and I’m never disappointed). 

I won’t do a full tutorial here because Emily’s is great.  Simply click on the “via” link above and you’ll be taken to her blog.   I know it must sound like I know Emily, but I actually don’t!  I stumbled upon her blog a few years ago and have been following her ever since.  I find that we have the same tastes in design and her projects are always simple and classic. 

Anyhoo…here’s how my Nonna Wreath turned out!

I love that it’s a bit ruffley and feminine, but not overly-so.  And I do like the mustardy yellow color!  It’s oh-so-fallish.

Those of you with a keen eye will notice that I’ve done a wee bit ‘o rearranging in the living room.   Remember, the console table/entryway used to look like this? 

(wow, and that was before my new camera, obviously!)

And now looks like this:

I decided I didn’t like the wall gallery right there, so I moved it across the room above the couch.  The mirror is one I had lying around.   I want to add a frame to it out of reclaimed wood….you know, make it all rustic and textured?  It’s on the project list.  I think it will help define the space a little bit. 

And this is what it used to look like above the couch:

I knew it would happen and it did.  I got sick of the fabric panels. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still like the idea.  But I’m giving them a rest for awhile.  So here’s what it looks like now:

Let’s play “eye spy the nonna wreath…”

I like to call this look “layered neutrals.”  hahaha.  I’m obviously still struggling with color, but I like to think I’m working on it.  For example, I have thought about adding some colored throw pillows to the couch.  Just not sure what color yet (although I’ve noticed Target has some nice mustard yellow/goldish ones that might work well). 

I also want to put a shelf along the length of the couch, kind of like a long skinny console table.  I found this idea on Pinterest (surprise) to just attach a long board behind the couch as a place to set drinks, etc.  I want to do the same rustic/weathered wood here and maybe put a lamp on each end.  Plus, then it gives me a place to set my beer water so I quit spilling it on the couch. 

So what about you?  Have any of you made a fall wreath this year?  Done any rearranging at your house?  And tell me your secrets for decorating with color…I must know!

let there be color

I’ve been in desperate need of a project.  Something quick and easy that could be worked on in the evenings.  Something that would scratch my project itch. 

Because, ya know…I haven’t really done anything DIY since a certain little pumpkin came around.   

Which was fine….

Until it wasn’t fine. 

Projects are an outlet for me.  They keep me busy, inspire me to want to do more, give me a creative outlet, and give me a sense of accomplishment.  And frankly I just like doing them.

It’d been over six months since I tackled something big.  Something more than just a burp cloth, ruffled flower, or quick roman shade. 

I looked around my house and my eyes landed on our rusty, scratched, dirty patio table.

Yep, this thing could use a little TLC.

I bought this table 6 or 7 years ago thinking it would be great for a summer or two.  You know, until I bought real, grown-up patio furniture. 

Yet here she sits. 

And since grown-up furntiture really isn’t in our budget anymore, the least I could do was give her a facelift.  AND, since I don’t have the luxury of  (aka, time) being indecisive about things anymore, I decided I wanted this table BOLD.  Something super fun, happy and springy.  

Surprising, right?  Given my neutral tendencies.

Brace yourself.  Things are about to get cuh-ray-zee up in here.

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building suspense….

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more suspense…

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…wait for it….

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BAM!

Eek!  Isn’t it awesome!?  I mean, it’s a little out there, but what the heck?  It’s just what I wanted:  bright, bold and fun. 

And bonus, I finally got to introduce some ikat into my repertoire.  Probably just in time for it to go out of style.  Sigh. 

In case you’re wondering, it’s Richloom Solarium Outdoor Sumter Ikat Sky.

It’s a breath of fresh air to get some color around here.  

As for the degree of difficulty – I’d give it a one on a scale of one to ten.   It just took me three nights to get ‘er done.  The first night I recovered the seat cushions by simply unscrewing the seat bottoms and covering the existing grey cushion.  Which was super easy and fun.  Who doesn’t love to use a staple gun?   The second night I disassembled the table, washed everything up and gave it a few good solid coats of spray paint.  Then I ran out of spray paint.   So the third day I bought two more cans and finished with a final coat that night.  Easy peasy.   I used the Valspar Outdoor paint which is awesome because you don’t have to do a primer or a top coat.    Score.

Here’s the cost breakdown.

• 2 yrds of Richloom Solarium Outdoor Sumter Ikat Sky ($8.98 ea):  $17.96 – which ended up only being $14.36 after googling around for a 20% off coupon.
• 5 cans of Valspar Outdoor spray paint in peacock blue ($4.98 ea) :  $24.90. 

TOTAL:  $39.26

Not too shabby for a complete update.   Honestly, it made me wonder why the heck didn’t I give this thing a facelift years ago.    We’ve still got a long way to go on our patio itself (I didn’t even put flowers back there this year….whoops), but our bright new table has given me renewed interest in working on a few things out there.

And to be honest again…I’m sliiiiiiightly worried I’ll be over the turquoise someday (like, maybe next spring??).   Luckily I know it’s not that big of a project to tackle and it’s easy to switch up.   So if I find myself longing for neutrals again (and who are we kidding; it’s just a matter of time), all it will take is 2 nights and 5 more cans of spray paint.

So for now, my project itch is satisfied.  But I do have quite a few others up my sleeve that hopefully I’ll be starting on soon!   I mean, it is nearly hunting season….I’ve got to come up with a few things to keep me occupied. 

What say you?  Do you like the bold choice of color?  Do you think I’ll be sick of it next summer?

flair…of the flower variety

I made a little something for my little sweetie:

A cute little flower pin to spruce up a wedding outfit.  There’s nothing cuter to me than a baby in a white onesie with a tutu (and thank goodness little girls can get away with that being “dressy!”)…but it needed something more…it needed some flair. 

Then I remembered that Emily (over at Jones Design Company) did a flower-week last year where she gave a new flower tutorial every day of the week.  This was just the perfect excuse to get my craft on and choose one to make.

All of the flowers she does are lovely, but I chose the curled-edge flower. 

Emily has so many wonderful, beautiful tutorials that I want to try, from painted wallpaper (that I simply must do someday) to a coffee filter poof  (which I have the supplies for but just can’t seem to find the time).  You can check them all out here.  She also sells simple, creative art prints, name prints, printable paper and notecards in her shop.  I’ve purchased a few and they are fantastic.   I think you’d like her too so take a looksee!

But back to the flair.  I’ll let you check out Emily’s page for the tutorial, but really all you need is a small amount of polyester satin, a candle, a few beads for the center, a needle and thread and some sort of fastener.   They are super quick, easy and fun to make!

I whipped one up in about 15 minutes, then did a quick check to make sure it would look ok with the planned outfit. 

I debated on doing a matching flower (in pink) or a contrasting one (obviously in navy).   I’m glad I went with the navy, but what do you think?

So much easier to take a picture without a squirming, wiggling, rolling baby.

I even had time to whip up a little bit bigger flower for mom to wear so we could match.   (I can totally see my sister-in-law gagging right now, but I think it’s cute!)  hahaha.

And of course, the obligatory show-off photo from the wedding:  I clipped my flower to the fabric I tied around my waist (does it look familiar?  Chevron.  So versatile!)

The wedding was at an old ski area.  Hubs grew up skiing there before it was shut down…he said this ski lift used to be red.   I kinda like the pink…go figure.

That’s Abby’s ‘lil tex hat sitting next to me.  How cute is that?

Then I got home and felt guilty that I didn’t take any better pictures for the blog so I quickly snapped a few before I put Abby to bed….which was waaaaay past her bedtime, hence the bad lighting and (her) puffy eyes.  Oh, and the humidifier in the background.  Whoops.

Poor baby. 

Poor, cute baby.

What say you?  Do you need a little somethin-somethin to make your outfit pop?  Or just want and excuse to match your cute little baby?   Hop on over to Emily’s blog and find the flower of your liking!

have I told you lately…

Five years ago this Saturday I married my best friend.  In some ways it’s flown by faster than I would like (i.e. holy cow, we have a kid?!?!), and let’s be honest, some days it feels like….”is that all?  We’ve surely been married at least a century.”   That’s a normal feeling, right?  haha.

I loved everything about our wedding….the planning, the details, the lunch-time runs to Michaels and JoAnns, the projects, the crafts…and even the chaos.  It was a day we will never forgot.

Two weeks prior to our wedding I ran my first (and only) marathon with one of my girlfriends…I guess I was a glutton for punishment.  So when I reminisce about my wedding I often find myself reminiscing about that too….from the early-morning looooooong runs and hill workouts to the laughter and tears we shed along the way.   Both the marathon and my wedding are oddly intertwined in my memory and my heart.

 

But today, in honor of our five years together, I want to share some of my wedding pictures with you.  I had so much fun going back through these….it was hard to pick just a few to share.  I (with the help of my amazing family, sisters and friends) DIY’ed a lot for the wedding.  I wasn’t blogging back then or you would have heard all about it.   

You know it’s true. 

I’m one of those people that would totally have a wedding once a year if it were (1) free and (2) socially acceptable.  Since it’s neither, I must relive the one I had…which was pretty freakin’ fantastic in my opinion.   

Anyhoo, enough from me.  Here are some pictures of our very special day.

I absolutely adore this picture of me and my dad.

Duuuuude.  This was a big deal….I somehow got the lead singer of my favorite band (The Clintons Band) to play acoustic during the ceremony and MC our reception.  He did an amazing job. 

Now that’s a big dress….

We got married in Missoula at a golf course/restaurant called Shadow’s Keep.  We literally got married on the ninth green, which is just off of the back patio.  The general manager just drove a golf cart over (stocked with beer) to the tee box and asked the golfers to relax with a cold one while the wedding took place.  How cool is that?  So there were no stray golf balls flying at us or an unsuspecting guest. 

I may have been enamored with the fact that it looks like a castle.  What girl doesn’t want to get married in a castle?

Here’s the back patio of the restaurant….I love the draped linen and pink pom poms!  I distinctly remember walking in and tearing up as I saw how beautiful it looked. 

Our cake was am.az.ing.   Enough said.

Our favors…hubby’s favorite candy:  M&Ms….and mine:  circus animals.   I can’t wait until Abby is old enough to start buying them for her.  Ok, for me.  Whatever.

And how about a big shout-out to my sister Amy for picking out all of the RED M&Ms for these favors?  Ha Ha Ha.  Yeah, I may have been a bit bridezilla at times.  But red SO doesn’t go with pink.   And it was only like 10 giant bags that she had to do.

Now, if there was one itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie thing I would change about our wedding, it would be our flowers.  While they are certainly pretty…they are not what I asked for or envisioned. 

Yes, I rented a cotton candy machine.  And yes I made the cook in the kitchen make it.  And yes, this guy probably feels like a tool handing it out. 

But how cute does he look?

And how awesome is cotton candy!?  Hello.

You know you are loved when your brothers and brothers-in-law spend all morning making pink pom-pom poofs for you. 

Well, either that or I owe them big time. 

And he doesn’t even like cotton candy.  What a sweetie.

What a wonderful day.  I am so lucky to have such amazing friends and family.  And I am so thankful that I have a loving, caring and adventurous husband.   Someone who will go along with my cotton candy schemes and daydreams, but also someone who pushes me to be a more outgoing/adventurous person and soak up my beautiful Montana surroundings.   We may not have the perfect relationship or marriage; it’s hard at times.   But I suppose that just makes you appreciate the happy, carefree times that much more.  So, in case I haven’t told you lately, Hubs….I love you!  And happy anniversary!    And in case you don’t remember (it’s ok, I know you don’t have an eye for details), this was the song John sang during our ceremony.  :)

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

Oh the morning sun in all it’s glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
And you fill my life with laughter
You can make it better
Ease my troubles that’s what you do

There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun at the end of the day
We should give thanks and pray to the one

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do