One Year Old!

 One year ago today, my dear friend had a baby girl.  I can't believe how fast that year has flown by!  It seems like yesterday, I was making this quilt for her.

 Her family is having a little party for her tonight and I got to make the smash cake for little Avery to demolish.  Just a simple white cake, two six-inch rounds stacked on top of each other, frosted with buttercream.  I printed out a large "1" on my computer, put it on top of the cake, and sprinkled the top to death.  Make sure to push the sprinkles down a little with your hand, ensuring they stick to the frosting.  Peel off your paper number, fix any frosting disturbances, and you can call that cake DONE!

I'm bummed that I can't make the party to take pictures of this in all it's messy glory, but I'm hoping Mom will get some good shots for me to see later.

Happy 1st Birthday Avery!

Grandma's Kitchen

 My mom finally got all of her kids out of her house....and was able to remodel the kitchen.  It was a major undertaking, including moving appliances and walls around.  It looks amazing though and both of my parents love it.  If you have any questions about specific items or finishes, leave me a comment and I can find out for you.

 Under cabinet lighting and a small TV, with which my mom watches the Food Network and my dad watches football and baseball.

 One of my mom's favorite features in the new kitchen is this fabulous, deep stainless steel sink.

 Because they bumped the kitchen out, they had to redo the entryway as well.  This actually used to be my old bedroom, then a guest room, then an office/storage space.

 New flooring.  Tile in the kitchen and hardwood in then entry/dining/hallway.

 New matching china cabinets in the dining room.

My dad did a lot of the renovation himself, including all of doors, moldings, and baseboards.  I'm probably going to copy a lot of their ideas when we are able to renovate.  There are still little things here and there to finish up (there always are, right?) and then they need to move onto exterior of the house, particularly the front porch since they moved the position of the front door.  Keep up the good work, I love to see all of the transformations every time we come for a visit.

First Home

 My brother and his wife are building a house, should be finished this month!  These pictures are for documentation.  I can't wait to take some of the finished product.

 Leading into the master bedroom

 Kitchen

 Bathroom

 Master bath

 Bedroom #1

 Bedroom #2

 Living/Kitchen

 Opposite view

Backyard

Book Review: Lucid by Adrienne Stolz and Ron Bass

Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sloane and Maggie are two teenage girls who couldn't be more different in appearance and personality.  They share a terrible secret and know everything about one other despite never meeting or speaking face to face.  At night, they dream that they are each other.  Which girl and life is real and which is the dream?

I loved the premise and overall concept of this book.  The chapters alternate between each girl's life (or dream) as they try to navigate through school, boys, jobs, family, and the horrible realization that one of them isn't real.  After a couple of chapters of each girl's story, I was completely engrossed and couldn't put it down.  I haven't read a book this fast in a long time.  Fair warning:  the ending is not completely cut and dry, so don't expect to have all the answers.  It didn't bother me, but I know it can really annoy some people.  The language and sexual references (no scenes, just discussions and innuendos) are about the equivalent of a PG-13 movie, so I wouldn't recommend this for younger teens/kids to read.  Fascinating book and a great book club discussion choice.



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Peanut Butter Balls

 I got the rare opportunity to go visit my mom and dad for the weekend without any kids!  We had a lot of fun and tried out a new recipe.  These peanut butter balls are from Trisha Yearwood's cooking show on Food Network.  Not only were they easy to make, but they are really yummy.  They make a lot, which is great for a party or as gifts.  I think Trisha made hers a lot bigger and thus, had less PB balls per batch, but I prefer them more bite size.  I might add some mini chocolate chips or a chocolate drizzle on them next time too.  Everything is better with a little chocolate on it.  Recipe can be found HERE.

Boy Oh Boy Baby Shower

 A few weeks ago, I helped host a baby shower for a friend expecting her 4th boy!  We went with a "Boy Oh Boy" theme, keeping the decorations and food clean and simple.  Since it was an evening shower, we did a small dessert spread and hung paper lanterns above the table.  Some white cake stands for the food and a little bit of blue tulle and we called it good.

 One of the guests made a diaper trike out of diapers, baby blankets, bibs, socks, and a bottle for the headlight.  I should have asked her how long it took to make!  Super cute and would make a great centerpiece at a baby shower.

Another friend did some fun games and made an adorable video of the three older brothers talking about their new addition to the family.  It was so cute and something that the Mom to be can take home with her to cherish for years to come.  Such a great idea.

 As guests left, we had a small treat for them to take home.

The push pop containers were bought at a local craft store and filled with mini cupcakes or brownies, layered with frosting.

On a personal note, sorry for not keeping up on this blog lately....if anyone actually reads it anymore.....(crickets chirping).....

We've been busy with summer traveling and getting back to school.....AND growing our own little baby!  I'm due with my 4th around the end of March and we are excited for this new adventure.  I could be having my 4th boy, just like my friend!  And I can honestly say that I would be completely ok with that.  Boys are awesome!  We'll find out the gender after Halloween sometime, so stay tuned and hopefully I'll get a few more things up on the blog before then.

Book Review: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Read this for book club, it was great for discussion and I learned a lot about myself and how much being an extrovert or introvert affect your life.  It was very academic at first, and although the information was interesting, if you've had a long day, it could put you to sleep...not saying it did that to me or anything.  The second half of the book was a lot more real world application, I really enjoyed it.  I especially liked the chapters about relationships and raising children that are the opposite of your own personality.  There are so many facets to being an introvert or extrovert and I didn't realize how much of an introvert I am.  I love being with other people, just in smaller groups.  Fascinating book.



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