five fact friday

1-We made it home from a fun and busy wedding weekend for Matt's sister.  Quinn did great.  It was also easier flying this time with Matt there to help me.

2-This Jellycat blanket is sooo soft!  Aunt Janna gave it to Quinn over the weekend.  She likes to try to eat it, like everything else these days.

3-I spy Matt and Quinn sleeping next to each other on the couch.  Matt woke up to a camera in his face...hehe

4-Thank you, Lindsey, for finding this amazing candle.  It can be found at Target and smells just like the Anthropolgie-volcano candle!  It was at least HALF the price.

5-We actually went on a walk this week BEFORE it got too hot outside.  The humidity has offically arrived to Florida.  Getting out before 8 am is the only way to go unless you want to wait until after dinner :P  I am looking forward to Pure Michigan this summer!

 

closet clean out

I mentioned weeks ago that I had plans to clean out my closet.  There were numerous problems with my closet...1-Most of the clothes I never wear but hang on to thinking I might need them for "something." I have no idea what that "something" is, but it never seems to happen.  2-Now that I am postpartum, almost all of my clothes seem to fit differently each month   3-A lot of my maternity clothes have been lingering in my closet even though I haven't been pregnant for four months.  I didn't care for the first few months, but I'm thinking it's about time to move on.

 

My Goal:  I simply wanted my closet to contain clothes that actually fit, not necessarily look like a celebrity/Pinterest/perfect closet. :)

 

my method...

 

The changes do not look drastic but the functionality of my cleaned out closet is waaayyy better.  Plus, I added a little air freshener in there and all of a sudden I like my closet again.  hah

So, what did I do with all of the clothes that I wanted to get rid of?  Well, I figured that there were a handful of items that were still pretty cute and I could make some money off of them at Plato's Closet.  Boy, was I wrong!  I felt so OLD when I walked in.  Apparently, they didn't see the value in my conservative, Banana Republic style.  I made a whopping $10!  Not really worth all of the time I had to wait while they sorted through my clothes, but it did cover the ice cream we bought in the mean time :)  Anyhow, I am sure the clothes will get put to better use at Goodwill anyway!

ben & kelsey

We spent Memorial Day weekend celebrating Ben and Kelsey (Matt's younger sister).  We are so happy for these two, especially since Ben has been a long time family friend of the McCauleys.  I can't wait for all of the fun memories yet to come!  How cute is this picture?!  All the credit goes to Aunt Katherine (thanks, by the way! ;). 

 

 Being in town for the wedding gave us a nice chance to introduce Quinn to a lot of family, including Great Grandma Harker. 

Quinn was quite the entertainment for everyone.  She started making a girgling noise the first night we were there.  Everybody giggled and smiled, thinking it was so cute.  Now, she won't stop making the noise!  

It was so fun to be a part of the bridal party.  I loved getting the chance to hang out with Kelsey and her sweet friends.

Somehow, I managed to get ready while taking care of Quinn/giving the babysitter a bigillion (I know, it's not a real word) directions on how to take care of her.  It was hard to hand her off to other people throughout the weekend, but definitely worth it.  I must also add that Quinn was a champ with meeting all the new faces and being toted around everywhere...thank goodness!

Kelsey and her brothers (Topher, we'll just pretend your eyes are open in this pic since I don't have another one ;)

Kelsey looked stunning.  Ben is one lucky guy!

The views were beautiful.  I miss wide open spaces!

It was a different experience being in a wedding with the responsability of having to take care of a little one.  I have to admit, Matt and I kind of felt old.  I was chugging down coffee halfway through the reception trying to get myself into dance mode (which is normally not a problem!).  I guess that's how it goes!!

One last playtime with Grandma Polly before heading off to the airport.

I couldn't help but include this picture (Kelsey on the far left, Ben fourth one in from the right).  Three and half years ago, a little spark was ignited :)



Love you, Ben and Kels!!!  Congrats, again!

Floral and Fudge

It's always fun when I come across a new blog that I enjoy reading.  About a month ago I started following along with Rachel at Floral and Fudge.  It turns out we have a lot in common!  First off, Rachel loves to bake (she sells her own hot fudge...how cool is that?!).  We both went to small colleges in the Chicago area, which happen to be rivals!  And, we both have a little one that we look after at home.  Anyhow, this creative mama put together a yummy treat that I CAN'T wait to try.  Mint, chocolate, Oreos, whipped cream?!  I'm in!

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I’m honored to be guest posting for Marissa today on Our Little Family Blog! I’m Rachel from Floral & Fudge. I blog about my family, desserts (mostly chocolate ones), and a little bit of fashion. My husband Steve and I have been married almost four years. We have the sweetest little boy named Nolan, and he has kept me busy every day for the past 20 months! I hail from Chicago, but we are currently enjoying small-town life while Steve finishes his PhD. Blogging has become my favorite creative outlet. And a perk is meeting wonderful people like Marissa!

This dessert is perfect for a hot day. It is a minty mix of cream cheese, marshmallow cream, and whipped cream with a crunchy Oreo crust!

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (about half a package of Oreos, without the cream, crushed)
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) cubed and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or mint extract)
3 Tablespoons milk
1  1/8 cup marshmallow cream (5.25 ounces from a 7 ounce jar)
¾ cup whipping cream

Directions:

Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil, folding the edges over the sides of the pan. Spray with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press evenly into the pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla extract, mint extract, and milk with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Next, add marshmallow cream, and beat until well-mixed. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.

In a chilled, large bowl, beat whipping cream with the mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese/marshmallow mixture until blended. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the dessert to be green instead of white. Pour over the crust. Freeze at least four hours before serving.

Remove from the pan, lifting up the foil to help. Let it sit for a few minutes in room temperature before cutting. Optional: garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or mint candies.

Keep remaining dessert tightly-covered in the freezer.

Thank you for letting me share this recipe on your blog, Marissa!

Come visit Floral & Fudge for more dessert recipes, and adventures of our family! Feel free to follow along!

Rachel

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Yummy!  I'm so glad that Rachel was willing to share one of her dessert creations on our blog.  Don't forget to check out more of her dessert recipes and cute family at Floral and Fudge!

Guest Posting on Floral and Fudge

Instead of finding me here today, I will be at one of my favorite blogs,

Floral and Fudge

Click on over and see what I am up to!  Happy Friday!

DIY burlap pin board

I recently did this DIY project to enhance my mini creative space a couple of weeks ago.  It didn't take a whole lot of skill and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

 

Materials: burlap (fabric store), cork board (craft store, came in a package of four square cork boards), scissors, paint brush, paint, stapler

Cut the burlap so that there is about 1-2 inches of extra fabric to cover the cork board.

Fold each corner tightly onto the cork board and staple.

Once all four corners are stapled, pull the rest of the fabric over tightly and continue to staple it securely to the cork board.

You could really get creative with this step.  I decided to paint light grey stripes accross the boards to match the rest of the decor in our room.  Some other ideas might be to stencil a pattern on the boards, or add some type of fabric to them--like lace.  It just depends on what kind of look you are going for!

I was having fun, so I went ahead and painted an old coffee tin to match, and used it as a pencil holder.

Taaa daa!   

Even if you don't end up pinning things to the board, it still looks cute just as wall art. 

If you end up doing this project, I would love to see how it turns out!  Please share :)



colossians 3

 

This passage has kept reappearing to me in the past couple of months.  Does that ever happen to you?  Like, you hear the same verse three times in one week?  One of the times I saw it, my sister had mentioned it on her blog.  Whenever I came across this passage I felt so convicted and a little discouraged...it's really difficult to be "even-tempered, content with second place, AND quick to forgive!"  It's sometimes hard enough to do accomplish one of those things! 

 

Well, then I started reading a book called, "Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions," by Lysa TerKeurst.  I've realized that the only way I can possibly obey Colossians 3 is by God changing my heart.  There is no way I can do it on my own.  I began by praying and asking God to change my desires, my perspective, and my thoughts.  He is working on me, and has been opening my eyes to so many things through His word and this new book I am reading!  I could go on and on, but here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book...

 

"Remember who you are...I'm not an unglued woman who is a slave to her circumstances, her hormones, or to other people's attitudes.  Those things might affect me, but they don't rule me.  I am a child of God, holy and dearly loved, whom God has set apart for a mighty plan."

 

"The secret to healthy conflict resolution isn't taking a you-against-me stance, but realizing it's all of us against Satan--he's the real enemy." (Ephesians 6:12)

 

I often find myself in a cloud of doubt, especially with being a new mom.  But, as a Christian woman I have this amazing resource...the power of the holy spirit living in me, ready to fight off any lies that the enemy is trying to feed me.  I have found so much freedom in praying through those moments!  Never underestimate the power of prayer!

 

Linking up with Kelly's Korner for the Build ‘Em Up  series!



four months

How has it already been a month?!  Seriously, time is starting to fly!

We are gradually getting more and more glimpses of Quinn's personality.  She loves giving smiles and looking around.  She is interested in everything that is going on around her.  One of my favorite things to do with Quinn is to squeal back and forth with her...you know, girl talk ;) 

We have experienced a lot this month...first Mother's Day, first cold :(, a road trip, and the list goes on!  Taking four month pics with Quinn turned out to be so much fun, believe it or not!  She was hamming it up.  I couldn't press the shutter button quick enough!

I guess I am pretty funny :)  I am going to enjoy this stage while it still lasts!

five fact friday

1-We confirmed this week at the doctor that Quinn is perfectly healthy.  I was freaking out a little bit because she was not nursing very well.  Turns out our daughter is a genius ;), and has figured out that if she waits long enough we will eventually give her a bottle (which is a lot easier for her to eat from).  I better watch out, this little girl knows what she wants!  Anyhow, she is nursing better now that I am not giving into her bottle obsession!
2-Sometimes I forget how sweet it is to just hold your baby while they sleep.  It's worth letting the dirty dishes sit in the sink for a little while.
3-The Jumparoo came in the mail this week!  Quinn is still a little overwhelmed by it but I think she will warm up to it no time.  She LOVES sitting up (with help) these days.  I also forgot to mention she rolled over from her stomach to back twice this week!  This girl is charging ahead and I'm just trying to keep up!
4-Need I say more?  UGH.
5-Any given day at about 3pm...you can bet there is dark chocolate involved in whatever I'm doing.

Looking forward to a date night this weekend, and Quinn turns 4 months tomorrow!

Keep checking back in the next couple of weeks to see some exciting new things happening on the blog!!

linking up with Lauren for H54F today

mini creative space

I have always dreamed about having a "creative space" in my home.  Basically, a room solely for sewing, crafts, gift wrapping, blogging, and scrapbooking.  We don't quite have the space yet for me to have an entire room dedicated to a creative space (I'm not sure if we ever will), but I decided to transform a little corner in our bedroom into my own mini creative space!  The goal: Be as cheap as possible and try to blend it together with the rest of the room.  Here is the final result!

 

The only items I bought were the lamp (Target) and the materials to make the burlap pin boards (Joann Fabrics).  Everything else, including the desk, I found from the garage or around the house.

We moved the dresser in the corner to under the mirror on the left.

 I really wanted the desk area to flow with the rest of the room.

This is the "before" picture.

Inspiration from pinterest. 

source

 

Someday, maybe?  It's always fun to dream a little.

mother's day

It was exciting to experience my first official mother's day!  I had a special day with my family and enjoyed being "off duty." :)

 Quinn was a little tired but we managed to get a few pictures in before church.

Of course, we had to get a picture of Quinn and Eden together.  Amy and I have decided that they are best friends...can you tell?  haha  I'm not really sure they even realize one another exist!

 Matt basically played "mommy" all day.  He conquered my "to do" list while I went out for a mani/pedi. 

The other special gift?  A fancy coffee grinder :)

It was nice to get some special treatment for the day.  I am so blessed to get the chance to be a mother.  I know that there are many women who long to be a mother one day, and I don't want to ever take it for granted.  It's both a challenging and rewarding job.  Although at times I feel like my life is only about changing dirty diapers and doing laundry, I know that God has placed motherhood in my life as a special and significant calling.  Hope you had a great day yesterday celebrating your mother or mother figure in your life!