five fact friday

Well, I am officially taking a week to RE-CHARGE.  Quinn and I have safely made it to my family's lake house (aka-the best place ever!), and Matt will be joining us in a couple of days!  So, I will leave you with these five facts until next week.  (Happy Early Fourth of July!)

1.  Quinn likes the big girl stroller.  We recently bought this City Mini Jogger, and so far Quinn has really liked being able to look out at everything.  She is still a little small for the stroller but we have been strapping her in well and it seems to work.  I still use the snap and go for errands but I like this stroller for walks or going to the mall.

2.  I have been feeding Quinn prunes, if you know what I mean.  The baby food thing is going well except for the fact that it backs little Q up :/  prunes + sitting in this position + a few grunts and toots=success :) 

3.  My nursing days are slowly coming to an end (not necessarily by choice...it just kind of naturally happened).  We are at about 50/50 between breastmilk and formula.  Quinn loves to play with our faces when she gets the bottle.

4.  I am SO excited to be at the lake with my family.  I have been looking forward to this trip for a while.  This picture is from last year when my sister and I were both  preggo.  I am looking forward to the cool breeze and sand dunes!!

5.  Beacon started cuddling with us again.  I think he is finally coming around and has moved to the "acceptance stage" with Quinn being around.  I guess he realized she is here to stay and has accepted his new role in our family.  I love that he is FINALLY adjusting and semi happy again.

Can't wait to share lots of family and beach pictures when we get back!

sewing tutorial: diaper cover

This is one of the best tutorials I have come across in a while, which I REALLY appreciate as a beginner sewer.   It's honestly as easy to follow as one of Pioneer Woman's recipes ;)

Two new skills I learned while doing this project were, 1-sewing in elastic (not as difficult as I thought) and 2-sewing a ruffle (harder than I thought).

To make the diaper cover, just follow the directions and don't give up!

There are so many ways to do ruffles.  I had a hard time deciding which kind to make.  This type seemed pretty easy so I went for it.  The only thing I never really figured out was how to sew the ruffle to the diaper cover properly.  So, I just went ahead and sewed really closely to the middle stich and on the sides.  I'm not in love with how it turned out, but it will do.  Here are some tutorials that I found helpful for ruffles...
*how to "gather" or bunch the fabric
*seven types of ruffles
*sewing layers of ruffles (I might try this one next time)

 

I made another drawstring top dress to go with the diaper cover.  The process was SO much faster the second time around!  I used the pattern for the next size up (6-9 months, Q is 5 months old), which seemed to fit Quinn a lot better.  You can check here if you missed my post on how to make this dress.

 

Happy sewing!

trying something new

I think I finally got it right this time.  I have been growing my hair out for the past year in hopes that I could eventually curl it again.  I tried various techniques to get the loose curl look but my hair would end up looking HUGE or I would get a bunch of curls that were angled in all different directions.  I have a lot of hair, so I figured maybe that look just doesn't work well on thick hair.  Well, today I think proved myself wrong after all. 

My method?  I used Garnier Fructis Style Volumizing Anti Humidity Hairspray and a 1" Hot Tools Curling Iron I divided my hair into three sections and started with curling the bottom section first working my way up to the top section.  To make the curls, I held the curling iron perpendicular to my head, held it there for a few seconds, and released the curl slowly while pulling the iron downward.  I made sure every part of my hair was curled, not leaving out any stray strands.  Finally, after all the curls were done, I ran my fingers through them to break them up and sprayed my hair once with hair spray.  I also did a little bit of teasing at the crown of my head.

 

I definitely do not consider myself an expert on hair but it is something I enjoy dabbling with.  My Mom has always done hair and make up, and I actually considered going to beauty school at one point after college.  I am a little obsessed with beauty blogs, and although this is definitely not one, I thought I might try a small post on the topic.  Yes, this blog is about my family, but it's also an outlet for me to think about things that I personally enjoy :)

I think Quinn liked the curls :) 

meals for many: baked ham & cheese sandwiches with pasta salad

Whether it's for entertaining or making a hospitality meal to bring to a friend, it's hard not to make your typical casserole or lasagna dish (which are both perfectly fine, by the way!)  I thought I would share some recipes I have used lately to feed "many."  I made this meal for our bible study last week and they LOVED it.  I think it works well for summer because it's not too heavy and the ingredients are very easy to round up.  The complete recipe can be found HERE (also on my Pinterest board under "Party Ideas"). 

Very simple ingredients.  The recipe makes 24 sandwiches.  I used the smaller buns, so most people ate two mini sandwiches.

I cut up the cheese slices into smaller squares so that they would fit on the sandwiches.

Layering them up with ham and cheese.

The last step is to combine the melted butter, worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.  You drizzle the mixture over the sandwiches and then top them with poppy seeds.  Let the sandwiches chill in the fridge for at least a few hours, and then pop them in the oven at 350ᴼ for 20 minutes.

This pasta salad paired well with the sandwiches.  Nothing fancy here, but fresh and tasty! 

Ingredients: cooked bow tie pasta and tortellini, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, green pepper, a dash of ground pepper, Light Italian Dressing

I just eye balled it with how much of each veggie to use.  Some other veggies that might be good to swap out or add in could be peas, cucumber, and/or carrots.

I made this in the morning, let it chill in the fridge, and then added Light Italian Dressing right before I served it.  To complete this "summery" meal I threw in some Ruffles, pop, and Publix Bakery chocolate chip cookies ;)

I made everything in the morning and then baked the sandwiches right before we had to leave.  I could see myself using this meal for a birthday party in the future too.  Enjoy!

 

five fact friday

1.  I finished another dress for Quinn this week.  Of all the places Beacon could sit, he chooses to sit right on top of the dress and all of my other fabric.  (yes, Beacon was shaved this week...)
2.  Quinn went all the way in the pool for the first time.  She was totally relaxed and just took it all in.  We had a fun time with Amy and Eden. 
3.  We have been feeding Quinn rice cereal/oatmeal & bananas all week.  She doesn't eat a lot but seems to be open to it.
4.  I am getting my hair done this weekend.  Yay!  Debating if I should continue with the subtle ombre.  Any suggestions? 
5.  Matt's uncle is a photographer and took a few family pictures of us at Ben and Kelsey's wedding.  I like this one!

happy friday!!!

five months

I am out of breath.  This girl is charging ahead...growing, developing, discovering...I have a feeling this is just the beginning of us trying to keep up!

SO much happened this month.  I feel like this collage does not do it justice!  Here are some more things Quinn did this past month:
 

-took her second airplane ride for Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Ben's wedding

-started to sleep through the night consistently 

-transitioning to fewer naps

-will cat nap in the car seat without fussing (I don't have to hightail it through the store as much anymore!!)

-making lots of new noises

-observing everyone around her

So far, if I had to describe Quinn's personality in a few words I would say she is SWEET, OBSERVANT, and CALM.  I guess she inherited most of Matt's genes. haha  I don't mind at all :)

There are a lot of fun things to come in the next month.  Quinn will be taking her THIRD airplane trip and going to the beach for the first time!  We will also start introducing her to new kinds of baby food!  Just hanging on for the ride :)

making my husband's lunch

I have felt really convicted of my sin this past week.

It all started when I woke up bright and early to make myself coffee and do my devotions before Quinn woke up.  Especially since she has been sleeping better at night, I have been really looking forward to this quiet time in the morning.  Matt had been up for a while already since he usually does his work out routine before work (he is not used to me being up when he is up in the morning). 
I was making myself coffee, when he looked at me and said (jokingly), "So, are you going to start making my lunch now?"  I was so annoyed.  Really?!  I didn't exactly set my alarm to get up and make you lunch.  The bickering (half jokingly/half serious) began.  We are pretty good at the "who can come up with the wittiest comment" game.  Anyhow, the seemingly harmless conversation struck a cord. 

It wasn't about the lunch.  It was about me feeling convicted of my selfishness.  I have been so focused on everything I have had to sacrifice with having a baby.  I have demanded appreciation, respect, and encouragement, while offering very few of those things in return. 

I prayed for God to change my heart that morning.  I knew it was just in the wrong place and I couldn't fix it on my own.  Then, I went to playgroup.  I needed some perspective and so I took a poll among my fellow mothers...

"Okay, ladies...I am little curious and would like to take a poll."  (They laugh at my teacher voice :)  "Who here makes their husband lunch on a regular basis?"  They all rose their hand about half way..."Well, sometimes...It depends..."  The question sparked a conversation about how to serve your husband in a way that speaks to them.  Then, the conversation kept going and I wish I had a recording of it, but here are some things I walked away with that morning...

What is my goal as a mother?  The world says I should not let go of myself even though I am a mother, and that I should still be a little selfish because I deserve it.  The bible says to get rid of your old self and put on your new self to become more like Christ (Colossians 3).  I am not saying that you need to give up your hobbies and interests, but I am saying we need God to change our hearts to become more selfless.  I have been trying to hang onto my selfish ways and have found myself very frustrated.

Becoming a mother has caused a little bit of an identity crisis.  And, my flesh tells me to hang on to everything I was before I was a mother.  But, honestly, I am a work in progress and I don't really want to be the person I was even a few months ago.  I want to be the person Christ is calling me to be.  It's a process, but motherhood is stripping me of the ugly parts of myself and sanctifying me so that I can be put on garments of my new self.

"So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

^3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

^5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk."

Colossians 3:1-8 (The Message)

What has motherhood taught your recently?  I would love to read your comments!

happy father's day

We have had fun celebrating daddy all weekend.  It's Matt's first father's day, so I really wanted him to feel appreciated for all that he does for our family.  He has such a big heart.  We love him so very much!

 

Matt didn't have a specific gift that he wanted, so we took the thoughtful/crafty/CHEAP route ;)  I am better at that anyway...haha  So, I did a little DIY decorating.  The banner was made out of grocery paper bags, and the vase was an old wine bottle with some burlap. 

We did most of our celebrating on Saturday morning.

 



We enjoyed a little waffle breakfast.  The whipped cream made it extra fancy....don't you think? hah

 

 

Matt's "gift" was a little scavenger hunt around the house.  It was fun to watch him read the clues and follow him around the house (Quinn in tow with Beacon trailing behind us).  Some of the gifts included new pics of Quinn for Matt's desk at work, his favorite candy, and a coupon to clean Beacon's box for a week.

One of the gifts was in the mailbox.  It was a coupon that said I would give Matt a back massage...massages=Matt's primary love language, so it was a big deal to him.



My personal favorite part of the weekend was going out to dinner Friday night (bonefish grill!), getting froyo, and seeing a movie!  We saw the Internship.  There were funny parts but I was a little annoyed with the unnecessary profanity...ugh.  We still had a lot of fun going out for the night.

 

Hope you enjoyed celebrating the special guy in your life!

 

five fact friday

1-I began a new sewing project this week.  I am making a diaper cover with ruffles.  So far, so good.  I am little nervous about the ruffles.  Give me a couple of weeks before you see any finished project ;)
2-We had playgroup this week.  It was a smaller group this week but we had the best conversation.  I really needed it too. 
3-So, Quinn has been sleeping through the night for the past week (horray!/knock on wood).  Now that I have actually typed those words she will most likely starting waking up again because that's just how it works.  Anyhow, it has completely changed her daytime schedule, so we are figuring that out now :)
4-I went  on a walk one morning before Quinn woke up.  It was nice for about 10 minutes and then the humidity started to get to me...yes, even at 6:30am :P
5-It's Father's Day this weekend.  Matt's first!  Looking forward to celebrating him this weekend!

Have a great weekend!

charlie coco's: polka dot bow

 

Quinn's Charlie Coco's bow came in the mail yesterday!  Etsy is a great place to find unique items, and I am obsessed with all of the accessories that Amber makes for CC's.  Whenever I am browsing her store, it's always so difficult to narrow down what I want!

I LOVE getting things in the mail.

CC's accessories are unique, quality and affordable.  The shipping is quick too! 

 

You can check out all of Amber's beautiful accessories here.  Happy shopping :)

s'mores bars

recipe source 



I am a big s'more lover, so I was pretty excited when I found this recipe on Pinterest.  These treats take s'mores to a whole new level!  I made them because I wanted to bring in a summer inspired treat from some of the teachers on the last day of school.  Let me break this down for you...

 

Taste: cookie cake-esque

Ingredients: simple, only thing I had to look for was graham crack crumbs

Time & Ease: easy

Notes: I baked these for 20 minutes, just like the recipe directed, but they didn't really look done.  I took them out anyway and let them completely cool, and they ended up being perfect!  Also, making the graham cracker crust was a little messy, but it still turned out just fine.

 

into the oven!

sprinkled some extra mallows on top at the end

 

final creation...the Hershey bars are just for looks (they were added last)

Let me know if you try these!  They won't disappoint!

sponsor in june

I'm really excited about this opportunity for blogs and shops that are looking to get more exposure.  You can now sponsor OurLittleFamily Blog!  To kick it all off, you can get a 15% discount by simply entering the promo code at check out.  Go ahead and check it all out here.  Send me an e-mail if you have any questions, and spread the word!