Nesting

I think the nesting bug has come to our little cottage! Joshua and I enjoyed a few busy days off for the Thanksgiving holiday. While we took sometime to relax and recharge, we also did a lot around our little house.

Macie's little nursery has started to come together. Grandpa and Joshua painted her nursery the sweetest  soft pink. Then, J and I painted a few white birch trees on the walls to complement our 'little birds' theme. On Wednesday night we had brand new carpet installed and J set up her beautiful crib. We recently got a glider to match the crib and moved that into the nursery as well. It's starting to become more and more real. I love seeing the crib set up and waiting for our precious girl.

On one of my days off I got particularly 'nest-y' and went to town with my sewing machine and paintbrushes. :) I found an adorable painting on Pinterest several weeks ago and decided to replicate it using the colors of Macie's nursery. I had so much fun painting away! I made a set of two. They aren't fine art but I love the scripture, the sweet birds, and the fun decorative patterns along the sides. I couldn't wait to hang them up! They are a nice pop of color on the soft pink walls. 

With my sewing machine, a little white fabric, and a new canvas drop cloth I got to work on curtains for the second window in our bedroom. I did the same Anthro-esk design on these as I did on the others. They look nice and really tie the room together. I love the ruffles and burlap  motif in our room. I makes me smile thinking about how it matches the personalities of J and I. Manly and practical for him and fluffy and girly for me. 

While I was nesting away inside, Joshua was working outside building a shed in the backyard. Shortly after settling into the little house we discovered it offered lots of charm but very little storage. This wasn't necessarily a problem at first- I just stuffed the closet of the extra room jammed full of things in no particular order or organization. (out of sight, out of mind- right?) However, as the 'extra room' began to transform into a nursery for our sweet baby girl I realized my strategy wasn't going to cut it much longer. Try as I might, no matter how many times I went through the things to try to throw away or donate items to eliminate clutter we always still ended up with so much stuff! This is where the shed comes in. I can't wait to organize everything into rubbermaid containers and move them to their new happy home outside. I think we will breathe better being decluttered! Joshua did a wonderful job building it- have I mentioned lately how blessed I am to be his wife?! He is amazing! There is nothing that man can not build. 

We have a few other little projects we want to do before our tiny girl arrives but we got off to a great start over our long holiday weekend! 

Peach Pork Picante

This tangy meal packs a kick! The nice thing about this recipe is that it is only as spicy as you desire it to be! The prep is quick and cooks in about 30 minutes. You can't beat it!

Peach Pork Picante

Serves: 4-6 (depending on size of your tenderloin)

Time: 30 minutes

You'll Need:

Pork Tenderloin (cubed)

1 Package of Taco Seasoning

1 cup Salsa (I like medium or hot but it's your preference)

2 tablespoons Peach Preserves

1 Green Pepper (sliced)

Here's How to Make it: 

Season the tenderloin with the dry Taco Seasoning. Then, cook on medium high in a large skillet with a little olive oil. When the pork tenderloin is mostly cooked add 1 cup of salsa and green pepper slices. Cook the meat along with the salsa for about 5 minutes and then add two heaping tablespoons of peach preserves. Stir occasionally until the meat is fully cooked through. 

Serve over brown or white rice.

Sweet Onesie Cupcakes

Is there anything more fun than baby clothing? or cupcakes?

With a little Pinterest inspiration I made this adorable shower gift. It's a fun way to put together a small present. I've always loved creatively making the presentation of a gift special. When I saw this project I couldn't wait for a reason to make one! This cupcake set was for a baby girl but it could be easily adapted for a boy or for a baby who's gender hasn't been revealed. 

Here are the step by step instructions:

First, you'll need 4 colorful onesies and two pairs of brightly colored socks. 

 Fold over the two sleeves of the onesie.

 Then, fold the whole onesie in half.

 lay one sock (already slightly rolled) on the top of the onesie-up near the neckline.

 Continue rolling the onesie in a tight but spiral fashion.

To secure the 'cupcake' I wrapped a ribbon around the bottom.

 Place the 'cupcakes' in cute liners and arrange in a cupcake box.

For extra embellishment I wrapped the box in ribbon and clipped on a fun hair bow.

Ta-da! A small gift with a big bang! 

Not to mention it was so much fun to make! :) 

Chicken & Veggie Pasta

We like good, southern cooking. Unfortunately, most of that good cooking requires a lot of time and preparation. On occasion and with the right motivation I pull a few of those kind of meals out. However, for day-to-day life I love a good meal that doesn't require a whole lot of work! (This is mostly to do with the fact that I'm still working full time and trying to squeeze in a good nap everyday before starting dinner. :)

This meal is not only lovely looking but it's also quick to put together! :) 

Chicken and Veggie Pasta

Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes

You'll Need:

3-4 Thawed Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)

Velveeta Cheese

Frozen Peas

Frozen Corn

Frozen Carrots

1 Box of Rotini Noodles

Here's How to Make it: 

First, put a pot of water on to boil your noodles. Meanwhile, cook the chicken in a skillet with some olive oil. Then, boil your noodles. As your noodles are boiling cook your frozen veggies (steam, stove-top, microwave- your prerogative) After your noodles have cooked to your preferred tenderness strain them and pour them into a large box along with the Velveeta. Stir until the cheese has melted in well. Add the chicken and veggies. Ta-da! You're all done! It's not only colorfully beautiful but also very tasty! Enjoy! 

DIY Anthropologie Ruffled Curtains

After living in the cottage for a little over six months I finally got around to putting together curtains for the bedroom. We had been using a plain drop-cloth curtain but I wanted to soften it up to match our Shabby Chic Bedding. I saw a cute idea from Anthropologie but I couldn't justify the expense.  It wasn't a difficult looking project so I decided to figure it out on my own. If you want to make your own fancy, ruffled curtains (and save a few $) here's how:

Our curtains are 72 inches long so I needed a little more than double that amount in the length of my fabric cut- about five yards. Depending on how wide your window is you will need to get more than one cut of that length. Our window is a standard, single-window so I only needed one cut.

Once I got home I folded the fabric in half lengthwise and cut it into strips about 6-8 inches wide.
(This was just to save time cutting.)

 Then, I folded a strip in half lengthwise and sewed a simple, straight line down the open side.

Next, turn the sewn strip right side out and sew the ends.

After that, you will want to lay out your strips to determine how many you want on each panel and then straight pin them down for sewing. Keep in mind you will need to leave excess to make the ruffle.

 To sew the ruffle, I left the machine foot up and hand fed the curtain through. Simultaneously, I bunched the fabric to make the ruffle as the machine sewed it.

This is definitely a time consuming project between cutting fabric, sewing the strips, reversing them, and then ruffling them through the machine. However, it ends up looking really great!

12:30pm Fall in the Country

3:15pm Sky Top Apple Pie