Storm at the Beach
We were playing on the beach at dusk when a cray storm rolled in from the west. The sky was crazy beautiful and Leighton loved it.
one more
Drew loves these pix and insisted I post, so here she is in all her beautiful glory ;)
Rainy day at the beach:
Leighton's serious face that she sports more often than not
Sooo much love for her Mi :)
Rainy day at the beach:
Leighton's serious face that she sports more often than not
Sooo much love for her Mi :)
Picture Update
I'm a bad mommy blogger. There is just no time anymore, but for now, a little picture update from our weekend vacay in San Destin. It was Drew's last vacation time before he graduates and joins a practice in Gainesville in January, so we enjoyed a whole week away with no work and no obligations. My mom came with us to relax and help with the baby when she was napping and we wanted to be out on the beach. Leighton turned 8 months this week, and it was a whole new beach experience with a mobile little girl, instead of a stationary baby. I can only imagine the fun we will have next visit, when she is walking and playing even more. She loved the water, and squealed with delight when the waves came up to her. What a relief that she wasn't afraid!!!
I'm working on my photography skills, and I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable with my camera. I'm really happy with some of the shots from our trip.
Our little goofball.
I am going to try to be more regular on the bloggersphere! I love keeping everyone up to date, and documenting some of my cooking adventures. Surprisingly I am still cooking a lot, and I have tried some yummy creations lately. I will get on it. All I can say is avocado, fig preserves, and live lobster have made some appearances...as well as multiple fruit and veggie purees for the little bit.
I'm working on my photography skills, and I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable with my camera. I'm really happy with some of the shots from our trip.
Our little goofball.
I am going to try to be more regular on the bloggersphere! I love keeping everyone up to date, and documenting some of my cooking adventures. Surprisingly I am still cooking a lot, and I have tried some yummy creations lately. I will get on it. All I can say is avocado, fig preserves, and live lobster have made some appearances...as well as multiple fruit and veggie purees for the little bit.
Happy Fathers Day Daddy!
A first father's day is a big deal, and we made daddy a special surprise for his office...I put these in a triple frame for him, and he loved it!
(gotta thank pinterest and my mommmy friends for the idea!)
The rocking chair used to be Drew's when he was a kid. It was dark brown, so I stripped it down, painted it white and added her name. I think it's really special!
(gotta thank pinterest and my mommmy friends for the idea!)
The rocking chair used to be Drew's when he was a kid. It was dark brown, so I stripped it down, painted it white and added her name. I think it's really special!
A couple beach shots
I practiced with my camera a little bit at the beach. Here are a couple of my fave shots.
I love her sweet little face! I am still learning the settings, but I'm getting better I think!
I love her sweet little face! I am still learning the settings, but I'm getting better I think!
Happy Half Birthday!
Leighton Jane is 6 months already!
This month was a HUGE month for sweet girl. She went from barely sitting, to sitting, to getting all fours, to scooting, to crawling, and to pulling up on everything over a matter of days. No walking haha. I think we are safe for a few months there.
She just got determined and went for it, and there was no stopping her. We are, needless to say, a bit busy around here, but so amazed and proud of her! I think it is pretty obvious we are going to have an active little one, and we are going to have our hands full, but that's a good thing in my eyes!
This is how I find her every time she wakes up now. So cute!
Proud monkey
This month was a HUGE month for sweet girl. She went from barely sitting, to sitting, to getting all fours, to scooting, to crawling, and to pulling up on everything over a matter of days. No walking haha. I think we are safe for a few months there.
She just got determined and went for it, and there was no stopping her. We are, needless to say, a bit busy around here, but so amazed and proud of her! I think it is pretty obvious we are going to have an active little one, and we are going to have our hands full, but that's a good thing in my eyes!
This is how I find her every time she wakes up now. So cute!
Proud monkey
New one for the walls
I had a groupon for a canvas that expires today, so I ordered this one in a big one for our room!
Her eyes seem to be staying bright blue! Crossing our fingers it's permanent, but I know they can still change. Since Drew's eyes are greenish/hazel, there are no guarantees, but they are pretty light, so we will see!
That's the headband I made last week! Love those colors, and especially those little ruffle bloomers!
5 month angel face
Happy 5 months little one!
It's getting a lot harder to take these pictures since I have a mobile monster.
She sits up like a champ now, and as of this weekend she crawled forward a couple times. She hasn't figured out how to do it intentionally yet, so I won't say she's crawling, but she's moving around and it's about to get crazy up in here. Time to baby proof!
as usual, she can't get enough of those big old feet
Gosh I love that little face!
It's getting a lot harder to take these pictures since I have a mobile monster.
She sits up like a champ now, and as of this weekend she crawled forward a couple times. She hasn't figured out how to do it intentionally yet, so I won't say she's crawling, but she's moving around and it's about to get crazy up in here. Time to baby proof!
as usual, she can't get enough of those big old feet
Gosh I love that little face!
Nursery Prints
Lately I've been making some nursery prints for some of my mommy friends and framing them as baby shower gifts. I've done giraffes, birds, butterflies, jungle animals, ballerinas etc...
Here is the one I made for Leighton's room. I love this quote so so much!
I love that it's a personal touch and can be customized for their nursery colors, too. Seriously, I'm thinking about opening an etsy shop! If only I had more time...
Here is the one I made for Leighton's room. I love this quote so so much!
I love that it's a personal touch and can be customized for their nursery colors, too. Seriously, I'm thinking about opening an etsy shop! If only I had more time...
HIghchair DIY update
I finished Leighton's antique highchair re-vamp for her first birthday!
It was a really easy DIY project. I just sanded it down to remove any gloass finish that was left so that the paint would stick. Using a sponge brush I painted on a couple thin coats of the paint. It is the Glidden brand in "sweet corn" color. I think the result turns out a lot better with a sponge brush because it doesn't leave any brush marks, and doing a few thin coats, letting it dry a full 24 hours between each coat, rather than 1 or 2 thick coats keeps it from clumping and leaving drop marks. Once I was finished with the color, I finished with a top coat of a Polycrylic finishing coat in a glossy finish. Perfect!
Here is the before...
during...
with a little helper...
and here is the after!
Clearly I went with yellow and I love it!
Someone also worked in a little playtime with dad while mom worked
It was a really easy DIY project. I just sanded it down to remove any gloass finish that was left so that the paint would stick. Using a sponge brush I painted on a couple thin coats of the paint. It is the Glidden brand in "sweet corn" color. I think the result turns out a lot better with a sponge brush because it doesn't leave any brush marks, and doing a few thin coats, letting it dry a full 24 hours between each coat, rather than 1 or 2 thick coats keeps it from clumping and leaving drop marks. Once I was finished with the color, I finished with a top coat of a Polycrylic finishing coat in a glossy finish. Perfect!
Here is the before...
during...
with a little helper...
and here is the after!
Clearly I went with yellow and I love it!
Someone also worked in a little playtime with dad while mom worked
In her OWN Room!
Our goal was to move Leighton into her own room at 4 months. She has been sleeping beside the bed in her Rock N Play (which is my MUST HAVE if you're going to have a baby - more on that later...I have a post with our favorite baby gear coming soon). We decided 4 months was the time to move her as the SIDS risk goes down at 4-6 months, and she's sleeping through the night, so the convenience for me of having her next to the bed is pretty much gone.
So, we pulled the trigger last week and moved her over. First night was a little rocky - she woke up at 1 and (I am guessing) got disoriented, so I couldn't get her back to sleep, and every time I did, she woke up. At 4:30 she finally fell back asleep. It was a long night. BUT...the next night, I put her down at 7:00, she woke up at 4 ish for a little nibble, fell back asleep till 9:30, um Heck yes, I'll take it! Pretty much every night since then has been about the same. I rock her till she's in a half-sleep and then put her in her crib and let her toss and turn for about 15 mins until she is completely asleep. I am scared of rocking her completely so sleep and then creating a beast that will only go to sleep with my assistance (I have mom friends who have warned me of this) and so far so good! I must say, it's sad to let go and transition to a new big girl stage, but she is sleeping so well, since it's darker and the dogs and drew and me aren't making noises to disrupt her deep sleep.
We have the summer infant baby touch video monitor, which I HIGHLY recommend, so we can keep an eye on her, and/or listen for her, AND we always chuckle at the interesting positions she finds to sleep in.
In the mornings after I hear her wake up, I let her chill in the bed for about 15 minutes before I go get her, and this is what I come to rescue.
I mean...what a happy sweet girl!
So, we pulled the trigger last week and moved her over. First night was a little rocky - she woke up at 1 and (I am guessing) got disoriented, so I couldn't get her back to sleep, and every time I did, she woke up. At 4:30 she finally fell back asleep. It was a long night. BUT...the next night, I put her down at 7:00, she woke up at 4 ish for a little nibble, fell back asleep till 9:30, um Heck yes, I'll take it! Pretty much every night since then has been about the same. I rock her till she's in a half-sleep and then put her in her crib and let her toss and turn for about 15 mins until she is completely asleep. I am scared of rocking her completely so sleep and then creating a beast that will only go to sleep with my assistance (I have mom friends who have warned me of this) and so far so good! I must say, it's sad to let go and transition to a new big girl stage, but she is sleeping so well, since it's darker and the dogs and drew and me aren't making noises to disrupt her deep sleep.
We have the summer infant baby touch video monitor, which I HIGHLY recommend, so we can keep an eye on her, and/or listen for her, AND we always chuckle at the interesting positions she finds to sleep in.
In the mornings after I hear her wake up, I let her chill in the bed for about 15 minutes before I go get her, and this is what I come to rescue.
I mean...what a happy sweet girl!
Sunday evening
There is no better way to end the week and start a new one than rocking my angel to sleep
Sunday crafting
Working on some new bows and headbands for my baldie :)
I think I'm going to have to open an etsy shop with all these supplies.
I think I'm going to have to open an etsy shop with all these supplies.
Owl head
It was cold in Gainesville last week, so bitty got to wear her favorite owl hat ONE MORE TIME! I'm having separation anxiety. Must order new owl hat for next winter like ASAP!
Loving her Mi!!!
Peanut is going bald!
Bitty was born with reddish brown hair, and it was a receding hairline/mullet if you will. Party in the back, business up front. And then last weekend, it fell out. She just became bald! So now I have a little baldie baby girl, and it cracks me up! If you look closely, you can actually see that blondie blonde peach fuzz is growing in, but I believe it will be a while before it fills in, so until then, she'll be sporting some big ole bows on that cute little fuzzy head of hers. We just ordered a whole load of new colorful bows! yippee
Chic Fil A - Healthy and at Home!
I was reading an article about the horrible ingredients in Chic Fil A's fast food. Look I know everyone loves Chic-Fil-A chicken - it just tastes different than that other fast food, but, it's still fast food, and thus full of crappy preservatives and ingredients that are just plain bad for you. The Food Babe posted her Chic-Fil-A investigation and a recipe for making chic-fil-a flavored chicken at home and in a healthier way, so naturally we had to try it.
Here's how it went down:
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts equaling about 1 pound
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup pickle juice
1 1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp baking soda
Optional: whole wheat hamburger buns & pickle slices
Directions
Marinating:
About 4 hours before or the day before – Cut chicken breasts in half making 4 similar size pieces and pound the chicken to ½ inch thick.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp paprika and place in a bag with 1 cup pickle juice. Let marinate for at least 4 hours to one day prior to baking.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Make dredging station:
In one bowl, combine and stir flours, sugar, baking soda, 1 tsp paprika, dry mustard.
In another bowl, whisk egg and almond milk together.
Remove chicken from marinade and dredge one piece of chicken at a time in egg bath, ensuring each side is wet and dredge in flour mixture coating each side. (Make sure you don't make the flour coating too thick - I made this mistake the first time and it's better a little bit on the thinner side)
Spray wire rack with oil or butter to prevent sticking and place each flour coated chicken piece on the wire rack with pan on bottom. Spray each piece liberally with olive oil covering both sides.
Place tray of chicken in oven and after 12 minutes, turn each piece of chicken over. Let bake for anotehr 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Take out of the oven and let rest at least 5 minutes.
We added some corn and sugar snap peas as some good old southern sides. Who needs waffle fries?!
Guess what?! It really did taste like chic-fil-a, and I felt good about eating it and not like I need an extra work out in the morning. Point for us.
Here's how it went down:
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts equaling about 1 pound
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup pickle juice
1 1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp baking soda
Optional: whole wheat hamburger buns & pickle slices
Directions
Marinating:
About 4 hours before or the day before – Cut chicken breasts in half making 4 similar size pieces and pound the chicken to ½ inch thick.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp paprika and place in a bag with 1 cup pickle juice. Let marinate for at least 4 hours to one day prior to baking.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Make dredging station:
In one bowl, combine and stir flours, sugar, baking soda, 1 tsp paprika, dry mustard.
In another bowl, whisk egg and almond milk together.
Remove chicken from marinade and dredge one piece of chicken at a time in egg bath, ensuring each side is wet and dredge in flour mixture coating each side. (Make sure you don't make the flour coating too thick - I made this mistake the first time and it's better a little bit on the thinner side)
Spray wire rack with oil or butter to prevent sticking and place each flour coated chicken piece on the wire rack with pan on bottom. Spray each piece liberally with olive oil covering both sides.
Place tray of chicken in oven and after 12 minutes, turn each piece of chicken over. Let bake for anotehr 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Take out of the oven and let rest at least 5 minutes.
We added some corn and sugar snap peas as some good old southern sides. Who needs waffle fries?!
Guess what?! It really did taste like chic-fil-a, and I felt good about eating it and not like I need an extra work out in the morning. Point for us.
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