Almond Butter Cups and bartering for a sitter...

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been a little MIA lately, lots of exciting things have been happening and have distracted me from the kitchen and the computer.

I originally pinned this recipe and thought that I would save it for Christmas gifts or a hostess gift, but when I need a sitter last week I used them to help me barter for a little help. Liam has a sitter that we love, but money has been a little tight; so friends have been helping me out. Its great to have friends that are there for us all the time. And paying for childcare in pastries is always a plus!

Liam got to spend some "man" time with my BFF's boyfriend, Caleb. Karen and Caleb are truly like family to us. Liam really looks up to Caleb and I know that he has a great time with him. I wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch their interaction, I'm sure it is hilarious.

Remembering a Fashion Icon and Lime Meltaways...

Its a sad day for fashion lovers everywhere, the great Lily Pulitzer has passed. She was known for her brightly colored prints that are recognizable from miles away. As the story goes it all started with a juice stand, she needed a print to cover the juice stains and thus the fashion empire was born. I've always imagined getting one of her cute shift dresses for a vacation to the beach.

Need some advice...

So I picked up these candle holders up at the Goodwill for $2 each...any advice on colors to paint? I'm thinking a royal blue, not sure!

A Breakfast Smoothie and Saving a Buck...

Mornings around here are pretty relaxed, Liam usually sneaks into bed with me and we cuddle, talk about the dreams we had, he plays a game on my iPhone, and I try to sneak in a couple more minutes of sleep. But some mornings are very rushed, especially school days. We both aren't big on breakfast and eating early, but I always try to get him to eat something. And one of the best and most convenient is a smoothie, just throw it into a cup with a lid and straw and your off.

I try pack as much healthy stuff in these as possible. We all know kids can be picky about veggies, Liam's actually pretty good about them. He loves broccoli, carrots, green beans; I'm actually pretty blessed and amazed at this kid. 

Here's one of our regular smoothies its the Banana, Spinach, Blueberry, and Greek Yogurt. The banana to fill him up, spinach for all the vitamins and nutrients, yogurt for calcium, and blueberries because they are a super food. I know what your thinking, "spinach in a smoothie?" yeah, its awesome, you cannot taste the spinach and it takes it from healthy to super-healthy!

I get most of these ingredients at Costco, saves me a lot of money shopping there every two weeks. I never imagined that I would ever shop at a wholesale store until I started realizing how much money I was saving. And the samples are always a plus! 

I used to be a person that would choose convenience over doing it myself, until I noticed how much money I was throwing away or making other people rich. And one of those areas was the smoothie store, you know which ones I'm talking about..the ones with the long lines and overpriced blended fruit drinks. Well no more my friends, its all about saving a buck or $10. 

What do you do at home that saves you a lot of money?

Banana, Spinach, Blueberry, Yogurt Smoothie

makes 2

1 Cup Frozen Organic Blueberries

Handful of Fresh Organic Spinach

1 Banana

1/3 Cup Greek Yogurt

1 Teaspoon Agave Nectar

1/3 Cup Milk

Place all ingredients in blender and blend up!

A couple more projects finished...

Hey everyone, hope you all enjoyed your Easter weekend! I did for sure, had a great time with a friend on Saturday evening and spent all Easter day with Liam and my "Colorado Family" up in the mountains.

Its been taking me so long to finish projects lately, cause I keep adding more stuff to my never ending to do list and I start a new project before the last one five are complete...have to work on that!

I gave you all an idea that I was redecorating an ottoman in my post about redoing my table and chairs. I was so stoked when I found this cute chevron fabric and knew it was for my current ottoman. This piece was a thrift store find a few years ago, snagged it for $5 and recovered it with that bright retro fabric. Its seen better days; since Liam uses it for a desk, dining table, and a diving board.

 I'm in love with my curtains that I purchased from Ikea a while back! I took down the awful vertical blinds that are in every apartment in America (shh...don't tell my landlord).

The whole project took me about an hour to do, not including drying time for primer and paint. I just ripped the old fabric off, lightly sanded the legs with 100 grit sand paper, primer, paint, and new fabric.

2 coats of both primer and paint... 

I can't express how much I love it! It really brightens up the space. Next is the chair behind that ottoman, going to get a dark grey fabric, but finishing up everything else I have started. 

I also started and finished something that I wanted should have started 4 years ago and that was Liam's growth chart. I kept coming up on images on Pinterest of giant looking rulers and went with that look, something that will grow along with him as opposed to something cutesy and babyish. 

my new "Lips"print from The AESTATE, sitting in its temporary home...

I started with a bare piece of birch, measuring 6 foot tall, 4 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. Lightly sanded it. Before staining I wrote a special message to him, something that will make cry every time I look at it, HA! 

I applied 2 coats of stain, after its said and done I wish I would have done 3. It has this blueish grey tint to it, that really flows with the rest of the apartment. 

To finish, I painted numbers on with some black acrylic paint and a stencil. It looks really cute and Liam loves getting measured! I'm hoping that he will one day reuse the growth chart for something creative, fingers crossed!

Do you have any projects that you've finished recently?