wish list.

Today I am linking up with Heather over at Big City Belle for Wish List Wednesday!

Honestly the husband has been asking me for a couple weeks to come up with a list and I guess it is about time I do it (or else he may just say nevermind!)!

Michael Kors Hollywood

Clay Rice Custom Silhouette (of my little man)

Lagos Luna Pearl Studs

and tuperware!  The kind with the lids that stack!


What has made your wish list this year??

Go link up with Big City Bell and let us know!!

brown bag turkey

I love cooking for Thanksgiving!!  It is such a great day.  I love all the smells of Thanksgiving foods, fall candles and the sounds of parades and football and family!  This year it will just be the three of us, which should be interesting as I have never cooked such a meal for such a small group.  So we are going to have to be ALL about the leftovers!!

We have all of our groceries purchased and I am ready to start bright and early Thursday morning!!

I guess it was around 5 years ago when I first tried the "Brown Bag Turkey" recipe.  A local DJ in Dallas, Kidd Kraddick always talked about it and callers always called in raving about his recipe.  I hosted Waynes entire family for Thanksgiving that year and it was my first try at the turkey.  So easy and absolutely AMAZEBALLS!!  Everyone spoke the words "juiciest turkey", "best turkey"...you get the drift!  I was so proud...its been a staple ever since.  I have had quite a few family members start using this recipe themselves. 

The only think I do different than what the recipe calls for is I do inject the turkey with the Tony Cachere's cajun injections!

via Kidd Kraddick Brown Bag Turkey

The turkey being placed in the brown bag allows the turkey to roast to perfection...way better than any of those roasting bags!

Definately give it a try!!

Our sides this year will include mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, orange scented cranberry sauce and homeade macaroni and cheese.

The mac and cheese is Wayne's only request...he claims it to be a traditional Tgiving food...I disagree. 

Oh well!

I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We all have so much to be thankful for!

radio flyer

We are going to be in Houston next week for Parker's 1st Birthday!!  It still does not seem right that my baby is already a year old.

Anyway, since his gift arrived yesterday we decided to go ahead and let him have it!!

He was excited just to see the box (he loves playing with boxes) but once we got it together he was ready to go.  Folding the seats, trying to take off the canopy, pushing it and just trying to figure it all out.  I am hoping the rain in our forecast will move through quickly so we can get some walks in before the snow heads this way!!  Then it will be wagon walks through the house, garage and basement for us!

DIY Ruffle Tree Skirt

Pinterest has sucked me in to being crafty once again!!  We decided to pull all of our Christmas decor up from the basement this weekend and it got me thinking that I was ready for a new tree skirt.

I decided before I went out to purchase a new one I would attempt the ruffled DIY I had seen on Pinterest.  (If it turned out a mess...no loss, right?)

So I headed to Hobby Lobby on a fabric search.  My tree is decorated in browns, golds, apple green, deep red with a few splashes of other colors.   I really was not sure what I was going for with the skirt but just decided to keep it pretty simple.  I didnt want sparkle or shine or anything like that. 

Here are the products used to make the skirt.  I used my old tree skirt as the base.

old tree skirt, glue gun, glue sticks, scissors, 5 yars of fabric

I got a total of 5 yards of fabric combined.  3 of the print and 2 of the solid.  I cut my fabric into 4 inch strips.  Once it was cut I started to glue.  I started from the outside and worked my way in.  I would glue down a little, then ruffle, and repeat.  Make sure to overlap your rows a little!

This step went on for a few hours with many breaks throughout.  And here is my final product!

Overall I am really happy with it!  Once I have it around my tree I may decided I do want to add a little shine after all.  If that is the case I may add a think layer between existing layers of some shimmer..but that is really only if I can find a fabric that will work!!

Hope to have my tree done this week and will post pics of the skirt with tree then!!!

Fall in Love: Fall Colors

I love the colors of fall.  Everything from the scenery outdoors to apparel.  My home is decorated in mostly fall colors.  I find them so warm, comfy and welcoming.

Source: photocardboutique.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Cheryl on Pinterest

this photo is actually taken at the bridge down the road from me (I was not the photographer)

Source: scrapbooksetc.com via Penny on Pinterest

Source: awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com via Lea on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Lynn on Pinterest

Source: homestoriesatoz.com via Kris on Pinterest

Head on over and visit Heather at Big City Belle and link up!

final product

Remember this high chair I snagged at a garage sale for $20 after seeing the idea on the ever so wonderful Pinterest?

Well here is a sneak peek of the final product!!

Parker's birthday pics/family pics ended up taking two weekends to complete due to it being so cold.  This was from the first weekend...37 degrees.  He was miserable and as soon as this was snapped I grabbed him, we got in the warm car and he passed out!!

Myself and my photograher have both already had people asking about the highchair and if they can use it!

WILW

It has been a little bit since I linked up with Jaime for a WILW!!

I am lovin... Essie's Grow Stronger polish.  I NEVER have nice nails.  I admit I bite here and there.  Started using this product a few weeks ago and my nails have never looked so good!!

I am lovin.... that it is offically "red cup" time of year!  Everytime I have a red cup I feel ready to walk the aisles of stores listening to holiday cheer and drinking some warm, yummy goodness!!  Its my motivation to get that holiday shopping done!

I am lovin... that October is over!  Do you know that I only saw my hubby 10 days of the entire month.  Due to each of us traveling at different times.  Makes for a sad Mommy, missing her hubby and a sad Daddy, missing his baby boy (see how that worked!)!

I am lovin... Chantecaille's Future Skin.  I need this stuff in the winter.  My skin tends to pull red and when the cooler months come, and my skin is lacking a tan it just doesn't look its best!  This is what keeps me looking somewhat normal!!

I am lovin...these pinterest finds!

Source: southernliving.com via Missy on Pinterest

Source: thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com via Missy on Pinterest

Source: piccsy.com via Missy on Pinterest

Happy Wednesday!!

custom only

So I had to share because this disturbed me.

Two weeks ago I ordered a smash cake for Parker's first bday pics.  Since our session was originally to be held on the 29th  We ended up cancelling due to snow., so I called and cancelled our cake order.

This past week I went in to reorder the cake.  While I was there the guy working said...we still have your cake from last week if you want to see it and make sure it is what you want.  Well it was not.  I asked for a white cake with baby blue and pastel green polka dots (to match his hat, bib and boxers for the pics).  The cake he showed me had  a darker blue and emerald green dots....glad I was able to see it.

NOW fo the disturbing part.  I went in Friday night to pick up Parker's new cake AND the cake from the week before was now in the display case to be sold.  GROSS.  It was a week old.  I feel so bad for whomever ends up buying that stale cake.

So my advice...always custom order and NEVER buy out of the display, ITS OLD!

ready for the weekend.

Super excited for this weekend.  Tomorrow we are taking family pictures and Parker's 1st birthday pics!  I LOVE our photographer Christy!  She is an Alabama girl also stuck up here in the northeast and we were introduced through one of my cousins best friends.  She has done such a great job with all of our photos since Parkers birth and I know these will be just as amazing!!

I still have no idea what I am going to wear.  I always lean towards black, due to it being a very good camoflauge of any imperfections!  But I may step outside my box and do some color...guess you will have to wait and see!

The weather here is chilly so I am planning to spend the rest our weekened decorating for fall, making yummy soups and relaxing with my boys!  Any soup recipes you want to share??

I hope you all have a great weekend!!  I will leave you with some pics of my precious little guy (bc lets be honest...there probably are not too many better ways to start your weekend!)

11 months. a day late.

*(I was waiting to do this post till I took his 11 mos pics, but due to his little cold...he wants nothing to do with those pics!)

It makes me cry to even say it, but my sweet baby boy is 11 months old.  I cannot believe that in just ONE month we will be celebrating his first birthday.  SIGH!

This month he has really been working on his walking!  He gets better and better each day!  He usually takes about 8 or so steps and then falls.  He usually gets back up and goes at it again, other times he just crawls to where he wants to be.

He finally said Mama...music to my ears!!  Also says Dada, baba, ticka ticka.

We went from 4 bottles a day to 3.  We also started giving more table food.  We have tried EVERYTHING I can think of and the ONLY things he will eat are pancakes, goldfish, cheerios, bananas and peas.  Anything else I put on his tray he has no interest in.  Any advice?

Still sleeps great.  Goes to bed between 7-730 and wakes up around 8-830.  Still taking 2 naps a day.

He has 5 teeth now and with the way he has been chewing on everything, I would not be shocked if a few more were on the way in!

Loves throwing things...with both hands.  Still not really favoring one hand over the other.

Unfortunately he had his frist ER visit this month...this past Friday he fell pretty hard on the tile.  That night as I was putting him to bed he started to vomit.  When I say vomit...it was like something in a movie.  Thankfully I called my friend who had watched him earlier that night to make sure he had not eaten anything and she let me know that vomitting after a hitting their heads can be a sign of a concussion.  So she rushed over (Wayne was on a flight home) and we headed to the ER.  Wayne landed and met us at the hospital.  They did some nuerological exams and said he seemed fine and we headed home.  So glad all turned out well, but I do not want to be back there anytime soon!

He is still in a size 3 diaper, but I think we will move to the size 4 at night soon.

With his clothes he is everywhere.  The size variance from brand to brand amazes me. 

But for the most part he wears  9 and 9 to 12 months.

Parker,

You are such a big boy and growing so quickly.  These past 11 months have been amazing and I cannot believe how quickly they have flown by.  You are so funny, smart and showing such independence.  You are just like your Mama when it comes to knowing what you want! 

We love you so much!!

Mommy and Daddy!