Holiday Wreath for 2014

It's no secret that the best time to do holiday shopping is the day after Christmas. Call me crazy, but I just can't pass up a good sale and our local Michael's craft store had some excellent deals this year. Sadly, many of their sale items were heavily picked over by the time my mom and I arrived at the store, but we still found some things that made it worth the trip.

Somehow I got it into my mind that I would create a silver and purple holiday wreath for our church for use next year and lo and behold, a few bags of floral goodies and several glue sticks later, my dream came to life. Here's how it progressed:

After I'd picked out the wreath fillers at Michaels, I came home and arranged them sans glue to see how they would look.

I couldn't find silver pointsettias so I used white ones instead and added silver glitter
around the center. 

Then I used silver spray paint on the filler items I found so that they'd go with the color palette.

The finished product!

Apple's Holiday Win

As a self-described "techie" and marketing maven, I have great respect for the creative minds behind Apple's ads. In fact, I can't recall ever disliking any of their commercials and this year is no exception. If you haven't seen "Misunderstood," take a look here. I watched it with my hubby and neither one of us had dry eyes when it was over. Apple, you never cease to delight!

Nursery Completion

It took me several months post-babies to complete, but better late than never! Here are a few snapshots of the nursery. We went with a Noah's ark theme, which basically means I put animals everywhere.

I also picked a flexible color scheme with lots of green, blue, orange, yellow and brown. I love the variety. The boys seem to enjoy it as well. They can stare at the stuff on the walls for hours. It's amazing watching babies explore the world in front of them. It makes all the effort put into decorating this room worth it.

The giraffe was a baby shower present and I think it adds a playful
touch to the room.

The letters hung above the cribs were part of a custom order on Etsy.

I love the shelves above the gliding chair. They're great for showing off
a book collection.

It's not very tidy, but here is the changing station. The boys love the
 mirror, which is great for keeping them distracted during
diaper changes.

Nature's Orchestra

This is one of the most amazing things I've seen in a long time. Playwright Robert Wilson recorded the harmonious sound of crickets one night. With a little recording magic, he was then able to stretch out the sound they make "by as much as one would have to stretch the life of a cricket to equal that of a human." The result is something that sounds very much like an intentional orchestra. Bravo, mother nature!

Listen to the full recording here: https://soundcloud.com/acornavi/robert-wilson-crickets-audio

The Wonderland Project

Check out these breathtaking photos from professional photographer Kirsty Mitchell. They're all a part of her Wonderland Collection, which pays tribute to her deceased mother who loved to read and tell great stories. These photos certainly tell stories of their own, don't they? Stunning!

Post-Pregnancy Wardrobe

Can we take a moment to acknowledge how taxing pregnancy can be on a woman's body? Having finally gone through it myself, I can speak from experience when I say that it's totally unfair to go through months of morning sickness, swollen hands and feet (hello, cankles!), indigestion, and general discomfort only to come out on the other side with a completely different body shape. 

Although I only have about 10 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I have curves in places where curves probably shouldn't be. Some lovely lady lumps, if you will. So how the heck do I dress this new body of mine? Fellow moms, you've no doubt wondered the same thing after your pregnancies. I'm open to your advice and suggestions!

In the meantime, all I can say is thank God for Pinterest, stretchy pants, scarves, and fall boots. Easy pairings like the ideas below that flatter new mom figures, I think. 

Celebrating Fall

I had the foresight to decorate our front porch for the fall season before the boys arrived. I'm so glad I did! For the sake of saving precious free time (which I have little of these days), I went with a theme that we can keep up over Halloween and Thanksgiving. Done and done.

It sort of seems silly to be excited about such a trivial thing as fall decorations, but I'm quickly discovering that any "me time" activities that I can squeeze in throughout the day help keep me sane. Oh, the joys of motherhood! :)

Welcome to Parenthood

Although our boys weren't due to make their grand entrance into the world until today, I developed some third trimester pregnancy complications with the end result being an expedited due date. So...on Friday, October 4th, at 1:03 and 1:04pm, we officially became parents. Hooray!

Henry Joseph Davis is on the left and Liam August Davis is on the right. We are so in love with them!

What Have I Been Up To?

Hi Friends! It's been a while hasn't it? Over the last few weeks, I kept telling myself to post, but life kept getting in the way (a good thing, if you ask me.) So what have I been up to lately? Are you sitting down? This is a long update!

In early June, we kicked off a plethora of home improvement projects (that "nesting" thing that happens during pregnancy is most certainly real), starting with a complete front porch remodel:

The front porch BEFORE the remodel. 

The front porch AFTER the remodel, taken on the day of my baby shower. (More on that later.) 

We also spent some time in Montana celebrating the marriage of our church friends:

Snapped this from my iPhone so it's a little blurry.

This was taken at the wedding. I was at my
20-week mark, halfway through the pregnancy. Yippy!

Later in the month, I held a Mad Men-themed party for Mike's 40th birthday. We even had our very own in-house bartender:

A little snippet of the bar that we set-up in our kitchen.

These are the custom cookies we had made especially for the event. 

Doesn't Mike look fantastic in that jacket? I threw
on anything that would fit over my belly. 

In mid-July, we bounced around barbeques. Our neighbors hosted an excellent one for Independence Day, though I forgot to snap photos. We also participated in a 4D ultrasound session. I'd share the photos from that adventure, but most people find them creepy. I thought it was an amazing process. 

Then just last week, we hosted Mike's parents for 10 days. We had a blast taking them around the Ballard Locks, Green Lake, The Museum of Flight, Alki Beach... we covered a lot of ground.

Oh, and to cap off their visit, my mom came over to our house and threw me a tea party-themed baby shower. It was fantastic! I didn't even have to travel anywhere!

The table was set for a lovely afternoon tea 

Beautiful tea cups covered the living room tables. 

Some of the colorful decorations hung just outside the dining room.

Custom tea cup cookies made for great party favors. 

Needless to say, the last month or so has been a bit of a blur with all of the activity. Until I get back on track with my regular posting schedule, things may be sporadic. That's what this time of year is all about though, right?  In the meantime, I hope you are all having a fabulous summer!

Friday Funny

I personally know a few women who suffer from this condition. They're the nicest people in the world, but they constantly look like they've got a bone to pick with you.

Happy Friday!


**Apologies for the last 30 seconds of the video - like most Saturday Night Live skits, it goes a step too far.**

A Weekend in Bozeman

Our friends Andrew and Rachel got married in Bozeman, Montana over the weekend so we drove out there to help them celebrate. What a beautiful place! We saw all kinds of wildlife and the people were so down to earth. Everything seemed to move at a slower pace as well, which helped to make our trip feel relaxing, despite our brief stay. I would gladly visit again!

Inside the historic Hotel Baxter where the reception took place

A mom and pop store along Main Street in Bozeman had this outside
of their entrance.

Helping Kids Get Better

I LOVE this! Somewhere in America, a hospital has started using these "superformula" containers as inspiration for the sick children they treat. They mask things like IV bags. The kids are told that inside the superhero shell is the substance they need to get back into crime-fighting shape. What kid wouldn't love that wrapped around their IV feed?

Monday Munchies

After a wonderful weekend in Vancouver followed by some time off from blogging and other projects, I feel recharged and ready to jump back into the swing of normal life this week. How about you? 

Here's a fun little snack idea from Mom on Timeout. It calls for refrigerated sugar cookie mix from the store, but I think it would be just as delicious with boxed cookies (iced lemon or maybe even shortbread). Yum!

You can read the full recipe here. 

Friday Funny

I've never been a fan of the show "The Bachelor," though I hear it's a hit with the ladies. Personally, I've always felt that if you've seen one reality TV show, you've seen them all. BUT, this one takes the cake.

Also, I hope you all enjoy the holiday weekend. We're off to Vancouver (good ol' Canadia land) for a little babymoon. Can't wait!

Fun With Washi Tape

Ashley's Dandelion Wishes has TONS of ideas for using washi tape. (If you're unfamiliar with washi tape, hink duct tape light, but with more design options.) Here are a few fun ideas that stood out to me, but you can check out the entire list here. So creative!

Monday Munchies

Hooray! I'm so glad it's Monday. 

Said nobody. Ever. 

At least this coming weekend is a holiday weekend so there's that to look forward to. Oh, and this tasty snack makes me happy too. It's a little bit of fig jam (they sell this in the cheese section at our local Safeway), some sliced cheese (Manchego is best), and a little piece of sesame bread. Yummy!

More Home Improvements

We've also added some new pieces to our living room and dining room recently and I'm in love with the changes. In the living room, we added some french-inspired artwork on the walls and added a beautiful oriental rug underneath the coffee table. In the dining room, we added new lighting fixtures that also sort of have some french flair. One year after moving in, we're finally putting our stamp on our house. It's been a lot of fun so far!

Home Improvements

So we finally bit the bullet and paid to start our front porch remodel. It'll take about 30 days to complete and if successful, it'll return our porch to its former glory. It went through a bad facelift about 10 years ago when the previous home owner decided it would be a good idea to replace the tongue and groove flooring with cold, modern slate. Since our house was built in 1903, the slate is a bit of a red herring so I'm happy to get rid of it. 

Keep your eyes open for an update on the porch (with photos!) sometime toward the end of June. I think it's going to look amazing.

Out with the old...

Friday Funny

It's a cat in a shark costume chasing a baby duck. Why? WHY NOT?!

Happy Friday everyone. I hope you enjoy the weekend!

A Few of My Favorite Scarves

It could be a billion degrees outside and I'd probably still be cold. That's why I love scarves so much. I hear they're pretty stylish these days, but I love them because I can better regulate my body heat without having to put on a parka. Now, which of these do I choose for sprucing up my spring wardrobe...

Spice Market Scarf - Anthropologie

Adorned Scarf - Nordstrom

Neck Mate Scarf - Lulu's

Bird Scarf - Gap

Indio Scarf - Francesca's

Monday Munchies

Well friends, I can't say the last week or so has been easy. We had a lovely visit from family last weekend and I was feeling great going into Monday, but apparently my body had other plans. Let's just say that I'm getting very familiar with the emergency room at our preferred hospital. I'm okay at the moment, but who knows what's lurking around the corner, waiting to pop up. Needless to say, if I'm suddenly absent for a few days (or an entire week like last week), odds are I'm off dealing with this tricky pregnancy.

On a much lighter, tastier note, don't these spiced pecans from Martha Stewart look yummy?  They remind me of the Sweet 'N' Spicy Pecans that Trader Joe's makes. I can scarf down an entire bag in one sitting if I'm not careful. So delicious.

Photo courtesy of CooksCountry.com. (Sorry Martha, your
recipe photos need some work!)

DIY Fabric Bleach Art

Craft By Photo has this fun idea for adding a fun design to ordinary table napkins.  You just need a little bleach, a pencil, and some toothpicks. In the example below, she created a pretty floral pattern, but if you're artsy enough, the sky is the limit!

Monday Munchies

Cookie dough greek yogurt?! Where has this been all my life? Just add 1 tbsp. of creamy peanut butter, 1 tbsp. of honey, 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tbsp. of miniature chocolate chips and a dash of sea salt.

Friday Funny

If this billboard describes your significant other, I hope you'll find a laugh in it. Happy Friday!

DIY Easy Jolly Roger Lollipops

I got this idea from a blog called Modern Mom and it looks like a fun project for a rainy day. I'm saving this one for when we actually have kids to do it with, but I don't know if I'll be able to wait that long. I love Jolly Roger candies!

To make these homemade lollipops you will need:

• A bag of Jolly Roger hard candies (unwrapped)
• Lollipop sticks
• A baking sheet (lined with aluminum foil)

Heat the oven to 275 degrees. 

Place 3 Jolly Roger candies next to each other on the lined baking sheet. Repeat the 3-candy pairings for as many lollipops as you'd like to make, keeping each lollipop approximately 4 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. 

Pop the baking sheet into the oven for 6 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet and turn the oven off. Immediately insert your lollipop sticks into each colorful melted blob. Allow the cooking sheet 10 to 15 minutes to cool, or enough time to let the candy harden and take shape. 

So fun!

Monday Munchies

I've been snacking like a mad woman lately and unfortunately, it hasn't all been healthy. (For the record, Lays Potato Chips totally nailed it with their "can't eat just one" slogan. Sad, but so true.) Needless to say, I've felt the need to come up with some healthier snacking alternatives. As I have a tendency to inhale anything with a lot of carbohydrates in it, I've looked for solutions that have more protein. This one hits the spot! Cottage cheese by itself may not seem all that appealing, but it's delicious with a little honey, cinnamon and toast. I think cinnamon raisin toast tastes best, but good old-fashioned whole wheat works fine as well.

Happy snacking!