summer fun | birdhouse DIY

after our really fun experience with baby birds over the last couple weeks- which by the way on Sunday morning we were all sitting at the breakfast table and we happened to be in the right place at the right time because those sweet babies hopped out of the 5-gallon bucket their nest was in and took their first flight!  the mama bird was coaxing and encouraging the entire time from the patio table and it was just the coolest thing I have ever seen!  I couldn't get to my phone fast enough to snap a picture from the window.. and I wasn't about to get out on the patio to get in the middle of it all, but a fun sight for the girls to see and thats memories enough for me.  

ANYway.

Jordan has been pinning summer projects to do with the big girls since they are at the most amazing age and are the biggest helpers these days and number one on his list was a bird house.. err, houses.  I wont fool you into thinking we did this all on our own.. well, let me rephrase- JORDAN didn't do this on his own accord, but what is pinterest for, anyway?  we found these plans and they seemed easy enough, and cheap enough to build these sweet little houses for the birdies in our yard all with Parker  and Jolie's helping little hands. plus, she gleaned the plans from Ana White, and Jordan is a BIG Ana White fan.  while these wont boast to be the most beautiful and articulate, they are darn cute hanging in the trees in our backyard.  

Jordan did the handy work and cut the wood with a miter saw from cedar boards, and then used gorilla glue to hold the boards in place before using the nail gun to secure.

I was impressed at how quickly they came together and how cute they were!  remember, I am the furthest thing from a DIY'er, so my level of time expectation for these kind of things are incredibly high. he basically cut + glued+ nailed in like less than 2 hours.  

2 hours with little hands right there along the way to 'help'.

pretty good! 

Jordan stained the tops of the houses- protecting them from the weather, but also because it looked really good AND we had some left over stain from when he and his dad did the stain on our outdoor living area.  

last weekend while Jolie and I took Baker to make a grocery run, Parker went with her dad to get the supplies for these houses.  which also means she picked the colors for paint!  Jordan made sure to choose a water-based latex paint- safe for the birds and the babes.  we just painted the outside of the houses, so the inside is still raw cedar wood.  safety again for the birds and their babies!

naturally there was coral.  purple, and yellow.  Jordan kept calling it red and Parker kept correcting him that it was PINK and ya'll its really coral, if we are being picky.  purple for Jo- by far her favorite color. and yellow for baby Baker Bree.

such a FUN and easy way to DIY with your kids!  Parker + Jolie have been talking about the birds since we hung these houses in the trees.  I cant wait to watch and see how these houses are used for the rest of the season.  I know these wont be the last birdhouses we build. Jordan is already talking about the other kinds of birdhouses that we need to build to attract this bird and that bird.. 

you know what kind of bird I actually want?  

chickens.

but thats for another blog post. 

Valentine's Day weekend in pictures

happy monday, folks! 

this weekend was rather low key, but filled with family and friends.. and the complete loss of my voice.  conversations have been exhausting and I'm hoping it returns soon!  BUT it didnt stop us from celebrating this weekend-o-love with some of our favs!

beanie // onesie c/o // tights

this.  this girl.  she has some internal alarm clock that tells her its time to wake before 7am every single day.  when her dad is at the fire station.. this is what I wake up to.  my bed is full of either puzzles or books or both.  we are really adamant about making them stay in their bed until 7am or later- and often it is a result of telling her to get back in bed until the green light on your alarm clock comes on.  it usually works and then sometimes its just sweet to let her play quietly while the rest of the house is asleep.

friday night we were desperate for dinner on the patio somewhere- the weather has been unreal!  this week its supposed to be in the 80's (gasp!).  we met auntie and uncle j for mexican food and then headed back to their house for dessert.

bow c/o

 uncle j's specialty.. pizookee!  chocolate chip cookies topped with ice cream topped with chocolate syrup.  the big girls were digging it!

..all while the babes slept soundly.

 jammies

 saturday we went to jenna's, let the big girls and truett play on their new outdoor play set and then had dinner + dessert together.  I got zero pictures.

I have bene having really bad insomnia lately when Jordan is gone to work..so I found myself on pinterest and midnight eating a bowl of cereal and decided to try my hand at a fancy valentine's day chalkboard:)

we DIY'd these doors months ago and this was my first time to really break them in.

 sunday morning Jordan came home bearing gifts for the big girls.. so sweet!

they were SO excited about their valentine's day gifts from their daddy!

 jammies c/o

 sunday night it was our turn.. dinner out sans kiddos.

a long time coming and much needed. 

 floral top via groopdealz

I hope you all had a great weekend- and felt big love from your people.

xo!

Get Your Frame On | Weekend Project with Minted

I am not a DIY'er.  As badly as I would love to lie and say I am.. I'm just not.  I have so many ideas and quite a vision, but fail miserably time and time again when it comes to execution of those DIY home projects.  SO.. while I am SO excited about our new gallery wall, I will not claim to have made the canvases or even to have hung them on the wall.  What usually starts for me as a fun exciting idea in my head can quickly turn into a disaster.  I leave BB to help me do that.. 

She helps me do a lot of things.  Christmas decor is next on her list of "Amber to-do's"

Building a gallery wall can be hard.  It can be a long process.  Finding the perfect pieces to put on display in your home can also be a little intimidating.  

What is the perfect amount of photos/prints to hang?

Do they all have to be framed?

Do they have to be photos? 

Whether its big or small or somewhere in between, your unique touch to creating a gallery wall in your home can elevate any space.  I can speak first hand in this.. I've never spent so much time in my hallway.  I am taking the longer route to the nursery just so I can walk past it.  I can see it from where I sit in the kitchen and cant stop glancing at it over my computer screen as I type. 

theme + texture + framing + size

The key to creating a successful and cohesive gallery is a mixture of four components: theme, texture, framing, and size.  The first thing and probably most important in my book is deciding on an overall theme to your wall.

The obvious theme I have chosen for my wall is 'family'.  It is definitely OK to have several different mediums within your gallery wall.  The variance of shape and texture (Bible verse + wooden painted sign + floral deer antlers) helps to draw attention to the space - providing distinction between the different focus points of the wall.  Framing is also a great way to break up the wall.  When putting together my gallery wall I knew I wanted to include the classic frameless canvas prints, but I also wanted to include a custom framed art print and a few other non-picture components.  Lastly there is the factor of size to think about.  Size of your wall, but also size and shape of your photos and wall details.  You want them to be a large size for a large space.. filling a gigantic blank space with a bunch of smaller frames awkwardly spaced out too far apart will just look like a jumbled mess, even if you have the other three components to your wall.   

 

 Minted is among one of my favorite places to go for paper products, cards, stationary and prints.  I just LOVE that they work with a community of independent artists and their design options are endless - not to mention, a portion of all Minted sales are donated to Every Mother Counts.

   This gallery wall design has been in progress for quite some time.  I have been collecting prints here and there since the twins' first year of life, and finally I felt like I had the vision that would bring it all together.  When deciding on my framed print, I knew I wanted to focus a custom print solely on Miss Baker Bree.  I fell in love with the Day in Our Life wall art.  The cluster of smaller photographs made the perfect collage in itself - capturing the special moment of the last four months of our Baker Girl's life.
 

 this girl.  that pucker.

those hand me down duckie pajamas

so much happy.

   Gah!  I love how it turned out so much!  I may add to it here and there at time goes one, but for right now I am completely impressed with how well these came together as one complete space.  Minted is such a great resource for unique and completely swoon-worthy prints.  The professionally finished products, frame options, and perfect prints are awesome for anywhere in your home.  If you are looking for the perfect something to start or to add to your own gallery wall, I would consider Minted*!

canvas wall art via groupon

faux deer antlers

'baker bree' print c/o minted 

*I was provided product for free, but as always- expressed opinions are my own. 

Pumpkin Patch 2015

Last night we made our first trip (of 8 billion between now and Halloween) to the pumpkin patch that is near our home.  There are just a few in this area worth taking the kiddos to, and this patch has been around for 10+ years.  I had yet to actually come to this pumpkin patch before we brought the girls for their first patch experience three whole October's ago.  SO hard to wrap my head around that!

While we would love to come early in the day- it is still pretty warm out. Once it hits about 4-5pm in the afternoon it gets comfortable and is the perfect timing for a visit to a practically empty pumpkin patch.  

shirt / nordstrom (old) similar // bow (handmedown) similar // spooky babe / lola + darla

Every time we bring the girls to something we did in the years past, its like an entirely new experience for them all together.  I kind of love that!  We have hit an age this year that they have really come to understand a lot, absorb a lot, and remember everything!  I am so excited for this season of life with my little big girls.

ONE thing is for sure.. photos are getting harder to capture.  Parker and Jolie have become very independent and love the 'control' of making up their own mind.

"MOM! Nnnoo picture taking!  No, Mom!"

pom necklaces c/o little dovie // tees c/o winter lennon // tutus / old (similar) // leggings / target // moccs / hello moccs

 ..and then the sillies come out and the picture taking requests are on!  

Parker.  The most hard-headed child yet the greatest amount of fun in my day.

She is F U N N Y!  

My sweet Jolie is always showing her pearly white grin:)

 I'll just leave this right here.  

A baby.  On a pumpkin.  

The cutest thing you have ever seen, right??  

Now.. If I would have put her inside that pumpkin..

 My whole life right there, ya'll.

 Time for picking a pumpkin!  

These are pretty pricy compared to what I can get at Walmart or Target, so we usually only come home with one (or none) at best when we visit.   

 Th pumpkin patch experience wouldn't be complete without the house made of pumpkins, a hay maze and bounce houses.  Bounce houses have quickly become the way to Parker and Jolie's heart.  This was a pretty big slide and the twins did AWESOME -up and down they would go, getting more brave with each trip down..and eventually nearly nose diving to get themselves a head start.

 While the twins played, Baker Bree watched from the sidelines- cooing and cawing at everyting + everyone within ear shot.

Its hard to believe we get to do all this again this year - it makes me SO excited! I go back to work next week an all I can think about is, how many times can we squeeze more trips to the patch before I go back?? 

Happy almost weekend, ladies!  

Camp Dunaway | Camping Theme Baby Shower

Over Mother's Day weekend, I was pleased to be apart of a celebration in honor of baby Grayson and his mama.  What better way to introduce my best friend into motherhood than by showering her with baby boy things galore.  I've said this before, but that girl and that baby boy of hers is so very loved.

I am WAY excited for my best friend to become a mother.

We celebrated her 'new adventure' with a camping theme baby shower - and I just love how the details turned out!

 These newborn onesies - swoon.  I cant believe she and I will have two babies that small just one week apart (her scheduled section is July 7th and mine on July 14th).

We kept it casual on the food front to sort of blend with the shower theme.  

No one wants fancy pants appetizers while we camp, am I right? 

On the Menu

Baked potato (recipe HERE) + Chili bar (easy chili recipe HERE)

Fixings: bacon bits || cilantro || cheese || green onions || sour cream || fresh jalapeños 

 ..and for those that prefer fritos over the potatoes for their chili

 'sleeping bags' (via inspiration HERE) || pigs in a blanket (croissant rolls + lil' smokies) || 'caprese canoes' (fresh tomato + mozzarella + basil)

 grilled chicken + turkey paninis (market street catering) || THE most yummy fruit salad (recipe HERE)

I included the hubby in the prep for this shower, too! I had seen these wooden disks on pinterest incorporated in tablescapes and party themes and decided to put him to work.  Cut, sand, stain, and seal.  My man did good, good, good.

 mason jars wrapped in burlap ribbon and twine

 we sipped on BUG JUICE (7up + grape juice + berry blend juice)

..and personalized water bottles

trail mix (original + smore's)

wooden hand stamped utensils: happy camper || I want s'more || & baby makes three

 The guest of honor to start the food line!  This preggo was right behind her.  Guests ate out of kraft paper food boxes lined with newspaper print sandwich paper.

 Time for presents!  Um, yea- the motherload.

 Guest played 'baby bingo' while Ashley opened her gifts.  We had each guest fill out a card, filling in the blanks with items them thought she would receive.  We handed out 3-wick vanilla bean marshmallow scented candles to the winners.

 ..and in this corner, they were serious about winning!

 of course this little boy will be completely decked in support of the silver, blue, and white.

 SO many tiny things!  I thought baby girl stuff was just the cutest- but honestly, I awwww'd over every single thing Ash unwrapped.

We had several talented and creative gals in our hostess group.  Jordan stained and painted the 'Camp Dunaway' sign, Jacqueline made the cake and with the help of pinterest designed our mini s'more's station.. not to mention Chara's sewing abilities with the pennant banner and table runner.

It helps when your friends hold those talents:)

 My favorite of all was including a mini banner of his name on top of this sweet little cake.

When we started planning the shower, baby G didn't have a name just yet, so when Ashley and Jarrett finally announced, I had to figure out a way to incorporate it.

The was perfect.

 Smore's Station

chaffing fuel burners + stones + ceramic dishes + wood skewers 

assorted chocolate (cookies & cream + milk)

assorted graham crackers 

jumbo marshmallows  

 Take home decorated sugar cookies 

 The Hostesses + The Mama

Jordan || Jacqueline || Diana || Mama-to-Be || Amber || Chara || Katie (not pictured)

Four of us in this picture are pregnant.. (Jordan, Jacqueline, myself + Ash)..that means there will be four new babes by Thanksgiving!

Baby G has no idea how long we have prayed, hoped, and dreamed about him.  I cannot wait to hold that little bug!  

It was just the perfect day.

CREDITS

photography by Jennifer Jennings

invitations/food tents/water labels/bingo cards/goodie tags: CK Fireboots

'camp dunaway' paper straws: dixie + twine

hand stamped wooden utensils: in the clear

pennant banner/table runner: DIY by Chara (hostess)

vanilla bean + marshmallow candles: bath + body works

metal lanterns + containers: Michael's Craft Store

mini wooden scoops: sucre shop

wooden disk serving trays c/o the hubby:) 

kraft paper boxes: amazon

sandwich paper: pom pom delight

woodland animal burlap bags: boo bah blue

happy camper/arrow onesies: little tree tops

personalized cake topper: little dovie

painted 'camp dunaway' wooden sign: DIY by Jordan (hostess)

cake by Jacqueline (hostess)

mini pine trees: christmas decor from pottery barn

woodland favor cookies: Mrs. V's Cookies (local)