It's A {southern} Charmed Life

Things I'd tell my 17 year old self...

2011-10-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

1. Don't be so self-critical... the opinions of those you think matter now really don't at all.

2. Don't be afraid to speak your mind, as you get older it gets easier to do, but a head start would have been nice.

3. Spend more time outside soaking up the fresh air & smelling Grandma's lillies... Your life will get too busy to slow down & just relax & the smell of those yellow lillies will get harder to remember.

4. I promise you that it seems to matter so much now... but the boys that break your heart won't matter when you're 28.

5. Never forget your first kiss or your first heartbreak... you'll learn LOTS from both.

6. The age/color/model of the car that picks you up from school doesn't matter... the person driving it is priceless... cherish those car rides now.

7. Ask her how to cook saurkraut... I know you think it's gross, but it's a heritage thing & you'll wish you knew so you could teach your kids.

8. Those "friends" that aren't that loyal now will grow up to be just as un-loyal later in life, so don't waste energy or emotion... it'll save you a lot of time & heart ache.

9. Don't be so heartbroken on Mother/Daughter or Father/Daughter functions... You'll be a parent that makes up for it in the end.

10. Instead of pouting because you get drug along to ANOTHER ANTIQUE STORE... relish it. The stories, smell & history will be fond memories later.

11. Don't be so aggrivated at your little sister... she looks up to you... be a role model.

12. You're going to meet a sweet & handsome guy soon on a blind date... don't let your ages scare you... he's "the one", you just lucked out & found him earlier than most:)

13. Pay more attention at football, soccer & baseball games... you're going to have a son & you're going to need to know the rules.

14. Don't ever call yourself chubby or tolerate anyone else doing it either... You'll reach an age where you realize your body is capable of carrying a child & becoming a mother... You'll appreciate the body you had "back then".

15. Close your eyes & memorize the smell of black coffee... you'll smell it when you think of your Grandpa.

16. Be appreciative of your first car... Yes it is a boy's truck, but it does the job.

17. Take more pictures... you'll wish you would have later.

18. Spend more time in the garden with her... you'll want to plat a garden later but think you have a "black thumb".

19. I know you hate math... but try harder, it doesn't get any easier in college.

20. Value those that value you now... They're still going to be around when you're 28... so treat them well.

Le Papier Studio

2011-10-03T23:28:00.000-05:00

There is nothing more classic than a silhouette... Vana Chupp, owner of Le Papier Studio has taken the timelss art of silhouettes & given them a modern twist. I was lucky enough to have her create the custom silhouette of {Aidan Grace} when the re-branding was started. I am in love with it & could not have asked for anything that captured my Kaleb Aidan & Emma-Grace more perfectly!

Professionally trained as an architect, Vana Chupp has always been artistically inspired by the sweet and simple moments in life. Her craft was born with the birth of her beautiful boy Nikolas. Documenting her son's milestones by cleverly capturing his personality, emotion, playfulness and essence, she began using silhouettes to tell her own life story. It's a love story - continuing to blossom, with Nikolas as her muse. Coming full circle, Vana was able to combine her passion and artistic expressions and share it all with you!

In 2008 Vana launched her dream job; Le Papier Studio, a small woman-owned business that expresses creativity and inspiration, all the while giving her time to fulfill her most important job; being a mom. Le Papier Studio specializes in illustrating unique custom silhouettes. Vana's charming and intimate custom silhouettes will capture your heart and symbolize your treasured memories for years to come. We work with you to design and illustrate the people, pets, and special moments in your life using your photographs. From invitation and stationery sets to birthday gifts and valentine ideas, Le Papier Studio would love the opportunity to transform the apples of your eye into artistic heirlooms.

Vana offers a wide variety of precious pre-created silhouettes as well as does them as a custom piece. With the holidays fast approaching you need to hop on over to her website (Le Papier Studio) & check out all she has to offer! My favorite is her new silhouette jewelry...

As well as her website, you can find her on etsy (Le Papier Studio on ETSY) or pick up her published book...

Don't be jealous... I DO own a signed copy!

I know I'm going to be ordering my share for Christmas... so take those photos & contact Vana today for your custom item. I hope you all love her work as much as me!

Luv-Me-Knot Boutique

2011-09-26T13:34:00.002-05:00

My first "Mom-preneur Monday" features my sweet friend Ariane Macnevin, the creative mind behind Luv-Me-Knot Boutique. I can vouch for Ariane's work... she is nothing short of amazing & so creative! Her business is booming & I think I'm pretty lucky to call her a friend. Luv-Me-Knot offers gorgeous bows & clothing... Please take some time to check her out here... Luv-Me-Knot Botuique (website), here... Luv-Me-Knot Boutique (facebook) & her etsy/read to ship here... Luv-Me-Knot (etsy)!

She just made her NEW Christmas items available, so you better order while you can! How cute is this?!?

You can order the Snowman Monogram Top & Bow HERE!

If you're interested in being featured please e-mail me at esther@aidangrace.com... I would love to learn more about you & your business!

{Mom-preneur Monday} Intro

2011-09-23T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll!

Yesterday on my sewing break, aka, lunch I thought of a brilliant idea & want to share it with you. First off let me say that in 2007 when I gave birth to my second child, my daughter, Emma-Grace I desperately wanted to find a way to stay home & for us as a family to still be financially stable. My pregnacy was followed by a job change for my hubby & my "part time/ hobby" gig quickly became a necessity. When I made my first craft supply shopping trip I had no clue that just a couple short years later I would be contacted by Southern Lady Magazine's editor. She was impressed with my work & I was selected to be featured in the Mother's Day Edition 2010. What an amazing opportunity!

When you start a business as a hobby & it grows quicker than you ever imagined, it's an amazing feeling knowing that every day that you go to "work" you're building your own dreams... what you do or don't do directly effects your aspirations & your family. I was blessed to have a supportive & understanding family that backed me 100%... they still do! My business was grown on late nights after my baby went to sleep, and I wasn't alone... that's how a lot of Mom's start their business... it's late nights, sacrifice, & asking yourself a LOT of hard questions. Being a WAHM still comes at a cost, the benefits are great, but you have to put in the work & time.

During my growth as Diaper Diva Boutique I realized that this business is full of all kinds of women. I have made some true friendships; some with women that live states away, but I can pick up the phone & call to vent to or run an idea across... and I can trust them 100% We all started somewhere... that's what this is about.

In 2011 Diaper Diva Boutique officially grew into Aidan Grace Boutique... it hasn't been an easy change, and it's kind of like starting from scratch again. That being said, I have slowed down & realized that a lot of female business owners reach a point where they forget where they started... their ego gets ahead of their talent & the connection with other Moms gets lost along the way. I was a Mom who started just like every other successful "Mom-preneur" has & I want to help inspire & encourage other women who put in those late nights & long hours... all in the dreams that they will "make it" one day too. {Mom-preneur Mondays} will be a mix of stories of how businesses started, dreams were set in motion & where they are now. Some up & coming "new" WAHMs will be introduced & hopefully we can all connect & share. After 3+ years in business I have a list of great, sweet women I will be introducing you to over the next few Mondays, but I would love to hear from you as well. Maybe you're starting out, or maybe you've been around a while & want to share your story & some tips... please e-mail me at esther@aidangrace.com with the subject {Mom-preneur Monday} & look forward to hearing from you!

My first {Mom-preneur Monday} post will be this Monday, September 26th!

Sangria anyone?

2011-09-01T16:29:00.002-05:00

Peach Sangria anyone?

OK... I am newly addicted to Pinterest & stumbled across two recipes for homemade Sangria.

This one: Peach Sangria via 'The Boston Day Book'

& this one: White Sangria Sparkler via 'Linda Wagner'

Well, I read & re-read both recipes & decided I was going to have a go at it but change it up. Here is my recipe & I won't lie... it's YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY!

You'll need:

1 bottle of white wine

1 cup *not pictured* peach (or flavor of your choice) schnapps

1 lemonade concentrate

1 liter of club soda *chilled

fresh fruit of your choice

*I used a white peach, regular peach, strawberries, kiwi & grapes

I used a gallon plastic pitcher to store mine in over night & a fancier glass pitcher for serving at the party the next day.

Wash & cut your fruit & add to your storage pitcher, then add your bottle of white wine, cup of schnapps, & lemonade concentrate. Stir. Then pop your lid on & store in the fridge overnight (or at least a few hours).

I used this wine:

Partly because I think the label is cute... not that "versed" on wine, but a fan of anything cutesy. And it turned out delicious... so I lucked out! Come on... it's too cute! PS, found it at HEB.

When you're ready to serve simply pour your mixture into your fancier pitcher if another is being used & then pour your club soda & stir again.

DONE.

WARNING: I do NOT drink hardly ever & two glasses made me have to sit down. I may or may not be a wimp, but the other ladies who tried it gave it two thumbs up & said it had a kick. In my opinion, it had a delicious fruity taste & the club soda add just enough fizz. This would be a PERFECT summer party drink... for some reason I keep thinking Baby Shower, but that would be no fun for Mom-To-Be, although I'm sure you could use your noggin & adapt it to be a "Virgin" cocktail.

Hope you all give it a whirl while it's still HOT outside... call your girlfriends over, lay by the pool & bottoms up!

{Some Lovely Advice}

2011-07-28T10:27:00.002-05:00

Life is not always easy, & believe me... it's not always perfect. There are days that go amazingly according to plan & days when it goes completely off course. But all in all, it's a great thing to be reminded of a few things. Who knows... maybe today is one of those days for you, where it's going completely off course & this may be just what you needed to hear.

{Health}

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E’s - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Play more games.

6. Read more books than you did in 2010.

7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

8. Sleep for 7 hours.

9. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

{Personality}

1. Don't compare yourself to others, you have no idea what their journey is about.

2. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

3. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

6. Dream more while you are awake.

7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

13. Smile and laugh more.

14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

{Society}

1. Call your family often.

2. Each day give something good to others.

3. Forgive everyone for everything.

4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

5. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

6. What other people think of you is none of your business.

7. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

{Life}

1. Do the right thing!

2. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

3. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

4. The best is yet to come.

5. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

{My Personal Mantra}

{Bloom Lamp}

2011-07-26T10:59:00.001-05:00

Well, working on the house has been an ongoing project & prbably will be for a while. I am a big beliver in letting the room & time help decorate, meaning I don't run out & buy everything needed & throw it together. I start with a piece of two that inspire the room idea, then paint & furniture placement, followed by leaning pictures & decor against the wall & moving it around before ever tapping a nail with a hammer. I move around & change things often before they find a home. Besides it's your home, as Oprah & Nate say it's needs to rise up & greet you when you come in as well as reflect who you are.

The kid's rooms have been the focus over the last few weeks. They are both lacking window treatments & pillows, but the machine has been taken up with {Aidan Grace} orders here recently. I believe next week I'll be able to get some projects of my own done for the house & the kiddo's upcoming birthday party. Emma needs her dance bag finished before that starts up in August too. But all in good time. After refinishing a dresser & an armoire her room is really coming together. Her room may be my favorite room in the house... I may just move in:) Anyway, I thought about doing this lamp shade a while back & it was an easy project so I thought I would share. Here goes:

You will need:

A lamp of your choice (this was in Kaleb's nursery, we've had it forever) & a plain shade ($5 at Wal Mart). I would suggest a solid color just because bits of it are inevetably going to peek through, so you don't want some crazy pattern showing.

Some artifical flowers. These are two pregrouped bouqets from Hobby Lobby, origionally $16 each, on sale half price. I selected one that has peach tones & one that has pink. I also bought two small tea rose stems .98 each to fill in any bare spaces at the end. You will want to use nippers (*shown next) to trim the flowers off of the stems.

LOTS of glue sticks... I used all of these plus ended up grabbing two more from the Sewing Room before I was done & wire nippers or a pair of sharp scissors.

Now you're ready to create your shade:

I suggest placing your largest flowers first & working your way down in size. I stuck my little pink tea roses on at the very end to cover up any "bare space" left. The end result is a super fabulous flower covered {Bloom Lamp}.

I think it would be cute done in just petals as well. But this really just added a little wow factor to Emma's room. Look how sweet when it was all finished & in her room...

One of my favorite pics of my two munchkins... That's Emma at one week old & Kaleb is feeding her a bottle... he's been in love with her from day one... for the most part:)

Here's a pic of it lit, I love how the light bounces off of the varnished diamonds.

Here are a couple pics of her room with the new armoir done, the dresser is done to match as well, but I will share more pics as I move on with her room. Her little side table... should I paint it a dark pink or leave it cream... decision, decisions!

{Moo...}

2011-07-18T16:26:00.002-05:00

Are these cute or what?!? I made 'em!

OK, I like to brag as much as the next girl... especially when it's a project and it turns out FABULOUS!!! Friends of mine may know I really enjoy baking & I like learning new things... so when hubby came home with the Bakerella Cake Pops book I was excited & frozen with fear a bit. I had followed her blog & had added the Fan Page on Facebook... but aside from the regualr ol' cake balls I hadn't attempted anything crazy. Here's Bakerella's 'Cow Pops'

Well, hubby's office decided to do something special for the boss man's birthday & boss man likes cows & hay & all that fun stuff. My husband being the comic he is... thinks he is, thought it would be comical for me to come up with "cow patty" cookies as well. So, the end result were Bakerella's Cow Pops & my own little cow patty cookies, or smooshed cake balls covered in chocolate & covered in toasted marshmellows & toffee crunch:)

Here's the final product... not too shabby, & believe it or not, they weren't SUPER hard, they were just plain hard, but completely do-able! *I couldn't find pink M&M's as Bakerella suggests using so I just colored some fondont & made my own little noses;)

And lastly, the "cow patty" cookies lol!

When I'm not swamped with Aidan Grace {A Children's Botuique} work I tend to bake... well, honestly, baking calms me, so occassionally I need to take a "baking break" just to keep me sane.

Make sure to check out {Bakerella} for some fabulous ideas &/or get the hubby to get you this book:

PS, If you look at her site, there's a 'Bakerella' shirt & I admit to wearing that too... only to bed... ok, annnnd grocery shopping, yard work, date night, j/k... no date night:)

Confessions

2011-06-15T21:17:00.003-05:00

Lately, it dawned on me that only a few people know the "real me"... I think a lot of people think they know me, but they'd be surprised.

I love daylilies... They are so simple... Just perfect. And you have to get up early to appreciate them.

I've always loved baking, even if some of the time what I create you wouldn't want to eat. The process is super fun;)

I don't like The Jonas Brothers, but I will sing along ~~loudly~~ in a very mature manner to Miley Cyrus or 'Barbie Girl'. On another extreme I LOVE Dixie Chicks & Johnny Cash... Cowboy Take Me Away... lalala!

I don't think people who constantly post Christian songs or post bible versus make them Christians... The way in which they live their lives & treat those around them should reflect that.

My favorite book of all time is White Oleander by Janet Fitch... Shows how the blood you call family really doesn't have to define who you are. You can choose to live a different life.

I could eat Ramen Noodle everyday... that is until while away at college I HAD to eat it everyday... now I have to be in the "mood" for it.

My favorite color has always been pink... always will be too. But now I'm a grown up, so I tone it down;)

I would love to be super wealthy... not Oprah wealthy... but wealthy enough to where we would never have to "want" for anything... that being said, the things money can't buy are my most prized posessions.

Growing up I always longed for a family... now I realize that's just what I had... just didn't know it.

My sister was my best friend growing up & now that we're grown I think we're more strangers... breaks my heart.

I still have the same best friend that I had in 4th Grade... I LOVE her!

I would love to buy an old Southern Farmhouse & completely restore it & have a cow & some chickens... I already have names picked out... "Loretta Hen", "Wyonona", "Naomi", & a couple roosters... "Dwight Yolk-um" & "Earl". I would sit on my front porch swing & drink sweet tea from my Mason Jar.

I can try to be "healthy" & watch what I eat for a period of time, but I have an addiciton to Dr. Pepper that always comes back to get me!

I know Nate Burkus is gay, but he sure is yummy:)

I LOVE antiques, but hate things that smell "old"...

I am guilty of brainstorming up projects that take up more time than I really have... so I have a good bit of fabric & crafting supplies to keep me busy on a rainy day.

I love my children & want a big family... but I would prefer them to marry orphans... I do not want to share my Grandkids or Holidays. Just kidding! But seriously, that would be nice wouldn't it? :)

I LOVE decorating & LOVE photography... neither of which I will ever do professionally but I really enjoy both!

Paula Deen is my idol! That woman makes you want to cook everything in butter & not even think twice about it. Think I may be her for Halloween.

I never thought at 17 I would go on a blind date with a handsome guy that worked dairy & produce & end up marrying him at 18... oh young love!

I LOVE the fact that I wear my Great Grandmother's wedding ring set... it's over 100 years old & everytime I look down at my ring finger it reminds me that I do have some history & at how similar my taste is to hers... good taste runs in the family:)

I think my husband is pretty amazing... he goes above & beyond... & seeing him with our kiddos makes my heart smile.

The days I gave birth to my two kids were the most amazing days... they are the most prized possesions of mine, even though I know some day they will grow up & not need me so much. They make me so proud & amaze me daily with their wit & humor.

What are your confessions?

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

2011-06-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

Ok, so we've been pretty busy with getting settled into the new house & I've been busy at trying to run errands etc. while NOT getting lost in a new area. On that note... Thank God for my iPhone & Google Maps!

The first weekend we had the keys (and no kids) we decided to tackle painting & heavy cleaning. This house needed both pretty bad. Aside from cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom, all 1800+ square feet recieved a fresh coat of paint. The entire house besides the laundry, bathrooms & Emma's room got a coat of Glidden's Whispering Wheat; it's a perfect neutral beige & it really warmed the whole place up.

{Before}

(HAR photo)

{After}

Wow! What a little bit of paint can do!

We wanted to add a little personality to the kiddo's rooms with one wall each done special & decided on red baseball stripes for Kaleb's (since his room is Astros) and a girly pink (Glidden's Cream Rose) for Emma. Just pink was a tad boring so I flipped through my "Dream House" binder & decided on diamonds. The idea came from a photo of a bathroom with the walls finished in white & yellow diamonds. I thought why not try varnish? I was shooting for just a subtle distinction between a flat enamel & some gloss. What I got was flat enamel & then some... The varnish dried with a hint of yellow/golden tones but it had a handpainted finish to it. Hard to explain... but goregous!! It was a big project to tackle... I had done my research & passed it along to my hubby. But hubby did what hubbys do best... he ignored the blog links I had e-mailed him & decided he'd figure it out & it "couldn't be that hard".

With blue painter's tape in hand & on the wing of a prayer we dove in head first. Our... eehemm, his first attempt was to use a straight edge & start from one corner. Problem there was you would easily see pencil marks through the varnish when finished & if we erased the pencil before painting, we might as well just wing the whole thing. So, attempt #2 was to measure the wall dimensions & divide evenly then tape off... well about half way through that we discovered that you can NOT tape off all diamonds because there will most definitely be a 1" or whatever size tape you use, mark between all diamonds. So third time is the charm? Attempt #3 yielded hubby sitting for 20 minutes or so drawing out a detailed sketch of where to tape (above or below our measured dots) and which diamonds to paint in which order.

By about 3 am we had diamond wall round one of two painted... we crawled in bed & the next morning I nervously peeled the tape off... Knowing I would have to follow the dots mentioned above & the already painted diamonds to create the second (every other diamond) round of diamonds to paint. Hallejuiah, it worked!

{Round 1 Painted}

{Round 2 Taped & Paitned}

{The wall finished}

{One more pic just because}

I have carefully packed this little sheet of paper away for any future projects involving diamonds!

My tips:

-Meausre well & find your center point

-Helps to divide your wall space in half & then divide in half again etc. instead of measuring & starting from one side... NO WALLS are ever square, so this hides the imperfections well.

-Decide how many rows of diamonds you want, I chose 3 & where you want the point of interest to fall. I decided on a diamond right above Emma's headboard.

-After taping & before painting stand back & think it over... pay attention. If we would have painted after our first taping I would have trashed the whole idea!!

-If your super sweet, amazing hubby decides to tackle this with or for you... be prepared for the "you owe me so big's" Because hubby says next time I want diamonds, he'd rather buy me some;)

* I found this blog to be really helpful! I just changed it up & didn't do argyle.

We have not taken on decorating their rooms too much just yet. But when I get that part done I will post some pics. I am working on weeding through what I have to work with to see what will be used & what will be 'Garage Sale' items. Emma needs new bedding, I have a dresser I need to re-do & Kaleb has a bed that his Daddy built for him we need to move in. But we are still sleeping on his mattress. I repeat the mantra: "All in good time"... Emma's room is a good bit smaller than Kaleb's but has a good amount of character & Kaleb's room has a window seat that runs the entire length of one of his longest walls... still thinking about what to do there. Blinds are slowly being replaced upstairs because the ones that are here are damaged & dirty beyond just cleaning them.

Still have a LOT of projects on the horizon:

Purchase a couch & make slip cover for my seatee

Hang curtains we brought from the old house

Decorate Emma's Room

Decorate Kaleb's Room

Re-do 2 dressers

Make curtains

Make window seat cushion

Build our new bed

Decorate our room

Find kitchen table

Do trim work in laundry room & bathroom

Do something about carpet in powder room downstairs (why oh why put carpet in a bathroom?!?)

and the list goes on...

I will be taking pictures & sharing the experience as we go. But I thought this was a pretty good first project to share:)

With moving to a new area, the Summer home with the kiddos & some spare time, we'll see how much we get done!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend... but a husband's worst nigtmare... literally! :) LOL!

Cedar Lane

2011-06-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, of 12:30 pm we will officially be Tomball-ians lol! Driving around town today it kind of hit me that I'm actually leaving Alvin. I can get borderline too sentimental... so I apolagize in advance. And I know that we're only moving an hour or so away... so we will be able to visit friends & family pretty often. That being said I took mental note of the places that I will miss. Thanks to my childhood not being all that "storybook"... there are a lot of memories that were made in a little yellow brick house on Cedar Lane. After my Grandma, the woman who raised me passed away, it's nice to be able to drive by the house I grew up & created lots of fond memories in when I am missing her. When I hear Miranda Lambert's "House That Built Me" I seriously tear up... that house built me! In that house I learned patience, manners, self-worth, responsability, & a lot of cooking, baking & needless to say sewing. I remember her yellow floral couch & rocker, the sliding top table where all her sewing supplies were stored, the little kitchen where we rolled out cookies & her blue bedroom where I often slept just to be by her. I drove by that house today & stopped to snap a pic with my phone... just to have in case I get homesick again over the next couple weeks. Alvin will always be home. I graduated from the same High School as her & my hubby did too. The little grocery store in town was where Mike & I met... him in produce & me on the checker line;)

I thought I would share my little yellow house on Cedar Lane with you all too...

Yes, it looks a little shabby... a LOT shabby, but this is not how it looked growing up! The yellow bricks have all been removed, her flower beds FULL of daylillies, & her hot pink azaila bushes are gone... but that was home. That drive way is where I learned to ride my bike & that window on the left was my room... I pinky swear I NEVER climbed out of that window... ever:)

Anyway, tomorrow is the 1st day of a fresh start & the beginning of some new memories for my kiddos. The "place" you grow up in matters... but not near as much as the people & the love that place holds inside. So, make memories, live life, roll some sugar cookies & remember... it's the little moments they are going to remember.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

2011-05-25T09:09:00.001-05:00

We're getting to close to our moving day & I am so excited about the new begenning on the horizon. Our journey started not long after my husband started a new job when I was about 6 months pregnant with our 2nd child, Emma-Grace. It was a scary time, but we knew that it was a change that needed to happen. I should also add that we had literally JUST purchased our first home & had no intention of moving anytime soon. It was always assumed we would just live our days out & raise our children in our home town. There's something comforting knowing that when you're homesick you can simply drive by the house where you grew up, or take your kids to the park where you spent lots of evenings swinging on the swings talking about the future with the boy who ended up being your husband. Over time, his job evolved & he spent more of his day in an office & less in the "field". He even spent some time working in Brazil (lucky)! But as time went on, we began entertaining the idea of moving closer to his job. How would we accomplish this? Option one was to sell the house & move. Option two was to just wait it out. Well, we were terrified of selling & trying to relocate while our oldest was in school. So we kind of combined the two ideas... With a LOT of consideration of our options we decided to lease our house out, and move in with the husband's parents until the end of the school year. Well, we're here at the end of the school year & days away from getting the keys to our new home. It's a bittersweet move... away from the family we have close & some great friends... I know it will take a ton of stress of my husband not having to make that long drive ( 1 - 1 & 1 /2 hr.) each way for work. That's more time with us & less time driving... we've never lived this close to his job before. But at the ages are kids are, it will be a huge blessing to be able to work our lives around them more... and they will see their Dad a lot more! Needless to say we are excited... me about having a house to make a home, having my office & studio once again & the kids to have their own rooms again... and without saying the husband has had a countdown of how many more "drives" he has left. We are looking forward to all the great changes... they say home is where the heart is & my heart is with my family... and our family will be spending a lot more time together.

Keep an eye out for some before/after posts & little home projects I'm going to tackle along the way. The first project will be painting the entire inside of the house... we'll start to tackle that this Friday.

{our new home}

{Bluebonnets 2011}

2011-04-10T16:24:00.005-05:00

So, today me & a girlfriend headed out to the only Bluebonnets we could find here around Alvin. Living here, we don't get the kinds of knee-high fields full of Bluebonnets that a Southern Girl dreams of wading through... & that paired with an early bloom left us with a few patches. But all in all I think we got some good shots. I've been wanting Bluebonnet Pics of my kiddos for as long as I can remember... but with a girlfriend to snap some of us & me to snap some of her & her girls... a short car drive & our cameras in hand we got these:) Not bad for two Moms, our cameras & 50mm!

Me & my babies walking along the trail hunting for a good patch...

Kaleb & Emma-Grace showing me the Bluebonnets...

Kaleb is getting so big & handsome!

I LOOOVE B&W photos & I added a touch of sunshine to these to warm them up:)

Here's a color one.

My girlfriend shot this one of me snapping pic of my babies... love it!

Hope everybody had a great weekend! The new website will be opened back up soon; you'd never think there was so much to change just in changing a name lol!

Check out {www.aidangrace.com} to see the new site design!

Pretty As A Picture...

2011-04-05T20:23:00.000-05:00

Yep... I admit it... I've been a bad blogger here lately! My initail goal of one or two posts per week definitely fell short since February. But as they say it's not a failure until you quit trying; so I'm going to try this again! :)

With us still staying with our in-laws while we work on selling our house (which is currently leased out) & relocating to (Spring, Texas). I'm Thankful for the free creative time I've had over the last few months. I'm free to attempt things I haven't before & I may not be great at it all... I LOVE attempting or trying *see above lol! So, along with baking, re-finishing some furniture & actually building some furniture... I have been attempting to learn a bit more about my camera. Considering my work at home business & having small kiddos... learning how to capture a good portrait will not only benefit business wise, but I will get some good pics of my babies along the way!

I thought I would share a couple of my favorite images with you guys that I've taken so far. These three are black & white... but it is my all time favorite processing. My most cherished photos have always been in black & white or sepia.

What do you think?

I should add that the 1st pretty little face is my Emma-Grace... We were at a Large Animal Vet's for a Cub Scout outing, but still a really sweet shot!

This was a little sister of another Cub Scout... isn't she a doll?!?

These two images are a mother & daughter duo... both goregous! Top is Mom with her two girls & bottom is "Yaya" with her grand-daughter, Charlee... too precious! These two were taken this past Saturday while I was photographing a baby shower for the family.

Anyway, photography goes hand-in-hand with what I have to accomplish daily... Paying, trading & waiting & more waiting for photos to use on my site proves to just make my job that much harder. At least I am getting the hang of my camera & honestly, it's pretty fun too!

As I venture into this new hobby I will post some shots along the way... please feel free to critique or praise as you'd like, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

PS, I promise to be better about blogging:)

Spice Cake Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Icing

2011-02-01T09:25:00.002-06:00

Last Friday my hubby's office celebrated a birthday & I am always looking for an excuse to bake something... So I asked Laura (the birthday girl) what kind of cupcakes she wanted. Her answer: Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing! Yummmm...

So I set out to find a ~~good~~ great recipe for homemade cream cheese icing & of course I hit up my #1 kitchen lady Miss. Paula Deen to find a ~~great~~ amazing one! Bingo! Here's the Cream Cheese Icing Recipe if you want to take a swing at it... it's super easy & de-li-cious.

I'm a simple girl most of the time when it comes to baking... unless it's a bread recipe I tend to stick to boxed cake mixes. I don't claim to make cakes from scratch, so no worries here! I have more fun doing the "fun" part... making them purdy!

Here's my finished product! No worries... I won't judge if you lick the screen:)

Thanks to Miss. Paula & my 1mm Wilton tip the result was a happy "Birthday Girl" who claimed they were the best cupcakes she had eaten to date... SCORE!

{Mama's makin' cornbread... naughty cornbread!}

2011-01-25T11:34:00.003-06:00

Shhh.... don't tell! I have been really good with my new diet & exercise plan. Except for the fact that I'm just not a myself unless I have just baked or cooked something or I have something in mind I want to try. That's the hard part of being "healthy" or trying to be; you're not supposed to think about food!

But Kaleb's school hosts a teacher's luncheon day once a month to spoil the teachers a bit... this month is chili & fixins'... yummo! So I asked a sweet friend if she could suggest any good cornbread recipes, since this is my first month to join in on the fun I'm just bringing a side. But I wanted it to be yummo too.

Well, Our Best Bites was what was suggested. We both love the recipes on this site... dunno why

I didn't think of looking there first lol!

Anyway, my 1st attempt at "Naughty Cornbread" was a delicious success!

I won't lie... I ate this one! But.... I did the healthy thing & used 'Promise' spread instead of butter. That off-sets the calories right?!?

Here's a close-up:

It really is DELICIOUS!!!

If you want to make your own, just follow this {link}

P.S. You should pre-order your OBB Cookbook... I did as a gift to myself at Christmas:)

Happy Baking!

{Rainy Day}

2011-01-24T10:37:00.000-06:00

Today is one of those days when you just want to light a good candle, or crank up your Scentsy warmer, turn on the oven to make something sweet, maybe do some sewing or crafting... just because of the weather. And that's exactly how I plan on spending my day! Kaleb is in school so he can't join in, but I do cherish the slow-paced days when I can just enjoy the time with my "Mini Me" & do some girly stuff while I can.

Last night while the hubby & kids were watching the Game Plan (super cute movie!)... I was watching from afar while cutting pieces & going back & forth to sew. End result was an adoarble V-day skirt, and Emma ended up pulling up her little chair to watch me work.

Isn't it cute?!? I have enough material to make one more up to a size 4T if anyone is interested.

I know I may sound as if I am in a time warp or something, but I tell the hubby all the time how I pray that Emma enjoys some of the "homemaker" things I enjoy... like baking, or sewing. I'm not saying I wouldn't be over the moon if she became the 1st female President either. But doing these things with her just makes my heart smile. I fondly remember baking with my Grandma, or her letting me practice with scrap fabric while she was working on a project. This past Christmas I made a little apron for my EmmaLou & I just beam when she has it on & has her little dollies set up for a "cupcake party".... I admitted she was a "Mini Me", her dolls prefer carbs over tea lol!

So today we are going to make some yummy cake balls for orders & do some more sewing. Because on rainy days it just puts you in the mood for it!

Hope everyone has a blessed Monday & if you're down in my neck of the woods, enjoy the rain; light a candle, put Sweet Home Alabama in the dvd player & maybe bake something. Enjoy this beautiful rainy day & take advantage of it!

{Pinewood Derby 2011}

2011-01-24T00:06:00.000-06:00

Well, it's late Sunday evening... almost Monday. But I just got done doing some sewing & editing some pics I took over the weekend & thought I would share a bit.

Saturday Kaleb raced in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby & he had so much fun! I know boys are hard-wired for fast cars, but it really was pretty neat to see these little wooden cars zoom down the track on nothing but momentum. Kaleb's car was inspired by a roadster design & he wanted it to be a "pretty cherry red"... so here it is... #20.

He didn't place, but had a lot of fun cheering on his buddies... one of which did:)

After the regular races was the Crash Derby... which I didn't know about, but we could have brought a second car to smash up, or you could smash the car you brought. Kaleb beign a bit "Type A" like his Mama refused to crash it because he wanted to display it. Fair enough. I've decided I will be the official designer of "Crash Derby Car 2012" & I am thinking it needs to be PINK... only kidding!

Look at that action shot! In the out of focus background you can see my crew... The boys enjoyed the crashing more than the racing I'm pretty sure anyway. Emma kept busy organizing & re-organizing her Hello Kitty purse, sorry, no action shots of that:)

Here's the car that won "Best Design"... The General Lee. I told you I was Southern lol!

And here's Justin's car, simply sharing because I think it's a pretty good shot:)

PS, Way to go Justin! (He placed)

Hope you guys & gals all had a fun & productive weekend... we did & there's more to share, but I'll save that for tomorrow!

One last pic... I know, I know... he's soooo handsome:)

I love my little... I mean big, Tiger Scout!

Mommy of 2!

2011-01-22T17:25:00.000-06:00

Wasn't planning on posting over the weekend, and believe you me... we've already had a productive one & it's only 5:16 pm on Saturday lol! Anywho, I swung by my PO & to my delight my "Mommy of 2" top from Miss. Pam (If The Bow Fits Boutique) was sitting in there waiting on me. I officially feel a bit like a celebrity now...

Isn't this just the cutest shirt?!? I mean, what Mommy doesn't deserve to spoil herself every once in a while, even if it does advertise that your a "Mommy"... oh well, I'm a proud Mommy!

I know... I know... now you must get one too! Just visit HERE & order yours! She's got some of the trendiest... fashionable "Mommy goodies" along with some other great items for kiddos!

Thanks Pam!

{Persue}

2011-01-21T17:38:00.003-06:00

I hope all of you have a {fabulous} weekend! We have lots to do around here with the two munchkins, but I just LOVE this & had to share...

Here's to your "pursuit"!

Howdy Ya'll...

2011-01-21T12:56:00.005-06:00

I was taught first impressions were the most important; possibly more important is a great introduction... So here is a great, detailed... just plain long introduction to me & the BLOG.

About ME:

If you asked me what my passion is the answer would be family. So you will get to know lots about my kids a.k.a. my LIFE. Kaleb (6) & Emma-Grace (3) are the center of my world & I think they are interesting & amazing... so I will share a.k.a. {BRAG} a bit now & then. I am a proud WAHM & owner of a successful online children's boutique {Aidan Grace Boutique}, formerly Diaper Diva Boutique & that keeps me busy! My business venture started in 2007/2008 shortly after the birth of Emma-Grace & it granted me my #1 wish... to stay at home with my babies & supplement our income. Since I cranked up that good ol' singer almost 4 years ago I've come a long way. My business was featured in Southern Lady Magazine & I quickly outgrew from just frilly, baby girl items... My new venture {Aidan Grace Boutique} is soon available online & I am extremely excited about the new beginning & the room for growth. A love of baking & time freed for yet another hobby created {Petite Bella Cake Balls}, my "yummy" hobby! I'm not trying to boast, but in most aspects of my life I have been blessed, maybe overly blessed if that's possible. I think of myself as a passionate person... There are things in life that just must be tried & must be shared. Life is too short & this is no dress rehearsal... so go for it the first time! You may find that you've found a new passion & there's nothing wrong with that! Even if it's a complete flop, it'll be a beautiful, sometimes hysterical memory & you can share it with me! I also LOVE history, not "text book" history so much, but the kind of history that's stories re-told that maybe bring back a sweet memory or two. I believe that the people we have in our lives help mold & shape us into who we are. If I hadn't been raised by who I was raised by... who's to say I would ever have had an interest in sewing, baking, antique-ing, or a love/fascination of Martha Stewart, or Oprah or Paula Deen... I LOVE PAULA!!! When I catch a good "Miss. O" show & it causes that "eyes welling up" that it almost always does... I think of my Grandma. She taught me a lot, without sitting me down & teaching me much. I'm thankful for the things I picked up from her & hope a good bit rubbed off on me... the "Susie Home-maker" part & a bit of the "Miss. Independent" & the "I can do it all" parts; Hopefully, the "Pack Rat" part stays dormant lol! Hubby wouldn't appreciate that at all! I'm an avid "student", always learning, always evolving... but that's life; it happens! A few things I love... sweet tea, porch swings, gossip, baking, cleaning (weird I know, but I do!), decorating, sewing, crafting, shopping, antiquing, reading, photography & did I say shopping?

About the BLOG:

So that leads me right into my blog... somewhere it can all come together... all the things I love! I'm 28, somewhat wise, a good bit still not so wise but willing to share my experiences... triumphs & flops! I'm a creature of habit & a product of my environment. My habit is I LOVE creating & sharing... My environment is a home filled with family, friends & hobbies. What better way to let people in on what I'm up to than a BLOG!?! I've never been a "blogger", but I'm going to give it a try! Posts will probably seems like a "hodge podge", but that's the intent. In the business community I share with a TON of other talented people... I am constantly running across something {fabulous}! My life may be busy; "So why add a BLOG?" you might ask. I'm aiming for a {fabulous} blog that is fun to read & is relative to the other Modern Housewives out there... We're a growing community of women who have careers, families, a social life, and are always looking for the "next big thing". I've learned a bit I would love to share, & what I haven't learned yet I am happy to share with you. I never said Modern Housewives had a lot of spare time:) So this "Charmed Life" I live is shared with a "Southern Girl's" point of view!

I hope to get to know you each & hope you each enjoy getting to know me! Good things come to those who wait & I can't share all the good stuff early... that would just be bad "blogging etiquette".

Hope you all enjoy my thoughts & even if you don't... this gives me a place to ramble & share even if no one is listening:)

ENJOY!