what keeps you awake?

I would say that I had no idea why I couldn't fall asleep last night, but I think I can put my finger right on it: dreams.  No, of course not the ones that you get when you sleep (err, duh), but the other kind.  You know, the ones that make you think of one thing, then 5 seconds later, you're onto thinking about the next and then the next and the next, and so on ... in my case, for 6 hours.  Yup, 6 hours of just laying there, tossing back and forth, trying to turn my brain off.  I counted backwards from 100 like, three times.  And then I tried the weirdest trick that always works for me: thinking of the craziest, most random things and making a story out of whatever came to mind.  Weird, huh?  It;s okay, I won't turn you off with any crazy examples. :)

Anyway, you know that I love a good DIY.  I've always found peace in having a creative outlet, whether that was with scrapbooking, photography, attempting at making suede moccasins (hey. don't hate. I made Keziah 2 really cute pair!), fabric buntings, etc.  I get all gung-ho and then tomorrow it's the next thing.  Since going from hey, I'm going to stay at home full-time with K, to Okay, maybe I'll work two days a week to get some time out of the house and because I know that staying home full-time will be in my near future (Lord-willing), I can't help but think of something that will allow me to have my time and something I can identify in.  I absolutely love being a mother.  That is my identity now, but I know that it doesn't have to be my only.  I feel like maybe I could make my creative outlet and wanna-be identity have a gorgeous little baby and it'll blossom into something big.  Not big like "I don't have time to watch Keziah now!" big, but more like "this is the perfect balance and I'm happy!" kind of big.  I feel like maybe I'm restless and searching for it, and it's right under my nose.  

All of that to say, I am planning on showing you all something that I want to work on soon.  I'm thinking of maybe an Etsy shop with some randoms ... but specific kind of randoms.  :)  

What keeps you awake at night, mama?  

DIY: ribbon backdrop

Good afternoon, friends!  As some of you know, little Miss Keziah was battling something weird yesterday, and it seems as though today she's a little extra tired.  I figured that since she's taking a long, recovery nap that I'd show you a little DIY that I did for her birthday party.   

I was on the hunt for something to cover our sage green dining room walls (that I thought didn't match well with her birthday theme) that could double as a backdrop for when she did her first cake smash ... which should actually be called a cake poke.  Anyway, while researching, I found the cutest ribbon backdrop and I figured that I could try the same!  After it was finished, I realized that I could also use it as a photobooth-ish backdrop.  Because we kept her party rather small, I wanted to be able to get a photo of Keziah with each guest to put in her baby book.  Turned out great!!  

Because I don't have the need for another backdrop, I'm going to just give an illustration, using the one that I originally made.

So, let's get started!

You'll need:

spools of coordinating ribbon (I think I probably purchased roughly 30-40 spools)

a rope cord

hot glue gun

Before getting started, plan out how long and how wide you'd like your backdrop.  I only needed mine to be about 6 feet wide and 4 feet long.  Cut your rope cord accordingly.  For the ribbon:  I did a little bit of basic math and figured how many feet were on each spool and planned the best way to get the most out of the spools.  Depending on the type of ribbon you're using, you should be able to get about 3-6 strips from each. Try to get the ribbon roughly the same length, but you'll notice in the end that a less perfect bottom looks better.  :)

Step 1: Lay out your rope cord and arrange the ribbon in the order that you'd like to see it hung.

Step 2: Grab each strip and put a bit of hot glue on one end and fold over the rope cord.  Be sure to leave enough room to slide the ribbon down the rope cord.  Also be sure that you're facing each strip of material the same way and folding the strip the same way each time.

Step 3: Continue adding more and more ribbon!  Don't worry about using too much; in the end, you'll just be scrunching it all together anyway.

Step 4: Slide the strips together to make room for more!

Step 5: Once all of your strips are glued and scrunched together, tie a knot at the end of your rope cord to prevent your strips from sliding off.

 Step 6: Hang, ooo and aahhh! ;) Notice that all of my strips aren't the same length.  Doesn't look bad to me! :)

banana crumb muffins for my muffins

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day! If you're like me and your big Valentine is at work this morning, you've got the itchin' to show a little extra love to your little Valentine.
I whipped up some of the most scrumptious banana crumb muffins this morning and I know you're going to love them!  Keziah tore. them. up. Oh, and odds are, you've already got these ingredients hanging out, waiting to be used! Let me know what you think!! Enjoy!

prep: 15 minutes
cook: 20 minutes
enjoy: 15 minutes

recipe:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp butter, melted
crumb topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, and 1 tbsp melted butter.  Stir the wet ingredients with the dry.  Spoon batter into muffin cups. (***batter may seem a little thick; this is okay!)
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tbsp of flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in 1 tbsp of butter until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle over your (soon-to-be, stud) muffins. Ha!
4. Wait patiently while these puppies cook for 18-20 minutes and your toothpick comes out clean!

The Naptime Ninja + Natural Cleaning Solutions

You can go ahead and call me the Naptime Ninja ... well 70% of the time, anyway.  Now that Keziah is sleeping pretty decently, I don't feel the need to take a cat nap while she has her (3-hour!) nap.  When I lay her in her crib, the clock starts tickin' and boy, does it tick quickly!  That's the time that I am able to get everything done without feeling like I'm neglecting her.  Today, for example, I did my normal floor routine: sweep, vacuum, mop ... and when I say mop, I mean the good, old school hands and knees kind of cleaning.  I've given up on the steam mop, the swiffer, the traditional mop.  There's only one way to do it for me.  I get so tired of seeing Keziah's white socks turn brown after hanging out on the floors for 20 minutes.  And not to mention the germs and dirt (and dog hair!) that is all over her knees and hands.
After cleaning the floors, I cleaned the kitchen (fridge, de-odorized the garbage disposal), the doors on the first level of our house, the baseboards, the sliding door track, organized all of Keziah's toys, and did loads and loads of laundry.  And that was all within the 2-hour nap she took (I got jipped today).

I thought that some of you mamas might appreciate if I shared a few, good ol' natural home cleaners that I swear by.  I get so nervous thinking about Keziah getting into lysol, bleach, etc., or even her crawling on the floors after being cleaned with harsh chemicals.  I've tried it all.  Trust me.  I am insane when it comes to getting and keeping my floors clean.  We've got hardwood and tile and this stuff works amazingly on both surfaces.  Plus, you've already got these ingredients in your home, I am sure of it!  Here's what you do for sparkly clean, chemical-free floors: Fill a 2-gallon bucket with hot water + 1/4 cup white vinegar + 1/4 cup baking soda + 1 tbsp of dish soap + a few drops of an essential oil for a nice scent (I used lavender).  Scrub away!  Your floors will sparkle!  I'll usually pour the bucket out and start over once switching rooms because I want to make sure I'm not transferring dirt all around.  :)

Now, for an all-around cleaner, I've got you covered there, too!  I'm talking shower, toilet, counters, stove, and everything in between!  Here's what you'll do for that: 1 part vinegar + 1 part dish soap + a few drops of essential oil > you'll want to heat it in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds just to get the vinegar and dish soap all warmed up and lovin' on each other + shake it all up and store it in a spray bottle.  You'll never have to warm it again because the two will not separate.  They're madly in love at this point.
You can just spray, let is settle in for a couple minutes and scrub.  All of your grime, mold, residue is gone.  :)

And last but not least, I know I'm not the only one that is disgusted by a stinky garbage disposal and somehow, I can promise mine is smellier than yours.  I don't de-odorize mine as often as I should.  I just complain to my Husband that it's broken!  It has to be!  There's no way that this thing is supposed to smell this bad! When I was pregnant, I literally gagged every time I had to wash the dishes.  I have learned to breathe through my nose since then ... it's a habit that I can't break, but one I'm sure is good for me!  Sidenote: I only clean with unscented dish soap now because I've become scarred by one bad batch of dishes + Gain-scented dish soap. or pomegranate-scented.  or citrus-scented.  You get the point.  I've ruined it for all scents ever created.  I just have to use unscented now.  Plus, it's not like your plates and silverware actually smell good in the end, right? ;)  To help out with the stanky, stank, pour 1/2 cup baking soda + 1/2 cup vinegar + yup, you guessed it, a few drop of essential oil into the garbage disposal drain and let it sit for one hour.  Then drown that puppy out with hot water for a minute or two with the disposal running.

Happy cleaning, mamas!! :)

First Birthday + Details

Good afternoon, friends!  Tuesday was my Princess' first birthday!!!  It's nap time now, so I've got a little bit of time to share of photos of her birthday party, which was on Sunday.  We kept the celebration on the smaller side since our home isn't large enough to invite all of the people Keziah wanted to invite (the girl's got lots of friends, what can I say?).  Okay, that last statement was pure sarcasm, though I wish it were true.  This mama's gotta work on getting out of the house more and visiting more mama friends.  Now, where were we ... oh, Keziah's party!

Now, I'm a very frugal person when it comes to certain things.  When I say certain things, I mean the things that I know I can DIY and totally rock it.  When I spotted a rustic, winter wonderland party on Pinterest, I literally cried.  I had to have it.  The only problem being that I am not a gazillionaire like it looked like that other mama was, so I knew that I'd have to cut corners, plus, there was no way my husband would allow me to repaint our walls, have linens and tables and chairs rented, etc. And hey, I don't blame him!  :)

Here are some photos that I was able to snag before our guests showed up, and all the decorations weren't in "perfect" order, and my makeup wasn't sweated off. Ha!

Here is a list of the shops/websites that we used for her big day.  Now, I researched and researched to pinch every penny that I could.  If you can find the following items cheaper, I won't believe ya'! ;)  

Birthday Invites: DIY

Chalkboard Stats Board:  DIY

Lace Mason Jars: DIY

Wooden + Glitter Tree: Target Clearance the day after Christmas 

Bottle Brush Trees: Love it Shabby on Etsy 

First Birthday Crown: Little Blue Olive on Etsy

Catering: Portillo's/Barnelli's and Cheesecake Factory (Super Bowl was the same day means appetizers are a must!

Table Runner + Food Place Cards: DIY

Sparkle Branches: Blooms and Branches

Flowers: the absolute sweetest people from Floral Acres

Keziah's Birthday Cake: DIY (and a little help from Wilton + Betty Crocker!) ;)

Cake + Cupcake Toppers: DIY (Washi Tape from Shop Sweet Lulu)

Ribbon Backdrop: DIY

Keziah's Birthday Dress: Auto Alive on Etsy 

Oh!  And since Keziah didn't want a taste of the (second!) cake that mama slaved over, I'll share a taste with you!  

Am I a bad mama for showing her how to push her hand in the cake?  Maybe.  Was I slightly offended that she wanted nothing to do with this cake? Absolutely.  Did the cake go to waste?  Definitely not.