Etsy Finds...

One of my favorite baby shower gifts I received was a handmade Ravens hat.  Benjamin was able to finally wear it this morning.  You can find this adorable Ravens Poe hat on Etsy.  The Etsy store also has a variety of other children's hats (owls, bunnies, bears, dinosaur, etc) perfect for fall and winter weather.  The store is running a one time special today with everything 15% off using the coupon code GORAVENS.  I encourage you to take a look!  It's never to early to start holiday shopping.

   

Farmer's Market Bridal Shower

Today we celebrated a sweet bride to be who I have known for over 14 years.  I am honored to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding.  The bridal shower was a Farmer's Market theme and so much fun!  All of the bridesmaids pitched in and it turned out beautiful.  My area of focus was the mimosa bar.  The mimosa bar was a big hit for all the guests!  The chalkboard was handmade (with help from my husband) using a table saw and chalkboard paint.

I used Avery round printing labels and chose from a variety of templates and fonts for the juices.

The desserts consisted of cherry pie, pumpkin pie, cupcakes, and apple pie.

The cupcakes were spice flavored with a creme filling. Yum! Also egg cartons were used to keep with the theme.

Everyone socializing!

 The "I Do" caprese skewers were popular! Fresh mozzarella, basil, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic glaze.

Party favors! Mason jars with chevron pink and grey straws.

 Loved the sign I bought off Etsy for the Future Mrs. Somers!

Tables were decorated with red table cloths, mums, and pumpkin gourds!  We used "natural" looking chairs to stick with the Farmer's Market theme.

The bridesmaids with the beautiful bride to be in the purple dress.

Farmer's market/fall entrance.

Homemade wreath in honor of the bride to be!

The bride to be was showered with so many wonderful gifts!  Looking forward to the wedding in November.

What are some of your favorite bridal shower themes?

Happy fall!

In honor of the first day of fall I had to work on my first craft of the season.  I decided to start with a fall wreath to dress up the front door.  I picked up all my supplies from Hobby Lobby and took full advantage of their 40% off coupon when you download their app.  Many of the supplies needed happened to be on sale as well! Win win.  Total cost of the wreath $20.92 with plenty of supplies left over for future craft projects (floral wire, burlap chevron ribbon, spray paint).  Below is a quick explanation of what you need to make this wreath.

Wreath $4.99
Three fake flowers of your choice $0.99 each
Floral Wire $2.99
Burlap Chevron Ribbon $4.99
Glue Gun
Gluesticks
Wooden Letter $2.99
Gold Spray Paint $1.99


First, spray paint your wooden letter the color of your choice.  I chose gold to keep with the fall theme.  I used two coats of spray paint which worked out perfectly.  Next, use your glue gun to glue floral wire on the back of monogrammed letter.

Put the wreath on top of the wooden letter and use the floral wire to attach to the bottom.  Make sure you tie the floral wire VERY tight.  I had trouble with this part.  I was getting frustrated because my letter was not sturdy on the wreath.  My advice if you think you have it tight pull a little more! After you have your letter set, use the glue gun to place your flowers.  The final step is your bow on top.  I found a really good short tutorial on making bows.  It's only a minute long and worth the refresher (How to make a Bow).  

Happy Fall!


  What is your favorite fall craft? 

Homemade Grilled Chicken Nachos

It's been awhile since my last post.  I think working full time, fighting a cold, traveling, and taking care of Ben full-time while my husband was at a conference made blogging low on the list.  Now the football season is in full gear I have been wanting to experiment with some Pinterest game day appetizers.  After traveling to Virginia Tech last weekend I found the best chicken nachos ever.  I wanted to try and re-create at home.  Although not the healthiest, everything in moderation.  I found this recipe on Pinterest to use as my base.  However, I had different ingredients on hand to play with and I came up with the following:

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups corn tortilla chips 
• 2 cups Cheddar Cheese 
• 1/2 can of drained diced tomatoes 
• 1 can of fat free refried beans 
• 1 can of organic black beans drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions 
• 1/2 cup of red onion 
• 1 grilled chicken breast cubed

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Spread tortilla chips into the prepared baking dish. Top with cheese, diced tomatoes, refried beans (make sure they are hot), black beans (also, make sure they are hot), green onions, and grilled chicken.  Top with a little cheese on top.
• Place into oven for 12 minutes until cheese has melted and tortilla chips are crispy.
• Serve immediately with sour cream or salsa if desired.

Nacho Prep

In the Oven

Ready to Eat!

What are your favorite game day appetizers?

Saving time and money!

Each Sunday I usually sit down and plan out the dinner menu for the upcoming week.  This keeps me organized, on track when grocery shopping, and I typically spend less money.  In the past I have mindlessly thrown grocery items into my cart as I walk down the aisle.  Now I am focused and get in and out of the grocery store quickly.  I usually scan my Pinterest pins from the week before or get ideas from other blogs I follow.  I have been know to be set in my ways by making the same meals over and over.  My goal is to try a variety of new meals!  My dinner menu for the upcoming week:

Sunday: Trader Joe's Grilled Burgers with Chickpea Avocado and Feta Salad from Two Peas and their Pod and steamed green beans.  I actually made the chickpea avocado and feta salad last week and it was so good I have to make it again! 

Ingredients

Finished Product

Monday: Crockpot Chicken Rice and Beans from A Fun Foodie
Tuesday: Leftover Italian Baked Ziti my mother generously made for us.  Nice to have a night off from cooking!
Wednesday:  Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese accompanied with a side salad
Thursday: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

I love my new free meal planner printable I found online from TheViewFromFiveTen!

You can also find really cute ones on Etsy (my personal favorite: Chalkboard Meal Planner).  Maybe this will be the finishing touch to our kitchen once the renovations are complete!

What's on your menu for the upcoming week?

Chicken Taco Chili

Thank goodness it's Friday! Cheers to the weekend. What a long but productive week.  It feels good to be back in the working world.  Now that I am working I have to come up with quick and easy meals.  Since baby Benjamin goes to sleep by 6:30 going out to eat is pretty much not an option.  I also do not want to be eating takeout every night.   

Tonight's dinner was Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili.  It was so good and made three extra dishes for lunches.  I estimate the cost of this meal plus leftovers was less than $10.  I put all the ingredients on before I left for work in the morning and came home to a complete meal.  I made a few modifications to the recipe.  I only used two chicken breasts instead of the three to four in recipe.  I also topped with a little cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream, and cilantro.  It tasted perfect!

Before I left for work in the morning

Bon Appetit!

What are some of your favorite quick and easy recipes during the work week?  Please share!

A Very Jane Post!

I have been bad about blogging this week.  I blame it on my first week back at work.  As soon as I get home I am pretty much exhausted!

Maybe I have been under a rock, however, I recently discovered the most amazing website Very Jane from my dear friend Special Treats.  This website is similar to Groupon/Living Social but for "Etsy-ish" items.  I am truly obsessed! It takes willpower not to start buying when I get my daily e-mail each morning with new deals.  The trick to the website is to ensure you buy early because items quickly sell out.  The majority of the deals come from Etsy vendors.  I recommend taking a look! Here are some of my favorite deals from today.

Currently loving the variety of Designer Toss Pillows!  A great addition to bring color or change up any room.

How cute is this Halloween Burlap Banner? Unfortunately it is sold out!

Super cute Mini Chalkboard Stands for any upcoming occasion.  These would be great for bridal showers or any upcoming holiday party (crazy to think the holidays are fast approaching!)

I hope you enjoy Very Jane as much as I do!  Can't wait for my Very Jane package to arrive this week.

A Fabulous Four Months... Summer Recap

It has been an amazing past four months off on maternity leave.  As I return to work tomorrow it will be a very hard adjustment!  I wanted to do a quick recap of my time off and the past four months.  Let's start from the beginning.

Benjamin arrived a week early on May 1st, 2013.

May consisted of lots of visitors, no sleep, my first Mother's Day, Kyle's Law School graduation,  a new car, a wedding, outdoor movie with friends, and a Memorial Day party at our house.

June was more visitors, a little more sleep, my birthday, Kyle's swearing in ceremony, a promotion, two baby showers, and Father's Day.

July was our first trip to the beach, more sleep, first baby date, the Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center, home renovations resumed, Maryland crabs to celebrate birthdays, and a Orioles game at Camden Yards.

August was by far the best month! A road trip to Burlington for a Vermont wedding, lots of sleep, helping friends move, surprising a friend in New Jersey to meet her new baby, visiting my friend Special Treats in Richmond who recently had twins, spending lots of time with my mom who retired, STARTED BLOGGING, and a Labor Day weekend wedding.

The past four months have been incredible and I would not change a thing.  I am sad to head back to work tomorrow but thankful I was able to take off so much time.  A new chapter begins tomorrow...