DIY VALENTINES WREATH

Can you believe Valentine's Day is in just over a month?! Time seems to be flying by which is great because I'm so ready to meet our baby girl in a few days! I don't normally decorate much for Valentine's Day but this year Target had so many cute decorations that I decided it would be fun! It also has helped me transition out of Christmas decor without going straight into spring decor. I decided to keep out a lot of pink and white bottle brush trees and the little white houses from Target that compliment all the valentines decor. 

My inspiration for this wreath is actually from Target's valentines decor. Below is the picture of Target's wreath, its by their Spritz brand. The link will be attached below in case you want to purchase it or take a closer look at it. I wanted to make my own so that I could use the colors I like and have it be a touch bigger. On my Instagram stories I showed pictures of the steps it took to make and attach the tassels. I didn't go into depth on how they were made because I am going to do that here. I will try to be as detailed as possible but if you have any questions please send them my way!

DIY POM POM WREATH

Wow, its been awhile since I wrote a blog post. Its been even longer since I've crafted, and today I've accomplished both! Before I had Hadley I crafted all the time. I made wreaths and wooden signs. I even had my own Etsy shop for awhile. It was a lot of fun but got to be too much once Hadley was born. This DIY pom pom wreath was pretty simple and a lot of fun. Ashley from Grace Collective Shop did a great tutorial of how to do a pom pom wreath. Her's is beautiful and has little bottle brush trees and a little house on it!

I had some issues in the beginning with the wreath. Hobby Lobby only had the wide green styrofoam wreaths so I tried to wrap it with white felt. The felt was kind of difficult to wrap it tightly in. Then when I started to hot glue the poms onto it, I realized they would be too small to cover the wreath. So I decided to go to another craft store and look for a white wreath. JoAnn's is where I ended up finding a white wreath, which I will link below. It worked perfectly so I definitely recommend using the round white wreath!

Here is the steps I took to make a whimsical pom pom wreath! I will try to link the items I used. I hope you all find it easy and fun to do! Be sure to send me pictures or tag me if you end up making one, I would love to see them!

POM POM WREATH

Supplies:

large white poms  6-7 bags depending on how fluffy you want it to look

medium white poms  I used 1 bag to fill in any holes

hot glue sticks

hot glue gun

styrofoam wreath       

jingle bells  I found the copper bells in the Christmas craft area of Hobby Lobby. You could definitely use any jingle bells you want.

1. Plug in your hot glue gun to get it warmed up.

2. Fluff your pom poms- when you get them out of the package they need help with their shape so I just fluffed mine a bit until I liked the way they looked.

3. Start glueing- I started glueing the pom poms on the front of the wreath first. Then did the inside of the wreath and lastly, the outside of the wreath. 

4. Once the glue dried, I fluffed the pom poms out even more to give it a fuller look. 

5. Glue the jingle bells or whatever you would like on the wreath! I wanted jingle bells because I loved the look of the pom pom wreath from Target, (Target wreath) but wanted a more neutral look.

6. Glue the medium sized pom poms if needed- I wanted a full and fluffy look to my wreath so I stuffed in some smaller sized pom poms to give it the look I wanted.

7. Hang your wreath and enjoy!

Here is a close up of my wreath, can't wait to see yours!

I'M JUST HERE FOR THE PIE

Pie is a dessert that has been around for centuries and enjoyed by many. The first pie recipe published was by the Romans that was a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie. The Pilgrims that came to America mainly made meat pies, I don't know about you but I have never tried any meat pies and I don't plan to either! The first pie recipe that was recorded in an English cookbook in 1675 was none other than pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie was my very first pie I had ever baked on my own. It is such a simple pie to make but you can add so many things to make it more than just a classic Thanksgiving dish. Pumpkin pie cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts that my mother makes, its super rich and creamy. My love of baking came from the influence of my mom. She always gave me something to help with when she was baking. My favorite baking memory I have with her is when we would bake and decorate sugar cookies for all of the different holidays. Those were the times when we would have some of best conversations, even in my teenage years. I knew even before I had Hadley, that I wanted to pass this family tradition onto her. Now, I can't even pull out the mixing bowl without her running up to the kitchen counter with her stool shouting, "I help you mommy!" It makes my heart so happy, these are memories I will cherish forever and memories that will help shape her into the woman she will someday be.

Ross and I have been married now for five years which means I have had five years to try out recipes in my own kitchen. I've learned a lot in my kitchen. For example, the first pie I made in my own kitchen was a strawberry pie, one of my absolute favorites! If you've made a strawberry pie with the jello mix filling you know to plan on standing by the stove top stirring constantly to make sure that jello mix doesn't boil over. Silly me decided it would be okay to have Ross stand and stir for a bit while I went to change the laundry in the other room... let's just say I've made better choices haha! As upset as we were that our brand new glass stove top was now covered in a burnt, sticking strawberry glaze I am glad it happened. You see, that jello glaze never did come off of our stove top. I see it everyday as I cook or clean and it brings a smile on my face. I mean how lucky am I to have such a kind husband to come help me in the kitchen. Just like with my mom, some of our best conversations are in the kitchen too.

Now that you have a little history on pie and on my experience with pie, lets talk recipes! Please note, these are not my own recipes. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am not a professional baker/cook nor do I ever want to be. This is truly a hobby of mine that I love to do and enjoy talking about. I have made changes to some of the recipes and left notes that may help someone not to make the same mistakes I did while making it. If you have any questions or would like to share a good pie recipe with me leave a comment below or send me an email! Thanks for taking the time to read along, God bless!

Every pie needs a good foundation, the crust. This is the pie crust recipe my mother taught me and it is by far the best I've tried!

PIE CRUST
(makes enough for two pies and a top)

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup crisco
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Stir flour, sugar and salt. Mix in the crisco next. Then add the cider vinegar, egg and water. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. I put mine in the fridge for at least an hour before using. If you need the dough to be a bit firmer you can add more flour and knead it into the dough while rolling it out.


SUGAR CREAM PIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 single pie shell
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter cubed
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450. Bake pie shell for 8 minutes with foil over it. (Be sure to poke holes in the dough so that it stays flat) Remove foil and bake for 5-7 minutes more. Take out the crust and reduce oven to 375. In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk & cornstarch...bring to a boil. Stir continuously so the filling doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan and burn, (I learned that the hard way.) Reduce heat and cook for about 2 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and stir in cubed butter and vanilla.
Pour the filling over crust and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake @ 375 for 15-20 minutes. You can enjoy it warm or chilled. I prefer warm!

AMISH OATMEAL PIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 single pie shell
1 & 1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup old fashion oats
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs beaten
3 tbsp butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
vanilla icecream (optional, goes great with it on the side)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients well, pour mixture in unbaked pie shell. Bake for 45-50 minutes and enjoy.



STRAWBERRY PIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 box strawberry jello
1 cup sugar
4-6 cups of fresh cut strawberries
1 single pie shell
2 & 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:
Bake one single pie shell and have ready and cooled for the pie filling. Dissolve box of strawberry jello and 1 cup of sugar into a saucepan of 1 cup boiling water. In a small bowl, dissolve 2 & 1/2 tbs cornstarch with 1 cup of cold water. Then add that to the jello/sugar mix. This is when you need to make sure your filling does not boil over! Stir A LOT! Boil the mixture for 15 minutes on medium/high heat. Take it off of the stove and let cool for about 5 minutes and pour over hulled strawberries. Pour mixture into a baked pie shell and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to set up. Enjoy with some whip cream!


PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS:

15 oz canned pumpkin
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp molasses
3 eggs beaten
1 cup evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425. Mix all the ingredients except the milk and eggs. Once blended then add milk and eggs and pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy!

PUMPKIN SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE

I know its been quiet over here for awhile! We have been enjoying the last bit of summer before harvest begins, which I think will start tomorrow actually! Something I always like to make in the fall are pumpkin muffins. They are super easy to make and they make a great breakfast on-the-go for Ross! There are two recipes I like to use. One is a normal version and the other is a healthier version. I will say, I can't tell the difference between them. I usually add mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to both versions!

Please note that I am not a professional baker...nor do I want to be. I just love to bake for fun! These are not my own recipes, I have found them on the internet and tried them out several times. I've switched a few things around in each recipe and I think I've finally perfected them (for my family and I that is LOL). If you have any questions or try out either recipe please let me know!

THE ORIGINAL PUMPKIN MUFFIN RECIPE 

3 cups of flour

1 TBS pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 cups of granulated sugar

1 can (15 ounce) of Libby's 100% pure pumpkin

(note that this is NOT pumpkin pie filling)

4 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

1-2 cups of mini chocolate chips

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES

makes around 30 muffins

I use paper baking cups 

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

MIX sugar, canned pumpkin, eggs, oil and water in a separate bowl. Then add the dry flour mixture and mix well. Next gently stir in the chocolate chips, you can use however many you like. I just like a hint of chocolate in mine so I stick to about 1 cup.

SPOON batter into paper cups about 3/4 full.

BAKE FOR 30-35 minutes...check with a toothpick, every oven is different so keep an eye on them for the last 5-10 minutes.

COOL... be sure to let them cool before removing them from the pan.

HADLEY IS TWO!

Its been a couple of weeks now since Hadley turned two so I figured I should finally get around to editing the pictures I took of her. I took these photos the night before she officially turned two... and I swear she has changed so much already in just the last couple of weeks. Her hair has grown, I think she's grown another inch taller, her feet grew...again, and she just has this new kind of toddler look about her that has me in tears most of the time. While I am so happy that she is talking more and able to do a lot on her own, I still long for those days when she was a teeny tiny baby.

 For as long as I can remember I couldn't wait to be a mom. In fact a lot of my friends always bet on me being the first one out of our group of friends to be a mom... they ended up being right lol! Ross and I waited about two years after being married to start trying for a baby. I can remember the first summer we were married I was crying all of the time about how badly I wanted to have a baby and didn't want to wait. Luckily, Ross talked me into waiting a bit longer so that we could have more time alone together first. I say luckily not because it would have been bad if we had gotten pregnant right away but because now having had her, I look back at the times when it was just us and am so thankful we got that time together. It gave us more time to get to know each other, save money (kids are expensive), fix the house up and travel a little. 

We plan to have at least one more kid but Hadley will always be my baby. She made me a mom and we have such a strong bond already, I hope it continues to grow. My prayer for her is to not only live a happy, healthy life but to live a life that will glorify God. 

I didn't get to take as many pictures with her and the #2 balloon because she was terrified of it! Ross tried and tried to get her to not be afraid of it but she just was not a fan. The thing I enjoy most about taking Hadley's picture is the joy she has is when I am taking them. She didn't always like her picture being taken but now she loves to say cheese and make silly faces at the camera. She even likes to jump and twirl around! As I look back at them I can't help but to smile, we are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy two year old daughter. Without further ado, here are Hadley's two year old pictures!

WITH AN OINK, A MOO AND A COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO HADLEY LEAH TURNED TWO!

Not sure how we got here but somehow my little chunky baby is now a two year old! We had her birthday party at our house this year and while it was a lot of work, I'm glad we did. While planning for her party we were worried about it being so hot outside that we were thinking of other places to host it. We decided to have it home anyways and just made sure that we would have room to go inside if we needed to. Well...we ended up moving the party inside but not because of the heat, because of the cold and wind! Its July! I never would have thought it would have been so chilly and windy, it felt like an early spring evening. Since the wind was so strong I wasn't able to do hardly any of the decorations I had ready which was a bummer but not the end of the world lol. I felt like I was a lot more prepared and organized for this birthday party than her last. I tried to choose simple food and decorations so I wouldn't get overwhelmed. Thankfully the food stayed warm long enough for everyone to come up and get seconds even with the cold wind. We even managed to open presents outside, we just had to chase after all of the tissue paper that Hadley was throwing around! When it came time for cake we decided to move the party inside. Aunt Rachel made the cake and not only did it taste great, it was beautiful! I also made a strawberry slab pie for those who don't like cake or wanted to have two desserts lol. Overall the party went super well and Hadley had a lot of fun with family and friends. When everyone comes together for such a special occasion, it makes me realize just how blessed we are to have so many loving and caring people in our lives. Below are some of the pictures my dad and I took throughout the party. Thank you to all who wished Hadley a happy birthday, we love and appreciate you all!

S.A.H.M.

S.A.H.M. some of you may know what it stands for and others may not. It stands for stay at home mom, which is what I am. I get asked all the time, "what do you do all day?" Some may get offended by this question but I see it as an opportunity to share what it is we SAHM's do all day. I'd like to say first off that we are all different and do different things. The majority of the time I am a stay at home mom but I also work for my parent's business so I do go to the office a couple of days a week but I do a majority of my work from home while Hadley sleeps. I am extremely grateful I have this job, not only does it supply an extra income but it also gives me a break and a purpose. So often I hear about many SAHM's that struggle with depression because they feel like they have no purpose, let me tell you...YOU DO HAVE A PURPOSE!!! Staying at home and raising your kids is one of the hardest jobs out there. I have often questioned if I am doing the right thing by staying home because honestly some days are extremely hard. But just like in any other 9-5 job, you're going to have those hard days when you second guess if what your doing is right. 

If you're wondering what I do all day when I am home and not in the office, I am here to tell you. We start our mornings off by taking care of the animals and then of course eating breakfast. Hadley usually plays by herself in the mornings while I clean or work. I am a neat freak and usually clean once a day, that involves sweeping and wiping down counter tops, toys, etc. Really the rest of day is just whatever I need to do either for work or run an errand. One thing I always try to do is stay with a nap schedule. I have learned that Hadley does not behave like herself if she doesn't have a nap. She requires a lot of sleep...and I mean a lot. A normal nap for her is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours long. She still goes to bed around 8 and does just fine. There are times when she doesn't want to nap and those are tough days. I usually load her up in the car with her blanket and turn on the Disney lullabies and head to Starbucks! Not only does it put her to sleep but its a nice coffee break for me. This was all my husband's idea. Even when she was just a few months old she had issues with naps at times which then lead to him coming home to a very stressed out and tired momma. So he would encourage me to just load up in the car and drive, get your starbuckys (as he calls it lol). 

There are some things I do with Hadley everyday that are not out of routine but just because she loves it. Hadley loves to be quizzed. This is something she developed at a very young age, like 7 or 8 months. She learned animal sounds around that age and she would get the animal puzzle out and point and make their sound. The thing is though, she doesn't want to just come up and tell you what all she knows...she wants someone to ask her. She has these books that are great for learning colors, numbers, animals and first words. These are her favorite books. She will pick them all off of the shelf and bring them over to wherever I am and I know what she wants to do. Sometimes I am in disbelief that she knows all of the things that she does already. She can now count to 5...sometimes 6, she knows most colors (she never seems to recognize yellow), shapes and animals. A new concept we've been working on is feelings. Her favorite expression to make is the sad face but she can't hold it long without giggling lol! I will link all of the books below that we use and love. 

Hadley's favorite thing to do is outdoor playtime. She loves running around the farm and exploring. Now that we have animals it has made outside time even better. Usually her favorite thing to do is sit and play with rocks and get as dirty as possible lol. We tend to go out first thing in the morning and then before bed to try and avoid the heat. Things like her slide, swing, water table and trampoline keep her busy and active! Hadley doesn't know it yet but we got her an outdoors playhouse for her birthday! I think I'm more excited than she will be! I always wanted one as a kid so I knew it was something I definitely wanted to get for her someday. Another outdoor activity she loves is sidewalk chalk. She will sit for 30 minutes at a time and just color. I try and draw shapes and have her guess what they are and the color. Asking her these types of questions is something I do everyday randomly. It keeps her focused on what were doing and helps stimulate her brain. 

Dinner time is my favorite time of the day. Usually because I don't eat much or at all during the day so Im starving! But also because this is the time of day when we're all together as a family and get to relax for a little bit. I typically cook 5 nights a week, sometimes 6. I always give myself at least one night a week to have a break and order takeout or go out to eat. Cooking and baking is something I consider a hobby of mine. I love to try new recipes and Ross loves it too! I usually get my recipe ideas from Pinterest, my mom or Pioneer Woman. Something that has helped me stayed organized while trying to plan out meals for the week is my journal called Eat Well- menu organizer, I will link it below. I also use a free printable I found on google for a grocery list. It basically helps you categorize the items which I find extremely helpful. I also don't go to the grocery store anymore, I click list! It has been such a relief. Hadley doesn't do well at all in the store anymore and I typically get scatterbrained in the store and forget things...even when they are written down on the list. I highly recommend click list, it is worth the $5 to not have to fight with your kids the entire way or bribe them with candy or in my case, stickers lol.

So there you have it... this is what being a S.A.H.M. looks like for me, pretty exciting right?! You wouldn't believe how many people have asked me what I do all day or if I get bored, so if you are one of those people here is your answer. If you've ever thought about being a S.A.H.M but your worried about having too much time on your hands or getting bored this may change your mind... it has taken me 4 weeks to finish this blog post! It is stressful job at times but oh so rewarding. I am so thankful I am able to stay at home, it is such a blessing. As always, thanks for taking the time to read my post. Have a great rest of your week and God Bless!