The Bragging Mommy

Although Kevin and I don't have kids yet - I am finding myself following more and more parenting/mommy blogs lately. I like reading about the real world experiences, trials, what works and what doesnt for them. It helps to get as many aspects as you can although I realized NOTHING prepares you for parenthood except actually becoming one.

One of my favorite blogs is The Bragging Mommy. They do reviews on all sorts of products and give you feedback on the pros and cons. Very helpful for someone like me who feels very overwhelmed with all that comes with being a parent. Today they are doing a review and giveaway of a $500 stroller - can you believe that? Definitely head over there to check them out!

Sewing Projects

Last weekend my wonderful mother let me have her sewing machine (you rock mom!). I have had quite a few projects in mind for a while so I was eager to get started.

First project: Make new bed for Lily. She ripped up and pee'd on her old one so we trashed it. Now she has a much more stylish one!

Here is Lily modeling on her new bed:

Here is the bed more close-up:

I was going to add a zipper but that proved to be troublesome so I just stuffed it with an old comforter from college. Still machine washable if you ask me!

Project #2: upgrade living room curtains. I bought curtains months ago and it turns out I measured wrong....should have gotten the 108"! Oh well...I bought some fabric from Hobby Lobby and enlongated the curtains to the correct length. I really liked the dual color curtains that I've seen all over and I think these turned out pretty good.

Compared with these that are $60/panel:

The colors are opposite but you get the idea.

Next I want to work on "ruffles" as I think they make everything better and maybe some cute patch jeans or something...we shall see!



I just can't help myself

I want one more than almost anything!!!! You can do so much with a silhouette and The Bragging Mommy is giving one away :)

Love her blog, you definitely need to check it out!

Leighelena Cuffs

I have so much jewelry, it's kind of ridiculous. So needless to say the last thing I need right now is another piece but how amazing are the cuffs by Leighelena?

They come in an array of different textures and even more colors! I think I will need one of each....one can dream, right?

Pinterest

I was recently invited to join the site Pinterest. It's a site where you can catalog, sort, and document all of your design inspirations, crafts, photography, whatever you want! So far I am really loving it. I can't tell you how many bookmarks I have under "DIY", "Wants", etc. This is a much easier way to keep them all cataloged. Pinterest even saves the website from which you "pin" an item.

Right now, you can only join Pinterest by invite only, so if you would like an invite just let me know!

Linguine with Turkey Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Ciliengini

Tonight Kevin is in Galveston doing an engagement shoot with the uber talented Mr. Ben Sassani so I had the opportunity to make myself ANYTHING I wanted for dinner.

I decided to make one of my favorite pasta dishes that Kevin isnt a big fan of (he's not into italian sausage). It came out really good and it's super yummy! I made the recipe healthier with turkey italian sausage and whole wheat pasta. 

What you'll need:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 5 turkey Italian sausages, removed from casings
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1/2 - 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of spinach (arugula is a good substitute)
• 10-12 balls of ciliengini mozzarella cheese, sliced in half
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 9 oz linguine, cooked per instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Remove the sausage from the casings and form into small balls. Place the balls into the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and tomatoes then stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet as well as the oregano and some sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Break up a few of the tomatoes by piercing them with the spatula. Cook for a 8-10 minutes while the pasta is cooking,

Taste the sauce and re-season with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and oregano if needed. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, toss to coat. Add the spinach (arugula) and ciliengini cheese then serve immediately. Enjoy!

Laundry Room Revamp

After all of y'alls ancy anticipation I am finally revealing my new laundry room! I had been waiting on an antique mirror but I decided to just put up a mirror I already had until I can get the one I want.
Paint: glidden - Pale Jade

As you are looking into our laundry room (please note that the beer rug is not mine - it's my husbands and was a gift lol)

Now view from walking in and looking left:

I ordered my lovely wall decal from Wonderfully Wordy and Shelley has many decals to choose from. I liked the saying on this one - still makes me giggle when I see it.

View from walking in and looking right:

 Gotta love my little Aggie gnome haha.

I am really pleased with the outcome. I actually enjoy going into do laundry now. I have taken on a new philosophy that you might as well invest in making your surroundings comfortable and enjoyable since it's where you spend 95% of your time anyways.

I am currently working on a guest room re-do so be on the lookout for that!

And just a final tid-bit to leave you with...a throw pillow I made for said guest room. The stripes are leftover IKEA curtain ties that I never used, I was quite proud of myself considering I don't have a sewing machine (which I desperately need to buy)