Spring Break Activities
Having activities to do during spring break can make a fun week even more enjoyable! Whether you're staying home or going somewhere far away, it's always nice to have a list of activities in your back pocket for down time.
For younger kids:
Freeze paint in ice cube trays to create a masterpiece! Instructions here.
via Happy Hooligans
Create your very own rain stick! Music and crafts in one? Sign me up. Instructions here.
For older kids:
Make your own kite to fly on a windy day. Instructions here.
Marshmallow shooters! Not only is building and decorating your marshmallow shooter fun, it makes for a fun and painless marshmallow battle.
I hope you all have a great spring break full of fun and good weather! What other activities do you do with your kids when they're off of school?
Patio Furniture
via RC Willey
Having comfortable patio furniture is the best way to create an inviting backyard. There is nothing better than summer nights spent outside with your feet kicked up, and now that it’s getting warmer, it’s time to start planning ahead! Below are some of my favorite patio furniture sets right now. Click on each image for more information.
You can see all of RC Willey’s patio furniture options here to find something that will fit your style. Check them out and let me know which one is your favorite!
St. Patrick's Day Dinner
If you're looking to make a good dinner this St. Patrick's day, double check that you’re wearing green and get ready to enjoy some traditional Irish foods! I decided it was time to throw a dinner party, and what better reason than St. Patrick’s Day? Below I’ve shared the menu I’ve written up for this Friday’s dinner.
I thought about making corned beef and cabbage, but then I saw a recipe for bangers and mash, and it looked so good! Find the recipe here.
Irish Soda Bread is always delicious. Recipe here.
Even though I'm not making corned beef I still want some cabbage and this recipe looks good.
For dessert, I'll probably make this recipe for mint brownie cookies. Not because they're Irish, but because they're delicious. If I'm feeling really ambitious though, I might consider making this cake...
Isn't it so much fun?! I would have loved this as a little kid!
Are you having a St. Patrick's Day party? What are you going to be serving?
Trend Alert: Is Shiplap Still Cool?
First of all, am I the only one that is obsessed with Magnolia Home Furniture?! Do yourself and check out the collection if you haven't already! I can't wait to get my hands on some of those pieces. Speaking of Magnolia Home Furniture..... do you watch Fixer Upper? If you love watching the Texas home remodels as much as I do, you are surely familiar with the term "shiplap".
Shiplap has been booming in the design world for a while now, and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon! Simply put: Yes, it's still cool. Shiplap is simply a kind of wooden board that was traditionally used for constructing barns, sheds, and old Texas houses! Traditional shiplap (the kind Chip and Joanna always seem to be uncovering on their projects on Fixer Upper) boasts a groove cut into the top and bottom which allows the horizontal pieces of wood to fit snugly together. Nowdays, if you're wanting to achieve the shiplap look you can opt to use real traditional wooded shiplap, or you can nail up MDF board over drywall for an easier, cheaper alternative.
If you're thinking to yourself, "Oh, that's fun but Texas farmhouse isn't really my design style", think again! The great part about shiplap is that it can literally add charm and texture to any room, any style! Whether it's in a country farmhouse or a modern loft, it looks amazing! And it honestly looks good in any room- from mudrooms and kitchens, to bathrooms and bedrooms, you really cannot go wrong with this stuff! My personal preference is shiplap painted white for a clean and fresh feel, but if white isn't your thing you can always settle on a neutral wood finsih too.
Now, tell me this stuff isn't just gorgeous!
Better Homes via apartment therapy
Studio McGee via apartment therapy
What do you think? Would you install shiplap in your home?
Displaying Family Photos
We all have pictures of our family that we love and want to display. These pictures not only make our home more personal, they can remind us of fun memories and good times. If you've got some family pictures you'd like displayed but are stuck trying to figure out an interesting way to arrange them, look no further!
If you have pictures that you love, consider enlarging and framing them to create a bold statement.
On the flip side, if you can't pick just one or two pictures, find a large frame for all of them.
If you have a stairway, think about using a variety of frames, colors, and styles to create an eclectic gallery wall.
via Pink Peonies
You can also use frames of the same color but different styles and sizes to keep your gallery wall interesting and cohesive.
Using picture shelves to prop your photos up allows you to easily add, rearrange, or change out the pictures you display.
via Kitchn
And don't forget that your fridge is always available!
How have you displayed family photos in your home?
St. Patrick's Day Crafts for Kids
Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with these fun crafts! As a former middle school teacher, I can tell you for a fact that any holiday that involves pinching the person sitting next to you is a winner. If you want to extend the celebrations past the pinching, here are a few St. Patrick’s Day crafts to do with you and your little ones! Hopefully, if you keep them busy enough they won’t notice if you aren’t wearing green.
To wear at school and keep the pinches away. Instructions here.
To sneak in a little science while they’re creating. Instructions here.
To keep and remember how small their hands were. Instructions here.
To get a good laugh. How cute would it be to see this mask on a little face? Instructions here.
Have fun this St Patrick’s Day! Let me know how your crafts turn out!
TVs for Game Day
Are your basketball brackets filled out yet? If they are, do you have any hints for a girl who picks teams based off of their names and uniforms? Even if your bracket is a real dud, you can be a winner come game time with a new TV this year!
via RC Willey
Have you ever tried a 4K TV? The resolution on a 4K TV is the best available right now. Images are sharper, movement is smoother, and colors are brighter on these TVs. You’ll feel like you’re on the first row of the game!
Shop all TV’s here at RC Willey. You’ll be sure to find one to fit what you need!
5 Reasons to Buy a Round Dining Table
So you're in the market for a new dining table. As you well know, this is no small purchase! After all, dining tables are the kinds of furniture pieces that get passed on from generation to generation! You want to make sure you invest in a table that will not only hold up for years to come, but also one that you won't get sick of stylistically. So many questions to ask yourself here: How big do I want this table to be? What materials do I want it constructed from? What type of finish? And one of the most important things you'll need to consider is shape!
There are definitely pro's and cons to every table shape, but I am really really loving round tables lately, so here are 5 reasons you should consider buying a round dining table.....
1. No sharp corners = kid friendly. I didn't realize how dangerous dining tables were until I became a parent. With a round table you can let your small child wander around the table with a pretty safe bet you aren't going to end up in the Emergency Room getting stitches from an injury sustained by the corner of your table!
2. Round tables encourage closeness, intimate conversation and cozy gatherings. Whenever we eat out with a big group of people at a restaurant, I always breathe a sigh of relief when we are seated at a big, round table. There is nothing worse than getting stuck in one conversation by the people seated closest to you and secretly wondering what the people on the other end of the table are talking about! Being able to see and hear everyone clearly around the dinner table makes the dining experience much more pleasant!
3. Shared dishes are easy to reach. This goes hand in hand with our last point. Have you ever wanted a second helping of cheesy potatoes, but knowing you are going to have to politely interrupt four different conversations to get them passed down to you from the other end of the table, while simulateneously advertising the fact that yes, you are having not one but two helpings of cheesy potatoes--you decide against it? We've all been there. And you deserve those seconds of cheesy potatoes! With round tables you can have all the second and third helpings that you want because shared dishes aren't a big hassle to get your hands on!
4. Round tables make small spaces feel bigger. While rectangular and square tables tend to eat up a lot of space in a dining room, round tables do just the oppostie! They take up much less space and visual weight, making small rooms feel a lot larger than they actually are.
5. Last minute dinner guests? No problem! Round tables allow you a great deal of flexibility when it comes to the amount of seating available. Whether you have five dinner guests, or nine, it doesn't really matter! Just add another place setting and you can fit one more person in the mix no problem!
Do you have a round dining table? What do you love about it??
Also, check out this buyer's guide to the dining table, and also the image below- they are two great dining table resources!
rustic chic design via pinterest
Spring Cleaning
After a long winter, it’s time to spring clean your home. I try to keep a clean house, but the other day I had to move a dresser to find something that had fallen behind it and I realized it was time to really clean. The baseboards were grimy and there was a dust ball the size of a small cat hidden away where you couldn’t see it without moving the furniture. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day moving furniture, wiping down walls, and scrubbing my house.
While the list of things to spring clean can seem endless, here are the five things that made the biggest difference in my house this week.
via Bellacor
1. Open the windows and air out the rooms. Luckily I was cleaning on a warm day, so I threw open the windows and left them like that the majority of the day. After keeping them closed all winter long, it felt so good having fresh air throughout my house! Even after they were closed it smelled and felt amazing.
2. Spot wash walls and wipe down baseboards. I ended up with the most disgusting rag after my baseboards - especially the baseboards behind furniture that isn’t moved often.
via Today
3. Wash all of your bedding - including pillows, down comforters, and blankets. Put a few tennis balls into the dryer with your pillows and down comforters to keep them fluffy and avoid matting.
4. Dust EVERYTHING. Don’t forget the tops of picture frames, the top of the refrigerator, the legs of tables and chairs, and the sides of dressers.
via My Domaine
5. Organize your closet and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, that you don’t wear, or that is ripped or torn. No room for being sentimental! Just get rid of it!
I felt amazing after cleaning my entire house! And then my daughter woke up and tipped over the basket with all her toys and my dog ran in and spread mud all over the floor and my husband came home and forgot to hang his coat up and I spilled a box of pasta while making dinner...oh well. At least the dust bunnies are gone.
Have you spring cleaned your house yet? What other spring cleaning tips do you have?
Starting a Garden
Now is the time to start thinking of starting a garden. Like I’ve said before, the yard of our house is a mess. The backyard especially needs a lot of work. The previous owners of our home used it as a dog run, so we’re starting from scratch. I’ve been mapping out how I want it landscaped, and have found the perfect sunny spot for a garden bed. Having never created a garden bed from scratch before, I’ve been researching what to do and thought I’d share what I’ve learned!
First, decide where you want your garden bed and mark off the area. Remove any plants, weeds, or grass that is already existing.
Next, dig and turn over the soil. Plants struggle to grow in compacted soil, so it’s important to loosen it up. Any rocks or debris you uncover as you turn over the soil needs to be removed.
After you’ve turned over the soil, create an edge to separate your garden bed and the area around it. This will not only keep the soil from your garden from spilling over but will also keep grass out. You can do this by digging a deep ditch or using pavers as a border.
via HGTV
Add compost to create healthy soil and turn it over with your shovel to combine with the existing dirt. Your soil should be crumbly, not clumpy.
Finally, level the soil with a rake and avoid stepping on the finished bed.
I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to grow my own vegetables soon! Maybe when I feel a little more confident I could get a greenhouse. How cool would that be? If you’re a seasoned gardener, any advice would be appreciated. I’m excited to get started!
