Bird's Nest Spring Wreath{DIY}

A wire hanger & burlap? That simple?!
This was so easy.  I followed this tutorial here.


I did make my strips a little thinner for a thicker fill & I was using a smaller sized wreath.
I added my own touches to it using vintage fabric to make flower rosettes and hot glued them onto the burlap.

I took a photo and sent it to my sister, aunt, and mom.
Everyone responded with compliments, but my sister said "It reminds me of a bird's nest." 
{I immediately remembered those little clip on bird ornaments from my Christmas tree}
PERFECT---I put a bird on it! {ha} 

I like hanging all my wreaths using clothes line, clothes pins and fabric for the top of the wreath {just my thing}.
I also whipped up a little matching fabric banner for our porch bench.

A good start to outdoor spring cuteness!

Linking up at these other pretty places

Thanks for looking! 

XOXO, 

Kate 

Pass*It*Forward; Card 2

If you don't remember what this is all about, start here. 

Today I did more shine spreading---Passin' it forward...

Some of you know that I returned to work at my previous job as an ISC (pretty much a social worker for Adults with Disabilities). When I returned, I was a little anxious about having a brand new Team Leader.  She has made me feel so comfortable being back, been understanding when my kids have been sick (and we know they have been a lot in the past few months).  & in addition, she has kept me calm during my transition taking the time to listen to non-work related stuff while dealing with anything else she has going on in her life.  So, Miss Laura--today was your day for some shine! 

She LOVES diet coke. Seriously, one day, she was walking in holding 4 cans of it. & she hates receiving flowers {ha, she had a funny story with that one}  So here is what I did...

2 down, 8 to go.  

Don't worry, strangers are coming too....

I even plan explaining this to Avery & having her pick what she wants to do.  

{that will be a fun one}

XOXO, 

Kate

Pass*It*Forward; Card 1

Not sure if anyone follows this lil blog of mine, but if you do, you will remember this post, a lil sneaky, sneaky.
Meet Ashley of the Shine Project. 
She is doing BIG things & I am a total admirer.  My sister, Mandie knew of this & got me one of her Shine Necklaces for my birthday. {I wear it almost everyday}.

Well, leave it to Ashley to go even further & create Pass It Forward. 
You log your card, send it off to someone & do anything you choose, they do the same, & you watch how many lives have been touched by a simple, unexpected random act of kindness. {easy}
{the perfect solution to make small differences with BIG end results}. I WAS SOLD & ordered 10 cards.
I've been in a lil funk & this was the perfect solution to get me out of it.
How could I not?

Yes--it can be anyone; family, friends, strangers, people making a difference; the choice is up to you.  The first person who came to mind was Avery's afternoon preschool teacher, Stephanie. You can tell she LOVES her job which is rare these days.  She is trying to make Avery's class into something better than its ever been.  She enlightens, enriches, & expands their minds.  {not to mention, she has a super cute blog you should go check out}. 

So here you go...

9 to go & I am SO excited.  

Are you jumping on board? 

XOXO, 

Kate 

dear husband,

thank you for our babies.

You have given me the greatest gift of God--Avery & Anderson.
I could kiss you over and over for so many reasons, but in particular, for these sweet babies.

I'm in love with weekends together and hope that some day, that becomes routine.
Until then, I know that we all appreciate and take in the moment as a foursome.

XOXO, 

Kate

on memories...

I hope my children have the fondest of childhood memories in so many ways.
In particular, I hope they remember when visiting yaya and papa's house, we go here.

I.heart.this.place.
If there could be a perfect park in my mind, this would be it.

XOXO, 

Kate 

Pass It Forward

Are you jumping on board, too? 

Coming soon...

XOXO, 

Kate 

{easy} crock pot white chili

Seriously, I feel like this is turning into a food blog; however, its not.
This was just SO GOOD & SO easy to not share.

Introducing my version of White Chili {Crock Pot Style}

Ingredients & Directions:
1 pound chicken breast {I used tenderloins, easier to cut} 

3 cups of chicken broth 

1/2 onion-chopped 

4 garlic cloves

2 Tablespoons Cumin 

1 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Red Pepper 

1/2 Teaspoon salt 

1 small can of Green Chilis 

2 cans Great White Northern Beans 

topping: 

Tostito's chips 

Sour Cream 

Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese 

Directions: 

1) Turn crock pot to high 

2) combine Beans, Spices, and Chicken Broth & mix well 

3) Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add 

4) Cook on High for 2-3 hours, then low for another 2 hours 

Serving: 

1) crunch chips 

2) Add Chili 

3) Top with Sour Cream & Shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

Despite having a little kick to it, BOTH my kids ate it! 

Enjoy! 

XOXO, 

Kate

where have I been?

I noticed that I had not blogged in well over a week.  

I started getting anxiety, thinking, 

"I haven't made anything cool, I haven't gone anywhere cool, omg, I'm not cool." 

{haha} 

Lets see...

Christopher had his first birthday in 4 years ;) He turned 8, err I mean 32.  32? what?! {playing with you babe} 

Anderson got sick {boo} 

Avery continues to keep us on our toes with lots of "whys?"

Oh wait, I did make something; made Anderson this outfit using Dana's Fabric Dyeing method. 

& also his cute little striped knit pants using Dana's basic pants tutorial.

{even the free print out pattern worked great and I just adjusted the length}.  

Love me some Anderson: 

Chris' birthday: 

& my Avery is just growing up to be such a little girl.

She loves to cut things out.  

{she is SO close to cutting out patterns; okay, maybe not SO close, but she wants to & I want her to b/c I dread cutting, but love sewing}. Think we will make a good team?

Well I just get back to work.  

Thanks for looking! 

XOXO, 

Kate 

If you don't {change} up the routine,

you aren't living.

Seriously, I have my kids on such a routine, its sorta sick sometimes.  I have always been the mom to make it home for naps and not plan anything past 6 pm.  It has seriously caused a lot of "I can't make its, no thanks, maybe next times, etc."  However, I am very proud of my kids' sleep routines and feel like good sleep makes for a good kid. Little did I know what I have been doing with both A&A is sleep training.

Sometimes our routine prevents me from "living," so when its possible, I make the effort to change things up in ways that don't completely throw off their routine.

Like an early pick-up from school with a surprise Icee:

Anderson's first experience & first brain freeze 

Sure, why not? 

Fighting over pretzels {like there wasn't enough to go around}?               

  & Anderson's infamous Avery hair pull: 

& Avery requested a picnic and set everything up.  Spaghetti was on the menu, so it made for the messiest picnic ever----but SO FUN & such a great change up! 

whats cooking? {buffalo chicken rolls}

So, I cannot take full credit for these bad boys.  I originally found this recipe but then realized I didn't want to make my own dough.

Therefore, I opted for the easy way out with frozen yeast roll dough.
{that stuff is brilliant}.

Meet my version of Buffalo Chicken Rolls:

What you need: 

1 large chicken breast {boiled} approx. 2 cups 

1/2 cup of hot sauce {approx. 1 small bottle} 

1 cup of crumbled blue cheese 

1 cup of shredded cheddar 

1 stick of butter {eeekkk} 

1 package of frozen yeast dinner rolls 

Directions: 

1) Pre-heat oven at 400' 

2) Boil chicken, break up once cooled 

3) Defrost frozen dough {just keep bag out while cooking and breaking up chicken}  

4) Add Chicken, butter, cheeses, hot sauce

5) Roll dough out as pictured 

6) Add one weeping teaspoon of mixture 

7) Roll up and pinch top and sides of dough 

8) Bake at 400 for approx. 18-20 minutes 

9) Mixture yields about 20 rolls {leftovers for quick lunches? yes, please!} 

10) Serve with ranch 

If you need an easy change up to dinner, 

I promise you these are fabulous.  

XOXO, 

Kate 

dinner@8. {sweetheart}

I was going to do our dinner@8 on Valentine's Day, but between the 70+ heart crayons and 3 dozen cupcakes for the kids, I must say that I had 0 creative energy left.
Luckily, Chris' mom {bebe} offered to keep the kid's Saturday night so I knew all my focus could be put on our {sweetheart} dinner.
Remember Miss Rebekah over at a bit of sunshine? 
{love her idea of dinner@8}
If you haven't had the chance to go read all about it---go have at it.  {loveliness}.

There have been many recipes on Pinterest that have caught my eye, but when my husband bought some pork chops last week, I knew I was destined to make Rachael Ray's Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Pork Chops with Cider Gravy, Sautéed Apples and Onions. 

Funniest story about shopping for my ingredients.  

In the produce section, I looked everywhere for fresh Thyme. 

{not gonna lie, I didn't even know what I was looking for---I was by the spinach}.  

I finally looked at a lady and said, "Mamn, do you know what Thyme is?" 

She looked at her watch, was ready to tell me the "time" & then we both burst out laughing.  

{awesome} 

For decor, I used these free printable Straw Flags over at Wedding Chicks.

& edited them in Picnik: 

Threw a piece of burlap on the table & 

used my awesome paper placemats from Cake Vintage. 

{might I add, my bff, Meghan from Megalovesdesign is a kinda a big deal there}. 

We had daffodils bloom last week so I ran outside and clipped some off.  

{oh, our East Tennessee weather is confusing all the flowers}...

It was a perfect dinner.  

& was nice to eat a different meal together---something I don't think either of us would ever order if it was on a menu. 

How was your dinner at 8? 

XOXO, 

Kate 

                                                                 

{happy} valentine's day, my loves.