Beam mantle

I can finally check mantle off of my list! Since last year's holiday season I have been wanting a mantle badly. I don't know what it is about this pregnancy but I am getting things done! I honestly think a huge part of me feels that once baby #2 comes, my list is out the door and nothing will be completed for months. So I just keep up with my diy cravings this pregnancy and indulge one project at a time :)

I wanted something very simple and rustic for my mantle... and of course inexpensive (mama on a budget). I went down to Home Depot with Braeden and my dad and we picked up a 4x8x8 raw wood beam for $20. I really didn't care what it looked like since the imperfections is what adds to the beauty. I then went home and distressed it (aka beat it up) a bit by doing the following:
- filled a sock with nails and screws and wacked it a couple times
- hit it with a hammer
- hit it with an old high heeled shoe of mine

Once again, you really can't go wrong with this- which is why I love these kind of projects- so beat away!

I then took left over stain I had and covered 3 sides (leaving the side facing the wall blank not to waste stain on something that would never be seen). Now, when it comes to hanging things, my husband and myself do not trust ourselves if it is anything bigger than a picture frame. Thankfully my dad's friend is a handy man and he saved the day. He used 3 rod iron looking brackets ($10/each) and then worked his handy man magic. For $50 in materials wood beam & brackets), we now have a beautiful rustic mantle that I smile with joy at everyday!

A little halloween party

I love any excuse to get the kiddos together and see them all run around and play! This past weekend a couple girlfriends and I hosted a little halloween party to do just that. The kiddos all looked so cute in costume and had a blast just being their crazy adorable selves. And once again the mamas out did themselves by baking the cutest treats! I had no idea what I was going to have Braeden be. But literally the day before I had a random idea for him and his little girlfriend (Raelyn) to go as Pebbles and Bam Bam. So for less then $10 (fabric) and a couple minutes of cutting they both had a costume that was not only so cute, but also incredibly comfortable for a warm San Diego day!



Perfect party favor- A little pumpkin with each kids initial




Yummy treats!


Adorable costumes...


Mummy wrap! Give each dad a roll of toilet paper and 1 minute to wrap their little mummy :)

Fall love @ the Patch

Yesterday we decided to take a family trip to the pumpkin patch with some friends. What better fall tradition than this? Last year the kiddos were all little babies where we held them close and just walked around for what seemed like only a couple minutes. This year with the kiddos on the go, the "patch" experience was much different. They wandered {explored as I like to say}, laughed, picked up pumpkins, and even rode ponies for their first times! I love the holidays and this was a fantastic start to fall!

Red, White and Babies!

Today was an absolute blast! My friend (Diane) and I hosted a fourth of July all american potluck and the day was a complete success. Great food, great company and what better 4th than with red, white and babies everywhere! Thanks to pinterest there were tons of awesome food displays brought by all the beautiful mamas. Here is a taste at our wonderful afternoon...

4th of July Party

So my good friend Diane and I just love doing family oriented get togethers where all the babies can play and enjoy themselves. We decided to throw a little 4th of July shindig. Of course we needed a pic for the invite, so what better image than one of our cuties together. It just so happened to be that time of day for both of them and we couldn't help but love the way the first pic turned out. "Come to our party or we'll cry!"
Yes, maybe a touch sad, but definitely funny!

❤ Happy heart day ❤

Happy Valentine's Day! I saw a pic like this on pinterest and right away knew I wanted to replicate it for a Valentine's day card! Btw- for all you iphone users, red stamp is a free app that allows you to make cards and share them for free. It is super easy and is where I got the cute layout below :) Hope everyone is enjoying this fun day full of love, friendship and the wonderful colors of pink and red!

A "Little" Christmas Party

After having a blast at the 'lil monsters halloween party (thanks Lauren & Diane), my friend Tiffani and I thought it would be fun to co-host a christmas party with all our little ones. We decided to do the cost effective thing and create an evite... so of course we needed a cute pic to go with. This evening we took some festive shots of our boys (Braeden and Brady). I must say, they were quite intrigued by the lights....and as one would expect, they wanted to eat them! Here are a few of the many photos we snapped. This definitely got me so excited for the Holidays!

Loved it. Pinned it. Did it! {Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats}

A couple weeks ago my mommy friend Tiffani pinned a post @ me. It was a picture of a bunch of cute little Pumpkin looking rice krispie treats. For those of you who don't know (which is probably most) I love making rice krispie treats. They are inexpensive, easy to make, and the final outcome is delicious! Since we had a halloween party to attend this weekend- I figured what a perfect occasion for this yummy dessert...

All you need are:
-marshmallows
-rice krispies
-food coloring
-tootsie rolls (for the stems)