A Hankerin'

The other day I really wanted fried zucchini fritters. Call it what you want...a pregnancy craving...a desire to eat good ol' home-cookin'...you can even call it crazy.

So what did I do? I went to the grocery, picked up two very yummy Indiana home-grown zucchinis, a head of lettuce for a salad for my Hubby and a gallon of milk.

I absolutely giddy when I arrived home. I changed out of my work clothes into my comfy clothes (which for 31 week prego chick is a loose pair of PJ pants and one of my Hubby's T-shirts) and pulled out this fabulous cookbook. As I skimmed the ingredients, I realized I didn't have one important part...the Parmesan cheese. For half a second I thought, I can make them without it. Who needs Parmesan cheese anyway? Until I read how much cheese it called for. Half a cup? Yum...yeah, gonna need to go back to the grocery. That's right friends. I could have just called it quits. Fixed the zucchini another way...flour battered and fried...sauteed in olive oil. But no. This woman wanted some zucchini fritters. So, I hopped in the car and went and bought me some good ol' Parmesan cheese. I don't think I've ever walked into the grocery with such determination/frustration in my life. Thankfully, the self-checkout didn't give me any flack and I was in and out of there within 2 minutes.


When I returned home, the madness began. The zucchini was shredded. The ingredients were all mixed together. And the olive oil was nice and hot. I also fixed some yummy panko-crusted rosemary chicken to go with the fritters. AND because I know my Hubby so well, I fixed him a baked potato and salad because, well, let's be honest, the man hates zucchini...which I'm fine with because it means more for me.


Now, dear friend, if you're still reading this (because I really am blabbering a bit) it may not seem like a huge deal to fix a yummy home-cooked dinner for me and my Hubby. But you see, this was a Monday night. And Monday nights are what we called OYO (on your own) nights in the Pead home. Why you ask? Because my Hubby has worship team practice on Monday nights and doesn't get home until about 8pm. Thus, the whole eat whatever you want for dinner that night because we're going to get home at different times and one of us can't wait that long to eat dinner (I'm referencing myself here).


Thankfully, I had plenty of fruit to munch on, not to mention the biggest burst of energy I've had in quite some time after a long Monday at the office, while making this amazing dinner.

Oh friends, it was such a happy feeling when my Hubby got home to a house that smelled of delicious food and a table set for two. To me, there's nothing better. And boy was dinner amazing. I even made these fabulous cookies afterwards for us to enjoy as dessert.

Sadly, I don't have any photos of the food before it was devoured. But do know, friend, that it was tasty and it was a very relaxing Monday evening.

Patrick & Tori Married

Here's a little sneak peek of this sweet summer wedding of this darling couple. Can't wait to share more!

Just When I Think...

...Anthropologie couldn't get anymore creative...
...they do something amazing like this.
*Swoon*

Rest

Goodness, has August flown by. I can't believe this is the beginning of the last full week of this month. In all the craziness that has been this month, I could really use some rest. Seems like this guy has the right idea.

Around the House Saturdays: Beach Decor Edition

It's August, which means the summer is drawing to a close. When I was growing up, my family and I would take at least one week and head to the beach for some good ol' sand and swimming. Unfortunately, this year the Hubby and I were unable to make it to the shore. But one of the ways I've found to cope with missing the ocean is to have beach/coastal items around the house.

Recently, I read a post from the fabulous Lisa Leonard of Lisa Leonard Designs where she was highlighting some of the beach accessories in her new home and I thought I would share them with you (with her permission, of course).

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Leonard.

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Leonard.

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Leonard.

When it comes to beach decor, I think the more subtle and natural, the better.

For other inspiring beach/coastal home decor items, check out these sites:
Cottage & Bungalow
Outer Banks Trading Group
Pottery Barn
Seaside Inspired

Have a great weekend! And if you happen to live near the ocean, please dip your toes in the water for me.

{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Photo Archives

I was archiving some photos the other day, when I stumbled upon this one of my Lil' Bro. He's gotta be the coolest guy I know (other than my Hubby of course). I can't wait for our Little Man to call him Uncle Nick. Love ya Lil' Bro!

For My Mumma

Little Birds Sing Such Sweet Tunes

I have a very delightful friend, who in just a few short weeks, will be blessed with her 5th child. This friend of mine absolutely loves home-made, hand-made gifts and she's a sucker for Anna Maria Horner and Heather Bailey fabrics.

So when I was invited to a baby shower for her, I knew exactly what to make for her and sweet little girl on the way.

I found this adorable mobile in Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings and knew it would be perfect. I modified it a bit by not using the lampshade as the primary hanging piece, but I think the simplicity of it is absolutely perfect for Kellie and her little one.
Each little bird is so delicate and adorable. It was so fun to go through my basket of scraps and find the perfect fabric swatches for this. And I just knew that Kellie would love it the moment she opened it.

I love it so much that I'm thinking about making a little boy version for our Little Man. Anyone have any ideas of what I could use instead of birds? Or would birds work if I used blues, greens and yellows? I'd love to hear your feedback.

{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Some Nicey Jane for a Nicey Girl

This beautiful Momma-To-Be had the most terrific baby shower this weekend and I'm so excited to finally share what I made for her beautiful little girl who will be here at the beginning of October. The theme of her shower centered around Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabric, cupcakes, rock candy and salt water taffy. It was absolutely fabulous. And since I knew how much Stacy loves Nicey Jane (even so much as to use it at a central design pattern in the baby's nursery) I thought that a quilt using that fabric would be perfect for her.

I was so thrilled that I had a nice amount of this floral-filled fabric in my stash, as well as yards upon yards of this beautiful eyelet fabric to pair it with.

Around the House Saturdays: Kitchen Edition

One of my favorite rooms in our new house has to be the kitchen. Main reason why? It has a window! For the past 4 years, every place the Hubby and I have lived has not had a window in the kitchen and I always felt like I was missing out on something...especially since I grew up in a home that had a window over the kitchen sink, as well as French doors that led out into a window-filled sunroom. Well now we have a window, and boy is it wonderful! The natural light that floods in just brings a smile to my face. I also love our new counter space and shelving. Here are a few photos of the fun and bright details of our lovely kitchen.


This bright red vintage table is truly an original. It was given to us by my parents and used to be in one of the rental properties that my Grandfather owned. It serves as the focal point of the room and is the main piece from which the color scheme stems.


This corner right by the kitchen table is the perfect spot for our "sassy duck" high chair. I can't wait 'til all three of us sit around this table and enjoy a meal together.


The sunshine through the window just makes these pitchers glow. Believe it or not, the green one was once a flower vase and the blue was was found at a flea market for $2.


These matryoshka dolls are authentic dolls from Russia. Our good friend David, who is a missionary over there, gave them to us as a housewarming gift. Apparently, they have a really unique design that he had never seen before and he knew that we would love them. Umm...yeah!


From the moment I saw these colorful tins in IKEA, I knew we just had to have them in the kitchen. They are absolutely perfect up against the brightly painted walls. By the way, the kitchen was this color when we moved in. Other than the living room, it's the only room that we kept as its original color. I mean, who couldn't resist such vibrant colored walls to accompany vibrant colored accessories and knick-knacks?


Every kitchen must have a collection of aprons. I love all of these because they consist of aprons from antique stores, Anthropologie, Paper Source, and ones made by me and my Mom. I try to rotate which one I wear so each gets equal loving.


I love the placement of our sink. It has plenty of counter space around all sides, making it easy to wash, prep, and serve food. The tiled countertops and backsplash are really nice as well because it's so easy to clean and you can set hot pots and pans right on the tiles without worrying about damaging the surface.


And of course, every kitchen must come complete with Anthropologie oven mits and hot pads. The bright florals and fun applique designs make pulling goodies from the oven that much more fun. Just remember, it's ok to get them dirty. That's part of having a cute, yet functional, kitchen.


I learned long ago that utensils of all sorts should be stored in non-traditional containers (thanks Mom). This just happens to be a large metal pitcher that holds things quite nicely. I've also been told that if I ever wanted to serve beverages from this container, that it would stay chilled much longer than a ceremic or glass pitcher. Whodathunk?


More non-tradtional containers for holding kitchen linens. How else would I show off these great vessels? They can't just hide away in a cupboard somewhere.


This is a not-so-sexy shot of the stove and counters. If you look closely at the bottom of the photo, you can see the hardwood floors that extend into the kitchen from the living room. I absolutely love it! It's like living in an old farmhouse (kinda like this one).

This was a fabulous find from one of our favorite antique stores that sadly is not open anymore. It's actually screenprinted on a sturdy piece of linen and I think it really completes this corner of the room.


This is another print that has always hung my kitchen since I moved outta my parents house (that's going on 7 years now). My Mom found it in my Grandpa's attic, and knowing how much I love Toulouse-Lautrec prints, sent it to me when I lived in Texas. I love how we've been able to make it work in every kitchen that we've had.


And of course, a tour of our kitchen would not be complete without showing off one of our fun cake stands. I think my favorite part about this piece is that it actually gets used and doesn't just sit on the table to look pretty.

{this moment}

{this moment} - Inspired by SouleMama. A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Baby Bump Update - 28 Weeks

Here's a little Baby Bump update for y'all. I can't believe we're at 28 weeks already! Can't wait to meet our Little Man in just 12 weeks.

Because Sometimes That's Just How You Feel

Need I say more? I think this photo pretty much sums it up.

Summer, I Like Your Light

I've really been enjoying the golden light of summer these days. Being in a new house, gives me new opportunities to find those "sweet spots" around our house and yard that just sing with the season. It's just so...sigh...peaceful.

Isiah - Senior Portraits

Senior Portraits are so much fun when the person being photographed adds their own personality to the shoot. Isiah was pretty nervous at first for his shoot, but he just didn't realize that he was a natural behind the camera. I loved being able to incorporate his little sister Emerson into the shoot as well. You'll probably remember her cute little face from this event.