What I Learned Stenciling a Wall

I'm nesting and I love it. It's so much fun to take a blank canvas and create a little slice of heaven for precious BB. One of my favorite things about expecting a baby girl is that I can make the nursery as GIRLY as I want and Mr. B can't protest one bit!!! In fact, he's really getting into it. I'm pretty sure he was (still is?) slightly terrified at the thought of having a little girl but now he's embracing it, florals and all!

The first big task was to paint the nursery. I know what you're thinking, girly equals pink, but not always. I like pink but I also didn't want BB to be engulfed in it. I want her nursery to be bright, and cheery, and romantic. I also want it to have a sophisticated feel. Maybe that's ambitious for a newborn's room but I don't care. Considering I'm going to be spending LONG hours in this space, I don't want it to look like Chuck E. Cheese's house. I'm not into cartoons and "baby" looking stuff and let's face it, until she's asking me for it, she isn't either! Haha, I kid (not really).

Coconut Curry Crockpot Chicken

I wanted to make a great dinner without doing much work. I know, I know, what a slacker. I also didn't want to have to make a trip to the store. I had some chicken breasts and some coconut milk and was craving savory flavors so I figured I could come up with something yummy.

After scouring through my cupboards, this is what I came up with:

Halfway There

So, here we are in April and that means that I am halfway done with cooking this lil BB! It's been a fantastic last few months. Apparently, pregnancy and Mrs. B go together like bacon and... well, everything. I feel so good. I keep reading about all these symptoms that I should be having by now and so far, nada. If it weren't for my growing belly, I'd hardly know I was pregnant! I know that there are women out there who truly suffer through there pregnancies and I am SO thankful that is not my case.

Snow Day Cinnamon Rolls

Last week the east coast braced itself for the "SNOWQUESTER". A monster of a storm that was going to dump up to 10 INCHES of snow onto the DC area!! The roads were salted, the store shelves were raided, the government and schools promptly shut down in advance and we waited... and waited... and got rained on... a lot. Ok, in all fairness, it did snow some but it melted as soon as it hit the ground. Alas, the storm was a bust, but the good news was we got a free Wednesday to play hooky!  Having Mr. B home during the week is a treat so I thought I'd splurge and make us a yummy snow day brunch, including some lip smacking cinnamon rolls. The recipe is courtesy of my mama and an old Betty Crocker cookbook. I also made a great scrambled egg dish that I got straight from the ol' noggin, I'll share that as well!

If you're like me, the thought of "whipping up" cinnamon rolls sounds pretty intimidating. Fortunately, this recipe really is that simple!

Baby B's Gender Reveal Cake

A couple weeks ago, Mr. B and I were able to have a 3D ultrasound to find out Baby B's gender! My parents were able to join us and it was a tremendously special moment to be able to share as a family. I resisted the urge to jump on Facebook and announce to the world whether BB was a he or she. Instead, I planned out a little party. We happened to find out the same week as my birthday so that was a second great excuse for a soirée! 

I looked up ideas for the reveal and decided that I liked the cake cutting surprise best. Basically, your cake is either pink or blue with white icing and when you cut into it, your guests learn the sex! Of course I wasn't going to just go with an ordinary cake, I wanted some pizzazz!!! I scoured the interwebs for inspiration. Well, you know me and ombré, how could I resist?

Updating Grandma's Display Stand

I'm sentimental. I'm nostalgic. I like things that have stories attached to them. Hearing about the desk you found in your great aunt's attic, that belonged to your long, lost relative, who immigrated to the U.S. during the Revolutionary War, is waaaay more interesting than "yeah, I got it at Ikea". But here's the catch, I don't necessarily like how all old things look. Take for example my grandma's display stand. I remember seeing this piece just about as far back as my memory will allow. It was my paternal grandmother's and it fit right in with her style. She must have done the majority of her decorating in the sixties because her house had an abundance of GOLD. I'm talking a look that would make Versailles blush; chandeliers, picture frames, lamps and this display stand...

Succulent Succulents

Ah succulents, you beautiful, not-spiky cacti!

Well, actually, according to Wikipedia: Not to be confused with cactus; botanically cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.

But I digress.