Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Holiday Gifts: For Her

With the holidays fast approaching, I love looking through all of the circulars and on my Pinterest to give me inspiration for my Christmas list. Below are a few fun, festive ideas to give to the lovely ladies in your life.

Charter Club Flannel Pajamas - Super comfy, and perfect for colder weather coming.
Philosophy Products - Pink frosted animal cracker? Homemade honey buns? Spiced Gingerbread?  Yes please!
Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays - So excited to read through this!  I met Ree in person last month and she is so sweet and such a nice person.  Can't wait to start making more yummy recipes from her new book.
Chandelier Earrings - Love these earrings!  Chic and fun from Molly Suzanne boutique.  My hubby ordered me earrings from this shop last year and I loved them. So many other cute accessories available as well, definitely check it out.
E.l.f. Nail Polish - This 14 piece party nail polish cube provides a ton (ok,14) different colors for all occasions to keep your nails looking festive through the holidays.
Kenneth Cole Wallet - Cute and stylish, yet small enough to not overcrowd your bag or diaper bag.  Love the pink crocodile.
HUE Ultra Leggings - Said to be the most comfortable leggings ever...going on my Christmas list, I think so!
NYX Lip Gloss Set - A nice set of different lip glosses, finishes from matte, to super glossy, to buttery sheer.  Love NYX products! 
Metallic Striped Scarf - Love this scarf from Target! Perfect accessory for winter to add extra sparkle to your outfit.  Great price as well. 
EcoTools Makeup Brushes- I love these makeup brushes.  They're super soft and eco-friendly.  This set includes all of the essential brushes you might need. 
Retro Paper Straws- Last but not least, these super cute paper straws to add some fun to your drinks.  Trust me, drinks are more enjoyable when drinking with these fun straws. Even if it's just chocolate milk leftover from this morning. 


I hope this gives you some ideas for the ladies in your lives!  Happy shopping! 


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thanksgiving Edition: Yumminess, Deals, & Festive Finds

Welcome to the Thanksgiving Edition of The Birds Nest!  With Thanksgiving only two days away, we're all looking forward to some yummy food and family time.  This year, I'm trying some new recipes that I'm hoping everyone will love.  This Honey Cinnamon Butter looks so delicious and sounds super simple to make.
{via}
For dessert, I'll be trying my hand at this pie from Southern Living.  Mocha-Espresso Cream pie...pure deliciousness!

Last year my hubby made this homemade cranberry sauce from Pioneer Woman and it was a fresh, tangy addition to our Thanksgiving meal.  

Seriously loving these striped straws to add some festive fun to your drinks and cocktails.  Also, just bought striped red ones from Home Goods...super excited to use those to get in the Christmas spirit!

Along with Thanksgiving comes Black Friday.  Every year, my Dad and I get up early to score some fantastic deals and steals.  We get all of his shopping done for my Mom and I do most of mine as well.  It's one of my favorite days of the year and I look forward to spending a special day together as an annual tradition.  Target has put out a preview of their Black Friday deals and I've had my eye on the Nikon L320 camera since I saw it in the circular.  Today until Friday, Target it offering the Black Friday price early to all RedCard holders! Total score!  No waiting in lines, no special ticket, no crying when there's none left.  Scoop up this deal while you can! 

Wishing you all a very happy, yummy, festive Thanksgiving! 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

DIY Sunday: Board and Batten

This is one of my favorite projects that we've done in the house so far.  It's easy and makes a huge impact.  To start, measure your wall and decide how big you'd like your wooden boards to be.  Our are approx. 3 inches and they're about 11 inches apart.  I've love to say we have it down to a science and act like we're pro-diyers...but we're not!  Basically eyeball it and see what looks good to you.  We use our local Lowe's to cut all the pieces and then start with laying out the boards on the wall first.

(Line up the boards along the wall)

Then using a nail gun, nail the wood pieces to the wall where you'd like them placed.  The first time we did this wall treatment we painted the boards first and the wall as well.  This time, we chose to nail the boards first and paint everything after...highly recommend!  Saves some serious time and paint.  We picked out a piece of molding and had it cut to the exact size of the wall and nailed that right at the very top of the boards.  After nailing, fill in the holes with some putty and then paint the wall and boards.  We chose a bright white color to make the board and batten really pop.  We did about three coats to really make sure it was fresh and bright.

(Fill in the little holes with putty)

(Paint the wall and boards white)
After a few coats of white paint, you'll get this...(we did two walls and having an almost 7 month old makes you forget to take finished pictures of both walls)


Basically Saturday morning and afternoon's worth of work and it brightens up the room!


Wall color is Matrix by Behr, a really nice greige...Happy DIY-ing!


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Feeding Essentials: Baby Registry Ideas

Last week, I shared some items that I would recommend registering for in my diapering essentials post. This week, I'd like to share some of my favorite things that we've been using with Olivia as far as feeding goes.  She was strictly breast-fed for the first four months, and then we began incorporating cereal and fruits and veggies.  This was her first time eating cereal...not quite a fan...
How cute is she?  I could eat her up!  She loves eating now and her favs include sweet potatoes, pears, carrots, and butternut squash. She's not crazy about bananas...she does a little wiggle-gag move just to show me she's not a fan. Lately, Olivia has formed her own baby sign language and twirls her hands around to tell me she's hungry or wants more - super cute!  On to some of our favorite things for feeding time! 



Earth's Best Organic Multi-Grain Cereal - We started Olivia on Earth's Best rice cereal and she hated it.  Then we tried Earth's Best oatmeal cereal and it seemed hard for her to digest so we switched to the multi-grain cereal and she's been loving it ever since.  I mix it with a little bit of pumped milk and she eats it every morning.  Sometimes I mix it with some pureed fruit, but I'm trying to keep her food separate so she can get used to different flavors and textures.  Earth's Best can be found at Target and Babies 'R Us.

Baby Bullet - I was going back and forth between whether to purchase this system or just use a mini food processor and I'm really happy with this so far.  I love the silicone freezer mold to freeze excess food.  It's super easy to pop one out and microwave it in a small dish.  Other pros include: easy to clean, comes with two blades, two cups, cute little cookbook, and the little containers make me happy with their smile on the front.  Some cons are that it's not dishwasher or microwave safe and you need to steam the food really well beforehand.  I would definitely recommend if you're planning to make your own baby food.  Side note:  super easy and you know exactly what your baby is eating!

Boon Grass Drying Rack - Love this grass bottle rack!  I would recommend getting the "lawn" as it is bigger than the "grass."  Super cute and stylish in your kitchen! Accessories are sold separately and are equally as cute.

Pureed Food Pouch - In a pinch, these are great for on-the-go.  I buy the organic brands and she seems to love them.  So far, I've gone with Plum Organics and Ella's Kitchen.  I also bought little spoons that attach right to the packet of food for easy feeding and cleanup.  Whoever invented those is a mom who was tired of carrying around random, food dried spoons a genius.

Medela Pump Accessory Set - Definitely get the accessory pack if you don't feel like washing pump parts every day and night...or contemplating throwing all of the parts out the window because you can't stand to wash another suction cup.

Lansinoh Nursing Pads - These nursing pads work really well and save you from the embarrassment of walking around leaking everywhere.  Slightly annoying, but better than other brands and you definitely get used to them.  Trust me on this one...better safe than sorry.

Aden + Anais Burpy Bib - Ahh...burp cloths, spit rags, whatever you chose to call them - you will need them!  We personally like the thick cloth ones from Babies 'R Us or Target.  We also use cloth diapers as burp cloths, just plain, tri-fold rectangle ones.  I also love the Aden & Anais wearable ones, basically one big bib when snapped on, which we got from my hubby's cousin.  Perfect for eating time too.

Eddie Bauer High Chair - I registered for this high chair because I wanted something to fit into the house decor and I love it.  It has three adjustable positions for the tray and really good back support for little ones just learning to sit up.  The only thing I wish it had, were shoulder straps instead of just a belt.  Super easy to clean too.

Medela Pump - Our insurance covered this pump.  Highly recommend calling your insurance to check if you are covered - saves some serious cash!!  Would definitely recommend the Medela...has worked consistently from day one and have never had a problem.

Nuk Milk Storage Bags - If you are choosing or able to pump, these bags are perfect for storing milk in the freezer.  Cheaper than other brands and work just as well.  Milk can be frozen for six months in a freezer/fridge combo and up to one year in a chest freezer.  Just write the date and amount and you're set.

Boppy Pillow - Definitely a big help when you need extra support while nursing and I use it a lot now to plop Olivia down in while getting dressed, etc.  I actually found I used it more when she was able to hold her head up and I could leave her in it on the bed, supervised, of course.  Also, super cute covers.

Hope this gives you some suggestions while registering!  We're so enjoying this new chapter with our baby girl!

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