Morning Lifesaver: Aka Iced Coffee

Mornings around here are normally fast paced with a toddler, therefore, I've started some little things to make them smoother and more enjoyable.  I was never a huge coffee drinker until recently and let me tell you, this recipe is a morning lifesaver.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman:

2 1/2 cups of good coffee

4 quarts of cold water (or more for weaker coffee)
1 Tbls vanilla extract
1 cup of simple syrup

First measure out coffee grinds, then add water.  Give it a good stir and let sit covered for 8 hours or overnight at room temperature.  I used a Brita pitcher to make the coffee mixture, which held the perfect amount.  After the mixture has sat for at least 8 hours, pour the mixture through cheese cloth or a coffee filter over the container you plan to store it in.  I added 1 cup of simple syrup to the finished coffee, which was also a great timesaver.  To make the simple syrup, combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water, bring to a light boil while whisking occasionally, then let cool.    I stored it in a large drinking dispenser from Target and it keeps for about a week and a half in the fridge.  Mornings are so much more enjoyable with some iced coffee in a mason jar ready to go! 

Note: Picture taken a week into the huge jar of coffee - it makes a ton!

Enjoy!

Olivia's first birthday: Bunny Themed Party

I still can't believe our little munchkin is ONE already!  She brings so much joy to our lives and we couldn't imagine life without her.  I'm excited to share her first birthday with you...

As soon as I started party planning, I knew it would have to be bunny themed. Get ready for picture overload! Her beloved Bun Bun is an absolute must when she's sleeping and she even asks for "Bun Bun" if she's playing and feels the need for some bunny time.  I headed over to my Pinterest and started to search for bunny themed parties, food, etc.  I literally found less than 5 different things leading me to use my imagination for the rest.  I absolutely love how the decorations, food and whole party came together.  Our family is so large so we were hoping for a nice day to sit outside and it was exactly that...for about an hour then the sun showers came and it was a dash to get inside.  Best part of the rain shower was the double rainbow after...perfect picture prop:)

On to the decorations and details...

I used this tutorial to make the tissue paper garland and I loved how it turned out.  We actually still have it up on our mantle!  For some snacks before the main food, I set up a veggie tray and also used clear cups to put together some veggie cups so people could just grab one and mingle.  The toothpicks were found at HomeGoods and they were one of my most favorite parts of the decor.  Unfortunately, I was running around and wasn't able to get a good picture, but the sign says "Olivia's veggie patch."

I also used the toothpick bunnies to label all of the food and they came out super cute!  To make the labels, I bought scrapbook paper with a grass print and just used basic toothpicks in between two pieces and stuck them in black dried beans and mini flower pots.

I made "carrots" out of plastic silverware and orange napkins wrapped with green ribbon, which served as a carrot patch next to the dinner plates.

The drink station consisted of different sodas, water bottles, and Livvy's strawberry lemonade.  The paper straws were also one of my favorite details.  The pink striped straws came from the dollar spot at Target and the vintage floral straws came from Home Goods.  I've seen similar ones on Etsy.  The bunny bucket came from Target, as well. 

Her birthday bib was from Carter's and my brother and his girlfriend gave Livvy her special birthday highchair decorations. 

We had the most amazing cake from a local baker and it was absolutely delicious and stunning!  It was amazingly detailed and exactly what I had envisioned for her party! We also had super cute bunny cookies and a hot pink smash cupcake topped with a sparkly "1"

Singing Happy Birthday was a big hit and at first she was hesitant about eating her smash cake, but then she dove in! 

To put on her gift table, I made a huge chalkboard poster to celebrate her one year milestones.  To create this, I used a black foam-based poster board and metallic markers.  

On her actual birthday, we went to a local park and had a family picnic and later that night she enjoyed her first ice cream cone!  

Hope you enjoyed the bunny details of Olivia's first birthday party! 

Toddler Meals: Part 1

Wow, it has been quite a while since my last post!  I've really missed blogging and I'm determined to keep up with it.  This post was inspired because Olivia recently turned one and she's loving feeding herself and interested in new foods.  I turned to Pinterest for some ideas and I came across a new-to-me blog, A Healthy Slice of Life and there are so many cute meal ideas aka "Munchkin Meals."  It's really important to me that Olivia receives the nutrition she needs and also to incorporate new foods into her diet, therefore, it's been really fun for me to put together her meals during the day.

While I'm preparing her breakfast, Olivia loves to play in her pack and play and I frequently hear her "reading" to herself and pretending to call her cousin Brynn on the phone. I think it's so cute that she's becoming such a funny, sweet little lady and maybe it's a mom fail but she is clearly picking up on things I do.Like talk to my sister all morning. My niece Brynn is almost 11 months and they are only 9 weeks apart and best friends.  It's so nice to have the babies grow up as close as sisters.  Anyway, back to breakfast.  She loves to eat scrambled eggs and I've been sneaking in fresh spinach and shredded cheese and she inhales them.  She also loves plain Cheerios and banana slices. 

Another breakfast she loves is french toast.  She's a carb lover just like her momma and we both love french toast.  I normally add a splash of vanilla, milk, and cinnamon to the egg mixture before soaking the bread.  Another favorite of hers is yogurt dots.  They are seriously the easiest thing ever to make.  I use Brown Cow plain yogurt (or any other organic) and put about 2 tablespoons of yogurt into a plastic sandwich bag. Snip the corner and squeeze out little dots on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for at least three hours.  She is obsessed with them and it's a great way to incorporate yogurt into her breakfast without added sugar.  I've used blueberry yogurt, pictured below, and she loves that too.  I always give her fresh fruit as well. 

She would eat scrambled eggs and cheese at every meal if I let her, so I try to change it up a couple times a week.  This was super quick and she clearly enjoyed it - little jelly face!  Cream cheese and jelly toast with fresh nectarines and plain yogurt dots...  

I feel lunches are slightly harder to plan for, as sometimes we're out running errands, etc.  If we're home, I tend to warm her up some leftovers such as chicken or pasta from dinner last night with some sort of vegetable.  Since she's over a year old, she's allowed to have peanut butter.  Panic the first time she ate it! I made these cute little rolls ups with a whole wheat tortilla, natural peanut butter and banana slices with a side of thawed frozen corn.  Super easy and transportable. 

Another lunch idea is avocado, green beans, and chicken meatballs.  These little meatballs are so yummy I tend to share with her:)  Super simple to make:

1 lb. of lean ground chicken
1 piece of whole wheat bread soaked in milk
1 egg
Fresh, chopped spinach
Parmesan cheese
Sprinkle of oatmeal
Fresh parsley
Sprinkle of dried oregano

Mix all ingredients together and form into bite-sized meatballs. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 mins, or until golden brown.  They were so yummy and healthy! Also, perfect for freezing and popping a few in the microwave for a quick lunch or dinner.

I hope you found this post helpful to give you some ideas for your munchkins!  Please feel free to share your favorite toddler meals! 

Weekend Loves & Christmas Photo Shoot

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  Considering that it hasn't stopped snowing since this morning, it's safe to say we're going to stay cozy inside.  Chicken soup is simmering on the stove and I thought I'd share some things I'm loving lately while the baby naps with visions of sugarplums dancing in her head...11 sleeps until Christmas!

1. Made these sweet potato scones from Brown Eyed Baker...amazing!  I threw in some pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg and made them more of a drop biscuit instead of perfectly sliced scones because I can't roll out dough.  They were so moist and delicious...with a maple cream drizzle...definitely a keeper!

2. Loving these snowflake cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma. With Christmas right around the corner, these are a super cute way to customize and add some festiveness to your favorite cookies!

3.  My mom bought these fleece booties for Olivia from Old Navy.  The only boots that stay on her feet and keep her toasty warm!  Also, can't beat the price tag.  Perfect stocking stuffer for baby girls or boys with the neutral color.

4. I love Anthropologie for the unique finds and fun home accessories.  This lotion is not only pretty but necessary for these cold, winter months coming up. On sale & free shipping now!

Leaving you with a sneak peek of the behind the scenes of my little munchkin's Christmas photos (thank you to our friend and photographer Jimmy)... tutorial to come on DIY Christmas photos. She totally tried to eat all the Christmas decorations. She ate a glitter ball and I had to wipe her tongue. Such a fun little photo shoot!

Have a great weekend!  What are your favorite finds lately?? I'd love for you to share!

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! 

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.

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For dessert, I'll be trying my hand at this pie from Southern Living.  Mocha-Espresso Cream pie...pure deliciousness!

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

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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!

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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! 

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

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!