Caramelized Grapefruit // Simple & Delicious

Grapefruits are one of my favorite fruits...especially enjoyable after a long, cold winter.  While it's still cold here, there's glimmers of sunshine and I wanted to try out a yummy breakfast.  Caramelized grapefruit is where it's at.  Sweet and sour, crisp and juicy...so fresh and simple.  This would be good for an afternoon snack as well.

Caramelized Grapefruit

One Ruby Red or Pink Grapefruit

Sugar - white, raw, or brown

• Slice the grapefruit in half, section pieces, and remove pits
• Sprinkle on sugar - however much you prefer
• Place under broiler or use a small dessert torch to caramelize

Enjoy! 

Hump Day Highlights || Favorites + Weekly Link Up

Happy Hump Day! I am so excited to announce that I have teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to bring you the second installment of "Hump Day Highlights".

Each Wednesday we will list some things from the past week that we are loving, can't live without, are on our wishlists, or are things we are just plain obsessed with - and we will even add links (when applicable) so you can check out or scoop up anything you love, too.

Your weekly hosts are Misty, April, Kyra, Shannon, Amanda, Danica, Candice, and me! We would love for you to add your post to our link up of the things you are loving this week, too. And please spread the love by following the other blogs in the link up/commenting on their posts. This is such a great way to meet like-minded ladies and make new friends, all while showing off your blog, too. The Hump Day Highlights weekly link up is going to be a blast, I hope you link up and follow along!

• Misty http://usandhim.com/ 
• April http://thejoyfultribe.blogspot.com/
• Kyra http://kyrafaulkner.com/
• Shannon http://ladyslittleloves.com
• Amanda http://littlesouthernlife.com
• Danica http://thememoirsofamommy.blogspot.com
• Candice http://raisingliberty.blogspot.com
• Kaitlyn http://thebirdsnestblog.com

{@thebirdsnestblog}

1. Yesterday, I made a festive St. Patrick's Day breakfast complete with a rainbow and fluffy clouds for Olivia. If you follow along with my Instagram: @thebirdsnestblog, I used our favorite tableware from Re-play and she loved it.  For the rainbow, I used raspberries, clementines, pineapple, green apple, and blackberries.   The fluffy clouds were scoops of plain Greek yogurt, throw in a shamrock pancake and some Cheerios and enjoy a little top 'o the morning to ya. 

{@thebirdsnestblog}

2.  I've been looking for a teepee as a gift for Olivia's second birthday and I haven't found exactly what I'm looking for yet.  I am a little shell shocked as to how much some of them are selling for as well! I found this tutorial from one of my favorite bloggers, Julie Blanner, and I think I may try this!  I will be using fabric instead of a drop cloth because I'd like to make it extra fun for her play area.  We also need a smaller sized one so I think this will be perfect for her. 

{Photo via: Julie Blanner}

3.  I switch back and forth between tea and coffee most mornings and I absolutely love finding different kinds to try.  I found this Coconut Marshmallow Coffee from World Market and it sounds amazing!  Pair it with your favorite mug and you have yourself a little cup of happiness in the midst of a chaotic morning. 

{Photo via: World Market}

4.  Berry baskets.  I'm obsessed with how adorable these are.  They're perfect for displaying fruit, little toys, arts & crafts, and so much more.  I love how they can be used for fun hostess gifts with hand soap, some fun tea towels and a candle. Or even as a teacher gift with a gift card and a pretty mug.  So many ideas! If you're planning on giving them as part of a gift, I'd probably use the paper ones, but if you are using for your own home to store sponges, soap, utensils, etc then I'd use this one from Anthropologie.  I've also seen them at Michael's craft stores in many different colors. 

{Photo via: Anthropologie}

That's it for me! See you next Wednesday for more Hump Day Highlights! Click the next blog in the link up to head over and see their favorites, and don't forget to link up your blog below.

Grab our graphic, link back to one, some or all of us and add your link below! Also, follow along on Instagram (@thebirdsnestblog) #humpdayhighlights 

An InLinkz Link-up

The Honest Company || Product Review + Vlog

{Products c/o The Honest Company}

Hi everyone!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  Ours was nice and I was so happy that my hubby was able to be home with us. We (meaning I watched) got a lot of work done in the new playroom and I can't wait to share more pictures! Today, I wanted to share with you what I received from The Honest Company. I was always curious as to what came in the trial boxes so I decided to do my first Vlog to show you so you can see for yourself if you'd like to try Honest products! Note: this was my second attempt as the first one started out with our cat jumping face first towards the camera and nap time was ending shortly ;) 

Now, here are my honest opinions and thoughts about the products...

{c/o The Honest Company}

I absolutely love their Shampoo + Body Wash that I've been using for Olivia's bath.  It's also safe for all hair types, so that's a win when I can sneak some for myself to enjoy ;) It has a sweet orange vanilla scent that reminds me of a creamsicle - delicious! It may seem a little more expensive that other baby washes, but to me it's worth it seeing the ingredient list compared to the others. Also, those little toddler heineys only need a small amount. 

{c/o The Honest Company}

The diapers and wipes trial bundle contains a package of 7 diapers and a package of 10 wipes.  Ours was the girl styled bundle, which came with so many cute styles.  I especially love the strawberry and flower one.  The diapers are so soft and comfortable for her.  They also make super cute boy styles and just came out with a few new patterns as well.  The wipes are thick, absorbent, and free from perfumes and dyes.  I love how convenient the travel pack of wipes is, throw it in the diaper bag and go! 

{c/o The Honest Company}

The essentials trial bundle came with five different products, including: organic healing balm, hand soap, face + body lotion, multi-surface cleaner and a travel shampoo + body wash.  Again, perfect sizes for the diaper bag and I love that I can try it before purchasing a full sized product.  The healing balm is nice and thick, perfect for cuts or scrapes, even diaper rash.  The hand soap is lavender scented and gently on Olivia's tiny hands.  I'm really happy to finally have a multi-surface cleaner that I feel comfortable using around Olivia because she's my number one helper around the house ;) It has a nice white grapefruit scent which makes that just cleaned feeling even more refreshing.  This bundle would be a really nice gift to new parents or new homeowners with little ones.  

{Products work great for baby doll baths too}

I'm so glad you stopped by today to hear my thoughts on The Honest Company. Have you tried their products?  I'd love to hear! 

Hump Day Highlights || Link Up

Happy Hump Day! I am so excited to announce that I have teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to bring you the first ever "Hump Day Highlights".

Each Wednesday we will list some things from the past week that we are loving, can't live without, are on our wishlists, or are things we are just plain obsessed with - and we will even add links (when applicable) so you can check out or scoop up anything you love, too. 

Your weekly hosts are Misty, April, Kyra, Shannon, Amanda, Danica, Amy, and Kaitlyn. We would love for you to add your post to our link up of the things you are loving this week, too. And please spread the love by following the other blogs in the link up/commenting on their posts. This is such a great way to meet like-minded mamas and make new friends, all while showing off your blog, too. The Hump Day Highlights weekly link up is going to be a blast, I hope you link up and follow along!

Happy Wednesday, friends!  This little one was playing hide and seek with the lobsters at the supermarket yesterday.  Between those pigtails and her saying "Boo!" to the lobsters, I die.  After food shopping with a toddler, I tend to compare it with trying to corral a capuchin monkey, while bribing with food and speed skating through the aisles.  Anyone else feel that way? I think it may help once I start remembering the list that I forget on the counter;)

On to some of my favorites this week! 

1. Someone loves to play with mommy's makeup!  I'm planning on making her some play makeup from a tutorial I found on Pinterest here.  Isn't that brilliant?!  No mess and it's fun! 

2. I'm excited that St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away then the countdown to Easter can begin!  We're pretty much always in bunny mode in this house.  {Although I'd like to thank my mom for pointing out that I said Santa was going to bring Olivia candy in her Easter basket} Anyway, I'm dying over this sweatshirt from BabyGap. Pretty sure Olivia would wear this way past Easter ;)

3. I just ordered this "perfect throw" from West Elm.  This is a super deal at under $10 plus free shipping! It's so soft, yet light enough to use on a cooler spring night.  I bought it in Feathered Gray.  Super fast shipping as well.  I may even buy another for our living room! 

4.  Love these latte bowls from Anthropologie!  They come individually or in a set of 6 and I just love those spring colors.  My favorite colors are the turquoise, lavender  and coral.  Is it sad that I'm putting these on my birthday list?  I guess it shows that I'm getting old when I want kitchen items ;) Pretty sure I could spend the whole day in an Anthropologie store.  

5.  Easter books - I love this sweet Peter Rabbit book and I'm currently adding more to my Amazon wish list for Olivia's Easter basket.  I'll be posting soon about all of the goodies I'm planning on putting in her basket. Are there any must have Easter books that your little ones love?  I'm always looking for great books for her.

See you next Wednesday for more Hump Day Highlights! 
Click the next blog in the link up to head over and see their favorites, and don't forget to link up your blog below.

Grab our graphic, link back to one, some or all of us and add your link below!

Also, follow along on Instagram (@thebirdsnestblog) #humpdayhighlights 

An InLinkz Link-up

Playroom Progress: Part One

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Even though yesterday was a little tiring with the time change, I'm looking forward to longer, sun filled days so it was a welcomed change. As I mentioned in my previous post our playroom renovation is in full swing.  I'm so excited!  I'm pretty sure I have figured out how I want the layout to be, which I scribbled down on a post-it and texted to my hubby.  Here are some before pictures, in all their glory - no judging;) and some shots of our progress so far... *Before my hubby moved most of the furniture out, I didn't get to take before pics...still sad about that so we're left with in-between-moving-furniture pictures*

Before:

Progress: Part One (Carpet removal, adhesive removal, building and framing staircase and dog suite)

I never really realized how treacherous the staircase was before we put that wall up and I'm so glad we did with little ones running around.  Our plan for the stairs is to sand and repaint them, then add a runner for extra comfort and stability on the stairs.  The "dog suite" will be underneath the stairs and will replace our dog's crate, which is rather large and I wanted more room for Olivia to play so my hubby came up with this idea.  Brilliant, right?!  She'll have her own little area and I'll probably install a soft light in there.  We're also making some sort of door for it as well.  On the wall with the window, I'll be creating a chalkboard area for Olivia and friends to draw with chalk and create little masterpieces ;) We also picked out paint, which is very similar to the color now but will make the room look fresh and clean.  The floor will be one of the last parts of the project as it's super messy with saw dust, paint, etc.  I can't wait to share more of our progress with you throughout the next few weeks! 

To see my playroom ideas and plans, view that post here.

Friday Favorites: Books, Easter Dress & Bundles

I'm so glad it's Friday! Our playroom renovation is in full swing and I cannot wait until its done.  My hubby has been hard at work ripping out carpet, removing adhesive on the floors, spackling, and building a new wall/staircase.  We picked out paint and let Olivia help...

"We" chose gray.  Orange just wasn't the look I was going for ;) There will be other touches of gray and yellow throughout the room.  I am going for a neutral palate so it doesn't look like a Crayola factory exploded after toys are added into the mix.  

I can't believe Easter is coming up so soon! I love Easter and with Olivia's love of all things bunny I know she will too! Last year she was close to turning one so she somewhat understood, but this year I can't wait to see how she'll react to her basket, egg hunting, etc.  I'm loving this dress from Carters and think it would look so cute on her.  She'll probably need a cardigan as well if the weather keeps up like this! {My motto: snow=no.}

{via: Carters}

I just bought this book and I can't wait to dive into it.  It's embarrassing how long it's been since I've even sat down to real an actual book.  I normally opt for home decor magazines or People magazine when I have a free min or two. I'm determined to make time to read it! As a mom and wife it's so hard to not feel guilt about taking some time to do something for yourself, but I know it makes you better for it. I'll share my thoughts along the way.

My last favorite for the week that I wanted to share was all about the Honest Company.  Pampers has always been my go to for Olivia and more so than ever I find myself wanting to buy more organic and natural products for her.  I'm anxiously waiting for the shampoo and body wash bundle that I purchased and seriously love the detangling hair spray for both her and I! Have you seen their diapers? They're so adorable and I love the different prints.  I'm trying them out for Olivia and will share how we're liking them.  If you'd like to try Honest products for your little one, they're currently running an amazing sale here: Diapers and Wipes Bundle. You can mix and match all the products that you want and can pick the delivery day.  You can also cancel anytime if you'd just like to try the products.  Also, you can add up to 3 extra products for 25% off to your bundle, which is what I did.  Seriously, buy the detangler...it's amazing and your child will smell like a creamsicle and get sick of you sniffing her hair;)  They also have other bundles available like the Essentials Bundle and Health and Wellness Bundle.  If you're on the fence like I was about purchasing different diapers, it's so worth it and such a great company. 

{Via: Honest}

Do you have favorites you'd like to share?  Have tried the Honest products and have a favorite? I'd love to hear.  

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, products may be gifted (shown with a c/o) or a small commission may be made via affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

St. Patrick's Day Picks for Littles

Each day the sun is shining more and more and its leaving me eager for spring to arrive. I can't wait for fresh flowers & longer days filled with sunshine! With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, I wanted to share some of my favorite items to make your day extra festive.

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What are some of your picks for adding a festive touch to your St. Patrick's day? Be sure to check out the shops above, some of my favorites!