Yummy Thanksgiving Sides

I looooove Thanksgiving!  I can't wait for all of the yummy food, and of course seeing our family.  Thanksgiving has always been at my parent's house and we gather together with all of our cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends.  As the family is growing, it's been so much easier to serve everything buffet style.  There's turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, creamed onions,  cranberry sauce, green bean casserole...so many yummy dishes!! (I almost just drooled #preggoproblems)  Last year, I made green bean casserole and used this recipe for fresh cranberry sauce.  This year I've been looking for something equally yummy and I'll pass off the green bean casserole for my sister to make.

{Photo via: Damn Delicious}

This slow cooker creamed corn sounds SO good!  I love that it can be made in the slow cooker then transferred to Thanksgiving dinner.  It's gotten great reviews and let's face it, anything from Damn Delicious is, well, delicious!

{Photo via: The Local Vegan}

I'm also going to make these brussel sprouts with cranberries, pecans, and balsamic drizzle.  I've made a version in the past, but adding the balsamic drizzle will undoubtedly make this a delicious side.  Also, perfect to take as a side dish because you'll be roasting them at home...leaving the brussel sprout aroma there when you leave instead of at your host's house ;)

What are some of your favorite sides?!  I would love for you to share!

P.S. - Check back on Tuesday for a fun giveaway!!

16 Weeks - Baby Update

Today marks 16 weeks with baby number two.  Tomorrow we're headed to the doctor to check the baby's growth and we'll be able to see if the baby is a boy or girl.  Normally, they would wait until 20 weeks for another ultrasound, but since the baby was measuring ahead of schedule they are checking to see growth progression and if my due date is accurate.  I'm SO excited!  Instead of finding out at the appointment, I'll be asking them to write it down and seal it in an envelope.  Then the big gender reveal plans will get started!  I'm thrilled that Freshly Picked will be doing our gender reveal for us and they'll know what it is before we do!  We'll be having a small get together mid-week next week to reveal blue or pink moccs...super excited!  Can't wait to share with all of you!

With Olivia, I was good about weekly updates and posts...now with baby two it's basically when I get a chance (or remember) #sorrybaby #secondchild oops ;)

How far along:  16 weeks

Gender Prediction: Girl...I've been feeling very similar to when I had Olivia so we'll see!

Maternity Clothes:  Not yet, still wearing my regular jeans and tops...although that may change soon as I'm starting to pop out a little

Cravings:  Nothing too crazy... still loving grapefruit and anything shrimp related.  Although I did start texting Rob at work around 8am yesterday to decide what he wanted for dinner...as if I was starving and would never eat again. 

Aversions:  I can't even look at/think about anything Asian based.  The thought of lettuce wraps literally makes me gag.  I can barely type the words! Random, I know but some of you have asked for my lettuce wrap recipe and I just can't even think about it.  Also, anything with ginger, stir fry, literally anything like that I can't even stomach the thought.  

Missing the most:  Probably a good deli sandwich and some sushi... and sleep.

Sleep:  I feel like I'm more sleep deprived than when Olivia was a newborn.  I don't know what is wrong with me?!? I wake up for hours and hours at a time throughout the night and I'm up between 5 and 6 for the day, which makes for a loooong day with a toddler!

Overall health:  Overall, feeling pretty good.  I've had a sore throat that will hopefully be on it's way out soon and very tired, but feeling much better than first trimester.  

So excited to share our gender news with you soon!  Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram (@thebirdsnestblog) for all of the updates! XO 

Nursery Inspiration - Baby Boy

Today I'm sharing Part Two of our nursery inspiration, specifically for a baby boy!  As I mentioned previously, we don't know what we're having yet so this is a fun way to get excited for our little one on the way.  To read Part One, Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration click here. 

For a baby boy, I am leaning towards rustic touches with blues and grays mixed in. We'll be using the same crib, rocker, and possibly dresser from Olivia's room, which are white, so I'd like to incorporate some masculine touches to round out the room.  I'll be partnering with Spoonflower to create the room's wall design and I love this reclaimed wood wallpaper, which I would use as an accent wall.  I'd pair it with a blue-gray paint and accent the crib with navy sheets.  Here is my inspiration board for a baby boy's nursery...

I've always been drawn to grays and being a neutral-lover, I'm really hoping to create a calm environment for our little one.  I've never been a fan of pastels, especially baby blue colors so I think I'd lean more towards deeper blues.  I really love navy hues with gray!  Can't wait to see if this little one is a girl or a boy!  What are your favorite paint colors for boy rooms?  I'd love to hear! 

Nursery Inspiration - Baby Girl

Today I wanted to share some sweet nursery inspiration with you.  We don't know what we're having yet, but having a little girl already, it's all I know so far! I'll be starting off with some baby girl nursery inspiration, followed by baby boy nursery ideas next.  

Currently the future nursery is occupied by our cat, Annabelle, and office furniture - aka everything we don't use gets piled in there...as in I'm not sharing pictures because I'd be embarrassed.  We told Olivia that the baby will be living in Annabelle's room, which she replied "that's really vierd..." I almost died with her little toddler accent and judgmental looks.  She also knows that she'll be giving the baby her crib and she'll be getting a big girl bed.  She now asks everyday if we're going shopping for her big girl bed ;) We thought about having Santa bring her one, but there's so much excitement around the holidays that we may do it closer to Valentine's day so it's less overwhelming. Also, let's be honest... I don't need a "Hi Mommy!" at 6am in my face instead of hearing it on the monitor quite yet.  Thanks to my mom for pointing that out. Seasoned parenting win.  The office is smaller than Olivia's room so I'd like to move her dresser in there as well as it's bigger and more practical to use in a nursery but we'll have to measure to make sure everything isn't too tight.  

I'm thrilled to be partnering with Spoonflower for part of the room's wall design and depending on whether the baby is a girl or a boy will determine which route we take.  Going with a girl theme, the floral wallpaper above is one that I love!  I would pair it with pale pink walls and pink crib sheets.  We're using the same rocker as Olivia had, which is a great gender neutral gray.  I also love the look of barn doors to add rustic touch to the room, which I think would be really fun! Overall, what I'm looking for is a mix of pinks, grays, and whites to create a soothing, yet girlie area for our new baby.  

Up next is my baby boy nursery ideas! 

Favorites Lately

Hi friends! Hope you all enjoyed your Halloween.  Olivia was a bunny and she had a blast.  Now she's wondering why she can't have candy for breakfast ;)  

{Three years of Halloween with these munchkins}

As I'm entering week 15 of this pregnancy, I'm starting to get more energy and feel better overall.  We find out in about two weeks what the baby is and I'm super excited to know if this little one is a boy or a girl! Part of me contemplated not finding out, but I'm a planner and after much thought we decided that we will find out.  When I was pregnant with Olivia, we did a gender reveal cake and found out along side our friends and family.  This time I have something super fun and cute planned and can't wait to share with all of you.  

{Had a fun day at the zoo with friends this week}

As a mid-week pick me up, I wanted to share some favorites with you that have made my life easier (and yummier) the past few weeks...  

This No Boil Baked Ziti was so easy and so good. It really hit the spot for some comfort food and was done in a fraction of the time.  I used jarred sauce (!!!) and threw some meatballs in, but you can use ground beef, ground turkey, sausage or just made it vegetarian.  So much easier than making baked ziti the traditional way.  *I used a whole pound of pasta and just added a bit more sauce.

I'm loving this entire holiday collection from H&M! My favorites are the pillows and tea towels.  I can't wait for the holidays!  I laugh because a few years ago I was anti-red anything decor wise and now I can't get enough.  Red is the perfect holiday color! 

Speaking of red, these Scarlet Leather Earrings are perfect for the entire holiday season and they're on sale!  I've heard they are life changing, so lightweight and stylish.  A few pairs of these earrings will definitely be making an appearance on my Christmas list. 

Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, this Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash recipe sounds SO yummy!  I may have to make this next week to test it out ;) 

Hope you all have a great day! XO

*GIVEAWAY* Paperlust Studio - My Favorite Pregnancy Journal

Hi friends!  Thank you so much for all of the sweet well wishes.  We're so excited to welcome a new little one! When I was pregnant with Olivia I always wanted to keep a journal so she could look back and read it when she was older, but I never found one that I liked and then things got rather busy so it never happened.  With this baby, I was determined to document all of the special milestones, weekly updates and trimester round ups, which leads us to Paperlust Studio.

I'm thrilled to be partnering with Colette from Paperlust Studio, home of the most stylish, functional pregnancy journals.  I chose the Classic Pregnancy Journal and I am so happy with it!  I love the sleek black and white design and the pages are filled with quick, easy to fill in questions to perfectly document your pregnancy.  You can also choose devotional journal pages (which was my second choice!) and blank pages that you can fill in however you choose.  Also, new to Paperlust Studio are IVF pages, a sweet way to document a mama's journey to welcome a little one.

Here are some of my other favorite designs:

Marker Stripe Linen Journal

Butterfly Garden & Printemps Journals

Gold Foil Journal

Colette has graciously offered to give away one of her pregnancy journals to one of you lucky readers!! Simply click the Rafflecopter button below and enter to win!  Giveaway ends Sunday, November 1 at 7pm EST.  No spam or giveaway accounts please.  Winner will be contacted via email.

If you can't wait for this fun giveaway to be over, simply use code "birdsnest" to receive 15% off your Paperlust Studio order.  Thank you so much to Colette for partnering with me!

GOOD LUCK!! XO a Rafflecopter giveaway

SURPRISE!

We are so excited to announce that Olivia is going to be a BIG SISTER!

I feel like I've known forever and we are finally sharing our secret!  The first trimester really wiped me out, hence the absence on the blog! There were so many times I wanted to share our news because I felt guilty for the lack of posts, but I'm hoping to feel better very soon as I'm in the second trimester.  My due date seems to be going back and forth between April 23 & 28 (Olivia's birthday!) so I'm getting a 16 week ultrasound to check the growth.  Super excited about that because we can find out what the baby is! Currently, the baby is measuring 13 weeks so that would be consistent with the first due date. Another surprise is that my twin sister is also expecting her second baby and we are due ONE day apart (or four with the second date)!!! How crazy is that?!  The girls were born 8 weeks apart so this may be a Father of the Bride situation this time where the family slides back and forth between hospital rooms ;)  I'm so happy to be sharing the experience with her again and even more happy that we both have toddlers.  Aka...after the fourth meltdown of the day, lip gloss on the walls and no nap ninjas, we can text each other with emojis and phrases like "kill me" with full understanding on the other side... of course those feelings are only here and there ;) 

Anyway, I have some fun giveaways coming up that you won't want to miss and I'll be sharing more details of our baby news soon!  So excited to share with you XO 

Books We Love || Inspirational Nursery Rhymes

Hi friends! Today I'm excited to be sharing Inspirational Nursery Rhymes with you. Jackie was kind enough to send us three books from their collection, complete with an adorable tote!  Olivia absolutely loves books, so much so that she'll request to read more and more books one after the other...esp at bedtime ;) The books are perfect for teaching life skills to young children such as responsibility, giving thanks and believing in yourself.  

It's so important to read to children and its so nice to read stories with background meanings that little ones can relate to.  Olivia was so excited to read them with me and even requested to take them into her bed to read after she napped.  The illustrations are super cute and definitely relatable...especially the above preview about sharing.  Toddlers & sharing don't always mix so this is a great model for them ;)

{via IG: @inspirationalnurseryrhymes} 

Be sure to check them out on Instagram @inspirationalnurseryrhymes and their website here. We're off to go read more! Enjoy your Friday XO

Lately

How is it October already?! The summer has flown by and now the fall weather is quickly approaching (which I love) and it's been a whirlwind.  We had such a great few months and I'm looking forward to the holiday season starting up.  I feel guilty I've been absent lately but I have a lot of exciting things coming up for October that will surely make up for it ;)

While I settle back into a normal fall routine (tutoring, toddler classes...things that don't involve hanging around enjoying summer breeze) I wanted to share what we've been up to lately (@thebirdsnestblog)...

Looking forward to catching up with all of you soon! XOX

Blogger Meet & Mingle || Command and Pamper

It's Meet & Mingle day! Every week I'm sharing some of my favorite girlfriends and their blogs.  This is a great opportunity to see who's "behind the blog" and to get to know other bloggers.  Today, I'm so happy to share Sam from Command and Pamper with you! She's a girl after my own heart on the topic of cupcakes and reality tv ;) Hope you enjoy getting to know her more with all of her answers to some fun behind-the-blog questions!

Your blog name & it’s significance 

My blog is Command and Pamper. I wanted to think of a clever way to incorporate my unique last name into my blog's name. So Command is my last name (jealous? hah) and 'Command and Pamper' is a good phrase to describe my way of thinking! Be tough, but loving!

   

Tell us a little about your family 

I am married to my complete opposite and it's amazing! Dan and I have been married for about a year and a half now. We just had our son, Maddox in April. How cliche, but he is seriously the light of my life. Seriously, what did we do without this little ham in our lives?!

 

Currently in my shower [favorite beauty products]... 

I am loving Tree Hut's Coconut Lime Body Scrub right now. And I swear that it has faded my stretch marks in only a month! It smells delicious and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. Normally very fragrant body products get old really fast for me, but not this one! 

I never leave the house without... 

The diaper bag, packed with everything under the sun. I am always so afraid that I am going to need something while I am out and not have it. Helllooo 4 pacifiers, just incase he drops one, I lose one AND a crazy monkey on the loose in Target steals one. Yeah...and hand sanitizer! 

First thing you do when you have 5 minutes to yourself... 

Instagram!! I just recently started my blog/Instagram account and so I am always trying to connect with new people out there. Wink Wink @commandandpamper 

Favorite cupcake...

Cupcakes are my second favorite food, only to be outshined by donuts! My favorite flavor is lemon with raspberry frosting. So mouth watering! 

Top three baby items you’d recommend to new moms 

 -A sleep sack because it's so convenient and not to mention safe! 

 -A good stroller that your family can grow into if you plan on having more kids. We are kind of kicking ourselves for not investing in the nice double stroller when we know that we are going to have to get one soon anyways! 

 -A sound machine. Maddox now associates sleep with hearing the lullaby that plays for him at night. It's amazing! 

Currently obsessed with… 

The show Odd Mom Out on Bravo! Any show an relates their "downstairs business" to the sound of stirring mac & cheese is going to get my views all day! 

Top three meals you make for your family 

 -Chicken Pot Pie Bake 

 -Broccoli, cheese, bacon and potato soup 

 -Chicken Mac and Cheese (They all sound really healthy right? Recipes to come on the blog soon!) 

Favorite blog & why...

I love @britneymunday. She is hilarious and, even better, REAL! 

Like I said, I just recently started my blog and I love getting to know other moms through their's and seeing their crazy lives! Check mine out and follow me on social media, I might smother you with baby pictures but I swear you won't get sick of them!

Social Media Links:

Command and Pamper Blog 
Instagram 
Pinterest 
Bloglovin'

Thank you so much for sharing a slice of your life with us, Sam! I just love learning about who's behind the blog...so fun, right?! Be sure to pop over to her blog and visit her social media links and follow along! 

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If you'd like to be featured for a Meet & Mingle, please contact me at thebirdsnestblogger@gmail.com.  Feel free to grab a button while you're here. ;)

Journey Five || Grey Striped Diaper Bag

Hi friends! Have you shopped at Journey Five? So many cute items!! I received their Grey Aztec Diaper Bag and love it.  First of all, anything with stripes is a keeper for me and the cover Aztec design adds a pop of fun pattern. 

There are a total of 10 pockets, which is really important to me to keep everything organized and I love that most have a magnetic snap.  

You can wear this bag as a backpack or a messenger bag.  Backpack = hands/arms free and thats a big plus! The straps are removable if you aren't a backpack type of mama (or dad), which is a good option for other days as well.  

Being lightweight is so nice when you're carrying around kids, toys, and everything under the sun with you so the durable canvas material is great, as well. 

Journey Five also features more bags such as the Black Elizabeth's Striped Diaper Bag, Chic Chevron XL Bag, and the Double Chevron Diaper Bag all of which are so cute!  I also love their tops for the fall.  These are a few of my favorites: Kayla Floral Raglan , Navy Striped Bib Tunic , and their Long Sleeve Lace Blouse.  

If you follow Journey Five on Instagram (@journeyfive), they always post great deals that you can purchase directly from IG (hello, mama time saver) and always great customer service.  Be sure to check out their website as well, www.journeyfive.com.  Thanks so much, Journey Five, for our new diaper bag! 

Blogger Meet & Mingle || Amy Coral Blogs

It's Meet & Mingle day! Every week I'm sharing some of my favorite girlfriends and their blogs.  This is a great opportunity to see who's "behind the blog" and to get to know other bloggers.  Today, I'm so happy to share Amy from Amy Coral Blog  with you! Hope you enjoy getting to know her more with all of her answers to some fun behind-the-blog questions!

Your blog name & it’s significance

Hey! I am Amy and I blog over at Amy Coral Blog. My blog name is my first and (one of) my middle names. I wanted something simple and represented me. So Amy Coral Blog was born! 

Tell us a little about your family. 

I am engaged to the love of my life, Brock. He is the perfect person for me and I adore him immensely. We have two daughters, Kinsey, who will be 4 in September, and Bree who is 3 months old (WHAT?!). Kinsey is what you would call a "threenager"; full of attitude and challenging us on a daily basis. But she is an awesome little firecracker. Bree is easy-going like her daddy and I can't wait to see her little personality grow! I am the oldest of four kids and we live right around the corner from my parents! 

Currently in my shower [favorite beauty products]...

Honestly, my shower is so boring. I don't use anything special. I keep it simple with Herbal Essences, Proactiv, and Dove soap. I use grapefruit essential oil in the shower every day so I guess that would be my favourite. 

I never leave the house without...

My iPhone, wallet, kids (haha, I did have to throw the obvious in there), diaper bags, snacks and water. 

First thing you do when you have 5 minutes to yourself.

Enjoy the silence. Before I had two littles, I never fully appreciated the sound of silence. Now sitting in silence is a much deserved treat! 

Favorite cupcake

Let's be honest here, I won't turn down any kind of cupcake.

Top three baby items you’d recommend to new moms.

These Aden and Anais swaddles. We were gifted ours and I am totally in love with the colours, a house cleaner for the first few months, and COFFEE. 

Currently obsessed with…

I have a lot of obsessions. With a two month old, sleep is my current obsession. ;)

But actually if I think about it, lately I have been obsessed with Instagram. I am constantly on there schooling through my feed for any kind of inspiration. There are a lot of amazing people on there! 

Top three meals you make for your family. 

Meatloaf, spaghetti, and balsamic chicken. All so easy and favourites around here! 

Favorite blog & why. 

I would have to say either Little Baby Garvin. She writes about motherhood on such a relatable level, and her posts and pictures are always creative, fun and inspiring. I also love Tawnya over at Little Adventures Blog. She's real, inspiring, and such a nice girl that you can't help but like her. 

Social media links:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/amycoral

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmyCoralBlog

Twitter: www.twitter.com/_amycoral

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/amycoralxo

Blog: http://www.amycoralblog.blogspot.ca

Thank you so much for sharing a slice of your life with us, Amy! I just love learning about who's behind the blog...so fun, right?! Be sure to pop over to her blog and visit her social media links and follow along! 

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If you'd like to be featured for a Meet & Mingle, please contact me at thebirdsnestblogger@gmail.com.  Feel free to grab a button while you're here. ;)