Home Tour | Living Room

The last month and some we've been spending a lot of time in this room. As you can imagine with a newborn and toddler, this room does not look like this. Maybe if you dump those toy baskets out and pull all the puzzles from the playroom and scatter the pieces onto the floor. And let's not forget about the legos everywhere! But these pictures were taken when the room was CLEAN. 

As many links as I could find are linked below.. if you see something not linked, let me know!

Sofa | Thomasville

Recliner | Wal Mart

Rug | Target old

End Table | Amazon

Coffee Table | Amazon

Small End Table | Amazon

Lamp | Target old

Check Pillows | Pottery Barn

Turquiose Pillows | Home Goods

Tray | Home Goods

Blanket Ladder | Magnolia

Art | Lindsay Letters Co.

End Table Planters | Magnolia

Fire Place Plants | Target

Candle Holders | Home Goods

Curtains | Ikea

Floor Cushions | Etsy

Toy Baskets | Target

Wreath | Hobby Lobby

Spring Wal Mart Favorites

I'm so far behind on my posts (because ya know- quarantine life) that I actually ordered these items during on of my pregnant nights when I couldn't sleep. I obviously waited until after I had Vinny to try them on, and now I am sharing them with you all! 

Can I just say how much I love these jeans! The fit so well- I went to a size 4 since I'm still carrying some baby weight and they are high rise! The pocket detail looks just like the AE detail, so you would never know you are wearing Wal Mart jeans!

Boyfriend Jeans

I picked up this basic graphic tee because I couldn't beat the price of $10! It's cute but the fabric is pretty stiff. But for the price I decided to keep it and wear it layered with a cardigan for now and denim shorts in the summer.

Graphic T-Shirt

I ended up returning this skirt, since I just didn't like the way it looked on me. However does look more expensive in person. I was hesitant because the print could look cheap, it also comes in solid navy.

Snakeskin Midi Skirt

I ended up returning this jacket, since I already have a quilted Burberry jacket. But the look is so good on the jacket, you would never know it's from Wal Mart. It is light weight, so you could easily wear it into the colder Spring months as well!

Belted Quilted Jacket

These look a lot more expensive then they really are. However I ended up returning them since I don't need another paid of mules or loafers! They come in this snakeskin print as well as a leopard print too. PS. don't mind my feet, as they were still swollen from the pregnancy (pictures taken about two months ago!)

Loafer Mule

I think they are the perfect white slip on with a subtle design, however I ended up returning because 1 they didn't have my size at the time- these are wide width and 2 I already have a pair of golden goose dupes that I wore the whole time I was pregnant and will all Spring.

Camo Lace up Sneaker

These black slip on sneakers are so comfortable. They are actually perfect to throw on for long walks down the drive way to get the mail, out back to yell at the dog when he won't come back inside, and taking a long walk around the block. I plan on bringing these to Disney when we go in September- that's how comfortable they are! They are lined with memory foam too.

Slip on Sneakers

Easy Meal | BBQ

Have you been all about the easy dinners during this quarantine period? I thought when this all started, that every night I could make a four course dinner, because I would be home. Well between working full time from home, taking care of a three month old and a three year old running (literally running not walking anywhere) around the house, that did not happen. 

We are lucky we were signed up for the meal delivery service Home Chef even before everything started, so we get two or three dinners weekly through them. We love it because it is typically things we would not make or have the ingredients for. If you want to check it out yourself, click HERE.

Anyway, I've been using easy recipes and my crock pot a lot lately. I've probably used my crock pot more during this past month, then in a whole year previously!  This recipe is a classic I grew up on. You can eat it in a sandwich, on top of chips like I did, or by itself. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs hamburger meat 

1 small yellow onion 

1 cup ketchup

1 cup chili sauce

2 tsp.sugar

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp white vinegar

Directions:

Brown hamburger meat in large skillet or pan. Add in the onions until softened. Combine all other ingredients together. Let simmer together for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and drain excess grease. 

• Serve warm in a sandwich-adding cheese
• Serve over chips to made nachos - melt shredded cheddar cheese on top, additional toppings of green chilies, black olives, sour cream
• Serve as is or add shredded cheese

Vincent Daniel | Three Months

Three months have now gone by with Vinny! I know they say the second child usually does things quicker, but boy is this little one advancing quickly! 

He can roll from his belly to back so easily, he can sit up assisted in his bumbo seat, hates being left alone (don't worry- I don't leave him completely alone.. I mean getting off the couch next to him to grab the remote or my coffee!!) and is trying his hardest to roll from back to belly.. but his arm gets stuck under him. 

Three Month: April 7, 2020 Weight: about 12lbs Height:  inches Diet:  formula Sleeping:  about 8 hours per night,  will eat and sleep another 2-3 Clothing Size:  3 months or 3-6 months Diaper Size: size 2's

Joey's Third Birthday

I have a feeling this birthday will be one to remember for a long time! Since we are under the stay at home orders, it looked a lot different then the previous two years. We weren't able to see our Gaga and Poppy (my parents) which was a big disappointment to Joey, but I think we made up for not being able to do all the fun things. 
When Joey woke up in the morning, (thanks to Target Drive up), we decorated and has all his presents lined up. His big gift this year is none other then a trip to DISNEY WORLD in September! I think we are more excited then he was. But then again, I don't think he really realized it yet. 

Joe was very proud of his 'Magic Kingdom' Lego masterpiece. And I just couldn't pass up using his toy airplane with an adorable picture of him sitting in it.

On our local news, you can email in a birthday and they will announce is on the morning newscast. Joey was sooo excited to see himself!

Uncle Didi (my brother, Dale) got him these Paw Patrol Walkie Talkie's. Joey is excited to use them with his best bud up the street he told me!

That same best bud sent him a cupcake decorating kit. It was the cutest assortment of candy decorations.

Some other things Joey got were Buzz, Woody and Duke Kaboom frmo Toy Story, as well as this cute Marshall talking watch. 

My friend Patti, who also used to watch Joey when he was a baby, did a drive by dropped off this hoop for Joey! We also put these balloons on his bike so that when we went for a ride later that day, everyone knew!

It was such a beautiful day out, so we spent most of it outside playing.

We ordered our cake from our favorite bakery and picked it up that morning.

Joey had a great day, but the ultimate surprise came during the day, when I arranged for the fire engine to drive by. I never imagined they would put on a whole parade!!

Thanks again to all who made it so special including our local Fire Dept. & Police Dept. !!

Easter Bunny Craft

We came up with a cute activity to incorporate both Vinny and Joey's footprints. It was so easy to put together and we know the grandparents will love to receive these since they aren't able to physically spend Easter with us.

Supplies:

Two Paper Plates (1 dinner size, 1 cake size)

Card Stock 

Paint

Googley Eyes (optional) 

Ribbon

Glue

Directions:

Using paint, make your footprints on the card stock. You can use any color paint you want! While the paint dries, I used hot glue and put the paper plates together. I then glued the googley eyes on with glue stick, but you can draw them on if you don't have any. Make a nose and a mouth with crayon, marker, or colored pencils. Make a bow with ribbon and glue between the two plates. Cut out your footprints and glue onto the plates. Don't forget to write your child's name and age onto the plates, so you can remember when it was made!

Toddler Activities to Keep Little Ones Busy

Where's my moms of little ones at? How hard is it to keep the little ones occupied all day long, especially if you are experiencing rainy or winter weather outside! The first week I was all on board with the learning, using ABC Mouse and some work books we already had on hand, but after about day three, Joey got bored and it became more difficult. I am trying to stick to his 'school' schedule as much as possible, but throwing in some fun Joey- Mommy time! These is our routine that we follow.. I am NO expert- but this seems to work for us! Now in the middle of this, I am trying to get things done during the day, and luckily a lot of my work I can do once my husband gets home or after I put the boys to bed. So, do what is best for you. If you have to resort to cartoons, screen time, movies etc. no one should judge you! We are all trying to get through this time together and should be cheering each other on! This is a template of the schedule we try to follow. I put times on them, but in reality, it's whatever the moods are for the day. Sometimes Joey is really on a roll with the 'school' work  6:00am- wake up/ lay in bed/ play with cars upstairs 7:00am- head downstairs, breakfast 7:30-9am- free time - cartoons, books, toys 9:00am- Snack  9:30-11am- ABC Mouse/ Workbooks 11:00am- Free time 12:00pm- Lunch 12:30-2pm- craft/ books 2:00pm-try to nap (ha) walk around block 3:00pm- if daddy is home, ride bike outside until dinner 5 or 6pm- dinner  7:00pm- bath and bedtime So what are some activities we've been up to? Well here are just a few! Games: Pop the Pig, Let's Feed the Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Don't Break the Ice.

Activities: Cupcake decorating, Baking cake pops, coloring, making cards for family and friends, Easter Bunny Craft. ABC Mouse, Kumon learning books.

We got the box of cupcakes delivered, but you can easily make them yourself your local bakeries don't offer this. You need cupcakes, icing, sprinkles, and anything else you want to decorate with.

Cake pops were very easy to make!

Ingredients:

Boxed or store bought cake

Melting Chocolate

Store bought frosting

Sprinkles to decoration

Sticks

Directions: 

Make boxed cake according to box. I made them a dozen using half of the cake. Whether you made a boxed cake or bought a store bought one, the next steps are the same. Break the cake up and add in frosting. Using a fork keep mashing the cake with the frosting. I used about half of a container of frosting. But use as much until you feel as though you would be able to roll the cake into balls. Form balls by rolling in your hands and put stick halfway into ball. Place on a baking sheet and put into freezer for about an hour. Melt chocolate and dip cake pop in. Cover the stick a little as well, so that it doesn't fall off. To let them dry, I cut holes in the cake box, however I made them pretty big, so they were top heavy. I had my assistant (Joey) hold some until dried. We added sprinkles but you don't have to. 

Vincent Daniel | Two Months

Once again, I am late posting the monthly photo. But as I'm sure your life is right now, everything is out of sorts. 
Speaking of the current situation, I will take this time to address is. I am scared, trying to stay calm, but my anxiety usually gets the best of me when I lay down. I watch the news and seeing all the local press conferences, sends my head into a whirl wind. I see things on social media and my brain goes to the worst case scenario. So this blog is a little outlet of joy. please don't take it as I'm being insensitive posting happier times, house decor, activities.. but I know I love still checking out my favorite bloggers because like I said before.. the news, the press conferences, the social media stories, they all get to be so much to handle. So if you stick around, I will try to stay as positive as possible, and later this week I will be sharing some activities we've been doing to stay busy during this stay at home time!
Anyway, back to Vinny! He's growing so fast, and I pulled out pictures of Joey this age- Ya'll they are TWINS! It's too funny!

Two Month: March 7, 2020 Weight: 10lbs Height:  inches Diet:  formula Sleeping:  about 10 hours per night Clothing Size:  0-3 months Diaper Size: size 1's

Home Tour | Kitchen

Wow! It has been a little over a year since we moved into our dream home. When we moved in, we knew we didn't have to do much to the house, except make it feel more of our own. Right after closing, we had our former neighbor or as we like to call him 'painter man' come and give us an estimate and pick our paint colors. I decided to go with Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter for the whole house, minus the bedrooms.  Let me back track and say, if we didn't want to, the house really wouldn't have needed a full paint job. However the golden tan color it was, just wasn't my style for it to be throughout the whole house. Our old home I didn't paint, and hated it every day! But something that I NEEDED to change, was the island color. I'm assuming the original color was white or maybe a grey, which would have been fine with me. However, the previous owners painted the island and the cabinets below the sink and above the microwave ROYAL BLUE. Now I know what you are thinking, that's not bad.. but the backsplash is seafoam greens and teal colored blues and the pendant lights above the island as well. It just clashed so. dang. bad. So, as a last minute decision (because I was torn on colors) I went with the same greyish color that was in our bedroom. Now the back splash pops, and it matches our decor so much better!! Our painted also painted the cabinets I mentioned before back to white. They don't match perfectly, but in this picture and unless you knew, you could barely tell.

We decided not to go with a kitchen table in here and leave the space open instead. We did just recently put this bar top table we were storing from our bar basement we had in the basement bar area, to add extra seating! When we first moved in and Joey was smaller, we put his play table in the kitchen area for him to eat out, however as he grew and became Mr. Independent, he now sits at the island stools as well. Since we have three of us typically eating there, one of us usually sits on the Ikea stool! Not ideal, but if its just for a quick bit, we don't feel like cleaning off the dining room table to eat!

I tried to link most sources, however if there is something you see that is not listed, just let me know!

Island Stools | Amazon

Bar top Table & Stools | Walmart

Kids Table & Chairs | Buy Buy Baby

Let's Eat Sign | Hobby Lobby

Kitchen Sign | Old (HomeGoods?)

Striped Planter | Target

Canisters | Macy's

Dog Treats Jar | Rae Dunn

Bread Box | Amazon- Similar

Clock | Lowe's 

Mix it Up Sign | Hobby Lobby