Kid's Car Wash

This looks like the perfect weekend activity. I need this to be a least 3 times larger so I  can fit through it too! Hope y'all had a great Memorial Day weekend and survived the heat! We whipped out the homemade ice cream maker this weekend, it was a real treat. I'm going to try this Peach Ice cream recipe this coming weekend!

hip hip hooray blog

Peach Ice Cream Recipe

6 eggs, beaten

3 1/2 cups white sugar
10 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt


1.In large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until smooth; puree peaches in blender or food processor and stir 5 cups of puree into egg mixture. Stir in cream, half-and-half, vanilla and salt and mix well.

2.Pour mixture into freezer canister of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Serves: 32

source

Is it wrong to be jealous of a 6 year old? This room belongs to a lucky little girl in New Jersey. It was featured on Pinterest. 

This boho room was based on that gorgeous Moroccan rug by Madeline Weinrib.

How fabulous would those mirrors look in MY baby nursery?!

Which rug do y'all like better with my crib and bedding?

CNS Stores

Anthropolgie

Inspiring Spaces

Repeat after me.. Neutrals are not always boring. Good! These spaces are so gorgeous and inspiring to me. I feel when decorating, especially in west Texas, color is the go to choice, but it doesn't have to be. These interiors are all so classic and timeless. The color is added through the art, accessories and furniture making it affordable to update color through time.

Kristen Kelley Interiors

 Kippie Leland Interiors

Pinterest

The Lettered Nest

Atlanta Homes

Windsor Smith

Dwellers Without Decorators Blogspot

Everything is better on a stick!

Oreos on a stick. So cute, great end of the school year gift ideas, cheap, and delish!

What's not to love?You can use store-bought Oreos, marshmallows or brownies and add some melted chocolate and some pretty sprinkles and you’ve got a quick,

 fun and pretty treat!

source: Hip Hip Hooray

Memorial Day- Foodie Edition

Here are some fab ideas to celebrate Memorial Weekend with a crowd!

Watermelon Punch

Ingredients

1 oblong seedless watermelon (about 14 pounds)

3 cups seltzer

Directions

1.Cut top third off watermelon; trim bottom just enough to make a flat surface.

Scoop out flesh.

2.Working in batches, puree watermelon in a food processor.

Strain through a fine sieve; discard solids.

(You should have about 9 cups juice.)

Cover rind with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate juice and rind until chilled, about 1 hour.

Combine juice with seltzer; transfer to rind.

Martha Stewart

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Dip Strawberries in white chocolate, then dip into some blue sprinkles for a patriotic treat!

And if you're really ambitious, try to make this pie from Woman's Day.

 

Cork Letters

These cork letters are so cute!

They'd be great in your favorite wine sipping spot, or in a bookshelf! All you need are your wine corks and a wooden letter for a template. What an inexpensive fun gift these would be!

1. Pick out all corks you'd like to use, save the pretty ones for the outer trim

2. Plug in the hot glue gun and add one by one. Place a dot of glue on the bottom and a strip halfway up the side to attach previous cork - set in place.

Wait a few seconds between each one to let it set.

3. Clean up any strands you may have made with the glue

4. Attach hangers onto back

5. Hang in your favorite tasting area!

Happy Crafting!

This tutorial came from here!

Lemonade for a Crowd

This is such a clever idea! Use canning jars to serve up lemonade! Keep them on ice, then the lemonade will stay nice and cool until your guests are ready. This is such a great idea for a Memorial Day picnic, you can screw the lid on while your not sipping

to prevent spills and pesky bugs!

Who's ready for the weekend?

Knot your average pony!

While being pregnant in the deserts of west Texas I'm sure I will be sporting the pony this summer. This is such a cute fresh way to do your hair. AND I actually was able to do this, so you know its easy! This new website was launched by Lauren Conrad,
so lots of fun beauty tips!

Brought to you by the Beauty Department.com via Pinterest

Memorial Day- Apple Pie Caramel Apples

Memorial Day is quickly approaching. I LOVE long weekends at the lake. I love the sun, the games of washers, and the food! What is more American than apple pie?

I think I'm going to try making this delicious apple pie on a stick this year!

This recipe is from Disney World... the happiest place on earth, so it must be delectable!

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

1 bag Kraft caramels
4-5 large, tart apples (You can use red apples too but I like the contrast of the tart apple with the caramel)
1 bag white chocolate chips or white chocolate candy melts
cinnamon sugar


1. Wash, scrub, and dry apples. This is important or your caramel won't stick because of the coating stores put on apples.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt caramel according to package directions.
3. Put a Popsicle stick in the apple. Dip in melted caramel making sure to fully coat it.
4. Place on parchment or wax paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Cool in the fridge until caramel is set up. If you want a thick caramel layer, add another layer of caramel here and let it set up again.
6. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. You can add a little shortening if the mixture is too thick.
7. Coat the apple with the chocolate.
8. Let it set up a little bit before sprinkling it with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
9. Cool completely in the fridge.
10. Cut into slices and serve.
...Or wrap them in cellophane and give them to your friends.





Over the Rainbow Party

I have a new passion, Pinterest. Have you guys checked it out yet? Its essentially a massive search engine for beautiful pictures. You can pin them to your different "boards", and its a great way to gather inspiration!

This board is for an Over the Rainbow party.

There are so many fun ideas out there!

How delicious does this rainbow cake in a jar look?

 You could do mini jars for kid's portions. I love the way you can see all that color!

Here is how to make the rainbow cakes in a jar.

I'm in love with these balloons! What a great photo opportunity! 

These would be great over a food table! 

I've never thought to just tie blown up balloons on a string. How simple and inexpensive! Do multiple layers of string and create your own rainbow effect!

This use of crepe paper is so dramatic. Love it!

Happy Monday!

All the pictures are from Pinterest.  

Drink Umbrella Wreath

Here is a great fun idea for a summer wreath for your front door. Get a Styrofoam wreath and stick a ton of fun drink umbrellas in them. This would be so great to put out while hosting a luau or summer swim party!

Have a great weekend!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowl

This is going to be my new secret weapon, if I ever really want something, or I've done something bad, I will make this for my husband and everything will be just fine. This mind boggling creation has combined his (and my) two favorite loves, ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. A pregnant woman had to be the one to come up with this! Yum yum!

To learn how to make this, and become someone's hero go here!

http://www.gourmet-cookie-bouquets.com/design/tag/chocolate-chip-cookie-bowl/

Baby Nursery Inspiration Board

I think I finally have all my crazy ideas nailed down into one continuous feel. I wanted fresh and clean without being stark. I wanted a hint of glam without being Marilyn Monroe and mirrored furniture. I wanted cute and whimsical without making me nauseous from girlie overload. Besides the crib, I'd use the rest of this stuff anywhere in my house, not just my nursery. The 5 keys to an interesting design are: layer, shape, texture, pattern and color. Think of these keys next time you are designing a room!

 The crib is from Restoration Hardware Baby, the bedding from Serena and Lily, the shelving from World Market, and the chandelier and rug from Shades of Light. I also MUST have a poof (the white leather ottoman). They are so cute, and I will totally use it in other areas of my house later in life. I'm also a bit OBSESSED with monograms, so I'll be sure to have a large wooden monogram above the bed. I want to stencil a large pattern on the crib wall to make the head of the room interesting during middle of the night feedings.

 I'm excited to start buying!



It's a Girl!!

We finally had our gender reveal party this weekend! It was hard to keep the secret for over a week (I'm a cronically bad secret keeper)! I will post pictures of that party soon.

I can't beleive we're having a little girl! I have visions of ponytails, princesses, and PINK.


I haven't got to do any shopping yet, I'm stumped on the nursery!
There are so many options: Girly, Sweet, Neutral, Classical.
Here are some images that I've been collecting.


The brown with the wainscot is so elegant!

The green with white is so refreshing!

 The white is dreamy, but maybe a nightmare to keep clean?

 This room seems more adult, possibly something that could grow with the baby.

I LOVE the light fixture and the poofs in the corner!

I will definatly be incorporating some sort of stenciling on the crib wall. So many options! So little time! Do any moms out there have any suggestions about big nursery No No's??

Paper Lantern Love!

I'm using paper lanterns for my gender reveal party tonight. I'm so excited! I've never really utilized this inexpensive decoration, but after so many cute pictures how could I resist. You can get a three pack at Hobby Lobby for under $8.00!

Here are some of my favorite pictures.

The Knot

Look what a little crepe paper and a paper lantern make! So chic, I'm just not sure I have the patience to pull it off!

Project Wedding

Have a great weekend everybody!!

Holy Guacamole!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Although most of us do not even know what Cinco de Mayo represents (it is not the Independence of Mexico), we still whole heartedly celebrate. Any holiday that has guacamole and margaritas has my support!

Guacamole is my specialty, its my go to dish. I love it, I'm half Mexican its in my blood!  I love using lemon pepper and garlic salt, it really kicks up the flavors. Try serving it in a shelled out avocado skin for individual serving bowls!

Ingredients

4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced


Directions
Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.


HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!

Free Printables for Mother's Day

My husband asked me last week what I wanted for Mother's Day, at first I was confused, but I guess it counts even when your baby is still in your belly! Bring on the presents!

I went searching for a collection of free printables for Mother's Day. Here is what I came across. TomKat Studios offers these cute cupcake and favor tags.

 Click here to download. I love these little cards from anders ruff!

Download these here!

Don't forget your mom this Sunday!!