A Small Snippet

like my post title?  my brain doesn’t really work in the summer, (or when i’m pregnant…bad combo) which means that i couldn’t think of anything creative, so i figured i’d just go straight for the facts!

i have to confess…i am enjoying the laid back, no schedule days of summer so much, that the last thing i really feel like doing most days is working on my computer.  hence, the lack of activity.  but that’s not to say that i haven’t been busy doing bloggy things.  in fact, i’ve got LOADS coming up to share with you.  we have been busy little bees, trying to get this house and nursery all ready for Baby Berkeley’s upcoming arrival.  my sewing machine has been getting its full workout, so i will be coming back with some new sewing tutorials.  and of course, be on the lookout for the Nursery Diaries soon, with lots of details…but i’ll give you some sneak peeks of our progress so far below.

i thought for today, i’d just dump some unedited photos, straight from the iPhone, to show you a bit of the going-ons around here.  if you follow on Instagram (leanak), then you already have a fairly good idea of what we’ve been doing, but here are some more details.  and for the rest of you, enjoy a peek and i’ll be back soon!

we’ve all been anxiously wondering what this new baby girl is going to look like…will she have darker features like her brother, or blonder hair, green eyes like her sister, or her dad’s baby blues?   i’ve only had one dream about this baby, and she had dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair..so who knows!  but while we’ve been wondering and dreaming, my parents brought over some old photos of me as a baby and child, and wow…i think i might currently have a twin:  (me on the left, Bella on the right)

i indulged in the most amazing treat a few weeks ago…a Smores Blizzard….two of my favorite things combined…smores and blizzards!  it was worth every stinking calorie, GMO, and artificial flavoring, and before the summer is over, i think i might have to have another:

Bella and I took a little girls trip to Chicago, and Bella later told me that it was the most fun weekend she’s ever had.  i’ll be back later with the full rundown of our trip and what we did, but if you’ve ever contemplated taking your little girl to the American Girl Place to experience all that they have to offer, i can with full confidence tell you that its worth the trip!!

we spend almost everyday in the pool, and my kids favorite game is to pretend like they are orphans, stranded in the middle of the sea, about to be attacked by sharks.  i didn’t know whether to be concerned or crack up laughing…so i did a little of both:

Berkeley is definitely growing…and moving…and rolling…and although i’m very grateful that i get to grow her in my belly, i would be lying if i didn’t say that i’m counting the days until she’s out of my belly and in my arms instead

I realized that there are quite a few baby items that i still need, as i got rid of all things baby after having Bella, so with some baby showers coming up, i was encouraged to register.  i did realize in the process that i need much less than i felt that i did with my first, so it was kinda fun to get to really think through what is necessary and what isn’t.  it felt weird to do that all over again, but Bella came along, and we had an absolute blast!  she was my official scanner, and took the job very seriously: (and for the record, i plan to use cloth diapers and hope to make my own baby food, i’m officially in love with the store Buy Buy Baby, which was not around when i had babies before, and there are lots of new and fun items available for babies now that were not in existence 9 and 6 years ago…like the Bumbo, video baby monitors, sleep sacks, IPhone Apps to track feedings, sleeping schedules, etc, …all of which i’m thinking might change my life!)

we live in Florida, which means you can pretty much count on many summer afternoon thunderstorms, during which we take the opportunity to do some reading.  Canaan has been asking to read Harry Potter, and because i wasn’t sure what i thought of them, i told him that i needed to read them first before i decided if he could.  i am currently on Book #4, and i’m so completely engrossed in them that i have been staying up WAY too late trying to read just a little bit more through very tired, droopy eyes because i simply can’t put them down!  i haven’t fully decided yet what my decision is on him reading them, but i can say that i think they are one of the most creative books i’ve ever read in my life.

when i was sick at the beginning of this pregnancy, and was watching more TV than i care to ever watch again, i kept seeing commercials for these Hot Buns.  i wanted to, so badly, pick up the phone and order some.  i almost did, but somehow the thought of ordering something off of TV just felt funny to me (i never have, although my hubby once did…he bought the complete CD set called “Monsters of Rap” and it is, to this day, one of the best CD sets we have.)  but…my friend found the Hot Buns at Target recently, so i scooted over there the very next day and picked them up, and i’m so glad that i did…they really do work!  (and yes…i’ve tried the whole sock bun trick using a rolled tube sock, but it has never ever worked for me.  however, Hot Buns do the trick!)

as my nesting is now officially full blown, i pulled some old newborn clothes of Bella’s out of our attic, only to find that so many of them had yellow stains on them…which weren’t there when i packed them away.  i’ve heard that can happen, as protein stains from breastmilk and spit up can seep back through.  so after much googling and research, i soaked them in smoking hot water and lots of Oxi-Clean for about a day and half, and low and behold…almost all of the stains disappeared!

 i promised you some nursery sneak peeks, so here they are.  the gold crib turned out exactly as i was hoping it would, and i’ll be back to tell you how we pulled it off, because we definitely learned some things along the way.  i ordered the crib sheet from Land of Nod, and although it was a little bit more than i would’ve liked to pay for a crib sheet, it is absolutely perfect and i’m so happy that it is what we decided.  the white swiss dot fabric will be made into the bumper and crib skirt:

my hubby and father in law did the most fantastic job of painting the nursery, and we added stripes to the wall where the crib will be.  paint colors always always always throw me for a loop, and i can’t tell you how many times we’ve finished painting a room, only to end up really disliking the color.  however, this time, the colors were perfect and exactly what i wanted.  i’ll come back to give all the details in my Nursery Diaries posts, but the lighter grey is Sherwin Williams Eider White, and the darker stripe is Sherwin Williams Repose Grey.

iPhone pics don’t quite give you the actual color, so later on i’ll show you some Nikon shots, but i love the gold crib up against the grey stripes:  (btw:  i’ve always wondered…is it “grey” or “gray?”  what’s the difference?)

now that the fabric for different baby projects is beginning to arrive, sewing is underway. (and i promise i’ll post tutorials before long.)

i just finished the curtains, made from this Amy Butler fabric on the right, and the Michael Miller fabric on the left will be a changing pad cover.  you’ll have to come back to see it all completed!

our dear sweet friends surprised us with this beautiful wooden cradle, which we will use as a bassinet.  its crazy to think that a baby will soon be in there:

we are also revamping the girls bathroom.  i found these coral towels that i absolutely love, and i’m thinking of painting the walls a very light mint green:

these kiddos are super excited to meet their baby sis:

as of late last night, these were my current diaper bag favorites.  i’m thinking $42 sounds a heck of a lot better than $139.  however, i’m totally open to diaper bag suggestions, as its actually one thing that i’m struggling to find!  so mommas, what are your faves?  i think i’m looking for one that doesn’t necessarily look like a diaper bag, but more of a chic bag that you’d carry around even without a baby, but that obviously is still very practical as a diaper bag (i.e.:  lots of pockets, room, etc)

i hope i haven’t bored you to death with all our baby excitement, but as its currently what’s happening around here, its hard to not talk about it!

i’ll be back tomorrow with my July Sponsors, so be sure to check them out, as there are a few new ones this month that i think y’all will really like!

see you soon,

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I’ve had a number of requests to write a post devoted to kids books, so today is the day!  i figured with summer here, mommas everywhere might be on the lookout for great suggestions for Summer Reading for our kiddos, so hopefully the books i share in this post will help in your search.

the school that my kids attend places a HIGH value on reading, and each child is challenged to read around 30 minutes a day during the summer.  its nice for me too, because it forces us to slow down and take 30 minutes of quiet time each day.

before i dig into specifics, i should tell you that we try to be pretty careful with the content in the books that my kiddos read, but since they are moving through books pretty quickly now, i cannot read every book with them or beforehand to preview it.  my kids love book series, so we try to lock into a series, and i’ll read some of one book to make sure the content seems okay, and then i feel good about the rest of the series.

both kids are also at ages where they use what we call their “filter.”  in other words, they are supposed to show us anytime something is mentioned in a book that we might not like…ie:  a bad or unkind word, something that is too scary, kids being mean to each other, etc.  that system is still really working for us, as both kids actually like to point out things to us that we might disagree with.  i know that might not work forever, but for now, we are comfortable with them starting a book that we don’t personally know much about because they are still pretty trustworthy with their filter.  and when they do come upon something that they need to “filter” out, we talk about it and depending on what it is, we then decide whether we are going to continue to let them read the book.

also…we don’t necessarily shy away from books that have adventure, or risk, or mystery, or even magic.  we are careful to choose ones that are still innocent in those areas (no death, outright evil, etc.) but we are not opposed to our kids reading about those subjects, as long as its on a kid-friendly level.

so as i suggest these books, i’ll tell you what i know about them, but just know that although i haven’t read each one personally, they have either passed our preview test, or so far have flown through our “filter” with flying colors

(if you click on the highlighted book title, it’ll take you to Amazon where you can read more details for yourself about the book.)

i’ll start off by showing you some of the books that Canaan has really enjoyed over the last few years.  he just turned 9, so i would say depending on your child’s reading level, these books would be good starting at 7 years old or so.

this is a new book that was a hit at my kid’s school book fair this year.  it was written by Jeff Probst (host of Survivor) and being the HUGE Survivor fans that Jake and I are, we were happy to indulge the kiddos request to purchase it.  Canaan finished it in a 2 days, and Bella’s teacher read it to her class as well.  both kids loved it.

Stranded

Canaan LOVES this next series.  its all about weather, and different natural disaster situations.  i think there is definitely an element of adventure to these books (after all, they are about storm chasers) but as far as i know, they end well:

Storm Runners: Book 1
Storm Runners Book 2: The Surge
Storm Runners #3: Eruption

this is a FANTASTIC series, that Canaan read in 1st Grade, and that Bella is just starting.  the main characters, Jack and Annie, are transported from their magic treehouse to different places around the world and in different times in history.  its educational, as each book covers a different time or place, and you get to learn about that specific event or location, but the kids love it because each book is an adventure, or mystery, that Jack and Annie get to figure out.  i highly recommend this series if you have a reader who is just starting chapter books.

Magic Tree House Boxed Set, Books 1-28

Roald Dahl is an oldie, but a goodie, and Canaan has really enjoyed his crazy books:

Roald Dahl 15 Book Box Set

whenever i come across any classics at garage sales or books sales, i snag them up.  Canaan has not read all of these yet, and some of them i’m holding off on until he’s a bit older, but these are always some good titles to have on hand:

Because of Winn-Dixie
The Adventures of Tintin: A Novel
Bridge to Terabithia
Holes
The Call of the Wild
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Trumpet of the Swan
(or really any EB White book: E. B. White Box Set )
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Hatchet

Canaan has enjoyed reading Biographies of people that interest him, especially sports heros.  the whole Boxed set: 11 Childhood of Famous Americans biographies series is great:

this has been one of his favorites:

Jackie Robinson (Childhood of Famous Americans Series)

this series made me a bit nervous at first, and i will probably have Bella hold off on them for awhile because she is very easily scared, but Canaan really loves to read about important events in history, and this series is written from a child’s perspective, which gives an age-appropriate perspective on hard and tragic historical events.  these books allow kids to learn about the event, but in a kid-friendly way.

I Survived Series 6 Book Set Includes: (The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912; I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916; I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005; I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941; I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906;I Survived the Attacks of September 11th, 2001)

i remember reading this series as a kid and loving them.  in fact, these were my old books that i kept and passed down to Canaan.  any book in the Great Illustrated Classics Set is great, and there are literally TONS to choose from:

most of the books that i’ve mentioned so far are a bit too advanced for Bella, so here are some suggestions for your younger readers.

i should mention, if you have a beginning reader, or if your child is just starting to express an interest in reading, i cannot recommend Bob Books enough.  we started using this series with Bella in Pre-School, and she had such a sense of accomplishment because she was able to actually “finish” a book by herself.  they really helped her gain confidence and interest in reading on her own.  i think its one of the best teaching tools on the market for beginning readers.  we only used the first 3 sets, but you can advance through all of them as your child progresses:

Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
Bob Books Set 2-Advancing Beginners
Bob Books Set 3- Word Families

Bella is currently reading a Clementine book.  i got to read a couple of the books in the Clementine series to Canaan’s 2nd grade class, and they were so endearing and laugh out loud funny.  the class LOVED them, so Bella has just recently begun reading them too.  there are a number of books now in the series.

Clementine Series Four Book Set

(i have to point out my kids choice in summer clothes.  since we don’t have to roll out of bed and get dressed for school anymore, they typically lounge around in the funniest, un-matching, too small get-ups.  i just have to laugh sometimes at what they choose to wear around the house!)

Just Grace (The Just Grace Series)
Still Just Grace (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace and the Double Surprise (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace, Star on Stage (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu (The Just Grace Series)
Just Grace and the Flower Girl Power (The Just Grace Series)

these Beverly Cleary books were all of my old books growing up, and my all-time favorite series when i was around 8 years old.  Canaan hasn’t been too interested in them, but i think Bella will love them:

The Complete Ramona Collection: Beezus and Ramona, Ramona and Her Father, Ramona and Her Mother, Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Ramona Forever, Ramona the Brave, Ramona the Pest, Ramona’s World

this is a new series that Bella discovered, and she’s read a bunch of them so far.  there are many books in the series, and they are pretty quick reads.  i think they are pretty cute.  i will say that they deal with magic and fairies, and there is the presence of Goblins that try to interfere with the fairies, but from what i’ve read, the Goblins remind me much more of the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White then what you would think of when you hear the word Goblins.  they are more along the lines of being silly and distracting, as opposed to evil.  each books deals with a different fairy and a different adventure.

The Rainbow Magic Fairies (Original) Complete Set 1-7: Ruby the Red Fairy, Amber the Orange Fairy, Saffron the Yellow Fairy, Fern the Green Fairy, Sky the Blue Fairy, Inky the Indigo Fairy, & Heather

Rainbow Magic the Magical Animal Fairies Set of 7 Books (Rainbow Magic, Includes Ashley the Dragon Fairy, Lara the Black Cat Fairy, Erin the Phoenix Fairy, Rihanna the Seahorse, Sophia the Snow Swan, Leona the Unicorn, Caitlin the Ice Bear)

Rainbow Magic Princess Fairies Complete 7 Book Set (Books 1-7, Includes: Hope the Happiness Fiary; Cassidy the Costume Fairy; Anya the Cuddly Creatures Fairy; Elisa the Royal Adventure Fairy; Lizzie the Sweet Treats Fairy; Maddie the Fun and Games Fairy; Eva the Enchanted Ball Fairy)

these next books aren’t chapter books, but just a few of our favorite girly books:

The Royal Tea Party (Gigi, God’s Little Princess)
The Pink Ballerina (Gigi, God’s Little Princess)

and this whole series has been a hit with Bella:

Pinkalicious
Goldilicious
Silverlicious

 as i wrap up my book suggestions, i can’t not mention our two favorite kids devotionals.  i know i’ve mentioned these before, but they are those kind of books that should be in every household!

Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing
Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids

and i’ll leave you with this book, that will serve as a little hint as to why Bella and I are flying up to Chicago for a little girls trip tomorrow!

the American Girl series is precious, and innocent, and sweet, and we are just beginning to dig into this series, starting with the book that came with her American Girl doll:

Lanie (Girl of the Year)

i could seriously write all day about books.  our book shelves are overflowing, and this just scratches the surfaces of kids books that we have in our house.  but i’ve tried to highlight our current favorites.

let me know if you have any suggestions for us too!

happy Summer Reading!

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i don’t know what area of the world you live in, but currently we are dealing with a Tropical Storm, resulting in constant rain and flooding.  couple that with our first days of summer vacation, and its enough to make anyone go stir crazy!  we are doing our best to entertain ourselves with books and boardgames, so while Canaan plays LIFE for the 5th time today (by himself, at the moment) and Bella talks to herself on the walkie talkies :), i’m popping in really quickly to give you an easy comfort food recipe that would make even the rainiest days a little bit brighter!

i LOVE this recipe for mashed potatoes mainly because you don’t have to peel the potatoes, so its super quick.

i’ll post the recipe card at the bottom, but here’s the rundown:

you need a bag of red potatoes.  i used a whole 5 pound bag.  i wash the potatoes first and then half or quarter them until they are all similar in size.

place them in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  boil until fork tender, maybe about 10 minutes:

drain them and add hot potatoes to a large mixing bowl (i mix all this up in my Kitchen Aid.  if you don’t have a stand mixer, i would use handheld beaters):

to the mixing bowl, add in milk, cream cheese, greek yogurt, butter, salt and pepper.  i honestly don’t measure these.  i just keep adding in until its creamy and seasoned well.  this is totally up to you!  i tend to like our potatoes creamy and smooth, but i know some people like them a little bit chunkier, so just keep adding ingredients until you reach your desired consistency.

beat your potatoes with added ingredients until they turn out the way you like them.  serve immediately, or keep warm over a double boiler.

these are a great side dish for almost any meal.  on this particular night, i served it alongside our Super Healthy Meatloaf and with some steamed veggies:

(if you are curious about that plate pictured above, you can see more details here)

here’s the recipe card for you:

enjoy!!

hope y’all stay dry!

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