Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Twin Nursery

When Will and I were trying to figure out how to make a nursery for our son and daughter, we decided to go neutral. 

Our theme was inspired by You Are My Sunshine and the colors we wanted to use were yellow, gray, and teal. We thought white furniture would pop against the dark gray walls.

We bought our cribs from Babies 'R Us, the block letters were bought from Walmart and spray painted white, the You Are My Sunshine decal is from Kirkland's, and the banner is from Hobby Lobby.


Some of the wonderful books we received at the baby shower.



We bought the curtains from Menards. They were labeled "blackout", but they didn't block out as much light as we wanted.


The changing table was gifted to us. It was originally a cherry color so we painted it white. I used gray and yellow contact paper to decorate the shelves. The wall art was picked up at Big Lots, and the rocker/recliner is from Darvin's (on clearance!).


This dresser was also gifted to us and was originally laminate wood. I painted it with Kilz primer and Behr paint. I also spray painted the handles gray. Decals were purchased from Hobby Lobby, Kohls, and Kirkland's. I used contact paper for the back side of the dresser on the left side. 


We absolutely LOVE how it all turned out! Now we just have to wait for the twins to come!

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

So one day at work I decided to use my lunch break to scour the internet and Pinterest for crock pot meals that sounded delicious and I came up with a list of 7 meals that I shopped for that night and made in about 2 hours!




I did not take pictures, but here is a list of the recipes if you're interested! I included instructions for if you plan to store them in the freezer like I did. I also included instructions to write on the bag -- this is a step you will want to complete BEFORE you put any food in the bag.

Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • Rice or lettuce wraps for serving
Directions:
  • Place ingredients in gallon freezer bag, toss to coat, and freeze.
Write on bag:
  1. Thaw
  2. Cool Low 4-5 hours
  3. Remove chicken and shred, return to sauce
  4. Serve over hot cooked rice or serve as lettuce wraps

Teriyaki Pork or Chicken
Ingredients:
  • 1 small bag of baby carrots
  • 1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 large can pineapple, undrained
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 pork loin medallions (or 2 chicken breasts)
  • 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
  • Rice or lettuce for serving
Instructions:
  • Add ingredients to freezer bag
  • Mix together ingredients
  • Freeze
Write on bag:
  1. Thaw
  2. Low 8 hours
  3. Can add up to 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce when ready to serve
  4. Serve over rice or lettuce
Beef Stew
Ingredients:
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds lean stew meat, 1 inch chunks
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 1/2 cups V-8 juice
  • 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound carrots, cut
  • Salt & pepper
  • Optional: Celery
  • Optional: 4 medium potatoes (to be added before you start the crock pot)
Directions:
  • Add ingredients to freezer bag, toss together, freeze.
Write on bag:
  1. Thaw
  2. High 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours
  3. Optional: Add 4 medium potatoes, cubed
Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 1 up Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Salt & pepper
  • Fresh or dried rosemary for serving
Directions:
  • Put everything in freezer bag
  • Mix together
Write on bag:
  1. Thaw
  2. Low 8 hours or high 4 hours
  3. Sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary for serving

Carolina Style Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Ingredients:

  • 3 pound pork roast
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Buns for serving
Directions:
  • Combine ingredients in freezer bag and mix.
Write on bag;
  1. Thaw
  2. Cook High 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours
  3. When done, remove pork and shred. Add back into pot. 
Ranch Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
  • 6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (I used only 3 pork chops)
  • 1 packet dry Ranch seasoning mix
  • 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
Directions:
  • Put ingredients in freezer bag and mix.
Write on bag:
  1. Thaw
  2. High 4 hours or low 6 hours
Mashed Potatoes Recipe:
  • 4 pounds of potatoes, cubed.
  • Boil until tender
  • Add 5 tbsp butter, 1 cup Parmesan, 6 cloves of roasted garlic, 1-1 1/2 cups milk, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 pounds frozen meatballs
  • 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
  • 1 can Golden Mushroom soup
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 1 envelope brown gravy mix
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Egg noodles for serving
Instructions:
  • Mix soups, broth, gravy mix and water. Put in freezer bag.
  • Add meatballs
Write on bag:
  1. Thaw
  2. Low 6 hours
  3. Serve over egg noodles
>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Saturday, May 23, 2015

DIY Headband Holder

Grandma Wendy bought Lucy a bunch of headbands and I had no where to put them, so I decided to make a headband holder! I found a bunch of tutorials on Pinterest and was eager to make my own. 


What I used:
  • Fabric from Joann Fabrics (it was 50% off, and I used a 40% off coupon from the Retail Me Not App! It was $2.00 even.) You'll need 17.5 inches by 10.5 inches. 
  • 42 oz container of oatmeal
  • Candle stick holder (I bought mine from Target, but you could always check out Goodwill for a bargain!)
  • Hot glue gun and about 3-4 glue sticks
  • Spray paint 
Before I started working with the fabric and oatmeal container, I did 3 things: spray painted the oatmeal container lid and candle stick holder, empty out the contents of the oatmeal container into a gallon plastic bag, and took the paper off the oatmeal container.

I then began by warming up the hot glue gun and laid the empty container along the fabric. I lined the top of the fabric at the opening of the container. 



I put hot glue along the edge of the fabric and then pressed it on the container. 


I continued to add small lines of hot glue along the top and bottom of the container and then roll the container along the fabric.


When I neared the end, I cut the fabric, leaving some room to overlap. I then put a line of glue along the edge of the fabric and folded it over so that I would have a clean edge on the headband holder (No frays!)


All done with the fabric! The top of the headband holder is on the bottom and the bottom of the holder is upwards, where I need to secure the extra fabric.



I started by putting glue along the inside lip and pushing the fabric over the lip.


I then added glue here and there and pressed the fabric down so that it was flat. There is no special technique to this step, I was just adding glue and pushing the fabric down.


I applied a generous amount of glue along the outside ring of the base and then placed the candlestick holder into place. The fabric made it fit perfectly!


I topped it off with the lid and it was complete! At this stage, you could embellish the stand and lid with flowers, ribbons, etc. I kept it simple so that if I wanted to be able to put stuff inside the container, I could take the lid off without any problems.



It worked wonderfully!! All of the headbands look amazing on it!


Can't wait to start using them :)