Five on Friday: Bathroom Renovation Update

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We are finally making some progress on our master bathroom renovation. Daniel has been doing it all by himself, with only one call to a plumber to replace the valve in the shower so we could install a new handle and showerhead. Other than that, he has literally done EVERYTHING, and I am so proud of all he has accomplished!

I don't want to show pictures of the finished product until he's done, but I do want to share the fixtures/tile/fun things we've picked for our bathroom.

__one__  One of the first things I picked was this new showerhead.  It was SO hard to find the style showerhead I wanted that a) wasn't over $200 and b) had decent reviews. You wouldn't believe the number of showerheads that looked amazing, and then I'd look at reviews and they would be terrible. This one is a Pfister, and hopefully will last a long time!

 

__two__ I plan on getting the matching faucets in the Pfister Contempra line to match the showerhead. I love the contemporary look!

 

__three__ I have struggled the most trying to find a light fixture to go across our large vanity. We have the most hideous seashell looking fixture right now, and I don't really want to change it to two light fixtures and have to redo the electrical. 

I like this one, but I don't know if I'm crazy about the shade color. I haven't ordered it yet, since that is one of the last steps for the project, but I know I'm going to have to settle on one soon!

 

__four__ We need a fresh new paint color for the wall, and I'm thinking this Winter in Paris from Valspar is the perfect neutral. Fresh, with a tiny hint of greenish blue. We plan on repainting the cabinets gray.

 

__five__ We've finally settled on a subway tile for the actual shower. It's classic and won't go out of style, but we plan on adding a fun mosaic stripe near the top of the shower and for the cutouts for shampoo bottles, etc.  We are planning on using this Allen+Roth mosaic tile from Lowe's.

 

I can't wait until we are done and I can share our progress with you!

Five on Friday: March 24

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Can I just say I am so thankful this week is over! I'm ready to spend lots of time with the girls and Daniel this weekend relaxing! Here's what we were up to this past week:

1. I took Caroline to see Beauty and the Beast on Sunday after church. We got there at 10:58 am for the 11:00 show and (shocker) it was sold out. We quickly regrouped and bought tickets for the noon showing and ran across the street to Sonic and split a chicken strip dinner.  I was worried how she would do since its not animated and she is a very typical 3 year old with her attention span.

 Well, I clearly shouldn't have worried.  Apparently, if you load her up with popcorn and M&Ms (which she told me were all hers and not for sharing), she can sit through anything!

2. While Caroline and I were having a great mommy/daughter day, apparently Emery had come down with a viral infection and was not feeling well. I couldn't believe she felt so yucky, since just a few days before I got this silly picture from daycare!

3. One fun thing Caroline and I did after the movie was go pick out some new fun spring nail polish at the store. I let her pick, and while I was a little apprehensive at the brightness of the color, it ended up looking so fun on our nails! I like to use the Essie gel setter as a top coat so I can pretend like I've gotten a real manicure 😊





                                 
Essie Play Date Nail Polish                                                     Essie Gel Setter


4. These two have been LOVING their play set they got from Santa. Caroline insists on pushing Emery in her toddler swing, and I love it too because I can just sit back and take cute pictures! I am also so incredibly thankful for some springlike weather! We have been spending every afternoon when we get home from school on the playset.

5.  Wednesday night, after I gave the girls bath and Emmie went down for the night, I took Caroline on a whim to Sonic to try their ice cream slushes (they were only 79 cents!). The whole way home she kept saying "Mmmm....my slushie is REALLY good!"

 (By the way, Caroline's nightgown she is wearing below is here. She LOVES these Carter's nightgowns and insists on wearing her "dresses" to bed now).

Hope everyone had a great week! Here's to spring weather and finally packing up all the winter clothes!

Mongolian Beef

This recipe is one I came up with on my own! I was so burnt out of the usual suspects. We had some flank steak in the fridge, and I googled mongolian beef sauce to get some ideas. I incorporated a bunch of different recipes and made my own!

Mongolian Beef (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. flank steak
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium if you wish)
• 1/3 cup - 1/2 cup brown sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
• Canola oil (enough to coat the pan thoroughly)
• Green onions (optional)

1.  Put enough oil in pan to surround meat as it is cooking. Heat oil over medium high heat.

2.  Cut flank steak into strips across the grain. Dredge lightly in cornstarch. Put meat in oil, turning after brown and crispy. It should take 1-2 minutes per side.

3.  Remove meat from hot oil with slotted spoon; transfer to paper towel lined plate. Your meat should look like the picture below (minus the bad lighting)

4. Remove all but 2T hot oil from pan. Add minced garlic to pan (fresh garlic is best), and cook for 15-20 seconds. You do NOT want the garlic to burn. Make sure your heat is turned down to medium low.

5. Add broth and soy sauce. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, increasing temperature as necessary.

6. Add brown sugar and stir. Let simmer an additional 1-2 minutes. Add meat back to pan and thoroughly coat. The sauce should be slightly sticky and coat the meat. Garnish with green onions (optional).

And that's it! Super easy, and add some steamed rice and your favorite veggie. We made steamed edamame to eat with ours.

Five on Friday: St. Patrick's Day

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! We've got nothing special planned for tonight other than a quiet night in with our girls. Here's what we have been up to this week.

1. We had our traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner for St. Patrick's day a few days early. This little girl LOVED it. She also looks so old in this picture.

 Also, we don't usually keep our Christmas door rug by the back door well into March. I've  been wanting to buy a new one, but haven't found one I am crazy about yet. My new goal is to have a new one by Easter 😳

2. These two have been cracking me up after baths lately. There is still a rocking chair in Emery's room, and after their baths I get them dressed in her room since it's right next to the bathroom. I swear they would spend an hour rocking in the chair together, with Caroline telling Ems "Hang on tight, it's about to be crazy!" I love how much they love each other.

3.  Caroline is still REALLY enjoying gymnastics. I went a little crazy and almost purchased her this balance beam from Amazon, but my Mom reminded me she's only gone 4 weeks and to wait and see if she keeps it up. I may be getting a little carried away, but I just love seeing her do something she enjoys and she seems to be fairly good at it!

 

4.  Caroline routinely wakes up early and climbs in our bed for solo snuggles in the morning before we all get up for the day. The other day, Emery woke up earlier than usual and they both hung out in our room and watched some TV. As much as they drive me crazy, I try to soak up the moments like this that make it all worth it!

 

5. I made some awesome banana bread earlier in the week that the girls have been enjoying for breakfast. Check out the recipe here.

 

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I am ready to spend most of it outside with the girls!

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

First off, let me just say I don't bake.

It's not that I necessarily can't, I just don't particularly enjoy it.

I love to cook. I love making entrees, appetizers, anything where you can add a smidge of this or a touch of that and really make it your own. With baking, I feel like you have to just follow a recipe exactly and there's not as much fun in it.

That being said, the stars aligned this past weekend, and we had 2 very overripe bananas on the counter, some pecans that needed to be used up in the fridge, and I was on a mission to find a banana bread recipe to try. And by golly, this one didn't disappoint. Caroline ate it for dessert after dinner and I finally had to cut her off after two whole large pieces. And then, we ate it for breakfast again the next morning!

Adapted from myrecipes.com

 Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

 Ingredients

• 1/2 stick of butter, softened
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 mashed ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Dash of cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

2.  Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy. Slowly add sugar until blended. Add the egg and beat until just blended.

3.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter/cream cheese mixture, mixing at low speed until blended. Add bananas, pecans, and cinnamon by blending slowly until fully incorporated. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick insereted in center comes out clean. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks for 15 minutes.

 Enjoy!

5 Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers!

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If you are anything like me, you like to plan. I never want to be the person at Wal Mart the night before a holiday because I didn't get all the gifts (not that there is anything wrong with that, it just stresses me out!!). I have started planning my girls' Easter baskets, and thought I would share my brainstorming with you!

1.  New sandals

My girls absolutely love Sun Sans sandals. They can wear them all day comfortably (plus, how adorable are those hearts!). They have gender neutral ones for boys too.


2. Skip Hop Placemats


Let's be honest, this is a gift for you and them. My girls love these placemats. They are so easy to clean and I don't have to cringe when Emery dumps an entire bowl of yogurt over. Win win.


3. Egg shaped crayons

Easy for little hands to grip AND egg shaped? What more could you want? Caroline got these in her Easter basket when she was around 16 months old, and they were a huge hit.

4. Llama Llama Easter book




Surely my girls aren't the only kids that go CRAZY for Llama Llama books. We actually don't have the Easter one, so this is definitely going in one of their baskets! Caroline has the entire Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa book memorized, and "reads" it to us nightly. I love fostering a love of reading in my girls!


5. Bath crayons



 
We love these bath crayons, and they are such an inexpensive addition to the basket. They say ages 3+. but we've been using them since Caroline was 18 months old. It keeps them entertained in the tub, and they are so easy to clean off the side of the tub with a wet washcloth. Ours have seen better days, so I'm going to probably get both the girls a set so they can stop fighting over the same color.

What are you guys planning on putting in your kids' baskets? I feel like it's so hard to come up with fresh ideas!

5 on Friday: It's Finally March!

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Am I the only one who is so excited it is March? We have family pictures this weekend, and springtime weather in the forecast! We've never gotten professional family photos and I cannot wait! I'm still recovering from my surgery, but here's what we've been up to this week.

1. These two had a healthy checkup at the doctor last Friday (Caroline's 3 year and Emery's 18 month). Caroline had her hearing and vision checked for the first time and passed with flying colors. I was a little apprehensive taking them to the doctor with all the illnesses floating around, but decided rescheduling is such a pain and I just wiped them down with sanitizer after.

 

2. We had the opportunity to try Plated (similar to Blue Apron or Hello Fresh), and one of our meals was this delicious beef lo mein. Daniel declared it was better than any Chinese restaurant, and I have to agree. The girls also thoroughly enjoyed it. The prep work isn't necessarily quick, but the results were definitely worth the effort. 

 

Please ignore the elastic ponytail holder at the top of the table :)

3. Caroline has recently decided she will only wear nightgowns to bed. I think she likes that they look like a dress and she feels pretty in them. Carter's had 50% off jammies earlier in the week (with free shipping!) so I snatched her a 2pk. The exact ones I ordered are available on Amazon here with free prime shipping.

4.  We are planning on renovating our master bathroom. I know I want to tile our stall shower, but do y'all have any tile combination ideas? I like grey, but I can't pinpoint a design/tile/fixtures (really, I need help with it all! Maybe something like this?

 

5. I'll leave y'all with this sweet sister pic.