Winter Picnic

I'm sure that many of you moms out there who have toddlers can relate when I say that the cold, stormy winter months can be long and challenging at times. Don't get me wrong, I love a good snow storm and snuggling up by the fire but I do long for the days when I can run around outside with the girls and get some fresh air, a change of scenery and a break from watching Cinderella. Then I realized that picnics are not just for summertime!

So, I decided to bundle Maddie up and take her outside for a little winter picnic and it was a huge hit!

She was a huge fan of her hot chocolate with marshmallows!

Even though it's tempting to stay warm and cozy inside, I find that the fresh air even on a cold day really does wonders for my kids!

 So whether you are sitting out in the country or on a busy city street...find a bench, grab some hot cocoa and cookies and have yourselves a winter picnic!

Breakfast Nook

When Shaun and I were shopping for houses I had a secret wish list of things that I was hoping for....almost none of which we ended up with! Awesome Christmas tree area...nope. Fireplace....nope. Sunken family room...nope (okay now I'm just being way too picky.) Don't get me wrong, I have nothing to complain about, I have a wonderful house. The fact that I have a house at all is a blessing, but a girl can dream right? One of the things on my secret wish list was a breakfast nook. I don't know maybe it has something to do with my diner/breakfast obsession, but I just love the feel of a cozy little spot in the kitchen. 

I am always playing around with ideas of how I can come up with some sort of crazy way to create a breakfast nook in my kitchen. But I have to say even my "I can make any of your crazy ideas come to life" husband doesn't think this one is going to happen. So for now here are some of my favorite pinterest inspiration photos.

 

 

 

Diner Obsession

Okay, get ready for a very random post...

Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated with diners. Is that weird? It may have started when I was a kid and we were visiting family in New Jersey, my mom would randomly decide to take us out to a diner at midnight (just being out that late as a kids was probably the coolest thing ever!) My love of diners is coupled with a serious love of breakfast foods....I guess I always associate diners with breakfast food. And in fact, my very first job was at a diner/restaurant. (I applied at SEVERAL places, but the diner was the only one who would hire me! I was upset at first but grew to love it there.)




This little beauty was one of my absolute favorites! It was located in Jim Thorpe and we would always stop there for breakfast first with my mom before we would do a little bit of shopping in town. I was devastated when they had it removed. I think it is sitting in some sort of a diner museum somewhere.









To further detail my strange obsession, I even tend to gravitate towards movies and TV shows that feature some sort of diner situation....I love the movie "Waitress" with Kerri Russell, where she plays a knocked up waitress at a pie shop/diner.

And don't even get me started on my love of  "Luke's Diner" from the show Gilmore Girls! Not only do I wish I could be a regular at this diner, but I actually wish I could live in this fictional town!










So there you have it... a random confession about me. I am fully obsessed with diners and breakfast food. I would choose great food and conversation with a friend at a diner over dinner at a fancy restaurant any day!


My mom even ran a luncheonette in the 70's(which I think is just a fancy word for a diner that only serves breakfast and lunch.)  I would love to find pictures of that place...In my mind I  always imagine her to be like the tv show Alice about the waitresses working at "Mel's diner."  I used to watch that show every day before school in 4th grade. haha








 These pictures I found on Pinterest are actually making me want to do a vintage inspired diner Photoshoot...hmmmmm.

Please tell me I am not alone in this obession....

Family Room Saga

I don't know about you but January is usually the dreaded month for me. the excitement of the holidays are over and now it is just cold and boring. I find myself struggling with ways to keep the girls entertained and longing for the days when I can take them out in the yard and play all day. But so far this January has not been as bad as I expected. I have been in kind of a motivated mood to get some projects done while we are stuck inside. (Last year we waited too long to do our "winter" kitchen project and ended up finishing it in late June...ahhh) As some of you may know, I have a hate-hate relationship with our weird/tiny family room. However, I got a random bug to rearrange it the other day (much to Shaun's dismay who spend hours re-wiring the TV.) And I have to say that although it is still weird and tiny, I am FINALLY not completely hating this room, which is huge progress! I was even able to fit an end table and my vintage door in the corner where the tv was. But the even better news is I convinced Shaun that we need to put up some high chair rail which we plan to do when he is off of work this week and I am hoping will be a simple way to add a bit of charm to this room! I hope to share pictures soon!!! 

 I found this image on Pinterest, which I am using for my inspiration. I like the flatter simple chair rail for this project. I am still not sure what we will do for paint color, I think that will be a game time decision.

Searching for a Quilt...

Maddie and Claudia have been loving hanging out in Maddie's big girl bed. So far I have only purchased the sheet set....these pretty little rosebud ones from Target. I am still on the hunt for a simple white quilt (preferably with a scalloped bottom.) It doesn't seem like it would be a difficult task but I'm actually having trouble finding one I like. I am glad the Christmas shopping rush is over so I can get out to some stores to look for one without fighting a crowd. I am also going to be on the hunt for some cute pillows and maybe a throw blanket to match. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! All of the decorations are down and the house is cleaned (mostly.) I am having the usual "my house looks so boring" feeling. Is it too early to start thinking about Valentine's Day?