My PB + J

Corner Room Revamp w/ DIY Pallet Display

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PAPYRUSXTaylorSwift #CollectiveBias

If you guys have been following me you know that we have been painting our main living spaces. This project has been overwhelming and I found myself staring into Payton’s room. Her room has always been one of my favorite places. It’s the brightest room in the house, it has the comfiest bed that she will probably never sleep in and it really is just a happy, calm place for her (or I) to go to. She’s turning seven in December and it was really time to transition some of the baby items out of her room. The large display of hair bows needed to go. I thought a positive, cheerful photo corner using greeting cards would be an awesome addition to our growing girls room.

I am a greeting card lover. I tend to stroll the aisles and pick-up beautifully crafted cards with meaningful messages to give to girlfriends and family. When I saw the Taylor Swift inspired Papyrus collection, I knew that I could create an inspirational photo wall using the gorgeously embellished cards exclusively available at Target. I just loved the messages; some quirky, some sweet and sassy. The designs were even cuter and the embellishments were spot on in Papyrus fashion. There were so many to choose from but I picked out four to take home…for now.

Have you guys been to Target lately? I make a few trips a week and new stuff pops up all the time. I am particularly loving the unfinished wood craft section. I found unfinished wood signs that I knew I could stain and distress. I added antiqued photo clips to the boards and I finished them off with photos and a few cards from the the Papyrus Taylor Swift collection. Papyrus is a social expressions company, which is perfect for this project because I want Payton to always express herself however she want. Plus, I just really love their cards! 😉

For creating the look, I wanted the unfinished boards to look like distressed wood. I placed screws in a plastic bag and hit the boards over and over again. The bags will get holes so you will have to switch the bags out. I also scored the wood with a screw driver to add some lines. I applied the stain with a cloth and let it dry for 30 minutes. Then, with an electric sander fitted with fine sand paper I sanded the boards until I achieved the look I was going for. I painted on some acrylic white paint and Payton helped out. This was key for this project. As much as I wanted it all to be a surprise, having her help out made this transition easier. She doesn’t like change so having her add a touch to her space made it more special. Once the white paint dried I sanded the wood again until I was happy with the look. I went back over it two days later because I wanted it even lighter.

Once the boards were finished, I placed the cards and photos on to see how to place the antiqued photo clips. You can adhere these with some finishing screws. We then measured her wall and marked the hooks on the back the boards. I added three wooden arrows I also found at Target near the wood signs.

Payton’s first concert was Taylor Swift. I chose a picture with us before the concert, some with her brother and some with her girlfriends. The addition of the positive, flawless cards made the space special. I always want my girl to live loud and to live beautifully.

There are 44 exclusive cards in the collection so there is something for everyone and for every project! The back of the card has a number so you can collect them all! This collection is only available at Target so next time you’re there, check it out!

Have a fantastic week! I hope that you find some inspiration today. Make sure to follow me on Instagram.

first day

After all the stress last night the kids (and I) survived the first day of the school year. The day didn’t really go as planned, our back-to-school traditions weren’t done, but I am the only one who really noticed. Payton loves her teacher and is so happy that her best friends are in the same class. Brayden loved his day, though it was too long and hot for him, he survived. This school year is going to be a good one.

the unofficial end of summer

As I lay wide awake just hours before both my babies enter elementary school, I am pondering how we got here so quickly. I know this is the most redundant question a parent asks themselves over the course of a lifetime, but seriously, why does it happen so fast? Payton is entering first grade and Brayden is beginning transitional kindergarten. Payton is over-the-moon excited that she got the teacher she wanted and the friends she cannot live without. Brayden has no idea what to expect, but has been very clear that he does not want to do homework and wants to play as much as he can. When he lined up today during a practice run of what to do when the bell rings, I found myself (yet again) looking over at my son. I was beaming with pride that 1). he did not cry 2). he handled walking in late to orientation and after I urged him to sit in back, he walked right up front and plopped himself front and center 3). he is the second tallest and though he gets scared with learning and tends to quit I know he is going to kick butt in TK.

Our Summer vacation was fast and while it seemed to me that we did nothing, we did. The first weekend of vacation we made a bucket list as a family. Most of the items seemed to be way easier but as the days moved quickly so did our work schedules. We joked that the kids would only gets baths in the pool and we would be lucky if they washed their hair. This was almost a correct assumption as the first month was swim lessons every day and then post lessons they were in our pool until the sun went down. The good thing is, we escaped without green hair and Payton didn’t end up with dreds, parenting win I tell you! Theres still time to knock a few things off our list like: baking cinnamon rolls, a Padre game (this week to be exact), Palm Springs, library visits and a backyard light show. I am sad that Summer is unofficially over with the school year beginning, but I am also excited for my kids. I love watching them become better tiny humans with larger hearts and sarcastic souls.

A big thank you to Little Blue Bow Photography for capturing our beautiful blue eyed babes!

Bunny Brunch at American Girl

Over the weekend my Mom treated all her girls to the bunny brunch + an amazing shop trip at the American Girl store in LA. It called for an early morning wake-up call but it was worth seeing the girls so excited. My nieces had been to the store before but it was a first for Payton. She got a doll for her birthday at one of the holiday pop-up shops so going to the mecca was outstandingly overwhelming. We arrived to the store quarter to nine. The store was quiet, every doll in place, every outfit perfectly hung. We made our way upstairs to the café and were seated at table one. They quickly helped the girls get their dolls in their seats and brought over the signature cinnamon rolls. They were tasty, but doll sized. Since it was a brunch we had four options to choose from: blueberry pancakes, buttermilk pancakes, french toast or scrambled eggs with potatoes. Since there were six of us I nibbled on everything. Everything was good, my sister said that their lunch menu was more impressive. As we were done eating it was our turn to take a picture with the Easter bunny. Each girl got an individual photo with the bunny and then we had the option to take a group photo with our own camera. When we returned to the table dessert was served. It was the signature flower pot chocolate mousse and a bunny sugar cookie. Both were very good but rich. The meal experience was memorable but the girls could not wait to start shopping. My original plan was to only let her doll get her hair done and ears pierced plus an outfit. That plan quickly changed once her cousins were getting a new doll. We now have a new member of our family, Lea, the doll of the year. I couldn’t say no to this doll, she’s adorable and with our upcoming family trip to Hawaii in the Fall she was the perfect addition with her island flair.

After the doll shopping we made our way to Nordstrom where Grandma spoiled them even further. Matching dresses, mini Easter stuffed animals, sandals, etc. If it couldn’t get any sweeter we ended at Dylan’s Candy Bar where there was no limit. It was a magical day for the girls. They truly have one amazing Grandma!

The Best Damn Bread Pudding & Dad Update.

The day after Christmas was quiet. We were all in a food coma from the most amazing prime rib dinner. The season was finally winding down from a whirlwind of a month. The weather was the coldest I had ever felt it at my parents. The wind caused the power to go out and once the kids became restless we decided it was time to head back home down the mountain. My parents asked my sister and I to walk next door to give them a Christmas card. I went to open my car door and decided to just walk back into the house to say one last goodbye and that’s when I found my Dad on the floor. My Mom was next to him and I immediately knew he was having a stroke. I ran to our car and told Jim to call 911 and ran next to my sister’s car to get her. We were able to get one aspirin in and within minutes the ambulance was there. We acted immediately and I cannot thank the first responders. My parents had no power, all of us were in jammies, and all us were worried about my Dad. We spent the next hours in the emergency room and then he was transferred to ICU. He had good days and he had some bad. He so badly wanted to go home and we wanted him home too. Family dinners are just so uneventful without his sarcastic undertones and seeing him sad broke all of our hearts. After 27 days and several hospitals later he was released. The stroke was on the right side so his left side was effected. He was able to raise his left arm, and eventually able to bend at the elbow but no hand movement. He regained speech, facial expressions and awareness of his left side. However, the hand was still not working. I truly believe that God was not ready for my Dad. He just took my Aunt as another angel in October (who was also a stroke victim) but he had greater plans for my Dad. He was given a second chance and I truly believe that better things are to come. I was not and I am not ready to lose my Daddy. We have our first family vacation coming up at the end of this year to Hawaii and that has helped him. Looking into the future we see him here and he sees himself here.

The second night of his stay in the ICU my sister, Mother and I went to dinner. I had the bread pudding for dessert and kept thinking how much Dad would love to be sharing this with me. We both have a love for the spongy egg-y dessert. When we went back to the hospital I told him what I had and he said that sounded so good to him. I made a promise to bake it for him when he got out. Two days after he was released we had a celebratory dinner at my parents house. My sister and I made: tri-tip with an amazing mushroom wine sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli. We finished dinner with bread pudding. My friend, Janelle, had posted the recipe for Golden Nugget’s Famous Bread Pudding recipe on Instagram. After several texts back-and-forth on modifications and the most sinful vanilla bean sauce it was set. I am so happy that our family was all together. I am happier now than ever in my life watching my Dad’s progress. I am happy that we have him for a lot longer. I am happy for our future and all the memories we haven’t made yet. Add this bread pudding recipe to our ‘happy’ memory bank. We love you Dad!

Golden Nugget’s Famous Bread Pudding.

Golden Nugget's Famous Bread Pudding

Author: Melissa

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

16 ounces half-and-half
8 ounces whipping cream
8 eggs
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
4 1⁄2 slices white bread (I used challah)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons raisins

Instructions

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a bowl.
Arrange bread in a single layer on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread.
Mix cinnamon and sugar together. Sprinkle over bread.
Sprinkle raisins on top.
Cover with foil and bake in a water bath at 400 degrees for 75 to 90 minutes.

Update: Since I wrote this (I had yet to hit post) God has graced my Dad with another improvement, he can squeeze my Mom’s hand. I cried after we hung up. God is good.