house week: boys room

( and yes, Fords napping :)

house week: Master

I haven't' posted house pics in a while, so I thought I'd post some this week!

Here's the latest of the Master :)

Always a work in progress, enjoying the process!

Cj

living room...

I haven't really posted any house pics since we've moved! 

Here's a few of our living room! Please forgive the terrible lighting!! 

Cj

welcome :)

Blue it is! 

We loved our old red door, but thought this new place needed something new! Our old house was a 1940's Traditional with much more formal details, the red worked well for it. This place is a mid-century ranch house with California coastal landscape, so we thought we'd embrace the coastal, beachy, ranch thing and went with this "tiffany"blue/turquoise color...

a bit crazy, maybe? 

but I'm really enjoying it! :)

I'll post some more new house pic's this week...

Cj

home

We are almost done unpacking and putting everything in it's place.

Here's a few random pics...

Taku and the latest

As Ford would say, we are loving baby "Taku" pronounced Ta-koo, like taco with a "u" :) And are loving being home and out of the NICU, enjoying each other and our new place!

It's been a whirlwind of weeks, months...ok, I think this whole year has been a whirlwind! Lots of life going on, lots of changes! We sold our house and actually moved. It really did happen!

 We are loving our new home and are so thankful to have found this super fun house. We are about 70% unpacked and settled in, with decorating to finish up and a few boxes left to unpack. Once I catch my breath and get an hour or two of sleep :) I can't wait to post all the fun design projects and decor stuff we've been doing here. Lots of fun DIY projects and re-purpose stuff! 

 Loving these boys, and enjoying my "dude fest" as Chad calls it :)

Cj

DIY paper flower mirror...

So I have no clue what this french MC Maison article is saying :) but the mirror sure is lovely. I have a very similar vintage mirror I just packed up, I might just have to re-create this once we get to the new place!

Un miroir bordé de fleurs en carton - Marie Claire Idées

(I'm thinking "a mirror with a border of flowers in paper?" :)

Enjoy, Cj

keep it simple hosting

A while back a friend emailed me, asking for me to share things I've done or have learned from others about hosting. She wanted ideas, easy tips or ways to host guests and friends while on a budget and without having a gigantic home! I think it's so true, we can often feel that if you can't host a gourmet dinner party or don't live in Beverly Hills, then we just won't do anything! But, this thinking is silly!  People love to be together, details and fancy is great but it's not a requirement to have an enjoyable and purposeful time! These are just a few things we've done that have been really fun. I'm so thankful for all the gals that have shared these ideas with me and their example of using their home to serve their families, friends and the Lord! Here are 10 simple ideas for having people over!

1. Make a cheap but yummy, big pot dish. Pasta, Chili, Soup... Those things that you make and eat the leftovers for days! Invite 6-10 people to share it with you! Serve with a big salad and you can probably feed 10 people for  $10.00 :)

2. Just do dessert! Dinner can be expensive if you're feeding a large group. Invite guests over at 7:00 or later for a dessert night. Make a yummy cake or dessert that you don't often make, something that's treat! Or pick one up from a fun local bakery, Or go way simple and do a Menchie's fro-yo bar or Sundae bar . You supply a few toppings and  have your guests bring their favorite toppings to add to the selection. Serve good coffee and light lots of tea lights and you'll feel like you're a fun cafe :)

3. You can still "host" something and not have it in your home. Host/plan a girls lunch at a cool local park or historic landmark. They are beautiful public places and feel like you rented out a cool venue, but cost nothing to go to! Make a big Chinese chicken salad, fresh fruit and cupcakes. Serve with iced tea and sparkling water! You could bring a pretty table cloth and fun centerpiece, that you set up on a picnic table. I love "just because" get togethers! Do it just for fun, just to enjoy the blessing of sweet friends!

4. A little competition is always fun :) Have a tasting night or competition! Chili, Salsa, BBQ, Pizza, Pie, Cookies, Etc... these are all fun things most people know how to make and have favorite recipes for. This also allows guests to help lighten the food load, and most people love to contribute anyway! Also it's a fun way to taste new recipes.

5. Saturday morning breakfast party! Who doesn't like a big warm breakfast! Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, with glass of OJ or hot cup of coffee. Or go a little more gourmet and make quiches or frittatas, yum and still cheap! Pancakes and eggs cost about nothing and serve lots of people! Set the table in the yard and the adults can enjoy a fun morning together while the kids play outside.

6. Host a play date! Invite one mom or ten! We make lunch for ours kids and ourselves every day, why not treat a girlfriend to a day they don't have to make lunch! This doesn't have to be fancy at all, kids don't care and neither do moms! Make sandwiches and stack them on a cake plate, serve with sliced veggies and apples. Prep the night before so the day of you can just enjoy the play time!

7. Baked Potato Night! Random, I know. But so yummy! You provide the potatoes, butter and salt and pepper. Have your guests bring their favorite toppings. ( cheese, broccoli, chili, etc.) This is great if you're feeding a big group, and it's another cheap yet tasty meal :) You could do a "taco night" or "burger night" the same way, supplying the basics and having guests bring they're favorite topping!

8. Have people over for a game night! Cook up a big pot of chili or do it after dinner and serve root beer floats. We like to play several different games and do them in time intervals. Each game is played for 20-30 minutes and when the timer is up, the person or team with the most points wins that round! It's a fun way to mix it up and play several different games in one night.

9. Invite someone wise over for an evening :) Invite a gal or couple you'd like to be like and ask them to come speak to you and a group of friends about a specific topic you would like to learn more about. Or to do a Q&A allowing you and your friends to ask questions about areas they need help in. This is a fun way to see Titus 2 on its feet! 

10. I'd love to hear your thoughts! What are fun, simple and affordable ways YOU host guests? or a favorite easy recipe for a large group? 

(p.s. the chili and potato pics are from the web :)

the latest project...

Chad and I have been chomping at the bit to make some changes to our yard. Last weekend, we took on our outdated pathway from the driveway to the porch. We weren't really feeling the circles. So we repurposed some flagstone from the backyard to re-create a new and improved walkway. We also installed new lights out front, the crooked 1970's ones had their day! We had a blast all working and playing as a family. Hud loved playing in the mud and shoveling dirt. Ford hung out on the grass and watched in his bouncer. Here's a few pics.
 Enjoying our weekends working together! Cj

Step 1. Agree the circles look ghetto.

Step 2. Dig'em out

Step 3. Plan the new spots for the flagstone

Step 4. Make a huge muddy mush of dirt,
then pretend your laying tile with flagstone,
using the mud as grout.

Step 5. Rinse off all the mud to reveal the new path!