mini teepee

Growing up, my sisters and I were always making forts out of the furniture in the house. Throwing blankets over everything, creating tunnels and letting our imaginations go crazy!

While that is still quite fun to do, lately it seems like having an actual tent/fort in your house, is that much more FAB!

I have been seeing teepee's all over the place lately!

While my first thought was "I want one of those", I knew my munchkins would love one!! 

I have been trying to get their room to that stage of being complete, so why not put a mini teepee for their reading area! 

Genius, I know!

With some help from my Hubby, we made this little creation come to life! And since their room isn't huge, we made this half the size, hence Mini Teepee.

The munchkins love it! I put it together while Lil Man was napping, he had the BIGGEST smile after waking up and seeing it set up. That right there is exactly why I love making my kids fun things, seeing their face light up with such joy is the best response ever!!

|| Here are a few tutorials that I used for Inspiration ||

A Beautiful Mess

Jen Loves Kev

Ana White

& if you are looking for a tent, Ashley at Chevron Stitches has a super cute one!!

{december} loveclub

On our way to my Hubby's Grandparent's house on Christmas Eve, I discovered that the December LoveClub box arrived!!

Merry Christmas to ME!!

There were lots of LOVELY goodies this month!! I am loving my growing collection of mini prints! 

{The Goodies}

Fawn & Flora

I {HEART} Fawn & Flora FOREVER! 

The best shop to grab all you supplies for packaging! Lots of fun tape, bags, ribbon, prints, etc. 

Fashion In The Forest

How cute... Going to have to rock these cuties for sure!

Wonder Forest

PRESH!!

Did I not say these mini print were the CUTEST!!

Julie Ann Art

Going to put this out there right now....

Julie Ann Art has the most EFFING amazing Prints/Cards!

Seriously... The best!

Small Moments

I like Cookies...

Se La Vee

This cards is gorgeous! 

My collection of cards is also pretty amazing now too!!

Music from Melissa Phillips (Awesome singer! Love The Boat Song)

Jessica N Designs

Craftista

Don't forget to check out 

LoveClub

And follow them:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

{threads} christmas edition

Top: Mossimo from Target || Pants: Mossimo Skinny Premium Denim from Target || Scarf: Mossimo From Target || Shoes: Xhilaration Kahsha from Target || Nike FuelBand

With intentions of wearing a cute dress I recently bought on Swell.com. But since the weather has actually decided to be winter like, I opted to not freeze my tush off. I would say a good majority of the time I am literally a walking Target billboard! I have these shoes in black too, I am a little obsessed with them... As if you couldn't tell right!?

{What the Littles Wore}

Lil Miss - Dress: Jason Wu for Target || Shoes: Cherokee from Target || Tights: Cherokee Tights from Target || Lil Dude - Top: Volcom Boys || Pants: Billabong Amplified Cords || Shoes: Vans Big School

I almost peed myself with excitement when I saw that the Jason Wu dress was 50% off! It was one of those "I have to have this" moments! And her shoes were bought the same trip and they were the last pair in her size... Meant to be, I think so!!

christmas joy 2012

It's safe to say we survived the holidays! 

Still running on large amounts of caffeine and little sleep, but for good reason.

Christmas came far to fast for me to even realize it was here.

(I have to confess, I kind of felt like Scrooge at times.)

But all in all, I have to say now, it was a perfect Christmas! Especially with the kids being a little older and able to get the idea (or somewhat the idea) of what Christmas is all about.

Watching their little faces light up as they run into a room filled with new toys displayed on the floor, ready to be loved and played with for hours beyond hours. Yes, I said displayed, I didn't wrap one gift this year... How horrible is that. Although, in a way it was kind of genius, because there was no screaming that we weren't assembling the parts fast enough, everything was good to go!

(I apologize in advance at the poor quality iPhone pictures, I didn't even pick up my DSLR camera and I am completely kicking myself for it!!)

My hubby and I decided to not go crazy this year with gifts, knowing that our family would be spoiling them with plenty. I think they scored pretty well. They loads of toys, clothes and of course LOVE!

I tried not only to make a lot of the gifts I was giving, I also bought handmade too. I got this super cute Whale-Unicorn, as she calls it, from Kelsey Bang's Etsy Store. And I bought my Hubby's Grandpa this amazingly beautiful Family Tree print from Kimmie at Sugar & Dots. I made a few sets of Superhero Kits for cousins, and Lavender Warmers for some lovely family members too. I also made some super cute Snow Globes too, they were quite a hit!

On Christmas we had my family over and devoured mounds and mounds of food! Hubs did the turkey, which was AMAZING! I think the best part about large amounts of food, is all the leftovers! My mom brought some yummy Mexican food, from a delicious market in town. Those tamales were BOMB! 

Of course the food coma set in and we could barley move, which meant sleepy time!

Watching moments like this, melt my heart! She was so excited and so thankful for everything. 

They bring the best Christmas Joy!

Of course then you have to figure out where it all goes afterwards! 

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones! 

I am getting back into the swing of things in these next few days, with some exciting posts to share with you!

{UPDATE}

I totally forgot to share our visit with Santa!!

How could I forget! Santa came and visited us at a Family Christmas get together. Lil Miss was beyond excited! She had a new dress and shoes just for him, actually I had to bribe her with the fact that she might see Santa so she would put the dress on! Of course when it came time for the big moment when Santa made his surprise visit... She wanted nothing to do with him! It was quite hilarious!! And Lil Man was such a cool cat about it all, no cares or worries about it, just go with the flow kind guy. 

merry christmas

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!!

Sending lots of love and joy your way on this awesome day!!

XOXO

diy snow globe

I got the idea for this from Ashley at Chevron Stiches. And I have been seeing them every where now. Probably because they are pretty stinkin' cute... and not to mention easy!

I have been trying to stick to doing handmade gifts, I have to confess...I did buy a few brand new, used or handmade by others... I will have to start way early next year!

Okay so here it is!! You probably have everything you need already.

Clean out your mason jar so there aren't any random floaties. Fill up the jar with water as close to the top, and add about a drop of the glycerine (you can find at Michael's in the cake decorating section). Don't add any more than a drop, or it will make your water all cloudy, the glycerine helps slow the glitter as it falls. Now add your glitter to the water, as much or little as you like...I got a little glitter happy! Now glue your items to the under side of your lid. I went some little winter animals, you can add trees or little figurines too. Once you have let the glue dry up, apply the glue around the edge of the lid, this will help seal it shut. And before the glue dries place the lid onto the jar and screw on the rim. Allow to sit for a bit to let the glue seal the lid shut.

TADA!!

#operationsandyhook

 I recently stumbled upon this awesome website Brickyard Buffalo, they provide items from all those small business that you love for amazing prices. Brickyard Buffalo and Small Fry Blog have teamed up and gathered up some wonderful artists to provide prints to help support the families of Sandy Hook in Newtown, CT. Each print is a $5 downloadable print, to which you can print and hang to remember those at Sandy Hook. The prints that are available are truly amazing, and the cause is heartwarming. I myself have order 6 prints, and look forward to adorning my walls with them. Make sure you grab yourself a print, or 2 to remember those that are now beautiful angels in Heaven.

#prayersfornewtown

a week...

a week...

a somber week has passed...

trying to make sense of why? 

not that any reason will justify the matter.

shocked.

heartbroken.

confused.

a week already.

i have stayed away from the news and what they think we need to hear.

the event in itself was already to much to grasp.

but avoiding it hasn't seemed to make it any easier.

yesterday was the first time i saw every name and their beautiful pictures.

the reality seemed to sink in.

these were babies to loving parents, taken far too soon.

i sit here and stare at my babies, so thankful for every little moment i have with them.

but also feeling a sense of guilt for those moms and dads who will no longer be able to do so.

so as we continue on, we continue to remember and honor.

and pray.

Continuing to Pray for Newtown, CT

welcome

Okay...

So if you have been following for awhile now, you might have noticed some changes around these parts..

Well, lots of changes actually!!

If you are new here, this was formally the Mustache Mama blog.

I mentioned awhile back there was going to be some changes made....

TADA!! 

I am kind of giddy about it and so IN LOVE!

Strange, maybe... But shouldn't we love what we do!?

I have to say, I wasn't a 100% "in love" with the mustache gig as my blog.

Yes, while I love mustaches and their hilariousness,

I really couldn't see myself blogging with it forever.

I wanted something that would represent me a little better.

I had been debating for a few months on whether or not I should change it, talking myself out of it at times.

But ultimately I knew I had to change it for the longevity of this blog and it's growth.

So with that I just went for it!

I asked Lauren at The Perfect Pear Designs if she could work her magic again!!

And well, she rocked my socks!

Gave her some inspiration pictures, and she knocked it out of the park!

(Is it weird that I load my blog, just to stare at it.....)

So with the change I have been getting a lot of questions as to "What does the new name mean?"

Well to be honest, it kind of has a lot of meanings.

Some silly, but they still warm my heart.

So if you know me in RL, then you would know that my Hubby is an avid hunter, he actually just got back from an Elk Hunting trip to Oregon. I have grown up in the country pretty much a good majority of my life, so hunting is pretty much a normal thing around here. We have about 3 sets of deer antlers in our garage, which I secretly have plans for.... hehe

So one meaning is the antlers represent my Hubs and the Roses myself, there are a ton of differents meanings I could pull from it. 

Bottom line is I couldn't be happier with the change, and I am so excited to move forward with this!

I thank you all for your kind words and encouragement!!

And thank you again Lauren!!!

XO

...

I had plans to do a few posts today.

Instead I would like to send prayers to those families how have been affected by this 

tragedy in Connecticut.

It is beyond my comprehension as to why someone would seek out to purposefully hurt innocent children.

My heart breaks as I sit here and hold my babies tight.

I pray for those parents who's babies were taken far too soon.

 My heart is heavy...

I send my love and continue to pray!

XOXO

recently from.... target

I decided to start sharing all my fun shopping finds with you!! 

Recently From...

Whether it's from a weekly trip to Target or random online shopping spree.

I thought this would be a fun way to share all the trendy items I find, on sale or not.

Sometimes I look for that "for-less" look if I don't want to dish out a lot of cash on that expensive item. Cause lets face it, those fun, costly items we use to splurge on become a distant dream when you have kids!

But I still like to look fashion forward, now I just try and do it with out too much guilt..

So here is my recent trip to target.... Not pictured are baby wipes and diaper cream!

I am DYING over these scarves!! I just happen to randomly look down and the green feather one caught my eye! I love that they are on the longer side so you can wrap them a few times and they are super soft! I also couldn't pass the grey one up, I am assuming they are X's, but I see crosses too...

This was my FAVE find!! If you would have told me when I was 16 that in 10 years I would LOVE gold jewelry, I would have told you that you're NUTS! Yes, I disliked like anything gold. It could have been the most gorgeous piece of jewelry too, and I would have completely frowned upon it! I have to admit too, at one point and time I didn't like diamonds either!! WTH right!! 

Now I seriously LOVE gold! When I came across these bangles for $4, said a big "HECK YES!" and tossed those babies in the cart! Now I was just telling my mom the other day how gold watches are totally in right now and that I having been wanting to get the Nixon Gold Player Watch, but the price tag is a little much right now. I figured this Merona watch has almost a similar look, and will hold me over for now at $19.99.

This was a complete random purchase! I have been building up my make-up collection lately, and have been looking for a contouring palette. ELF was the only company that I came across (while at Target) that actually had one. I have only used it once, and I am pretty pleased with it!!

dress up

If this suitcase could talk, the stories it would tell. I have had this suitcase in my possession for well over 15 years. I actually have no clue where I got, most likely at a lovely antique store. It has had many uses since we met. It has been magazine storage, DVD storage, held numerous love notes from my Hubby, a random junk box, and most recently a photo prop. Lately it's been neglected and stashed away in the garage. With my daughter's 3rd birthday coming up I knew that I wanted to do something fun with so she could have it as her own and carry with her to make more memories. I came across a pin on Pinterest, where some one turned their old suitcase into a dress up trunk. 

'LIGHT BULB'

How perfect for a 3 year old who's imagination is constantly running wild! This would be the perfect gift!!

Basically all you need for this project is:

Vintage Suitcase

Finials (used on bedposts)

Paint; in your color choice

&

Some power tools

I mixed up the color I wanted to match the color of the suitcase, a soft mint green. Painted the finials and allowed them to dry completely. I then had my Hubby drill 4 holes on the area that would become the bottom of the dress up trunk. Since the screws on the finials were a tad long, he also had to trim them down so there wouldn't be any sharp edges. I also added a pocket to the inside top portion of the suitcase, to put any accessories in. Had some extra scrap fabric lying around that was about twice the width of the suitcase, I folded down the top of the fabric leaving enough room to pull some elastic through. I measure the elastic to be as wide as the suitcase, doing this allowed for the fabric to scrunch up, which is what I wanted. So when I came to attaching the fabric into the suitcase, I was a totally cheater...I just hot glued it!! I know I know!! I figured that staples would be too long and poke through, and for the sake of time the hot glue gun was winning choice! ( I did add some tiny screws to the top of the pocket just to secure the fabric...)

You don't have to add a pocket, yours might already have one. 

I added a fun Walt Disney quote to finish off this dress up trunk. 

I am so very happy with how it turned out!!

I can't wait to give it to her!! And watch her imagination come to life!

**I noted earlier that I found this idea on Pinterest. I had to search for the original source because the pin came from a tumblr page with no information. After some searching, I found it was from the

Red Velvet Girls Blog. Searched through their old archived post, but couldn't find the exact direct link to give. If anyone knows the exact link to this post, please let me know so I can add it to here!**

This was the inspiration for this little project!

Source: followthedotxoxo.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest

3

3 years ago, my life forever changed... For the best.

It became brighter, full of joy, laughter and whole lot more LOVE.

When I became a Mommy 3 years ago today, I wasn't sure what to expect. 

But as time has gone on, I have learned so much from this little person.

I sit here trying to think of words to write, and all I have are tears...

Because I have never been so proud and honored of anything, until I became a mommy.

It definitely has be the best learning experience, as a mom and just as a human.

Everyday is a new and different day to share and watch them grow.

Most of the time they are teaching you; how to stop and enjoy life and see things in a different light.

And they fill your heart with so much love, it could literally explode!

These are the days and years I will cherish the most, for they are only little once!

(Although, there are some days I could pull my hair out!)

XOXOXO

Future Artist/Model

Future Rocker

What ever you dream of being, I will be with you every step of the way. 

I love you so much!

XOXO

Mama

zesty lemon bars

So I am going to tell you right now, these Lemon Bars are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

They have that perfect balance of sweet and tart, that deliver a zesty lemon flavor sent from 

lemon heaven!

I adapted this recipe from my Hubby's family cookbook. I believe this recipe itself was written by his Great Grandma, kind of awesome in itself!

I switched it up a bit and opted for butter instead of margarine, and used fresh lemon juice instead of the bottle. And while I had a lemon, why not kick it up a bit and throw in a little zest!

Don't want to TOOT my own horn or anything, but they turned out better than I expected...TOOT TOOT!!

Zesty Lemon Bars

1 cup sifted flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick); room temp.

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Zest from an entire lemon

Juice from 1 whole lemon 

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

8 tsp lemon zest

4 tbsp lemon juice

*I just used another whole lemon for the icing too, it was perfect!*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combined the first 3 ingredients in a mixer until it forms small clumps and is well mixed. Coat a 9-in square pan with non-stick spray, press flour mixture into pan firmly and evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes. While baking, mix the eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon zest and juice. Pour mixture over the baked crust in the pan. Return to oven and bake for 25 minutes longer. Place on wire rack, and let cool completely before icing.

 Blend the powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Spread over the top of the cooled lemon bars and let sit for about an hour. 

 So the final step in this was to get the Hubby's approval....

And I quote:

"Wow, these taste as good as Grandma's."

That folks is what I call WINNING! 

crock pot chicken & brussel sprout pasta

Yesterday I was finding it a little challenging to come up with something to make for dinner! If you are like me, you like to utilize your crock pot as much as possible. But we are at the point where we need to hit the grocery store, because dinner ideas with what we have in the fridge are becoming ridiculous! And if you are like me, you dread grocery shopping with the munchkins because you are bound to forget at least half the items on you list. That's why we have Husbands though right??!

Okay, back on track. So we basically didn't have the essentials for a commonly made dinner, so I had to pull from other sources to make this possible...My Mom!! I had chicken tenders and brussel sprouts, but had no clue what to make with it, since that was about all I had. (Did I mention that the Hubs will be going grocery shopping when he gets off work?? I should probably mention that to him). Of course a quick phone call to my mom to save the day!!

Crock Pot Chicken & Brussel Sprout Pasta

Crock Pot Ingredients:

About 9 frozen chicken tender (you can use chicken breasts if that's what you have)

a bag of brussel sprouts; cleaned and stem ends trimmed off

2 tsp Original Mrs. Dash 

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp garlic & herb spice

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

**If you have bacon, which I didn't and wish I did, you can add some chopped bacon to this too**

Place brussel sprouts in the crock pot, followed by chicken (and bacon if you are using any). The sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the top. Place lid on and set to cook low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Once you get to about 30 mins left on the crock pot, you can start the pasta.

Pasta Ingredients:

package of pasta, cooked to package directions

3 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup almond meal

2 tsp garlic salt

pepper to taste

Cook your pasta as the package suggests. When done, drain and place in a medium bowl. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil to the noodles and toss the noodles until they are coated well. Add the almond meal, garlic salt and pepper and mix with noodles until well coated. TADA!

 Now just serve your chicken and brussel sprouts with your pasta, you have a yummy and healthy dinner!! Little did I know that my Hubs doesn't like brussel sprouts... OOPS! So he opted to to just eat the chicken and pasta. I like to keep my pasta separate when storing the left overs too, it makes a nice little snack or lunch the following day, but the Hubs ate all the pasta.... 

**You can substitute the pasta for gluten free noodles, and you have a GFree meal.**

Truly Blessed

Today I was having one of those "I feel truly blessed" days. 

I embraced some special moments with each of the munchkins.

Felt appreciative that I get to spend every day with these two little humans,

and I get to be there Mom...

I really couldn't ask for a better life!

“If I were asked to define Motherhood. I would have defined it as Love in its purest form. Unconditional Love.~~ Revathi Sankaran”