My next DIY project to tackle is a bow holder for Camille's room!
Even before I started making bows, we had a pretty nice little collection going on. Headbands, loopy bows, small classic bows, fussy big leopard print bows. Now that I am a bow-making fiend, her collection has grown considerably!
I used to just keep a long length of ribbon looped over her closet doorknob, and I clipped her bows on that ribbon. It was easy and cheap. But ribbon real estate soon disappeared and I've been hunting down other options.
Here are some I've scouted out on Pinterest and Etsy. I'm going to try to DIY a version soon, and as long as it's not embarrassingly u-g-l-y, I'll share it here!
Fellow bow-loving mamas, how do you store your baby's hair accessories? If you're on Instagram, I'd love to see your bow storage solution. Please take a photo and tag me in it!
It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!
Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)
O N E
Yesterday I had the immense pleasure of meeting the sweetest little newborn girl to join our group! She is a complete doll and has the same dark hair I literally dreamt she would. She is my friend Sarah's little daughter, and we already love her so much! Camille did try to climb in her Mamaroo (we should work on that) but overall was great with her and very interested in her. So adorable.
It makes me soooo ready for us to meet our own new baby!
T W O
In my Supper Club menu post this week, I gave a sneak peek of my newest kitchen addition, this beautiful, thick cutting board.
A blog reader's father is hand-making them! He has opened an Etsy shop, Jimmy's Woodworks, and I truly can't rave enough about the quality of this heavy, gorgeous piece.
Ian and I are coming up on our 5th wedding anniversary (!!!) and the traditional gift for this year is wood. If you are looking for a great gift for a fifth anniversary for your spouse, I think this is such a nice quality item.
You can see that the craftsmanship is spot-on.
I also love this option in their shop for a more rustic cutting board. Whether you use it for a cheese platter, prop it up behind your coffee station, or hang it from the wall, it would look beautiful in a kitchen.
T H R E E
Please just check out this updo that my mom did on Camille's hair! Can you even?!
F O U R
I've been loving my current toenail polish color -- Exotic Liras by Essie. You can find it with free shipping online on Nordstrom or Amazon (for Prime members). A nice deep, deep fuschia. I'm a seasonal polish hue chooser, so I'm not ready for hot pinks and pastels yet, but I'm ready to get out of the burgundy/bordeaux/scarlet winter colors I've been sporting.
F I V E
Yesterday while my parents were visiting, I was able to sneak out and cash in on a gift card Ian got me for my birthday for a prenatal massage. It was at Eden in South End. If you are pregnant in Charlotte, GO and ask for Sarah as your therapist! They have a special table with a cut-out for your belly, so I was able to lay on my stomach for the entire hour-long massage. That was another perk -- most hour-long massages are 50 minutes. This one was a full 60... yes, please!
+ If you think to yourself "I don't have as much hair as she does"
+ If you think to yourself "I don't have expensive hair tools or hair products"
+ If you think to yourself "I don't have time for a complicated updo like this"
+ If you think to yourself "She mentioned this was day 3 hair. I could never go that long between washes!"
Stick with me and give this updo a shot!
Below is what I have taught myself to do with dry shampoo from Target, TJ Maxx hairspray, six bobby pins, a teasing comb from Sally, and a curling wand from Walmart.
So, round up your materials. If you do have thicker hair than I do, you may need a few more bobby pins. I set my curling wand to 400 degrees and use my Michael Jackson-esque heat glove to protect my hands from burns.
Let's start off by talking about the hair. I wish I had a really cute photo of my starting point hair, but this one that Camille and I took to send Ian while he was out of town will have to do. It was Saturday morning. I'd washed my hair Thursday morning, used dry shampoo in it Friday morning, and so this made a full second day of unwashed hair. On these days, I just shower and use a thick shower cap from TJ Maxx to protect my hair from the water.
Let it be known that I never used to go without washing my hair. My hair is rather thin and got oily fast. It did take a little bit of training, but I think my hair is proof that anyone can get theirs to go more than a day without washing. If you're working up a big sweat exercising daily, though, it may not work for you. See also: you're my hero :)
Out of the shower, I spray the dry shampoo at the roots and run a hairdryer over any parts that got a little damp from the shower. The warm air seems to give it a little extra volumizing boost.
Now, let's get down to business.
I start off by clipping up the top half of my hair (top left photo below). I separate the bottom part into three sections and curl each with the curling wand: left side, right side, and back. You are going to want the curls to curl away from your face (a la Farrah Fawcett), not towards it.
Once the bottom section is curled, I let down the top right and top left sections, curling each of them away from my face. At this point I have reclipped just the top strip of hair -- the mohawk sort of section, if you will.
Top left photo below -- this is that last remaining mohawk section I was talking about. Just to review, I've curled five sections of hair now: bottom left, bottom right, bottom center, top left, top right.
I unclip the mohawk section and separate it into two sections -- the back/crown part, which I'm holding up in the top right photo, and the bangs. I curl each of these, but I only do a verrrry slight curl on the bangs at the end of them.
Then I get that hairspray ready.
Lifting up the top/crown section of hair, I mist it with hairspray and then tease it WELL. Tease it better than you think you'd need to.
I sweep back the right side, sweep back the left side, and criss-cross the bobby pins at the back to create a half up, half down style (top right photo below). Since you've teased the underside, it should be fairly smooth on the top but may need a little bit of smoothing.
Now that the top section is clipped back with a little bouffant pouf, I take the right side of the lower hair and loosely twist/pull it back and pin it near the other bobby pins.
I then repeat this process with the left side of my hair, and then I'm left with just the back piece (bottom left photo). I twist it up and bobby pin it, again, right on top of the other bobby pins. If they overlap well it can really help lock them in place.
At this point you can use your 6th bobby pin to secure any areas that don't feel nice and tight.
You've got a fairly done updo now, but I like to take it to Texas hair at this point.
Grab your teasing brush, and with the pointy end, insert it right in the hair and pull the hair away from the head. This loosens it up a bit and gives more of a bouffant yet relaxed look. I do this on the very top (right behind my bangs) and on each side.
And that, my friends, is my six bobby pin updo.
If you are working with thinner hair, like me, or if you want to ensure that the final style definitely looks big and not too slicked-back, another trick that I sometimes do is this: after curling every section of my hair, I'll flip it over and put a fine mist of spray on my entire head. This locks in the curl all over but it also really helps add volume to all of your hair.
I'd love to see you give this a shot! If you have success with it and Instagram a photo, please tag me (@alizadventures) in it so I can see! Let me know if you have any questions below and I will do my best to answer them. :)
Here's a quick shopping list for you with some of the best prices I've found from various online retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target). Also, while you may have a favorite dry shampoo, this Herbal Essences one is more texturizing than others I've tried, which is why I'm recommending it for this particular style -- but you may love your own. I'm also including a link to Aerogel hairspray which is a product that we learned about from my sister's wedding hairstylist. It is AMAZING and truly gives a miraculous hold. When I did this updo for a wedding I attended, and I knew I wanted it to last for hours and be dancefloor-proof, I went with that hairspray. I treat it like liquid gold :) (but it's really not that much more expensive than my daily spray!)
Last Thursday night, it was my turn to host Supper Club at our house. This group of girls and I have been getting together since 2004 ... yes, coming up on our twelve year anniversary!
When our group first started getting together, I was young (22) and learning my way around the kitchen. Now I am old as sin (34) and still learning my way around the kitchen. But one thing I've gathered for sure in these twelve years is that it is NOT fun to play hostess and be chained to your oven or stovetop while everyone is having fun and mingling without you. So my menus have changed from highly-involved (think: sauteeing) to very low-touch (think: crockpot).
Here's what I served last Thursday night. Everyone who came brought a bottle of wine but I handled appetizers, entree, sides, and dessert.
For appetizers, I had a simple little cheese, salami, and olive board. Take a sneak peek, by the way, at that divine cutting board. I'll be sharing the source for it on Friday!
The cheese I served is an inexpensive but truly yummy Aldi find. It's the dill havarti block and it's $2.99. You just can't beat that. I also had butter crackers, wasabi crackers, red pepper flake jumbo olives (from the olive bar at Harris Teeter -- my favorite olive beside castelvetranos!), and sliced salami.
(I know I may get some questions about that awesome cow cheese marker I have. It came in a set as a gift from my middle sister. I can't find it online at all! But if you are looking for a similar type of cheese marker to designate your cow/sheep/goat cheeses, HERE is a fun porcelain set on Amazon Prime and HERE is a cute hand-stamped option on Etsy).
Another really easy appetizer is the pre-made mushroom profiteroles that I love. They are from my grocery store, Harris Teeter, and found in the frozen area where you'd buy the little stuffed quiche shells. They are Harris Teeter's HT Traders brand.
I took a page from one of my favorite bloggers, Samma from Spice And Sass, and went with the old-school, sodium-laden way of making the infamous Mississippi Roast. I used two beef tenderloin roasts for our group and had PLENTY left over. I was eating leftovers for days, and not complaining a bit about it. I served these with some white dinner rolls for anyone who wanted to sop up those yummy juices.
The perfect accompaniment was the cauliflower mash that I love to do. I just steam a bag of garlic-seasoned cauliflower, pour it over a half of a block of lowfat cream cheese, add some salt and pepper, and mash it all together with a potato masher. A little bit of shredded cheese (any kind) gets added in to the mix, more cheese and paprika on top, and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melty and bubbly around edges. Embarrassingly easy but a crazy hit. I doubled the recipe this evening and made it in a 9x13. We had very little remaining, and I think it was just out of courtesy. Nobody wanted to take the last two bites.
Lastly, I just made some green beans that I simmered for a while in salty seasonings and a little bit of olive oil.
And for dessert, as I mentioned last week, we had Chess Pie! You can find that recipe here.
Dinner was simple, yet the girls said it was the best dinner served within the last year at Supper Club (!!!!!!). What a true compliment! I'll take it.
And for those of you who love hearing about the cost of hosting, this was a truly economical meal. I already had the salami and crackers on hand. The olives were pay-by-the-pound and I'm pretty sure it was around $2 for them. The cheese, as I mentioned, was $2.99 at Aldi. The beef tenderloin roasts I got were on BOGO sale so I got both for around $14 total. Seasoning packets, butter, and pepperoncinis were all from Aldi, super inexpensive. The cauliflower steam bag is typically on sale for $2.28 at Harris Teeter (Birds Eye is the brand). The green beans come frozen in a bag at Aldi and I love them because they are nice and skinny and long. I think that makes them seem a lot more gourmet than anything you'd find in a can :)
If I had to estimate, I probably had $30 in the dinner total. Definitely an inexpensive way for feeding seven girls!
This past Friday I mentioned a little teaser about my newest discovery, Grove Collaborative.
Where did I learn about this? A fellow blogger, of course! How else do we learn what our must-haves are this day in age?? I sometimes tell myself not to think about how much money I've spent on purchases just because one of my favorite bloggers mentioned that she loved it. #truestory (am I alone in that?!)
Here is the assortment of products I chose for my first shipment. Two multi-surface cleaners (we use this type of product a LOT in our home), two hand soaps (also used frequently), a tub and tile cleaner, a glass cleaner, a soy candle, and an organic lip balm. Shipping was quick, the items were packaged securely, and I love knowing that with a toddler -- and soon to be newborn sibling -- around our home, I am using safer cleaning products around the house.
+ You shop their online store of natural cleaning and household products
+ The prices are discounted!
+ The box shows up on your doorstep
+ You adjust/tweak the delivery schedule to suit your needs. All set on products and need to skip a month? No problem. Want to sign up for Method glass cleaner to arrive only every six months? Easy peasy.
I was really thrilled with the products I got, and the smell is so much better than the chemical-laden products that were under my sink before. The grapefruit basil hand soap above smells heavenly, and my number one favorite scent is below, the honeysuckle scent by Mrs. Meyers. DIVINE. My next shipment will contain a lot more items in this scent.
Why would I join another subscription program instead of just streamlining it and adding these products to my Amazon wishlist or Target cart?
And that's when I geeked out and did a cost comparison. Oh yes, I did.
All of those products shown in the first photo? I compared my Grove Collaborative price to the Target price and the Amazon price. In every single scenario, the Grove Collaborative price was LESS than the cost of the item from the other two retailers. Even by using services like Amazon Prime Pantry, you'd still be better off going with Grove Collaborative for the cost savings. And for me, that justifies the service.
The only other thing for me to put to the test? I did not want the monthly deliveries to be a pain in the rear to tweak to our needs. I'm a busy mom, and I need a quick, no-hassle, no-questions-asked way of saying "let's take a month off from each other." I have found that it is extremely easy to adjust the delivery schedule to your needs so you don't end up with a Hoarders-worthy stockpile of all natural dish detergent in your garage.
Like many other subscription boxes, Grove Collaborative offers a referral program for their members. When you join, you are given a special link to share with friends and family that can earn you credit on your future purchases. The bonus is that it also gives them a $10 credit to shop! :) My links here are referral links, so if you join, please make sure to pass along your own links (instead of mine) to your buddies so you can start reaping the rewards.
So ... with that said, two thumbs up for Grove Collaborative! And if you do decide to give it a try, remember that you can use this link to get $10 OFF and FREE SHIPPING on your first order!
Ian was away with some guy friends skiing in Snowshoe, WV from Wednesday through Sunday (yes, I agree with you that I have earned a good wife award for being 284629 weeks pregnant with a wily toddler and saying "sure babe, go, sounds fun!").
But really, other than a few Hurricane Camille moments that put me into Braxton-Hicks territory -- that girl can run into a room, destroy it, and run to the next room faster than you can cry "MERCY!" -- the weekend went smoothly and was awesome. I definitely did my fair share of bending, stooping, and cleaning up after her on my hands and knees. Not that that is really any different from any given day around here, but at least I can say on those days, "Hon, could you please handle bathtime tonight?" and I didn't have that luxury this time around.
Friday made for day three hair (two days of showering without washing) and I did my favorite unwashed hair updo. I posted this photo on Instagram with a promise to you of a tutorial on this easy hairstyle coming later this week. I have pretty fine hair, and not a ton of it, but with a curling wand, teasing brush, and the right hairspray, I think just about anyone can make this work.
That afternoon, I took Camille out to lunch at Moe's and she literally spent 50 minutes eating every bit of her Moo Moo Mr. Cow. Girlfriend gets it from her mama, I guess. Can't turn down a single bite of Mexican deliciousness. I was done eating in maybe fifteen minutes but sat there patiently as she dipped each morsel of her few tortilla chips in the salsa verde.
We popped into Homegoods after lunch where I found a sisal rug for a good price for the new baby's room. Slowly making progress on that nursery, and it feels good!
After her nap that day, we went over to Freedom Park for some time on the swings and a visit to the old 1920s locomotive that they have on display. Camille is really into a "choo choo dain" these days.
Saturday we hung around the house in the morning and went to our friend Emmy's third birthday party in the afternoon. It was held at the Nature Museum which made for one of the most adorable children's parties I've ever attended. Mainly because it was structured and educational! Camille even got to touch a turtle, a snake and a bunny.
Same photo as above, but from my friend's vantage point. You can see I'm capturing this moment but with a forced smile on my face like UM, not me! You go for it C, I'll get the photographic evidence, but at a safe distance!
Camille stayed patient for her favorite part of any birthday party ....... WEET. That is what she calls cake or really anything that is sweet. She took down this entire slice of cake.
This photo below I just love, not because it is hilarious seeing these four little girls doing a love-driven pile-up, but because every single one of their mamas is someone that I met through Charlotte's blogging community. And now we all have daughters -- bow-wearing, hug-tackling, precious daughters, and that's pretty fun.
One last trip to the big tree before heading home, and en route home around 5pm I decided to make life really easy that night and just swing thru the Chick Fil A drive through and make that our dinner. Not fancy, and definitely a treat, but it was pretty nice to not have to come home and start dinner prep for both of us. And you gotta love clean-up that is as easy as crumbling a paper bag.
Yesterday, Sunday, Camille slept in 45 minutes later than usual, until 7:45am. I was up at 6:30 so this gave me some nice time to have a little morning snack (chocolate almond milk, yum!) and do some Tipsy Bunny computer work.
As soon as she woke up, I told her we had a special treat planned ... we got to go to the grocery store (her in her jammies, and with her trusty kitty sidekick, Georgie) and get breakfast from the breakfast bar! I let her pick out exactly what she wanted from the hot bar, and she went with grits, scrambled eggs, a few tater tots, a sausage link, and some cinnamon stewed apples.
Ian got home yesterday around 2:30, and all of the sudden my little baby bestie wanted nothing more to do with me ... it was all about Dada, to the point of looking in my eyes, putting her hand on my shoulder and saying "OFF" to tell me to go away and leave them solo. She didn't need to tell me twice ... I was out the door and at the nail salon quicker than you can say "deluxe pedicure please." Well deserved, I think, after a very busy several days. Ian was super appreciative, and very encouraging that I deserved some solo time and that he had it all under control.
But you know what?
I missed Camille when I was there. Can't wait til she's older and we can go get mani-pedis together. :)
Coconut, Ginger, and Cilantro Cocktail
Recipe HERE
This looks delicious ... and it only has four (easy to find) ingredients!
Shop:
Lilly Pulitzer Inspired Monogram Decals
Found on Etsy HERE
Prices for the decals start at $3.25 depending on size
I was SO excited to find these Lilly-inspired monogram decals on Etsy! There are lots of sellers offering items like this, but I chose this seller because of tons of great reviews and a quick production time. I think this would look so cute on a tumbler, a Yeti cup, an Easter basket, a laptop, a candle, a lucite jewelry box ... you name it!
