5.23.2013

15 $30 GIVEAWAY from Kate Pixley Designs!



Today, I have an amazing giveaway going on from Kate Pixley Designs! Kate's shop is so addicting, y'all! I seriously wish I would have known about her shop when I was picking out bedding for Scarlett's nursery. She has the cutest patterns and fabric in her shop. Kate also sells diaper clutches, sippy cup leashes, sophie savers, and more. I know most of you will just swoon when you see her items! Kate has graciously offered to giveaway a $30 shop credit to her store AND is offering my readers 15% off their purchase (see below for code). So, go ahead and enter, I am super jealous and wish I could enter too! 




A little about Kate Pixley Designs...

I am Kate and I started the company in May 2010 after my grandma gave me a sewing machine and told me to start sewing.  My real name is not Kate.... lol  it is Kati, but I always loved the name Kate... Pixley is also not my name, but my dad called me pixley instead of princess because I was so small as a child he said I was like a pixie, it then turned into Pixley and he still calls me that to this day addressing all of my cards and mail to Little Pix.
I am a mom to three, Joshua 7, Peyton 4.5 and Greyson 1, married to the most amazing man Chris who lets me destroy his kitchen with fabric even tho I have a studio!


Kate is so generous she is offering my readers 15% off their purchase! 
Use the code: kate15 

Good Luck!!


5.22.2013

5 Southern French Toast


Today, I am sharing one of my favorite breakfast recipes, french toast. This is a pretty frequent meal we eat since I think french toast in general is pretty simple and easy to whip up. I often get overwhelmed with flour, baking soda, and other ingredients that make me use an awful lot of measuring cups. I love to cook and bake, but simple is also really good too! I know there are many recipes out there, but I enjoy this one because I am a firm believer that sourdough bread is the best kind to use when making french toast, and there aren't many recipes out there that use this type of bread. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients 

10-12 Slices of sourdough bread 
1 cup of milk 
4 eggs 
2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
1 teaspoon of vanilla
a pinch of salt 

Prep 

Mix in all ingredients except for bread in a bowl
Take a loaf of bread and dip it into the mixture
Place dipped bread onto a frying pan 
Flip until golden brown on each side 

Add some maple syrup
Some fresh fruit
and powered sugar? 

Enjoy! 

5.20.2013

23 Baby Scarlett, One Month Old!



Weight: We are not sure. She was born at 6 lbs 15 oz, then at her two week appointment she was at 6lbs 12 oz. So I am guessing she is somewhere in the low 7 pound range. 

Health: Very healthy! She has had some tummy issues lately, so we've given her 'Little Remedies Tummies' a couple of time to ease her pain. Her umbilical cord stump fell off at 12 days old, so that was great! 

Sleep: The first week she woke somewhere between every 2-4 hours. Second week was about every 2 hours {growth spurt?}, the third week she woke up about every 4-5 hours, and at 3.5 weeks old she is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! She has been sleeping on average of 8 hours per night ever since, we are beyond thrilled! 

Social: Scarlett has let Mama and Daddy be pretty social this past month. At two weeks old we went to our first Baron's Baseball game, and that was a ton of fun. The following week Mama and Daddy got to to go a matinee movie {we saw Mud} and that night we met friends for dinner. Mama has also been able to run to Target three times on her own! Mother's Day weekend we took our first little road trip to go shopping, and Scarlett did pretty well in the car. Also, we've gone to church the past two Sunday's and it has been a success each time! 

Diet: All Breast Milk! I am pumping at least once a day, trying to get to two times per day so I can stock up. Scarlett was introduced to a bottle late last week and is doing great with it! We are trying to give her a bottle every couple of days just to get used to it. 

Clothes: Newborn clothes are the only things that fit her. She is barely fitting into those. We have an itty bitty baby! 

Baby Gear Love: I listed all of my favorites in this post. But to list a few are: Halo Sleep Sack, Wubbanub, Noodle & Boo baby wash, Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets, and our Ergo Carrier.   

Crying: The first three weeks she barely cried, especially the first two. She only cried when she were hungry or when we bathed her. Week three and four she started crying more. We think this was due to growth spurts and tummy pain mostly. 

Likes: She loves to be held, rocked, and loves to nurse! 

Dislikes: She is not a fan of taking car rides in your car seat, we've tried to time it right where she is asleep before we leave to prevent upset. She also is not a fan of being naked or getting bathed. 

Postpartum: At one week I was back into my jeans/pre pregnancy clothes and weight. I was really happy about that! But, my recovery has not been the easiest. I did not have any 'injuries' from delivery, so I was lucky there as well. But, the overall pain from giving birth has followed me throughout the month. I'd say at 5 days postpartum I felt okay and able to walk around. At two weeks, I felt almost normal and could walk around a bit more. At four weeks, I feel almost back to my normal self, except I still can't take long walks and stand too long. I am just still trying to stay off my feet as much as I can right now. I take a sits bath every night just to ease some body aches and to soothe my bottom, I believe this has really helped my recovery tremendously! 

Milestones: I'd say sleeping through the night and Mama and Daddy getting 8 hours of straight sleep per night is a huge milestone, especially at 3.5 weeks old :) Scarlett is also becoming more alert and awake during the day which is really neat! Right at 4 weeks Scarlett gave us her first SMILE! As seen in her one month picture above. We are just so excited, and you can imagine the faces and voices we put on just to see her smile! Also, we're pretty excited she is taking the bottle so well. 


5.19.2013

17 blogging with a bebe


pic from my instagram
Is hard. Very very hard. 

As I sit here and type this post, I have baby Scarlett in my arms and I am trying not to press the keyboard letters too hard so she doesn't wake from her deep sleep. I've got her in a cradle position and I placed her just right so I could get two hands out to type. My arm muscles are strained and it's surely a balance act to keep her from waking. 

I started this blog initially as a way to share my recipes and life in a new city living as a newlywed with my medical student husband. I found other blogs and realized blogging was 'cool' and that there were many realms of topics I could cover, and hey I could attract more readers. I enjoyed very much doing outfits, beauty, recipes, lifestyle posts, DIY, and more. The evolution of this blog has come a long way in a year and a half, and I've enjoyed every bit of it. This blog is my creative outlet to share all my inspiration and things that make me happy. 

Lately, I've slacked on here for obvious reasons, and I've really missed writing. Did I ever tell y'all that English was my favorite class and journaling was my favorite activity I looked forward to? Well, that is what this blog is to me, a journal, and when I don't write in it, I miss it. You may find many typos here, I never claimed to be a grammar queen, just a lover of writing from my soul. 

So back to the evolution of this blog... My blog has changed drastically since I began blogging. I know you've seen that as I took on weekly pregnancy posts, and then onto baby essentials & guides. Can you tell the direction this blog is going in? I never claimed that this site was anything but a lifestyle blog, meaning I could go in any direction I wanted to. So, I am just here to say today that I appreciate my readers who have stuck around and continued to show support for my blog through all of the changes. I really cannot thank you enough. It means so much to me to read your comments and see that people are reading my posts. I know many have lost interest and left, which is fine too. I can't promise to stick to everything I've done in the past, but I will try to, because I still love all of those posts and topics. Having a baby didn't change who I am and what I enjoy. Scarlett will forever be a part of my life, but I will make sure to still to the things I enjoy doing. 

So, cheers to this blog, my readers, and having a creative outlet. I am not going anywhere, and I cannot wait to share more with y'all as time goes on! 


***

And as a side note... Does anyone know if I can change the name of my domain before I renew? I want to change the blog name slightly. I will keep MAGNOLIA, but want to change the PAIR to something different. Anyone know if that is possible through godaddy? 
And if I change this, will it change automatically on bloglovin too? 
Thanks y'all :) Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! 


5.16.2013

0 BIG Giveaway from Lauren

Today, we have the sweet Lauren from Our Little All American Family, giving away some awesome items! Lauren is my feature advertiser this month, and I am so excited to be showcasing her and her blog! This is a great giveaway, so be sure to enter below and go check out her blog!



1 winner will receive:
Leopard Print makeup bag
Rose gold and Silver Floral Bracelet
No Place Like Chrome Essie Nail Polish
2 Softlips Pearl chapstick/gloss
$50 voucher to KellyHughes.com (www.shop.kellyhughes.com

+++


Enter Below and Good Luck!! 

5.14.2013

3 Snap Bean Artichoke Caserole



I am so excited to share with y'all today one of my Mom's famous recipes! This is her all time go-to dish when making something for any party. People often beg her to make this dish because it is so delicious. It may not be the heartiest recipe on my list, but I will guarantee that it will make your heart happy eating it :) It is really so simple and takes very little time to cook and prepare. 


Ingredients

1 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil 
1 3/4 Cups of Italian Bread Crumbs 
1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
 1 Can Delmonte French Style Cut Green Beans (28oz) 
1 Can Artichoke Hearts cut up quartered (14oz) 
1 Lemon Sliced (optional) 
4-5 Toes of Fresh Cut Garlic
1 Tsp Garlic Powder 
1 Tsp of Tony Chachere's
Add Salt and Pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Mix all the above ingredients in a 9x11 pan. 
2. Add greens and artichokes (cut into small pieces) Last
3. Sprinkle bread crumbs over mixture.
4. Place Sliced Lemon on top (optional) 
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes 
*Save small amount of artichoke juice for taste and moisture and add to the mixed ingredients if it is too dry.


Please let me know if you make it, I'd love to hear how you liked it! 


5.13.2013

17 my first mothers day!


1. daddy dressed scarlett...he wondered why her bonnet wasn't cute.
2. the first sight i saw when coming out of our bedrooom :) 
3. eating breakfast with my sleepy girl
4. beachin it with my handsome hubby and sweet girl


so happy to be this little girl's mama.
so blessed to be this handsome man's wife. 
lots to be thankful for. 
i had an incredible first mother's day, and i'll never forget it.
being a mama is so beautiful and i love my new role in life.


a few more from the beach!


i hope all the mama's out there enjoyed their special day !

 
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