Of course, True’s first day as a 12 year old started off with the birthday breakfast in bed tradition. This time, she was served a 12 stack of chocolate chip pancakes with a bell pepper elephant made by Ben. We gave her some presents along with her breakfast… her mama-made birthday dress, cowboy boots, instax photo stuff, and a magical mirror. She had requested a Whatever After themed birthday, because of one of her favorite book series, so this magical mirror was the key to unlocking some birthday magic.

She read the message on the magical mirror and she was given a reply (by Ben) to give a hint to what was the next adventure. The reply was a little rhyming poem that gave her clues to where we were going and what she had to do. The first one took us Pumpkin Rock, which was a nod to the story of Cinderella (if you head here, note it is a bit steep going up and down the hill)…

Next, it led us to the Giant Apple Boulders, in which our poem to her touched upon Snow White’s story…

Then, the next magical mirror reply led us to the Frog Prince (and there was a snake rock not too far away)…

This next one was a bit tough, but it led us to an Elephant Rock (or lamb), which was touched upon in the book series for the Cinderella story. This one was hardest to find because we thought it was in the landfill, but it was outside of it. That was an adventure because we drove into a landfill looking for it. While here, she was also given a special purse to rub, a la Aladdin…

The magical mirror seemed to be done with the rock scavenger hunt and it led us to drop off the 3 younger girls with a friend, and Ben and I took True on a date. Her choice was ramen! It was nice to give her undivided attention from both of us and a date like this is something we never get to do, so it was extra special to give her this time, and very special to us too. She is super chatty when she’s alone with us!

After lunch and picking up the other girls, the mirror led us to all of our favorite ice cream place, which was part of the hunt to defeat the Snow Queen. Though once we got there, we were too busy indulging in ice cream to snap a picture. Lastly, the mirror took us back home where we ended the celebration with lasagna (her request) and a crownie cake (the book refers to brownies and crownies).

It was a full day of adventures celebrating our 12 year old! We’ve got one year until she’s a teen and I’m so thankful she still loves fairytales. She is not in a hurry to grow up and definitely cherishes being a kid. I’ll take all the years of that I can get! Time really does go by fast and I’m so thankful to God for allowing me this opportunity to disciple her heart. We’ve been at odds more lately, I think it’s that tween-hormonal thing, but she is also my sidekick. We love her so much and are praying God teaches her to rely on Him and His Word to carry through life. Happy 12, dear Truey!

Happy Galentine’s Day!

My girls think Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day are official holidays, so it makes no sense to them why they aren’t off from school. To say they love holidays (or celebrations) is an understatment. I did tell them that if they worked hard to get Wednesday’s work done ahead of time, we’d take the day off, so they might get their wish after all. If your mini gals are just as excited about celebrating Galentine’s Day as mine, here are some simple celebration ideas for you…

– Make small bouquets and give to neighborhood friends.
– Make flower crowns.
– Watch a cute and quirky movie together. I’m thinking the 1980’s Anne of Green Gables movie.
– Can’t go wrong indulging in some cookies and chocolates while watching said movie.
– Write little notes of encouragement for other important gals in your life (or just send them a text).
– Work on a craft together… maybe heart chain garland or lollipop flowers.
– Make kettle corn.
– Bake together.
– Read a book celebrating friendship.
– Have a picnic outside (even if it’s in your backyard or front lawn).

We will definitely be doing some of the above once school is done for the day. I’m thankful for my little galentine’s and how their hearts love celebrating!

{no-sew heart bunting}

{felt heart clips}

{handmade tic-tac-toe}

{heart crown}

{heart headband}

{heart surprise balls}

{yarn wrapped wire sign}

{felt heart bag}

{chenille stem heart garland}

We have new Valentine’s projects to share this week and next, but here are some past ones I made to get you started.

We have planted our first thing in our front yard garden and it is asparagus! Ben picked up a lot of asparagus plants last week and they look so much like something that would be growing in the “upside down” (don’t you agree, Stranger Things fans?!). The plant is so interesting and will shoot up the stalks, as well as grow fern-like plants. Not that we know from personal experience (yet!), but if you google asparagus plants, they look very billowy. Asparagus are perennials, and will last up to 15-20 years, at least according to what we’ve read. None of this is from experience, but we hope to gain it as we care for these plants. Another asparagus fact… we have to wait 3 years until we can eat it. The plants will sprout, but we won’t harvest it. Lord willing we get there and stay patient, True will be 15 when we can eat our asparagus!

To plant asparagus:
1. Till soil and mix in composted chicken manure. Dig a trench 8” deep.
2. Mix 15-20 pounds of fertilizer per 100 feet of 5-10-10 fertilizer AT THE BOTTOM of the trench or row. Then, cover the fertilizer with 1-2” of soil before placing the roots.
3. Take a crown, and with an equal amount of roots in each hand, place it “crown-side up” at the bottom of the trench. When placed, it will look like its doing the “splits.”
4. Continue placing crowns 18” apart in the trench
5. Cover with 2” of soil
6. As new shoots come up, continue covering them with a couple inches of soil until it reaches ground level.

The particular variety we planted is UC-157 that we purchased from a local nursery. For more in depth info on planting asparagus, we used this (thank you UC Davis) as a guide. If you’ve ever planted asparagus, do share any of your tips and tricks!

My parents are in the process of remodeling and I told my mom I’m going to make her home look farmhouse-country-shabby chic. They added almost 500 square feet and now have this huge kitchen, dining room, and living room space. It’s been fun to see the transformation, though I’m sure it doesn’t feel as fun since my parents have been living out of a suitcase for almost 6 months now, and have had no kitchen. They lived with us for about a month, so I’m sure that was a welcome reprieve from their construction zone home, but they are itching for life to go back to normal and be able to cook their own meals. Honestly, I can’t wait for my mom to have a kitchen because I miss her home cooked meals. We all see the light at the end of the tunnel though because everything should be done by the end of November, just in time for Christmas.

While they were deciding light fixtures and other details like that, my mom would ask me what I thought, and I would help her pick things out. I love decorating, so I’m happy to put in my design advice. Though what I’m really excited about is helping them decorate (and purge!). They’ve bought new (vintage and reproduction) pieces here and there, and I’ll text her things I think she should get. When I came across Antique Farmhouse, I knew immediately my mom would love this store. All the items have the romantic country-shabby chic vibes she loves. When I lived at my parents’ house, I tried to help her decorate with a floral country-shabby chic touch. Then, when I had my own home, I went shabby chic for our first nursery. You can still see my love for that shabby chic touch in certain pieces we have in our home.

As I was window shopping at Antique Farmhouse, I noted things I think would look grand in my parents newly transformed space. Lots of shabby chic home decor like this distressed table would look good in their new dining room or entry way. A golden wreath like this would look great on wall in my mom’s new master bath, where she has a gorgeous chandelier and claw foot tub. Then, maybe a stool like this next to the tub or in the corner to offset the glamour of the wreath with a little shabby chic, farmhouse touch. My mom is a maximalist, so she loves mixing lots of different styles together for a cozy, comfy feel.

My style is very eclectic. Most of my friends thought my home would have had lots of florals like my mom, but I use florals sparingly (though I do have a big pop of it on a rug here). While shopping for my mom, I made a note of things I like, and share some of those things here. I really like the beaded chandelier (I love hanging lights and not so much floor lamps). I like using architectural pieces for wall art, like this acanthus leaf corbel or old mill window. My favorite thing on the site is the swan wall decor; I’d love that in a bathroom or over our bed (off-centered to the side). My decor choices might seem random, but that’s because I describe my style as vintage-modern, bohemian minimalist, so I guess that means I make random things I love work. While my mom is a maximalist, I’m a minimalist when it comes to decor, but a maximalist when it comes to plants. There’s never such thing as too much green.

Is traditional or shabby chic your thing? Or are you more romantic bohemian in your home style? Or maybe you’re more minimalist modern? I would love to hear how you describe your home decor!

Finally, at long last, my girls are getting their first official cousin. My sister, Reinna, is expecting a little boy and her request was a “Beyoncé” themed baby shower. So when life hanods that request, you make lemonade! Inspired by Beyonce’s recent music and visual album, we created a celebration fit for a queen (Reinna means queen).

My job was decor and it was on a beautiful roof top, so not too much was needed. I used bunting that I had sewn for my best friend’s wedding several years ago and the centerpiece of the decor was the lemonade piñata (tutorial via oh happy day here). My baby sister and friend made the protest signs, which were a fun touch. To get that extra Beyoncé-esque vibe, I made a floral crown remiscent of that surprise baby announcement that was dropped by the queen B herself. Naturally, my girls got in on the creating too and they made the lemon adorned wrapping paper. I love how that turned out and I think for Christmas, I’ll be having them draw on all the wrapping paper! Add some music by Beyoncé and Solange and the celebration was exactly was this mom-to-be wanted.