I'm officially a Pittsburgher.

We're here, we're here! After months and months of planning and dreaming (more like years actually) we're finally in Pittsburgh! My husband and I have been wanting to move closer to our family ever since we had kids, and that dream has finally become a reality. I've been taking a little blog break recently to unpack, recharge, and organize everything because wow, we have some STUFF. When everything is nicely organized in your house, you don't really realize how many things you have. That is, until you have to take it all out of your house and pack it into a 26 ft. truck. And your van. And your second car. And still, there's barely enough room for everything. I still feel like I'm recovering from all of the packing, unpacking, and organizing and it's still not completely done yet but we're getting there.

So far though, I am completely in love with Pittsburgh. What a beautiful city! For those of you who know Memphis, it's pretty much a concrete jungle (and a hot one at that!) Pittsburgh has so many beautiful buildings and such a wonderful sense of community. I'm really enjoying how genuinely nice everyone is here! I love that I can finally say that I'm a Pittsburgher.

There's also a few other things I've been loving about PA:

     1. Pittsburgh is like, a million degrees cooler. And less humid. And those 2 things alone are
     enough to make me want to move here.


     2. People walk around at night outside without fear of being mugged. That would never happen in
     Memphis. The sun goes down, you go inside.

     3. They have diet cream soda in their grocery stores. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but
     to me it's like finding the holy grail.

     4. Great local restaurants. Most restaurants in Memphis (aside from the BBQ joints) were  
     chains. Here, you can walk down the street and have the best hoagie you've ever eaten at a local
     hole in the wall restaurant. I plan on gaining lots of weight.

     5. Did I mention how awesome the weather is?

The one thing I'm having to really get used to are the hills. I'm just hoping I'll have some massive calves after being here for a few weeks :) Thanks for hanging in there while my family and I settle in. I've been giving myself permission to slow down a little lately, but I do have some projects that I plan on sharing with you soon! 

Signing off for now

It's time for me to sign off for awhile! We're making the big move this week, but our internet is officially cut off as of yesterday (I had to preschedule this post) so I will be without internet for awhile and won't be able to write on the blog until we move and get settled in. I'm just glad I have my iPhone to get my Pinterest fix on the drive :)  In just a few short days we'll be hauling a giant truck, 2 babies and a whoooooole bunch of stuff 14 hours away to live Pennsylvania. After that, it's nothing but unpacking and settling in with family until we can find new jobs and adjust.

We've been trying to explain the move to Haley over the past few weeks so that she's prepared for the big change. We've been here since she was only 3 months old, so Tennessee has basically been her home for her whole little life. We also have big plans to enroll Haley in preschool when we get there among other things. Patrick and I laugh about it because Pennsylvania has become this magical place where all fun things happen. Haley latches onto bits and pieces of what we've been telling her, then retells it to us at bedtime.

"We pack up allllll of our stuff into a big truck and we go see Yia Yia and Papa! And no more Haley's house. And we see friends, and go to the BIG screen and see Brave, and go to dance school, and go SWIMMING!"

I love how flexible young kids are, they can adjust so easily. Especially with promises of trips to the pool :) So it's goodbye for now, to Tennessee and to my wonderful readers. And hello to a new chapter in our lives!

Week in Pictures

I pretty much failed at taking pictures this week! We planned on being moved out by this time, but unfortunately our move out date continues to be pushed back due to circumstances beyond our control. We just keep telling ourselves that it's going to happen soon, but waiting is so hard to do sometimes. So for now, here's a picture of my son looking like the baby from The Hangover :)

On the plus side of things,the weather has been cooler the past few days, so hopefully that means nice weather when we move out next week! Oh and by cooler, I mean 91 degrees which is great compared to the 104 degree heat we've been having lately. We're just ready to have this whole move and house sale done so we can start a new chapter in our lives.

And speaking of new chapters, I have some exciting blog-related news that I'll tell you about soon :) You may have noticed that I've slowed down some on projects lately, but really I've been working my butt off behind the scenes. How vague, right? I expand on that more later once I've had a chance to actually move one of these days and settle into our new city :) 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Glitter fireworks (kid's activity)

Happy 4th to everyone! We're enjoying a relaxing day at home today (which basically translates to "we're doing a lot of nothing and the kids are bored.") Haley's finally at the age when I can take her to see fireworks and she won't be completely terrified (we'll test that theory out tonight :) so I'm looking forward to that later.

To get her prepared, I've been letting her watch videos of fireworks on YouTube. She loves all the colors, so I thought up a quick activity to do with her today - glitter fireworks! I saw this tutorial on The Mother Huddle for making fireworks out of pipe cleaners and thought it'd be perfect for a quick project. Yep, we're working with glitter, so get out your vacuum because it can get messy :)

You'll need:

• Craft glue
• Glitter
• Paper
• Pipe cleaners

First, Make a firework out of pipe cleaners by twisting them together and fanning out the bottom. Then, squirt some glue onto a paper plate and dab your pipe cleaner firework into it. Use your firework to stamp some glue onto a piece of paper, then let your child sprinkle on glitter to their little heart's desire.

Shake off the excess and repeat to make as many fireworks as you want.

Happy 4th everyone!

Oh this boy.

Each day I see less and less baby in him. He's talking much more at this age than his sister ever did. I think the impending move has caused me to look at both of my kids and really see how much they've grown over the past 3 years we've lived here in Tennessee. We moved here when my daughter was only 3 months old and my son was born here, so this is really the only house they've ever known. We've had lots of great memories in this house.



Of course we're looking forward to moving at the end of the week so we can live close to family again. I would be lying if I told you I'll miss the 14 hour drives. And the heat, oh the Tennessee heat. It's unbearable at times. We'll be living with family until we can get back on our feet, so we're very thankful that they're allowing us to make their home ours, even for a short while.

But this house has been more than a roof over our heads. It's been our home for the past 3 years and I'm sure going to miss it.



I hope the next family that lives here makes even more wonderful memories with their family and that they too will eventually know this house as their home.

Week in Pictures, playing with boxes & a winner!

It's Friday at last! That means closer to moving time for us. Our house is full of boxes and a whole lot of nothing else since it's all been packed away. Our move date has been pushed back due to unforeseen delays, but we're excited to get this show on the road. In the meantime, we're trying to eat all of the food in our house and as you can tell by the bottom left photo, that means dinners that consist of graham crackers, apples, and peanut butter some days. Good thing peanut butter is one of my favorite foods :)

Connor is loving having all of the boxes around though. We literally played with a box for 20 minutes a couple of nights ago. Why do we even buy this kid toys anyway? I've never seen him have so much fun. I just had to share a video with you (first time uploading a video, so hopefully it works):

I love this boy, he's so entertaining.

Another highlight of my week was when I received the beautiful hand painted bag in the collage above from Lucy at Craftberry Bush! She's so talented, I wish I could paint like her. Or paint at all for that matter. It's so pretty I kind of don't want to use it because I'm afraid I'll get it dirty or something :)

Well enough about me, it's time to announce the winner of the Quick Guide Giveaway! After plugging all entries into Random.org, the lucky winner is:

#7, Jessica who said: "I would love to know more about how to get back in shape and be a good wife/life balance once a baby comes."

 Congrats Jessica! I hope you enjoy your Quick Guide! An email has been sent to the winner.

Remember, even if you didn't win, Lianne is selling her book in paperback or PDF form on her website for only $7.95. 

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Red, White and Blueberry Trifle

With the 4th of July only 6 days away, I thought I'd share one of my favorite 4th of July treats with you. I shared here on my blog 2 years ago, but I thought it'd be good to share it again since many of you probably haven't read about it yet, and because it's just an amazing dessert :)  


What is a trifle, you ask? It's basically a fancy word for a layered dessert full of yummy things like cheesecake pudding, cake and chocolate. Ever since I started bringing this dessert to my friends' parties, they never let me leave without giving them the recipe. Keep reading to learn how to make one too!

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I don't know about you, but my favorite thing about the 4th of July (aside from the fireworks) is the food. The 4th is a great excuse to dust off the grill, cut up a giant watermelon, and enjoy time with friends and family between bites of traditional BBQ food.


A few years back, a friend of mine brought a delicious trifle to a BBQ that was unforgettable. I had never had trifle before, but after one bite I was hooked. She gave me the recipe (which is surprisingly simple!) and I've probably made this for friends and family more times than any other dessert since then.


Traditionally, a trifle consists of layers sponge cake with brandy or rum and custard and whipped cream, but there are tons of different variations to this dessert. This particular version has no alcohol in it. The fresh strawberries and blueberries, along with the whipped cream, make this dessert surprisingly refreshing.

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 small packages of Jello brand instant cheesecake pudding
• 1 large container of fresh strawberries
• 1 small container of fresh blueberries
• 1 cup of Cool Whip whipped cream, softened
• 1 package of white chocolate chips

*Note: If you're making this for a party, make it a few hours ahead rather than overnight. The juices from the strawberries tend to soak the cake somewhat, so this dessert is best served right away.

Recipe:

Prepare cake mix according to package and let cool. (You will only need 1 of the prepared cakes, so only make 1/2 of the box if you want, or you can do what my husband and I do and make both so you can frost and eat the other cake later :) While your cake is cooling, prepare both boxes of pudding according to the directions on the box. Set aside 2/3 cup of pudding to be used for the topping later.

Rinse blueberries and strawberries, then cut up strawberries into slices and coat with sugar if desired.

Cut up cake into bite-sized pieces and layer 1/2 of the pieces in the bottom of a trifle dish or other large glass dish. Layer all of the pudding on top (except your reserve), followed by 1/2 bag of white chocolate chips, 1/2 of the blueberries, 1/2 of the strawberries, and lastly the remaining cake cubes.

Combine the reserved cheesecake pudding with the 1 cup Cool Whip and mix well. Pour mixture over top. Use the remaining fruit and white chocolate chips to decorate the top of the trifle (or just toss them on top, no one will mind, they'll be too busy eating :)

Enjoy!

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