*Month 3*

3:18 PM

This is becoming more fun each day!  She is developing the sweetest personality.  Every time I come home from work she has started or discovered something new.  For instance, she has started shouting.  We went to a baby shower this weekend and when we walked in, I guess she felt like she needed to say something too, since Mommy was greeting & hugging everyone.  She yelled out twice and then grinned and ducked her head into my neck as if she had embarrassed herself.  

She also found her hands this month!  She holds them at chest level, clasped together, and it makes my knees weak every time.  Another thing that she loves is her tissue paper flowers in her room. The flowers make a rustling sound when the air comes on... they make her so happy.  She coos and smiles at them while they shimmy.  I try so hard to video her, but as soon as I pull out my phone her attention goes to it and she forgets about the flowers.  

As for me, I'm still pumping at work and it's getting monotonous.  It's not like I have a job that I can take a break from when I need to... I have to find someone to watch my class and usually by the time that happens I'm about to POP!  TMI, I'm sure.  Anyways, I'm probably going to call it quits come next month.  She will be 4 months and beginning cereal so I'm going to talk to her doctor and my lactation consultant to get their opinion and then make a final decision.  

We've mostly stayed inside from the cold this month.  We did have family come down for a visit last weekend, which is always fun and Juliet found out that she is going to have ANOTHER cousin! :)  

I hope you all have had a wonderful month... 
We're still hoping for a few snow days before this winter is over.  


*Happy New Year*


Family photos are becoming slightly more difficult to capture!


Keeping mommy up until 2 on a school night!


Oh dear.  I have become my grandmother.  
Wrapped those ears up to watch Daddy put up our Penn State flag!














A Dining Room, Floating Frames, & Elephant Ears... Oh My!

1:16 PM
I wish I was setting the table with gobs of food for my family and Joey's family all to enjoy together, but who am I kidding... We would need three of these tables from the Grantham house in order to feed all of us together in one room.  Ehhh... maybe one day.

(love Downton... will Anna and Mr. Bates ever find true happiness again..?)

My dining room is no where near this level of organization and order... Can you imagine preparing a table like that every night?  I would be fired.

Here are some recent pictures of our dining room.  I've added the resources below each picture.  (Excuse the Christmas/New Years centerpiece... I haven't gotten around to changing it.)


Joey's dad bought him the console record player in the far right corner at an auction for $2! (And it works!)  I love having it in the dining room.  Playing our records while we are in the kitchen is the best!  The Blue Willow dishes, my mom bought for me when I was 14!  


 white shelf: IKEA  /  wine racks: World Maket  /  chairs:  West Elm  /  rug:  IKEA  /  
cushions:  faux sheepskins from Marshalls  /  dinner bell:  Amazon


I love having a buffet table too.  Our dining room isn't big enough for a really large table and this give us a little extra room to put platters of food instead of the platters taking up needed space on the table.


Here's a little frame-hack that is super easy!  (These pictures are actually from our wedding.)  I wanted to use the pictures in our kitchen, but the day I got ready to hang them I didn't have any 5x7 frames, I only had these two 8x10 frames from IKEA.  I was about to create some type of matte for them when I thought... what about a floating frame?  This is really easy and simple and it won't cost you $20 for an actual floating frame.  

This frame started out like any other fame, with the cardboard on the back.  

Step 1:  I removed the cardboard.
Step 2:  I super glued the glass/plastic from the inside lip of the frame. 
Step 3:  Add a sawtooth picture hanger to the back if there isn't one.
Step 4:  I applied regular old clear scotch tape to the back of the picture just enough for it to overlap and meet the glass along the top and the bottom of the picture.  Lo and behold, it actually works!
Step 5:  You're done.  Go do something else. 

Speaking of Juliet, you know I can't write a post without mentioning her. Haha!  She has been pooped after her big weekend with family.  Joey's baby sister and her family came down this weekend from Ohio along with his dad from PA!  She was definitely loved on and cuddled, so she has spent most of her holiday sleeping after sleeping 13 hours last night.  We did go on a little stroll, but 5 minutes in and she was out again!  It's beautiful in Carolina today- 63* this afternoon.  


wabanub: Amazon  /  pillow:  Amazon

BTW- I love this pillow.  It's become a necessity when we use the carseat.  You can use it in their car seat or crib.  I use it in her swing too if she's taking a nap.  It's called an Elephant Ear pillow.  The print shown here is Fair Maiden. If you click on the link you'll see that it's flat in the middle for their head to lay on, but it keeps their head from falling over.  I works so well! 

Here's some pictures of our goofy girl using it in her rockaRoo swing!  
These were taken right after a nap and she was feeling great.  
Her silly little grins make me laugh all over!  She is happiness, personified.  


pajamas:  Petite Lem





Chicken Carbonara

10:48 AM
I found this recipe on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it out!  Nowadays, I like to make things that can last us for more than just one meal and this recipe definitely does that.  It fed 3 of us; Joey, my mom, & me, for 2 nights with still some left over for lunch the next day.  When you read it, it seems to be really "involved", but it was surprisingly quite simple and it kept me from being in the kitchen at all the next night.  I'm kind of getting the hang of this mom thing-work thing-house thing.

bowl:  Target (Threshold)
  • 1/2 pound bacon or pancetta
  • whole small onion
  • cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken or vegetable stock)
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 bunch parsley
  • whole eggs
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 pound linguine pasta
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4-6 chicken breasts fried and cut into strips
Makes 4 servings
1) Slice bacon into thin slices and cook on stove top until cooked. Drain bacon from grease on paper towels and set aside. Reserve some grease for cooking onions in step 2.
2) Chop onion finely and cook diced onion in a reasonable amount of bacon grease (1 or 2 tablespoons) for 2-3 minutes over medium-high constant stirring to avoid burning.
3) Slice the garlic and add it to the onions, after the onions have cooked for a couple of minutes. Cook garlic and onion together for 2 more minutes and remove them from the pan, using slotted spoon. Discard the grease.
4) Place the same pan (where you cooked onion and garlic in bacon grease) back on high heat, pour in the white wine (or stock) to deglaze the pan. Stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Let simmer covered over low heat, do not let too much liquid (chicken stock) to evaporate.
5) Chop the parsley. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley to the eggs. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for a garnish. Mix well with a fork.
6) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to pasta instructions, al dente. Drain the pasta and add very hot pasta to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Then add bacon, onion, and garlic mixture to the pasta, mix again. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to mix. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
7) Add the cut chicken strips on top with Parmesan cheese and parsley for garnish. 

Sincerely, 

The Lishias


House Updates: Nursery

7:07 PM
We very slowly update rooms in our home.  Needless to say, I've wanted to finish the nursery first before going on to anything else.  This past week I finally bought the final pieces to complete the gallery wall above her changing table.  I also stumbled upon this beauty at Target.  The pink matches her room perfectly.



Nate Berkus Raw Fringe Lamp Shade

It looks a bit orange in the picture below, but the true color is shown in the picture above, coral.

| Oh, let's be adventurers, darling:  Hobby Lobby |  Heart chalkboard:  Pottery Barn |  Poppy flowers:  Target  |  Rocking horse:  Pottery Barn Kids  |  Notebooks:  Rifle Paper Co.  

Plus, I'm not sure if this shade is meant to do this or if it's just the position of the bulb on this particular base, but it has a gradient affect when the lamp is on.  How awesome is that?  


Here's the after product of her gallery wall.


I gasped for air when I walked through Hobby Lobby Saturday and saw the "Hello Love" doodle.  When Juliet was born, they laid her on my chest and the only words I managed to say through the oxygen mask and tears were, hello love.  It immediately went in the buggy. 

The fawn print and little indian girl print are Kelli Murray pieces and the others are from Hobby Lobby.  The birds are from World Market a couple years back.  However, I have seen them there lately.  (I added the tiny clothes pins.)

Another thing that I have added to her room is a crib skirt.  


Crib Skirt - Box Pleat Dust Ruffle in Blush Gold Arrow Head

I still haven't added curtains, and yes, that's a random wireless mouse in the crib.  (She likes to online shop between naps...)  I'm so happy with her room though, I love spending time in here with her.  

Here are a few other prints that I contemplated adding to her wall, but didn't make the cut.  I may still have to find a place for somewhere in our house! 




One thing I can't part ways with is this cute star headband that Juliet wore home from the hospital. It's now the headdress of her sweet owl nightlight. 


To Do:
Paint room (Opaline by Sherwin Williams)
Purchase all furniture
Buy a rug
Hang shelving (for books)
Stock changing table
Make and hang tissue paper pom poms
Buy and hang artwork
Make mobile
Organize closet
Mount camera for monitor

Still need:  
Humidifier
Trash can
Bed skirt
More pops of poppy red color


Sincerely, 

The Lishias