Ocean Isle 2017

8:38 PM
Every year we take to the beach come Memorial Day weekend.  We go with the same friends each year and it's become a summer tradition that we absolutely love.  However, this year was extra special.  It was the first year that we all have babies.  We're all Mamas and Daddies now but that didn't keep us from staying up late and partying like real thirty year olds.  Like watching lightening storms on the balcony in rocking chairs while our babies slept.  Such good times!



While we're there we usually go to the beach first thing in the morning, come back for the kids to nap and then head out for dinner that evening.  Ocean Isle is a small, quiet beach town that has everything you would want for a fun but slow time with family and/or friends including ice cream shops, putt putt golf, great restaurants, and the cutest coffee shop.  It's getting harder to go out and eat each night we're there with bedtimes and all, but we try to hit as many of our favorite spots as possible.  Most places have live music, outdoor seating, and the seafood is some of the best!  We always come back on Monday but if you're there on Tuesday nights during the summer they show outdoor movies right beside the museum. The place is idyllic.  





Come March or April every year, depending on the weather, we start counting down the days until we see those surf shops and t-shirt huts come into view.  Juliet was absolutely in love with the ocean this time around.  We could. not. keep her out of the water.  Her favorite thing to do was to run from the shore into the water as fast as she could while colliding with the waves.  However, my favorite was when she started acting out scenes from Moana.  I started playing the soundtrack for her while she splashed in the water and the excitement was almost more than she could handle.






It was so hard saying goodbye, but we know it's just the beginning of summer and hopefully our toes will be in the sand again soon!  

beach pants:  Nordstrom- sold out (find similar ones here)

What are some of your favorite North Carolina beaches?  



Sincerely, 

The Lishias





Mother's Day Weekend

9:38 PM
I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with the ones you love!  All I wanted this year was a lazy day at home in my pajamas with my loves.  My mom is usually here visiting this time of year so it's always nice that I get to spend Mother's Day with her.  She lives 8+ hours away so this time of year is extra special.  We spent the afternoon Saturday picking strawberries at a local strawberry patch here in Charlotte.  They have activities for kids plus tractor rides, snacks and music.   It's the cutest and while we were there Joey turned to me and said smiling, "I could see you owning a place like this".  Ummm... YES, LET'S!  A little place like this in Wilmington.  Or a Christmas tree farm in Vermont. (Que Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.)  I'll take either.  For really though, if you're in the area, it's really a fun place to visit!  If not, check you area for strawberry patches near you, it's a definite must-do before they're out of season!







Mother's Day is becoming more and more special to me each year.  I can't begin to describe how blessed I feel to be one of the celebrated... one of the tribe of Motherhood.  I get so caught up in the chaos that is our lives lately that I have to stop myself and remember that her little toes won't be little for much longer, her voice won't be as tiny tomorrow, and one day she'll have better things to do than to follow me to the bathroom.  I'm trying to drink it all in but I'm afraid that I won't know how special these days are until they're a memory.  Life's funny that way.


On a brighter note... one of my favorite things about Mother's Day is the yummy brunch we usually have all together Sunday morning in our pajamas.  This year I decided to try my hand at a french toast bake.  I combined a french toast recipe and a sopapilla recipe together so that I could use up a few strawberries that we had picked the day before and I think I created a winner!  I posted a picture to Instagram and had so many people commenting or DM-ing me for the recipe so I thought I'd share it here.


I used a 4-inch deep round pan that was actually my grandmothers, which made it all the more special on Mother's Day, plus it was perfect for standing the slices of bread up to form a rose shape.  You obviously don't have to do this... You can lay the slices down, roll them up, however.  Just remember that it has to cool in the fridge for several hours so it's best to make it the night before.  Believe me.  It's sooooo worth the time.

OVERNIGHT STRAWBERRY BRIOCHE BAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 loaf of brioche bread
fresh strawberries
1 block (8 oz) of cream cheese
5 eggs
1 cup of heavy cream
1 Tbs of honey (best with our North Carolina sourwood honey)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/3 cup of sugar
Powder sugar for topping


INSTRUCTIONS

Spray pan with non-stick spray

If standing bread upright:  Arrange bread standing and sprinkle in chunks of cream cheese and sliced strawberries

If layering bread:  Add half of your loaf to the bottom of pan and sprinkle in cream cheese and strawberries.  Top with remaining loaf and press down.

In a mixing bowl, mix together your eggs, heavy cream, honey, cinnamon, and sugar.

Pour over the top of your bake until covered.

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from your fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place covered bake in and bake for 30 minutes then remove foil and bake for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Let it cool then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Cracker Barrel syrup.  Devour!

Now, go lay on the couch and don't move for 3-4 hours!

Sincerely,

The Lishias




2 years + 6 months

10:21 PM
I don't know what is more shocking, that I'm about to celebrate my third Mother's Day or that my little girl is almost three!  In the meantime, the terrible twos have definitely shown up to the party.  She can go from having a hissy fit in the aisle at Target to giving you hugs and kisses out of the blue all, in a matterd of seconds. So it's true what they say, little girls really are sugar AND spice.


The biggest moment for us lately has been when she had a health scare back in March and had to be hospitalized for several days.

We're beyond relieved to be able to write that everything is fine and she's the perfect picture of health but these next few snapshots are from when she was feeling quite the opposite... it was so hard seeing her this sick, but it's good to be reminded of where you've been so you can be thankful for where you are.

The first picture was taken when she was at her worst and weakest; right before the doctor came in to do the procedure.  The ER nurse had let me borrow an iPad that had all the songs from Frozen downloaded onto it and that kept her focused and somewhat alert.  The second picture was right after the procedure and we were headed to recovery.  The last picture was taken 2 days later and she was feeling back to herself again... hence the boots, balloons, and silly face.   




She has started protesting naps and bedtime somewhat but we are still doing a good job on potty training so there's that... or as Juliet would say, a"guh-sob".  She is the most loving little girl I know.  I'm convinced her love language is/will be physical touch because we all get approximately 2,359 hugs and kisses a day.




Juliet- 2.5 years Favorites

clothing- Her rain boots and headbands
toy- Calico Critters... she will literally play with these things for an entire day.
food- Nutella sandwiches...  preferably with added marshmallow cream.  
song- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Theme song from Winnie the Pooh
snack- Strawberry yogurt
pastime- playing in the sink with measuring cups and spoons or play Mario Run on my iPhone
outdoor activity- throwing rocks into the creek that runs through our yard and I'm going to predict that the sprinkler will be a HUGE hit in a few weeks.  
color- Weh-Woah *yellow*
character/movie- We don't have cable/satellite so most of what she watches is either YouTube videos or Winnie the Pooh on Netflix, but we're starting to introduce her to different characters that are for older toddlers like Olivia, Max and Ruby, Berenstain Bears, and WordWorld.










We stay up late now-a-nights laughing about things she did or said during the day.  She sings and jabbers in her own little language non stop all day, which she thinks we should be able to understand.  She loves pretending that she's a cat by meowing and licking the closest thing to her, including you or the playground equipment.  Gag.  She's still the pickiest eater of all time, but we still offer her everything under the sun.  What's crazy is that she use to eat EVERYTHING we put on her plate then at 20 months she slowly started refusing things until now she basically just eats carbs, fruit, yogurt, and Nutella by the jar full.  Nutella for life.  Which, by the way, these Nutella french toast rollups are amazing and you've got to try them this weekend for your Mother's Day brunch!

Speaking of Mother's Day, I wish all you Mamas reading this a very Happy Mother's Day this Sunday!  My Mom and I already snuck in early pedicures before things get crazy this weekend at all the nail salons and I'm so glad we did.  Our local salon is always a madhouse on Mother's Day weekend and Valentine's Day.  Make sure you take some time out for yourself this weekend too.. just to celebrate you and ALL you do.

Thanks for following along and keeping in touch.  Have a wonderful weekend with the ones you love most!

Sincerely,

The Lishias







Staging the House with Pantone

7:37 AM
Once our decision was made to move to Wilmington, the next step was to get things ready for our current house to go on the market.  I'm in the process of staging each room for pictures next week and  I'm starting to pack a little in the process.  Two things I'm focused on now are minimizing the clutter and adding some life to the room in small ways.  The easiest (and cheapest) way to do that is buying greenery for your home.  When I think of greenery, I think life and fresh air, which always revives and energizes the room and the people in it.  I bought this herb container the other day at Crate and Barrel and I love it in our kitchen!  You can plant up to 4 different types of herbs and it comes with a pair of pruning scissors.


photo via Crate and Barrel

  I was recently inspired by Douglas Elliman and their Florida real estate team to create a mood board for the 2017 Pantone color of the year, greenery.  It's the perfect color to add to any room no matter the decor whether it's through actual plants or through things that are simply green.  Here are a few of my favorite green pieces I already own or items on my wish list!  


You can also incorporate color into your home with less conventinal ideas.  Like adding a basket of cookbooks to your kitchen counter or a small stack on an end table in your living room.  This can be cost effective, fast, and can have a huge impact on the overall look of your space.  A few of my favorites right now that are How to be a Wildflower, The Weekend Cookbook, and Living with Pattern.

Green chalkboard's can also help liven up a space.  I bought Juliet this easel chalkboard at IKEA  and I painted the black board with rustoleum chalkboard paint.  It's an element that can be playful but versatile enough to be used in a kitchen for shopping lists or in a living room.  {click on pictures for better quality}


Here's a few more places we've added green into our home.  Our green velvet sleeper sofa in the office from West Elm and our Pantone chartreuse pocket door in the kitchen.  Both were a little daring but paid off big in the end! 





So I hope you found some inspiration, (and courage), here if you're thinking about adding some color to a room or multiple rooms!  Green is such a great option, even if you are more of a neutral person when it comes to home decor.  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  XO!

disclaimer:  The beige paint color was not our personal choice, it was the color of every room when we moved in and we've only painted a handful of rooms since we moved in last year.  

Sincerely,

The Lishias



    
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