Happy New Year Everyone!

I’ve been lucky enough to have the past 8 days off to enjoy family, food, and hanging with my little dude and his daddy 24/7.

I’ve loved EVERY second, but alas it is coming to an end.  Thought I would try to sneak in a quick recap of the Holidays before things get crazy again.

Let’s start with all the playing we did…

van made out like a bandit with Santa.  Apparently he was a VERY good boy this year!

He got a kitchen, a shopping cart, a rocket, some books, and a cute stool with his name on it.  And that doesn’t include what he generous grandparent’s and aunties/uncles/cousins gave him!

We also said “see you soon” to van’s Day-Care provider.  {Now that he has turned 1, it is time to move on to another day school as Ms. Sutton only watches infants.} Thankfully she still babysits after hours, so Mr. vB and I might have snuck in a date during my week off.

{disclaimer- I love this woman.  She is like van’s 3rd grandmother.  Who knew I would get so attached??}

Somebody also got his first hair cut!

Here he is pre-cut..

He was a trooper during the trim process.  No tears and minimum squirming!

Thanks Jay {at Wyldology}!

Lastly we have fit in a lot of time being outside in this amazing un-December like weather. {for those readers that don’t live in Virginia, we have had several 65 degree days lately!}

“look ma- both hands!”

Now on to some new recipes we made…

For Christmas Breakfast with my family I was in charge of a yummy treat.

This receipe for sticky pecan rolls has been ALL OVER pinterest lately, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Photo courtesy of Nicole at The Jones Way

OMG! They are SOSOSO easy to make and SOSOSO good!

My little sous chef even got in on the fun of making it!

I highly recommend trying it out for yourself!

And then last night I tried my hand at making fried chic peas.

I have had them several times at a local wine bar in town and the waiter told us it was just chic peas, with a little panko crumb and salt.  I thought how hard could that be?

Well, it wasn’t hard and I ate them so fast I didn’t get a photo.  OOPS.

I searched the world wide web for a good receipe and none that I saw mentioned panko crumbs.  I took libertys with this specific recipe and kinda made it my own.  Even van liked them- {but he likes almost everything so that’s not saying a lot!}

I used them as a side for the main course of greek chicken pitas, but they would also make a great appetizer or snack!  Definitely another easy, must try recipe!

Finally, being stuck at home time twice a day for naptime might have lead to some furniture rearrangement.. {blame van, not me}

The Goodwill Gold Velvet chair has moved out of the living room to make room for the mini kitchen

Not my favorite location, but what else you gonna do in a small house?

I have thought about moving it to the back room, but the tile work that we started 4 months ago is still not complete.  So maybe one day that room can become the make shift playroom.  Maybe.

I also moved that big {5 shelf} bookcase out of the the hallway, orginally thinking the mini kitchen would go there.  I’m kinda digging it empty though.

I think it would be cool to do a picture wall on that left side with a variety of black frames and stuff.

Something similar to what the gang over at younghouselove did.

photo courtesy of younghouselove.com

You might have also noticed that I moved some of the rugs around.

{who am I kidding- no one noticed but me!}

Sorry about the bad lighting, but the sisal with black band use to be in the hallway and the oriental that is currently under the sofa was by the front door.

Here it is from the other direction.

Eeh, I’m not sold on the switch-a-roo, but am too lazy right now to put them all back to where they were originally!  So for now they stay put! ha-ha

Perfect Timing.. the wee one is starting to stir from his nap, so time to wrap this up!  I hope everyone had a safe and happy Holiday and here’s to a great 2012!  I’m hoping to debute a new look for b&t.com in the next couple of weeks.  I’m serious this time!  I’m working with a designer friend to get the new look I want and then my web-developing hubby is going to make it work.  I also hope to update you soon on some new projects we are undertaking in the new year.  They include but are not limited to drywalling the ceiling in the basement, tiling the downstairs half bath, and MOVING!!!

Our boy is officially ONE and what a blast we had helping him celebrate!

I’m working up a full post with photos and details… stay tuned!

Here’s a recap of what we’ve been doing the past 2 weeks…

1. Philly Day 2011 - we took our nephew Philip out on an adventure for his birthday.

First stop was the State Fair.

Too bad Philip fell asleep shortly after eating the biggest corn-dog EVER, cause he missed

the chickens

And a Bull with REALLY big horns!

But he woke up in time for us to also go to Build-a-Bear.

and build him a bear. Kung Fu Bear to be exact!

vanny seemed a bit bored with it all..

But in the end we were all smiles!

2. Birthday Party Sneak Peek- I started prepping for the big Birthday Celebration next month.

It included some of this..

A Balloon Wreath

And the Prince’s Throne.

3. Tile Demo Anyone? That’s right.  Bye-Bye Orange Tile!

4. Making a Halloween Costume- any guesses as to what I am making?

5. And Keeping up with my little dude!

I’ll hit you guys with more details on everything shortly!

That’s right, the vanEdwardscom families just returned from our 2nd annual beach week…

We had a packed house full of grandparents {Honey and CeCe}, great-grandmothers {Mamie}, Aunties and Uncles {Marty, Travers, Me and Mr, vB} and the 3 cutest grandsons ever {Travers IV, Gus, and of course vannyB}!  Oh, Boots and Bailey went too!

Our cottage was located in Duck, NC and was just perfect for a week’s getaway.  It was beach front with a fabulous pool and porches to relax on!

I tried to stay away from all technology- iPhone, laptop, TV, but couldn’t resist snapping a few photos.

Mamie and van

Gus-sie

Trav

Before and After Mr. vB buried van’s arms in the sand…we all see how that turned out!

Honey and his boys

We had to put Big Travers in time out

van’s 1st chocolate donut!

It was a great week letting the boys play in the sand and surf and despite no photo evidence- the adults had a blast too!

So last weekend me, Mr. vB and the boy headed down to Myrtle beach for some 4th of July Festivities!

I was a bit tentative about how the 6 hour drive would go, but the boy{s} did fine.

Vanny stayed entertained with his toys, one of which was his momma’s iPad.

And Mr. vB was entertained by walkie-talkie-ing his brother who was in the car behind us.

We had a great 4.5 days of beach, sun, food, and most importantly hanging with family!

Here’s some photos of our fun, in no particular order…

{cousin lily anne}

{vanny LOVED the sand almost as much as he loves his daddy}

{van channeling his inner Bruce Springsteen}

{the vB’s}

{the other vB’s}

{I should’ve brought a hair clip!}

So my days of relaxing at the beach are officially over.  Van loved the sand and he was non stop the entire time we were at the beach.  By the end of each day we were BOTH covered head to toe in sand.

Thanks Gigi and Hootie for the great southern hospitality!  We had an awesome time!

Happy Mother’s Day to my Mums…

She is a beautiful, talented and amazing woman.  Some of her many talents include sewing, gardening, cooking, playing scrabble, and babysitting her grand-boys.  I hope that I can be half the mother to vannyB that she has been to me!

Also have to give Mother’s Day shout-outs to my Mother-in-Law, my sister’s-in-law, and my many girlfriends that are mothers or soon to be mothers!  I love you all!

Time is a flyin! Our boy turned 2 months old on Tuesday!  I can’t believe it!

We celebrated by giving him a bath which produced quite a happy baby!

He is smiling and cooing more and more every day.  I just find it hard to catch those moments with the camera. But believe me- he’s a heart-breaker!

We also celebrated Mr. vB’s birthday this past weekend with a family trip up to Wintergreen.  {For those of you not from the Old Dominion, Wintergreen is one of 2 ski resorts that our great state has.} We were joined by his mom and step-dad, his bro and his family, and his step-sister and her kids.  It was definitely a packed condo, but we had a blast!!  We ate cake, relaxed in the hot tub, hit the slopes, and enjoyed some great family time!  Here are some pics…

Gotta love homemade Birthday Cake!  Thanks to my mums for making it!

VannyB tested out his older cousin’s high chair and I think it was a hit!

“Look ma, I can kick my feet!”

The older kids did some snowboarding…{Justin- where’s your cell phone?!}

While the younger ones watched Scooby-doo on the ipad.

The one thing we didn’t do was get a family photo!  SHAME ON US!

So instead I will end this post with this funny photo of my nephew Philip!

what a cutie!

Happy 2011 everyone!

Mr. vB, van and I rang it in in-style over at my friend Greta’s house… If you can believe it I actually stayed up to see the ball drop at midnight, but then was promptly ready to go home and put my pajamas on.  {ha-ha}

So this year instead of doing personal resolutions, Mr, vB and I have decided to do home resolutions. {I was just informed by Mr. vB that statement really doesn’t make any sense.} So for clarification purposes, we resolve to finish the following house projects in 2011.

1. The Exterior of the Back of the House {siding, etc}

2. The Interior of that Back Addition {new tile floor, new paint, finish window trim}

3. The Half Bath on the First Floor {new tile floor, finish window trim, new faucet}

4. The Fireplace and Hearth in the Living Room {new tile surround and fireplace cover}

5.  The Banister and Stairs to the Second Floor {finish stripping, stain, and paint}

6. The Windows in the Office {finish window trim}

7. The Guest Room and Hall {new windows}

8. The Basement {drywall the ceiling, new stairs, replace windows}

9.  The Exterior of the Front of the House {repaint railing, patch porch roof, repaint window trim}

10. Landscape Front Yard {new plantings, sprinkler system}

Wow- I think that is all.

Good thing we have an entire year to accomplish it all and a great Cheerleader to keep us going!

Go Team vB!

Have I ever told you what an Amazing, Talented, and Overall Awesome Woman my Mother is?

When I told her that I was throwing around the idea of doing custom crib bedding, she jumped in wholeheartedly to help me out.  It was my job to find the perfect fabric and then she was going to literally “make it” all happen.  {Both easier said than done!}

Well after searching and searching, I ended up finding the perfect fabrics at Hawthorne Threads.  The bed skirt fabric is by Heather Bailey- Pop Garden in Red.  The bumper piping fabric is Amy Butler- Full Moon Polka Dot in Cherry.  And the bumper is a basic white pique fabric from a local fabric store.

Then after a little online research, we found some easy DIY directions on how to make the crib skirt and bumper pads.  Erika at Urban Grace Interiors had a great concept of how to create a bed-skirt that could grow with the crib.  Each side of the crib skirt is its own panel that is tied to the spring system.  You just tie the ties according to the length of skirt you need.  That way the hem of the skirt is perfect when the mattress is high for a newborn, but still perfect once you lower it down for a toddler.

Then for the bumper pads we found these DIY Instructions over at Vanilla Joy. My mums modified them as she saw fit, but they gave her a good starting point.  {If you have specific questions let me know and I can get her to answer them for you.} I believe this is where she would also admit that she would never attempt to make them again.  The bumper pads proved ALOT harder to make than either of us thought.

But they are complete and all I have to say is that they look amazing!

Take a peak for yourself…

Words cannot express how appreciative I am that you did this for me mom!

Thank you! Thank you! xoxo

Thought this photo would make you guys laugh!

{And no I am not smuggling any pumpkins under my shirt!}

Mr. vB and I headed to the pumpkin patch last weekend to pick out our pumpkin for my brother’s Pumpkin carving party.

Once we Mr.vB found the perfect pumpkin, we he got busy creating a design.

Then he jumped right in with little Travers and Aunt Keri carving said pumpkin.

But in true vB style he brought a power tool with him.

Nothing like a Dremel tool to carve a pumpkin properly.

The little guys were in L-O-V-E…

Here’s a photo of the whole pumpkin carving gang.

Maddy and Philip

Travers

Here’s our finished product! A little moldy from the hot and damp weather this week, but still looking good for the big night.

And here is the gang before they headed out for Trick-or-Treating.

Maddy- Cinderella, Gus- Santa, Philip- a pumpkin, and Travers- Spiderman

Happy Halloween to All!