hello..... i've been tremendously busy this summer, so sorry that i haven't posted too much! my kids were off from school and i had scheduled 2 major vacations for the summer. we just got back from a two week vacation in france and we had a fabulous time. i was snapping a ton of photos, so i plan to share them with you! the first half of the trip we stayed in paris and then second half was in provence. everything i saw was a feast for the eyes! i came back inspired ... continue reading...
Caramel Frappuccino
My Son's Carmel Frappuccino it has been hot around here and so my son came up with a recipe for a cold pick me up drink! serving size: 1 big glass1/2 cups soy milk1/2 cup chilled coffee2 tbs sugar2 tbs caramel or chocolate sauce2 cups iceMake coffee and add sugar and dissolve. Chill the coffee in the fridge or quickly in the freezer. Then blend all ingredients together. You can substitute caramel for chocolate and soy for milk. Enjoy ... continue reading...
Candles
sand candle this is so fresh and very summery. just add fine white sand to a glass container and add fake flowers and candle. this is such an easy project and has fun summer results. i bought the sand at michael's craft store. have fun creating your own candle! close up of daises ... continue reading...
How to Keep Summer Basil Fresh
summer basil i just love to grow basil during the summer, but this year i didn't get around to planting any. so instead of having it in my garden, i just cut some stems and placed it in a mug of water. it will last for weeks as long as the stem are in water. pretty cool. i have tried doing this in the winter from the store bought basil and i haven't had any luck. not sure why. so here is how you do this simple task... buy some fresh basil from ... continue reading...
Gluten Free Cupcakes
gluten free cupcakes! for the last month and a half, we have had our daughter on a gluten free diet. her tummy has always hurt on and off and we tried eliminating milk from her diet with a little bit of success. after a while, we just thought maybe her tummy issues were just her normal state. then our pediatrician noticed on her physical that she had an issue of constipation which maybe a symptom of gluten intolerance. so we did a test of putting her on going gluten ... continue reading...
Healthy Brownies
oh my gosh, are these brownies yummy! they are moist and without any oil, butter or eggs. it is hard to believe that something that is without the fat could be so moist and rich with flavor. i've been trying the recipes from the Engine 2 diet book which is all vegan recipes. so far, i have loved all the recipes that i have tried. this brownie recipe is a keeper and had to share this with you. i think they have a copyright on the recipe, so here is the link to ... continue reading...
Healthy Hummus
yummy hummus! i never made hummus so i thought i would give it a try this weekend. i'm not too crazy over the stuff, since it sometimes can be a little bland tasting. once i made this recipe, i instantly fell in love with it. i got the recipe off Engine 2's website. the great thing about this recipe is that it doesn't have any oil and it still taste delicious. the generous amount of garlic makes it very yummy! i made it and quickly made the sandwich that ... continue reading...
Sea Glass an easy DIY project
Sea Glass Candle Holder I love sea glass and I love the ocean. Our home here is California has a little bit of coastal decor that is light and airy. I wanted to create a little beach retreat in our master bedroom and wanted some sea glass decor. Instead, of buying the expensive Pottery Barn sea glass, I decided to make my own glass. This is a fun and easy project and I'm confident that you'll be pleasantly surprised with the lovely results! This truly is a really quick project and it ... continue reading...
Bath Sea Salts
san francisco pier 39 bath salts! oh gosh, we had a fun weekend despite my computer crashing! we had some guest visiting and so we toured the warf and i came across these wonderful bath and shower salts. i just love the smell and colors. so, it was something like $15.00 for 2 bottles. i filled up 2 plastic bottles with any salts that i liked. the salt apparently is from the bay! here is their website: www.sfsalt.com smells so good and so ... continue reading...
Chalkboard Labels
Organizing our Food with Chalk Labels Now that I'm making more gluten free foods for my daughter, I have new ingredients that need a home. I just happen to have a few jars that are empty! I'm thinking that if I place labels on them I'll need to change the ingredients. Chalk labels were the answer, it would allow me to rewrite the contents on the label. I went around to all the craft stores in search of premade chalk labels and couldn't find them. Then, I found a roll of chalk label paper at ... continue reading...
Homemade Granola Reicpe
yummy granola... over the last month we had our pediatrician recommend a gluten free diet for my daughter. turns out that it has been an awesome thing for her digestive tract! so for the last month i've been trying to get my head and kitchen reorganized around this whole gluten free diet. i must admit that i have been preoccupied with it and so you haven't seen that many blog posts. i have about 4-5 different gluten free flours and baking mixes on my shelves. i ... continue reading...
Tour of My Front Porch
everything is coming up daisies! since our weather has been so nice lately, we have been working out in our garden. we have put in some new lawn as well as a little patch of flowers and trees. most of the flowers my husband has planted are daisies, so it made sense to put daisies in this cute basket i bought at our local craft store. daisies are such a happy flower. do you remember, meg ryans character in "You've Got Mail"? she loves daisies and she gets a bouquet ... continue reading...
Siberian Iris
my uncle george's siberian iris! wow, it was such a surprise to go outside in my garden and see this wonderful flower! every night, i've been covering the plant so the local deer can't eat it for a midnight snack. well, it finally bloomed and i couldn't be more happy. it is a part of the plant that my uncle george game to my mom, who gave me a start. i was just thinking how it wouldn't survive our cold winter, but it some how did and actually ... continue reading...
Napa
the coolest chicken coop!!! i saw this chicken coop on my travels to napa california. it was at one of the wineries! gosh, if i could have a chicken coop in my back yard i would love to own this one! i just had to share this. ... continue reading...
siberian iris my mother's older brother was really into gardening and he gave my mom some starts from his siberian iris. of course she gave me some starts off her plant and i had them growing at my old house in seattle. when we moved from seattle to northern california there were a ton of plants i wanted to bring to my new house. but, since we had a long journey south, i could only bring one plant. so i choose to bring this plant. when we arrived in northern ... continue reading...
https://happyhappynester.com/siberian-iris-my-mothers-older-brother/
ironwood blossoms we have lived in our northern california house for three years this summer and we are just starting to get acquainted with our garden. we have about a half an acre of land and most of it is landscaped. my husband michael always comments that we could have a full time gardener if we could afford one. well this tree is located in our yard that is alongside the road, so we haven't paid too much attention to it until now. the blossoms are just gorgeous and so ... continue reading...
https://happyhappynester.com/ironwood-blossoms-we-have-lived-in-our/
Strawberries with Sugar Recipe
strawberries, strawberries, strawberries strawberries are appearing in our grocery stores, hope they are where you live. there is this yummy thing you can do with strawberries that just involves fresh strawberries dipped in yogurt/sour cream and brown sugar. my friend kerry taught me this technique and her version is to use sour cream, but we have two members of our family that are deathly allergic to sour cream. we have a ton of food and environment allergies, but ... continue reading...
Trip to France
i'm planning a summer trip to France... Today was suppose to be a house cleaning day for me. In fact, I have my grungy cleaning clothes on, but of course I'm distracted by planning our summer trip to France. When it comes to planning our family trips, I really like the process of finding our accommodations and it just dawned on me that maybe it is the whole nesting thing! I like to look at how cozy the place is and also, I love seeing how other people decorate. ... continue reading...
Repainting Garden Containers
weekend porch project my black tin pots have seen better days. they were all rusted and oxidized and looked pretty sad on my porch. our gardener told me about this spray that he uses to freshen up wrought iron fences. so, i decided to try it on my now gray pots. well, the results came out great and i was so inspired that added a topiary to them. now i'm thinking i can get a few more years out of them! i still have a few more things i would like to add to my front ... continue reading...
Kid’s Construction Paper Mural
kid's self portrait project a couple of weeks ago, i taught a craft/jewelry class with my friend allyson. our class was for girls first grade to fifth grade. we had a lot of fun that week and here is one of the projects that you can do with the kiddos in your life. it is pretty easy craft and doesn't require too many materials. it was a great project for a class since the girls had to complete their portrait, so they couldn't walk away from it until all parts of ... continue reading...
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https://happyhappynester.com/layla-grayce-offers-free-shipping-love/
