Emily Kate

DIY M e n u B o a r d !

Friday, April 11, 2014

DIY Chalkboard Menu tutorial

and some H&M home decor!

This project has been on my to do list for quite a while but I finally completed it!

It really helps to eliminate the stress of having to decide what's for dinner by planning a weekly menu. It saves money and makes food shopping quicker because I am WAY too indecisive to shop without a list!

That way I can organize all my coupons and plan out my meals by what is on sale as well.

You'll need

A large open frame 16 x 20

Chalkboard paint

painter's tape

a pencil

Gold Spray paint(I used Rustoleum metallic gold)

a small roller

a paintbrush (the size you would use to do the edges on a wall)

I bought a cream colored frame and spray painted it gold.

You could make it easier by purchasing a gold frame.(Or keep it as is)

I always have gold spray paint handy though!

Step 1 Hang your frame then trace the inside of the frame lightly with a pencil.

Remove the frame and use the pencil lines as a guide to lay down your painter's tape.

Step 2 Paint the edges with a brush and use a small roller to paint the rest.

Allow to dry.

I used valspar chalkboard paint

Step 3 Re-hang your frame.

You're done! Congrats now start planning your menu.

Here are some of my fave sites for inspiration.

Life in the lofthouse

(lots of kid friendly delicious recipes)

Hello Newlywed life

Check out Megan's blog for recipe's and fab dinner menus!

She posts her menu plan weekly on Mondays

Food.com

Delish recipes with reviews!

I've found tons of recipes on this site.

Leave some of your faves in a comment!

Image via Handmade Ryan Gosling

I know right!?

I made this one and intended to use it as a daily to do list, but have been using it for quotes instead.

I made the polka dots with a 1 inch circle punch.

This is like the house motto lol.(with three small children it's the only way to be!)

I recently bought a few candles from H&M and a new pillow cover!

I was really excited to discover that they sell reasonably priced home decor.

I got 3 candles and a cushion cover.

Bedside table

Silver Calm candle

The chair is from Marshalls

Love candle

The first coffee table book I ever purchased! Which btw I could use some new ones.

Any recommendations?

Sequin cushion cover

I love anything with some sparkle. The pillow is already getting a bit disheveled looking from the kids but it should hold up just fine otherwise.(because they are obsessed with it lol)

That is Luke's new bean bag chair from HSN.

My parents got it for him for his bday. It is the Perfect gift for a kid that needs sensory input. Luke loves it! It is soo comfy too!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Luke's Pirate party!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Luke's 7th birthday party!! (Pirate themed)

The Birthday Boy!!

I truly can not believe I am the mother of a 7 year old! Luke is one of the most hardworking and genuinely sweet boys I know. He puts forth such an effort every single day to do what is expected. We are so incredibly proud of him. From the time he was diagnosed with autism(at the age of 3) until now he has made such amazing progress! When he was diagnosed he was barely verbal. He would label a few things and would use a few single words to communicate what he wanted. (He did echo a few phrases also) Then he began early intervention preschool and he slowly began coming out of his shell. I'll never forget the day that I asked him for a kiss and he leaned in and gave me one for the first time! Before that day he would allow you to kiss him and hold and cuddle with him but never gave kisses. When he started kindergarten we also began private ABA therapy twice a week which provided really great results. He now is able to answer many questions, observe and comment, label most things, request and ask a few Wh questions. Which is really amazing considering where we started. He has always had a good sense of humor also! He makes us laugh all the time! He is always smiling and loves birthday parties and family get togethers. You should see the way his face lights up when everyone sings Happy Birthday!(and not just at his own party lol) He does blow out everyone's candles for them though! At school he is placed in an autism inclusion class which means for most of the day he is in a smaller class, but is integrated in to the regular ed first grade. The other children are so kind and accepting which I am so grateful for. My biggest fear was that he would not be treated well or be misunderstood. The kids are also extremely encouraging. They take note that they share commonalities and want to see him succeed. Luke learns so much from them also. He presented a show and tell project to the whole class recently. Which included telling his classmates about our family beach vacation. I was so nervous for him, but the teachers said he did amazing.(They actually said he gave a rockstar performance lol) All the kids clapped and from what I was told at the IEP meeting he's already a bit of a ladies man(always gravitating towards the group of girls in morning meeting) and they will ask Luke to demonstrate known skills and he happily complies and loves the attention they give him lol. He has a certain charming quality. This year he has really shown an increased desire to share things with us and chooses to be involved in more and it's just really nice to see.

Disneyquotes

This little man is always cracking everyone up with his observations. You never know what to expect to come out of his little mouth. The other day he was being babysat my my mom and she commented that there was a hippo on tv(she just looked to quickly ha) and he corrected her by saying "Mommom that is not a hippo that is a rhinoceros..Awkward!" Lol! He also has to be the most dramatic boy that ever existed.

Cole

Emily( Queen bee )

She's tougher than she looks lol. I have no worries in life this girl will stand up for herself with the attitude she already has at 14 months!

Treasure map cake

Note: I did not dry out my fondant decorations, because I made them the morning of the party ..(Yes I'm that last minute) lol Which posed a problem with the mermaid tails. They were falling over. I made a little stack of rocks to hold them up, luckily I'm pretty good at solving creative problems. lol

Pirate tattoos are a must have!

as well as eye patches

No i wasn't crazy enough to give these out lol (My mom bought them)

They did look cute out on the table though!

Motivational Monday!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Yes!

Totally me

Seriously the truth

Try it

♥

Blonde hair, Don't care!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

New hair for Spring!

New brown to blonde ombre color

Blond hair, Don't care

Sorry for the poor quality selfie pic haha.

There was no one around above 3 feet tall that could operate a camera.

(Without running the risk of dropping it on the floor!)

Iv'e dropped my own and broke it while documenting a Sweet 16 cake making process! LOL

Khloe Kardashian ♥ Her

Inspiration hair

I think it came out pretty close.

My original plan was to go with a more subtle ombre, but decided to try something a bit more bold. I tend to be that girl who walks out of the salon looking exactly the same every time! (Just refreshing my angles and trimming the ends.) While it is definitely much more blonde(and more dramatic) than I anticipated I like it. It was time for a change! Just in time for Spring.