Mother's Day {Preschool Style}

I rarely post on the weekends because that's my family time, but this Mother's Day weekend, I thought I would do a special post giving you a sneak peek into my "other" life. Besides a mom, decor-lover and blogger, and Willow House Design Consultant, I'm also a preschool teacher. I spend every weekday with 14 precious four and five year olds that help me keep my perspective on what's important in life. :)

Every May, we host our moms for a Mom's Tea. It's our chance to honor the moms that gift us their precious little ones and lots of their time throughout the year to make special events special. The kids work hard on portraits of mom, placemats, cards, and manners (!) to make the morning memorable. We pull together scrapbooks of art samples from each month... amazing to see their progress from August to May! The moms enjoy visiting with each other, seeing their child's art and projects, and a little pampering in the form of coffee, juice, and cookies made by the teachers. I try hard to make it beautiful and special for them.

These beauties came from Walmart... can you believe it?

Recognize these little retired Southern Living at HOME hurricanes?  Every year, I arrange flowers in one of my containers (SLAH or Willow House) and then I give them away as door prizes.  Two delighted moms went home with these on Thursday. :)

Their scrapbooks... these go home as Mother's Day gifts.  The ribbon tied on the rings is from Walmart as well.

I like to keep the colors simple.  The letters are the child's first initial, I got them on clearance at Target for $1 per package (entire alphabet in each package).

Their sweet Mom portraits... the white at the bottom of each has Q and A's about mom... you can only imagine the chuckles we've had doing those!

The spread... recognize more Southern Living at HOME products? :)

Homemade cookies for our moms.

Hope you enjoyed this peek at my "day job." May you feel special and pampered on this Mother's Day!

Mexican Crock-Pot Chicken {Cinco de Mayo Fave!}

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!  Remember the carefree days when you would leave work a little early on Cinco de Mayo, meet up with friends at your favorite Mexican haunt and sit outside enjoying margaritas, nachos, and other delectible treats? 

I don't know about you, but when the May Madness schedule hits with school age children, there is little time to sit outside anywhere and indulge in one of my favorite cuisines.  Instead, we're on the run with football banquets, end of year concerts and recitals, PTA meetings, Honors Nights, etc, etc, etc.  Can you believe I have NOT ONE "free" evening between now and May 29th?  Seriously. 

But I digress. :)  I hit upon this delicious Mexican Crock Pot Chicken recipe several years ago and it has become my go-to supper for our Cinco de Mayos (or any other night we want, for that matter!).  Someday, my husband and I will be back to meeting up at our favorite place and sitting outside with a frosty margarita, but in the meantime, this is a festive crowd pleaser that won't gum up your on-the-run May afternoons and evenings... enjoy!!

Mexican Crock-Pot Chicken

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup red salsa (or green, if your family prefers) plus more for serving

1/3 cup flour

1 large onion, chopped

2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2/3 cup low fat sour cream

4 oz shredded cheese (we like the colby-jack, but cheddar is good too)

1 15 oz can red beans, heated (optional-- served on the side)

shredded iceberg lettuce

soft corn tortillas, warmed prior to serving

Combine broth, salsa, and flour in your slow cooker, whisking to blend.  Stir in the chopped onion and then arrange chicken breasts in the pot, smooth sides up.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove chicken to a plate.  Ladle sauce from the pot into a blender and puree. Stir in the sour cream and return the sauce and chicken to the pot.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

Recipe from All You April 2005.

I serve this by topping the chicken with shredded cheese and offering the beans, lettuce, chips and salsa, and tortillas on the side.  Great for left-overs (if you have any left) and letting your older children serve themselves if they're on the run like mine.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!



Nautical Touches I'm Loving {Catalog Finds}

Warmer weather has me thinking "beach"!  I grew up in land-locked West Texas, but once I experienced the sand between my toes on the beach, I was hooked.  I'm now a bona fide beach lover and we trek to the white sands of the Gulf Coast a few times a year to get our fix. :)

Though my personal decor style isn't your typical nautical or beach cottage style, I love to introduce touches into my late spring and summer decorating that reflect our love for the coast.  Imagine my surprise when I found several such pieces in -- of all things -- the PB Teen catalog!  Have you ever shopped for decor from Pottery Barn's Teen lines? 

Take a look at what tickled my fancy...



Sweet little octopus toss pillow-- only $35!  How cute for a porch!



Loving these Driftwood Mini Mirrors-- set of 5 for only $59.



Adorable starfish hooks for $15 each.  Awesome for a mudroom or coastal themed bathroom.



Very cool Know Your Ropes Mirror... great size (25" x 16")!


The Big Wave Rug... love the graphic design!  A little pricey (starting at $129) but the Pottery Barn quality might make it worth the while.  This would be great in a playroom, teen bedroom, or coastal casual family room.

I especially like their price points, since I don't showcase coastal decor year round.  PB Teen makes adding those little nautical touches doable and affordable.  So now that I've got you thinking "beach," can you picture yourself here?

Our favorite slice of coastal heaven: Destin, FL.

Happy Decorating {and Happy Shopping}!

I Can't Resist... This Cork Treatment!

I have to begin this post with the catastrophic storms that ravaged our area last week.  The images of devastation, loss, and courage are seared into our minds here.  Though that night was a sleepless one for us, we were spared any real damage.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to our neighbors here in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi that are suffering and picking up the pieces.  Please consider visiting redcross.org and donating to help these communities with their recovery.  But most importantly, please pray for them.  They will need courage, inspiration, and perseverence in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

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On a lighter note, I was thumbing through the pages of the Summer 2011 Cottage Style and came across this breakfast area.

scanned from Cottage Style

Lots to love about this space! I adore the soft blue walls, clean lines of the dark wood furniture, and the sleek light fixture.  But what caught my eye and my imagination is the cork treatment over the built-in desk.

Scanned from Cottage Style magazine.

I love the texture the cork treatment adds to the space!  Plus, can't you imagine the history encapsulated in this project?  Wine shared with friends and family over time, special occasions, vacations... each cork has a story. 

I'm now looking for space in which to do this in my own home... after all, remember these?

This is one of three hurricanes I have filled with wine and champagne corks... each of them has a date or occasion noted on them, even names of partners in crime. 

What do you think of this treatment?  Do you collect corks from special occasion bottles of wine or champagne?

Happy Decorating!

Rev Up Your Outdoors {a Fancy Giveaway!}

Anyone else have the urge to play in the dirt?  As we've gotten warmer here in Georgia, I can hear my garden and containers calling me!  This weekend I will be purchasing my first ever tomato plants to have in containers on my back deck... my husband is a great skeptic, but I hope to have some delish red tomatoes to enjoy this summer.

Since I have a graduate this year (Yikes!), I'll be putting a little extra care into my beds and containers.  We'll be hosting some out-of-town company and, of course, an outdoor soiree in her honor. More on that later this month-- once we're ahead of all the interior repairs, of course!  But I've already started my list of annuals and a few transplants, so the wheels are turning.

I was thrilled when Amanda over at Fancy Little Things gave me a heads up about their latest Home and Garden Giveaway:  a Bloomerang Lilac!



Isn't this gorgeous??  Here's some information on this particular plant from Better Homes and Gardens:

"New Bloomerang dwarf lilac covers itself with clusters of purple-pink, sweetly scented blooms in May, and then continues flowering off and on throughout the summer! Reaching just 4 to 5 feet tall, it fits perfectly in foundation plantings or small gardens. Plant several together and create a fragrant hedge."Reblooming lilac blooms from spring and again from mid-summer to frost and does best in full sun.


I did a little digging (no pun intended!) and found a few more features of this variety of lilac online.

• Attacts butterflies (love this!)
  • Best Seller
• • Cut Flower
• • Deer Resistant
• • Fall Interest
• • Fragrant Flowers
• • Landscape Plant
• • Needs Good Drainage

These are just the kind of things I like to know about new plants and I like to keep it simple ~ hence the bullet points!

I've got the perfect corner of my yard for this beauty... how about you?  Head over to Fancy Little Things between now and May 2nd to enter this fabulous giveaway! 

Happy Decorating and Happy Gardening!

Urn to Lamp {DIY}

Confession: my home is in serious disarray right now as we deal with a broken toilet induced flood in our finished basment, a faulty water heater, and ... gasp! ... termites.  Ugh.  Just as I'm counting down to out of town guests for my daughter's high school graduation in a few weeks!  We're trying to get on top of everything, but you can imagine! 

All that to say that some of my planned projects this month have gone out the window while I deal with repairs.  Such a bummer.

Luckily, I have this urn to lamp transformation that my son and I did together to share with you.  Remember this sweet little Southern Living at HOME urn in my family room?

It's been around awhile and I decided I wanted a little accent lamp on my family room bookcases.  This was the perfect candidate!

I got both of these in the lighting department at Home Depot - less than $15 for the two.  I wasn't entirely sure I would need the harp, but bought it just in case!

We decided to use the harp as part of the assembly, because I could always remove the top part if I didn't want it.

We just followed the directions on the back of the lamp kit... super easy!

Before we inserted the socket down into the harp base, we tested our connection.  Success!

Here's where I had to get a little crafty!  The lamp kit did not come with an insert large enough for the opening of the urn.  So I simply used hot glue to secure the harp base and lamp kit apparatus to the urn.

See how the arms of the harp apparatus rest against the lip of the urn?  Since this little guy won't see a ton of use, I'm pretty confident that we're all secure!  After all, I'm the only one in my household that actually turns the accent lamps off and on!

And here she is!  I love the pop of red on the bookcase, and the lamp is the perfect touch since it tends to be a dark corner anyway.  I'm not crazy about the blah little shade but it was $4.99 at Old Time Pottery, so I'm seeing a little stencilling or fabric in it's future. :)

I'm hoping to continue progress on my months old home office revamp, so look for a post or two on that coming up-- home repairs permitting! 

Can you relate? Do your home repairs ever get in the way of your fun projects??

Happy Decorating!

Mother's Day Gift Ideas {April Sale!}

Shameless plug alert!!  But honestly, gals, this is too good not to bring it to your attention...Have you seen all the Willow House goodies on sale this month?  Perfect Mother's Day {and teacher!} gifts!!






Does Mom like to entertain?  Our Adair Upside-Down Cake Stand {my personal favorite!} or our sweet Ruffled Glass pitcher OR our Gramercy Beverage Server and Stand would all delight her!

Is Mom a gardener?  Our beautiful Hampton Court Rain Gauge or Tealight Garden Stakes will add the perfect touch to her outdoor spaces!

Is she a whiz in the kitchen?  Our gorgeous Hyacinth Measuring Cups, Mixing Bowls, and Ramekins are lovely and the highest quality kitchen ware, and our sweet little Pixie Measuring Spoons are adorable.

Sale prices are good through Friday April 30th while supplies last.  Click HERE to place your order online.

Happy Shopping and Happy Decorating!