Augusts Playroom

I am back at it.....

After taking a nearly 9 month hiatus I have gotten the itch to start doing something a little more creative. If you follow me on Instagram you know that my days are filled with chubby thighs (mine and his), sweet kisses, story times and the best giggles. We suffered a long, excruciating, at times debilitating 4 years of infertility.  Our sweet August James (Auggie) was born on March 27th, 2018. My life has since not been the same. I have never been more tired or more happy in my life. He simply makes the good days better and the bad days.... well with him there just aren't any. (we have yet to cut teeth, so I'll report back once that starts)

In the uncontrollable phase of life that I was in during our struggle to get August here - this was the creative outlet I needed. I meticulously planned each section, all the while picturing a sleeping bag filled floor from sleepovers, table and chairs for coloring outside of the lines, growth chart to see how big my child was getting, piles and piles of corn and tractors, a TV center for all of the screen time that I swore I would never do ;).... During my hardest of hard days, that was the kind of stuff that got me through. And here we are.

SO enter the sweetest of sweet playroom.

A coloring and craft section..... When we host functions that have a lot of kids I bring this table and chairs downstairs to double as a kids table in the kitchen - that works perfectly.

 

 

The table and chairs are from Pottery barn Kids (here)... I knew I wanted them for a while so I waited until they had one of their really good sales. And I am not just saying this just in case my husband is reading.... I very rarely buy something at full price. Something will ALWAYS go on sale. For instance currently the table is on sale - the chairs are not.

 

I love to put sweet messages on the white board. I will change it out weekly and always smile as I walk by. Fitting it currently says "Happy Harvest". Coloring sheets colored by our cousins from Augusts baptism that I had on the kids table. Love these.

 


a wooden farm set, naturally.

ABC alphabet wall.... I made this... talk about time consuming! Turned out the cutest though. I do love the pop of color that it brings to the room.

A majority of Augusts books are in his room on his bookshelves that we easily can get to when we read after bath time, but there are a few books here on the end table. I try to stock up when I see cheap ones - we love books!

 

TV Entertainment center is also from Pottery Barn Kids (here). My sister in law has this same piece in her playroom and I loved it. Plus you can customize it to your own needs and make it as tall or long as you want. Each piece is individual so you can build your own wall system. (See me sitting on the couch taking a picture ;)

Storage baskets with chalkboard labels.....

One of the best things about this room upstairs is the view.... You can see miles and miles out of the second story windows. It might always be a room filled with too many toys, movies and (eye roll)...video games. But this view is where we are centered. This is where we always come back to. I can not imagine August wanting to play up here with toys when he has endless access to this beautiful farm.

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Farmhouse Holiday Cheese Board

 

Cheese Boards! My go-to for Holiday parties. They're delicious, easy, a tad fancy and festive with fresh greens or berries. If you follow me on Instagram then you saw my stories of making this exact cheese board.

 

 

 

 The great thing about a cheese board is that there are no rules. You can add anything you want, and more importantly anything you have in your fridge/pantry. Sometimes I add fruit (fresh and dried).

 

First things first - you need a great wooden board. My sister-in-law got me mine several years ago for a wedding present. Add a piece of fresh greenery.

 

 

 

Cheese comes next. I like several different kinds, mix it up a bit. Something sweet, something savory, maybe something a little spicy.  Lately my go to's are (from left to right) crème brie, blue, blueberry, Dill Havarti and lastly Morel and Leek.

 

 



 

 Look at how pretty....

 

 

Add a couple of different kinds of crackers and salamis..... Be messy, make it look rustic, you don't want everything lined up perfectly.

 



 

 

 

And another picture because its just so darn pretty.... ;)

 

 

Next up I added jalapeno stuffed olives for some heat, sliced herb roasted baguette, and breadsticks for some dimension. 

 

 

 Sprinkle shelled pistachios for a little more of a "messy" look and add fresh herbs. For this one I did Bay leaves, but for Christmastime Rosemary is perfect too.

Wintertime pie crust cutouts to make it a little festive.

 

That's it..... You can whip this up in about 15 minutes. Depending on my crowd and if I am able to get "fancy cheeses" I have even sliced up sharp cheddar and added to the board too. Take a look at my cheese boards throughout the years. I have something different in each one.

Have a blessed and joyous Holiday Season.... I have some fun posts planned for the blog, now here's to actually doing it. Things have been pretty busy around here getting ready for our sweet boy.

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Bridal Shower Brunch

Brunches are a favorite of mine to host. The food is fun, easy, and even a donut tower can be deemed "fancy". I hosted a Bridal Shower Brunch a few weeks ago, and although I didn't get a lot of photos when hosting and still trying to set up, I did manage to snap a couple.

Terrible lighting I know - but look at how utterly adorable everything looks. Simple, fresh, a tad whimsical... I love a good Bridal Shower Brunch.





Instead of "cake" we had a muffin tower and stacked donuts. It was so cheerful - I loved this party so much.






It was rainy and so gloomy outside - at this point I would have taken better photos with an IPhone... Who needs to spend thousands of dollars on cameras and lenses anyways (insert eye roll emoji).



Mini Champagne Bottles with custom labels and a wide, pink double satin ribbon tied into a bow as the party favors.

And check out those adorable cookies.... I order all of my sugar cookies through an Instagram follower turned friend - you have to check out her stuff. It's the best. Kelscookiejar





I did a big centerpiece on my island of hydrangea and glads.... add eucalyptus to any arrangement I have learned and it automatically feels very casual and more simple.

A Bridal Shower Brunch isn't complete without a mimosa bar.

 

I hope this gives you some creative ideas for upcoming bridal and baby showers you may be having. I like to keep things as simple as possible - that way you get to enjoy your guests and the party too. Buy 1/2 of your menu and make 1/2 of your menu seems to be a pretty good trick I have figured out.

Summer is quickly fading and fall is right around the corner. I am gathering recipes for Harvest Meals once my farmer is in the field again. I sure love this time of year.

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Farmhouse Campfire Cake

 I made this Camp Fire cake in a cupcake version a few years ago for a big fall party that my farmer and I have every year. They were so cute and I have since been wanting to make a "cake" version.

Well here it is - the easiest boxed chocolate cake made into a little camp fire. The perfect cake for a Fall gathering or a Campfire Themed Party.



I'm usually very into making homemade icings, homemade cakes, etc..... Not for this thing. sometimes its just "easier" to grab packaged and boxed everything. Don't judge me! ;)

 

First things first - the fire.... Take red hard candies and yellow hard candies and unwrap them. Put them in a bag and smash them into little chunks (not too fine though - you don't want it powdery)

 

Place the broken up candies on a foil or parchment paper lines cookie sheet and bake on 375° for 5-10 minutes. Watch it carefully so it wont burn.  

 

 

 

It should resemble this....  

 

 Break apart carefully but try not to get them too small. If you are making cupcakes you want them smaller but for a cake you want them bigger.

In the meantime bake a chocolate cake. Yes I have a delicious chocolate cake recipe (find it here) but I settled for Betty Crocker. Sometimes its nice to just add oil, eggs and water and you still have a delicious cake. (I ALWAYS bake my cakes in 2 round pans)

We are in Harvest, so while I was in the kitchen making this cake tractor after tractor after tractor would drive by...... Fall on the farm is the absolute best.

 

 

 Back to the cake.... Bake, cool and frosting.....

 

For this "rustic" kind of cake I like the messed up frosting look. Usually I go for a perfect uniform look.

 





For the logs I used Twix candy bars and sliced them in half longwise.

 Then just assemble your campfire.

 

 

 So much cuter even in person....

 

 

 

Recipe

Camp Fire Cake:

Ingredients:

1 Box Chocolate Cake

1 Can Chocolate Icing

4 Twix Candy Bars

Red hard candy and Yellow hard candy

I hope you all are having a great Fall. I will have outdoor Fall décor pictures on the blog by the end of the week.

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