Little

Little seems to be slipping through my fingers lately.

While my girls are thrilled to be "growing up"- the new beds, the special trip to buy their first lunch boxes, preschool in the fall...I can't help but feeling overwhelmed and a little saddened by it all. I am utterly grateful they are healthy and growing up as they should be.

But my heartstrings just can't help but be tugged at the thought that they are no longer my babies but now my little girls.

The other day I heard, "Mommy, I just don't know which prince I am going to marry."
I feel like a will blink and she really will be walking down the aisle.

So I try to treasure every moment, soak it all in, write down all the cute things they say but...

wrong or right, just for the moment, I want to keep them... little.

Play Space

In the midst of changing the girls' nursery into a "big girl" room, I was also able to tackle organizing the play/ toy storage space. Really I had no choice- the rocking chair and a bookshelf that was in their room just didn't fit with the two twin beds but I love the way this space came out too. It also has really slanted ceilings but I think it works great here for a little people play space.

I painted the small canvases behind the rocking chair to match the rug. The one great thing about slanted ceilings is you don't have to worry about a lot of art work.

These little hanging boxes work great to hold collectibles that I don't want little hands to accidentally break.

Notice three lamps- that is because there are no windows; technically, this space is only a hallway between their room and ours.

One of my favorite twin signs.

Now if only it would always stay this neat and organized...

If you haven't entered for a chance to win a $40 CSN gift card, leave a comment here.

Link Parties...

Big Girl Bedroom & GIVEAWAY!

Even though I still slightly melancholy about turning the girls' nursery into a "big girl" room, I am pleased with the way it turned out. Also I am a little suprised too.  That is because of the amount of space we now have with putting bigger beds in. Our house is a very tiny cape cod and on the entire second floor the ceilings are slanted. Less head room makes the small square footage seem even smaller so I wasn't even sure two twin beds would fit but Mr. Cabin measured and assured me we could make it work.

With the second bed, you can really see how low the ceilings slant. (Although it is kind of cozy.)

Mr. Cabin and I made the headboards ourselves.

My favorite part of the room is the furniture. I was lucky enough to grab it from my mother-in-law. This dresser used to be up against the pink wall under the window. I had to fight the urge to bust out my paintbrush and paint the pink walls green and the green walls pink so the furniture would stand out more.

Mr. Cabin said I was nuts and I quickly got over it.

I love the old hardware on these pieces and the worn distressed paint.

A few details...

This mirror was the girls' favorite part- there was no mirror in their nursery so they just thought this was soooo cool. They had to run and get their pretend lipstick to put on.

If we had more space, I would love to get them a little vanity which brings me to my giveaway. Jessica from CSN contacted me and asked if I would be interested in giving a gift certificate away to one of my readers and I said sure, why not!

I know these CSN gift certificates have been all over blogland but you can use the $40 to purchase some great things. I would put it toward one of these bedroom vanity . (The girls would go nuts!) But you could put this one-time use gift card toward any of the thousands of items at CSN.  There may be shipping charges or international fees if you live in Candaa. 

For a chance to win,  just leave me a comment.

For a second chance let me know if you are a follower, if not you can join with the google friend connect in my sidebar, and come back and tell me in a seperate comment.

And for a third chance, post about this giveaway on your sidebar or blog about it and tell me in another comment.

We will pick the lucky winner on August 3rd!

Good Luck!

Linking to these fabulous parties...

Pillow Talk- Iron It On

I was searching for some fun, "campy" pillows to add to our new cabin couch. Of course, there were quite a few I liked online, however my wallet didn't. Sadly, I cannot sew, I really wish I could, so sewing my own was not an option. Then I came up with this idea to embellish some store bought pillows with iron-on transfers.

Iron on transfer sheets are available at most craft stores. I actually bought mine at a office supply store.

Then I chose my images. For mine, I went on a parks and recreation website and downloaded actual photographs of fish we would find in our area. Mr. Cabin was thrilled that I picked the right fish! I just chose "iron on" on the paper type selection menu of my printer menu.

Here is the pillow before. It was a bargain at $4.oo!

To apply the images, just follow the directions on the transfers. I was a little hesitant about the fluffiness of the pillow and being able to press down hard enough with the iron but it worked fine.

The finished product. I still might add a rustic button or something to the middle. Yes, I can sew a button.

This was so easy I am already starting to think of different ones to make.

Linking to these fabulous parties...

Squirrels and Sneak Peeks

Squirrels! Most of the time I pay very little attention to the bushy tailed creatures. They scamper around our yard collecting their acorns, climbing the trees, minding their own business. I didn't bother them and they didn't bother me and it was a very fine relationship we had indeed. Until this...

Remember, my beautiful corn? Take a closer look...

GONE! Every, single piece! I actually caught the little rascals red-handed, chomping away on my corn. Of course, I didn't grab the camera...only a handful of ice from the freezer to try to throw at them. Not that it did any good- all of the damage was done.

 I tried to put a positive spin on the situation for my daughters, saying that we were sharing our corn with the squirrels. They still did not like the fact that there was none left over for us especially since corn on the cob is one of their favorite things to eat. Ugh, bushy-tailed bandits!

So thank you for letting me rant a little...I am starting to feel better already. At least I can use the stalks to decorate in the fall, right?

And if sharing this little set back with you wasn't enough to cheer me up- I have my Home Goods Happiness.  This weekend, Mr. Cabin and I are shipping the girls off to their grandparents for a sleepover so we can surprise them and change their room and put in their "big girl" beds. I had been searching all over the web to find quilts that would match their pink and green room. Re-painting now is just not in the budget. Then on a whim, we went into Home Goods. Here is my Home Goods Happiness and a little sneak peek of the "Big Girls" room makeover to come.

Meet the Neighbors...

Driving down the mountain on our way home the other day, we saw our neighbors resting in the shade of a tree alongside the road. Such a cute little family, I couldn't help but take a quick pic. I got out of the car to take a few more, but I guess I scared them because they ran away down the hill. Must always be on the moooove. We will just have to wait for another day to make our formal introductions.

Pesto

Basil is a staple in my garden.  Even if I never used it for food, I think I would still plant it because of it's rich aromatic smell. One of my summer traditions has become harvesting some of the basil to make pesto. It is a fairly simple recipe. I usually double or triple it so I will have plenty to save and freeze. 

2 cups (2 oz) firmly packed fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

1/2- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly grpund pepper

1 cup (8 fl oz) mild olive oil

1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a blender, combine the basil, garlic, nuts, salt and pepper. (Be careful when adding the salt, as the cheese that is added later can be salty.) Process until well combined. Add 1/2 cup of the olive oil and puree using short on-off pulses. Stir between pulses to blend well. Add the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the cheese and process to form a thick puree. Do not overprocess; the mixture should have a little texture. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Transfer to a covered container and store in the refrigerator.

Use pesto in pasta, pizza, crostini and grilled vegetables. It can also be thinned with olive oil or vinegar for a salad dressing or a sauce for grilled fish.

Pesto keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Be sure to pour a thin layer of olive oil on top; this keeps it from discoloring. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months, but do not add the cheese until after it is defrosted.

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Cottage Vegetable Garden

After returning from a week at the cabin, we found our vegetable garden had exploded. We've had a garden for the past eight years but it has never looked like this in early July!

 It now looks more like it usually does mid-August. But trust me, I am not complaining.

I wonder why though? Less rain? Hot temperatures? On our  ride home just the other day, the temperature on my rear-view mirror said 111 degrees!

I like to think maybe the Gardening Gods are just shining down on us this year.

Here are all the vegetables/fruits we have planted. Sorry for going a little photo crazy, I just love my plants!

Corn

Cucumbers

Grape Tomatoes

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Bell Peppers

Cherry Peppers

Jalepeno Peppers

Squash

Basil

Eggplant

String Beans

Watermelon

How are your gardens growing? I hope you are enoying just as much success as we are this year.

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