yOuR liTtLe BiRdiE

Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos

2013-06-17T07:45:00.000-05:00

I made these for dinner and was so impressed by how simple they are, yet so tender and flavorful. My husband called dibs on the leftovers AT THE TABLE! Delish!

Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos
courtesy of HEB grocery store and their Cocinaware line

2-3 pounds boneless shoulder cut chuck roast
salt and pepper
2 T canola oil
16 oz. jar chipotle salsa
tortillas- white corn or flour
toppings- tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, avocado, etc.

Place oven rack on bottom 1/3. Heat oven to 325.

Season roast with salt and pepper. Heat dutch oven over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in canola oil and add roast. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add 1 cup water and jar of salsa.

Place inside heated oven and cook for about 2 hours. Meat should fall apart easily. Shred meat with knife and fork. Place inside tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Friday's Foot Fetish: Most Comfy Flats I Know

2013-06-14T15:23:00.000-05:00

I ran into the Tory Burch outlet recently and tried on the Eddie (pronounced Eadie) flats recently. I have tried Reva flats before- I love the look of them, but they killed my feet. My friend Shelley recommended the Eddie instead. It isn't a super flashy Tory Burch flat and it is much more comfortable.

I love them! I bought a camel patent pair on clearance for $69, down from $175. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for them on sale or at an outlet near you.

Summer Chevron Burlap Wreath

2013-06-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

I made a new wreath for my front door today just in time for summer! It was quick and easy, so I wanted to share the simple steps with you.

Here are my supplies- burlap, chevron and denim ribbon, a flower, a cheap straw wreath and floral pins. Floral pins may be my new best friend!

I started by wrapping the entire wreath in burlap. I just pinned the back side, wrapped it tight and pinned the end. Afterward, I went back and added a few extra pins along the way to keep it extra secure. No need to even take the plastic off the straw wreath.

See much better already! At this point, you have a blank canvas to add whatever you want! Fabric or felt flowers would be cute.... your monogram or wooden letter of your last name.... a giant bow.... some festive seasonal flowers. There are so many options and you've spent less than $10!

I wanted a summery look that also worked for 4th of July. So, I decided to add in reds, denim and a good ol' country sunflower! I wrapped the wreath more sparingly in red and burlap chevron. It gave me the trendy chevron look I like and brought in some color. Just use the floral pins as you did on the basic burlap base.

I then made a big poofy bow from the denim looking ribbon. I learned how to make these multi loop bows back in college while working at a craft store. I am sure there are plenty of You Tube tutorials if you need help. You essentially make loops alternating between the left and right side of the middle loop and tighten it with a pipe cleaner. I secured the bow with floral pins.

At the base of the bow, I pinned in two green leaves and my big sunflower made from burlap. This flower was $3.50 at Hobby Lobby when flowers were on sale. They had roses and white burlap options, too.

My final touch was a denim ribbon loop to hang my wreath with.

I love the colors mixed with the burlap on my new front door just in time for summer!

Blackberry Pie Bars

2013-06-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

I had a family reunion this weekend and along with bringing quinoa black bean salad, I made these blackberry pie bars! People, they are good. If pie scares you, do these instead. They were like a pie and a cobbler and an easy to grab and eat bar all rolled into one. And, they were especially good the next day with homemade ice cream!

Find the recipe here, courtesy of Key Ingredient.

June Desktop

2013-06-03T09:38:00.003-05:00

Happy Summer Peeps!

The Meatloaf Recipe That Made Me Love Meatloaf!

2013-05-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

I always hated meatloaf growing up. When my Mom made it, I complained and whined my way through my required portion. I had never made it as an adult until a few weeks ago. You see, my husband really likes meatloaf and this recipe made me give it another try. I am so glad that I did!

This meatloaf is flavorful, moist and just all around delicious! We have made it twice now and I have a feeling it will be made monthly. Click here for Paula Deen's Homestyle Meatloaf.

Summer Goody Bags for Teachers

2013-05-28T08:53:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year- what do I get my child's teacher? I played around on blogs and Pinterest this year and merged a couple of different ideas into these cute summer goody bags with meaningful tags.

Abby had 3 teachers this year- two leads and an assistant. So, we made three personalized bags for them. These are inexpensive canvas bags from Hobby Lobby. Abby and I jointly decorated them with craft paint, blue painter's tape and stencils. We used the end of the paintbrush for the dots.

Inside the bags, I bought summer goodies that I thought they would like and really use. These women are such family and God-driven women. I knew Starbucks was too frivolous for them and that they would be spending the summer with their own children, hopefully at the pool!

I wanted to tie the gifts in with the wonderful job they did this school year with Abby. So, we tied tags on each gift playing with the spirit of the gift and the classroom.

My sweet sister owns a Cricket and mailed me a vinyl letter for their carafes. I then filled them with packets to make lemonade.

I have a very affectionate child and I am so grateful they gave her hugs and provided a safe and loving environment for her to grow in.

This tag could be the extra mile in so many different things....

I like this gift because it is useful, personal and inexpensive. I think I spent around $20 on each bag.

For more gift ideas, click here or here or here.

Summertime Food Favorite- Popsicle!

2013-05-27T10:41:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to make in the summertime is homemade Popsicles. They taste so much better than the sugar water ones in the store. I started off with a cookbook last year and then we just branched out to more fun options, our favorite was the Peach Pie!

Don't these look divine- cheesecake with fresh fruit and graham cracker crumbs. Get the recipe from Kitchen Meets Girl here.

My husband loves creamsicles- so I know these will be a hit.

According to Pinterest, the recipe is pretty simple:

1 c. orange juice

1 c. coconut milk

3 T honey

1/4 t orange extract

1/2 t vanilla extract

Whisk all ingredients together and pour into molds. Freeze.

Pudding Pops are always an easy option- these make me think of Bill Cosby, you too? Visit My Pinterest Affair for the full recipe.

Finally, these frozen yogurt trail mix bars caught my eye. I can't wait to try Lean Green Bean's recipe this summer.

What is your favorite summer food?

Friday's Foot Fetish: Air Tali

2013-05-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

I recently splurged on a pair of Air Tali by Cole Haan. As an event planner, when I am on site I can be on my feet for 12 plus hours. I have my fair share of Dansko and Allergra shoes, but nothing cute and practical. So, with a sale and a coupon I bought my first pair. Girls, I am sold!

The leather is so soft and the cushion in plentiful. The heel is just enough and the toe opening is perfect. The sales person had on a black pair that she said she wears daily in retail and has had them for 6 years. They still looked brand new.

I am thrilled with my purchase. The shoes will be great for years to come!

Check out all the colors of Air Tali by Cole Haan here.

Chicken Lasagna Cups

2013-05-21T07:18:00.000-05:00

In an effort to be healthier, I have tried to introduce more vegetables at dinner. I'll be honest, I don't like most veggies, but these.... these veggies I can eat!

The lasagna cups are layered with wonton skins and then filled with chicken and cheese packed with the broccoli, zucchini and carrots to get your veggies in.

I had never bought wonton cups before... that was an adventure. They weren't in the Asian section, they couldn't be found with biscuits and weren't in the freezer aisle. Finally, I found them in produce with the tofu. Look there first :)

Just before going in the oven... don't they look delicious?

Voila- Chicken Lasagna Cups!

The recipe can be found at Emily Bites. I just boiled a chicken breast, shredded it and added it into the cheese and veggie mixture.

From Glass to Mercury Glass in 5 Minutes

2013-05-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

I pinned a mercury glass tutorial months ago and then went on a 2 month "I am spending too much time and money at Hobby Lobby" hiatus. Well today, I went in, bought what I needed and in less than 5 minutes I had this amazing vintage mercury glass vase. Let me show you how!

Here are your supplies- a spray bottled filled with equal parts water and white vinegar, looking glass spray paint and an object to paint. This vase was $4.50 half off. You could use the glass from a picture inside a frame, a mason jar, candlesticks, an old brass lamp, most anything!

Gather all your supplies and be ready- this goes quick. First put a couple of light coats of looking glass spray on the glass object. Don't worry about the inside or super even coverage. I have had some drip marks and they worked out just fine! I did spray the upper inside since it turns outward and would show.

Then you spray the container with your vinegar and water mixture and wait one minute.

Finally, using a paper towel (dry) just start dabbing the vinegar mixture off the vase. It will dull the shiny in places and literally pull the shiny off in others.

My insides were all kinds of a mess from spraying the upper inside portion, but this project is so forgiving that it didn't affect the final project at all.

Here is my finished vase, from glass to mercury glass in under five minutes!

I love the vintage feel it has and no one would ever guess it is a spray paint trick. I can think of so many things I want to paint just looking around my house. This would be beautiful to give as a gift with fresh flowers.

What a wonderful pin to have stumbled across!

Cute Summer Playdate Invite

2013-05-13T20:52:00.000-05:00

Summer makes me nervous.... Abby is so used to a busy fun schedule with lots of interaction that I am always afraid boredom will hit us really quickly!

She has made lots of friends at preschool this year and every one of them signed up to be in class together next year. So, I know these families will be friends of ours for another year.

On the last day of school, Abby is giving out these tags with a bouncy ball in a little 3"x 4" clear bag I bought in the cake decorating section at Hobby Lobby. The tag is made the perfect size to staple on the front of the bag. I am hoping a few Moms feel like I do and call me to set up a play date!

You can easily make these with any summer graphics or just a fun font on colored paper. I think they are precious and will help us fill our summer with fun!

Friday's Foot Fetish- Tory Burch Thora Sandals

2013-05-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

I love sandals- in Texas, we can wear them about 10 months out of the year. Honestly, we could wear them year round, but eventually you want to pretend it is winter and wear a tall boot.

So many of my friends (and random people at Target) own this basic sandal from Tory Burch. It comes in every imaginable color- from orange to black patent to these metallics, my personal favorites!

What do you think- do you like the Pewter or the Gold?

More Mothers' Day Recommendations

2013-05-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share some of my favorite online finds that just might solve the what do I get for Mom on Mother's Day. Granted, most of these won't arrive in time for Sunday, but a sweet card and a picture of what is coming should do! I would love any of these things from Marcus and Abby Lu.

For the Southern Momma who loves a good monogram and burlap- from Number Four Eleven

For the Sporty Momma or the Soccer Mom- from Kate Spade

for the Baker in your house who is always taking a meal to someone- from All About Blanks

for the High Tech Mom who uses her iPad to organize her life- from Southern Belle Boutique on etsy

for the Sentimental Mom who likes to show off her cute kids on any given occasion- from Pickture That

for the fashion forward Momma who loves her Kendra Scott.... this would be me! :)

for the crafty Mom (or Grandma!) who likes to sew, cross stitch, quilt or just create- from MerriWeatherCouncil on etsy

for the Doggie Mom who thinks her furry friend is her child- from The Vintage Pearl

Happy Shopping for Mom!

Friday's Foot Fetish: Tommy Hilfiger sandals

2013-05-03T07:18:00.000-05:00

Did you know Tommy Hilfiger makes sandals? He makes some mighty cute ones!

I love the black and saddle combination and the texture on the black!

Laila on Zappos

These are the cutest jelly sandals and they come in navy and turquoise, too! Perfect for the pool!

Tangelo on Zappos

I recently bought a pair of longer jeans which are perfect for my favorite wedge sandals and have been looking for a black or navy pair. I think the blue and green with this pair are cute and unique!

Adalinay on Zappos

Happy Shoe Shopping!

May Desktop

2013-05-01T05:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Month of May!

I love this month.... summer is about to start, I am traveling for work and fun and my husband has a big birthday at the end of the month! I hope you have lots to look forward to this month as well.

Cottage Charm from Sweet Shoppe Designs

Inexpensive Jewelry Ideas for Mother's Day

2013-04-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

This sweet thing made me a Momma over four year ago. Isn't she precious? She loves a good accessory, just like her Momma. So today, I am sharing a few amazing new finds from Sam Moon.

I went in Sam Moon recently after not having been there in years. I always think of them as a purse store and I stopped collecting purses a few years ago. But I was recently at an event and loved the speakers necklace and about DIED when she told me Sam Moon. So, I ventured in there today and came home with 1 scarf, 3 earrings, 3 necklaces and I only spent $40. These would all make great Mother's Day gifts on a budget!

I am a huge Kendra Scott earring fan right now, so I love how all of these replicate earrings of hers. I had such a hard time deciding. There are so many great colors and shapes to be had.

This is the necklace I loved at my recent MOPS meeting. She paired it with white pants, a nude sweater, a peach and mint IKAT shell and nude sandals. Love the nude/peach color and the size of the stones.

Then, I decided to buy both of these. I wore the pink one to lunch recently with two friends who are jewelry designers and they both complimented me on it. Pretty amazing- I had to tell them SAM MOON! It feels like the Sears commercial where the lady is hesitant to admit shopping at Sears even when her friends compliment her outfit.

If you live outside of a Sam Moon store, you can visit their website. Just know, it doesn't always have the same selection as the store.

Happy Mother's Day Shopping!

Friday's Foot Fetish- Green Leather

2013-04-26T07:58:00.000-05:00

I just love these- do I really need green sandals? NO!

Do I really want green sandals? YES!

In case you "need" them too, they are Franco Sarto Gia found here.

Delicious Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

2013-04-24T07:53:00.000-05:00

I am super excited that we booked a family vacation for this fall- a Disney cruise! So many parts of the trip are exciting including swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas. Checking that off the bucket list this fall. And then I realized the dread of pictures... in a swimsuit... on Facebook. Isn't that always the worst!

So, for the next 6 months my husband and I are focusing on our weight and keeping the goal of a picture in our swimsuit that doesn't make us cringe! To that end, look for some Weight Watchers and general healthy recipes in the next few months and a few less bundt cakes :)

The part of Spring that I love the most is cooking on the grill! My husband grilling meat while I prepare our sides and Abby playing in the backyard. It is dinnertime perfection in my book! Speaking of perfection, these chicken and pineapple skewers are amazingly tasty to be so simple. We ate them all up and declared them a new regular in our dinnertime rotation.

Along with chicken breast chunks and fresh pineapple, you make your own BBQ sauce for basting and dipping that is so tasty! The recipe is from celebrity chef Tyler Florence and can be found here.

We served ours with roasted carrots from the farmers market. They were remarkably tastier that the grocery store carrots. It was a super light and perfect springtime dinner!

Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake

2013-04-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

I love bundt cake- it is pressure free. No need to be perfectly iced or evenly round and flat. Provided you have a good pan and your cake will come out easily when flipped, you are in business!

I recently discovered Shay at Mix and Match Mama and she took a basic bundt cake recipe and has made over 60 varieties of the cake. We recently took her Cinnamon Roll bundt cake to dinner with friends. And, when it was gone, we all wept.

Just kidding, but it was really good.

Visit Shay's blog for the basic recipe and the Cinnamon Roll version. I'd love to try Pistachio or Chocolate Caramel Macaroon next. Delish!

Creamy Garlic Pasta

2013-04-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

We had this yummy pasta as a side dish and it stole the show! We both wanted more of this instead of the main dish. I highly recommend it. Oh, and it is even better the second day when everything has really settled into the noodles.

The recipe from The Cheese Pusher can be found here.

Creating Free iPhone Wallpaper from Pinterest

2013-04-15T14:57:00.000-05:00

I love having a picture of my family on my iPhone lock screen, but I hate having a picture as my home screen. Inevitably, the best part of the picture is covered by icons or folders and it just ends up looking silly.

I was playing around on Pinterest while killing time before preschool pick up and found an easy way to make a cute wallpaper using Pinterest.

First, click on a pin you would like as your wallpaper. Take a picture of your screen by hitting the power button and home button at the same time. The picture would look like the left one below. But, you don't want all that top and bottom junk on your home screen. You want the clean image on the right.

Next, open your photos icon where you look at past pictures taken. Click on the Pinterest photo you just took and zoom into it using your fingers on the screen. (I assume you know this... start with fingers together touching the screen and spread them further apart). Then, take another picture with your power button and home button pushed simultaneously.

Your picture would now look like the one on the right and you can select to save it as your home screen, lock screen or both as your would a photo you took of your family. This happens with the box and right facing arrow after the picture is taken.

Zoe Pearn is one of my favorite digital scrapbookers and she pins beautiful things that make great wallpapers! Happy Pinning and Wallpapering! :)

Friday's Foot Fetish: Michael Kors Sandals

2013-04-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a Friday's Foot Fetish post in a long time! Then, I saw these super cute jelly sandals from Michael Kors and had to share!

I want them in green! They also come in black, brown, white, and pink. They are totally waterproof so they would be super stylish at the pool. I love a t-strap sandal and own my fair share of them.

Michael Kors MK Plate jelly at Zappos

If you'd like a dressier version, I happen to own these in gold and brown. I have had the gold ones forever and wear them so often, I invested in the saddle brown pair earlier this year. They are soft, well made and have lasted really well. Plus they come in 7 different colors including ORANGE!

Michael Kors MK Plate Thong at Zappos

Happy Shoe Shopping!

Round Top Finds

2013-04-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend Andrea and I spent Saturday afternoon exploring the fields of Warrenton and Round Top hoping to find a few special things... a vintage ladder to hold quilts, two large scones to hold a shelf in her daughter's room, and turquoise Tupperware glasses like Uncle Si uses for his sweet tea. We didn't find any of those things, but we did find some real winners!

First of all, we had our obligatory Royer's Pie at Zapp Hall. Last time we were here, they only had large pies and we dug in. Luckily, this time, they had mini pies. I enjoyed a Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie pie. Delicious!

Pardon my red skin... the clouds were deceiving and I got a sunburn!

Andrea declared her cherry pie the best ever. I am not a cherry pie fan, but it did look good and the cherries were so sweet and dark.

Zapp Hall area is a really fun place with eclectic booths, live music and lots of tables under the trees. We loved taking a little break here to people watch and enjoy the cool breeze and live music.

Speaking of people watching, the fashion of Round Top is top notch. We saw grown women in tutus with printed leggings and running shoes, Mexican dresses with fringe all around them, people way overdressed to walk 5 miles in the dirt fields, and a lot of people with gypsy-like hairpieces. Apparently wrapping a ribbon around your head with a giant flower is popular again?

I bought two items for my house that I just love. Look at the new little pillow for my guest bed. Who wouldn't want to be loved like biscuits and gravy? So sweet and fun!

Finally, one of my favorite vendors added butterflies to their painted tin collection. I loved the colors in this one and bought it for my daughter's room. She also has a large flower made of tin from Texas Trash and Treasures. They always have such cute stuff!

If you are ever in the Austin area the first weekend of April or October, be sure to visit Round Top. Just bring cash and your favorite tutu :)

Guest Room Updates

2013-04-08T05:08:00.000-05:00

I have always loved a good check. This grey checkered quilt was recently discovered at Target and after thinking about how I would use it for a few days, I bought it. It was under $70 and is great quality. It is soft and already feel worn in. So, I played around in this room during rest time and came up with a room I really love!

I am very blessed to have a Mother and Sister that quilt and a MIL with a long line of quilters in her family. I had previously had a quilt from my husband's grandmother on the bed. The new quilt at the foot of the bed was a gift to my MIL from her Aunt Mable. I love this quilt. It is just so me- I love all the bright colors and the details. My MIL told me that Mable had more money that her own mother and was able to buy fabric for her quilts rather than use leftover scraps from other projects or clothing. So, her quilts were always much thicker. It is a great quilt!

The only thing I bought was the grey checkered quilt. I dug out from under the guest bed (while moving it) my collection or throw pillows and just played around until something worked. Luckily, I had lots of red stored under there since I moved red out of my living room recently.

I added the bee print that once resided in Abby's bathroom since it had a little of the green and blue in it. I have loved that print for many years!

Since there is so much green in the quilt from Mable, I added a green lamp from my office and a frame I had tucked away. I want a mercury glass lamp for my office and hope to try the new spray paint method I have seen online.

I also added the red canvas of Matthew 6:11 to the long wall in the room. It was on clearance at Hobby Lobby and I had a gift certificate from a sweet friend. I originally wanted it in my kitchen, but it is much bigger than the space I had in mind. I do like it in here.

I am going to Round Top for the my central Texas antique show this weekend and I am specifically looking for an old wooden ladder to lean against the wall and hold all of my extra quilts. Fingers crossed I find it!

For reference, here is a picture of the room before the updates were made.