LIFEFLIX

Cake!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:56:00 +0000

I've recently found two great recipes that I've been using non-stop! I highly recommend that you give 'em a try!

Vanilla Cake aka The 1-2-3-4 Cake. It's the recipe I used for Emma's 2nd Birthday cake.
As you can see, it was a big hit!

I also can't stop making these... White Wedding Cupcakes (I also like the Chocolate version)

...also approved :)

Little Helper

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:35:00 +0000

I'm not sure if most Moms out there would agree but I find it next to impossible to do stuff around the house (on my own) when the little one is about. I attended a mommy group last week at Emma's preschool and one of the moms was telling the group about how her 3 year old son "helps" her with laundry, cleaning the house, prepping dinner etc. It was the only way she could get things done!

I thought I'd give it a shot this week. I have to say, prepping dinner last night went swimmingly well. Yes it was a little messier than usual, the kitchen floor was a little wet from all the splashing (and so was her t-shirt) but dinner got done semi-peacefully! It was a win win for all.

I knew she would enjoy helping me prepare the Cottage Pie because she loves chopping up veggies with her Kidoozie Garden Fresh Fruits & Veggies - Pretend Cut and Peel set (cutting board is from IKEA). Unfortunately she couldn't help with the cutting part for obvious reasons, but she did wash the potatoes & carrots and helped transfer the cut vegetables into the pot. She also loves turning the faucet on and off. It was so cute seeing how happy and proud she felt after preparing dinner - she even told Daddy all about it during dinner!

Photoshoot time!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

It was a rare moment so I had to keep shooting!
Emma is starting to get coy and it's getting harder and harder to take photos of her.

1st day of Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:32:00 +0000

We survived the first week of Preschool (early 2s program).
Emma was a champ! I dropped her off and there was no looking back.

When it was time to pick her up... the other kids came leaping out of the classroom to give their moms hugs and she remained seated on the floor (not even a head turn) playing with all of the new toys. (Ouch!) I know, I know. It's a good thing.

Lucy: 2 months

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:02:00 +0000

(This post originally said 3 months - can you tell I'm still not getting quite enough sleep!!!!)

She's turned a corner this month, Lucy is finally cracking some smiles and giving us a few more ZZZzzzs.

(Don't) Spill the beans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I introduced our first "game" to Emma last week. Transferring beans from one container to another, using a spoon. She seemed to really like this one!

For those of you interested, have a look at other similar activities you could do with your kiddies at www.infomontessori.com.

Activities! Activities!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

So far I think the hardest part about having two kiddies (a little less than two years apart) is making sure that the older one (Emma) is getting the most attention that I can possibly give her. I know (too well) how easy it is to use the television as a crutch, believe me I've seen more than my share of Poppy Cat, Super Why, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Angelina Ballerina and Sesame Street - so I've been trying to arm myself with activities that we'll both enjoy when going outdoors isn't an option or when I just can't get myself to leave the house (aka I haven't washed my hair in a week, my slimming black outfit is covered in spit-up, oh and let's not forget the grimy I forgot to brush my teeth thing!)

I have no plans to homeschool my kids but I've recently been obsessed with the idea of incorporating some pre-school homeschoolesque action up in here. The Montessori method came highly recommended by a friend, so I've been doing a lot of research online and at our local library. I'm excited to see how Emma will respond to it all. I don't plan on having a rigid schedule but I will definitely have some sort of structure that we can realistically stick to. My plan is to see how it goes and take it from there. She's starting preschool (early 2's program) next week - two days a week for two hours a day (it aint much but it's enough time to chug down a glass of something hard if push comes to shove - I kid). I'll definitely be sharing my favorite sources as soon as I sift through all of my notes.

I also signed up for an hour music class once a week. Unfortunately the place where we've been going decided to close its doors, so we'll be trying out a new Music and More with Kelly class this Fall (I hope she enjoys it as much as she enjoyed her Kindermusik classes - Miss Susan, we'll miss you!). Plus our local library offers a free story telling/sing-songy thing once a week that she also enjoys. It's only a 20 minute session but it motivates me to go to the library and we end up either going early or staying afterwards - she loves it there. Of course all of these activities will now be done with little Lucy in tow so I'm not sure how it will all go down but I'm pretty sure it won't be as organized as it sounds :)

Life is certainly a little daunting at the moment but I'm sure everything will fall into place, balance will be restored and one day J and I may even get more than 4.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Fingers crossed.

PS. Days 1 and 2 of just me and the girls went pretty well! I think I can definitely do this.

Coming up for air

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Hello everybody! Anyone still out there :)
The last three months have flown by and I can't believe that this Summer is nearly over.

About 8 Weeks ago...
- My awesome in-laws arrived from the UK to help us out (they left on Saturday)
- Lucy joined our family on July 11th (exactly when she was due!)
- Emma celebrated her 2nd birthday a month after (I prepped everything for the party before I gave birth and my dear friend Ez helped with all of the pretty details)

Today...
- Marks the first day of me learning how to be Super Mom
- I'm really hoping I can get this blog going again (I dream of the girls reading it one day when they get older)

Hope to be back with more details! xo

Grilled Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Hillsy and I are currently obsessed with making Grilled Pizza (we even ordered a wooden pizza paddle a couple of days ago). So far my favorite topping combo has been Berkshire Bacon + Prosciutto + Mozzarella + Arugula!

Definitely give this a try!

*Video shot using my iPhone and edited using iMovie App

A Day at Terrain

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:47:00 +0000

I've been wanting to go to Terrain for the longest time... couldn't think of a better person to go with than my dear friends Ez (who has been RAVING and RAVING about this shop). It was a fun-food-shopping-filled day! The only thing missing was another dear friend who I'm sure would've enjoyed it just as much as I did! We missed you Melis!!

The 2+ hour drive was definitely worth it! My favorite part? Styer's Garden Café of course!! I had the Soft Shell Crab sandwich, washed down with a Honey & Mint Tea Au Lait. Yum.

Baking Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:10:00 +0000

I don't often bake because unlike cooking, I find it VERY frustrating. The fact that there is no room for error intimidates the crap out of me. But today I attempted to bake my mother-in-law's Victoria Sponge Cake... I'm sure it pales in comparison to hers but I think I may have done her proud.

Images were all taken via Instagram (follow me: marichellehills)

Bedroom Update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:57:00 +0000

I've been keeping myself busy with a couple of home improvement projects lately - nothing that involves tearing down walls or anything, just switching out rooms and buying new pieces of furniture type of thing.

Let's start with our bedroom. As you can see, this room has been a work in progress for the past two years! I've been waiting for the right (vintage) dresser to come along but it just hasn't happened so with a baby on the way and less refinishing time/desires on my hands I decided to go down the IKEA route. I initially planned to buy the 8-drawer Hemnes Dresser but spotted this lovely grey goodness (Edland 6-drawer dresser). I can't resist anything grey, so it was almost love at first site. Although I have to confess, this thing took me three days (on & off) to assemble. It comes in two boxes with a HUGE, I mean monstrous, bag of tiny parts - it took me a while just to get all the parts organized on the floor. Would I do it again? Probably, coz I love the end product so much. I didn't get a chance to photograph it, but the drawers come lined with the prettiest white/grey pattern (little things like that make me happy). That mirror used to be downstairs, a favorite I scored at an antique market in Pennsylvania. Two years ago it probably would've been a victim of the ol' antique white spray can, but little by little I've come to appreciate the look of old wood and mixing it in with my existing stuff! The lamp is from Target and the lovely garland was crocheted by my Mom.

Thank you so much for all of your nice comments from my previous post. We're so excited and can't wait to welcome the pea into our family! Oh and a few have asked about the reading nook - the awesome dollhouse bookshelves was a used purchase. I saw an ad in our local community site and emailed the woman immediately! It was originally from Potter Barn, unfortunately they no longer sell it. The garland is something I made. The blackboard was another find from an antique market, pillows are from Fern Living and the beautiful blanket was a gift (I just folded it over a cot mattress). You can't see it in full but I have a couple of hanging lanterns that used to be in this room back in 2009 then I got sick of them and they ended up hanging out in the attic for a couple of years, but I finally came around and dusted them off this month!

Next up I'll show you our new Dining and Living Room set ups. I decided to switch the rooms around!

No. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:34:00 +0000

Well hello there!

This may have been the longest blogging break I've taken to date... it's been really hard for me to get back into the routine of taking photos and sharing little tidbits of my life after the holidays. PLUS I was suffering from a really tough first trimester... uh-huh that's right! We're expecting our number two (woohoo!!). Another little lady to be exact, our little miss Emma is going to have a little sister. I'm about five months now, we're due early July and couldn't be more happier (minus the fact that this pregnancy has been kicking my ass big time).

By the way, if you have an iPhone, I highly recommend the Instagram App. You can find me there (marichellehills) - it's my new shortcut to blogging! It's basically a feed of pics that I share with captions, like the ones above. That's our little cutie pie testing out her new reading nook - she's growing into quite the little lady - 1½ years old now! Can you believe it?? We still can't believe how quickly it's all going. Sometimes I look at her in the morning and I'm convinced that she's grown two inches overnight. She's walking, talking (words only) and making us laugh on a daily basis.

So that's my big excuse for bailing out on you. It's a pretty good one right? I have a feeling that I won't be back to posting regularly anytime soon, but I just wanted to pop in, say hello and share our exciting news!

Christmas Crack

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:16:00 +0000

I've been spending waaaay too much time on Pinterest lately and to make matters worse, my favorite finds always seem to be food related. Introducing Christmas Crack... Chocolate + Saltines + Toffee. Be careful if you try this at home people, it has certainly lived up to its name! Don't say I didn't warn ya.

24 more days 'til Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:20:00 +0000

I can't believe it's already the first!
Emma opened the first window on her advent calendar this morning (thanks for the reminder Mrs H!), although I'm pretty sure she was confused by the whole thing, I still enjoyed the ritual and look forward to doing it every morning! And who knows, she might even get it after a couple of days. This year we decided to put up a tiny table top Fir instead of our usual - we figured it was the *safer option with little miss explorer around. She looks at the tree in wonder each night as I turn on the lights. She's still not quite tall enough to touch it from the ground so I carry her up to get a better view, she'll usually brush the needles and ornaments with her hands (and gets quite feisty when it's time to go back down). Christmas is definitely more fun with a little one around!

It's probably a little too late but I want to share my favorite source for holiday and tree decorations - Lancaster Market is the best! My most favorite things on our tree are from there.

Up, Up and Away

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:07:00 +0000

I'm currently obsessed with making hotair balloons and decided to sell some at Melissa's Pop-up Shop this past Saturday. All but one sold and are now in happy homes thanks to my wonderful and sweet friends :)

I hope to be making a few more before the holiday madness begins!

Pop-up Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:50:00 +0000

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not taking enough pictures. I was feeling a little queasy and looking through a camera was the last thing I wanted to do. Argh, so annoyed coz it ALL looked so lovely and Melissa's home was the perfect setting for it all - wish I had taken more photos to share with you all. Fortunately Jennifer took some amazing shots, so go here!

Melissa Loves Pop-up Shop!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:37:00 +0000

I've got some very exciting news to share... I'm co-hosting (more like tagging along for the fun) a Pop-up Shop at Melissa's beautiful home in Maplewood next Saturday the 12th! I urge you to come if you can, promise it'll be lots of fun. We've invited some of our favorite designers (I'm sure you'll approve of 'em all) AND if you get there early enough there may even be some wine and freshly baked goodies waiting for you! Go here for more information! Send me a tweet or an email (lifeflix@gmail.com) if you're coming, looking forward to seeing you there (I hope).

Snowstorm in October

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:34:00 +0000

Both Hillsy and I are feeling a little shattered after dragging what seemed to be a never-ending amount of fallen branches from our gianormous Silver Maple tree. Despite the hard work (which we're both feeling in our muscles this morning), we're thankful that the damage wasn't any worse. Apart from a broken fence and some wood paneling that needs to be nailed back in, I'd say we were pretty lucky!

Emma's (almost) Halloween Costume

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:14:00 +0000

I was sooo excited when I finally finished Emma's costume the other night, but what I didn't count on was her reaction...Totally freaked out by the feathers, to the point where she was holding her breath and flailing uncontrollably. I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. For those of you who don't know, I'm terrified of birds and lots of other animals :)

I plucked off the feathers this morning, she'll be going as a featherless chick with a cute pink comb and pink leggings.

Butterfly Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:45:00 +0000

I've been meaning to post pics of my MIL's yummy Butterfly Cakes. They were Hillsy's favorite when he was little so he sweet talked her into whipping some up on their last visit. Aren't they the cutest things?

I've been busy making the bean's Halloween costume, I finally finished it last night... tried it on her this morning and quickly found at that I need to start working on Plan B. Let's just say she freaked out when I put the onesie covered with white feathers on her (she WAS going to be a chick).

nan and granddad

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:53:00 +0000

My in-laws from England recently paid us a visit - sadly they left a couple of days ago and our house is eerily quiet without them. I'm sure just the thought of your in-laws staying in your home for three weeks would send most of you straight into the looney bin, but I can honestly say that it is always a pleasure when mine come to visit. Call me crazy, but I even wish they'd stay longer! I was never close to any of my grandparents so it was a total joy for me watching them with Emma. I've learned so much from them and I hope one day Hillsy and I can be just like them with our own grandkids.

I took a ton of photos and videos during their stay but this short video is one of my faves.
I'm sure if Emma could talk she'd say I miss you nan and granddad!

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I got a special belated treat for my birthday this year...

A special dinner at Blue Hill! It was spectacular, definitely a meal that I will always remember. Unfortunately we didn't have time to explore the entire property, hopefully we'll get a chance to head back before the weather gets too rough and take a tour of the farm, take one of their kid-friendly farming classes, and sneak in a quick bite from the cafe.

Cream Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:46:00 +0000

My in laws are visiting from England and have inspired a couple of new obsessions around here...
Scones + clotted cream + jam served with a nice cup of tea. Hillsy has been baking a fresh batch each morning - I think I could get used to this.

Turning 35

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:21:00 +0000

Honestly? So far it feels a lot like 34.