Happy Halloween!

It is here.. the day where I can take down all the pumpkins and purple and orange lights and begin my festive end of year holiday displays.

Until that moment comes tonight is the night we get to see all the kiddos from base housing come to our door in their Halloween finest! Unfortunately, TJ got his wisdom teeth taken out Tuesday so he will be resting on the sofa tonight and we will be watching my favorite movie The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Untill then.. Here are some Halloween Favorites

(She loves being dressed up... Yeah right!)

Here is my costume from last year, Miss Holly Golightly! 

Have a safe and Happy Halloween Everyone!

Chalkboard Tutorial

When we moved into our house a few months ago I wanted to do a huge chalkboard for the kitchen and put two sconces up on either side and do a weekly menu on it ... lets just say that did not happen and this is what I ended up doing to the wall instead.

Kitchen sign - Hobby Lobby - I found it in store but here on online options.

Sconces - West Elm
Sconce Lens - West Elm
Sconce Cord - West Elm

The Edison light bulbs I found at Lowes.

I must say I fell head over heals for it in the end but still wanted the chalkboard so here the tutorial.

While walking aroung in the lumber department in Lowes I found the chalkboard board but of course I bought the one next to it with no chalkboard paint on it and bought the rustoleum paint and painted it myself. I painted the board with about 3 layers.

I wanted to do an all white frame to make everything POP! So I was planning to do it with crown moulding from Home Depot. That didn't work because GOD HIMSELF sent us to Hobby Lobby where we found a frame that perfectly fit the 2ft by 4ft chalkboard! The down side it was black... but we painted it white put staples in the back to hold it in place and TA-DA!! We had ourself a chalk board .. we have yet to hang it but here it is (See Below). We plan to hang it with a wire hanger which you can also find at Hobby Lobby.

Weekend Recipe

This past weekend went by so quickly, I'm a tad depressed about it.

TJ and I got up early and fixed my tires on my car and got my hair done went home and cleaned and then got ready to go photograph a 50th birthday party!

I did however have some time make chicken and vegetable soup (in a Crockpot) which was the Bomb.com so here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

5 Chicken breasts (Skinless and trim the fat)

1/2 Bag of baby carrots or 3-4 cleaned carrots

1 bunch of green onions

~ 2 cups of chopped celery

1/2-3/4 cup of chopped tomatoes - I used small ones that start with a C not really sure of the name.

1 sweet onion chopped

2 cans of cream of chicken

4-6 cups of water

1 box or 1/2 box of Ditalini pasta ( it is really cute and good for little mouths but you can use whatever pasta you would like.

I cooked it in a crock pot for about 5-7 hours just long enough for the chicken to fully cook. You'll then take the breasts and shred them then add the shredded chicken breasts into the soup. Then add the noodles and just keep an eye on them until they are the texture you like. TJ likes them softer so they cooked for about 30 minutes.

The recipe is a little half assed but it was amazing none the less.

 

Xoxo- A.B.



Say Boo. Give Thanks. Be Merry

As we being to put on our costumes and do some trick-or-treating I can't help but feel and excitement for what is to come. Although I hung up my costume many years ago, I absolutely love handing out candy to the little ones that come to our door.

I said before my parents are coming up to visit us during Thanksgiving so I have been busy getting the guest room ready (Check) and the rest of the house prepared (Almost Check). I moved our desk upstairs in preparation for the CHRISTMAS TREE! Which TJ and I decided will be put up every year prior to Thanksgiving and that will be our tradition.

Now it is time to plan the first official Brown Thanksgiving day menu! For me this is a breeze because my favorite things are baking and cooking!

I wanted to share our holiday menu, so here is the Line up for the Thanksgiving feast! I will be posting the recipes throughout the weeks to come!

Down. Down. Down...

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days it seems the ol' Mac Book Pro wants to throw a fit and not work for me lately and this goes for my homework too not just blogging. I'm really not the happiest camper but life goes on right? I will probably be investing in a Windows computer just for back up for things like my home work and blogging! So if any of you have any suggestions let me know!


I'll be posting my recipe and the chalkboard tutorial very soon and some holiday decor inspirations!

XOXO Ashlee.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Men

We have 2 more weeks until Halloween and 40 more days until my parents come to visit! So that means I have 3 more weeks of resisting putting up the christmas tree! I'm so excited I could burst!

As I wait not so patiently for Christmas and our Anniversary... I have completed my holiday shopping for my perfectly picky husband. While wrapping up my shopping, I thought I'd make a list of gift ideas list so here are my favorite gift picks for men. (and TJ if you are reading I didn't get any of the following for

you... Sorry honey :) )

1. Lowes - Power tools every man can use a power tool or some type of toom at some point in their life, even if you are the handy man in the house. :)

2. West Elm - Shoe shine box this is awesome because it comes with the polish and the brushes for the fancy man in your life.

3. J. Crew - It's getting colder and a nice pair of socks are always a great gift or stocking stuffer. The bonus is they are festive!

4. West Elm - This is a useful gift for the men in your life who travel, it is a full set that is in a nice case for easy trimming on the go.

5. J. Crew - A nice watch is always a great gift! My husband collect watches he has a weird love for them, which is okay because I love J. Crew Pencil skirts. Luckily we live close to an outlet mall and not a regular mall.

* A bonus for this gift you can put the new watch in a watch box and it is a two for one! .. Less wrapping!

I hope this is helpful for the upcoming holidays!

What a Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend takes the cake because it is the first weekend in about two months I was able to spend with TJ. It was amazing. We didn't do date night or go out, we stayed in and fixed the house up. :)

I bought a bed frame and new comforter set for the guest bed room and we (I) decorated that this weekend, while TJ Cleaned out the guest bedroom and hopefully soon to be nursery.

We spent the weekend resisting putting up the Christmas tree and doing DIY's. I finished the chalkboard and will be posting that soon! :)

We revamped a few items we had and when I say we TJ did those while I cleaned. We will be finishing the cleaning of the second bedroom but we are over the moon that we were together this weekend.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Counting Down.

So tomorrow is my Mom's birthday and let me just start by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! It is also 49 more days until I get to see my Mom and Dad! I'm way to freaking excited because I miss them both so much!

Although, this is the first birthday I will spend away from my Mom I hope she knows that I wish I was there toasting to another year with some Kendall Jackson. In honor of her birthday here are some of my favorite photos of me and the woman I strive to be like.

She and I having lunch last year on her birthday! 

She and I in New Orleans, LA

The gristmill in Gruene, TX

In Washington D.C. 

In Reston,VA 

And my absolute favorite! Again at te gristmill. In Gruene, TX 

Sick Weekend and A West Elm How To.

This weekend was just as boring as it was eventful. 

TJ went on a trip and came back on Tuesday night and brought a gift with him. How sweet right? No.. not sweet because he brought a cold with him. He was off on Friday and Saturday sine he was sick and Saturday I woke up feeling like I was hit with a Metro bus... I still spend my Sunday wrapped up in my robe with tissues and a rudolf nose. 

And it's not helping the fact I want to put up our Christmas Tree. 

But while we are on that subject lets cover a DIY!

Here is my DIY Felt Mistletoe.

What you will need:

2 pieces of green felt

1 small bag of white Pom Poms 

Twine or thick Ribbion (Or you can use more felt)

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun 

Step 1: Take twine, top or ribbon and tie into knot. (See Below) I'm not sure if this has a name so please excuse that. Make sure you cut enough twine that you have a loop to hang and use a dot of a hot glue on the end of the twine to keep it from fraying. 

 Step 2: Cut felt into leave shapes. I cut them into two leaves and singles leaves for a full look. 

 Step 3: Apply a small amount of hot glue to the tip of the leaves if you have made double leaves fold them and apply the the spine of the leaves. 

 Just keep applying the leaving down the twine. Until it is full I used a lot of single leaves on the very bottom of the twine to give it a pointed look since it will be hanging. 

Florida Part 2: Leaving Was NOT Fun.

So when we went to Florida in August, we were going to fly down and pack up a uhaul and drive 18 LONG hours to New Jersey.

When we left at 4 am is was sad we all knew it would be emotional saying good bye and I knew how hard it would be on TJ. When we got in and set sail we filled the uhaul up before we got out of the greater Orlando area got on 95 and we were off to Jacksonville!

We stopped in Jacksonville because I knew of a Whataburger there and you just don't pass up on that kind of oppourtunity. For those of you who don't know of Whataburger is is a fast food joint founded in Corpus Cristi, TX. They are known for french fries, fancy ketchup and using 100% real beef. Here are some pics of some pretty happy Texans.

We went for the Avocado Bacon Burger

It is obvious that TJ loved it. 

And now I'm starving...

We got back on the road and traveled and here are some pictures from along the way.

 Then there were SOME honey buns... 

 And TJ being tired of me taking pictures or driving... or both.. 

 There was Traffic

and a lot of nothing.. 

We hit Maryland at about 10:30 or so we were two hours away from home when we hit traffic. It was terrible an 18 wheeler almost hit us, a man on a motorcycle came one foot from my door while he was zipping through the traffic (not cool or safe). So my parents were kind enough to put us up in a hotel that night and we got up and was on the road by 9 am the next morning. It was a long drive that I may never do again unless we are moving to our permanate home but none the less it was fun driving the east coast together.

Until next time

A.B.

Baby... On The Blog

So TJ and I have been talking lately in making our twosome a three. We both have always wanted children and see very eye to eye on that subject. Now the rumor has it there is no good time to have a baby, you'll never be 100% prepared and they do not come with an instruction manual. The women out there with baby fever have all heard it and all know it very well.

With all those things being said... we are officially on the baby train. We are going to try to have our first child. Which I am OVER THE MOON about. I'm very excited as the holidays start rolling in to bring some 2014 joy into our world too. So with lots of prayers being said for a happy and healthy baby, I will be transitioning the story of man and wife into man, wife and Sweet Baby Brown.

Here is to a baby in the making! 

Until next time!

A.B.

DIY Fabric covered Headboard

So I said that all I did this weekend was DIY crafts.... Well here is the DIY head board post!

When we went to Florida we had no furniture... none! But when we got to Florida we got to take his bedroom furniture and bring it back with us!

This is the before... pretty 80's huh?!

The things needed to make over an existing headboard is this following.
 - 1 old headboard
 - Batting (can be found at Joann's or Michael's in the quilting/fabric department)
 - Fabric (I got mine from Joann’s from the Customize your home Department it was 40% off)
 - A staple gun and staples can be found at Lowes or Home Depot
 - Foam (I used an old mattress pad)

Now for the steps:

1. Cut the Foam to fit around the headboard enough to cover over the edges.

2. Since our head board was round I stapled the foam to the back to secure it. Cut of the excess.

3. Open and unroll the batting (I used a twin size since our head board is queen sized). Roll the batting over the headboard and staple to the back. Cut off the excess.

4. Now cover the area with the fabric. I wanted 6-8 inches covering the back side of the head board. I didn't pull very hard when wrapping the fabric because I wanted it all to look smooth with no folds.

I also stood the headboard against a wall while I did this part I felt it was easier.


I just stapled yet again the materials to the back to secure it. I did the staples about one inch apart.

Here is the finished project.
Now I didn't cover the back because it will be against a wall I just trimmed the excess materials.

Hope you enjoyed the DIY!