Matches Cup

The pilot light on one of the burners on our stove is a little unreliable (even though it's been fixed a few times - we can't figure it out), so we have to keep matches on hand. I picked up a box of these green tipped matches at Target because I thought the color was cute.


The big box is less cute though and if I see it and have to use it almost every day, I think it should be cute! So I bought a few of these pretty mercury glass votives at Gracious Home and thought one would make a perfect match holder.


I remember seeing this idea in a magazine or blog somewhere. It's a two minute project (my favorite kind!). All you do is cut off a square of striking paper and glue it to the bottom of your cup. I use Magnatacalmost every time I need a glue!



My cup was a little deeper than the matches, so I put an inch or so of coarse salt at the bottom before filling with the matches.



Looks cute and works well too with the striking paper on the bottom. Also, my girls don't know how to use matches, but just to be safe we keep the cup back further where they can't get to it. 


Love seeing those little green tips! :) Much better than a lighter or big old cardboard box!

The Yard - Advice, Please?

I hate showing in-the-rough before pictures without having some pretty after (or at least during!) shots for you, so I've been hesitant to share any photos of the brownstone. Those bachelors have not been so tidy! I could really use your help though. (and to make it clear - this is not our stuff. We haven't moved in yet)


I would love to be a really good gardener, but honestly, I have no idea where to even start. When we were first married, we lived in Arizona and our yard was mostly gravel and just a small lawn - totally minimal. Since then we've lived in places with no outdoor space. I haven't had the chance to learn about plants and yard care/design. I'm SO excited to finally start now.


We have an upper and a lower deck, both are about 5' deep and 20' wide - not super huge, but just big enough for a small grill, a table and four chairs on the upper deck (which connects to the living room). I'll probably put a small seating area on the bottom deck too (which connects to my office), but I think mostly that area will be for outdoor toy storage. I haven't figured that all out yet.


As I look through Pinterest and my inspiration folders at brownstone yards, it seems like a lot of them have stone or brick pavers. When we first walked through the house, I thought those flagstone pavers should go out immediately in favor for just grass (right after that astroturf gets pulled up off the deck! yeesh!)


But now I'm worrying about mud. Maybe putting down (prettier) pavers is the best idea?








Okay, all you yard experts - help! What would you do with this space? Ideas I'm bouncing around - a tallish hedge along the back wall for added privacy, some flowers and/or vegetables planted along the sides (I want to take out all those low bushy trees to the left).  Raised garden beds? Maybe a teeny tiny playhouse or a covered sandbox? The yard itself is 20' wide x 40' deep (this is a shot from the upstairs landing).


Any thoughts?

Children's Health - Choosing Healthy Foods For Your Kids

Are you concerned about your child's eating habits? It can be challenging to feed toddlers a healthy diet every day, but I have a secret weapon. A homemade smoothie is an easy way to serve your child at least one serving of fruits, vegetables, and calcium every day. Follow these five simple guidelines to help your child eat a nutritious diet:

Five Effortless Nutrition Suggestions for More Nutritious Kids:

3+ portions of veggies, 2 portions of fruit, 3 portions of whole grain products, 3 food servings of calcium, 1/2 their entire body weight in grams of lean health proteins

One serving size of veggies is just one cup raw or 1/2 cup prepared. Even though it can often be difficult to get small children to eat raw vegetables, it's simple to include at least one portion of veggies in a delicious homemade smoothie. Spinach, mixed greens, and steamed baby carrots are specially effortless to conceal in mouth watering shakes. One of the best smoothie recipe with blended veggies is called Frog Juice, and my favorite recipe made with baby carrots is Bunny Juice. Your kids will happily eat their vegetables if you serve them inside a healthy smoothie!

It's substantially simpler and easier to persuade children to eat their fruits instead of vegetables. One helping of fresh fruit is one actual fruit (such as 1 apple or mango), or 3/4 cup of berries. Although fruits aren't necessary to make great drinks, smoothies taste better with a bit of sweet fruit added! Frozen bananas are very popular in smoothies, because they add cold and creamy texture to the drink. The preparation to add bananas into a juice smoothie is basically non-existent: just peel and throw in. Apples are another popular fresh fruits to add to smoothies. Apples are very nutritious and taste great.

Whole Grain Products have a greater nutritional value than processed, highly refined, white grains. Because children consume a relatively small amount of food day-to-day, it is imperative to ensure that they receive the maximum nutritional value for the amount of food that they eat. One serving of whole grains is equal to 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta, 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 cup dry oatmeal or 1 cup whole grain breakfast cereal (with less than 6 grams of sugar, and 3 or more grams of fiber per serving). You can easily add a serving of breakfast cereal to your child's drinks, or add dry oats if your vita mixer is effective enough. The whole grain cereal found in the baby section is one other option, though it will be challenging to find a baby cereal with at least 3 grams per serving of fibers.

Chances are your son or daughter will get nearly all of their daily calcium supplement by drinking milk, but calcium is also found in yogurt, cottage cheese, traditional cheeses, green veggies, legumes, and tofu, along with calcium-fortified food items including waffles and orange fruit juice. One serving of calcium is equal to 1 cup dairy, yogurt, or calcium-fortified juice, 1/2 to One cup beans or broccoli, or four ounces of tofu. You should seek out low-fat versions of dairy, yogurt, and cheese, which are healthier since they have less artery-clogging fat. Children over the age of 2 should always consume 1% milk, never the full fat variety. Smoothies made with low-fat milk, soymilk, citrus veggie juice, or even low-fat natural yogurt are specially scrumptious solutions to consume your calcium.

Lean proteins is another sticky point in children's diets. My own child weighs in at 36 pounds. It's ideal for her to consume one half of that in grams, 18 grams, of lean protein each and every day. Children can get protein from a assortment of sources: cooked chicken, poultry hamburgers, yogurt, lowfat milk, peanut butter, tofu, eggs, almonds, vegan burgers, lasagna, and string cheese are common proteins sources amongst this particular age bracket. You'll really need to look at nutrition facts for one's particular grams of proteins for each amount for each item. Try to consider that barbequed chicken along with turkey burgers are definitely the hefty hitters, averaging twenty-one gr of protein per helping that is the dimensions of ones palm. Natural yogurt, low-fat dairy, peanut butter, as well as tofu are usually fantastic sources of trim necessary protein that taste delightful in kid's shakes!

Now that we've reduced down every single nutrition rule you can see exactly how our nourishing smoothie tested recipes for children could go a considerable ways to ensure your child is ingesting great-tasting, healthful food each day. All the best!

Disclosure: I 'm not an expert in nutrition, only a mommy attempting to make certain my little princess dines on food that is as nutritious as possible. Speak with your doctor before switching your child's diet.

Would your child like to drink healthy smoothies? Click here for Heather Boger's favorite smoothie recipes for kids. Good luck!

Mint Green Step Stool


Hey friends! I hope you had a great long weekend! Ours was so perfect! It felt really long, which is about the best way a weekend could feel. :) Last night was especially fun. We went with our friends Dennis and Jenna on a sail boat down by the Statue of Liberty. The weather, food and company were amazing.


Earlier this weekend I had a little time to finish a project on my list. I bought this step stool at a vintage shop for $20 a while back. I filled the joints with a little wood glue to sturdy it up and then it was good as new and ready for a coat of paint.


I love the diamond pattern on the old rubber treads. 


EDIT: I was wrong about the paint color. I used BEHR's Kiwi Squeeze (latex, high gloss).


After two coats of paint (I did prime first with Zinsser), I dug out the rest of these small brass nails and used them to flatten the rubber tread that was starting to pop up a little. Did you know the easiest way to place a nail in an exact place is to use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold the nail while you tap it in. Work SO well!



Man, I love mint green! 


The stool has been so handy in our kitchen. We don't have a ton of cabinets, so we actually use the items stored on our top shelves on a regular basis. It's nice to have easy access to the shelves all the time now. The girls are really good about not using the stool without me around. I usually fold it up when I'm not using it anyway.



It tucks into this little nook really well for the times we want it out of the way. Or I can put it away in the pantry if I want it out of sight.

 


But the color makes me so happy, I doubt we'll put it away much. :) I especially love the way the gold looks on the green.



Websites, Catalogs and In-store

Wow! What a whirlwind week! It feels like I haven't had time to even blink since last weekend. Do you have any fun plans for the holiday? We're staying in town, but hoping to get out of the house everyday for some adventures. Also hoping to see the new Wes Anderson film, which is getting great reviews. Can't wait!

Yesterday Michael helped me move some things to our storage unit in preparation for the move (I'm getting SO excited!) and then last night we did a little shopping outside the city. The sales are good this year and we bought Michael some new suits (which helped me feel less guilty about the summer shopping I've been doing lately for me and the girls. Must stop!). We also dropped by Home Decorators in NJ. Did you know they have a handful of brick and mortar stores? It was so nice to be able to check out a few items in person before ordering them.

It frustrates me that it feels so risky to order things online! Wouldn't it save so much hassle for customers and for the companies just to include lots of images (close and far away), with truly accurate color representation? I hope this gets better over time. I've noticed some eBay sellers include a hex color code for fabric they are selling so you can refer to a second source. That is SO smart! More retailers should do this!

Anyway. Home Decorators was interesting. They had some cute accessories that I didn't take many photos of - glass cake stands and tons of great planters.


And I really loved these two large wall clocks. Aren't the hands awesome? Feels like it should be in a Kate Spade store.


Even though it's a bit pricey, I'm thinking about buying this one. I've been looking for a more modern-feeling square clock forever and this one is a good size.


I had considered these chairs based on the online photo (don't they look like they'd be a breeze to reupholster?), but in person the proportions were not good. And the chair was totally uncomfortable - you could feel the frame underneath the foam seat.



These were comfy though, if you're looking for a good price on Louis style chairs. ($169 ea)



I also saw the zinc table I was so excited about.


From a few feet back it looks really great and I like the smokey blue gray color.


But the finish was a little different than I was expecting. It's a little more bumpy, which doesn't remind me of zinc. I don't know if it really bothered me, but it was good to know I guess. It's on sale and there's free shipping this weekend. so.....hmm.


I'm still thinking about pairing the table with these Bertoia style chairs (the vintage ones I looked at before were too beat up for the price). Plus, I wouldn't feel bad about painting these a fun color.



Hope you have a GREAT weekend! xoxo

Obesity In Children, Elderly, And Those In-Between Too, Occurs Because We Don't Know How To Diet

Obesity is a national problem. Some studies indicate that two-thirds of adults and more than one-third of children are overweight. The health consequences of excess weight are serious and far-reaching.

Obesity in children and in the elderly require special consideration because both groups have needs that are different from young or middle-aged adults.

Children are at risk of developing chronic conditions related to obesity (especially high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes). However, children also have an increased risk of developing these conditions and others (arthritis, heart disease) once they have reached adulthood because of the length of time their bodies have been carrying extra weight.

Most children are at peril for becoming overweight simply because of the time in which they live. The twenty-first century is characterized by high stress and busy schedules. Food needs are often met at fast food restaurants where the menu is likely to be high fat, high sodium, and high sugar. In addition, again because of busy schedules on the parts of children as well as adults, exercise and physical activity are usually the first things to be "thrown under the bus".

Certain conditions make a child more likely to become obese than peers. For example, low birth weight, obesity or diabetes in the mother, and maternal smoking during pregnancy. Girls after puberty are particularly prone to storage of fat and subsequent obesity.

Children who are obese are at risk of developing psychological problems. Depression, low self-esteem, poor self- image, anxiety, and social maladjustment are more frequent among children who are overweight than among their thinner peers. Obese children likely to become obese adolescents and then, obese adults. Behavioral therapy may be needed if dietary management is not adequate. Parents can check with the school and community because many programs are available for little or no cost.

The elderly also constitute a group which require particular attention to weight control. As the body ages, muscle is lost and fat is particularly likely to accumulate around the abdomen because of hormonal changes and inactivity.

Accumulation of fat around the abdomen is particularly alarming because it is often a predictor of other diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease as well.

Most communities or public facilities for the aged can refer caregivers to programs which aid in appropriate nutrition and exercise programs geared toward the elderly. The maintenance of healthy weight and general fitness contribute to the quality of life for seniors and those who are responsible for their care.

Get them to stop drinking sugary pop today! Your child be on his way to the ideal weight!

By Sue Bristol, R.N.

My eBook will lead you through the way to make it work for you, and your obese child, or spouse. Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses. (Whether or not they are even aware of it!)
Get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret" You don't need to be overweight: Learn how to loss weight fast in a scientific and effective way.

Mixing Metals

I'm a gold jewelry person, through and through. It just looks better with my skin tone I think. But when it comes to hardware and metallic finishes for the home, I like to mix things up and throw in some polished nickel/silvery finishes with my brass pieces. I feel like I have an abundance of brass lately and should probably round things out with a few more silvery things.

This lamp has always been a favorite and I'm thinking it might be time to finally try the DIY version - fingers crossed it looks okay!


This basket project from MS Living was gorgeous! SO in love with that finish and want to use these in a nursery project I'm working on. Every room needs some sparkle, but that does mean it has to be a 'glam' look, you know? These baskets still feel very boho.


This new desk from West Elm is going into a consulting client's design plan. I saw some zinc and aluminum-wrapped case goods pieces at ABC a few months back that were about 10x this price. It's a great look and the West Elm price point is much more affordable.



PS I'm also loving rose gold and I'm coming around to copper. These new copper chairs from Blu Dot are like woah.