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Our week in five

// ONE //

Our days during the summer literally look like this: wake up, eat breakfast, walk to the park, play in the splash pad, walk home, play in sandbox, eat lunch, nap, eat dinner, sleep, repeat. The kids are big fans of routine.

Because I’ve been out of commission lately, I decided to mix things up a bit and make a splash pad at home. I’m not sure why I haven’t thought about this before because it’s so simple. But, yeah. Water sprinklers.

The kids had so much fun. They ran through the sprinklers. They slid down the slide.

And when the water station changed, they moved on with it. They even had fun with the smaller stations that water the flower beds. Plus, as Mr. L pointed out, there sprinklers keep the mosquitos at bay so I don’t have to worry about loading them up with bug spray. AND they were clean at the end of it!

// TWO //

My sweet aunt and uncle surprised us with a visit last weekend. We had not seen them in forever and were so happy to spend time with them. My aunt found these two books for the kiddos:

These books are fabulous! Little L and The Dot had tons of fun looking at all of the animals in The Water Hole. The illustrations are beautiful. And on each page there are these little frogs that wear sunglasses and bowties. Little L searched for them as the story progressed. The narrative is very simple–“one rhino,” “two tigers,” etc., but the illustrations are so intricate that the book is enjoyable for both parents and kids.

Tap the Magic Tree is another wonderful book. I love the book because it is interactive and only 2D (I can’t tell you how many pop-up books my kids have destroyed!). As you read, you help the tree grow by tapping the flowers, shaking the tree and then you can start the process over again. Such a great idea for a book and so much fun.

// THREE //

On Sunday, we checked out cars at Cars & Coffee for a Cause, which is a car show that the local car club hosts every first Sunday of the month. Car enthusiasts are welcome to come look at the members’ cars, and a percentage of coffee proceeds go to charity. Little L is OBSESSED with cars, but we suspect it is his obsession with Starbucks cake pops that keeps him coming back. Either way, we had fun and saw some really neat classic and performance cars.

// FOUR //

One of my favorite restaurants in Houston is an Italian restaurant in The Rice Village named Prego. I haven’t been since before having the kids, and even though it is one of my favorite restaurants, I can speak to only the Zuppa di Pepe soup that they serve there. I have never ordered anything else because the soup really is quite filling. And I’m sort of thinking they might serve bread or something like that along with the meal.

Anyway, the last time we went I was pregnant with Little L and realized that my reclusive nature would take a drastic turn for the worse after having a baby and that I may not have the soup again for a long time. So I went to the grocery store, bought tons of red bell peppers and poblano peppers and set to cloning the soup. At this point in time, I have no idea if my soup tastes anything like the soup from Prego. But my soup is delicious. Seriously.

We were trying to come up with ideas for dinner, and Mr. L remembered this soup. It was so good, we ended up making it twice for dinner this week.

Unfortunately this picture that I took when I first made the soup does not do the soup justice:

But here’s the recipe in case you want to try it out too. It’s not low-calorie by any means, but it is low carb.

Print
Roasted Red Pepper and Poblano Soup
Author: Lauren
 
Ingredients
Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe:
  • 4 red bell peppers, charred under broiler, skin and seeds removed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
  • 1 can chicken broth (14.5oz)
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup Recipe:
  • 5 poblano peppers, charred under broiler, skin and seeds removed
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • 1 rib celery, chopped
  • ½ can chicken broth (half of 14.5oz can)
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup:
  1. Prepare the poblano peppers (place whole peppers on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and heat under broiler until charred—I set the timer for 7 minutes and keep rotating them and resetting the timer until all sides are charred; let peppers cool; remove skins and seeds). Chop the peppers.
  2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Place chopped onion and celery in the saucepan and sauté approximately 10 minutes, until onion and celery is tender.
  4. Add the poblano peppers and ½ can of chicken broth.
  5. Increase heat until broth and vegetable mixture comes to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Turn off heat. Using immersion blender (or batches in regular blender), blend the broth and vegetable mixture until creamy—you may have to add a little cream here if it is too thick to blend, but don’t over-blend once you add the cream. Stir in heavy cream and salt.
Roasted Red Pepper Soup:
  1. Prepare the red bell peppers (place whole peppers on foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and heat under broiler until charred—I set the timer for 7 minutes and keep rotating them and resetting the timer until all sides are charred; let peppers cool; remove skins and seeds). Chop the peppers.
  2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Place chopped red bell peppers, onion, and garlic in the saucepan and sauté approximately 10 minutes, until onion is tender.
  4. Pour in the chicken broth. Increase heat until broth and vegetable mixture comes to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Turn off heat. Using immersion blender (or batches in regular blender), blend the broth and vegetable mixture until creamy. Stir in heavy cream and salt.
Combine both soups in a ratio of ¼ poblano pepper soup to ¾ red pepper soup and serve in a shallow bowl. Enjoy!
3.5.3251

 

// FIVE //

I’m so so so excited that these little aprons came in for the kids! I purchased them on sale at Williams Sonoma. They were less than $7 each, so a fantastic deal. I wish I had bought a few more because these would make the cutest birthday gift for a little kid.

And we had a very happy Fourth of July. I didn’t take a lot of pictures because it poured rain the entire day, but we had a memorable day together.


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🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I 🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I didn’t decorate for Easter this year because the house is in shambles and I can’t imagine adding more things to the chaos (new baby and teething toddler are a tricky combination). However, I did manage to put together a small bunnyscape on our kitchen table. Looking forward to Easter brunch with the family tomorrow ❤️🐰

#easterbrunch #easterbreakfast #tablesetting #easter #easterdecor #eastertablescape #eastertable #eastertabledecor #tablescape #tablescapestyling #bunnies #herecomespetercottontail #familytime #springtablescape #springtabledecor #springtable #entertainingathome #neutralstyle #neutraldecor #neutralhome #carrotcake #mywoodlandslifeblog
Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Texas. Sixty-four degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The kids went to the park, had a “hot dog fire” outside for lunch, and are playing in the backyard this afternoon. I stayed up late last night finishing up a blog post on one of my favorite projects: my Serena and Lily inspired modern coastal coffee table. We took an inexpensive Ikea Lack coffee table and wrapped it in textured vinyl peel and stick wallpaper to get a designer look for less. Check out the link to my blog in my bio for step by step instructions and sources.

#springisintheair #firstdayofspring #blueandwhite #coastaldecor #moderncoastal #mytradhome #ikeahack #ikeahacks #ikealovers #ikeaideas #topiary #coffeetable #coffeetabledecor #coffeetableideas #grasscloth #grassclothwallpaper #removablewallpaper #lightandbright #chinoiserie #chinoiseriechicstyle #blueandwhitedecor #classicdesign #diydecor #diyprojects #mywoodlandslifeblog
Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Amazingly this was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve done, and I loved the immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the Amazon price on removable wallpaper. Click the link in my profile for sources. 

#stpatricksday #wallpaper #peelandstickwallpaper #removablewallpaper #myhome #myhomevibe #myhomestyle #mytradhome #greenandwhite #homedecor #diywalldecor #diyprojects #diyhomedecor #wallpaperwednesday #amazonfinds #herringbone #brightasthetic #brightgreen #wallpaperdecor #diy
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About me

Hi! I'm Lauren. Welcome to my blog, where I write about DIY projects, home decor, and decorating on a budget. With 3 kids under the age of 5, my house not always as neat in real life as it looks on the blog, but I find a way to embrace (and organize) the chaos.

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INSTAGRAM FEED

🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I 🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I didn’t decorate for Easter this year because the house is in shambles and I can’t imagine adding more things to the chaos (new baby and teething toddler are a tricky combination). However, I did manage to put together a small bunnyscape on our kitchen table. Looking forward to Easter brunch with the family tomorrow ❤️🐰

#easterbrunch #easterbreakfast #tablesetting #easter #easterdecor #eastertablescape #eastertable #eastertabledecor #tablescape #tablescapestyling #bunnies #herecomespetercottontail #familytime #springtablescape #springtabledecor #springtable #entertainingathome #neutralstyle #neutraldecor #neutralhome #carrotcake #mywoodlandslifeblog
Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Texas. Sixty-four degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The kids went to the park, had a “hot dog fire” outside for lunch, and are playing in the backyard this afternoon. I stayed up late last night finishing up a blog post on one of my favorite projects: my Serena and Lily inspired modern coastal coffee table. We took an inexpensive Ikea Lack coffee table and wrapped it in textured vinyl peel and stick wallpaper to get a designer look for less. Check out the link to my blog in my bio for step by step instructions and sources.

#springisintheair #firstdayofspring #blueandwhite #coastaldecor #moderncoastal #mytradhome #ikeahack #ikeahacks #ikealovers #ikeaideas #topiary #coffeetable #coffeetabledecor #coffeetableideas #grasscloth #grassclothwallpaper #removablewallpaper #lightandbright #chinoiserie #chinoiseriechicstyle #blueandwhitedecor #classicdesign #diydecor #diyprojects #mywoodlandslifeblog
Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Amazingly this was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve done, and I loved the immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the Amazon price on removable wallpaper. Click the link in my profile for sources. 

#stpatricksday #wallpaper #peelandstickwallpaper #removablewallpaper #myhome #myhomevibe #myhomestyle #mytradhome #greenandwhite #homedecor #diywalldecor #diyprojects #diyhomedecor #wallpaperwednesday #amazonfinds #herringbone #brightasthetic #brightgreen #wallpaperdecor #diy
So very excited about St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow So very excited about St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow!! We have a well-stocked supply of green food coloring and drinks. Plus I have a lineup of activities for the kiddos that I think they will enjoy. The kids and I made this St. Patrick’s Day themed snack board a few weeks ago as a test run for the blog, and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. Totally tricked the kids into trying cauliflower (they were not fans). But they ate everything else. Cookies first of course 🍀. 

#stpatricksday #stpattysday #stpatrick #snacks #snackideas #snacktime #snacksforkids #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #fruitandveggies #charcuterieboard #holdthemeat #shamrock #rainbowfood #partyideas #appetizers #foodart #stpatricksdayfood #stpatricksdaydecor #fruittray #veggietray
Playing a bit of catchup on Instagram this week an Playing a bit of catchup on Instagram this week and realized I never shared how my daughter's purple bedroom turned out. While it pained me to paint over her blush flower wall, her love for purple won me over. She is thrilled with the final result and is so excited to have her big girl room just the way she wants it. All the details are on the blog (just click the link under my profile to go check out the post). #purplebedroom #nomorepink #purplebedding #bedroomdecor #purpledecor #popofpurple #catart #homedecorlove #bedroomrefresh #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #kidsroomdecor #kidsroominspo #girlsroom #kidsfurniture #toddlerroom #purpleroom #benjaminmoore #lavendarice #mywoodlandslifeblog
When I made this flower arrangement a few weeks ag When I made this flower arrangement a few weeks ago, little did I know that all of the camelias would freeze. I'm thankful to have this winter storm behind us. We lost power for 12 hours and luckily do not have any damage to our pipes. But I know a lot of people who were without power and water for days. Praying for Texas's speedy recovery and so very grateful for all of the linemen and other field personnel who worked tirelessly to restore power.⁣
⁣
#prayfortexas #staysafe #flowerarrangement #flowerpic #blueandwhite #diyhomedecor #entrywaydecor #camelia #pinkandblue #flowerlove #flowerpop #flowersofinstagram #chinoiserie #gingerjar #chinoiseriechic #palmbeachstyle #readyforspring #springinspo #springinthesouth #touchofpink #springflowers #traditionalhome #mywoodlandslifeblog
Now that 2021 has officially begun, I’m starting Now that 2021 has officially begun, I’m starting off the week with fresh linen. Have downsized decorative pillows to three, which makes the husband happy. Drawback to bedding refresh: getting out of cozy bed every morning is a challenge. 

#whitebedding #whitebedroom #neutralbedroomdecor #newyearnewbedding #dontwanttogetup #mypotterybarn #pickstitch #serenaandlily #percaleduvet #diyeurosham #whiteandbright #bedroomrefresh #beddingdecor #beddinginspo #homedecor #brightbedroom #mywoodlandslifeblog
Just finished putting together our mini holiday ho Just finished putting together our mini holiday home tour on the blog and realized that while Christmas is almost here, it is almost over too. I will miss all of the ornaments and reindeer and excuses to eat Christmas cookies. I’m looking forward to spending the next few days with family and especially with the kids. I’m also looking forward to 2021 and am hoping it brings some peace and resolution to this confusing year. I hope too that everyone has a safe and joyful holiday and a Happy New Year. 

#merrychristmas #happyholidays #christmasishere #enjoythemoment #holidayhomedecor #vibrantchristmas #blueandwhite #flocked #christmaslivingroomdecor #mywoodlandslifeblog
What’s for Christmas dinner? I have no idea, but What’s for Christmas dinner? I have no idea, but we will have a cute table setting 😂. I made these pink, green and red charger plates out of $2 plastic chargers from Hobby Lobby and acrylic paint. Check out today’s blog post for more detailed sources/instructions. I’ve also uploaded a step-by-step to my story highlights. 

#christmastablesetting #christmastabledecor #diychargerplates #diycharger #handpaintedchargerplate #christmaschargerplates #pinkandgreenchristmas #worldmarketlinens #holidaycharger #holidaytable #holidaytablesetting #agapanthus #hollyberries #decoratefortheseason #merryandbright #pinkchristmas #mywoodlandslifeblog
I made these little Santa cookies today to go with I made these little Santa cookies today to go with the trees and couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. Packaging them all up with some #traderjoes chocolate covered pretzels to deliver to the neighbors as Christmas goodies. 

Cookie cutters and design inspiration from @hol_fox 
She has the cutest Etsy account with such clever cookie ideas. 

#christmascookies #royalicingdecoratedcookies #santacookies #neighborgiftideas #diyholidaycookies #cutoutcookies #holidaycookies #sugarcookiesfromscratch #hollyfox #christmasgiftidea
A few years ago, I made these piped Christmas pill A few years ago, I made these piped Christmas pillows for our master bed. Well the husband won the pillow battle, and I will humbly admit that having 11 pillows on the bed is a bit much. I think the pillows look cuter on the couch anyway.

#plaidchristmasdecor #plaidpillows #stewarttartanplaid #diypillowcovers  #howmanypillowsistoomany #neutralholidaydecor #redandgreenandwhite #whitecouch #diychristmaspillows #pipedpillows #livingroomdetails #christmasdetails
Tree confession: Not only does our tree have the p Tree confession: Not only does our tree have the party in the front, naked in the back thing going on, it’s also rocking the high water look. The baby (now toddler) keeps absconding with the lower ornaments. Plus our three and five-year-old wanted to show us how tall they are by putting the ornaments as high as they could reach. So we have some nice ornament clumps at arm’s length 😂. Wouldn’t have it any other way though! 

#christmastreedecorating #christmastrees #silverandgoldchristmastree #neutralchristmasdecor #christmaswithtoddlersismagical #treesofinstagram #christmastrees #christmastreedecoration #homedecor #neutralstyle #stockings #boxwoodwreath #mywoodlandslifeblog
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