DIY Banner

Anyone else got a giant stack of paper grocery bags stuffed in a cabinet for no reason? I needed a banner for Christmas card pictures and, as usual, I didn't want to spend any money! I made this adorable banner using things I already had around my house. I hope it gives you a little inspiration this holiday season!

Materials

o   Brown paper grocery bags

o   Scissors

o   Ruler

o   Pencil

o   Paint pen

o   Twine

o   Glue or a hole puncher

Instructions

1. Start by drawing a triangle to use as a template. If you like the size of mine, they are 4 ½” wide and 5” tall.

2. Use your template to cut out a total of 14 triangles (14 if you want yours to say “Merry Christmas” J ).If you leave the bags folded, you can knock two triangles out at once.

3. To hand-letter your banner, pick out a font to base your letters off of. If you like the way my letters look, take a peek at this chart to help you!

4. Draw a faint line down the middle with a pencil and use this as a guide, then lightly sketched a rough draft of the letters. When it looks good enough to be permanent, trace it with a white paint pen. (My letters were 1 ¾“ tall and then however wide they needed to be to look right)

5. Don’t forget to erase your guide lines after your paint has dried!

6. There are three ways you can attach your twine: glue/hot glue, tape, or using a hole puncher and weaving the twine through.

7. Lay your letters out in the OPPOSITE order. This way when you flip them over to attach to attach the twine, they'll be in the right order when your banner is finished. Trust me. I had to find this out the hard way. 

 

I can't get this picture to rotate for the life of me... This is an example of how you need to lay out your letters. When you flip them over and attach them to the twine in this order, I promise your banner will read "Christmas" and not "samtsirhc!"  

If hand-lettering isn’t your area of expertise, snag a pack of stencils and paint your letters on. If you’re not crafty and don’t want any paint or tracing involved, fear not! Shanty-2-Chic has great banner templates already made and ready to print. You can print out your letters/triangles and still use the brown paper bag trick to give them a little something extra!

Easy as Pie!

If you're in need of a Thanksgiving dessert to impress your family this Thursday, you're in luck! This is the third time that I have made an apple pie using this recipe. The first two were perfect, but the third came out a little tart- nothing that can't be balanced out with some vanilla ice cream! I combined two recipes into this one and used a store-bought crust (who has time to make a crust from scratch?!). 

Ingredients

• Refrigerated pie crusts (I used the Wal-Mart brand and in my unprofessional opinion, it's better than Pillsbury)
• ½ cup of butter (I used one stick of salted butter and it tasted just fine!)
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup of water
• ½ cup of white sugar
• ½ cup of packed light brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon (I didn't actually measure, I just sprinkled in what I wanted)
• ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg (again, I didn't measure)
• 6 or 7 Granny Smith apples- peeled, cored, and sliced

And a 9 inch pie dish!

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425° F
2. Let your refrigerated pie crust sit out and soften 10-15 minutes before you’re ready to use them.
3. Melt your butter in a saucepan. Mix in flour. Add water, white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer while you're getting your crust ready.
4. Place the bottom crust in your dish, firmly press it down, and fill it with apples
5. Gently pour the butter mixture over the apples
6. For your top crust, you have two options! You may take the second crust and place it right over the top, pinching the edges and cutting slits in it; OR you may weave it into a lattice top pie crust! I’ll insert videos for both J
7. Cover the edge of your crust with aluminum foil so it doesn’t burn!
8. Bake your pie at 425° F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F and continue baking 35 to 45 minutes. At 35 minutes I take the foil off the edges and then continue to check it to make sure it doesn't get too crispy!

This pie turned out flawless the first time I made it in June!

Crust

 

DIY Crate Nightstand

Nathan and I live on base so we have limited space. I've been using a teeny table as a nightstand for two years and it was basically me stacking my clock, iPad, books, phone, glasses, and chapstick in a Jenga tower. I've been on the lookout for something more spacious, but inexpensive and compact, and finally decided to just make my own!

The crates are from Jo-Ann's, but you can find them at any craft store! Never EVER pay full price for these things, people. Craft stores always have coupons! They retail around $13, but you can almost always find a 40% off coupon for Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Jo-Ann's. (Hint: Download the Retail-Me-Not app or pull up the store's website on your smartphone and they can scan any coupon from your phone)

**When you buy your crates, make sure you find two that stack well together! Some of them are a little wobbly!**

The wood stain I used is from Wal-Mart. It is Miniwax in the shade "English Chestnut 223" and it retails for less than $5. I used about half of an 8 oz can! To apply the stain, I used a four pack of $0.97 foam brushes from Wal-Mart's craft section. They worked wonderfully and the different sizes came in handy.

I stained the outside of the crates one day, and the inside + crevices the next. On the third day, I stacked them together! They still have a strong paint smell, so you may want to leave them outside to air out a bit!

It was cold and rainy this week so I had to suffer through the smell of staining them inside!

Use a little wood glue or some small screws to keep them stable. Honestly, mine are surviving just stacked on top of each other, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're going to be making them into a shelf for elsewhere in your house! :) All in all, you could knock this project out in a day and for under $20!

I had a little supervision while placing the nightstand in our bedroom.

Hello, November

Does anyone know where October went? I could have sworn I was purchasing Halloween decorations yesterday, not taking them down! I'm thankful the time is passing quickly though, because this means Nathan has been gone another month. We're now 59 days into this deployment!

October was an exciting month. For me, it meant pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin patches. 

Emma, Amaiya, and I at Scott Pumpkin Patch!

Over on the other side of the world, Nathan flew out to another base and back. I'd prefer for his feet to stay nice and somewhat safe on the ground, but at least we get to see a few pictures!

Nathan isn't one to brag about himself, but that's why he has me to do it for him. This past week he received the wing's Warrior of the Month award. If you're unfamiliar with the Air Force's structure, winning a wing level award is a pretty sweet accomplishment! He also racked up his second Command Chief coin- again, something else that's hard to come by. So proud of my hardworking husband!

One small plus to Nathan being gone for the holidays is that I get to have fun decorating themed care packages. Halloween was our first "holiday" apart. While everyone else was out taking their kids trick-or-treating and dressing up, I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and stuffed my face with mini candy bars. I made sure Nathan didn't miss out on the festivities, though! His package included lots of snacks and candy, as well as cake-in-a-jar! (You bake cake in mason jars and then can them so they stay fresh!) 

The Halloween confetti cakes before they went in the oven!

No package would be complete without a handmade card!

Last but not least, Kuzco is a silly as ever. Please enjoy this video of him picking a fight with a piece of Halloween candy. And as always, thank you all for your continued love and support! 

15 Seconds of Fame

October is finally here! One month closer to Nathan coming home. The first day provided to be an excellent start to the month. In case you've been living under a rock and haven't already seen, Nathan got 15 seconds of fame on the TODAY Show!

I woke up early to watch the show, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of him, but instead saw him standing right smack behind Al Roker. WITN-7 (the local news channel back home) caught a glimpse of the ECU flag and had to know who was behind it. Hundreds of Facebook notifications later, Nathan and his best friend, Chris, found their picture with Jay Leno being passed around Facebook and "liked" over 3,000 times. "ECU Airmen Show Pirate Pride from Afghanistan on TODAY Show" was the number one article on WITN's website.

Check out that handsome man and that gorgeous flag! Go PIRATES!

If you'd like to read the article, you can check it out here. Watch the second video and around 45 seconds, you'll see Nathan mouth "I love you, Ashley!" I was so surprised and for the second time this deployment, a small act of love has brought me to tears. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man!

Nathan and Chris, both ECU Alumni, showing Jay Leno a thing or two about being a Pirate.

Photo op with Al Roker!

Craig Robinson from Hot Tub Time Machine! Nathan has watched that movie probably 20 times.

A signed poster from the cast of the USO Comedy Tour!

Nathan posing with the helicopter used during the show!

I hope you guys were as excited as we were to spot him on the TODAY Show! Word on the street is that the local newspaper will be running the pictures as well, so let me know if anyone spots them. Thank you all for your continued love and support!

No Man Wants a Big Woman

How many came to this post because you’re greatly offended by the title and were ready to grab your torches and pitchforks? Probably all of you. But if I’d titled it, “Nobody Likes a Stick,” then you all would’ve had a jolly good laugh at it and shared it on your Facebook pages.

Let me make something very clear: if you partake in thin-shamming women then you are a hypocritical bitch and you are no friend of mine. There is nothing funny about putting down other women to excuse your own image or insecurities.

If you have ever said or laughed at sayings like, “real women have curves” or “only dogs want bones,” then boy, do I have news for you- all women are real women. The last time I checked, your “curves” do not make you any more of a woman than my bony ass does. Too big? Real woman. Too small? Real woman. Just right? Real woman.

If you need to put down another woman to feel better about your own body, then you need to take a long look in the mirror… because it’s not your body that’s the problem. If you would never, EVER look at another woman and tell her that no one wants her, make a joke about her weight, or suggest that she eat a salad, then why do you feel the need to say these things to small women?

Would it be okay if I reversed it, just as I did with the title to this post, and told you that no man wants a hippo? Would that be okay with you? No? Didn’t think so. So, for the love of God, do not make fun of small women. They didn’t ask for no boobs just like you didn’t ask for big thighs.

At some point in your life you just get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and you finally have to say something.

So if you think this message is directed at you, then it probably is. It’s also directed at the girl who made me cry my eyes out my sophomore of high school because she told the entire track team that I only weighed 93 lbs. It’s directed to the friend who told me I had chicken legs while boot shopping last year. It’s directed to the woman in Walmart last week who asked me if I was a grown lady or a child. It’s directed to the coworkers who constantly tell me that I’m too skinny and I need to eat. You know what else I’d like to direct towards them? 

A Pretty Awesome Monday

We are now over two weeks in to Nathan's deployment. Time is flying! January will be here before we know it.

Not only did his care package make it to Afghanistan in only a week, but I received a sweet surprise today as well! I nearly cried when I opened the door this afternoon to find chocolate covered strawberries delivered by Edible Arrangements. I'm so lucky to have a husband who spoils me and lets me know he's thinking of me!

Nathan's first care package!

My delicious strawberries. They are heavenly!

Yesterday Nathan gave me a little "tour" around the base. I thought our friends and family might enjoy seeing his temporary home too! 

The bazaar where you can buy local goods.

Anybody need any "Chanel?" ;)

A pretty flower garden that seems a little out of place next to all the dirt and rocks!

I hope you guys have enjoyed the pictures! Thank you again for all the love and support we have received.

17 days completed!

One Week Down

Just in case you haven't heard the news on social media, Nathan left for his first deployment last week. Kuzco and I have survived our first week without him! We've lived off a diet of Cheetos and Pepsi (kidding, mom) and kept busy with lots of walks to the dog park.

A few photos from our last minutes together.

We are extremely grateful for technology! So far we've been able to FaceTime every night.

Before he left, a friend of ours documented our time together and slapped us in the newspaper! I can't wait to see all of the pictures, but until then I hope you enjoy a few snapshots of the article. For those of you interested in reading the full story, the link will be posted on my Facebook :)

I also had the pleasure of assembling my first care package this weekend! I stuffed a large flat rate box full of snacks and other supplies that he requested. It should take about two weeks for it to arrive. I plan on trying to send a little something as frequently as possible- whether it be a box of goodies or just a card to remind him that I love him.

So far, so good! I have school, work, and friends to keep me occupied for the next few months, and I am planning on taking a few trips home for the holidays. Thank you all for your love and support. I'll try to keep everyone updated during this new journey.

Rock Town Distillery

The things we find to do in Little Rock are never-ending. Today's adventure consisted of a tour of Rock Town Distillery. It was founded in 2010 and is located in downtown Little Rock. The grains used are grown locally, and they even bottle right there in the distillery! 

The tour is short and afterwards you get to taste their delicious spirits. I'm not much of a drinker, but their flavored Arkansas Lightning is incredible! We couldn't resist bringing home a pack of our favorites. Apple pie moonshine is now my beverage of choice! 

Exploring Arkansas

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