Pepper Design Blog - Page 65 of 438 - A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

Thanksgiving Tip: Create Prep Stations for Guests

November 10, 2014 by Morgan

Cooking our Thanksgiving dinner is always sort of a communal project. Different family members take on different recipes while we all prep together chatting in the kitchen. I tried something new earlier this year with Liv’s 3rd birthday, and before everyone arrived, created prep stations for the giant meal we were having that day. Some family members had offered to arrive early and as they filtered in, I set them up with a station. It was a success.

By setting out the necessary ingredients, tools and equipment to create each recipe (sometimes family members will have to share the tablespoons, that’s okay) it cut down on a lot of the ‘where can I find…’ and ‘do you have a…?’. I also provided a print out of the recipe itself just in case. Everyone wants to help, no one wants to get in the way, and sometimes passing out jobs while you’re trying to oversee a giant gathering makes the project feel more stressful. This solution has really worked out well for me, that is, when I have the foresight to put it all together! For Liv’s party, everyone cleaned up their own stations, too. Bueno!

The above is a sample prep station of my very favorite breadcrumb-coated roasted pumpkin slices – recipe to come.

PS two ideas for Thanksgiving place cards: thoughtful paper downloads and gold pumpkins + sharpies.

Impromptu Picnics and a New Living Room Lamp

November 6, 2014 by Morgan

Sometimes adorable moments catch me completely off guard and I’m lucky enough to have my camera out.

I was snapping a few photos of a new wooden living room lamp that we’ve just added when I turned around to find a picnic set out before me. Liv explained that she had made ‘lots of different soups’ but that they weren’t too hot ‘because I added ice cubes’. T plays along with pretend meal making really, really well and is a pro juice pourer and wooden cucumber eater.

I was invited by Quill this fall to choose a new piece of office-related furniture to try out. I was a little hesitant at first, but upon searching came up with a handful of lamps that would be great for our home (and we were in need of lighting in a few key spots). The lamp that ultimately worked best for us (the Adesso Walden floor lamp) fits the little reading nook area of our living room well (though I have also tried it in the guest bedroom and our bedroom and it might be playing lamp-house-shuffle for a while :)).

The lamp is tall and wooden with a metal foot. It feels a little industrial but also warm, and I kind of dig how the cord is intended to wrap around various parts of the wooden base to keep it exposed. It leans just a hair (and I can’t seem to fix that) but other than that it’s a great fit.

There’s something about this corner of the living room that I both love and hate. That there club chair is over forty years old and was actually one of the first ‘grown up’ pieces of furniture that my dad purchased back when he was in his twenties. I love that this chair is filled with so many stories and that leather club chairs, in general, are pretty classic. This guy is sort of a family heirloom and, despite the rips, bruising and other obvious flaws, I don’t see it going anywhere for a while. It’s also one of Kevin’s FAVORITE spots in the whole wide world :-). When it comes to comfort, sometimes husbands win and aesthetic loses.

I think something giant and boxy would be kind of awesome there. But those curved arms might come back in style some day ;).

Meanwhile, these two girls were having a really sweet moment. Reminds me so much of the post I shared yesterday on watching them become sisters.

It wasn’t long though before Taylor spotted the camera. If a camera is visible, T reacts by pointing and shouting ‘no!’ or running up to it to offer the biggest ‘cheese!!!’.

Then she proceeded to do the Charleston to entertain us for the the next few minutes.

Oh, that girl.

What do you think? Do you like the wooden arms of this new standing floor lamp or do you think I should bring the brass one back in here?

Digging both at the moment and happy that both will find a spot in this casa. You can’t ever have too many lamps!

This post is sponsored by Quill. Thanks for letting me share about the brands that support this site :).
Photo credit: last photo by Katie Beverley, the rest by me (you can really tell the difference!).

Sisters

November 5, 2014 by Morgan

It’s not every day that these two get along so easily. I should rephrase that – it’s not that they don’t get along, in fact, as of yet, there is very little fighting or frustration between either of them. But Taylor is just coming into her own and that has presented a brand new form of sister play that is unique and so fun to witness.

When previously both girls would play independently, now they are discovering how fun it is to have a little companion to run around with. In T’s case that means to chase incessantly. In Liv’s case, it means someone to teach school to or play momma with.

I feel so blessed to have these little humans in my life! And especially grateful that they have the opportunity to grow up loving and supporting each other with one of the strongest bonds known to man: sisterhood.

PS Since we’re on the subject of these two little munchkins, I have to tell you the sweetest story about Liv on Halloween. She has a big heart and an empathetic spirit, but this act of kindness put me over the top: when we had finished trick-or-treating and had finally run out of candy for our own trick-or-treat visitors for the night, I closed our front door and switched off our porch light. Liv looked out the window at the passersby and was devastated, she immediately began to tear up for the little boys and girls who would have to walk by our home treat-less. Without a word, she poured her entire candy bucket into our porch basket, asked that I flip back on the light and handed out the rest of her Halloween candy piece by piece. I melted.

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