The Fayes

This picture was taken while we were at Gulf Shores this year, but it somehow got left out of the post I made earlier. It's special because it includes all the living Fayes, named after Faye Casey (my great-grandmother) who is no longer with us. Hopefully someday Laney can continue the Faye legacy with a daughter of her own. Lauren was mad that she got kicked out of the picture and became the picture-taker because her middle name is Michele. She says she's starting her own line of "Micheles." I guess I'll have to take their picture for them when the time comes, because she was so good to take this one for us. :)

Laney Faye, Melanie Faye, Amelia Faye, & Doretha Faye:

Shaky Head Girl

My absolute favorite thing in this world is Laney's laugh. I swear it would heal any illness I had. And she has recently developed such a cute little sense of humor. The other day while we were waiting to go out to dinner with my parents, Marshall and I were playing with Laney in the living room. She started doing this thing she does where she tilts her head from side to side. Since I am always unthinkingly commentating on everything she does in some type of baby voice (embarrassing), I said, "Well, you're just a little shaky head girl," and tilted my head back and forth back at her. She thought it was just about the funniest thing ever. So, of course I did it over and over again as long as she would keep laughing so that Marshall could catch it on camera. Here it is. Sweetest sound in the world.

Hickory what?

So there's this incredible little lunch restaurant here called Hickory Street Cafe that has put itself on the map by becoming known for its delicious chicken salad and zucchini bread. Part of its charm comes from the fact that it's located in an ancient but restored cottage-type house, only open from 11-2, and always full of women and girls of all ages who are just "doing lunch." There's a little shop located in the building's attic full of decorative crafts, fancy candles and costume jewelry and all of the art on the walls all over the restaurant is painted by a local artist and is for sale. It's just so charming. I've spent many many lunches with many many great girlfriends in this very place over the past 10 years or so.

But, here goes- I think I can make their chicken salad. Or at least I'm trying. It's the type of chicken salad that is very simple and straight forward. It's basically just white meat chicken, grapes, cashews, and sauce. I added some bell peppers when I made it to add more crunch. Many recipes call for celery, but I'm not big on celery. I haven't nailed it yet, and even if I had, I'd still go to Hickory Street as often as I could for the experience and wonderful atmosphere! Here's the picture and recipe. If you think you know what ingredient(s) I might be missing, let me know!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (baked & cubed)

red grapes

1/4 c. green bell peppers (diced)

1/3 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. sour cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

salted cashews (added on top when served)

***UPDATE: The original recipe I posted that I thought was so close wasn't at all. I sneakily found this new one, though, that's the real thing. And it's been quite the hit with my friends and family! I prepare the chicken a different way that makes infuses a little garlic. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can salted cashews

Red grapes (whole or halved)

1 clove of garlic

½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

1 pkg. Ranch DRESSING mix

How to prepare chicken:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay chicken breasts in baking dish and pour some heavy cream to where it nearly covers the chicken. Chop garlic into about 5 pieces and set them in the cream around the chicken. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping half way through. Let chicken cool to room temperature before cubing.

Mix mayonnaise, whipping cream, and Ranch mix together. Add prepared chicken and grapes and stir until coated. Let chill overnight. Add cashews on top when serving. Great on croissants!

I Heart Arts & Crafts

So, for those of you who know me well, you won't be surprised that I've been using much of my summer to finally do some crafts that I had been dreaming up all school year. Especially now that I have a baby girl, there are so many things that I'm dying to make. I also have a few friends that share this love of arts and crafts and are always inspiring me to make things that they are making or finding on cute blogs. So, I've made a "to do" laundry list of crafts for the summer. I realize there's no way that I'll complete, or even begin, all of them, but I'm giving it my best shot! Here are some of the projects that I have been working on:

FATHER'S DAY T-SHIRT:

I painted this t-shirt for Laney to give Marshall for his first Father's Day. One of the only things Laney has learned how to say so far is "Da" and she says it over and over again. It sound a lot like "Dad-Dad" when she says it, so I thought this would be a cute saying for his t-shirt. I was really excited that it turned out so well. I'll definitely use this technique again. All I had to use was freezer paper, a razor blade, an iron, and fabric paint.


RIBBON & BOW RACK:

I've been looking for a cute bow rack to put in Laney's room because she has already accumulated quite a few ribbons and bows in her short 8 months of life! I was unable to find any that I really liked, so I decided to paint one that matched her bedding and room. After I painted the wood panel, I found the iron rack at Hobby Lobby and some matching ribbon and put it all together. The headbands just hang on the iron hooks, but many of the clip-on bows are displayed on the rack by clipping them onto the two ribbons that are hanging down.

CARD TABLE PLAYHOUSE:

I was hoping not to post pictures of this little jewel before it was finished, but I just can't wait! I got this idea from my friend Natalie, who found it online and made one for some special little girls in her life. The finished product will be a playhouse made entirely of felt. It basically serves as a cover that fits snugly over a standard card table and works as a little tent for toddlers to play in. There are people making these and selling them on Etsy and they're going for $150 - $250! I saw them and thought, how easy would that be to make? All it would take is felt, thread, a sewing machine, and a few hours. WRONG! It's been a lot of fun for me because I love this sort of thing, but it's also been a lot of work and taken a lot of time. And I only have ONE side done! It's a tedious process to cut out all the little pieces, pin them together, and get them sewn. And the removable pieces, such as the mail that goes in the mailbox, take quite a bit of time to stuff and sew. I'm glad I started this project really early because I hope to have it completed by Laney's first birthday so I can give it to her then. She'll have so much fun playing in her own little "house" and hopefully it will help her learn our address (the number above the door is our actual house number). I'll post more pics as soon as I get more of it completed!