Day Three: Make Your NavBar Disappear!

If you use blogger, you have something called a navbar at the top of your blog.  Some people like the navbar because it can be useful to search "log-in" to blogger.  However, if you are wanting your blog to look a little more custom, there a number of things you can do with it.  You can remove it, make it hover only when your cursor is over it, or make it transparent.    These are just minor tweaks, but they can make your blog feel less "standard." 


Hover or Peek-A-Boo

1.  Go to layout, then Edit Html.

2.  Place the following code between the "head" and "/head" section as well as before the beginning of the CSS section


#navbar-iframe{opacity:0.0;filter:alpha(Opacity=0)}<br /> #navbar-iframe:hover{opacity:1.0;filter:alpha(Opacity=100, FinishedOpacity=100)}

3.  There you go!  You NavBar now will only show up when your curser runs over it.

(credits)

Remove

1.  Look for this tag: < / head >.

2.  Paste this script immediately above that tag:

<style type='text/css'> #navbar-iframe { display: none; } </style>
(credits)


Transparent
I also noticed that you can make the navbar transparent (I just tried this on mine).  To do this, go to "layout," "page elements," then "edit" on the far right corner of your navbar.  Select "transparent light."


Have fun!

Our Weekend

We left Callie.

With my parents.

Overnight

For two nights!

This weekend.

For the first time.

Ever.

Friday was dinner with friends.

Saturday was a birthday party.

We had adult conversations.

And adult beverages.

With {just} adults.

It was nice....

It felt like old times.

Not mom and dad, but...

Nealy and Kyle.

It was refreshing.

I was a little nervous to leave her but...

It went great.

* * *

Yes, I did miss her though.  I tried not to think about missing her though so I could enjoy our kid-free weekend.

She was good and did not cry the whole time we were gone.  She did great.  And had a lot of fun.  She took a bottle just fine, and had a ton of fun with her grandparents, Aunt Kiley and Uncle Matt (she was at their house just across town).  

We stopped by and saw her for  a few hours on Saturday.  I imaged what it would be like to reunite.  She ran over to me, said "mama" for the first time, and was so happy to have me home. And I thought I would come home to this face.

In reality, she said "hi," took two steps towards me, then turned around and started playing with her toys.  I said, "Callie, come see mommy!"  She walked over to grandma instead, avoiding eye contact with me.  So I went across the room and picked her up, and she started crying and wanted to go back to grandma.

The ultimate betrayal!  :) She didn't want me!  Was she mad?  Traumatized!?!?!   NOT the reaction I was expecting!

...she eventually got over it (it didn't take very long) and all is back to normal.  Except now we realized we can still be adults, not just parents!   And now we know that we can book that seven-day vacation (right, honey?)!  ;)

*     *     *

 

A super special THANK YOU to my parents for watching her the WHOLE WEEKEND! 

Tricks

How big is Callie?

So big!

Callie, how old are you?

One!

Let me see your teeth...

 

Ahh.

So smart!

xoxo

 

So we didn't get around to sending out Valentines this year, but  here's the best we can do!  

P.S. Yes, I did give her a lollipop.  Just for this picture.  She loved it.  Hopefully I didn't scar her for life!

Valentines

Callie "opened" her first Valentines Day cards this week!  Thank you so much to Nana & Boompa and Grandma & Grandpa, and her friends Nora and Sophia!  She loved playing with the cards and carrying them around the house.  She also loved seeing pictures of her friends, the "be-bes," on them. 

Nora, we loved your valentine... You are so beautiful.  And that bow (Callie is a little bit jealous of your hair)!  ;)

Nora's mom photographs and makes these amazing cards and invitations herself.   Check out her website called iDesign if you are needing anything (birth announcements, invites, cards, etc.).  She would be happy to work with you, her rates are reasonable, and so has a lot of great ideas!

And Sophia, you are such a little princess...

Beth got these invites at Photoworks.  I love how kids can give our valentines at school with their picture on them.  Such a cute idea we will have to keep in mind for the future!

Keeping it Real...I have to admit, sending out Valentines for Callie this year didn't even cross my mind.  It would have been fun...but maybe we'll have to remember for next year. 

Happy Valentines Day!  Wear red or pink and give your hubby a big smooch!

I'm Dreaming of a White Kitchen

My mom and I are both obsessed with white kitchens.  Lately we've been calling each other and exchanging house ideas and pictures about every day (they are currently building a house), and many of those pictures have been all-white kitchens. 

I probably got the love for white kitchens from her, since I grew up in a house with an all-white kitchen (and pretty much an all-white house).  So I thought I would share with you all some of our inspiration.  These are a little more my style than hers (she likes more contemporary and I like more classic), but this post is dedicated to my mom.  I know she will probably be drooling over these pictures as much as I am.   :)

 

I think these pictures would summarize my dream kitchen more than a realistic kitchen, but it's been fun to try to pull ideas from various pictures incorporate them somehow in our home. You can see the same themes running through most of the pictures.  Pendant lights, cararra marble islands, black granite, farmhouse sinks, bridge faucets, white subway tile backsplash, lots of molding, glass cabinets, bin pulls, stainless steel, and lots of white.

images via housebeautiful.com, thekitchn.com,cotedetexas.blogspot.com, myhomeideas.com, coastalliving.com, southernliving.com

A Few Favorites...

1.  A perfect t-shirt.  I searched near and far for the perfect t-shirt. I tried Gap, Kohls, Target, H&M, you name it.  But nothing was quite right.  I didn't even know exactly what I was looking for.  But I did know either it didn't fit quite right (too short, not soft enough, arm length too short, etc.), it didn't hold up after a few washes, or the material wasn't soft enough.

Then one day {a few years ago}, I was shopping at the Mall of America.  I saw a girl wearing the exact t-shirt I had been searching for!  Hers was blue.  It was v-neck, just the right amount.  The sleeves were just the right length; and the shirt was a little longer.  Perfect!

So I had to ask her where it was from.  Hopefully she didn't think I was too strange. Turns out she was friendly and said it was from American Apparel.  Back then, the only American Apparel around was in Uptown, so I had to drive all the way there, just for a t-shirt.  Thankfully now there is one at the Mall of America.  I wear these t-shirts to bed, to work-out, and even when I was pregnant I wore a size bigger all throughout my pregnancy

2.  Hanky Panky.  Have you tried Hanky Panky underwear? They are just the best.  It's hard to believe that comfortable and cute can coexist, but they can!  I find them at Nordstrom's Rack for half-price, and they are worth every penny (of the sale price at least)!

3.  Socks!  Since I'm blogging about underwear, I might as well blog about socks.  These are no secret, but I still love them. Smartwool socks.  My feet are always cold, so wool socks keep them warm, and these ones aren't too thick either.

4.  The. Best. Mascara. Ever.  Truly, I cannot say it enough, and I don't think I'll ever need to buy another kind.  L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara.  I read somewhere about a new "tube" technology, so I thought I would give it a try, and now I'm hooked. It's quite different from regular mascara.  It makes my lashes look much longer than normal, it doesn't leave black residue under my eyes, ever, and when you wash it off, it comes off in clumps instead of streaks (kind of weird at first to get used to).  Best part is, it comes off with just soap and water. 

5.  Brilliant Shine Mist.  I'm not sure how I ended up buying hair products at this place, but I absolutely love this stuff.  It's So Sexy Brilliant Shine Mist by Victoria's Secret.  I like the aeresol spray, it smells really good (probably don't even need to wear perfume), and it makes your hair super shiny. 

Hope you enjoyed hearing about a few of my favorite things!
♥ Nealy

Image credits 1. americanapparel.net 2. hankypanky.com 3. smartwool.com 4. lorealparisusa.com 5.  victoriassecret.com

The Case of the Huge Avocado

I LOVE avocados.  If you know me, you probably already knew that.  They are definitely on my top five favorite foods list, possibly even topping macaroni and cheese for #1.  :)  I put diced avocado in salads, guacamole on sandwiches, and of course I just love guacamole with chips {and a margarita on the rocks if I'm being honest}.  Yum!  This post has a great guacamole recipe {Bar Abilene's} . 

The problem with this favorite food is that they are so expensive. So when I was grocery shopping the other day and saw these huge avocados, Dominican Gold, it had me wondering.  Are they any good?  They were $2 each, as opposed to $1.50 each for the Hass avocados, which were super small this time. 



Have you ever seen these?  They are huge!  Here's a picture with a coin so you can get the full effect of it's size.



I was determined to take the test.  If they are just as good, it could mean a lot of money saved on grocery purchases...

{speaking of money spent on groceries, have you ever used mint.com? We just started using this website to budget...Kyle LOVES it, he's a finance guy, and it is super easy and is helping me STICK to the budget}.

...if they are bad, that would mean I would only be out $2. 

So, the true test...



They're not bad.  Not quite the same...a little sweeter, not quite as buttery.  But very similar.  Not exactly as good as Hass...but you probably couldn't tell much of a difference unless you were eating it plain, like I just did.

On another note, I made corn dip last weekend {there's no avocado in it}. But it's pretty good if you are looking for a different dip recipe.  



A new discovery for me is iced green chilies.  They make things taste better, but aren't too spicy.



Gotta go - it's BATH TIME!

Bathroom Reveal {on a budget}

As promised, our bathroom makeover!  First...the before:

 

I must draw your attention to the super cool wooden towel bar (photo above, on far left).  This house was built in the 90's...was that kind of towel bar even popular that decade???  And of course there's the plastic towel bar and toilet paper holder (photo below, far right).  And the walls had this sandy texture in the paint that made it feel like wallpaper.  Pretty stylin'!

And before I show the "after" photo, I must share our inspiration.  Can't go wrong with Pottery Barn, right?  I love the glossy black cabinets and the light blue walls. 

Image credit:  potterbarn.com

One more "before:"

And now, the after:

The final look may not be a big surprise to those that have been to our house lately.  But you may (or may not?) be surprised to learn that the oval bathroom mirror I found at a thrift store a few years ago for $12.  

The small white wooden lamp w/ black shade?  Thrift store.  I think it set me back about $2.  

Antique soap dish {you can't really see it's detail in the picture}?  Thrift store, $.99.  

Metal toilet paper holder?  Thrift store {I spray painted it with this and am not sure what it originally was used for}. 

And the magazine rack (photo below)?  You guessed it!  I think it was $1.61.  It was red and scratched up, but we gave it a new life with a little black paint and Conde Nast Traveler.

Our splurge?  The faucet and light fixture {both from Home Depot}.  I think this faucet is my favorite thing in my whole house (minus my baby and hubby).  :) 

And, just for the sake of keeping it real (this happens about every day):

By this little munchkin.

One room down, about 10+ to go!

 

What we did:

Painted the cabinets "black suede," semi-gloss

Removed old mirror and hung a new one (also painted it black)

Painted wood work a white semi-gloss

Painted walls 

Added hardware to cabinets

Replaced light fixture, towel bar, toilet paper holder, and faucet

Added accessories

Day Two: How to Post LARGE Pictures On Your Blog

We're back with the second day of 10 Ways To Beautify Your Blog. Today I will explain how to post pictures to your blog that are larger than what blogger will allow. I love LARGE pictures; it is fun to see the details in photos.

Here's a picture that I've uploaded using blogger's format (I've chosen the options "large" and "center").


And here's the same picture, made as large as the width of my column.

Ready to learn how to do it? It's actually pretty simple! There's quite a few different ways you can approach it, but I will explain one of the simplest {in my opinion}.

1. Resize the image you want to upload so that it will be not wider than your blog's main column (you can use any photo editing program). For example, my main column is 550 pixels, so I resized my image to be 550 pixels wide.

2. Go to your favorite image hosting site: Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, etc. Upload your new resized photo there.

3. Copy the url/direct link for your photo {it will start with http and end with jpg}

4. Start a new post and click the "edit html" tab. Then you want to paste the following code, with your photo's url where is says http://www.yourimageurl.com, exactly like you see it here.

<img src="http://www.yourimageurl.com" />

5. You can now view your large picture when you go exit "Edit Html" and go back to the "compose" mode on blogger.

That's it! That wasn't too difficult!

Now if you are wanting something a little more challenging, I will explain how to post an image from another website without having to upload it to a server, and also how to easily adjust the image's size.

1. Right-click on the photo you want to use and click "Copy Image Location."

2. On your "Edit Html" tab in blogger, type the following code

<img src="http://www.yourimageurl.com" width="550" />

3. Replace http://www.yourimageurl.com by pasting what you just copied over it. Your image will now show up in compose mode, without having to upload anything!

4. The width can be adjusted by changing the number 550 to whatever you prefer.

For instance, I just made these puff pastry cheese twists for Callie's party from a recipe I found on a blog. So, I am going to right click and copy the image's location. Then I will paste it as described in step #2 above in my "Edit Html" tab. And wallah! There it is. I doubt she will be erasing images on her blog anytime soon, so I think I'll be safe without uploading it to my server.

Image credit: HomecookinginMontana.blogspot.com

Now a few things about this...

• Some websites will not keep their images on their server forever, so you may want to only do this with websites you think will not be changing their images very often.
• Always site your sources when they're not your photos (I haven't always done this but try to remember to do it now)
• You can also do this to reuse pictures on your own blog you don't want to upload twice.
  

Have fun and share! Feel free to ask me if you have any questions and I will try to help.