DIY diaries | three tier herb garden

Spurts of energy, good moods (both Beau and me), time, and creativity sometimes collide and the results vary. This time, though, everything turned out for the best!

Beau and I spent some time outdoors during these first few days of Spring and worked on this fun little tiered herb garden. It was fun, easy, and I'm excited to reap the benefits of it over the next several months. 

As I got started, I decided to take out my phone and document my process so I could share it with you guys. If you're interested in making one for yourself, here's a list of what I used (I picked everything up at Home Depot):

potting mix

12" clay pot

10" clay pot

6" clay pot

(3) small rosemary plants

(3) small basil plants

(1) small lavender plant

jar of pebbles (lots leftover to use for other projects)

two small buckets (I used two different sizes of this type and just held them up next to my pots to decide what size to get)

plant labels (found mine on amazon here)

sharpie

gardening spade

gloves

scissors

Start with your largest pot. I used the plastic bucket turned right side up as a solid base for my middle pot. I poked a hole in the bottom of the bucket to allow water to flow through (since it will be coming out of the bottom of the middle pot). I added some pebbles in the bucket to weigh it down a bit.

Add your potting mix and then your plants at the desired height. It's okay if some potting mix gets into the plastic bucket. 

Next, add your middle sized pot. This time, I used a smaller plastic bucket and turned it over. I poked more holes in the bottom and added pebbles around it so water could go around and under as well as through.

Then I added my potting mix, plants, and the smallest pot. Add water, and done!

We had two huge Rosemary bushes at our last apartment and I used it in lots of my dishes, I love it so much! I'm so excited to have it fresh on hand again.

So far the dog and the squirrels haven't been interested in my herb garden (just in photobombing my shot). Let's hope it stays that way!

Happy gardening!

Beau's first Easter | double the fun

Beau's first Easter was a HIT. 

The weather turned out to be really nice and the day was just as good. We ended up getting to see both sides of our family on Sunday (we usually trade off years) so we got double the grandparents, double the aunts and uncles, double the cousins, and double the fun!

We headed to my sister's house first for lunch with her in-laws and my parents and, of course, a visit from the Easter bunny.

Nice, Jimmy.

Beau and his cousins Audrey and Noah.

Trying to schmooze Noah for some candy.

After a quick stop at home, we headed up to McKinney for dinner (and more Easter bunny fun) at Mark's sister's home.

When did my two oldest nephews start looking so big?!

Our 'northern' cousins - Luke, Mason, and Griffin.

They're a crazy bunch!

The lighting in this one is weird but I liked the sentiment. :)

We had a great Easter and hope you did too! 

Easter essentials for baby Beau

I'll admit it. I had Beau's Easter outfit picked out ($1.50 at Divine Consign) and was ready to call it done for the holiday. He's six months old and as much as I want to go all out and make the holidays all sorts of special, I just don't always see the point if he doesn't understand that it's a special day. However, after feeling a little mom guilt and talking to friends and family, I decided I would put together a little basket of things for him. 

Everything I found are all things that he needs/uses and things that I would pick up on a normal day at the store anyway - but this way I've made it something special. I actually really enjoyed putting his Easter basket together!

Here's what I picked up:

Munchkin spoons (similar) - with Cartwheel discount

our favorite baby food 

Easter socks (found in the Dollar Spot)

Reese's Pieces Carrot - too cute to pass up and mostly for Mom and Dad (or you can do the old classic)

Lots of Links - perfect timing so he won't lose his toys in the stroller!

I added a little grass from the Dollar Spot (not pictured) and plopped everything in this basket my sister had on hand. Nothing beats free hand me downs! I do want to get him a nicer basket for the coming years, but I didn't want to rush into it this year. This one is super cute and I almost picked it up but decided free was best (even though they were marked down to $3 when I was there last). :)

 Just for fun, I pulled together some last minute Easter things that make me happy:

I also scrambled to find a sweater for Beau for Sunday since the high is in the low 60's and rainy for us. Why are all Easter outfits meant for warm weather? I feel like we always end up freezing, every year. 

Anyway, I found a white sweater that will work perfectly for him on Kidizen. It's an app I use during the consignment off-season to find cute clothes for half the price. Sign up with my code (bgc3r) and we are both entered to win a $100 gift card! I'll post pics of Beau in his Easter getup next week, promise!

I hope you have a great weekend and a happy Easter!

bluebonnet baby | 6 months old

I think this is one of those posts that is 95% for family members because : holy bluebonnets. Pictures in the Texas bluebonnets (our state flower) are about equal to pictures with Santa in the rest of the country. It's a big deal. 

Beau got his first taste (literally) of bluebonnets this year at the end of my parent's street and he looked pretty darn cute doing so (mom pride). 

I *may* have taken over 100 photos (I just hold down the trigger and hope for some magic) but I've successfully pared it down to just 12. You're welcome.

Just for fun, here are Beau's cousins in their first bluebonnet pictures over the years:

Audrey (~9 months)

Noah (~5 months)

Mason and Luke (~1 year and 4 years)

Of course, Nana had to get in on the action...

This one made the cut as the new background on my computer. :)

I love this series of sweet shots:

My bluebonnet baby!

these days...and the best picture EVER

Life around here has been quiet, but busy. 

Mark has been working late every night. I've been battling allergies for about two weeks, and struggling to cope with a baby and a house to take care of! In the few moments I have felt good, I've done the essentials like get my hair done and check off a few to-do's from my list. Life hasn't been super exciting, but here are a few things we've been up to:

...

We've played hide and seek and peekaboo. 

We've started nightly meals and have tried banana, avocado, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, mangoes, and peaches. There was a possible reaction to sweet peas so those are out of the picture for awhile...and mangoes have gotten the best response. 

I remembered to put him in his Ireland bib (straight from Ireland from his Aunt Gigi!) on Saint Patrick's day!

and of course I have to mention these awesome bibs from my friend Morgan, too. #shoutout

New hair: check.

to-do item: check.

I finally framed Mark's scrub shirt with Beau's newborn footprints on it! And I didn't cry at all...

We visited Daddy at work and brought him a sandwich for a late night. 

We got a couple of new toys and put them through preliminary testing. ;)

We played with SnapChat filters (I've had snapchat for HOW LONG and I just figured out how to do the extra filters?!? #oldladystatus #waybehind) (and follow me at buchanandiana if you want more ridiculousness)

AND...we took quite possibly THE BEST face swap photo ever. 

I mean....Mark's face on my head?!?!?! It doesn't even look fake! He looks like he is a cast member on The Princess Bride! Or my sister said he looked like he was "on pot". I laughed and then cried for a really, really long time about this photo. It's so good. I die. 

...

So that's what's up these days! I'll be back to fill you in on what we're doing this week (because we've got big plans and are going to power through my allergies) as well as our plans for our trip this summer! Yay! Happy Monday!