New Love {Soaked Cashews}: A Dairy Alternative

 

 

Soaked Cashews?  How could that ever be a good idea you ask?  Well, let me tell you the vegans were thinking when they came up with this one.  Genius.

 

I have been mostly dairy-free for about 9 month now.  I sneak it in on occasion but it still seems to cause issues with little man's digestive system & ezcema.  It gets hard to come up with new ideas for dinner & on occasion I really crave some of my old, cheesy dishes.

 

I was doing some reading on one of my favorite vegan blogs, The Post-Punk Kitchen.  I really like her recipes because she steers clear of artificial & highly processed stuff like tofu bacon & toffutti cream cheese which just cannot be good for you & comes up with vegan recipes using whole foods.

 

I have gotten some great dairy-free ideas from her & most of my favorites have included soaked cashews.  What a little known treasure! Soaked cashews, when pureed, can be substituted for cheese and give dishes that nutty, buttery flavor that can be so lacking when you choose to cut cheeses & milk out of your diet.

 

For Valentine's Day I made a Shrimp Pasta with Herbed Cream Sauce that I adapted from this recipe, using cashew cream instead of the whipping cream & it was delicious!  I didn't even miss the real deal.

 

I've also played around with my own versions of "Mac N' Shews" & Strawberry Cashew (No)Cheesecake which were both delicious and fun to experiment with!

 

Move over avocados, I think I may have a new food love. 

 

 

9 months old!

Holy moly!  Your 8th month of life came & went WAY too fast!  I don't know what I'm going to do when May arrives & you turn one. 

 

 

Here are some things to remember from your 8th month of life:

 

 

You learned to wave!  It's the cutest & sweetest thing and you LOVE to do it.  We took another airplane trip this month & you waved & waved to all the people on the airplane & in the airport.  Such a friendly guy. ;)

 

We started swim lessons (I actually think this was at 7 months) but you've been enjoying them all month long & love to splash!  You aren't afraid of the pool at all.

 

You have started to pull up on mom, dad, the ottomans & any other thing you can get your little hands on. 

 

You also started your own version of crawling. You have this one knee, one leg scooch-thing down to an art and you'll clear a whole room to get to a banana or bob's tail. ;)

 

You've been trying out some new words this month "up" something that sounds like "come" & "gum".  You also clock your tongue & mimic me when I do it also. 

 

We are also working on some baby sign language this month and you are getting good at recognizing words like "more", "eat" & "all done".

 

Your paci is still your best friend, besides mom, dad & bob & we take it anywhere we go.

 

You have some more top teeth breaking through (maybe two)!

 

I can't believe you are already 9 months, little man. We love you so dearly.

 



you + me {DIY}

 

This is a simple DIY project that can be done during a kiddo's nap time or other short window of time & can add so much interest to a room or wall :)

 

Here's what you'll need:

 

Chalkboard paint- a pint is pricey but goes a LONG way. You will barely put a dint in the can with this project.

A good paint brush

3 wooden circles (Hobby Lobby & Michaels both sell these for super cheap!)

3M or other wall adhesive

 

Brush any dust or dirt off of your wooden panels, then paint with one coat of chalkboard paint.

 



Allow for drying & go over the panels once more with a second coat of paint. Dry thoroughly.

 



Take your piece of chalk & scrape it over the entire surface of the chalkboard panel.  This is a very important step!

 

Wipe the chalk away with a cloth or paper towel. This will give your panels a well worn look :)

 



 

 

Get creative & write a favorite quote, inspiring words or little phrase on your panels & viola!

 

Personally, I love a good ampersand & the simplicity of "you & me", but the possibilities are endless!

I think this would go great in a master bedroom, don't you?

 

What would your panels say?

 

 

a woman to be praised

                   

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.         - Proverbs 31:30-31, ESV

Ashley, if you are reading this post, then hopefully you are at the end of your scavenger hunt. (If so, then it means I managed to pull all this off in the right order.)

The  underlying meaning of this passage implies that the work of an excellent's wife hands become self-evident to those viewing them. As much as I wanted to brag on you on your blog, I do not think that the works of your hands need much more praising. They speak for themselves. They are indeed praise-worthy.

You are the most excellent wife that any man could have. I am honored to be your husband. Happy Valentine's Day.

My Little Sunshine {bowties}

 

It was only a matter of time before I ventured more into the world of handmade for men.  Having one little & one big mister of my own, I can't keep myself from making them cute  manly man things.  It just won't happen.  Thus...

 

My Little Sunshine now carries Mister & Little Mister Bowties! And best of all they come in a variety of fantastic prints/colors!  Perfect for Sunday best, wedding days or heck, every day!

 

 

 

 

Shop Bowties here

 

Here's a little DIY teaser that is coming soon...

 

V-day, perhaps?  Look for the tutorial soon!

c e l e b r a t e

We celebrated my favorite guy's birthday this weekend.  I may or may not have forgotten how old he was turning...but nevertheless, it was a great day.  And maybe the age is best forgotten.  No really, he is still very young.  And handsome. Back to the celebration.

 

 

It all started with waffles and coffee. Coffee was a must & waffles were a plus.

 

You can see both my men love mornings...just look at those sunshine-y faces.

waffles, or apricots in his case make it all better...

 



 

evidence that dad did dishes on his birthday...what a guy.

 



deliriously excited to open birthday cards

 



 

 and because birthday's should be celebrated with friends...

 



and cake...lots of yummy cake.

 



worms on the side, please. and fruit? well if you know me, you know I had to :)

 



 

 

The unpictured end to a great birthday was a DATE night to the movies!  It was a treat indeed.

 

Happy Birthday to my sweet, handsome man!

a day in the life

I came across these pictures on my camera and smiled.  They are snapshots of the day to day.  Toys strewn about, dogs running amuck (although the doggie motel is now closed and we are back to one dog), & bedhead babies.  Sweet imperfections of life.

 

 

 

A favorite in {fashion}

I wanted to share one of favorite finds in clothing today.  Shabby Apple is one of my favorite brands in women's clothing & it thrills me to welcome them to the My Little Sunshine blog family :)

 

I am a lover of dresses.  And it is so hard to find quality, MODEST & fashionable dresses.  I love Shabby Apple for their retro & vintage flavor coupled with wonderfully modest design. 

 

They are a fabulous brand & have so much to offer, from women's clothing to modest swimsuits (Praise Jesus!), maternity wear and even darling girl's clothing. 

 

Here are some of my favorites right now, that are getting me in the mood for spring!

 

                                                             summer wind dress

merry-go-round skirt



two's company
*wish I had known about their maternity line during my pregnancy!* so cute!



maraschino

I have my eye on a few of their swimsuits for the summer! So cute & again, love that it leaves much to the imagination, as far as swimsuits go.



So check them out, on the left hand side of the blog.  I promise you won't be disappointed :)