bluebird chic personal blog

modern style, vintage soul

planting in our outdoor space – choosing plants that fit our needs

I’ll admit it. I love flowers. Always have. I’ve planted gardens and helped choose the seasonal blooms from the time I was young in the midwest. But making the move to being a successful gardener in the Miami area has been a challenge. I’m ashamed to admit how many plants have come and gone over the years.

This year, I finally realized the mistake I’d been making all along. (And honestly, this applies across the board when you make a move to a different place and culture. Not just to plants.) I was trying to plant things I knew. Use the methods I learned growing up. I was trying to make the place and climate bend to my will and wants – to what I was used to and loved. Oops. Plants don’t care what you want. If they need cool weather and shade, they’ll die in hot weather and sun.

So this year, we’re starting over. We’re learning to adapt. Watch. Listen. Search out new and beautiful plants that I’ve never known before and sprinkle in a few that will adapt well.

And guess what? They’re flourishing. And so is our little family. It took me a long time to learn, but you can’t fight (or even ignore) the differences in an area and culture – you have to adapt, push, learn, search things out, grow, and change. My sense of bewilderment regarding how to search out the community and connect is finally giving way to a confidence in knocking on and pushing open doors. I’m learning how to find contractors, doctors, and sports and academic programs for our family. I’m learning how to be myself while adapting to different customs and cultures here.

And it’s good.

I’ll keep you posted on how the moonflowers are coming along throughout the summer…

 

power tools and paint chips – the start of our home renovations

2017 is all about taking leaps for us, and so, we’ve decided to add one more – starting our home renovation and update! Part of my brain is telling me that I don’t need to add to our workload and busy schedules, but the other half is saying that we live in our home NOW, and it’s time to stop putting things off and make it into home that we love and dream about!

I was on the fence about posting our journey here (it’s always a bit embarrassing to open your doors and closets to show the spaces that need work!), but then I figured why not? If anything I do can help or encourage ANYONE, I’m all about it.

So, here’s the honest truth:

– We aren’t DIY geniuses. We have a good base of common sense knowledge and a “willing to give it a shot” attitude. I grew up in a home that our parents had built, so we did a lot to help out with things in the building process, and my husband has a great willingness to research, learn, and dive in. We definitely approach things with team effort.

– I/We have no idea how to find, contact, choose contractors/designers/carpenters/plumbers. But, we have good research skills, and good people skills, and that’s a great place to start.

Our plan is to tackle smaller, simpler projects on our own, while also acting as a general contractor to oversee the process of having individual jobs done by professionals. It’s all about the learning and journey

It’s really important for us to not just replace the things that we have in our home, but to update and modernize the entire space, and we are beyond excited for the journey.

We started the big leap in the master bedroom walk in closet this past weekend and I’ll be posting all about it soon! I’m busy taking and collecting “before” photos to be able to show the transformations and changes all throughout the year. We also move kinda slowly, because, well, we’re normal people just trying to squeeze this in around all of the other things we’ve got going on – like, work and school!

cookies and cream fudge recipe and potato chip fudge recipe

I posted this photo to instagram yesterday and mentioned that these are a couple of our favorite holiday treats: cookies and cream fudge, and this year, a new twist on an old fave – potato chip fudge. It was a HIT for this nut free allergy home. The potato chips add that salty sweet element, a bit of crunch and texture – and even when the potato chips soften a bit after a couple of days, the texture still reminds me of nuts. A couple of people mentioned that they’d love these super easy recipes, so here they are!

Cookies and Cream Fudge

18 oz. (3 c.) white chocolate baking chips (this works out to 1-1/2 packages of the typical 12 oz. size)

1 – 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

2 c. coarsely broken Oreos

Line and 8 inch square baking dish with waxed paper or parchment. Place the oreos (about 1/2 of a standard package) in a ziploc bag and break them up using a rolling pin or meat tenderizing mallet. I like to break them until the cookies are in four to five pieces, but try to avoid breaking them too much. In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt the baking chips, condensed milk, and sea salt together until everything is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the broken Oreos. Pour the mixture into the waiting pan and spread evenly. Chill in the fudge until set. (Though I prefer to let them harden at room temperature to avoid the condensation when you remove them from the fridge. This can take around 4 hours.)

Remove the fudge from the pan by lifting the waxed paper. Place on a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Potato Chip Fudge

18 oz. (3 c.) semi-sweet chocolate baking chips (this works out to 1-1/2 packages of the typical 12 oz. size)

1 – 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

1-1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract

2 c. coarsely broken crinkle cut kettle chips

Line and 8 inch square baking pan with waxed paper or parchment. Place the potato chips in a plastic zip bag and break them into small, but not tiny, pieces. In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chips, condensed milk, and salt until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Then stir in the broken chips. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Chill in the fridge until firm. (Though I prefer to let them harden at room temperature to avoid the condensation when you remove them from the fridge.This can take around 4 hours.)

Lift the fudge from the pan by pulling on the waxed paper. Turn on to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares. Store tightly sealed at room temp.

sugar cookie cutout recipe

These sugar cookie cutouts are a staple in our home for just about any holiday, but especially Christmas, Halloween, and Easter. It’s a recipe that my mom discovered somehow when I was young, and I’ve carried it with me ever since! These are versatile enough that if you roll and cut them thick and bake for a short amount of time, they’re soft. But if you want a crisper cookie, just roll them a bit thinner and bake a tiny bit longer.

Sugar Cookie Cutout Recipe

1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1-1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3-1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Leave the butter out at room temperature until it’s soft. Place in a medium sized bowl with the sugar and whip with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla in and mix. Add all of the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low just enough to combine everything. Scrape the sides. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to let it rest and chill.

Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the dough from the fridge. Divide the dough in half, leaving one half in the bowl. Sprinkle about 1/4 c. of flour on a clean, flat surface. Set the dough you’re rolling onto the flour, flip to cover both sides with flour, and work a bit into the dough. Sprinkle more flour on the surface to make sure the dough doesn’t stick. Using a rolling pin dusted with flour, roll out to 1/4 inch thickness for soft cookies, and slightly thinner for crisp ones. Cut into your favorites shapes using cookie cutters. Place on the cookies sheets, about 1 inch apart. Continue to scoop the dough scraps together and reroll and cut until all of the dough is used. Then, start on the other half of the dough.  Bake 6-8 minutes until the cookies are just golden on the bottom. Remove from the pan to a cooling rack. When they’re cool, frost with buttercream and top with sprinkles and sugars.

Fabulously Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temp
4 c. confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3-4 T. milk

Put the soft butter in a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. {little hint here – the key to this frosting? LOTS of beating and whipping. That’s how it gets so light and fluffy.} Add 1 c. of confectioner’s sugar and beat until fluffy. Add a second cup of confectioner’s sugar and beat again. It should be getting really thick at this point, so add the vanilla extract and 1 T. of milk. Whip it until fluffy again. Repeat this until all the sugar and all of the milk is whipped in. It’ll be really light and fluffy when you’re done like this! {It’s a method referred to as alternating.}

Have fun and enjoy!