let me tell you 'bout my best friend...

Do you remember that song, by Harry Nilsson, called Best Friend?  You know...People let me tell you 'bout my best friend.  If you're having trouble recollecting, here's a video to help jog your memory.  

Now that we've got that out of the way, that song is constantly stuck in my head these days.  You want to know why?  Because we have so many of these moments...

It's pretty entertaining watching them look at and interact with each other.  They are such good buds.  Hammond laughs so hard at Scout, sometimes just when he looks at him.  And, if you couldn't tell, Scout is always close by wherever Hammond is.  (I think part of this is so that he doesn't miss an opportunity to lick up his spit up...gross, yes, but efficient too. :)

There are definitely days where it might be a little easier without a dog to worry about.  But, more often than those days are the ones when I can't imagine life without Scout!  And I think these two are going to be two peas in a pod as they grow over the years.  Lots of fun to come!

6 month check-up

Today the little man is 6 months old!  It is crazy how time is flying, and I am so loving this new stage.  While I'm hoping to get some typical monthly photos this afternoon, I just had to share these precious ones from his check-up this morning!

This appt alone showed me how much has changed since 2 months ago 

(our last appointment).  He was so easy going at 4 months, laying on his back, 

no rolling over, fully entertained by me.  This time, he was all over the

 place!  And loving that table paper!!

He was also super entertained by the other baby in the room (aka his reflection).  

It was kind of hilarious, watching him check himself out!

Yeah...sorry about the paper, Dr.

Hey, that's one cute baby!

Peanut Butter Pie

Have you ever thought about what your last meal would be?  You know, if you knew you wouldn't make it to tomorrow, but had an opportunity to eat one last supper.  I have.  There's this restaurant in Augusta called the French Market Grille.  And if I knew that I only had one more meal to scarf down, that'd be the place I'd go.  I'd order a salad with their creamy avocado dressing (w/ extra dressing to dip my bread into), 1 dozen oysters on the half shell, 2 lbs of crawfish, and one big ole piece of their peanut butter pie (heck, if it was my last meal, I think I'd just eat the whole pie!).  

The picture that I posted hardly does it justice (it's not of the original FMG PBP), but it gives you an idea.  Anyhow, turns out I have the recipe for that amazing pie.  And because I enjoy spreading the love, this pie makes it way into all of the meals that we take to new moms, families new to the neighborhood, or anyone else who might be in need of a meal.  

And now, I'm sharing this recipe with you.  Wanna know the convenient thing?  The recipe makes two pies.  So, while you're being all considerate by making one for another family, you're left with one extra.  Great excuse for your family to enjoy some!  

French Market Grille's Peanut Butter Pie
(from Second Round: Tea-time at the Masters)
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz container whipped topping, thawed
12 oz creamy peanut butter
2 Tblsp vanilla
2 9-inch graham cracker pie crusts

- Whip cream cheese 10 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar.  Whip 10 minutes more.
- Blend in whipped topping, peanut butter and vanilla.  Beat 5 minutes.
- Pour into pie crusts.  Freeze at least 2 hours.
- Before serving, garnish with whipped cream and peanuts.  
[And I like to drizzle with caramel and chocolate sauce.]

Now you should go try it yourself.  Enjoy!  

The Nursery

I am finally getting around to posting photos of our finally finished nursery.  Of course, Hammond loves his room, and is constantly telling me how much he appreciates the time and effort that went into it. :)

Of course, we didn't know whether or not we'd be popping out a little boy or a little girl, so we went with pretty neutral tones.  Which, if I'm being honest, is what I would have gone with regardless of whether or not we had known!  The walls were already green when it was the guest room before.  And despite my strong urge to paint them gray (like every other room in our home), I resisted and just used gray as an accent color.  

My older sister has four kids, and was so gracious to save all of their old baby items.  Other than the rug (from West Elm), the baskets (from World Market), and some of the accessories, we either got creative or already had the furniture.  It just took some creative arranging or painting or recovering, and we had ourselves a nursery!

See below for photos...

the view from the door

I decided to go with baskets under the crib for storage purposes, and so that I didn't have to worry about a pricey adjustable bedskirt.  

view from the other side

We turned an old dresser into a changing table by attaching a changing pad (with velcro strips) to the top of it.  I love the antique look.

nursery window

Got the valance idea from Pinterest, and found the wood at a neighbors while Scout and I were out walking.  You should have seen me...big and pregnant, carrying home a large piece of wood.  Then, my crafty husband put it all together and hung it. Oh,and the bamboo shades were another project, referenced here.

above the crib

These are framed excerpts from this precious book, Guess How Much I Love You.  I had a tough time choosing a book, but not only did I love the words, but I thought the colors of the illustrations would go well.  

Robin Anne's precious mother-in-law had this plate painted by her incredibly 

talented sister.  It goes with the Guess How Much I Love You theme. :)

above the changing table

This is one of my favorite pieces that I own.  Such a random story, but a co-worker's step-sister was selling it (along with a dresser I love), and I bought it asap.  It had previously been a headboard, but I think it goes perfectly above the changing table.  Also, see this post for the story of the amazing blocks.  

The beginning of our book collection.

more shelves

This is my favorite DIY project of the nursery.  Our friends, Gavin + Lindsay found this amazing barn wood and they gave us a piece to use as shelves.  Love the rustic look. Also, the brackets we used to hang it were originally silver and too industrial looking.  Our handy, dandy ACE guy told us to soak it in vinegar....and viola!  It worked.  

Love these photos...especially the one on the far right.  That's 

baby Jamie in his old crib.  Wasn't he adorable?!

guest chair, closet, and bookshelf

This bookshelf was originally purchased at Target about 10 years ago, and used in my dorm room, house, apartment, my sister's apartment, and has been painted over a million times.  But, it worked...and it was free!

This sweet car/toy basket came all the way from Madagascar!  Thanks

to Aunt Betsy and Uncle Andy.  Isn't it precious?  

Finally, as much as I love photos, I knew I needed even more space for them.  

So, I created this bulletin board.  Pretty sure it will fill up fast.

For all my indecision and our DIY'ing, I love the way it all came together.  And I can definitely tell that Mr. Hammond loves it too. :)

Labor Day in the Mountains

This Labor Day, we headed north to one of our very favorite spots - Cashiers, NC.  We joined Honey + Daddy Big (and later Robin Anne and Bob) for a super relaxing weekend.

Hammond + Daddy Big, mid-golf game

Quite possibly my favorite photo of H-man yet - here with his Honey

Hanging out on the porch while daddy makes him laugh

The last day we were there, we decided to let Hammond try a lemon.  Below is a series of his facial expressions as he tries sour for the first time :)

And then theres my favorite view....