Rustic Clip Frame

First and foremost, Jeremy and I have no idea how to build anything. We aren't the handiest people on the planet, but I really wanted a frame to go over our bed. I also didn't want to pay a fortune for it. Frames this size are pretty expensive. And, we already had some really cheap wood from a previous project that I wasn't a huge fan of.

We tore that old project up and went to work putting this together. We don't have many tools and definitely not technical skill, which is why this is a "rustic" project. I feel like most people use the word rustic to mean "I just left it rough around the edges instead of really trying." Whatever works! I like the style of most rustic projects.

This frame is 28" x 68" and fits nicely above our king  size bed! We had them cut the boards at Home Depot when we bought them. They charge per cut, but it is cheaper than buying a saw for sure, especially if you don't do this sort of thing often! I'm not going to give you guys instructions, because I wouldn't even know how! Just wanted to share our little project and maybe give you guys a bit of inspiration.

     The beautiful artwork that we built this specifically to display is by Nashville based artist, Kelly Mckernan. Please, please, go check out her work on her website or her Facebook!

Quick Italian Salad

This Italian salad is one of our favorite dinners! We've started making it once a week with garlic bread and it's so delicious. I'm about to put up a blog post with the ingredients list! Link in profile. #salad #dinner #healthy #healthyeating #delicious #fresh #italian #italiansalad

A photo posted by Gloria Aitken (@gloriaaitken) on Apr 17, 2016 at 9:08am PDT

We love this "Italian" salad! It is absolutely on of our favorite meals and it is so easy to put together.
I feel like salads don't really need recipes, just a list of ingredients that you put together according to what you like the most and how many you are serving. So, here is what we throw into ours!

My addition that isn't exactly in the norm, is fried onion straws. In my house, we aren't a huge fan of raw onions. So, I replace what would normally be diced red onions, with the fried variety. I really like it because it adds a nice crunch to the salad and they are so yummy anyway! 

Quick Italian Salad

• Italian Salad Mix, Romaine and Radicchio
• Tomato, diced
• Cucumber, diced
• Kalamata  Olives, sliced
• Delicatessen Style Peperoncini or Banana Peppers, diced
• Crumbled Feta Cheese
• Fried Onions Strings
• Fat Free Italian Dressing
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix it all together and eat up! I usually make garlic bread, with whatever bread we have lying around, to make this more of a meal. And, Jeremy loves having the bread for sure! I think it makes up for not having meat in the salad. If you want to add meat, we have done this with grilled chicken or even diced salami and pepperoni! 

Easter in Alabama

We were so excited that we got to go home for Easter. It isn't very often that we can make that trek for a holiday. Most holidays Jeremy either has to work or only has 1 day off. We managed to get 4 vacation days and spend TWO whole days at home. Although it doesn't sound like much, it was great to spend Easter with out family and friends!

I thought the driving (in my case, riding) was going to overpower the trip, but this time it wasn't so bad. Amelia slept most of the way and kept herself fairly entertained while she was awake. She snack a lot and played with her toys. She did great and only fussed a couple of times.

Taking a little mini vacation like this is a great refresher. Which, Jeremy and I need fairly often. We get sort of bogged down with our responsibilities and the monotony of the day to day. We combat this weekly by trying to explore the area around us and go for some pretty long walks. It just doesn't give the same amount of satisfaction as a road trip. I love exploring new places, but lately, going home has been the best. It is an adventure in itself, because Amelia is always learning something new. I love to see things through her eyes. There is a lot to explore in Grandcam's yard, rocks to find and flowers to pick!

She did a good job 'hunting' for Easter eggs. She figured out pretty quick that they needed to go into the basket, but then she wanted everyone else to pick them up for her. It was extremely cute and she had a blast, running and rolling around in the grass. Since she was the only kid there, it was all about her. And, she was totally okay with that!