Welcome to the Homestead

The foyer. The first impression your home makes upon guests when they walk through the front door. So it had better be a good one right? In my opinion that means clean and clutter free (that's how I like my whole house, but let's be real, that hardly ever happens!).

When looking through house plans and choosing our new home I didn't want a foyer space. I was craving an open floor plan and to me that didn't include a formal foyer. However if this house building process has taught me nothing else it has taught me compromise.

So I have a long narrow foyer. Now what?

Thankfully our plans had a small niche in one of the walls. Our builder asked me if I wanted to take it out and I didn't hesitate to tell him "no way". I needed something to give that boring space character. As luck would have it, I purchased a small table at Scott Antique Market a few years back and it fits the niche like it was made for it.

I was coveting a lantern chandelier from Restoration Hardware, but Mr Peach wasn't letting me budget $600 for it. So I ended up with a little number from City Electric and it turned out just as charming for less than a third of the price.

Wanting character and channeling my inner Joanna Gaines I insisted the space be planked in ship lap. If it was going no where else in the house I was determined to have ship lap in the foyer (and hall bath, but that's a post for another day). Thankfully my wish was granted.

Now I have a nice, big empty wall of nothing but ship lap to welcome guests into our home. I'm debating on adding some kind of gallery artwork to it, but for now I'm just basking in the glow of ship lap.

The front door needed a little work when we moved in. Our painters didn't get the stain quite the shade I wanted. Although it looks like real wood, it's actually a fiberglass door and therefore has to be  stained with a gel stain. I've stained real wood multiple times, it's such an easy process. Gel stain on the other hand is a bit trickier and not a medium I would want to work with every day. But after a couple more coats I got the door looking the color I was wanting (matching the natural tone of the cedar columns on the front porch).

It's not a large space, but it has big importance on the presentation of the home. It's light and bright, and if I have to have a foyer I guess that this one will do ;).

Welcome to our home.

Blessings,

the Crunchy Peach

Allergy Friendly Cupcakes - Baby Peach's First Birthday

Our house is dairy and egg free. So when it came time to plan Baby Peach's first birthday party I was a little worried about the cake situation. I didn't want BP's smash cake to be full of dairy and I wasn't too keen on the idea of a bunch of left over cupcakes sitting on my counter that would never be eaten because I can't have what's in them either.

Thank goodness for the Milk Allergy Mom. Her blog has saved me time and time again trying to find allergy friendly recipes. Thanks to her confetti cake recipe I was able to bake three dozen cupcakes and one adorable little smash cake. All dairy and egg free.

I didn't tell anyone at the party that the cupcakes were allergy friendly (since I'm the only one with food allergies). And the cupcakes were gobbled up. So I'd say everyone liked them. I even sent some of the left overs home with guests so that I wouldn't overdose on sugar eating them all by myself.

If you or your kiddo or someone you know has food allergies I highly recommend checking out Milk Allergy Mom's website and Facebook page. Dealing with food allergies can be tricky and it's nice to know someone else out there that has figured out a few things already.


Now, what you've all really come for... pictures of Baby Peach at his party.

waiting for his guests to arrive

gifts (and a sneak peak at our new fireplace)

he was so adorable holding his balloon

I'd say he thoroughly enjoyed his cake

playing in his new sandbox with his cousins

Happy first birthday, Baby Peach! I cannot believe that you are already a whole year old. May your next year be even more exciting than the last.

With love,

the Crunchy Peach

Kitchen Reveal

It's been a dream in the making for years, and now we're working to turn our dream into a reality. We moved into our new home earlier this month and I've been busy checking things off my to-do list ever since. So far the only rooms that are almost finished are the nursery and the kitchen (priorities, right?!).

The island in the kitchen was inspired by an episode of "Fixer Upper". Before we even had house plans picked out, I saw that island and told Mr Peach that we were going to have one just like it in our new home.

Mr Peach and his grandfather built the cabinets and wood top for the island. Once it was installed in the house I stained the top and sealed it with Waterlox to protect the wood from my messy cooking. They did such a great job making my vision come to life. It is definitely one of my favorite spots in the house.

The light fixture over the island was purchased at Scott Antique Market before construction on the house ever even started. I saw it and fell in love with it and just hoped that it would all work out in the end.

I didn't know where it was going, but I was determined to have a sliding barn door in the house somewhere. We decided the pantry was the perfect place for one. The dark wood ties into the island top and adds some warmth to the space.

So much of my day is spent cooking and washing dishes, so I wasn't going to be conservative on a cooktop and sink. I have to say that I'm loving my farm sink and am looking forward to putting those double ovens to work for Baby Peach's upcoming first birthday party.

For us, the kitchen is the center of our home and I'm looking forward to all of the new memories we're going to make here.

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Baby Led Weaning: Nine Month Update

What Baby Peach has learned in the past three months of baby led weaning (BLW):

how to steal food off my plate
how to fling a loaded spoon/fork across the room
how to feed the dog
how to bathe in spaghetti sauce
how to flap his arms and scream until you give him more food
how to hide food down the sides of his chair

But, he has also learned:

how to eat with a fork (still working on the spoon)
how to use his pincer grip
how to chew and swallow
how to pick out his favorite foods
how to let cold/frozen foods melt in his mouth before swallowing

Some of Baby Peach's current favorite foods:

corn on the cob
yogurt drops
frozen blueberries
strawberries
macaroni and cheese
sweet potatoes
zucchini
pasta in tomato basil sauce
pineapple

Most meals he wants seconds and thirds. This boy loves to eat!

At six months he was eating one meal a day. Then at seven and a half months he started two meals a day. When he turned nine months old he started eating breakfast, lunch and supper. Now when he sees me cooking he gets so excited and is sure to let me know if it's taking too long.

The past three months of BLW have been a great experience for our entire family. Mr Peach and I love to watch Baby eat and he loves to babble and put on a show each time he's in his highchair. He's learning and practicing so many skills each time he eats and having tons of fun while doing it. Plus he's developing a palate for tasty, healthy foods. I don't have to worry about having enough baby food on hand, and when going out to restaurants I bring along a little veggie appetizer and we're good to go.

I'm so glad that I did my research and decided to try out BLW. It's been a great fit for our family and I hope it's making a whole foods lover out of my Baby Peach.

Blessings,
The Crunchy Peach

One Month of Baby Led Weaning

Mashed potatoes up his nose. Cinnamon coating his ear. Sticky peach juice coving the floor beneath his highchair. Pieces of chewed up pasta smushed into his pants. This is the picture of the beginnings of baby led weaning (BLW).

While at times it may be messy (and by "messy" I mean messy, and by "at times" I mean always), it is so much fun watching your baby explore and learn about food.

Mr. Peach and I decided to introduce solid foods to Baby Peach after reading the Baby Led Weaning book. It just made sense to us. Plus there was that whole added bonus of not having to buy or make "baby food".

If you aren't familiar with the BLW approach here it is in a nutshell: when your baby is six months old start feeding them solid food. Skip the jars of baby food and purees. Whatever you're having for supper, baby is having it too. Just give them sticks of food that they can pick up on their own to feed themselves.

Baby Peach has been feeding himself one meal a day for the past month and he has been loving it. And we've been loving watching him. He loves food. All food. Except for tomatoes. And he especially loves anything green.

So far we've only been feeding him solids at supper time. But he's getting to the point where if you have food in front of you he's going to try and grab it. Might be time to add another meal...

Here's a list of the foods he has eaten so far:

carrots - steamed and roasted
broccoli - steamed
zucchini - steamed, roasted, sautéed
tomatoes
celery
peaches
pineapple
blueberries
banana
lemons
tangerines
bread - mostly rolls
pizza crust
apples - raw, and sautéed in coconut oil and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg
sweet potatoes - roasted and mashed
white potatoes - mashed
sausage
steak
hamburger
bell peppers - red, green, yellow
pickles
cucumbers
green beans
corn
black beans
pasta - plain and with tomato sauce
hummus

avocado

rice

Another plus to BLW is that it makes you examine your own diet. Since you don't want to be feeding your baby processed foods, and since baby is eating what you eat, it helps ensure you're eating a whole foods diet too!

It has been so fun to not only watch him discover solid food, but also reach developmental milestones. When he started feeding himself half of the time food would miss his mouth completely and the food that did make it into his mouth he would push back out. Now he can grab something with his hand and not smush it, bring it to his mouth and actually get it into his mouth and eat it. Now he's working on his pincer grip which will allow him to eat smaller foods like peas and rice.

Have you tried BLW with your little one? I'd love to hear your stories and find out your favorite baby friendly recipes!

Blessings and happy eating,
The Crunchy Peach