Aliesha, Author at Feathers in Our Nest

Cow Appreciation Day 2015

July 16, 2015 by Aliesha

This week we once again celebrated Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A! They graciously give you a meal combo when you dress up like a cow, so our family always has a great time participating! My kids were so excited about it this year.

My mom made their shirts this year, which was so much simpler for me than cutting out black spots for everyone, which is what I usually do. We had cow masks leftover from another event, so those completed the outfits!

I loved their braided tails!

We met a bunch of our friends for breakfast (6 moms and 10 kids in all, I believe!).

The girls were completely enamored with the big cows! Jude hung back for a second, but he soon became interested too.

Vera kept giving this cow a hug!

We let all the kids play on the play place for a while, then (don’t judge), a few of us went to another Chick-fil-A in town for lunch!

The kids were excited to meet another cow there too!

The kids are still talking about our fun day!

Did your family participate in Cow Appreciation Day this year?

DIY Bug Repellent

July 15, 2015 by Aliesha

I tried out a new bug repellent recently that I made using essential oils. It worked really well at a cookout we went to this week! It’s nice to know exactly what’s in your bug spray and that there aren’t any “questionable” ingredients! It also only takes a minute to make.

These oils are very safe, and this blend of citronella, lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus citriodora is specially created to be safe for pregnant women and kids. I tend to attract a lot of mosquitoes when I’m pregnant, so I was happy to see that this DIY bug repellent worked so well! It also provides relief to existing bug bites, especially if you spray it on right when they happen.

As always, wearing more clothes (long pants, etc.) and avoiding scented perfumes and lotions can help prevent mosquito bites too!

DIY Bug Repellent

Make this DIY Bug Repellent to prevent mosquito bites this summer! Easy and fast to make with a blend of four safe essential oils.

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Ingredients

15 drops citronella
8 drops lavender
8 drops peppermint
4 drops eucalyptus citriodora
4 ounces distilled water
glass spray bottle

Instructions

To a 4 ounce glass spray bottle, add essential oils.
Fill remainder of the way with distilled water.
Shake well before using!

Sources: citronella / lavender / peppermint / eucalyptus citriodora / glass spray bottle

all natural DIY Bug Repellent made with essential oils and safe for pregnant women | easy and fast to make | Feathers in Our Nest

Have a happy, bug-free summer!

For other “recipes” using essential oils, click here!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to the essential oil company I use and love. If you choose to make a purchase through my links, it will help support my family and this blog. Thanks!

April’s Gold and Floral Bridal Shower

July 14, 2015 by Aliesha

This past weekend I had the privilege of celebrating with my friend April as she prepares to get married in a little over a month!

Our life group threw her a shower and I had so much fun putting together the gold and floral details for the celebration!

April is beautiful inside and out, and we all are SO excited for her and Adam to get married at the end of August. She looked so lovely at the shower (as always!).

Gold vases were spray painted and filled with silk flowers. I sprinkled gold sequins and gold sea shells on the table. The pink ruffle is crepe paper sewn and gathered.

We had lots of sweet and girly food! Macarons are a craze for a reason, and we loved sampling several different flavors. These are from Trader Joe’s (you have to try the fig ones).

We had rice krispie treats.

And chocolate-dipped pretzel rods.

Vera helped me make this cheese platter (Colby cheese cubes and Monterey Jack cheese cubes with blackberries).

We also had spinach artichoke dip and crackers.

My favorite part was the chicken salad on rolls! I could eat that every day.

I didn’t get a picture of the drinks, but we had an assortment of sparkling juices (lemonade, pomegranate blueberry, peach, and blood orange) in champagne glasses (bottoms painted gold).

I had a few “activities” for everyone to participate in. I asked everyone to bring a recipe for April, so we gave her a little stack of some of our most-loved recipes.

We also wrote on little cards “Advice and Well Wishes for the Soon-to-Be Mrs.!”

Finally, we all wrote down a couple of clever date night ideas for April and Adam.

I decorated the mantle in the living room with more gold and floral! Along the bottom you can see photos of Adam & April, which I stole from her Instagram account and clipped to paper doilies.

Of course it wouldn’t be a shower without a showering of gifts! We all wanted the super-cool double-decker casserole dish carrier that one sweet friend gave April!