oh the joy of peanut butter & a kids smile.

i was so happy to take my mom to haiti with me. she is an amazing cook, baker, interior designer, make up artist, listener, crafter, who am i kidding- she can do anything & she does all of it amazingly.

so i was excited for my kids to meet her & have her teach them some of her magical ways.

we did the BEST baking class & these pictures are sure to make you smile.

for the baking class- we made peanut butter balls & the kids had the choice to roll them in peanuts or cocoa.

photo cred to my little assistant robenson for taking most of these photos. he LOVES taking pictures & i LOVE cultivating that in him. 

i loved that we got to do this with jennifer (light blue shirt) she left that week to live with her mom again! 

you guys- this was SO FUN.

we split the kids into groups & pepe picked a leader at every table. the leader would mix the peanut butter recipe- which was peanut butter and powdered sugar. once it was to a certain texture each child made little peanut butter balls & rolled it in peanuts or cocoa or BOTH.

love this lady!

peanut butter hands!

giveline LOVED the peanut butter balls!

at one point i was over at wilderson's table & i was telling him how to mix it up better- of course he didn't want to get his hands dirty but with baking sometimes you have too. i literally tell him what to do & then to split it so everyone gets to make one & then roll it in whatever they want. i turn around to tell pepe something turn back around & IT WAS ALL GONE. everything on the parchment paper was gone. i was like WHAT! they have peanut butter & cocoa all over their faces. jameson was trying to hide it. wildersons hands were covered in peanut butter & i was laughing so hard. it was so funny. boys will be boys. i literally had so much fun watching them do this. THEY love learning & they probably have never done anything like this before. there are probably some future bakers in there. future restaurant owners in there. you have to show them there is so much they are capable of.

we had left over peanuts & peanut butter & they wanted it. 

wilderson! hahaah. this photo makes me laugh! 

reginald!

jameson & his little wink. he's such a sweetie!

ronaldo (aka big kervens)

they are all a big family. 

she's so cute! love little mickerlange!

ARENT THESE PHOTOS THE BEST?

i can't wait for march. my mom has some more cooking recipes planned & one night we are going to make dinner together!  i am just so happy to see these kids smile. it truly is the small things that matter most. time spent with them. telling them they can be whoever they want to be. it also makes me so thankful for my mom & all she gave to me. being able to learn recipes, make cookies with her, have art projects- these kids do not get that unless we go there & do it with them. their happiness is important. ah! i could look at these photos all day. such a fun day!

if you would like to partner with us & make some incredible things happen for these kids you can email me at --- evanda.estes@gmail.com

- evanda

what color should i choose?

i know i posted recently about me coloring my hair & how i was going to go blonde, BUT all these colors popping up on my pinterest page are so exciting.

now i am at a crossroads. blonde? red? hints of green? i have no idea. these are some of the colors i am thinking about.

this one is my favorite. 

who doesn't love blonde?

& these are some of the cuts i am thinking. 

i am also getting my nose pierced again which i am really excited about! i had my nose pierced back in 2006 and kept it for about 4 years. i miss it on the daily. 

some change is fun, & these changes are def, FUN!

change is good & scary.

a lot of change is happening in the estes household. change is good, but scary right? cory & i were talking last night when we got home from some friends about how it is scary all the new things that are coming our way. things that we are not used to & we both agree we have become comfortable with where we are. with that being said we sign our rental agreement to a house in carrollton the end of this week or beginning of next. we won't be living full time in carrollton until jan.

                                        i introduce you to the new estes rental. so charming.

i absolutely love it. 

things i love about it- big basement for all of cory's music gear & room for storage- fenced in back yard with a cute little patio for a grill- huge old tree perfect for my eno- a swing on the from porch- 2 bedrooms- all hardwood floors- open kitchen.

you can literally walk to the square & church from where we are. some of our best friends live a few houses down!

another new thing that wont happen until the summer is school. i am going back for cosmetology. i have been wanting to go & learn this trade for a while now, but have not had the opportunity. i feel like if i want to go & get this degree now i need to do it before i have kids, right? 

finding a new job should not be difficult, but it is still a little stressful.  

moving in itself is a little crazy, but i am excited to be back in the country. i am sad to leave all of our friends in the atlanta area that we are used to seeing on the regular, but we will just have to make time for all of them. 

cory has a lot of opportunity that has been thrown his way & we are just praying for guidance & clarity.

i cannot wait to post picture of the rooms as i get them decorated, all the diy projects that will be happening in this little home, all of the new memories, all of the dinners, & our upcoming halloween party.

YAY!

i am on the lookout for a new sectional couch & i like this one, but i am not sure how comfortable it would be. i need comfort. 

from ikea here

can you believe that i might have my first kid in this house? 

i get little butterflies thinking about it.

on a side note i have left over cake from my birthday & our friends made us a yummy dinner last night.

cheers,

mrs. estes

p.s. let's all take a moment a realize how blessed we are. my heart is a little heavy for Israel after reading an article this morning. we are really blessed to be able to live the kind of lives we all do.