Sunday, April 25, 2010

Baby Shower gift


Aren't baby shower gifts so fun??
My friend is having a baby girl soon, and for her shower gift I really wanted to make something different. So, I decided to make her a bow holder for the nursery to organize all the tiny hair bows.
I know these are all over blogland, but they are so adorable and easy to make! We all know one of the best parts about having girls is all the adorable bows to decorate their hair...what a perfect way to add to your nursery decor while organizing at the same time.

I also had the privilege of shooting her maternity pictures, so I thought a collage would be a cute personal touch.


Add some pink dresses, put it all in a cute pink basket, tie up with some pink ribbon and attach a cutesy girl poem and you have the perfect baby shower gift.

A girl can never have too much pink.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Motherhood

Being a mother is undoubtedly, the hardest job ever. And, even though most days are insanely rewarding, some days are, in fact, a job. However, it seems as I talk with other moms, that I am not alone when I say, that we all seem to battle the same illness... the guilt syndrome. For whatever reason, men do not seem to suffer from this as strongly. (I'm not saying men don't feel guilty for decisions they make for their family, but I truly believe they do not carry the same weight on their shoulders as we mothers do.)
It starts as immediate as conception. You are so excited to be pregnant, but then the questions start. Are you going to stay at home? Are you going to breastfeed? Did your doctor say you could eat that because mine didn't? You aren't going to put a 6 week old in daycare, are you?
And the delight of being pregnant has suddenly been overtaken by the G word- guilt. You feel guilty if you do not stay at home with your children, you feel guilty if you use formula, you feel guilty if you have a c-section, you feel guilty if you drink pop while pregnant...and the list continues.
I battled with this syndrome terribly after my first daughter was born. I felt like I had to be supermom and do everything as "they" say. But really, who exactly is they?
I mean, I know they say nursing is proven to be better, but has anyone suffered drastic side effects from formula? Like I'm at the grocery store and a man is backing his car out of the parking spot without even looking, and almost hits my daughter and I. Do I say wow he must have been fed formula as a child?? NO!
Don't get me wrong, I am a total supporter of breast feeding your child; I'm just saying if you choose not to, don't feel guilty. I'm not a psychologist by any means, but I think that we ourselves are the biggest critics of ourselves. I'm not speaking for anyone, but I know I am guilty of putting the most pressure on myself. Isn't that just crazy?
Since I've had another child, I feel like I have treated my guilt syndrome better. When I'm feeling that obnoxious G-word, I try to take a step back and realize that I am doing a fine job. Sure, my kids act up in Target from time to time, and yes I have been that mom who shoves a sugary sucker in her 14 month old daughter's screaming mouth to get her grocery shopping done. And I'm the first to admit that I swore I would NEVER do that, but I am guilty of it (that nasty G word again).
The biggest battle I still struggle with is who am I. Am I a mother first? A wife first? Somedays the kids are so time consuming that I have neglected any quality interaction with my husband. I am so exhausted by dinner time, that I have honestly forgot to ask him how his day was. I value being a mother as one of the most precious responsibilities, but I also value my marriage. My husband is my best friend and my rock. Our marriage is the foundation for our family, so that too is just as important. For us, we try to reconnect by having a date night once every few weeks. That too, can be a battle with finding a babysitter, but it is very important to make the effort. Otherwise, in all the blissful chaos you start to lose the strong connection with each other.

So, this post is just for all the moms who can relate. Take it easy on yourself. We are all doing the best we can for our children and families. No doubt, we all have our crazy moments. No one is perfect, but our kids think we are and that's all that matters.

Monday, April 12, 2010

SHREKTASTIC

In honor of the new Shrek movie coming out, I thought I'd share with you my daughter's Shrektacular 3rd Birthday. I mean, this girl is OBSESSED with Shrek, so I wanted to make this party special for her.

For the cake, I used the small dome cake pan from Wilton's.
I covered it with green fondant. I hand molded Shrek's ears around a wooden dowel and stuck it into the head of the cake.
Because the cake was rather small, I made "Swamp" cupcakes, complete with dirt (oreo bits) and candy worms.

For the goodie bags, I filled them with pop rocks, slimy creatures, Shrek the Halls movie, magic potion (pixie sticks), and Ogre tattoos. I attached a tag with a picture of Donkey that I found on the internet and put a personalized thank you.

For the food table:


I made tags for all the food with fun names to go with the theme:
Weed Rat Pie, Swamp Scum, Seaweed Sludge, etc..

For the drinks, I made two different color punch red and green:

The red was Happily Ever After Potion, and the green was Swamp Juice.
I even put gummy worms in the green one and topped it with green sherbet to get the "sludgy" look.

Decorating was a tad tricky.

I found a template online of Shrek's face so I printed that on regular paper.
Then I glued the face to foam board and used a utility knife to cut it out.
Then I glued a Popsicle stick to it completing the mask.

I also made a few signs:

We played pin the tail on Donkey and listened to the soundtrack to all the Shrek movies.

Oh, I almost forgot the invitations.
They were a lot of fun to make.



Of course the Princess had to wear her Shrek shirt to the party!
(I tried to get others to wear Shrek attire, but no one cooperated!!)
The party was SOO much fun and the first year I really stayed with the theme. Hope you enjoy!!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Oreo deliciousness


Since I'm slacking on projects, I thought I'd share some favorite recipes.
This one tops ALL desserts around this family. It is by far, the #1 requested dessert.

OREO BALLS

1 pkg. Oreo Cookies
8 oz. softened cream cheese
12 oz. Bakers White Chocolate

Put the entire package of oreos in a ziploc bag and crush.
Put in a large bowl with the cream cheese.
Beat with mixer on medium, until well blended.
Form into balls.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Follow directions on the back of the box of chocolate to melt.
Dip oreo ball into chocolate.
You can add sprinkles, nuts, or anything you want!
I usually decorate them based on the holiday! (little ghost faces for Halloween, red/green for Christmas, etc.)
Refrigerate overnight!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Hippity Hop



Can you tell Spring is here???

I feel like each year the winter gets longer and longer, so spring is such a welcomed blessing at our house. Somehow, Easter is already this weekend (can't believe it) and we have been having some nice 70+ weather. I LOVE IT!!

If you are looking for some quick, easy snacks for Easter Sunday, I have the PERFECT recipe. This was given to me by a friend (I'm not sure where she got it), and it is dreamy.



Brickle Dip

8oz softened cream cheese
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 8 oz pkg. of Heath toffee bits
3 lb. bag of Granny Smith apples

Mix cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Then add the heath bits. Serve with sliced apples

**Tip: To keep sliced apples from turning brown, soak in lemon-lime pop.**

I don't really like apples, and I LOVE this dip. I literally could eat the entire bowl, so please try it out!

What a beautiful ooey, gooey masterpiece!! Enjoy!!!