Have a Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all are gearing up for a happy 4th of July!  I'm excited about an extra long weekend and, although I don't think I'll be doing much cooking, if I was baking something, this cheesecake never disappoints.  The recipe is from Barefoot Contessa and I just garnished it with fresh berries for a colorful kick.  I only make it about once a year, but it's heavenly.

P.S. I've heard a lot of talk about Google Reader closing down and I did use that reader so it was a bummer for me, but it forced me to find Netvibes, which I love even more.  I like how I can switch between thumbnail views or list view.

Is this effecting you at all?  Are you using a new reader to read blogs?



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I will see you back here on Friday with a new blog friend's home tour that you don't want to miss!  

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Happy Mother's Day!

Hope you have a great day!

Happy Easter

Hi all!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!  We kept it low key, just staying around the house.    Hunting eggs this year was really fun, do the images below look familiar?? :)

Inside, I added some Springy branches 

and gorgeous purple tulips. 

I hope your week is off to a great start!

Easter Cookies & Decor

Yay for Easter week, a favorite time of year.  Spring is in the air and summer isn't far away.  The days are lighter longer and we prepare to celebrate The Resurrection.  Our church always has a great service and I'm looking forward to it and a nice brunch after.  We know Easter isn't really about bunnies and eggs, but it doesn't hurt to be playful with those things!



I found the cutest sugar cookies for my son's class Easter party at Whole Foods.  I hope the kids like them- but I think they will since he already tasted and approved.

And for just $5 I picked up this adorable, colorful felt egg banner at Target.  Sometimes $5 is worth saving the time and effort of creating a craft project from scratch. 

The lovely lamp and faux potted hydrangea are from Pottery Barn.

On our breakfast table is my dough bowl filled with large and small pastel colored eggs- from Hobby Lobby. 

Do you have Easter plans?

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Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day friends!  We are ready for my son's class party- just bringing sugar cookies and juice, which is perfect for the cutest bunch of 3-year-olds around.  To make them sweeter, I put the cookies in a plastic baggie with a V-day napkin.  

I'm really happy that James helped make the cookies and he's super excited to share them with his class.  Yes, it makes a mess and our floors are still dirty, but I'll get it all cleaned up this weekend. 

I used this sugar cookie recipe and they are tasty!  My icing on the other hand, not so much.  I didn't use buttercream, but tried to make royal icing.  

 They were supposed to look like this.  Oh well.  I'll practice and hopefully get better over time.   James still thought they were good- no complaints about the icing or the way they looked:)  

But, I decided to make a cookie I knew would be delicious- the Nestle tollhouse chocolate chip recipe with a mix of chocolate chips and Valentine's colored dark M&M's.  Cannot go wrong there.  If you really want to show off the M&M's, it's better to put them on top instead of mixing them in with the batter. 

These are the napkins I found at my grocery store to include with the cellophane bags. 

We'll give each child one of each cookie. 

It's all about . . .  

(from Hobby Lobby)

p.s.  If you're in the mood for jewelry today, Emily A. Clark is hosting a virtual trunk show & $150 Giveaway to Stella & Dot!  

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Kids' Valentine Craft - Personalized Gift Bags

My son's preschool class will be having a Valentine's party and, over the weekend, we completed a quick, inexpensive Valentine craft for the kiddos.  We made personalized gift bags for everyone with muslin bags, an ink stamp, and red marker.  I got these 4x6 bags at Amazon (25 for $5).

I figured there will be plenty of sweets (I'm bringing cookies) at the party, so we filled the bags with goodies instead- bubbles, kazoo, and foam heart sticker.  

We got a little off track while stamping the bags . . . 

But that's part of the fun, right?!  The ink washed right off with soap and water.

I used a red sharpie to write each child's name.  (I put a piece of paper in the bag so the ink wouldn't bleed through while I was writing).  Then stuffed each bag. 

I hope they like them!

Each child is supposed to decorate a shoebox to collect their Valentines in.  I wrapped James' box with red polka dot paper left over from Christmas (from The Container Store).  

To personalize the box, I spray painted mini chip board letter and James stuck them on.  He also added the red heart stickers.  

I think we're ready for the party! 

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Super Bowl Party Recap 2013

Did you watch the game last night?! We hosted an annual Super Bowl party and had a fun, full house.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, perfect for getting some friends together and hanging out in the backyard.  I knew we'd have a bunch of kiddos, so we rented a bounce house for the afternoon.  The kids (and some adults) loved it and bounced 'til dark.

For food, we served a slow cooked brisket and red beans.  The brisket was huge, about 8 pounds, so I was surprised there wasn't any left at the end of the party.  

We also made cream cheese stuffed jalepenos with bacon (I tried to make them a little healthier with low fat cream cheese and lower sodium bacon).  You just pop them in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  I made three batches and they all disappeared. 

Mexican 7-layer dip (refried beans, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, olives, and green onions) and caprese skewers are a party staple.

Our sweet friends brought spinach dip (that I didn't get a pic of but was absolutely delicious!), and the cutest,  tastiest cupcakes and cookies.  

The kids REALLY had a good time playing together. 

And the adults did too!  I admit I didn't catch any of the game- or the commercials . . . just the half-time show. 

What did y'all think?

P.S.  My friend Emily (Decor Chick) is hosting a sale on Joss & Main today.  I know she'd love it if you want to check it out!

You need to be a member to shop the site, but it's FREE to join, you just need an invite, which I've included for you HERE. 

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Valentine Ideas (DIY Welcome Mat)

If you're in the mood for a quick and easy Valentine decor idea, how about creating a loving message at your front door?  I was originally looking for a plain mat that I could paint a big red heart on, but when I found this "key" welcome mat, I figured I could add a sweet message instead.

I'm not sure how practical this mat will be as far as the paint lasting once dirty shoes are scraped against it, but it's sure cute for now!

I die over this adorable shabby chic wagon from Hobby Lobby.  The pink and purple faux flowers are also from Hobby Lobby. 

To apply the text, I used a stiff paint brush and leftover Urbane Bronze paint from my kitchen cabinets.  I dabbed the letters on as opposed to swiping.  The heart was created with the same brush and pink craft paint.  This project took a total of about 10 minutes. 

The best part was painting with my little guy.  Of course when he saw me painting he wanted to join in.  I wish I could bottle this age!

Didn't his picture turn out cool?

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Our Christmas 2011

Our Christmas this year was so fun with James, who is now 21 months old.  Christmas Eve we always spend with my sister-in-law and her family, eating, playing with kids, and decorating cookies for Santa.  These small cousins in their Christmas pj's melt me:)

James loves to sit on this couch in his cousins' play room.  He's got his best Gabba Gabba friends with him. 

We began Christmas morning with our traditional sour cream coffee cake.

We didn't overwhelm James with gifts, but he definitely understood the concept of opening presents this year.

We had a low-key Christmas dinner at our house, complete with crab cakes, beef tenderloin, sautéed mushrooms, and roasted carrots, onions and potatoes.  Dessert was fudge, brownies, and assorted cookies.

  I hope you enjoyed your holiday too.  Are you looking forward to the new year??