Say It Sweetly...Frosted Popcorn

My daughter loves snack day at school, especially when she gets to bring it for her friends and teachers. Our most recent snack was frosted popcorn and was a huge hit! I was able to make three batches the night before school and store in food bags. The next morning, Miss C helped me assemble snack bags and added conversation hearts to each one. The perfect Valentine or anytime treat!

FROSTED POPCORN

Yield: 27 servings (1 cup each)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 packets of lightly salted microwave popcorn (I used Pop Secret Sea Salt)
• 1 bag candy melts in your favorite color (found at local craft store)
• Nonpareils or sprinkles of your choice
• Conversation candy hearts or preferred garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Pop 1 packet of popcorn in microwave as directed. Pour cooked popcorn into large bowl. 
• Melt 1/3 of candy melts in glass measuring cup for 30 seconds until melted. 
• Stir melted chocolate with a spoon and drizzle over popcorn. Using a large spoon, stir popcorn and chocolate mixture until evenly coated. 
• Add nonpareils or sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm. Stir again and transfer to airtight bag or container. 
• Allow to cool before adding conversation heart candy or other garnish. Repeat with remaining popcorn packets. Serve or package as desired. Enjoy!

Adapted from: She Wears Many Hats and A Night Owl

French Fries & Lavender

My sweet little girl is not so tiny

anymore, but can still cuddle with

momma. After a rough nap, she

awoke sobbing. I scooped her up

and held her close. It is so sweet

and humbling to hold a warm,

heavy baby even at 20 months

old today. Listening to her soft

breaths, I sneak in a few kisses.

Even if only to smell her hair...which

today is french fries and lavender.

Minnie Mouse

Miss C was Minnie Mouse for Halloween this year! I have fond memories of the handmade red and white polka dot felt costume my Mom made for me when I was little. Painted face, black tights, and big ears finished with a red bow.

Carrying on the tradition of handmade Halloween, I was excited to whip up a cute original for Miss C. Unfortunately Minnie patterns do not resemble the original red and white dot dress I knew growing up. Most are hot pink and with that modern flair. I decided to use another basic dress pattern that resembled the Minnie dress that featured puff sleeves, scoop neck, and full skirt. I chose McCall's Pattern M5793 and it was perfect!

I altered the pattern a bit since this was only for a Halloween costume. The dress was made using Dress D (pictured in pink). I did line the bodice, but skipped making a skirt lining and petticoat, and omitted the bottom hem ruffle. The skirt still had plenty of fullness and oomph! The neck and sleeve hem was finished using white double fold bias tape. I also added a white satin ribbon sash with bow to complete her look. Overall the pattern was super easy to follow and to construct.

A little black nose, eyelashes, and red bow ears made Miss C one of the cutest Minnie Mouse girls!

Look at Her GO!

Miss C finally did it!! At 13.5 months, she is finally walking! Still a bit wobbly, but is walking on her own without help. As you can see, Mr. E is as proud of her as Mom and Dad!

A Sweet 1st Birthday!

Miss C had a lovely birthday party filled with sweets, friends, family, and lots of party fun!

Most mommas know, the first birthday party is probably more exciting for the mom than the child. Mom gets to pick the theme, decorations, and plan...my specialty! I had a blast tending to all of the details.

Most of my inspiration came from the custom invitations and the dessert table runner accented with candy stripes of pale pink and yellow.

The party was hosted in our home with close family and friends attending. I still dream about having a lovely outdoor space for these soirees, but the open layout of our house works nicely.

The dessert table in all of its glory!

I loved using vintage serving pieces including tableware from Rosanna, Inc . I also received a fabulous antique pink serving piece as a birthday gift from my Mom and sisters. The sweets included lemon cake with raspberry filling and vanilla smash cake from Pat-A-Cakes and Cookies Too, lemon bars, iced cookies, perfect vanilla cupcakes , chocolate dipped pretzels, filled berries, gourmet marshmallows from Oh Yum , and strawberry lemonade to quench our thirst.

I spent a lot of time designing custom labels and printables for the party. Sticker paper is my new obsession. It is so versatile and easy to use for any project! I made designs for the favors {lemon zester cookies}, buffet cards, cups, bunting, and entry sign.

I absolutely love to bake and was excited to try new ideas for the party. Chocolate dipped pretzels, new decorating techniques for the cupcakes, and an old favorite...cream filled berries!

Other details included glitter adorned lollipop cups and Sweet Water to drink. I also put together a custom subway birthday sign using an old frame. Glitter garland hung across the fireplace mantel to add a bit more glam.

Miss C sat in her new refinished throne to enjoy her smash cake! The bib was embroidered by my friend, Danielle and I loved making the party hat in coordinating fabric and trim. Her look was completed with a full tutu of course!

I think Miss C had a great time...smashing cake, opening gifts, and meeting everyone who came to celebrate!

It was humbling to see everyone mingling and enjoying good company and sweet treats. Luckily, most of the goodies were devoured! Thank you to everyone who helped to make Miss C's first birthday celebration wonderful!!

Photos by Kelly from The East Barn. Head over to show her some love!

Linked to: Tip Junkie - Tip Me Tuesday

Miss C

My sweet baby girl turned 1 on June 3rd. It has been an amazing year and flew by...especially with a toddler running! Miss C is a sweet girl with such a gentle heart. She is usually quiet, but more than willing to voice her opinion when she wants. We love you C!

A HUGE thank you to Alicia with Kevin Monahan Photography for the amazing photos!

She is ONE!

Miss C is ONE today! This birthday is more bittersweet than the last few we have celebrated. I cannot believe how the year has really flown by and how much my little girl has learned!

Miss C...I hope you continue to share your amazing personality with us and keep us laughing. I hope as you get older you will work hard for what makes you happy. We love you more than you know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

 

They're Coming!

TEETH! C has one of her bottom teeth just barely starting to poke through. Fingers crossed she stays sweet. We worked furiously on our one rain free day this week spreading mulch and planning landscaping. DH is worn out! Lots more to do and hopefully a few hours tomorrow before MORE rain!

9 Months and On The Move!

Yesterday, C was 9 months old and decided to try crawling! She finally succeeded after 1-2 months of all fours. She is also talking more than ever. We have been plagued with sickness this past week and are all looking forward to doing something as a family this weekend!

We are in the process of getting the garage organized! Finally! More to come...

Lovely Day!

We had a very enjoyable Valentine's Day! DH picked up Peterson's (YUM!) and we enjoyed a nice dinner over candlelight, highchairs, and baby food. It was great to spend some quality time all together as a family!

E and I continued the crafts this past week...busily making Valentines for his school class. We also made our heart sugar cookies again this year. Unfortunately, they turned out a little hard...like bricks, really :( E had fun rolling the dough and adding sprinkles...made it all worthwhile!

My organizing addiction continued to E's school papers. I bought 2 water tight file boxes and put together a fun file folder for each year of school. One for E and C. I'm so excited to have a good-sized, designated place for school projects and papers!!

Lastly, but maybe most importantly...we got a NEW DISHWASHER!! It's fabulous!

Splish-Splash

Oh, how I love a sweet chubby baby! C took her first bath sitting up a few days ago. She is working so hard at trying to crawl and has progressed to the 'plank position!'...tip-toes and all!


On the home-front, I finally cleaned out all of my Cooking Light magazines...all twenty or so! I tore out the possible keepers and organized them in a binder. Easy to browse and in page protector sheets so no worries while cooking up a mess. My favorite part was decorating the binder of course! Kudos to DH for picking ORANGE ;o)

How was your Christmas?!

Our Christmas tour went great!

E is really at an age now to enjoy and start to understand what Christmas is about. He's still proclaiming 'Merry Christmas!' and talking about 'Baby Jesus!' This was also C's FIRST Christmas!! I know she'll won't remember much, but we all had a great time celebrating with family and friends...and Santa was good this year ;o)

Our white Christmas!

With the New Year already here, I am back to reality. E started school again after Christmas break and DH is back to work (...the moms never get a vacation...LOL!). I am on the journey to lose 10 more pounds and get to my goal weight! It is all starting with more cooking at home and meal planning. I am FINALLY going to do this and stick with it (no, really I am this time)! I'm just adding daily dinner plans to iCal (every other Tuesday) and grocery shopping every 2 weeks (Wednesdays). Here is my current biweekly plan...

Wed 1/5: Pepper chuck roast in crockpot with steamed broccoli

Thurs: Pineapple BBQ Chicken and rice
Fri: Chicken Enchiladas (DH's favorite)
Sat: Out to eat for Kelly's BIRTHDAY!
Sun: Deli Sandwiches or pizza
Mon: Greek Turkey Burgers w/ steamed veggies
Tues: Easy Pork Chops w/ potatoes
Wed: Oven Chicken Cacciatore w/ crescent rolls
Thurs: Meatloaf and potatoes
Fri: Herb Chicken Noodle Soup
Sat: Lasagna pasta
Sun: Crockpot Zucchini Lasagna
Mon: Pizza
Tues: Chicken Parmesan Bundles

TA DA! And the best part is...no more procrastinating and suffering over what to make for dinner. I have all the ingredients at my fingertips!

My Sweet Babies!!

We just received our professional photos back from C's 6 month and Family shoot!! The shoot went horribly...puked on holiday dress, spilled Tylenol on carpet, and a few head injuries...so I did not have high hopes, BUT...they are fabulous!

I have been diligently finishing holiday projects including a quilted Advent Calendar and a few gifts (wink, wink). Now comes the daunting task of wrapping! It has never seemed like such a chore in past years. I may have to hunker down and give myself a daily minimum quota for wrapping presents!

Here is a little peek of my babies.... and the whole bunch of pics here