Birthday Yummies

My littlest man turned TWO yesterday.  That is a crazy time: when the baby of the family turns two.  Wow.  Up until Wednesday, I still wasn't sure what we'd be doing to celebrate...I'm an up-to-the-last-minute kind of gal lately.

We decided on a small gathering of family on Saturday, with another small family gathering coming up later this month.  It was low key and I made almost no work for myself.  And, I realized that Bennett really couldn't have cared less!  He loved his special day just the same as if I had gone crazy with decor, cleaning, and a fancy cake.  Simple is good!

I baked some cupcakes in ice cream cones Saturday afternoon.  They were awesome!  They are perfect for little hands to eat, able to hold onto the cone as they dig into the cake and frosting.  

We baked a few normal cupcakes and one giant cupcake for the birthday boy!

To bake the cupcakes, I just follow these simple instructions from RealSimple.com:

Bake your cupcakes directly in the ice cream cones. Fill 24 flat-bottom cones two-thirds full with cake batter. Place the cones in a high-sided 9-by-13-inch baking pan and bake in two batches at 325° F for 30 minutes. Let cool, then frost with two 16-ounce cans of frosting. You can have your cake and eat its holder, too.

Any overflow around the top of the cone, I just cut off with a sharp knife before frosting.  I used Betty Crocker's Fluffy Whipped Frosting for a light, creamy texture and it was great!

The only other cool thing I did for the party was make fruit kabobs!  What a fun, summery way to serve fruit.  I will definitely be doing this for all our summer gatherings!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the Benny!

The Big Project

Painting in our little house is a big project.  We have tall ceilings and crazy parts to reach.  But, we have needed to paint for years and years and years...

Colors are hard to choose.  

But, since Sherwin-Williams was having their paint sale over Memorial Day weekend, I was determined to find a color and purchase the paint at the discounted price.  Our test strips went from this...

to this.  In one afternoon.  Whoa.  That's a lot of paint samples.  But, it was worth it because we decided on the perfect color!  Yahoo!  Now...just for the time to paint...hmmmmm.

Which color do you like, mamas?

From the Archives...

I'm in the mood for springy treats, so this caught my eye to share with you this week.  Angel-food petit-fours!  Perfect for a birthday, baby or wedding shower, or even just a little treat after lunch.

From Parents Magazine, June 2010, page 70.

(Un)Crafty - Painted Chevron Shower Curtain

Hi Mamas!  I hope Mother's Day was blessed for each of you!  Mine was very lovely - spending time with my sweet family.  I also tackled a small, easy, totally (Un)Crafty project this weekend!

You may remember this little house tour post where I realized how completely boring my bathrooms are.  Blah.

Before

I've since hung some colorful artwork that I wasn't using (framed postcards, to be exact) to help de-boring the space, but I decided the biggest problem was the white shower curtain.  I like the simplicity of it, but wanted to add something.

So, I decided to paint a design on the curtain using paint I already own.  The paint may not be the color I would have chosen if I could've spend some money, but it turned out great anyway.

I've been loving all the chevron patterned crafts, so I decided that would be a fun addition to the bathroom.  I found some advice on creating a chevron pattern here, but it seemed a little complicated, so I called my sister for some advice.  Then I measured out my shower curtain, decided how many stripes I wanted, and with a little simple division and addition, I figure out the dimensions I would have to paint.

I laid my shower curtain out on the laundry room floor and measured the points of the pattern first, marked with a pencil and then just connected the dots with masking tape.  This was the most tedious part.  If you want more details on how I measured, leave me a comment and I'd be happy to explain!  After the taping, I was ready to paint.  It was that simple.  I had to be extra careful to get enough paint on the edges so the lines were neat and clean.  I removed the tape from each stripe immediately after painting to avoid any bleeding.  It worked great!

After!

Next up: something to spice up the lower level bathroom.  Hmmm...

Treat Yourself

With Mother's Day coming up tomorrow, its always fun to treat yourself to a little something.  Because you deserve it.  Maybe its a latte, maybe its a babysitter so you can have a few hours to yourself, maybe its a stylish, quality, affordable accessory.

Have you seen my sister's Etsy store lately?

Amy Lou Jewelry is full of designs that are trendy, wearable and totally affordable!  Perfect for any mom (or non-mom) to wear on a daily basis to spruce up your outfits for spring!

A few of my recent favorites:

The Cora Necklace

The Ashley Earring
(only $6!)

The Bailee Necklace...

and The Bailee Earring...to go with the necklace!

You will have to stop by over at Amy Lou Jewelry to see her designs, and maybe pick out something special just for you, mamas!

From The Archives...

I love this idea of an over-the-door wrapping supply center.

You can find similar storage that would work for this option here, at Target (Home Storage aisles) and at Walmart for about $25!

Better Homes and Gardens February 2011, page 79.

So little time...

Blogging seems to be taking a back seat these days...weeks...months.  I have lots worth sharing, but no time to share.  Most days, I don't sit at the computer at all - I check up on a few things via Blackberry, but that is all.  Its ok...I am working on me, working on organizing life, working on getting used to our new life, after the hiatus.

There are a few things going on now that the garage sale aftermath is over (ok, so there really wasn't that much aftermath, but it was a good excuse):

I'm feeling blue related to a number of things (depressed might be a strong word...don't worry mom).  For one: I'm still getting over the pain and sadness we have felt this year.  It seems like it should all the in the past, like a distant memory, but its not.  Its taking me some time to feel like I can trust the good in people again.  Its taking me some time to realize how much of the pain had my pride caught up in it.  Its taking me some time to feel connected enough to God to let go of the "injustice" we felt.  Clearly, I am still processing through it all - unable to quite put into words what I feel.  I think as long as I am actively working on it, I will make progress to feel whole again soon (or maybe not-so-soon).

More blue feelings come from the weather here in lovely Wisconsin.  Blah.  That pretty much describes it.  Spring will never come.  I have come to terms with that.  One nice day here and there.  That's about it.  I can't remember a time when I felt so seasonally affected.

Snow on April 1, 2011

In a climate where our warm weather months are short as is, its depressing when they become even shorter.  Let's face it: with kids, the weather is even a bigger deal, right mamas?  We gotta get outside to explore, learn, and just wear them out!

Command Central Binder from Simplify 101

I'm trying to get - and keep - the house organized.  Trying to put some systems in place so that with the sanity of our new life (hubby's new job), comes a sense of sanity around home, too.  I've been loving our command central binder and have been using it a lot!  Its a great way to start to get some paperwork organized.  I've been doing some filing, sorting and throwing out...it seems never-ending.  Kate over at Centsational Girl had a great post today that gave me some more motivation to keep the organization going.  I also love this idea for a message board that would go in my kitchen/dining area.  The ideas are never-ending...the project list is ever-growing...let's add it to the list.

My cute kids

I have kids...did I mention that?  Of course, they are the priority - all the time.  They keep my on my toes.  They are funny, cute, challenging, crazy, resilient, and wonderful.  I don't need to say much more, but because I am trying to be a better mom (we had lots of movie days before the hiatus, while I was in a "woe-is-me" state) and give them all the love and attention they deserve, and more.  It doesn't leave much time for chatting on the phone, emailing, and certainly not blogging.  I usually try to blog after bedtime or during nap time and I often do more than one blog post in a sitting, then schedule them to post on different days.  But, even that strategy hasn't been working lately.