A Day In My Life

**These templates are now available for purchase in my store, scroll to the bottom of this post to purchase! Also, I have a tutorial on how to use them in Photoshop (HERE) , and another tutorial on how to use them in GIMP (HERE) , a totally free downloadable program similar to Photoshop.** When I was pregnant with Harvey, I found this fun and funny pregnancy journal: The Belly Book . I adored it.  This book includes pages for each doctor's visit, a monthly spot for cravings/aversions, ultrasound pictures, one page for each week with a spot for a picture and journaling, pages for why and how we chose his name, the labor and delivery story, and MUCH more. Plus it does it all with a humorous twist: Is the baby a girl? a boy? or a boxer? What is my current disposition? sunshine and happiness? partly sunny with a chance of showers? hormonal hurricane? I'm starting to feel like.... a fertility goddess? Humpty Dumpty?  I thoroughly enjoyed filling it out. And no - I...

Intentions. I've got a whole list full, and sadly, only one or two checked off. I even prepared these two adorable ideas early in order to post them for all of you - and yet, you still get them on St. Patrick's Day. Oh well. Save them for next year. First up: Rainbow Waffles I really love the idea of incorporating ideas and colors other than the traditional green. So when my friend posted these super cute Rainbow Pancakes on her blog, I fell in love. But I really don't like making pancakes. In fact, I only recently have been able to handle the flipping of those darn things. Inevitably, I always botch one or two. The second reason I'm not a fan of pancakes - is that I can't ever eat with the family. They must be made in batches, and the first batch is always gobbled up before I can even finish making the second. So I knew my version of a beautiful rainbow pancake photo wouldn't ever happen. I mean... there are NEVER 6 pancakes on the table at the same t...

Do you have your kids Valentine's all purchased and ready to go to school?? If not, here's one that will only take an afternoon to put together with your kids - and I'm sure it will be a big hit! I saw this cute idea featured on tatertots and jello recently, and I had to make my own version. It was super easy, and turned out simply adorable! I made my labels in Photoshop with some digital scrapbooking supplies , but the original just used Valentine-related wrapping paper. Both are cute. Print out instructions on an Avery label, and stick it to a Kool Aid Singles packet - preferably red! Then I punched a hole in the top corner of the packet, and tied it on with a matching ribbon. Simple, sweet, and yummy!

For my third annual Snowman Party, I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of just doing it with my nieces and their friends, I made up some invites and hosted the party here with Harvey's friends (and their moms - my friends). Anyway, funny story: I strapped Harvey in his car seat and headed out to deliver the invites. I drove up to the first house, left the car running, and ran up to the door. As I came back to the car and started backing up... Harvey started freaking out. He realized that we were at his little friend's house and wanted to stay and play. Imagine his horror when we had several other similar stops! For decorations, I wanted to keep everything clean and simple. I mean, snow is beautiful in its own right, so why shy away from that? Plus the cheezy snowmen I've collected throughout the years were already on display. I made up a cute (easy) little garland out of thread and cotton balls... I stuck with blue and orange as my colors, and I thin...

My friend, Anna , is doing this for her hubby this year, and I've decided that I really want to do something special for my two boys as well. First up.. I made this advent calendar (just like my Halloween one ). I LOVE that I can use the cupcake tin for things other than baking, and that all the pieces don't take up any room in my storage boxes throughout the year. (credits & comments) I added some fun "lovey-dovey" candy and a little activity on a slip of paper for each day: Here's what Harvey and I are going to do: - Watch a "love story" movie. (We'll probably watch Lady and the Tramp, but other options are The Princess Bride, The Love Bug, or any Disney Princess movie.) - Color a Valentine Picture. - Eat an ice cream sundae - decorated with hot fudge and pink sprinkles! - Drink hot chocolate with a heart shaped marshmallow. - Decorate the house with hearts/streamers - Pink pancakes for breakfast - Create homemade valentin...

I got lucky this year. My sister-in-law gave me a Scentsy candle warmer for Christmas. (I didn't even know what a Scentsy candle warmer was until November, but that's beside the point.) I was/am super excited! But at the same time, I was a little sad because Scentsy doesn't have my all-time favorite candle sent: Grapefruit Vanilla. And what was I supposed to do with my precious candle? Throw it in the garbage? Umm. No. First, I melted it down using a candle warmer. (Yeah - it took forever ; one of the reasons I'm super excited to make the switch to my Scentsy warmer.) Then I poured it into an ice cube tray, and set it in the freezer for about 20 minutes for it to harden. To remove the wax, I just wrung the tray over a paper towel and the cubes popped right out. (If you'd like to do the same, don't skip the freezer; it's the key to removing the cubes with ease.) I got excited, and did the same to every candle in the house! Let's just say Ju...

A few years ago, I told my friend's mom I wanted to learn how to make candy. And although my friend had since moved out of state.. her mom planned a day for me to come over and help her make a LOT of candy. Seriously - we cooked and baked all. day. long. I loved the experience, and I took away some amazing recipes. One of my all-time favorites is the recipe for caramels. It's super easy, but it takes a lot of patience to keep stirring while you're waiting for that thermometer to get to the "soft ball" stage. What's that? You want to make some? Okay. Here's the recipe: 2 cups light corn syrup 1 cup milk 4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 14 ounces sweetened, condensed milk 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 1 cup butter (2 sticks) 1. Butter a 9x13 pan. Actually, I use one of those jelly-roll pans that is a little larger, but either will work. 2. In a 6 quart pan, combine syrup, condensed milk, milk, cream, butter and sugar. Heat on medium and ...