Fun Birthday Cake Designs

These are some really cute cake designs that I found on parenting.com. Check out the link for more designs and step by step instructions for how to make each cake!

Brunch in a Bag

This past weekend Casey and I went to his Aunt's house for Brunch, and his cousin had heard of the idea of cooking an omelet in a bag. All of the ingredients were set out on a buffet table for everyone to customize their own omelet. First was a stack of plastic baggies with a sharpie to write you name on your bag. Next was a bowl of beaten eggs and milk that you could ladle into your baggie. Then there was a variety of veggies and other ingredients to mix in: spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, cheese, chicken, ect. All you have to do is toss it in, mix it around, and seal it up. Casey's Aunt collected all of the bags and boiled them all in large pot for about 10 to 15 minutes. I had never heard of anything like this before, and think it's so clever! It allowed for everyone to eat their omelets together.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
• 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons (use a cookie scoop to get that rounded shape out of the cookies), 1 inch apart, onto two large baking sheets or I used my pampered chef cookie stone (and they came out wonderfully). Bake until golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Recipe from everyday food magazine, March 2009.

Spring Cleaning

It's time for some Spring cleaning, and here are three all natural products that can be used to clean your home. Vinegar, lemons, and baking soda can all be used as natural cleaning products.
The perks:

• These products are safer to use and do not contain added chemicals that are dangerous to you family's health.
• They can save you money. The cost of white vinegar, lemons, and baking soda are all very cheap.
  
• Each product has several different ways that it can be used to clean your home.
• Better for the environment!

Vinegar

Uses:

Vinegar can be used like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix up a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most of your home. Vinegar is also a disinfectant and deodorizer. It is safe to use on most surfaces, however if not diluted enough vinegar can eat away at tile grout. Vinegar should not be used on marble surfaces. You can use vinegar in some of these rooms of your home:

1. Bathroom - Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and counter tops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Mop the floor in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution.
   
2. Kitchen- Clean the stove top, appliances, counter tops, and floor.
3. Laundry Room- Vinegar can be used as a natural fabric softener. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively.
   

Lemon Juice

Uses:

Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. A lemon can also be used to clean and shine brass and copper. By mixing lemon juice with vinegar and or baking soda you can create cleaning pastes. You can also cut a lemon in half and place baking soda on the cut section, then use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. If you mix 1 cup of olive oil with ½ cup of lemon juice and you can create a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture. Another great idea for a lemon is to put a lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It will freshen the drain and the kitchen.

Baking Soda

Uses:

Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces. Baking soda is a great deodorizer. Its most popular use is in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. However, you can place it anywhere you need deodorizing action. One idea is to use it on your child's stuffed animals that can't be washed and need some cleaning. Dust the stuffed animal with baking soda, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then dust off the baking soda.

Culture Pass

Arizona Science Center

Phoenix Zoo

Desert Botanical Gardens

Children's Museum of Phoenix

Starting April 1^st 2009 through March 31st 2010, library cardholders can check out a Culture Pass for FREE admission for up to four people at participating arts and cultural institutions listed below. The pass is valid for 7 days from the time of check-out. Passes will be available on a first-come first-served basis, and can only be used once during the 7 days. For more information check out this link: Culture Pass.

AZ Museum for Youth
AZ Museum of Natural History
AZ Science Center
The Bead Museum
Cave Creek Museum
Children's Museum of Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden
Heard Museum
Mesa Contemporary Arts
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Zoo
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Taliesin West

Hudson's First Birthday Party

I haven't been as consistent with my postings lately, but i am going to say that it is because I have been busy with planning Hudson's birthday party and entertaining family. It is kind of crazy that his birthday was here and gone already. The first year went by so so fast! It has been an amazing year and we had fun celebrating it at his old-fashioned birthday party! For more birthday pictures you can go to EL Hicks Photography. (Hudson's pictures are found under portraits.) We went with an old fashioned birthday party theme. Serving hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch and banana splits for dessert. We had classic toys and games for the kids to play with, like hula hoops and pin the tail on the donkey. I had a candy station for guests to fill bags with on their way out as a favor bag. We had old fashion, colorful candy; gumballs, pixie sticks, m&m's, swedish fish, and candy dots. I made the silhouette of Hudson to decorate with and you can find more details on how to make one here.

Round or Tall Apothecary Vases

There's no limit to the uses you'll find for these remarkable Round or Tall Apothecary ... [More]

Price: 24.99

Sale: 24.99

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Yoga Pants

These are my new favorite yoga capri pants. They fit really snug, but are still flattering and very comfortable. You can find them at Target. The solid colors are $21.99 and the pants with a color on the top are on clearance online for $15.39.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Handmade Mother's Day Card
$2.75 on Etsy by 30one

$40.00 Apron by That's Sew Lexi

$30.00 for a Half Apron
Get Matching Dishtowels for $17.00

$10.00 on Etsy by Paper Poppies
These are soo cute!

Personalized Pin Cushion
$9.00 on Etsy by Sarah Brown

These are all great gift ideas for Mother's Day. I think what I love most about these are that they are handmade and original. These gift ideas are even great to look at to try to get creative ideas for your own homemade gift for Mom.

Pin Cushions

$12.00 on Etsy by Love Laurie

$17.00 on Etsy by Crazy Cakes

$16.00 at Urban Outfitters
(online only)

There are lots of cute pin cushions out there! I got mine at Francesca's and is similar to the owl one found at urban outfitters except mine is a turquoise bird and they also make the pin cushion as a ladybug! It is nice because it it also a tape measure; clever!!! Etsy is also a great place to look for pin cushions, and a lot of other things.

Urban Outfitters

I just discovered that Urban Outfitters has some cute things online under their apartment section. I have shopped there a bunch and even worked there for awhile, however I never thought to check out their website for more cool things. These were some of my favorites!

Easter Centerpiece

I made an Easter centerpiece out of the eggs that I had blown out the other day. I dyed them pastel colors and then threaded a thin ribbon through the center so that I could hang them. I have them hanging on cherry blossoms.

Michaels Coupon

Here's a 50% Michaels printable coupon, but you have to use it by March 21st!

Blow an Egg

My friend Alexis and I decided to blow eggs tonight to make Easter egg decorations for our home. This was my very first time ever blowing an egg, and it took me a couple tries to get the hang of it. At first I wanted to gag a little, and maybe pass out...but then it got easier! All you have to do is take a needle or a thin nail and poke holes in both sides of the egg, one a little larger, and then blow into the smaller hole until all of the egg whites and yolk are out. After you finish blowing all of your eggs, you can rinse them out with water and let them dry overnight. I haven't dyed mine yet, but will post a picture when they're done.

Sprinkles

I love cupcakes and these are gooood! I've only had them a few times because I do not live close by their location in Scottsdale; which is probably a good thing! However, I was in Scottsdale tonight and was able to get my hands on some. Yum Yum!!!

I LOVE LUSH

A couple years ago my friend Jessica introduced me to a wonderful store called LUSH. If you have never been you have to go! They sell fresh handmade cosmetics. I would always go in for their bath bombs because when I was pregnant I loved taking baths. They have a wall of all different kinds that smell amazing, and make your skin extra soft. All of their products are made from natural products, and they let you sample them before you buy them. Once I sampled a few of their products I was hooked. I love their ocean salt cleanser, it exfoliates your skin and you can feel the difference when you're done! What also makes this store a great place to shop is the wonderful customer service! All the employees are extremely knowledgeable and can help you find products that work for your skin type. There is a Lush located in Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale.

Penne Caprese

This recipe is a really easy one to mix up last minute and tastes great. It can be served warm or once it has cooled.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella (cut in 1/2" pieces)

Cook Pasta as directed. Drain tomatoes. Mix next 5 ingredients in a measuring cup. Drain pasta. In a large bowl toss pasta with tomatoes and dressing. Add cheeses and toss again.