Ladybug Birthday Party

Annalise turned 3 today! I can't believe how fast it has all gone! She had a Ladybug birthday party complete with a BEAUTIFUL Ladybug dress her Aunt LisaMarie sewed just for the occasion. We got to meet new friends from the neighborhood and celebrate with people we love, it was a wonderful day!

All the printed decorations (except the cupcake wrappers and invitation) are from a shop called Dimpleprints on Etsy.

Cupcakes were enjoyed by all...

I can't believe my little baby is growing up! I love that kid!

Sledding- a HUGE hit!

Today we went sledding as a family and is was a blast! The kids couldn't get enough and the only reason we had to stop was the sun was going down. I love how with kids you get to repeat some great childhood experiences like sledding...and Oreos :)

Wedding cupcakes!

My sister-in-law just had a beautiful wedding and I was honored to make the cupcakes and cupcake wrappers for her. This is something I use to do about year ago as a business, but with two small children and running a household, it was too much and it started to affect my health. I still LOVE to do it, and so I just cater friends and family events now.

The colors were silver and white, and the wedding had a slight vintage feel. I came up with cupcake wrappers with "brooches" on the front (there were actually little scrapbooking embellishments) and it looked great with her simple yet glamorous theme. A bakery made the cake because she found one she loved and wanted it replicated. Turned out beautiful!

Delightful Quote of the Day

My husband started playing the organ this Sunday for our Church. My kids and I sat in the third row to watch Daddy's big debut. The first song we heard him play was a very serious and reverent song and the congregation was very quiet. When the song stopped, in the dead silence, my 18 month old started clapping and my almost three year old shouted, "Good Job, Daddy" for everyone to hear! Then my little guy made a break for it and ran up to the organ! Needless to say, we spent the remainder of the meeting in the hall.

Delightful Quote of the Day

Me (yelling from a different room) : Annalise, we are going to the park. We need to put our socks and shoes on. Do you have socks on right now?

Annalise: No, I don't have socks on. I just have my feet on.

Christmas Sugar Cookies 2011

I just love edible art! :)

Neighbor Christmas Gifts...

Homemade Fajita Seasoning!

It all started about 9 months ago when my husband and I ran out of fajita seasoning while making fajitas for dinner. In a panic, my husband looked online to see if we could make it ourselves at home. We found a recipe and whipped up a batch and... it was delicious! We started putting this seasoning on everything we made that was even remotely Mexican. We vowed we would never buy seasoning again- and then I got to thinking...this would make a really unique neighbor gift for Christmas time. And not just neighbors, but it should be shared with everyone.

I bought the shaker bottles from IKEA for a $1 each and the seasoning from Costco. I made a huge batch of the seasoning, filled the bottles and because I was crunched for time (we just moved and are completely overwhelmed) I ordered some labels from VistaPrint for the bottles. (I would recommend making them, it would be much cheaper and more fun!)

Unfortunately, I found you can't put labels flat on a cone shaped bottle, so some tweaking was required by putting the label on card stock and then putting it on the bottle with poster tape, but the basic idea came out OK and I can't wait to share our seasoning with the neighborhood!

Packaged up and ready to be delivered!

Fajita Seasoning Mix Recipe
(original recipe by Linda Larsen, About.com Guide, modified to suit our tastes)

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin

Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small glass or plastic container, seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place. Makes the equivalent of 3 packets of commercial or purchased Fajita Seasoning Mix.