this is a blog about memory keeping, funny stories & baked goods i make, and do my best not to eat. proper capitalization is always optional.

3.31.2011

diy: bunny ears

are you ready for this?
can you handle the cuteness?

i dunno.... :)

i'll start you off slow..
don't want to overwhelm you with his cute little face & these awesome little ears all at once! :)

i wanted some kind of bunny ears for the babe for easter pictures..
but the ones i found were all too big.
so i decided to make my own.

you can make some too.. ya know ya wanna!

here's what you need:


-headband
-scrap white fabric (i used muslin)
-16 to 18 gauge wire (any color)
-hot glue gun
-wire cutters or heavy duty scissors


1. bend your wire to form bunny ears. leave extra wire on both sides of the ears to attach it to the headband.


2. wrap the extra wire around the headband, coming back through the middle of the two ears.
wrap each side around the bottom once, ending at the top & snipping off the extra.
(this is so there is nothing on the bottom poking your baby in the head :) 


3. tear strips about 1/2" wide down the length of your white fabric.
(i used 4 strips that were approximately 24" long)


4. on the top of your headband, put a small dab of hot glue, towards the backside.


5. take one of your fabric strips & stick the end of it on top of the hot glue.


6. starting with the outside part of one ear, wrap your strip around the wire, ending on the inside part of the ear. put a few small dots of hot glue as you wrap around to ensure that the strip doesn't come unwrapped. make sure you put a dab at the very top where the ear bends as well.


7. repeat above steps for remaining ear.


8. next, put a dab of hot glue on the underside of the headband where the wire sits. put the end of one strip on the bottom & wrap around to the back. make one complete loop around the wire to cover it, then continue out towards one end of the headband, passing through the middle of the ear as you pass by it.


9. continue wrapping around the headband, again adding dabs of hot glue to secure on the underside of the headband. snip off any extra fabric when you get to the end of the headband. repeat last steps to cover the other side of the headband.


& you are finished.
i covered my entire headband because i wanted all the fabric to match.
i left all the fraying pieces because i liked how it looked fuzzy like regular rabbit ears. :)
(if i had a little girl i would put a big bow right there in between the two ears.. )

(can i get a 'hooray' for the bumbo seat?! man i wish i had this thing with the dude!)

i dunno... maybe i'm partial..
but they are pretty dang cute..
then again maybe it's just the model :)

3.30.2011

recipe: cake batter chocolate chip cookies


i made these cookies.
i blame it on pinterest.
pinterest is evil.

i mean.. look at all the yummy stuff i've pinned so far..


and that's only 1/4 of my pinboard.
i'm in trouble.
or, my hips are anyway. my willpower is wavering for sure.
 i'm not even that big a fan of chocolate chip cookies.. but i had to make these.


OKAY.
i had to eat one two of them as well.


i mean really..
can you resist these?
look at how good they look!

so if you want to keep your will power in check..
DO NOT SCROLL DOWN FOR THE RECIPE.
i mean it.
i don't want to be responsible for anyone else's diet downfall..

dont' say i didn't warn you...

cake batter chocolate chip cookies
source: all recipes

ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or other goodies
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil, then mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, or your choice of additions. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. (i had to cook them for 11 minutes, on an airbake sheet, but they were still chewy) Bake less for chewy cookies and more for crispy cookies. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
try not to eat too many :)
xo-k

recipe: pioneer woman's sour cream noodle bake

(photo from thepioneerwoman.com)

 i saw this recipe for sour cream noodle bake on whipperberry the other day...
& followed the link to pioneer woman's website...
& decided i'd give it a go.

i'd say it was a success in our house.


surprisingly the hubs liked it, even though he was scared when i said there was cottage cheese in it.
i substituted the egg noodles for dreamfields low carb penne pasta.

it doesn't taste like you think it might.
i certainly wouldn't file it under 'italian' food even though it's got tomato sauce in it..
& you can't pick out the cottage cheese in the noodles, it just melts right in..

& anything that doesn't make it through lunch the next day as leftovers is a winner in my book.
even the dude gobbled it up, despite the scary amount of pepper in it! (scary for me anyways)

xo-k

photography: super full moon.


are you one of those people who ran outside to take a picture of that super full moon two weeks ago?
i am.

i'm also one of those people who screamed 'awesome & wicked cool'..
(while the hubs looked at me like i had a third eye smack in the middle of my forehead)
but my excitement wasn't really over the moon..
it was over the fact that with the lens my aunt gave me i was able to capture the variances in the surface of the moon.. 

it's no professional picture for sure..
but i think that there is pretty dang cool.

xo-k 

3.29.2011

life: the babe.


it's strange...
this stay at home mama thing..
sometimes it feels like time is standing still
& other times like it is moving by at the speed of light.

the babe is going to be 7 months old in a few days.
SEVEN MONTHS.
it's crazy.
i can clearly remember his tiny little feet & hands when he was born..
and now those little feet are trying hard to stand up alone..
and those little hands hold a bottle on their own..

each day i watch his personality unfold.
he is a such a good baby!
happy & content most of the time..
until you don't get the food in his mouth fast enough!
he LOVES food.
ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal cereal & (cheese) doodles are some of his new favorites.
(i would have waited to give him doodles, but nana is pushy!!)

he sleeps almost 13 hours a night.
(i can hear some mama's screeching at the screen right now)
but he rarely naps.
maybe one 45 minute nap a day..
i wish i had a secret i could share with those of you suffering through sleepless nights...
but i don't..
i just feel VERY fortunate!

i cleaned up the jeep walker the dude had as a baby..
& he is totally loving it..
it's so funny to see him turning the wheel..
so far he only seems to be able to manage going in reverse..

he giggles non-stop at the dude..
he loves to eat the tags on on his little stuffed toys..
& sometimes i think he's going to bounce himself right out of the bouncer.
he still sucks his thumb.. but not quite as much.
his two bottom teeth are probably to blame for that..
& he lights up & smiles from ear to ear when his dada comes home from work..

he can roll himself from front to back
& back to front..
which means that when it's tummy time,
i often find him half way across the room from where he started.
(no worries, he's in his room & there is nothing dangerous around him)
just today i went in to find him underneath his swing, playing with the buckles that were hanging down.

i guess what i'm saying is time is flying..
i'm doing my best to savor every moment.
i had plans to take monthly pictures...
but i seem to get wrapped up in just enjoying every moment..
& i forget.

so i don't have as many pictures as i would like...
i have good intentions every week to get him dressed up & take some pictures..
but some how it never happens..
so i'm making it a point to get him in the moment more...
even if it means having a picture of him with some lame only-worn-at-home onesie on.

so.. who cares if it is only a candid...who cares if it's not professional quality.
i still like it.

xo-k

recipe: jell-o popcorn

up until i started surfing all the awesome mama blogs..
i had no idea about the potential of popcorn.
i mean seriously, what CAN'T you do with this stuff?

for valentine's day i made white chocolate popcorn with m&m's..
but what i really wanted to make was colored candy popcorn...
the stuff that seems to be called 'mother goose' popcorn..
(how the heck did it get that name anyways?)

i found a great tutorial on less cake {more frosting} for the candied popcorn...
but most of the others i found required you to have a candy thermometer.
i don't have one of those.
(i don't plan on buying one anytime soon)

i sorta shelfed the whole idea after valentine's day
& somehow managed to remember incorrectly that all of the recipes required a thermometer.
so when i came i across this old recipe in my binder today..
i was thrilled it didn't require a thermometer, or a whole lot of ingredients..
(because once again, i seem to be one ingredient short in everything i want to make!)

it's jell-o popcorn.
hello, say what?
but let me tell ya. it's good.
DARN GOOD.
i'm not a jell-o enthusiast..
but somehow, mashed together with popcorn, it just works.

i think it taste like a strawberry fruit rollup wrapped around a piece of popcorn.
the hubs said it tasted like a strawberry jolly rancher.
 (i don't remember there being a strawberry one.. but i'll go with it)
the dude didn't like it. (i'm not sure WHAT his problem is! :)

i'll let you decide.

here's what you need:

-8 cups popcorn
-3 Tbsp light corn syrup
-1/2 stick butter
-1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
-1 (4 serving size) pkg of strawberry or lime jell-o

preheat oven to 300.


1. in a medium saucepan add corn syrup & butter. cook over low heat until butter is melted.

2. add brown sugar & jell-o, stirring until jell-o is dissolved.

3. bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. turn down & simmer for 5 minutes. it's fairly thick.. so just watch for bubbles to form underneath the surface. & definitely watch the bottom so you don't burn it.

(i DARE you not to lick the spoon... who am i kidding.. you're gonna lick it, i sure did!)
4. place popcorn in a large bowl. once mixture is finished cooking, add to bowl of popcorn, stirring to coat.
(i found it easiest to pour in half of the mixture, stir to coat & then add the rest. keeping the pot on the heat to keep it liquid )

5. line 15x10 inch pan with wax paper or aluminum foil. spread popcorn mixture out using forks to get even. (certainly DON'T push down with your hands, because it'll burn your skin like a hot glue gun... not that i would know...)

6. bake at 300 for 10 minutes. cool. break into pieces.

eat. love. enjoy :)
it's SO good...
i may or may not have devoured all 8 cups by myself in 4 days.


jello popcorn

-8 cups popcorn
-3 Tbsp light corn syrup
-1/2 stick butter
-1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
-1 (4 serving size) pkg of strawberry or lime jell-o

preheat oven to 300.
1. in a medium saucepan add corn syrup & butter. cook over low heat until butter is melted.
2. add brown sugar & jell-o, stirring until jell-o is dissolved.
3. bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. turn down & simmer for 5 minutes. it's fairly thick.. so just watch for bubbles to form underneath the surface. & definitely watch the bottom so you don't burn it.
4. place popcorn in a large bowl. once mixture is finished cooking, add to bowl of popcorn, stirring to coat.
5. line 15x10 inch pan with wax paper or aluminum foil. spread popcorn mixture out using forks to get even.
6. bake at 300 for 10 minutes. cool. break into pieces.

xo-k

linking to these blog parties:

3.27.2011

birthday bomb: sixth birthday

i'm going to go ahead & apologize for the spectacularly horrible photos.
i was preoccupied during the party.. & tonight i'm just too lazy to edit them..
i mean.. at least i'm being honest.. right? :)
and onto the most current birthday bomb.
the dude turned 6 last year.
when i show you all the details, your gonna wonder what the bomb is.
just wait for it.
the dude's sixth birthday was a 'rock & roll' birthday.
it took a little convincing on my part, but he went for it.

i made cupcakes.
i made THESE cupcakes.
so awesome. i know :)
only took me 6 years to figure out i do cupcakes up good.
(i mean seriously, it's not like i'm a genius, but why couldn't i have figured that out sooner?) 
cake in liner, icing on cake, slap a decoration on top.
total no brainer.
just so you know... 
 if you come to one of my birthday parties you will likely not see a cake again. like EVER.
deal. :)
we melted some of those candy wafers & filled a star mold.
it was an ordeal for the 30-something cupcakes we had..
but the dude had fun helping me.

these were the favors.


glasses ordered from oriental trading.
ring pops & pop rocks from the dollar tree.
rock star tattoos from oriental trading.

a few of the kids wore their invites to the party..
i'll admit, it was fun to see them wearing them.



that's the invite around her neck.
a name badge holder.. or 'backstage pass' if you will.
hand stamped guitar wings.
hand stamped & cut out name.
star punched out of glitter paper.
& guitars cut out of scrapbook paper.

(if i wasn't being so lazy i could go take a picture of the invite i made for the dude. but i'm being lazy.. like i said.. so no picture :)

i had a couple of activities planned..

i gathered up a bunch of old colored halloween hair spray..
& when the kids showed up we let them pick how they wanted their hair done.
every rocker needs a make over right? :) 

(we used trashbags to cover their clothes, just put a whole in the bottom & pulled it over their heads)
(ps. that's the bf, who will probably scream at me for putting this picture of her out there..)

once they got their makeovers..
i put them in front of a poster i made
& snapped a picture with my instax.
i MEANT to take one with my regular camera as well for myself..
but i was busy.... & you'll see why..

he's got his picture inside his invite.
ya. i know.. i planned that one pretty good. :)
what you can kinda see behind the pizza is a necklace.
one of the other activities was making a necklace.
it was a BIG hit.
i bought beads, necklaces & rockstar charms from oriental trading.
put them all in a bowl & let the kids go to town making their own creation.
THEY LOVED IT.


and here is the dude, blowing out his candles.
doesn't he look happy? (do you hear the sarcasm)
this is one of only about 8 pictures of him that day.
why?  

well, cause this birthday bomb comes in the form of non-participation.
this kid slept through most of his party like he was a newborn.
and when he was awake.. 
i couldn't drag him outside to have his hair sprayed.
he could've cared less about making a necklace...
or even who was at his party for that matter.
he had a MAJOR attitude as well.
i was so irritated with him for being such a party pooper.

and then the next morning when i took him to the doctor's because he'd been running a fever all night..
i felt like a total jerk for being upset with him.
the poor kid had a double ear infection & strep throat.
fyi. he's NEVER sick. like ever.

so i figure after 6 years i finally have it figured out.
(who am i kidding)
don't use hay at a birthday party in 90 degree heat.... it is itchy & so not fun
choose your pig placement carefully... men are pigs. (ha ha)
don't make an ice cream cake for an outside may birthday.... you live in florida, remember.
don't let your happiness revolve around people who don't care enough to follow through on showing up... the ones who do care will show.
don't go overboard.... kids are happy with just each other & some room to play.
don't spend so much money.... it doesn't always mean it will be more fun.
don't try to make a cake (at all).... i am not a wilton employee (or martha stewart).

but more importantly...

don't forget why you are doing it... if he's enjoying himself.. forget about the rest.
no one & no thing is perfect.
ever.
(even if they only ever show beautiful pictures & dessert tables..:)

i hope you've gotten some peace with your own birthday bombs these last few days.
as mama's it's hard to take failure on some fronts.
at least for me... but i'm learning.
thanks for laughing at me & with me :)

xo-k 

for a full list of birthday bombs & to read about why i'm talking about them click here.


birthday bomb: fourth birthday

*blogger has deleted my pictures, i'm working on getting them reposted, bear with me!*

the dude turned four.

after the major disappointment his last birthday brought..
the lack of attendance..
and the wasting of food & money..

i opted to keep it simple.
mason was (& is honestly) obsessed with the movie jaws & all things shark.
so, we went back to the pool party idea.
only this time it was a 'shark' themed party. 

the invites were (again) my favorite part.


i like interactive, unexpected invitations.
so this time i went with the message in a bottle idea.
bought the bottles with corks online..
along with the sand & shark confetti.
printed out the invites on regular paper..
& secured the cork with blue electrical tape.

after all the favor crap i was left with the year before..
i skipped buying them.
instead i bought several pairs of goggles.
i figured if no one showed up, we'd at least be able to use them.

but, everyone who said they would come, came.

and once again, the cake was a total flop.
only this time it wasn't my own. 


i ordered the cake from 'sam's club'
I could have TOTALLY done better than this...
& you've seen my previous cakes!
i'm not sure why making one corner look like a beach & the rest water was so hard.
or the writing?
ya. coulda done that too.
major disappointment.

the cake was lame & everything else turned out fine.
(more importantly i didn't cry!)

so, onto his 6th birthday bomb. which isn't quite as much of a bomb as it was just a bummer.

and no, i didn't skip his 5th birthday... cause i skipped his 5th birthday party.
such a crap move in retrospect.
we had a little family & friends thing.
just swimming & a cake before i headed off to nyc.
(i'll probably never forgive myself for not throwing him a party..)

you live & learn.

xo-k

 for a list of all the birthday bombs & why i'm blogging them click here.

3.26.2011

birthday bomb: third birthday

*blogger deleted my pictures, please bear with my while i repost them*


the dude turns three.

i had seen a hundred different circus party ideas..
i decided to play off the whole '3 ring circus' idea..

the invites (which i apparently never photographed) were again over the top.
small round favor tins filled with star confetti..

i found the perfect favor containers..
paper popcorn containers from hobby lobby..
filled with circus type goodies.
kazoo's shaped like clown lips
soda-scented bubbles
(you get the idea)


i had even learned my lesson with the cake bit.
i switched it up & thought the ice-cream cone cupcakes would be so fun for this theme..


and they turned out awesome..
all 2 dozen of them.
along with the 48 or so corndogs we made.
(very circus-like right?)

we had a bounce house & a clown.
the clown was late.
but at least she showed up.
almost no-one else did.

i'm not kidding.
out of the 30 something people who were coming..
8 showed up.
EIGHT.
& only TWO were kids.

if you thought the tears over the cake were bad..
i won't tell you how many times i cried that day.
i was so sad for him.


does he look sad?
nope.
eventhough he broke his arm just a few weeks before..
he had a blast.


and the ones who did show up?
a couple aunts & uncles..
nana & papa
the dudes friends cogan & lacey & their mamas.
they did their best to cheer me up.

my mom & aunt even went so far as to have their faces painted because i was so upset
everyone laughed & stuffed 2 & 3 & 4 corndogs & cupcakes down because i was upset
 over the thought of the wasted food.
and my aunts even jumped in the bounce house to make me feel better.

but the dude.
he just had fun..
& didn't know that everyone bailed on him.
he just enjoyed those that were there.

next up.. his fourth birthday bomb... involving cake.... AGAIN.

xo-k

for a list of all the birthday bombs click here.

3.25.2011

birthday bomb: second birthday

*blogger deleted my pictures, bear with me as i try to get them reposted*

and the dude turns two.

after the enduring the previous years disgusting sticky heat..
i opted to make his second birthday a pool party.
'a fish out of water' party.

i think the invitations were one of my most elaborate thus far.


pretty out there right?
i had the idea in my head..
i found the fishing leads at walmart..
& the fish at michaels..
then i bought some dowels..
& printed out tags with the info..
they were a big hit with the kiddos.

but back to the flop.
so my greatest invite accompanied my worst cake flop.


this is my martha stewart vision that turned into a roseanne reality.
so.. the idea came from martha.
(i'm not even going to put a picture of her version here because mine is just that sad looking..
execution = horrible
let's just say it wasn't my smartest moment when i thought a stand alone ice cream castle
in 90 degree weather was a good idea.
it didn't even make it out of the house looking like a castle.

and, i'm going to be honest.
after taking this picture, i locked myself in the bathroom & cried for about 5 minutes...
cried & had my own little pity party while they sang happy birthday to my son.
not my proudest moment.
but i pulled it together & someone was nice enough to take pictures for me while i was absent.
& you know what?
the dude was smiling from ear to ear in every picture..
& just like my mom & the bf said..
no one knew that it was supposed to look anything other than it did.

& that was the only low moment of the party.
the kids were happy & playing in the pool.

i mean really..
who cries over a stupid cake?!

wait for his third birthday.
i think even you'll be sad over that one..

xo-k

for a list of all the birthday bombs & why i'm blogging about them click here.

3.24.2011

birthday bomb: first birthday

*blogger deleted my pictures, please bear with me as i repost*

so, the dude turned one.
first birthday's are a pretty big deal in my book.
(i'm pretty sure i'm not alone)

i couldn't tell you now why i went with a 'barnyard theme'.
but my dad had a friend with a miniature pony & goat..
we had a trailer we could add hay to..
so we went for it.

(this is one of my favorite pictures.. he's just so darn cute!)

that was were the first two problems sprung up.
first, the friend showed up without the goat.
he was sick..
i'm pretty sure i'd be sick too if i knew a pile of toddlers were waiting to yank on my ears!
no big deal really..

but the hay ride..
in may?
do you know what it's like to be in hay when it's 90 out with high humidity?
not fun.
the kids were itchy & had hay stuck to every piece of exposed skin.
i'm not sure what i was thinking.


so i tried to amp up the whole barnyard feel with a 'fish pond'.
HA!
my 'pond' was a blow up pool...
& i spent probably $10 on goldfish to put in it.
let me just say..
i am SO not a fish tank person.
i knew well enough to take them out of the bag the night before..
but apparently didn't know enough to have them in a container BIG enough to provide oxygen to all of them.
i put them in a large-ish tupperware container the night before the party..
only to wake up the next morning to over HALF of them floating at the top..
SO...
with so FEW goldfish left..
they didn't have the presence enough to impress the kiddos...
they were more interested in getting in the water to get the itch off!

but the best..
well, the best flop anyways..
that was the cake.


i made this.
i was excited about the idea.
excited about coloring the icing & piping it on.
excited about making the eyes & ears.
sooo not excited about the actual product.
first an ear broke.
then my husband...  
& several other MALE family members suggested what my two pigs REALLY looked like.
i'm sure you can guess.
MEN.

stayed tuned for the dude's second birthday flops.
it's a good (bad) flop.

xo-k

for a list of all the birthday bombs & why i'm blogging about them click here.

3.23.2011

birthday bombs

i've been birthday party planning, as you may remember from this post...

i especially love planning out all the little details. the theme, invites, favors, activities, decorations.

invites seem to be 'my thing'. i've had some pretty 'out there' ones. if there is one thing i can safely say about them is.. NOT one single invite has been a plain old paper invite & all of them have left their recipients in awe. (not to toot my own horn)

there are tons of blogs about birthday parties. tons of places to get inspiration. but the one thing i noticed is, rarely EVER are they showing anything less than perfect. OR, if something does go wrong, you don't often hear about it. 

i feel like those blogs sometimes leave us 'regular mama's' feeling a little, i dunno, less successful because we don't have a wonderful party planner at our disposal... or a caterer... or a fancy dessert table... or the budget.. or just leave us feeling like a flop because an idea we found didn't turn out for us as planned (or maybe that's just me)

( i have seen some AWESOME birthday's out there from regular mamas as well)

but you know what... the truth is.. stuff goes wrong sometimes & it's okay.

you know why?

because odds are your little one has no idea that something didn't go right.

who i am to tell you it's okay?

well i'm someone, who despite their best efforts, has had SOMETHING go wrong at EVERY SINGLE BIRTHDAY PARTY the 6 years i've been putting them together for the dude.

in 6 years, i've slowly learned to embrace it... because half of the time.. he doesn't even know something is up. but it's a hard pill to swallow... failing at something you tried to do for your child. but ladies, we gotta embrace it, laugh & move on... because attempting it is totally what counts.

but you know what... i'm going to make you feel better.. because let me tell ya.. i've had some doozies.. i promise you are not alone if you've flopped once or twice.

i've flopped 6. out of 6. that's some horrible record!

so stick with me the next few days... i'm going to recount & share with you pictures of all 6 birthday flops. because i think it's good to see that you aren't the only one (or maybe i am) with martha stewart visions, and roseanne realities.

xo-k

the list of bombs:
first birthday
second birthday
third birthday
fourth birthday
(for no good reason, he didn't have a fifth birthday party how's that for a bomb?)
sixth birthday
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