Pre-Baptism Shoot

So in lieu of Jaden's upcoming baptism I decided to take some pictures of him and make a little announcement card.  He was so happy to pose for me and it was hard to choose one for the card.

So cute story...
When Ashley came out of the baptism font a couple years ago Jaden's first words were, "I get to do that in two birthdays!" Now it's his turn.

Anniversary Ideas

In preparation for our getaway next week, I've been looking through pictures and thinking of some of our anniversary celebrations. It made me realize we've had some pretty fun and lots of silly time away together.

Our first anniversary here in the U.S. I made this chocolate bowl and filled it with strawberries...

Another year we went to Little America where we both tried to squeeze into a one person bath tub (not a  pretty sight, I tell ya!!)...

Last year we spent a fabulous week in Mexico (Hacienda Tres Rios) where we got to do this...

and my hair looked like this the whole time...

Now this year, are you ready for it?
We are going to stay in the Taj Mahal (just a room at the Anniversary Inn in Logan)...

 

So there you have it. Any ideas for how I might make it special? I am so open to suggestions right now!

Skylander Party

Last week was Jaden's big Skylander party. A part of me felt like I should be doing a cute "It's great to be 8" theme, but Skylanders it had to be.

The week of the party I asked Jaden what his expectations were and I got two things out of him. Fun and a Portal of Power cake. That left me with one thing to focus on. The cake. I was VERY worried about the cake because when I made cupcakes for his class they turned out like this (FYI: if cupcake liners are labelled as "no molds needed" it's a lie!).

Yep check that one out on the right. Terrible. Then I had to borrow a cake mix from a neighbor and luckily got the one on the left.

In the end, I had fun making and decorating the cake. I haven't used fondant in years and it's even better than play dough.

Portal of Power....

Here are other party pics (my little disclaimer: I had photography issues that day and no one to blame but myself)....



The bad guys are "jawbreakers" and Kaos is a bad guy...

Pop candy because of Pop Fizz...

Peeps because when Stump Smash smashes things birds fly out (the boys wouldn't eat the pink!)...

We also had Eruptor's Lava (red punch), Trigger Happy's gold coin chocolates and Skylander rings.

Dinamite because of Sonic Boom...

This is about the best smile I can get out of him when he is distracted...

Lots of fun boys!!

Now as long as Jesse doesn't expect a big bash for his birthday in May we should be home free for the next 10 1/2 months! Phew!!

Girls Spa Party

Last week we made invites for Ashley's party, I sent them off and got busy studying for my 5 EMT/CPR tests. Then the day before the party I thought, "Hey, maybe I should plan this thing." So I started moving furniture around and brainstorming and thought a spa was just what my ten year old needed to feel special. By the way, she loved it!

Anyway, I had Jesse pick up a few things in town and scrounged around the house for the rest. The good news- this party can really be done on the fly. :o) The night of the party we sent the boys away (which they did happily- no way they were going to hang around for all the giggling and girl talk). The best part is they went to a wrestling tournament and Jaden took 2nd place in his class. He was so excited since it was his first time and he thought he'd "suck".

So back to the party...

Here she is right after blowing out the candles. Super happy because by this point she had finished a hair treatment, hand scrub and pedicure.

Party favors were a pair of flip flops to wear home with their fresh toe paint. I had a young woman volunteer to help me give pedicures (so nice of her). Ashley and I made jelly bean wraps to hold the flip flops together.

Candy jars...any real spa has an abundance of the yummy stuff we like (for me it would be fruit and smoothies, but the girls thought this candy was great).

If you like Chex mix you've gotta try this **Cherry Chocolate Chex Mix...

The party room finally ready (Ashley hiding while Gracee poses). The settings had face cloths and nail files. The center piece had brown sugar scrubs *(see bottom for recipe) and nail polish choices.

Food table (I also made pizza and had red creme soda for them). See my lovely new antique yellow deviled egg plate? Aunt Judy was the inspiration behind that since I was reluctant to pay just because it was an antique, really pretty up close though.

Tres Leches...definitely a girl thing since the boys around here don't like it. You can find my recipe here (which is really Vanessa's recipe, hehe).

These were a great addition to the party from my friend Emily. Ashley adores them and they are hanging in her room now. Emily claims they are easy to make, but she is way talented and I'm not sure I dare to try. ;o)

Posing before the party. Gracee must have taken this when they were filled to the brim with excitement and giggles.

All in all it was a great way to celebrate her birthday.

Special Spa Recipes...

*Brown Sugar Scrub
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
5 drops grapefruit oil
5 drops orange oil (maybe 10...we liked the orange oil)

Scrub onto hands. Rinse with warm water.

Hair Softening Spray
10-12 oz. spray bottle
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. aloe vera gel
15 drops peppermint oil
7 drops lemongrass oil

Spritz on hair as a daily leave-in moisturizer.

**Cherry Chocolate Chex Mix
10 oz. white or milk chocolate
10 cups chex mix
1/2 box cherry cake mix

Melt chocolate. Pour over Chex and stir until coated. Cover with cake mix- I dumped and stirred until it all stuck, but you can put it all in a ziploc bag and shake it around if you'd prefer that.

Voila!! Now I need to get it together for Jaden's Skylander party this week. :o) Oh happy mommy!

Banana Blueberry Crepes

My life has basically revolved around food photos and EMT class. Sadly, it seems I am getting worse at both instead of better. So, this weekend was just what the doctor ordered. We took the family to a hotel and we all swam and played to our hearts' content!

Here's a little clip of the kids in the jacuzzi...

We got a fabulous suite with a jacuzzi and king bed (the kids slept on the sofa bed in the living room). I found this great deal on the room for just $100 through hotels.com (including dinner and breakfast- which made life easier).

Ashley told me the Fabrizzio's were going to Logan also, so I texted Heather to see if she had found a place to stay. She called the hotel and our two families had a great weekend together. It was wonderful for the children to swim and watch movies with their friends. Plus, it's always nice having friends around!

On another note... last week my friend Emily had a Valentine's Day brunch. I love brunch! She made a quiche that was out-of-this-world! I made these lovelies...

Here's the recipe for the next time you are invited to brunch (or just want to have a tea party with your kids)...

Banana Filled Crepes

1 1/2 cups flour 
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract


Mix dry ingredients, then add wet. Beat together until they are smooth.


Heat a medium sized skillet on medium-high. Pour 1/4 to1/3 cup batter in the center. Lift your skillet off the burner and whirl it around until you have a thin layer of batter covering the bottom of the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes. Flip over and cook another minute or two until it is lightly golden. Remove to a plate.


Place sliced bananas on 1/2 of the crepe and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Fold two times (into quarters). Stack on plate. Cover with blueberries and whipped cream.


Yum! I haven't had crepes in years. They remind me of my childhood in Guatemala. There was this place that made fabulous strawberry crepes with vanilla ice cream. I also remember their yummy spinach and cheese crepes (and the hot dog crepes that I never dared to taste!).


I wonder how many of you recognize this sign? Does it bring back memories for you too?





Or are you like my dad and husband? This is what they remember... Steak.





The owner of Media Cancha

I am so missing Guatemala right now. It is February and I should be there, but I chose to become an EMT and so that is what I am doing (or trying to do).


Here's one last picture. This is where Jesse and I had our first date. It's an Argentine churrasco place and a story I will have to tell in full one of these days.