I saw it on Pinterest - Sesame Street Party

While planning Baby D's second birthday party, Pinterest came in handy with lots of ideas for his Sesame Street party theme. I wanted it cute. I wanted it simple. I wanted it fun. And I wanted it cheap!

I started a party board for him about six months ahead of time to glean ideas. There were so many cute things I'd have liked to do but didn't want to pour too much money into decorations. I did purchase a few packages of pipe cleaners at the dollar store which entertained the kids with twisting and creating for much longer than I expected!


Elmo inspiration (wow, isn't that a fun table!).

One thing I've learned over the years is to put money and/or work into things that guests will actually notice. Why buy cute but pricy tablecloths if you are going to cover them with your lunch spread? Or expensive plates with Elmo's face when they're just going to get ranch dip all over them?!

I bought dollar-store tablecloths and then cut a strip of leftover wrapping paper for a simple and colorful table runner. Cheap...and my guests actually commented on how clever the idea was.

I pumped up about 12 balloons that I had on hand and tied them with curling ribbon to the posts of our patio. At the end of the party we cut them down and gave them to the youngest party guests to take home with them.

Another thing I've learned over the years is to use what you have on hand and from around the house. This dessert table was decorated with a standing Tickle Me Elmo doll that we already had. I used a silver tiered tray from my dining room table for holding cupcakes. And because all I had were glass trays that I didn't want to get knocked off the table, I decided just to spread the Elmo-breadmen directly onto the table.



And honestly, don't spend a ton of time making elaborate desserts because frankly, kids don't care! Truly, they just want to EAT it! So if you want to make it cute just know your efforts are only for the grown ups who will ooh and ahhh over the sweetness. Seriously, do not mess around with rolling out fondant or taking an hour to painstakingly decorate one sugar cookie that will get devoured in 3.2 seconds. Know your audience; Kids will not appreciate the time or effort you put into the treats, they just want them in their bellies!


Drooling in anticipation!

I made a simple chocolate cake from a box mix, smeared on leftover cream cheese frosting and tossed some colorful sprinkles on the top. Super easy. If I'd had time I would have made one of these fun banners for the top but alas, I was actually still frosting the cake as my guests were arriving!


Pinterest inspiration

I did spend more time than usual making these Elmo-breadmen cookies because I knew that they kids would adore them.


Elmo-breadmen!

I already had the dough premade and frozen so it just took defrosting, rolling out and baking. Royal icing is a bit more work but I'd already had it made (you can keep it for about a month) so I just had to mix the three colors. I made it into flood icing as per Sweet Sugar Belle's instructions and using a squeeze bottle method I had these fuzzy red guys made in no time, with different expressions to boot! If you do make decorated cookies take my advice and break up the work. Make the dough one day. Roll out and bake the cookies another day. Decorate them the day before the party (or even earlier and just freeze them until the day before the event). These cookies are oversized and were taking up a lot of icing which is why I just outlined the bodies and filled in the icing on the head. Nobody complained and the cookies were gone in a flash!

I also knew that Baby D was going to need a coordinating outfit and well, since that is sort of "my thing" I whipped him up an appliqued tee with Elmo! He was totally delighted. If you need your own Elmo tee, I *ahem* sell it in my Etsy shop!


Happy #2 Baby D!

Here are the Cookie Monster Cupcakes that I saw on Pinterest.


Pinterest version


My version

I was not going to pipe frosting onto these, I didn't have time for that. I simply colored store-bought cream cheese frosting with a few drops of blue gel coloring and then patted the frosting on with an angled mini spatula to make it look fluffy. Mini Chips Ahoy cookies were simply shoved into the mouth position. The tutorial I saw on Pinterest had the baker cutting out a little section from the cupcake to insert the cookie but I didn't have any issues with just pushing the cookie down into the cupcake and none of them popped out. I found the premade sugar eyes here. Ta-da, super cute! I made them with a Blue Velvet Cake mix and with a slight blueberry flavor, they were yummy. The kids and grown ups loved them!



Finally, I kept goodie bags simple and only for the littlest guests. A simple pack of crayons and Sesame Street stickers from the dollar bin inside red & white striped paper bags (I bought a pack from Pick Your Plum and used the rest for Christmas treats). I wrapped them in a bit of twine and they were just precious.





There you have it, my Pinterest-inspired Sesame Street party. To reiterate, use what you have, keep your audience in mind when party planning and spend money and time only where it's most noticed. Simple, fun and cheap! But still cute too, of course.

I saw in on Pinterest - Artisan Bread

I love Pinterest! Yep, I've been a member for a while and pin every single day. There is just so much to find and do and I love that I no longer have to print out ideas from the internet but can file them virtually for future reference. Isn't Pinterest great?!

In an effort to get myself motivated I'm going to occasionally feature a Pinterest find here on the blog. Perhaps try a new recipe? Make a new craft? Whatever...I need to actually attempt some of these things and not just pin them, know what I mean? I know you do... If you're like most people on Pinterest, you are pin-crazy but not much actually gets produced from them.

First off, this is me on Pinterest and I hope that you'll follow me.

I'm going to start this with a food idea from my board, Practical Food.

Our dinner routine is a bit...routine. My husband is a simple guy and certain foods don't agree with him so we stick to the basics most nights. Spaghetti with ground turkey. Baked chicken tenderloins with brown rice. Salads. Lots of salads. Healthy, yes. But also boring. I need, I want, I crave carbs. Sometimes (not all the time) but yes, sometimes I just need a nice thick slice of warm bread with butter...real butter!



Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes.

Well, now we are talking!

A coworker actually owned this book and after I borrowed it for the weekend, I was hooked and bought it for myself. Of course "5 Minutes" isn't exactly accurate because there is some rising time and resting time built in but yes, the process is simplified and the punching and kneading of the dough from past recipes is eliminated here. You can make enough dough to produce several loaves and refrigerate it until you need it.

I did a little search on Pinterest for Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes and came across this pin and was intrigued. The original recipe requires steam be added to the oven while bread is baking by pouring water into a pan inside the hot oven. This was never properly accomplished by me because for fear of scorching my hand on the grates, I never angled my measuring cup well and would end up pouring the water all over inside the stove instead of in the pan.

This "new" method has you making the bread inside a Dutch oven which produces the steam inside the lid. Works perfectly and you get a warm crackling loaf in about 20 minutes. Turkey spaghetti never had a better dinner companion!

Unfortunately the website does not have the recipe, I think you have to purchase the cookbook or borrow at the library, but let me tell you, this book is worth it. It really is the easiest approach to yeast I've even experienced and loaves go together in just a few minutes so it's very little hands-on work.

Artisan bread baked in your Dutch oven



And here is a shot of the pizza that I made using the dough. I just worked a piece flat, stretching it with my hands until it was sort-of circle-shaped, sprinkled the baking stone with cornmeal and topped with sauce & cheese. Wow, it was the most amazing pizza...and I know pizza!

Found it on Pinterest - Envelope Pillow DIY

While Baby D was napping last weekend, I took the three hour window of opportunity to brighten things up in the living room. We have only decorated minimally in this space so far, purchasing a cream-colored shag rug from Costco. With the brown leather sofa and matching chair and ottoman, it's looking a bit "doctor's office" without any personal touches.

I found a DIY link on Pinterest for sewing up Envelope Pillows. Super easy and super fast! I had three pillow covers done before the baby woke up.



I didn't have to buy a thing. I used pillow forms I already had (from Ikea) and fabric I'd purchased about three years ago and never got around to using.



Look closely at the dark blue and cocoa brocade print on the right...those are goldfish in the center of the design!

And the backsides are cute too.

The tutorial recommended using plain fabric on the back but I know that my pillows will never just be sitting pretty on the sofa. They will be tossed all over (in fact they are laying on the floor right now, as my husband was taking a nap with them!) so I wanted them cute from all angles.





And when he woke up from his nap, someone was very happy to pose for pictures on my newly decorated sofa!



Pillowcases before (pic from our apartment):


Pillowcases after:

Moving Day!

On the day we finally get the keys to our first house, I have been reflecting and thanking God for our blessings. It has been a long haul: I started the process with our realtor/broker back in July 2012. We planned out a savings schedule to get us to the downpayment required, we cleaned up our credit, paid off loans, filled out lots (and lots) of paperwork and took many trips to the Office Depot (because we don't have a printer or scanner). I can guarantee you that I never believed I'd be a homeowner in California. And now I am. It's blowing my mind!

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My parents bought their house in 1972. It's a quick mile from the house we just bought. That makes me so happy, knowing I'll be so close. We have some nice memories in our apartment but I will be glad to move on, knowing our money is going towards something now.

I found these old images online of the house.


Old kitchen


New kitchen


Old front bathroom


New front bathroom


Old master bathroom


New master bathroom

While the redo might not be entirely my style, it's quality work and vastly impoved over the original! Don't you just love that old lavender bathroom cabinet?! Yikes!

Danny & I had originally thought we'd end up with a fixer-upper but the more we thought about it the less appealing that sounded. It would mean living in a remodel and also having to come up with the cash to do the fixing, too. Buying a house that already has the work done makes sense to us. We'd looked at many remodeled homes in our search and this one, though the smallest in square footage, was the best of the bunch, with high quality construction and materials that satisfied my construction-minded husband.

What I'll miss about our apartment: Our very kind and generous neighbors. A separate laundry room right off the kitchen. Air conditioning (Not that we used it but a few times ever, but it's nice to have and the new house doesn't have it). The ability to call the manager for clogged toilets and broken dishwashers. The neighborhood kids for my little ones to play with.

What I'll love about our new house: A garage (Enough said, that is going to be such a blessing!). A dedicated space for shoes & backpacks in the garage instead of next to the front door. Not having to go up and down stairs (I'm a one-story gal at heart). Adding character to our house with our own style. A yard. The ability to grow flowers or veggies. The newly remodeled kitchen and all the drawers and cabinets. Being able to walk. The library, a park, baseball fields and the lakes are all within a mile's radius which gives us a lot more options for evening walks after dinner.

What I'm not so sure about with the new house: It's on a busy street, so I'm nervous about pulling out of the driveway, the possible noise level and the fact that the kid's bedrooms are at the front of the house. Looking forward to getting a fence up as soon as possible. Parking on the street. I love to entertain and hope that our guests don't have to walk a mile to get a parking spot. The bedroom situation with The Boy and Baby D, who are going to be sharing a space from now on. We will see how that works out!

So my husband will be moving some boxes over tonight. I am going to put Post-It notes on the walls where I want furniture to be placed. This evening I'll be packing up the kitchen, computer and all of our clothes. Tomorrow Danny and his uncle will be doing all the hard work of moving heavy stuff while I get the kids out of the house for the day (why did moving day have to fall on Easter weekend?!). We'll give the apartment a quick cleaning on Sunday.

And then of course, unpacking! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them with updates...as soon as I get the computer up and running!

Blessings to everyone for a Happy Easter!

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Closing In

We're close.

We're really really close.

The paperwork (100+ pages of it) has been signed and notarized. The wire transfer of closing costs has gone through. The final walkthrough has been done. We got another look at the place, our first time back in since early February when we decided to put in our offer.

The grass is a little longer and we need to buy a lawn mower. There are fruit trees in the back that need to be pruned (I'll need to learn how to do that!). First up on the to-do list is fencing. The front yard needs it for sure and there is also a two-tier yard that will need fencing so the baby doesn't fall off the retaining wall. He certainly won't be able to go in the yard without an adult in the current state.

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I like this look with the mix of blocks and wood.

The kitchen is even more lovely than I remember with soft-close drawers and enough room for all of us to dance in, if we so wanted to. There is so much more storage space than in our apartment and I can't wait to organize. I'm going to have Danny install a few cabinets with pull-out drawers so we can easily reach our pots and pans and not have to unload the entire cabinet to get to anything in the back.

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The lightswitch for the kitchen is in a weird place though (in the hallway by the front door!) so that might have to be rewired. Fortunately Danny's uncle is an electrician.

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Loving this color for the master bedroom, Benjamin Moore "Glass Slipper"

The bedrooms are tinier than I recall... not quite sure how we are going to comfortably arrange our master bedroom with our new dresser. I seriously doubt the boy's furniture is going to fit in their shared bedroom. I have a feeling their dresser is going to end up inside the closet! Unfortunately we still need the baby's changing table and the rocking chair for at least the rest of the year and they take up so much space. The Girl is getting the best end of the deal with a bedroom of her own.

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Thinking of painting their yucky oak dresser this pretty blue (Benjamin Moore's "Azores") for The Girl's new room

The only storage space in the bathrooms is under the sink. There isn't even a medicine cabinet. So I think we'll do over-the-toilet cabinets in both bathrooms to hold extra toilet paper, towels and soaps. I also hate loading up the bathroom counter with toiletries so perhaps a basket per person on the shelf with their toothbrush, personal hygiene stuff, etc?

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Nice storage space for over the toilet

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Perfect use of space, over the door shelving!

The hall closet is a nice size, but it has mirrored sliding doors, which I don't care for. I personally don't like sliders because no matter what, they will always fall off the track. And really, mirrors in the hall? That just seems weird. I'll have to figure out something to do with those, even accordian doors would be better. Also, there is only one shelf up high and one closet bar in there. This is going to be our main storage for linens, medicines and bath stuff since space is so limited in the bathrooms so shelving will be a must in here.

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Other than that, there is very little that needs to be "done" in the house. There are a few spots on the wall where the prior tenant's furniture scraped so that will be a quick fix and then I would like the living room walls painted. I am partial to Sherwin William's Comfort Gray which (accordingly to Pinterest and those I've been scoping out in "blogland") is a lovely gray with bluish-green tones. Perfect!

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And a rug for the living room too, as it's all tile that flows from kitchen into living space/dining area.

Love this golden one with the large pattern. It would go nicely with grayish/bluish/greenish walls, don't you think? I am sooooo looking forward to adding color. The apartment standard "Navajo White" just isn't my style.

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And of course some landscaping this summer, can't wait to give the front of the house some character with flowers.

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So, it's close enough that we can now say it will be within days. We'd actually been told "keys on Wednesday" by our agent but unfortunately the lender is still reviewing things, then they still have to complete the funding (probably tomorrow) and then record it all (probably Friday). Ugh. Honestly, I am a planner and all this willy-nilly-wait-till-the-last-moment jazz has me ready to yank my hair out by the roots. What this means is that IF everything runs as the agent believes with the above schedule, then we'd be moving everything on Saturday and cleaning the apartment on Easter Sunday. We have to be out of the apartment on Sunday because it's the last day of the month and I'll be darned if we have to pay another month of rent!
So, we're close. But not as close as I'd like!

Hanging in there

It's been such a bummer around here, I've not felt much like posting for fear of being a big ol' downer.

But here is the last two weeks in a nutshell:

Kids all sick with colds and missed some school. My PTO hours are dwindling fast!

The house with the two fireplaces didn't work for us after the home inspection so we've moved on to something else (we do have something else lined up but since I keep spilling the beans, things keep falling through so I'm staying mum for now!).

We were all well enough to attend a birthday party. Hurray, finally something fun! But as we were leaving the party the baby slipped and fell on some gravel in the driveway and cut open his lip. Boo...he still has a yucky little scab on his upper lip that is slowly healing. It doesn't bother him one bit of course.

Our cable box and remotes haven't been working for about three weeks. After nightly calls to customer service, we were finally given a temporary solution but this means we have to stand within a foot of the box to change the channel (why even need a remote at that point?!). Still no real permanent solution and this is getting annoying. Fortunately tonight I'm able to watch Project Runway, I've not been able to see it for the last two weeks with the cable issues.

Had to take Baby D back to urgent care tonight because he's had this stupid cold consistently since Christmas. He started getting feverish again and a bit of a wheeze with the cough. They said he still has an ear infection and prescribed a second round of antibiotics along with an inhaler. And $90 later...sheesh!

The Boy received back his progress report and this trimester was improved over the first. I'm glad to see that he's finally settling in at the new school though he's yet to find a good friend. He needs to click with someone soon and develop a nice friendship, I'm praying for that because he says he's still a bit of an outsider right now.

And the heartbreaker of the week, my dad got very ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. With all his chemo side effects, it was hard to pinpoint the issue but I think they have decided it is the flu. He's still there in the ICU... resting, getting poked and prodded, receiving intravenous fluid, watching TV, getting his blood pressure normal, taking in oxygen and getting better. No more chemo for now, they have to get him healthy first. He should be released in the next few days. We miss him around the house! And the baby has taken to saying, "Grampa?" and putting out his hands like, "Where is he?!".

So there is the update! Told you it was a bummer.

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So what fun things have we been doing?

Went out with my sister-in-law for dinner last weekend. She's 9 months pregnant with the baby due Feb 15th and she was excited for an evening out before her third little boy arrives. With an (almost) 4 year old and an 18-month old, "girl's nights" are few and far in between so getting to meet up with her was so great.

The following day after church I see on Facebook that my brother-in-law has posted that they were at the hospital delivering the baby! She'd started having contractions and delivered her sweet guy that morning! Hope it wasn't the onion rings, Samantha! Looking forward to holding my new nephew soon.

Went to dinner & a movie with girlfriends (wow, two girl's nights in one week! Really, though... I deserve it!). Got to see Les Miserables and of course, wept through it. Side effect of seeing a movie with catchy songs is that I couldn't sleep that night because those beautiful songs kept running through my head. And for the following two days afterwards!

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Looking forward to being able to go out with my husband this weekend for Valentine's Day. No idea what we are doing but we are doing something! I bought my husband exactly what he wanted for a gift. This set of three levels, he'll be so happy!

Practical guy, after my own heart... I want one of those robot things that sweeps and mops the floors!

We also joined a small group through church that will be studying this book, Soul Revolution. We need to eek out time to read it now. Having a crappy TV cable box will probably help with that.

And Pinterest. Lots and lots of dream home pins! Hoping to have more fun stuff to share (and no more yucky stuck, okay?!).

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Pinning my dream home - Living Room

It's always a popular theme of the new year...starting fresh with a new year means a new start as well. Time to make goals, get organized and put those resolutions into action. I love organization (though you'd beg to differ if you saw my desk!). The Container Store is my favorite place to shop. All those divided trays and baskets and snap-lid boxes make my heart go pitter-patter!

We have a bit of the whole "starting fresh" thing going on in our apartment as we pack and prepare for the move to our first home. Things are still hung up a bit getting the loan finalized, preparing for the appraisal and home inspection but they are still moving, slowly but surely! In the meantime, we move slowly but surely on our end as well, packing up random items that won't be missed if they are in a box. The apartment is starting to look a bit more barren and cluttered at the same time. When we finally do get an actual move-in-date things will move at a more rapid place, disassembling furniture and disconnecting equipment. I cleaned out the kid's closets this weekend and got most of the toys put away. I had to leave some out of course, as well as some books, because they still need to play and read up until moving day!

I've been "pinning" ideas for the new place and have decided upon a look that I just love. It's a modern rustic style, comfortable and warm yet clean and classy. Not "country" and not "sleek modern" but cozy and uncluttered with items that look like they've been used. A unique vintage look that is nature-inspired (lots of birds and leaves). My husband suggested "Real Tree" camo-patterned curtains in the bedroom, but that is definitely NOT the look I'm going for!

I haven't found an exact room that I'd want to replicate but I've found many rooms with great inspiration.

This space has great bead board on the walls and a great plate shelf. I like the weathered coffee table too.

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We have leather sofas too. I like this round, whitewashed coffee table as well (we don't even have one currently!)

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Love this rug design and wonderful texture. The hardest part would be choosing a color!

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Love this wall art design with the collection of botanical prints and the mismatched side tables with the matching lamps.

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Big heart around this vintage looking bird cage!

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This is a lovely way to display a collection!

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And these fabric flowers...love the pop of orange, I must have some orange in my living room.

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As far as colors go, I'm still up in the air. I would like to put some paint on the walls but having a hard time commiting to which direction I want to go.

Very rich and warm...

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More cool tones with a blue that I love...

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And here is something with an orangey tone...

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So I'm sure that the home decor will be slow moving while we get settled into the house but I will be itching to get some paint on the walls and some semblence of style into our home as soon as possible. We've both waited so long for our first home that making this house "our own" is really important to us. I'll be documenting all the progress on the blog, for sure. I hope you'll enjoy discovering our style as we go along!