I am smitten with trees. And beaver dams. And the sound created when you throw rocks onto frozen marshes.
Super Spy Party Time
20
29.1.13
We celebrated a very special little boy this weekend! Our baby turned 6! If you follow along then you’ve already seen all the prep and the invitation. This post is about all the fun and games that ensued once the kids showed up! Which, of course, is what it’s all about! It’s definitely not about my mad cake decorating skills! Ha! Any cake professionals out there, please avert your eyes. As you can see I opted to take the same approach as I did on the last cake I made, cutting shapes out of wax paper and shaking some icing sugar over top to make a design that matches the party theme. Dirt simple. No shame. At the end of the day the cake tasted just as good.
When the children arrived they received their super spy attire, consisting of a peel-and-stick mustache and a black hat. To make sure no imposters had made it through the door they were all asked to head straight to the table for fingerprinting… which they all thought was pretty cool. Then they played a game of “don’t let the bomb touch the floor or it will explode” (aka, work together to keep the black balloon in the air). It really doesn’t take much to get a group of six year old boys excited. The party favourite was an idea that is making its rounds on Pinterest, the “laser beam” obstacle course (aka, red neon twine). The boys were so excited to try and make it up the staircase without touching the laser beams.
I think that covers the highlights! Older brother has announced that he liked this party so much that he wants a complete redo for his birthday in the Fall. Sounds good to me!
Have a good week!
Super Spy Party Preparations
19
21.1.13
How was your weekend? I was busy getting organized for the big birthday party that’s coming up this week! We are now well stocked with spy hats and mustaches for the mini-spies arrival. And when it’s time to leave they will all be taking home an “evidence bag” which will include Top Secret Spy Notebooks sporting labels that I designed to coordinate with the invitations. Also, tubes of M&M’s wrapped in red tissue paper (aka “dynamite”), and some laser finger lights. Now I just need to think about food and games and we’ll be good to go! Oh how I love a good party theme!
I’ve got a busy week ahead, but I’m looking forward to it! How about you?
Winter Fun
8
28.12.12
We had a lot of fun in the snow last week, and I’m missing it, so I’m looking forward to taking the boys sledding and to snowboarding lessons next week! I may even strap on some skis myself!
Do you like my attempt at a winter garden? There are six cabbage plants hidden under the snow too, but I’m guessing the likelihood that they are still alive is quite low. It was a lot more fun to run outside and grab kale for my morning shake when it was summertime! Brr!
If you have a moment, be sure to pop over to Rambling Renovators to check out Jen’s “Great Reads 2012″ today. I’m thrilled to be included on her list! Have a great weekend everyone!
Merry Christmas
11
23.12.12
The pictures above show some of the moments that have been happening over here lately:
- This cute container held yummy treats from The Last Crumb from West Elm Market. How cute is that sweet little gingerbread house!
- What did party hosts do before Pinterest inspiration!? That’s where Jamie saw this Christmas tree veggie tray idea!
- I’ve been emailing out Printable Holiday Gift Tags this week… thanks for all of your orders!
- This is how the boys looked when they saw Santa this year. I picked them up early from school on the day of the Newtown tragedy, let them choose what they wanted to wear, and spent the afternoon enjoying them. Dressing up just didn’t feel important this year. I’m so happy that today is the start of two weeks off from school!
I want to take a moment to wish you all a wonderful Christmas season. I hope that your holidays are full of love and laughter with your family and friends. I also want to say a big thank you for visiting me here over the last year. I appreciate your comments and support so much!
PS – I’m over at Recreated sharing one of our family’s favourite Christmas traditions today, in case you’re curious.
Simple Holiday Decor Ideas
24
12.12.12
Here are 5 simple ideas to help bring a little holiday spirit into your decor:
- Bring the outdoors in! Whether it’s branches in the fall, or fresh flowers in Spring, bringing plants inside brightens up these winter days. I have three Ikea pots that sit on the windowsill in my kitchen, and every season I swap out the plants inside them. This year I saw some of these Gaultheria plants and fell in love with their pops of red and green!
- Think outside the tree. If you have ornaments from holidays’ past, don’t get rid of them just yet… use them to fill a vase and prop up some sticks. Or simply mixed into a bowl of pinecones.
- You gotta have faith. Bring some of what makes the holiday season special to you and your family into your home. We are all about Christmas here at our house, and our little wooden nativity scene fits perfectly under our massive star, don’t you think?
- Add a little sparkle! Mix a little shimmer into your tabletop vignette. Contrast it with natural elements to keep things warm.
- Lighten up. Candles, floating in a bowl of fresh cranberries, surrounded by dried rose hip berries, or just placed in your favorite votive… there is no wrong choice at this time of year. And remember, adding a warm glow to your home also casts a very flattering light on your guests when you’re entertaining!
Are you all done decorating for the holidays? I’m all about keeping it simple this year! I’m having to let some things slide that I usually wouldn’t, because I’m finding that my priorities have shifted, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. For example, if you usually receive a Christmas card from me, you may get it via email this year, or not at all! I know! How will you ever recover! 😉
Pinecone Ornament DIY
28
04.12.12
Last year my oldest came home from school with a pinecone ornament for our Christmas tree. I loved the look of the white painted tips, and wanted to add a lot more of them onto the tree this year! So, I collected some over the last year, and tonight we spent some time painting the tips of pinecones!
This is truly the easiest DIY ever! All you need is:
- Paint, watered down until it’s thinner so that it doesn’t get clumped in the tiny spaces.
- Paintbrush
- Pinecones, the sturdier the better!
- Ribbon. I think a thin shimmery ribbon is nice, but some twine, or even string would look good.
Do you add pinecones into the decorating mix at your house in the fall and winter seasons? Have you painted them before? Next I’d like to try dipping some pinecones to look like these ones (above) by Jessica Christman. Aren’t they pretty?!
Friday Thoughts
8
30.11.12
Happy Friday! Enjoy the ones you’re with this weekend. And the little moments that can become so much bigger when you let them. Did I mention that I have started a photography “class” with the boys? I’ve been told I’m the teacher. I’ll tell you more about that later… it’s pretty fun.
Carrot Spice Muffins
19
03.11.12
I first tasted these muffins years ago at a play date with a bunch of moms and kids. I loved them, and asked for the recipe so I could make them myself! Now that life is gluten free, I have recreated them using gluten free flour, but you can easily switch them back just by replacing with wheat flour and omitting the xanthun gum. So yummy, and healthy too! Enjoy!
Also, if you have pumpkins kicking around still, you should try this muffin recipe that I posted last winter!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1/2 tsp xanthun gum
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup oil
- 3 cups carrots, grated
- 1 cup raisins
- Brown sugar (topping)
DIRECTIONS:
- COMBINE flour, xanthun gum, sugar, flax, spices, baking soda & powder, salt in a mixing bowl.
- BEAT eggs and oil until light. Mix in applesauce.
- STIR in carrots.
- ADD liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened.
- FILL greased muffin cups 3/4 full.
- SPRINKLE the tops with brown sugar.
- BAKE at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Countdown to Halloween
15
29.10.12
Thanks to Pinterest, I found this great idea for bat o’lanterns, made from mini pumpkins, of course! I adore them! The contrast of the black against all the orange of Halloween is perfect! And, if you’re looking for some cheap paint for your crafty projects, run to Home Depot right now. All the Martha Stewart test pots are on sale for 25 cents, and you can tint them to whatever color you want! I was there today, and picked up the black for this project. Yes, also 25 cents! (The paint line has been discontinued… so get them while you can!)
