Super Bowl, Super Food

I love to eat.  I love to cook.  I love to entertain.  And I realllllllllly LOVE Madonna.  So naturally I loved this year's Super Bowl.  Throw in the fact that Tom Brady and Eli Manning are both cuties and that Jimmy Fallon was on live after the game, and I loved this Super Bowl Sunday almost as much as I love my husband.  Ok, maybe not quite that much but you get the point.

We had some good eats this year!  Here are a few photos and recipes.  And how cute (albeit simple and sparse) is the football decor that I scored at Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart?

The spread included slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches, cheesy potato casserole, buffalo chicken dip, pigs in a blanket, and plenty of other munchies.

Football napkins from Wal-Mart.

It's not a party with out some ice cold beverages!
I still love this galvanized metal drink bucket that I've had for years!

I don't typically think of desserts when I think about Super Bowl parties but this one was too tempting NOT to make:

Peanut butter/chocolate chip dip!  This was too die for!
I found the recipe here.

A few other recipes from our menu:

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (for sandwiches) - All Recipes

Buffalo Chicken Dip - 

1 small  package cream cheese

1/2 c. Roka blue cheese dressing

1/2 c. buffalo wing sauce

1 package pre-cooked Southwest flavored chicken (diced into small pieces)

Place all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and cover w/paper towel.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve w/crackers and celery for dipping.

February Designer Spotlight

So here we are, barely into February, and I am dying to buy new spring clothes for my girls.  Not necessarily for myself or for the little guy either, but DYING to start shopping for the girls.  I literally can't take it.  I am on the computer almost every day looking at the new spring collections as they are released and making a list of our Must Have Items.  It makes me giddy.  And for those of you that are wondering, yes I do have a problem and yes I am aware of it.  And no, I don't care.  I know that most people think that I am insane for caring so much more about my girls' wardrobes than I care about my own, but it's just the way that I am and I'm ok with that.  I have always had an obsession with children's clothing and having 2 girls didn't help matters.  I don't even try to fight it.

This month's designer is one that I had never heard of until this season when I spotted their goodies at one of my favorite online boutiques - Everything But the Princess.  I don't necessarily go in search of new designers but I always have my eyes open for unique and fun pieces and this collection is just that!


Mustard Pie offers sweet prints, beautiful colors and unique designs.  This season's colors are bright, vibrant pastels that are playful and eye catching.  Not only did the colors and prints catch my eye but I have to say that the photos really captured my attention.  I have been paying more attention lately to the photo shoots that designers use to market their collections because there are so many great props, poses and other ideas that can translate into the photos that us "ordinary" people want for our kids/family shots.

How fun is this photo shoot?  And the clothes are pretty darn cute too!

Decorating Our Home Sweet Home

Awhile back I wrote this post about the yellow and gray color scheme that I wanted to incorporate into our new home here in Iowa.  Our last home in NC was a rental and there were many things about it that I didn't care for - ugly light fixtures and cracked linoleum floors in the kitchen and bathrooms to name a few.  We are renting again but in a much cuter house that suits my taste much better, so this time I don't feel like it's a waste of time or money to do some decorating and make it ours (even though it really isn't).

I started with the dining/kitchen area.  This house does not have a formal dining room but more of a great room that combines the kitchen, dining and living rooms.  Before we left NC we sold the table and chairs from our formal dining room and used the money to buy something more practical and suitable for our needs.  I made a trip to Ikea with all 3 kids (something I do not recommend doing) to purchase the new table and chairs just a few days before the big move.  In case you are wondering, the closest Ikea here is almost 4 hours away and the products that I purchased are not available to ship, so yes I had to put myself through that ordeal.

Bjursta dining table from Ikea.  Expands to seat 8-10 people.

Nils armchair with dark gray cover.

Since the dining area is part of the kitchen there really isn't much that needs to be done in the way of decorating because the cabinets and appliances occupy most of the space.  I am working on a few DIY projects for a small wall in that area but aside from that I'm done there!

In the living room portion of the great room I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm trying to be patient and find all of the right elements to make the room work.  I'm not good at the patience thing - when I want something done I want it done now and in it's entirety.  One major obstacle - trying to find gray slipcovers for our currently beige and stained microsuede sofa and loveseat.  Seeing as how these are quite large pieces of furniture that one cannot easily ignore it's sort of a big thing to be lacking.  And without the gray slipcovers I see no point in purchasing the new yellow and gray throw pillows that I have my eye on either.  There are a few small things that I still need want for the living room but the slipcovers are by far the most important and necessary.

Here are a few of the things that I have purchased so far:

Citrine chevron rug from Dwell Studio.

Woven felt basket from Target.  Makes a great magazine and book holder.

Lack coffee table from Ikea.

Home Sweet Home print from Curry on the Couch (an Etsy shop).

I'll be taking photos of the actual house soon.  I'm trying to "complete" the look before I put any pictures out there - part of my obsessiveness and need to have things be perfect I guess.  

And if anyone knows where I can find some affordable, non-fitted, gray slipcovers PLEASE let me know.

Rylee's Vintage Barbie Birthday Party

Another party post!  So fun to write.  I'm going to preface this one by saying that for Rylee's party this year (the BIG 6) we had a family only party.  This was for a few reasons -
1.  Since we just moved here a few months ago we really don't know many people.  Actually, I don't know many people.  Rylee jumped right in at her new school and made friends quickly, but with the holiday season being in full swing when we moved and then dealing with winter weather, I haven't had much time to get out and meet people.  I thought that it may be a bit awkward to invite virtual strangers to celebrate our daughter's b-day and I was mortified by the thought that we would invite the children from her class and no one would come.  Can you say therapy?  I suppose on one hand it could have been a great opportunity to meet some of the other parents and get to know the kids, but on the other hand it could have been a disaster.  I could just see the parents opening the invitations and thinking, "who the hell is Rylee?" and "why are we invited to her party?"   Not a chance I wanted to take! 
2.  A family party just seemed like a good idea now that we finally live close enough for so many family members to be able to make the short drive to our house.  That is a luxury that we have never had before  and it is so nice to be able to share these special moments with our families.
3.  Not having a bunch of little munchkins to entertain made the party planning process a little less stressful for me and also saved us some money.  The only kids in attendance (aside from our 3) were 2 boy cousins who could care less about Barbie and a 1 year old who I'm certain has limited ability when it comes to playing games or participating in other party activities.  My kids were perfectly happy running around and playing with each other and the cousins that came.  No games or entertainment needed.  I will say that it was helpful to have a few things taken off of my plate, but at the same time I do love party planning and all aspects of it, so I was a little bummed that I didn't have a houseful of little girls to have Barbie fun with.  Believe me, the ideas were there!

I felt the need to mention the above so that no one reads this post and wonders - "what kind of party has no favors (except for the dessert table), no games, no activities and no entertainment???"  I'm slightly paranoid that someone will doubt my party planning skills so I felt it necessary to explain myself - ridiculous I know.  

Okay, so on to the party itself.  The theme was vintage Barbie inspired.  Lots of pink and black.  Very chic.  As usual it was a theme that I saw online and I used ideas from several different blogs and party planning sites.  My biggest inspiration and a huge aspect of the party was a printable party package that I purchased from Gwynn Wasson Designs on Etsy.  If you aren't familiar with printable party packages or have never used one, you should!  They are such an easy and inexpensive way to customize your party and they add so much to the decor and ambiance.  Generally with these packages you pay the designer/company a fee to purchase a digital file from them and then you print the files yourself.  You can print the files at home or have them printed at an office or copy store like Staples, Office Depot, Kinko's, etc.  The package that I purchased from Gwynn included an incredible amount of pages for a very reasonable price.  Included in my package were - the invitation, birthday banner, cupcake toppers and wrappers, favor tags, thank you notes, water bottle labels, treat cones, food label/table cards and napkin wraps.  The best part is that you can print as many of these items as you need.

Here is what Rylee's invitation looked like:

This set the tone for the whole party and all of the other items in the printable package coordinated with the invitation.  Using the birthday banner and other items in the package also help to cut down on the other decorations that I had to buy.  Of course, I made tissue balls and hung a cluster of them in our arched entryway.  The tissue balls made their first appearance at Rylee's b-day party last year and since then I think that I have made them for every party that we have had.  They are just too easy and inexpensive not too!

Tissue ball cluster in entryway.

Birthday banner from Gwynn Wasson Designs.

With no games, activities or other entertainment to worry about I was able to focus on the decorations and food.  Aside from the tissue balls and elements from the printable package the only other decorating that I needed to do was the dining table and I kept it fairly simple.  I purchased black paper lanterns and pink beaded necklaces (the inexpensive kind you can find in the party favors aisle) and used those items to create a chandelier of sorts above the table.  In the center of the table was a homemade sign that read "Get your sparkle on, show this world where you belong" that was accented with giant "diamond" rings and clear, plastic high heel shoes scattered about the table.  I tied tulle ribbons around each chair as well to keep the feminine touches going.

Dining table

I  thought this little sign was cute and appropriate for a Barbie party!

One of my favorite things to do at our birthday parties is to have a dessert/treat table.  Not only is it pretty to look at but the treats also make great take-home items for the guests and in this case, the treats were the party favors.  Dessert tables are all the rage thanks to Amy Atlas and so much fun!  Mine are usually quite dinky and not as fancy or elaborate as hers but I'm only one person with limited time and funds:)

Our "Dollicious Dessert" table featured - Couture Cotton Candy, Heavenly High Heel Cupcakes (homemade and I was quite proud!), Pretty, Pretty Petit Fours (I also made them but not from scratch), Marvelous Morsels (aka M&M's) and Pearly Marshmallow Pops (my 1st attempt at these and not such a great success but cute).

The "Dollicous Dessert" table.

Pretty, Pretty Petit Fours - delicious!

Heavenly High Heel Cupcakes made by yours truly!

A little disclaimer about the cupcakes - I saw a photo of them here but couldn't find specific instructions on how to make them so I guessed.  I used a large Wilton tip to pipe the pink frosting on in a large round blob and then cut white fondant circles using a round cookie cutter to use as the platforms for the shoes.  I ordered the pink plastic Barbie shoes from Amazon and poked them into the fondant so they wouldn't fall off of their platforms.  The finishing touches were cupcake wrappers and toppers from the printable party package that I purchased.

For dinner we served Chic Chicken Nuggets (200 of them from Chick-fil-a to be exact), Vintage Veggies and Fruit Gems along with some snacks like Chex Mix and chips.  The buffet was titled "Fashionista Fare" and was set up on the bar of our kitchen island.

"Fashionista Fare"

And of course, no party is complete without cake!  This was one of the only parties that I have ever hosted without a cake from Edible Art.  Now that we have moved I have to find new resources when party planning.  Thankfully Yummy's bakery is right up the street from our neighborhood!  Edible Art is hard impossible to beat in my opinion but Yummy's was pretty well, yummy.  I still prefer Edible Art any day of the week but I'm happy that I found something almost comparable.

Cake from Yummy's bakery.

And last but not least, here's a photo of the Birthday Girl!

Rylee is 6!

Monkeying Around (Cooper's 2nd Birthday)!

The girls and me with our Birthday Boy!

I mentioned in a blog post long, long ago that I had already determined the theme for Cooper's 2nd Birthday - Sock Monkeys - and I stuck with that and had a great little party for my not-so-baby-anymore boy.  His birthday was almost a month ago and with the move I am obviously behind on blogging, but I still wanted to share the details and photos.

First of all, a little background on sock monkeys in my life.  Anyone that knows me well knows how close I was to my Grandma and how much I absolutely and completely adored her.  She was such a huge part of my life growing up and so many of my childhood (and even adulthood) memories include her.  We spent a lot of time at her house and my sister and cousins and I loved every minute of it.  My Grandma had lots of chintzy little things around her house and lots of old toys and such, and a few sock monkeys were among those items.  I don't know where they came from or how old they were, but they were always there and we all loved to play with them.

So sock monkeys became one of a handful of items that represented Grandma's House to me.  When I was searching the internet for birthday party themes and ideas I came across some sock monkey parties and knew that I had to go with it.  Sock monkey are not only cute, classic and fun, but also have a special place in my heart thanks to my Grandma.


Since most traditional sock monkeys of the classic variety are red and brown those were the obvious choices for the color scheme.  Etsy is always a 1st choice for me when looking for specific/custom items so I checked there for a birthday shirt and printable party package and found both (of course!).

I also looked to some of my favorite blogs for party planning tips and photos and found tons of useful info.  Turns out that the sock monkey theme is quite popular these days for birthday parties and baby showers.

Here are some photos of the party:

Dessert and take home treat table with printable party package from Cupcake Express on Etsy.
Treats were all red and brown candy and other sweet things - Tootsie Pops, Whoppers, Tootsie Rolls, Twizzlers and Flipz chocolate covered pretzels.

Homemade cupcakes made even cuter with cupcake wrappers and toppers (part of the printable package shown above).

Cardboard gift boxes added height and miniature sock monkeys added a playful touch to the table.
I  bought the "C" at Hobby Lobby and painted it red to match the scheme.

Another perfect cake from Edible Art (Charlotte).

I found these fun "party balls" at Party City and used them as favors.
The guests filled them with sweet treats from the take home treat table.  

The food!
Nugget tray from Chick-fil-a, fruit bowl, snack mix and banana creme pudding cups.

The Birthday Boy!
The shirt was another Etsy purchase from  Whimsical Stitches.

These Boots Were Made For Walking (in the rain)!

So I can't believe that I'm going to admit this, but I have never owned a pair of rain boots.  I mean, not since I was like 5 or something.  As an adult they have just never been on the top of my shopping list.  In fact, up until recently I wasn't really sure how I felt about adults wearing rain boots.  I have contemplated buying myself a pair many times but always decided against it for one reason or another - I don't really need them, they might look dorky, will I ever actually wear them, we had a drought, they might not be comfortable, etc.

Now that we are living in Iowa I feel that most of those excuses are void.  It has rained here a lot in the short time that we have been here and the snow is bound to be coming sooner rather than later (I won't get started on how I feel about snow).  I don't think that I can bring myself to wear snow boots, so my rain boots will have to do double duty and act as snow boots too.  The dilemma that I'm having now is finding a pair that I like.  And that are not $200+.  No matter how much I might like them, I simply cannot justify paying that much money for a pair of boots that are going to be worn in rain, snow, mush and muck.  Even if I could justify, it I cannot afford it.  End of story.

I have an idea of what I want but can't seem to find the exact pair that is just right.  I'm starting to think that I am either very picky or just not with the current trends these days because I have been looking for a few months (in anticipation of the move I started searching while we were still in NC) and still have not found the perfect pair of rain boots.

Here are some options (of course my top choices are either sold out or too pricey!):

Aqua Stop "Grace" from Kohl's

Chooka Canvas Stripe (I think these look black but apparently they are navy)

Chooka Premium Stripe

Kate Spade New York Randi (one of my faves but also $100)

Missoni for Target (no longer available!)

Target Polka Dot

Target Retro Birdie

Target Union Stripe (one of my faves and sold out of course!)

Target Wedge Heel

Tory Burch Rubber Logo (another fave but $150)

So, what's a girl to do?  The snow will be here soon and I need my feet to stay warm and dry!

Blogging Back Up

I just realized that I haven't blogged since Oct. 19th!  Trust me when I say that this is not due to a lack of topics, but rather a lack of time and energy!

I was a single parent for about 5 weeks while Matt came up here to Iowa and started his job, and that may have been the most exhausting 5 weeks of my life.  Halloween and Cooper's 2nd birthday fell during that time period along with the everyday tasks of keeping up with 3 children.  I was also still chairing the Parent Teacher Committee at Addyson's preschool and had to plan the Fall Festival there (for a mere almost 400 people).  And of course, there was prepping for the move - researching schools here for both girls, checking the area out via the internet (making sure there were decent places to eat and shop!), and spending time with and saying good-bye to all of our Charlotte area friends.  Lots of good-byes!


Then of course there was getting here.  A 2 day road trip through 6 states with 3 kids followed by a 3 day stay with my parents while we waited for the movers to deliver our belongings.  And then the most dreaded part - unpacking.  I nearly buried myself alive numerous times but I was determined to have everything unpacked and put away in record time.  I hate clutter and being unorganized makes me feel out of control so I had to get it all done - fast.  And I did.

Rylee started her new school last week and is transitioning well, and we finally found a preschool for Addyson to attend, although she hasn't started yet because I am currently working on completing the 5 million pages of paperwork that is required.

And amidst all of that there is also Christmas planning and prepping!  We took the kids to a real tree farm here, out in the country - just like the Griswold's do on the Christmas vacation movie:)  So our tree is up and decorated, the stockings are hung on the mantle, and the outside lights and wreaths are in place.  I'm not doing the full-on Christmas decor this year - I've done enough unpacking for awhile and I can't bring myself to take any more "stuff" out of boxes and bins - so we stuck to the basics and did only the big things this year.

Finally life is returning to normal and I'm finding myself with a wee bit of free time each day.  Actually, that "free" time could and probably should be spent more wisely - cleaning, doing the never ending loads of laundry that we seem to accumulate, continuing to decorate our new home (you know, the important stuff) - but what would life be without the internet - Facebook, blogging, Pinterest, e-mail and Google?  Americans waste too much time on the internet - it's our way of life.  I heard that on the radio the other day and I couldn't agree more.  But I thoroughly enjoy my time wasters!


So, I have yet to post about my Farewell Tour of Charlotte (I managed to make a pretty good dent in my list but wish I had more time to hit all of my favorite spots!) and Cooper's Sock Monkey birthday party.  And I have a list of Christmas post ideas that I was hoping to get out of my head and on here but I don't know how many of those will make it to the blog world.  I also have some posts about decorating our new home (remember the yellow and gray color scheme?) and life in Iowa.  And of course, I never stop wishing and wanting so Wednesday's Wish List and the Designer Spotlight posts will return at some point.  I have lots to share!  So much that you will probably tire of hearing from me but I hope not:)