All we need is love

All we need is love
All we need is love

Friday, November 30, 2012

Greg's 52nd Birthday

We celebrated Daddy's birthday today with a much anticipated dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Greg was looking forward to having a bucket of crab all to himself. I had never been, so I was quite impressed with the experience. I guess I thought it wouldn't be that big of a deal- after all- it does have shack in the name.


The ambiance was fun, and energetic. I loved the lights, the colorful decor and the good music playing in the background. I especially loved sitting next to the birthday boy! 

Before our bucket of crab came, the waitress brought us a crab kit:  a cracker, a splitter, and the much needed wet nap for when you're all done.

What came next was our waitress armed with customized bibs that she made for each of us. So fun! It was a great touch!




We were all prepped for the feast and out it came. 3 different kinds of crab with new potatoes and corn on the cob all steamed with a delicious seasoning sprinkled on top. yum!

Daddy enjoyed his crab and even played with his food a little. Nice crab beard honey! LOL!

Last but not least, we had a piece of their amazing key-lime pie. Greg said it was the best he's ever had. . . I think he's right. Soooo good!

Happy Birthday Baby! I hope it was special! 
We love you more than words can say!


Grey Chevron Cake

I made a cake today for my preceptor at work. She's leaving for Hawaii! While I am very happy for her opportunity, I'm very sad to see her go. Hopefully someday, we'll meet again. But then, who'd want to leave the Islands???

Bon Voyage Tiff! Thanks for everything!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Cole's latest work of art


So I saw this paper sitting on the coffee table for the past 2 days. It was just kinda strewn there and I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was a nice print that came in the mail with something written on the back of it- maybe some art that Grandpa appreciated and brought by to share with us. 

Well, I was straightening up after the kids went to bed, so I picked it up and turned it over. My jaw dropped when I saw my son's signature on the back. wow. Still in shock. It's so well done. I'm so impressed. 

What a work of art!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

School Lunches courtesy of Aria Joy

The past few nights Aria made school lunches for Daddy, Cole and herself. Sandwiches, fruit, veggies, a drink and a snack- all labeled and with little notes of love and encouragement. I told her she didn't have to do it, but she said she wanted to! She says it's fun.
Here's Daddy's bag of apples for lunch tomorrow. I had to take a pic. So sweet! I love that girl!


Flower Pouf Tutorial

Materials (for 1 flower pouf)
8 sheets of tissue paper- I used 16"x 24" sheets 
curling ribbon
sharp scissors

1. Stack up your 8 sheets of tissue and fold them accordion style starting at the shorter end. 

2. It doesn't need to be perfect, but you want to make the folds as close to the same size as you can. Continue until you have accordion folded up the entire stack of sheets and then hold it down or place a weight on it so it doesn't unfold on you while you get your ribbon.
*Note: You can determine the size of your pouf at this point. To make a large one, use the entire length of tissue. To make 2 medium sized poufs, cut the accordion folded tissue in half to make 2 smaller pieces and proceed to steps 3-9 on each piece.

3. Tie a length of ribbon around the center of your folded tissue paper. Leave some excess for hanging your pouf when it's complete.  

4. Now, trim the edges of your folded tissue. Using sharp scissors, cut either a rounded edge as shown or a pointed edge shown below. Each will give you slightly different looks.

5. Once you have done this, it is important to make sure your ribbon is tied in the exact center. Fold it in half to find your center and adjust the ribbon as needed by sliding it in place. If it is off-center, your flower will not be round when it's complete.

6. Place your tissue on it's side as shown and spread out your folds a bit, making a double fan.

7. Carefully separate the first layer of tissue from the rest on one side and pull it as close to the center as you can. Be sure not to pull so hard that you rip the tissue. Here's what it will look like with just one layer of tissue pulled from the rest.

8. Continue to do this until you have pulled up 4 pieces of tissue on one side. It should look like this.

9. Repeat the process on the opposite side of the tissue completing half of the pouf flower. You can leave it like this if you want to pin it directly on a wall or set it on a table, because the opposite side will be flat. 

Here is an example of a half pouf pinned to the wall.

This is what the opposite side should look like if you choose to make a half-flower.

To complete a full flower, repeat steps 7-9 on the back side and you will have a full pouf. It will require some adjusting to even out the petals and hide any gaps.


Hang them individually.  .  .
 or in clusters for a different effect.
(The more the merrier in my opinion!) 


Happy Crafting!


Monday, November 26, 2012

Hanging Fan Tutorial

Have you seen these hanging fan decorations at parties?? I have seen them before, usually made of tissue paper. You can buy them from the party store and they are relatively inexpensive. But, if you are like me, and you crave crafty projects from time to time, you might want to consider making your own for your next party decor. 
I love to add personalized touches to my parties, and this is another opportunity to do so. Use a coordinating paper or cardstock and add some fan flare to your party atmosphere! 
They are very easy to make and just require a couple pieces of paper, some ribbon and a hole punch to make.  I'm sure there are multiple ways to make them, but here's what I did in 8 simple steps!

1. Place 2 pieces of cardstock of scrapbooking paper side-by-side, taping them together on the back side. If you want your fan to be pretty on both sides, try to find a paper that has a print or color on both sides. The size of your paper will determine the size of your fan. I used 12"x12" paper for the larger fans and 6"x12" paper for the smaller ones (one 12"x12" cut in half).

2. Accordion fold your paper, starting from the shorter side of your paper rectangle. Tie a ribbon around the center of this folded paper. At this point, you can trim a rounded edge on each end of your accordion folded paper to make a scalloped edge in your fan. I skipped that step for my silver hanging fan.

When you trim the edges, round them out as much as you can. You'll need sharp, strong scissors to do this, especially if you are cutting through cardstock.



This is what it should look like once you fan it out and open it up.


3. At this point, fold your accordion folded paper in half one way, creating a center fold and then in half the opposite direction. This will make it easier to perform the next few steps.

 Your fan should look about like this.

4. Bring two of the sides together until they meet.

5. Tape these two sides together along the entire length of the paper. You can also use a glue stick- it just may require holding the sides together for a minute as it sets.

6. Repeat this on the opposite side until you have a continuous circle. Now, trim off your ribbon, leaving a center knot. If you are really a stickler for details like me and you are using a paper that is  decorative only on one side, make sure your knot is on the back of the hanging fan. 

7. Using a hole punch, make a hole in the top of your hanging fan on the fold line. I used a thin, rectangular punch to make it more discreet, but any kind will do.

8. Thread your ribbon through the hole and hang wherever your little heart desires! Keep in mind that if you hang it up against a wall, it will stay where you put it. This is where the one-sided paper is appropriate. But, if you suspend it away from a wall, it will twist and turn as people walk by, so you might want to consider using the double sided paper for this.


Perfect!







Sunday, November 25, 2012

Hand-Mouth-Eye Coordination

Wanna spend 20 minutes cracking up with your kids?? Bust out a bag or marshmallow minis and let them practice catching them in their mouths. My kids went through half a bag the other night mastering the art of catching mallows in their mouths! LOL! It's a skill.......?

If you were supposed to catch it in your nostril, I'd say that was a job well done Cole!

            Bada-boom!

Bada-bing!

   Very impressive Aria!


















Whoops!

That one's in- for sure!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Happy Birthday Jess!

We celebrated my sister's 35th birthday last night! 
We had a great time- just the two of us.

We had dinner at Postino in Arcadia then went to see a show in Scottsdale.


We had a BLAST!


Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister!
 I love you!