Cranberry Limeade Spritzer

One of my favorite seasonal drinks is Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. It's only available in the winter, so I usually stock up on it.

Another favorite drink in our house is Minute Maid Light Lemonade. Only, this week my grocery store was out of it, and I was stuck with Light LIMEade. (It's actually pretty good.)

Then today I was thirsty, so I opened the refrigerator and was greeted with a choice...

I couldn't decide, so I decided to mix them and came up with YUM!

I thought this would be a great party drink for the holidays, and plan to make it for my holiday staff party that we are hosting.

Here's the recipe:
1 part Minute Maid Light Limeade
1 part Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash
Ice

Pretty easy, huh?

I think I may have used a bit more Cranberry Splash, but you can adjust to your liking.

Don't have Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash?

I'm sorry.

Linking up to these great parties.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Reindeer

I had a lot of ideas in my head of projects I wanted to try out this holiday season, and this is the one that has won out as my favorite so far. My Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pumpkins were so incredibly popular, that I knew I needed to come up with some new ideas for Christmas...and probably for every season afterward! (Can you say, Chocolate Covered Peeps??? YUM!!!)

I am giddy with excitement at how cute these turned out!!!

Want to make your own?

Here's what you need:
Large Marshmallows (I prefer Jet-Puffed over the store brand)
Lollipop sticks, popsicle sticks, or pretzel sticks
Ribbon
Melting Chocolate (I prefer the ones you buy at the craft store for their smooth texture)
Cinnamon dots, Hot Tamales or Mike & Ike's Reds
Small Pretzels
Pearl Sprinkles (or other candies for the eyes)
Foam block 

First, set up your assembly line.

Break the pretzels in half. It was not an easy task to get them all to break properly, so make sure to have plenty on hand. You need two halves for each reindeer's antlers.

Snip just the ends of the Hot Tamales or Mike & Ike's, or count out your cinnamon dots. I used the Mike & Ike's because I'm planning to give these to Cooper's preschool class, and the cinnamon ones are a little too spicy for him.

Put the marshmallows on the stick, and push them into the foam block. This saves you from having to do that with melted chocolate on them. (Since this was only a trial run, I was working with what I had on hand. I'm going to purchase a larger block next trip to the craft store.)

I scored the tops of the marshmallows, hoping that would make it easier to attach the pretzel antlers.

Once your assembly line is set, it's time to melt your chocolate.

Place chocolate melts or chocolate chips in a microwaveable glass bowl. Microwave on high at 20-30 second intervals, stirring each time until chocolate is just melted, but not too hot.

Dip a marshmallow into the chocolate, covering it entirely. Use the backside of a spoon to smooth out the side and top, and to remove any excess. Place it back into the foam block and repeat the process on the next marshmallow.

After about five or six marshmallows, add the pretzel antlers, by gently inserting them into the scored parts of the marshmallows, and hold them for a few seconds to make sure they are secure. This took some practice!

For the nose and eyes, you can either add them when the chocolate is still wet, or finish the whole batch, then dab some melted chocolate onto each piece and attach it to the marshmallow to make the face. I did it both ways, but decided the second way was easier.

Once they are completely dry, tie a small piece of ribbon around the stick like a scarf.

These would make great treats for neighbors, teachers, classmates or as party favors.Wrap in a plastic treat bag, and relish in the oohs and ahhs as you deliver them to your friends!

I participate in these parties.

The Grandma-To-Be Party!

The Grandma-to-be party was a huge success and I'm so excited to share it with you all! The wind kicked up and it turned a bit chilly, but we managed to keep the rain away and everyone had a great time. The Grandma-to-be was very honored and blessed by gifts from friends helping her to stock her house for when her new granddaughter comes to visit (which will be often!).

The theme of the party was loosely based around "Little Red Riding Hood" or "To Grandmother's House..." with lots of red & white gingham and burlap, and touches of aqua.

To announce the party, we sent out invitations, including cards explaining the idea behind the gifts, and asking guests to fill out an advice card for the new Grandma.

We collected the advice cards at the party and put them together in a small photo album, which will eventually include photos from the party.

And now, welcome to the party!!

We had lots of homemade treats, just like Little Red did - cupcakes, pies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate dipped pretzel rods.

We also had sweet treats like gumdrops, licorice, and other red candies.

Plates and silverware were placed in a picnic basket (think Little Red had one like this?).

For the decor we wanted to create a rustic, woodsy feel, so we used lots of burlap for the tablecloths (hint: this was $10 for a 24' roll at Home Depot!). The centerpieces were tall glass vases with Myrtle and curly willow (thanks Kat!!)

I used a manzanita branch decorated with red & aqua gingham bunting in a silver bucket for the centerpiece for the Grandma-to-be and Mom-to-be's table. We also covered the chairs for their table with red and white gingham fabric.

Gifts were collected in an old wheelbarrow covered with the fabric.

We played a few typical "baby" games (baby word scramble and baby animals).

Each guest got a small gift as they left. Tiny picnic baskets filled with white chocolate covered rice krispie treats.

(Picnic baskets came from Michaels)

So there you have it, the Grandma-to-be party. A lot of people have said, "I've never heard of that!" so I hope this has maybe sparked a few ideas for anyone out there with a grandma-to-be in their life, to honor them as well.

My Carnival Party Featured!!

Cooper's Carnival Birthday Party is a couple months behind me now, but I'm still hearing about how much fun everyone had! Click here to read more...

I've also been getting rave reviews from around the blogosphere ~ check out my feature at The Birthday Blog today!!! Click here to check out the Birthday Blog. Stacy offers a ton of great ideas for all kinds of parties for all ages.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pumpkins

At Cooper's preschool, the parent's are asked to bring treats for their Halloween parties, and the children go to the different classroom doors "trick or treating." I decided on chocolate covered marshmallows, since this is one of MY favorite treats!

Here's what I came up with:

These are super simple to make, and always a huge hit.

What You Need

Large marshmallows (I usually buy the Jet Puffed brand - the store brand ones seem to stick together more)

Melting Chocolate in your desired color (chocolate chips work well too)

Lollipop sticks

Your decorations of choice (ie. sprinkles, ribbon, etc.)

1. Stick the lollipop sticks into as many of the marshmallows as you are using, and set out on wax paper.

2. Melt your chocolate. You can use a double boiler on the stove, stirring constantly, or do it the easy way and use the microwave. Either way, the key is to stir, and not let it get too hot, as it will get thick and unmanagable. If microwaving, do so in 30 second intervals, sitrring every 30 seconds.

3. Dip your marshmallows in the chocolate, coating the marshmallow. Use a spoon to smooth, or run the sides along the side of your bowl to remove any excess.

4. If desired add sprinkes after each dip, because the chocolate hardens fairly quickly (if using chocolate chips, it takes a little longer).

That's it!

I added a green ribbon for the stem. I really like how they turned out, but I felt like they still needed something. I checked my pantry and came up with chocolate chips and toothpicks.

Adding the jack-o-lantern faces was not as easy as I thought it would be, but I'm pleased with the results. I hope the kids like them too!

Happy (almost) Halloween!

Grandma-To-Be Party Planning

A good friend of mine is about to become a grandma for the first time. She has been an amazing grandma/mom figure to so many, including my son, and has helped me in more ways than I can count. Another friend and I decided that since she has done so much for us, and for our kids, that we should do something for her. Hence, the Grandma-To-Be Party!

Thing is, there's not a lot of party planning ideas for this kind of party out there in cyber space. It's a shame because I would have loved if someone had thrown a party like this for my mom. After all, the role of Grandma is second only to the role of parent, and should be celebrated!

I thought I'd share with you what we have come up with so far...

The Theme: "To Grandmother's House We Go..." (Little Red Riding Hood)

Decor: red & white gingham with touches of aqua and a little bit of burlap, Greens and twigs in vases

The Invitation (designed by me):

I'm also designing cupcake toppers, banners and more.

The Food: Lots of baked goods (pies, cookies, cupcakes). My co-host is starting a cake/cupcake business, so we'll be set! Other goodies will include sandwiches, fruit and salads.

Party Favors: Little baskets with chocolates or homemade cookies like this:

Source

I'll share more of the details as the party gets closer.

So what do you think? Do you have any other ideas?

Cooper's Carnival Birthday Party!!

The weekend of Cooper's birthday passed as quickly as it came.

For his actual birthday, we celebrated with dinner at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. If you haven't been to a Character Dining Experience at either Disney Resort, you should! It's amazing, the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and, while a little on the expensive side, it's well worth it. More of our family party in my next post.

Today is all about the big CARNIVAL PARTY!

Using inspiration from Adriana at and baby makes three as my jumping point, I planned and prepared for nearly four months, and I'm happy to say that the party went off without a hitch!!

I'm extra grateful to have some wonderful photographers on hand, Rick and his son Chris, who shot all of these wonderful photos. They are amazing, and Chris definitely shares his dad's talent for photography. Enjoy the pictures! (I will include a list of resources at the end).

STEP RIGHT UP, COME ON IN...

The tables were covered with yellow tablecloths and topped with white butcher paper. Centerpieces were just some simple greens in a vase tied with balloons. I set out crayons for a little creative expression.

Even the grown-ups enjoyed the coloring.

 

 

I placed some bright blue pails around the treat table, filled with candy. (the tags on the lollipops say "Thank you for coming. Hope you had a sweet time!").

The Menu:

The food was a hit! We cooked the hot dogs beforehand and wrapped them in foil to keep them warm. I also made a pasta salad for the adults (I'll be sharing that recipe soon - it's my favorite go-to for potlucks). Caramel apples were sliced apples with caramel dip.

Of course no carnival is complete without fresh popped popcorn! We filled retro popcorn bags with microwaved popcorn for our guests to munch on.

I found these red cups at Target, that came with lids and straws (not the ones pictured). $2.99 for 15! They were perfect for the cute clown straws I had purchased.

For the cupcakes I borrowed this three tiered stand from a friend, who found it at a local flea market.

It was perfect for displaying Mama's Homemade Cupcakes.

I made the cupcake toppers in Publisher. I printed them on cardstock, cut the two inch squares and attached them to coffee stir sticks with double sided tape.

I still wanted Cooper to have his own special cake, so I purchased a giant, plain cupcake at my local grocery store and iced it like a cake.

 Cooper thought it was pretty cool.

My friend Vanessa is multi-talented. Not only is she an amazing teacher and awesome Polynesian dancer, but she does some pretty fantastic face painting as well. Since she loves my Cooper too, she offered to provide face painting for his birthday party. She did an amazing job and we were so grateful!

 Cooper's Snake.

We also had a jumper to help balance out some of the quieter activities!

 

Even some of the mommies got in on the action...in dresses no less!

 

Yes, that's me, getting knocked down by a seven year with way better balance!

Now, for my favorite part of the party, we also had a Photo Booth! I saw a few of these around blogland and thought, "I can do this!" But, I didn't want to spend the money for fabric for the background that I would probably never use again. Then I remembered that Grandma has a cute polka dot blanket, and voila! Instant background! 

Everyone really enjoyed the photo booth, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

  

 

I even kept Cooper's big birthday present to the "Carnival" theme:

 

Seriously, this Roller Coaster by Step2 is one of the coolest toys ever! The kids all had a great time taking turns on it.

To end the day, everyone got a party favor bag filled with carnival prizes to take home.

Cute Rice Krispie Treats courtesy of Grandma.

This party was probably the most detailed I've ever put on, and everyone had a great time! Cooper especially enjoyed himself - I don't think the smile left his face all day. I hope you enjoyed the pictures!!

Endless thank yous to Rick, my hunky partner in crime, who put up with three months of party planning and decor everywhere, my never-ending outbursts of "look how cute this!!" and who helped with everything from pick-up to set-up to clean-up. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Chris for the amazing photography and willingness to take on any job that was needed of him (from bagging popcorn to decorating cupcakes), to Vanessa and Jennifer for their ideas and for being my cheerleaders, Kathryn for loaning us the cupcake stand, and Grandma for all of her help in making sure this party went off without hitch.

 

Resources:

Digital Party Pack (used for the party favor tags and Happy Birthday signs): Typewink on Etsy

Cooper's Birthday Shirt: Made Cute Just 4 U on Etsy

Framed Signs: Made in Publisher by me, using backgrounds from the digital party pack

Blue Buckets: Target (dollar aisle)

Roller Coaster: Amazon

Clown Noses: Small Toys

Party Favors/Prizes:

Clown Straws, Bird Whistles, Retro Popcorn Bags: Hey Yo Yo on Etsy

Ice Cream Shooters, Super Balls, Lollipops, Sticky Hands, Mini Pinwheels: SmallToys

Inspiration:

Adrianna @ and baby makes three

Whimsy & Wise Events

Linking to:

My Delicious Ambiguity

The Shabby Nest

The Girl Creative

Someday Crafts

Bella Before & After

Bird Crafts