Masquerade

A dear friend of mine asked me to make her an event board. It is for a small baby shower for her little girl who is due in December. I was so was excited when she told me that she wanted to have the shower during Halloween. I mean, how fun is that! You see, she never got a baby shower for her son and so her and her husband wanted to celebrate both of their darling children. So this shower had to be gender neutral and have a theme that would please everyone. After talking about it for a while we decided on a masquerade theme. That way, it would still have the feel of the holiday without being overdone and be both suitable for her sweet son and coming daughter.

 1. Use old soda bottles as candles holder (to make this even cheaper you can get candles from the dollar tree) to create a moody feel and make the evening event classy on a budget. 2. This cake looks so nice and I just love the colors. It’s also rather easy to do you can find out here. 3. this lovely ghost I think tie in well with the theme and are also an easy DIY that the couple or host can do ahead of time out of chicken wire and some white or glow-in-the-dark spray paint. 4. Pastel balloons bring in that more feminine look without overdoing it and look class even on a plain white wall. The best part? You can get balloons on the cheap and they can easily come down after the party! 5. These darling candle holders are, again, cheap dollar store find and all you do is add some sweet rhinestones from a craft store with some super glue for an elegant yet cost-efficient event like this one. 6. These Cinnamon cheesecake cupcakes with pumpkin pie frosting bring in that Halloween feel without overdoing it and would be a sure hit. What’s even better is that the host could even make them!

1. What masquerade would be right with masks for favors to the guests? These masks are only $4 each, found here. 2. This table runner brings in more masculine colors while staying well within the theme and is yet another great DIY that can be made for FREE using paint chips and a bit of glue. 3. Can you believe these plates are paper? I love how the host has no clean up at the end of the day and at $2 for 10 it’s a good bargain for a great look. 4. How fun would it be for their little son to play 'dress up' with these props at a prop booth, a double bonus is that guest can use them too to make an album of faces for their soon to be daughter! 5. Obviously, no alcohol at a baby shower but sparkling cider gives you that same upscale feel and look for half the cost and mommy and kids can drink it too. 6. These invitations are not only easy to make but can be bought or created in a slew of colors and customized to suit any even which makes them exceptionally great for a baby shower. 7. A candy bar with coordinating colors to the theme not only looks good but can be more cost-effective than a buffet. It also ties in well to the season and will bring a smile to any little boy (and guests children's too!).

Well, I'd love to hear what you all think. I hope you like it 'V' and I am so excited to see your little girl! Congratulations!

A Fair to Remember

Over the past weekend, our little town welcomed in a fair.

Being that I have not been to a fair since my 18th birthday, Hubby and I made a day of it and headed out for some fun. I got a lot of really good aerial photos thanks to this super awesome guy at one of the rides.

You see, each ride costs tickets and each ticket is about a dollar so when the rides are 3-5 tickets each, you really have to pick the few you want to ride most before just jumping on one. So when we decided to go on a ride that takes up all the way up in the sky and then drops you, we weren't expecting to get all our $10 dollar’s worth but knew we want to ride it and decided to anyway. Well boy were we in for a treat!

So here's a slew of the aerial photos I got on the ride.

I just love all the bright colors and the mountains in the distance. I think they would also be great in sepia too.

After getting three extra rides we decided to check out some of the indoor stuff. There they had a ton of award-winning food, handmade goods, and art. While there, we found so of our friends and decided to stalk hang out with them for the rest of the day. So, together we headed over to see a caravel act they had going on. 

This guy actually balanced a lot of different objects but the bike, which he balanced on just the palm of his hand, was by far the largest of them all. 

This gentleman did handstands all the way up to six chairs high and then did handstands all the way down too! 

After the show, we all decided to head over to check out the award-winning animals, which were one of my favorite parts. I know, I'm silly like that.

These goats were so funny. They would fallow you with their heads in through the pin, walking sideways, until they got to the end of the pin and then just stare at you until you pet them. Of course, I had to get a picture of them performing their own little act.

Even 'L' got in on the kid loving.

I think my favorite part of the day was seeing my Sweet light up after winning two knives at a ring toss. 

He was so shocked (and a bit cocky) that he won, not once, but twice at this game with just ten rings. The idea of the game was to get a ring around the knives as they turned on a turntable. You won whatever knife you ringed. What made this even better was that all ten rings were just two dollars so, in essence, Hubby won each knife for a dollar each and they are easily worth five each! Even better? Now each has a knife in our emergency kit. 

So thank you 'L' for not running away letting us stalk hang out with you all day. It was so much fun and these are memories we will enjoy and remember for a long time!

Question time! What did you all do this weekend? Anyone get caught up in that nasty storm? What is your favorite fair ride? Do we have any fair game champs in the building? What did you win? Did you get to hang with some friends or just chill at home? Love to hear from you all. <3

Pregnancy Week 9

Nine weeks! Nine! I can hardly believe there is only four more weeks in this trimester. I can't wait until our little button starts showing. Its odd. I can't fit into any of my paints now but I have actually lost five pounds! How crazy is that?! so now I own my first pair of maternity pants and two dresses (the one in the photo is one of them) which my supers-awesome-mother-in-law sent me. <3 The dresses are a little loose ( as you can see) but I think that will change one our little one starts showing. I apologize for the angle of the photo. I normally stand more to the side but all of the photos my Darling took that had me to the side were blued. He really is learning how to use the camera now though. I am so blessed he's willing to do the shoots week in and week out. On a more random note, I finally found a birthing center we are going to check out next month. Its all the way in Richmond but, being that that's were we are trying to move to, I thought it was a good match. We'll see. Its crazy how much is going on now and how much is still in need to happen. Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed and as if it wont get done in time. But I have faith in Gods timing and know this is what He's planned for us and our button. I know that He would never give us more then we could handle, and, though it seems crazy to be pregnant, moving, changing jobs, getting ready for the holidays, and preparing for our baby all at the same time, I know that we can do this. Not on our own, but with the Lords help and with lots of prayers. We truly are honored to be parents and to have family that is so supportive and helpful along the way. We could not do it without them either, and for that, we are so blessed. I know I say that a lot, but I truly feel it each and every day.

Vegan Minestrone

As summer draws to an end the idea of hot, hardy soup is quickly becoming something I dream about on a daily bases. Yesterday was finally a cold (and rainy) enough day to jump right on it. So faster then you can say 'hot vegan minestrone' I whipped out my new cook book and got to cooking up a storm as the real one roared on.

Its been such a while since I have posted any recipes on here but a dear friend ask me to do so and I though 'Its about time I do one again anyway' and winter foods are my favorites. They always bring warmth to my family and belly while filling the house with steam and the smell of something that uncooked summer dishes and picnic tables just can't compete with. So, here I am to post an amazing vegan minestrone soup. Don't be frightened away, this stuff is so good I had seconds and the Hubby had thirds! This is no joke when it comes to hardiness, which was surprising to me being that it has no meat.

You will need: a LARGE cook pot or dutch oven, a mashed potato masher, a large ladle, a cutting board, and a good knife.

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 celery stalks, cut
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1 can northern beans
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 can kidney beans (I used dark)
• 1/2 pound of fresh green beans, chopped
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• dried parsley (to taste)
• dried oregano (to taste)
• dried basil (to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste
• lemon juice (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

1.  In your cook pot or dutch oven saute on medium the onions and celery in olive oil until they are soft (about 4 minutes). 
2. Add the northern beans. Using the potato masher, mash most of the beans. This will help thicken the soup slightly
3. add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Once at a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. 
5. remove from heat and serve with a drizzle of lemon juice and/or sour cream. 

This makes eight servings so its great for left overs and is a quick meal to heat in the microwave at work too! Like I said, this is amazingly hardy but you can add other veggies and beans to it to suit your taste . Even bacon would be good in this but its amazing without it so it might be good to go easy on the meat additions. Hope you all like it as much as we did. Let me know if you add stuff or change it up a bit and how it works out,I'd love to hear your versions. <3

pregnant outfit boards

That about how I feel these days. *sigh* the time has finally come were none of my pants fit! Yes, the inevitable pregnancy fat has decided to rear its ugly, pudginess all over my midsection and this mama to be is finding it hard to say 'it’s ok'. My darling husband just keeps reminding me that "you're pregnant... it’s just going to happen" yet I can't help but feel like nine weeks is a little soon for me to be outfitting my clothes. I know, I know, suck it up. I'm trying to think of the best of this massive situation (pun intended) so in an effort to look on the bright side and not dwell on my middle, I started creating a few maternity outfits on Polyvore. After looking through some maternity stores it quickly became apparent to me that, for some reason, very few places carry anything cute or at a reasonable price. If you are going through a pregnancy these outfits might be a good way to get to indulge in some fashion (at least I hope so) without looking like a potato stuffed in a sock.

Maternity top: Asos.com- $31, Maternity skinny jeans: Dorothyperkins.com- $35, Shoes: endless.com- $50, Earrings: Etsy.com- $25 . The outfit- $141

 Maternity dress: Motherhood- $50, Knit maternity coat: Motherhood- $30, Boots: boohoo.com- $40, Purse: romwe.com- $17, Owl Necklace: diva.net.au- $16. The outfit- $153

 Maternity dress: Asos.com- $35, Sandals: misselfridge.com- $21, Sun hat: debenhams.com- $14, Bracelet: artfire.com- $4, Anchor bag: Etsy.com- $14. The outfit- $88

 Maternity dress: Asos.com- $37, Boots: urbanog.com- $35, Clutch: Verabradley.com- $35, Bracelet: Forever 21- $5.80, Headband: Forever 21- $1.50. The outfit- $114.30

Maternity top: Asos.com- $25, Heels: jildorshoes.com- $45, Clutch: dorothyperkins.com- $17, Bracelet: dollsofindia.com- $8.  The outfit- $95

Now I feel a little bit better knowing that even though I'm quickly becoming more and more squishy, that at least I can look cute and round without reassembling Dobby from Harry Potter.
What do you all think? I know, I'm not designer but its gotta be a step up from a potato sack right? Any other mamma's to be out there feel'n like a blob.... you don't have to answer that -.- lol. Love to hear your comments.

Pregnancy Week 8

It seems like not much has go on over this pass week for us but when I look in to my pregnancy journal it is such a blessing to learn something new each day. Our little button has grown about five times the size of when she/he was first conceived! Baby even has fingers and little toes now and is the size of the small end of a credit card! Not big, but hey, compared to a pin tip I say that's a vase improvement in only eight weeks! After doing a bunch of research I found out that I was able to hear the heart beat also! Though we have yet to find a midwife, John got to hear the baby though my belly. We both were just so overwhelmed. He said it sounded like it was faster then the 150 bpm one we watch online though so I wonder what that means. What ever the cause is, we are so excited for the amazing amount of change going on in our little ones life even if things are going slow for mommy and daddy. <3 

p.s also found out this week, that I can no longer fit into any of my pants OR shorts. *sigh* guess this means I'll be wearing a lot more dresses until I'm brave enough to face the world of maternity cloths.

Pregnancy week 7

I didn't get to do a week six because I was out of town helping family move. This past week though, Me and my family had the honer of going to a dear friends wedding. It was so beautiful and so lovingly put together. I know they will share an amazing with with each other. Though there was an open bar and champagne for toasting I managed to pull of just having two Shirley Temples and a glass of water! Woot! Even better, I managed not to throw up while traveling from Virginia all the way to Michigan and back. Now THAT'S something to brag about. haha. All in all, I had a wonderful week and am so glade to be home with the hubby and Pepper. Now all I need is some more of that amazing dessert bar. ha.

Pregnancy Week 5

A lot has gone on this past few weeks! Its amazing how much our little button has already grown! We are so blessed in every and are so thankful for all our family and friends that have already done so much for us and for our little one. It is hard to imagine that in just four short months our lease will be up, and our tinny baby that is now the size of a dime will be nearly full grown and I'll be ending my second trimester! Things seem to slow down now and I find myself counting the days already. lol. Its when I edit these photos that I remember how fast the weeks go by and how precious each moment of this journey is.
Thank you all for sharing the journey with me and for all your kind words.