A cake, a tutu and a photo shoot

We had a full weekend and I would have loved to have Columbus day today as opposed to last week because I am DRAGGING today.

On Friday evening, while J had dinner with some of this grad school buddies, JOE and I went over to our neighbor's for happy hour. At first I wasn't going to go because JOE had been in her rare mood earlier on in the day so I was TIRED. But then J sent me an IM and said to go because someone's bound to want to carry JOE while I was there. Sure enough, he was right :-).

On Saturday, I got up and started decorating JOE's smash cake. I baked the cake after work on Thursday evening so it was just a matter of decorating it. Our neighbor had suggested putting something JOE likes on the cake so she can reach into it and smash the cake. Good idea but my JOE is a smart one. More on that later.

Yellow cake and vanilla cake. I love this pan. Yes it uses 2 boxes of cake mix but I like that it makes for a quick multi-layered birthday cake.

All done. Cake bakes for 55-minutes as opposed to the traditional 30 - 35 minutes. Top of the bottom piece was trimmed with a serrated knife.

Another DIY! I got a plate and candle stick holder from the dollar store. Glued them together with super glue and voila! An instant cake stand.

Cake! I used pre-packaged icing. Bottom was decorated with yellow recess pieces and top was decorated with JOE's apple puffs.

Close up :-). Yes the icing was supposed to look like that. I wanted it to look like a messy "candy hut". I was channeling the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.

Another DIY. Used word to type up the letters and then J printed them on glossy paper. I cut then, used a hole punch and used a ribbon to hold it together. We used this as a prop for JOE's photo shoot.

Yes...that is the crinoline from my wedding dress. I just cut some off and used one of JOE's headband for the waste. Her top was purple and white and then she picked out her own gold and green necklace. I had some from visiting my sister for Mardi Gras in New Orleans when she lived there.

So on to the photo shoot. JOE was a little tired because she hadn't slept all day. To make matters worse, she threw up earlier in the day so we were a little concerned as to how the session would go.
Thankfully, she was in an OK mood when we got there. However, instead of smashing the cake, JOE proceeded to meticulously pick out her apple puffs! She refused to smash the cake! When I used her hand to smash it, she stretched it towards me so I could clean it up. I guess she didn't want to be messy. She wasn't feeling it but thankfully, we were able to get some good pictures from the session.
I wish I took pics of JOE during her photo-shoot but I was so busy trying to get her to smile and smash the cake, I never got a chance to. I will be sure to post pictures from her photo session once we get them back in a couple of weeks.


Yesterday, we headed to church as usual. JOE wore the outfit I made her last week. Coincidentally, it is the colors of her dad's favorite team. I guess it is now his good-luck charm since his team won yesterday :-).

And here are my two loves. J watching TV and JOE doing what daddy does when he watches football games...talking to the TV! Yes, she has picked that up! 

How was your weekend. I hope it was awesome! 

Foolery: Things that make me go hmmm

Its Friday!!! Yay!!! The weekend is here. We have a busy weekend planned but I am looking forward to sleeping in a bit.

Ever hitch-hiked in a wedding dress?

A newly wed man forgot his new bride at a gas station! At first I was like "well, that newly wed feeling certainly didn't last long. But then I read the entire story and I can see how that could happen. I am shocked it took him so long to realize that she wasn't there though.

OK. I really admire Pele and what he did in the course of his career. I think he is an admirable athlete for the most part. 

But seriously? Would you pay $1,700 for a book about a former football (aka soccer in America) star? That book better be written with real platinum ink and all the "i" better be dotted with diamonds!

On a brighter note, this article actually brought tears to my eyes. This young man cleaned up his act, changed his attitude and did something brave to change his future. Its good to see that he has gotten some good responses. I pray he is adopted by a good family and that he grows up to be a true blessing to those around him

Chocolate cake anyone? I have been seeing this recipe of instant chocolate cake in a mug all over Pinterest and yes I did pin it in hopes of trying it the next time we have guests. I am glad I got to read the word of caution in this article before I made it. I'll have to be mindful of that if/when I do make it.

Have you tried any of the recipes you've downloaded from the internet? If so, how'd it turn out? Would you make it again?

Have a fabulous weekend!

End of the shutdown! A skirt, a dress, an outfit and a pie!

"Back to life, back to reality!" Thank God for the Senate and House actually FINALLY putting the citizens first instead of their egos! 

It was nice to be back at work today. Granted, I still had to work intermittently during the shutdown but still. It was a bit strange waking up everyday and trying to find something to do at home to busy myself. 

For the most part, I cooked/baked, exercised and sewed. I also stuck with my meal replacement (with a green smoothie) everyday and felt quite proud of myself and the 6-lbs I have lost to date.

Since my last "Shutdown" post, I have made a few more items. I made my last dress yesterday in time for the end of the shutdown. 

I am now envisioning my next outfit. I guess I am hooked on sewing :-).

So here are some pics of the items I have made so far.

Skirt #1:

I used this tutorial for making this skirt. It was quite easy to follow. 

I liked the way it turned out and will get a better (non-JOE splattered mirror) pic when I eventually wear the skirt. 

Expertise needed: Beginner. You really just need to know how to use a tape measure and a sewing machine. 

Total Approximate Time: This skirt took me less than an hour to make. 

Total spent on sewing materials: $3.75. I kid you not! The material was $2.50/yard and I got 1.5 yards. I only used one yard so technically, it was $2.50. I'll be using the remainder 1/2 yard for something for JOE. 

Feedback: I liked making this and I see many more in my future. My only issue though is that I wish I had read up and watched a few more YouTube videos on working with knit materials. It was a little challenging at first but once I figured out what to do, it got easier.

Outfit #2:

I love the way this turned out. I got this material a while back for JOE and never made it. So since I had more time on my hands, I decided to use that opportunity to finish it up. 

I used this tutorial to make the pants. Since the pattern was for a much younger kid, I made some allowances for an older kid but for the most part, it was the same. I also skipped the bell bottoms. 

For the top, I used this pattern/tutorial and made some modifications since I wanted to make it a top and not a dress. 

Expertise needed: Comfortable beginner. I needed to make adjustments to some areas and had to look up other "DIY" ideas to figure out the pattern. 

Total Approximate Time: The pants took me less than an hour to make once it was cut up. The top, took me approximately 2-hours. So total of 3-hours for the outfit. 

Total spent on sewing materials: $4.97. The material was $4.97/yard and I got 1-yards. I used about 3/4 of it so I saved the rest to use on something else for JOE. 

Feedback: This was relatively easy. Will I do it again? Yes! BUT, I will make more allowance for the butt area. My daughter is gifted in that area. Coupled with her diaper means I should have added another 1/2-inch to that area :-). 

Dress #3:

This was something else I mentally envisioned. I didn't really have a pattern or tutorial to go by so I pretty much "free-handed" it. I knew I wanted a reversible dress and my dilemma was how to stitch it in such a way that it could be worn both ways. 

I viewed some YouTube videos and got the idea to invert the seams and sew over them. So that's what I did.

Expertise needed: Comfortable beginner. I created my own pattern by just sketching out what I wanted and using a store bought outfit for measurement.

Total Approximate Time: The dress took a total of 2-hours. I really was straight forward. The pockets took the longest amount of time! Read feedback below.

Total spent on sewing materials: Approximately $6. I used leftover 1/2-yard materials for this so it really was a bargain. 

Feedback: Since I was free styling this one, it took some imagination to have it come together. I really wish I had sewn the pockets BEFORE seaming the bottom because then, I could have separated the sides. Since I seamed everything before hand, I ended up trying to put them both together on opposite sides. It was really hard to do the one pocket which is why it is only one. I actually cut up materials for 2-pockets! Lesson learned :-). Will I do this again? Absolutely!

A Pie!

The apples from our apple picking adventure on Monday had to be used up! So I decided to make a very simple apple pie :-). 

I did a semi homemade recipe for this one. 

Ingredients:

5-apples washed, peeled and cut (it might look like a lot but it will bake down)

4 table spoons of lemon juice

1-cup brown sugar

3-table spoons whole wheat flour

2-pie crusts (make sure you let this come to room temperature if you had it in the freezer)

- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

- Roll out dough onto a pie dish

- Add ingredients

- Roll out the second dough over the top and shape

- Cut an "X" on the top to allow steam to escape

- Put in oven for 50-minutes and enjoy!

Kinda reminds me of the Pat-A-Cake nursery rhythm I used to listen to when I was a child. 

And since no post is complete without my beautiful princess, here is one of her from Tuesday :-). 

Hope you're having a great week so far! I guess now that I don't have as much time on my hands, my posts might be fewer. I need to get back into planning JOE's birthday party. It is in a little over 3-week. GASP!

Bahamas baby!

Another trip down memory lane.

In early 2006, my sister and I visited Freeport, Bahamas. We got a really good deal and since it was their off season, it was practically a steal! It was an all inclusive resort. 

We pretty much stayed at the resort 80% of the time since we were only there for 5-days.

Here are some pictures from my very first Caribbean trip.

Every night, they put on a show. It was quite entertaining.

It was nice on the beach but a little cold in the evenings.

I love taking pictures of mailboxes from around the world cause I just think they are so cool!

I thought this was just so cool so I took a picture.

This is probably one of the only pictures you will see of me so close to the water. And yes, I was wearing flip flops! I like to lounge on the beach but I don't like to walk bare feet on sand. 

Another evening...another show.

Sisters/travel buddies. 

My sister playing volleyball on the beach. She is the athletic one in the family :-)

Pricing out stuff at the local market.

I think it was Moulin Rouge night.

Overall, it was a fun few days and we enjoyed ourselves. I definitely recommend going during the off season. You'll get great deals and won't have to deal with crowded beaches! Definitely a win-win in my book :-).

Happy Hump Day!

Weekend in review

We had a full but relaxing and fun weekend. I know, that sounds like a contradiction so let me explain. 

On Saturday, we skipped our usual family walk in favor of working out at home. The weather was just so cloudy and we didn't want to risk being caught in the rain while walking with JOE. 

After our walk, we had breakfast and headed to JOE's swim classes. She did better this week since her daddy was in there with her :-).

I left from there to get my hair done. 18-weeks and I was VERY DUE for a texlax. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of my hair because the rest of the evening was somewhat a blur. 

When I got home from my hair appointment and grocery shopping, I washed and cut up fruits for my daily smoothies. By the way, I have lost 6-lbs to date! Woohoo!!! I am sure some of it has to do with my stopping breastfeeding and my boobs going back but I'll take a weight loss anyway it comes :-).

J grilled dinner for us on Saturday. We got caught in the rain but it passed quickly. 

On Sunday after service, we had breakfast as a family and just relaxed until football came on. At which point, J was completely engrossed in the different games. He did check in on us from time to time though :-).

On Monday, since it was a holiday for JOE and I, we went for a family walk and then got cleaned up and headed to a produce farm an hour away to go apple picking. We had a lot more fun than we thought we would have. We have decided to make it an annual family tradition.

Anyways, here are pics from the last few days. 

I love "just because" flowers. Hubby got me flowers last week just because. I think he is trying to bribe me so I don't sew him a Dashiki! I told him as long as the government is shut down, everyone in this household will be getting a mommy original :-)

JOE enjoying some time with "dadda" while watching Despicable Me.

My princses loves hanging on to me. We are both wearing skirts done by me :-)

We FINALLY made it to go Apple picking! Just before the season ended. It was a lot of fun!

Hubby plucking the apples while I pointed "hey honey...get that one...not that one...its too small...the other one to the right" :-)

Ignore the look on JOE's face. I think she is practicing her model look! She of course smiled right after the picture was taken :-)

She wanted to wear my sunglasses. Mind you, I have a pair for her but apparently, mine is cooler.

Yup...looks like she was taking a selfie. No...she was trying to get the camera from me to see how she looks.

Our stash :-)

After washing, peeling and cutting up the apples. I'll be making apple pie with the ones in the bowl. The rest went in the freezer.