Teacher Appreciation Gifts

I meant to write this up last month but I got busy with the 31 Things project and never got around to it. Early May is Teacher Appreciation Week and we got suggested themes for each day. I missed the first day which was to send a flower for a bouquet. But I managed the rest of the week. The second day was Breakfast, "Teachers Help Us Start Our Day" so I sent a one cup bag of coffee with a helping a latte or some sort of coffee pun.


 



The third day was Sweet Treats, "Because you are SO Sweet- we say Thank You!"  For that day I made an apple out of a coke bottle and we decorate it so that the cap looked like a stem and made leaves from construction paper. One of the big leaves had a note about a Sweet Treat from my son.



The fourth day was A Note From the Heart. I bought some erasers that look like desserts and a notepad that looked like a cookie and included some pencils. Bub wrote her a note that said he liked being in her class and drew her a picture. Then I made a label for the top and put it all in a ziploc bag. I think it came out pretty cute.






 
The last day was the Student's Choice, "Thanks for Making Our Day Sunny!"  So I got her a straw cup because they are my favorite with some liquid beverage mix sweet peach tea flavor and added a straw note that I got from here. She said she liked it and appreciated the thoughtfulness. So I successfully made it through my first Teacher Appreciation Week. Now onto first grade and all that entails.

The most successful slow cooker recipes at my house

I mentioned that we had been using the slow cooker a lot when the oven was broken. We've slacked off now that the oven has been fixed but I plan on using it again in the coming weeks when I get back to meal planning. It is always nice to get home and have dinner already cooked. Pinterest is a great resource for recipes (well, for everything really) and we've tried quite a few things that I've seen on there. I've liked pretty much every recipe we've tried but BT tends to be pickier. Plus he usually has to reheat the meals after he gets home from work so it might taste a little different with reheating. Unless otherwise noted, assume that Bub didn't want to eat any of this because he never eats anything. Assume that Button ate it all.

We've tried these
Crockpot enchiladas that I liked and he was just ok on.
Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak that didn't cook all the way through because BT set the crockpot on warm. I had to put them in the microwave but they were still okay.
Baked Potato Soup - Good. I don't give Button soup (for obvious reasons) but I liked it.
Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken - Everyone liked this.
Slower Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken - And this. But then bacon, you know.
And the Forgotten Chicken which I think was everyone's favorite.

And I did Overnight, Slow Cooker, Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal that no one but me ate but I loved.

There are a few more recipes that we've tried and nobody ate that I won't link to. Cream cheese is just not a good idea and I had to throw away a whole pot of something that looked disgusting and didn't taste much better. Since then I've learned to steer clear of slow cooker recipes that use cream cheese in them.

All in all, I've enjoyed using the slow cooker. And by that I mean having BT started supper before he leaves for work so that there is a meal ready when I get home. A few sides and boom, supper. Perfect.

Ladybug Party {1st Birthday}

Button's first birthday party was a ladybug theme. I made the invitations using some clipart and a free scrapbook theme I found online. I like the way they came out. I ended up using the same clipart and backgrounds to make matching cupcake and favor toppers too.

 

I also used the banner from this free ladybug party kit to make one for the mantle. It took a while because I hand cut all the flower and circles but it came out cute. I had extra so I made hanging cutouts for the chandelier in the dining area. I bought from a local party store these plates for the cake as well as the matching hanging cutouts and the tablecloth. For the rest I got from the dollar store,  red plates, black plastic tableware and red cups.

I had to cut the tablecloth so I use the rest to dress up her highchair.

Balloons hanging over table made a cute touch.

I fretted over the cake for way too long but ended up making it. I had made a giant cupcake (using the Wilton pan) for her smash cake pictures and I decided that I wanted to do the same. When I googled ideas for giant cupcakes a YouTube video came up and gave me the idea of making a cupcake linear out of red candy melts. I love how it came out. I use black candy melts to make polka dots though I wish I'd printed out a guide plus to make them more even. I also wrote out a Happy Birthday for the top of her cake.  I use the leftover batter to make regular size and tiny cupcakes.

I dipped some ladybug strawberries on a whim (fun fact: I use to work at Godiva Chocolatier when I was in college) and I think it really completed the dessert table. Everyone said the cake and the strawberries were good.

For the favors I dipped some giant pretzels to make them look like ladybugs. I put them in snack-sized ziploc bags and made a favor topper that matched the invitations.

 And as an addition I put up red and black candy on the bar for people to grab as they walked by.
I used red and black Twizzlers, red and black raspberries candies and red and black jellybeans. The vases and bowls are from the dollar store.

BT made a ham and we served up ham sandwiches with chips to eat.

I really loved how it turned out. Pinterest is so great for inspiration because I find a great party is in the details and there are so many great ideas on there.

Milk and cookies

I wrote last week about not pumping enough milk and trying to boost my supply. The tea isn't really having a big effect. I've been more diligent about nursing her and not letting it go til the last minute. I wanted to add another pumping session but it gets tiring so I've been lackadaisical about that. I'm thinking about getting the More Milk Plus by Motherlove. But I thought I'd try something a little tastier first.

This week I made lactation cookies using this recipe from mama and baby love. They are some kind of tasty and though they are a healthier cookie I wouldn't call them healthy. Too much white flour and sugar. I'm sure there are healthier recipes on the internet. Maybe I'll look one up next time. The key ingredients to milk production are the oats, the brewer's yeast and the flaxseed meal. I used quick oats because that is what I had on hand but I think rolled oats are probably better. The brewer's yeast I found in the organic vitamin section of my grocery. The recipe calls for 2 Tblsp but the can has a lot more than that so I'm sure that I'll make more. As for now I am going to sprinkle some on my morning oatmeal and hope that gives a little boast. The flaxseed meal is found pretty much at any grocery store though I did see some organic the other day. I got mine at Wal-Mart.

They turned out really good. The number one question asked of the non-lactating in the house is if it is okay for them to eat them. Yes it is fine. No one is going to spontaneously start making milk because of the cookies. I only hope they don't eat them all. After all I made them for me. But the recipe made about 3 1/2 dozen drop cookies so there really was plenty.

I'd actually like to try making lactation muffins next. Something I can freeze and heat in the mornings. I don't know if this is going to make much of a difference. I'm hoping between the tea and the cookies and the nursing something will happen.

Shabby Chic Giraffe Baby Shower

Someone asked me what the theme of my cousin's baby shower was going to be. "Shabby Chic Giraffes." They said they didn't know that could be a theme. I said well it is now.

I  made these invitations based on an image I found on google with a grey chevron background and a giraffe. I gave the giraffe blue spots since my cousin is having a boy.

The favors were hot chocolate spoons with minature marshmallows on top and I made little "thank you" labels and tied them with ribbon. The spoons are the made to look "real" ones from the Dollar Tree.

I did Wishes for Baby cards with the grey chevron background and a baby clothesline garland. Since it is a boy I made onesies with a giraffe, a tie, a truck (his room will be vintage trucks) and an S for his name.

 The cake ended up having blue giraffe spots on the sides and a giraffe on top. I made food cards for the table. We had a sandwich tray, a veggie tray, jambalaya, a creamy salsa dip, a banana split trifle, chocolate chip cookie dough dip (which was a huge hit), and giant chocolate covered marshmallows.

I made two diaper bouquets and added sock and washcloth buds along with the diaper "flowers."

For games we did gift bingo and the envelope pull. I got notepaper for prizes, something everyone uses. I think it turned out well. It was very simple and clean, not really babyish, but I figured the mom-to-be would get enough of that with her other showers.

Oh, the places you'll... never mind

So there are all these neat ideas on Pinterest of stuff do for your child as keepsakes. One of my favorites is the book where you get all the teachers to sign over the years and then you give as a gift when they graduate. Now I wonder how many poor kindergarten teachers are going to be inundated with "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" this year to sign. And I wonder through the years how many well-meaning moms will lose or misplace the book or just give up in the middle. I would probably be one of those moms. I have come to accept that flaw in myself that I get bored with long term projects. Still I'm hoping to keep up the first day of school project at least. That one should be a given. I think it is cute that so many people are of the I'm going to do that! varieties. I just feel for the teachers.

Waffles

We got a waffle maker for Christmas last year. Well, technically we got a gift card that lead to us getting a waffle maker, but still. I love waffles and I was sad that we did not have a waffle maker. BT wanted to make chicken and waffles. You see where this is headed.

Anyway, I was on Pinterest (of course. Damn I love that site) and I saw Waffled Cinnamon Rolls. Bing! I also love cinnamon rolls. What a coincidence! My new waffle make and I were going to be best friends. Waffled cinnamon rolls are so easy and quick. I love them a lot. This has lead down a waffley and delicious road. I've tried muffin waffles which are a big hit at my house. Cookies did not turn out so well but I think that is because I used pre-made cookies. I would not recommend this. Brownie batter worked out much better though I need to thin it out a little more.

Triple Berry muffin waffles

The other day I tried biscuits and they were delicious. The first time I used Grands Flaky and dipped them in cinnamon sugar. The second time I used regular Grands biscuits and sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on top. I like how the flaky biscuits turned out but with the sprinkling rather than the dipping. I froze them and they are great heated up in the microwave in the morning.

Biscuit waffles

I've learned that pretty much all you need is a batter and it will cook in the waffle maker. I've yet to try cake batter in the waffle maker but guess what is next up in my waffle experimentation. I think you can guess.

6 Layer S'mores Cake AKA the Death Cake

Yet another Pinterest creation. This comes from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body. She calls it the Ultimate S'More Anniversary cake and her version has 7 layers and is much prettier. BT requested this for his birthday after seeing it on Pinterest. Yes my diabetic husband wanted this delicious monstrosity for his birthday and so I complied. It is suppose to have 2 layers of brownie, 2 layers of cheesecake, 2 layers of cookie, a graham crackers layer plus marshmallow frosting and chocolate frosting. I only have one springboard pan so I made only one cheesecake but I used the entire recipe so it wasn't like the cheesecake was halved or anything. And while the recipe called for everything to be made from scratch I don't have that kind of time on my hands or anything so the only from scratch in this thing is the cheesecake. Still it was all kinds of delicious. I used a triple chocolate chocolate frosting in the middle and whipped frosting on the outside. I'm pretty pleased with how it tasted though I will never make it again. It is so good yet I found myself losing the will to live half way through a piece. It was just so very very much, very decadent. I know that I'm not selling it here but if you have the time and the inclination I recommend making it at least once.  Because you have never experience any like this cake.

My version

Bean sock

Button was an excellent sleeper as a newborn because that is all she basically did. I was amazed though because Bub never slept when he was a newborn. Too nosy. Anyway, around mid-June (2 1/2 months old) when we were visiting my in-laws, I put Button down in the playyard bassinet area and she slept all night in it. Amazing considering up to that point she'd only ever slept in her swing all night. So when we got home I tried her in her crib and she slept in it all night. This went on for about two weeks. And then she suddenly decided that no, she was not going to sleep in her crib anymore. After a few weeks of back and forth and relying on the swing, I started to try new things.

Luckily I came across this pin for a baby snuggler and a light went off. Maybe when I lay her down the coolness of her sheets was part of the reason she was waking up. So I've started warming a blanket in the dryer and laying it in her crib. And I gave up one of my knee socks to the cause. I bought some cheap white beans and filled the sock. I warm it up in the microwave for one minute and put it in her crib. So far about 5 minutes after I have done this I've laid her down (taking the blanket out obviously) and putting the sock right next to her. Monday, the first night, she was sound asleep and only made a few snuggling down sounds. Tuesday she was awake but very sleepy. She let out a few protest cries but then settled down to sleep and didn't wake up at all. Both nights I took the sock out about 15-20 minutes after she was asleep and she didn't wake up. I think she just needed a little extra warmth to fall asleep and maybe the sock feels more like a warm body. Babies do like to sleep next to someone. Now I can go to sleep at a decent hour. Who knew a sock full of beans would make a difference in my life?

The sock in question. I realized later that I picked a four leaf clover sock. Maybe I was hoping it would be my lucky charm.

Ready to Pop baby shower

My sister-in-law, BT's younger sister, is due to have a  baby late September so this weekend her mom and I threw her a baby shower with a "Ready to Pop" popcorn theme. Let me tell you Pinterst is really my best friend now.

We based the whole thing off of these invitations which we thought were so cute.

I thought a popcorn buffet with four different types of popcorn would be cute. There is a Popcorn Bistro nearby where three of the four popcorn flavors were bought. We had cheese, rainbow, cinnamon toast crunch and white chocolate with M&Ms. I found popcorn tubs at the dollar store and made a matching label for each flavor.

Popcorn Buffet

I also made diaper bouquets in popcorn cups for centerpieces. I got the idea after seeing this pin and thinking that it is really cute. I bought newborn size Target brand diapers since I knew the bouquets would be small and also they are the only all white diapers that I know of in a decent brand. I rolled them up and tied them with clear elastics and inserted a wooden skewer. Then I put a piece of floral foam in the popcorn cup and arrange the diaper "flowers." I added some metallic tissue paper around to cover up the skewers and to make it look pretty. I love the way they turned out.

Close-up of Diaper Bouquet

My mother-in-law made diaper wreath for the front door which turned out really cute. I'm not sure what tutorial she used but the basic idea is here and it turned out really cute. She used size 2 diapers so the new mommy doesn't have to take it apart right away.

Diaper Wreath

Food wise, we had a sandwich tray, brie tartlets, bacon wrapped cocktail weenies, a fruit salad, a very cute shower cake made to match and a popcorn cake. My MIL made some baby cake pops too. For drinks, we had mimosa punch and a non-alcoholic raspberry punch along with the usual sodas.  It was all very good.

Dessert Table

We  hung garland made of baby onesies, socks and a pair of bloomers from the mantle for decoration in the present opening/gathering area. I customized plain white 0-3 sized onesies with designs that I thought the guest of honor would like: an elephant, a cupcake, an airplane (the dad-to-be is a pilot) and the baby's first initial A. I used some of the patterns along with the how to instructions from this DIY onesie party and found the pattern for the plane on google images. There wasn't any good red/yellow fabric in a fabric bundle so I got a pink/green bundle instead figuring that it would be cute on a new baby.

Onesie clothesline "garland"

We didn't do many games. Just present bingo (my favorite) and an envelope pull. Just have each guest write their name and address on a thank you card envelope and pull a winner out of a basket. That way the mommy-to-be doesn't have to address all those envelopes and it makes for a fun quick game. Prizes for this shower were some popcorn cups with shaker of popcorn seasoning. Favors for the shower were microwave popcorn bags with a Ready to Pop wrapper (similar to these). I made a matching Wishes for Baby card for everyone to fill out which will hopefully be a sentimental keepsake.

All in all, I am happy with how it turned out. I think everyone had a good time and it was really cute.

And check out the mommy-to-be's blog Hot Shot Mama for her take on pregnancy and prepping for a new baby.