End of BEDA again

So it's the end of April and it was a hell of a month. I managed to blog everyday in April except the first day (April Fool's! (not really)). I always feel proud of myself when I accomplish this. It's not something I'd want to do all the time. Trying to produce content is hard and, while I enjoy writing, I get tired of my own voice. BEDA often times results in at least a few days of less than stellar posts but sometimes I manage to get out some more thoughtful posts as well.  This year I ended doing a picture post on Sundays, something I might keep trying to do. The thing I like about doing BEDA is that it challenges me to find something to write about and sometimes I end up surprising myself.

Writing is something I've always liked doing. I use to write short stories and poems all the time when I was younger but I fell out of the habit and just stopped doing it all together. I honestly admire people who manage to write everyday and ones who can fully flesh out stories and ideas. I don't know if I'm capable of that anymore.

So goodbye once again to BEDA. Maybe next year I'll do it again. Maybe I'll do it again later this year. I did a Blog Everyday in November once. I might do that again. Maybe this November will be less of the cruel month that April has been this year.

Going to be OK

I'm feeling stressed out and sad today and I don't have anything pre-written but I don't want to fail BEDA at this point so I'm just going to leave this here as a reminder for myself. Maybe it will be a reminder for someone else too.

 

(Book cover)

Favorite game apps

When I finally upgraded to a smartphone I wasn't really excited about all the apps you can get because I didn't understand the excitement. But of course then I discovered the games. I have quite a few on my phone. Some of them (like the Angry Birds mostly) are for my son but there are a few that I play regularly. I am more inclined to play one player games than ones that you have to play against someone else. Eventually you are at the mercy of someone else and usually someone stops playing. Like with Draw Something. I had about 15 games going and then everyone but 1 person stopped playing. 






Candy Crush is my obsession right now. My sister is playing it and I decided to play it too. I'm stuck on level 30 now and she says that there are over 200 levels. I don't know if I'll last that long. I sometimes get bored in the middle of games. But it's fun and it feeds into my obsessive personality.

One of my other favorites is Clouds and Sheep. It feeds the part of me that loved playing The Sims. You have to feed and water the sheep and keep them happy. And sometimes you electrocute the sheep because you have too many of them and need to thin the herd. It's fun. My son also plays this one though I don't let him play with my flock anymore because he killed them all one time.


The other two I play are Cut the Rope which probably everyone else has stopped playing by now and Sushi Swipe. Cut the Rope is a fun puzzle game and Sushi Swipe is more of a Tetris type game but not as hard as Candy Crush which combines the two types.

{future} potty training

I know, I know. It's probably too soon to really think about potty training but the thought occurred to me after Button's first birthday that she will be 21 months at Christmas. Is that too young for potty training? I know some people who've started at 18 months. For Bub, we wanted to wait it out until he gave indications of readiness. He wasn't interested. Finally at 3, we sort of made him do it. Because it was holding him back from moving onto preschool. And by 3 he knew what he was suppose to be doing. He just didn't want to do it. So by the time it was all over he was 3 1/2 years old. I'm hoping with Button it doesn't take that long. She's a girl. She's a second child. Those factors usually mean potty training earlier especially combined with the fact that she always wants to do what he is doing.

At Christmas I have 2 weeks off. And with the exception of a few days I'll be home with her to give it a try. Of course, I'll have to see what signs she is exhibiting but she already doesn't like having a dirty diaper. My husband laughed at me. I don't think he believes. I mean it is a long shot but after she turns 2 then it really will be closer to time to start. I just really don't want her to be 3 before she is done with diapers. I am so tired of diapers and I know I have another year of them. Of course she should probably learn to walk first. One thing at a time. *sigh*

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.

Tee ball

Bub started tee ball last weekend. They are starting batting from pitch unless they just can't hit. Then they use the tee. So far he is turning out to be a decent hitter. They are playing 25 games this season! It seems like a lot for a group of  6 year olds.

On community parenting boards

Both times I was pregnant I got really into BabyCenter. I love their email updates and it was nice to find the birthing board. With Button, I added the Bump but didn't read it quite as much. While I am not much of commenter I liked reading people's opinions of having to X or Y. Sometimes people give well thought out and researched opinions on say circumcising or breastfeeding, sometimes not. I find as the internet becomes more "open" it's mostly not. I'm trying to learn not to read the comments on news articles. People get stupid in the comments. Most of the time anytime I read a parenting article especially on a polarizing topic I try not to read the comments. People are vicious

Knowing this I decided to visit a birth club board anyway. I haven't been on a birth club board on either site since Button was born. I saw a lot of OMG I can't believe they are 1! posts and then things started to take a turn. Because I managed to find the car seat thread and it got ugly fast on there. Women accusing other women of not caring about their baby's safety for wanting to turn the car seat around at 2. Women claiming they will keep their 4 year rear facing. Apparently you can't just agree to disagree. First you have to accuse the other of not loving their child. It's weird and I was reminded why I don't visit these sites anymore. Motherhood is a passionate state of being. I get that. I'd sacrifice just about anyone for my kids (sorry). But why would I care if you don't like that my less than 40 pound child is forward facing? Seriously. While you may care so so much about this topic, getting vicious and saying pretty horrible things over car seats is not going to change anyone's mind. Maybe there is a better outlet for your emotional state or a better topic worthy of such maliciousness; people who harm small children or animals for example.

But maybe it might be better to keep in my mind that most parents are doing the best they can. It's a struggle for everyone and we all want to make the right choice. But my right choice and your right choice might be different. And because we have different lives and different children and different circumstances, I would venture to say that doing what's right for one person is not right for another. So if someone disagrees with you over some parenting issues, deal with it and know that everyone really is trying. And it might be better to stay off the parenting boards. I know I am.

Best Ink {season 2}

Wednesday night I stumbled on Best Ink. It's apparently the second season though I hadn't heard of the show before. I love tattoos and I love competition shows so I got sucked in. It's seems a bizarre thing to compete about since it is so permanent, not like hair or clothes, but I kept reminding myself that these are actual professionals. Not just apparently the best professionals. Quite a few are certainly not selling themselves very well.

The format is they do a Flash Challenge involving some kind of art and then they do the regular Tattoo Competition. The Flash Challenge has a cash prize and sometimes an extra bonus. With the Tattoo Competition, the winner receives immunity (at least at the beginning of the season).

Episode 1

Let's meet the contestants (as far as I can remember them)

Kelly
Derek
DJ
Teresa - seems like a cool girl
Melvin- seems like a nice guy
Ralph
Brittany
Carolyn - looks like a Monster High doll, is scared of people
Alli
Dollarz - is street
Tylor - was very briefly a male model and he reminds me of someone famous. Maybe Kevin Dillon?
Jerod

The first Flash Challenge involves hanging from a building and tagging a billboard with a self portrait. Melvin wins.

DJ won the first Tattoo Competition. Carolyn lost with her gory girl tattoo because it had a dead eye.
Kelly gets to stay despite the fact that her girl just up and walked out. It got pretty ugly. So the girl left with an incomplete tattoo. Maybe she was having second thoughts of being a tattoo competition show? 

Episode 2

Flash Challenge, guest judge Ray J (gross) - Using blacklight paints, the artists have to paint a picture that looks different under the blacklights than it does in regular light. Jerod wins with pretty cool painting of a girl and a boy who look broken but under the blacklights the picture changes to a silhouette of them kissing.

Tattoo Competiton - Using UV ink this challenge follows along with the flash challenge, create a tattoo that looks different under the blacklights. All the "skins" have secrets to reflect in their tattoos.

Brittany wins with her portrait of a girl who under the blacklights is very bright and loud. Jerod's was also cool looking like a Native American pin-up and then changing to a roller derby girl under the blacklights.
Melvin lost with his owl and snake. The snake was huge next to the owl. Kelly gets to stay despite that hers is ugly too. Teresa misspelled Philippians on her client because she didn't spell check but other than that her tattoo was really nice.

Episode 3

Flash Challenge, guest judge Vanessa and Angela Simmons - The artists paint on Pastry sneakers. DJ wins because he panders to the judges and brings up their dad.

Tattoo Competition -  Pairs. The artists are paired together to do matching tattoos for their pair of skins. Mostly it is parent/child pairs but there are two sets of siblings too, a set of twins who have had a colorful and seemingly troubled filled life despite looking like they are only 20 years old and a stepsister pair getting tattoos to commerate their late father.
Winner - Teresa who is shaping up to being a real competitor. She does good work. She won for her puzzle piece tattoo on one of the stepsisters.
Kelly loses (finally) for her ridiculous horse tattoo that one of the twins has to wear. I hope they offer to fix it for him. The best part is when the head judge Joe told her that they didn't want to see anymore from her. So it's fine to let her fuck up 3 different people but this is just the limit?

So far I am liking this show. I like how the 3 top artists of the challenge get to choose the 3 bottom artists. It actually seems fair and they are kind of strategizing but mostly playing it straight right now. Some of the artists are much more passionate than the others. I'm actually shocked that Taylor is a good as he is and I really like Teresa even if she did screw one of the most basic things about lettering. Alli doesn't seem to have it together with her inability to make a decision on her own. They must do a lot for her at her work. And Dollarz isn't going to make it. He always seems a bit confused and he had a hard time going outside his comfort zone in Episode 3.

Failure to thrive

Button's one year check up was Tuesday. I knew going in that she was small for her age. In fact, it's the one of the things people love to point out to me. I knew she was going to be about 16 pounds and 27 inches. And sure enough she is 16 lbs, 3 oz and 27 1/2 inches. She grew about 2 inches between 8 1/2 months and now. She gained only 13 oz. She fell off the chart. If you don't know what that means, I'll explain. There is a growth chart that measures head, height and weight and it measures your kid against an average. So right now Button is less than 5% for height and weight meaning pretty much every other baby her age is bigger than her.

I wasn't worried and I'm still not to a degree. But you pretty much never want to hear the pediatrician use the words "failure to thrive" ever. And then he wrote it down. But he explained that it's just a technical diagnosis and not to freak out. So she has to have some blood work done just to check her out. I'm not really worried. As he said, she is obviously healthy and active. She's just small. She actually has almost the exact measurements as her dad did at that age. I joked that if that meant she ended up at 5'4" than she'd still be taller than me.

I don't like the idea of the blood work so BT has been tasked with taking her. I did the shots so this will be his deal. I think it will be worse and of the two of us he is less likely to cry. I know I will cry because I usually do at shots and when they did Bub's blood work before he got tubes in. So it's better this way.

When you look at her she is clearly very healthy. She eats a lot and drinks a lot of milk everyday so her calories are there. She is very smart and incredibly active. So I'm not worried about her. She is fine. She is thriving despite the "official" word on the matter.

10 random tips about Disney World

1. Don't bring an infant or potty training child. While Disney is very accommodating with their child swap passes, it is still a pain to have to switch out to ride a ride. I had to go on Soaring alone on our last trip. They do also have nice baby care centers that offer everything from baby products (for sale) to nursing rooms and changing tables. The only one that was a pain to get to was in Epcot and I didn't use it. Our hotel was only 5 minutes from the park on foot so I could just as easy walk there than to the baby center. The one at Animal Kingdom is super nice and the nursing rooms are quiet.
Also we took Bub when he was 3 and in the middle of potty training. Don't do that. It was confusing to him because we allowed him to wear pull-ups and he was never sure what do or where to do it. Next time we go Button is going to be potty trained and big enough to ride most of the rides. Probably at about 6 years old then or, at the rate my kids grow, 10.

2. Wear good shoes. Duh, right? Every Disney trip tips article will tell you that. I still haven't found the right shoes. Tennis are ok as long as it is not hot, flip-flops about killed me. Crocs were ok. It helped to alternate shoes and not keep wearing the same pair over and over. My mother-in-law and my husband seemed to have hit on the right pair of shoes. I need to do the same next time.

3. The People Mover is more popular than the travel guides would have you believe. So I had a plan. I read many things on breastfeeding at Disney World. At Magic Kingdom I was going to use the People Mover and nurse her on there. After all, it's not the most popular ride and there is hardly ever a wait. Also they will usually let you stay on. But no. It broke and then when it reopened suddenly there was a 15 minute wait and every car was filled. Now I've gotten better at nursing in public but I didn't want to sit in cart with a whole bunch of other people. I ended up nursing her on the bridge to Tomorrowland. The next trip to the Magic Kingdom yielded much the same results. I should have tried the railway.

4. Nap times are awesome and always a good idea. We stayed at the Yacht Club Villas resort. So on the days we went to Epcot and Hollywood Studios a break was taken and we went back and napped, cooled off and relax for a bit. It was a good idea especially with the baby. On the days we went to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom we ended up staying all day. It was too much of a pain to get back on the bus. Animal Kingdom wasn't too bad because by then we'd rented a stroller for Bub which was easier for him and easier for us. But the day at Magic Kingdom ended with us being tired and cranky.

5. Eat at Be Our Guest. You won't reget it even if you just do lunch. It is amazing. Also awesome was the Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom.

6. Don't hesitate to buy something you really like. Each park has souvenirs geared just to them and I missed out on a great shirt because I waited to see what else was available and we didn't go back to that park. On the same note, make sure you know what souvenirs you are going to buy and try to stick with that. Otherwise, you might go crazy with the buying.

7. The Disney buses are not great. Don't expect them to be. For the most part we had good luck with the buses except for one trip when it took 2 hours from the beginning of our wait to getting off at the hotel. I think the driver was new or lost or something. The water transit was better though.

8. We had the meal plan this time and it was awesome. One sit-down, one quick service and one snack was plenty of food and for the most part it was all good.

9. Strollers are good even for 6 year olds. Button was a no-brainer at less than age 1. But I tried to convince BT to rent a double stroller so Bub could ride too. He either didn't believe me or expected more out of our boy child. In the end we rented Bub a stroller for most of the days we were there. Yep. I was right.

10. Never go in the summer or at Christmas. I have zero experience with Christmas but it seems like the truth. However, we did go in June one year and absolutely will never do that again. Crowded, hot, miserable. Disney is always fun but there are levels of fun and June brought the level down. Mardi Gras (February) was a good time. The weather got a little hot but not unbearable and the crowds were manageable. October was great! But then we were on our honeymoon and didn't have kids so that might have contributed to the extra fun factor. That and the Food and Wine Festival which we loved. I think for our next trip we are going to try to go at that time of year again.

Look for the good

Yesterday everything was going along fine. And then came the news about Boston. After I did an initial search to see what happened, I shut it down. I just couldn't anymore. After Sandy Hook I cried for a month. The thought that someone can look at the face of a 6 year old and shoot him just ended me. The thought that someone can look at the face of anyone and kill them is beyond me. And the mass devastation at a big deal race like the Boston Marathon, well, I was just done for the day. So when Maureen Johnson said this on Twitter I took it as validation to step away from the news and do something positive.

I went home and I played with my kids. Well, I made supper and got Button to nap and then we ate. She had a bath and then Bub and I played two rounds of a board game before their bedtime. It was basically a typical night but I needed to look at his sweet face and all the innocence in it. I needed him to cheat at Trouble and try to get out of bedtime. I needed him to be 6 years old and not know the horrible ways the world can be wrong. Because looking at him reminds me of how beautiful the world can be and looking at him I know how much good there is in the world too. Sometimes that is hard to remember.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world." - Mister Fred Rogers

Meal Planning

I've never been good at meal planning consistently. I go in and out of phases. But it's something I'd like to be better at. Stopping at the store after work is tiring. It cuts into my time with my kids and it's not good on the pocketbook. I'm trying to tighten up our spending and so meal planning is back in my life. We use to use e-meals which was great. It provided the meals and also gave the shopping list. We quit using it and now I'm considering going back. But it gave me a good idea of what I was suppose to be doing. So from now on I am going to make my list either Friday or Saturday morning and use some time during the weekend to go shopping for our week's meals. There is something so satisfying and freeing about going home after work and having everything I need already there. And it eliminates the dreaded what to have for supper conversation. I hate having to think about that everyday. With meal planning I only have to think about it once and that sounds good to me.

Nature Walk

Recently we went to a nature center in Baton Rouge to hang out with BT's family. It was very pretty and a very nice walk. Afterwards we visited Mike the Tiger at LSU.

The Lorax

Ted is a boy who likes the girl across the street and they live in a town made of plastic where nothing is natural and the air quality is so horrible people buy bottled air. When the girl, Audrey, says she wants to see a real live tree, Ted seeks out the Once-ler and learns his story and why all the trees have disappeared.

I didn't get a chance to see this in the theater but it's on Netflix now and I've watched it 3 times in the last 4 days thanks to my son. The Lorax was always one of my favorite Seuss stories despite the fact that is kind of sad. And I liked the tv special growing up. So I was definitely interested to see this come up on instant streaming. It expands the story quite a bit but I liked it. I find the animated movies of Seuss stories are better than the live action. This is true of the Lorax. The music is catchy and the animation is well done. It is very round and curvy, keeping in lines with the illustrations. You actually see the Once-ler which you never do in the book or the TV show. I liked the relationship that develops between him and the Lorax. And I enjoyed the backstory they made up with Thneedville and Ted. It was a funny movie and I really didn't mind watching it so many times. I'm sure it will be watched again sometime again this week.

Daddy's Girl

The other day we each were holding a kid. I had Bub and BT had Button and my cousin remarked on Momma's boy and Daddy's girl. And that definitely has a ring of truth in our family. I sometimes joke that I'm just here for the milk because Button favors her dad a lot more than Bub did. Growing up my dad wasn't around most of the time (without getting into any family issues, he lived with us and all. He was just not really present) and so I can't really say that we bonded like I've seen other father/daughters bond. I cannot honestly say that I am a Daddy's Girl. So this phenomena between my husband and our daughter is new for me. I'm glad for BT though because he would get his feelings hurt by Bub's preference for me. I think that a big part is the fact that BT is her primary care giver and he watches her all day whereas I only have a few hours at night and then the weekends. The bigger part is just that he is a great dad. I asked him once about that and he said that he knew he was doing something right because Bub would come to him for comfort and that is something he never would have done with his own dad.

Button is definitely a daddy's girl though. She said "Dada" first but then most babies do. She rarely says "Mama" but she calls for him a lot. They are together everyday and so it is only natural. A part of me is a little jealous but most of me is happy that they have this kind of relationship. I can't imagine having a partner who is not in 100% in parenting with me. BT is all in and it shows. Button is always happy to see him. She has him wrapped around her finger and he doesn't seem to mind. There is going to be trouble with the two of them later. I can tell. But that's ok. I wouldn't want it any other way.

5 pet peeves

1. When people stop the microwave a few seconds before it is suppose to go off and then just leave the time on there. Just hit clear and set it back to normal. What am I going to do with 2 seconds?

2. When people turn off the automatic lights at work. Last year they upgraded us to automatic lights to try and save electricity or something and they are nice but some people have not made the adjustment and will turn the light off with the button. Which is fine until I walk into the room and the lights don't come on automatically and I have fumble around in the dark for the lights.

3. When anyone touches my face or tries to turn my head for me. My son does this a lot and it drives me crazy. I don't know why but it just sets me off. I am always asking him to stop touching or turning my face.

4. When a driver passes me up by speeding and then turns about a mile down the road forcing me to come to a complete stop or slow down significantly. Really? REALLY!? This person honestly could not wait for another mile. It's not like I'm ever going that slow. I drive the speed limit or about 5 miles above it. But some people get into terrific hurries and apparently cannot stand it. This usually leads to a little road rage for me and often involves honking and gesturing on my part. Just don't do that. I don't want to have to stop because you got impatient.

5. When I am reading a book but someone decides to talk to me anyway. Seriously I am doing something here. I am too polite to say something but rest assure that I am thinking bad things about the interrupting person. It's pretty much why I stopped eating lunch in the lounge. You'd think librarians would recognize the sanctity of reading time but not always.

Snow

I was thinking about snow this morning since my brother-in-law and his family who live in Colorado  are having snow days and I'm walking around in short sleeves in 70 degree weather. Growing up in South Louisiana I haven't seen a lot of snow in my lifetime. The most I've seen is when I've gone to Oklahoma to visit family in the winter. When Bub was about 3 or so it snowed in early December. He's seen snow probably about 3 times in his 6 years which is actually a lot for where we live. It's not something I miss though it would be pretty neat to see at Christmas time. I don't like the cold. It's not in my blood. I don't like the heat either but I think it is price you pay for not having to deal with blizzards. I know people who would say the opposite.

10 Random Things about Me

1. I always wished I'd dyed a pink streak in my hair. Now I'm too old and I'm pretty sure it would be frowned upon by the administration. But I think it looks cool.

2. I'm thinking of getting a new tattoo for Mother's Day which is a strange Mother's Day gift maybe but I've had an idea for a tattoo that I wanted as soon as I was done having kids. And I am done.

3. I like designing things and making things. I use to be more crafty but I don't have as much time on my hands as I did with just Bub once he got past the toddler years. Once Button is older I should be able to do more things. But I love making their birthday invitations and all the stuff that goes with it and making posters and flyers for my work. I'd like to do more of that one day. I like to be creative.

4. I wanted to be a psychologist specializing in jury selection. But I overshot myself in grad school applications and got discouraged. So I went to library school instead. I'm proud of being a librarian (mostly) but I had quite a few other opportunities that I passed up and I sometimes regret not taking them.

5. I've never lived outside of the state of Louisiana. And that's mostly fine. We've got great food and good people (in general). If we ever move to another state, it will be Florida mostly likely.

6. I'm the oldest of all the children-in-law in BT's family. I've also been around the longest at 13 1/2 years with my sister-in-law at 12 1/2 and my brother-in-law at 6 1/2. But I'm one of the youngest in my family being the 2nd to youngest grandchild on my dad's side and the youngest on my mom's.

7. I'm the only one in my mother's family with a master's degree. Usually my achievements have already been done coming from a large family on both sides, but this one is all my own for a change.

8. I can't find lost things that belong to me but I have better luck with other people's lost items. I also get really frustrated when I can't find what I'm looking for and can get a bit shouty.

9. People always ask me what my favorite book is because I read a lot and I'm a librarian. Truthfully I can't really say. Someplace to Be Flying by Charles DeLint is usually my answer and it is one of my top books but I find it hard to really narrow down to an absolute favorite.

10. I'm the most awkward small talker. I think I'm a naturally funny person but until I can gauge what kind of humor the other person has I have a hard time talking to them.

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.

At the Zoo

A few pictures from a recent trip to our local zoo.