Watering Can Centerpiece: Tutorial

I made this watering can centerpiece for Gretchen's 2nd birthday party.

1. I purchased the watering can from Meijer. It's lime green plastic and was about 6.00.

2. I wrote on one side "Our Little Lady's 2" and on the other side drew a big number "2" with a Sharpie.

3. I hot glued 2 ribbon ladybugs around "Our Little Lady's 2"

4. I cut scrap lime green and pink tulle and knotted it around the handle.

5. The inside is filled with pink crinkly paper.

The table cloth is made from a plastic pink party table cloth, and is taped underneath the table. I cut black circles from construction paper and taped them on the table to look like ladybug spots.

The Day Before Her Party!

It is finally here! Gretchen's 2nd birthday party is tomorrow, and I can heave a sigh of relief, knowing that I am almost fully prepared!

My parents are here, my house is "clean". I think I've accomplished almost everything on my "to do" list, that I had posted on Monday.

I have made the ladybugs for our game.
I've finished the door "sign".
I made the marshmallow suckers- I'll post a tutorial on these next week!
I have everything for the goody bags.
The center piece for the table is finished.
The banner is complete; although some of the letters keep falling off, so I'm going to have to super glue them!
We'll pick up the balloons and cake tomorrow!

I can see it all coming together, and I've relaxed a bit about not getting my house completly clean. After all, won't guests just mess it up a bit, and I'll have to clean again???

I'm so excited for the party tomorrow, but I know that we'll have a very busy weekend!

Stay tuned next week for pictures and tutorials!

And, thanks to everyone for entering the blog giveaway!

I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend!

Frugal Friday Meals: Taco Rice

I was browsing through the blogs posted today and came across "From My Kitchen to Yours" Frugal Friday Meal Ideas. I decided that I would link up and post one of my favorite quick, delicious, and frugal meals- TACO RICE!

Taco Rice:
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (I use ground turkey)
1 package taco seasoning
1 can of Rotel
1 can of Water
1/2 can of Minute Rice
Shreded Mexican Cheese blend

Directions:
Brown and drain the ground beef/turkey. Add taco seasoning, rotel, and water. Stir then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add 1/2 can of minute rice. Let sit 5 minutes. Top with shredded cheese.

I serve this with tortilla chips and cheese dip. You can also add a few tablespoons of pureed carrots to sneak in some veggies. We've used this once as an enchilada filler- spooned into tortillas and poured enchilada sauce over the top!

Valentine Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Kelly of Ovards blogspot! You've won the Valentine clippies and bow for your adorable little girl!!!

I didn't see your email address, so I left a comment on one of your blog posts! If you can, email me your address and everything will go out on Tuesday!

*I still have some giveaway winners that I haven't shipped yet, but those will go out on Tuesday as well!

Congrats again Kelly!

Today's the Last Day!

Go HERE to register to win 2 Valentine Heart Clipies AND a Valentine Hair Bow!!!!

Today is the last day to register, so hurry!

*Don't forget you can earn an extra entry by following "Honey Pie Accessories" on Facebook, and grab my new button!

Well, it's Wednesday....

My goal for Wednesday was to come home from work, exercise, and then spend the remainder of the evening cleaning the house.

I did most of the above: got home from work, changed clothes, put a pull up on Gretchen, worked out at the Y for about 45 minutes, came home, and cooked an easy dinner of chicken nuggets! I was cleaning the kitchen when Gretchen informed me she had pooped, so we took care of that and started to run the bath water. Gretchen did not want a bath at all, so I let her put in one of her magic water changing color tablets to entice her- which, it did not! She stood in the tub crying, so I managed to get tons of water on the floor!

Afterwards, I admittedly, put on Mickey Mouse and Barney, so I could clean some more, until her bedtime.

I did get the kitchen picked up (though, I really need to do some more), and the laundry taken back to the bedroom (it's not even put away), her bathroom is clean (though not the floor), and I've vaccuumed 1/2 of the living room!

And, I'm pooped! I'm relieved that I have the day off tomorrow, but I also have 2 appointments and my parents will be here (Yeah!). I'm really hoping that my mom will help- A LOT because I haven't gotten as much done as I've needed, or wanted to!

Wish me luck that tomorrow is more successful!

Gretchens 2 Year and Family Portraits

We went on Sunday afternoon to take Gretchen's 2 year pictures and to get some family portraits. I was thrilled to find a local photographer that was reasonablly priced.

Here are just a few of my favorites. I'll have a 2nd round coming up soon! We were fortunate enough to have weather in the 50s on Sunday (which is unseasonably warm) so we went outside to take some snapshots. We are also very fortunate to have some beautiful restored architecture in our area. Although, I wish we had more!

I love the pictures w/ bricks as the background, so I was thrilled to get some pictures beside a brick building.

As we were walking around downtown trying to find a place for some good pictures, Jennifer took a few snapshots. I adore the look on Gretchen's face in the above picture. It just shows that she was having a good time skipping along with us.

Jennifer took several photos of us walking, but managed to not get mine and DJ's face in them. I love that it's a bit unique!

These benches were outside of the bar (yes, bar) that we started out in. I love how this shot looks lengthened.

This is probably my most favorite picture of Gretchen. I just love her happy face and chubby cheeks

Like I said, we started out inside a bar. I loved the distressed wood floors, but was a bit disappointed that they had benches everywhere, and horrible snowflake ribbon and bows hanging on the walls. Thankfully, we were able to get a few pictures without the horrible decorations. The picture above just reminds me of Gretchen walking down a runway. Not that she ever has!

The bar did have these beautiful windows with brick detail. We sat Gretchen on the bench to get a few pictures, but she didn't stay there long!

What I Accomplished Today! Day 2

Well, today was day 2 of getting things accomplished for Gretchen's party on Saturday.

Here's what I did today:

1. I picked up the "grass" for the party favors.

2. I received her 2 year pictures and our family pictures. I posted one on this site, the rest are on my facebook page, but i'll upload some more of my favorites later.

3. I've gathered the laundry and did one load. Though, it's still sitting in the washer.

I'm not feeling too hot today. I'm tired, my tummy doesn't feel great, and I didn't workout.

It's 8:00 p.m. so I still have some time. I'm hoping to convince DJ to do some laundry, while I work on the ladybug clippies and my neice's birthday tutu.

I hope I'll get more done tomorrow!

Update: It's 9:30 p.m. and I have finished the clippies, and the centerpiece for the table! I'm going to work on my neice's tutu, and I've convinced DJ to fold the clothes!

2 Years Ago Today:

Two years ago today, our lives changed forever. After a labor of almost 48 hours, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world. I'm amazed at how she's grown and brought joy into our lives and I'm humbled that God would bless us with such a wonderful gift. Our first family picture, minutes after delivery. (Please pardon the lack of make up- did you read that I was in labor for almost 48 hours!)

A little bit later; at least we were all cleaned up and in one piece for this picture.

I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. I absolutly love this picture.

DJ and I with our baby girl

I miss the moments of her snuggling on my chest.

The nurses completed the marker board for us! She was 8 lbs 1 oz, born at 4:54 p.m.

My mom holding Gretchen for the very 1st time.

Nana holding Gretchen for the first time.

My parents with Gretchen. My mom gets to deliver babies every day, but I hope that this was the most special delivery she has ever been present for.

My stepdad with Gretchen.

I love that she has made me a much better person. I love that she has brought DJ and I closer. I love that she thinks life as fun and simple. She reminds me to slow down and just enjoy.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Gretchen!

What I Accomplished Today!

Well, I had big plans to get a lot accomplished for Gretchen's birthday. I did fairly well, but not as well as I had hoped.

I left work at 3:30 to pick up Gretchen, and we arrived home by 4:00. I left our dog out, changed into my workout clothes, and carried in the ornament boxes. From 4:00-5:00 I took down the ornaments of the tree. I can now see a sad looking empty Christmas tree sitting in the corner of our living room. DJ says that he will put it in the box tomorrow.

I took Gretchen to the potty at 5:00 and spent at least 10 minutes in there with her, while she colored and didn't pee!

DJ came home and I barely made it to my strength class at the Y by 5:30. Because I was there late, I had to use 10 lb weights (I usually vary between 8 and 10) and I had to use a 15 lb. body bar (I usually slack and use 9 lbs). I got home from class at 6:30, and cleaned up Gretchen's toys, and put her to bed at 7:15. Afterwards, I ate dinner and finished taking down the decorations off the tree.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who cooked dinner tonight and helped to clean up the kitchen.

So, in all I was able to:
Cut out black circles from construction paper.
Make the body of construction paper ladybugs.
Work on the door sign (that I only thought of doing this afternoon)
And take down the decorations off the tree.

I'm hoping I can still work on some clippies tonight, but my body is so sore and I'm exhausted!

Tomorrow, I'll be able to:
Pick up Gretchen's 2 year pictures that we took on Sunday.
Put away laundry
Workout and cook dinner
Finish the clippies

Oh, and tomorrow is her official 2 year birthday!!!! Wow! I can't believe how fast it's gone by!!!

Countdown to the party!

Gretchen's 2nd birthday is tomorrow! Her party is Saturday and there is so much to do!

I thought that I would plan out what all needed to be done on the blog, and update what we've done so far.

I'm a list maker, and this is going to be my virtual list! I absolutly love to cross things off my list at the end of the day; it's an organizer's high!

Alright, so far we have:
1. Purchased her birthday outfit. Hair bow is made, and she has new pink socks.
2. Save the dates went out, and invitations were mailed.
3. I've ordered the cake.
4. Poster board (for the games) has been purchased.
5. My mom is bringing her cake stand.
6. Paper plates, napkins, cups, spoons have been purchased.
7. Purchased the supplies to make the ladybug marshmallow suckers.
8. Gifts and wrapping paper have been purchased.
9. Her 2 year pictures and are family pictures were made. I just have to pick them up from the photographer!


Here's what I have left to do:
1. Talk to someone about blowing up the balloons. I already know who i'm going to talk to, but I may also call a store to see if they'd be cheaper. If so, I need to take back the balloons I've already purchased.
2. Draw and cut a leaf for one of the games.
3. Print and copy ladybug coloring pages.
4. Cut out black circles for the table.
5. Return extra party favor buckets.
6. Purchase green "grass" to go inside the buckets.
7. Finish the birthday banner.
8. Finish ladybug clippies.
9. Put together the party favors.
10. Make the ladybug marshmallow suckers.
11. Decide if I want to purchase pink popcorn and/or sugar cookies, and convince my husband that we need them!
12. Decorate the watering can for the center of the table.
13. Take down the Christmas tree!
14. Clean up the guest room, so my parents will have a place to sleep.
15. Clean the bathrooms; with a potty training toddler, this is a must!
16. Sweep, and likely mop the kitchen and definetly the bathrooms.
17. Lightly dust the living room and our bedroom. We have dark furniture and the dust shows!
18. Wrap Gretchen's gifts.
19. My husband and step-dad will need to hang the banner, and I'll have to convince my husband that 3 nails in our lovely walls will need to be made.
20. Figure out if I can machine wash one of our curtains. The dog has gotten mud on it! I'll be the only one that notices it, but it'll drive me crazy!
21. Make the pink lemonade, and cut up the straws.

Sigh! I'm exhausted just thinking about everything!

Let me break it down a bit easier:
Monday- Take down the Christmas tree, and finish the ladybug clippies.
Tuesday- Start cleaning the house, and possibly work on the ladybug marshmallow suckers.
Wednesday- Clean, Clean, Clean- My parents will be here on Thursday, so I want the house picked up by then!
Thursday- Gretchen and I both have Dr. apts, so I know that afterward I'll be able to get a lot done. I'm taking her to daycare, so I'll have some child free time! I'll make the party favors, finish the banner.
Friday- Pick up the balloons. Make any last minute purchases.
Saturday- Run the vacuum, hang the banner, decorate the table, pick up the cake, arrange everything!

Stay tuned- to see if I can get it all done!

Isn't She Lovely!

If you're a mother, you know that you have to carefully plan when you decide to take a shower! I never thought that it would be something I would have to plan until I had a child.

I also never thought that I'd be arguing with my 2 year old over my make up. A 12 year old yes, but not a 2 year old!

On Monday, I had MLK day off with Gretchen. I decided to take a shower, so I could go work out. Yes, I shower before I work out! I got out of the shower to find this: Gretchen had gotten into my eye shadow and my blush. She managed to get it all over her cheek, chin, and around her mouth.

I love the "I'm so cute" look on her face!

Isn't she lovely?

Are you a Fan? Update

Thanks Tara for letting me know that the link to the "Honey Pie Accessories" fan page on Facebook wasn't working.

I'm going to try again to post it!

Click here to get to the fan page!

*Don't forget that you can add an extra entry to the give away for becoming a fan!
*And by becoming a fan you get 10% off your first or next order!

Birthday Cakes

I ordered Gretchen's birthday cake this week, and I cannot wait to eat it! It's chocolate, my favorite, and will hopefully be her favorite too!

I decided that I would browse the internet and search for some other great birthday cakes and this is what I found: I love the lion cake! I wouldn't have thought to use chow-mein noodles for a mane, but then again, I'm not a baker! This would be so cute for a zoo-themed party!

What little boy wouldn't love this dump truck cake! The "dirt" is made of crushed chocolate cookies, pretzles, and m&m's... I think a few crushed reese's peanut butter cups would also be great mixed in the dirt!

And, this princess castle cake! I love the sugar cones and waffle cone towers!

How cute is this monkey cake! I'm betting that the eyes are made out of peppermint patties (or wouldn't thin mint girl scout cookies taste great!) and the ears are little chocolate doughnuts!

Alright, whose ready to kill their New Years Resolution diet with these creations?

Are you a Fan?

I just created a fan page on Facebook for Honey Pie Accessories!

Go here and become a fan, and you'll receive 10% off your next order! The fan page will tell you how!

Also, if you're fan- go ahead and leave a comment on the Valentine's bow giveaway for an extra entry!

Valentine Giveaway!

As much as I'd love to do one more birthday giveaway, I'm going to go ahead with my Valentine's giveaway, and hit up the last birthday giveaway in February!

You will win both of these adorable Valentine items! The first is a set of heart clippies, and the second is the stripes and heart bow (which, I think could also double for the 4th of July!)

Want to win these?

Here's how:

1. Follow my blog!

2. Grab my button for your own blog!

3. Post about this giveaway (on your blog, facebook, or twitter)!

4. Tell me what you want for Valentine's day

Please leave a comment for each entry. If you post on your blog, facebook, and twitter, then it's 1 entry for each post, so please leave seperate comments. Please have a valid email address in at least 1 of your entries!

Giveaway will end on January 28th, and winner will be announced on January 29th!

Good luck!

Carnival

I think that Carnival themed parties are so much fun! I haven't been to one, but if Gretchen would have been born in the summer, then she'd be having a Carnival themed party in the next few years!I found the adorable invitation above on Etsy!

And, this great party pack on Oriental Trading

This cake was found on Etsy as well. The seller actually sells just the cake topper, but I had to include a picture of the entire cake because it is just so much fun!

If you plan on serving food, which with this theme, I think you should! Serve hot dogs and popcorn!

You can't forget about the games! I love all of the ideas I found online. You can purchase the games or make them yourself!

An egg race would be so much fun for the kiddos!

And, the younger ones could play 'pin the nose on the clown'.

And, how about a can toss game!

And, a bean bag toss!

Of course, give tickets to the kids, and let them trade the tickets in for prizes, just as they would at a real carnival! If you think ahead of time then you can pick up prizes from Targets 1.00 section, The Dollar Store, or look for clearance items in the party section of your local grocery store.

My last idea: Hire a clown! Your kids will be delightfully entertained by someone performing magic tricks, balloon animals, and jokes!

If you plan a carnival themed party, then plan for an entire day of fun and enjoyment for the birthday child!

Mod Monkeys- Let's go Bananas!

I absolute adore this theme for little boys! I actually, wanted to use it for Gretchen's 2nd party (and even found an adorable sweater with leggings) but, I decided that it would better suit a birthday boy!

Invite your guests with these adorable invites found on Etsy: The birthday boy can wear this adorable monogrammed shirt!

Greet your guests with this adorable door sign!

Serve your guests a monkey themed cake on these adorable plates! You can purchase the entire package from Celebrate Express. I would even go as far as to say, use blue and yellow streamers for your decorations, along with the balloons!

Send your party guests home with a bag of Runts bananas!

One of my favorite ideas for a monkey theme party: isn't really mine, but at my cousins birthday, they had a monkey trainer come and entertain the guests! I have no idea how you can find a monkey trainer to come to your child's birthday, but I love the idea of it. I remember how much fun that party was, and all of the guests were sent home with monkey beanie babies!

So, stop monkeying around and plan your party!

Bow Holder Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Melissa! You are the winner of the bow holder giveaway! You'll need it, since Gracee has 56 hair bows!

Random number generator chose #3!

Melissa-I'll contact you shortly via email.

Party Favors!

Party favors are a wonderful way to express your thanks to your guests! After all, they took time out of their busy schedule and brought a gift to help you celebrate your child's birthday!

Party favors can be given to just the children, can be for adults and children, or you can have seperate favors for the children and the adults.

Here are just a few fabulous party favor ideas that I've found!

Hair bows are great favors for little girls! Bows would be great for a 1st party on up to a 7 or 8 year old's party! Bows can be created in 1-4 colors that would match your party's theme, and can even feature a center resin that matches your theme! If you choose to give bows as a party favor, and order from me, I will work with you to create a beautiful bow (small or large) and will also come up with a reasonable price for you!

For the older girls, you can give ribbon rings! These are a fun, stylish accessory, that can be created using any color of ribbon. Buttons can be added for a shabby style! These would be so cute for girls 8 on up. Ribbon rings are only $2.00 each, so they are very affordable through my site!

I absolutely love these sidewalk paints! I found these at Sidwalk Sensations on Etsy. You can purchase 1 cup or more! Become a fan of her's on facebook, or go here and enter a giveaway to win a stack!

These taffy wands come in a variety of flavors, and start at only $1.85 each! you can find them at Kate Landers Events.

Hand painted tote bags are so cute! Just add some extra favors inside: erasers, pencils, candy, etc. that match your child's theme! These were found on Etsy, but you can easily make them yourself.

I thought these straw cups were cute as well. I've seen these at several party and craft stores.

These scrabble tile necklaces are adorable for the fashionistas at your party! You can purchase a set of 8 at Too Too Posh on Etsy.

If you have a candy themed party, these individually wrapped gumball machines would make a fun party favor! They can be purchased from Amy's Artwork on Etsy.

These recycled crayons are cute for the little ones at your party. You can find tons of them on Etsy, or if you are feeling brave, you can go here and find directions to make them yourself.

Don't forget to make your guests feel special and send them home with a gift of thanks on your little one's birthday!