Easter Baskets

Aweee... Easter Basket time! Judson's best buddy Sadie got the cutest Easter basket this year and so I made Judson a cute one too! It's not as cute as Sadie's and I need to work on the bow some more, but I think it is pretty cute!

Thanks Sadie's mom for the idea and for being such a great basket holder! ;)

Love, E

Don't worry.. be happy!

When Judson's not happy... nobody's happy. :(

He was sick all weekend and nothing seemed to make him happy.

Not bath time, which he usually loves.

Not playing outside, which is his favorite.

Not swinging, which usually he spends laughing the entire time.

Not even eating cheese puffs, which he usually goes crazy over,

AND espcially not bed time and we won't even go there!

Please God, let my baby be feeling better tomorrow so we can all be HAPPY! :)

Products

So yesterday I found myself laying on the couch watching the longest infomercial EVER.. Cindy Crawford's skin care system, "Meaningful Beauty" and I started to think about all of the products I have tried and what my favorites are. I like to hear about good products that my friends find.. so I thought I would share mine with you!
1. Dove Pro-Age Cream Oil Body Lotion. Let's face it.. I am getting close to 30 and with all the time I spend in the sun, it's not silly to start using some anti-aging products. This stands as my FAVORITE lotion I have ever tried, and I have tried a-lot!
2. Aveeno Daily Moisterizing Foaming Bath. I love this stuff. My skin feels so smooth when I get out of the bath.
3. Mary-Kay Mineral Powder- this is much cheaper than the mineral powders you see on TV and works just the same. I have tried two different ones that had to be ordered and then this one and I am hooked!
4. Neutrogena Oil Free Ance Wash- you can also buy this in Wal-Mart brand and it works just as great!
5. Obagi Vitamin C-Exfoliating Day/Night Lotion- Can we say wonderful??
6. Arbonne Exfoliating Mask with Thermal Fusion- my husband even likes this one! It's magic, lol
7. Victoria's Secret "Beauty Rush" lip gloss in "I Want Candy"- looks great and taste great without stickiness.
8. Mary-Kay Oil Free Mascara Remover- I have tried several different brands and this one blows them all away! It doesn't leave yucky oil all over your face and it actually REMOVES the mascara.
9. L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara- hands down the best lash lengthening mascara I have ever used. Also a little trick I do is to blow-dry my eyelashes upward after I put my mascara on. It works! I'm telling ya!
10. and you know I had to throw in my favorite scents- Fancy by Jessica Simpson and Burberry Brit by Ralph Lauren. They make me feel pretty when I wear them, LOL

Love, E

Candied "Magic" Popcorn

My mom and I made this for Judson's birthday party and it was oohhhh...sooo... good!!

The directions look a little intimidating, but it is really easy!

What you need:

1 c. popcorn kernels (or plain microwavable popcorn)

6 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

6 t. butter

1 t. vanilla

1 tsp. powdered jello mix

(We used strawberry, orange, grape, lime, and berry blue)

*You can add food coloring to each jello mix to enhance the colors.

Directions:

Cover two cookie sheets with foil, then spray lightly with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

 Set Aside.

Pop your popcorn, then gently transfer to a large bowl to remove any unpopped kernels. Should equal about 12 cups, popped. Prepare for your first batch of colored popcorn by spooning 2 cups of popped corn into a medium bowl. Set Aside.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, butter, & vanilla. Bring to a boil and allow to bubble over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Push large sauce pan to back of stove, and place a medium saucepan over hot burner. Working quickly, spoon 1 c. of boiled sugar mixture into medium saucepan. Add 1 tsp. of powdered jello mix, whisk well, then allow to boil for one more minute. Remove from heat (I just left the stove on because I was returning quickly for the next batch and didn't want to wait for it  to reheat), put a pinch of baking soda in the mixture (just a bit! If the mixture does not foam slightly, add just a bit more), stir, then pour immediately over the bowl readied with 2 cups of popcorn. Stir to coat, then spread into a corner of cookie sheet.

Rinse saucepan with warm water, dry, then return to stovetop. Spoon another 1 cup of boiled sugar mixture into saucepan, add 1tsp. of another flavor/color jello mix, then repeat as above with second bowl of popcorn. Continue until all popcorn is coated, then bake in over for an hour. Allow to cool before serving. Stores well in an airtight container for 1-3 days.

Enjoy!

* Recipe from Cheeky Kitchen

Love, E

Spring Cupcakes

Lucky Charms Cupcakes...These are so cute and easy!!!

 By: BettyCrocker.com

What you Need:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow or devil's food cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 container (1 lb) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
3 cups Lucky Charms® cereal
Green edible glitter
What to Do:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Top each cupcake with 2 tablespoons cereal; sprinkle with glitter.

Easter Basket Cupcakes! These are a little more detailed, but still cute and easy! Use the same recipe as above.. just decorate with various Easter candies.

Love, E

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Don't get pinched today!

Love, E

A Birthday Party

We had a blast at the Little Gym for Judson's 1st Birthday...

The Birthday Boy

Yummy cupcakes made by The Cake Diva

Lots of good friends to play with

Lots of activities

Best Buds

Candied Popcorn (Recipe coming soon :))

Birthday Cake

Words can not descibe how thankful we are for all the family and friends who came to the party and for all these wonderful gifts! I mean.. wow! We feel so blessed!

Love, E

How to make a Cupcake Tower

For some reason or another I could not find a cute/large enough cupcake tower for Judson's 1st birthday party that is this Saturday, so I made my own and I love it! It was so easy and I can't wait to use it!

What you will need:
18 inch cardboard cake round
14 inch cardboard cake round
10 inch cardboard cake round
thick decorative paper such as cardstock or wrapping paper ( I used scrapbooking paper from Hobby Lobby)
glue stick
four 2 inch Styrofoam drums ( I used sqaure ones)
glue gun
scissors
pencil
satin ribbon
Step 1: Warm up your glue gun. When glue gun is ready, glue together 2 of the 4 inches wide and 2 inch high Styrofoam drums. Make sure they are evenly lined up. Then hot glue the other 2 Styrofoam drums together. You now have 2 round pillars that are 4 inches tall to separate the sections of the cake stand.
Step 2: Using satin ribbon (color your choice), start at the edge of your Styrofoam drums and pin in place with a strait pin. Wrap around, slightly overlapping and move up each time you wrap around until you cover the styrofoam with ribbon. once all covered, secure in place with another pin. Repeat on other pillar.
Step 3: Now, take your cardboard cake rounds and place over top of selected paper and trace around the edges. Cut along the traced line. Using a glue stick, apply glue to the edges of the cake round and make some lines of glue across the middle. Now carefully line up the cut paper and press onto cake board. Repeat with each board.
Step 4: Set the largest cake board on the table and place a pillar (styrofoam drums) in the middle. Place the medium cake board over that and make sure it is centered. Then center the next pillar on top of that and top with the smallest board. You can use the glue gun to secure it all together if you want. But you don't have to. (if you don't glue it all together, make sure you don't try moving it around with cupcakes on it).
Step 5: Arrange your cupcakes on your cute, cupcake stand that only took about 10 minutes to make!

Love, E

My Baby

This weekend my baby is turning "1" and I just can't believe it. This year has flown by in ways and in others has seemed to last forever. I just can't get over all the things that he has learned and how big he has gotten. He has taught me so many things too. I feel so blessed to have a healthy, sweet, and loving beautiful baby boy like Judson and might just cry on his birthday, March 14. LOL- Jimbo and I had a hard time picking out his birthday card!

Regan's Roux

This past Saturday, our office staff took part in the Gumbo/Chili Showdown on campus. Our team's name is "Regan's Roux" in honor of Regan Robinson Young who was one of our medical students who passed away right before her graduation, due to colon cancer. We had a really good time and finished in 2nd place in the Gumbo division and won Best University Team! This event is something that will take place every year and all the proceeds go to the Regan Robinson Young Scholarship Fund, so next year you should come and enjoy a day of sunshine, all you can eat chili/gumbo, icecream, live music, and good, clean family fun!

Love, E