Happy Valentine's Day

I couldn"t resist.

Happy Valentines Day

Make it: Kids Valentines

This year, I'm feeling more festive. I decided that Sal's cousins, all boys, ranging in ages from 11 months to 5 years old, needed Valentine's from the little guy. I'm not exactly sure where I saw the idea for the older boy's mailbox filler, but I am pretty sure it was probably the girls over at eighteen25.

Rather than fill the mailboxes, which, by the way were a steal at $1 a piece in Target's dollar bins, with candy and sweets, I chose age appropriate matchbox cars for the older two, and a pair of red socks and a cardboard baby book for the youngest.

I made tags for the matchbox cars that read " Valentine, I wheelie like you" and the socks that read " Valentines would stink without you" on my silhouette SD machine. I like to use my sihouette for my print projects as well as my diecut projects, because of the handy gridlines, and sizing rulers that the program has to offer.

The matchbox car package was a bit too big for the mailbox, so I cut down the packaging to fit.

And the socks...

All packaged up and ready to give to his cousins on Valentine's Day!

1 month old

Where did the 1st month go?

Just this week he grew out of his first pair of pajamas...had his first babysitter (thank you sis!), and decided he is so over his papasan chair that has been my saving grace around the house, since it can be moved room to room with me. He wants nothing to do with it, cause you know--papasan chairs are for babies, mom!

He traded up to  a swing that his cousins are loaning him--they sure have spoiled him with clothes, baby items and the like. Sal has the hook ups to all things cool for kids. I am very gracious for all of the items we've been able to borrow.

I don't want to blink, cause I'm pretty sure when I open my eyes again he'll be a teenager.

Can we slow down time, starting now?

**p.s. if you're lovin' the blanket, check out the Coral Tree shop on etsy for many more adorable baby items. 90%of Sal's blankets, burp cloths and even my diaper bag are all Coral Tree items.

Dancing the night away

Had I written this post 12 years ago, it'd be all about nights out with my friends, that usually ended up with a shoeless walk home following an evening of one too many cocktails and dancing our a$$es off to the likes of Britney, JaRule & our theme song by default, "One More Time".

A night out dancin' with the girls

Oh, those were the days.

But, my dancing skills have made an unexpected comeback.

And just as 12 years ago, I am back to dancing into the wee hours of the morning --but there is a stark contrast between dancing then and dancing now.

Let me compare....

•  instead of high heels and short skirts, I'm sporting nursing tanks and pj pants.

• instead of make-up and curled hair, I am rocking teeth that I may or may not have forgotten to brush before bed & hair that's been in the same ponytail since yesterday.

•  instead of friends "calling the dinosaurs" after one too many drinks, I've got a milk drunk 3 week old who's spitting up on me. Sorta the same thing, right?

The Davis Graduate...Good times!

• instead of a jam packed dance floor at the Grad or Cantina,my dance floor at home has endless space to bust a move without booty bopping someone off the table. ( Yes, we used to dance on tables..Gawd I miss Friday nights at the Grad)

• instead of Britney, Xtina, Destiny's child and O-P-P yeah you know me! I'm now slow jam dancing to Pandora Radio's lullaby station..which means more Jack Johnson songs than anyone can handle.

But, one thing remains the same...

Just as I have stellar memories of nights spent dancing the night away with friends, I am sure that years from now, when Sal is grown up and a man in his own right, I will look back to these late night dance fussy-baby-to-sleep sessions with a smile on my face--wishing I could have another dance with him.

Mr. Valentine

My sister in law pinned a cute "Dapper Valentine" onesie over on pinterest a few weeks back, and I had every intention of re-creating it for Sal to wear on Valentines day along with his drivers cap that cousin Tritia and baby Wilson sent our way..

 Janieandjack.com

But of course,  the inability to get out of the house before noon time got the best of me, and I was forced to use what fabric I had on hand rather than peruse Joann's for some manly fabric to re-create the pinterest onesie.

As seen on pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Charlee on Pinterest

Here's what I came up with. I found some red fabric with Valentine sentiments written on it in my fabric stash. I also pulled out a white newborn onesie that I just happened to have, and drew up a quick men's necktie template.

I'm looking forward to my little valentine wearing this next week. I have some houndstooth pants that I think will go with his necktie onesie and drives cap just perfectly!

Lofthouse bars..a cheater's version

It's a mystery to me how I was able to avoid baking my entire pregnancy, when cravings should have included all things sugary and sweet? I mean, isn't that how they portray it in the movies? The pregnant woman devours a tub of icecream and homebaked chocolate chip cookies in a sitting, just because she can?

What happened to me then?

Unless it was lemony or icy, I had no interest, whatsoever.

..and because of this crazy phenomenon that took over my usual sweet tooth, I did not do my usual baking for the past 9 months.

Now that Sal and I have somewhat established his daytime routine ( watch me jinx myself and have a fussy baby all afternoon now--just for claiming we have a "routine" down) I have some freedom within the confines of our house, I am back to scouring pinterest for sweet treat ideas.

I found a recipe for lofthouse style cookies that looked divine. A soft chewy sugar cookie topped with buttercream frosting and happy little sprinkles.

How could I resist?

But of course, the recipe called for flour--that of which I didn't have enough of --believe it or not...However the chances of Sal and me getting out of the house for a quick trip to the store was highly unlikely. There is no such thing as a quick trip to the market anymore. In fact, I have yet to venture to the market with baby in tow..those trips happen in the evenings once my ol man is home.

So, what's a girl to do when there's not enough flour?

Improvise.

I used a box of Funfetti cake mix that we had sitting in the pantry, along with 2 eggs and 1/3 cup oil to make cookie dough.

..and then Sal woke up...

So, instead of making cute cut out cookie rounds, I improvised again, and spread the sticky dough out onto a jelly roll pan, about 1/4 inch thick.

Baked it at 375 for 20 minutes.

And out came a beautifully golden rectangle of cookie.

Once the cookie cooled, I made C&H sugar's buttercream frosting from the recipe on the back of their powdered sugar box. A half recipe produced plenty of frosting for my lofthouse cookie bars.

I tinted it pink, spread it on thickly, and sprinkled happy little jimmies all over.

Once the frosting set ( about an hour later), I cut them into bars.

..and I must admit...I ate enough lofthouse bars to make up for my lack-of-sweet-tooth while pregnant.

They were totally worth the sugar coma that followed.

Take me out to the ballgame...

Sal sporting his new hat from the Flame family

Is it baseball season yet??

The boy has no choice..he's been born into a Dodger lovin' family.

Nothing like getting started early.