Pastel Bunny Buffet

Last year, I pulled together a fun little Bunny Buffet for T and her cousins.  It really was overkill for just three kids, but it was a lot of fun to pull together a combination of both sweets and non-food items as treats.

I started with an inspiration board filled with yellow and aqua pastels, and soft florals. (This was before I found out about Pinterest!)

From there, I went nuts with spray paint, paper flowers left over from T's first birthday party, and fun Etsy and Dollar store finds!

Simple twists like candy coated popcorn and crepe paper rosettes added pop to relatively inexpensive treats.

I splurged on extras like these gorgeous cookies and Faberge style eggs from Dainty Delights.

Your typical chocolate bunny in a box even got jazzed up with craft paper and jelly bean garland.  

Admittedly, it was quite a bit of work, but it's still one of my favorite displays, and was quite economical.  I don't have nearly the same amount of energy this year, so things will be a bit simpler. (The bunny wrappers are fun, though...they may have to become a repeat!)  Does your family do anything special for Easter, or do you just stick to a simple basket?

{Etsy Finds} Sweet Easter Treats!

With my insatiable sweet tooth, you know I just had to have a completely separate post on fantastic sweet Easter treats to find on Etsy!  There are tons to find; so here are my favorites:

These adorable duckie cupcake toppers from Sugar Art Bakery are perfect for Easter and so many other occiasions...baby shower anyone?

I'm a sucker for delicate sugarwork; so it's no surprise that these itty bitty Hummingbird sugar view Easter eggs caught my attention! (by Granny’s Holiday Bazaar)

Three words: Cotton Candy Fudge.  That just sounds like kid heaven to me...and isn't Easter all about the kids? (You know, except for all that religious stuff!)  The bright colors of this fudge from Jewel of the Lion are perfect without being too Easter themed.  

How much fun is this cake?  From the picket fence surround, to the carrots poking out of the top, I could see a cake like this being the centerpiece of our Easter celebration.  (from Fun Favors)

It's no surprise to see bunnies and chicks on cookies for Easter, but I really love the "Easter Egg Hunt" theme to this whole cookie set made by Katie Duran.

We're signed up to bring cookies for the "Spring" party at T's school next week, and these are all great inspiration!  While not likely to be as polished as a lot of these treats, I'll definitely be sure to share the final results!

Treats for Some Peeps!

Peeps always draw me in by their colorful cuteness. They're so fun and funky! I especially love how creative people have gotten in packaging and baking with these fun friends! Here are just a few ideas to wet your appetite...

Easter S’mores in Jars by Roots and Wings

Peeps in a Bag by Nothing but Country

Peepshi (Peep Sushi) by Serious Eats

Rice Krispies Peeps by Love from the Oven 

Peeps Sunflower Cake by Taste of Home 

Cupcake Push Pop Peeps by Love From the Oven 

Peep Brownie S’mores by Busy Mommy 

Peeps Cake by Heather Hale Designs 

Bride & Groom Peeps by The Sweetest Baker 

Now I want to know...do you have a favorite Peep treat?

{Etsy Finds} Easter Fun

First, I want to say thanks to everyone for the sweet comments about our cat.  Even though the Husband and I still catch ourselves looking for her every now and then, it thankfully seems like the little one hasn't really noticed.

Beyond that though, life goes on and it's time for happier subjects!  Seriously, I can't believe that Easter is in less than two weeks!  While I've been collecting plenty of ideas over at my Pinterest board; I've completely neglected sharing here.  That's stopping today, because the next two weeks are going to be chock-full of Easter ideas and inspiration.  Let's start with some last minute Etsy shopping!

Check out these giant personalized Easter eggs from Cute and Jazzy Designs

This trio of felted Easter chicks is so adorable!  Find them at Bossys Felt Works.

I just know that T would adore a flowered Easter hat like this one from Pretty Baby Bowtique

Even if it ends up just being the three of us, I'd love to decorate the yard for an Easter egg hunt. (from Back Road Productions)

I may just have saved for the most adorable for last. I'm completely flipping over crocheted cupcake toppers! (Side note: I also love the way that Cherry Time styled them as toppers for stacks of meringue cookies!)

Saying Goodbye

Today we're saying goodbye to our little furball, Pumpkin.  My family has had pets since I was a teen; but this was the Husband's first pet ever.

She was the first pet that was my very own.  I adopted her as an older cat after moving into a small studio apartment almost 9 years ago.

She used to sit at the front door, waiting for the Husband to visit.

She never cared for T-more scared out her wits than anything else.  But she always loved me and the Husband.  She was our first little girl.  Our first Daddy's girl.  Our first furbaby.  I'm going to miss her greatly.

Bye bye my sweet kitty.  You will always be in our hearts

Wedding Traditions...Mexican Style!

No matter how many weddings I go to, there is always something unique and new to me.  The best part about the wedding we went to the other weekend, was that it incorporated Mexican traditions into the ceremony and reception.

image via OneWed

The most notable cultural element was the incorporation of the lasso.  In this tradition, a figure-eight white rope is wrapped around the the bride and groom's shoulders and symbolizes the couple's unity.

image via Keeping Up with Carol

The Dr. and his new wife also incorporated the traditional exchange of thirteen gold coins (or arras).  In this tradition, the groom gives blessed coins to his bride as a symbol of his trust and promise to support her and their family.

While not necessarily a tradition just for weddings, Mariachi bands are a a definite Mexican tradition.  The Dr. and his bride had a a fantastic mariachi group playing at their reception.  All the kids (T included) were in hog heaven watching all the fiddling and music.

If you're married, or getting married, did you make plans to incorporate any traditions into your ceremony and reception?

Traveling out West

Earlier this month, the Husband, T and I were lucky enough to watch one of the Husband's oldest friends ("the Dr.") get married in El Paso, Texas.  The Husband and the Dr. have known each other since they were six years old.  They explored the woods together, and stayed great friends through childhood moves, different schools and living states apart as adults.

Because we were visiting for a wedding, we didn't get to do too much touring, but we did go see a few fun and interesting sites:

image via Wikipedia

Friday we spent the afternoon visiting Mission Ysleta; which is one of the oldest continuously operating missions.  I'm a total religion nerd, so visiting this tiny little church was fascinating to me.  One fun little tidbit we learned is that due to the Rio Grande changing course, the church on this site has been on both the Mexican and American sides of the border.  (Find out more, here)

View from Scenic Drive Park in El Paso, Texas

Saturday was the day of the wedding (more on that tomorrow), so there wasn't much time to do sightseeing.  There was a bit of time between the wedding and reception, so we let the little one sleep for a while and took a drive up Scenic Drive Park, which was gorgeous.

Sunday we were supposed to head back to Maryland.  However, the El Paso airport is small.  Almost all of their flights go through Houston, which had serious delays due to storms in area.  In the end, that meant that there was no way we were going to be able to get out of El Paso before Monday afternoon. (Seriously, we looked into every possible alternative.  That town is a good 12 hour drive from practically anything!)

The good news about this meant that we got to take T to a local park for some serious outdoor play, and her first run on a regular swing.  I have to admit to being seriously proud of the fact that our 2.5 year old was able to stay on an adult sized swing without any problems!

image via http://www.cattlemanssteakhouse.com/

Afterward, we went to Cattleman's Steakhouse for dinner.  That place is seriously amazing.  I wish we'd just gone straight there, because it's located on a functioning ranch, with all sorts of activities that would have been fantastic for little ones like T.  We did get to see wild coyotes and a beautiful spotted horse in front of the restaurant.  (Don't worry, it turns out the restaurant puts out scraps to keep the coyotes satisfied so they don't bother the animals on the ranch)

Now you know where I disappeared to the other week!  It was truly a whirlwind, and I wish I'd gotten the chance to provide more updates while we were there!

{Mama Monday} Beginning the Toddler Room Transition

With only 3.5 months (give or take a couple weeks) until baby #2 arrives, we're just getting the ball rolling on moving T out of the nursery and into her "big girl room".  Since there's no getting the nursery ready until T's out of it, I'm starting to feel more than a bit of stress about the situation.

Before we moved in

When we redecorated, we painted the ceiling and upper walls white, and painted the lower portion grey.  At first, I was disappointed because the grey I chose ended up having a purple cast to it (wish I had a picture!).  Instead of repainting, we worked with it; which turns out to have been a good idea, because it means we didn't have to do any repainting for this transformation!

Notice the princess vanity in the corner.  I bought that for my niece about five years ago...it was a huge hit then, and is a huge hit now too!

Exploring the new bed and drawers.

This weekend we went to Ikea and let T 'pick out' her new big girl bed. (Which really means that I showed her the bed I wanted to get and said isn't this great?! She agreed, and I took that as acceptance.)  Of course, the life-size room displays were a huge hit, as well as all the toys out for the kids to play with.

We ended up going with the Minnen extendable bed.  It's pretty clever how the designers created a bed that can start off small for a toddler and extend up to a full twin.  Of course T insisted on things that were 'Pink...Pink! Pink! Pink!" including pink wall lamps and drawers with pink fronts.

T even took the bed for a quick jump around!

Now that the ball is rolling in this area, I'm knee deep in projects to decorate and organize the tons of STUFF we've collected for her in the last 2.5 years.  I'll be providing updates to the projects and decor we pull together to create a space perfect for a rambunctious toddler!

St. Patrick's Day Sweet Treats

 I love to see all the creativity that's put into food and desserts these days.  St. Patrick's Day is no different. From Leprechauns to shamrocks and rainbows, there are treats out there to please any palette!

These rainbow cupcakes from Our Best Bites are simply adorable.  I love how the cake itself is the feature, with just a simple little dollop of frosting on top!

Check out the detail on this pot-o-gold cookie!  Not just the rainbow itself, but those tiny gold pieces are incredible.  I especially like the change from a typical sugar cookie to a chocolate-based cookie.  Yum! (via Sweetopia)

Okay, these guys are just too cute to be mischievous!  I think I especially like the one winking at me! (from Katie Duran on Etsy)

I'm always looking for quick and simple ideas that also pack a huge impact.  These treat bags fit the bill with a simple combination of Rolos and Rainbow Twizzlers.  (thank you Our Best Bites for another fun idea!)

There are so many more ideas out there, and I wish I had more time to share them all.  Hopefully you  found something new and fun for your celebration this weekend!

{Roundup} St. Patrick's Day Printables

This post was actually supposed to be up last Thursday...instead, the husband and I had to spend Tuesday and Wednesday nights getting ready for a family trip to El Paso where we were lucky enough to see the Husband's oldest friend get married to a sweet and vivacious woman.  (of course, no trip comes without drama; so you can expect more to come on that trip later!)

In the meantime, have you been getting ready for St. Patty's Day?  There's no way Check out this year's free printables to help you get started with your holiday celebrations!  (Don't forget last year's printables, too!)

Sweet Anne Designs		Mom on Time Out		I Should Be Mopping the Floor
Lizard & Ladybug		Can’t Stop Making Things		The Brown Eyes Have It
Sweet C’s Design		Visual Eye Candy		The Latest Find
Moments with  the Montanos		Coordinately Yours		Iridescent Design  via Queen B and Me
Homespun with Love		Polkadots on Parade		Makoodle
A Step in the Journey		The Cottage Market		Yesterday on Tuesday
Crafty Kayla		Sweet Pop Studio		Maiden D’Shade
Positively Splendid		Eye Candy Event Details		Diddles & Dumplings
Eighteen25		HWTM		Party NV
Catch My Party		Love Party Printables  via Catch My Party		P.S.M.I.Y.O
Plain & Fancy Living