Dino Party - Volcano Cupcake

The last few days I've been sharing the details of my son's dino party.  If you've missed any of those posts, check out the cookie favors here and the party menu here.

Today, I'll be showing you what I came up with in a moment of desperation for the cupcakes.  You know you can't have a child's birthday party without cupcakes!

My first thought was just to make regular cupcakes and pop a little plastic dino on top, but I knew I could do better.  Hmmm...  It was actual Little who gave me the idea.  "Volcanos Mommy!"  Why son, I think you're on to something.

I found a recipe for lava cakes filled with melty chocolate, however, this is not what I needed with a bunch fo preschoolers!  I just made chocolate cake and bakes it in a mini bundt pan.  The little bundt cakes resembled volcanos enough...

                                  

The tricky part was getting the lava.  The lava cake recipe provided a recipe for a glaze, which I tinted with orange food coloring.  However, when I tried it out, it was not nearly opaque enough to look like anything.  This mistake worked out though, because the glaze sunk into the cake and made them extra moist and flavorful.

* Disclaimer: I absolutely HATE the word "moist", however, since it is in written form here, I'm writing it and moving on.

I wound up adding some powdered sugar, a bit of corn syrup and a little more orange coloring.  The result, a volcano cupcake fit for an almost 4 year-old.

I stuck the dinosaur toppers from the Meri Meri dino cupcake kit on top and we were in business.  The kids loved them and the parents thought they were delicious!

We made a little family version too!

I'll try and tell you my icing recipe below.  You may have to play with it a bit.  (I doubled this)

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/8 cup of milk in a sauce pan.  Let it come to a boil and then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of white chocolate chips till melted.  Pour over cakes.

This is the part that sank into the cake, but it worked out and made them delicious!  Save some icing back and then do this...

Add in about 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon of corn syrup.  I also added orange food coloring.  Stir together and drizzle over cakes.  Sprinkle red sprinkles on top.

I hope this works out for you if you try it.  Remember, I was in desperation mode!  If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.  You can't really mess it up.  It will taste delicious!

Have a great weekend friends!  Next week I have a few more party things to share, as well as my Easter mantle and tablescape.  It will be here before you know it!

XO,

  Sara

Going Primal

No, I'm not wearing a leopard skin and carrying a club, but I do look good in animal prints... ;)


                                 

My family and I have been eating Paleo for a little while now and I thought I'd share some of our progress.  If you are unfamiliar with what Paleo is all about, go here and then come back over!

One of my good friends has been eating this way for awhile and you just can't argue with the results.  She looks fabulous and feels even better.  The essence is to rid your diet of all processed food, grains, legumes, and dairy.  What's left?!?

Believe me.  I was skeptical at first too.  But, then I discovered there is SO much to eat, and more importantly, these things are way better for you.

Now, I don't like to get crazy about vitamins and minerals, and fish oil and all that hoopla.  I do like to eat real food, prepared in a fresh and healthy way.  I like to not feel tired and craving a sugar boost every 3 hours.  I like to wake up rested and ready for my day.  I like knowing I'm filling my son with the proper fuel for his day.

We eat eggs, and lots of them!  Meat, LOTS of vegetables (roasted, toasted, steamed, sauteed, pureed), fruit, and nuts.  It may not seem like a lot, but I've found our meals so satisfying and filling.  More filling than any cream of casserole or pasta dish I've ever made.  And the satisfied feeling lasts much longer.  No running to the pantry for a handful of crackers to make it through the laundry (you know you've done it).

                  

When we first ventured down this road last summer, I found it completely overwhelming to come up with meals.  I struggled along for several weeks, but eventually converted back to my oatmeal and wheat toast ways.  The holidays were especially rough.  Who doesn't want to make cookies with their kids?!

Then, I just decided enough was enough.  I remembered how good I felt when I followed the plan and jumped back on the wagon, full force, both feet first!  But this time, I've equipped myself with some tools to help me succeed.

                              

I mentioned in yesterday's post about Emeals.  I can't say enough good things about them.  You sign up for a  plan (in our case, the Paleo plan) and every week a new 7-day dinner plan is emailed to you, complete with a shopping list.  Better still, there are tons of coupon codes out there, so I got a whole year's worth of meal plans for $3 a month.  $3!  What?  That to me, is money well spent!

I also added a few new cookbooks to my collection and they have been awesome!

The first is Practical Paleo.  This book is absoluty essential to anyone who wants to know more and then, start the Paleo lifestyle.  I will warn you, there are a lot of pages about all the things that wheat, gluten, etc do to your body.  I get that lots of people will really want to delve into that.  Like I said, I just like the way I feel.  I don't necessarily need to know about all the organs in my body.



Diane gives you great ideas for how to transition and some awesome recipes as well, complete with 30 day meal plans.

This one has great kiddie friendly ideas, as well as some fun staples, like sauces.

  

I was thrilled when I saw this title!  Everything we've tried so far has been delish.  Fried okra?! Mashed cauliflower that tastes better than tatters?!  Sign me up!

     

My new fav is Paleo Indulgences.  This book is what made me feel like I can do this.  What?  I can still make cupcakes for my son's birthday?  We can still have pancakes on Sunday nights?  Yay!


      

The key is to treat these as indulgences.  Because that's what these types of food should be.  Paleo or not.  Our world has become a world of indulgences all the time, any time and it's time to get back to basics.  Believe me.  Peanut M&M's and I have been besties for a long time and we've had a rough break-up...

Anyway.  I know no one probably cares what my family eats, but if I can help one other person see that Paleo is not crazy than hooray!  I definitely thought my Paleo friend was nutso when she told me about the program (love you girl!).  But then I tried it.

We're still figuring it out.  We haven't braved a restaurant since we've gone "all in" yet, or been guests at someone else's house, or entertained, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  Baby steps.

Don't worry.  This is not becoming a food blog.  Or a Paleo fan club.  However, this blog is about my life, my nest, and this has become a new part of how we live around here.  And I'm excited to share it with all of you!

Now I'm gonna go bake those blueberry muffins on the cover there because they are making my tummy growl!

XO,
  Sara

Hello Again!

Hi friends!  I apologize for my absence.  I've had a whale of a time trying to upload pictures into Blogger...

At long last, a few pics of some Valentine cookies we made to celebrate.  

Heart and lip cookies are a must in our house.  My mom always made these for my class parties, so I have to make them with Little.  They were delish!

Here's one happy customer!

He had a blast shaking on the sprinkles.

Well, these were a tad belated, hopefully you'll forgive me!  I was able to get these pictures on when I loaded them one at a time...

Hopefully I'll have many more posts to share with you this week.  I've got a new bag I'm dying to show you and a few DIY we've been working on.

Happy Monday!

XO,
  Sara

V-Day Fun!

Hi-ho!  I'm popping in to share, or I guess re-share, some V-day things we've done over here in the past.  I always like to see what I did last year when planning out what to do this year.

Here's a quick look back with links to the crafts:

I started by making this cute felt heart wreath (it will be making another appearance in my mantle reveal tomorrow!).




I made a few "Milkglass" pieces to adorn my mantle too.





Little and I made these little treats for his friends.  We'll be doing this again for his class V-day party.  Delish!







I also made some vintage valentines to dress up the kitchen and mantle.  These came out again this year too!






I re-used the vintage cards and the heart wreath, but I did a few different things this year to dress up the mantle.  Tomorrow I'll show you what I came up with.  There's a new DIY that I am LOVING!  Get your printer and extra burlap handy!

XO,
  Sara

Healthy Eats - Step 1 to a Better Me!

Ah, the New Year.  Nothing fills up the gym and makes a run on spinach at the grocery like a brand new year.

I'm usually a pretty healthy eater and I'm sort of a gym rat as well.  However, this year I've made some lofty goals for myself, which stem around streamlining my diet even more and getting out of my comfort zone at the gym.

I've always been the kind of person who can pretty much eat what I like (within reason) with no repercussions.  Well, ever since Little Man took his toll, this is not the case.  Don't get me wrong.  I lost more than 50 pounds after I had him, but things just settled a little differently than before.   And I don't want to wait until I "have time" when Little is in school full-time.

I'm hoping that making this a blog post will help hold me accountable when the holiday M & M's start talking.  Does that happen to anyone else? They're just so cute in Easter colors!

I've started the new year with a goal to not follow a specific diet, but just to make wise choice on a daily basis, with an occasional splurge.

If you're like me, you love hearing what healthy choices others make.  It gives me inspiration to keep going and some new food ideas. Here's what I've been doing for my daily eats:

• Breakfast - 1/2 cup steel cut oatmeal, pinch of brown sugar, teaspoon of real maple syrup, 1/8 cup slivered almonds; 4 oz of oj (I have to have this in the morning, it's like my coffee!)

                               

• Mid- Morning Snack - this is generally a Clif Mojo Protein Bar after the gym (have you ever tried one of these?  They are delish!  Perfect combo of salty with a bit of sweet)

                                   

• Lunch - Mixed greens with Craisins, mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, and tuna or grilled chicken with lite raspberry vinaigrette   Sometimes, I have half a sandwich thin with a little peanut butter, especially on days I have 2 tennis practices!

                            

• Early Afternoon Snack - light mozzarella cheesestick, a few Wheat Thins, coffee

                               

• Late Afternoon Snack - cut veggies and hummus (my little guy has to have a snack before I make dinner, so I have a few veggies with him) 

                       

• Dinner - I love to cook, so I just make whatever I've planned for the boys and make sure to take a reasonable portion and lots of salad and veggies.
• After Dinner - this is usually where I undo all my good work!  My Mister is tall as can be and built very lean.  He can eat whatever he wants and it drives me nutty! He has a bowl of cereal every night and it's hard not to join in.  To fight this peer pressure, I cut up an apple and eat it with a tablespoon of peanut butter.

What do you eat?  I'd love some ideas and suggestions because I know I'll get tired of this soon!  Is anyone else on a mission to tighten up and lean out a little bit before shorts season?

Look at me.  Book reviews, a DIY project, and diet tips all within a week.  What is happening over here!? This blog really is a true glimpse into my life these days!

Tomorrow, I've got my cute little gold coffee mugs to share.  I'm beyond excited about how they turned out. They are cooling in the oven as we speak...

Till next time!

XO,
  Sara

Some Pinterest Projects

Hi lovelies!  It has been downright nasty weather around here.  Enough to make me want to paint my kitchen again!  Just kidding.  Kind of.

What else can you do on a rainy day except peruse Pinterest and bake cookies?  Little and I also played a mean game of Cootie.  That game has really progressed since my day.  My little lady had a top hat on!  I digress.

Here are a few things I'm putting on my to do list, stat.  Maybe you'll want to join me and we can all share our creations??  Hopefully some of these will spark something in you too...

I feel like I've fallen into the black sweater and leggings rut this winter.  I headed over to the P to try and get out and boy did I find some fun alternatives!

via

Can I just have her hair?!  Seriously beautiful. Not exactly playground appropriate, but fun for a lunch date...

via

I love this look.  Still a sweater and leggings, but why not different colors?  So doing this.

Via

Love the plaid!  You know we all have skinnies and a cable knit already.  Just pop a plaid underneath...

Via

Love the colors here.  This is another one I'll be trying post haste!

After your deliciously dressed, throw on a cute apron and whip up some of these finds...

via

How yummy do these look?  I'm thinking of making a bunch and freezing for quick meals.  Meatball Monday?

via

Now, this is a grainy pic, but all this rain has me wanting to curl up to a big bowl of beef stew.  How yummy.  And how yummy your house will smell.  Thanks Paula Deen!

Via

Nothing makes me want a warm, home baked dessert more than winter.  These look divine.  And I bet they smell divine too.

Via

Stop. It.  I can't.  This is just too good looking.  This will be made this weekend.  I have a brand new container of vanilla Blue Bell...jealous? ;)

Now that my belly is nice and full, how about some crafties?

Via

I actually got all the supplies to do this.  Coming soon!  Cannot wait to have my own little gold mug.  Mine may sport something a little different than polka dots...

Via

I'm also planning a mini playroom face lift and these printables may make an appearance...

And after I craft it up, I'll dream of creating a few spaces like these...

Via

Via

Via

Ahhhh.  Don't you just feel more relaxed after looking at all these beautiful things?  I feel ready to finish off some of my to-do list so I can share my afters with you!

I've got a lot of fun things coming up.  Get excited!  We've been making some serious progress around this casa.  Just waiting for a sunny day to snap some photos.  The forecast doesn't leave me hopeful...

Until next time, friends!

XO,
  Sara

Slow-Cooker hot Cocoa

Alas, the holidays are over and we are back to school and routine again.  Although bittersweet, I'm ready to get back to some sort of normal!

On Christmas Eve we hosted a family gathering and ended the meal with a hot chocolate bar.  I found the recipe on All Recipes and was so happy with how it turned out, I had to share it with you!

Christmas may be over, but we are right in the midst of hot cocoa season!

 Combine 4 cups of 1/2 & 1/2,
4 cups of milk and 2 pieces of cinnamon
stick and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and stir in a 12 oz package of bittersweet chocolate chips.  Whisk until smooth.  Stir in 1 Tablespoon of vanilla.

Now, you can't have hot chocolate without marshmallows.  In addition to a little bowl of mini marshmallows, I made a marshmallow whipped cream that was SOOOOO good!  I will admit to putting it on my coffee the next day...

To make the whipped cream, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream till stiff points form.  Blend in 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla.  Fold in 1-2 cups of mini marshmallows and refrigerate for a few hours.  This is when the magic happens!  The marshmallows will expand and make this light and fluffy deliciousness.  I repeat, SOOOO good!

To go along with our hot cocoa, I made some peppermint stir sticks (you can find a number of tutorials on these on Pinterest) and put out a variety of Christmas treats.  We had your usual sugar cookies, cheesecake, and some delicious chocolate dipped pretzels sticks my mother-in-law made.

To tell you the truth though, the hot cocoa was so satisfying to my sweet tooth I didn't have any other desserts until the next day!

So, do you have any occasion for a fun hot chocolate bar coming up?  Do you need an occasion!?  Celebrate the kids going back to school and surprise them when they get home this afternoon.  You'll win some major parent points...

XO,
  Sara

Happy Birthday Bloggy!

Well, this little blog of mine will turn 1 on Wednesday...technically.  However, I didn't really put much into my blogging until about September, so...

I've always loved to write and have attempted many different ways to outlet this love.  This home blog stuck.  It was slow to get started, but now it is truly a part of my everyday.  I personally gain so much from reading blogs that I feel the need to pay it forward and contribute in some way.  If just one person gains inspiration from what I share, yay! :)

Since the end of a year is a time of looking back, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite (and your favorite too!) posts.

Last January I shared a cute DIY Valentine Wreath.



Then, in February, I showed you my V-day mantle and my DIY milk glass jars.




In the Spring I shared how to make a festive birthday wreath out of dollar store materials...



...and how we helped little man turn the big 3 with a Mickey party.




I made over a Goodwill lamp in April,




and shared Little's playroom over the summer.




Things really picked up in the fall when we welcomed fall,




  monogrammed a wall,





Set a Fall table,



Decked out the mantle,



painted some pumpkins (here and here),

        


made a mossy masterpiece,




showed you how to make and use my Home Binder (this was one of the most popular posts all year),




and baked some out of this world treats (here and here).


   


I shared my holiday home with you recently,



as well as some ideas for quick gifts (for any time of year!) here, here, and here.

   




We've also had some fun playing with different looks...


     



       




              

I sure like the sorority girl pose, don't I?  I have to say though, I think my Fashion Fun pics have gotten much better.  I'm learning!

This has been such a fun "year" of blogging for me.  In the past few months that I've really been giving Nest some love, I've met some great people, learned a lot about photography, and really learned a lot about who I am as a mom, wife, baker, decorator, person.  They say reflection is the best tool for personal growth...

To those of you who faithfully come read my random tidbits, I thank you.  Whether it's with sweet comments or silent cheerleading, your support has given me more than you know.  I started 2012 in kind of a rocky place, but I can confidently say that 2013 is my year!

Get ready, we're going to have a lot of fun!!  Happy New Year!

XO,

 Sara