Avery spiked a fever last night so we've been hanging around the house even though it was a gorgeous 80 degrees outside! I can't say that I've been too productive so far today myself. I did want to share this adorable pennant tee.

Most Awesome Gift

"All the time a person is a child he is both a child and learning to be a parent. After he becomes a parent he becomes predominantly a parent reliving childhood." -Benjamin Spock 

We were gifted with another one of those random, incredibly mild days we've been having this winter. We headed to the park in jeans and t-shirts to de-stress and shed some winter blues. And to pimp my new bangs! 

This was one of those days when we remembered to slow down, let kids be kids, and let ourselves enjoy them. Those are the best days of my life. Hands down.

Being a mom, it's so easy to get caught up in the wheel of routine. Sometimes it's good to hop off and truly appreciate what you have.

Because kids are an awesome gift. Period. 

Remember to let them be little. 

Here's hoping Spring comes early this year! I'm ready for ice cream cones every day, flip-flops, tank tops and swimming pools! 

Friday Faves

Digging the funky pattern on this easy dresser restyle! Check it out over at Better After. 

I had a dream last night that I made a quilt. Yes, I am even a nerd in my sleep! This looks like a cute project for a beginner over. See how to make it at Originate and Renovate. 

Gorgeous botanical prints! I have plans to have a bunch of these printed and framed. Find many more at http://www.botanicus.org/.

Fun activity, especially for boys at Come Together Kids. 

I hope everyone has a wondful Christmas!

Monster Cupcakes!!

I must admit that I am pretty smitten with these guys! Given my terrible track record with ornate baked goods, I was shocked that they turned out as well as they did. 

The body is a normal cupcake with a mini cupcake on top to add height. The icing effect was made by cutting the very tip off of a Ziploc baggy and randomly stringing the icing back and forth. 

The eyes are so fun! They are just Dum Dums stuck through peach rings with M&M pupils. 

Most importantly, they were a huge hit with my FIVE year old and his class!

Original tutorial can be found here.

Creamy Tortellini Soup

I make it a point to try at least one new recipe a week. Creamy Tortellini Soup is hearty and comes together quickly on a weeknight. This could easily be modified for the slow cooker. Just throw in all of the ingredients except the tortellini and spinach and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Add in the tortellini and spinach about 15 minutes before serving. 


Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 Jar Ragu Garlic Parmesan Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 2 Cubes chicken bullion 
• 2 Cups Cheese Tortellini 
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
• Ground black pepper 

Saute onions and mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add water, Ragu, milk and bullion cubes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add basil, salt, oregano, pepper and tortellini. Cook another 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook another 5 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through. 

Recipe slightly adapted from BHG.

Friday Faves

Just a few of my favorites from around the interwebz!

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I could scrub toilets in these and still feel fabulous!

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Halloween Pre-K Pack. Sawyer will LOVE this!

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I will be attempting these babies for Sawyer's class birthday party next week. Aren't they totally cute and scrumptious looking?

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Loving this Mod Podge kid's table over Maple and Magnolia!

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Strawberry Shortcake Sushi! This would be so cute at a party! 

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Mittens from an old felted sweater!

Happy Friday!

It's Fall Ya'll

Yep, it's that time of year again. Time for falling leaves, cinnamon, pumpkins, halloween and all that good stuff! Fall's right of passage for us is an afternoon at the pumpkin patch. Luckily, we have a few good ones around here to choose from. We ate a big lunch and hopped in the car for a 30 minute drive south to Chesterfield Berry Farm. Even though we never make it out of any place without a meltdown of some sort, we did pretty good this time! Our camera ate most of our pics though (boo) so here's just a small sampling of our activities:

The hay ride is always a hit. 

No amount of screaming, clapping or funny faces with coax Sawyer to look at the camera. He actually says, "I am looking!" Sure, buddy. 

Just a lost soul waitin' on the train.

Train ride, corn maze, haunted house, pig races--lots of fun to be had. Ok, the haunted house was a trail  featuring every halloween decoration ever sold at Target and 90% were busted. However, Avery was still terrified! She's wimpy just like her mama! 

The Super Wimps!