Noah’s 1st Birthday!

I cannot believe my baby is one! This has been the most rewarding, special, exhausting, amazing, sleepless and blissful year of my life. Becoming a mom is the best thing I’ve ever done and Noah is my greatest joy! I look at him everyday and wonder why I am so lucky. God blessed me with a happy, beautiful blue-eyed boy and I will be forever in awe. I am still a bit in shock that it’s already his 1st birthday. This first year went by so fast and I get a little teary eyed thinking about my baby not being my “baby” anymore. He is such a wild and curious little man and he has to know everything that’s going on. He keeps me on my toes and is always up for a good chase.

Noah absolutely loves Elmo so we decided that was a must for the party theme. I hit up Party City for much of the decor and got the cute streamer idea for the dessert table at Annie’s Eats.

His amazing cake is from The Cake Specialist and it was absolutely delicious. This is our go to bakery (even though we no longer live in Nebraska – my parents always come up for special occasions so they bring it up for us). I considered making his cake myself but I really wanted a tiered cake which I have never attempted and I didn’t want my first try to be for such an important event. And I was trying not to go overboard (wasn’t successful there) so I would stress out (lost on this one too).

The bakery made a special smash cake just for Noah. We thought he would totally destroy it but he ended up digging in then looking at his hands in disgust, opening and closing them because of the frosting. He tried a little bit but was just too disturbed about the frosting all over his hands.  

He did enjoy the cake when it was fed to him though. He demolished the Elmo cookies I made at a surprising rate. I was pretty proud of how they turned out, especially since it was only my second time decorating sugar cookies. They took FOREVER so I’m glad that he enjoyed them so much!

The menu consisted of burgers, brats, pasta salad, potato salad, layered salad, fruit and veggie trays with yummy dips, baked beans, mac-n-cheese, Elmo sugar cookies, cake and ice cream. I will be sharing the recipes very soon with you all.

The party was just perfect and was everything I wanted for our little man. Thanks to our family and friends for helping make this such a great and cherished day for us! We created some priceless memories that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Happy Birthday my love, you are amazing and I love you with all my heart!

Linked to Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays!

DIY Chalkboard Herb Pots

I know this is not my usual post but I figured since it’s food related and really fun that I would share it with you all. I don’t have a green thumb. I forget about my plants and they die a dry, crunchy death. After watching too many food documentaries (Food Inc., Ingredients…) I decided it was time to give growing some of my food ingredients on my own (and try harder to buy local). Because of said lack of green thumb I decided to start out small with fresh herbs.

Living in Minnesota means unbearable winter temperatures and I wasn’t sure if they would survive so I decided to plant them in pots so that I could bring them in for the winter (if they are still living that is). Chalkboard paint has been all the rage lately and I thought it was the perfect solution for decorating my pots. And if I killed something, I could simply erase what had previously taken up space there, plant something new and write the new item on the pot. I’ve had the herbs for several weeks now and they are doing great. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I can’t wait to feature some recipes using my own fresh herbs! I chose to grow oregano, thyme, mint, rosemary, parsley, dill and basil.

First, gather all the needed supplies: terracotta pots and saucers, chalkboard paint, craft paint, paint brushers, painters tape, herbs seeds or seedlings.

Tape off the rims of your terracotta pots. Then paint the bottom half of the pots with your chalkboard paint (I used the type from the can but I think a spray paint version is also sold). Wait at least 30 minutes then apply a second coat. Let dry overnight.

Remove tape then carefully paint rims with a color of your choice. I used cream to keep them simple and classic but you could use bright, funky colors to punch them up. Paint saucers to match the rims.

Plant your herbs or plants and remember to water! Note: my chalkboard paint said to wait a few days before writing on the surface so make sure to read the label.

DIY Cupcake Picks

I was trying to think of a creative way to decorate my tie-dye cupcakes and the crafty side of my brain kicked in and thought “why not DIY cupcake picks?” I love scrapbooking but don’t find much time for it these days. I searched through my scrapbook supplies and came across some fun 4th of July stickers. The finished product will be adorable placed on top of my red, white and blue cupcakes (frosting recipe coming soon).

First, gather all your supplies.  What you need: 4th of July stickers or die-cuts, coordinating scrapbook paper, toothpicks, tape, scissors, pen or pencil, circle template that is a bit larger than your stickers (if you are using circles).

Next, trace your circle (or other shape) and cut it out then stick the sticker in the center. Another option would be to simply place the sticker on paper and cut around it, just leaving the sticker visible. I ended up liking the results of the second option better.

Tape a toothpick to the back of the sticker and you are done. Place on a piped cupcake for a festive, unique cupcake topper! Stay tuned for the frosting recipe and all the pieces of these festive cupcakes put together.