We've got pee-pee in the potty!

We have a partially potty trained little girl! I can't believe in the last month we have made so many big girl changes. Em was able to give up the paci while Shane was home Christmas break. Her last paci day was the 25th and after only one night of crying..that lasted only about 15 minutes..she was all done..oh thank you for that!
Now my Lady is 100% potty trained during the day. It's amazing how quick she catches on to things. She does her business and we do a dump it dance then flush it away. She gets sooo excited! I am such a proud mom! I'm so lucky because I anticipated these milestones were going to be torture, but I couldn't be more wrong.

High 5 to my 2 year old for being so amazing!

Want a DIY ice cream cone party?!

Well you're in luck because I just had one! We planned a small family only party for our little darling.  For two reasons her 1st was so outrageous there was no way I could compete and more importantly I couldn't fathom taking away time I could be spending with my husband since he was home for the weekend. So we invited 18 people and only 14 actually made it. So this was perfect for the amount of space and people.

 I am going to show you a few easy things to help throw your themed party, whether you can't find any decorations or can't afford them.  You really only need a few main decorations... in this case ice cream cones and the rest can be achieved with coordinating colors.

Everything for Emerson's 2nd was done by me..

The only thing that I didn't whip up was the pinata. I bought that at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon(orig 12.99).

So total I spent about $50 for everything...food included..yes! You read that right!

What you see in the picture :

 I chose the colors pink/white/green/blue to coordinate with the ice cream cones. The balloons were blown up by my hubby, tied with string and taped to the ceiling in a circle around our light fixture. Try in the beginning to stick with the color scheme (pink/blue/green/white) and make modifications as you see fit, that way you don't end up with a cluster of the same colored balloons in an area.

Hanging from the fixture are tissue pom poms, and painted wood ice cream cones. I picked up the wood ice cream cones at Hobby lobby for $1.99 in the Valentines section. I already had the paint at home so I just slapped some on there in the matching colors.

To make the pom poms you're going to need some tissue paper and string (I used the same "string" that I hung the balloons with). I wanted smaller pom poms than the huge ones you normally see, so I took 8 sheets (though you could totally get away using 7 maybe even 6 sheets) of  tissue paper alternating between hot pink and light pink.

Start at one end and fold it accordion style like you're making a fan.

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Next cut each end to make it round.

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 This where it depends on if you want a large pom or a smaller one. (If you want a large pom simply skip this next step) Fold your tissue paper in half then cut down the middle so you now have two equal pieces.  Then bend the middle of each piece and tie your string in a knot.

Then start on one end and begin to separate the tissue paper, TIP: to make sure it forms in an even shaped ball try alternating between the top and bottom layers while separating.

 Once that side is complete repeat the process on the other and you have your poof!

 I looked up the easiest video to follow soooo Watch this if you need more help!

 I have twisted pink and white streamers taped above the window and door ways (the streamers were bought at the dollar store.) Each side of the window has an ice cream cone balloon hanging. Made with polka dot helium balloons tape or glue and a brown paper bag.

Hanging on the wall was her banner which was really simple to make. Don't waste $30-$40 on buying one from etsy or ebay, make it yourself for around $6!! 

What you will need : Card stock(sale for $1.99 @ Michaels)/tape or glue/glitter glue($1.99 each)/scissors/*optional glitter paper*(.99 @ Michaels)/tulle or ribbon(or both)

Start by making the ice cream cones. Draw a pattern for each scoop then trace it for each one you will need, that way they all look pretty similar. Cut the cone in the shape of a triangle.

Attach all of the scoops (I suggest a glue stick) then trace the outside with the glitter. Let them dry completely before handling.

            



Voila!

Next, cut out the large triangles( for the pennant look) from the remaining card stock. Print off the letters you need for your banner in the color of your choice (on card stock). Make sure you leave enough space around the letters for a full circle when you go to cut it out. An easy way to make that perfect circle?
                                                 Use clear dish and trace...pretty simple! Cut them out and glue them in place

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I punched holes in each side of the triangles then attached them with the same string as the pom poms and the balloons by knotting them together. I then hung up the banner and added whatever ribbon and tulle scraps I had that kind of matched. That also helped cover the knotted curling ribbon that originally held them together. It's easier to be able to step back and look at it while hanging up too.

The table has her ice cream cone cake and the waffle cone holders with tissue paper "scoops" inside. OK, that gets us started on the food!  

I found some ice cream cone marshmallow lollipops at walmart in the Valentines section for $1 each. I bought 5 mostly for fun edible decoration. I found some lollipops on sale at Michaels (.19 each) and added and ice cream sticker to each to help incorporate the theme. I had the tins already but you can find them at any craft store for about ($1.99). I pushed some floral foam I already had down in the bottom and stuck the lollies in. Then I added some streamers to cover the floral foam.

These doubled as favors to be put in the pinata candy goodie bags(Walmart $1) along with some ice cream bar bubbles I snagged at the dollar store!

Next up is the cake. I used two pans one small circle and one large circle. I baked them according to the package then stuck them in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours before taking them out to cut. I followed the edges with a plastic knife and my fingers so it didn't crumble out of the pan. Once both pieces were out I used the cake in the larger circle pan to cut my triangle, and left the smaller circle as is. I stacked them together to make sure it was a good fit then began to frost the cone. (by the way I cut off a diaper box end and covered it with foil as the cake platter)

 I used regular store bought white whipped butter cream and added cocoa powder to it to get the brownish color needed. I put some graham crackers in a Ziploc then smashed them all to hell. Cut the corner of the bag and added them to the cone and retraced the lines(to give it that "cone" effect) with the frosting..use the same Ziploc bag technique when piping frosting :) TIP: make sure you layer the frosting pretty thick to avoid cake crumbs spreading around. If you get some on the knife, wipe it off before continuing to frost.

After that came the easy part! Buy the frosting that comes in the ready to use container with the different heads included. I used the star head and just covered the whole top in them!

To go with the cake I also made ice cream cone cupcakes! If you buy the cones the instructions are on the box usually. But you make them the same way you would cupcakes. Put the cones in a cupcake pan..TIP: to hold them in place put foil around them in the bottom.  Fill them about halfway and bake.

Once they cool, frost with one of the ready to use containers of frosting or swirl them out yourself with the Ziploc bag!

 They are sooo cute and simple. What a great idea right?!

 

OK, what to serve as food, I chose 2pm as our party time assuming everyone wouldn't be expecting a full meal like last year. SO we decided on veggies and dip...chips and dip..BBQ meatballs...and pinwheels. Everyone loved the food, and kept asking how I made it. Well everything is pretty self explanatory except the pinwheels. I used whole wheat flour tortillas and combined whipped cream cheese with a packet of hidden valley ranch dill dip. Spread on the tortillas, sprinkle with shredded cheese, put a few slices of honey baked ham(lunch meat) and add pickles to a few..roll them up and let them sit(overnight is best) in an air tight container in the fridge. Bring them out before the party and cut into reasonably sized portions.

Lastly make your birthday girl or boy a special shirt! I am usually pretty good at doing my own but I totally cheated and bought iron on's from hobby lobby :)

I hope you were able to get some good ideas! Thanks much for reading :)

Emmy Lou is TWO

Whaaaaat?!

Everyone says they can't believe their kid is another year older...and that's honestly because we really can't! Time just won't slow down, and so I find myself the mother of a two year old. A very energetic, smart, gorgeous, and funny little two year old.
I had her preparing for her big day telling her she was having a party and chanting "party..party..party!" so she was amped when she woke up to a decorated house!
We had a small get together with just immediate family. It was perfect since I also had to split the weekend with spending time with Shane. I am so thankful he was able to be here for her special weekend too.

She loved playing with her cousin Tucker and bopping the pinata with a vacuum extender..you so read that right! (I couldn't figure out the pull a string deal and ended up ripping the whole lot out!) she even blew out her own candle! I couldn't be prouder of the little person she has become.
Happy 2nd birthday my little Pooter pot pie!

Holiday...celebrate!

Christmas was uhh-may-zing!


First off my husband came home for a little over 2 weeks. It felt like we had a normal life for a while. Almost...(ALMOST) made me forget about this rough ride we have been on. Emerson ate up every second of her daddy's attention..nothing makes my heart burst like watching those two together.
We had a quiet Christmas morning at home, Shane's parents came over to watch Emer open her presents. She totally got it this year. Well I doubt she fully understands it all but definitely enough to make it the best Christmas I've ever had. She woke up and saw the cookies Santa ate..all of her presents, and was more than ready to get thigs moving. She let out high pitched squeals and threw her hands in the air as if saying "it's just what I wanted!" even though she had no idea she actually wanted it until it was opened!
We headed to Grams for Christmas day. More presents with the same reaction, and I loved getting to watch it all over again. Dinner per usual and then it was home later that evening.
Her ultimate favorites this year:
• Brobee
• Baby doll stroller
• Doll house
• Baby Alive
• Elefun
• Rain Boots
You would think she would die for a power wheel..nope! She hates it!