The Magic of a Good Book

Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn and Mark Buehner
(the original, Snowmen at Night, is also very good)

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko

Olivia by Ian Falconer


I have been meaning to put some of my favorite books on this blog for some time. A bookstore was going out of business near my home so I was able to snag a few of my favorite children's classics for half price. I cannot tell you how much I love books and I hope to instill that same love in my boys at an early age.

I love the idea of snowmen coming alive at night and having fun outside while we are all sleeping. The illustrations are beautiful and there are hidden objects on each page for extra fun when your child is a little older.

The Paper Bag Princess is a silly book that my 4 year old loves and laughs all the way through. I love the conclusion of this book.

Olivia is a delight. My favorite part is when she has to keep moving her cat. Her attempts at modern art are great as well. The last lines as Olivia is going to bed are so cute too, it's something my kids would definitely say to me. I have a couple of friends with daughters named Olivia....get this book for them if you don't already have it!

Belated Christmas Treats

Homemade caramels. The recipe I use makes A TON! Let me know if you want it.

And, of course, the famous poppy seed bread. Sorry, it's a super secret family recipe and a must for the holidays. I think there is still a loaf in my fridge.....see ya! Hope everyone had fun making their Christmas treats as well!

I Heart Costco

I love Costco and since I have now moved closer to my most beloved store, I venture there much more frequently. My newest discovery: Margherita pizza, ready to take and bake. This wonderful pie is simple, consisting of sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves. Oh, my mouth is watering....this is the true Italian pizza in case you were wondering.

Vote for Tiff!

(My sister in law sent this to me today and I just had to post this in hopes of getting her some more votes. She's such a good party planner and hostess. Wish I could have been there Tiff!)

We had our girls night cocoa party last weekend and it was a blast. Always love to get together and chat with friends. Well the girls I did this with are amazing and we decided we loved our party so much we'd enter it in a "Holiday entertaining contest" at Hostess with the Mostess. Well me made the top ten and now need your votes. Go to Hostess with the Mostess to vote. Our entry is the Girls Night Cocoa Party. All you have to do is leave your vote in the "Comments" section on who you vote for. Thank you now for your support, we had a great time doing this party and are so excited to be entered. WooooHoooo!!! And if you feel so compelled to pass/forward this on to others you know we would greatly appreciate it. We have until midnight EST Friday to vote.

White cake with chocolate and caramel frosting

I made a little yummy cake for the adults at my son's birthday party this weekend.

It's a white cake (2 6x2 inch cakes stacked) with chocolate frosting in the middle. I frosted the outside with caramel frosting and topped it with a little chocolate sprinkles ring. Yum! I heart caramel frosting!

Elmo Cupcakes

My son's second birthday was this weekend and he has two loves in his life: Elmo and Thomas the Train. Having just moved across town and spend a hectic week unpacking my house, I knew I needed a quick birthday project this year. After imagining myself making a 3-D Thomas cake with accompanying Annie and Clarabel passenger cars....I opted for some Elmo cupcakes. And it was definitely a wise choice because my two year old could really care less.

Red, white, orange, and black frosting. Star tip cupcake with red. Add white eyes and orange nose. Finish off with black mouth and dots for eyes.

This is a song....la la la la....Elmo cupcake song....
(those with toddlers know what this means)