Felicity's Rustic Pumpkin Birthday

As always, I have these great plans for parties and eventually have to scale back because they get expensive really fast. And now with Pinterest and Etsy, my expectations of a good party are way to high. I mean, it's a one year old's party for goodness sake.

So the theme I decided on was a Rustic Pumpkin Party for our little pumpkin. I got the idea from the Hostess with the Mostess Blog. I obviously didn't have the resources to do the same kind of party they did, so I changed it up a bit.

 The great thing about this theme was that it was very easy to find supplies. My brilliant plan was to wait until after Halloween so get pumpkin supplies because I figured they would be on sale, and they were. It's just that, things became really hard to find the closer I got to her birthday. So it kind of worked but I think that next time, I will get a few things earlier. Another good thing was that I was hosting it in my home, so I could decorate a little at a time. I made some burlap banners that were up pretty much the two weeks before the party and a good month afterward.

For the food, I decided on a fall themed menu. I didn't want to go too crazy with the whole "pumpkin" theme with the food, so I chose fall inspired dishes. I probably should have scaled back the food a bit, but the Puerto Rican side of me didn't want to chance people going hungry. There were lots of leftovers and we were happy to give them away. For the cake, I went with pumpkin spice with cream cheese icing. Everything was delicious.

 It was a great party, with good friends and family, celebrating our little princess. I went into a coma afterwards, but it was a great party.

My husband just whipped this up

Burlap Banner with lace and pumpkin appliques

We put roses around the house to add a girlie touch

The pumpkins were actually cupcake toppers that I glued to lace

The table spread

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

Mini Apple Pies

Autumn Trail Mix

Rose Smash Cake

Pumpkin Cupcakes

The Birthday Girl

She's passionate about cake

Happy Birthday Princess!

Food:
Smash Cake and Cupcakes - Princess Pea Cupcakery
Fall Fruit Salad
Mini Apple Pies
Pumpkin Rice Krispies
Fall Trail Mix
Pumpkin Hummus and Veggies
Roasted Vegetable Fall Pizza
Earth's Best Organic Pouches (Pumpkin/Cranberry/Apple & Butternut Squash/Pear)
Frozen mini corn dogs and pigs in a blanket

Drinks:
Apple Juice
Hot Apple Cider with Mulling Spices
Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Beer

Christmas in June

Liam and his Christmas Palm Tree

 We are officially six months away from Christmas. Monday was June 25th, and to celebrate the day Liam and I celebrated "Christmas in June". *FYI, no spiritual undertones, just silliness. It kind of came to me the day of when I put Felicity down for her morning nap and Liam was taking a self-initiated time out in his room. I wish I would have thought of it soon, cause I would have planned better. Oh well. We worked with what we had.

I tried to find some Christmas clothes to put him in but everything was long sleeved, so we went with a red and green tie-dyed shirt from his Tia Hannah. Next year I think I will have to make some kind of Christmas shirt or tank for them.  We created a Christmas palm tree from some brown paper bags I found laying around. Liam painted the star ornaments and I painted the trunk and the leaves.

While it dried, we watched Frosty the Snowman with our snowman ornament and cut out some snowflakes. Liam really has no idea who Santa Claus is. It's all about snowmen to him.

Watching Frosty

I couldn't think of anything fun to do for dinner, so we had breakfast for dinner but the main event was Liam's first hot chocolate. Well, it was really luke warm, but it still counts. He was really into the whipped cream and asked me to refill it about four times. I'll say it was a hit.

The main event

Girls Weekend

I've been meaning to blog for a week but life has kind of gotten in the way. Last weekend some of my best friends from college and I got together for a girls weekend. It was SOOO great. Eight years ago I was blessed with an amazing small group and to this day they are cherished friends. As we shared stories through laughter and tears, I felt incredibly blessed to have these women in my life. And it was great to see how God has been moving in our lives and growing us in our faith. But those late nights killed me. I clearly don't get out enough. I think I was up til 1 am both nights and Liam wasn't sleeping well so he kept waking up early. Needless to say, when Sunday came around I was like a zombie. I definitely went to bed at 9pm that night.

A Night with JEW

Friday night Dylan and I actually went out. It was supposed to be a surprise date for Dylan as an early birthday present, but I just ended up telling him. Surprises are a lot of work and I wanted him to have something to look forward to at the end of his work day. So we went to see Jimmy Eat World play at the House of Blues. It was amazing! Funny thing is that we went to this same concert at the House of Blues 6 years ago when they released Futures. And our sad reality is that we haven't been to ANY concerts in over 2 years. We're lame.

But JEW is amazing and Jim Adkins is a beast. His passion for music literally pours out of his body. As I watched the sweat and spit fly I though, man I want to have that same passion. Their music just effects me. There were times in the concert when I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in. They had this girl singing and playing the keyboard but she really wasn't doing much. I thought I could do that and I would love it. I think that Jimmy Eat World needs some ethnicity in their band and fan base. I'm pretty sure I counted about 6 black people at the concert. It's pretty bad when you can COUNT the black people and are certain you haven't miscounted because you know their faces.

All in all it was a great night and I look forward to our next concert. Hopefully it will be soon.

Eight Years Ago Today

January 17th, 2003, Dylan and I went on our first date. I was a freshman and he was a sophmore. Just little babies. We went to the Olive Garden, SAK, hopped a fence and shot off fireworks at Blanchard, and talked til four in the morning. On Saturday we attempted to recreate this date. Instead of Olive Garden we decided to class it up by going to Urban Flats (fried green tomatoes, yumm). Then we headed to SAK which was as hilarious as I remembered. We skipped the fireworks and late night talking and rushed home to bed by midnight. It was a great night. I felt like it was the old us again. Not the tired, lame, homebodies we've become. This is why people have date nights once a week, so they can get a glimpse of what it used to be like to be a couple.

And to top it off, Liam slept almost 12 hours that night and woke up with happy babbling.

Liam's Taggie Blanket

This weeks project was to make Liam a taggie blanket. Since I loved all the fabric I recently got I couldn't decide on one and just made a patchwork on one side. I loved the way it turned out, just wish the fabrics were a little softer. I also learned 1. that I can't sew a straight line and 2. working with soft fuzzy fabrics isn't easy.

All the strips laid out

The top all stiched together

The back was white minky fabric and I got all the ribbon from Jo Anns.

The contrast of the front and back

I attached some velcro to hold a pacifier or to attach to a stroller.

So this is the New Year...and I feel very different

Last Night we celebrated the New Year in a very different way. For the past eight years we have celebrated in Atlanta during Christmas Conference. We danced the night away with friends and stayed up really late. Well let me tell you, times have changed. Instead of spending the night out dancing with friends, we stayed in and forced ourselves to stay up til midnight. I felt totally lame. Is this what parents do on New Years?

To make the night a little fun I made an Italian inspired dinner for us. We started with a plate of Bruschetta and Manchego cheese with Honey. Then for our second course we had Eggplant Parmesan (Martha Stewart). For dinner we had Steak with zucchini ( I didn't really follow a recipe for this). Finally my favorite part, we had Lemon Panna Cotta with a Blackberry Balsalmic Sauce. This was my favorite!!!! I was so happy with how this turned out and am anxious to try different combinations. Here are a few pictures.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Day

Well this has been quite an eventful Christmas to say the least. I am typing this from my phone on my makeshift bed at Largo Regional Medical Center. Let's start from the beginning.

Like any child, Liam woke up early and was ready for Christmas. He successfully woke everyone up with some squealing and grunting. As Dylans family watched in person, my parents watched on ichat as Liam opened his presents. Well he really could care less about him opening them but enjoyed playing with them. Then we called and woke up my bro and SIL and told them to iChat too. This was a highlight. My whole family ichatting together. Liam went down for a nap right after that and we continued the unwrapping of gifts. My husband was very creative in his wrapping this year.

Things were looking great. We had a great time opening gifts hanging out with the fam and were starting to get ready for a Christmas dinner on the beach with Dylans extended fam. Then Dylan started feeling ill. Afters while it started getting serious so he went to the ER with his parents. At first they thought it was appendicitis but he had cat scan and nothing showed up. So after hours of waiting and two shots of morphine he finally was able to rest. His family has a history with stomach issues so they are keeping him overnight with the hopes to have a GI specialist see him tomorrow.

So that's where we are right now. And as if this couldn't get better his vents make a lot if noise when the heat kicks in so we have to turn the heat up high, allow the room to get really warm and then turn it off so we can get a little sleep before it turns on again. This is why I'm up at 1:22 am.

As I think of what a bummer this is and how inconvenient it is to us, I am reminded of the huge inconvenience Christ went through to become one of us.

Happy Incarnation!

Miami Weekend and Birthday

This past weekend we went to Miami to visit my family and friends. It was our first time going back since we moved in August. We were a little scarred of the drive because Liam hates the car and his carseat, but this weekend he turned a new leaf. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and back AND transferred to bed without freaking out. Bigtime milestone. We enjoyed spending time with my family just hanging out. We actually got to go out to South Beach Saturday night and eat at our favorite restaurant, Fratelli la Bufala. It was just as amazing as I remembered. We were surrounded by Italians and I spent a good portion of our meal eavesdropping on others conversations to see if I could figure out what they were saying. It really did feel like we were in Italy. Then we headed out to Lincoln road to people watch and walk off our meal. It was there that we saw the most beautiful clothing store All Saints.
Dylan and I were just in awe of the design, ambiance, and leather. I was that person that walked around taking pictures because I wanted everything. Materialism to the maxxx. We ended our weekend going back to our amazing church, Crossbridge, and having lunch with pastors, friends, and students. It felt great to be back and hang out with the people we love.

Then yesterday was my 27th birthday. I really can't believe it. How did I become and adult...with a husband...and a baby?! Weird. Well to start the day off right Dylan and I got a couples massage. How did he weasel his way into my birthday celebration? Actually, Dylan's department at work was taking the day off and going to the Ritz Carlton for some rest and relaxation. So we were able to get massages and join his team for lunch and some hang out time at the Spa. They do this every year and this year it just happened to fall on my birthday. We had sushi for dinner with our little buddy and after he was asleep we went to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was a great relaxing day with my boys and I loved it.

It's been a while

No, I haven't forgot about my blog, I've just been super busy. We recently returned from a trip to Waynesville, NC. Our intentions were to just go somewhere we could experience fall, but in fact we were experiencing the beginning of winter. It actually snowed while we were there. Very nice, but cold. There is too much to write about our trip so I'll just show you some pictures.

The view from the porch.

One of the highlights of the trip was being able to spend time with my good friend Allison who lives in Charlotte. It had been about 3 years since we've seen each other, but we just picked up where we left off. I think I've forgotten how much I miss my friends.

Part of Liam's photo shoot. He may not sleep through the night but he is darn cute.

Evidence that we saw Fall. Dylan is turning into a GREAT photographer.

My Buddy and Me bundled up for the cold.

American Girls

During the weekend I found myself on the American Girl website. I don't know how I got there, one of many rabbit trails I guess. But there are a lot of changes since I was little. They've discontinued selling Samantha, Kirsten, and soon to be Felicity, there are 5 new dolls, some best friends and they have so many accessories now. Man I wish I was 8 again. Me and addy would be having a great time. Unfortunately I am 26 and I think Addy has been accidentally thrown away.

There is even the option of making a doll
to look like you. However out of the 40 options, there is still no doll that looks like me. Really? All I'm asking for is a medium skinned doll with short, brown, curly hair, brown eyes and freckles. Is that so difficult?

Miami Bucket List

A sad reality but we leave Miami in 13 days. :( I have grown to love so much about this city (the food, culture, beach, church, diversity, arts) and will miss a lot. So I made a bucket list of the things I want to do before I leave (mostly restaurants) and am trying to knock out the rest in the next two weeks. Today we knocked out Cafe Demitrio, my favorite coffee shop in Miami. Such good drinks and great atmosphere.

Yummy Caramel Latte

Here's the List so far, I'm sure I'll add more to it later:

1. The Beach
2. The Forge 7/30/10
3. Fratelli la Bufala
4. Deli Lane
5. Green Street Cafe
6. Sing at Crossbridge one last time :( 8/1/10
6. Cafe Demetrio 8/5/10
7. Cauley Square Tea Room
8. Casa Larios

I LOVE this show

When summer time rolls along there is one show that claims my heart, So You Think You Can Dance. I didn't really catch onto the show until the third season, but don't worry a little MTV marathon caught me up on seasons 1 and 2. I get goosebumps when I see and awesome dance, the same way I get goosebumps when I hear beautiful song arrangements on GLEE.

Last night was an amazing show. The highlight by far was Alex's hip-hop routine with Twitch. The past couple of weeks I've been asking myself "why is Alex on this show? He doesn't need this show, he's already a member of a major ballet company". I thought maybe he was like one of those kids whose parents forced him to study ballet and now he's making up for it. But after last night I've come to realize that Alex is on this show to prove how awesome he is. A ballet dancer shouldn't be able to do this:



So this inspired me to share some of my favorites from the last couple of years. There are so many that I like, but I can't share them all :)


Obviously - Bleeding Love




This is why Allison is an All Star (sorry for the crappy quality) - Why



Just Hot - Hip Hip Chin Chin



Sexy Back



Dreaming with a Broken Heart



Ruby Blue



Gravity



Whatcha Say

My Brother is Married!

Well we just got back from Chicago for my brother's wedding. It was Liam's first flight and my first time to the city. The whole weekend seems like a blur but it was great. I love Chicago. The wedding was absolutely perfect in every way. We were kind of fearful about the weather because it poured the day before, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Every detail was beautiful and I can't wait to see pictures. I'm so happy for my brother and even more happy to finally have a sister. Congrats to Dorian and Tessa!




We stayed an extra day so we could actually see some of the city. We didn't do much, just walked around, ate lunch in the park, and took pictures. We were hoping to have more time, but somehow our days just got busy. No need to worry, we are already plotting our next visit to the windy city.

Chocoholic

I've become slightly obsessed with these chocolates from a local chocolatier (in St. Pete). I've only been here for a week and I've eaten roughly 25 pieces. I can't be stopped. They are so beautiful and have some of the most interesting combinations like lemongrass-coconut and PB&J. I'm already plotting out my next visit.