This Little Piggy Turned 2

My best friend commissioned me to throw her daughter's second birthday party. Like most toddlers, farm animals were a favorite with this little girl! Specifically pigs. So we ran with her fascination and did a pretty pink piggy picnic!

I made a birthday banner out of cotton prints and felt letters.

 Stuffed little piggies were scattered around that the birthday girl got to keep after the party.

 Mom made gorgeous pink topiary flower arrangements.

All of the guests wrote a little birthday note inside the cover of the book "All Pigs Are Beautiful."

 We made piggy cupcakes embellished with candy eyes and strawberry marshmallows. 

They were a huge hit!

Ayanna's pint sized smash cake.

Her little piggy invitations.

Sock Monkey Birthday

This month is all about parties to celebrate the official grand opening of BeMe Parties! I'll be going back and sharing parties we've done in the past with some DIYs and photos to help inspire you! Today I'm showcasing Porter's first birthday party and its all about the sock monkey!

A gift from grandpa, my old wagon restored like new.

I gave our guests puppy chow packaged in mason jars as party favors.

I decoupaged some photos of Porter onto 10" canvases for decoration.

An added bonus is that they now hang on the wall in our upstairs hallway!  

A photo banner with a snapshot of Porter for every month of the year. I used felt 
for the numbers and hot glued them on to clothespins for easy hanging. 

For a whimsical twist on party balloons, I hung these upside down in the entry way with 

crepe paper. Per Pinterest, I dropped a marble in each one before blowing them up 

so they hung better. It worked great!

Of course, all of our sock monkey friends had to join in on the fun!

I decorated Porter's highchair with random lengths of ribbon. I sewed them on to a wide band of felt and then attached it to his chair with double stick tape. Mom made his smash cake. Homemade carrot cake with tinted cream cheese frosting. The hat was constructed out of an ice cream cone with a cake ball on top.

 The rest of us had cupcakes.

Fruit Kabobs were a big hit with the kids!

Mom's chocolate sock monkey whoopee pies with a peanut butter butter-cream frosting, mmm!

One of Porter's favorites at the time was a peanut butter and banana sandwich on

 whole wheat bread. I made the sandwiches up normally, but to make them 

more fun I used a biscuit cutter for the circle shape.

Coconut water with my own sock monkey labels. I learned something about coconut water that day, you either love it or hate it! I loved it, my husband hated it! Extra for me I guess.

I made a savory monkey bread with pepperoni and mozzarella. It was delicious! Come to think of it, I should really make this again! Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try!

And here's the birthday boy ready to tear up his smash cake!

Easy Crystal Mobile

I had decided I was going to use up a jar of crystals I had collected over the years by assembling a mobile so they could dance in my window, catching the sun.  I had bought fishing line and copper wire, all I needed was the time to put it together. 

And then I saw a 'photo' mobile at the gift shop at the museum store.  It is designed to hold snapshots.  it ended up being the easiest  project ever.  I just hooked each crystal to the alligator clips, being careful to keep them balanced in weight, and voila, my mobile is complete!

20 Ideas for Mac & Cheese Stir Ins

We all know kids love macaroni and cheese. So, why not take that opportunity and give them one of their favorite dishes while stocking it with protein and nutrients at the same time? Once a week I'll usually choose a flavor of boxed macaroni and cheese (we're big fans of Annie's Organic pasta) and add whatever we happen to have in the fridge (usually leftovers from dinner the night before). Porter loves it and so does my husband! Plus, it sure makes my life easier for the night.

Here are some ideas of things to stir in your child's favorite mac & cheese...Now, if some of these sound weird to you, just try them! I throw odd combinations at Porter just to see if he'll eat them and guess what--he does! I've put a lot of effort into raising him not to be a picky eater and let me tell you, this kid will eat anything. I know some kids are naturally going to be pickier than others, but I also believe that we as parents tend to project our own likes and dislikes on them as well. So be brave, think outside the box and let them decide what their favorites are!

• tomato, Parmesan cheese & Italian seasoning
• mushroom, onion & artichoke hearts
• ham, green beans and hard boiled eggs
• corn, black beans & tomato
• ground turkey, steamed carrots & celery
• broccoli, cottage cheese & baked chicken
• shrimp, yellow squash and zucchini
• pepperoni, tomato & basil
• tuna, green pepper &dijon mustard
• hot dogs & baked beans (drained)
• hamburger, pickles & yellow mustard
• bacon, asparagus & cheddar
• ham & pineapple
• chicken, bacon & ranch
• Italian sausage, red & yellow peppers
• ground turkey, taco seasoning & tomato
• tuna, peas & garlic
• chicken, feta crumbles & sliced olives
• mushrooms, spinach & sausage
• hamburger, Italian breadcrumbs & roasted tomato