mom's 50th

it was my mom's birthday last thursday. and not until mid-december did it dawn on me that it was my mom's 50th birthday! with christmas being such a busy time of year, we didn't even think about the details of the party until a week before. not like me. usually i like to start planning well in advance because i don't like being rushed. but with the help of everyone, we were able to pull the party together & it really turned out to be cute & fun for everyone. here are the invites...

and of course the banner...

the cake & treats...

i put a few little cards together with different quotes about aging that reminded me of my mom...here's one of them...can you find the typo??

the favors...

my wonderful parents...

not the best quality picture, but it's my family & i can't not post it. i like how everyone coordinates with the party decor except me. why i decided to wear a green striped shirt, i don't know.

happy 50th mom! here's to another 50, right??!!

he's gROARing up

this post is WAY, WAY overdue...but better late than never! so last summer, like 5 months before zac's actualy birthday, we were walking through the grocery store and saw this dinosaur cake & it immediately caught zac's attention & from that moment on, he was certain that he wanted a dinosaur party...oh, and he wanted a family only party this year, since that's how his friends do it. that was definitely fine with me! so to start off the birthday festivities, we took him to the dinosaur museum the day before his real birthday...

nothing like a peanut butter toast shaped like a 5 for your birthday breakfast...pretty gourmet, i know.

and this is the cake zac wanted...or at least my attempt at it. not my proudest cake moment, i must say, but zac was happy about it...so that was a plus!

zac & uncle nate sporting some cool dinosaur noses i found...

i found a recipe online for homemade dinosaur eggs & put little dinosaurs in each one. then the kids got to break them open...it turned out to be a fun little activity.

and a birthday's not a birthday without making your way through the spanking machine!!

it turned out to be a fun filled day...zac was happy, and that's most important! we sure love him!

...mini-cakes how-to...

are you impressed?! only a little after a week of me telling you i would post instructions on how to make these cute little cakes, and i'm actually doing it! you may not be, but i'm actually quite proud of myself, seeing as how i tend to be a procrastinator at times...

anyway...let's get on with some really basic, simple instructions on how to make some mini cakes like these...

so you first want to buy one of these frozen sara lee pound cakes. before cutting it, you want to make sure it's not completely frozen. maybe take it out of the freezer like 10-15 minutes before you're ready to start cutting it.

so then basically, you just cut the pound cake into whatever size/shape you want. for the cakes we made for brooke's party, brynn actually cut the cake into 2 layers. that way, if you want, you can always put some jam or frosting in the middle to make it extra tasty! we also made some round ones a few years back by using a glass to make a circular indentation on top of the cake & then using a knife to cut it out. don't try cutting it out 'cookie-cutter style'...i think it would smash the cake and just make a mess...a knife is your best bet.

then onto the frosting of the cake...buy some basic frosting from the store...don't get the "whipped" kind. you want creamy frosting, like this...

then you want to melt this in your microwave. to be safe, i would do it in 30 second intervals, until it's runny. like the consistency of hot maple syrup. this would be the time to add any food coloring.

then basically you just want to pour the frosting over the cakes. do atleast 2 thin layers to give a good coating...(make sure that each layer of frosting has dried before you add another layer)... & voila...you have some of the yummiest & easiest little petit fours around.

**side note**
for brooke's cakes, we used TWO of the frozen pound cakes & about 3-4 tubs of frosting.

..."grow old with me"...

so almost a week later, i'm getting around to posting these pictures. cute annie, a friend of my sister's, is marrying a guy with the last name of grow. so the so-called theme of the shower was based around the saying/song "grow old along with me...the best is yet to be..." you know how it goes. it was so much fun doing it...and i think it turned out really cute in the end...

i saw this idea for the "a" on martha stewart quite a while ago, and i've never gotten around to trying it out until now...i was so excited that it worked as well as it did! the "a" is made out of white chocolate. and i think that i need to give you a "picture tutorial" on the how-to process. i'll try to do that here in the next week or so...really. :)

we had a few different sayings or quotes about love placed around the rooms...just for readings sake...and it made a nice little touch...(or atleast i thought it did)!

the yummy food...thanks to heather! she's the expert when it comes to finding good recipes...


the favors...

and here are a few of the girls at the shower. annie is the third one from the left on the top row...she really is so cute! i only have good things to say about her & wish her and alex the best!! :)

...brooke's glamour party...

so our busy weekend turned out to be lots of fun!! but i'm not kidding when i say it was busy. we went non-stop from thursday afternoon till saturday night. i'll post pictures from the shower later, as for now, here's a few highlights from the birthday party...

the birthday girl, whose birthday is actually today...happy birthday brooke!!

the cake and favor bags...

my friend britnee did a great job on the flowers...i especially loved the little crown she made...such a cute accent! and the "b"...incase any of you are wondering...i bought it at a scrapbook store for like $2...and then painted it black and mod podged some paper onto it. it was so easy & cheap...and made a cute little centerpiece.

i love tulle. it is one of the easiest and most forgiving things to use when decorating or wrapping a gift. i say forgiving because your bows don't have to be perfect...and it still looks cute. also, zurchers is a great place to find tulle in a variety of colors for a decent price.

we made these little cakes for the girls to go home with...brynn, my sister actually gets the credit for these. they turned out so cute...and of course the little girls loved them! i'll have to post instructions on how to make them later...you'll all be surprised at how easy they really are.

we set up a little beauty bar and did the girls nails, hair, and makeup...they kept saying over and over, "this is sooo fun! oh, i love this! i don't want to take my hair off ever!" hearing that, made all the craziness worth it...

drinks, popcorn, and candy for the movie...

so there you have it...brooke's glamour party! now we're off to have dinner and celebrate her actual birthday tonight!! :)

...Friday's Favorites...

i've had a few people asking me about my cake decorating class. i actually took the class almost 2 years ago at shepard's in orem. since then, however, shepard's has closed...(very disappointing, i must say)...BUT, there's good news! the class i took was a wilton class...and there always seems to be a craft store or some cute lady teaching the classes nearly everywhere! sooo...if you're interested in taking a cake decorating class...i would highly recommend these ones. i took the "discover cake decorating - course 1"...it's very basic & perfect for beginners, but they have more advanced classes as well. anyway...by clicking here you can see whether or not the class i took is offered in your area...try it out...so fun!