Birthday party in pictures

the fun stuff.

Okay this is what you really care about. All the drama and hoopla is overshadowed by the fact that my little guy, my baby boy turned 1!!!! And trust me, you'll want to read this one to the end :D The party planner in me LOVES this part. So many people told me they were impressed and thought it was cute.

Ok, so here are the deets. Every birthday boy needs a birthday shirt, right?

1st Birthday Party In Words

**from 9/9/12**

I can't believe this day has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It was almost as fast as my wedding day. I didn't have much time to reflect and be sappy about things because we were in the midst of so many changes. However, I will admit that I had been planning this for months- or at least coming up with ideas. I wish I had done a few things sooner but you live and learn.

Theme:

For this momentous occasion, I chose a Dr. Seuss theme.

Game Day

source: unknown

I'm a fan of the Super Bowl. I like the party, food, & fun. I usually don't have a vested interest in the teams playing (unless my hubby's or dad's team is playing) so I generally look forward to sitting around and chatting with "the girls". This year's highlight for me is the half-time show. The last time I was looking forward to the half-time show was when Janet Jackson was headlining!


In honor of this year's festivities I'm hoping to try out some new game day recipes!

- Every good party needs a good dip! And this bacon double cheeseburger dip fits the bill! I plan on serving this with tortilla chips and watching it disappear.

- I'm a fan of one dish pasta's although I'm used to cooking them in a sauce of some sort like spaghetti or alfredo. This is different and looks like a crowd pleaser:

3/4 bag ziti noodles,1 lb of ground beef, 1 pkg taco seasoning, 1cup water, 1/2 pkg cream cheese, 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese -- boil pasta until just cooked, brown ground beef drain, mix taco seasoning 1 cup water w/ ground beef for 5 min, add cream cheese to beef mixture, stir until melted remove from heat, put pasta in casserole dish, mix in 1 cup cheese, top pasta/cheese with beef mixture gently mix, top w/ remaining cheese, bake at 350* uncovered for 15-20 minutes

- What's party without dessert?! And this cake comes with lots of team spirit! This looks easy enough to duplicate any time. Start with your favorite cake recips then spice it up using food coloring with coordinating team colors. The best part is - it works for any sport, any season!

- I've been to a few parties that had a specialty drink of the evening- our wedding included :) This recipe for sweet tea has a secret ingredient that I can't wait to try. I don't drink soda so this is right up my alley, however something tells me that the guys are going to be going for something a little stronger.


So now... I'm going to go put together my grocery list and here's to hoping that I can get it done!

Do you attend any Superbowl parties? Are you looking forward to Beyonce's performance or are you wishing she would disappear right about now? If you have any party recipes please share!

It's Feb...

and I have a bunch of stuff to talk about:

Today is the first day of Black History Month. I remember being in grade school and having to do countless projects/papers/tests on the important contributions African Americans have made to the greater good of man kind. I honestly still remember all about the life and work of these people ( I guess repetition has paid off).

source

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This month brings the month that causes a leap year. I've always admired how special babies who are born on February 29 are and wonder how or if they choose a day to celebrate in lieu of the fact that their birthdate actually once comes once every 4 years. I mean honestly if my birthday falls on a random Thursday I may go to dinner or something on the Saturday closest to my birth date so I guess the same rules apply?

Speaking of which...

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Although my son is 8 days shy of turning 5 months old- I have already begun to plan his first birthday party. I know I am a bit premature but a) I am an incessant planner and I love to be organized and b) I want to throw him a champagne party on a beer budget. I have a few thoughts on birthday celebrations that I will share with you later. I'm hoping that with planning this far in advance I can get great deals on supplies that I need for decorations and such by combining coupons with holiday sales (like the upcoming president's day). I would love to share my ideas for his party with ya- but I think that might just have to wait.

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This month we also get to celebrate the super bowl, valentines day, presidents day, and the shortest month of the year. I'm pretty excited about all three events because a) I love get togethers and b) I love any reason for a paid day off work. Super bowl Sunday we are spending with good friends of my husband's. We have gone to their house every year for quite some time now and it is always fun. I want to make a few treats inspired by the occasion that I found via Pinterest but I am not sure If I'll have the time to do it.

Source: Uploaded by user via The Mrs. on Pinterest

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I also found a very cute money saving valentine's day gift for the hubby via Pinterest. We don't really go all out for Valentine's day but this year we MAY go to dinner. I got a really good Groupon deal and my parents have agreed to baby sit. Since we have a sitter we might actually just take a nap.

And then we have Presidents day. I don't 'celebrate' Presidents Day but I do get the day off from work so I will be enjoying it with two VIP's :)

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I'm feeling a bit uninspired about blogging. I have TONS to talk write about. I have quite a few posts in my drafts. They are mostly unfinished posts and I'm not inspired enough to finish them. I go through this quite often... less than a month after I began blogging I felt this way. Maybe I'll use the same remedy as before.

My blog anniversary is coming up! I've been trying to refocus my thoughts, intentions, and figure out what direction to take now. This has always been a mommy blog. A place to keep my family updated about my pregnancy (do you know how many times a pregnant woman gets asked how she feels, is she ready, and isn't she hot?) and I want to keep it that way. But I'm not just a mommy. It's a HUGE part of who I am now but I have much more substance than just being a mom. The other things keep me sane as middle of the night feedings drive me to insanity. My little guy kind of keeps me from having the time to do other things. It's not his fault- it's just that there aren't enough hours in a day- and I am a working mommy.

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Lastly, the groundhog saw it's shadow.

So yea... I clearly had a lot to talk about.