Birthday Party DIY

I got a lot of compliments on some things at the party so I thought I'd share where I got the ideas!

Cake/Cupcakes

I knew I wanted to serve cupcakes versus cake at the party. I craved cupcakes my entire pregnancy and we kept my favorite cupcake place in business! I also knew I wanted her smash cake to have her name on the side of it. I went searching for pink and green and stumbled on this picture.

It was perfect! I had the pink M's on strawberry/cream cheese cupcakes and green 1's on vanilla/buttercream. I told the baker to put pink and green dots on her cake with her name on the side and  a pink '1' on the top. She did perfect! Even though the strawberry didn't taste like strawberry and they weren't pink, there were strawberries in the batter :)

 

I also made the cupcake holder. I bought 2 cardboard cake sheets from Party City-one smaller than the other- and spray painted them white. I also spray painted a Puff container white(the tower in between layers) and hot glued it to both layers. I then hot glue a thin silver ribbon around the bottom of the container. The pink edging is pink streamers. I noticed when I got home that one side of the bottom cardboard what straight, where the other edges were scalloped. Weird! I wanted to cover it so I did this. Total cost- less than $10 versus those store bought cupcake holders that run $13-$50 and typically hold 12-24 cupcakes. I wanted one to hold all 36 cupcakes so I didn't have to man the cupcake station and refill them if they ran out.
Each cardboard was less than $1 each. The streamers were $0.99 but I also used them as decorations. The spray paint was $4 and was also used on her M wreath(seen below) The Puff container was $2.99 when they were full of puffs so I won't count that cost into it since I bought them a while back and saved the container. I also glue canning jar rims on each corner to lift the bottom layer off the table just a tad :)

Puffs

I used this video to help because I had some trouble with the first couple I did. The 3 in the window, I didn't cut the ends after folding them. The big ones, 2 on the mantel and one above the stairs/gifts, I cut into a point, like the Dahlia in the picture below the video.

For the small ones I used 1 pack of tissue paper each. I laid out the paper and cut it in half. For the large ones, I just laid the tissue out and fold it long ways. If I had to do over, I would use 2 packs of tissue for each big puff.

Ice cream cups

I decided to do this so someone didn't have to worry about scooping ice cream the entire party. Plus we didn't wait for everyone to eat cake and ice cream until the end so people could eat their sweets with their food if they wanted. This actually turned into a melted ice cream disaster. I only sat out about 20 cups(we had 30 people) and only a few were ate. We looked over and ice cream was everywhere! If I had to redo, I would either get those little personal ice cream cups or put ice cream in a small plastic cups. It was a cute idea anyway.. To do this, you just scoop ice cream into cupcake liners and freeze them. I only have one cupcake pan so I just put them all onto 3 baking sheets, covered them in foil and froze them. 

Mason Jar drinks

I got a lot of compliments on these! One comment was "It's so simple but the liner makes it look elegant". I decided to do Hawaiian Punch in Lemon Berry and Green Berry Rush to tie in the pink and green theme. I got the straws(the are actually plastic!) and cupcake liners from Hobby Lobby. I decided to only do 12 drinks(6 each color) because we also had water bottles and now I wish I'd done 24! People actually drank them :) 

To get a good hole started, I put one liner on the jar to see where the straw would go. I then cut an X with scissors in the spot so when we put the straw in it, it wouldn't rip. The day of the party we filled the jars, put the liners on and stuck the straw in them.

 Mason Jar cutlery holders

 

Since using mason jars for the drinks, I decided to use some to hold the forks and spoons. I got a roll of really cute ribbon from Hobby Lobby and taped them to the top. It turned out cute! The ribbon tied the colors together and using the jars tied in the drinks too.

Water bottle labels

I wanted to pretty up the water bottles by replacing the brand labels with something to match the party. I found this link which has 5 labels on a sheet. I tore off the labels, cut these and taped them on with 2 inch tape. The only thing was they couldn't go in ice. We filled our fridge with 50 water bottles and sat them out. I didn't get to drink any so I hope they stayed chilled throughout the party! People thought I bought the bottles that way and they really liked them!

Veggie cups

I thought this would be a great way to keep Ranch dressing from being all over someones plate and our buffet, so we decided to do these cups. While people did eat them, I wish we had done these and refrigerated them that morning so we weren't assembling them when people starting coming over :) We just didn't have the room in the fridge, with 3 dozen cupcakes and 50 water bottles and all...I had already cut carrots, peppers and celery. We should have added some red and yellow peppers to help fill them up more. Ah well. Live and learn :)

High chair tutu

I knew I wanted to add some frilly to her high chair and found this tutu at Hobby Lobby. Luckily her high chair tray has a top tray that lifts out so you can put in the dishwasher so we just taped the ribbon under that tray. She didn't play with it as much as I thought. People loved it!

Balloon walkway

I found this picture on Pinterest and knew I wanted to do it. I didn't get a picture but we only lined up 6 balloons on one side of our sidewalk but I would have loved to fill it up like this one. I'm glad we didn't because it turned out so windy that day that they ended up laying on the ground anyway. It also started raining before the party was over and they all deflated due to the temperature dropping and the rain beating them. To stake them in the ground, I used golf tees and tied the ribbon around the top part.

Salsa

I got rave reviews on my salsa. It's always been my go-to recipe for any function I've needed to bring food to. All of those garden tomatoes I got from my neighbors this year came in quite handy! I think I used roughly 20 cups of boiled and chopped tomatoes and we had a bit left over. I also used fresh jalepenos, lime and cannded whole chiles that I chopped up. Here's my normal, small batch recipe:

3 cans diced or petite diced tomatoes (I always used Hunts brand)

1 jar diced chiles

1 jalapeno, diced (or more to taste)

1 diced onion

juice of 1 lime

1-2 tspn minced garlic (I use the jar garlic)

Mix it all up, add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate. It always taste better the next day or after being refrigerated a while. Everything is really to taste so add or take away what you don't like. :) One good thing about making it is testing it is taste testing along the way! I have also found that Ingles sells the hottest jalapenos.. Really weird but it's true.. I've bought from every grocery store and theirs have always been hotter.

I will be posting the party pictures soon :)

Happy 11 months Madison!

On the day she turned 10 months old (July 6th), she woke up pulling up on everything! She wouldn't even nap without pulling up 5 times! She pulls up and cries because she isn't sure how to get back down.  She still pulls up and cries.

We also weaned her from her Paci starting that day. She seemed to do fine for the few days following but naps have been an absolute nightmare ever since-an.entire.month. She won't just put herself to sleep anymore, except for bedtime, which is great, but mama needs her time during the day to do some things while baby is napping and that hasn't much happened this month. She will be absolutely exhausted by as soon as you turn around to walk out, she pops up screaming her eyes out. Sigh.

This month she is really talking a lot. None of it makes sense and she talks to herself constantly. Sometimes I swear she is repeating stuff we say. Today she seemed to be saying "Uh Oh". If she drops throws something, I always say it and today she started saying "Uh" right after it, every time I did it. Of course when Alan got home and I told him about it, she just looked at him like "I don't have a clue what she's talking about"  Her jibberish is so cute!

 She also loves music. I mean this girl will hear music before we hear it. She will bob her head or shake her body and start clapping. It's the cutest thing ever! She has finally started clapping with open hands and it's just precious. She used to clap with closed hands. Such a smart girl! 

and more dancing.. She has learned to hit the green music note to play the songs. Such a smartie pants!

She started walking with her push toy really well. She will go back and forth the living room for a while(with our help turning her around!) She's also a pro at opening the entertainment center and changing table cabinet doors. Both doors are hard to open so it shows us how strong she is! 

She started drinking from a straw cup. She started drinking from a regular straw here and there a couple of months ago so I finally bought her a straw cup a couple of weeks ago. She did it the first time without choking or spitting up or gagging. She really knows what she's doing. It's weird but she will grab the cup when she's thirsty. She's a little person now.

She learned to share. Not only her food but her toys, fingernail clippers and nasal aspirator. Yum!

She also reaches or points to a lot of things now. We make sure to say whatever it is she's pointing at. Fan should be her first word.

She has finally started crawling on her knees! She learned to army crawl/scoot at 8 months but in the past few weeks she has picked up her tummy and crawls on her knees. Now she doesn't even army crawl anymore and she can fly on those knees!

She learned how to crawl up the stairs. Guess it's time for a baby gate!

Bedtime beauty

Kissing Super Grover, or eating his nose.

The buggy I got for Madison at a local Consignment Sale for $14! Now we just have to figure out what to get her for her birthday now, since this was what we were getting...

Driving the buggy!

"Nobody's getting my things!!"

She's found her tongue..

First meal at Waffle House...and she paid!

Sweet baby girl

Peek a boo!

I see you :)

Working with using a spoon

Maybe her first non-furry pet...

Happy girl!

Nothing like a picture of a sleeping baby

Our little bookworm. She loves flipping through books and I have seen her do it for 20 minutes at a time! She will just flip front to back, jibber jabbering away. If there's flaps to lift, she will lift them all and keep going. It's so cute.

 Wilma begging for attention and Madison focused on her book!

Her schedule has changed a bit. She is now getting up between 7:30-8am. I also started weaning her to cow's milk today, so hopefully by her 1st birthday we will both be weaned! I talked to a nurse at the Pedi's office and she said it typically takes 2 weeks for a breastfed baby to get weaned fully. I won't know what to do with all my free time not pumping and I feel a little guilty weaning her. Even though she hasn't actually nursed since she was 3 weeks old, I feel it's a bonding experience somehow. She's still doing great eating finger foods and we will start having to order her something when we go out. This child eats like an adult! For breakfast she will eat 10 oz milk, 3 strawberries, an entire nectarine and some Cheerios! It's crazy!

It's hard to believe we have an almost 1 year old! She is and has always been the sweetest baby. She goes to anyone, smiles at everything and her laugh is the best sound! We can be out all day long, through 2 or 3 of her (should be) nap times and she will just cruise right along! As long as she's fed, she's a happy girl! We are so blessed!

*Disclaimer - that piano is not her only toy, but she does love it! :) *

Happy 10 months, Madison!

 

In her 9th month, she seemed to really grow a lot! Her hair is longer, she babbles a lot more, she seems taller by the minute, and she has 2 teeth! 

She learned how to pull up, sit up better from laying down(she learned in her 8th month but is a pro at it now!), walk while someone holds her up, bite :/ , she claps and dances anytime a song comes on. She will also open a door or lift a flap.

She has grown to love pulling all of her books off her shelves.

Her schedule changed this month, since we introduced big people food! She loves blueberries and will eat around 20 in one sitting! Her lips will be blue and so will what's in her diaper :)

9am - 5-7oz milk, fruit and Cheerios
12pm - 5-7oz milk, veggies/meat/pasta and a few Puffs or Yogurt Melts
3pm - 10 oz milk
5pm - 5 oz milk, Cheerios
7pm - 5-7 oz milk, veggies/pasta or whatever we are eating, if it's baby friendly.

 Pool day. She didn't seem as excited this day. She only chewed on her hands or the toys. 

I think her gums were bothering her :(

"What's that?"

Her on her hippo toy. She's so big on this! She holds on tight and balances really good! 

She even will lift her feet up when we push her. Smart girl!

A video of her riding her hippo

 Pool time!

Teeth!(A lot bigger now but I love this picture!)

So peaceful!

 

How she's been sleeping lately. On her tummy, butt up.

Looks uncomfy but she likes it.

Eating breakfast

She obviously doesn't like eggs. This cracks me up.

Her first time in the pool

Her and her daddy playing. Love. that. laugh!

This was her first 'grown up' breakfast. We were too scared to give her chunks of food before talking to her Pedi. He reassured us she was ready, and boy was she! She does it like a champ! It makes feeding time much easier too! She loves feeling independent and I love that she picks over certain things to get to her favorite things. If she has yogurt melts on her tray with 3 other fruits/veggies, she picks out all of the melts. She loves those things! She seems to really love bananas, carrots and green beans.

  I put a splash of the green Hawaiian Punch with a lot of water in her sippy. She did not care for it :)

 I love that she just spins in circle waving Sierra's cat toys. So cute!

This was on the way home from my mom's Independence Day cookout. She had only had an hour nap that day. She was asleep within 3 minutes of getting in the car! She only slept 30 minutes though and then was up until 9!  We have a super baby.

Mouthful of food