Rapunzel Birthday Party

For my daughter's 6th Birthday last week I went with the Rapunzel Tangled theme and I think I pulled it off! I printed wanted posters of Flynn Rider, strung yellow streamers all over the room for Rapunzel's hair, and make these pretty paint cupcakes and lake cake. She loved it!

birthday cakes for princesses

I'm in the midst of thinking of a design for my just turning 6 year old's Birthday on Friday. For my eldest daughter I chose a Frozen theme - they love that movie so much - who doesn't!? It worked perfectly because I had the Frozen Disney Infinity Elsa and Anna figures to put on top. This time I have Rapunzel - so I've been googling Tangled cakes and so far here's what I have - all amazing!

I was going for a garden cake with the tower and then the figure standing next to it but now I'm thinking the lake cake looks perfect as I can print the other bits to put on top - and have lanterns hanging from the ceiling.. will update with pictures later this week!

has it really been this long!?

I can't believe it's been over a year since I wrote anything here. That's what having a baby does I guess! So much has happened in the past year, mainly not on the good side, so I bid a respectful farewell to 2013 and I know 2014 will be a much better year for all of us. I started another blog about cooking, well mainly what I cook - I really wanted to have that be a separate entity from this but it makes more sense to me in these busy days to just go ahead and roll everything together. Being a mother of 5 has its challenges, mentally and physically, and right now I tell you I'm the most tired I've ever been! Our fifth munchkin was born on my birthday, December 27th 2012 and she has brought so much joy and happiness to our family I don't remember life without her. But you know I mentioned tired... well! You can imagine. I have a toddler that has started waking in the night again and insisting on sleeping with us, which in turn wakes the baby, and these past few months my others have started to be early risers, coming into the room at daybreak - exhausting! I'm still plodding on with my business - Bramble Boutique - we are on etsy - and while I find it a little financially rewarding at times, it can be a lot of work and not much return most of the time. I decided to stray away from my graphic design roots and swing into the animation field. SO that's what's next on the agenda. On that note my latest thing is bulk cooking.

Inspired by The Pioneer Woman cooking show, I've started making sure I cook double, sometimes triple every time I prepare something which can be frozen. So far this has included chicken pot pie, lasagne, meatballs, chicken breasts, pie crusts, pasta bakes and so forth! It's a really good feeling on a weeknight when I don't have a lot of time (or brain power!) to just grab something out of the freezer and stick it in the oven. 

A quick note before I get on with "laundry mountain" - is anyone else out there struggling with the nightmare that is Common Core in NY State? I'm not sure of the quality of the work they get to do at school but I can tell you the sheets they bring home for homework are consistently misspelled, miss-written, miscalculated miss everything really! So frustrating. More tomorrow!

Spider Woman

Just as I'm getting back in the swing of things after all the renos in the house, and the scorching temps, and my son's 2nd Birthday bash - I get bitten by a spider. And of course I come out in a massive burning lump that blocks my vein and causes my whole leg to swell up! Off to hospital I went to be told I'd had an allergic reaction. Gah! Thankfully just another few days of "elevate and ice your leg" and I should be up and about again. From now on though spiders and me well we don't see eye to eye anymore put it that way! Oh I did however find out that the lovely Valley Hospital, which is where I may or may not deliver, more of that another day, anyway every time a baby is born they play a lullaby throughout the whole hospital - it's just the sweetest thing!