Mickey-Minnie Party

Chloe asked for a Mickey Party for her Birthday this year. It was lots of fun to put together and I realized there is so much creativity that comes out of me in planning parties. I enjoyed doing all the little things. Here are the elements and the final product. I must say taking pictures during a Birthday party is not easy. I also switched lenses to make things easier for Brent to take pictures and I wish I had left my fancy 50mm lens on. I just like it so much better.

Here were the invitations:A girl version and a boy version. For the envelopes I traced an outline of Mickey and put the name and address inside. I didn't get a picture of those.


Here is a picture of the party table. Food was Cupcakes, Strawberries, Carrot Chips, Cheese, Hummus, Crackers, and Cocoa Rice Crispy treats cut out with a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter.
Cupcakes from Sam's toppers made by me. I designed circles for invites, cupcakes, etc...
Best $13.00 I have spent. They did a great job, people loved them and I got to decorate.
Ruffled Streamers. So easy. Tutorial here.
Party favors: Balls from Dollar Tree.
My favorite, the centerpiece. Easy! Got the idea here, put my own spin on it.

Here are some of my other favorite pictures from the party. It was a whirlwind with mostly little boys under 6 as guests. Chloe had a great time and we loved having people in our home.
I like this picture. My mom, sister, her youngest and Chloe and I.
Getting some help opening presentsLove this shot of my neighbor and good friend Amber and her little D. Chloe called Amber, Mommy this week:) We spend a lot of time together.
A Birthday kiss from her Best Friend, A.Happy Birthday C! Put your dress down:)

2!

Today Chloe, you turned 2! What a fun year this has been. You have been such a trooper with all the transition in our lives. You probably have done better than both your Dad and I. You are such a cheerful toddler. You love to learn. You know your alphabet, shapes, can count to 15 (6 in Spanish), and have a crazy vocabulary. Everyone seems to be impressed by your smarts. We think it is cool, but what we love most about you is your heart. You are so tender toward others that are crying or hurt. You love your closest friends and talk about them like they are your family. You are a loyal person, and you are passionate about the things you love (coloring, animals, Aidan). You are learning about emotions and often when crying say, " I have tears". I love your tears. I love your smile. I even love it when you get frustrated when you are trying to figure something out. You are a joy to our lives. We pray that loving God and others will be the deepest desire of your heart. You have so much to offer the world, Chloe Lynne!





For Chloe's second birthday we 'built' her a cardboard kitchen. We bought plans here, and then worked on construction. We saved a lot of $ and it was a fun project for us to do together. It took many, many evenings of cutting cardboard, a bit time consuming really. We are very happy (as is Chloe) with the finished product. I loved adding the little touches like the curtain, dishtowel and apron. I had Brent pick up kids kitchen fruit, veggies, and pots at IKEA, Chicago last month. Brave man went in with a list and got out of there in 30 minutes. These are the coolest food
items I have seen.

Blogworthy!

Today I found something AMAZING at the grocery store. I mean it blows my mind, how did I not know about this product?! Brent was looking in the health food aisle of our local Hy-Vee for some 'low fat' peanut butter. He is on a low-cholesterol diet and high fat items are the enemy in our household. I spotted an unusual jar of 'powdered peanut butter', PB2. Basically, they squeezed out the oil from the peanuts added a bit of sugar and salt. 2 tbsp of powder and 1 tbsp of water, mix and then you have creamy, delicious peanut butter. IT IS SO GOOD. Here is the kicker. My Trader Joe's all natural (the only way I like it) PB has 140 calories and 16 grams of fat per 2 tbsp. PB2 (also all natural) has 45 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per 2 tbsp. Win, win! After checking out their website I learned of all sorts of recipes for PB2 and a sister product Chocolate PB2 (chocolate and PB, yum!). Add to smoothies, roll bananas in the powder, use it for Asian dishes, etc.. I REALLY hope you try this product and love it as much as we do.