Fun and easy door hanging

I have seen door hangings like this around blog land and I have been wanting to do one for some time now!  After checking the local thrift store a few times for a cool frame and no luck, I decided to head on over to Hobby Lobby.  I ended up finding a frame on clearance for $8, and since I had been wanting to do this for awhile I went for it! I also got the M from Hobby Lobby for $3.  

It was fun to make and really easy!  I love coming home and seeing it on my door.

Dramatic Play through Song

Dramatic play is a wonderful way to allow children to express their creativity and imagination. These songs are great because they lend themselves to dramatization. Don't be scared away by some of the hokey album artwork, the songs are still fun for kids.

Learning Inspiration: Color Cats

I love playing learning games with children. This game is another great way to teach your child colors.

First Birthday Party

My daughter's first birthday was back in December, but I haven't put any pictures of the details up yet, so I thought I would share her special day with all of you!  We didn't really have a theme, but I kind of went with a purple winter wonderland. 

We had guests coming almost an hour away, so we wanted to serve them a light dinner.  We had small sandwhiches, veggies and dip, chips and salsa, pasta salad, and some grape PURPLE crush to drink.  We had cupcakes, and cake balls for dessert. 

I hung purple and silver snow flakes from fishing line.  I got the purple snow flakes from Target, and the silver from the Dollar Tree.

I had her scrapbook out and made everyone write down what their favorite thing about my little bug is.  I wanted her to have some way of remembering her first birthday.  This was probably my favorite part about the party, I loved reading what people wrote.  Everyone really wrote the sweetest things, and I am so excited for her to have it when she gets older.

We call our daughter our little "M&M" so we had purple m&ms and popcorn as thank you treat bags.  

I displayed pictures of my little bug at different stages in her first year of life.  They change so much!

I have a small kitchen, so I had limited space to work with.  Everything ended up turning out really well.   My sweet daughter seemed to have a wonderful time, and loved all the attention.   

My inspiration for my daughters party mostly came from Kara's Party Ideas

Fun thrift store finds!

Every once and awhile I get some awesome finds at our local thrift store.  So today I am going to share what I found with you!

After digging and digging, I found these awesome oval picture frames, and spray painted them white.  They now hang in my hall way going up my stairs.

I also found this cool mirror, and spray painted it white.  I was going to put it in my little girls room, but it just didn't go in there.   So now it's by my front door.

Before

After

Before

After

I actually even loved what they looked like before, but gold doesn't really go in my house.  I do love how they  turned out, and I love telling people I found them at a thrift store.   I bought the mirror for $3, and the frames I got 4 for $5.  The frames are actually metal.  

I found some other awesome items, but they are still being worked on.  I can't wait to show you all when I am  finished!

Travel Inspiration: Traveling with Babies, Toddlers and Kids

Traveling with babies and toddlers can be a challenge. Vacation season is quickly approaching so I have been researching ways to entertain my son on the go. Whether you are traveling by airplane or car hopefully you will find some ideas to make your trips easier. Search the dollar section at Target and visit dollar stores to find inexpensive toys. You can find cheaper versions of many of the toys featured below.

DIY Water Table

My toddler loves to play in water. I wanted to buy a water table for him because they looked like fun. I found a few online and in stores but they seemed expensive. I decided to search the web to see if I could find a less expensive option.

Wire Ribbon Flower

My obsession with making flowers and bows for my little girl lives on!  I have been trying to find cute ideas for some wire ribbon I bought, and have been having trouble with.   Today while searching blog land I found an easy tutorial that I thought I would share with you!

Brittany, from My Decoupaged Life made this awesome flower out of wire ribbon:

Here is my flower:

Head on over to My Decoupaged Life to get the tutorial! 

Tradition Inspiration: Cinco de Mayo

Here are some ideas to help you celebrate Cinco de Mayo today.

Homemade Pinata.

Edible Flag at Family Fun

Party Streamers Printable

Cinco de Mayo Crafts and Decorations

Salsa and Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

One Charming Party Cinco de Mayo Party


Flashcards for Learning Spanish at Family Fun


Top Mexican Food Recipes at FoodNetwork.com

Easy Salsa and Chicken crock pot Recipe

I have the easiest recipe for all of you!

All you need is a jar of your favorite salsa (any will do) and some frozen chicken breasts. I like to use Pace chunky salsa, HOT for this recipe.  Really any will do.

Instructions:
Put 4-6 frozen chicken breasts in your crock pot.  Pour salsa (use entire jar) over the chicken.  Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-6 hours.  When the chicken is done it should be easy to shred.  Shred and serve with tacos.

We love to use this recipe to make tacos with.  It's really good with some sour cream, cheese, and lettuce in a taco.  You could also do taco salad with it as well.  Let me know if you try it out, and what you think of it!

~Jessica