Ohh The Things I Love....

As a mommy, wife or just some who needs/loves to cook, I believe these items are musts! I received these items as part as a gift last Christmas, and I am absolutely in love! I use this cookware for almost everything! I've never bought items from Pampered Chef for myself, but these gifts definitely turned me on to them!

This Classic Batter Bowl is perfect for any kind of measuring, mixing or storing I need to do! No matter how small or large (up to 8 cups), I use this all the time! I used this for the Berry Yummy Popsicles I recently posted about!

Another one of my favorites is the Cookie Sheet. Its non-stick surface allows cookies to be lifted off easily. However, only plastic or wooden spatulas should be used. I found out quickly that metal spatulas scrape the surface!

Another love of mine?? The Stackable Cooling Rack is absolutely wonderful! I usually don't make just 12 cookies at a time. Most of the time, I'm having to bake for a special even or occasion, so I need something to help my cookies cool faster. This cooling rack is it! I often wonder what I did before I received this item. :)

Ok, so that's it for today! It must be noted that I do not represent Pampered Chef in any way! I'm not a consultant, and I have never been a hostess. I was not compensated in any form for my opinion. I received these items as gifts from a family member, and I love them so much I thought everyone else should know. So there.

Linked to: Things I Love Thursday

Rockin' Baby Shower

Yesterday, I had the joy of hosting a not-so-traditional baby shower! The mom-to-be didn't want anything pastel or 'babyish'. To reflect the personality of the parents, we decided on a Rock Themed Baby Shower. It was so much fun to plan, and we scoured the internet for ideas! I'm never one to go over the top, so we kept things pretty simple. The mom-to-be was happy, so that's all that matters, right? :)

 These were the invites her talented husband created for her. It pays to have husbands who are graphic designers!

The colors chosen were pink, black and white. The plates and napkins came from Hobby Lobby, and I am ever thankful for their 40% off coupons!

 I wish I could take credit for making this! The other host of the shower used a lady who is making her wedding cake. Here are some ideas we got from our Google searches: Idea 1, Idea 2, Idea 3

Naturally, we had to use rock candy for party favors! Most candy stores will sell it by the pound. We thought about using rock candy on a stick, but the cost is a little more. I also found that it's hard to find enough pink at one place. My awesome hubby is also a graphic designer, and he used the invites to make the cards for the top! A little double-sided, clear scrapbook adhesive worked great for sealing!

This cheese and crackers tray was so fun! I bought a mini star cookie cutter at Hobby Lobby and some cheddar and pepper jack cheese. This took a little longer to do than I thought. The cheese tends to break apart easily! It was still fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

I got this cute idea from a Made By You Monday link up! For some reason, I didn't save the link. So if you know which one I'm talking about, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due! She didn't use ultrasound pics, but I thought this would be darling for a table decoration!

These were going to be hanging ball decorations, but I couldn't make them quite full enough. Since I was out of tissue paper, I decided making them into large paper flowers! I also tucked in small gifts for baby. Gift 1, Gift 2

New News!

Well..not really 'new' news, but I haven't posted on here yet that we are expecting another precious baby in January! After losing a baby in April, I was wanting to wait a few more months to try again. I was still so emotional and would break down into tears at nearly everything. I wasn't pregnant that long with our sweet baby, but it still hurt deeply. That was incredibly surprising to me, and I wasn't prepared to be so emotional. After talking to my husband, we decided to trust God with getting pregnant again like we had done before. However, it took me 4 months to get pregnant with our angel baby. So we weren't expecting to get pregnant again so soon. Seriously....I didn't even have a cycle between losing our baby and finding out I was pregnant again!!!
This was another range of emotions I did not expect! I was happy to be pregnant, but it was just hard to imagine having another baby in there. I almost felt like I should still be pregnant with the first baby. I felt guilty for having a completely different baby in there and not being able to carry the one we lost. I know that sounds crazy, but all moms know how the feeling of guilt will come over you for some of the silliest reasons!
We waited to tell family and close friends until we had our 6 week appointment and got to see the precious baby's heart flickering on the screen. That was a precious sight! The un-telling of our previous pregnancy was so hard, and I never wish to repeat that! We had our 9 week ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, and we got to see our sweet baby again and its little arm and leg buds. :) It had a good, strong heartbeat of 181 bpm! My husband has the ultrasound pics and has yet to scan and send them to me, so I will post pics of our precious baby soon! I will be 12 weeks this Wednesday, and things are going along smoothly. I am nauseated and completely exhausted! It takes all the energy I have just to wash dishes or do a load of laundry. I don't remember this with Caedmon, but I know every pregnancy is different. Please forgive my lack of posts! I get on here. Look at my blog and realize I am way behind. Maybe my energy and creativity will return soon. :)

So Berry Yummy Popsicles!

I just had to share this simple yummy recipe! The temps out here in Texas are beginning to soar, and we all have to find creative ways to cool off that won't raise our utility bills. I found this recipe in my attempts to find healthy snacks, and I wanted to share it with you all!

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh or thawed berries

In the ones I made, I used raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.

2 cups of plain yogurt

1/2 to 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

Pour into molds and allow to freeze.

My little man absolutely loves these! I can imagine they'd make a great smoothie as well. :) I'd like to know if anyone gives these a try. I'm thinking my next batch will contain peaches and strawberries. Mmmm! Be creative and enjoy!

The berries :)

Adding the yogurt

Adding the sugar

Ready to be frozen!

My Cman enjoying his popsicle!

Linked to: Made by You Mondays at Skip to my Lou

Mama Bird

This a picture of the necklace my husband and little man gave me for Mother's Day from The Vintage Pearl. I absolutely love it! It's so cute but very simple and dainty. I'm not much into wearing big chunky jewelry, and this was the perfect gift. I see another purchase in my very near future. :)

I was not paid in any way for posting this. This is simply my opinion on something I love. :)

Linked to: Things I Love Thursday