st. patty's day...

Hope everyone had a Happy St. Patty's Day! It's always a fun time in our home. I had my niece and nephew over to help decorate cupcakes Friday night and they got to wake up to rainbow pancakes! We rented 3 movies and spent the day piggin' out. What better way to spend St. Patty's day!

I made sunflower cupcakes and topped them off with butterflies I found at The Dollar Tree. I just so happened to find orange, green and yellow ones! Perfect to go with my color palette. I can't help that everything has to have a theme or color palette? I know, so OCD! But it looks pretty right? With our cupcakes we ate rainbow sherbet which I scooped into the left over cupcake liners. This way everyone has the same amount and its the perfect portion for kids and those watching their portion intake.

I made lime jello! Poured into individual glasses and topped with whip cream. OK and a few yellow sprinkles on top. A decorate bow made of twine for an added touch.

I have made green pancakes in the past for St. Patty's day but can't take credit for the rainbow idea. I saw it on Pinterest and had to try it. It was super easy. Just a few drops of food coloring in each batter of pancake mix and you have a great rainbow! I unfortunately ran out of food coloring and wasn't able to make purple but hey, that would have been an even larger stack an this I must say was filling enough.

I decorated some cupcakes with rainbows made from Sixlets. Who doesn't love Sixlet's! For my pot-0-gold, it was a simple Rolo candy placed at the end of the "rainbow".

My mom always made this punch for my parties when I was growing up. 7 Up, fruit punch and topped with with sherbet. Of course I stuck with "rainbow" sherbet to stick with my theme. If you aren't able to find a lime punch, a few drops of food coloring work just fine. Finished it off in a mason jar wrapped in twine and complete with an orange mustache straw (which my kids thought was for the Lorax).  

I wrapped a few cupcakes in tissue paper and twine.

The rest I put in these great rainbow wrappers I found at The Dollar Tree in the Easter section. I love the dollar store!

Found these cute hair bows in the $1 bin at Target. Perfect for the occasion!

Her "nini" (grandma) found this cute shirt at Old Navy for less than $10. She paired it with green skinny jeans and gold ballet flats. She loves Mickey and Minnie and of course it's perfect for St. Patty's Day! I'm sure she will wear it every day for the next week! :)

This is just some of the great stuff I found at Target and The Dollar Tree that were perfect for the occasion. You don't always have to spend alot of money or look in the "featured holiday section". Think outside the box! My kids had no idea who the Leprechaun is by the way. They thught this was a Lorax party...haha! So there you go, a good idea for a Lorax themed party as well ;)

spring break revamp...

What will you be doing this Spring Break? Redecorating, rearranging or refurbishing? Spring Break is a great time to revamp your living space. On a budget, no problem! Look for sale items, items from other rooms in your home or yard sales for new treasures! Doing an exchange with friends is even better! Rearranging a room can give a whole new look to any room!  Here are a few things to do to this Spring Break to freshen up any room this Spring Break!

Adding a monogram to a room will give it a personal touch! I found this "E" year ago at Ross for about $10. Once placed solely on the wall now placed next to a collage of pics.

A collage of family pictures will give a blank wall an entire new look. Try taking pictures from other rooms and placing them all on one wall. Mix and match frames for an ecclectic look or keep them all simple for a modern look.

Tired of the same old mirrors or picture hanging up in one room? Moving items from one room to another will give a room another look and no money spent, makes it even better! These mirrors once bunched in a group of 4 hung on my dining room wall. Now placed over my bed frame, it gives my room a whole new feel.

Adding something new (or old) can give any room a special touch. This vintage inspired soap dispenser was only $12.99 at Target.

Adding a touch of color to the wall will spice up any room! Whether it's an accent wall or the entire room, it will give any space a brand new feeling.

Updating a simple shower curtain or window draping can make a big statement. This shower curtain was on sale at Pottery Barn for half the price. Too good to pass up and the yellow gives my bathroom a bright, airy feeling. This mirror was once in my dining room bunched with 3 others.

cinnamon bread, cheddar cheese and granny smith...

What do you get when you mix cinnamon bread, cheddar cheese and granny smith apples? One amazingly divine guilty pleasure! Typically, this would be a "feel good Friday" post with healthy food but my friend shared this recipe with me that she stole from a grilled cheese cook-off who probably stole it from their great-granny. Anyhow, I was itchin' to try it out!

  

A Friday trip to Trader Joe's is typical for me so why not get all the fixin's for this amazing grilled cheese that I've been hearing about! Their prices are great and they always have the most interesting items. The possibilities are endless, this must be the reason I can never go in for just one thing! I used sharp cheddar cheese and layered thinly sliced granny smith apples over it. Grilled it just as you would a "normal" grilled cheese.

You could also use pears instead of apples or both together! I love to add pears in with apples whenever I bake an apple pie! This is exactly what this reminds me of when I bite into it!

I always finish off any dish with a garnish! I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cheese and placed a couple of apples along with it because I am OCD that way! On the side of the dish is nice but added to the top is even better!

Now although you may feel great while eating it, you are sure to feel guilty afterwards so once your food digests, take a little walk or just eat smaller portions on your next meal. Everyone needs a little guilty pleasure now and then!

Happy Friday Everyone!