"J" s legotastic cookie cake :)

Our little man just turned seven!I can't believe he's going to be a second grader! Time sure does fly!Nowadays, by the ripe old age of seven,kids have seen it all ...at least as far as cakes are concerned.In an effort to try something fresh, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. "J" is a huge fan of legos and he asked for a chocolate chip cookie cake...so it was obvious LEGO COOKIE CAKE! When I googled lego cake all I found were "lego brick cakes" and things of that sort...which is cool, but what kid is really wowed by a big square? Not mine... So, here's my creation step by step.And yes it is the laziest and easiest form of baking ever!Enjoy :)

Now, when I say lazy, this is what I mean... I took 2 packs of chocolate chip cookie dough ( the "break and bake" type) and flattened the dough just a tad with a rolling pin...I used a knife to create the outline for my cakes.

The cake next to the inspiration

wanna see what happens when you think you can cut out a giant cookie into a cool shape and bake it?

BAM...there you have it folks... a big blob of a cookie!

My poor lego man :(

No worries, I just went back to the drawing board

after the magic of a little frosting

Birthday Boy!!!I added some lego men to the "7" cake :)

Doesn't he look so handsome? I love that little guy!

xoxo- Melissa 

Summer...one year later

Summer- Virginia Beach 2010

Summer-Maumee Bay 2011 

Summer at the Cottage!

Summer around here has been pretty action-packed...from our new trampoline to bike rides and an afternoon swim... but nothing beats the fun times we have at the family cottage in Michigan! And now that our "baby" is four, she can do a lot more! So, this momma has had to let her baby stretch her wings. I have loved watching my girl do things on her own even though at times it's hard for me to avoid the "BE CAREFUL!" and yelling at my hubby "IS THAT SAFE???"

FIRST... time docking the boat in the middle of the lake and jumping in with Papa and Daddy!I thought she'd be so scared, but NO way! She loved it!

I was sweating bullets "Don't let her slide out of that life jacket!!!!" The guys thought I was crazy, but what mom wouldn't be nervous?

My girl ♥

FIRST ...time swimming out to the platform and jumping in!

SPLASH!

FIRST... time on the wave runner with Daddy!

Later, I was told she was saying "Faster Daddy, Faster!!!"

FIRST...time putting live bait on her fishing pole!

FIRST...catch!!!She reeled it in and everything!

FIRST...time touching her very own fish!

FIRST... summer that momma allowed her to play with sparklers!!!

HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE!!!!

 

XOXO- MELISSA

FEATHER WRAP TUTORIAL

Tutorial time! This time , I took super trendy and mixed it with some old school! I loved hair wraps as a kid and now feathers are all the rage...and since God blessed me with a daughter with beautiful locks and the want to make her momma happy...I came up with the feather wrap!Actually, I'm sure I'm not the first to do this...I think I've seen a hundred of those old pictures of Native Americans with similar headpieces. Oh well...so here's to my Aleut and Aztec Heritage :)

Materials: embroidery thread, feathers,beads- all items were things I had hanging around the house..so don't be afraid to be resourceful and get creative! oh and please excuse the fingerprints all over the table!haha

Start by braiding a small section of hair..but not too small! I learned the hard way...my daughters hair is so slippery- I really should've made a larger braid

I used 5 different colors of thread. My daughter has long hair, so to be on the safe side I trimmed about 1 yd of thread

I used neon feathers that we usually use for craft projects.

Group the thread together and tie it into a knot around the braid at the root. To wrap the thread, I used the good old "friendship bracelet" method. Begin with whatever color you want and tie a knot around the braid and the other thread and repeat. You can use any pattern you'd like..personally, I think it'd look super cool to bunch a group of multicolored thread , and instead of making big chunk of color, just wrap each color once...

With a 4 yr old, it's pretty unrealistic to think you can add feathers permanently to the wrap.So.. when I was done wrapping the hair, I added a few beads and simply pushed the stem of the feather in between the beads!It stays easily BUT you can also remove for bedtime and swimming.

My girlie LOVES the "Feather Wrap" She was so stoked to show all of her friends at preschool...and I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a few girls rockin' the look in the next few weeks!

 Hope you enjoyed this fun idea!

xoxo-Melissa

Playing " catch -up"

The past several months have been so busy and I've neglected my poor little blog. So, before I dive back in... let's play catch-up!

The Hubs and I celebrated four years of wedded bliss ♥

"J" lost his two front teeth!

Daddy taught "J" how to ride on two wheels

We spent Easter in Virginia Beach with all of the cousins!

"P' had a successful first season of soccer! And...our dog, Bindi, has been shedding...apparently her hair got on this picture!lol

"J" had an awesome season in Baseball!

"P" has been indulging in all summer activities!

"P" turned 4 and had a "pinkalicious" themed party

My parents and nephew came to town over Fourth of July weekend!

Now you're up to speed! This week, I will be back to blogging as usual :)

-Melissa

I SPY....shoes and jewelry edition

Why hello friends...It's been a few months since I've blogged.But little miss momma's new linky party was just what the Dr. ordered to get this girl out of hibernation!A lot has happened in our household in the last 3 months....Little man lost his two front teeth and learned how to ride a bike without training wheels...Little princess can now spell her first and last name (not the easiest task considering her unique first and last name) and is starting soccer this week!The hubby got a promotion! Whew...Now that you're caught up...time for I SPY!!!!

Wedding ring and my first Mother's day tennis bracelet with my girl's birthstone and mine

My daddy's dogtag AND my hubby's dogtag..I don't think there are any other men that can compare to these. I love them both.

what I've been waiting for my whole life, my first piece of jewelry made for me by my love bug!

My new BEAST of a ring..a birthday gift from my Grandma...LOVE it!!!

Latest Valentine's day gift from the hubs...so so so sentimental

A necklace I made with the seashells me and my daughter picked up along the Atlantic Oceanfront in Virginia Beach

Absolutely Gorgeous necklace , made by my own mom! She makes all of her pieces from real coins from all over the world!

My hubby's Grandpa's high school State Football Champs Pendant..He was my hubby's hero and I think it's good luck :)

This pendant was from my Great Grandma, inside is gold flecks..it reminds me of our Alaskan Heritage

Wedding day heels

Bought these boots in Tiblisi,Georgia while my dad was stationed at the U.S. Embassy there. These shoes are hard core.

Because everyone in Northern Ohio HAS to own a good pair of gloshes!

I used to wear heels like this everyday at my old job...

Now,I wear these!!!

linking up!