bouffe e bambini: February 2011

Snapshot Saturday

I had so much fun last week I decided to link up again to Yellow Songbird's snapshot Saturday party!!!
My bachelorette party!!!! No explanation needed. My face says it all:)
Hanna

Natchitoches Meat Pies

I have featured {THIS RECIPE} before but I decided to make them a little differently this time.

I decided to go with the traditional half moon shape this time around and it was much easier than the little tiny pies that I love making! I always use {THIS RECIPE} for my pie crusts weather they be sweet or savory! It ALWAYS turns out perfect and flaky!

These aren't exactly on my diet so I ate 1/4 of a pie and made the rest for my husband. He loves these!

Family Update

Ginger Grace 8 weeks

Milton Joseph 16 Months

It's so hard to believe Ginger is ALREADY two months old and that little Milton is ONLY 16 months old! I can remember feeling like the first three months with Milton lasted an eternity. Maybe it's because he had colic but the time has gone MUCH quicker with Ginger. I think I'm so busy running around after little Milton that I don't have time to reflect.

She is starting to get really cute now. Her little cheecks are getting chubby. She is smiling all the time now and making more coos than ever. She is very interactive and just adorable!! Milton is also more settled with her presence in the family. The first month or so he was overwhelmed but now he knows she's here to stay!

So far I have lost 7 pounds towards my goal of getting back to my desired weight, still 53 pounds to go but I'm feeling good. On most days I manage to get at least one maybe two power walks in and I've been watching what I eat! I have been dying to start running again but Ginger isn't really big enough to ride in the stroller yet so I carry her in a baby carrier strapped to me. I can't run with her in that so maybe next month she will go in the stroller!

The bad news is I have to go back to work!

I had two job interviews last week and should be getting a call this week. I am deeply saddened to have to go back to work. The year and a half I got to be a stay at home mom to Milton was the best time of my life. I can't think of a time I was ever happier or more fulfilled.

That being said, we are at a point financially that I must go back. There is no negotiating at this point. I am very thankful that I am a nurse and can get a very good wage and only have to work two 12 hour shifts. That means 5 whole days at home with my babies. I can also feel good that I am going to be providing for my family but there are going to be a lot of tears shed when I have to go to work for the first time and leave these beautiful babies!

.....................Sigh.....................

Also I am guest blogging over at The Patchwork Chronicles. Come check it out {HERE}. I shared an A*M*A*Z*I*N*G recipe for Potato Leek Soup!!!

The Handmade Hog Linky Party

Welcome to the very first edition of "The Handmade Hog" on Bouffe e Bambini.

I have been meaning to start this linky party since before Christmas and never got around to it. To help support my love of everything handmade I decided to start this fun linky party. Please join me and link up ANYTHING handmade or homemade. I would love to see recipes, DIY projects and craft projects of all kinds!!!
And if you didn't make anything this week, no worries, link up an old favorite!!!

There are no rules! Feel free to grab the Handmade Hog button and place it in your post or on your sidebar but it is absolutely NOT required!! EVERYONE is welcome to participate!!! This is just supposed to be a fun way to share your ideas and pick up some new ones !!

So, please join me! LINK UP!!! I can't wait to see what you have in store!!!

To kick things off I am linking up my

Pot of Gold St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Cupcakes:

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I will take any excuse to bake something pretty and fun. I have wanted to make rainbow cupcakes for a long time so I had the idea to make rainbow cupcakes with white icing for clouds and gold coins for the treasure at the end of the rainbow! Which is all associated with leprechans right? Well, that was my idea for St. Patrick's Day! But you could easily make these for ANY occassion!!! So fun and so easy!

You will need:

1 box white cake mix

1 can of frosting

1 box of food coloring

12 chocolate gold coins

1 large zip lock bag or pastry bag

1 icing tip for piping

I will start off by saying this recipe makes about 14-17 cupcakes. It will not yield 24 as the box says because of all the transferring of batter. I suggest using 2 boxes of cake mix if you want 24 cupcakes.

All you do is mix up the batter as the box says and then separate it into 6 different bowls, one for each color of the rainbow. Now add the food coloring. The directions on the back of the food coloring box worked great for me while I was mixing up my colors. Make sure they are VERY vibrant because they will fade slightly when baked.

Now place one spoon full of whichever color you want on the bottom batter into the cupcake liners. I chose to have purple be the bottom. Next spoon in the second color. Repeat this until you have all the colors desired. Keep in mind that you have to use small spoon fulls or you will fill the cupcake too quickly and you won't be able to fit all your colors.

That's it! When your finished layering simply bake and cool.

I don't have a pastry bag so I just used a gallon size zip lock and cut a tiny hole in the corner where I placed my piping tip! Fill the bag and apply icing to look like clouds. If you can't find a piping tip with a large enough hole simply cut one of the plastic ones to the size you want.

Feel free to grab the Handmade Hog button below and place it in your post but it is absolutely not required to participate! EVERYONE WELCOME!!!!
Just have fun snapping up some new ideas!!!!!

Evy's Tree

Today I have an A*M*A*Z*I*N*G shop to introduce you to!

Meet

EVY'S TREE

Shop owner Amy creates gorgeous embellished clothing for Women, men and children!

I happen to be obsessed with her "Brilla" Hoodies and ruffle Cardigans. So far I own three.

Take a peek at how adorable her garments are........

I always think it's so interesting to get to know the artists who create such beautiful things. So I asked Amy to write up a bio for us and here's what she had to say about herself and Evy's Tree.

"My name is Amy and I am a 34-year-old 4th grade public school teacher morphed into a stay at home mom to two beautiful babies, Jacob and Evelyn. I am married to the most amazing man in the world, Brandon, who is a full time Youth Pastor and youth motivational speaker.

How Evy’s Tree came into my life is completely by accident; definitely what I would consider a God thing. When I decided to stay home with my first baby, Jacob, money was VERY tight. In October of 2009, I was inspired by many wonderful and creative stay at home moms who could whip up these beautiful items for their family with practically no money. I felt like I couldn’t even take my kids hems up if I needed too, and that made me feel very inadequate as a mom, for some strange reason! It seemed like everyone I knew could sew. So I borrowed my mom’s sewing machine and attempted to learn. In fact, I did a big post on my family blog regarding my feelings about being crafty right after I brought the machine home. The post is a bit of a joke now as I complained how I wasn’t creative, and yet here I am- creating for a living! You can read about that here:

http://miraflorfamily.blogspot.com/2009/10/confession.html

Anyway, I started sewing a little for myself and then I took on the task, with some help from some do it yourself blogs, of embellishing some hoodies from my closet for a trip to Disneyworld that my family was taking in December. I made three hoodies, The Love, The Hoot and The Rainbow {which are all semi- retired hoodies that now appear only occasionally}. I got gobs and gobs of compliments while in Florida, and my nieces begged me to make them some for Christmas. When I returned home I made them all The Hoot. My sister in law, whose nickname is Brilla, asked me to embellish her favorite hoodie for her and give it to her for Christmas. I made her the original Brilla, which is now my staple style. I took pictures of all the hoodies and put them on my blog after Christmas. Almost immediately I started receiving emails from people asking if they could purchase one. A couple of weeks later I put up a paypal link on my blog and sold 15 in 30 minutes. And my business was born…

I hope you enjoy my items in my shop! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and I look forward to seeing you wearing Evy’s Tree in the future!"

I just love EVY'S TREE and am so glad I had an opportunity to share Amy's gorgeous shop with you all! Plus be on the look out because sometime in the coming weeks Amy is going to sponsor a giveaway right here on bouffe e bambini!!!! *SQUEEL*

Amy also has two blogs and a facebook page so if you like what you see and want to keep up with her and EVY'S TREE you can check out her shop blog {HERE} and her family blog {HERE}.

Her facebook page can be found {HERE}. I highly recommend becoming a fan on facebook because she offers giveaways quiet often:)

I hope you have enjoyed meeting Amy and EVY'S TREE! Hop on over there and do some shopping!! You won't be disappointed!

My Life

I'm not going to sugar coat it folks. The transition from one baby to two was pretty rough on me. I think had they not been so close in age, it may have been a bit easier, but none the less I found myself guilt ridden and pulled in a million different directions. I'm pretty sure that those feelings come standard when you become a parent but it still doesn't make it any easier. So the great news is, I have finally found my rhythm!!! I find myself more happy and relaxed these days, truly enjoying being mom to my two little ones. I am cooking again and have more creative ideas than ever. My husband and I are getting a long really well these days. (having 2 babies this close in age is a HUGE stress on a relationship. Not to mention we've only had one measly date in a year and a half)I think the only word to describe my life is FULL!From my heart to my home, everything is beautifully FULL. There is a huge sense of contentment that has come over me since having children. I finally feel like I found my purpose in life. I finally found what I spent my whole life looking for! Things are going so well I have even, for a split second, considered having another one. Shhhhh..........don't tell my husband!

On other fronts, I have lost 5 pounds so far towards my goal. So I still have 55 pounds to go. This week I am starting a modified low carb diet. I'm not doing anything too drastic, just cutting out bread and sugar. I'm hoping this new change will speed up the weight loss a bit. I'll check in again soon and let you know how it's going! Hanna