Minnie Mouse 1st Birthday Party!!

Happy 1st Birthday Holly!!!

We had an amazing 1st birthday celebration. Holly was surrounded by lots of family and friends! This was the only picture I was able to snap of the two of us!

 :( But, that's the price you pay being hostess to a one year old and her friends. ;)

I had several crafts leading up to this day and didn't take any tutorial pictures. However, most projects were inspired by others who had some awesome tutorials for you all!

I know you all are checkin' out my "cute as a button" Minnie mouse ears. :)

The Suburban Mom had the easiest tutorial I could find to whip these out quickly and budget friendly. 

The cake and cupcakes were inspired by many pictures, blogs and pins. I went with cherry chip cake so it flowed with the pink and white Minnie theme. I topped them with pink cream cheese frosting. Sprinkled with edible pearls and the ears are Hershey drops! They were delicious!  

Food is always a big test for me. Do we have a meal? Snacks? Just cake and ice cream? Well, since this IS for my 1 year old I went with finger foods! It was a nice, stress-less idea! Lots of my amazing friends brought a dish and we even had Minnie cakepops! It was a feast. 

No party is complete without the perfect birthday outfit! This is a Minnie inspired pillow case dress. I couldn't resist making one. They are too simple not to have one in every color! Plus, my favorite part is that they can be worn from a dress to a top as they grow! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

~Keli~

Ballpark Burritos!

Ballpark Burritos

NY style and Chicago Style

I am a couponer and as a couponer I am always coming across free or almost free hot dogs. My boys love themselves a good dog! But, we get tired of the standard hot dog and bun. I came across these one day in a cookbook I have and thus a hotdog has never been the same since! 

First, you must learn how to braise a hotdog. Seriously. After having eaten them this way I may never eat them any way else again! Brings out all the delicious flavors that I never knew were in a frank.

Place the hotdogs in a skillet with 1/4 inch water and a drizzle of oil. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the water to cook off while the dogs warm through. When the water has cooked off cover the pan with a lid to reduce splatter and allow the casings to crisp for 1 minute, shaking the pan a few times. Now, they are cooked and ready to be devoured! 

Chicago Ballpark Burrito

Ingredients:
1/4 c. mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
pepper
salt
4 lg. tortillas
1/2 c. sweet relish
4 lg pickle spears
4 braised hot dogs

Whisk the mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a medium salad bowl. Add the lettuce, tomatoes and onions to the bowl, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. One at a time, blister the tortillas on both sides. Build the burritos by piling some salad, topping with relish, add a pickle spear and a dog. Tuck in the sides, then wrap and roll the burrito. Repeat with remaining dogs.

N.Y. Deli Ballpark Burrito

Ingredients:

1 can BBQ baked beans

2 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

black pepper

sauerkraut

1/4 c. spicy mustard

1c. beer

4 lg tortillas

4 slices Swiss cheese

1 small onion, chopped

4 braised hot dogs

Heat beans in saucepan. Spice them up with the hot sauce, Worcestershire and pepper. 

Combine sauerkraut, mustard and beer in a pan. Boil and simmer for 5 min.

Blister tortilla on both sides, place Swiss cheese on tortilla and let melt for 1 min. Transfer tortilla to a plate and top with beans, sauerkraut, onion and a dog. Tuck, wrap and roll. 

YUMMY!!! 

DIY Yarn Wrapped Monograms

Something about a monogram shouts, "Family Pride" to me. It is one of the best accents to make a house a home. I love the many ways you can find monograms displayed. Some that caught my eye were the wooden letters. They are found every where these days from babies rooms to front doors. Fonts, heights, thickness, materials the options are endless! But, have you seen the prices of the bigger sizes? Ouch! 

Well, being as frugal as we are, I begged the husband to use some of our scrap wood and cut me one. :) 

Next decision was to paint or not to paint?! I used pinterest to get my creative juices flowing and found so many people are making the yarn wrapped letters. What a great idea! I have an abundance of yarn tucked away in my craft closet. So I pulled out a neutral color that would fit in with our rustic decor and began wrapping. 

Since this letter was super sized to fit our gigantic mantel it took some time and brains to keep wrapping. I will openly admit that it has its flaws if you look close enough; but I am happy with the results! 

                     

Its another perfect addition to our mantel re-do. I also am so pleased at how it is all coming together and with no money spent on new supplies. Everything we have had just laying around. :)

~Keli~