Night Owl Collection

I helped throw a shower for a friend of mine over a year ago and just loved creating this little collection.  Its inspired from the Litto kids silly owl crib set.  She used it for nursery - SUPER CUTE! Since it has been a favorite among clients. And what a fun theme for a nursery!

fun art found here

add a stuffed owl or two!

Project nursery featured owls too.

What a hoot!

Thin Mint Martini Please!

Date 8/52

Theme: Martini Night Out
Location: The Living Room (not ours - thats really the name of the place)!
Day/Time: Saturday at 9pm

Being that my hubby was only in town for 12 hours from last week to this week I really needed to have a drink I was pretty sure we'd be scheduling a make-up date.  BUT....my parents were at the house and I was glad Dan was up for getting out for a little while. 

So we headed to our favorite hang-out by where we used to live and frequent often pre- kids.  Its a little local hang out that serves up unique pizzas & fabulous drinks.  We met up with two other couples and were soon sipping on our favorite martini's. A thin mint martini for me (think Girl Scout cookie but in a yummy drink) & Dan's usual is the Cajun.  It was nice to get out for a few hours & only spend a little $ yet feel like a million bucks!

Did I hear the word TREAT?

If you say the word "treat" in our house everyone gets excited - even the dog! On busy days I dread figuring out whats for snack. Here's a little trick I've been using for awhile and its so easy. We call it the "Treat Tin". Take a cupcake tin and fill with mini containers - the Glad ones fit perfectly. Then fill up the containers with a variety of colorful treats! Have the kids help or do it yourself as a surprise - either way its sure to spice up snacktime or help out with some additional choices at mealtime. Ours fits perfectly in the fridge too!

Depending on the age and level of your kids you can make it educational too. Pick out something yellow? Count three celery pieces. Choose a fruit. Who's says you can't "play" with your food at the table, right?
I can't guarantee they'll eat their broccoli but they will like getting to pick from all the fun choices.
The kids will love it and more importantly so will you! 

I've also used this idea for salad makings, arts and crafts, etc - so many possibilities!  Have fun with it and be sure to share any ideas you have too! Another bonus - they are a snap to put away!

a trip down honeymoon lane...

Date 7/52
Theme: a trip down honeymoon lane...
Location: Our House
Day/Time: Saturday at 9pm

I was super impressed when my husband suggested that we watch our honeymoon videos & look through our picture albums for a future date night.  I mean really...I'm usually the creative one!  I thought it was a great idea and went well with Valentines!  So we did it!  We loved looking back on all the fun times and things we did!  We stayed in St.Lucia for almost two weeks!  It was paradise!

Oh, what I wouldn't do to be here right now!

Or riding horses on the beach...

Or having a nice dinner with JUST my hubby...

I'd even go deep sea fishing again if it meant...

dessert delivered to the swim up bar in the afternoon!

Super fun date!  If we would've planned a bit better we would've made the yummy drinks that we enjoyed so much down there - maybe we'll open the bar on a future date night and make our favorite drinks!  Cheers!

Crossing my fingers...

I just entered a little contest to get a makeover! 

Not a me makeover but a blog makeover! 

I get super excited over this kind of stuff...colors, layouts, fonts especially!  I don't have the time to dazzle in it as much as I would like to so I'm hoping to get a fresh, modern-hip look real soon.  I just discoved this great site on Tuesday and have been keeping my fingers crossed ever since.  It called Queen of the Castle and its a resource for home managers.  Thats me - Home Manager, CEO of the Griffin Fam! So take a look its neat-o!  They have these great DIY Valentine treat bags!

Breakfast OUT of bed! {Project 52 Date Night}

Date 6/52

Theme: Breakfast OUT of bed!
Location: forty-two degrees north

Day/Time: Sunday 10:30 AM

Dan and I both love to read and its one of the things we still really try to make time for. Seems like most of our dates fall in the evening so we decided to switch things up a bit and take a morning to ourselves {Thanks mom!}.

We went into the city to try out forty-two degrees north. This new dining destination provides both a feast for the eyes as well as the palate! The setting is stylishly urban and you over look the river. We brought magazines, books & of course our appetites! I think the waitress might have thought we were moving in and.....well....we were for awhile! We did the full brunch. I loved all the toppings for the oatmeal and the made-to-order omelette's & waffles were great too! We sat there for almost three hours eating, reading and chatting. We are definitely going to do this again!

New Pretend Play Menu - Italian!

This new design is for a friend of mine {thanks Betsey}!

She had it personalized for Bella and her family.

Got a few more in the works so I'll show them off soon!

Current designs are available in my etsy shop!

Favorite SUPERbowl snacks!

Whether your getting ready to watch the BIG game or the BIG MONEY commercials here are a few of the recipes I get asked to make every year! Do you have a favorite you'd like to share?

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Garlic Mushrrom Tartlets

Popcorn Movie Night {Project 52 Date Nights}

Date 5/52
Theme: Popcorn Movie Night

Location: Home

Day/Time: Friday 7:30

Some things just go together...salt & pepper, toast & jam, cake & ice cream, grilled cheese & tomato soup, bacon & eggs, fries & a burger, chips and salsa and......in my eyes the same is true with popcorn & movies! (I know you shouldn't grocery shop when your hungry maybe the same is true when I blog)

This may be a standard date night in some houses - pick out a movie and toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave right. Sound familiar? Not here. Given - its the snack of choice. We eat it as our evening snack all the time. We eat the real stuff - homemade on the stovetop! My hubby has making it down to a science! Nothing beats it! If you've not popped your own popcorn your in for a real treat! Give it a try on your next movie night!

This past Friday night we did exactly that! Cozied up on the couch, had the fireplace going, homemade popcorn - Heck, we even watched some previews before deciding on a romantic comedy {The Proposal}! We had a great date night & enjoyed the movie from the comfort of our own home. In case we hadn't and were at the theatre its reassuring to know that I still could've went pee without missing a thing! Check this out - what will they think of next?