There's nothing quite like

Baby  Sugar

Exciting News

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Oliver is Here

... and

Nana couldn't be more thrilled!

Vote for Kayley

Hurry!

Vote for Kayley’s Baby Shower at

Project Nursery

“Light & Bright Shower for Oliver”

Thank You Thursday - Baby Love

Welcome Baby Oliver

We are so excited that Baby Oliver's arrival is soon upon us!  Last weekend
 we had a fun celebration for our cute mom-to-be, Kayley.  

Kayley's friend, Lisa, has this amazing house that is centrally located 
and offered it for us to have Kayley's Baby Shower.  

It was so fun planning and preparing for the shower and we couldn't be happier with how everything went.  
Marci is the "esteemed cook" in our family.  Her menu blog is my favorite reference when I need a recipe.  
She came up with ideas for food and prepared and  coordinated with some of 
Kayley's friends that wanted to help out. 

Kayley's sweet mother-in-law Lorna offered to take care of the dessert.  

 We decided cupcakes would be fun.  

Lorna shopped around 

and decided on the most amazing cupcakes.  She got them

HERE.

They were delicious~

She brought three flavors and I really couldn't pick a favorite.  

Vanilla, Lemon and Peanut Butter Chocolate. 

Kayley designed amazing invitations, some banner letters, cupcake toppers 
and tags and labels for the food and favors.  

Cupcake Table

My mom addressed and mailed the invitations for us.  
She loves hand addressed letters. 

 I adored my assignment.  I got to take care of decorations and favors.

I had so much fun sewing circle banners.  It became addictive and before I knew it 

I had a mile of them.  As it turned out it was the perfect amount when 
 we went to set them up in Lisa's beautiful house the day before the shower.

They looked so pretty in the four front windows .

Kayley painted the "B is for Baby" sign when she was in High School.

I love using it for Baby Boy Showers.

Kayley e-mailed a file to show me the cupcake toppers she was designing.  I thought 

they were adorable and printed one not realizing it hadn't yet been re-sized. 

It was a 5 1/2 inch circle! It was so funny but I loved it 
and couldn’t bare to just toss it 

so I decided to incorporate it into a banner for the beverage bar. 

 I love this old window. It is so fun for holidays and parties. I found it 

on Etsy last year and it was perfect to feature the important announcement.  

There have been so many cute showers and parties where 

mason jars were used for drinking glasses and 

they were a nice size  for the "must have" striped straws.

The “Welcome Baby Oliver” banner Kayley designed was adorable.  
 After I printed it and cut it out I decided to add some pennants 
behind her letters to better show them off.

A couple of years ago I made advice and prediction cards for a friend’s baby shower.
I thought it would be fun for Kayley and Scott.

The food was divine.

For the favors I decided to make Rice Krispie Treat pops.

Something  simple and gluten free for Marci and Hope.  

I think they’re ready now ♥

A big thanks to Marci and Kayley's friend, Kalina for all of the wonderful pictures!

A Repeat Offender

{a perfect Valentine Cake too!}

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

so Delicious & Easy 

Last Year's Yummy Cake

Kayley wanted a "Chocolately" cake last year for her birthday. Heather is my GO TO GIRL when I need a fabulous recipe. Once again,she came through again with shining colors! 

Tripe Chocolate Fudge Cake

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix (with pudding in the mix!)

1 large box chocolate pudding

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 c warm water

4 eggs

1 c sour cream

1 12oz package chocolate chips

Directions:

Grease and flour a 12 cup bunt pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix and pudding mix. Blend in oil, water, eggs, sour cream. 

Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into pan.

Bake 45 min-1 hour.

Cool 10 min, then slide knife around edges of pan and invert.

Cool completely and glaze.

Glaze:

Melt 1/3 c margarine and stir in 2 cups powdered sugar. Blend in 1/2 t. vanilla.

*my mom's friend sometimes just heats up a tub of frosting from the store and pours over the top instead.

Kayley didn't hesitate when asked what kind of cake or dessert she would like for her birthday.

Since it was the second year in a row I decided to add a festive banner with her birthday number on it. She's turned the big Two Five this year (which makes me age four when I had her, my story is getting harder and harder to believe)!

I found the cute printable number banner 

HERE

Hope all those wishes come true LeeLee!

 {all photos by Marci}

Me... Famous?

Marci Made Me Famous!

If you having been reading along with me for awhile you know, I live "famously" through my kids!

Just a sampling of the many posts!

 .....in random order  ..... 

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2010/04/our-first-birthday-girl.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2008/06/photo-shoot.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2008/11/big-day.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2010/06/april-birthday-girl-celebration.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2010/12/concert-season.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2009/05/thank-you-thursday.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2010/05/thank-you-thursday-congratulations.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-10-1994.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2009/03/thank-you-thursday_26.html

http://minermoments.blogspot.com/2010/05/birthday-wishes.html

Well back to the famous bit... 

Marci has this incredible Menu Blog that I totally rely on now.  She finds amazing recipes and has posted about many of our family favorites as well.

She spotted our "Miner Marinade" recipe at

Real Mom Kitchen!

It's featured

HERE

Okay, okay, so I'm not mentioned but my recipe should count for something. (right?)

A Cat Tale

The title of this story is:

Meet Sally

The story began last November... 

Once upon a time there was an adorable couple also known as my mom and dad. They befriended  a cute stray cat that frequently showed up at their back door.  She was very smart and in no time had  adopted them.
They named her "Cat" ...  I know , right.

"Cat" was a pretty white cat with splotches of black.  My parents already have 2 indoor cats so although they didn't let her inside the house they fed her and  made a sheltered sleeping area for her.
It was crystal clear, SHE had claimed them as "hers". ( its a cat thing)

Long story short, it turned out, Miss Cat was a Mama Cat.  My dad found 5 teeny weeny kittens on the side of their house. 

 

Guess who ended up with new kittens???

  Marci and Mike adopted a brother and sister team.  They are silver tabbies. Addie named her little boy "Tom" and Ella named her little girl "Beauty".  

Kayley and Scott adopted a pretty white brother sister team ~ "Winston" and "Samantha".

 BUT
long pause ...
there was yet another kitten.  She was black with perfectly placed white markings.
Did you guess?

We adopted "Sally".  When she is naughty and must be reprimanded her name is Sally Jean.  We love the way she is painted.  She has a white goatee and bib.  White boots and gloves and my very favorite detail is a sassy Marilyn Monroe beauty mark! If we'd noticed it sooner perhaps her name would be Marilyn.

As you might know we already had adopted a brother team when Marci's adopted stray cat "Meow Meow"
(named by Ella who was a toddler at the time) had a litter of ALL white kittens. 

When we brought little Sally home it was NOT 
love at first sight.
Bill and Blanco were not happy campers in the beginning.  
I was even fearful for little Sally Jean at first.

Senior Blanco

Silly Bill

(aren't his eyes cute!)

Such Brotherly Love

My Mom kept saying give them time.  Once again she was right.  They are one big happy family now.  They look so cute when all three are sleeping together especially with Sally in the middle.  They look like a yummy Oreo cookie in reverse.

Blanco is so patient 
and 
check out Sally's beauty mark!

My parents are thrilled with all of the adoption arrangements as now they can visit all the cute cats any time they want! 

Oh!  ....  and they all lived happily ever after♥

~THE END~ 

Author's Note: THAT'S it people.  I don't care who ends up with a stray cat and kittens.  We're good.   REALLY!

k