A RazzleDazzle Birthday Party!

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A beautiful party for a special two year-old. I love going to kids birthday parties and my friends from the LBC didn’t disappoint. From cupcakes, to the photo booth, labels, name tags, to having the Yo Gabba Gabba crew come and hang out with the kids!!! Most everything was handmade by the parents. A labor of love for their sweet Little Girl! Happy Birthday Mika!!!

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Buying a House

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I always thought buying a house was going to be this magical journey of falling in love with a house. 
Just like you fall in love with your partner in life! 
But this journey, which has currently lasted less than 5 days and 6 hours … has only brought headaches and tears.
It is kind of joke that it hasn’t even been a week and most people look for months before they make one of the most important decisions of their lives. Oh! And not to mention we only saw two houses. But I did fall in love with the first one we saw. And yes, as my husband pointed out,  it was nothing that we ever talked about wanting in a house.  But I can see my girls running around in the yard, having beautiful fairy tea parties, and walk to their pre-school. Not to mention it has a beautiful garage that looks like a little barn and it has been converted into an office space. Which would perfect for our Casa Azul Studio. 
I guess buying a house is just like getting married, it’s a lifetime commitment, you are madly in love in the beginning, you find faults along the way, you fix them and love them again.
Anyway, we are looking for more houses to satisy my husband. But I’m crushed! How do you know it’s the right house? How emotional should one be through this process? In the meantime, I’ll obsess on Pinterest and keep dreaming of falling in love again and again
house5
House 1
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Sugar Cookies

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We’ve been busy around our house making treats for our family and friends and found this awesome cookie recipe from Craftiness Is Not Optional.
Best sugar cookies ever!
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Ingredients:
 2 cups butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
2 t. vanilla
1 ½ t. salt
5 c. sifted flour
Directions:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Mix well. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Roll to ¼” thickness in between sheets of parchment paper (sprinkle flour on both sides of the dough and paper), then chill dough in fridge until firm. Cut with cookie cutters and place on greased cookie sheets. Repeat with remainder of dough, but keep in mind each time you roll it out they get tougher from adding flour while rolling. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Make sure they are not sitting on the counter very long before putting them in the oven, you want them to go in chilled. Cookies should not brown. Let cool for a few minutes on the tray then transfer to a cooling rack.  I usually bake them a day before I decorate. Makes about 40-50 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter design.

Petite Apple pies

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I’m not a baker but these apple bites turned out so delicious.
Only problem, you might sample them all before you share.
petite apple bites
Super easy, here is what you need:
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp sugar (I used brown sugar but you can use white sugar too)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 pkg crescent rolls
3 tbsp melted butter
3 medium tart apples, about 16 wedges
Directions
In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon, set aside one tsp of this mix.
On a clean flour surface, unroll crescent roll dough. Brush with the 2 tsp melted butter
(save 1 tsp of melted butter for later) and sprinkle the sugar mix.
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Cut each individual crescent roll in half so you’ll have 16 pieces.
Dredge each apple in the cinnamon sugar mix. Then wrap a strip around each apple wedge.
Make sure you use the butter and sugar mix on the inside when wrapping the apple.
 
Place your apple bites on a parchment lined baking sheet or silicon baking mat. Brush with remanding butter and sprinkle with the sugar mix. Bake at 425 for 13-15 min or until pastry is golden brown.
Enjoy!
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A Haunted Birthday Party!

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Happy Birthday Maddox!
To create this haunted look, I tried to recycle as much as I could. I used an old fabric as a curtain and nailed it to the window, cut some paper bats from poster boards and hung it from the ceiling with some fishing line. I also used a chalkboard paper runner that I found at Target and I think it turned out pretty cute and cheap. What do you think?haunted Bdayhaunted bday 2