Recently we went and spent the day with my dad just Melody and me.
Disney on Ice (again)
Melody has been to see Disney on Ice three times now. She went once when she was about 4-5 months old, then she went again last year at about 16 months old. Our third visit was a few weeks ago here in Huntsville. It was part of her birthday present from Emily. Brad wasn't super interested in going since he has been twice before, so it ended up being just a girls' trip. Since it was local, this was really easy to do. My mom even tagged along to see the show too.
French Onion Dip
I love french onion dip. It is a staple at all of our parties and family gatherings. My favorite is Purity brand, but I wanted to try and find a recipe to make at home. I found one on Pioneer Woman's website and decided to give it a try. I mean can you go wrong with anything Pioneer Woman? It has now become my absolute favorite, and it is so simple to make! Check it out below.
Melody is TWO!
Melody turned two on Friday! I know it is very cliche to say, but time really does fly these days. I feel like yesterday she was born, and so it is hard to believe she has already celebrated two birthdays! Last year was a really big birthday since it was her first, but we still had a lot of fun celebrating our little one turning two! Check out all the fun we had on her actual birthday below.
Mickey Mouse Character Banner
My best friend Emily did a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed birthday party for her daughter Lydia who just turned 2. It was a very adorable party, and she did a really great job without going too overboard which could have easily been done. It's not as easy of a theme as one might think. There are so many different things you can do and directions you can go. One of the things she wanted was a banner with all of the characters "headgear" on it. I was able to make it for her using my Silhouette Cameo.
Squash Casserole
So I can be a really lazy cook. Like I hate to have to cook something, transfer it to a pan, then cook it again in the stove. I know a lot of times this can't be avoided. Usually when I cook something like this, I make sure all of the other dishes I am having with it are easy. Squash casserole is an example of this. I LOVE squash casserole. But I really hate putting so much effort into a side dish. I also felt like this wasn't a great dish to freeze and reheat. So my recommendation is to make only the amount you think you will eat. I will for sure do that next time. This will also only be a dish I make on the weekends or "good" weeknights, ha! Only due to my pure laziness of course.
Grille 29 Brunch
So our all time favorite brunch spot is Grille 29. I have been eating lunch and dinner here since I moved to Huntsville back in 2009. A few years later we found out that they had brunch on Sundays. Back them they served brunch only on Sunday starting at 10 am. More recently, they have expanded their brunch to Saturdays too. One perk is that they serve $0.29 mimosas from 10 until 11. So that is the prime time really. We tend to go whenever we have family in town over the weekend or for special occasions. Check out my review of our most recent experience below!
Mother's Day 2018
I had a very laid back but great Mother's Day this year.
Parmesan Biscuits
I found this recipe on the American Diabetes Association website. However, I changed up the ingredients slightly so the nutritional information no longer applies that is found on their website (unless you use their ingredients). This may also explain my "flat" biscuits. Either way, they tasted really good, and not only are they great for breakfast but they would make a great bread serving at dinner too.
Swim Lessons
Back in April we enrolled Melody in swim lessons at our local YMCA. Emily also enrolled Lydia. My parents have a pool, so we wanted to be sure and get them familiar with the water before the summer. The specific class is called 'water exploration'. Basically it isn't to teach them to swim on their own, but it teaches them some of the basic swimming concepts.
Biloxi with Nana
My mom (Melody's Nana) travels for her job every week. She is able to bring family along with her on trips when it works out. Brad was out of town for work in early April. I knew far enough in advance that my mom was able to plan to be somewhere we could go. This is only our second trip with my mom. It is hard to travel with her with Melody because she doesn't have the best work hours for Melody's schedule. It is also best to travel places with driving distances too. We wanted to go somewhere on the coast, and with the options my mom had, Biloxi made the most sense. I really like going to Biloxi, but I hadn't been in about 5 years. So it was fun to revisit.
Mini Taco Cups
I made these mini taco cups for the Super Bowl earlier this year. I have made something similar using fillo shells. I do feel like the ones with fillo shells are slightly better, but these may be slightly healthier, ha! They are super easy to make and are really easy appetizers to have at any event!
TOPS'L Beach and Racquet Resort
Back in March, Melody and I went to the beach with my best friend Emily and her daughter Lydia. We stayed at TOPS'L Beach and Racquet Resort. It is located in Miramar Beach, FL. I have stayed here many times over the last 7-8 years. Brad's parents used to actually own a condo there, so we traveled there often during those years. Brad proposed to me there, and we got married there too. It has a truly special place in our hearts for sure.
Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo 2018
Back in February, Huntsville hosted their third annual Comic and Pop Culture Expo. Brad and I attended the very first one which was dramatically smaller and had far less to do. Unfortunately we missed the second one because of prior engagements. However, we heard the second one was much bigger from our friends that were able to attend. When we found out that the one this year was on a weekend we had no plans, we were sure to add it to our calendar as a must do!
Patty Melts
As I have mentioned before, Brad loves patty melts. I made some breakfast ones a while back that were pretty good but pretty bad for you. Well I feel like these are not quite "as" bad for you. They are still full of butter, but you could probably find some healthier alternatives if you really want. I could not eat more than half, but Brad was able to finish the entire thing. Just a word of warning!
Address Template
So I tend to host/cohost a lot of parties. I absolutely love to party plan. And something that goes along with most parties are invitations. I address all invitations by hand. I have considered using my Silhouette Cameo pen to address some, but I feel like it would take quite awhile to do.
Silhouette Cameo Projects Part Two
So here is a part two to my original post regarding my Silhouette Cameo projects. Check out what I have done since my original post below!
Roasted Chicken
I found the roasted chicken recipe from the American Diabetes Association website. We wanted to find another way to cook chicken and while I was scrolling through their recipes I ran across this one.
Dreft Laundry Stain Remover
Until we had Melody, I never used Dreft anything. Well once having a baby, I realized I would need some great stain removers because that is literally what she lives for...making a mess, ha! It took me awhile to find a stain remover that truly worked on almost everything, but in the end, it had been staring me right in the face since we had her...Dreft. Dreft laundry stain remover is 1 of 2 stain removers I use regularly. The other is Carbona Stain Deviles Fat and Cooking Oil Stain Remover. I will show you that later though! I have some examples of some stains that Dreft has removed below.
Mommy, Baby, Best Friend Beach Trip
Back in March, both Brad and my best friend's husband, Justin, were out of town for work purposes (separate trips however). Both of our husbands travel for work but they have never traveled at the same time. So we decided we should just go on a girls trip together while the boys were away.