Easter Basket 2013

We had a great weekend with a family dinner & egg hunt, along with a beautiful church service today.  I'm missing my family back home today, especially on Easter where we would always go to the farm.  So thankful for Jesus sacrifice so that we can live.....I'm so not worthy of anything.  Thank you Lord for my beautiful family and friends and this life you have given,

  Hope you all had a great Easter too!!!!

Although we don't really do the Easter bunny, we did do a basket for the lil guy and here are some pictures I took....I'll post the rest of our Easter weekend later. *Cherishing this age and these moments*

"Oh my gosh a fire truck"

Bunny love

He loved these little mini slinkies

"Is there any more?"

 "You mean there's CANDY inside?"

And of course every child must have the gigantic chocolate bunny...obligatory of course ;-)

(He shared with Mom)

Too Cool For School

Connor started a new pre-school this year and he's really loving it.  One of his favorite things is having his independence and his own cubby to put his "things" in.  He gets so excited when he goes to his cubby every day.  

 

He's a typical 3 year old.  He loves carrying around all his toys with him all the time!  Everywhere we go.  So, with Connor starting school he needed a backpack to store all those tiny toys and maybe even carry a few pull-ups of his own now. 

 

PatchPak sent us this fun new backpack to try and Connor hasn't taken it off since.  I kid you not, he literally loads it up with toys and take it with him everywhere.

 

Just look at that face??? Is he excited or what! ha ha!

Connor picked the color, green, his favorite.  PatchPak also has a wide variety of patches you can buy to customize your own backpack.  Your kids can pick out the first letter of their name, their age, or a picture they like.  PatchPak has large and small backpacks, lunch packs, and binders to customize.

 Yep...I'd definitely say he's "too cool for school"

(We were given a free backpack for this review)

PatchPak is offering (1) reader of The Java Mama a $75 credit to their site!!!

 

Woohoo!

 

Thanks so much PatchPak.  We love our new big boy back pack!

 

TO ENTER use the Rafflecopter form below:

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If I Die First....

I leave the house for ONE weekend and it seems like the vomit fairy sprinkled all her crazy dust over my family.  We've pretty much been hibernating since Saturday.  I left for Blissdom on Thursday and all is well in the world.  Then Friday after Terence takes Connor to the dentist and his 3 year check up (I know he's a good Daddy!) I get a call telling me Connor started throwing up all over the Doctor's office and in the car. 

That's when it all rained down....I know T had to have been tired of cleaning up barf all weekend.  So, I left the conference a little early to get home to my sick baby. 

Then later that night the vomit fairy visits again, only this time she visits Terence.  Good times.  He's up all night and pretty much in bed all day Sunday.  I go into work like normal on Monday and C&T stayed home.  Then Terence called me to tell me Connor barfed AGAIN all over our bed. Ugh.  Seriously?  I mean I feel legit bad at this point because the kid only gets sick apparently in his father's presence.  Lucky me right? 

Well, Monday both boys are starting to feel better...but wait there's more!  The vomit fairy visits again....ME this time.  She ain't playing either.  That stuff was downright nasty.  At first we both thought it was food poisoning.  Doubtful now that we all got it. 

The only silver lining is that we may have lost a few pounds in a day, well, maybe not because now I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. I feel malnourished & dehydrated.

Thanks for all the prayers.  It's rough when one family member gets sick, but when you all go down it's torture.

All of this said, if I go first, dear Lord please make sure my boys have milk and bread and someone that will clean their dirty laundry.  Without me I don't know how they'd make it....probably hire a maid?  hmphhhh...... just saying.  Terence is a great Daddy, but doesn't do laundry or dishes.

Do you sometimes feel like all of those type of chores fall on you as a Mom?

Come Dine With Me

Dinner parties need be neither exhausting nor daunting. The key to successful, stress-free entertaining is all in the planning and preparation.

If you’re relaxed and ready to welcome your guests, then your good mood will set the tone for the entire evening. Friends will be buoyed by your good humor and feel at ease in your company, allowing for an enjoyable evening all round. Your menu choice and meal preparation is only part of the battle.  Rushing around at the eleventh hour, laying the table and hunting for linen isn’t conducive to a calm and welcoming environment.

It’s often the littlest details that have the biggest impact. Clean table linen is a given but it’s also important to iron your tablecloth and napkins. Don’t spoil the effect of a pristine table with mismatched crockery.

Woolworths' range of dinner sets is stylish, without breaking the bank. Pick a pattern that complements your taste in decor and lay your dinner table well in advance of your guests’ arrival.

Why not experiment with an alternative centerpiece? Rather than a conventional floral arrangement, consider seasonal fruit or a tureen. Ensure your table has been correctly set. Knife blades need to face inwards and wine and water glasses should be placed to the right. Your glassware should sparkle and cutlery should be free of smears. Set the scene with some subtle low-lighting. Put on a playlist and avoid the necessity of having to change CDs.

When considering your menu, avoid attempting a new recipe. Stick to a tried and tested favorite.

Don’t subject your guests to an unsavory trial and error. A shared platter as a starter makes for an
ideal alternative to separate servings, particularly if you need to spend a little more time preparing and perfecting the main course. Consider offering a choice of desserts to your guests. Something rich and indulgent alongside a lighter, more refreshing option often works well.

You can entertain on a budget or enjoy the experience even if your culinary capabilities aren’t quite
cordon bleu. Prepare a simple, home-cooked meal or serve take-away food on your finest china and above all, remember not to take yourself too seriously.

DFW Bloggers Meetup

I am excited to announce the next DFW Bloggers Spring Meet Up is Saturday, April 27 in Fort Worth's West 7th Street Development. We're bowling at Lucky Strike and eating dinner at Brownstone Kitchen + Bar. You don't want to miss this!

Use EVENTBRITE to reserve your spot ... space is limited to 20 people.

Here are the specific details again:

Saturday, April 27

5:30 - 7:30pm Bowling at Lucky Strike 8:00pm Dinner at Brownstone Kitchen + Bar

This event is limited to the first 20 people who sign up. To reserve your spot, go to EVENTBRITE and register. I will also send you an email confirming that I've received your information and your name is on the guest list. Easy-peasy! Lucky Strike has graciously waived all lane and shoe rental fees, so each person will bowl FREE. If you want drinks or food at the bowling alley, you'll have to pay for your own. Each person is responsible for their own dinner + drinks at the Brownstone. I suggest car-pooling (don't forget a designated driver if you plan to consume extra adult beverages!!!) and there's a FREE parking garage available too. Pretty sweet deal, right?! If you have questions, or want to provide take-home gifts for 20 of your nearest-and-dearest blog buddies, contact me at nicole.m.hutchison at gmail.com with DFW Bloggers' Spring Meet Up in the subject line. Oh, and there will be prizes for bowling and other random nonsense too. If you want to join the fun, go to EVENTBRITE and reserve your spot. RIGHT.NOW. I hope to see YOU on April 27. =)

Dallas + Fort Worth Bloggers: if you would be so kind to re-post this info in a blog post and/or sidebar button, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Picture Keeper Winners + One for You!

I really enjoyed meeting so many new bloggers at Blissdom this past weekend.  One of my favorite things was collecting all your pretty bloggy cards with your info on them.  I'm having fun looking everyone up and saying "Yeah, I remember her!"  I also realized I need to re-do mine because I didn't have any social networking links on it.....oh well!

So from the collection of blog cards I gathered I chose 2 winners for a PictureKeeper PK4.  I love my PictureKeeper and I'm able to store and hold so many photos- and they are safe and protected!

The winners are....

 

A Royal Daughter

 

&

 

Chronicles of KT

 

Congrats to you both!!!

 

*AND*

 

I'm giving away a 3rd PictureKeeper to everyone who goes and LIKES their Facebook site!

 

Please leave me a comment saying you did so :)

 

Thanks ya'll!

 

Blissdom 2013

I came, I saw/heard, and conquered.   Blissdom 2013  

I've always wanted to go to a blogging conference.  They always seem to be on the East or West coast, so I was thrilled to find out Blissdom was going to be here in DFW this year!  Of course I had to go because it was so close.  I got to meet so many fabulous gals I talk to online in person.  It was awesome!  Everyone was so nice and I had a great time.

 

Here are my roomies Lindsey, Leah, and Heidi

These girls were so much fun!  We stayed at the fabulous Gaylord Texan.  I've always enjoyed staying there and it's a great place for conferences and events.  The rooms and service are wonderful.

 Our room

 View from our balcony into the atrium

 Goodies from my wonderful sponsor Milo Paper!

(If you didn't get some of these pretties from me at Blissdom you can still use coupon code "BLISSDOM" for 40% off & go like their Facebook site!)  Thank you Milo Paper & Picture Keeper for sponsoring me.  If I got your blog card I'll be drawing a few winners for a PK4 Picture Keeper too!

 Meeting some of my favorite bloggers :-)

Heading to the handmade marketplace.  Very cute stuff in there.  Megan and I got sparkly bracelets from The Shine Project.

 Registering for the weekend

 One of my fave DFW bloggers Meagan

We then headed out to dinner for some yummy Mexican at the Gaylord.  Thank you so much Polka Dot Posies for dinner and wonderful conversation and laughs.  You.are.awesome.

 Night in sponsored by Bissell

 Sweet ladies with their Milo Paper notepads :-)

After the Bissell event all the sponsor booths opened & that was a lot of fun!

 

 Duck Tape dress and shirt/jacket like on Project Runway

 Famous Footwear and yummy cupcakes

 Johnson & Johnson gave us lots of goodies for our babies back home.

 We got lots of goodies from all the sponsors at Blissdom

 Hair and makeup lounge in the One2One suite

 Mandy getting her makeup done.

Me after my makeup & eyelashes.  I have never had eyelashes put on and I forgot about them until I thought I was losing hair in the shower the next day!

 Blissdom had some great motivational speakers

 The Gaylord atrium

 I cannot wait until Despicable Me 2 comes out!  Can't wait to take Connor!

 I won some Coach perfume at the Ebates booth woohoo!

My favorite breakfast was sponsored by Seattle's Best Coffee.  This giant coffee mug was so much fun!  Their new blended iced coffee was amazing!

 Whip it!

I picked up Megan at the airport.  She is so precious....and not to mention she is Mama to the cutest twinsies ever.  Her plane got struck by lightening and then I think I may have freaked her out a little bit driving in Dallas....but it was fun spending time with you Megan!!!  I'm sad I didn't get to say goodbye, but glad we got to have a fun weekend together :)

 Yummy Sbarro pizza

Thank you Blissdom gals for a great weekend and fun memories.  ALWAYS a good time and I think I just about saw everything besides having to leave early due to a sick kiddo and hubby with food poisoning....yeah he hasn't been out of bed all day.  Fun times. 

 

It's been real....until next time!

 

DFW loves you come back soon!