COME ON OVER

I’m up and running.  My archives are not and I still need to re-format and change links in just about every post seeing as I’m combining 3 blogs into 1.  So there will be a lot of changes happening each day until I have waded my way through all of my blog posts to ensure they are up to scratch.

You will find 2 new posts up though.  A finger puppet bat to make for Halloween and our trip to an organic farm earlier in the week.

Please update your subscriptions to ensure you are receiving my future posts and head on over for a visit, I’d love to see you all.  Fingers crossed your subscriptions don’t go a little insane while I’m updating each of my posts into the new format.

 

www.tonyastaab.com

MOVING ON

Big news!

My blog is moving.

The new digs are a work in progress, but will hopefully be up and running early next week.   In the meantime I won’t be updating this blog with new posts … well except a post letting you all know where I’ve moved to of course. 

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have followed along and subscribed to my blog.   You have all brightened my day with your comments and even though I’ve been really lame at times responding to your questions, I’m hoping that my new streamlined site (which will incorporate all 3 of my blogs) will leave me more time to get to know all of you a little bit better.

So please stay tuned. 

Love,

Tonya

LEMON BUNDT CAKES

I’ve had a craving for lemons this past week. 

No I’m not pregnant. 

Yes I’m sure.

First I made lemon scones, then I decided I needed to make lemon bundt cakes too – and I wonder why I can’t lose weight.  Honestly {shaking head}.  It was an idea that popped into my head in the middle of the night and I literally ran to the grocery store the next morning.  I’m a little crazy like that.

You need to put a little more cake mix into the bundt pan than normal so that there is no hole in the base of the bundt cake once it is cooked, then spoon in the yummy goodness that is lemon curd and sprinkle a little icing over the top.

Normally I would make the lemon curd, so if you’d like the recipe, here it is.

PACKING PAPER

We have SOOOOO much packing paper from our move.  It’s beyond ridiculous how much paper our moving company used, BUT on the plus side, we had no breakages.  Instead of calling them to collect it all we’ve be flattening it out to use as gift wrap which the kids are more than happy to oblige with decorating for me.

This isn’t a great shot but you’ll get the idea.  Marisol decorated paper for a party gift last weekend.  She did a fantastic job.

While we had visitors over today I put the twins to work decorating more paper for me.  This time we tried stamps.

Now gift recipients will have a wonderful gift and a piece of the children’s artwork

LETTER-PERFECT WAFFLES

Nothing starts off the day quite like these

This idea was found in the October issue of Parents magazine.

M&M CUPCAKES

It doesn’t get easier than this.

Yummo!  Although by the time we went out for dinner last night and then swung by the Nestle Cafe, the kids were way too full to enjoy them.

Doesn’t mean the adults didn’t enjoy a few last night though once the little ones were in bed.

SWING CARDS

These cards are absolutely gorgeous.  So much detail goes into them.  It may be hard to tell in the photos that I have taken of them, but they are 3D and the middle section moves/swings.  I found a shop where they are sold when I was shopping in Carmel one afternoon … having arrived for dinner with friends 2 hours before I was supposed to.  What a shame that was, you know, cause what else is a girl to do but go shopping.  Alone.  All alone.

I picked up these 2 cards for the twins birthday.

The twins absolutely love them.  Marisol swings the girl on her swing and Flynn spins the Ferris wheel around and around.

I won’t pretend that they are cheap though.  They are roughly $7 a card, but considering they are not just the ‘average’ card, I was more than happy to pay that.

Check out the other Swing Cards you can purchase.

SCHOOL PARTY

Seeing as we have just recently moved to a new town and don’t know too many people, I didn’t organize a big birthday bash for the twins this year. 

Yes, those who know me personally are gasping in horror right now. 

That doesn’t mean that we won’t be celebrating.  After all, we had a little party last week while my parents were visiting from Australia and we will have another one tomorrow on their actual birthday.

Instead I arranged for the kids to have a celebration in their classroom at school.

In keeping with the ‘school’ theme I sent along bags of organic fruit (oranges, apples, pears and peaches) that the teachers cut up after lunch and I made educational gift bags for all of the children in the class to take home.

Each gift bag contained:

• A chipboard book – 50 cents each from Michaels
• Packet of 24 crayons – 20 cents each from Target
• Scrap paper cut-outs – $2.68 for 1 packet of multi-patterned papers from Target

And all of this for a little under $2 per gift bag.

On each chipboard book I hand-stamped “My Book” on the cover and then using the twins play-doh cutters as stencils I cut out assorted characters that the children could glue into their book. Each book kit was put into a lunch bag.

I hope all of the children in their class enjoy the extra art activity that we sent home with them today.

MY WATER BROKE

 

The first baby to break out of the ice-cube wins.  $9.99

I came across this on the site Simply Baby Stuff … you know in my never ending quest to find party planning goodies that are a little out of the norm.

Isn’t this game a hoot.   I almost want to have another baby just so I can have a baby shower.  Or maybe I’ll just convince a girlfriend or two to hurry up and get pregnant so I can throw them a shower. 

ALMOST 3

My parents visited for 2 weeks. 

Of course we had to celebrate the twins upcoming 3rd birthday. 

I’m no expert cake baker (or decorator) but the kids thought their cake was magnificent.  That’s all that matters.

3 layers, but I added pink and blue food dye to 2 of the layers.  They were joined with freshly whipped cream.  Smothered with chocolate frosting and topped with rainbow colored chocolate ‘seeds’.