Do It Yourself - Birthday Banners

Over the past few weeks, I've spent way too much time searching for party decorating ideas for Nolan's first birthday. I scoured Pinterest for inspiration and then turned to Etsy after feeling short on time and low on crafting skill.

I was THIS close (thumb and pointer finger super close together) to giving in and buying a printable birthday banner from an Etsy shop. The idea is actually great. Shops offer coordinated party decorations - banners, cupcake toppers, invites, food labels - you name it. Many allow you to purchase a PDF file, which you can then print from home. No waiting for delivery.

If I had been more open to giving up the color scheme that's been living in my brain for a while, I could have picked up some really cute decoration files for about $5. Alas, I was not open. I DID find a shop that offered personalized decor, where I could specify backgrounds, colors, fonts, etc. But...with personalization comes price. A banner would set me back about $15. Additional decorations were about the same.

I have been a bit spend happy lately, but apparently, my money saving conscience hasn't gone away. I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much money without first taking a crack at making my own decorations.

Which brings me to today and my attempt at making a birthday banner.

I'll start by saying that this project ended up an unexpected success. That being said, it would have been a whole lot easier if I had some scrapbook/graphic design software, which I've got to believe would have saved me some tedious steps.

After a few hours of playing around with Word, Photobucket, and screen capture, I ended up with two banners, using chevron backgrounds in my original color scheme, which I'm actually really happy with! AND - they will end up costing me just $2.50 - the price of the pack of card stock on which the letters were printed.

Highchair Banner

My banners still need to be assembled. I plan hole punch and run a ribbon through the cards - something like this, minus the polka dots...

Photo from Oopsey Daisy

To help you avoid the cost of buying a banner, or the stress of making your own, I'm happy to offer the PDFs for the banners I created! Simply open the file, and print each letter one page at a time, on white card stock. Printing page by page will help you avoid a jam from the thicker paper. Keep in mind, the banners aren't perfect, but hey, they're FREE!

Birthday Banner PDF
I AM 1 High Chair Banner PDF

Like it? Pin it!

Turning Deals into Meals - Homemade Pizza

I love throwing together a homemade pizza, mimicking my favorite combos from restaurants for a fraction of the price.

I mentioned that I stopped by Trader Joe's a few days ago. While most of the items I picked up weren't true deals, the whole wheat pizza crust I bought definitely was. At about $1/crust, it was a great price for the type of product.

I bought it with toppings that were already in my fridge in mind - kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, feta, onions, and pesto - a Greek pizza of sorts.

There was nothing revolutionary about this meal, but it sure was tasty. The great thing about homemade pizza, is you can easily adjust the ingredients I used to fit what's already in your house.

So here you go, my "recipe."

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (I used Trader Joe's)
Pesto
Shredded Italian Blend or Mozzarella Cheese
Kalamata Olives - chopped
Roasted Red Peppers - chopped
caramelized onions (see directions below)
feta

Directions:

• Thinly slice one onion. Add olive oil a large frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add onions and cook at least 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, allowing onions to brown until they look like this...

• Prepare pizza crust as directed. Top evenly with pesto and shredded cheese.
• Add olives, red peppers, onions, and feta to taste.
• Bake according to crust directions. 

Oh Where, Oh Where is this Little Blog Going?

After a few days with no blog posts, some of you might have thought that I'd abandoned ship. I've "threatened" to do that a number of times - skip the deal finding and leave the blog behind.

I haven't done that...yet...but there are some reasons behind the mini blog hiatus.

1. The Weather - It's been gorgeous outside. Warm air and that cloudless Carolina blue sky. I just don't feel like sitting in front of a computer when there is so much else I could be out doing.

2. The Boy - Nolan has been walking for a few months now, and there's just no slowing him down. Gone are the days of firing off a blog post while N plays. Just not going to happen. And, with the combo of N walking and the nice weather, there are so many new things to get out to do. A trip to the park, playtime in the backyard, a walk to the pond. Though the boy sure does love his technology, I'd rather find activities for us that don't involve Apple products.

3. A Spending Spree - As a (sometimes) deal finding blog, you would think I'd be ashamed of this one, but frankly, I'm not. I've been on a bit of a spending bender, which started with Easter basket shopping. With Easter, my birthday, and Nolan's birthday all in the month of April, I've been tuning out my frugal mind and buying what I feel like buying. A pair of Baby Tom's for Nolan? Why the heck not??? Keep the Hunter boots the hubs bought me and actually upgrade for a more expensive pair? Absolutely! Stop at Trader Joe's for a "few" things? Sure, it's on the way home.

Being spend happy again has been a bit of a rush, but like a kid on a sugar high, I might come crashing down when I take a look at this month's budget spread sheet. At least the boy and I will have some stylin' feet!


So, long story short - I really haven't been up for deal blogging lately. I apologize to those of you who follow solely for the deals. I'm sure the sporadic food and kid posts I have been doing aren't cutting it for you.

I'll leave it with this; I'm not really sure where I'll be taking this blog, but I'd be happy if you decide to stick with me for the ride!

Turning Deals Into Meals - Whole Wheat Waffles from The Baby Bistro

I probably shouldn't categorize this recipe under "deals." None of the ingredients involved were actually sale items, but for lack of a better place, here it is.

This was my second attempt at a Baby Bistro Cookbook recipe; this time Whole Wheat Waffles. I admit that I don't have much, or any, experience making my own whole wheat waffles. When the hubs and I normally fire up the waffle maker, it's for fatty, regular old waffles, drenched in syrup and frozen berries. Given that I don't have experience making the whole wheat version, I might be way off here, but the Baby Bistro recipe seems to be a bit lower in fat and sugar than a typical recipe.

The waffles were quick and easy to throw together, N seemed to enjoy them, and I was able to throw a few leftovers in the freezer to use another day.

The recipe follows.

Whole Wheat Waffles

Recipe from The Baby Bistro Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

• In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. 
• Stir in eggs, milk, and oil until blended. 
• Pour batter (~ 3/4 cup for regular size waffle maker) into hot waffle iron. Cook according to machine directions.

The Best Things in Life - Easter Weekend Then and Now

As Easter weekend wrapped up, I found myself thinking quite a bit about how vastly different Easter 2012 was from Easter 2011.

A few days ago, Nolan and I spent a busy Good Friday together. We ate lunch at a restaurant with a friend, where N sat in a high chair, feeding himself pieces of our meals. We came home for playtime with the puppy. Nolan ran around the yard, threw Cooper his ball, and helped me rake the garden.


It's almost unbelievable that the picture below was taken LAST YEAR on Good Friday, yes the day my baby boy was born.

Saturday of Easter Weekend 2011 was spent in the confines of Durham Regional Hospital, being initiated into the world of motherhood and "joys" of nursing. Nolan was introduced to friends and slept, slept, slept. It's exhausting work making an entrance into the world.

Sometimes I miss that tiny baby. That puffy face, I do not miss.

This year, Saturday of Easter weekend was filled from beginning to end - our first official family photo shoot at Duke Gardens and an anesthesia department party at a Durham Bulls game - surrounded by doctors, but this year, no IVs or epidurals. At the end of the day, Nolan slept, slept, slept, just like 2011 (minus the hunger wake up calls) - but this time because he exhausted himself running, running, running.

Easter Sunday of last year, was the day we brought our Little Love home to meet his "big brother."

Between Easter baskets, brunch with friends, playing in the garden, and a hysterical crying fit in the church nursery, this Easter Sunday felt a far cry from the relative calm of our first Easter together as a family - though no less special. Chaotic and perfect.

I feel fortunate that Easter now gives me one more reason to remember how abundantly God has blessed me and how much HE loves me.

Turning Deals Into Meals - Baby Friendly Banana Bread

On our most recent trip to the library for baby story time, I spotted a book called The Baby Bistro Cookbook, written by Johee Muromcew, a collection of baby and toddler friendly recipes for everything from dinner entrees to party snacks.

When I first started making Nolan's baby food, I primarily searched the internet for help (loved the Wholesome Baby Food website).  I never bothered to buy or check out actual books - partially because I felt I had figured things out and partially because I was just too lazy.

Since N moved on from purees to table foods a few months ago, he's been eating, more or less, the same food I do. He eats well, but I've felt like I've been struggling for new ideas for little one friendly breakfasts and snacks, so I decided to give The Baby Bistro a try.

After a quick flip through, I found the book's lunch and dinner ideas to be a bit bland for our taste, but I flagged a few recipes for lower fat and sugar versions of different breakfast and snack favorites, like whole wheat pancakes and waffles.

This afternoon, I tried out the recipe for banana bread (trying to use up some of those free eggs I picked up at HT a few weeks ago), and despite my complete lack of baking competence, it turned out to be a great tasting bread that both Nolan and I enjoyed - much less sweet than the recipe I typically use. If you're looking to pick up bananas on the cheap, check out Aldi, where they're typically just $0.44/lb.

The recipe follows.

Banana Bread

Recipe from The Baby Bistro Cookbook

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1 egg

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, egg, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla just until blended.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and stir just until blended.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.

Reader Response: Do you have a favorite baby/toddler friendly breakfast or snack recipe?

Get Out and About - Durham Easter Activities

Start the Easter Weekend off by joining in one of these FREE celebrations!

Egg Hunt Extravaganza10:00 am-noon
Duke University East Campus at the gazebo
This event is hosted by the neighborhood association of Trinity Park, Trinity Heights and Old West Durham and Alpha Phi Sorority. Egg hunt starts at 10:15am. There will be games for the kids, as well as a 5K run, starting at 12:30 pm (race is $15 and includes a tee).

The RTP Community Church11:00 am-4:00 pm
An Easter Egg Hunt with lots of prizes including bikes, a flat-screen TV, video game systems, and more. There will also be a Mega Castle Jumper, games, and a visit from the Easter Bunny. Chick fil-A and Pelicans SnoBalls will be on site for lunch.
1727 Ed Cook Rd., Durham, NC, 27703
(434) 851-9279

Durham Central Park2:00 -4:00 pm
Word has it that event organizers are hiding 10,000 eggs....yes, 10,000 eggs. There will also be balloons, inflatables, music, and food, including some local food trucks.
More info

Easter Eggstravaganza10:30 am
Hosted by Cresset Baptist Church, this hunt will be hiding 1,300 eggs. Bring your own bag or basket and be sure to make plans to stay with your child - no drop offs allowed! In the case of rain, the hunt will be held indoors.
Cresset Baptist Church, 3707 Garrett Rd.

Community Easter Egg Hunt10:00 am
Children ages 1-10 are invited to join in the fun (supervised by their parents), featuring an egg hunt, candy, prizes, and games.
Parkwood United Methodist Church, 5123 Revere Rd.