What a week!!!! T Minus 18 Days!!

I was consumed with all things baking and candy mking!!!!!! I tell you what!! Unfortunately I was so caught up with everything, I didn't get a chance to take photos of our dessert bar and food table from our party Saturday night!!! Boo!! The Chocolate dipped Rice Krispies were fun to make, and the Cake Bites.....OMG... so much fun and they were a HIT!!! So many compliments!!! I'm going to for sure make them more often and perhaps even put them in my Clever Confections & Gifts Etsy Shoppe!

I suppose I'll have to re-create some of the goodies, be sure to take pictures, then share with you all!!!! BUT... I did remember to take a few pictures of a Baby Shower cake that I did yesterday.

However, before I show you the pictures, let me first tell you guys how insanely agonizing my sleepless nights have been for me!! I've been suffering from bouts of insomnia the last several months, it's pathetic!! There's been nights where I lay awake not being able to sleep, and the next thing I know, it's 4:30 a.m., and my husband is getting up to get ready for work. Really.

Now on to some re-cap!!! We hosted our first annual Holiday Party Saturday night!! It was so much fun!! We did get a lot of last minute cancellations, but it was an awesome turn out nonetheless!! Here are a few snap shots of some of our guests.















For our hot finger foods we served Meatballs in a BBQ Sauce, Smokie Links in a BBQ Sauce, Chicken Wings and Won Tons. I was busy frying up the Won Tons fresh as guests were coming so they'd be nice and hot!! 150 of those babys...all gone in less than an hour!! They too, were a hit!! (Not to mention the fact that my son called dibs on the leftover filling and package of Won Ton wrappers to take home with him.)

We had a White Elephant Gift Exchange and it was so much fun!! There's always a few in the bunch who are so competitive, it's funny!! There were several awesome gifts that got "stolen" the allotted three times almost immediately. They were a Heated Neck Massager; $20 worth of Scratch off Lottery Tickets; a set of Travel Coffee Mugs; and a cute cozy Fleece Blanket!! Other gifts included Gift Baskets of Wine and Chocolates, a Roadside Emergency Kit, A cute Hummingbird Feeder, a Gift Basket of Tastefully Simple products, Chocolate Monopoly & Trivial Pursuit Games, and tons more!! We all had a blast!!

After our fun filled Holiday Party, a few friends gathered back at our place for some wine and chit chat until about 2 a.m. or so. Of course, we *had to* end the night watching some Michael Jackson videos and Brian showing off some of his moves. It's a tradition of sorts.

In fact, I know I've shared this video before, but for those who haven't had the honor of seeing it, here's a video of my wonderful husband, sharing his Michael Jackson dance skills at Mango, Mango in Ensenada, Mexico on our Wedding Cruise.



Isn't he absolutely CRAZY????

Needless to say, it was an exhausting night for me and I actually didn't get to sleep until a little after 4 a.m. again. Only to have to wake up bright and early to start on a Baby Shower Cake! I started baking at 9 a.m. and was out the door with the cake and cupcakes by 1:30 p.m. UGH....talk about pressed for time!!! I wish the photos were bigger but this is all I got!









So, my agenda for the rest of the day today is to do a little damage control in my kitchen, get a few Etsy orders shipped, and then RELAX!!!

After a week of baking for Etsy Orders, 50th Birthdays, a Baby Shower and goodies for our party, I'm pooped!! Another round starts on Friday, so I'm going to take the next few days and get my place decorated for Christmas!!!

Speaking of which..... I've received some CUTE ornaments from friends spread all over the U.S. Here are a few of them!!







OHH!! One last thing! I almost forgot!! You all know I'm a Football Fanatic right?!? And my all time FAVORITE team is the STEELER'S!! Well, how 'bout their HUGE win last night?!?!?!



Happy Monday everyone!!! Hope your start to this week is great!!

Being Eco-Friendly

unPaper Towels

I am slowly but surely trying my best to get my household more Eco-Friendly. One of the first things I have done is to use more environmentally safe cleaners around the house. I am a HUGE fan of Vinegar & Baking Soda so I use these products hand in hand, together for a number of household things.

Here's a very inspiring "Ode to Vinegar & Baking Soda" Blog post from author Jaye, from Eco-Friendly & Frugal. The Eco-Friendly & Frugal Blog is very informative. Not only does Jaye share with her readers some awesome ways to become Eco-Friendly, she also combines tips on how you can be frugal in doing so!

It's thru Jaye that I learned about 'family cloth' and unPaperTowels. I've read different articles and such on what exactly unPaperTowels are, but in all honesty, to me, they're just dish cloths. Don't get me wrong, I think they are WONDERFUL. As a matter of fact, I purchased some from Jaye's Eco-Friendly & Frugal Etsy Shop!

The photo at the top of this post is the unPaperTowels that I purchased from her Etsy Shop. I am going to use them in my kitchen as a dish towel. Wiping up spills, wiping down the counter, as a napkin during meals, etc. They will be put to good use, that's for sure. And, the best part of it is that I don't have to throw it away! I can just throw them in the laundry! Love it!

On another note, yesterday, I made some Chocolate Starfish and Sea Shells. I was 'practicing' for when I make my cake for the Receptions. I've made Chocolate Candies before, however I just purchased these particular molds a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to test them out.

I'm satisfied with the way they turned out, but I want to play around with the colors a little. I'm wanting to see the Starfish a little more 'natural' looking. For the most part, I think they all came out okay!

And.........FINALLY......... I've finished the Cruise Cabin Door Hangers!! Well, actually, I only completed ONE of them, but that's the 'model' one now. I purchased all of the supplies needed (ha ha, just ribbon) and will ensure that all 18 of them are completed by the end of the day today!

I like the ribbon way better than the door knob hole! I think I'll maybe add a littl 'flair' to them somehow, but not too sure. I don't want to overwhelm it you know?

Let's switch gears here one more time. I am starting (or re-starting I should say) my weight loss efforts. I am going to start today since it's the beginning of the week, and also because it's the beginning of a new month. (Just about, at least). With that being said, here's a list of my newfound goals for this adventure:

• Journal my starting weight


• Journal my measurements of my hips, stomach area and thighs and re-measure weekly
• Walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes a day
  
• Shred with Jillian every day
  
• Prepare and eat healthy meals

Wish me luck my bloggy friends! I do need to squeeze my tushie into my already purchased wedding dress! I know if I keep myself disiplined enough, I can achieve my goals! I've been inspired by a fellow DW Bride who got married last September ~ Sarah ~ and here's the post on her blog, It's the Bergmans!! that really made me aware of the fact that I CAN DO IT!!!

In fact, here's her before and after 3 the weeks picture:

Tell me this is not MOTIVATIONAL! After three weeks of waking up every morning doing the 30 day shred with Jillian Michaels made a HUGE difference.

With that being said.... off I go to have a field day with Ms. Jillian! Wish me luck!

Hope you all have an amazing Sunday!

Etsy Sellers

Okay blogosphere world!! How many of you like Etsy?!?

What Etsy Sellers do you like? I know that Etsy has a vast variety of sellers so, share with me (and my awesome readers) which Etsy Sellers have awesome stuff!!!

Please leave your comments below! Thanks!!