Fishing Anyone?

Last week was a full week of fishing.  Jake the fly fisherman turned 13 and his birthday...yep you guessed it... all about fish.  My friend Katherine at Katherine's Creations created this beautiful cake for Jake.  One layer was a marble cake and the 2nd layer a lemon strawberry.  The inside was just as amazing as the outside!  I'm not one that loves the taste of fondant but this fondant tasted just like a marshamallow.  Yum!

Each cupcake had a little fish either diving or popping up on the cupcake top.  One proudly displayed the number 13.  Beautifully decorated and eaten within hours.  Jake made quite a catch with this delicious cake!  Thanks  Katherine.  And Happy Birthday Jake!

Among other fishing type birthday gifts Jake received a pair of waders. He could hardly wait to try them out...the very next day...snow still up in the mountains. Brrrrr.

A few days after Jake's birthday we were invited to attend the baby shower of my niece. We celebrated the upcoming birth of a new baby boy, Finn. My niece Allyssa met Noah in beautiful Alaska.  When they found out they were expecting they thought it would be fun to decorate the nursery in Alaskan art. There is even a moose head prominently and solidly hung over the crib! Because both mom and dad love to fish we decided to gift them with a fishing basket complete with pole, gummy worms, fishing shirts and hat, diapers and other baby necessities.  We also included the children's book The Rainbow Fish. The book is best known for its morals about the value of being an individual and for the distinctive shiny foil scales of Rainbow Fish.

Finn's Great Grandma made this beautiful Alaskan quilt along with including an adorable pair of authentic baby mukluks.

We even had a cute little Moose show up!

Now the only thing left is for baby Finn to arrive. 
 We can hardly wait!

Fortune Cookie Birthday Gift

My son's kindergarten teacher, Karen's birthday was this past week.

(At my kid's school the kids and parents call their teachers by their first name)

 I was given the task to come up with an idea. I wanted to do something fun for her but also something from the kids. I heard she liked Mikuni, which is a Japanese Restaurant here in my town. I decided to do "chinese food" take out boxes, chop sticks and home made felt fortune cookies. (I realize this is chinese food, not Japanese food.....my creativity only goes so far!)

I thought it would be fun if each child in the class told Karen what they thought her future held. I got some fantastic fortunes! These kids are hilarious. I thought I would post their fortunes along with some pictures from the day as well as instructions on how to make these super easy fortune cookies!

Here are the fortunes:

You will play outside making silly faces

It will be sunny on your birthday and it will always be fun

You are going to be the best teacher ever

You will have a habitat of butterflies that live forever

You will teach forever and never retire and never get older

I wish you could fly like a fairy and have a magic wand so you can have more wishes!

You will be happy traveling with your family to places you have never been to see new things

This year instead of traveling to Lego Land, you will go to the snow and see snow men and snow dogs.

You will have all the dinosaurs stuffed animals that you ever want.

In the future you will still be teaching and wanting to catch a leprechaun

This year you will get many flowers and a pet

I wish that you will find a pot of gold and your lost earrings

You will live forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, go to Lego land and you will get all the chocolate in the WORLD!

You will stay pretty forever, live by the ocean & have a very special year

I would wish that you will be the smartest teacher ever, you would teach third graders & you could do everything that God told you

You may be a good fortune from the world

You are good for lending a hand

You will get a thousand dollars when you're older

All your wishes will come true!

I know that you will be happy

You will get to go to Disneyland & you are going to become a dancer!

I wish you will have the best Kinders ever

I predict you will be a cheerleader!

You will figure out somehow how to find a buried treasure

You will have much chocolate and someone to share it with!

My wish for you would be the kinders will always be nice to you.

I want your fortune to be good luck.

XOXOXO

I Wish for you to be going to Disneyland for six years

My wish is that you had a big big butterfly room with flowers and one more thing I want you to be on TV

You will get a teddy bear for Christmas & go to Disneyland

Your son's will surprise you with cupcakes!

A man with brown eyes has a surprise for you!

Have a look at the sky and you will see birds

You will get a new dog!

This year you will have a happy Christmas.

I wish for you to have lots of red flowers!

You will find many treasures, X marks the spot – I love you!

May there be many puppies in your future & may you one day be a mermaid

I wish you will get cool toys!

You will live forever

You will become a library girl and then you can sell books!

I would wish that you could go to Disneyland

I wish you would get a new shirt with a new headband

You will get a dog!

I wish you to be plentiful in friends

I predict that there will be lots of Joy in your future" (IE: tickling, surprises and sharing)

I wish for you the best birthday ever

Your future is sparkly and bright like gold

It appears she will definatley be going to Disneyland and getting a new dog....at least! WOW!

    I found the tutorial for these fortune cookies here - They were actually pretty easy to make. A little time consuming when you make 50+ but luckily my mom was here visiting so I put her to work! Here what they look like before you fold them

Here is the finished product! So fun and easy!

Give them a try! You could use them for so many different things!! Enjoy!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!!

I'm not a huge St. Patricks Day fan. I mean, I like it and all but I just don't really do a lot for it! This year I have seen a lot of really cute ideas out there. I decided to make a simple craft to put next to the subway art I got here. I got the idea for the craft on a blog, but can't find it for the life of me to give it the credit! So Sorry!. It didn't take long to make at all. I sprayed the pot, cut the shamrock on my silhouette and then put them all together. Very easy and cute! I even made a few extra to give away!

ALOHA Friends!

Our Elementary School is hosting a Book Fair with the theme of ALOHA.  Thought you might enjoy some of the "epic" decorating by our PTA and school librarians.  
We're going to a LUAU!

The trunks of the palm trees were made out of carpet rolls

Looking forward to an AWESOME Book Fair next week DUDES!