Waking up to a MAZE of giant birthday balloons!

Our youngest son's birthday is in mellow March.  We celebrated his 8th at the beginning of this month.  Instead of a birthday party this year, I surprised him with a super fun Art & Music Birthday hunt alllll through town!  I will be sharing that in a future post though.  Today, I wanted to share the magic of waking up to a brand new age! 

I love to MAKE MOMENTS, and birthdays are the ideal time to show my lil lovebugs how super special they are.  I have a list of 5 minute birthday traditions you can read in a past post.  I've shared before that we have always had a tradition of hanging balloons on the stairs to greet the boys on their birthdays.  This year, I changed it up in a big way, adding a lot of extra exciting energy to the morning!

I bought big...huge...ginormous shiny number balloons.  Stuffing them in my car and then through my front door was a challenge and I was crossing all my fingers hoping they won't pop or fly away.  (the anxiety mamas face when dealing with balloons..stressful life, I'm tellin ya!) 

Then I cascaded the balloons down the stairs for Titus to see when he woke up in the morning.  There were 8 balloons for 8 years of his life.

I whispered around late the night before, arranging the magic by night in hopes for an early morning surprise. 

At the base of the stairs was a birthday sign with a little note attached, explaining the details of his Art & Music birthday hunt day (more on that in a future post!).  The stage was set and good to go as I turned off the lights.

The effect was entirely magical!  The balloons were so big, filling up so much empty space, which created a maze of color and wonder for little-big eyes!

Color, shimmer, twirls: CELEBRATION.

 Spins of streamers from the stairs and from each balloon.

A little 4 foot tall, sleephead, but very excited boy, stumbled out of his room to the stairway and found glitters of shiny silver streaming from the ceiling and blocking the entry.  Pulling the silver shimmers away he made his way down the stairs...

 ...ducking under colorful, huge, dancing balloons, tip toeing down each step, winding around like a maze,

Weaving in and out of the swirls and streamers...



Quietly soaking in the silent early morning birthday wish, created just.for.him. 

Titus and Daddy

Titus and his brothers

Another surprise was new superhero style shirts for each boy to wear on this day for the birthday hunt!  I discovered these from an etsy shop:  Flyduds: cool, hip, fresh clothes for our littles!  I double love her work! These shirts are super fun and very unique.  I will be doing another post soon, completely on the coolness of flyduds. {wink}  All three of my boys were very pumped to wear these on Titus' birthday.

Again, check out 5 minute birthday traditions for more quick ways to make the loves of your life smile on their special day!

And to my Titus Christopher: 

I love you to the moon and back.  

You make this Mama's heart full constantly.

  I am crazy about you.  

There in no greater joy in my life than my 4 boys

 and YOU are the best grand finale 

to be added to our family. 

Check back SOON 

for the details on his Art & Music Birthday Hunt!

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This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave  Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design

My best friend, my lil brandi

Best friends are gold.  I treasure my best friends: my childhood ones, my husband, my Mom, and my forever best friend, Brandi!  It's Brandi's birthday in a couple of days and I wanted to send her a big birthday wish.  I've spent today reflecting on the gift she is in my life.  She is irreplaceable.  Brandi is such a dynamic part of my life and I truly could not imagine life without her.  I have found my soulmate friend...the one who really "GETS ME", loves me, and accepts me.

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All of that is true so I will never let her go.  We talk every day, and have for YEARS, only missing a handful of days in all that time.  We know every single little detail about each other.  She lets me share all my silly, dreamy ideas with her and she reads the 2 millions texts I share, chatting about what I'm doing every step of the way for birthday parties, school days, and just lazy weekends.  And I read her 2 million texts as she shares her daily life with me too. 

My Brandi is a beautiful girl...inside and out!  

She makes me smile every day. 

Brandi celebrates the best of me and she is steady and patient with the worst of me.  She sees my flaws and she loves me anyways.  And she encourages my strengths too. 

 She was the constant strength in my life when it was falling apart to pieces several years ago.  Brandi was always there.  Always.  In the middle of the night when I would call sobbing uncontrollably and in the middle of the day when I just needed a calming ear.  And she is here with me now, years later, in my happy days.  It doesn't matter what time it is or what day it is...


I have Brandi and she has me. 

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I have never met someone with her combination of unique qualities.   She is 33 this year {shhh} and I have a list of 33 random things I adore about her.

1) witty

2) smart 

3) strong

4) a dreamer who treasures the beauty in life

5) gorgeous 

6) adorable lil doll

7) charming

8) classy

9) confident

10) forward-thinker

11) tradition-keeper

12) impeccable taste

13) loyal 

14) reasonable

15) patient in the important areas

16) critical thinker

17) person of great depth

18) loves true beauty

19) daring

20) exciting

21) prayerful

22) excellent listener

23) takes pride in her work

24) successful

25) coy

26) of good quality

27) sentimental

28) inquisitive 

29) sun shine smile!

30) perfectly poised

31) quick and sharp minded

32) lover of life

33) treasures our friendship as much as I do!

So dear Brandi, 

I treasure YOU, the incredible woman who you are.  I am grateful for our friendship.  You have my whole heart, for always.  Sometimes we drive each other crazy and we see red but what we have is a gift, a blessing that I wouldn't trade for anything!  Thank you for going through this little life with me. Happy 33th Birthday!

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The best friendship is the kind that gives away everything but never loses anything.  It is a gentle dance of always emptying the cares of our hearts, only to have them be instantly filled up with love again.

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Better Than Candy ROASTED VEGETABLES

Who knew vegetables could be snatched up and snacked on all day like candy?  I realize roasting veggies is a common way to prepare food, and also very simple just like boiling an egg BUT...I've learned TIPS to take the roasted vegetable from good to absolutely delicious!  All three of my boys clean their plates when I serve brussels sprouts this way...

Mom says "eat your vegetables".  And thankfully she just amped up the normal roasted veggies in a hip-new-Mama-prepared way!  My Mom recently taught me how to prepare roasted vegetables PERFECTLY.  But the big secret is that you must follow all of these tips and use the right tools too.  If you modify them, I can't promise that you'll prefer your veggies over candy.  But...if you stick with the tips, you'll be in veggie candy heaven.  Promise.  

 My Mom sharing her secrets with me

&

My Mom's roasted cauliflower for Christmas morning breakfast

~ TIP 1 

Use an oil mister instead of tossing in a bag of oil (please do, it makes ALL the difference)

I used to roast vegetables like these jewel-roasted veggies, tossed in a bag with olive oil.  That is the first and most important change made: no more tossing them around in a bag of olive oil.  When you do this, the oil doesn't evenly coat your veggies and too much oil is used, making both texture and taste less than ideal.  Instead, invest in an oil mister.  I use a Prepara oil mister.  The diffusers softly and lightly coat vegetables with just a delicate mist of oil.  Your food won't be heavy with oil or won't be visually unappealing.  This improves texture and is healthier too!  You'll also want to use cold-pressed olive oil. 

~ TIP 2

 Use Microplane products to lightly grate quality cheese over the top directly after they are removed from the oven.

Using just a teeny tiny bit of Parmesan cheese will enhance the flavor without sabotaging a healthy diet.   The beauty of a Microplane grater is that it grates SO fine that a handful of cheese is light as a feather.  Just a little bit goes such a long way.  You use less cheese but still get the full flavor.  Be sure to use quality blocks of cheese.  It is more expensive but it lasts a long time.  

 

 

Notice how airy and light these cheese grates are.  There is no compassion to a good block of cheese shredded with a Microplane and the pre shreds of Parmesan you can buy.  

Please don't substitute. 

 

Microplane graters are "must haves".  Oh my goodness, these things are AMAZING! My friend, Jil, an exceptional cook, who prepares gorgeous food, first introduced me to the Microplane nutmeg grinder last spring.  My mom later bought me a mini collection of Microplane tools that I use ALMOST daily.   I got rid of my old cheese graters and old Parmesan graters and will only be using Microplane products now.

These are much sharper than old graters, making it a super quick task to shred cheese.  Remember,  if we are going to indulge in cheese, quality and freshness count!  Those "convenient" bags of shredded cheeses aren't worth eating.  Buying a block of good cheese and using a Microplane is almost equally as convenient and the taste is far superior. 

So pretty.

 

Okay! So back to topic.  Those two tips will make your roasted vegetables taste better than candy.  

Putting it all together:

1) Wash and cut your vegetables.  I get very lazy rushed when chopping food and often don't cut off the ends of my brussel sprouts, etc.  Oops.  But cut your veggies first. 

2) Spread in a shallow pan.  Don't overlap too much because you want each veggie bite to be roasted well. 

3) Mist with a Prepara oil mister using cold-pressed oil. You can liberally pump and mist because it is such a light coat that even if you pump a lot, it's still a little. {wink}

4) Season.  I use garlic salt and parsley.  But yes, please season. 

5) Roast in a 400 degree oven about 30 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Allow the veggies to get dark and toasty.  This makes it GOOD.  

6) After removing from oven, softly sprinkle with your "light as a feather" grated Parmesan cheese. 

For a variation, I also roasted butternut squash, blue cheese, and fresh basil.  MmmMm. 

You're going to {double love} these.  

Remember to follow all the directions 

to ensure that BETTER THAN CANDY taste addiction. 

 Just a spoonful of sugar veggies...

Excellent choices to roast:

- brocolli

- cauliflower

- yellow squash

- zucchini 

- carrots (these taste better with no cheese)

- asaragus

- brussels sprouts

- green beans

Various ways to serve:

- simply in a bowl alone as a main dish: Hot roasted vegetable salad

- topped on a pita pocket for a veggie pizza

- rolled in a wrap

- folded in an omelet

click to enlarge

Thank you Mom for the tips 

and I {promise} 

to always eat my veggies now.

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This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave  Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design