Sunday, November 28, 2010

You won't want to miss this!

I know you have heard me talk many times about the Silouette crafting machine.  I absolutely love all the things you can do with this machine and so will you.  Head on over to The TomKat Studio for your chance to win one!


Thursday, November 25, 2010

My exciting night with The Food Network and Robert Irvine

I was completely filled with excitement when I was approached by a good friend of mine at work to attend a taping for  a Food Network show.  It was a taping of a new show with Robert Irvine as the host and is called Restaurant Impossible.  I have seen Robert Irvine on Dinner Impossible several times so I was elated to be able to attend.  I could bring someone along and I immediately thought of my sister who is in love with The Food Network as much as I am.

We arrived at Meglio's an Italian restaurant in St. Louis, MO and had to stand outside until they were ready for us to come in and eat dinner while being taped.  Was this really happening?  I could feel the excitement getting to me.  A guy with a headset on came out to give us a briefing of what we should and shouldn't do.  All I can really remember out of the whole thing was that we were NOT to look directly into the camera.  This was repeated several times.

When we walked in the place was fantastic.  It was filled with neutral tones and reds and the lights were beautiful.  We were sat at a corner booth, very cozy.  We were approached by Robert Irvine before we ever really got a chance to look at the menu.  He sat down at our table and  I think my jaw hit the floor and I became one of those people who couldn't say or do anything so I just decided nodding my head up and down would be best for now.   He was asking if we had ever been there before and about how The menu I must admit, took  me by surprise.  They had appetizers like fresh toasted ravioli and calamari.   There were a variety of entree's like steak, chicken, fish and of course pizza.  My sister and I agreed to order the calamari and our other friends at the table ordered the fresh toasted ravioli and Ahi tuna.  We all decided to try each other's appetizers and this worked very well as we got a taste for everything  The calamari melted in your mouth and was in a sage butter cream sauce or at least that was my guess on what I thought it was.  The toasted ravioli was the best I have ever had.   Next came my entree, I ordered the Sea Bass and I was defiinitely in heaven when I tasted the first bite.  It was so juicy and seasoned very well.  It  was rested on top of a potato hash that had a fresh tomato marinara sauce.  I was very pleased with the whole dinner.  This is when the fun began.  The crew came over to record us eating and saying what we most like best about the meal.  If we didn't say what they  wanted to hear we would have to repeat ourselves and then do it again if necessary.  This was such a fun experience as I had never been involved in anything like this.  When we done taping, I didn't believe that I had just experienced everything I had.  The moment was definitely surreal.

Monday, November 8, 2010

My daughter's Candyland themed birthday party, it's great turning ONE

I am back!!!  Sorry for being gone so long but I have had so much going on which is why I needed a little break.  I hosted a 1st birthday party for my daughter Hayden and then I had my significant other's son turn 8 the very next weekend so I had a lot to pull off.  I am so excited to share with you the party I had for Hayden Olivia.  I have been planning this party for months and knew when I saw the party printables at The TomKat Studio that I had to have a candy themed birthday party.  Hayden is my last little one and the youngest of 3 girls so I had to go all out for this party.  I used many blogs that I follow as inspiration but Kim from The TomKat Studio has definitely been one of the greatest inspirations of all.  I saw her pictures and blog about her daughter Kate's lollipop birthday and that's where it all started.  I decided on a color palette first and the bright colors just made it so much fun.  Here are some of the pictures from the party, hope you enjoy and find inspiration for your next party.



Everything from this dessert table was made by me and my sister Brittani and we had so much fun doing it.

The adorable outfit Hayden Olivia is wearing was made by my wonderful friend Bonnie Godat and her sister Robin Godat.  They are from TuTu Chic Bebe and you can find them on Facebook.  Check them out for some wonderful outfits and accessories for your girl or boy.