Easy First Birthday Invitations-UNO Theme

My little guy will be turning ONE (!) in August, which has me busy thinking of ideas for his FIRST birthday. After spending a few minutes on pinterest for ideas for birthday themes, I found the perfect theme... UNO after the card game. With the Mexican blood in our family, it was perfect. This was truly an easy project to make the invitations, that gave a big WOW effect. I really had fun making them.

Items needed- Colored Paper ( Green, Yellow, Red,Blue) Glue, Glitter, White & Black Paper, Scissors, White Sharpie, CD (to trace).

Take your CD and trace circles (I could fit 3 on my paper) on to each color paper. You need one color for each invite. Cut.

Fold Each circle in half, and glue to each other in the same color pattern as UNO cards. 

Now, trace the UNO logo with the white marker to the black paper. I just used a Logo from a card and as a stencil.

Then I glued it to the top of the inside of the invite. 

Next I glued a UNO card on the opposite side (Please make sure that it is right side up, so when they open the invite, the invite isn't upside down.. learn from my mistake ;-) ) I also Glittered the edges of the card, and the invite. 

Now just Glue your invite inside. To deliver, just fold in each of the ends like you would a box... and you have yourself an invitation!

Here is a video on how to make the invitation.

Here is a little behind the scenes jewel. Damian trying to help <3 

All for the Glory of God...

Chick peas = Marshmallow Cream?

Chick peas. I think Salads and Hummus. Never cookies, or dessert. But recently, my views have changed on how versatile they actually are. Check out my blog on Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies here to find out what happened!

My friend Theresa (check out her blog on New Feminism here) tagged me in a post on Facebook today that was for a Vegan Marshmallow Cream/Meringue. What does it use? The left over liquid from a chickpea can, and a sweetner of some sort. That's it (Recipe here). Since I was already making the Chick pea cookies, I may as well try this. I can just whip it up while the cookies are baking.

Here is the beginning. Nothing to exciting. I used honey, so not technically vegan, but you can use fine sugar, or Agave nectar.

This is about 10 minutes in to the beating process. Starting to thicken up. As you will notice in the background, my little man was having lots of fun.. playing with his dinner.

After about 15 minutes ( right about the time I was pulling the cookies out of the oven) I get this!

MARSHMALLOW CREAM!

Now here was perfection. I should have stopped there. Since my Chick pea cookies came out awesome, I wanted to make these into Meringue cookies. 

Well, I should have stopped at the fluff. This was a flop. I was guessing they would for two reasons. The first was I couldn't get them to Stiff peaks, and second.. I used honey. The recipe said a liquid sweetner might not work as well, and it didn't. 

But all in all, it was a great, nummy baking experience! Try the cookies (here)! And if you want Marshmallow fluff, make this! If you want to make it in to a Meringue cookie, don't use a liquid sweetner, and you will be set. 

All for the Glory of God...

Chick pea cookies..??? You've got my attention

Recently, I was very intrigued by two different dessert recopies that I saw that involved the use of a very interesting, low calorie ingredient.  The first one that really caught my eye was this Peanut Butter Chocolate chip cookie dough Bites recipe. It's Gluten Free, and can easily be made into a Vegan recipe. The second recipe is this one called "Healthy Marshmallow Fluff" which is also vegan. What's the main ingredient?

Chick peas...

uh huh. You heard it right. Chick peas. Otherwise known as Garbanzos. Peanut butter (yum) + Chocolate (YUMMY) + ...Chick peas (!!!)=???


I gotta tell you, sweets are my weakness. I have tried lots of "healthier" recipes, only to be  eating what tasted like cardboard in my kitchen... and upset at wasted ingredients. But, I had a can of Chick Peas in my pantry that needed to be used up. So, I decided to try it. I mean, smother something in peanut butter and chocolate... eh might come out OK.


So, off I went. I followed the recipe.. I was quite surprised as it started looking like a great cookie dough. BUT, before I decided to add the precious chocolate, I wanted to try this mysterious Chickpea concoction, just in case it was a complete failure. Not bad... it was actually really good! I couldn't taste any difference between a regular peanut butter dough, and this dough! (Somewhere in between I had to pick my jaw up off the floor). In go the Chocolate pieces, and you get this numminess...

After I ate half the dough... I turned the oven on to 350 and baked these babies for about 16 minutes.

Yum-o! They are delish! I am freezing part of the dough to serve to my sister who is going Gluten Free right now, and is coming down in a few weeks. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Wish I could give you one through the computer... but since that won't work.. I'll just eat yours.

How did the Vegan Marshmallow Fluff turn out? Find out here...


All for the Glory of God.

All those noises...even raspberries-Eucharistic Adoration

For many years now, my husband and I have made a weekly Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hour once a week. I cannot tell you how this has not only set my prayer life on fire, but my marriage on fire. We used to go in the middle of the night, but when I got pregnant, we quickly realized that we would need to change that time to a more suitable hour when the baby was born.So, every Monday evening, after dinner we have been going since Damian was 1 week old. 

The only difficulty with this is that in the middle of the night, it was just us. Now that we go during the day, we share the Holy Hour with someone else, and there are frequent visitors. Praise the Lord for that! We feel very blessed that the woman we share the Holy Hour with is very baby friendly, and is very welcoming to Damian and his noises. But, there still is a bit of a guilt, or that ingrained teaching that "babies should be seen and not heard" in church that we were raised with in the back of our heads... so we feel very conscious at times of the noises, and cries, and screams, and raspberries... that Damian makes.  

There is a voice in the back of your head that starts saying "Why go? Are you even focusing? You are just bothering others. This is suppose to be a quiet area." Then there is the other voice that says "This is New Feminism. Jesus said 'Let the Children come'. You are giving Glory to God, and Praising him just by taking care of your child keep it up". Then the other voice says "But you need your own quiet prayer, to talk to the Love of your soul. You need to speak to the Lord without distractions to hear his voice. You need some peace" Then I even hear the Pope say "A baby's cry, is the voice of God"... ...

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY VOICES? :-)

I have heard so many people stop going to Church because they feel like they "don't get anything out of it". I completely understand where those frustrations might start!But at the same time, I know what Glory it gives to God to bring his little ones to him. I keep trying to remind myself of ACTS. The four pillars of prayer Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. None of these have anything to do with me receiving, but everything is focused on God... not myself. Praising him, asking his forgiveness, giving him Thanks for the great deeds that he has done, and petition. These are the Four pillars of Mass, and of all Prayer. 

So, we are trying something new. We have decided that we will bring Damian into the Chapel in the beginning for prayer time. Let the Children come to me. Then after 10-15 minutes, I'll take Damian outside of the chapel for 20 minute play time with me, so Daddy can have 20 minutes of quiet prayer time with the Eucharistic Lord. Then we switch. Daddy takes Damian, and I will get 20 minutes of quiet prayer time. End with a few minutes of prayer again with Damian. 

Not saying this is perfect, but it seems to quiet all of those loud voices in my head. We will attempt this for a few weeks, and through prayer.. and experience we will find out if this is what the Lord wishes us to do with our Prayer time with him. 

All for the Glory of God...

To Organize-A Love/Hate Relationship

Organizing. Some love it, some hate it. As for me seeing pictures on pinterest, and in magazines of beautifully organized homes looks so motivational...even relaxing to think about my home looking that way. Now,that my son is now almost 10 months old,  I figure it is now time to stop making excuses and start getting my house organized. 

I headed to the store the other day to look at getting some baskets for my home. I love that look, and idea. Pick up, throw in. Easy Peasy. I pick up the group of three baskets to check out the price tag says $20.00... for one basket. ONE. It might be worth considering if it were for all three, but to pay $60.00 for three baskets is insane. That is what I hate about organizing. The price tag. 

Being a stay at home Mom, my husband and I live on a budget and within our means to keep it that way. So, I am on a mission. I am going to organize on a budget and I want to share with you what I do! Over the next few months stay tuned...

All for the Glory of God...