For Jellybean’s birthday party I made a first birthday chalkboard sign.  It made for a great decoration and everyone took sometime to read the tidbits we included on the poster.  My mother raved the whole weekend about how cute and unique it was (clearly not unique if you’ve been on Pinterest, but either way) I was thrilled with her feedback!

My mom asked if it was possible to make some tweaks and create a bridal shower version of the chalkboard sign.  She was throwing a bridal shower for a co-worker in a few weeks and thought it would be a perfect for her party.  I gave it some thought and figured why not?!  We sat down and came up with a list of fun things that could be included on the sign.  She called her friend and asked for answers to some of the items she didn’t already know.  Armed with the sign content I got to work!

It took a little bit of finesse, but I was able to adapt the 1st birthday sign into a bridal shower chalkboard sign!

DIY Bridal Shower or Wedding Chalkboard Sign | Life's Tidbits

Inspiration & DIY Directions

I think this would be a really cute detail for at the wedding (like near the guest book and/or card box) or maybe even a bachelorette party.    Either way the sign was a huge hit with the bride.  Bonus is my mother was a happy hostess!!

In case you are interested … I used the following fonts: MomsDiner, ReturnToSender, KGMakesYouStronger, and Adobe Devanagari as well as these dingbats: FramesAndRiboons, Bergamot Ornaments and AEZ Wedding Dings

Have you made any chalkboard signs for a bridal shower?  What’s your favorite personalized decorations for a bridal shower?

Signiture_Nicole

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This was one of those weeks that was so long and yet flew by all at the same time.  Does that even make sense?!  Meh it’s how I feel so I’m going with it.  I’m so looking forward to this weekend … my sister AND sister-in-law are coming in for a visit.  Yay! TGIF!

The best part of my week was my fur baby and toddler are finally bonding.  And seriously I have a toddler? WHY is my baby growing up so fast?!?!?!  Sophi tolerates Jellybean as she aggressively pets and attempts to {open mouth} kiss her.  Jellybean shrieks with glee on the rare occasion Sophi kisses her back.  It’s really quite entertaining to watch them together.

Check out Sophi’s ‘I’m not sure I like this’ face …

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Some favs from the past week …

I wish it was appropriate to wear yoga pants and sweatshirts to work, restaurants and maybe sometimes to parties … okay really everywhere!  LOVE me some cute & comfortable clothing.  I love this sparkle heart sweatshirt.  An absolute must have with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, ummm yup purchased!  Such a great find — comfy and stylish V-day wear for this Mama.

Over the holidays I signed up for Birchbox.  I’ve received two boxes so far, honestly I’ve had mixed feelings about the contents.  I absolutely love the concept, but the products have been just okay.  My favorite product from the December and January boxes is by far the Vasanti exfoliator.  Once my sample size runs out I will definitely be purchasing a full size version!

After a year, yup an ENTIRE year, {hang my head in shame} I am finally reading a book … like a real book with paper pages and everything.  Despite loving my Kindle I impulse bought a new read on Amazon one evening in early January.  So what am I reading?  The Happiness Project.  So far I’m enjoying it a lot and it’s written as though you are having conversation with the author.  It came highly recommended from friends as well as a number of the bloggers I follow.

This recipe was divine, although the bananas didn’t seem to come quite right.  Either way it was delicious and when I have time, I plan to make it again.  Side note: I’m kind of obsessed with quinoa right now.  I blame it on credit the Earth Bowl salad from Sweetgreen.

Do you remember jellie shoes?  OMG I was totally in love with them as a child.  Hello early 90’s!!!  Too bad they were incredibly uncomfortable, but stylish so I wore them anyways.  WELL … I found baby sparkle jellies online.  My fingers did the clickin’ and a week later they arrived!  I can’t wait for my baby girl to wear them.

And in other news … it’s official … I am Apple convert!  Bye bye PC, see ya later Android and say HELLO to my pretty little Mac and iPhone 6.  I never wanted to be a lover of Apple products, but I am.  Phew I feel better … no more secrets about being an Apple lover :)

What are you loving this week?

Have a great weekend and happy Friday!

Signiture_Nicole

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It’s so cliche, but time really just flies by!  Jellybean is over a year old … and random question, but at what point do we stop saying our kid is X number of months old and just say how many year?!  I remember making a conscious decision to stop telling people how many weeks old she was and just say the month.  In part it was easier for me, but mainly because I felt bad making people do the math! Any-who…

Somehow over the last few months we’ve managed to identify even more baby gear essentials/favorites.  Seriously this little person’s stuff, who doesn’t even weight 20 lbs might I add, has somehow managed to literally take over our condo!!  We’ve even had to clear out the DVDs in the living room tv stand to make room for all of her books.  Honestly though, not complaining AT ALL that she’s already a little book worm!

If you are new to the baby essential series definitely check out our favorites for newborns, 3-5 months and 6-8 months.

Favorite Baby Gear Months 9 to 12 | Life's Tidbits

Nuk Sippy Cup // Doesn’t leak, which is hugely important.  Like many parents it took a few sippy cups to find the one Jellybean liked.

Stride Rite Shoes // These were gifted to us from Jellybean’s nanny share friend.  They are fabulous!  Easy to get on and have actual soles.  I found a lot of baby shoes don’t have real (rubber) soles on the shoes.  Jellybean wore through her first pair of shoes in just a couple of weeks.  These shoes have held up well considering the little lady is putting them to VERY good use.

Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker  // Jellybean always wants to be on the move.  Before she could walk on her own she tore around the house like a little bat out of hell on this thing!!  The toy attached to the walker is also a huge hit and great sensory toy.

Britax Marathon Car Seat // We made the transition out of the infant carseat to the ‘big girl’ carseat on the early side.  This was two fold … 1) I wanted a new stroller and the only way to financially justify it was to sell the old one with all the extras 2) Jellybean is tall for her age and I felt like her legs were just too long for the infant seat.  This car seat got rave reviews online and from friends.  It was an easy choice for us!

Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Book // Jellybean loves ALL books, but peak-a-boo and flap books (think interactive) are just about the best thing in her world.  She points to where ever the book is and say ‘more, more, more’ until you fetch the book, sit down and read it to her … endlessly!  LOL

Baby Banana Bendable Training Toothbrush // Great for making good habits AND she had 8 teeth prior to her first birthday!  A little dental cleaning was and is in order.

NoseFrida // Jellybean came down with her first cold … queue theme song from Jaws {or whatever else sounds scary}.  While it’s bound to happen at some point during the little ones 1st year there isn’t a parent out there that wouldn’t do just about ANYTHING to relieve their pumpkin’s symptoms.  The NoseFrida is amazing at providing sed relief.  That is assuming you can actually use it on your kiddo.  If your child is anything like mine it takes two parents to ‘administer’ the NoseFrida, however it was well worth the struggle.

Favorite baby gear for months 9 to 12?  Any recommendations for 12 to 24 months (or should I say 1 to 2 years??)?

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Do you have a dish that reminds you of your childhood?  For me, it is totally hamburger casserole.  I remember hating the peas and pushing them aside, but absolutely loving the hamburger/rice part of the meal.  I am not sure where my mother got the recipe from.  Regardless, it was a go to dinner growing up and makes almost weekly appearances in my house today.  The only change I’ve made from my mother’s recipe is to substitute green beans for the peas.

Another bonus about this recipe … Jellybean LOVES it and it’s easy to whip up even after a long day!!

Super Easy and Fast Hamburger Casserole Recipe. Perfect for family dinners (and toddlers)!  |  Life's Tidbits

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 pkg Onion Gray
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/3 cup Rice
1 1/2 cups water
Frozen Green Beans (1 1/2 cups) or Peas (10 oz)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Season beef with salt and pepper and brown in a pan over medium heat.  Drain the excess fat.  Add onion gray mix, garlic powder, rice and water.  Stir ingredients together and bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and cover.  Cook for 15-20 minutes until the rice is fully tender.  Stir occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, defrost peas or green beans per the directions on the package.  Add the peas or green beans to the mixture and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Super Easy and Fast Hamburger Casserole Recipe. Perfect for family dinners (and toddlers)!  |  Life's Tidbits

The one tip I have about this recipe is to buy A LOT of the onion gravy when it goes on sale.  It’s on the pricier side, however totally worth it … my and Jellybean’s humble opinion.

What dish reminds your of your childhood?

Happy Cooking!

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