Baby's First Birthday

Our sweet little Ella turned one year old. She is walking and talking up a storm (baby chatter, that is). I still can't believe it's already been a year and that our baby is officially entering toddlerhood. We threw a little party to celebrate this exciting occasion. 

We had balloons.

Presents.

Cupcakes for the guests from The Sweet Tooth Fairy.

A mini cake for Ella by Cakes de Fleur from The Store. (The frosting melted a little on the way home. So sad.)

The melting incident wasn't the cakes worst moment. Ella destroyed it! She really knows how to entertain a crowd.

And she really loves chocolate. 

Her 2-year-old cousin, Sophie, taught her how to open presents. It was really sweet.

It was a perfect day for a BBQ and Birthday Party with some of our favorite people.

Low-Cal Summertime Treat

Frozen red grapes are one of my favorite treats during the summer. Once frozen, the grapes become super sweet - like tiny bite-sized frozen desserts. They are low-calorie and so refreshing and delicious. Just rinse the grapes and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours.

You can also fill a tall glass with frozen grapes and pour Diet Sprite over them for a slushy low-calorie drink. Add a shot of grenadine for color (optional).

Wrapping Paper and Ribbon Wall Rack

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I have always wanted a wrapping paper organization station. A place where all of my wrapping paper, bows, and ribbon are together and organized. I was planning on purchasing a wrapping organizer from Pottery Barn until I found the "how-to" on making this wrapping paper and ribbon wall rack from 33 Shades of Green.

We found the frame at Hobby Lobby on clearance for $14 and the curtain rods at JoAnn's Fabric and Craft for $2.50 a piece on sale. Once we had everything, we painted the ends of the rods and the frame white, attached the hardware, and hung it on the wall. We suggest purchasing five 5/16" dowels to reinforce the curtain rods (they fit perfectly inside the curtain rod and make them much stronger).

This is our craft area with our organization table from Ikea. It is filled with ribbon, tissue paper, boxes, paper, scissors, tape, scrapbook supplies, and so much more. There are two hooks on the wall to hang gift bags in various sizes. Other than needing to add a little more color to the room, we now have a place to wrap, craft, and scrapbook.

Guacamole

One of my family's favorite dips/condiments is guacamole. Even my baby loves it. We put it on burgers, turkey sandwiches, homemade street tacos, and use it as a dip with tortilla chips.

My recipe is very basic, using all fresh ingredients.

• 1-2 ripe avocados
• Finely diced white onion (add as much as you would like)
• 1-2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
• Sea salt (to taste)

If you want a little heat you can add finely diced jalapeno (not the seeds). Also, the cilantro is optional. But you really should try it. It is my favorite fresh herb and I use it in as many recipes as possible.