Want a sneak peak?

Kelly @ Fabulous K has been working on redesigning my blog. She sent me this proof last night of my header. Isn't it so cute? I am hoping the new design will be up in a couple days. I can't wait! {THANK YOU JUSTIN! - this totally counts as one of my mother's day gifts.

Going to a BBQ, Church Function or Family Reunion? Recipe Wednesday

Do you stress out trying to figure out what side to bring to your friend's BBQ, church function or family reunion? I made these for Kate's Birthday Party and several people asked me for the recipes. Here they are.. two EASY and wonderful recipes to bring to those special events.

The recipes are Cream Cheese Fruit Salad and Texas Ranch Potato Salad.

The recipes are of course from All Recipes - with my changes.

Cream Cheese Fruit Salad (serves 8)

(**Note - you can use your favorite fruit)

2 pears
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 ripe bananas, sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
3 cups seedless grapes
1/2 lemon, juiced
8 ounces fat-free strawberry cream cheese
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fat-free pretzels, broken (I left these out because I didn't have any.)

DIRECTIONS
Combine the pears, apples, bananas, strawberries and grapes. Add lemon juice and toss.
Blend together the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; add the fruit and pretzels. Fold together. Serve immediately with a dollop of lite whipped topping or refrigerate until chilled.

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Texas Ranch Potato Salad (serves 16)

INGREDIENTS
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onion
1 pound bacon slices
5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes

DIRECTIONS
-Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add whole potatoes, and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and chop into 1 inch cubes. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours.
-In a small bowl, stir together the ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise, sour cream and green onion. -Cover, and refrigerate for about 2 hours to blend flavors.
-Wrap bacon in paper towels and place on a plate. Cook in the microwave until crisp, about 15 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Cool.
-Stir the mayonnaise mixture into the bowl of potatoes. Crumble bacon into the bowl, and stir to distribute. Serve.

Did Murphy's Law Apply? Kate's First Birthday Party

Do you have those friends or family members who are "Debbie Downers"? I may have had someone tell me that she hopes everything will go well for Kate's party because, you know how it goes... "if anything can go wrong, it will." (Yea, thanks)

I am the type of person that will stress over everything that could go wrong. I even had a bad dream the night before the party. I dreamed that I was picking up the food and my watch said it was 11:30am, but my watch had stopped and it was actually 1:30pm (the party was at 12:00pm). I missed the party and my guest had no food or cake. Yes, I have issues. (Isn't the first step to recovery admitting it?)

Well, I am happy to tell you that nothing went wrong. We were so afraid that it was going to rain, but the weather was great. Everything turned out perfect. Kate was so overwhelmed and didn't know what to think of it all. She was a trooper!

My family was here to help us set everything up. I could not have done it without them. My cousins (who usually sleep until 3pm on Saturdays) were even up early helping us.

Here are several of my favorite pictures from the party.

The cupcake tower. No, I didn't make the cupcakes. They were from the Cupcake Shoppe in Raleigh. For you NC people, if you have never been there.. you have to go. It is so cute!

Kate in her cute little outfit. It was a hand-me-down from her cousin, Sara Beth. It was perfect for her special day.

We got Kate a Princess Play land from Ragland Productions. It was so cute!

Kate with her friend Aaron.

Kate with her friend Caitlyn.

Eating her cupcake... She didn't exactly dive in. She took a little while to warm up to it. She ended up loving it!

Sorry, I lied.. she did eventually dive in.
Kate with her Aunt Sharon.
Our little princess. I can't believe how big she is getting and I much I love her!

Who won the Seda France Candle?

Congratulations!!!! Entry #35 - Ellen C. - You are the winner of the Seda France Candle.
I will e-mail you. (results were calculated from contest machine)

Need a Mother's Day Gift? - Freebie Friday

Today's Freebie Friday will make a wonderful Mother's Day Gift or a great treat for yourself.
Courtesy of Chic Giving, we are giving away a Seda France Pagoda Candle. These are one of the best candles you can buy. They have been featured in various magazines and TV shows. Check out the various scents at Chic Giving. We will be giving away the Citron Du Sud scent. These candles are packaged so pretty, you won't even need wrapping paper. Any mother will love to receive this special candle.

I have a new entry method. Hopefully this will make it easier for you to enter.

To enter: Leave your e-mail and answer to the question in the box below. The winner will be announced / posted on Monday after 10am. I will also e-mail the winner. Only one entry per person, but feel free to share with your friends...

Giveaway will be open to enter until Monday, May 4th at 10am.

PS.. I added some new features to my blog.. If you have a blogger account, you can "Follow" my blog. You can also sign up to receive an e-mail of my posts.

Yesterday marked 30 days of blogging straight (minus two weekend days.. come on they don't count.) In my eyes I won the challenge. Hopefully my makeover will be done soon! I can't wait.

Good Luck and Have a great weekend!