Free Party!!

As I am starting my business venture I need to build my portfolio. I am offering a free custom party for 8 children, boy or girl. Party will include custom theme of choice, decoratons, invitations, favors, thank you cards and games/crafts depending on type of party. If you know of someone or you yourself are interested please send me an email to chris@smallwondersevents.com.

Count Your Blessings

Hello followers,
     Today I am counting my blessings and thanking the Lord for the everyday things that we all take for granted. It's funny how we don't realize how blessed we are until we see someone in a wheelchair or hear that a mother has lost her born or unborn child. It's not the obvious tangible things that I am talking about like food and shelter but the things that money can't buy like my sanity, my joy, my peace of mind, my sight, the use of my limbs and most importantly my LIFE..... just to name a few. I wake up every morning(sometimes afternoon) to a family that LOVES me, I STAND up, WALK to the bathroom, LOOK in the mirror, LISTEN to the news, and continue to  DO things for myself and others all day. I have friends that love me and parents that support me in more ways than one. I could go on and on but I think you get my point. I know life isn't always easy, sometimes it's a downright daily struggle but everyday brings another opportunity to do things right, to do things better.  Do you count your blessings? Do you thank God for his grace and mercy? Do you ever look at someone else and thank God it's not you? Perfection was never God's intention and whatever you feel you are lacking I'm sure it's compensated by something else. Just remember that you may not be able to sing but you have a voice, your vision may not be great but you have insight, you may not be able to walk but you can stand for something. Don't underestimate your abilities and your talents. Use them because God gave them to YOU for a reason. Nobody can do what you do the way that you do it. So count your blessings and praise God like never before!

Eva's Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Last week Eva Longoria was on "The Chew" promoting her new cookbook "Eva's Kitchen"..........I know right, who knew. Well anyway, she made her grandmother's pineapple upside down cake and I had never had it before but it looked sooooo good that I couldn't resist trying to make it. It was so easy to make and just as delicious as it looked on tv. I may just have to go buy the cookbook. You have to try it for yourself.

Sooooo moist!

Here's the recipe:

ingredients

· 2/3 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

· 1/2 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

· 7 Pineapple slices

· 7 Maraschino Cherries (optional)

· 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (or cake flour)

· 1 cup Sugar

· 2 teaspoons Baking Powder

· 1/2 teaspoon Salt

· 2/3 cup Milk

· 1 teaspoon Vanilla1 Egg

kitchenware

· 9x9 baking pan

· Hand Mixer

· Measuring Cup (set)

· Measuring Spoons

· Mixing Bowl

steps ingredients per step instructions

·

Step 1

1/3 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. In a flameproof 9-inch cake pan, melt 1/3 cup of the butter over low heat. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter and cook, stirring, until the sugar and butter are blended and there are no pools of melted batter, 2 to 4 minutes.

·

Step 2

7 Pineapple slices
7 Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Arrange the pineapple on top of the caramel. Decorate with cherries if desired, placing them in the center of each pineapple slice. Set the pan aside.

·

Step 3

1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (or cake flour)
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2/3 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg
1/3 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix on low speed until well combined. NOTE: Eva likes to use cake flour.  Add the remaining 1/3 cup of butter along with the milk and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter over the pineapple.

·

Step 4

  

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully tilt it in all directions to release the cake from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan for about 3 minutes. Turn the pan over otno a serving plate and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully lift the pan off the cake. Use a spatula to remove any fruit that is stuck to the pan and place it on the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kobee's Seussical 1st Birthday Party!

As soon as I found out that I was pregnant with my now 1 year old son Kobee, the first thing that I began to think about was how would I decorate his room....what would his theme be? This is when I found a new love for Dr. Seuss. I wanted everything Seuss but to my surprise there was not a lot of Dr. Seuss decor available.  My friends threw me a Dr. Seuss baby shower but I only received two Dr. Seuss nursery pieces so again I was on my own. But I did get to use some of the decorations from the shower for Kobee's nursery that was also used for his birthday party. I got a lot of ideas from some great blogs and tweaked them a bit to make them my own. I also had to search day and night to find costumes, favors,etc. to pull together a great party. Thank God for Ebay and Etsy! I found almost everything I needed and what I couldn't find I figured out how to make. I also wanted to get the Cat in the Hat to come but the closest Dr. Seuss character was over 1,000 miles away, so I searched and I searched and finally found a site that had a costume in stock and paid a friend to play the part. It actually worked out better because we weren't limited on time and the kids got to interact with him more than a professional would have allowed. I didn't get to do all the things I wanted, like make gloves and bow ties, but I was still very happy with the outcome. Enough talking and on to the pictures........

Cake by: Stacey Cakes and Treats

Photo banner that I made

  

Pom flowers that I made for the food table

Candy table

I ordered the favor boxes from Birthday Express but purchase favors from various sites



Coloring book that I made.



All the guests got to take a pic with Cat in the Hat

The kids were all over Cat in the Hat



And I got to used the party decorations for Kobee's room





I couldn't resist showing off our mommy & me Thing hats



Cake from the Heart

I remember a time when there was no thought of a store bought cake. I will never forget the cake that my daddy(yes I'm an adult but a daddy's girl for life) made for my 11th birthday. It was a round strawberry layer cake with strawberry icing and sliced strawberries covering the whole thing.....mmmmm. Although I love to buy a beautifully flawless decorated cake to match any theme imaginable, there is nothing like a cake made from the heart. Believe it or not, it's the adults that seek the "perfect" cake, not the kids. I admit that I'm talking about myself when I say that I would rather have my cake made by a professional but there were certain instances that I've tried my hand in cake decorating. They may have been a bit lop-sided but the kids(and adults) still raved about them anyway. Thanks to the Internet, the "how-to" to any kind of cake decoration is a keystroke away. A few years ago I threw my daughter a Cinderella birthday party and refused to pay a hundred plus dollars for a castle cake that I wasn't that crazy about, so I went searching online. It's amazing what you can find online and how creative my fellow mothers are. This project became so much fun for me and my girls. Of course I had to have a trial run before the big day to make sure it would turn out okay and thank the Lord that I did. Hat's off to the professionals because even the easiest recipe took hours for me to complete...and I used boxed cake mix! I never knew how much went into making a cake since I've always loved a simple bunt cake for desert. But you can make a $100 cake for about $10 and your kids and friends will remember it forever. Here are some of the cakes I've made for different occasions. Warning....not perfect but appreciated and from the heart.

Trial run castle cake

Actual castle cake
(notice an extra layer)

Diva barbie cake for a Diva babyshower

Cinderella barbie cake

Cake that I made for my volleyball team the "Housewives of VA"
(made with store bought fondant)

Made with Christmas tree cake pan with rice krispie treat gifts

My first booking!!!!

Yeah!!! I'm so excited! I just got my first request to plan a birthday party thanks to this blog. Wow, who knew that blogging would work this fast....I guess everyone except me. ;0)
Her little boy's party isn't for a couple of months but that is actually perfect. It gives me enough time come up with some different ideas and search for all kinds of great stuff. I like for each party to be unique and memorable so I like to start early.
What really made me feel special is when she said that she wanted to hurry up and book me before I was booked up....that's got to mean something. I believe that God is working in my favor and this business venture is really going to pick up faster than I could've ever imagined. Thank you Aisha Jones....my very first customer!
To Nneka (nnekasaran.blogspot.com), thanks for giving me some guidance, sorry I didn't start when you told me to last year.
I can't wait to share my journey with all of you.

for all things creative!: SUPER CUTE Birthday Party Ideas for Girls

for all things creative!: SUPER CUTE Birthday Party Ideas for Girls: "One of the biggest challenges for moms is figuring out what theme to go with each year for birthday parties for the kiddies! My friend, Chri..."