Saturday, December 29, 2012

Our Favorite Ideas for a Family Friendly New Year's Eve

Will you be ringing in the new year with some of your favorite little ones? Need some inspiration on easy ways to ensure that everyone has a great time? We've got you covered! We've compiled some of our favorite family friendly New Year's Eve ideas for you!




What a difference a year can make!

We love this Kids New Year's Resolution Printable from 30 Handmade Days! What a fun way to chronicle how much your kiddos change from year to year! And, who says the kids have to have all the fun? You should fill one out too! Click HERE for the full post.



It's time to get LOUD! For a little while anyway.

We love this idea from The Real Thing with the Coake Family for New Year's Eve Noise Makers. Just make then shake for some good 'ole fashioned NOISE on NYE! Click HERE for the full post.



Time to break out the bubbly!

The little bitties need some fun and sparkle too! LOVE these Bubbly Jell-O Parfaits from Spoonful -- and we're pretty sure your VIP guests will love them too! Click HERE for the full post.




Twist it, twist it GOOD!

Um, YUM? These Twisted Pretzel Bites from Six Sisters look delish and would be a fun finger-food for your kidlets (and the big people too). Click HERE for the full post.





5-4-3-2-1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

How much do we love these New Year's Eve Countdown Bags from Organize and Decorate Everything...let us count the ways. What a fun way to countdown with fun treats, games, and activities opened at the top of each hour! Click HERE for the full post.




It's about to get fancy. 

Okay, so typically PB&J's are the exact opposite of fancy but roll it into cute little faux-sushi pinwheels and add chopsticks and your kids will nominate you for mother of the year. Thank you, Bon Appetite for such a fun idea! Click HERE for the full post.




Fun Food Your VIPs Will LOVE

The Dollar Store Mom has some really fun ideas for food that is both portable (for the kids that like to eat and mingle), easy to make, and adorably cute. Check out her Kids New Year's Eve Party Food for recipes and how-to photos. Click HERE for the full post.



Milk + Sprinkles + Shot Glass 'Fun Size' Glass = Adorable NYE Toast!

Cheers all around for these super cute Milk + Sprinkles Shots from Martha Stewart's Dreamers into Doers. Seriously, I can't think of anything cuter than the bitties kickin' back a shot fun size portion of moo juice rimmed in pretty party sprinkles. Click HERE for the full post.




Hours and Hours of FUN for the whole family!

Here's another fun countdown idea, this one from How Does She? is completely customizable too. Fill the balloons with fun ideas for short activities or crafts and pop one each hour leading up to midnight (or your designated 'midnight' depending on the age of your VIPs). Click HERE for the full post.



Face it, food on a stick is just more FUN! 

Super Healthy Kids made Sticky Stacky Sandwiches which are fabulous deconstructed sammies that you can customize based on your kiddos favorites sandwich elements. Click HERE for the full post.




Whatever you decide to do just remember to make it fun (and easy) and try to kick back and enjoy the time with your favorite little socialites. Cheers to a happy, healthy, and FUN 2013! 

Friday, December 28, 2012

Feature Friday: Valerie of 2nd Essence

Welcome to our first ever Feature Friday. In my six short months of blogging I have been overwhelmed with the wonderful people I have met from all walks of life. These amazing individuals have found their passion and are sharing it with the world, often asking nothing in return. They are some of the most talented and inspirational people I have ever met and I can't wait to feature them and their stories here on Team Ibrahim. 

This week's feature is Valerie of 2nd Essence. I've been a fan of hers and an admirer of her work for a couple of years. She is local to the Kansas City area and is well known for her ability to literally turn trash to treasure.



Once a month in KC there is a huge event that showcases local artist's repurposed and vintage finds. At one time, Valerie was a vendor and had one of my favorite booths at one of my favorite stores. I knew that I loved her work when I came upon a piece that she had done that matched nothing in my home, wasn't my particular design style, and was bigger than I needed for the spot I was looking to fill. I stood in front of the piece, a beautifully redone buffet, and seriously considered changing everything about my home decor to make it work. Yes, it was that beautiful. I loved the detail, the paint color, the richness of the colors, and the pulls that she had selected--it was absolutely stunning. Wanna see it? Of course you do. 


Ultimately, I didn't purchase it. But, I knew that at that very moment I became one of Valerie's biggest stalkers fans. I'm also in LOVE with these gorgeous clocks that she makes from weathered pallets. They're big in size and have enormous amounts of style and character. This one is my favorite:


I most admire her eye for what 'can be' and her talent for transforming castoffs into true works of art. Here's a great example of a before and after:


Gorgeous. Yes? What's even more amazing is she took the time to sit down with me this fall and chat about her business and her techniques. I was so grateful for her taking the time to let me be in her space. And, she's seriously one of the nicest people on the planet. We hit it off like two old friends and I left with a renewed spirit and massive amounts of inspiration. 

So, let's meet Valerie. She's a wife, mother and former art teacher. She's completely self-taught (wowza) and typically rehabs abandoned pieces or items that her customers bring to her. If you live in Kansas City, or the surrounding area, she loves doing custom work and is now working full time from her home on custom orders and design. Do yourself a favor and check out her website 2nd Essence, follow her on Facebook, and Pinterest. If you're not in Kansas City I'd still recommend following her as she is a wealth of inspiration and talent. Looking back on my notes from our meeting I really wish that I would have taken more instead of what I'm sure was me sitting across from her with my mouth wide open and trying to take it all in. 


Thank you for sharing your time and your talent, Valerie! 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas 2012 Highlights

Holiday hangover, anyone? The holidays are always a wonderfully magical time but it's nearly impossible not to over do it in one way or another--but here's hoping that each and every one of you had a happy holiday season and have had time to recuperate.

Here are a few highlights from our Christmas.

Christmas at Great-Grandma's



You can never have too many sprinkles! Santa LOVES sprinkles.


Quality control is a complicated process.


Cookies for Santa!


He doesn't need ALL of these, does he?


New jammies and reading a book by the light of the Christmas tree. 
I love making memories with my family!


Santa's been here!


And the stockings too!


Christmas morning cutie.


Loving her new ride. BEEP-BEEP!


Carefully unwrapping her presents. This was a 2 hour process.


2013 tour dates will be announced soon!


We still have two more Christmases to plan and are looking forward to more time with family. This has been such a wonderful time and we are so thankful for all of our family and friends and hope that all of you had a happy holiday!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas Morning Bubble Bread Recipe

Bubble Bread has been a holiday tradition in our family for as long as I can remember. It's as much of a part of Christmas for our family as the tree and it just wouldn't be the same without it. It's such a delicious treat after opening presents and is so easy to throw together on Christmas Eve and is ready to bake in the morning.

I've also heard it referred to as Monkey Bread and there are several variations on the recipe. I've included the version that we love and hope you love it too.

Complete recipe is included at the bottom.







Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and place 16 frozen rolls into pan. 
*Use only 16, no more no less, otherwise you'll have a great big mess!* 








Dump pudding mix (dry mix, do not actually make the pudding), brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans into a separate bowl and mix together and then pour in bundt pan over frozen rolls.


Slice margarine and place on top of everything in bundt pan.


Cute toddler helper is optional, but does add an enormous amount of sweetness. If you have a toddler available, their help is highly recommended. Cover the pan with foil and let the rolls rise overnight. 


Preheat oven to 350 and bake 20 minutes, give or take a minute or two depending on your oven. I should have probably rotated it once during baking but since no one noticed I'm calling it good. Place a platter over the bundt pan and flip it over.


Carefully pull off the pan and marvel at your accomplishment. 


Lastly, and before anyone notices, grab a spoon and scoop out all of the delicious caramel goop in the bottom of the pan. Don't feel guilty, you made the d@mn thing and you deserve it!


♥ My piece, extra goop and all. ♥ 

Don't be sad and think you have to wait until next year to enjoy Bubble Bread--it makes a delicious New Year's Day breakfast too! (and birthday, and Easter, and ...)

Bubble Bread

Cooking Spray
16 Frozen Rhodes Rolls
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon
2/3 Cup Chopped Pecans 
1 Small Box of Cook and Serve Butterscotch Pudding
1 Stick of Blue Bonnet Margarine
  1. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray
  2. Put 16 frozen rolls into bundt pan (exactly 16)
  3. Dump pudding mix (dry mix, do not actually make the pudding), brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans into a separate bowl and mix together and then pour in bundt pan over frozen rolls
  4. Slice margarine and place on top of everything in bundt pan
  5. Cover the pan with foil and let the rolls rise overnight
  6. Dream about it all night long
  7. Wake up and remember how awesome you are and then preheat oven to 350
  8. Remove the foil and place the bundt pan on a cookie sheet and into your preheated oven
  9. Bake 20 minutes, give or take a minute or two depending on your oven
  10. Place a platter over the bundt pan and flip it over
  11. Carefully pull the pan off and marvel at your accomplishment
  12. Lastly, and before anyone notices, grab a spoon and scoop out all of the delicious caramel goop in the bottom of the pan. Don't feel guilty, you made the d@mn thing and you deserve it!
Enjoy!



Seventh Generation Holiday Cleaning Kit Giveaway Event



Welcome to the Holiday Cleaning Kit Giveaway sponsored by Seventh Generation and brought to you by Boys Oh Boys - Reviews, Giveaways and More! Plus a special thanks to all the other bloggers who have joined us for this wonderful giveaway!
Here's the details:
• One lucky reader will win a Holiday Cleaning Kit valued at $29.00 from Seventh Generation. The kit includes: Natural Dish Soap, Automatic Dishwasher Detergent Concentrated Pacs, Natural Laundry Detergent Packs, Wood Cleaner, and Lavender Hand Wash
• Want to know more about these products? Click here to read a review.
• The giveaway will run from December 26 - January 9
• Open to US residents only
Now for the fun part! Enter this awesome giveaway by using the Rafflecopter form below. Remember the more entries you complete, the better chances you have to win! Please only claim entries that you have completed, because all entries will be verified! GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tea on Tuesday Social Hop #17

The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop is hosted by Jessica at Boys Oh Boys and Haley at Team Ibrahim. The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop, is a multiple social link-up for everyone to meet new people, make new friends,  and grow your audience! There are 4 social link-ups for you to join, including: Your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! 
There are just a few simple rules:
1. Follow the hosts via GFC (if you can) or RSS, Facebook, and Twitter. Jessica: BlogFacebook - Twitter Haley: BlogFacebook - Twitter
2. For every social link-up you enter, visit at least 3 others from that link-up and follow them.
3. HAVE FUN!!
(*Note: When liking on Facebook, you MUST do this from your personal page. It does not count as a "like" if you like from you blog Facebook page.)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Update on the Bittiest Ibrahim

We received fantastic news on Friday, but in light of the horrible event in Connecticut I just didn't feel right posting about it. Our hope is that everyone, whether involved directly or not, can find some sort of peace and healing in the days to come. We will probably never know the "why" and we can't possibly understand the evil but we must come together as a nation and learn from this and do everything in our power to never let it happen again.
While it's still way too early to be thinking about meeting our precious baby boy, we hit our 24 week milestone on Thursday. Survival rates increase significantly from this point forward with our next big milestone being 28 weeks. We're learning as much as we can about preterm labor and the possibility of delivering early but we are trying everything we can to keep the little guy in there as long as possible. 

We received our diagnosis four weeks ago and have consistently left our weekly appointments with the news that nothing had changed and to keep doing what we are doing. In our case, 'no change' is good and we are so thankful. We had our weekly Perinatologist appointment on Friday and left with the best news possible for our situation. The doctor said that our measurements were still the same and that he was pleased with our progress. As a result, we've moved from weekly monitoring visits to monthly growth scans and I've been told that I can ease up a little on my bed rest restriction. I'm still to take it easy and not lift but I can get out of the house a little more <cue happy dance music>. 

Here's the latest picture of the 'Bittiest Ibrahim':



In other news, we made a quick trip to Bass Pro Shop the North Pole this week for a picture with Santa. Elia was such a big girl and didn't even cry. Although, she looked like she might if she had had much more time to think about it. 



We are so excited about Christmas this year as she just loves the tree and the decorations. Every morning we come downstairs and she stands in front of the tree while we plug it in. When the lights come on her eyes twinkle and she says "wow-oh-wow-oh-wow-oh-wow!" It's the best present ever. 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Tea on Tuesday Social Hop #16

The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop is hosted by Jessica at Boys Oh Boys and Haley at Team Ibrahim, with this week's special co-host Brani from That's Just Lovely! The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop, is a multiple social link-up for everyone to meet new people, make new friends,  and grow your audience! There are 4 social link-ups for you to join, including: Your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! 
There are just a few simple rules:
1. Follow the hosts via GFC (if you can) or RSS, Facebook, and Twitter. Jessica: BlogFacebook - Twitter Haley: BlogFacebook - Twitter Brani: BlogTwitter
2. For every social link-up you enter, visit at least 3 others from that link-up and follow them.
3. HAVE FUN!!
(*Note: When liking on Facebook, you MUST do this from your personal page. It does not count as a "like" if you like from you blog Facebook page.)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Tea on Tuesday Social Hop #15

The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop is hosted by Jessica at Boys Oh Boys and Haley at Team Ibrahim, with this week's special co-host Tess from The Framed Lady! The Tea on Tuesday Social Hop, is a multiple social link-up for everyone to meet new people, make new friends,  and grow your audience! There are 4 social link-ups for you to join, including: Your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! 
There are just a few simple rules:
1. Follow the hosts via GFC (if you can) or RSS, Facebook, and Twitter. Jessica: BlogFacebook - Twitter Haley: BlogFacebook - Twitter Tess: Blog - Facebook - Twitter
2. For every social link-up you enter, visit at least 3 others from that link-up and follow them.
3. HAVE FUN!!
(*Note: When liking on Facebook, you MUST do this from your personal page. It does not count as a "like" if you like from you blog Facebook page.)

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