McClure Family Blog

SUGAR COOKIE SHORTCUT & ROYAL ICING {healthy post tuesday} …

I know sugar cookies aren’t exactly healthy. But if you make your own using all-natural, organic ingredients and in our case, gluten free flour, they are “healthier” than the store bought kind. I use an awesome recipe found in this cookbook. But after my girl’s Woodland Fairy party, I swore I would never make sugar cookies with royal icing again, until I took a class from this lady.

Well, so much for “eating my own words.” My girl had her last dance class last Wednesday and I found out the Saturday before that it was a “cookie party” to celebrate the end of the year. I always try to provide a gluten free alternative for my girl at events like this, so I E-mailed her teacher Monday offering to bring gluten free cookies for the entire class. I envisioned the cookies provided by the dance studio would be beautiful, gourmet cookies from a local bakery in ballerina shapes like little tutus or point shoes. I intended to go buy a ballerina shaped cookie cutter, but ran out of time. In fact, I wasn’t able to start the cookies until 10 p.m. the night before her party. Drawing on the lesson I shared in last Monday’s post that God seems to be insistent that I “get,” I determined to feel stressed or inadequate and instead used a simple square cookie cutter and piped  a pink rose on top. I learned how to pipe this frosting flower when I made my girl’s flower fairy birthday cake last month pictured here. That would be the closest to “ballerina cookies” I could get using the supplies I had. Would you believe, when I brought them to class the next day, the “competition cookies” were generic store-bought brand of vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies like Oreos? My dainty pink frosting flower cookies were a hit, needless to say. One little ballerina kept telling me how much she like my “yummy cookies” and “boy, were they really fancy!” Again, I was quickly reminded of the lesson I posted on Monday to be thankful for the resources and gifts I have been given and use them gratefully, without comparing myself to others. I thought I would share a few tips I used that night at 10 p.m. to make a batch of sugar cookies.

SHORT CUTS TO FAST SUGAR COOKIES USING ROYAL ICING:

I already had half a batch of dough in my refrigerator, chilled and ready to roll out.  I then taped two paint sticks together, one on top of the other, and placed two sets of them on either side of my cookie dough. This helps to roll it out to a consistent, even thickness. It also made it faster and easier to cut out my shapes and they all ended up baking exactly the same size. I got the paint sticks from our local hardware store (Lowe’s).

DIPPING (NOT PIPING) ROYAL ICING …

Here is a wonderful short cut I discovered after proclaiming (fist clenched and shaking toward the sky) that I would never pipe with royal icing again. I mixed my royal icing using a recipe I found through Google and real egg whites. I wanted to use all-natural ingredients, but you could use the egg-white replacements if you wanted it to be egg free. I poured a small amount in a little shallow dish, but big enough for my cookie to fit inside. I then carefully dipped each cookie, submerging it enough to cover the top and a little on the sides …

After I dipped each cookie, I used my other hand to “tap” my wrist a few times while slightly tilting the cookie over the dish of icing. This helps the excess icing run off the cookie instead of dripping down the sides. I learned this technique from a sweet friend who came over last year to help me make cake pops for my boy’s birthday party. It works great when dipping cake pops too …

OK, so now that I’ve dipped all my little cookies in the pretty, white, royal icing, I piped my pink buttercream tinted with Seelect all-natural organic food dye I found at our health food store, Akins. It is expensive, but a little goes a long way. And I would rather spend a little extra on health and peace of mind than go cheap, knowing I fed my kids chemicals and colors that are synthetically produced and that have been linked to all kinds of health problems including hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, hives, eczema, asthma, and possibly cancer.

To pipe the buttercream flowers, I hold my piping bag upright in the center of my cookie, squeezing gently …

Then I slowly start to rotate my piping bag while gently squeezing the frosting on each cookie. You can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. The important thing is to start in the middle and spiral outward keeping your tip close to the cookie …

And there you have it. Ballerina cookies … or wedding shower cookies … birthday cookies … tea time cookies … or anytime cookies. Gluten free, organic, free of preservatives, chemicals, or synthetic ingredients. Full of yummy goodness and kid approved. And no royal icing piping required. That’s the best part for me!

A DIVA DANCER IS BORN {my girl’s first dance recital} …

Last weekend we experienced several firsts for my 4 year old girl: first time for her to dance on a stage, dance before an audience, WEAR MAKE-UP, and perform with the likes of Liza Minnelli. Friday afternoon’s dress rehearsal began disastrous with tears of fear and a major freak-out melt-down. My girl pulled it together though after her teacher pried her piercing fingers from their death grip around my neck and gently walked her backstage. My girl then surprised us all when she nailed every step, sachet, plie’, with grace and moved right on the beat. I was so proud.

These pictures of dress rehearsal are the only pictures we have of her on the stage. The day of the recital no cameras were allowed in the theatre. :(

The next morning, I knew there would be lots of drama in “hair & make-up” getting ready for the show. Well, really just hair. She does NOT like the hair dryer, as you can see from the pictures. I had to enlist my hubs to help. He lost a layer of skin under his shirt as a result. Funny how as soon as the hair was dry and the make-up brush came out, so did a whole new personality. My girl can switch it on & off like a faucet. She also has many different cries. So many we have named them all. There’s the whimpering puppy cry, the scream at the top of her lungs cry, the tornado siren cry, Matt’s favorite … the yodeling cry, and my favorite, the wailing cat cry. I think she cycled through all of these at least three times in the 5 minutes it took to blow dry her hair.

Once she calmed down and was in a “happy mood,” I thought I would do a little test to see how serious she really was about this performance thing. You see, this momma wouldn’t have danced on stage at her age for all the M&M’s in the world. I had a severe case of stage-a-phobia and was freakishly shy. But my girl seems to take after her daddy and I certainly do NOT want to project my anxiety issues on her. So I gave her a little pep talk. As I was curling her hair and doing her mandatory make-up (bite my fist), I explained how a true star performer doesn’t just go through the motions of the dance, but also engages the crowd while she dances. I defined “engage” as smiling at the crowd with maybe an occasional wink, making the crowd think she was dancing only for them, enjoying every second. I never know just how much of my little “teaching moments” she absorbs so I was hoping the concept of just enjoying her time on stage would sink in and she would apply it during the real recital. We managed to get to the school where the recital was held and I assumed my place (a little late) as “Super Mom” backstage with all 10 of her little dance class friends. I volunteered to be a “Super Mom” so I could get a front row seat & a free DVD of the recital! I came armed with crayons and books to keep them busy while the other classes performed. Luckily, I had another “Super Mom” volunteer with me who brought a DVD player & a movie.

When it was time to line them up and march them backstage, I suddenly got that familiar icky feeling in my stomach, boiling fear, anxiety, excitement, and anticipation. Trying to mask it with enthusiasm and confidence, I kissed my little girl and reminded her of her new word “engage” and told her to smile and enjoy her time on stage. Little did I know she would absorb every word I spoke to her that morning and apply it LITERALLY the second the music started. The other Super Mom and I snuck into the dark theatre to our special reserved seats on the front row. I grabbed her hand (I don’t even know this woman’s first name) and squeezed as we watched the little feet of our girls and their friends under the big, thick black curtain scurry to their places on stage. Adrenaline surged through my body as the curtain lifted and the instrumental music for “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” began playing. But it was when this alter personality (one of many, I just hadn’t met this one yet) emerged from MY girl, smack in the center of the stage, with a new, absolutely DARLING, cheesy grin, locked in on the faces in the dark audience before her, that a full belly guttural laugh erupted I could not contain. She plastered that grin on her face through out the entire performance and did not loose it once, even when her friend (Super Mom #2’s daughter) saw us on the front row and ran to the front of the stage waving excitedly. My girl stood her place, continued dancing beautifully, and even flashed a few grins my way. I could not stop laughing. It was precious. As my mother put in later, my girl was GLOWING the entire time. It was surreal. I cannot believe I am at this place in life. I often still feel like a 20 something-year-old, in college, without a care in the world. Now I am a mom, with two kids, volunteering as “Super Mom” backstage at my girl’s dance recital. Soon I will graduate to “Classroom Mom,” then “Field Trip Mom,” then “PTA mom,” then “Sorority Mom” … whew. I need to slow down. And grab the Kleenex. Thank you, Lord Jesus, is all I can think to say. Oh, and help me savor every moment.

PS … software program used to make these pages is found here.

Kermit the Frog Runs with Flo Jo {healthy post monday} …

Saturday night I ran a race for the first time in almost 2 years. This was kinda a big deal for me, even though I thought I was going to pass out at the end! (Matt did a good job with this pic finding me pre-race in the crowd of almost 1,500. I did not look this gleeful after I crossed the finish line)!

I was out of the loop for so long because of severe plantars faciitis that literally knocked me off my feet for a full year. After LOTS of therapy, treatments, expensive shoes and inserts, I have finally almost recuperated, I think. I hope.

I am now back to running and I love it.  Actually, I train with an Olympic track star. Not really, but someone asked me yesterday if my running partner was a rock star. I would have to say “yes.”  The woman is made of steel.  Just look at her arms … they are like machine guns.

This beautiful lady was Oklahoma Runner of the Year a few years ago, is a famous veteran racer in Tulsa, and has been a running pro for over 20 years. Everyone in the running community knows her. When we run together on Riverside Saturday mornings, I feel like I am in a celebrity parade with all the waves and hello’s she gets. And for the record, I use the term “running partner” very loosely. She is more like a beautiful blonde Flo Jo, whereas I resemble more of a blonde Kermit the Frog, especially at the end of our runs when I turn very green from the lack of oxygen. She is also an amazing friend, cheerleader, and prayer partner. Her gift is definitely encouragement. I not only have the privilege and honor of knowing her and calling her my friend, I get to run with her weekly. This relationship has recently sparked a bit of a spiritual lesson in my heart. Within the last few weeks, several things have happened that have validated and confirmed this lesson. Running has many spiritual applications. Paul compares training for a race to spiritual training and discipline from God. The lesson I am currently learning is not to compare myself to other people or base my worth on anything else but Christ.

One validation of this lesson was through the weekly Bible study I attend. A few weeks ago, through I Peter 3, I learned a woman should not receive her worth from what she looks like, where she lives, how much money she has, what kind of car she drives, what kind of clothes she wears, how big her house is, how clean her house is, how organized her house is, how decorated her house is, what size she wears, what degree she has, how smart, talented, cute her kids are, how long she nurses her kids (i.e. TIME magazine cover), what kind of parties she gives her kids (ahem-ahem), what kinds of fancy meals/recipes she feeds her family, how many pinterest projects she can conquer, or how fast she runs. The list could go on and on. But I know “the person who finds her worth in the outward will continually be disappointed.” I know this in my head, but am tempted in my heart every day to become discouraged when I compare myself to other people.  I see examples of this everywhere now, for some reason, and I cannot understand why is it that when someone does something admirable, our default button automatically goes to guilt.  Why do we immediately compare ourselves to that person and then feel like we could never measure up to whatever it is that other person did? What is that exactly? Is it pride? It is jealousy? Is it ungratefulness for what God has given us by focusing on what we think we’ve been deprived of? I’m seeing it everywhere now, especially in myself. Recently a friend posted on Facebook something cute she did for her kid and the first comment I read was all about how another mom felt guilty because she hadn’t done something similar for her kid. God is revealing ways this is so ingrained in me that it has become almost a habitual response.  I don’t even realize when it happens. I want to develop the habit of automatically celebrating another person’s victories and accomplishments, instead of immediately feeling inadequate or jealous of what I haven’t done compared to them.  Reality is, we were all given gifts with which we excel. By focusing on them with a grateful heart, I hope to retrain my attitude toward other’s accomplishments with one of positive admiration.

It’s like with my stellar-jedi running friend. I cannot compare myself to her and base my worth/status/progress as a runner on her performance. I mean, she was OKLAHOMA RUNNER OF THE YEAR … she did push ups AND ran 3 miles as her warmup BEFORE our 5K race on Saturday.  She placed FIRST in her age division, which is not unusual for her, and 4th overall in the female division. She ran a 5K in under 20 minutes. If I constantly beat myself up because she is so much faster and better than me, and decided to give up because I could never measure up to her performance, I would be in a constant state of discontented disappointment. I would throw the towel in and give up. Instead, she is my inspiration and encouragement. She helps me be the best I can be with the resources I’ve been given. I hope you will join me in celebrating others’ victories with admiration and count your own blessings with gratitude and confidence in the gifts you have been given. :)

Here’s a few more of our fun evening Saturday night …

And for my gluten free friends who may wonder how to “carb-load” before a race, the day before I ate gluten-free Quinoa pasta with grilled chicken and a salad.  The day of the race I ate eggs & fruit for breakfast, a light portion of leftover pasta and salad for lunch, and snacked on gluten-free pretzels and home made Larabars throughout the day. I also drank plenty of water. AND my feet aren’t killing me. Yay! :)

BENEFITS OF STRAWBERRIES {healthy post monday} …

We started a little raised garden bed in our back yard a couple of years ago. This spring our first really good crop of strawberries has started growing. Last week, my boy and I went out and picked our first big bushel bowl full.  It was fun to hear his squeals of excitement each time he plucked the juicy red fruit from the plant. 

Strawberries are loaded with healthy benefits including eye care, proper brain/memory function, and relief from high blood pressure, arthritis, gout and heart diseases.

One cup of strawberries contains an incredible 136% of the RDA of vitamin C, an effective antioxidant that can help lower blood pressure, ensure a healthy immune system, and ward off the development of age-related ocular diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

And it’s ANTI-AGING! For this mid-30s-something mom, that is great news! From what I’ve read, the nutrients in strawberries are vital to the production of collagen and may slow down the development of  wrinkles.  Whoo hoo!  Strawberries also promote pre-natal health as a good source of folate, a B-vitamin recommended for women who are pregant or are trying to concveive.

Smoothies are a great way to increase your intake of vitamin C through strawberries. You really can’t go wrong with a recipe. Just add a handful of strawberries with ice and OJ, milk, yogurt, keifer, or water. You can add a banana, a handful of other berries, kiwi, pineapple, and/or a scoop of protein shake, preferably chocolate flavored! Adding the protein powder makes it a quick and easy meal on the go. And if you don’t have a blender or want to make a smoothie away from home, get you one of these at Walmart or Target for around $20. We have one we take on on the road when we are away from home and are not sure if gluten free meals will be available.

I made these smoothies last night. They aren’t very pretty, until you drink them with a cute straw. :) Maybe it was the green spinach, flax, and chia seeds I added …

But it was sure yummy. :)

You can find cute straws like this at this etsy shop. She has other cute party supplies as well and ships super fast. :)

GLUTEN FREE RESOURCE via pinterest & HOW TO MAKE FROSTING FLOWERS

I’ve been approached by several people lately who’ve just been diagnosed or their child has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, a gluten sensitivity or a gluten allergy. I remember how overwhelmed, frustrated, and even grieved I was when I became aware of my need to live a gluten free lifestyle five years ago. It was necessary though, for my husband and I to start our family. You can read more about why we are gluten free here. 

If you’ve just been told you need to live a gluten free lifestyle, I would love to take you to lunch, show you how to order at a restaurant, and take you grocery shopping to find gluten free products my family and I use on a daily basis. I would even love to have you over for dinner and cook a yummy gluten free meal for you. It can get very discouraging and expensive to begin a gluten free lifestyle when buying expensive products that you end up not liking. I would also love to come to your house and clean out your pantry and refrigerator to purge everything that may have traces of gluten to de-gluten your home and show you how to recognize hidden gluten by reading labels on processed foods. Sadly, there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that. Sooooo, to help out a few friends and anyone else struggling with the gluten free lifestyle, I started a few pinterest boards that I hope are helpful. Gluten Free Products we use can be found here. Gluten Free Dessert Recipes I have tried and love can be found here. Gluten Free Appetizer recipes can be found here. Gluten Free, Natural, & Organic recipes can be found here. And BEST of all, Gluten Free Restaurant Menus can be found here. I encourage you to do your own search on pinterest for gluten free recipes. There are a ton out there. The ones I’ve listed are ones I have tried and know are good. I will say the BEST gluten free diet consists of foods that are naturally gluten free like fresh fruit, fresh veggies, nuts, beans, and legumes. 

Now, if I could say a little somthin’ about pinterest for a minute. It took awhile for me to jump on the band wagon with pinterest. At first, it looked so overwhelming and a set up for certain failure. Looking at all those great ideas, craft projects, & recipes made me feel frustrated at first and I knew I could let it consume my time just searching through an endless abyss of pins. But when I saw what a great resource tool it could be for planning my girl’s Woodland Fairy birthday party, I decided to give it a try. I had already created idea folders on my desktop for parties in the past and for recipes I regularly use. I was sold on the concept that it could become my virtual “filing cabinet” for those same things. I try to set boundaries for myself and only pin things I know I want to try (and realistically will try) or that inspire me to try something similar. I don’t search pinterest very often unless there is something specific I am looking for. I found this is what works best for me and it protects me from feeling inadequate or guilty from looking at a never ending to-do to-try list. Now I’ve found another use for pinterest as a way to share information with others. I will continue to pin gluten free resources as I find success in them to help those who are venturing down the same gluten free journey.

Now for some more pics of that yummy gluten free birthday cake I made from the cookbook, “Easy Gluten Free Baking” found here. I bought it used in awesome condition from Amazon for less than $5.00.

Thanks to my high school friend, Janette, owner of All Things Cake bakery, I learned to make these pretty flowers. To make the rosettes, use a Wilton tip 1M to pipe your buttercream frosting. I used Sprinkles Strawberry Frosting recipe found here. Then instead of doing your traditional cupcake swirl by starting from the outside and swirling inward and up … you start in the middle and gradually make circular motions swirling outward, in one constant motion … like a spiral. Practice a few times on a plate, then scrape it up and put it back in your pastry bag.

I also spread a layer of buttercream on the cake before I made my swirls so they would stick and there wouldn’t be cake showing in between each flower. That was A LOT of frosting. And A LOT of trips to the grocery store the day before the party that my hubs made because I kept running out of powdered sugar. FOUR trips to be exact. Thank you, Matt, honey! I love you! :)

THE WOODLAND FAIRY PARTY Part 3: more DIY decorations & party printables

These are a few photos of some other little DIY projects I made for my girl’s 4 year old Woodland Fairy Party. You can view photos of the decorations and food here and photos of the kids and activities here. I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that my cousin and good friend (both professional photographers) got some better party pics with their suped up super-duper-cameras. Maybe … if they were so kind to pass what they captured on to me (hint, hint), I will post them here too. :) 

I found this idea off pinterest. Isn’t this little gnome cute?? I used a vase and river rocks I already had and found the little gnome and moss mat on sale at Michael’s. 

Another great pinterest idea … this was by the flower planting station: paper mache letters on sale  50% off at our craft store, sheet moss, jute twine, flowers from my personal craft stash, and glitter spray paint. Tip: we had to staple the skewers on the back because hot glue and tape would not work.

My little mushroom friends I found growing in our yard a week before the party! Poor little guys look a little tired and shriveled after the party!

DIY vases made from repurposed bottles, spray adhesive, jute twine and yarn. These would be so pretty in a group of three or four in an old shallow box or crate.

You can barely see them because they are almost invisible, kinda like real fairies, but these are sliver glittery fairy ornaments my friend let me borrow that she got on clearance after Christmas.

Close up of DIY printable birthday banner made using Creative Memories Storybook Creator 4.0 software. The digital kit I used is called “Once Upon A Time,” perfect for our Woodland Fairy party!

Close up of the DIY party hats made using Creative Memories Storybook Creator 4.0 software and Dollar Tree flowers. I bought a package of Dollar Tree hats, took one apart, traced around it to make my template, scanned it into my computer and saved it as a jpeg image. I then imported that image into SBC 4.0 project and filled it with the paper from the Once Upon a Time kit, printed, cut, and glued around the Dollar Tree hat as my base. Then I took apart the flowers from Dollar tree & glued them to the top and base of my hat. Last, I added a little dab of glitter glue in the middle of the flower to hide the little hole were the stem was. These sound way more time consuming than they actually were. I had already created my hat template in my software program from another party I did last year. And my girl and I spent some quality time together as she helped me pull apart all the flowers before I glued them on. :)

DIY party printable sign made using Creative Memories SBC 4.0 software …

Another DIY party printable sign using Creative Memories SBC 4.0 software. I glued some ribbon along the top to make a banner.

Martha Stewart glittery gold butterfly stickers on clearance at Michael’s. I loved these. :)

Several people have contacted me about how to get started on a gluten free diet. So tomorrow I hope to share with you a gluten free resource I am attempting to put together via pinterest. I am really learning to like pinterest as a helpful resource tool. :)

THE WOODLAND FAIRY PARTY Part 2: little gnomes & fairies

When I look at these pictures, I can almost hear the soundtrack for the movie Steel Magnolias playing in my head. These little fairies and gnomes were about as sweet as cotton candy and ponies. It was like a movie watching them play and interact. 

When little guests entered the magical woods, they were transformed into a fairy or gnome by donning a tutu, wings, and a fairy hat or a gnome hat & beard that I made. The wings were from the Dollar Tree that I embellished with some flowers I found on clearance and the hats I made with SBC 4.0 and Dollar Tree flowers and felt. The boys each received a bug catcher, also from my favorite store, Dollar Tree. :)

Father Fairy Matt & Baby Gnome greeted guests as they arrived under the woodland branches that were overhanging our gate & adorned with fairy ribbon streamers. I salvaged the branches from our neighbor who had a tree cut down down last month. Special guests, Granny & Papa surprised us with a last minute visit from the farm. My girl flew arms spread wide with delight to greet them. My boy was so overwhelmed that THE legendary Papa Sam, the great farmer who drives “a twatcer” was actually there, he literally melted in his arms. :)

These three precious 9th grade girls came to help at the party. They were so sweet to even dress up fairy fashion! Kelsey worked the planting station, Allie worked the painting station, and Lutie worked the games. They were perfect & Lily loved having big girl fairies at her party! I have taught these girls in Sunday School since 7th grade so they are extra special to me! I love these girls so much!

This is my childhood friend Danette. She is crazy. She is zany. She is fun. She is artistic. She was perfect for this role & exactly how I envisioned she would be, the Star of the show!

This face painting Fairy was a hit! The kids loved her! My boy wouldn’t be still long enough to get his face painted though, but he had a blast at his big sis’ party! And don’t these little baby fairies and miniature gnomes make you want to squeal?? They were so precious!! 

We had crafting stations where they could paint a fairy house (thankfully with washable paint my mom brought at the last minute … good thinking mom!), color a fairy picture, or plant a fairy flower …

After face painting, crafts, & games, Father Fairy Matt took all the little fairies and gnomes to the front yard to play the games my girl requested: Red Light/Green Light, Father Fairy May I?, and Simon Says. It was so adorable watching them play in their tutus, wings, and gnome hats & they really got into the games!! 

This is where the magic fairy dust really began swirling for me. I absolutely loved this part of the party … watching my little girl play with her friends and cousins was almost more than my heart could take before it burst with joy. I still grin ear to ear each time I look at these pictures. Oh, and to see Matt, I mean Father Fairy, in charge of it all  … I mean seriously, what a great dad?!! I love that guy so much.

After games in the front yard, we all flew back to the Fairy Banquet Table to feast on fairy treats! Serious cuteness to see those little creatures sitting on tiny tree stumps at a tiny table Matt fashioned just for them. :)

We are truly blessed with an amazing support system of friends and family who love and pray for us and our kids. I thank God every time I remember each and every one of them. To stand back and take account of each life God has brought into ours is staggering and humbling. I am so thankful to the Lord Jesus for blessing us with such awesome friends and family during this season of our lives. It is such a sweet time that I want to savor & cherish forever.

After our fairy feast, the little mythical creatures gathered around the birthday fairy to bestow gifts upon her. She sat like a perfect princess on her little stump & received each gift graciously.

A few people have asked “how much time did you spend on this?” Well, that is kind of hard to answer. We just incorporated a little bit of into our lives, dreaming, crafting, planning since the day we began talking about it. I tried to teach her about gracious hosting and gratitude toward others in the process too.  I guess it is sort of like running a marathon. Many do not understand why in the world anyone would want to go through extensive training that to others seems like a daunting task. Well, after training and running two marathons (pre-kids I might add), the journey is half the fun and the work is TOTALLY worth every effort. And when you finally get to race day, and especially when you cross the finish line … what an indescribable celebration?!  It is an awesome feeling.

Well, I want to celebrate life, the goodness of God in every good gift that comes from above, from the Father of Lights. I’ve learned through studying the Old Testament that God commanded His people to celebrate through annual festivals and feasts to give thanks for what He had done for them. We are talking big parties here. That is my heart behind celebrating my kids. Not just to throw them an annual party, but to live out the essence of a grateful heart for  who He has entrusted to me. This little girly girl is the daughter of my dreams. She is all things pink, dainty, dramatic, artistic, sweet, generous, nurturing, and kind. She is so intense that she does not sleep (thus depriving us of sleep), and can throw whoppers of a fit, wailing loud enough to bust an eardrum.  But I know each of her traits has been woven into her by a God who loves her and has tremendous plans for her life to bring Him glory. Thank you God for Lily Faye!

I have a few more decorations and DIY photos I forgot to include in yesterday’s post of the party. I will post them tomorrow.  

PS … all pages made using Creative Memories Storybook Creator 4.0 software. You can find it here, and it is on sale 35% off right now!

THE WOODLAND FAIRY PARTY Part 1: the decorations & food {gluten free birthday party-healthy post monday} …

I refuse to take off my wings since our party two days ago. My Fairy Queen wings that is. I want to live in the magical world of sweet fairy birthday dreamland forever. Remember how magical birthdays used to be as a kid? It was like electricity in the air. That is what I wanted to create for my little pixie girl for her 4th birthday. About 6 months ago, she chose the Woodland Fairy theme and we began “shopping” for ideas off pinterest. You can see all the great ideas we found and gluten free recipes I used here. She picked out her dress, cake, and cookies she wanted me to make and chose the games she wanted to play with her friends. We had a ball planning together. I also gained a lot of inspiration and suggestions from following ‘One Stone Events’ on pinterest. Her pins are amazing!!  She was also SO kind as to suggest the idea for the DIY floral centerpiece and backdrop for my dessert table. What a nice and gracious gal!!!  I also have to thank my parents who helped behind the scenes during the party, my mom who watched my kids the day before, our amazing friends from church whose tremendous work helped the party run smoothly, and my four special guest fairies who made the event just perfect for all the little fairies and gnomes who came to play! Most of all, I have to thank Matt, who without his help I may still be covered in powdered sugar and icing or moss and glue. He was the cleaning crew, building crew, set up and take down crew … and the handyman who put man-power and elbow grease in all the special touches and props. :)

Because my kids and I are gluten sensitive, I made every treat gluten free, free of artificial dyes, and mostly organic. All the recipes I used are pinned on this pinterest board. I also designed and made all the party printables using Creative Memories Storybook Creator 4.0 software. You can find it here and it is on sale right now! I used this local printer to print them. It all began with this invitation I made with SBC 4.0 …

FRONT

BACK

The pictures were too yellow and the sun was glaring on the front page picture, but we managed to get these without our usual meltdown! Yay!

The Dessert Table … .

DIY Cupcake stand …

I made the cupcake stand using cans, wood rounds from the craft store, and a moss mat. I would highly suggest using sheet moss, though. It would have been easier and less messy!

DIY Mini Cupcake Wrappers using SBC 4.0 software …

I used Sprinkles cupcake & icing recipes and substituted the baking flour for a GF four mixture of equal parts tapioca flour, sweet white rice flour, & coconut flour and 1/2 tsp of xanthum gum per one cup of GF flour. I also used turbinado raw cane sugar and natural food coloring to make the pink sparkles on top. They were so cute and very delish.

Her “pink flower cake with butterflies” per my fairy girl’s request & chosen off pinterest …

I learned how to make the rosettes from my high school friend, Janette, owner of All Things Cake, an awesome local bakery. She also suggested the butterfly mold to make the butterflies. It was so easy: just paint on gelatin with food coloring, let dry, then peel butterflies off the mold. They were perfect cake toppers! What I know now, I didn’t know Saturday morning, was that this yummy Sprinkles buttercream icing WILL melt when left in the sun! LOL! It already looked a little wonky with it being my first time to use a pastry tip. How do you pipe flowers on the sides of a cake anyway? The GF cake was really good though. Even my brother-in-law told me it was the best cake he had ever eaten!! Now that was a compliment.  :)

Poor melty pink flower cake. :(

Magical Mushroom Meringues … these fooled a few folks, but were a favorite for many!

Mythical Macarons, without the filling because I was too tired to make it and made with a flower pastry tip because my other tip kept clogging. They were super yummy though  …

Pixie Sugar Cookies … 

These were almost the death of me. I had never really worked with royal icing before and didn’t really know what I was getting into. By the end of the game, I swore I would never decorate another sugar cookie with royal icing again until I took a class. I thought they were the ugliest cookies ever, until my sweet, wonderful, ray of sunshine cousin told me she thought they were from a professional bakery. Haha! I wanted to hug her neck because just the night before, Matt had told me what he thought the pink mushrooms were pink tutus. 

I did use all natural food coloring and the cookies themselves were very yummy. Just not what I had envisioned in my head. :)

Magic Marshmallows …

What I know now, I didn’t know then, marshmallows melt in the sun, even when it is cool outside. The sun wasn’t even hot, but they were soft mush by the time we raided the dessert table. Oh well. One of Matt’s co-workers has a love affair with these little treats. She will be so happy Monday morning when he brings her the left overs! I did make them with Agave Nectar and natural food coloring instead of corn syrup. Next to the mallows are “Pink Robins’ Eggs” or Jordan Almonds. I did not make those. :)

The Woodland Feast Table …

One of my bestest college friends and roommates gave me this cool dish towel from Anthropology. I thought it fit the theme perfectly!

I got this cute pink and white twine from this etsy shop. She has really cute party supplies and shipped lightning speed fast!

Woodland Trail Mix …

Fairy Berries …

Pink Ladies …

Glittery Grapes …

Toadstool Tomatoes that would not stay together …

Dew Drop Nectar and Fairy Dust … graphics made with SBC 4.0 software …

More cute twine from this etsy shop.

The Banquet Table …

My blog-world friend from One Stone Events, sent me the inspiration for this centerpiece I made with one of my girl’s shoeboxes, sheet moss, azaleas from my parents’ house, and roses from our yard and our neighbor’s yard. The stumps were given to us by our neighbor who sells firewood in the winter time.

These are Dollar Tree square plates I covered with sheet moss and the little gold, glittery butterflies are Martha Stewart stickers I found on clearance.

These are repurposed Starbucks frappucinno bottles and the cute pink and white paper straws from this etsy shop.

I found this little gal on clearance after Easter and changed her little sign to say “Happy Birthday.” Isn’t she cute? Perfect for my little fairy ballerina! And don’t you love the Fairy House behind her?? I want to set up little fairy furniture inside and have fairy tea parties on it’s porch. :)

DIY tent I made out of a repurposed sheet, bamboo sticks from Dollar Tree, and fabric I purchased. The flowers were hair clips I had already made for my girl. I found the idea and tutorial online & pinned it on this pinterest board …

Ok, this DIY mushroom is a long story, but basically we rescued it before it went to the dump. I wrapped the bottom with Dollar Tree paper and painted the top. It made a perfect stand for gifts and I decorated it with fairy books I checked out from the library. I especially LOVE the book of fairy poetry by Laura Ingalls Wilder. :)

Plant a Fairy Flower …

These mushrooms & roses came from our yard!

DIY vases: I wrapped two repurposed bottles with yarn and jute twine.

Paint a Fairy House … 

The little houses came from the Dollar Tree and the wood is from my neighbor.

DIY game: hula hoops & red bowls from Dollar Tree painted with white spots and glued to wood scraps. Once again, THANK YOU neighbor, Tom!

DIY game: Wand & fairy pic from Dollar Tree colored by my little pixie.

Thank you gifts & treat bags …

I tea stained these little canvas bags from the craft store then printed my graphics made with SBC 4.0 software on to iron-on paper.

Chocolate bar wrappers made with SBC 4.0.

DIY Fairy & Gnome party hats made with SBC 4.0 & Dollar Tree flowers & felt …

More printables made with SBC 4.0 …

Ok, so I know that is about a billion pics, but I have about a billion more. I will post pics of all the littles tomorrow. They are so sweet and cute. And please excuse the pictures. The sun was so bright that morning and I am still learning to shoot manual with my camera. 

In the midst of all this woodland fairy party planning, I read a verse during my Bible study one day that captures the essence of true supernatural power, not just mere mythical fairy magic from the storybooks. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness,” found in the Bible in James 3:17-18. For some reason, these verses struck a chord with me and I want to strive daily to grow in that heavenly wisdom.

I also learned a little bit about myself through this experience. I really need to not be so hard on myself. Even though everything was a dream, and God seriously allowed me to accomplish more than I ever could on my own, after it was over, I kept thinking about all the things I wanted to do but ran out of time, energy, and resources for. Matt made a great point to me. He said when being truly creative, you can never do everything you want to do. Each time you achieve something, that threshold the next time just reaches higher. You just have to do the best you can with the time and resources you’ve been given.  It was such a joy putting this party together and the end result was worth every effort exerted. One of my most favorite moments of the entire event was when my girl came up to me after thoroughly savoring each bite of her mini fairy cupcake and said, “Mommy, you’re the best” and gave me a huge hug. She seriously melts my heart.