Bliss to Bean

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Workout Link-Up Coming!

How is your new year going? Have you started working on any of those goals you set for yourself?

I still have a lot of organization to do around here and I desperately need to meal plan [more]. I will say that I am motivating myself for workouts though! To workout here and there is one thing, but to hold myself even more accountable, I am co-hosting a link up each Sunday to share what I did for the week in workouts! Yes, I said it!! I am so pumped to be co-hosting a linkup. I've never done that before and this should be fun!

Where can you link up? Nikki, Ashley and myself! Fabulous Nikki who is expecting her first baby in 20 more weeks, decided to re-instate her "Week in Workouts" and offered others to co-host! You can read more about her here.

We are also linking up with Ashley. She blogs over here.

Each Sunday we will post our workouts from the week. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, please. Just get up and move, sweat, burn some calories and get that heart pumping! I know it's hard, I am straight up honest I don't love working out. I love how I feel after I'm done, but the whole get up and go? I really need to push myself. I just know how good it is to sweat; even if it's for 20 minutes 3 x a week. That's my goal. If I can get more, awesome! I hope to share lots of success, but if I have an off week, you'll see that too.

Plus, it will keep me blogging too! I know Sundays are family days, but maybe you can just track your workouts on a post and just have it publish on Sunday. I LOVE hearing about new fun workouts and seeing others working hard motivates me to push myself. {I may have even told my hubs, Friday from here on out will be Family Fitness Fridays! haha} Seriously, I believe that good health is so important to a happy life.

So you still have a few days left this week and we are starting THIS Sunday {19th}. What workouts can you do before then? Come back and share with us on Sunday!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.frommylifetoourlife.com/" title="From My Life to Our Life"><img src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk36/frogginainteasy/unnamed_zps87629b34.jpg" alt="From My Life to Our Life" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Cupcake Themed First Birthday

I had a little too much fun preparing for my daughter's first birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to Success School, so I channeled my frustration into decorating. Enter, Target, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Party City.

I also love that we have all of these beautiful photos, but I am totally bummed that we didn't take any videos!? We were having so much fun in the moment, and I was running around the whole time, I forgot to document on film.

I'm only human.

So enjoy these photos!!

The "Cupcake" theme was perfectly timed with Valentine's Day right around the corner.

Ok so this wasn't exactly for the party, but I thought they were cute! haha

I put almond paste cookies in here all wrapped up for our guests.

I even found thank you cards!

Saturday morning hubby was on balloon detail. He got 20 balloons blown up.

As soon as you entered the house, we had a little table set up with Joe and my first birthday photos.

Everyone loved seeing how much Brooke looked like the two of us, and how young our parents looked!

We put the extra leaf in the table in the kitchen and had a few extra chairs. I used my grandmother's pink table cloth and one from PC. I bought my daughter pink roses for her birthday. I also set out some photo-books. Joe picked her up a button and a lollipop.

In our dining room, we made it pretty pink with pops of purple.

I used an extra buffet table to set up the favors [almond paste cookies] and a few extra cute baby photos. I bought extra white lights after Christmas 1/2 off, and used pink tulle I purchased from Jo-Anns.

We set up her high chair, fit for a princess!

Rugs- Target dollar
Balloon- Party City
Tulle- Jo-Anns
Heart lights- Target dollar
Sign- Target

These fun little party decorations for an extra pop of color. {Target} The tablecloth is actually a piece of fabric that was on clearance from Jo-Ann's that my MIL ironed nice and neat for us, thank you!!

My wine cabinet was decked out of course, as well.

The sweets!

Chocolate & Valentine's Day funfetti cupcakes

Her cake was from scratch. Vanilla and almond flavor.

I just loved how elegant and feminine the entire room felt. I have a feeling my little girl will one day have a birthday party full hunting, sports, or fishing or some 'boyish' theme, and that will be fine with me. I will enjoy the pink tulle while I still can!

The drinks:

I wanted to have a beverage bar.

Mimosas in pink plastic champagne flutes.

Red and white wine.

Beer and water was in the cooler.

Coffee ready to go.

Fun straws for anyone who wanted.

Since we're Italian and all, there was SO MUCH food!

Olives

Antipasto w/ cheese and pepperoni

homemade Italian rolls

Chicken cutlets

Sausage, peppers & onions

Over the rainbow Mac and Cheese

I had to make a salad too!

We also had a veggie tray, chicken wing dip & some roll-up things my MIL made

Aunt Phyllis was a huge help!

In the living room we pushed back the couch and stuck a table for the gifts in the corner.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Brooke's First Birthday

Hard to believe it was a year ago I experienced my birth story that I wrote about in Three Parts

I've had so many emotions, but I'll save that for another post.

*Warning, there are TONS of photos. They're super cute though, I promise!*

The day was beautiful and full of love.

With Joe's Dad...

Joe's grandmother and Aunt gave Brooke her crown. Now, we typically don't call her "princess" but on special days as today, she was indeed our little princess.