Come on Barbie, Let's Go Party...Take 2

The day after the Chuck E. Cheese Birthday was the Family birthday. This party had much more work involved and I had so much fun putting it together!

Here is the banner I made...got the idea off of Polkadots & Pirates.
The cake. I loved making this! Fondant isn't something I have really ever played with. I have made one cake with it, so I was a bit nervous. I think I will forever make cakes with fondant. Loved it! You can hide your mistakes so easily!
A close up of the top...yes, I used feathers and some pink glitter balls and the Barbie head was off of the invites that Whitney made.

The treat table was outside...I couldn't put the banner outside because it was so windy and the cake had to stay inside or else it would be destroyed. On the right I put cute little votive candle holders on there filled with milk and then a cookie on top...I didn't put those out till right before. For those of you who want to know what is on the table:

I made paper cones and filled them with Crunch 'n Munch,

Chocolate covered Pretzels

Pink and White Marshmallows

Circus Cookies

Strawberry Whoppers

cookies and milk

strawberry gummies

Oreo truffles (one bag of oreos and one 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese...mix together, freeze, dip in milk chocolate, freeze and then you can drizzle pink chocolate on them)

good and plenty
This is just a funny that Dr. Brown wanted me to post on my blog...we love the fake flowers in her planters;)

Thanks for letting me help with the party Dr. Brown...I hope you liked everything!

Come on Barbie, Let's Go Party!

This is the first birthday party for Samantha, this one was at Chuck E. Cheese:

These are the cupcake toppers I made...and Whitney designed the cute logos...check her out if you need some, I'm sure she would gladly do them for you:)
These are the cute shirts and leggings Samantha wore for her big day...she looked darling!
Of course every girl needs to wear a tutu...
The goody bags...I needed something fun to put them in so I grabbed a bucket out of my pantry and spray painted it with chalk board paint and voila...
The cute tags Whitney designed for me...
The cupcakes: White cake with Strawberry Goodness injected in each of them with some amazing Buttercream Frosting and sparkly sprinkles on top.

Happy Birthday Samantha! Hope you had a fabulous day!

Where Did You Go Now???

So this month has been a complete BLUR. Since my last post it has been incredibly crazy busy here. The second week of October I got the nasty flu, then Ben got it the next day...we were both sick for about a week. Nasty stuff. Glad that's over! The worst part was having to wear a mask so my sweet baby wouldn't get sick! So glad he didn't!

Then I got a client, my Dentist...Dr. Misty Brown...to do her darling daughter, Samantha, birthday party! So much fun. The theme was Barbie. It was nice to get my girl on and do really girly things rather than Army or Pirates. Thankfully my sister-in-law, Whitney was able to help me and do the invites and cupcake toppers. She's amazing! I've been busy getting everything all together and doing/making: 1 tutu, 2 t-shirts, leggings, cupcake toppers, b-day banner, cupcakes, b-day cake, oreo truffles, treat tables, goody bags and tags, etc...But...I got it all done! It all went great and I had a blast doing it all! I think I have decided to go to the Party business rather than decorating homes, I have had so much fun doing this.

So...with all that being said, there are going to be several postings coming up now that everything is done and I can breathe again:) Hope you like everything!!

Cinnamon Rolls

Over Conference weekend it been a Gillis tradition to make Cinnamon Rolls! I did the unthinkable and didn't use the standard recipe, which is absolutely amazing. I needed one this weekend that was an overnight one, one that I could make at night and put in the oven in the morning. I used this one from Alton Brown, and it was way good. Tasted similar to our traditional one. So, if I need an overnight one, I will use Alton's, if not I will always stick to the Gillis ones. I"m going to post both for you and let you decide;)

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

by Alton Brown

• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large whole egg, room temperature
• 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
• 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• 20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
• 1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

• 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:

• 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Halloween Crafts

Just wanted to share the love of some cute Halloween crafts that I have done lately.

This is a darling little countdown that I've seen all over the place. You need (2) 4x4's and another slab of wood to fit them, grab some vinyl (you will need 2: #1, #2 and make sure the #3 and 0 are on a different block.), 6 different sheets of paper and modge podge the paper and then add the vinyl. Voila...cuteness
I made this several Halloween's ago at my friend Gwens for a little craft night...love LOVE love it. It is a paper mache house that I got from Hobby Lobby and then you just put cute paper around and modge podge it:)
EEK letters, again, 3 pieces of wood (duh) and vinyl letters and modge podge (what would I do without this stuff???)

Special Holiday Offer

Just wanted to let you know about this special on Holiday Cards! Whitney did my Baby Annoucements for Connor and they turned out AMAZING! She is have a sale on her custom cards! You can go to her blog and see some of the things she has done or you can tell her what you want and she will do that! Anyway, check her out and see what you think!! Here are some of my favorites:

Oh look!!! Who are those darling little boys??? OH!! Their mine:)

HOLIDAY OFFER:

Place your order AND submit all photos by the 2nd week of November (11.15.09)

AND

Order 100 or more cards

YOUR PRICE: $1.10 each - this price includes the design, an envelope for each and shipping.



All payments are accepted safe and secure through PayPal. Please don't hesitate to email me whitneygillis@gmail{dot}com if you have any questions and remember that i customize everything so if you have an idea you need translated onto the page i am more than happy to do it for you!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

I've had this recipe for quite awhile...it came from my friend Carrie C. It is just so good:)

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Mix together:

3 TBS margarine, melted

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cut 2 large chicken breasts into 1" pieces and dip them in the mixture.

Crush/blend together (I just stick the two ing. in a blender and blend away):

50 Wheat Thins, finely crushed

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cover the chicken in the crumbs and bake at 450 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

3 Months of Cuteness

My little man is 3 months old now! Time goes by so FAST! He is such a good baby! He is sleeping through the night, he scoots like crazy when he is on his tummy or back, he found his thumb...which is too cute, and really only cries when its time for me to make dinner. Here are some pics of little man:

Ok, seriously...how cute is this??

He is watching Daddy here and just staring at him:) Love that look!

Austin's Wedding

This last weekend Connor and I flew to Utah for my cousin, Austin, wedding! I am so glad I was able to go! I was a little worried about how Connor would do on the plane rides, but he slept the whole time! He is the best baby EVER! Love him! This is his first big trip, so for document's sake: on Saturday, Sept. 26 we flew from Dallas to El Paso to Phoenix to Utah. We flew home the next day and went from Utah to Denver to Albaqurqie (sp??) to Dallas. He cried from Alba. to Dallas for a whole 30 seconds and that was it. So, here are pics from the wedding!!

Maegan and Austin...the newly weds! I loved her colors, so pretty!

Grandma Gillis (my Dad's mom) and Connor...met for the first time this trip!

The Gillis GIRL Cousins. We haven't all been together for a very long time! Jennie and Carter, Sharlyn, Me and Connor, Carrie, Leah and Brooklyn

Leah, Melanie (she lived like 3 minutes away from me and then moved to Utah...I was so sad), Jennie, and Myself.

Me and Little Man...doesn't he look so stinking cute in his little man suit??

The 3 girls (Leah, Myself and Jennie) all had babies right next to each other: Leah had Brooklyn on June 23 and I had Connor on June 26 and Jennie had Carter on July 22. So fun!

Brooklyn, Connor and Carter

My Mom and Dad with Connor

Grandpa Gillis (my Dad's Dad) holding Connor. It was a big weekend for Connor meeting the rest of the family! Glad we got to come up to the wedding and celebrate!

4 Layered Yumminess

I went to a friends baby shower and this was served there. Of course when I taste something amazing I search for the creator:) My friend Natassia Saterthwaite made this and gave me the recipe. There were several others who wanted it and I said I would post it. So, here it is...

4 Layered Yumminess

Layer 1: Chocolate Cake

1 Devils Food Chocolate Cake Mix

Make according to directions, but pour only half the batter in a 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Use the rest of the batter to make cupcakes;)

Layer 2: Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

8 oz. cool whip

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together until combined. Fold in cool whip until combined. Put on top of chocolate cake once it has cooled.

Layer 3: Pudding Filling

2 small boxes INSTANT chocolate pudding

3 c. milk

Whisk the pudding and milk for 2 minutes and then pour on top of the cream cheese filling.

Layer 4: Cool Whip

8 oz. Cool Whip**

Put cool whip on top of the pudding...if you want to get fancy, top that off with some chocolate shavings.

**Buy the big Cool Whip and split it up between the Cream Cheese Layer and the 4th Layer.

Hooded Towel

So I'm back from my long break of no blogging...it was not by choice, just so you know. Our hard drive fried. Yup...I lost all my pictures from June until now. So basically I lost ALL of Connors pictures:( Thank goodness for my blog and that I put a ton of pics of him on here. Our computer is finally up and running and hopefully I didn't loose all 5 of my fans who read my blog!!

These are not your typical hooded towel! I saw a tutorial (from Crap I've Made blog) on these and HAD to make them. I have a friend who is expected twins! One boy and one girl. Found some cute fabric that would work for both and voila...towels and matching wash cloths. These took me forever to make. The stupid terry cloth was so not working for me. That stuff stretches beyond belief! Oh well. They turned out cute, thats all that matters, right?

Anyway, I hope you like them and maybe you can make one too, if your up to a fun project!

Caramel Popcorn

This popcorn always brings back some good memories when I was a little one. I remember eating it every Sunday night while watching the Disney movie they used to do back in the day with that Michael something or rather. Good times. Well, this Friday night we had a Family Fun Night and ate some Pizza Pretzels, watched Pink Panter 2 and ate this yummy stuff. Hope you enjoy!

Caramel Corn

Pop:

2 bags microwave popcorn, I used lite butter

Boil for 1 minute:

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. karo syrup

1 stick butter or margarine

Pour over popcorn and eat up!

Beaded Necklace

I know...SO CUTE! Well, lucky for us...SO EASY! While all the men went to the BYU game (see following posts), us ladies (my mom, Whitney and Katie) got our craft on and made these necklaces and some button earings to match. We got the cute fabric at a darling fabric store called Cabbage Rose and we got some cute Amy Butler Fabric. We covered some wooden beads with Modge Podge threaded it with some white ribbon and voila....Cuteness. If you look at the blessing picture, on the next post you can see me wear this darling necklace and see how it will go with everything you own. If you don't feel like making one, my sis-in-law, Whitney, will hook you up, she is selling them.