Tuesday

Meet Nessie

7.31.12- 

  I'm back to share this darling little short I saw today @ the movie theatre with me girls 
{Trying to tap into my Scottish accent}

It's an animated short that ran before the Winnie the Pooh movie & it was simply delightful! The moral of the story is simple & sweet. I wish it showed the whole video but it's just a little peek.  



Isn't the animation just sublime?  I love all the plaided mountains & Mr. McQuack- so cute!  
I think I just might have to buy this for my own little ones to watch & learn from Nessie & know that sometimes you just have to cry & it all works out in the end. 
{oh, such a sweet moral to the story}


{M}

Tis' the season

7.31.12- 
  Didn't mean to scare you with that title 
{although let's all admit Christmas is going to be here before we know it!} 
but the season I'm referring too is Zucchini season. It is in full swing at our house right now. We have zucchini coming out of our ears!! Don't get me wrong I love it!  But when you have 10 lying on the kitchen island it's time to share the love.  That's what the girls & I did last night, we took around 8 to some friends & neighbors.
{if you live by me & want one from the next batch leave a comment & we'll deliver you one-soon!} 

I ate my entire Veggie serving {& more} in Chocolate Zucchini Cake yesterday.  I figure it's 1/2 vegetable so it must be ok to eat a ton of right?  
{at least that is what I was telling myself ;)} 

I wanted to share this delicious recipe with all of you so you can get in your veggies for the day too! I got this recipe from one of our neighbors a couple of years ago & it is the most yummy, moist cake ever!! 
-Enjoy-

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
2 cups. Sugar 
1 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Salt 
1/2 Cup Cocoa
2-1/2 Cups Flour 
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder 
Sift all together & then add:
3 Eggs 
3 tsp. Vanilla 
2 Cups Grated Zucchini
1 Cup Oil 
1/2 Cup Milk 

Bake for 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes in a pan that has been greased & floured. Cool completely. 
Frost with:  1/4 Cup Butter, 1 tsp. Vanilla, 3 oz. Cream Cheese, 2 Cups Powdered Sugar.  Mix well and spread over the cooled cake. 

 Ta-Dah!  The finished product topped with a tasty cream cheese frosting & served on one of my favorite cake stands just waiting sliced up & devoured. 
{ReMeMBeR- everything looks better served on a cake stand. 
one of Ms. Honeybee's motto's to live by} 
-?Honeybee wants to know- When you bake a cake do you use cake rounds or rectangle baking pans? Just curious. I usually always bake cakes in rounds I think so I can serve them on a cake stand- 

-Goodbye July!  Can't believe it has come & gone so quickly.  Off to take down all my July decor & shake things up a bit for the new month ahead.  I'll be back to show you some peeks inside 4011 of what I put up. 

Have a fantastic day!

{M}


p.s. Only 300 more page views to reach the BiG 100,000 mark. Wa-Hoo! 

Monday

Happy Crafting!!

7.30.12- 


  Back to announce the WiNNeR of the amazing paper/stickers pack that I just simply adore! 


-All the names in the pot. By the way something else I simply adore is Sunflowers!!  I love picking them out of our yard & bringing them indoors- 
Someone is going to be very happy & that LuCKy person is..... 
Michelle!! 
YiPPee- what ya going to make?  
{have fun with all this fabulous stuff!} 

Thanks to everyone who has played along all month with the weekly giveaways.  I've had a blast putting together things to give away to some lucky H&H followers & FB likers.  

But...... Just you wait!
{Oh, my goodness do I have an announcement for YoU!} 
I am approaching some BiG #'s around here & I want to celebrate BiG time with me as a THaNK YoU to all of you out there.  

The H&H blog is quickly approaching it's 
500th post 
{I can't believe it!} 
& also going to have it's 100,000 blog view- 
very, very soon!  
{That's a reason to celebrate right?}

I think a humongous GiVEAWAY is in order when those #'s get reached.  So in honor of the BiG #'s I'll be back for the announcement of what is going to be given away- SooN!  
{Trust me- you'll want to get in on this one for SURE!} 


Oh, I'm giddy just thinking about it- you're going to LoVE it!! 


{M}

Friday

Off to see the Wizard!

7.27.12- 


  My girls & I {along with my Mom, sisters & sis-in-law} are headed to the Emerald City tonight to see WiCKeD!!  

-My girls in 2009 the last time Wicked rolled into town.  They look so little!- 
 I have a little witch collector/Halloween lover in my house.  Emily has ALWAYS loved witches. I think that has been her costume 4 out of the 9 Halloweens. She even bought her own real, official, pointy black witch shoes with her own $$. She got them from here & they are adorable!  
{P.s. they also come in women's sizes too!} 
If you have a little witchie in your home they are a must to have around for dress up days & Halloween. 


-Em with her Witchie doll that was made by my talented friend, Diane-  

So of coarse she LoVES the story of Elphaba & Glinda!  So excited to see Elphaba Devy Gravity once again tonight. Oh, it's soooo amazing! Excited for my Mom, Sisters & Sis-in-Law to see it for the 1st time tonight.  

?Honeybee wants to know- Have you seen Wicked?  If so what is your favorite part/song?  
{p.s. leave a comment & be entered in the latest giveaway!} 

Look at this darling photo I saw on Pinterest. Just had to pin it onto one of my boards- hmmm... maybe a future pic for Em & her witchie shoes & brooms. 






Have a wickedly- wonderful weekend everyone!  
{wow, that was a tongue twister!} 

{M}

Thursday

Serving something up!

7.26.12-

Just an FYI that I am sharing some of the yummy Lemonade recipes that I made for the 365 Swap over on the Cultivate Blog.  If you are looking for a unique twist on a summer favorite to serve at your next dinner party, get together or just for a family BBQ be sure to check them out. 
-They were very tasty!- 

-Busy setting up serving trays for our guests at the 365 Swap this year- 


Not to mention how adorable the Vintage Thermos' Lemonade stand looked that night.  All the drinks were served up on boards fastened between 2 standing ladders- charming & sweet! 

Enjoy!  
-Let me know if you one of the recipes a try!- 

{M}

Tuesday

Giveaways are too much FUN!

7.24.12-  


**This GiVEAWAY is now closed!- Thanks to all who entered** 

I have enjoyed hearing from so many of all my H&H clients & friends lately.  It's been great to communicate with all of you out there.  So to keep the ball rolling I'm back with another GiVEAWAY to announce!  
{YiPPee/ HooRaY! I'm just having so much fun giving stuff away} 

The whole reason why I decided to do these weekly GiVEAWAYs through the month of July was to get me through the Summer {blog}Slump.  Summertime is an extremely busy time & there just aren't as many people home looking at blogs during the day or week like the rest of the year. I was getting a bit discouraged not hearing from you all so I thought it would be a great way to boost my blog spirits, see who really is out there & following along if I did weekly giveaways.  So far it's been great & I appreciate all the comments I've received lately. I really do enjoy reading each one, thanks everyone!!  
{+ I love the thrill of giving things I adore & want to share away} 

So... the GiVEAWAY for this week is a few of my favorite things.  
{yes, please all sing along ;)} 
I get giddy when I find some fantastic paper to create with. The colors, styles, patterns always inspire me when I am making something.  I just ordered in a bunch of goods from a great company & thought it would be fun to share a little bit of my stash with you.  They were having a giant clearance sale & I just had to get my hands on a few of my favorite all-time products.   

Just feast your eyes on this {good quality, amazing stuff}! 
I just love all the colors, patterns, stickers & jumbo letter stickers- so many possibilites with all of this stuff. 
Scrapbooks, card making, journaling & more. 


-Would be so great to use in journals or memory books, school is going to be back in session before we know it!- 

The GiVEAWAY includes: 
2- sheets of each kind of 12x12 paper 
{10 sheets total} 
1- labeling sticker sheet 
1- word sticker sheet 
1- Alpha 12x12 sticker sheet
-A close up of the terrific array of papers you'll get!- 
-*Rules to Enter*
All you have to do is leave a comment on any blog post I make this week {July 23-29th} 
-you can leave as many comments as you like too!- 
ONE lucky winner will be announced on the blog Monday, July 30th 
{easy as that!} 

-*if you ReaLLY, ReaLLY want to WiN*-
-Sign up to be a NeW H&H follower for 2 extra entries 
-Like H&H on FaceBook for an extra  1 entry
-Leave a comment on the H&H FaceBook page for extra entries

As always thanks for stopping in, reading & following the 
blog! 

GooD LuCK & hope to hear from you soon. 

{M} 

*Oh, did you see who won the $25.00 Gift Certificate to The Hive?  Hop on over to the H&H FB page to find out. 
{Don't forget The Hive {on location} Saturday, August 18th in Mt. Green @ Kent Smith Park 12:30-3:30} 

Monday

Still can't believe it- a month ago today!

7.23.12-


  A month ago I got the surprise of a lifetime & am still reeling from the thought of it.  I have wanted to blog about it for some time now but just didn't know where to even begin to tell about it.  It's hard for me to put into words all the feelings I had that day. 
 I guess I should start by saying that I love a good party {& usually I'm the one hosting it} I have been hinting for years to my hubby that I would love a birthday party/ surprise party one year.  It's funny because he & I are so opposite when it comes to stuff like this,  I would love a big bash & he would just be happy staying at home to celebrate his b-day with no big deal made about it. Opposites attract I guess ;)  
 {Not to mention it's his big 4-0 this year- hmmmm..... what should I do?} 
I guess all the hinting {begging, nagging, whining} got to him a bit that he couldn't wait for the big birthday coming up {4-0} so he decided to surprise me a bit early.  Who knew 38 was such a reason to celebrate? 


Little did I know what he had been planning for over a year!  He put together his own P.P.C. {Party Planning Committee} made up of some of my talented friends to plan a surprise 38th birthday party for me.  I can't believe all the planning, texts, conference calls that went on between everyone & I had no idea!  Besides being amazing party planners the P.P.C. were pretty good at keeping a secret, they gave me no hints at all!  

I was kept busy the day of the party by going out to lunch & attending the Temple with my dear friend, Nicolle. We had a great time, little did I know what was taking place in the park across from my house all day in preparation for the party.  It was transformed into party central & my kitchen was P.P.C. headquarters, with people going in & out all afternoon. 
-LoVE this picture of the party set-up because it is of so many of my favorite things.  Pop Bottles, cake-stands, iced lemon water, vintage suitcases, globes & our home in the background.- 

-Miss Mace helping with the set-up.  She was told about the party just the day before. Shhh.... it was a HuGE secret!- 

-Members of the P.P. C. setting out the cupcakes at the last minute- 

-The view from the inside of the tent.  It was darling!  All my friends pitched in & made garlands to hang from the rafters.
There was party treats galore- Snow Cones, Cotton Candy,  Cupcakes & PoPcorn!  
-Stacks & stacks of cups with the cutest labels ever on each & every one of them piled high in an old wooden crate- 

-Loved the little stickers that were on each & every snow cone cup! All the little details just amazed me & made it that much more special- 

-Lots & LOTS of Cupcakes all topped with the most creative & charming cupcake toppers you have ever seen! I couldn't stop looking at them because each little topper was so adorable & meaningful!- 


-Hot buttered popcorn popped in a vintage Popcorn machine & filled into bags that were lined up in one of my vintage bread making pan-

Ok, I just have to draw attention to the Honeybee Beverage crate.  This was one of the first things I saw as I made my way over to the party {once I arrived}  I thought it was the coolest thing ever!  Ty told me as I was entering the tent that that crate & the pop bottles that were on all the tables holding flowers were my birthday gift from him.  AHHH!!  


I thought it was the most perfect gift ever!  I thought for sure he must have purchased it on eBay or found it back East at an antique store while he was away on business but luckily {& amazingly} he found it at an consignment store just right down the street from their office. 
{it was meant to be!} 
-Aren't they just the coolest!  Simply adore the Honey Bee on them!-

-Yeah, there was a live band playing at the party- so FuN!- 

-My dear, sweet friends Michelle & Nicole.  Part of the Tyler's P.P.C. & the best next door neighbors I could ever wish for!  We have been blessed to have lived by some amazing friends!- 

-3 giant blow up toys were set up for all the kids to play on & boy, did they LoVE it!! I think I barely saw my own girls that night they were so busy playing away with friends, cousins & neighbors- 
 One of my little take-a-ways from the night & a little keepsake were these big cutout boards with some of the party logos printed on them.  Everyone who came to the party wrote their names & birthday wishes on them for me to keep. So thoughtful & sweet!  They are both hanging up in my craft room right now for me to look at & remember the evening. 
-Loved this design! Get it?  The Queen Bee- so clever, thanks Michelle!!- 

 So many friends & family came from far & near to celebrate with us.  I was overwhelmed by everyone that came. Friends that I haven't seen for years & years & some friends that have just recently came into my life were there- so grateful for so many wonderful friends & family. 
 Here I come..... pulling  onto our street having NO idea of what was going on in the park.  I first turned the corner, saw the giant tent & thought someone must be having a ward party in the park or a community bash. 
-The Party Planner himself directing traffic!-
Then when I noticed all my family, friends, sisters, nieces & nephews lined up on the street I knew something was up!  WoW, was I completely surprised!! 
 
-Ty welcoming me home & to my SuRPRiSE 38th Birthday party!  Which, by the way my birthday was 2 weeks before so that's why I was totally in SHoCK & had no idea!- 
-Walking over to the party, still so blown away by what was going on!- 

 Even though I knew what it all was it was still so hard to wrap my brain around everything that was going on & that is was all for ME!  Usually I'm in on all the hosting/planning & party prep so it was a bit strange for me to just walk into something so fabulous & know that it was all planned for me. 

 When I was walking over to the park & taking in all that I could & looking around I just remember thinking, "Oh, I can see my friends fingerprints all over this party."  Every little detail, the banners, colors, decor- it was all so me!  I am lucky to have so many great friends who know me so well that they knew just what would make me smile. In fact, as I was greeting everyone they kept saying, "Oh, you should see your invite!  It's so you, we even thought maybe you designed it yourself" 
-My good friend Michelle, who is the talent behind all the sticker designs, cupcake toppers & invite. She does know me so well!- 
 Thanks to my nice friend Rachel, I have all the pictures from the night.  Thank goodness she thought to take some for us.  I love this picture of me with my family & the tent filled with family & friends in the background. Such a wonderful memory to have for years to come.  
 This picture of the tent as evening is approaching, it was such a wonderful, perfect Summer evening to be outside.  Once it got dark, fireworks lit up the sky for a little firework birthday show. It was the perfect way to end the evening.  As everyone was starting to take down all the decor, the band was packing up & everything was being taken inside & the tent was just sitting there with the lights on, I thought I want to sleep out here,  I don't want the night to be over- it was all so amazing!
{well, we didn't sleep outside but it was a nice thought}  
But I did first thing in the morning, look outside my windows to see if the tent was still there or if I had dreamed everything.  It was still up so I knew that it had really happened. 

These are the amazing friends that were part of the P. P. C secretly planning away for the past year.
{Those sneaky little devils! ;)} 
Part of the P.P.C. even flew in from No. Carolina to help out- I couldn't believe it!  Thanks Pilar, & Natali
-I just had to get in a picture with the P.P.C.
Top: Ty, Vanessa, Pilar, Natali
Middle: Michelle, Miss Mace, Erika, Nicolle H.
Bottom: Rachel, & Nicole Mc. -
This picture sums up the evening pretty well. I was over the moon, blown away by all that was done to throw something like this & to pull it off without me even having a clue.  Thanks to everyone who came, neighbors who helped provide all the electricity for everything in the park, youth from our ward who ran all the concessions, everyone who helped set up, take down & of coarse eat all the yummy treats. I was so relived to only see 5 cupcakes left at the end of the night from I guess the 300 that were ordered.  I didn't want to have to eat them all myself ;) 

-up, UP  & away!!  Having the time of my life at the surprise party of my dreams! Who knew 38 was such a fantastic number, it might just be my favorite number from now on- 



People kept coming up to me all night saying, "Can you believe Tyler did all of this?"  All I could say was, "Yes, I can!"  He is an amazing visionary & when he wants to do something he goes all out & does it big!  It was fun to talk to him , later that night, & learn what really went into planning something like this off.  He showed me a overflowing manila folder with all the notes taken from conference calls with the P.P.C, vendor contact info., invite list, proofs of all the logos, you name it it was in there.  I was so overwhelmed by all the detail & thought that went into this party. Nevermind that he had been out of the country for 10 days a week before the party & he still pulled it off!   
-Love you Ty!-
Thanks for getting the hint all these years & making my dream come true & giving me the surprise party of a lifetime.

Just had to share this last photo- I thought this summed up the day pretty well.  I went to get in the shower that night & this is what I saw, just had to take a picture, I guess drinking a Mt. Dew is what got Tyler through the day.  Haha! 

Here's to #38, it's going to be a great year! 

{M}

Friday

Joyful noise

7.20.12- 


  It was Miss Mace's birthday over the weekend & when she opened her gifts in the morning a little surprise brought her so much JoY. 
-I love wrapping things in a creative way!  This is a big paper fan flower that I just stuck right on top of her present. It looked so cute!- 
She has waited patiently for a phone for awhile now.  
{Not ever whining, begging or pleading which I was so proud of}
We held off getting her a phone because we felt like she didn't really have a need for one quite yet & we wanted her to learn to communicate with her friends face to face instead of just texting all the time. 
{Learn to do things the good old fashioned way}
But getting more & more on the go & heading into High School next year & all the activities that come with that we thought it was time to get her her own phone.  

I texted some family & friends, the night before, her new number & asked them to send her a birthday text.  
{The phone was already wrapped & turned off} 
-Shhh... That's it in the lime polka dot box with a yellow tassel taped onto it for a bow- 

My hope was that when she opened up her phone, turned it on she would be flooded with texts from everyone.  


Well.... the surprise worked & she was so excited!  It was so fun to watch her pure joy, happiness & squeals of excitement when she realized who the messages were from coming in one right after the other. 
+Plus,it was a great way for her to get every one's contacts into her phone. 
{2 birds with 1 stone ;)} 

Just watch this little video of her opening up her phone.  I just love it.  My favorite part is at the end when she says, 
"This is great, this is great!" 

It truly was a great time to watch & capture the moment of her being so thrilled.  Actually, I don't know who was more excited her or Audrey & Emily. They were pretty pumped about it too. 
-1st official photo taken with the new phone!- 
Just had to show off one more cute done up package for the birthday girl.

-I'm in LoVE with using old fabric patterns & washi tape. Such a cute packaging duo. Don't they just make everything HaPPY?-  


{M}