From Marriage to Motherhood: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Cabbage Patch Kids Return to the Second Generation

My mom called me from Toys-R-Us today, where she was perusing the aisles looking for toys for....who else....Ilah. I've noticed in the past month that Ilah is taking to her little baby doll that my mom got her this past Easter and puts it in her little My Little Pony Car and drives it around. Ha! She also shares her snacks with her baby, and tucks it under her arm and takes it for walks around the house. What a good little Mommy : ) Ilah has plenty of stuffed animals, but baby dolls, not so much. A few months ago I purchased her first one that we will give to her as a gift on her second birthday. But my mom didn't want to wait until then {in case you haven't noticed, she spoils Ilah} so she headed out today to buy Ilah her very first Cabbage Patch Doll!

I can't remember the exact age I was when I got my first Cabbage Patch Kid {maybe 6 or 7?} but I just LOVED mine. Back in the 80's when they first came out, Cabbage Patch Kids could hardly stay on the shelves and parents were on a mission to score one for their child. I remember my first doll was named Melissa. Then came Faith. Then Leon. The ones that came after were equally loved...I just can't remember their names ; )

I remember the old school dolls had hair made of yarn, their body's were plush, and they came with their own birth certificate.

I fully got in to these dolls. I had the playpen, the car-seat...I had it all. Even the Cabbage Patch "record"....and I still remember the song: "Cabbage Patch Kids...growing in the garden....Cabbage Patch Kids...growing in the sun. The most amazing thing about a Cabbage Patch Kid...is that each one grows to be a special one". Ha ha! All these years later and I still remember that song! Classic!

I love that Cabbage Patch Kids are still around. My mom still has some of my old ones {the one's whose hair I didn't cut!}...and I'm excited for our Ilah to get one of her own! I loved being "mommy" to my Cabbage Patch Kids and I know Ilah will too.

A few years ago when my husband and I took a trip to the mountains {in Helen, GA} we passed "Babyland General Hospital". It was seemingly in the middle of nowhere - it caught my eye for that reason, and also because the sign said "Home of the Cabbage Patch Kids". Say what?!

The home of the Cabbage Patch Kids is right here in Clevland, GA - about an hour and a half from where I live. I still think Ilah is too young to visit but what a super fun trip that will be in a few years!!

The "hospital" is massive! And it's always decorated so pretty for Christmas. That would be a great time to go.

I read a lot of great reviews about Babyland General Hospital - they have SO MUCH going on there!! And the cost of admission? FREE!!

Cabbage Patch "Kids" have changed since the "old school" days but they are still super cute....

Cabbage Patch "Babies"....

And now, just released, is this new line of Cabbage Patch Dolls....

Measuring at 14″, these dolls were made to match today’s kids… Skaters, Prepsters, Artsy, and more!

And out on the market already are these "Pop N' Style Me" Cabbage Patch Kids....

You can create lots of fun and funky hair styles in your dolls hair, with different hair clips. Too funny!

I love that this brand has dolls of different ethnicities.

And lastly, have you seen the Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin Cabbage Patch dolls from 2008? Hilarious!!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hypothetically Speaking

Just having some fun today.......

If I were friends with a group of women in Hollywood, these ladies would be my girlfriends:

Kelly Ripa

She comes across as being so down to earth. She is SO witty {I love it!}, and she seems to balance career, family, fun and friendships so well. She doesn't take herself too seriously. She loves the island of Capri, so she would be my traveling buddy to Italy : )

Julia Roberts

So poised. So sure of who she is. Her family appears to be her top priority {they all pack up and go with her when she needs to be away shooting a movie}. She thinks before she speaks - and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's caring and passionate for certain causes. She seems to be a very loyal friend.

Drew Barrymore

She would keep me laughing until my ribs hurt! She's the friend that will come over in the middle of the night if you need her to, will help you eat a gallon of ice-cream while watching reality tv, and will be on your side if you've had a fight with your boyfriend {but then when the two of you make up, she will say how sweet he is!}. She seems like the kind of friend who would be spontaneous right along with you! She's extremely smart, speaks so eloquently, has so many life lessons to share and appears to be extremely honest and vulnerable.

Sherry Shepherd

She seems up for anything! She would be the friend who could easily get you out of a bad mood. She would be the friend who would be there to give you a pep talk should you need one. She is independent. She doesn't need to be the center of attention, but she knows her place. She has a serious side and a funny side, and is very outgoing. She seems like the kind of person that if you ask her how her day is going, she is going to really tell you. She appears to wear her emotions on her sleeves, and seems to be so relatable.

Rebecca Romijn

She seems like a breath of fresh air. She will share her perspective, but not try to persuade anyone to agree with it. She appears to have a fun marriage and dotes on her two twin daughters. She isn't afraid to go out in public without make-up on or be seen in the grocery store wearing her husband's shirt or her favorite pair of jeans that she's worn nearly every day that week. She's more often seen in the park with her girls, and having family outings versus unloading obscene amounts of money while shopping on Rodeo Drive. She is the friend that you would want to take to any social gathering. She will make the night super fun!

Diane Keaton

This one is probably a surprise! Ha ha! Why the heck would I want Diane Keaton in my circle, you ask? I just love her. She makes that saying, "age is nothing but a number" so true. I would be fully engaged hearing her stories, and she seems to live her life with no regret. She seems to always have a smile on her face, and people speak so highly of her. On a personal note, I have loved connecting with older women - they deposit so much into you.

Obviously I don't actually "know" any of the above women. They could be completely opposite of everything that I've written. My positive opinions about them come from seeing so many interviews that they've done, and watching the profiles done about them on tv, seeing them appear as guests on talk shows and late night shows, etc. and in the case of Kelly Ripa and Sherry Shepherd, watching them live over the years. There are lots of other women in Hollywood that would be fun to have around my table but these would probably be my top gals.

Who would your circle of women be?! Share!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Sunday Funday!

In our area, school is back in session - and for those kids, summer has ended. Not the heat necessarily {it's still in the 90's here in Atlanta} but in the sense that fun summer days have have come to an end. They have been replaced with early morning wake times, packed lunches, heavy back packs, and homework in the evening. Boo! But for Ilah, she is still loving the summer days! Soon enough we will be prepping for those school days but for now our days together are filled with nothing but the fun stuff!

Over the weekend, Ilah took to her mini-pool and had so much fun splashing and playing away!....

"So Mama. Umm....how many pictures do you plan on taking of me in here?"

Ilah's Abuela picked her up this Dora sunhat the other day when she spotted it in the store. Naturally, my mom can never pass up getting Ilah a little something when she's out. Ilah LOVES it, and even wears it inside! Ha!

Splish, splash!!!

Then it was time to come out.....

For a water break! Ha ha!....

Ilah could have stayed in her little pool until the sun set. Heck, she probably would have wanted to sleep in it! She is such an outdoors girl.

After her fun-filled time in the pool, it was on to spaghetti for dinner!....

I'm sure this exact day will be repeated this week!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Decorating Cookies With Royal Icing {The Easiest Cookies To Make When Starting Out}

If you are like me, and you've looked at cookies decorated with royal icing and have wanted to attempt them yourself, I want to tell you what I think are the easiest {and the cutest} cookies to start out making. The cookie cutter you'll need is a heart shaped one:

For more of my tips, read this post.

I say the heart shaped cookie cutter because to me, they are the easiest shape to initially work with. Yes, easier than a circle - to me, far easier. {Side note: Here is a tip for getting a near perfect circle...since cookies spread just a little after baking, once they have cooled, take your circle cookie cutter and using a food safe marker, outline the circle onto your cookie and then go back over that circle with your icing}. Back to hearts....for just a basic heart cookie, you simply outline and flood - and whether the cookies are all done in just one icing color, or in multiple colors, they look adorable:

Adding some sanding sugar makes them pop all the more.

I made these heart shaped cookies as a gift. I packaged them in a cute tin {by Paula Deen} that I purchased at Michaels. All of those heart shaped cookies above fit into this tin!....