CINCO DE MAYO, LET'S EAT!!!!!

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Now, we will move on to dinner.  This may not seem like a traditional Mexican dinner.  There will be no tacos for this meal!  We are grilling rib-eyes "south of the border" style! When the stakes are finished we have prepared a butter infused with all the flavors and spices of traditional Mexican food.  It is the best steak I have ever eaten. As you can see, we didn't grill steaks for the kiddies, they got hot dogs...YUP, I am that person!  

My mother is the lovely person who introduced me to infused butters.   I love the way her crazy brain works!  This spicey butter changes the whole steak eating  experience.  As if the beautifully flavored steak wasn't enough...the side dish
will put you over the edge.  Again, this is a family favorite and all the glory goes to my mother, she taught me everything I know!  If you like fiesta flavor your are gunna love these potatoes!  They are THE BEST mashed potatoes I have ever had. 

Not only are the potatoes loaded with tons of fiesta flavor but, the Avocado Salsa topping is to die for!  These loaded Fiesta Pappas and Avocado Salsa are the perfect compliment for grilled spicy steak. I dream of eating this rib-eye!

 Of coarse, this meal was served with our favorite sides; fresh fruit, chips and several choices of salsa. Many hands make light work.  I love when great minds come together...good things happen!

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT

We have the Mother’s Day Celebration planned… now for the gifts.  The gifts always seem to be the hardest part for on Mother’s Day for me.  What do you give your mom?  There is no gift in the whole wide world that I could ever give my Mom that would be sufficient.  How do you ever properly thank your Mother?   

 Well, my lovely mother would answer the best thing I could do for her was to be a good mother to my children.  Isn’t she sweet!!! However sweet that is…my name would be MUD if I didn’t come up with some sort of gift!  I have always been the type to make a homemade Mother’s Day gift.  It is a little “kindergarten-ish” I guess but, that is the way I roll!!!! For years my mother has received homemade gifts from me and my children.   

This year will be no exception!  My daughter and I have spent the afternoon crafting some pretty fantastic Mother’s Day gifts.  She is proud beyond measure at our finished product.  I don’t think she will be able to wait until Mother’s Day to give them to her grandma’s!  I am hoping it stays a secret for at least a little longer.  

We chose to make bracelet corsages at gifts for Mother' Day.  They super easy to make, go together quickly (If you are not making it with a 6 year old!), and they are adorable. 

 I tried to help my daughter with the needle and she refused help.  She stuck herself a few times but, the flower she made actually turned out pretty good.   I had to fix just a few small things about it.   

Once the flowers were made, I hot glued the a big sparkly button in the center, and glued it to a stretchy pearl bracelet.
This is a good project for her to learn with.  The stitches only need to be loose gathering stitches.  The perfect project for a beginner.  They bagged beautifully in small burlap bags.  Our grandma's are gunna love them!

CINCO DE MAYO, PART 2

  

Now it’s time for a little entertainment!  Call me cheap but, I didn’t want to spend money on a piñata.  I guess it’s safe to say that I had some extra time on my hands. These little guys are a product of my desire to save a buck, fill some time, and provide a little  excitement for my upcoming fiesta!  They look adorable and were cheap because I had all the things on hand.  I always have paper bags in the pantry and I continually have left over pieces of tissue paper hanging out in my wrapping supplies.  These are the times that my semi-hording tendencies come in handy.  I am filled beyond measure when I find myself using something that I have saved.  I am a bit of a pack rat…and I am not even ashamed! 

 I made tiny pinatas mostly because I think they are cute however, small pinatas solve my problem of crying children.  They all seem to want to be the one who busts that pinata open.  This way, they all get a wack at their own!  Not only have I intended these pinata's to be entertainment, they are also doubling as decorations.  Bright colored ribbon helps these tiny pinatas look extra festive as they hang in the trees.  They were a delight to make and went together easily.  Next time I make these, I might even let the kids help.  I think they would like to decorate their own pinata.  

The sacks were filled with candy and small toys and then tied closed with bakers twine.  Once closed, I used both tissue paper and wrapping paper to decorate the outside of the new pinata sacks.  I did this by cutting the paper into strips 3 inches wide and then cutting each long strip into a fringe. 

Once I had the fringe made, I simply hot glued it in overlapping layers onto the paper sacks.  Easy, peasy!  What made these little guys super cute was bits of brightly colored ribbon and simple tissue paper flowers.  To add a little variety, I hung some of the sacks upright and several of them upside down.  In order to add strength to the sacks that were hung upside down, I glued twine to the sack and then reinforced it by gluing a small piece of paper sack over the top of it. 

I was a little worried that the pinatas that hung upside down would not be very strong.  I loaded those bags up and (they even had a bottle of bubbles in them)they held up fantastically.  Honestly, these took a little time but, I enjoyed it tremendously that I didn't have to buy a pinata.I would absolutely do these again!  I suppose the easiest way to do a pinata is to pick one up at the store.  But, if you are looking for a project or save a few bucks this works great! 

The kids were so excited when they saw the pinatas hanging in the trees.  There were immediate yells of excitement and claims to who got what pinata. They  were so happy with just the looks of the pinata,  I'm sure they didn't even care about the cheap toys and candy inside!   That means success!

 This is a bit selfish but, I 'm feeling a little bit of anxiety about watching my fresh little pinatas be bludgeoned to pieces by wide eyed, candy hungry little peeps.  Oh, well...to this end they were created!!!