holidays Archives - Life's Tidbits

05Jan 2016

Happy New Year – 2016!

by Nicole ⋅ 3 Comments

Happy 2016, friends!! Hope you all had an amazing start to the year. We kicked off the new year by celebrating Jellybean’s 2nd birthday. Our child has the ‘dreaded’ birthday that coincides with the holiday season, but seriously, I have a two year old what the what?!

Being in Bangkok meant a morning filled with FaceTime calls so Jellybean could be serenaded by family and friends with Happy Birthday and open her birthday presents. She made out like a little bandit this year, no real surprise there. A few of her favorites were the markers, scooter and kitchen.

The kitchen was a holiday and birthday gift. Yes, I know, she should get two separate gifts. The hubs and I decided that while she’s young enough not to understand one big gift from us is more than enough for the month of December.

After FaceTime we headed to the park. On the way Jellybean stopped to break it down in front of the Emporium mall {they have huge speakers playing music}. Nap time was followed by making brownies, playing and the birthday celebration concluded with watching Frozen.

Note: I had to hold onto her arm because she kept jamming her
hand in the brownie mix and smearing it across her face. LOL.

The hubs and I couldn’t bare to leave Jellybean on her birthday so we welcomed the new year with a homemade steak dinner and some Walking Dead. Have you seen Walking Dead? I didn’t think it was for me, I’m not really into the whole zombie or vampire thing, but I’m totally loving it and in full blown binge watching mode.

I’m not really good at setting or following through with goals/resolutions, but nevertheless I’m giving it a whirl this year …

Practice Patience (It is said patience is a virtue. I never quite understood it until having a toddler!)
Take a cooking class or two
Continue working out regularly
Read more books
Improve my photography skills
Explore more of Bangkok, and Thailand in general

I would love to hear your resolutions/goals/aspirations are for this year, if you have any! :)

Cheers & here’s to a fabulous 2016!!

16Nov 2015

Gift Ideas for a 1 Year Old

by Nicole ⋅ 2 Comments

Jellybean’s 2nd birthday is fast approaching, not to mention the holidays, and the brainstorming of gift ideas has officially begun. When it comes to buying presents I often feel like I don’t have enough options OR I’m totally at a loss as to what to buy. Trying to decide on the perfect second birthday gift has actually made me think a lot about the things Jellybean has really loved over the past year. Some of them we bought for her, others were gifts and a few we just enjoyed using at a friend’s house.

So if you, like me, sometimes draw a blank here are some of my favorite gift for a toddle who’s 1 to 2 years old …

Corn Popper // I will admit this toy can be a tad bit annoying. The constant popping noise might be annoying to us ‘adults’, however the kiddos love it!
Magnetic Drawing Board // Perfect for a toddler who loves to color or one who’s just starting to build those motor skills. Jellybean found this gift particularly entertaining when we were on vacation and on those morning’s when I’m running late and she has to sit in the bathroom while I shower.
Radio Flyer Scoot-About Bike // I wish we had known about this bike earlier. It’s great for scooting around the apartment and outside the little toddler bike posse is pretty darn adorable.
Little People // Perfect for learning to play pretend or you know just chuck the different farm animals around. Haha. Oh the life of a toddler!
Take-Along Shape Sorter // Great learning toy for colors, shapes and fine motor skills. Also the perfect size to fit in the diaper or carry-on bag when traveling.
My First Chair // This is probably in the top 5 favorite things Jellybean loves, and I’m a huge fan as well. She loves to sit in her chair for snacks, tv, playing with a toy and often sets up all her ‘babies’ for tea or story time.
MegaBlocks // Great for building, stacking, counting and identifying colors.
Laugh & Learn Tea Set // Love the songs on the tea pot and it’s pretty adorable when Jellybean asks if I would like some “mor’ tea”.
Chat & Count Cell Phone // This toy is great when you are on the go. It fits in a purse or pocket. It’s my go to toy for trips to the store, doctors and trips, especially, on the airplane!
Jumbo Triangular Crayons // My daughter is not gentle with her toys and these crayons have held up really well over the months. While Jellybean didn’t love coloring at 12 months, by the time she was 18 months it was one of her favorite post-nap activities.

So there you have it, our favorite gift ideas for a 1-2 year old. And, seriously with all the toy choices out there toddlerhood is pretty darn fun on a birthday or holiday!

What are you favorite gifts for toddlers?

03Oct 2014

Mini Fashionista – Halloween Edition

by Nicole ⋅ 1 Comment

Candy corn season has arrived! Usually, I eat more candy corn after Halloween then before. I love to buy the candy once it’s gone on sale … they have to make room for all the Christmas decorations starting November 1st so it makes sense to capitalize on that, right?! While the husband and I are yet to make a decision on what Jellybean will dress up as for her first Halloween; I’ve been in full blown holiday purchasing mode for the past couple of weeks.

And honestly, this surprises me. As an adult, I have never been a huge lover of Halloween. I always dressed up for parties and what not, but never really put much effort behind it. My favorite costume was by far Rainbow Brite — hello, clearly a child born in the 80’s. :)

For whatever reason having a child of my own has renewed the love I had for Halloween as a little girl … though I think it is manifesting itself in a different way. I want to style both my home and my child for the upcoming ‘kick off’ to the holiday season! {Don’t you think Halloween is the start to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years???}

For the condo I am currently crushing on this Tick or Treat banner and these Bat Candles, though I will admit I’m thinking of buying them only if they go on sale. Jellybean’s wardrobe has certainly grown over the past few weeks with a couple of my favorite ‘Mini Fashionista’ Halloween finds … AND I was able to buy all but one item on sale … online shopping for the win!

Wickedly Cute Shirt / Pink Skeleton PJ Set / Cat Onsie and Pant Set
Cat Hat / Black Skeleton PJ Set / Halloween Witch Tee / Halloween Stretch Leggings
Halloween Bat Tee / Socks / Mommy’s Little Monster / Fleece Skeleton Hoodie
After I finished the blog I found this adorable candy corn headband on Etsy. I might just have to buy it … it would look so cute on Jellybean! “Hi, my name is Nicole and I am a borderline shopaholic” LOL.

Now that Jellybean is appropriately Halloween theme styled for the daytime, I really do need to get on making a decision about her costume for the big day. The husband wants to dress her up as a vampire due to the two little fangs she is currently sporting — this mom isn’t 100% sold, yet. My sister and brother in-law will be in-town visiting so JB better get her game face on for multiple cameras going off all at the same time!!!! I CAN.NOT.WAIT! :)

Oh and ummmm who else is super excited for Hocus Pocus to be shown on TV?! Seriously, I still really like … okay love that movie!

What are your favorite fashion finds for Halloween? What did you dress your kiddo up as for their first Halloween?

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29Jul 2014

{Recipe} Egg Soufflé

by Nicole ⋅ 9 Comments

More accurately this is probably called an egg casserole, however my family calls it an egg soufflé. Soufflé just sounds fancier and frankly a little more delicious.

I was first introduced to this recipe by my mother. Her friend, Kathy, had given it to her (which I have since slightly modified). We were hosting a Thanksgiving weekend brunch and needed something that was relatively easy to make. The egg soufflé was a HUGE hit with my family as well as our guests.

As someone who loves and I mean LOVES brunch, the egg soufflé dish quickly became a staple item at almost all of the brunches I’ve hosted. At birthday parties, holiday gatherings, baby showers and bridal showers alike this recipe has never failed to impress the guests!!

Ingredients

2.5 cups 2% Milk
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
5 Eggs (lightly beaten)
1 tsp salt
1 loaf French bread, crust removed and sliced
1/2 stick Butter

Instructions
Makes 6-8 Servings

Butter bread then cut into 1 inch cubes. Combine milk, cheese, eggs and salt in a bowl.

Spray pan with nonstick spray. Place buttered bread in pan. Pour milk, cheese, salt and egg mixture over bread. Place in the refrigerator over night.

Bake at 300* for 1 hour or until the souffle isn’t runny. Note: I’ve found sometimes it takes 1.5 hours.

Cut into 8 slices and serve immediately!

I also recommend serving your egg souffle with a delicious Bloody Mary … or two :)

Black Striped Paper StrawsWhat’s your go to brunch recipe?

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25Dec 2013

Merry Christmas!

by Nicole ⋅ Leave a Comment

Happy Christmas! What are you doing today? We are having scrumptious brunch, followed by some heavy sitting and then a yummy brisket dinner. Oh and waiting to see if Jellybean decides to make an appearance today. I’m guessing the answer is no, but at this point (2 days after her due date) anything is possible!

I’m loving how our Christmas tree came out this year. We reused all the same ornaments from last year and then purchased a few extra things like a tree skirt, extra string of lights, tree topper and the cutest little owl ornaments. This is definitely a step up from our 2012 tree! I’m very pleased with how it came out …