Happy First Birthday, Janey!

We had the most wonderful birthday party yesterday for my baby girl.  All our family could be there, and it was so special.  Janey is pure enjoyment.  She is truly the happiest baby I've ever known.  She loves to growl-laugh, she is always looking at what her big brother, Parker, is doing, and tries to take over, she sleeps like a queen (we're talking 14 hours a night, including a 4 hour nap during the day) and she is just so much fun.  We feel truly blessed that we have such a healthy baby girl.

I had a lot of fun with her party.  I love creating fun decorative pieces for birthday parties.  Here are some of the things we put together:


I made the "One" with just flowers, hot glue, and white cardboard.  Super simple!  We then put it on one of my mom's old fence pieces that she found at a flea market.


The cake I made for Jane.


Delicious strawberry cream cheese crescent rolls.


My first attempt at royal icing cookies.  They were fun.



Drink Table.  I got the cute mason jars at The Dollar Tree.




I wanted a sign showing the fun things of Janey at the age of one, but didn't want to have one of those chalkboard-things made.  It just isn't my exact style.  So, I made this at Picmonkey.com and had Costco print it out.  Super easy and way cheaper than custom chalkboard creations.














My amazing next door neighbor has an awesome cotton candy machine.  She was generous enough to make some for the kids.  It was green apple flavor, and it was glorious.  Thanks, Tia!  Go follow her blog at eventstocelebrate.net.  She is such a talented party thrower!


It's always funny how the parents are the ones opening one year old's gifts, isn't it?  Haha!












She didn't like the cake much...So her cousin, Sam, came to help ;)

My "Go To" stores for the best deals on CUTE stuff

If anyone knows me well, they know that I am literally OBSESSED with deals.  I am not one of those crazy, coupon-clipping-for-8-hours-a-day types of people, but I do love a good score.  It gives me the biggest high that lasts for days.  If I HAVE to spend a lot of money on something, I literally get sick to my stomach and want to vomit.

Over the years, I have figured out where to get the best deals on things that I need/love.  Here is a list of stores I go to and what I find/try to find there:

*Keep in mind, most of these stores are a "hit or miss" situation.  Sometimes they have nothing, sometimes they have gold!

*I also frequent the typical stores, such as: H&M, Forever 21, Target, random mall stores, etc., but I just want to write about the ones that aren't the obvious choice for most.


Cozy: Cozy is located in Provo, across the street from Movies 8/The Plum Tree shopping center.  It is right next to Downeast and the old Albertsons.  I am kinda apprehensive about telling you all about this store, for it is a little bit of a hidden gem.  If you already know of this store, you know of the glory it has within.

This is my "go to" store for blouses, colored jeans, printed leggings, chunky necklaces, studded earrings, belts, etc.  They also have plain, long tank tops and t's in every color under the sun for like 7 bucks.  They do have dresses and skirts, but I find them to be overpriced.  Some of the cutest blouses I have have come from Cozy.  It is quite a small store, but it is great.

Burlington: I love the Orem Burlington so much.  It isn't ever busy and it is huge.  I get so excited walking in, for I know I am going to search and find great stuff.

They have the most random shoes ever.  You literally have to search for good shoes.  BUT BUT BUT I always find at least one good pair that is so cute, unique, and extremely cheap.   

They have amazing blousy shirts, too.  I get most of my work clothes from here.

Their baby stuff ROCKS if you didn't already know this.  We just bought Parker a 3 piece suit from there for 20 bucks!  The little vest is so cute.  I love finding baby gifts here, too.

The rest of their stuff is harder to go through, with less success, but it is still worth the look.


Ross: Ross is tricky.  You walk in, you see sequined jumpsuits, you think, "What in the...?"  I see the same stuff.  I, however, also see the potential.  It is all about seeing the potential.  The first place I go to when I enter Ross is the shoes section.  I can almost always find a good pair of flats for around 10 dollars.  I like the junior section for clothing.  The adult section is where you find the "fashionably-challenged" stuff.  I have also found some really cute rugs at Ross as well.

Look quick, if they don't have good stuff, leave.  I usually spend no more than 15 minutes in a Ross, unless I find awesome stuff and try a lot on.


TJ Maxx: This store is annoying in a way.  They have cute stuff, but I find it harder to find than other stores.  They also have a lot of extremely overpriced stuff.  Who pays 200 dollars for a purse from TJ Maxx?  That's an oxymoron: a 200 dollar TJ Maxx purse haha.  The good sections in this store are: Shirts/tops, bottoms, seasonal (some of my cutest holiday decor come from here), baby.  I never look at their shoes; they are too expensive.  They also don't have anything, really, for men.

There are a lot of stores that I would never think to go in, that I have actually gone into over the last few years, and have found loads of great deals.  The trick is to rummage through the CLEARANCE sections.  You can get pretty good and pretty fast at doing this.  For example, I normally wouldn't think to shop at JC Penney.  It is a great store, just not on my typical radar.  I, however, have recently gone into Penney's and have looked in the clearance section and have found such cute tops.

D.I: I am not ashamed of it.  I adore Deseret Industries.  I go there probably 3-4 times a month seeing if anyone brought in a diamond in the rough.  You see a hot pink night stand that is missing 5 handles, I see potential.

The things I look for here are: furniture (night stands, desks, filing cabinets, etc.), books, picture frames, wooden decor, dog blankies, etc.  The "yard" section is where the larger frames are.  I have, occasionally, found great decor in the "wooden decor" section.  I get books for my student classroom llibrary from here as well.

Soel: Soel is a really cute little store in the Riverwoods.  It reminds me a lot of Anthropologie, my favorite store to walk through.  The one misconception that many people have about Soel is that everything is too pricey to buy.  I used to think this.  However, they do have a Sale section that is great.  They also have other items that aren't too expensive for the quality of stuff you get. Check it out! 

Home Again:  Home Again is a consignment store.  They have a few locations.  The ones I frequent are near Gardener's Village and in Sugar House.  They have THE BEST home decor for really respectable prices.  If you are looking for barstools, hutches, tables, decor, etc. this is a place you must stop by. 

Urban Renewal:  If you are in St. George, you have to stop by Urban Renewal.  It is the coolest store with vintage clothing, awesome toys, decor, furniture, etc.  It reminds me a little bit of Home Again, but with its own, unique qualities.  Check it out!

These are just a few of the places that I like to shop.  Again, the main purpose for going to these stores is their prices.  

Go check them out!