Dec 24, 2014

Mini Morsel Pound Cake

Today i'm sharing my favorite pound cake recipe with a Holiday Dessert link up! Not only is this cake great for the holidays, but it's great to eat all year round. Imagine waking up early on Christmas morning, enjoying a cup of coffee along with a slice of this cake…it's a perfect combination! Enjoy! xoxo

Ingredients:
3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup (2 Sticks) butter, softened
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 Eggs
3/4 cup milk
One 12-oz pkg (2 cups) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels
Confectioners sugar, *optional*

1) Preheat oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside

2) In a larger mixing bowl, beat sugar, butter and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk.

3) Stir in Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels.

4) Pour into greased and floured 10-inch fluted tube pan.

5) Bake 70-80 minutes (I recommend 80) or until skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely for 1-2 hours. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar!

Sweet Turtle Soup

Dec 16, 2014

Layering Field Jacket

Only 9 more days till Christmas! Is it just me, or does December go by too quick? I was lucky enough to finish preparing my Holiday Cards yesterday just in time for family & friends to get before the 25th! The plan was to get them out by December 1st, but I've been so busy lately! Well better late than never right?

While out & about yesterday, I wore this outfit. It was a perfect rainy day to sport my orange/red Hunter boots. I kept warm layering up in multiple socks and tops. I love layering, keeps me so warm! The good thing is Jason was able to watch little Melly cozy at home while I was out in the cold. I hate bringing my little baby out into the cold weather.

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Get the Look

Layering Field Jacket || Nordstrom Rack || $39.97
Plaid Flannel Boyfriend Shirt || Old Navy || $26.94
Black Leggings || Nordstrom || On Sale for $22.80
Turquoise Tassel Necklace || Similar here || $24.00
Over the knee socks || Similar here ||
Tall Gloss Hunter Boots || Shopbop || $148.00
Knit Pom Slouchy Beanie || Similar here || $9.97

Dec 10, 2014

Daily Routine For My Happy Baby

Establishing a daily routine for your baby is important because an organized schedule keeps your baby happy and the hard working mama happy as well. When we first brought Melanie home from the hospital, I was overwhelmed with all the needs for her that things became a little chaotic. I found myself pumping and nursing all random hours of the day, Melly was falling asleep at different odd times, and I would squeeze in cat naps for myself whenever it was possible. It was even difficult fitting in my normal daily routines such as house work and sewing. I was exhausted. After the first month past, I felt like nothing was getting any better….

When Melanie turned 3 months, I finally established a set schedule that worked well for her and me. Here is what I did (time's are approximate, never exact)

7-8 AM: Wake up. If Melly was still sleeping, I decided to enjoy my mornings with a cup of joe, turn on the TV, and browse through social media for a bit.
8-9 AM: Melanie wakes up. Time to change, feed, and change diaper.
9-10 AM: Breakfast/Kitchen time! I love this time of day because I get to get things done in the kitchen and talk to my baby at the same time! She'll sit in her Rock N Play and smile as I talk to her about cleaning the dishes or preparing food. She starts to laugh and baby babble back at me. I love it!
10-11 AM: Cartoon time. I put on disney Jr and talk to her about what's on TV. She of course becomes amazed by the sights and sounds of cartoons like "Sofia the First" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse".
11-1 PM: Nap Time. She normally will fall asleep while watching cartoons. Once she's asleep I turn off the TV and let her sleep for about an hour or so. During this time I take time to study for school or read.
1-2 PM: Feeding time again. After she eats, she is in a happy playful mood. I like to go in her nursery and show her around the colorful pink room. I like to call this time "Play Time"
2-3 PM: Sewing. I love taking some time out of my day for myself. Whatever your hobby is, I encourage you fit it in your daily baby routine. I normally bring Melly in my sewing room with me and have her on the floor with her toys. I put on music and sing to her as i'm sewing away. I still can complete my sewing and make her feel happy at the same time.
3-4 PM: Rest. Take time to rest. Sit on the couch, put your feet up, drink some water and just rest! I used to forget to do this. Now I make a point to clear my mind and rest it for about one hour. Have your baby in your arms. It's great bonding time.
4-5 PM: Place your baby in their swing or rocker again and try to Clean up (if you can). Do whatever housework you can do. Throw a load of clothes in the washer, sweep, clean the mirrors. Don't do it all. Just whatever you can fit in that little hour. Sometimes she'll take another cat nap while i'm cleaning too. It's nice when that happens.
5-7 PM: Dinner time, bath-time, shower time. I don't give Melly a bath every night, but when I do, it's around this time. This is also the time I take a shower as well. I like to have our shower, dinner, and bath all done by 8 PM.
8-9 PM: Bed Time & Reading time. We lay in bed and I read a few books to her. I let her hold the books (until she starts to put them in her mouth lol) but she enjoys it.
10 PM: LIGHTS OUT!

Well there you a go. A short look at our daily routine. I'm fortunate to be a stay at home mom during her first year of life. I can't imagine leaving her for work everyday but I know there are truly wonderful mom's who do and work extra hard for their baby.

Dec 9, 2014

Born to shine at 4 Months

Happy four months to our precious Melanie!

Weight: 14 Pounds (52% Child Growth Percentile; She weighs more than 52% of children her age)
Length: 25 1/2 Inches Long (89% Percentile; She is taller than 89% of children her age (WOW! She's totally gonna be a supermodel when she grows up!)
Baby size in clothes: 6-9 Months

Milestones:
She Laughs, Baby talks, Smiles, Can lift her head, can roll from her tummy to her back, can grasp onto objects tight, and can almost sit up without our help.

Favorite things:
Books! She loves em'! Especially before bedtime. She also loves watching "Sofia the First" and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on disney Jr. Not to mention she loves to co-sleep with mommy and daddy (we really need to stop this habit soon so she can adjust in her crib at nights. But how can we?! We just love to snuggle with her so much!).

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Baby outfit: Old Navy
Baby Headband: Made by Mommy

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We love you so much our little love bug!

Oct 28, 2014

Family Day At The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we spent our afternoon at Dave's Pumpkin Patch. Although Melanie is too young to understand what a pumpkin patch even is, the thought of us going together as a family just sounded sweet. The day was bright, the weather was lovely, and the pumpkins were happy! And so were we as we walked around and enjoyed the atmosphere of pumpkins, haystacks, chickens, ponies, goats, and pigs. We were even lucky enough to run into a professional photographer who offered to take a family photo of us three. I love my family.

Oct 26, 2014

Baby Minnie Melly

"Where's my Mickey?" Minnie Melly happily smiled and posed for the camera as I took her first Halloween photos. She laid there for about 3-5 minutes gazing at me. Suddenly, the sweetheart started kicking her chubby cute legs like crazy. The little darling kicked so hard, she knocked one of her little shoes off!

With the help of many great sewing blogs, I was able to sew together her first halloween costume. I used white knit fabric for the onesie along with red & white polka dot printed fabric for her skirt, sleeves, and trimming of her onesie. I struggled with the puffed sleeves but somehow managed to make it work. Melly and I were so happy with the results! Can't you tell?!

The one thing I did not make is the headband. But if you're looking to make your own, there are many tutorials online.

Headband || Target
Skirt Tutorial can be found here
Puffed Sleeves Tutorial here
Baby Booties Tutorial can be found here

Happy Baby Halloween!

Oct 23, 2014

Melanie's Place


I am so happy to finally be sharing photo's of Melanie's Nursery. And of course so much has happened since my last post in July. Melanie Renée was born on August 7th, 2014 weighing 6 pounds 4 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. She arrived at 4:02 pm. And then, my life was complete. So now she is here in this world, growing, learning, developing, and receiving so much LOVE from her family. We absolutely LOVE her!

Our little "Melly" (what we nicknamed her) at 4 weeks old. So cute right?!?

Melanie has inspired me so much since the day I found out I was pregnant. Since my pregnancy and her birth, I have been avidly sewing baby clothes, taking photo's with my new Nikon, and learning to be the best mom I can possibly be. And now I have also been inspired to change the content of my blog to a more "lifestyle" way of living the mommy life. To transition, I've decided to rename the blog "The Mommy in P I N K." I can now express the new mommy in me and continue blogging about my love for fashion but also my passion for sewing & designing.

Now, with that said, I am gladly to be sharing special pieces of my daughters room. My photography skills are not near perfect but I truly try. And not to mention, it was a lot of fun getting down on my knees and tummy taking photos from various angles of her room. Every piece in her room is special in it's own way. And I hope someday when she is older, she can look back on these photos and appreciate the fact that I've displayed what was really special to me when she was born.



I purchased this custom banner on ETSY before she was born. It was used as a photo prop for my maternity photo's and her baby shower.


I wanted to be crafty and make her wall art while I was pregnant. Believe it or not, I purchased these frames from the dollar tree and spray painted them gold! (haha) I purchased the printed paper at Michaels art's and craft. The gold heart was thick cardstock paper also purchased from Michael's and spray painted gold. And here was the end result.


I purchased this little newborn dress at Target. She wore it in some photos I took with my Nikon. Now it's just so tiny you can't help but say "awww" when you see it on a hanger.


A recent headband I made for little Melly. I've been making tons of these. Really easy and cute.


First pair of baby Moccs! Had to get them in Gold of course.


My Mom bought this precious moments Noah's Ark figurine set. It's so precious and sweet. It lights up like a night light. It's perfect for the nursery.


I made these table center pieces for Melanie's Baby Shower. I had to save one for her room.


Another piece from her Baby Shower. I filled up small mason jars with pink jelly beans as a favor for my guest. They loved it especially the kiddos who came.



The Giraffe! This was the first item that was purchased for her nursery. My mom bought it for Melanie when I was only 14 weeks pregnant. It was a mystery then if I was having a boy or a girl.


When Melanie was born, I was told I had to stay in the for hospital 3 days since I developed a fever during her birth. My parents bought this pink bunny with balloons for me and Melanie. The bunny makes jingle sounds if you shake it.


Jason's Aunt sent us Winnie the Pooh about one month after Melanie was born. Who doesn't love Pooh bear? He's adorable.



This is probably the most important item to me in her nursery. I filled the shadow box with Melanie's newborn beanie's, blood pressure cuff, wrist bands from the hospital, and foot print's from the day she was born. When I gave birth to Melanie, it was the most exciting, happiest, stressful, and painful experience I ever went through in my life (YES all that at once!). However when the birthing experience was over, I was so complete. I had to save everything from that day so I can truly remember what I went through for my beautiful baby girl.


I used this little teddy bear as a prop in my maternity photos.


My mom picked out this cake topper for my baby shower cake. The baby was handmade and it looks just like our Melly.


A glimpse of her closet. I hang up all her bigger clothes and fold her wearable clothes for now.


A handmade shabby chic banner I made. I used gold glitter yarn for gold accents. Those are also handmade gold fabric roses.


The crib was a gift from Jason's parents. I purchased the wooden "M" from Hobby Lobby and spray painted it gold as well. The antique white frame the "M" is in was purchased from a boutique in Auburn California.


This rocking chair is perfect for those sleep less nights. I've sat in this chair and sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her in a slow tune and she has fallen asleep. But once I've got up from the chair, she opened her eyes…Awake! Not sleeping lol those were challenging nights I tell you.


And finally a last look at her custom burlap banner over the closet
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White Rocking Chair || Target
White Crib || Target
White Dresser Chest || IKEA
White floating Shelves || Home Depot
Gold Moccasins || Little Pistols
Custom Burlap Banner || Buttons to Burlap

-Mommy Renée