Somewhere Over the Rainbow...Emmy turns TWO !!!

Can't believe my baby is two. I know everyone always says that,

but seriously...she's TWO!

Her birthday was wonderful and her party was a blast....

RAINBOW EXPLOSION in our backyard!! :)

Emmy's beautiful RAINBOW tutu from Poppin' Dots Boutique!

(red nail and toe polish from Piggy Paint--LOVE their polishes!!)

• I found cutlery sets in every color at the dollar store and thank my wonderful mom for wrapping them all up in a white napkin, finished off with ribbon and a party circle by Chickabug.
• "Happy Birthday Emma" banner by Chickabug.
• I found these little flower vases at the dollar store as well (you'll notice a theme here!), and put daisies in food colored water for few nights before the party.
• Water bottle labels by Chickabug using this tutorial..super easy!

My pride & joy of the party was the candy bar...what's better than candy in every color of the rainbow??? Taste the Rainbow!! I used RED swedish fish, ORANGE gummi bears, YELLOW pina colada candy sticks, GREEN spearmint leaves, BLUE Raspberry Gummy Rings and Purple Dark Chocolates. Also had Rainbow twizzlers and Rainbow gumballs.

"Taste the Rainbow" 5x7 sign by Chickabug.

Marshmallow pops made by my sister in law, while I ran around the house like a lunatic getting everything else ready...Thank you!! (soo easy, btw!)

Rainbow lollipops from Oriental Trading with Party Circles by Chickabug.

Candy scoops from Michael's (coupon!)

Candy Striped Bags from Baker's Bling Shop with favor tags by Chickabug.

Rainbow cupcakes (sister in law) with cupcake toppers by Chickabug, "rainbows" made from Sour Straws.

#2 birthday hat from Poppin' Dots Boutique.

• Rainbow streamers made from this tutorial on How Does She, easy, but time consuming...HUGE hit though!
• Favor tags by Chickabug, rainbow crayon & notepads from Oriental Trading.
• Books from The Christmas Tree Shop.
• Tissue Poms made by me.

Rainbow Veggie & Fruit Platters

Veggie: tomatoes, carrots, yellow peppers, broccoli and radishes that were soaked in blue (food coloring) water over night. "Clouds" were Blue Cheese & Ranch dips.

Fruit: strawberries, canteloupe, pineapple, honeydew, blueberries, red grapes. "Clouds" were Fluff & Cream Cheese dips.

Make your own RAINBOW drink!

The kids loved mixing their own drinks and making all different colors of the rainbow!

• Buffet cards by Chickabug.
• Straws from The Bakers Confections.
• Straw circle tags were party circles by Chickabug.

Rainbow Kids' Table

I got pony beads, letter beads, strings, canvas bags and fabric paints from Oriental Trading and the kids had a blast...plus it kept them busy!

A Rainbow twist on Pin the Tail on the Donkey!

(Ry always peeks!)

I was going to attempt to try something different when it came to the cake, but I've come to this conclusion...every RAINBOW party MUST have the famous rainbow layer cake. My sister in law made this cake and it came out awesome. I smile every time I see it...I just love it!

Rainbow layered Jello was another big hit...looked even cooler once it was scooped out in everyone's bowls.

I stole this next idea from another sister-in-law and it was so much fun! I collected as many "props" as I could find...glasses, boas, hats, mustaches, you name it and I set up a photo booth. The pics came out so cute!

(backdrop was a shower curtain, "props" were from the dollar store, borrowed from friends, my kids' rooms, etc. Oh yeah, and IKEA! Have you ever bought dress up stuff from Ikea?? Great selection and even greater prices!)

Em's "costume change" was made by the super talented Jen of Mama Runs With Scissors. The initial shirt and rainbow leggings were ridiculously cute!

...and of course Emmy had to have one of my Emmy's Closet Rainbow Bows... (will be listed soon!)

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet Emmy girl...we love you more than words can say...

Visit me at Emmy's Closet on Etsy!

A HUMONGOUS Thank You to my fabulous friend, Kristen, for taking such special pics (8 mos preggo and all) ...I can't thank you enough, Kris!! xoxo

Buzz on by Thursday!

Welcome to "Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet, and Sunny Bug!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers!

So join us, we promise you will have a blast...plus we have some pretty sweet giveaways too! If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:

1. Follow ALL of the Hostesses listed above via their Google Friend Connect ("GFC") widget in the sidebar.
2. Make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! If you don't leave a comment we don't know to follow you back. WE DO FOLLOW BACK!
3. Put your name and URL in the linky below. Visit other sites in the linky, and follow those sites via GFC. Make sure to leave a comment on the site you visit so that person can visit you back.

Thanks for Beeing a part of Buzz on by Thursday!

Buzz on by Thursday!

Welcome to "Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet, and Sunny Bug!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers!

So join us, we promise you will have a blast...plus we have some pretty sweet giveaways too!

If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:

1. Follow ALL of the Hostesses

2. If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

3.Put your name and URL in the linky below.

Thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday fun!!!

Lilla Rose Review & Giveaway

When I first heard about Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry, I was very eager to learn more...what exactly is "hair jewelry"? I was so pleased with the selection of products while browsing through their website, everything was so beautiful and unique. Some "bling" for your hair...I love it!

When Denise, an independent consultant, contacted me about hosting a review, I jumped at the chance. The hard part was obviously choosing which product I wanted to try because I loved so many of them. When I saw the beaded headbands it was a no-brainer! Let's be honest, I'm a mom of a 4 & 2 yr old, I wear my hair up a lot. Ok, let's be REAL honest...I wear it up EVERY day! The headbands were gorgeous and I thought it would be great way to spruce up my up-do.

I received the headband quickly and couldn't have been more excited! I think I wore it out that same night. I absolutely LOVE it! It looks cute with my hair dried straight down or up, and even up wet in a messy bun. It really is the perfect touch, it just gives me that extra "something" so I don't feel so blah...I know you know what I mean! The quality is also outstanding. A couple things that usually drive me nuts about headbands are 1. after a while they hurt like heck and 2. you have to constantly take them out and put them in again. Well, I really couldn't be happier that neither of these happened. It stayed in perfectly and I didn't even notice it was in my hair-LOVE!

The website is very easy to navigate and has tons of helpful info. Take a look around, they really offer something for everyone. From pony tail holders and beaded eyeglass lanyards to their extremely popular flexi clip and even some jewelry! Please be sure to check out the videos if you are curious about sizing for the Flexi Clips, there are 7 different sizes so there is definitely one that will suit you perfectly!

Let me just add that Denise is an absolute doll and was such a pleasure to work with. We've been talking for a few months now and I am so impressed with her work ethic and how much she truly cares about her customers--I know you will love working with her too! She is also offering WEB PARTIES...how much fun would that be?! Contact Denise via email for more details. As a host you earn free and potentially half priced items PLUS you get an extra 10 entries to this giveaway!

Denise Martin has generously offered one of my readers ANY item of their choice!!

HOW TO ENTER:
Please leave a separate comment for each entry and

don't forget to include your email in one entry!

Mandatory Entry: Please visit Denise Martin's Lilla Rose page and tell me which item you would love to win!

Extra Entries:

1. "Like" Denise Martin's Lilla Rose page on Facebook (2 entries)

2. Follow Denise Martin's Lilla Rose on Twitter (2 entries)

3. Host a Web Party with Denise (10 entries)

4. Make a purchase from Denise (5 entries)

5. "Like" Emmy's Closet on Facebook (1 entry)

6. Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per tweet- 1 tweet per day)

"#Win any item of your choice from @DeniseLillaRose...beautiful hair jewelry! http://ow.ly/4PdOU @emmyscloset #giveaway ends 5/17"

7. Share this giveaway on facebook or blog (share buttons on bottom of post--5 entries)

Giveaway is open to the US & Canada and ends on Tuesday, May 17th--midnight EST. Winner will be chosen via Random.org, notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.

GOOD LUCK!!

Disclaimer: I received the headband in exchange for this review & giveaway. This is my honest opinion, however it may differ from yours. Your prize will be shipped directly from Denise Martin so I can not be held responsible for lost or non received items.

Buzz on by Thursday & Giveaway!

Welcome to "Buzz on by (Thursday) Wednesday this week blog hop hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet, and Sunny Bug!

Buzz on By Thursday Wednesday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers!

So join us, we promise you will have a blast...plus we have some pretty sweet giveaways too! If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday Wednesday, just follow these few rules:
1. Follow ALL of the Hostesses listed above via their Google Friend Connect ("GFC") widget in the sidebar.
2. Make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! If you don't leave a comment we don't know to follow you back. WE DO FOLLOW BACK!
3. Put your name and URL in the linky below. Visit other sites in the linky, and follow those sites via GFC. Make sure to leave a comment on the site you visit so that person can visit you back.

GIVEAWAY:

Jennifer "Scraps" Walker of 64 Arts and Random Acts Comics is giving one very special Buzz on By Thursday Wednesday participant a Etched Glass Necklace ($35 value). The pendant is made of of etched glass, wire and beads, approximately 5" in length from bail to beads, on a coordinating length of ribbon. Winner will get her choice of available color/design combos in stock at the time of the giveaway.

HOW TO ENTER:

Just leave a comment that you're now following, or are already following via GFC and you'll be entered to win. You can go to each hosts' site and comment giving you four chances to win. The winner will be chosen by calculating all of the comments on all 4 hosts' sites and picked by using random.org, on Monday May 9th 9 PM EST. The winner will have 48 to respond to the e-mail before another winner is chosen. This is open to US & Canada residents only!

GOOD LUCK and thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday Wednesday fun!!!

I DID IT!!

Phew....my first half marathon is in the books!! It was so amazing -- beautiful day, runners were awesome and the crowd was fantastic. When I turned a corner around mile 2 and heard some locals blasting the Rocky theme song, I knew it was going to be a great day!

There were so many inspiring people along the way, I swear at some points I forgot I was running and next thing I knew another mile had come and gone. Then there were those lovely moments when I was pretty damn sure I was gonna pee my pants, my legs were going to fall off and then I was going to pass out.... but then I would see my awesome family (mile 9) and my little kiddos holding up their glitter signs "GO MOMMY" and I would be back on track :)

I think I just may have become a "half marathoner". I definitely want to do it again next year. I know 13.1 miles isn't for everyone but there are so many other races out there too. Try a 5K in your town, I promise you will feel so accomplished when you're done. It's a feeling you can't really describe until you do it. When I crossed the finish line, I was more than tired and couldn't utter a word but it was the greatest feeling (the fact that the last 1 1/2 miles were right along the ocean, wasn't too bad either).

If you're looking for some help training I strongly recommend Hal Higdon's training guides. (he has guides for a 5K also) They are so attainable, I know you can do it too!!

Here are my official results. (notice I beat my goal of 2:10--yay!)

Time: 2:08:34

Pace: 9:48

Gender Place: 1390/3724

Age group place (30-34) 232/607