I'm out.

Man oh man. There's a lot going on today!
I'm busy busy with wedding cake decorating & the whole fam is finally here :)
I just wanted to pop in say I'm sooooooooooo excited about this:



Happy weekend friends. I'll see you Monday!

Warning: It's Lily's birthday & this post has WAY too many pictures.

One year ago today, my sweet little lovey finally graced us with her perfect presence. 

After approximately 24 hours of regular contractions at home, Hunter and I made our way to the hospital. Still doing pretty well in this before shot :) 

Another 14 hours later and we were holding our Lily Belle. 

Miss Lily, 

You have been a blessing beyond our wildest dreams. 

I adore your serious side and how selective you are with your smiles. 

It warms my heart the way your big brother, Milo, is so protective of you. 

You are sillier every single day and I love it! 

It has been an incredible privilege to watch you get strong enough to raise your head up. 

And then sit all alone... in an alien costume :) 

You were far less thrilled than your dad and I with your first trip to the zoo.

Same with the parade of lights, but shoot we just love showing you off everywhere we go! 

Your first Christmas was perfection. 

We didn't do gifts because you have no idea about gifts yet. 

It was beautiful to enjoy Christmas for what it really is and to just be together and be in love. 

Also you and Milo were beautiful in our reindeer getup ;) 

Teething is the worst.

But you using a raw carrot for relief was priceless. 

Your daddy and I could watch you sleep for hours.

You might actually be surprised how often we just stand and watch you sleep. 

Loving you makes us more in love... what a wonderful gift. 

The first time you pulled yourself up I about wet my pants. 

I just wasn't ready for it.

So I took tons of blurry pictures and called your dad immediately. 

That was months ago... We thought you'd be an early walker.

We were wrong. You love doing things on your own time. 

I think that's awesome. 

Watching you learn and explore is one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. 

You, my love, are nothing short of a miracle. 

Bath time has been your very favorite since day one! 

You looooove to eat :) 

Oh and you'll do it yourself thankyouverymuch. 

You don't need anyone to feed you!

Lately you've been finding your voice and what an amazing voice it is! 

You squeal and screech and sing and talk. 

You're even starting to repeat sounds like "tan tooo"(thank you) "da deee" (daddy) and da! da! (every single time we see a dog)

Lily, you love life in a way that makes me love life way more. 

I'm so thankful for the days I just get to sit in the grass and watch you dance and play and be so perfect happy the way I suppose only a one-year-old can. 

Oh and you're not walking yet but I don't mind one bit. 

Take your time, girl! 

You're 100% capable, you just haven't decided you prefer it yet. 

 You look SO big when you're walking around with your shopping cart... you can wait a few more months if you want :)  

What an incredible (and FAST) year it has been. 

I thought this milestone might make me sad but I'm too excited for the next year to mope around about the last one being over. 

Because of you, sweet baby, I have a deeper faith, stronger ability to love and an infinite amount of more joy!

My thoughts on diets and beauty.

Last week I blogged whined about this cleanse diet I was doing.
Lots of you wanted a recap so here it goes.

Source: justinandashleyrefresh.com via Hayley on Pinterest

I did lose 5 pounds, so that's good. 
The first 3 days (just fruits and veggies) were actually nice. It felt good to eat so fresh and get rid of all the sugar and other junk in my body. This is the part I stuck to faithfully & it's also when I lost the poundage.
The 4th day I did add in bananas and soy milk/soy yogurt but I also had some other fruits and veggies. Call me crazy but I'm just not into starving :)
By day 5 I was pretty much over it. I did have a lot of tomatoes and tofu, plus lots of other veggies... and a granola bar.
Day 6 we just called it. I was up at 4am with a teething baby, baking by 6am and at the farmer's market until 2:30. Oh and it was 100 degrees. So I ate. And I drank an iced mocha.
Day 7 is supposed to be soup all day. Again it was 100 degrees. So we ate scones and hummus instead.

In conclusion: Next time I feel like cleansing I will stick with fruits and veggies. It was a great way to feel clean and refreshed without being deprived and starving. Plus it helped me to cut back my sugar intake even when I added it back in. Plus 5 pounds :)

 

Also requested last week: Pics of my new do.

Can I just add a little disclaimer to this here diet post? 

It's super important to me to raise a daughter that loves her body and is thankful for how amazing she is... not obsessed with dieting and changing her looks. 

I believe that as her mom it's my responsibility to show her a model of this behavior. 

It makes no sense to me to tell her how beautifully God made her and then constantly speak negatively about my own body. 

I've come a long way and can finally say I'm in a place where I'm happy with the way I look. 

I don't look like an airbrushed model who is 4 inches taller and 20 pounds lighter. 

But I'm happy to say I'm totally fine with that. Believe me, I wasn't always. 

To be honest, giving birth (almost naturally) has given me a fabulous new perspective about this body I've been gifted with. 

Ya'll it's AMAZING. It grew/carried a human for 9 1/2 months. Then it sustained her for another 11 months with this body alone! I can haul my 20 pound 1-year-old around on my hip, jog with her in a stroller, and even do a little of Jillian's 30 Day Shred if I feel so inclined ;)  

So it has a few lumps and bumps and unwanted marks here and there. It just doesn't matter to me the way it used to. 

Sorry friends. Self portraiture just isn't my thang. 

Anyhoo. I'm getting a little windy this morning.  I just get so fired up about this topic.

I think that if you're a mama reading this (or plan to ever be) it's about so much more than just you. 

Our kids will be bombarded by media that tells them they aren't perfect enough. 

It's our job to deeply imbed in their tiny minds that the media is lying, and I don't believe our words will be enough. 

We have to show them what we believe. 

So be healthy. Cleanse if you must. Work out for sure. Limit your sugar intake. 

But be happy with the body you're blessed with. 
Be thankful for it... out loud. 

Fiesta Friday: 1st Birthday Inspiration

When I was a freshman in college, I joined a sorority (Sigma Sigma Sigma).
It was a super fun experience and I met some really awesome girls.
One of those awesome girls was Angela.
She was always so sweet and fun but a when she graduated we lost touch, unfortunately.
Thankfully today's technology refuses to let us lose contact with each other completely :)
Last spring I happened to see a picture of pregnant Angela in my facebook feed.
So I did a little friendly stalking and found out she was due exactly one week before me!
I sent her a message and we started keeping up with each other's pregnancies...
And then we watched each others' daughters grow from teeny babes to BIG GIRLS!
Lucky Angela got to have her sweet Hailey right around due date time while Lil hung on a couple extra WEEKS :)
Hailey had her huge birthday bash last week and Angela said I could share the precious pictures for Fiesta Friday!
So without further ado... The most adorable owl themed birthday party you'll ever see :)

 

haha how awesome is that? I just love chubby baby legs!

Amazing invites created by "Mother Owl" herself :)

Sweetest setup complete with one year picture timeline, handmade name banner and real branches. You better believe I'm stealing some of these ideas at Lil's party next week! 

Now for my favorite part. The gorgeous cake!!! 

A sweet family shot while the birthday girl digs in. PS I LOVE the ribbon high chair make over.

And of course, no first birthday is complete without a sugar coma baby in a mama-made birthday hat!

Every single details is absolutely darling and makes me so excited for Lily's party in a week!! 

Thanks for letting me share, Angela :) 

Do you have an awesome party you want me to feature? I would love to share it on Fiesta Friday. Email me: sugarmamabakeshop@gmail.com. 

Diet shmiet.

So remember that one time I did this cleanse diet from heck?

Source: justinandashleyrefresh.com via Hayley on Pinterest

No?
Oh that's because it's RIGHT. NOW.
And it's not that fun at all.
I'm super hungry for an iced mocha and a pumpkin muffin....

Source: sugarmamabakeshop.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Suuuuuuuuper hungry.
I just better lose that 10 pounds and that's all I have to say about that.

Think of me tomorrow friends, when I'm baking muffins and scones for KJs coffee bar.
Also pray that my tears don't contaminate the tasty batter :)

Life Lately

Life is good lately. 

Busy and hot and great!

We've been having lots of "pool parties".

I made awesome bowtie shortbread cookies for a baby shower. 

They turned out super cute & delicious and I had so much fun making them!

We got a bike trailer! 

Poor Lily is extremely unsure of the helmet. 

But we talked her into it ;) 

Honestly, have you ever seen anything cuter than that? 

It gets me every time!

Also, I have a hair appointment in an hour and I think I'm doing this:

Source: stylebistro.com via Christy on Pinterest

I think I'm addicted to short hair.

It's so fun and easy! 

Oh and I'm doing a fruit/veggie cleanse currently so I'm not sharing any tasty recipes...
You understand?
Not to worry, I'll be back on sugar in no time :) 

Oh it was a sad, sad day.

I didn't even realize it until this evening, but Hunter reminded me that last June 14th was Lily's due date.
We got to reminiscing and I just had to laugh.
Mostly because my sense of perspective is so terrible :)
365 days ago I was a sad, pitiful, great big lady.

My midwives warned me. 

First time moms don't typically deliver on their due date. 

My mom never had her babies on time. 

The girl hadn't even dropped yet.

There was honestly no reason to believe she was coming any time soon. 

But, oh I WANTED her to. 

 (We didn't have ac so the fan just followed me around everywhere. haha!)

Patience is not a quality I would use to describe myself. 

When I get my heart set on something I make it happen & I don't like it when things slow me down!

Unfortunately pregnancy doesn't exactly work that way.

Don't get me wrong, I did everything I could think of.
I drank gallons of raspberry leaf tea & ate super spicy foods... and ended up with killer heartburn and 30 trips to the bathroom.
I walked and walked and walked... and walked.

But nothing.
So I cried.
And drowned my sorrows in banana split cupcakes.
Seriously though, I ran a special so that I could keep myself busy and take my mind off the fact that I still had no babe :)
For TWELVE more days!

Luckily, you know how the story ends. 

I survived the wait and she made it!

In less than 2 weeks I'll be posting a sob story about my baby being ONE!

Bear with me if I'm an emotional roller coaster :) 

The Mom Mug

I tend to be a little extra emotional. I've accepted this. But tonight was a bit much... even for me.
In fact, I should probably be too embarrassed to share this story, but I guess I'm a little extra transparent too, so here it goes.

I broke my water bottle.
And it made me cry.

Not just a little either. It really hurt my heart.

It was the big ol' water jug they give you when you stay in the hospital, and I got it when Lily was born.

11.5 months ago.

The one with the crinkly straw that whistles and cracks Lily up.
The one that my brother named my "mom mug" when we were on a road trip :)
The one that kept me hydrated through 11 months of nursing a babe who wouldn't take a bottle. (Some days I thought it was difficult not being able to give her a bottle... Now I just miss it.)

To everyone who always tell me to "enjoy every second, it will be gone before you know it", I am enjoying it!
But it's still going way too fast.

So now what?

This post is sappy and pictureless... and maybe boring. Unless you're a mama too. Then I bet you get it.

Or maybe you don't.

Maybe I'm an emotional mess and I need to get my act together?
Either way I'm sad my baby is big.
And I'm happy she's so healthy and wonderful.
Oh it's so confusing being a mom!
Who wants to come over and eat mocha cupcakes and drink wine with me?
My husband would thank you.

I think he's confused by my outburst of tears over a dropped water bottle.
Also he might be afraid.
I may have suggested we needed another baby.

Oops ;)

Spaghetti Squash

So occasionally I take a break from desserts and I actually cook dinner... sometimes ;) 

On those occasions I usually make something quick and simple. 

Usually something I found on pinterest.

My newest fave is Spaghetti Squash!
(You may remember it from the meal plan last Monday.)

My sister-in-law made it for us and I'm in love! 

She even made mine with rice cheese and tvp instead of meatballs. 

What a sweetheart :) 

Spaghetti squash has a very similar texture to real pasta and is a nice gluten free substitute. 

Plus it's way lighter than pasta and make a really great summer dinner!

The recipe is here.

It's super easy, healthy and delicious.
We'll be adding it to the rotation for sure!
Enjoy :) 

Summer Lovin'

I am so so thankful for summer & sunshine. 

Thankful for spending every single day with the most beautiful girl in the world.

Thankful for Lily-sized swimming pools. 

Thankful for healthy pepper plants :) 

I can hardly wait for harvest time!!!!

Market Recap

I know you've already heard a lot about the farmer's market I'm doing this summer.
I'm a little excited about it :)
I'll be short & sweet today.
I just wanted to share a recap from the first market last Saturday.
Oh and FYI. If you're in Denver, email me to request your fave treat for the market next week!

 

(Chocolate cupcakes were a hit!) 

(My fab sign. Thanks again Heather!)

(Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins w/ agave nectar are always popular.)

(I even brought a fan club.) 

(These are the snickerdoodles I made on accident :) More on that another day...)