Cild Care Conference

I've been slacking on the blog and busy making greeting cards.  Come by the Sheridan tomorrow in Anchorage to check out some great new product or to order some delicious Homemade Gourmet!!! Photos to come.

A couple kitchen tips

Throughout yesterday I cooked three meals along with some snacks and realized that I had utelized some great tips and tricks that I have aquired throughout the years.  I feel that these are very useful and everyone should have the opportunity to use them.

How to boil an egg to perfection-- place eggs and cold water in a pot.  Turn the heat up and whenever you notice the water boiling rapidly, turn the heat off and walk away.  When the water is cool enough to grab the eggs, they will be perfectly cooked with the yolk firm but not over cooked.  This is a great way to get the perfect hard boiled eggs without having to watch the pot or burn your fingers.

Flat bacon with a clean kitchen-- lay bacon in a bar pan (I prefer stoneware from pampered chef).  Place the pan in a cold oven and turn it to 400 degrees.  Walk away and when your oven beeps to say it is preheated it should be finished.  My oven requires me to bake it for a few more minutes though.  This is great because the bacon is flat, evenly cooked, the grease is clear and perfect for saving, and best of all, my stove top is splatter free.

I will add posts as I remember/come across more nifty tips and I appreciate any tips of your own to make life a little easier.

Children vs. Wedding

A big dilemma when planning a wedding is... What about the kids?  I have talked with many brides about the seemingly lose-lose situation when people's kids are involved.  You don't want to be rude and ask for friends and family to ditch the youngsters, but who wants a bunch of bored rambunctious kids running around your wedding?  Here are some great ideas to avoid stepping on sensitive toes and avoid footprints on your train.

Free Labor!  Kids love to feel important and readily prove themselves when provided a mission.  Some great ideas are assigning them the job of family photographer and sending a crew of kiddos armed with disposable cameras.  You can also have a couple in charge of distributing confetti or favors.

Create a kid friendly table!  An easy and cheap idea is to cover a table with the backside of clearance wrapping paper and a cup of crayons.  Kids can go for hours with that.  Provide scratch paper and throw a "contest" for the best drawing of the couple with a small toy as a prize (and a smaller prize for the others so nobody feels left out).

Reserve a room!  Depending on your venue, rent a room or set one aside with movies, activities and some kid friendly food.  Be sure to provide a trusted and experienced sitter and inform the parents before the event!  This can allow you to have a child free wedding while giving guests the option.

Babysitters!  Utilize a couple older kids to watch the youngsters and offer a payment.  Remember, 10 year olds are happy to earn $20 and are great with kids.

Guests with kids appreciate their whole family being invited and the parents enjoy your big day so much more without having to worry about their little ones' entertainment and safety.  These simple measures will take a huge load off of your adolescent worries and make the day more relaxing for all of your guests! 

Wedding Favours

Thirty years ago wedding favours weren't on the checklist.  Due to profiting business and trend setting moguls they are now expected and frankly, a bunch of fun to think up.  I love favours but find that brides these days steer towards a trend and not what it should be about, YOU.  We gave pedicure sets and poked fun at our last name (Toews).  There are many ways to find a great favour for your guests and keep it about the couple.  Here are some ideas...

-Outdoorsy?  Try a twist on a candy bar and have your guests make their own trail mix.  Supply nuts, chocolates, dried fruits, and paper bags with custom seals

-Drinkers?  Have the toast with custom shot glasses/flutes and tell the guests to keep them as a gift

-Travelers? Use custom designed luggage tags as place settings

-Nature Lovers?  I love our seeded paper and gift boxes! Give thank you notes on their way out that can be planted

The options are endless and so much fun.  Contact me if you need some ideas (it's one of my favorite things to do)

Table decor for the fashionably thrifty

Any rustic brides using cans or jars in your decor.  If so consider this great way to spruce them up.  Include a design with these custom wrap around stickers.

Make shift planter

Here at the Toews' House we are always finding ways to re-use other people's "junk".  Here we took a magazine rack off a friend's hands to make ourselves the perfect planter now that my starts need to upgrade a pot size.  Behind the shelves is a perfect spot for grow lights and it wastes very little space.

Summer is here (I hope)

Enjoying a drink overlooking hatchets pass. Although yard work seems tempting don't rake while the ground is wet. You could uproot your grass!

Wood Cake Stand

A great idea for a cake stand is to use sliced wood. Here is a photo of my cake sitting on slices from a bich burl.  Contact me if you would like to use some.  I have TONS of slices!

Beginning of the Blog

So, after years of talking about starting a blog, I have finally taken the leap.  Hopefully I will be able to keep it up to date (I can slack on things like this).  This blog is intended to be so much more than wedding invites! So excited to share about my life as well as fun and useful ideas for all aspects of weddings and life in general.  I'm STOKED!!