Art, Tips and Thoughts

GREEN DRINKING, GOOD THINKING!

2011-08-25T14:15:00.001-05:00

With the temperature in the triple digits for the last 3 months, we all have being drinking lots of water, and that's good! But my kids had been using way too many glasses per day! With water conservation in effect, that was not only ecologically bothersome but time consuming. So, I had an idea! Every morning they get a new glass with their names on it! They drink as many times as they want ON THAT glass. At night I wash them and they are good to go for the next morning! It saves me time, money, water and electricity!

(For the kids I used inchbug rubber labels because I had extras, and for me and hubby I just used colored hair rubber bands!)

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Back to School for kids, back to business for moms!

2011-08-21T22:54:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since my last post! Since then, I have dedicated two Summers to enjoying my kids while they still like me. And in between the two Summers , I have dedicated a lot of my otherwise free time, to volunteering. I have not found the time to write or do so many other things I would love to to!

Tomorrow my kids go back to school and a new life begins for all of us. I will make more time to write and do those things, like unfinished baby albums...before my kids go to college!

Tomorrow, my six year old son starts 1st grade at public school! He is coming from a small but fabulous Montessori school where he was since he was 18 months. He will most probably always be the youngest in his class, at least here in Texas! His birthday is July 22nd and the cut of date here is August 31st. Even though we were strongly recommended to hold him back, like most Texans do, we found our son is not only academically prepared, but mature enough to start first grade. It is not going to be easy, but we will help him believe in himself! He is not alone!

His teacher has asked us, parents, to write to our kids a (short) letter for his first day of first grade! Well, as usual, I had a hard time keeping my thought short!! Here it is:

Dear Nicholas,

I still remember the day you were born! Your dad put balloons all over the house to welcome you into your brand new life! When you survived Kawasaki at only three months I knew you were a very, very strong boy! Our little miracle! And you have proved you ARE!

Six years and one month, exactly, have passed and now you are starting “BIG” school! We are so proud of the young boy you have become!

Today a new life begins for you and you will go to school for many years to come! Smile, relax, observe! Don’t be afraid to discover! You will make new friends, learn new things and play new sports! Enjoy! Ask for help when you need to. Remember, everyone is learning, everyday!

Listen to your teacher!!!

Be respectful to ALL the people and the environment around you! Be honest. If you feel confused about what to do: first listen to your heart, then follow it!

And last but not least: LAUGH! Life is good. Have fun!

With ALL the Love,

Mom and Dad

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HOW YOU CAN DONATE YOUR HAIR!

2010-06-30T16:59:00.004-05:00

If the excessive heat was your drive for a pixie or you simply miss the short/easy/fast hair you had once... A short cut, literally, is your way to go! Buy some magazines to check latest styles... and when you go for it, please, donate your hair!

Most people know you can donate your hair to make wigs for "cancer patients", right? (see details ahead). How about donating your hair to Matter of Trust? They make hair booms and hair mats that are right now been sent 100% to the golf water spill, the worse disaster on our planet!

Orange Beach Alabama - June 24, 2010.
Oil plume comes up in black waves onto white beaches.

Bleached highlights? Don't want to cut your hair short? NO problem! Don't throw your hair away! Matter of Trust is taking ANY human HEAD hair or any pet hair! Actually, if you are reading this, tell your hair stylist or local pet store about it! They get hair of any length, as long as it doesn't have any trash. It's so simple! All they ask for is that you place the hair on a plastic or trash bag. That's it! Take a look at what they are doing, it is cool!

Now, if your hair is NOT bleached, you can consider any of the companies bellow and help kids who lost their hair and their confidence, to smile again! Research shows that hair loss was considered by the majority of cancer patients the worse side effect of chemotherapy. But doing my research I found out the most children affected by hair loss actually suffer from alopecia. If dealing with hair loss is difficult for adults, imagine how hard it is for children and teens! If your child suffers from alopecia this site offers support!

If you wish to donate to this cause, you will have only to wash and dry the hair and send int in one or more ponytails following the directions of your chosen company. Length requirements vary from 8 to 12 inches. Some companies take even permed hair, again, as long as it has no bleach. To sterilize your hair, a chemical is used and if your hair is bleached it will not be suited for that process and Matter of Trust is your best bet! Pick yours:

Locks of Love

Wigs for Kids

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

The gorgeous picture above is by awarded children photographer Jennifer Wilson. Check her blog, she rocks!

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RELAX! GOOD ENOUGH IS GOOD ENOUGH!

2010-06-25T12:14:00.001-05:00

Moms often try to be too much, too good, too perfect, all the time!

My life as a mom changed when I read "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee" and read a little phrase that forever stuck to me. I don't remember it exactly, but the way I memorized was that good enough is good enough. For a perfectionist and overachiever like me I need to remind myself constantly! My kids don't get to pre school on time everyday, they don't look awesome everyday and dinner doesn't taste delicious everyday... they don't eat a vegetable, a fruit, a carb, a healthy fat and a lean protein in every meal... I still try my best! But I do not stress as much now as I used to. I yell less if we are 10 or 15 minutes late. We are NOT perfect, but we ARE good enough!

Why is the picture above so beautiful? Well, while I am biased to talk about the model, my daughter, I know the beauty in this photo comes from her hair! Its not perfect, it's messy! but it's real! Real people are not perfect! And if her hair was beautifully arranged for the shot, it would not come out as good!

So...Relax! Be good enough! And be happy!

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SIMPLE BEAUTY TIPS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER

2010-06-24T14:51:00.001-05:00

BEAUTY IS NOT HOW YOU LOOK BUT HOW YOU FEEL, SO FIRST OF ALL FIND A REASON TO BE HAPPY!
Always shower with the coldest water you can handle. If it's Summer try cold or almost cold. You will be amazed how shinier your hair will be and how firmer your skin will get! Not to say you will feel more energetic! Cold water stimulates collagen and elastin production. What makes our skin lose elasticity is the slowing down on the production of these fiber, so tough up and get cold!
Still dry, dull hair? Apply a mixture of pure olive or almond oil throughout you hair and scalp and sleep on it with a shower cap. Next morning, wash it and see its shine!
The skin around your eyes is the thinnest in the body, you probably know. What's next? Your neck! Almost as thin as your eyes. So when you apply your facial products go down to your neck up to your chest. That includes your sunblock! You can now delay that pleaded chicken neck!
Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Your skin is made up off 14 layers. The top layer is dead and always shading while the ones bellow keep moving up to the surface while new cells are produced underneath. A newborn's skin is completely renewed every 24 hours, that is why it is SO smooth. Ours? Hum... about 1 day per year... so mine about 40 days, since I turn 40 in about a month! So exfoliation is the best way to remove the top layer, made up of dead cells to uncover the softer skin underneath. Now, most people make the mistake to use way too much friction when exfoliating. DON'T! Let the grains gently exfoliates the skin. Too much friction will "hurt" the newer skin and may cause more harm then good. (If you look in a microscope, over exfoliated skin looks rather rough, not smooth!). So, be gentle! If you break out after exfoliating, you are using too much pressure! The grains also have to be tiny like table sugar, not too course. Try my sugar scrub! The citric acid from the lemon in it, dissolve the "cement" that hold the cells together, the sugar than scrub the dead cells away!
Your body is your temple, YOU decide what you bring inside it. Be good and relax sometimes... that's not the same as relaxing and being good every once in a while!
The best way to get in a better shape is to start exercising if your are not or increasing your routine if you already do something. Length is more important then intensity. At least 25 minutes (30 to 45 is best). Your metabolism will kick only after 20 minutes and will keep higher for 36 hours. Set a doable goal. Trust me, starting is the only difficult part, after you start... you won't be able to stop! Try Yoga! No other exercise eliminates more toxins then that!
Drink a gallon of water a day! Okay... as much as you can. Eliminate those toxins!
No time for make up? Keep a mascara and lipstick in your purse. It's like magic!
Buy clothes the size you are, not the size you used to be or want to be. When people see you they don't know if the pants you wear are size 2 or 20 but they do notice if they are squeezing you not fitting you. Your clothes have to fit you not you fit your clothes!
Accessorize woman! Is a beautiful house with no decoration really beautiful? Just a simple necklace, earrings, a belt or a scarf, or even a nice watch will add some charm tpo your figure!
Dress up or wear hills sometimes... even our posture improves! And you won't look so awkward on hills if you have to attend a wedding!
Feel proud of your age at all ages! Not ashamed or sorry! If you feel sorry for you all the time, no one else will! People will think you are annoying!
Laugh everyday! Smile to strangers and see what you get back! Once I knew a person who said her mom taught her from a young age not to have too much facial expression because she would get expression wrinkles!!! How did she look? She was beautiful, still wrinkled, but looked very dull and sad...

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MY FAVORITE DISHES WITH LEFTOVER ROTISSERIE CHICKEN? #3

2010-05-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

INGREDIENTS: (amounts will vary depending on how much chicken you have)

Leftover Chicken shredded or cut into small pieces

1/4 cup of pineapple juice

1 tomato or 10 cherry tomatoes

1/2 Celery stalk cut into large pieces (1 if using the heart only)

1/2 Celery stalk diced

1 large carrot broken or cur into large pieces

1 large carrot diced

Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup raisins

Slices of toasted whole wheat bread

In a blender put the pineapple juice, tomatoes, large pieces of celery and carrot. Save the diced carrot and celery for later. Blend until texture is even. Add chicken little by little making sure you have some left. (You should obtain a paste). Add parmesan to thicken the paste as needed. Pour you patè into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining chicken, diced veggies, walnuts and raisins. Taste, add salt if needed. To give it a twist you can add cumin or curry or nutmeg. (they all go very well with this recipe but don't add all together!) Serve with the toasted bread and fresh fruit on the side or make lettuce wraps! I like to add arugula to the sandwich...Yummy!

To see other leftover rotisserie chicken go here.

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SACKS FIFTH 25% OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE!

2010-05-11T22:58:00.002-05:00

If your husband tells you you don't need to spend more money on clothes or shoes... tell you are actually saving him money! 25% to be more exact. This one you can't miss!

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WHAT TO DO WITH THE CORKS YOU SAVE

2010-05-10T06:24:00.003-05:00

To update my counter this spring I used this beautiful canister from Pottery Barn and fake white tulips I have had for a decade, but the stems needed coverage. The solution came to my mind when I found a bag of corks in my cupboard. Will it look nice? It did!

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BREAKFAST IN BED - WHO DOESN'T LIKE IT?

2010-05-09T15:23:00.001-05:00

If you are bringing breakfast in bed for anyone, put attention to the details. Please, no disposable plates! I was impressed by my dear husband and kids' choices! From the plate to the arrangement of the food. Beautiful & delicious! They really put their hearts into it. Literally! THANKS!

(Pictures taken with my brand new Nikon D5000! Thanks again!)

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS!

2010-05-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.

Jewish Proverb

HOW TO REMOVE THOSE WHITE HARD WATER STAINS

2010-05-08T01:11:00.001-05:00

The one change I did not like when I moved to Texas was the quality of water. If you have hard water where you live - and more than 85% of American homes do - you hate the white stains hard water leaves on any surface, right? The stains are caused by the excessive calcium and/or other minerals in the water. Well, forget about all those expensive products you buy! I have tried many and they don't really work. The solution is in your pantry and, besides cheap, it's green: vinegar and baking soda. Spray the vinegar (which is acidic) on the surface and let is sit for about 5 minutes. This step is important! The vinegar has to first soften the stain, be patient! Then, pour the backing soda on top of the vinegar and watch for some bubbling action! Wipe with a wet cloth or sponge, or for hard to reach corners, like around your faucet, scrub with and old tooth brush dipped in baking soda. Repeat until stain is gone or any time they come back. You will not believe it! Even the most stubborn stain will be gone!

In my house we buy at least, the 5 Pound bag of baking soda because we use it in so many different ways! It is amazing! It is not only cheaper but much healthier than chemical products! Want to find out what you can use baking soda for? Try one of the books bellow and have a healthy living!

Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun, and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of

Sodium Bicarbonate: Nature's Unique First Aid Remedy

Try it and leave me a comment if this has worked for you!

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THIS IS ANY MOTHER'S BEST FRIEND!

2010-05-07T22:31:00.001-05:00

If you your child is anywhere between 6 months and 10, this is a MUST in your kitchen. The only change is what type of food they drop!

Anyway, this is a portable, lightweight, rechargeable, stick cordless and bagless vacuum, with a detachable hand vacuum I keep in our breakfast area and we use it at least 5 times a day. We even use it to clean our family room rug when crumbles manage to get there! (When I ask my son what happen that there are so many cracker crumbles on the rug, he always tells me "I have no idea mom, the crumbles must have escaped from the bag!") This is the Electrolux Ergorapido, a must for a quick and easy sweep!

TIP: don't get tempted by cheaper versions. We did and ended up having to sell it at craigslist. It was just not powerful enough.

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MAY I SUGGEST A FEW MOTHERS' DAY GIFTS?

2010-05-06T02:10:00.002-05:00

I usually do not post personal pictures on this blog, but for mothers day I thought I had to... Me and my wonderful kids! Well, getting back to business, if you are going to "suggest" a gift to your husband here is a list of a few you can pick from. I am not suggesting flowers, chocolate or chocolate strawberries, cards or jewelry, as I am trying to be a little more creative. Although of course, we all like those too! Some are very expensive but other are free! Nowadays everyone is trying to keep cost low and in truth what really matter to us is to feel loved. So maybe all your kids or husband can do is do stuff for you like you do for them the rest of the year... Whatever you do or get, just be happy and that IS possible if you chose to be happy without carrying a mother flag for that one day! Remember this is not a day to get things done! Take the day to enjoy yourself!

A gift basket like above (a gardener's basket, fruit basket, baking, spa, wine and cheese, magazines/books, green mom, picture frames, essences, scrapbooking, etc)
No cooking, doing laundry or chores on Sunday or the whole weekend.
Breakfast in bed, take out for lunch (unless you like crowds) and eating out for dinner.

A massage or facial or both!
Gift certificates from your favorite stores.
Hubby going away with the kids the whole day while you relax doing whatever you like (in the jacuzzi, reading, chilling with a glass of wine, gardening, shopping, photographing, painting, or all the above!)

A jewelery box like the one above (I LOVE this one! If you have the box, you need to fill it up!)
A new bicycle, new running shoes, Yoga accessories or whatever your favorite sport is.
A camera or camcorder.

A key chain like above
A retreat trip (nature, spiritual, Yoga)
Anything personalized, like the suncatcher bellow.

Dinner for two!
Hubby taking your car to be serviced for an oil change, tire rotation and detailed car wash. Say goodbye to the cheerios that manage to survive under car seats!
A hot air balloon ride or tandem skydiving! Oh yeah!

A Panini Press like above.
A sawing machine.
A Breville Citrus Press or Juice Extractor like the one bellow

An Apple iPad. If hold it, you want it!
An outing to the zoo, the park or a town nearby you like to go for the day or weekend.
Fair Trade, Sustainable Wage, Handmade African Baskets like the one bellow.

A car!!! Why not? Don't you deserve it? ;-)

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THE MOTHERS DAY GIFT I WILL LOVE TO GET!

2010-05-05T22:15:00.009-05:00

I was at work the other day creating awesome mothers day gift baskets and a coworker asked me if my dear husband is good at giving gifts...

Well, when he wants he is!

Does he usually gives you anything for mothers day? (her husband doesn't "because she is not HIS mother!")

Well, this year, I didn't give him a chance! I texted him two weeks ago saying: "Mothers Day is May, 9th and I know what I want".

Is there any job on Earth harder then ours? Though the more gratifying, it is not only hard, but THE most important job! We are raising the future of this world!

I learned my lesson that Christmas when I told my husband "don't worry about me honey, I know we are spending a lot with gifts for the kids"... And he said OK we will not buy anything to one another. Of course I was just being nice and polite! I bought him 3 gifts, one from each child to give and one from me! OF COURSE THERE WAS NO BOX FOR ME! "But sweetie why did you say "no gifts?" BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD FOLLOW IT! Well it was the last time I said that! He is an awesome husband and honestly I don't need anything because he does let me buy whatever I want... and he may show up with a gift out of the blue, but he is just not good at celebrating dates!

Since last Mothers Day I laid in bed until 10am waiting for breakfast... I "the kids" may bring breakfast to my bed..."Honey, I let you sleep longer, so you could rest!" I WASN'T RESTING, I WAS STARVING! He DID made a delicious brunch though, bought gifts with beautiful wrapping paper with my favorite colors! Yeah! Impressive! Anyway, this year I already told him what I want! Besides the gift, breakfast in bed, take out for lunch AND dinner! I will "let" him spend the WHOLE day with the kids and I will do something I love! I will show you later!

Since photography is one of my passions, on the top of this page is the my gift: the Nikon D5000! Bellow are a few pictures of me five weeks before I became a mom for the first time and could get gifts for it! And at the bottom of the page, the pictures I was taking on those pictures if that makes sense!? Location is Cozumel, Mexico and "Yes" I traveled to Mexico 32 weeks pregnant! (and it was AWESOME!)

So, what are you going to get? If you have similar situation send a gift "suggestion". It works better right after you made your husband happy that night... You can also say, "I know it is difficult to pick something, so I can help you!" See, I got a lot smarter hum?

Read "MAY I SUGGEST?" for ideas of gifts from $0 to thou$ands!

Pictures by Daniela Cohen.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PROPERTY OF THE ARTIST AND ARE PROTECTED BY THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.

YOU MAY NOT COPY, PUBLISH, OR OTHERWISE USE ANY PHOTO WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DANIELA COHEN.
Copyright© 2010. All rights reserved.

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WATCH OUT FOR "MOVE OVER" LAW!

2010-05-04T21:45:00.044-05:00

Today I got one of those emails you just don't know it is through but I checked!

My email began by stating:

"New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you have to change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph. Every state except Hawaii and Maryland and the D.C. has this law. " It also said the law took effect January,01 2010 and I found a lot of testimonials on the net from people who were fined!

As it turns out here in Texas the law has taken effect since 2003! Here is a copy of the Law from the Texas Department of Public Safety website:

New Traffic Laws Take Effect

Driving-related legislation taking effect September 1, 2003:

SB 193 requires drivers nearing stopped emergency vehicles-with lights activated -to either slow down or change lanes.

The law states a driver must either vacate the lane closest to the stopped emergency vehicle if the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction or slow down 20 miles per hour below the speed limit. (If the speed limit is below 25 mph the driver must slow down to 5 mph.)

Emergency vehicles include police, emergency medical service and fire vehicles.

A violation is punishable by a maximum fine of $200. If the violation results in property damage, the maximum fine increases to $500. If the violation results in bodily injury, the offense is enhanced to a Class B misdemeanor.

So visit your local DPS website to find out what is going on in the state you are at. Fasten your seat belt and drive safely and please, NEVER drive your kids without their carseats!

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NEW KIDS JUICE, with veggies and less sugar!

2010-04-30T23:21:00.004-05:00

This new juice from Apple & Eve makes it easy to add more veggies to your bundle of joy! It is tasty, attractive and besides carrots (full of Beta-carotene, a Pro-Vitamin A, good for our eyes!), it has only 9 to 10g of sugar per box! That is at least half of other brands including the "100% fruit juice" ones! You should give it a try!

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TRADITIONAL BRAZILIAN PARTY CANDY, YUM!

2010-04-27T13:56:00.003-05:00

These are trademarks at kids birthday parties in Brazil: "brigadeiro" and "beijinho de côco" or chocolate candy balls and coconut kisses. All my friends know they are part of my parties! They are pretty easy to make, it just takes time to roll them, but the effect is worth the work. Besides they are amazingly delicious! Say goodbye to your diet!

Chocolate Balls (brigadeiro):

1 can of Nestlè condensed milk
4 tbsp unsweetened chocolate powder
1 tbsp unsalted butter + butter to roll the balls
chocolate sprinkles to coat

Coconut Kisses (beijinho de côco):

1 can of Nestlè condensed milk
100g coconut powder + some to coat the balls
1 tbsp unsalted butter + some to roll the balls
cloves

(Do not buy sweetened American coconut. You will need to use pure coconut, dry and powdered. If you have a Brazilian store nearby or a grocery store which offers Brazilian products on their Internationl isle you will can find it. Or you can find it at the Indian section at your supermarket too. In Texas we have Fiesta where I find mine at great part with Indian products.)

The preparation is the same for both:
In a sauce pan add the condensed milk and chocolate or coconut. Mix well BEFORE, then heat the pan at medium flame. When warm add the butter. Keep mixing until it starts to thicken. It will get more watery before it thickens. Don't stoop mixing and don't try to use high heat to speed up! It will burn the mixture! When it starts coming of the bottom of the pan, it's ready! Turn off the stove and place it on a buttered shallow pan (glass or metal) until it cools. Once it is completely cool, it is ready to be rolled.
This process is simple and easy, but it can get messy. It is WAY easier if you have two people. One to roll the balls and another to coat them. First open the paper or aluminum cups you will use to serve. (I am lucky enough to have someone bring to me the tiny cups above, I never found them here). Use the smallest cups you find. Place a thick layer of the coat (chocolate sprinkles or coconut powder) on a plate. Spread butter into hands and fingers and roll the balls into your palms in circular motion. Then coat with the coconut or sprinkles. If you don't have a helper, make a few then coat them, wash your hand and start again. A helper will save you the constant hand washing! You can use color sprinkles too, like I did above. For the coconut kiss, decorate with a clove in the middle, but remove it to eat.

(The size of the balls and quantity of them will depend on the size of cups you find, thus the size of balls you are making. For mini cupcakes paper cups, you will get about 30 chocolate or 4o coconut balls for each recipe.) If baking for a bigger party, you can double or triple the recipe with no change on the results.

TIPS: If you do not like chocolate or coconut (some people ARE crazy!) you can do a white ball just with the condensed milk. If you LOVE both, try coating the chocolate balls on coconut! Yum! For a themed party use colored sugar to match the theme!
These recipes can be made up to 10 days to 2 weeks in advance. Freeze the rolled balls into a container and place them on the cups the day before the party. If baking up to a week before, just keep it refrigerated.

Bom Apetite!

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JUMBO CUPCAKE, a show of rainbow colors!

2010-04-26T20:12:00.001-05:00

For my daughter's rainbow birthday party I made small cupcakes for the kids and a jumbo rainbow cupcake to sing the happy birthday and served that to the adults. The cake was beautiful to decorate the table of treats but specially colorful when cut open! It is said that people eat with their eyes... I don't know, but for the first time we had no leftover from the kids' birthday cake!

I used a white cake mix (because I had made from scratch a lot of other treats) but you can use any white cake recipe. Do not use whole wheat flower or yellow cake mix, because the colors are never going to be right. Divide the cake dough in six equal parts and color using food or frosting coloring to make purple (blue +red), blue, green (blue + yellow), yellow, orange (yellow + red) and red. Layer on a jumbo cake pan (I bought it at Walmart) starting from purple and going up to red. Follow the usual instructions of your recipe for baking. You will do the same with the frosting to top after cooked. Take a look at my post on the small cupcakes with rainbow frosting. (I colored extra frosting when baking those to cover this cake). Start applying the frosting from the top (inside) and move outwards. I am not a super baker, so I didn't achieve the perfection I would like but to be honest it didn't matter! The colors do the trick for an attractive cake anyway! I recommend placing cake on a white cake stand or decorating with white marshmallows around the cake if you do not have a white stand or serving plate. (the contrast is better and if using the marshmallows they will look like clouds!). This same technique can be used for smaller cupcakes. Enjoy!

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PARTY CUPCAKES WITH RAINBOW FROSTING

2010-04-25T18:16:00.012-05:00

Since I had so much to do for my girl's party, I decided to use a ready cake mix for these cupcakes served to the kids. I used Funfetti from Pillsbury but any cake will do since the colorful detail is the frosting anyway. Simply separate any frosting you decide to use in six equal parts (bellow) and color them, if using store bought, the 50% less sugar is best. TIP: making the cupcakes was easy, the presentation was awesome and it cost me a fraction of ordering a cake! For the adults I made a Jumbo Cupcake with colored dough!

TIP: Look for frosting color at a craft supply store as they usually have a bigger variety of color. Or simply use food coloring as such: purple (blue and red), green (yellow and blue), and orange (red and yellow). Top with colored sprinkles and arrange on a neutral color platter or tray! Voilà! It looks like the kids liked them...

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MAKE A RAINBOW PARTY - FUN & COLORFUL!

2010-04-24T23:05:00.014-05:00

Somewhere over the rainbow a little girl turned 3!

The party was simply beautiful! This is a gender neutral theme you can use for any age. All the food served was colorful and I had a table of treats (above) to die for! Since the party was outdoors, I placed rainbow colored pinwheels around the yard, planted colorful flowers on a large pot a month in advance so the pot looked more mature for the party (bellow) and even decorated with wind chimes and outdoor decor following the theme.

Here is what was served: veggie platters (broccoli, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, carrots, yellow squash and petit cucumber), fruit trays (black grapes, strawberry, papaya, mango, green grapes, blueberry, oranges, grapefruit and kiwi), avocado, blue corn and yellow corn tortilla chips, butter popcorn, rainbow goldfish and fruit loops. Unfortunately there are no pictures of them. ;(

We decided to buy an inflatable bouncer instead of renting one and it was great! We paid almost the same and the kids have been using it a LOT! But since it was a little smaller then the ones we use to rent I bought a "paint your own" pin wheel (it is VERY windy in Texas in April) at Oriental Trading Co. So I set a few cans with markers for the kids to draw, but I wasn't sure kids would be interested. It turns out it was a huge success! Kids really enjoyed!

I paid attention to every detail... To sing happy birthday, instead of the traditional hat, I opted to each guest a rainbow lei, displayed in a glass canister before given out (bellow). Bows of a rainbow ribbon (found at Hobby Lobby) added a little charm here and there.

But the table of sweets was the hit! I am not sure if it was because of the decoration or the delicious treats! That is why I will be posting recipes and detailed pictures of all the sweets this coming week! So you will need to check for: the butterfly goody bags, Brazilian Chocolate Balls (Brigadeiro), Brazilian Coconut Kisses (Beijinho de Coco), Soft Mary (Maria Mole), Rainbow Jumbo Cupcake, Confetti Cupcakes with Rainbow Frosting! Yumm! We we still had Rainbow Layered M&Ms, Jelly Beans Jar and Lollipops!

I could not have done it without the help of my family who was visiting from Brazil and the wonderful work of my friends from idea studio, who made the personalized invitation, labels and thank you notes! Thanks for coming!

Besides the butterfly bag each guest received a bag with a tag saying "thanks for coming!" (above) with little toys all with the rainbow colors, but I found the rainbow crayon at OTC.

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Butterfly Goddy Bag - Simple, Affordable & Cute!

2010-04-23T00:56:00.006-05:00

Besides this is a very affordable idea! Simply fill a snack size ziplock bag with goodies. Paint wood clothespins in any color you desire and make a little face on the top. If you want you can use pipe cleaners for antennas. Clip bag in the middle of bag and voilà! You can arrange the butterflies on a tray or platter, or place them directly on the table. For my daughter's rainbow themed party I painted the wood pins in rainbow colors and arranged them all around the table of treats. It was adorable!

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LITTLE PIECES OF EARTH - MY EYES' WINDOW

2010-04-22T23:47:00.007-05:00

Planting trees is a nice way of celebrating Earth Day. Today I planted four. But taking pictures of the delicate and grand beauties Mother Nature has given us is also a pleasant way of showing Love to our Planet. Here are a few of the ones I took when I found a beautiful piece of Earth along my way.

ALL PICTURES TAKEN BY DANIELA COHEN.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PROPERTY OF THE ARTIST AND ARE PROTECTED BY THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.

YOU MAY NOT COPY, PUBLISH, OR OTHERWISE USE ANY PHOTO WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DANIELA COHEN.

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Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, near San Antonio, TX

2010-04-21T22:01:00.003-05:00

Living in the ever growing Houston area? If your kids love animals and a trip to the zoo, you must take them to this safari in the Texas Hill Country. It is located between San Antonio and New Braunfels, two nice cities to visit as well. Natural Bridge and Wildlife Ranch is open 362 days a year and has the safari, a petting zoo, a learning center and some other animals, but the highlight is the safari per say. You drive your car among the animals on a 4 mile loop and then you park to see the rest. We spent over one hour on the safari only. There are about 500 animals representing 40 different species. At the gate you will be offered a CD which will "guide" you. We didn't like it much, as our pace was different from that of the CD, besides we were so excited by all these beautiful different faces coming to eat out of our hands that we didn't want to pay attention to the CD (they recommend throwing the food on the ground, but yes we broke the rule and we loved it!). I do recommend the book though because it explains all the animals they have. You get some food to feed the animals included with your admission, but you have the option to buy more if you want. There is a "grill restaurant" but it actually has snacks and a lot of unhealthy choices (everything is fried!). I recommend you bring your lunch if you prefer to eat healthy. They do have a coupon for the restaurant on their website. If you are staying at a hotel in the area, you can find coupons on area maps or brochures.

I had never seen so many different types of deer and antelope (like the one above), cattle, bison, ostriches, zebras and many others! The animals look really healthy and are quite friendly. They will come to your windows to eat because they know you have food! We were crazy enough to feed even the bison from our hands (I had never seen one up close, they are HUGE!), but again this is not the recommendation... we are just a weird family that would go to any zoo before going to an amusement park! So ... we , had to know who had a soft or rough thong, who had a pale pink or black mouth...
Get the camera ready before you start and if you have a sunroof you will be able to get awesome shots from the top! If you can make a video you may get lucky and get the nosy zebra below! Have fun!

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The Art of Botanical Arranging - FREE class at Pottery Barn

2010-04-19T21:26:00.003-05:00

Don't know what to do after church next Sunday? Need an excuse to have a nice brunch and spend time with a girlfriend? Need to brighten up your room to welcome the warm season? My favorite spring change in the house is bringing new flowers and botanicals indoors, with real and "I can't believe is not real" plants, and gardening outdoors!

Pottery Barn has free decorating classes every month! The next theme is flower and botanical arrangement. Classes will be held the next two Sundays, April 25th and May 2nd. You can bring a vase and flowers and they will show you how to arrange them. Click here to RSVP to your local store.

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LATEST BABY & CHILD RECALLS - APRIL 2010

2010-04-18T21:31:00.014-05:00

It is hard to keep up with all recalls, isn't it? Latest there have been literally milloins of them! Did you know more than 2 million cribs have been recalled recently? How about 1 million baby slings recalled after infant deaths? Strollers recalled for finger or fingertip amputation include well known brands like Graco and Britax! In fact the most recent recalls include from toys, furniture, pacifier clips and clothing to Children's Tylenol and Motrin!

The good news is you can find the list of recalls with all information you want to know here.

Please, send a link of this article to your friends. It is better to be safe than sorry!

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