Instagram Account Deleted! :(

Hey there lovelies! I sit here typing this post, pretty much distraught. This afternoon I went to post a picture and I was prompted to sign back into Instagram, which never happens. When I signed in, it said that my account had been disabled due to a “violation of terms and conditions.” I panicked immediately of course! I have done nothing that violates the terms and conditions. I even went and read through them just to be sure! I assumed I had been hacked and spent the better part of the evening texting a few friends and crying over this. Come to find out later this evening that this did not only happen to me and has happened to a lot of people and their accounts have been deleted. One of the rumors is that they deleted people who do not use the Instagram camera…I pretty much ONLY use the Instagram camera so that rumor must be false. As of now, there has been no response from Instagram. I look forward to hearing what they have to say on this and hope they plan to reinstate all of our accounts. I love Instagram to post pictures of the little presidents and our life and to follow other peeps, but I also use it as the main way I run my business. My sole business comes from Instagram , which I love.  What’s even more upsetting is that it happened today. The day I launched my new blog. The day that I have been working so hard to get to and now, before everyone could even have a chance to see the new blog, my account has been deleted and doesn’t exist. I have submitted the forms to Instagram regarding this, but I honestly have no idea how long it will take to get the situation remedied or if it will be remedied, which makes me even more sad. I have met some amazing people through Instagram. I have made friends, I have gained business, I have learned lot of new things and lessons. We always says it’s an “insta family” and that’s so true. I am hoping that Instagram will reinstate my “littlepresidents” account as well as the mass amount of other accounts that I have heard were deleted! I have had that account for over a year now and I have over 1500 pictures that are meaningful to me and over 1500 followers that are meaningful as well. I’m hoping we wake up tomorrow with a solution to what I am assuming is a mass glitch, but if not, please know that I will create a new Insta name and be back soon. I will be so bummed to lose the “littlepresidents” handle though.  The name alone is so meaningful to me. I will tell you that all of you who have emailed and text me mean so much to me. This has been so upsetting and I am so glad to know you all have my back! For now, please feel free to follow me at our new blog and hopefully I will be back on Instagram soon…with my old user name or a new one!

xoxo,
Ashley 

We Moved!

The Little Presidents and I packed our bags and headed over to www.fancyashley.com 
 Come follow us over there on our fancy new and so improved bloggity blog! See ya over there!

Fancy Mother's Day Wish List~

Happy Wednesday lovelies! Hope you had a fabulous weekend and are having a great week! It's been a bit hectic here...Can you believe it's already May?! I can't! Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday! Craziness! Since it's a day dedicated to mamas, I decided to come up with my own, fancy Mother's Day wish list! There is lots of glitter, sequins and pink in between sippy cups of milk and diaper changes around our house! :) Here are a few fabulous and fancy items that I would LOVE to receive as a gift! :) I'm also secretly hoping that the Tedster made me some piece of crafty amazingness at school! :) I will see on Friday! 

1. Miu Miu Glitter Sunnies ~They are glitter sunnies! Need I say more?!

2. Kate Spade Confetti Statement Necklace ~A fab statement necklace and even better, it looks like confetti!

3. Daiquiri Wallet ~I love zipper wallets! This is so fun!

4. Felix Weekender Duffle ~I need this for a fabulous weekend trip!

5. J.Crew Lillian Glitter Low Wedges ~These remind me of my Target glitter flats but with a wedge and extra glitter! Woohoo! These will def be added to my shoe collection!

6. Confetti Paper Placemats Pad ~ I love this idea of using disposable placemats. We rarely use placemats because they always seem to be in the wash! The gold confetti on these are so fun and fancy and you can toss them after you use them!

7. Baggu Leather Bag ~this bag has been on my wish list since Christmas! LOVE!!!

8. J.Crew Havana Clutch ~This bright pink clutch is thebomb.com/FABULOUS! 

9. J.Crew Color Mix Statement Necklace ~This has been on my wish list for a bit, as well! LOVE it so much! Perfect Statement piece with all my fav colors!

10. TenThings Gold Beaded Tassel Bracelet ~These are so adorable! I love them! Perfect addition to my daily arm party!

Have an amazing day! Just a couple more days until the weekend! Woohoo! Tell me, what's on your mama's day wish list?!

Surprise Sparkle Friday Winners and Greek Stuffed Peppers Recipe!

Hey there lovelies! Happy Thursday! Are you so excited that it's almost the weekend?! I am!!! Cinco de Mayo is happening! Chips, Guac, Margs, here I come! Just a couple more days and we can breathe a weekend sigh of relief!

The winners of my Surprise Sparkle Friday Giveaway, who win the FAB gold straws from 

 Baker's Bling are:

 Miss Mia! So excited for you to use these to celebrate graduation! Way to go!!!

&

Lindsay Daniel! So fun for a bridal shower brunch! 

Will both of you lovely ladies please email me at ash@littlepresidentsdesign.com with your mailing addresses! These will ship out on Friday am! Woohoo!

Side note: I loved reading all the ways that you all would use the fab straws!!! I wish everyone could win! So fun!

Onto a delish and simple and healthy recipe! 

This recipe has been floating around Pinterest and I have been meaning to try it for awhile now! I modified the original recipe a tiny bit and here are my ingredients. To see the original recipe, you can click the link above!

I had a tiny hiccup while prepping these. Ha! 

Slow-Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers 

• 4 large bell peppers (I used a color mix) 
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup crumbled fat free feta (4 ounces) (I would add an extra 1/2-1 cup next time)
• Trader Joe's Brown Rice, Red Rice and Black Barley mix (I used 2 bags) 
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• {I think I would add fresh basil next time as well}

{they're not pretty but they taste delish!}

Directions

1. Slice a very thin layer from the base of each bell pepper so they sit flat (I didn't do this and they were fine) Slice off tops just below stem. Discard stems; chop tops, and place in a medium bowl. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers.
2. Add beans, feta, rice/barely mix, scallions, garlic salt, and oregano in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Stuff peppers with the mixture; place upright in slow cooker. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours
   That's it! So simple and really yummy! My buddy did an awesome spin on these back in March and brought me one for dinner (yay!) and they were so delish!!!! I planned to add zucchini like she did but realized I didn't have one while I was prepping! Oh well! We were discussing the fact, that there are so many possibilities with this recipe and so many ways to modify it! I have an Italian recipe that I'm going to attempt next week and I am already excited for it! Will post the recipe for sure!
   Have a happy Thursday!!! Two more days till the weekend! Get the cocktails ready! 
   xoxo,
   Ashley

Sparkle Friday and a SURPRISE SPARKLE FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Hey Lovelies!!! It's FRIDAY!!!!! Woohoo!!! I can't tell you how much your comments and messages to me regarding my "On God's Perfect Timing" post mean to me! I love to hear your stories! It is amazing how much we can all relate to each other in some ways and how much we can encourage each other as well!

This week has been crazy here! Lots of late night working in the craft suite for moi, Reagan stuck a rock up her nose (really?!!! I'm still not over it! She is a nut!), Teddy is having bad dreams and up a bunch at night, my neighbors are ridic...It is so glamorous here!! Ha!!! I am so excited that I shipped out the giveaway winners' prizes! Yay! I can't wait to hear that you all received your goodies!

Also, this has been an extra extra sparkly week in the presidential house! I have been making lots of glitter wineglasses! Yay! I will be doing a flash sale next week to sell them, finally! If you don't want to wait to purchase, you can comment here or email me and you can buy early! Fab champagne glasses will be joining the wineglasses and all will be sold in sets of 4! Are you so excited?!! I am!

So, onto a few sparkle items that I am loving this week!

I finally took the plunge and added the neon pink Kate Spade studs to my life! I love them almost as much as the clear! :) I feel like I might need to add more colors to my collection too! So fun! I sent a surprise little happy in turquoise to someone earlier this week! That's a great color as well and I can't wait for her to get them!!!!!

This Foiled Dot Napkin Set from Anthropologie is amazing! I use them as placemats as well! My BFF gave them to me. Does she know me well or what?! Anywho, I ordered 6 more sets! They are on sale! Hello!! Perfect for gifts, etc! I could see these paired with a 4 pack of Sofia and paper straws as a hostess gift or birthday gift!!! LOVE!

 While I was making wineglasses this week, I made a few glitter vases! I am obsessed with how they turned out! This rose is from my fav bush in our yard! It smells amazing and of course,
it's my fav color!

I recently found this fab Etsy shop, Baker's Bling! I have been searching for gold paper straws for awhile now! Oh, how I love a paper straw!!! They have gold and silver straws (and any other color you could imagine!!!!!!)! They are FAB-U-LOUS and I love them! What better way to bring bling to your everyday life than by using a blingtastic paper straw!

Pair these straws with a Sofia or one of my hubs' Mojitos and one of the sparkly Anthro napkins
and you are totally set for a fab and fun cocktail hour!

Now for the Sparkle Friday SURPRISE!!!! 

I am giving away 2 sets of 50 of these FAB straws from Baker's Bling!!!!!! They will be a mix of GOLD stripe and chevron! Are you sooooo excited?!!!! YAY!!!! I am so excited for you!!!!

So, the deets, my dears! Same as last time! If you follow my blog, that's one entry! If you follow me on Insta (littlepresidents), that's another entry! If you post about the giveaway and tag @littlepresidents and #littlepresidents on Insta, that's another entry! Please comment on this post and let me know if you did one, two or all three! You must comment on this post with that info! I would also love to know in your comments, what you will use these fab straws for, if you win! The giveaway will end at midnight on April 30th! It's a short one, so be sure to enter right away! I hope you have a blessed weekend and that it's filled with lots of love, sparkle and happiness!

xoxo,

Ashley

On God's Perfect Timing

Happy Monday lovelies! This post was supposed to go up Friday but I forgot to publish before I headed out of town! Ha! Sparkle Friday will be happening each Friday from now on, but I decided to work on this post, since we just celebrated our five year wedding anniversary, and I wanted to talk about God's perfect timing. So much happened last week that has caused me to reflect on this even more than I have been lately. The tragic events in Boston and now, the tragic event in West Texas. It's so hard to comprehend the bad things that happen, but at the same time, I try to remember that everything happens for a reason. Jesus Calling has been spot on, as always, this week. I feel so blessed to have this daily devotion in my life. Honestly, I feel like so much was missing before I was told about it. The devotion from April 16th has really had an impact on me. I have read and reread it numerous times. I posted it on Insta and it seems to have made an impact on so many others' as well which I love.

This is the devotion from Jesus Calling, April 16th: 

I am calling you to a life of thankfulness. I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with My glorified presence. 

When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I am mismanaging things. But you don't know what I know or see what I see. If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view the heavenly realms, you would understand much more. However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight. I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world. Acknowledge my sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances. 

Pretty darn powerful, right? It has totally made me think of so much, this week. Because of our anniversary, I have been thinking a lot about my life and the past ten years. If you would have told me ten years ago that I would be married with two children (and finished having children at that) before I was 30, I would have been shocked. I can still remember graduating from college and thinking "okay...what now? Where do I go from here?" That's the part that no one tells you about. You graduate and then you have to figure it all out! I decided I was burnt out from my major (television production and broadcast journalism) and wanted to do something else. I had no idea what... I took a huge leap one day and decided I was moving back to Houston and left a week later. No job and I found an apartment online.  So random, yet so neat at the same time. I moved a lot as a kid and honestly I have no fear of moving. I enjoy it and like going somewhere new. I struggle to stay someplace longer than a few years! Ha! Always ready for a new adventure! Anywho, I got a job selling advertising after I moved there. I loved it and saw myself going so far with that company. I thought I was meant to be career driven for awhile and was not looking to be in a relationship. Then, I was set up with my now hubs. Life happens when you are busy making plans, right?! We ended up falling in love (duh!) and getting engaged and then married...all within about a year and a half's time. We had kinda gone back and forth about when we would/should start having babes. My hubs is a tad older, so we figured, a couple years, max was the plan, but obviously if it happened sooner, we were totally ready! Well, low and behold, one month after getting married, I found out I was prego with Teddy. Such a blessing. I couldn't imagine our life any different. We knew we wanted babes pretty close together, so Reagan came 2.5 years later. We had planned that after two, we would be finished and that was pretty much set...but, I always thought we could possibly have another down the line, somehow. Then I had a yearly ob visit which changed everything. This made me think of God's timing so much. Through all my worry and stress up until my surgery, I couldn't help but think "I have TWO healthy, beautiful and perfect children." Everything happened for a reason. Teddy, Reagan. They both came exactly when they were supposed to. I couldn't be more thankful and blessed with God's timing when thinking about them. I always say they are the best thing I have ever done and it couldn't be more true. I guess where I am going with this is, I feel like God's timing is always perfect. In time it all seems to make sense. I thought I would never find a husband...I mean, I know some single ladies can relate! Then, he just kind of dropped into my life and just like that, everything changed. We have been through a lot together. I could not imagine spending my life with anyone else. It is true that we were meant for each other. Five years of marriage has flown by! So much has happened, good, bad, amazing, tragic. We've weathered it together. I couldn't be more blessed with who God chose for me and even more so, who God chose to be Teddy and Reagan's father. We are all very blessed and lucky that he is ours. This devotion has made me think though of how much I complain on a regular basis. Lets face it, with two toddlers, some weeks are better than others. Ha! It's always a nice reminder to know that HE is looking out for us and has our lives all planned out. I look back on so may parts of my life where I have questioned and wondered why things were happening or weren't happening and reading this devotional from April 16 (and really most days) reminds me to have hope in His timing because it's always perfect. I'm so thankful and so blessed. 

Feeling very blessed to have had a great weekend reconnecting with my hubs. It's so nice and necessary to be able to have these weekends every once in awhile. Hope you have a very happy Monday!

xoxo,
Ashley

Orzo Salad with Feta, Mint and Green Onions...OH MY!

Hey there lovelies! Happy Wednesday! It's almost the weekend! The hubs and I are celebrating 5 years of wedded bliss this weekend! Woohoo!!! So, today I have one of my most fav recipes to share with you! I planned to write this post about a year ago and never got around to it! Ha! Finally, the wait is over, it's here, in all it's glory! This recipe comes from one of my favorite restaurants ever, Julienne in San Marino, California (the town where Father of the Bride was filmed and takes place and one of the houses from The Holiday is there~our friends live there!)! I LOVE this restaurant so much! Anytime, I go to visit my fam, I have to hit it up! We ate there the day of our rehearsal dinner and even had them cater Reagan's Baptism. :) They came out with a cookbook and while it doesn't have all my favorite recipes, it does have a few key and delish recipes that I believe, are life changing! The one that I am going to share is my fav from the cookbook. Seriously so delish and add a glass of Sav Blanc or Pinot Grigio and you'll be in heaven. Perfect for a spring or summer day. You can serve this as a side and pair it with anything really, they suggest lamb. We eat it as a meal in itself, most of the time! If you ever get to that area, you must try this restaurant! Their chilaquiles are pretty much the best thing you'll ever eat, along with their chicken tarragon salad on their amazing rosemary currant bread! YUMMMMMMMM!!!! Really, you can't go wrong with anything you order!

It seems like a lot of bell peppers! I doubled the recipe once! Now, that was a lot of peppers!

I can justify 12 ounces of Feta because it's fat free. ;) But, if I'm being honest, I can justify any amount of Feta, at any time!

 

Now for the amazing recipe!

Orzo Salad with Feta, Mint and Green Onions (serves 8-10)

1 pound orzo

3 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch dice

3 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch dice (I use orange peppers as well...more color!)

4 garlic cloves, minced. (I use a tablespoon of minced garlic...this stuff makes my hectic life a tad easier. It's the small things.)

1/2 cup olive oil (divided)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 green onions, minced

12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cook the orzo in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring frequenctly to prevent sticking, about 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a baking sheet to cool completely.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Toss the peppers and garlic in a large roasting pan with 1/4 cup of the olive oil to coat (I wear kitchen gloves and mix this up with my hands...works best in my opinion). Season with salt and black pepper. Broil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly blistered, about 20 minutes. 

Combine the cooked orzo, broiled peppers, green onions, feta cheese, mint and pine nuts in a large bowl. Toss the salad with lemon juice and enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil to moisten thoroughly. Season the salad to taste with salt and black pepper.

*You can make this salad 1 day ahead, then cover and refrigerate it. Serve cold or at room temp. I like cold best, but both are delish. I usually let sit at least an hour in the fridge before we eat. Makes a great leftover lunch as well!

Some advice from moi? You should make this recipe this weekend! You will not be disappointed! Add some vino and make it ever better! Hope you had a fabulous day! Friday is coming! Get excited!

xoxo,

Ashley

Anniversary Fabulous Favorite Things WINNERS!!!!!! Woohoo!!!

Hey there lovelies! Happy Sunday night! I seriously had so much fun with this giveaway!! I never win anything myself, so I am thrilled for those of you who won! And for those of you who didn't win, don't fret...I have a few more giveaways up my sleeve...

 So, without further ado, the winners!

First up is Hey Kat! You win a FABULOUS set of glitter wineglasses! So excited for you! These are so awesome and bring much needed sparkle to daily life!

Next up is Cami! You win the fabulous Sugar lip treatment by fresh! If you have not tried this yet, I promise that you will LOVE it! 

Last, but certainly not least is The Balogh Bunch! You win a pink monogrammed tote bag! Hope you love this tote as much as we love them in our house! Please be sure to email me with your mono and what color thread you would like! Neon green or turquoise are my fav on the pink! Also, I will be doing an Insta flash sale with these fab totes in the next couple of weeks, so, if you didn't win but are dying for one, get excited for that!

Winners, please email me at ash@littlepresidentsdesign.com! 

Thank YOU ALL SOOOOO much for participating in my FIRST (of many) blog giveaway! I enjoyed it so much and hope you did as well! More to come in the giveaway department for sure!!! Also, thank you so much for the kind comments on that post about moi and the kiddos. They mean so much and I feel so blessed to have such a great group of people following me and our daily adventures! :) 

Hope you all have a happy and blessed week and thanks again for playing!

xoxo,

Ashley 

Sparkle Friday!!!!!!

Hey there lovelies! Happy Friday! I have had what seems like, the longest week ever. I needed some happy, sparkly things to take my mind off it, so that is how this post came about! It's no surprise to most of you that I am in love with glitter and sequins and beautiful shiny things! :) There are a few glitter/sequin items that I have and love and few that are on my precious wish list for my upcoming birthday... in August, but still, it's coming! Ha! I always say "sequins are always appropriate!" Same goes for glitter! Glitter is always appropriate and fun way to incorporate sparkle to any outfit!

I am OBSESSED with these pencils! The statement is so true to me! I can't wait to get these! I have a fun little idea that I am going to try, to display them! :)  Possibly a DIY on that...if it works out! Ha!

I am in LOVE with these glitter sandals from Target! I will say it again, Target and Old Navy have both really stepped up their game this year! I am very impressed and thrilled with both! These sandals are seriously the most comfy sandal ever! I love them! I am kind of kicking myself for not buying two pair! You cannot beat this price! I've had several women stop me and ask where I bought them and they are shocked when I say Target! Ha!

I have a huge love affair with sequin shorts! I seriously love them! I wore a pair when we were in Vegas this fall and they were so fun! Randomly enough, the pair that I bought (without trying on...I despise trying on in stores!) and wore were from Forever 21. They don't seem to have the gold ones that I wore...but here is a pic of me goofing off in the hotel room before we headed out! I loved them in gold! Honestly, you could dress these up like I did or dress them down. I plan to wear them this summer dressed down as well! I have a few ideas up my sleeve for that! :)

A wish list item that I think I would buy immediately if they had in my size! This FAB sequin sweatshirt that Juliette Barnes wore on Nashville a few months ago! They were sold out in my size. I recently found this beauty that is on it's way to me. It has taken awhile to find something that looked enough like the one from the show! So excited for it to get here! It'll be fab with skinnies in any color and shorts!!!! Woohoo!

Next up is this sequin anchor tank. I was loving it last summer when it was in regular stores and almost bought it for our family pictures last summer and now it's in the factory store. I'm surprised that it's taken me so lung to buy it! Haha! It mixes two of my favs~anchors and sequins! LOVE!

I have discussed these bags before, but my love for them continues. I use ALL the time! I actually bought a hot pink glitter circular version from Target in the girls' section for $2.98 a few months ago as well! I usually walk through that section and see if there is anything I love. I have scored a couple awesome skirts and some pants there! This mint version is on my wish list! I use my gold one all the time! Perfect for going out! 

I love this little purse as well, but it's not very practical...I don't think you could fit a phone and a lipstick! That would be a problem for moi! 

I'm sure you've seen me sporting this piece! I am obsessed with a good statement necklace! I love it! Very versatile and fabulous! 

I am OBSESSED with these HUGE crystal and gold Kate Spade studs! I love them and wear them every single day...they even make running errands and going to the gym, fabulous. They have a pair of hot pink that are on my wish list! Love them! 

Time for a SUPER wish list item! These Miu Miu glitter sunnies are seriously amazing! They come in three colors! I want them all!!!!!!! PINK AND GOLD are my fav! I seriously have to have these! I sent the link to my hubs! Ha! 

And of course, I have to add my glitter wineglasses. :) If you are interested in purchasing, you can let me know in the comments. :)

DON'T FORGET to Enter my FAB GIVEAWAY! Today is the last day to enter! Cheers to a fabulous and sparkly and blessed weekend! Winners of the fab fav giveaway will be announced on Monday! 

xoxo,

Ashley 

40 Gifts for 40

Well, 2013 is the year of big birthdays in the presidential house! My hubs turned 40 last week and I have a big birthday coming up in August! Wow! Time is flying! My hubs hardly buys anything for himself. He is very content. Really a great way to be. I wanted to do something really special for him because you only turn 40 once! So, I decided that I was going to give him 40 gifts. Sounds crazy, right? But, seriously so fun! Believe me, it took me awhile to come up with the list! Now, if he were to do this for me, he could go on Pinterest and easily find 30 things I would love! It's harder to think of gifts for someone, who wants and needs for nothing! Some items are used more than once. I would say this is necessary so you don't go overboard in the spending department. Items like chapstick, gum, mints are great filler items and they are low cost. He was sooooooo surprised when he got home this week (traveling for work)! He walked in and couldn't believe it! He kept saying "wow!"The Little Presidents and I had a little party for him Friday night. Then we went out with our best couple friends for a hilarious and fun filled evening on Saturday! I really think my hubs had a fabulous 40th birthday! :)

So anywho, I figured a lot of people would love this idea and would want to replicate it, but might need some ideas on what to buy. I think this will be a tradition that happens in our house for every birthday ending in a zero or a five. Plus, 13, 16, 18 and 21! All the big birthdays! Because I have been planning this for so long, I have more than 40 items on the list! There are some big ticket items but also a lot of lower cost items to balance it out. You can easily spend very little doing this or you can wayyyyy over spend! Ha! The idea is to give fun stuff but also items that people can use/need. Teddy had an idea to give Sean a matchbox car, so that was a fun way of involving him! You could easily involve your kids and have each child pick out one or two items to add to the list! I might go through and add to the list as I think of more items, as well. I think of new things each day, to add! I could make a list for a woman in no time, just by going through my own wish list! Ha! I think I will post that list next week maybe...you can forward that post to your hubbies! Ha! So, without further ado...my 40 for 40 list (really 50 items)...

40 for 40 (Plus more)
1. Yard Gloves~My hubs LOVES working in the yard and these are always handy to have around since he goes through them like crazy. I randomly found a package of 6 pair at Costco. I figured I could use each pair as a gift if necessary.

2. Tito's Vodka. This is our fav vodka and we always have it around.

3. Diet tonic water cans for the vodka. Again, we always have this around, but fun to give with the vodka since one of his cocktails is vodka tonic.

4. 1 pound box of all his favorite See's candies. He loves chocolate. Who doesn't?

5. Old Time Candy. I ordered him candy that he used to love as a kid. You can buy it by the year from this website. Seriously so much fun and really a great idea for anyone turning a big number. He was so excited to get this gift!

6. Ronald Reagan book. It's no surprise we love Ronald Reagan...that's who Reagan is named after, of course.

7. "This is 40" dvd. We loved this movie. HYSTERICAL!

8. Sunglasses.  He desperately needed hipper glasses. His are at least 7 years old and are cracked. He says they are fine. I beg to differ. This was the first thing on the list. I went with Ray Ban Wayfarers. You really can't go wrong with this classic pair of glasses and they look good on almost any shape face.

9. The Power of the Praying Parent book. We have the husband and wife version. Seemed like a great idea to get the child version.

10. Gum. Everyone can use gum. It's a good filler item.

11. 2 Burt's Bees chapsticks. Again, you could use these as separate gifts if necessary.

12. Leather J.Crew iPhone 5 case.

13. Kiehl's Men's Soap

14. Kiehl's Facial Fuel Face Wash

15. Kiehl's Facial Fuel Lotion

16. Kiehl's Facial Fuel Lotion with SPF 15

17. Kiehl's Shave Cream

18. Kiehl's Hand Salve

19.Kiehl's Dry Foot Cream

20. Dress Socks/regular socks

21. boxers and boxer briefs

22. Polo Shirt

23. PJ Pants

24. Undershirts

25. Onion Goggles...hilarious and useful.

26. Rainbow Sandals

27. Matchbox car (Teddy had this picked out and wrapped for weeks! His own idea!)

28. Anti-Aging samples from Kiehl's. Hahaha! Fitting for turning 40, I think!

29. Love letter May Book that I had made, to write little love notes in and leave it around for him. Stash in his suitcase, briefcase, that kind of thing. I wrote love letter inside to explain the premise. Pretty excited about this one! I love May Books! They are great!

30. Workout Shirt

31. Workout Shorts

32. 20 pound Kettle Bell

33. Belt

34. Cologne

35. Pedicure gift card

36. Massage gift card

37. Books (anything you think your person would like)

38. Gardening Book

39. Mints

40. Golf Balls

41. Golf Tees

42. Foot Gel Socks

43. Pedi Egg

44. Gym Water Bottle

45. Monogrammed workout towel (you can order this from me ;))

46. Shorts

47. Jeans

48. Tie/Bow-tie

49. Shampoo

50. Running shoes

The Little Presidents LOVED helping unwrap all the gifts! ;)

So, there you go! 50 things that you could use as gifts! This was such a fun project to do! So rewarding! Seeing my hubs' face when he walked in to a table full of gifts (40 to be exact) was so amazing. He loved it all and can't stop raving about it. That makes me very happy! If you end up using this idea, please let me know! Would love to hear about what you add to your own list! Happy Tuesday!

xoxo,
Ashley

Ps don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! Such fun stuff! 

Anniversary Fabulous Favorite Things Giveaway!!!!

Hey there lovelies! It's my one year anniversary on Instagram or Insta, as I call it! I have had way too much fun this past year on there and decided that my anniversary called for a Fabulous Favorite Things Giveaway! There will be three different winners! Woohoo! I'll be giving away three of MY favorite things!

First up is my own creation, the glitter wineglasses. The winner will get a set of four wineglasses or champagne glasses. Your choice! These are seriously way too much fun and bring fabulous bling to a party or just a quiet evening at home!

Next up my is FAV, Sugar by Fresh! I will be giving away one of my favorite colors, Passion. I am ALWAYS raving about Fresh! I love all of their products! This Passion color is awesome and looks great on everyone!

The last prize is a pink monogrammed tote bag. These totes are the best!!! We love them! They are perfect for the pool, beach or an everyday bag. I even use one as diaper bag for Reagan! The winner can choose the thread color! As you can see in the pic below, I use them as gift bags sometimes as well!

Now for the deets! To enter this contest, you will need to be a follower of my blog, as well, as a follower on Insta! Just comment on this post and let me know that you do both things and you will be entered! You will be entered in the contest twice if you tag @littlepresidents and post about the giveaway on Instagram! Please comment on this post and let me know if you did this on Insta, as well! The giveaway will close on Saturday April 13th at midnight! Good luck! So excited to share a few of my fav things with you! Happy Sunday!

xoxo,
Ashley

Meeska Mouska Mickey Mouse 3rd Birthday Partayyyyyy

Hey there lovelies! Hope this week is treating you well! Ever since I did my guest post on Lovely Little Parties blog, I have been meaning to post the rest of the details from Teddy's third birthday party which was a Mickey and Minnie Mouse theme! I loved this party so much! It was a TON of work, but really rewarding at the same time. I think I say that about every party I throw! Ha! Anywho, enjoy some of the party deets!

I went with more of a polka dot theme with red and white and black and threw a couple Mickey and Minnie decorations in. You can't go wrong with polka dots! Ever! 

The first thing I knew I had to make for the party were Mickey and Minnie ears for the kids to wear. These were a true labor of love. At one point as I was cutting 80 foam circles and felt pieces, my hubs told me I should have just ordered them on Etsy! Ha! Because I am crafty, I always want to do things myself regardless of my serious lack of time! There is not much that I see that I don't think "hey, I can totally do that myself!" and teach myself to do it. (Really, that is how my embroidery and baby items business was created.) So, I set out to make 30 sets of ears! HUGE undertaking! I hand wrapped each headband in black yarn and made felt and foam ears and of course, bows for the Minnie ears. I found a tutorial online, but after looking at it, I didn't love how complicated it seemed to wrap the headbands (since I was making so many), so I just kinda created my own version. Over all, I loved how all my little details helped make the party even more special. 

Being a bow lover, the Minnie ears were my favorite! As you can see, they aren't perfect, but like I say, perfection is overrated. I loved them!

Many late nights happened when planning this party. You see my assembly line here. Hot glue was used in epic proportions. :)



We had the party at the park that is next door to our house, so I had all the ears in a basket for the kids and parents to grab as they walked in!

I made little signs with sayings from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I knew them all by heart at the time. Teddy was OBSESSED with it! 

 I made these cute centerpieces for the picnic tables. I started them at 7 one evening, in true Ashley fashion. My best ideas come to me at night after stores are closed and kids are in bed! They were Styrofoam balls that I painted black and hot-glued together. Then, I stuck them in foam pieces and put them in these cute red galvanized tin buckets. I buy these mini galvanized buckets a lot. I think they are great and I often use them for silverware, etc when hosting a party. You can never have too many, in my opinion! There were little signs with more sayings from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Happy Birthday signs! I thought they were a perfect little table topper! Really love this idea! 

These were probably one of my favorite parts of the party. I am a huge fan of paper cones and I knew immediately when beginning plans for both of Teddy's parties, that I needed to make some to hold snacks for the party. Then I set out to find some Mickey Mouse paper! I think they turned out so cute! I loved them and they were so easy for the kids to hold and the kiddos loved them! A lot of the kids were walking around playing with a cone in one hand...perfect snack holder! These are my new go to thing for parties from now on! I stayed up till midnight one night making these. Because I made so many, they are def a time consumer, but worth it for sure! I filled them with Goldfish and Organic Animal Crackers. I originally wanted some sort of Mickey and Minnie cookies/crackers, but they were non-existant! I am just sure that I'll see them everywhere now that I don't need them! Ha! There was a little sign in the basket that said "Mouseketeer Snacks" These are really the best option for a kids party, unless you are going to have little bags of snacks. You could use sturdy cupcake wrappers as well. They fit into a kid hand perfectly!

Of course, I was up late at night making these. Again, they were time consuming but oh so worth it! 

Like I always say, you need a little alcohol to get through a child's birthday party so I had For the mommas, we had "Mommy Mimosas," (Why not?! Something to take the edge off! Ha!) P-Dub's Iced Coffee (This stuff is addicting. I am way over-caffinated when I have this in my fridge!) and of course we had "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog waters!"

I found these awesome Mickey Mouse themed apple juices the day before the party! Score! They were so fun and the kids LOVED them!

Okay, so maybe it's tie between the favors and paper cones as my favorite creation for the party. I loved these. Not only are they adorable, they are delicious! I was planning on making these all along but wanted to wait until the day before the party to make them so they'd keep longer. I loosely followed Bakerella's Tut on how she made her pops. I did not bother with dying white chocolate, black. To me, dark cocoa candy melts worked perfectly and saved me from doing that step. No one noticed that they weren't true black. I also, just used candy melts for ears. I didn't cut them like she suggested (again, I needed to save a bit of time), I just stuck the whole melt into melted chocolate and stuck them into the heads...they turned out perfectly! I think Bakerella would be proud! This was my first attempt at cake pops and I really enjoyed making them and enjoyed how much everyone else loved them! I used hearts to make the bows for Minnie...luckily, I had no issue finding large heart sprinkles, seeing as Valentine's Day is right around the corner! I was working on these until midnight the night before the party of course! Ha! I wrapped them in cute clear bags tied with red baker's twine (Crate and Barrel) and black baker's twine from the same shop, where I purchased the paper straws. I have a love affair with baker's twine. I just love it and love all the different uses for it! I ordered a few more colors too (she has some really vibrant and fabulous colors!)...so much fun! The kiddos and mommas loved these pops as favors! I got a bunch of texts saying they couldn't stop eating them! Yep. That's about right! ;)

Lots of people use egg cartons to put their drying cake pops in but these were pretty heavy and kept tipping, so I used an upside down colander. It worked perfectly!

I had these on a table for people to grab as they left! Yum. I might have to make these again soon! 

Here is the food table! You can't see, but the napkins were polka dots to go with the theme! I loved them! Love this banner too! :)

Most importantly, this guy had the best time! It was such a fun party to throw! I have often wondered if I will be throwing another Mickey and Minnie partayyy for Reagan sometime in the next couple years! We shall see and if so, at least I have a bunch of ideas already! :)

I am glad that I finally finished this post! It has been in the works for awhile! Ha! Hope you enjoyed a little look into Teddy's 3rd Birthday party! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Hope you are having the best week! 

xoxo,

Ashley