My Little Bunny

I can't believe my favorite holiday is already over.

The Easter Bunny brought Elle a new set of wheels and a $3 choo-choo train. Yep, should have stopped at the train and the flip flops as that is all she cares about.  Oh, and the egg full of M&M's.

This crazy little bunny provided plenty of entertainment during our 1 1/2 hour long

childrens' mass along with the 30 mins of waiting before mass started! Yikes, 2 hrs of church/sitting with a 2 yr old has made every ounce of chocolate I ate afterwards worth it!

Easter Parties

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. My fondest memories of Easter as a child were  receiving a bike from the Easter bunny and spending Easter at my grandparents house in South Dakota. My grandparents had the best yard for hiding eggs and my grandma would always make us a bunny cake.

Easter for me is truly a special time both personally, but also spiritually. 

I love this simple yet classic Easter cake via Kara's Party Ideas

I love this cake and the fun bright colors via Anders Ruff

and my favorite.. Petter Cotton Tail

Cheers to Bunny Cakes, Carrot Cake and Mimosas! 

Happy Easter.

Motherhood and Cancer: Meet Heather

Today I am pleased to share Heather's story with all of you. Heather is one of my blog readers and she asked if I could share her story with all of you. Heather, is not only strong and beautiful, she is definitely an inspiration to all of us.

Lessons from Cancer: New Motherhood and Cancer

Being a mother became a journey for me, and it held many more surprises than I ever could have guessed. Whenever people have talked to my daughter about her mommy's cancer, she always says in a matter-of-fact way, "I saved my mommy's life." It's unbelievable to most adults that a child can save an adult's life. Telling my story, I've shown people how it's possible for someone so small to have such an impact.

My husband Cameron and I waited until we were ready to have a baby. It took seven years but finally, I really wanted to do it. I felt like we were settled enough to make it work. It was an enjoyable pregnancy that often has some strange experiences. I didn't expect to have so many questions, and her delivery was an unexpected difficulty. She was a breech baby, which meant that I needed a C-section. Still, after all of that, holding her in my arms was the best experience of all. I felt utter joy and bliss to finally welcome her into this world face to face. She was bright-eyed and a complete dream to behold. That feeling I had from our meeting would soon be crushed.

I went to the doctor about three months after Lily was born. My husband was with me. I didn't know what to expect from the test results. I had been feeling off for the past months and lost a ton of weight. The doctor told me that I had malignant pleural mesothelioma and that I needed to have major surgery to remove one of my lungs in addition to parts of my chest lining, heart lining and diaphragm. I needed to see a specialist as well. Without treatment, he gave me 15 months to live. Imagine, I spent the last year of my life believing I had all this time with my baby girl and now I had only 15 months. It wasn't going to happen to me. We decided to see a mesothelioma specialist in Boston. It was far from Minnesota but it was worth it. He was going to save my life.

The next few months were spent in chaos for my family. I was in surgery in February, and then spent 18 days in the hospital. After another 2 months of recovery I began chemotherapy and radiation. During this time, it was incredibly difficult to take care of Lily. I had just carried this child, gave her everything and now I couldn't give her anything because I felt so weak. Still, I thought about her constantly and she became a source of happiness for me that could lift me out of the darkest spirits. Her laughter, smiles, eyes and innocence truly made me believe that things were going to get better.

It took a while but eventually, I was on my feet again and recovering. It wasn't an easy process. I definitely had my doubts, and things were difficult for Cameron as well. Thankfully, we had a much bigger family than we originally thought. Not only did my parents help with childcare, but also friends, family, co-workers and neighbors came together to provide in any way that they could. It was the most amazing feeling to be loved by so many and to feel that love was overwhelming at times. I can't thank those wonderful people enough for what they did.

Dealing with cancer was definitely the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It took a lot of strength and willpower to overcome everything, but through it all, I looked to the future and to being with Lily. She is the one thing that was constant throughout my recover and I see her presence as a gift that I couldn't have received at a better time. I had just known that it was the right time to have a baby. I'm so blessed to have a happy, healthy family today and I can't help but thank Lily for always thinking of me as her hero. It's been a whirlwind, but I can't wait for all the years to come with being a mother.

To read more about Heather's story please visit her blog here

National Macaron Day

 Today is National Macaron Day! I love macarons just as much as I love cupcakes so this makes me happy knowing macarons have their own special day.

image one, image two, image three

Spring Cupcakes

Spring is in the air and these cupcakes are the perfect way to welcome spring. 

Happy Monday!

Friday's Party: St. Patrick's Day

Even though I am not a big fan of St. Patrick's Day (maybe because its because I would always get pinched for not wearing green at school when I was younger?) this party via Catch my Party does make me feel a little green with envy! 

To see more photos click here.

Wednesday Words

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Girls Crochet Headbands

Reading to my bunnies and looking so adorable thank you to Girls Crochet Headbands!

If you are not sure what to get your little one for Easter please check out Girls Crochet Headbands. 

To learn more about why I prefer Girls Crochet Headbands please check out my guest post today over at The Little Style File.

Pinterest Party Reminder!!

There are so many fun and creative ways to celebrate Easter.  From what to wear, what to put in the baskets, crafts, how to decorate the table - Easter is a holiday that can be fun for the whole family.

We love sharing new ideas for Easter on Pinterest and getting inspired while pinning away! The Little Style File, Bon Bon Rose Girls and Chickabug are excited to announce the #LittleStyleEaster Pinterest Party on Tuesday March 5th at 9:00 EST!  

Grab your laptop, your favorite beverage, relax and get ready to PIN!

 

The Easter Pinterest Party has great prizes from Chasing Fireflies, Little Choux, I See Me and Chickabug!

5 Winners will receive an Easter Printable Kit from Chickabug and an I See Me personalized book.

1 Winner will receive a $75 gift card to shop Little Choux

1 Winner will receive a $100 Wish Card to shop Chasing Fireflies

Joining a Pinterest Party is easy and fun.  There are two ways to participate in the Easter Pinterest Party:

1. Join our group #LittleStyleEaster Board as a contributor and pin during the party using the #LittleStyleEaster. After you register your email in Rafflecopter below, you will receive an invitation to the group board.  Make sure to pin at least two items from each sponsor to qualify for prizing.

2. Create your own #LittleStyleEaster Board on Pinterest and pin during the party using the #LittleStyleEaster tag.  During the party, pin at least two items from each sponsor's website.

To be eligible for prizes, please RSVP by entering your email (associated with your Pinterest account) in the Rafflecopter below.  If you need to signup for pinterest, CLICK HERE.  Winners will be randomly selected at the end of the party (10 pm EST) and notified by email as well as announced on Facebook and Twitter.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get ready for the party and follow the hosts The Little Style File, Bon Bon Rose Girls, Chickabug and party sponsors I See Me, Little Choux and Chasing Fireflies! We are excited to have CupcakeMag, Leslie Newton, Family Travel with Colleen Kelly, and Heidi Rieck joining us as featured contributors for the night.  We know our featured board contributors will be inspiring you with their pins!
If you have any questions about how to participate in a pinterest party, please don't hesitate to ask.  We want everyone to feel welcome to join in the fun!

Easter Treats

Today I am sharing some fun Easter treat ideas over at The Little Style File!

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Also, don't forget about the Easter pinning party taking place tomorrow night 9pm EST and 6pm PST.

To read more about it and how you can win some amazing prizes click here

Pinterest Party

There are so many fun and creative ways to celebrate Easter. From what to wear, what to put in the baskets, crafts, how to decorate the table - Easter is a holiday that can be fun for the whole family. We love sharing new ideas for Easter on Pinterest and getting inspired while pinning away! The Little Style File, Bon Bon Rose Girls and Chickabug are excited to announce the #LittleStyleEaster Pinterest Party on Tuesday March 5th at 9:00 EST! Grab your laptop, your favorite beverage, relax and get ready to PIN!

 

The Easter Pinterest Party has great prizes from Chasing Fireflies, Little Choux, I See Me and Chickabug!

5 Winners will receive an Easter Printable Kit from Chickabug and an I See Me personalized book.

1 Winner will receive a $75 gift card to shop Little Choux

1 Winner will receive a $100 Wish Card to shop Chasing Fireflies

Joining a Pinterest Party is easy and fun. There are two ways to participate in the Easter Pinterest Party:

1. Join our group #LittleStyleEaster Board as a contributor and pin during the party using the #LittleStyleEaster. After you register your email in Rafflecopter below, you will receive an invitation to the group board. Make sure to pin at least two items from each sponsor to qualify for prizing.

2. Create your own #LittleStyleEaster Board on Pinterest and pin during the party using the #LittleStyleEaster tag. During the party, pin at least two items from each sponsor's website.

To be eligible for prizes, please RSVP by entering your email (associated with your Pinterest account) in the Rafflecopter below. If you need to signup for pinterest, CLICK HERE. Winners will be randomly selected at the end of the party (10 pm EST) and notified by email as well as announced on Facebook and Twitter.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get ready for the party and follow the hosts The Little Style File, Bon Bon Rose Girls, Chickabug and party sponsors I See Me, Little Choux and Chasing Fireflies! We are excited to have CupcakeMag, Leslie Newton, Family Travel with Colleen Kelly, and Heidi Rieck joining us as featured contributors for the night. We know our featured board contributors will be inspiring you with their pins! If you have any questions about how to participate in a pinterest party, please don't hesitate to ask. We want everyone to feel welcome to join in the fun!