About Me

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I'm 30 years old and, even though some people hate the idea of leaving their 20s, I embrace getting older (I like to think I get better with age!). My entire world revolves around my two amazing, full-of-life, little boys- Jake and Eli; I never believed in love at first sight until I held those beautiful boys in my arms. I'm a passionate person and give 100% in everything I do, whether it's parenting, my job, or my relationships. I am extremely competitive, driven, and motivated... I really, really hate to lose. I love my God, my family, and my country. Enjoy cooking, writing, reading, and baseball- especially the Texas Rangers. I'm extremely interested in getting to know people/people development and ask daily questions on Twitter to aid in this endeavor. I'm constantly trying to better myself; I never want to stop growing as a person. I'm terrified of complacency, but have an ability to find happiness in any situation. Bloom where you're planted. I love life and believe in experiencing it to the fullest. I'm learning as I go and definitely having a ton of fun along the way!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Veteran's Day Service : In Honor of Joshua George

Thanks to my dear friend Krystle, I had the honor of sharing Josh's story with Living Hope Church in Whitney, PA, during their Veteran's Day Service this past Sunday.  I also had the extreme privilege of handing out silver coins - designed by Josh through Love Your Veterans - to the veterans in attendance.  Below is the message I shared.





There are a lot of things I could say about my brother; so many things, in fact, that there isn’t enough time in this service, in this month, or the rest of this year to share with you all of the amazing things that Josh did in his lifetime, enough time to recount all of the wonderfully funny, quirky, unique, and inspiring traits and actions that made him my “Joshy.”

What I can tell you, though, is that Joshua Michael George loved music, loved sports (especially baseball and his Texas Rangers), and enjoyed hunting.  He had a servant’s heart and from his childhood, knew that he was born serve others.  On the day of his death, Josh was 8 weeks away from receiving his degree and becoming a paramedic.  Josh was a veteran of the United States Army, volunteered with inner-city, at-risk youth, and loved his nephews – my two boys – with his entire heart.  An above all things, though, Josh was a Christian and had an unwavering love for the Lord.

Now I could stop there and you all would walk away from here, thinking that Josh had lived a perfect life in which he carried many important titles – Christian, Uncle, Veteran, Paramedic, and to many, as we learned after his death – Hero… but in the words of the late, Paul Harvey, I want to share with you “the rest of the story.” 

Josh’s life – his legacy – isn’t beautiful in its perfection, but rather is beautiful because of the flaws, the pain, the hurt, and the tears that led him home; home to his family, yes, but even more importantly, home to his Heavenly father. 

You see, Josh had more titles to his name than the ones I’ve already mentioned.  Josh was an on-again, off-again user of illegal pills and he was (on more than one occasion) a drunk driver– my baby brother was an addict, a trainwreck, and in many ways, for years it seemed to many people, a hopeless cause.

Josh’s addiction, as is almost always the case, started innocently enough.  Josh started illegally using prescription pills in high school as a byproduct of a football injury to his shoulder.  Josh, always so sweet and trusting, took some pills from a fellow player to relieve his pain – not knowing 1.) of the ramifications from a legal standpoint and 2.) not realizing how that one decision would forever impact the rest of his life.  Josh wasn’t thinking, “I want to develop an addiction to prescription pills;” he was simply thinking that he was in pain and wanted to power through to finish the game.  In that moment, he went from being a typical, All-American high school athlete from small-town Texas, to an addict constantly looking for the next high.

In his high school years alone, I can remember two car accidents – one where he blacked out, crashed his truck, and was rushed to the ER where he was immediately force-fed chalk to try and rid his system of the many-in-number, many-in-form types of pills he had consumed.  Officers at the scene said that Josh must have passed out, causing his foot to fall heavy on the gas, and accelerating before running over several mailboxes and then ultimately crashing into a chain-link fence.  The accident could have been so much worse and my mom, during this episode and the many similar ones to follow, always told Josh that God must have big plans for his life to have allowed him to escape death so many times – turns out that she was right…

Having, quite literally, barely made it out of high school alive, Josh briefly attended a local community college where he planned on pursuing a profession in criminal justice; shortly after his second semester, though, Josh realized that his heart was in the Armed Forces.  That desire to serve something greater than oneself led him to enlist.

I’ll never forget giving him a hug and saying goodbye as he boarded the bus in Shreveport, LA; the bus that would take him to the airport headed for boot camp in Fort Benning, GA just three days before his 21st birthday.  I remember the mix of emotions: wanting to cling to the little boy who had taught me to believe in love at first sight, but wanting to keep my distance from the man who, on so many occasions, had – through his poor choices – broken his sister’s heart; I wanted to tell him how proud I was that he had chosen such a selfless path, but also wanted to selfishly beg him not to go; I wanted to tell him I how much I loved him, but knew that three little words could never fully capture just how much he, above anyone else in the world, held my heart – something I didn’t fully realize until many years later.  So, I mustered up the courage long enough to say, “I’m proud of you and love you.  Write me when you can.”

And write me, he did.  When he sent letters, he shared of the trials of boot camp, but always finished his letters talking about how happy and how proud he was to serve his country.  The first time I saw Josh after boot camp and thinking that he looked like JOSH; pill-free and in full recovery, he looked like the brother I hadn’t seen in over 4 years.  I also remember thinking that I knew it wasn’t possible… but he seemed taller, thinner for sure, but also taller, as though the pride he had for serving our country made him feel 10-feet tall.  He loved being a soldier, so you can imagine how crushed he was when he was sent to the Warrior Transition Unit at Ft. Hood, preparing to be medically discharged from the Army, just two weeks before he was set to deploy to Afghanistan.

Josh lost several friends, the fellow soldiers he called “brothers” during that mission.  Though he never pulled a trigger in battle or felt the Afghanistan soil beneath his combat boots, he spent the rest of his short life suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Survivor’s Guilt, regretting that he hadn’t been there to fight alongside the men he loved as family.  Every day until the day that he died, Josh wore an Army hat with an American flag, remembering his time in the service, and honoring the friends that he lost.

A couple of years after leaving the military, Josh met a woman named Melanie Davie, who had recently put together a national campaign called “Love Your Veterans,” that was dedicated to raising awareness, appreciation, and support for our military heroes.  Love Your Veterans, was then and still is today, focused on helping our veterans as they return home and struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through two initiaitves – the Triumph Program and HONOR Mentoring. 

Josh was a founding member of the Honor Program which works closely with youth support agencies across our country to employ veterans who can give at-risk kids the real heroes missing in their lives.  Josh worked with inner-city children, many of whom had older brothers, sisters, and even parents in gangs.  Josh’s goals within HONOR Mentoring included teaching self-esteem, respect for others, discipline and strength of body, but what he did best was show them love and compassion, and teach them they deserved better and should seek to rise above their circumstances.

A few months into his mentorship, Josh gave me a call and asked if he could come over for a while – he said he had something to show me.  When he arrived, he pulled out a piece of notebook paper where he had used fine-tipped markers and colored pencils to create a red, white, and blue heart that was adorned with four stars.  He explained the meaning and mentioned that his design could become the official logo of Love Your Veterans – and it did.  Now this official logo and been added to coins that are sold to raise money for funding of Love Your Veterans.  Josh never even told us about the coins and we only learned about them when my parents each received a coin with a letter from Melanie, sharing with them how much he had meant to the program.

Eventually, Josh moved away from Dallas and closer to home so he could pursue a career as a paramedic.  I don’t know if it was the Survivor’s Guilt, the physical pain he experienced on a daily basis, or the return of the same familiar demons that had historically haunted him when he was in our hometown, but Josh returned to the use of pills, slipping further into his addiction.

For the next several years, Josh would ride that all-to-familiar rollercoaster of addiction and attempted recovery, but no matter how hard he tried, Josh never could escape the need for the unnatural high.

In May of 2014, I received a phone call from my mom who, with a trembling voice, asked me to pray for Josh.  This wasn’t the first time I’d received such a call, so as I had always done in the past, I braced myself for the worst. 

When I asked my mom what was going on, she explained that Josh had finally realized that his addiction was preventing him from being the man he was meant to be, so he quit, cold turkey (something that doctors have told us was extremely dangerous).  And though he’d suffered from withdrawals before, this time was different. 

Josh was constantly hallucinating and, almost every time he slept, he was having the same recurring nightmare where he was having a physical battle with Satan and, at the conclusion of each of these nightmares, the devil would laugh and ultimately win.  By this point, I was convinced that Josh had finally reached a stage where he had consumed so many pills for so long that he would either live the remainder of his life with severe mental illness or cease to live it all. 

The dream continued for a full week where, time and time again, it ended the same – with the devil victorious and Josh awakening, terrified, almost inconsolable, at what he had witnessed.  After several days, Josh had the same dream one more time; in this last vision, Josh yet again was battling Satan, but this time, he wasn’t alone. Towards the end of the battle, Jesus arrived and conquered the devil FOR Josh, knowing that my brother couldn’t do it alone.  That was the last time that Josh ever dreamed of the devil; it was also the first day of the rest of his life.

Over the next few months, Josh recommitted his life to Christ and became involved in his local church.  When he visited my family and I in New York last December, he talked about his dreams of the devil telling me, “Dude,” (he always called me “dude”), “that was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my life, but in the end I knew that God was with me”  He also told me how the song “Oceans” by HIllsong Live, had helped him get through those tough time and had, in a way, become his battle cry.

In addition to overcoming addiction, Josh became a straight A student in the paramedic program and, though we didn’t know it until many months later, he became an inspiration and source of strength to those around him.  In fact, one of his friends reached out to Josh on March 10th to talk about her struggles of having lost a loved one. 

Josh responded with this text, “I’ve definitely been in situations that definitely should have left me 6 feet in the ground.  Accidental overdose at 16 from a migraine. 3 car wrecks that totaled every vehicle.  Was taking medicine for pain management and I came off of it on my own and saw the devil and I fighting in my dreams for a straight week and I could never beat him up.  He’d just laugh at me and then finally God was there and God scared him away.  During this time I was hallucinating and seeing demons but God had me in his hands the whole time.”

Josh then continued, “Someone asked me the other day, ‘Why does God take good people.  I said, well, if they’re a Christian they were ready to be in heaven anyways.  And it’s up to our belief and faith in God to know that your loved one is there that he’s with you too.”  And this is the part that gets me every time, “We will never know why we lose loved ones so early until we get to Heaven, then it’ll all click.”

This self-fulfilling prophecy was sent via text within 12 hours of Josh taking his final breath on earth and opening is eyes in the presence of Jesus.

Since that time, I’ve thought about my brother as the prodigal son, having strayed so far away before finding his way back home.  He struggled for 12 years and returned to the Josh we all knew and loved for only 10 months before dying from cardiomegaly – an enlarged heart, proving something we had known all along… our sweet Josh had a really, really big, larger-than-average heart. 

And I have no doubt that his heart was not only large, but full – full of love and laughter, full of joy and happiness, full of memories of a life that mattered and made a difference, and full of gratitude for a God that forgives, stands by us, and never stops believing in or loving us – even when we deserve it the least.  

We’ve estimated that over 500 people came to Josh’s funeral, and while the service lasted less than an hour, we were all there for over three hours as people streamed through, telling us of how Josh had changed their lives, challenged them to worker harder in school, went above and beyond as a paramedic who took care of their infant son. There were former drug addicts who talked about how Josh helped them overcome addiction and veterans whom he’d never met; one even told my dad that he didn’t know Josh, but had come to the funeral to “salute a soldier.”

Josh would have turned 30 in 3 days – yes, his birthday fell on Veteran’s day, which is so completely appropriate given how much he loved his time serving his country as a soldier.   Nothing would have made him prouder than to know that his name was mentioned in front of so many of you, his brothers and sisters of the Armed forces - He would have thanked you all for your service to our country, for your sacrifice, and for loving something more than you loved yourself.  He would have also been honored to share his story of overcoming and of returning home, with you all – his brothers and sisters in Christ.  He would have smiled his half-smirk, and chuckled his deep-gutted laugh, feeling so humbled that you all had cared enough to hear his story.  

For anyone who is hurting or knows of someone who is struggling, be it with addiction or general hardships in life, Josh would want to tell you to never, ever give up – on yourselves or the ones your love and that while things may be tough and healing may not happen in the timing we prefer, that God is and always will be bigger than the challenge and that He will help you overcome once you are truly willing to give it all to Him.


Again, thank you for your time and for hearing Josh’s story.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Eli's Construction Party

So... It's been almost a year in the making, but I'm FINALLY getting around to posting pictures from Eli's birthday party.  Of all the parties for the two boys, this may have been my favorite. :)

 The Invitations:

Trucks available at Target - $1 Each

Silver Chocolate Rocks available through Amazon - $6.89/lb... there's more than enough for the invitations; I reserved some and used for the cake!



The table - black tablecloth with yellow duct tape down the middle to look like a road

Hard Hats, Construction Vests, and Waist Aprons all available through Oriental Trading - I used stencils to customize a "toolbelt" for each kiddo who attended.




Food and Favors Tables



Food Table:









"Regular Unleaded" - Apple Juice
"Diesel" - Lemondae

Double-Serve Beverage Holder from Hobby Lobby


"Cement" Hummus 



Chocolate Donut "Spare Tires"

Marshmallows dipped in yellow chocolate



Favors: 
Top Right- Personalized "Measuring Tape"/Bubble Tape
Bottom Left- "Dynamite:" Starburst wrapped in red tissue paper and tied together with black electrical tape
Bottom Right- "Boulders" - Homemade pinatas sprayed with textured paint



My Sweetest Little Sunshine Boy...











Construction Favors inside the Boulders

 



 LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!












Thursday, April 17, 2014

Simple and Sweet Mason Jar Vases and Easy Easter Craft for Kids


Simple and Sweet Mason Jar Vases

Absolutely love these simple and sweet Mason Jars with Burlap.

Super easy to change the color of ribbon by season or to create a quick update to any room.




Easy Easter Craft for Kiddos

Handprint sun and tree, footprint bunnies, and fingerprint Easter eggs.












Friday, November 8, 2013

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed















“So, I know I haven’t been providing daily updates on the things I’m most thankful for, but I did want to share some especially exciting news and something for which I feel so grateful this Thanksgiving season.  Please enjoy the video below. :)”





That was the Facebook status I had planned on sharing with my Facebook family this Thanksgiving.  Odd, I know, to plan a status update weeks in advance, but when you’re home sick for three weeks due to uncompromising, unrelenting nausea, you have a lot, seriously A LOT, of time to just sit and think.  Besides, Thanksgiving was to fall one day after I would have celebrated my 12th week of pregnancy – the time when most doctors believe you are in the “clear,” free from a majority of pregnancy complications.

My sweet baby, however, never quite made it that far.

I’ll spare everyone the details, but will say that I started losing the baby Wednesday night and I lost a lot of blood in the process – I knew in my heart that the baby, like our other from only three years ago, had made a premature departure to be with our Heavenly Father.  There did come a point, however, where I seriously started to worry about my own health as I felt increasingly more weak and unable to stay awake the more blood I lost.

The next day I went in for an ultrasound to confirm what I already knew.  In a lot of ways, this felt like de ja vue – waiting, on a table, with a gut feeling that I would hear news that would absolutely break my heart (anyone not familiar with this story can read more in my previous post This Side of Heaven).  Having learned from the last time - when the ultrasound tech cried upon the discovery of our lost twin - I went ahead and told the technician that I had lost a lot of blood and to please not feel alarmed if she didn’t see anything – I simply couldn’t stand the thought of seeing someone else upset.

And, again, like the last time, the tech found a lifeless baby in my womb.  With the twins, by body should have either passed or absorbed the baby much sooner than it did; this time, with so much blood lost, my body should have run its natural course and removed our baby on its own... 

I guess my body has as hard of a time as my heart when it comes to letting go. 

After the ultrasound we discussed options with my doctor and determined that to prevent further blood loss and potential hemorrhage, I should opt for a D&C procedure, which is exactly what we did.  And after several miserable hours in the hospital (remember, my body still responded as though I was pregnant and the nausea was at an all-time high), I had the operation and was released to go home.

The most difficult part of the day was the wheelchair ride through the labor and delivery floor, to the elevator, then to the lobby where I waited for Jeff to bring the car from the parking garage – I guess I’d always imagined that the wheelchair ride through Rochester General would be accompanied by a brand new baby in my arms; instead, my arms held my Wrigley coat and “The Runaway Jury,” the book Jeff had brought to keep him busy while I was in for surgery.  For arms that were so full, they sure felt so incredibly empty…

On the way home, we stopped at Jimmy Johns to grab sandwiches to go – what a nice change to WANT to eat; seriously, it had been a while since I felt like I could tolerate anything other than a baked potato.

Most of the rest of the night is a blur.  I vaguely remember eating and also remember bits and pieces of the boys coming home from our neighbor’s house (more on that in a moment).  I also remember Jeff waking me up from my nap on the couch to help me upstairs.  Before I called it a night, however, I wanted to open one of the three packages from Amazon that had sat in our dining room since Wednesday afternoon.  You see, on Monday I had gone on a bit of a shopping spree for our nieces and nephews and I felt as though looking at Christmas gifts would boost my spirits.  Unfortunately, when I opened the box I found some Palmer’s Coconut Lotion, meant for preventing pregnancy stretch marks – OUCH… what are the chances, right?

Anyway, the remainder of the night I alternated between the deepest sleep of my life (no doubt, a residual effect from the medication) and a mind that was so full of thoughts it refused to let me rest.

One of the thoughts that most commonly kept preventing my slumber was “Three is a Magic Number.”  Since I was a little girl that has been my all-time favorite Schoolhouse Rock song and last night it played through my head as I thought about how, two times now, I should have been the mother of three.  Maybe for me, “three” isn’t just magic- it’s simply not meant to be.

All of that being said, it’s been a rough couple of days.  But, here’s the good news…

I will, without doubt, have moments, likely even full-days over the next few months where I have a longing to hold the baby who’s face I’ve never seen – I’m not naïve to that fact.  I, however, have a peace that surpasses all others, knowing how much love and support I have from family, friends, neighbors (who, let’s face it, are our family in NY!), and coworkers.    I seriously am more blessed than I deserve.  With this in mind, I would like to share a list of the many, many things for which I am thankful this Thanksgiving season and always.


       ~My husband who strikes the perfect balance between being the strength I need to make it through difficult days as well as the man who isn’t afraid to tell me that he’s hurting too.  I love him with my whole heart and hope he knows that he is my rock, my best friend, and the absolute love of my life.

~Jake, who was so excited to have another baby that of all the people in the world, I most dreaded telling him the news.  Jake, as you all know, is a thinker .  While he was pensive when we shared about the loss, he mentioned that he thought it was really great that his brother or sister was “with God and Jesus,” then hopped off his barstool to hug me and tell me that he was so happy I was feeling better – since he was born, Jake has always known when I needed a little extra love… so thankful for that.

~Eli – my sweet boy who is so laid back and so sweet.  This kid gives the warmest, most amazing hugs and can brighten even the darkest of days with just a simple smile.  What a blessing to have a son who is the perfect combination of rough-and-tough boy and a sweet, sensitive soul.

    ~My mom, dad and step-mom who are all such incredible prayer warriors.  They know that God provides comfort, but are also quick to remind me that God understands that we can feel sad, angry, frustrated, and confused  and that feeling these things is not only OK, it’s normal and expected.  They always know just what to say.

    ~My cousin Donna and Aunt Deb who are always the first to reach out and tell me they love me and are thinking about me.  When I hurt, they hurt.  I love them more than words can say and wish so much that I could see them more often.

    ~My in-laws: from my sisters-in-law to Larry and Theresa, I am so incredibly fortunate to be a Garman.  Their words of support mean so, so much.  Larry and Theresa sent this thoughtful gift this afternoon.



~My neighbors… seriously, you think your neighbors are great – they’ve got nothing on mine. :)

      Wednesday night, when everything started, our neighbors Greg and Holly welcomed our boys into their home.  I couldn’t stand the thought of the boys seeing me so weak and so sick, and knowing they were playing with their friends took so much weight off of our shoulders.  Holly was also able to follow up with a GREAT story of Jake sharing with everyone that he doesn’t sleep in pajamas; nope, he sleeps in his underwear just like his Daddy – I definitely needed a laugh and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I heard that story.  Holly also made us dinner for tonight.  She had no way of knowing this, but Jeff has inventory at his branch tonight and won’t be home until midnight.  I was worried about how I was going to feed the kids (per doctors order, I’m not supposed to do anything for the next few days).  Her timing is amazing!  Her and Greg’s kindness and friendship means more than they know.

Then there are the Smiths.  Erin was so great to taxi around and pick up Jake from Chess Club then pick up Eli from preschool.  Sean and Erin kept our boys for the evening and kept them preoccupied from wondering where I was by having a pizza party.  Talk about a fun night!  Erin also reached out to Jeff this morning to ask about my favorite drink from Dunkin Donuts.  She surprised me with my go-to medium Caramel Mocha iced coffee AND Us Weekly and InStyle magazines.  So thoughtful of her to know that my nausea has kept me from coffee for weeks and that I could use a little distraction today.  I loved spending the morning catching up with her am so thankful for her friendship.
 
        ~My friends who have celebrated in our great news and also hurt with us when our hearts were breaking – I love each of them so much and am glad that God has sent us across the country, move after move, allowing us the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people.   

  ~My co-workers: I had only shared my pregnancy with a few people at work and dreaded telling them all about the loss.  The response, however, has been overwhelming.  From our VP, my peers, and my bff in HR to my manager and my team , I have felt surrounded by love and support.  Here’s a snapshot of one response I received:

"Normally I would call for something like this but I don't want to bug you too much. Amanda, I am so so sorry to hear about your news, it is incredible how positive your email was. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now. I want you to know that we are behind you 1000%, your team absolutely loves you and deservedly so. If there is anything I can do for you to lighten the load for either you or Jeff and the boys please let me know.  I am proud to call you not only my manager but my friend and, as such, am happy to share in the good times and the bad. Hope to hear from you very soon."

      Another one of my TSMs, knowing what a huge fan I am of Edible Arrangements, sent me this sweet surprise.




~I’m blessed to have had such a speedy recovery. My surgeon had warned that I would likely be in pain for the next few days and while, yes, I’m exhausted and will likely remain weak for the next several days, I am happy to say that I am (almost) pain-free – so nice to not have physical discomfort to accompany the emotional pain.
 
I’m grateful for peace – for the feeling that, though I’m so incredibly sad, things will be OK.
 
I’m thankful that God, time and time again, has prepared me for loss.  Several weeks ago, before I even knew I was pregnant, I woke up with a song on my heart.  It was a song I had recently heard at church, and while the melody was stuck in my head, I simply couldn’t remember the words.  That very same morning, purely by coincidence, Jeff started singing the song out loud as he got dressed for work.  Every day, since that day, I’ve listened to that song – one of only 5 songs I have downloaded to my iPhone.  I’m grateful that these words have been in my mind and on my heart – they resonate more true today than they ever have.
o   Listen Here: Not For a Moment
o  Here's a sampling of the lyrics:

 And every step every breath you are there 
Every tear every cry every prayer 
In my hurt at my worst 
When my world falls down 
Not for a moment will You forsake me 
 

After all You are constant 
After all You are only good 
After all You are sovereign 
Not for a moment will You forsake me 
Not for a moment will You forsake me 

These, of course, are just a few of the many, many things for which I am so thankful.   And while I admit that I am very likely sometimes guilty of taking for granted the many blessings in my life, I always know that in the good times and the bad, I am this day and every day, so thankful, so grateful, and so incredibly blessed.


Thanks to you all for your love and support during this difficult time.





Sunday, March 10, 2013

Jake's 5th Birthday was Dino-Mite!

The Invitations


Crumbled graham crackers and Oreos with mini chocolate eggs and party details placed in glass containers




Laminated tags placed inside the invitations- Address and RSVP info printed on the back








                                 The Party



Prehistoric masks used as decoration - I used mini clothespins to attach
the masks to Raffia



Dino Bones- Pretzels and Mini Marshmallows dipped in White Choclate

Lava Cake- one 9" sqaure cake (corners trimmed), two 8" round cakes), one 8" mini bundt cake; add a small votive to the middle for a really cool effect... see a few pics below

Volcanoes with Cream Cheese Icing; I used Fat Daddio's 8-Cavity Volcano Cake Molds (sold on Amazon)



Dinosaur Claws- Bugles


Herbivore Treats- Hummus with Carrtos, Celery, and Sugar Snap Peas


Happy Birthday Boy

It smokes!  
Add votive to the bundt cake and add dry ice and water




Trying on their masks!



Dinosaur Dig 
Plaster Dinosaur Bones (I used Dinosaur Bones Sand Mold Kit - Sold on Amazon)
Homemade Dinosaur Eggs-Recipe Below










Eli found his little dinosaur!
Homemade Dinosaur Egg Recipe (makes 3-4 eggs)
      • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup used coffee grounds - Not a coffee drinker?  No Problem!  Starbucks will gladly give you their used grounds (generally reserved for gardens, but don't be afraid to ask!).  Lay out to dry overnight.
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup sand
  • 3/4 cup water
  • Plastic mini dinosaurs



Preheat oven to 175.

Add all ingredients and knead... yes, you WILL get super dirty, but it's so much fun!  Once combined, grab a handful of the mixture, add your mini dinosaur, and form a ball.  Place the eggs on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. *Note- I made these two times; the first time I doubled the recipe to make 8 dinosaurs and the baking time was perfect; the second time I had to bake for 40 minutes.  The baking time really depends on how humid the day and the moisture of the coffee beans.

After baking, let cool, then use as desired! We put ours in an inflatable pool with play sand.