Happy Hour Mom » holiday guide

scent of mother’s day | phebo brazil

Toni — Wed, 02 May 2012 02:55:04 +0000

What type of gift do you get a woman who has everything? Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I have been wracking my brain for the perfect gift for the mothers and grandmothers in my life. When I think back and recall memories from my child hood I see myself cooking homemade chicken noodles and poppyseed rolls with my Grandma Goldie. Besides the smell of her delicious foods wafting from the kitchen, the smell that sticks in my head are the scents of lavender, rosemary, sage and sandalwood. When I came across the Six Mini Bar Soaps from Phebo my mind traveled back in time. Although my grandmother is no longer with us I was completely reminded of those special days we spent together. This year the most influential women in my wife will be receiving gifts that evoke memories, milestones and special days from my childhood thanks to the beautiful scents of Phebo.

Phebo is Brazil’s first established luxury perfume brand that was launched in the 1930′s and is making its way to Macy’s stores nationwide this summer. The name “Phebo” was chosen to symbolize the Greek God of the Fun and the birth of a new era in Brazilian perfumery. Besides the deep, amazing and colorful notes in each fragrance, they are a 100% vegetable-based, paraben-free, not tested on animals and produced in the Amazon.

THE FACTS:

Recommended for every type of skin
Phebo´s products have a strong fragrance with a long-lasting effect.
Phebo uses a wide range of Essential Oils, Botanicals, Herbs, Spices, Fruit Oils and Vegetable Extracts in its products

Eight fragrances to choose from:

Odor de Rosas – Yellow
Lavanda – Purple
Raiz do Oriente– Red
Brisa Tropical – Lime Green
Amazonian – Green
Frescor de Manha– Blue
Flores de Primareva – Pink
Naturelle – Orange

Each fragrance has its own benefit:

Odor de Rosas – Sophisticated
Lavanda – Calming
Raiz do Oriente – Exotic
Brisal Tropical – Energizing
Amazonian – Exuberant
Frescor de Manha – Refreshing
Flores de Primareva: Delicate
Naturelle – Relaxing

Toni Danielson

Toni Danielson, ad agency working mom of a big brown-eyed little man, wife to an amazing husband, Digital Media Lover. Blogger. Infographic-obsessed. Expat. Happy Hour Mom. BBall Wife. Not all in that order. Join me in my journey to become the ultimate Happy Hour Mom!

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scent of mother’s day | phebo brazil is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

celebrating cinco de mayo {party time}

Toni — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:02:12 +0000

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. May 5th commemorates their cause for freedom and democracy during the American Civil War. A common misconception is that this day is Mexico’s Independence Day, for which it is not. Celebrations in Puebla, where the legendary battle took place, are a monumental affair compared to all others in Mexico. The event is commemorated with parades and a mock-battle.

As you celebrate this holiday with tequila, brightly colored banners, tortillas, guacamole, pinatas, amazing food and dance worthy music think about what it really means. As Americans we love sharing in all the fun and festivities of our southern neighbors. Who doesn’t love another reason to party in style?

celebrating cinco de mayo {party time} is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

what is your ultimate mother’s day?

Toni — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:41:57 +0000

Being a mom is hard sometimes, ok a lot of the time. But it is single handedly the most rewarding job. To watch a little person that grew inside of you grow up to be a strong, healthy, smart and talented individual is beyond comprehension. My family takes Mother’s Day very seriously, as they should. It ends up being a day showered with love and gratitude. Now being a mother, I find myself getting excited for the extra holiday! If money and opportunities were endless, what would your ultimate mother’s day celebration look like?

Check out my Ultimate Mother’s Day Tend Pinterest board to see how my day would go. Show us some love by clicking on the pin board and LOVE by joining us on Tend!

I would awake in magical bedroom, free of clutter, dirty clothes and toys of course, somewhere near Bora Bora. My masseuse would be waiting for me as I prepare for a 2 hour hot stone massage outdoors. After I am fully relaxed I would enjoy some time to read my favorite design inspiration magazines like Sweet Paul, Anthology, Rue, Milk and Afar. While sipping on a Blueberry Lavender Mojito I’d wander outdoors for a little walk and end up spending some serious time in a chaise lounge near a pool. I’d break for lunch and feast on a fig pizza with prosciutto and arugula with the sweetest little cupcakes and french macaroons for dessert. After an uninterrupted nap I’d sort through my new Tory Burch handbag, find new outfits to go with my Kate Spade wedges and slip on my new right hand ring inspired by the birthstone I thought would reflect my son’s birthday, diamond. After dinner my family whisks me back home to reality I find my dream closet has been arranged and filled with a new wardrobe.

The next morning I wake to realize my real dream is one that experience each and every day. My son flicks my ear incessantly, looks at my with his big, brown eyes and whispers, “it’s time to wake up mommy, I love you.” All of those things would be great, but not as special as knowing that I’m a mom to that sweet little face.

Toni Danielson

what is your ultimate mother’s day? is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

mother’s day gift ideas

Toni — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:59:02 +0000

There are stay at home moms, young moms, grandmas, fun moms, moms with style…and without, working moms, and moms everywhere in between. One thing they all have in common is the fact that they would give their life to keep their children healthy and happy. Although you should take some time each day to appreciate the things your mom does for you, the day to devote it all to her falls on May 13th this year. What Gifts for mothers day do you give the mom who means everything?

necklaces (for the fashionable mommy)

unique cooking tools (like molecular gastronomy tools for the foodie mom)

scents and perfumes (for the already sweet smelling momma)

pillow accents (for the homemaking mom)

candles (for the mama who loves to relax for her happy hour)

coasters (for the party throwing mom)

Determining gifts for parents can be a tough task. Their lives as parents are all about providing children with the things they want and need. Why is it so difficult when the tables are turned. Year after year Mom’s role changes and so may her interests. Take some extra time to think about a special moment your shared or a fond memory she would enjoy reminiscing about throughout the year. Start there and I bet you’ll end up with something that shows YOUR love and appreciation and puts a smile on her face.

If you still can’t think of something great I think any woman would get a kick out of reading 50 Shades of Grey. (although may not be appropriate for Mother’s Day… maybe International Women’s Day)

Toni Danielson

mother’s day gift ideas is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

easter table settings and decor

Shannon — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:02:22 +0000

Happy Easter to all of our Happy Hour Moms! With beautiful pastels paired with vibrant colors, Easter table-settings are always full of inspiration. Here are some fabulous ideas found across the web to help you get creative for your Easter celebrations. I am loving the gorgeous Martha Stewart tree and details seen above, and couldn’t pass up on the fresh-cut flower centerpieces and creative ideas found below.

{details and directions on FamilyCircle.com}

Brighten your table with vibrant tulips and colorful flowers. {details on My Room Design}

I am loving this intimate setting for an Easter breakfast, ideally located in a quaint corner of your back yard. While the table is obviously an eye-catcher, take a closer look at those place settings! I have to use those herb grass trays for my next outdoor brunch! {details available on My Room Design}

May all of you enjoy a blessed day with your families this Easter : ) But before you leave, please tell us…How will you be decorating your tables this year?

Shannon Hughes

Co-Founder/CEO of HappyHourMom.com, Freelancer, Internet Marketing Consultant, and Social Media lover. Wife to an amazing husband, mom to two beautiful little girls, and follower of Jesus Christ. I am a Happy Hour Mom…are you?

easter table settings and decor is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

5 must-haves for a happy easter

Toni — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:08:41 +0000

With Easter only two days away, do you have what it takes to impress your family and friends this year? With Pinterest, millions of blogs and inspiration everywhere it’s hard to continually top your efforts year after year. It can be even hard to choose those extra special details but adding a few new tricks to your repertoire each year is less time consuming and totally doable instead of trying to reinvent the wheel each year. Here are a few of my favorites for this year. As I always say “if everyone takes an extra few minutes for special details, the world would be a more beautiful place.”

Fruit and Veggie Table- Channel your inner food stylist and present your fruite and vegetables with a little extra attention.

DIY Easter crackers Pass on the plastic eggs and hide surprises in darling Easter crackers instead.

Stuffed carrot shaped crescent rolls Who doesn’t love crescent rolls? I think these are what are on the Easter bunnies list for treats this year.

Vase filled with Easter eggs Make a few extra colored eggs to line the bottom of your favorite vase.

Silhouette Easter eggs There are swirled, marble, glitter, and batik eggs galore. But, how often do you see a silhouette on your Easter Egg

Toni Danielson

5 must-haves for a happy easter is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

natural easter egg dyes

Toni — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:59:47 +0000

Upon living in Hungary I learned that the art form of dying and designing Easter eggs goes back beyond Medieval times. In Hungary they typically use wax or a screen material creating a batik effect. For a beautiful traditional and natural effect, the Hungarian would use onion skins to color the eggs reddish brown. They’d put the dry skins of red onions in water and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Then they’d place the eggs in the broth and leave until the color is achieved. The more skins you put in the water, and the longer you leave the eggs in the broth, the darker the color. To create natural color combinations you can skip the pre-fab boxes at the store and look no further than your pantry or refrigerator. Martha Stewart recommends several other ingredients such as beets (like what we used in our meatloaf cupcakes), coffee grinds, or cabbage. Check out what Itsy Bitsy Foodies’ guide for Natural Easter Egg Dyes.

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Recipe type: Easter Eggs

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 12+

Appreciate the vivid colors and natural beauty of fruits, vegetables and spices: dye your Easter eggs with everyday foods rather than boxes of chemical colorings.

Ingredients

White Eggs
Cold Water
Vinegar (Roughly 2 Tbsp to every pot of eggs you boil, except for the onion skins)
Natural Dye Ideas:
Pink – Beets*
Yellow – Golden Beets (in chunks)*
Yellow – Turmeric
Other Yellow Options – Orange Peels*, Green Tea, Cumin
Orange – Chili Powder
Other Orange Options -Carrots (in chunks)* or carrot juice
Blue – Crushed Blueberries
Blue – Purple Cabbage Leaves*
Green – Spinach*
Other Green Options – Grass (rinsed and blended with water)
Orange-Brown – Red Onion Skins*
Bronze-Orange – Yellow Onion Skins*
Lavender – Purple Grape Juice
Red – Lots of Red Onion Skins*
Violet Blue – Red Onion Skins*

Instructions

Dyeing the Eggs While They Cook

Use a separate pan for each color.
Add the eggs, natural substance, roughly 2 Tbsp vinegar and cold water to a pan.
You just want to cover the eggs with water. (You want the color to be as concentrated as possible so be careful not to use too much water or else the color will be diluted.)
Bring the eggs to a boil and let the mixture boil for 1 minute.
Remove the pan from heat, cover it with a lid, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.
I found that after the initial cooking time, the colors were not that vibrant. I recommend transferring the eggs, liquid and some of the natural substance to a bowl and letting them cool completely.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to let the eggs dye for several hours or over night. (I like including some of the fruit/vegetable substance because it adds patterns and specks to the eggs. If you want a more solid color, let the eggs soak over night in only the colored liquid.)

Dyeing the Eggs After They Are Cooked

Place the white eggs in the bottom of a deep pan.
Cover with roughly 2 Tbsp vinegar and cold water.
Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Using a separate bowl for each color, mix the natural dyes with the eggs.
You want the eggs to be completely covered by the dye but you want the color to be as concentrated as possible.
Once the eggs are dyed, remove them from the colored liquid, rinse them with cold water and let them air dry for 5 minutes.
Pat them dry with a paper towel.
For a shiny finish, rub them with vegetable oil.
Be careful with all of the dyes as they may stain.

Natural Dye Idea Comments

Pink – Beets* – I cut one beet into chunks and cooked it with the eggs. The eggs turned a pale Victorian pink. For a brighter pink, I will try grating the beets next time or soaking pre-cooked eggs in beet juice.
Yellow – Golden Beets (in chunks)* – I cut one golden beet into chunks and cooked it with the eggs. The dye was a bright yellow but the eggs only turned a very pale yellow. For a brighter yellow, I will try soaking pre-cooked eggs in golden beet juice.
Yellow – Turmeric – I put about 1 tsp turmeric powder in a small jar of water (big enough for only one egg). The egg turned bright yellow with some orange specks.
Orange – Chili Powder – I put about 1 tsp chili powder in a small jar of water (big enough for only one egg). The egg turned a very pale orange. I probably won’t do this one again; I will try carrots or carrot juice instead.
Blue – Crushed Blueberries – I put about 1/4 cup frozen blueberries in a tall glass of water with two cooked eggs. I stirred the blueberries, squishing them against the glass and the eggs. The eggs turned a pale blue with some very interesting specks and streaks where the fruit touched the shell.
Blue – Purple Cabbage Leaves* – I boiled two eggs with roughly half of a head of purple cabbage. It was a surprise because contrary to the striking purple color of the dye, the eggs turned a brilliant bright blue.
Green – Spinach* – I boiled a bag of spinach with two eggs. The dye was very pale so I added a box of frozen spinach in hopes of intensifying the green. The eggs stayed a very pale green. For a brighter green, next time I will try soaking pre-cooked eggs in spinach juice.
Orange-Brown – Red Onion Skins* – I boiled two eggs with the skins of roughly three red onions. I expected the eggs to be a pale blue or purple but they turned a light brownish-orange. Next time I will try adding some of the actual shiny bright purple onion flesh to hopefully get more of a violet blue color.
Bronze-Orange – Yellow Onion Skins* – I boiled two eggs with the skins of roughly three yellow onions. The eggs turned a rich bronze-orange color. I loved the designs that the onion skins left on the eggs. Next time I will try intentionally wrapping the eggs in the onion skins to pattern the egg shells.
Lavender – Purple Grape Juice – I dyed two eggs in a jar of grape juice concentrate. The eggs turned a bright pink-lavender color but the dye was too syrupy and washed right off when I rinsed the eggs. I then re-soaked them in grape juice (with water added to the mix). The result was an interesting speckled pink-lavender.

Toni Danielson

natural easter egg dyes is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

a green st. patricks day breakfast

Toni — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:59:32 +0000

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a festive way! This year I will give a shot and making a traditional Irish meal like my mom used to do for us. I ran across and Irish brand of Corned Beef and some cabbage, but I’m still in search of what to do with them. I am a lover of Reuben Sandwiches, so worst case scenario I can find some Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing and make something up. My family has consumed green milk, beer, frosting , cake, vegetables-so why not french toast. Baby D loved his morning concoction thinking it resembled a dessert instead of his traditional breakfast. Who said a little food coloring isn’t fun?

Need an amazing dip for any french toast, pancake or fruit. My auntie always made it for our big brunch celebrations. She told me that back in the day is used to be a secret recipe, but gave me permission to post it. She suggests making a double batch, for people like me who think is goes with just about anything! Enjoy MAPLE BUTTER! It’s quick, easy, few ingredient but Oh So GOOD!

Instructions:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 powdered sugar

cream together

beat in half cup of maple syrup ( mrs butterworth)
1 egg white and beat it stiff in a separate bowl
fold in to butter mixture
be aware that it gets a little runny

Toni Danielson

a green st. patricks day breakfast is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

st. patty’s pops by dollhouse bake shoppe

Toni — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:00:10 +0000

Top of the mornin’ to ya! Kids crafts are a dime a dozen. When you find an activity that is absolutely adorable and fun, you know that it’s going to be the perfect holiday craft for St. Patrick’s Day. Dollhouse Bake Shoppe has created a green spin on celebratory pops. Summer is nearing, which means time for food on a stick. Think Bakerella Cake Pops and the new Starbucks version, but more fun and festive. For complete step-by-step instructions and more delicious recipes, head over and see what Dollhouse Bake Shoppe has to offer.

For each pop you will need

1 lollipop stick
1 jumbo marshmallow
1 mini marshmallow
White chocolate chips (or white candy melts)
Green candy color (or green candy melts)

VIA: DollhouseBakeShoppe

Toni Danielson

st. patty’s pops by dollhouse bake shoppe is a post from: Happy Hour Mom

creative valentine’s day crafts, bloggers know best

Shannon — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:18 +0000

Valentine’s Day might not be a fan favorite for all as we enter adulthood, and our like/dislike often changes based on relationship status, but for kids V-day is a day full of fun, puppy love, and class parties. While candy hearts, chocolates and stuffed friends are a go-to gift for our loved ones, generic, mass Valentine’s Day cards are a must for class parties. I remember picking out and receiving my favorite “character” cards for the popular television or cartoon at the time–cards donning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Alf, Super Heroes, Power Rangers, etc. These days, more and more kids (and their parents) are opting for more original, handmade “generic” cards. From creatively designed personalized photo Valentine’s cards, to Butterflies and Superheroes as seen below, you will find the Internet sprinkled with creative card ideas from bloggers. This year my daughter and I worked together and created these adorable handmade butterfly cards I found on Skip to my Lou.

Toni opted for the Superhero Lollipops Valentines inspired by those found on ZakkaLife.

Shannon Hughes

creative valentine’s day crafts, bloggers know best is a post from: Happy Hour Mom