Archives for September 2008

Birthday Boy!

We celebrated Xavier’s birthday yesterday and I promised you pictures of my little angel’s day. Here they are. We were suppose to receive rain in our area the entire week-end. I prayed for sunshine. There’s something to be said about the power of prayer, we were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day on Saturday. It rained immediately after the last guest left. I truly thank my higher power for blessing Xavier’s day.

We posted zoo signs through out the yard(above), and tied jungle themed balloons on the posts. The “Xavier’s Zoo” and “Enter At Your Own Risk” were at the entrance of the tent. We had two others that said, “Lions, Tiger, and Bears” and “Don’t Feed Me”.

Stuffed animals from the Goodwill were used as center pieces for each table. After the party we give them to the kids as party favors, that’s after we made some of the adults put them back.  We ordered jungle themed party favors from Oriental Trading and placed them into a jungle themed favor bag.  Each child took home a box of the Barnum and Bailey animal cookies. Xavier loved the cookies.


We had approximately 30 guests, and served jungle burgers, warthogs, snake salad, quick sand, toad salad, floating grass, red fungus, swamp juice with ants, rolling rocks, and monkey bread. Better known as hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti salad, mac & cheese, potato salad, green beans & corn, stuffed tomatoes with crab, green punch with raisins, and hot dogs & hamburger rolls. We added mixed fruit with Whipped Creme to the menu as well.

Granddaddy Preparing The Warthogs

Xavier’s cousin, Ciarra, announcing She’s At the Party

In the picture above Ciarra, Xavier’s cousin, is telling one of her Uncles that she’s at the party. She just turned 2, it was hilarious.

We served jungle cupcakes (above). I had the bakery sculpt the icing in a grass texture and we used jungle shaped cupcake picks in the center. Everyone loved them. Initially we were going to use a cupcake tree, but we decided to just place them on a tray so the children could retrieve them easily. We did half of the cupcakes in chocolate and half in yellow with a butter cream icing. Everyone of the cupcakes disappeared. The children seemed to like them better than the cake.

The cake that we used for Xavier to stick his hand in had a whipped icing. As you can see, he decided to stick his face in the cake too. He was willing to share the icing with everyone by giving icing kisses. Gran didn’t mind. I love sugars from Xavier, lol. The cupcake shirt that he’s wearing is by Ambajam. They will be featured on our blog next month.

Everyone Singing Happy Birthday

Xavier Sharing Cake With Mommy & His Cousins looking On.
Mommy Wondering How She’s Going to Get Xavier Clean


Xavier received so many gifts my daughter and son-in-law couldn’t fit everything into their car. My daughter’s in-laws had to load half of them into their SUV. Guess who won’t be buying toys for Christmas. His favorite gifts were the Popcorn Popper that you push and the little balls pop up and down and his motorized car. His cousin is helping him with his new wheels in the picture below. My long drive way is finally good for something.

Opening Gifts With Aunt Nikki

Xavier With His Cousin Jordon

We played Pin The Banana on the Monkey and a board game similar to Candy Land, but with a jungle theme. The kids actually perferred to run and play football. Go figure!
We were worried that we would be unable to get the icing out of Xavier’s shirt, but with a little Tide and a good soak in cold water it washed up beautifully. It’s adorable, we’re going to let him wear it until he grows out of it.
We hope that you enjoyed the pictures. I’m not sure who had the most fun, the children or the adults. We will be doing a post on party ideas. Feel free to send your ideas to rhonda@gigglesnsugarkisses.com. We will add them.



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M&M Dolls

Have you seen the M and M dolls from Ashton-Drake? I saw these adorable little dolls, 6 inches long, on the Ashton Drake site and thought I would share my find. These are great for M & M collectors. I’m not a collector, but I love the peanut M & Ms. These adorable dolls will be shipped in issues. Each wears a cap with a different saying. The first issue, green, says, “I Melt For No One”, the second issue is red. The cap reads, “Sweet On The Inside”, next is the blue “Never Let Them See You Melt”, and the last is the yellow, “There’s A Little Nut”. Each sells for $29.99. You will receive free express shipping on the first issue. Be sure to check them out, and put this great gift idea on your list for the M and M lover.

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Wordless Wednesday

Water Under The Bridge

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No Slip Charlie Give Away

Get a grip on your wet baby with No Slip Charlie. I had an opportunity to try No Slip Charlie on my grandson. They are wonderful. I only wish that I discovered them when he was an infant. My daughter was intimidated when it came to bathing Xavier. She was so afraid that he was going to slip out of her hands. She didn’t become comfortable bathing him until he was several months old. These gloves would be have been a perfect solution to calm her fears.
Before No Slip Charlie, I used a loofah on my grandson. He loves for Gran to use No Slip Charlies now. He gets a kick out of seeing my fingers wiggle through the opening, and the mitts are softer against his skin than the loofah.

These nifty gloves were invented by Kim Shulman. Kim understood the stress of new moms and slippery babies after the birth of her son, Charlie. The bathroom can be a dangerous area with a wet baby. Kim decided to take action, we now have No Slip Charlie named after her son.

The gloves are made of a soft fabric that allows you to grip your baby comfortably. Your fingers are free to shampoo your baby’s hair to and touch them lovely during bath time. The package also contains terry cloth mitts for bathing baby. They slip off easily when needed, and are available in pink and blue.

Every mother wants to feel comfortable bathing her new bundle of joy. No Slip Charlie and a bath towel from Giggles & Sugar Kisses would make a great baby shower or new baby gift. You can get a lot of mileage out of this cozy combination. I’m using the gloves on my 1 year old grandson. They get 3 snaps, a booty shake and they go into grandma’s bag.

Kim has been gracious enough to offer Giggles & Sugar Kisses readers a change to win a pair. Here’s how: It’s Baby Safety Month. Visit No Slip Charlie and watch the video. It’s less than a minute. Kim’s offering 20% off the gloves during the month of September if you want to order now. After viewing the video and browsing Return to our blog and let us know which pair you would like to win, pink or blue, if you don’t order. Subscribe to our blog and you can enter twice. This contest is open to US and Canada residents 18+. Contest will end mid-night October 20, 2008.

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Wordless Wednesday

A Mountain View!

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Mia Bella Candle Give Away

Giggles & Sugar Kisses is giving away 12 Mia Bella Votive Candles. You could be a winner. Here’s how: Visit Giggles & Sugar Kisses and leave us a comment on your favorite item. Subscribe to our blog and you can enter twice. Subscribe to the Giggles & Sugar Kisses newsletter and you can enter three times.


Votive candles will be mailed directly from Thirty One. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you. Contest expires mid-night October 15, 2008 and is open to all US Residents 18+. Winner will have 3 days to submit name and address information. Failure to contact us within 72 hours will result in a disqualification. Good Luck!

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Wordless Wednesday

Big Birds!

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Happy Birthday Xavier

My adorable grandson is turning 1 at the end of the month. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since he entered this world on 9/28/2007 at 5lbs 13 ounces. He was so small I could hold him in the palm of my hand. He was actually the smallest baby born into our family.

It has been amazing to watch the milestones in his life from holding his own bottle, crawling, getting his first tooth, his first experience with baby foods, toddler foods, walking at 11 months and now celebrating his first birthday.

I call him my miracle baby. My daughter was diagnosed with a kidney disease at 16. As a result, she has taken high blood pressure medicine everyday since to ensure no further damage to her kidneys. I was really against her becoming pregnant, we knew that a pregnancy would cause more damage. She insisted on giving her husband at least one child. When she announced her pregnancy, I honestly had mixed emotions. I thought about the movie Steel Magnolias constantly. What if she dies from kidney failure. She and her husband thought about it too. They discussed which of the two would live if she ran into trouble during the delivery, her or the baby. She wanted the baby to live. Her husband decided that he would never be able to face me if he made that decision. She is my only child. Talking about emotional moments and a mountain of stress.

As a result of her risky pregnancy, the doctors decided to induce labor at 32 weeks. At 9:00 p.m. on 9/27/2007, Marisha entered the hospital anxious to give birth to her son. Xavier decided he wasn’t ready to enter the world. If we wanted him out, we would have to send a doctor to get him. After 30 hours of labor, they decided to do a C-Sect. The above picture is of Xavier when they brought him out of the delivery room. He was on his way to the nursery, but stopped for a brief moment to let Gran admire him and to snap a picture. He’s been posing for the camera ever since. I’m telling you, if you bring out a camera that boy will stop and pose for the camera. He has brought so much joy into my life. He is truly my little sweetie pie. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.
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I’m On A Blog Trip – Welcome To West Virginia

This is the last day of our Blog Trip, and here are a few things to do before you leave:

Visit Ridgefield Farm for a few hours of flower cutting, corn mazes, pumpkin patches and hayrides. There’s something here for everyone.

Visit the Harpers Ferry National Park, which is a few miles away from Ridgefield Farms. Here you can visit John Brown’s Fort. John Brown worked with Frederick Douglas to abolish slavery. Bring the camera, this park has amazing views and a few bald eagles, red-tailed hawks , white-tailed deer, and southern flying squirrel. If you don’t see any white tailed deer, they’re probably in my back year, lol. This park will take you back in time with the costumes of the earlier years and reenactments. Nice history lesson for the kids.

Not into parks, how about kayaking, tubing, or rafting on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Check out River Riders while you’re in that area.

Want a taste of the city life before you leave, visit the Smithsonian National Zoo. It’s about 1 1/2 hours away in our Nation’s Capital. Be sure to take the White House tour and visit the Holocaust Museum while you’re there.

Just want to relax and enjoy a movie, visit the Opera House in nearby Shepherdstown, WV. It’s my hometown and about 15 minutes away. They are currently showing Brideshead Revisited. I have not seen this movie, but you can read a review here: http://bridesheadrevisited-themovie.com/images/BridesheadRevisitedElleReview.pdf After the movie, visit the Three Onions restaurant. The food is yummy.

We offer thoroughbred racing and a taste of Las Vegas at the Charles Town Races and Slots. It’s 30 minutes from my house, and they have an excellent buffet. You can watch the races while dining on the upper level. The buffet on the lower level is better).

Want to splurge? You can finish the evening with a 7 course meal and a restful night’s sleep at the beautiful Hillbrook Inn.

I hope you have enjoyed your time in West Virginia. It has been a pleasure being your host while on this Blog Trip. Please subscribe to Giggles & Sugar Kisses’ blog before you leave, I would love for us to remain blog friends.
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Welcome To West Virginia



Here’s three of my favorite places to eat, The Bavarian Inn, The Purple Iris, and the Yellow Brick Bank.

The Bavarian Inn (Top) – is known for its German cuisine, but they have wonderful American dishes too. I usually go here for lunch, but the prices are reasonable for both lunch and dinner. I personally love their crab cakes. They are to die for. They are served with whipped potatoes and fresh asparagus. Their bread is wonderful too and the service is great. The Bavarian offers offers chalets if you would like to spend the night. The view is beautiful, they overlook the Potomac River. Nice for a romantic getaway, anniversary or New Years eve.

The Purple Iris (Middle) is absolutely beautiful. It’s an old mansion that is decorated impeccably. The grounds are awesome. To top it off, the food is divine. I can’t decide who has the best crab cakes, The Bavarian Inn or The Purple Iris so I just continue to go to both. I take my employees here for lunch at Christmas. There are Christmas trees and lights everywhere. Awesome place for a wedding too. You can’t go wrong here, but you must have a reservation. It’s the owner’s home. Tiffany and Daniel Harshbarger, adorable couple, are the owners. I love it!

The Yellow Brick Bank (Bottom) was one of Nancy Reagan’s favorite lunch spots. She frequented our area often. We always knew when she was in town, black SUVs would be everywhere. Let me tell you why, the food is finger licking good and the ambiance is superb. This restaurant used to be a bank when I was a kid. It’s in my home town, so is the Bavarian Inn. I may be a little biased about this restaurant, my cousin is a chief there. His fried chicken is gobbled up by Washington, DC dignitaries. There’s nothing funnier than watching a group of men in Brooks Brothers suits and ladies in Vera Wang suits licking their fingers while eating his fried chicken. Their Tortelini Alfredo on the lunch menu and their Rack of Lamb on the dinner menu are highly recommended. You can see Clifford in the photo gallery. Tell him cousin Rhonda sent you.

I’ll be eating at Chima’s on Saturday. My significant other and I share the same birthday, we chose this restaurant to celebrate. I don’t have any pictures to share, but check back next week for a review. I’ll be sure to take a few pictures while we’re there.

I hope that you will find one of the restaurants to your liking. Please stop by tomorrow for a great shopping experience.

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