Will + Kate

Aw..... I still swoon over the royal couple - and their royal wedding - so today I am wishing a happy anniversary to Prince William & Princess Kate!  I remember their wedding day perfectly ... I woke up at 4:30am with my 2 month old daughter and watched the coverage all day.  **Confession:  it may or may not still be on my DVR! ;)  I almost died when I saw Kate step out of that limo - her dress, her make-up, her jewelry - everything was perfection.  I truly think she is one of the most beautiful women in the world (and even cuter now with a baby bump!) Our 2009 trip to London turned my interest in the royal family into a slight obsession - I just am so intrigued by their lifestyle as it's not only something we do not have in America, but something I will never, ever, ever be able to understand.  So I will continue to read my special wedding edition magazines, books & watch my DVRed coverage until DirecTV takes it away from me, which is hopefully never! :)  What's your favorite wedding of all time??

 PERFECTION.

 

Beach Babe 2013!

While this mama might not be quite ready for swimsuit season yet, Avery is more than ready!  I'm just swooning over her new swimsuits!  Avery gets a lot of pool action in the summer, so it's totally appropriate for her to have a swimsuit for each day of the week, right?!  Right now she has 4 new ones and 2 from last year that just might still fit.  And who am I kidding, I will probably pick up a couple more - my favorite stores for her (Gap & Old Navy) keep coming out with new ones and I just can't help myself!  Last year I swear this chick had 8 swimsuits - I'll try and tone it down a bit this year! :)

One piece or two piece?  I know a lot of people have 'issues' with 2 pieces on little girls, so I did start picking up more one pieces this year... HOWEVER, I now have a potty trained toddler and have read that wet one pieces can be nightmares to get on and off to go potty, so I am picking up 2 pieces from here on out! 

Here's what my beach babe will be sporting this summer!

Pink 1-piece: Gap
Pink 2-piece: Gap
Purple 1-piece: Gymboree
Purple 2-piece: Old Navy
**Looks like all 3 stores' websites are having sales right now on swimwear, so now is a good time to buy!  If only our swimsuits could be $12-$25 too! :)

The Perfect Date...

Happy Thursday! ;)

Spring House Updates

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Things have been really slow/boring around here - we either need a) nice weather or b) holidays or c) holidays ... and the past couple of weeks we have had none of the above!  The good news is today is going to be 66, so Avery and I will be enjoying our first picnic lunch of 2013 (something we did every day last summer) and a nice walk this afternoon. 

Did anyone else get any money back from their tax return?  We fortunately got a decent chunk of change back this year, so while we paid off credit cards, purchased new spring/summer wardrobes and a couple of other odds and ends, we are planning a few upgrades to the house as well! Here's our list:

KITCHEN:  Stain cabinets.  The stain, poly & new hardware is already in my possession - we just need to find the time to tackle this big project.  With drying time, this project could take us 2-3 weeks, so the challenge is that we need to find a window where we don't mind that our kitchen is torn apart and that we have no one coming over!  I have already stained our fireplace mantle and all bathroom vanities, so the kitchen is the last piece of the puzzle.  If you are planning to tackle this ever-so-popular Pinterest DIY, check out Monica Wants It's tutorial!  After we get the cabinets down, we will be adding floor to ceiling curtains on the windows and sliding door and a large area rug under the table.  New appliances (FINALLY!) will be coming later this year!

MASTER BATHROOM:  Our master bathroom was the wrong color from the start, so we will be painting it more neutral.  Throw in a new shower curtain, new faucets, rugs, accessories and a frame for the bathroom mirror - oh, I just can't wait!  I am trying to find all of the pieces for this little transformation and will report back as soon as it's done!  Hopefully next month!

NEW DOORS:  We happened to purchase a 10 year old house with the cheapest, thinnest, poorest quality doors ... and enough is enough! :)  When we redid our basement last summer, they replaced our family room/basement door for us to a beautiful, solid core, oak 6 panel door, so little by little, we will replace the rest of the doors in the house.  First up:  1/2 bathroom, kitchen pantry, master bedroom & Avery's bedroom!  
NEW FURNITURE:  When we purchased our house, we decided we would get more use out of a loveseat and chairs out on our patio, but now that we have a family (and do lots of entertaining), we decided it was time to grow up and get a patio table and chairs.  We are still on the hunt for a set, but it's officially grilling season, so we better speed it up!  We also replaced our family room ottoman (poor thing had gotten destroyed!) and added a slipper chair to our master bedroom. 

Once I take new pictures, I will add a house tour on here.  We haven't done anything crazy to our house, but I love a good before and after picture!

Wow, this list just shows me how much I still have left to buy to get all of this stuff done and ready for summer!  Guess I know what I will be doing all week! :)  What's on your project list this spring??

Spring, Where Art Thou?

Today is April 18... it's practically May!  We've had maybe 3 days of 60+ degree weather so far this 'spring', but have been quickly followed by a 45 degree day with rain.  It's now been raining over 24 hours straight and looks to continue all afternoon.  The Johnson house has never had cabin fever this bad and we are itching to get outside and play with all of our new outdoor toys, take our daily walk around the neighborhood and most importantly - get some color!  I don't remember the last time I was so pale!  So since we are stuck inside yet another day, I'm going to reminisce on summers past and get in a warm state of mind for all we have to look forward to this summer!

Indy500!  Scorching temperatures, bring-your-own beer coolers, 400,000 people, engines roaring.... I am SO excited to attend the "greatest spectacle in racing" again this year.  Nick and I have only missed 1 race since 2006, so this marks year #7 of us attending!  My uncle and his college friends go every single year, which is how we score our awesome tickets on Turn 4 every year, and with my cousin Katie and her boyfriend Dan, and my brother Shane and his girlfriend Catherine also attending this year, it is sure to be a*w*e*s*o*m*e!  Can't wait!

Old Settler's Days! Every small town has an annual festival with greasy food vendors, cheap beer and carnival rides, but Rockton's Old Settler's Days does not disappoint as they manage to get get really good bands every year!  With a population of only 8,000 people, our town festival has brought in big time country bands like Eli Young Band, Zac Brown Band and Luke Bryan!  This year's line-up:  Chris Cagle, Uncle Kracker, Kip Moore & Billy Currington!

Magic Waters Water Park!  Avery & I are excited to renew our passes to Magic Waters this summer.  It's such a great deal ($90 for the two of us all summer) and there is SO much to do!  Their little kid area is actually very big and keeps Avery entertained for hours.  There's also a wave pool, lazy river and slides for when we decide to venture from our area.  Can't wait to see Avery in all of her adorable new swimsuits!  :)

Wedding Season!  I love wedding season!  Who doesn't love wedding season, but when you are an ex-wedding planner, I think you love em' just a little bit more!  Probably because I appreciate and notice every teeny tiny detail that went into them!  We have 1 in July and 2 in August this summer and I can't wait to see the beautiful brides dresses, centerpieces and of course all of our friends!

Throw in weekly Real Housewives of Jackman Dew girls nights, 4th of July, Avery's music class, friends' new babies arriving, my birthday (last one in my 20s!!) and plenty more outdoor fun with friends and family, SUMMER - we are more than ready for you... BRING IT ON!! :) 

Thank you!

A big THANK YOU goes out to not one, but two awesome baby blogs for featuring my "It's a Boy" blue nail polish party favors!  It's so exciting to see my projects floating around Pinterest and sourced on other websites!  April & May brings me a little lull with themed parties and holiday decorating (seriously, can it just be Christmas already?!), but I can not wait to throw more parties with more fun decorating ideas to share!  Who knows, maybe I'll come up with something before the 4th of July (wheels turning!!)

VERY ROSENBERRY
10 DIY Baby Shower Favors & Decorations

BABY ZONE
8 DIY Baby Shower Favors

Pinterest's Best Recipes

Happy Friday!  Avery and I are meeting friends for lunch at Panera today, and since I am already hungry, I thought I would talk about food for a bit!  Now, I was never a good cook .... before Pinterest.  I was boring, did not experiment with new seasonings or spices, and made the same darn things ever week.  Don't get me wrong - I am not saying I am a GREAT cook now by any means ... but my family is certainly enjoying all of the great recipes I have found on Pinterest.  Don't know what to make this weekend?  Here are my top 5 FAVORITE food pins to date! Enjoy!

BEST BREAKFAST:  Breakfast Pizza

BEST SNACK:  Ranch Oyster Crackers

BEST APPETIZER:  Paula Deen's Sweet Bacon Wraps

BEST DINNER: Two Timin' Pasta Bake - my husband's favorite dinner on the planet!  I also throw in a lb. of sliced mild italian sausage, but ground sausage or beef would work too!

BEST DESSERT:  Smores Cookies - I can't tell you how many times I've made these!  And I am a cheater ... I use store bought chocolate chip cookie dough ... and they are still awesome!

That was pretty hard to pick just one favorite in each category!!  To check out my other pinned it-made it-loved it recipes, visit my "TRIED & TRUE RECIPE BOARD" on Pinterest!  Happy Cooking!

Big Girl Roomspiration

Since our beautiful daughter has transformed from baby to toddler, she should have a bedroom that reflects the older, more mature and sophisticated girl that she is becoming. ;)  Although Avery is still sleeping in her crib and has made absolutely no attempts to escape, being the plans-too-far-ahead planner I am, I have already SGPed (searched,googled,pinned - just made that up) a mood board and shopping list for her updated room.

If you don't know Avery, she is extremmmmmmmely girly.  Wasn't forced on her by any means, but the chick has to pick out her own clothes every morning (usually a dress), helps mommy put on her make-up and has to be dripping in hair bows and jewelry at all times, poor grandma never leaves with any of her jewelry on - Avery makes her take it all off to wear herself. I want her new room to of course be appropriate for a 2 year old, but give her something girly and feminine that she can really grow into.

Like that song says, it started with a whisper bedspread. I am absolutely in love with the Waterfall Ruffle Duvet from Urban Outfitters, but my favorite color - Neopolitan - is sadly no longer available on their website.  So what do you always do when a product you like goes out of stock, give up check Ebay!  

 

Thankfully, there was ONE for sale on Ebay - gently used, but in like new condition.  I rarely, if ever, buy used anything, but since Avery will never sleep touching the duvet itself and the pillow shams will be used solely for decoration, I decided to go for it!  It's so perfectly girly, but could work for a 2 year old like her, or a 28 year old like me! I stalked the listing for 5 days and eventually won the duvet & 2 pink ruffle shams for a whopping $67 plus shipping ... much better than the $228 it would have cost me from Urban Outfitters for a 2nd choice color.  

I still have a lot of shopping and crafting to do (painting an old oak dresser white), but I will invite you all to the (virtual) unveiling come June!  For now, check out my mood board below.  BTW, if you are questioning the b&w Judy Garland poster, it's Esther & Tootie from Meet Me in St. Louis ... Avery's favorite movie/thing on the planet! If you haven't seen it, you have to check it out!

Bowl/Mirror/Picture Frame/Teapot/Chair - Ikea - here, here, here, here & here

Flower Dresser Knob - Anthropologie

Pouf - East Wind Gifts

Pillow - Target

Meet Me in St. Louis Poster - All Posters

Pink Vintage Phone - Good Old Days Store

Finding my Faith

I've believed in God my whole life.  I've never been a really religious person, but I have always considered myself a Christian (some days more Christian than others, but a Christian nonetheless :) But I have recently been reintroduced and reconnected with my faith and I'm feeling better than ever.  And since I am now using this blog to share more than just cute photos and stories of my wonderful daughter, I thought I would share this with you as well.

I was born and raised in a Catholic family.  It wasn't just my parents that were Catholic, but literally every last one of my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  I was baptized as a baby, attended weekly Sunday school (or CCD as we called it), went through the sacraments of 1st Communion and Confirmation and attended Catholic church all of the way through high school.

Once I headed off to college and actually had to make the decision on my own to attend church, well you can guess that didn't go over well.  Church was simply too early on a Sunday after a late night out and just not 'the cool thing' to do in college.  Having a boyfriend who was not Catholic probably didn't help the situation as I did not have an automatic 'church partner' who would help keep me accountable and push me to go.

So in 2007 when that boyfriend became my fiance, we needed to pick a church to get married in.  I was not an 'active' Catholic at the time, but knew I should get married in a Catholic church to, if nothing else, please my parents and grandparents.  We also decided that we wanted to make God a big part of our marriage and that would include going to church every week.  We went a few times leading up to our wedding, but of course did not step into that church again after it.  For whatever reason, it just didn't stick with me, and although it was one of my more favorite Catholic churches I've attended, I always left feeling good, but never wanting more or having the desire to come back.  I just never left feeling that I had actually taken something away - I went through all of the motions of the service, but just nothing said out loud ever hit me as intriguing, interesting or inspirational.

Fast forward to 2010... we found out we were going to be parents!  I said "OK, I know we've talked about finding a church before, but now that we are going to bring a baby into the world, we really need to find one now.  No more excuses!"  After Avery was born we attended Heartland Community Church (my first non-Catholic Church) a few times.  I actually loved it there - for the first time in my life I actually took away something from the service and felt really really good about myself and God.  But it was decently far away from our house and with Nick's crazy work schedule, we couldn't always dedicate a couple of hours on a Saturday night or Sunday morning to go.  So, you guessed it - we stopped going ... again.  We went ahead and had Avery baptizing Catholic, again mostly to please my parents and grandparents.  It also left it open that if we did decide to pursue the Catholic faith for our family, that Avery already had the first step under her belt.

Double fast forward to Fall 2012... I had just lost both of my Grandpas (Bupa on March 17 & Grandpa on November 25).  We had also just suffered the loss of a baby - a miscarriage in October, three of the most devastating events of my life.  My life (and my faith) were at an all-time low.  I hated my life - I cried every day - I was depressed - I didn't think it was fair - I didn't get why bad kept coming to me, and I even questioned if I was being punished by God because I had been neglecting my faith and my relationship with him.  Is THAT what could have caused all of this?  I obviously know that is NOT the reason behind all of last year's misfortunes, but because I was so disconnected, I couldn't help but wonder.

I decided once and for all that the Johnson clan needed to give church another try.  I would go to any church that I could get my husband to agree to go to and enjoy, but kept my eyes set on Heartland.  Heartland sets up their worship through "series" - 4-7 week "episodes" on a certain topic.  They even have an amazing Launch program for Avery - a free day care service that is one of the most well oiled machines I have ever seen at a church!  We started attending right before the series "Greater Than" started.  Wow, could that have been more perfectly timed?!  For the next 5 weeks we would hear stories of misfortune and triumph and how God is truly greater than any bad that is in our world.  There was even one week that focused on a family's heartbreak of a late-in-pregnancy miscarriage (which I strategically skipped and watched from the comfort of my own home - thankfully Heartland posts all of their messages on Facebook, so you can always get caught up if you can't be there in person!)  Of course they talk a lot about the Bible - but they always relate it to the modern day life, the modern day family, something that I have never experienced before at a church.

Heartland has been incredible for me - I can truly say that through this church I have been reconnected to God and to my faith.  I know that everything happens for a reason (even if you can't see it at the time) and that God has a plan for all of us.  He is greater than any of our misfortunes and wants us all to be happy.  The current series that just started is called "Habitat" and is focused on how to create a solid foundation to build a great home and family.  Their teaching pastors (especially Mike Breaux) are fabulous and really are effective at driving their messages home.  The songs we sing are so powerful and touching - I often find myself listening to them during the week on YouTube. I get excited every week for the weekend so I can go to Heartland and see what else I can learn and take away from to help build a happier and stronger family.  In my 28 (almost 29!) years of life, I have NEVER found a church that would affect me and change me as much as this one, so to Heartland, I am eternally grateful.

I do have several family members that are very skeptical of my choice to attend Heartland.  But I believe there is a right church out there for all of us.  I am still a Christian woman with the same beliefs and values as the rest of them, I have just found another 'house' to learn about him and celebrate him in.  Not only is Heartland a church, it is a charitable leader in the Rockford community -  they hold a large Prom for special needs kids every year that I am thrilled to be volunteering at this month, they make amazing improvements to schools every summer, among countless other things, and they have small groups to help with peoples' individual needs - including recovery and marriage/relationships.

You can check out more information about Heartland on Facebook or on their website.  Like I mentioned, they post their weekend message every Monday on Facebook, so if you want to see what they are all about, Mondays are a good day to do so!

It must sound like I am getting paid for this endorsement, but I truly am just so happy right now, that I felt the need to share - actually over share - I have the tendency to do that sometimes! :)  I promise I will (probably) not post about church or religion again - it's just been heavy on my mind and I wanted to get it out! But I will leave you with 3 of my favorite songs that we sing - have a wonderful day! XO!

From the Inside Out - Hillsong 

Favorite Lines - "Everlasting his light will shine when all else fails"
"In my heart, in my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out"

Our God - Chris Tomlin

Favorite Line - "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? 

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against."

Cannons - Phil Wickham

Favorite Line - "I'm so unworthy, but still you love me. 

Forever my heart will sing of how great you are."

Baby Shower Activity: Champagne Toast

I have been writing poems since I can remember.  No, not GOOD poems that you would find in an old classic masterpiece at the library - cheesy rhyming poems.  It's one of my 'things' you could say.  In fact, one of my favorite websites is www.rhymezone.com.  If I have attended a bridal shower, baby shower, or bachelorette party of yours, chances are you received a theme gift with a poem to go along with it.  Looking back, I wish I had saved copies of all of my awesome poems, but since I didn't, I guess you will just have to take my word for it!

I love the idea of keeping track of all of the special people who attend your events, so when I hosted a baby shower for a good friend of mine, I wanted to give her a guest book that she would actually put to use.  Since the shower itself was a cocktail party, I decided signing a bottle of champs would be perfect!  Plus, what a fun thing to give to a soon-to-be mommy - I pictured her and her husband Jesse toasting with our champagne after their baby boy was born (which they did!) and it just made me tear up and smile! I could have just explained to all of the girls to sign their name on the bottle, but that wouldn't have been much fun, would it?  So of course I whipped up a little poem to go along with it.  If you love cheesy poems as much as I do, PLEASE copy it! It'd make the rhyming geek in me so happy! :)

BABY SHOWER 'GUEST BOOK' WORDING:
A new baby boy (or girl!) will soon join your life
Making you a mommy on top of a wife.
May your first sip of alcohol after he's (she's) here
Be this champagne that we toast to you dear!

Pinned This, Made That: Nail Polish Favors

So apparently I have an obsession with finger nail polish.  The funny thing though - you will never find it on my fingers!  Anyone that knows me knows I've been a nail biter since.... well.... the day I was born!  It's a nasty, ugly, disgusting habit, but I just can't stop, won't stop.  My toe nails always have a color on them, but my finger nails - well they are that ugly that even a little hot pink or coral couldn't make them look any better. 

My obsession goes beyond painting my toes - I'm obsessed with nail polish party favors!  Last year I gave out nail polish as party favors 2 times in 4 months, so I'm sure girls who come to events at my house are catching onto me, but I just can't help it!  There are so many cute ways to present it!

PINNED THIS:

MADE THIS:

 Boy oh Boy! Blue Nail Polish Party Favors for a "Real Housewives Baby Shower"

PINNED THIS:


MADE THIS: 

This year we actually hosted all 5 of our Christmases (my immediate family, mom's side, dad's side, mother-in-law, father-in-law) at our house this year, so what kind of hostess would I be if I didn't have a little gift for each of my favorite ladies?!  I purchased 15 different nail polishes and had all ladies pick out a color once they arrived.  Fun little surprise to receive ... and to give!

I truly appreciate some Essie or Opi on my nails, but I can't justify coughing up $8 on each party favor when you have 15-20 to pass out, so I stumbled upon an awesome alternative... Sinful Colors.  They have a TON of fun colors (I think I found 10 different blues when I was looking for a boy baby shower) and you can't beat the $1.99 price tag!  Plus, the bottles look nicer than Wet & Wild or other discount nail polishes. $2 for a party favor is practical and perfectly acceptable!  My local Walgreens and Walmart both carry Sinful Colors, but I am sure you can find them elsewhere.

Here are some of my other favorite ways to give nail polish as party favors - can't wait to see what I do for 2013! :)

Nail Polish in matching Easter Eggs ... if I hosted Easter this year I would have totally done this!

Nail Polish & file tied with simple twine - LOVE!  You don't ALWAYS need a tag for everything!


Nail polish as place cards

Target: Easter Clearance

So this morning I decided it was a good day for a Target run (is there ever NOT a good day to go to Target?!)  Avery even gets excited to go to Target (although it's the ONLY store where she refuses to sit in the cart ... must be all of the eye candy!).  I didn't really have anything particular to buy - had an exchange and a return - so we just decided to do what we do best ... wander around aimlessly and fill up our cart!  I typically am a 'buy a trunk full of Christmas decorations the day after Christmas' kinda girl, so what a fun surprise to see that our Target had a bunch of Easter stuff left.... all at 70% off!  How can a girl resist 70% off?  

 Here's what we got:

* Yarn Wreath .... I was swooning over this a month or two ago, but decided it wasn't worth $12 .... but since it is now magically $3.60, how could I resist?!  And plus, there was only 1 left - it's like it was fate!
* Egg Dyeing Kits .... After our sad excuse for colored eggs this year, I'm sticking with the good ol' dummy proof kits for next year!  3 kits cost us $2.10 ... down from $7.00 .... I think of it as 'buy 1, get 2 free!'
* Goodies for Avery .... my mom taught me that it's never too early to start picking up little gifts, so next year's Easter basket will find a cute divided plate (we love those things!) and a pastel colored slinky ... nice little $1.19 addition! 
* Plastic Eggs .... since Avery colored all over her plastic eggs this year, I decided to dump those and start from scratch.  I also grabbed a bunch of those small eggs - you know the ones that only can hold literally 1 piece of candy - to make a cute garland I stumbled upon on Pinterest today.  6 packs of eggs for $1.80 .... I might actually go back and grab more small ones and make .... well more garlands! :) 
* Plastic Cups .... since we decided the kids Egg Hunt was such a success this year, it will (of course!) now be an annual event.  We scored 16 adorable paper cups for .60 .... never to early to start party planning!

TOTAL DAMAGE:  $9.29 + tax 
TOTAL SAVINGS:   $21.70

Throw in a $3 big ass ball and I'd call this trip a success! :)  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend... and let me know if you check out the Target Easter aisle!

Easter!

So I'm almost a week late on this post, but since this is the last holiday-themed post for a long time .... I think until the 4th of July! - I can drag it out a bit, can't I?

Avery was so much fun this Easter as she was so much more aware of what was happening.  She dove into her Easter basket and examined each item individually, got dressed in her Sunday best for church (we go to Heartland Community Church in Rockford, IL and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite places to be!), ate a delicious brunch with our family (of course we did not get one picture!), and ended the day with a cold, windy egg hunt outside!

 Easter basket contents found here:

 

 

 

Dress, hair bow, shoes all from Target. Tights from Baby Gap. 

 

Balloons make Avery's day!

Our only picture together taken on Easter ... FAIL!

 

Easter is exhausting!  This special holiday called for a special nap in mommy & daddy's bed... and it even included mommy! :)

  

By the time we woke up from our family nap, it wasn't so warm and sunny out anymore,

so we completed the fastest outdoor egg hunt ever!

Hope all of your had a wonderful and relaxing Easter with your families.  Now that the season of cold holidays is complete, COME ON SUMMER!!

Avery & the Eggs

I've been known to change song lyrics to my own words from time to time .... change "Benny and the Jets" to "Avery and the Eggs" ... fun right?!  It's safe to safe that this chick loves Easter eggs!  She was a bigger fan of playing with the plastic ones vs. eating the real ones, but regardless - she had plenty of fun last week with the eggs!  She had an egg hunt with her friends, egg hunt at Grandma's, colored Easter eggs (plastic & real) and and one last hunt on Easter.

She was so excited when I said we were going to color Easter eggs that when I went out in the family room, she had gotten out her crayons and colored the plastic ones before we had a chance to color the real ones!

This week already she has mentioned the Easter bunny 3 times, so it's safe to say the girl officially loves holidays like her mama .... and that only makes me even more excited for the next one!  Don't get me wrong - I am DYING for warm weather .... but I would be lying if I said I wasn't already excited for Christmas! 

For our hard boiled Easter eggs, we jumped on the bake-in-the-oven wagon and they turned out perfect!  Place the eggs in a muffin tray, preheat to 325 degrees, pop in for 30 minutes and then let sit in a cold ice water bath for 10 minutes. 

For our coloring, we used the Kool-Aid method.  I thought of this all by myself found this on Pinterest, but was so quick to just buy it, I didn't actually read the tutorial until we were ready to start ... FAIL! We started with six colors. If I would have read the tutorial before I bought the Kool-Aid, I would have known that grape would turn your eggs the ugliest color of gray unless you added 1/2 a packet of blue to it. ,,,And then there were five colors.  If I would have read the tutorial before I bought the Kool-Aid, I would have know that lemonade on it's own is basically colorless on the eggs and that you should add 1/2 a packet of orange to actually give it some color.  ...And then there were four colors. The pink lemonade hardly had any color either, so I decided to dump the yellow lemonade into the pink lemonade trying to make an orange, but that didn't produce a very pretty or vibrant color either. ...And then there were three colors.  I will say our green, blue and red eggs turned out SO pretty - much more vibrant than with the ol' trusty Easter egg kits, but I wish we could have gotten all of the different colors that I saw in the tutorial.  Lesson learned:  READ instructions before you buy your supplies.