Beginning each blog about this topic is tough. The voices in my head strike up their noise. How did I end up here? Has it been going on this long? How much longer will it be? Will I survive it? How will this time and distance effect my daughter? Will she ever be able to understand? Being a mother from a distance is the worst. Being a mother from a distance is the last thing I ever planned to do. …
Once more, it has been a while since I made a cupcake post. I certainly make these tiny tasty treats more often than I blog about them. My latest brought together two of my favorite things. Harry Potter and cupcakes. In celebration of the new Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald movie coming out later this year, and the 20th anniversary of the books, there’s no time like now to plan the perfect themed treat. Harry Potter Lightning Bolt Cupcakes…
Backyard Tic Tac Toe with Painted Stones is the newest addition to our yard. I love making something new to add to the yard once the weather changes for the better. Simple additions that blend in with the existing landscaping are my favorite. Painting regular yard features is a simple staple. Backyard tic tac toe with painted stones is super simple and super cute. This outdoor twist on the timeless game is so cute. Kids playing outside is one of…
Ever collect coins as a kid? Even in a piggy bank? I sure did and other than the face value of my jarred contents, I never thought more of it. Visiting the Denver Mint changed all that. If you’ve ever considered visiting the Denver Mint or just wondered how money is made, add Visiting the Denver Mint to your list. There is so much artistry and thought to coin creation. Yes, it is quite an art! I look at our…
Cheeseburger Casserole came to our kitchen after the little guy turned on this picky-eater stage lately. He has always been a great eater, but for some reason he just turned on picky toddler mode. Tired of the food duel at dinnertime, we sat down to consider what he wasn’t making a fuss over. We realized he ate anything with ground meat well. That was the only common denominator we boiled it down to. So we needed some new child-friendly meals…
“I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys “R” Us kid.” If you’re like me, you grew up with this jingle. You looked forward to seeing Geoffrey the giraffe on the commercials advertising the new toy topping your wish list. Going to Toys “R” Us was comparable to Disneyland with the joy and excitement only a place full of toys could bring. You’re also now totally heartbroken your children will not have this same experience throughout their childhood. Toys…
Do you have a mini Harry Potter fan in your household? Are you one yourself? This house is full of fans young and old(er). When our oldest started to become a superfan it was one of the highlights of my life. As her birthday approached I knew it had to be Harry Potter themed. Thing was though, it’s not like it was when I was growing up with Harry Potter merch everywhere. Granted, it is still everywhere, but for the…
The best Christmas gift for kids isn’t difficult to figure out, though most of us overlook it. Put down the Black Friday ads for this one. Yes, really. If you don’t want to take my word for it, just ask Cornell University’s Dr. Gilovich who studied and found money spent on an experience leaves longer lasting happiness than buying things. Sure we all remember that amazing thing we received that one year, but if you think about it now, is…
If you’ve surfed around my blog at all you probably saw the Homemade Hopscotch I made for the kiddos last summer. Each year when the weather warms up and we have all thawed from the blizzardy winter we like to create a new toy or activity to get the kids outside. Two years ago we bought them swings, last year was the homemade hopscotch. Both simple and affordable and fun! This year we were a little more stuck on what…
Color swirl cupcakes! I always marveled at the technique that must be used on cakes and cupcakes to reach a multi-toned look. It always looked amazing, but not like something I would ever have the skill (or patience) to pull off. Color swirl cupcakes were just not going to be produced by me, until Wilton’s new ColorSwirl 3-Color Coupler came out. The method to swirl frosting colors before this invention was an intricate balance of smooshing the frosting into opposing…