May 31, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a very relaxing weekend at home. Sleeping in (for the hubs), napping, just hanging out. It felt good.
Playing with a new toy.

Relaxing

Cleaning

Eating

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend!

May 30, 2011

Twin's Room Reveal

Our little guys are growing up. We bought them twin size beds at the beginning of the year. Little changes here and there, okay, big changes with the beds, but overall for decorating not much has changed. 
Since we are going to be moving in a couple months, I wanted to make sure I got some pictures of their room "now". I know I want to change somethings for their "new" room but that's another post entirely.

So, enjoy the pics and I can't wait to post more after our move.


The monkey canvas isn't an original thought from me, I saw it somewhere and decided to paint one myself.
Star garland I made using florist wire (will use jewelry wire next time) and yarn.
I saw the idea over at The Handmade Home. Great blog!
I framed these mini flashcards from Pretty Little Studio in a 12"x12" frame. Love the end result!
Can you tell we like monkeys? Ha!
Framed pictures of the boys with each parent. These used to be over their cribs.
These awesome wood letters I found a Hobby Lobby and painted them with plain old white paint I had leftover from another project.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!


May 10, 2011

Mother's Day & Teacher's gifts

Happy Mother's Day......a few days late!

I spent my day doing whatever I wanted. Browsed my favorite blogs, baked a cake, played with my boys,took a nap, made a trip to the store, cooked a yummy dinner and watched a movie with the hubs.

I'd say that's a pretty good day, especially since the little cuties were in great moods.

David gives me the sweetest surprises. I'm so loving the pink and yellow together.
Took a few pics of myself. Trying to capture the here and now.


The cake recipe I used was yummy!

Strawberry Buttercream Cake
So simple to put together.

1 box yellow cake mix
3.4 oz. vanilla instant pudding mix
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 c. water
3 eggs
Mix all ingredients together and pour into 2 greased (I also lined the bottom of the pans with parchment paper to keep it from sticking&greased the top of paper) 8" round cake pans.
Bake according to cake mix directions. I think I baked mine at 350 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes.

Wash and chop fresh strawberries. Place in a bowl with enough sugar to sweeten.
 Refrigerate until ready to use.

The buttercream frosting recipe is the same one for the pineapple coconut cupcakes, here.

After cake has cooled completely, cut both cakes in half. Layer cakes by placing 1/2 the strawberries between the cut layers and a 1/4 of the frosting between the two cakes. Cover the entire cake with the rest of the frosting. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator. If serving from the refrigerator, place it on the counter about an hour before serving. This will allow the frosting to soften again. Enjoy!


................................................................................................................................................

So, we made it to the end of the school year. This week is the last speech therapy session before we break for summer. The boys will continue with therapy when school starts again but we'll have a nice vacation break. This means I'll be doing "school" with them all summer. I want to see improvement before the school years starts again. So, we're going to get messy over the next few months.

To thank their therapists and the teacher that have been working with them, I put together a couple little gifts for them. Just a little something!

For the speech therapists I bought a couple reusable insulated cold cups and filled them with Lindt chocolates and individual serving packets of Country Time Lemonade.

 I used some felt and scraps of fabric to make a cup cozy for each.
Don't those look darling now?
Love the pink and orange together.
A little hand written "thank you" note and they're ready to go.

For their teacher, I bought her a candle but it seemed like it was missing something. So, I added a couple fabric coasters (great for hot or cold cups) that I sewed together from more scraps of fabric.
The candle smells amazing btw!

Much cuter with the coasters than just the candle by itself.


May 6, 2011

Mini Desserts

To celebrate the mamas, our playgroup hosted a mother's day of pampering last weekend. Complete with massages, hand treatments, lip treatments, delicious appetizers (made by an amazing mama) and sweet mini desserts. I was privileged enough to be the one to cater the desserts and let me tell you, I had the best time doing so. Being creative in the kitchen is an addiction of mine. lol Mostly I love to make food that makes people smile, smile because they're so excited to eat the scrumptious food in front of them!

Since there were so many people who asked for the recipes, I thought I'd share them here. Enjoy!

Please excuse these photos. Most were taken in haste.


Berry Cream Cheese Cups

sliced strawberries
raspberries
blueberries
Place berries together in a bowl and add enough sugar to sweeten.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mix together with an electric mixer. Add 1 egg white, beating on low for about 2 minutes.
Place Phillo shells in a mini muffin pan. Fill with cream cheese mixture.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Cool completely, top with fresh berries. Keep in refrigerator.

The recipe was found at foodnetwork.com only I can't seem to find the original there.


Chocolate Trifles

1 box brownies, cooked in a 9x9" pan and cut into small squares
1 large box instant chocolate pudding, follow package directions to make
12 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
6 Twix candy bars, chopped
3 oz. chocolate, chopped or shaved

Layer 1/2 of the brownies, 1/2 pudding, 1/2 Cool Whip, all the Twix bars in a medium size bowl.
Then repeat using the rest of the ingredients. Top with chopped or shaved chocolate.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.


Chocolate Covered Strawberries

8 oz. chocolate pieces, dark, milk, or semi-sweet, whatever you prefer
20 strawberries with stems, washed and completely dried (water in the melted chocolate with make it dry out)

Place chocolate in a small Pyrex (heat safe) glass bowl.
Fill a small saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and immediately place the Pyrex bowl on top of saucepan to melt chocolate.
Stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Dip strawberries in melted chocolate to cover and place on wax or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Once all the strawberries have been covered place baking sheet in freezer for a few minutes to harden chocolate. Remove from freezer, transfer to a plate or serving tray. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.



Last but not least, my fave!

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

yellow cake mix
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
3.4 oz. vanilla instant pudding mix
1/4 c. oil
3 eggs

Place paper liners in a mini muffin pan, set aside. Mix all ingredients together using an electric mixer.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. If using a dark nonstick pan use a 325 degree oven, for regular pans 350 degrees. Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes, they're done with they just start to turn light brown on top. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Homemade Buttercream

3 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 2 T. whipping cream

Mix butter and sugar on low until well blended, increase speed to medium and beat 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream, beating on medium for 1 minute.
Top with shredded coconut

Recipe found at MakeHappy.

Thanks for stopping by, happy baking!