Good-bye {bipolar} 2011!

Today is it! The last day of 2011! I can honestly say, I am NOT sorry to see it go. It has just been an up and down year full of personal struggles, financial struggles, and sometimes it was just plain aggravating! I won't say that there haven't been up sides but it has definitely been filled with it's fair share of down sides. I even took the time to write out the ups vs. the downs but that turned into a book so I'll save you the agony and just tell you that it's been rough.
I hope everyone has a great night tonight, ringing in the new year. But please remember, BE RESPONSIBLE!

See you in 2012!

Pinteresting

I wish I had an awesome post about the neat things I've been doing this week but the sad truth is, I don't. I did do a few small projects but they are only "mostly done". However, I thought I would take the time to show you where I got the ideas from.

Chicken Taquitos

I'll admit it, I am a taquito junkie. I could buy the {crazy expensive} frozen packages from the store and eat them in one or two sittings. I doubt they'd make it to three. Whenever my husband is coming home from work...and I think I'll be up at 3am...I have him stop at Quik Trip to get me one. Luckily, I have an awesome husband who is at my beck and call  loves me.

A home-made Christmas

This year, like many other families, we barely eeked through. That's just one of the sacrifices we make so that I can be a stay-at-home mom. We probably would have done really good ~ if the vehicles hadn't kept breaking down. With barely eeking through the last month of the year, that meant that we couldn't really afford to do much for our kids for Christmas.

Winter Birthday Cake

As I stated previously, Monday was Alex's birthday party. I knew we wouldn't be doing much in terms of games and decorations because he wanted to donate his gifts to Children's Hospital. To me it would seem a little silly to request donations and then spend $40-50 on decorations that will get tossed. Instead, we bought extra toys to put in the donation bag. So essentially, the only thing we did for his party was provide dinner food and cake. (Click here or here for those recipes.)

White Chicken Chili

Yesterday was my son's 8th birthday. Usually I hold off celebrating it until January when we can combine his party with his brother's and people are less busy. However, this year he decided he wanted to donate his gifts to Children's Hospital...for children who can't be home for the holidays. I loved the idea and the fact that he wanted to do it. But, like everyone else at this time of year, we are cash strapped. Something BIG goes wrong every week....alternator goes out in the car, tensioner pulley flies off of the truck, ignition switch breaks, fridge stops working...you get the idea. So we decided to do just food and games at our house.

No Bake Cookies

I grew up calling these No Bake Cookies but they are known by several names: Boiled Cookies...Missouri Cookies. No matter what you call them, if you like chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal these are the cookie for you.

5 is 'Dino'mite!

A few months ago, someone contacted me through my husband's facebook page. They wanted to get ideas for their son's birthday party that was still 3 months away. I sent over an idea I had seen and soon a business relationship was formed.

Ham & Potato Soup

This is quite possibly one of my most *famous* dinner items. I use the term famous loosely as not many people outside of my family have tasted it...because we don't share {this} very nicely. It's not because we don't want to but...my entire family loves it. And that might be an under-exaggeration. You see, my family (even though slightly large it consists of mostly young children) can consume an entire STOCKPOT full of this soup in two days. My kids will ask for thirds and fourths...when they ask, "What's for dinner?" and I reply, "Potato Soup" there are usually squeals of delight from my girls and the boys are shouting, "Score!" And my poor husband, who works the evening shift, always lectures us that we need to same him two bowls.

Biscuits and Gravy and Slave Labor

Tonight was a special night at our house - we had breakfast for dinner. This is always a special treat for the kids (and us). You see, my kids have to get on the bus at 6:50 am every day. That means that they get up around 6. And their dad works the overnight shift so he doesn't get to go to bed until 4am. We very rarely have the chance to sit down to a family breakfast. They usually eat breakfast at school for two reasons: 1) Even though they get on the bus at 6:50 and school doesn't start until 8, they arrive at school at 7am. 7am! They have to sit down there for an hour so eating breakfast in the cafeteria lets them mingle with friends and waste a good 30 minutes. 2) I do not function properly before 7am.

A Castle Fit For A Princess

Today is the day! The day that I need to finish two birthday cakes that will get delivered tomorrow afternoon. Okay, correction, today is the day that I need to START two birthday cakes that will get delivered tomorrow afternoon. Excuse me for a minute while I brag about myself: I am the perfect procrastinator. I NEVER start anything before the last possible minute: 10 page essays for college - I start them the day they are due. Putting up my Thanksgiving/Fall decorations - I did it the night before we hosted our dinner. Cleaning out the downstairs room so my mom could move in - I did the morning she moved. Huge cake orders - I start them the day before delivery.

Hosting A Christmas Treat Swap!

Have you heard of this idea before? To some, it may seem like a silly question to ask but the first time I hosted a treat swap, hardly anybody knew what it was. So for those of who don't know, it's exactly what it says: a treat swap.
Around Christmas time, for those of us ambitious enough for another holiday activity to tackle, we host a cookie swap. The idea is to invite your friends, family, neighbors, church group, co-workers, or random strangers to exchange cookies. Usually, you bring enough cookies so that each person goes home with 1/2-1 dozen of each. I know it sounds simple, but it really isn't as clear cut as that. You see, as with all good things, there are rules that you have to follow.

This weekend's preview!

Naturally, as soon as I decide to start spending more time blogging my cake adventures, I get sick and can't get  out of bed for two days. I vow to never-ever go back into my basement again...or at least until after I'm over this and have been healthy for a while. Confused? Let me sum it up: I'm allergic to cleaning.
Okay, that might sound a little extreme but really, that's how it feels. I have no problem doing the little, everyday chores like dishes or laundry or putting toys away. My problem comes when I decide I need to deep clean. So we figured that I am highly allergic to dust.

Diva Party

As you may know, I've been away from the blogging world for a while. Had my brain been working, I would have taken some step-by-step pictures of this party that I'm posting. As is, all I can show you is the finished product but we loved it all and with a little creativity and some walk-throughs, you'll be able to recreate as much or as little of it as you want.

FBCT

I love to share. Especially when its something that is really neat. So I figured, what better thing to blog about on my website than nifty little "tricks of the trade" to help others hone in on their inner cake decorator. One of the first things I learned and put to use was the FBCT method. It is unbelievably easy, it gives your cakes a polished look, and it allows you to open SO many doors in the cake decorating world.

FBCT stands for Frozen Butter Cream Transfer. When I first read about using the FBCT method I was ready to try it out right away. Lucky for me, it was right around Father's Day of last year...perfect excuse to make a cake and try out a new trick.

Blog changes coming!

It's been over a year since I started this blog. Originally, it was a place to record the parties we plan and my 10 minute escape from the craziness of this house. For those that don't know, I am a homemaker with 5 kids, I am a daycare provider for friends and family, I am a homeschool mom, I am a baker...with a crazy, busy schedule, I am a college student. To say the least, life has kept me busy and the blog was pushed to the back burner for a while. 

Today, I was thinking about blogging about cupcakes. Everything I do is about cupcakes. I bake them - hundreds of them - every week. I find all kinds of interesting recipes I want to try and ideas I want to share. But Facebook and Pinterest limit me on what I can share...Facebook isn't very organized (at least I don't think so) and Pinterest only allows me to pin the pictures and [hopefully] track down the recipe. 

The goal is to try one new cupcake recipe each week. Possibly two. And if I'm feeling ambitious and my helper is with me, three. I know trying ONE recipe a week doesn't really sound that ambitious. Two is getting better. Three is my ultimate goal because I have so many recipes in my binder that I want to try but I have to be realistic. My life is too full to allow that to happen every week!

Be on the lookout for some delicious cupcake recipes and ideas soon! I think I'll start out with the tried and true favorites: Samoa, Tiramisu, Cheesecake, etc. And then we'll get into the taste-testing!