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#DoubleDigits: A 10th Birthday Party
So, Maddie turned 10 earlier this month. I only cried once. Okay, maybe twice. But even at that, I feel pretty good about myself. That feels like an accomplishment. 10 years, you guys. How do I have a kid that is 1o YEARS OLD?? She’s asking for iPhones and laptops and wants to redecorate her bedroom because it’s too babyish. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? Oh, and the theme for her birthday party? Hashtag Double Digits. As in, #doubledigits. As in, my 10 YEAR OLD knows…
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A Spa Party & Funfetti Cupcakes
Welcome to the most disorganized party I’ve ever, ever put together. Good news is, it worked. The girls had a great time and they don’t know that I threw it all together in just a few hours. Bad news is, I knew. I could’ve done so much more with this awesome concept, but I just didn’t have the time. You may have seen my daughter’s 8th birthday party here last week, and this week, we followed up with her “friend” party. My Lindsey friend owns an…
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Creamy Skillet Mac & Cheese
My oldest daughter is learning a hard lesson this week. She’s found her independence a bit, and has used her new-found “power” to voice her opinions rather loudly and forcefully to her Dad and me. In other words, she’s a back-talking fool. We’ve noticed it more lately, the back-talking with a twinge of sassy-attitude, and it’s just gotten worse. She’s particularly offended by chores it seems, and when her Dad told her to go “pick up the office a little bit before lunch,” she did…
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A Rainbow Party
Last weekend we celebrated my daughter’s and niece’s 4th birthday with a Rainbow party. They’ve been talking about it forever, pretty much since the day after their Princess Party last year. We were a bit hurried, especially after we ate dinner because the weather was supposed to get bad, and everyone kind of left in a mad rush to beat the storms. As usual, I focused the decoration for the party around my dessert table. A simple white table cloth allowed the rainbow colors to…
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Cookies & Cream Popcorn
So, I made this popcorn today, mostly to use up a half-empty package of Oreo cookies from some cupcakes I made last week. I brought a little bag of them for my daughter to snack on during the drive to gymnastics practice after school. Do you know what she said to me? And. I . Quote: “Momma, ohmygosh, this popcorn is the BOMB DOT COM.” I just stared at her. Ok you guys, she’s seven years old. SEVEN. She just used a phrase on me…
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Easter Candy Cookies
My girls have been begging me to make chocolate chip cookies for a few weeks now, but my dessert menu has taken me in other directions. With Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and now Easter, it always seems like there’s been something else to make. Then, when browsing my Pinterest boards, I found these cookies that I’ve wanted to make for a LONG time, so I decided I’d made them wait long enough. Easter candy cookies! Basically, they’re really big, chewy, fat chocolate chip cookies…
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Double Chocolate Cupcakes
While I know Halloween is today and most everyone already has their holiday baking out of the way, I’m sure that there are still some parties coming up this weekend. So, those of you who are still looking for some last minute inspiration, I hope this post will help you out. The great thing about cupcakes is really how versatile they are. They can be elegant, fun and kid-friendly, boozy and adult-friendly, celebratory or just plain simple. By dressing up a simple chocolate cupcake with…
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Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Last night, I took my girls trick-or-treating. Our community hosts a safe trick-or-treat and Halloween event in our downtown district. It’s awesome, because all of the businesses open their doors to the kids and pass out candy & treats – the city closes the streets to traffic, some of the storefronts create little haunted houses, the high-school kids dress up and pass out candy at the elementary school, and there are little kids EVERYWHERE. My sister owns one of those downtown shops, so my whole…
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Peanut Butter Monster Cookies
Pssst. I have a secret to tell you. You have to pinky-promise that you won’t tell anyone. Promise? I don’t really like Halloween. I actually kind of dislike it. It’s my least favorite holiday. Don’t get me wrong; I love fall, I love Thanksgiving, I love leaves, scarecrows, dried corn stalks, pumpkins, hay bales…but that’s where I draw the line. I don’t love costumes, costume parties, normal food disguised as disgusting food…(have you seen the spaghetti-hot dog worm thing on Pinterest? Gross.) I’m not…
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Tuna & Noodles from Scratch
So, I don’t eat seafood. I’ve tried. I’ve really, really tried. There are a few swimming-things that I’ve taste-tested over the years that I didn’t absolutely detest, but I’d never order them for myself. Well, maybe, possibly a crab cake. But honestly, I’ll only eat it if my husband orders it – if it’s up to me, I can always find a more appetizing appetizer on the menu. I have done everything I can to ensure that my girls don’t have the same aversions to…
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Easy Homemade Granola Bars
Try as I might, I’m really not a big breakfast eater. I know, it’s the most important meal of the day, blah, blah, blah. I know. Most days, I grab my greek yogurt, my coffee and a banana. Now that school is back in full-swing, I’m trying to compile a list of make-ahead breakfasts for my family so we can grab a quick and healthy meal to start our days off on the right foot. While my banana, yogurt and coffee breakfast works for me,…
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Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
I’m grumpy today. I don’t really have a good reason to be, we’re leaving for a family vacation in exactly 22 hours. It’s a much-needed vacation, especially after the past several whirlwind weeks – it will be nice to just relax for a few days. Oh, did I mention that we’re road-tripping it? With two little girls? Maybe relax isn’t the right word. Today, I started making lists of all of the things I needed to do, remember and pack before we leave. The lists…
