-
#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…
-
Loaded Baked Potato Quiche
So, we probably need to address my love for potatoes. I’m kind of obsessed. Mashed Potatoes are probably my favorite food. A baked potato topped with cottage cheese and pepper is my favorite go-to lunch. I always have a ten pound bag of them in my pantry. When I’ve had a bad day, my husband will cheer me up with his amazing smashed, buttered potatoes. (Holy cow, delish.) So, when I saw a mini baked potato quiche at my local grocery store deli, I knew,…
-
A Princess Party
Two of my favorite little princesses just turned three years old. My niece, Ruby Jane and my youngest daughter, Mia Kate, were born just 17 hours apart and have grown to be best buds. Well, usually. They get along when sharing isn’t involved. But that’s just a phase, right? When my sister and I asked the girls what kind of party they wanted, they barely skipped a beat before they decided it should be a princess party. And who are we to argue? This meant…
-
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…
-
No Bake Cheesecake
This recipe might not be new to you, because it’s one of those that’s been around for a long time. It was probably one of those “What can we make with Cool-Whip?” recipes that popped up back when it started hitting the grocery store freezer cases many years ago – 1967, just in case you were wondering… By now, you know how I feel about Cool-Whip. It’s full of chemicals, including both high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable (palm and coconut) oils. Knowing how easy it…
-
Spaghetti a’la Jimmy
Ahhhh…spaghetti. I love it. I could live on it. I think I came to appreciate spaghetti my sophomore year in college, when I was on my own in an apartment for the first time. I actually went to the grocery store and bought a box of Kraft Spaghetti. Noodles, sauce, everything all in a box. It didn’t take long to realize that it was nothing like the spaghetti I grew up with and that I was going to have to figure out how to make…
-
Butterfinger Poke Cake
So, I have a small confession to make. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks catching up on Pretty Little Liars. “Catching Up” = watching it from the beginning because I can’t remember where I left off. I’ve watched 32 episodes of PLL in 13 days. This does not make me proud. I’m kind of obsessed, though. It started when I was traveling on business, continued while I was recovering from an awful cold, and well, now I have no excuse. Today though, I…
-
Better Than Better Than Sex Cake
Yes, I do have my moments of laziness in the kitchen. There are days when I’m not above a frozen burrito, mac & cheese out of a box or spaghetti sauce in a jar. But the minute I’m done partaking in those convenience foods, I always realize that it wasn’t worth it, and that making my own would have been so much more satisfying, tasty and probably even healthier. *See disclaimer below. This recipe is a PERFECT example. I’m sure most of you have come across this very popular…
-
Instant Party with Bacardi Mixers pt 1
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of BACARDI® Mixers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. You know by now that I love to entertain and host parties so I’m always looking for a reason to celebrate. Like the old adage “It’s five o’clock somewhere,” there is always something to celebrate – and it’s not terribly difficult to find it if you just look. For instance, last week my husband and I were celebrating the last week of softball.…
-
Maddie’s 6th Birthday Party
My oldest daughter turned six this past week. It’s been a big year for us – she’s started playing T-ball, she started Kindergarten, we’ve lost three teeth so far and we’ve gone from reading her bedtime stories to her reading us bedtime stories. She’s changed so much in the past few months – most noticeably she’s turned into quite the social butterfly. Her world now revolves around her friends – so much so that she invited everyone in her class to her birthday party. And…
-
Sugar Cookie Bars
****I’m on Facebook! Click {here} to follow along, and Welcome!**** Last weekend I had big plans to make sugar cookies for a friend of mine, but I ran out of time. I made the dough but knew if I baked them that I wouldn’t have time to decorate them. Instead, I wrapped up the dough and froze it for future use. Well, turns out I couldn’t stand having cookie dough in my freezer. I wanted to use it. So I did. So there. There’s a…
-
Hot Chocolate Cake with Homemade Marshmallows
So, my daughter’s 7th birthday is next week. First of all, it’s really just not possible that she’s turning seven years old. Not possible. Second of all, this means that I have a big family party looming on the horizon. That means my house has to be cleaned. It also means I need to plan a menu, figure out decorations and – oh yeah – do all that cooking and baking without undoing all of the cleaning and planning.
