LOTS of Summer Stuff

We've been busy at my house this Summer.  It's hard to believe that I have a little less than three weeks before I have to go back to work.  The real bummer is that Sunny doesn't start school until four weeks after I do. I hate leaving her at daycare all day.  I've actually never had to do it before :(  I don't want to leave my little boy either.  He will be 3 months old in three more days.  I can't believe we've had him that long. 

The cutest thing Reece does right now is say I love you.  No, he doesn't say it very clear, but he copies the sounds and repeats it back.  It kinda sounds like the dogs who say I love you, but its still the cutest thing ever! 

Sunny has been busy outside in the pool, just playing, and crafting with her mama.  She had a couple of friends over the other day.  I'll call it cakes and snakes day because we made cupcakes in a jar and snakes out of old tights.

Cupcakes in a Jar

I got the idea here.

I modified this from something I saw on a blog.  Here is a tutorial for a better version if you have the time and are interested.

Stuffing snakes...

These delicious cupcakes are Cherry Limeade flavored.  I found them on a blog called Good Life Eats.  I made a slight modification in that I used a lemon boxed cake instead of making the homemade version.  Another person suggested that.  I decided on it after comparing prices of the ingredients in the homemade version based on the boxed.  It really came down to saving money.  If you want the recipe, go here.  This was our Fourth of July treat.  Thanks to the Walton family for hosting some food and fireworks. 

And, in case you are wondering, I did finish the dress I was making for Sunny.  However, I did not really document it in pictures as I'd hoped.  I just didn't have enough time or energy since having Reece.  I'm sad to say I didn't even take a picture of Sunny wearing it to church.  Maybe next time. 

New Dress

Hi!  Sorry it has taken me so long to post again. Many of you know that I just had my second child a little over five weeks ago...William Reece.  Reece is doing great and growing so fast.  It's been crazy doing the baby thing again.  You sometimes forget how much work a newborn can be.  Of course, that being said, he is a great baby.  He is happy and content most of the time. 

I am about to start a new dress for Sunny so I wanted to share the pattern with you for now.  As I sew, I'll take pictures so that you can see the process.  Maybe I can get it done this week.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I've had the pattern for two months and have wanted to sew for awhile now.  I keep hoping I'll have the energy to do something when I get the time. Usually I just veg out in front of the tv or read a book when I have a little spare time.  Sewing can be hard work!

 I'll be using the Polkadots & Summer pattern from Fig Tree & Co.  You can check it out on http://www.figtreeandco.com/ or look at their blog http://www.figtreequilts.typepad.com/. 

Ebelskivers!

I came across an ebelskiver pan on QVC the other day while I was checking out the kitchen gadget section.  I am a gadget-aholic, so I check out new stuff frequently.  Ebelskivers are Danish puff pancakes that you can fill with all sorts of fillings such as jams, chocolate, peanut butter, etc. I bought one of these pans yesterday while at Target. I threw it into the cart and hoped my husband would like them so he wouldn't ask how much it cost :) 

I was too tired to try it out last night, so I tried it this morning.  I checked blogs to build up my knowledge base on how to cook these things.  You have to flip them over to make them round.  Needless to say that takes a little practice.  I also think I made the batter a little too thin.  The advice said to make a regular pancake batter but make it thinner.

Sorry the pics aren't the greatest.  I made these at 5:30 this morning and that is a shadow of my head on the plate. 


I will try them again later.  I saw some yummy recipes such as cinnamon bun ebelskivers, chocolate with chocolate centers, and even cornbread with cheese in the middle. 

Soccer Cupcake Update

Ok, well just let me say that my "vision" did not turn out the way I wanted it to.  Have you ever had one of those days when everything just goes a little bit wrong, thankfully not horribly wrong?  That's pretty much what happened to me this Monday. 

First, the red gel coloring I had was a bit old and therefore my icing turned out pink. I need to update my cake making toolbox.

Then, I had to make another batch of icing and decided to try green to get a grassy look for my soccer ball.  That's when another problem popped up....not enough powdered sugar.  I made my own in the blender, but it never gets as smooth as the store-bought kind.  The icing turned out tasty but a little gritty.  And NO, I didn't want to go back to the store for try number 3 on the icing. Plus, guess what?  The green gel coloring was old too!  I need to use my Michael's coupons to restock.

Oh, by the way, the cupcakes puffed out of the liners after I was SO careful not to fill them as full as I usually do.  Talk about a muffin top problem....

 

I took them to the party anyway and everyone said they were so cute, but I just didn't like them.  They looked like some leftover St. Patrick's Day disaster with a soccer ball toothpick on top. 

Soccer

Well, soccer season is coming to an end soon...only two more games left.  I volunteered to bring cupcakes for the celebration after the game next Monday.  After checking the craft stores and not finding any soccer themed cake decorating items in stock, I looked on Amazon (my favorite store) to see if they had anything.  Much to my displeasure all they had were non-Prime eligible items in stock which translates into: these items will never make it to my house by Monday morning.  In the end I decided to print pictures of soccer balls onto paper and use my circle punch to cut out perfect circles. Then I will use my scalloped edge punch to cut out card stock backs.  After gluing them together, I will use toothpicks to stick them into the cupcakes which will be decorated to look like green grass.  Sounds good, right?  Well, we'll see.  I'll post pictures of them Monday or Tuesday for all to see.  Plus, I'll post some pictures of Sunny playing soccer.  I'm hoping to post some of my crafting and sewing experiences on this blog, but life has been hectic around here for the past few weeks.  As a result, I am way behind in my picture-taking!  My spring break is next week so maybe I'll have time to post some cool stuff for you guys.