We have had a great week around here! Everyone in my house is PUMPED that starting next week, the Halloween costumes get to officially come out. I have been asked approximately 7,865 times since we bought them if they can start wearing them around. Since September. They are excited to finally wear them. I am excited to not have to hear the whining about it anymore. Everybody wins. 😉
I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea with a random list of Friday Favorites this week – which if you ask me – is the best kind of Friday Favorites anyway.Â
So last week right as I was working on my Friday Favorites post actually, this happened to my computer.
I was not pleased. Mostly because my computer is only four MONTHS old. After it cycled through this during the entire afternoon and evening, I had to wipe my computer completely clean to get it to boot.
Now. I’m one of those annoying people who this has happened to before and I’ve lost my mind because I don’t back up my files. When I opened up my Etsy shop, my husband convinced me that we needed to get an automatic backup software. And you guys, this past week IDrive saved my life. This HAD to be one of my favorites this week because I didn’t lose a single file when I had to unexpectedly wipe my computer clean. It had run every night for the past few months, saved all my files and I didn’t even have to tell it to back up.Â
They have a deal going right now that your first year of back up is only $6.95 and clearly ours has already been more than worth it. Even if you just have family pictures or pictures of the kids you don’t want to lose? Check this out! (NOT affiliate!)
Perfect for any car, plane or boat loving little boy (or girl!). We may have a few of those in my house. Available in physical or digital prints and a variety of colors! Like my page on Facebook for sales and coupon codes!
My oldest is in second grade this year and he’s having a hard time adjusting to the focus being more on school work than on fun. He’s a creative, artsy kid and there aren’t as many opportunities for that this year as there were in first grade and kindergarten. It’s been a challenge to motivate him to read to us (as his homework) after a long school day and I was struggling to find something that he was excited about reading! He was choosing books that were beyond his difficulty level and getting understandably frustrated.
We found these Magic Treehouse books and they have been amazing for him. The series follows a boy and a girl who travel to different points in time on secret library missions. The books are 10 chapters and each one deals with a different historical event. We are reading one right now about the Titanic and just finished one about the Ancient Olympics. He is loving them. They would even be great as a beginning chapter book to read to younger kids too. Plus there are 50 of them so we have a ton of material to work our way through! Love, love Magic Treehouse! If you have a kiddo around this age, I bet they will love them too!
We have a very thin wall in our entryway that I have never been able to figure out what to do with. I was at Hobby Lobby the other day, saw these letters and loved this idea!
I love that you can see it from the outside when our front door is open! It’s a perfect fit for this space.
Also… tell me I’m not the only one who does this at Hobby Lobby? Haha!
It’s no secret on here that Josh and I are huge Survivor fans. Season 37 started a few weeks ago and it does NOT disappoint. If you haven’t seen Survivor before, you need to. All seasons are available on CBS All Access and a bunch are available to stream on Amazon Prime. Clearly it’s a great show if they are on their 37th season! Settle in for some binge watching because once you start, it’s hard to stop!
Where are all my fellow Survivor fans?
Also, we have 2 weekends left for Halloween fun and if you are looking for some crafts to do with your kiddos – check out this post I wrote for Twiniversity. Four super simple crafts with things you probably already have at home. Plus, you’ll see some familiar faces in the photos!
Despite the 87 degree temperatures here in Iowa on Wednesday, we are all about the fall fun in our house lately. We tried out a brand new pumpkin patch this year and for once managed to go at a time when the crowds were low.
The boys are finally all the perfect age to enjoy every activity and had an absolute blast. Josh and I almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves because we’ve had babies or small toddlers that needed constant help for the last 6 years!
Our kids are also at awesome ages for baking and crafting little Halloween decorations. We made these adorable suncatchers with contact paper, leftover party streamers and construction paper.
And these Jack O’Lantern luminaries with old (clean) milk jugs, a permanent marker, and orange Christmas lights.
But I’m here today to talk about my favorite thing we’ve made so far! A handprint pumpkin keepsake plaque! I’m a sucker for handprint art – we all know how fast our littles grow – and I never want to forget how teeny tiny their hands were! This plaque is super easy to make and you can look back on it for years to come.
You need:
Ceramic Plaque (I found mine at Michael’s craft store but they are only sold IN store)
Paint – any kind
Paintbrushes – fine tipped
Pencil and eraser
Permanent marker in desired color for writing
1- Paint the face and sides of your plaque the desired background color. Don’t worry about streaking or making it perfect. Some pieces will be covered up and the rest of the imperfections give it character! Let dry.
2) Lightly paint your child’s palm and fingers. Don’t glob on the paint or the handprint will be difficult to see. Position the plaque in a sturdy place. Ask your child to spread out their fingers as best they can and gently place the hand onto the plaque. Carefully press down each of their fingers and lift their hand straight up. (I flipped ours upside down so our pumpkins would be larger on the bottom than on the top. You can decide how you want yours to look!) Let handprints dry.
3) Use a pencil to draw on your writing and details. Erase as needed with a regular eraser.
4) Paint over using one color at a time. The material of the plaque allows paint to dry very quickly but I still waited a little while in between each color to make sure I didn’t smear any wet paint. Use permanent marker for any writing and for writing your child’s name and age near their handprint!
5) Once finished, erase all leftover pencil marks and display on a small easel!
These little hands grow so fast! I love having their prints in memory form so I can always remember how tiny they once were.
Update 2021: This year, there is even more Fall Fun Printables for your littles for you to choose from! Click the photos or links below to head to my Etsy shop for these expanded choices! $3 instant download! Our sweet kiddos love these fall themed coloring pages and activities.
Happy Friday! I’m happy to be back in this space after taking some time off for… life. 😉
If this is your face too – I get it. My planned short break turned into a little more. Did anyone else miss all my friends memes?
With the start of the new school year, comes the beginning of a more stable routine that I am taking full advantage of. I love, love having all my kiddos home with me during the summer, but it sure is hard for moms who work at home to attempt to get anything done! I spent the summer working at home for Twiniversity and now that project opportunity has ended – I am SO excited to have more time to be back here and back designing for my Etsy shop.
This week’s Friday Favorites seemed like the perfect time to dive back in. I’ve got a whole random bunch of favorites this week and I’ll fill you in on what we’ve been up to along the way.
For the first time in awhile, I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea with my favs for this week!
For the first time ever this school year, I only have two kiddos at home with me during the day. My sweet 5 year old started kindergarten this year and he is loving it.
These little guys love having me all to themselves too. I’m really enjoying this time alone with them and we’ve been having some great adventures during ours days. Having only two home with me has also allowed me to focus more on my Etsy store and has allowed me to set aside time early in the morning, during nap time, and at night (while my husband is being studying for his MBA classes – an entirely other story) to work.
So along with my new focus, I thought I’d keep myself motivated to keep designing and adding new things to my store and have one of my favorites be my FAVORITE new Etsy listing each week.
These sweet Woodland Creatures nursery prints are my favorite new listing this week. There is just something about those cute little faces that gets me. Woodland and forest themes for nurseries and kids rooms are adorable and these are the perfect wall decor to add! PLUS – today (Friday) only it’s 10% off in my store with code GIMME10.
They are available in digital files you print yourself or physical prints that are professionally printed and shipped to you.
I’m adding more prints all the time, so make sure to favorite my shop on Etsy to see them as they are added. I also take custom orders if you have something in mind, I would love to work with you. Contact me here or through my shop!
Before bed, Josh and I love to sit down together with a good show (preferably a comedy) for a few laughs before we go to sleep. We are huge fans of How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and Friends (obviously) but we needed another good one to start. This summer we started watching New Girl because it seemed like we were the only ones that weren’t watching it. I have NO idea why we waited so long.
WE LOVE IT. It’s the perfect before-bed show and had to be in my favorites this week! The characters are super funny, Zooey Deschanel is amazing, and it aired recently enough that all the current events are still relevant. If you haven’t seen it- you should start. Seasons 1-6 are streaming on Netflix. We are on season 5 and in my opinion, the show gets funnier as the seasons go on.
What are some other good shows available to stream that we should be watching? Let me know in the comments!
No surprise, we have been embracing the start of fall around here. Give me all the pumpkin everything! My littles and I were browsing the dollar section at Target this week and found this adorable cookbook stand for $3! I put it on our kitchen counter by an outlet so when we charge our phones/tablets they can rest on the stand instead of all over the counter. It’s so cute, I’m going to have to find a non-seasonal one too!
I know I’m not the only one that binges on Hallmark movies during the Christmas season – they are the best. My favorite thing to do in the afternoons while I’m working is to watch a Hallmark movie. Every year, I also look forward to their Fall Harvest movies which are equally as amazing. I made my husband crazy because I used to fill up our entire DVR with hours of Hallmark this time of year.
This is our first year without cable and was sad when I realized that none of the new movies are available to stream on any of Hallmark’s apps. Even the one you pay a monthly subscription for. I tried Sling this week and I love it so much it had to be on my favorites. We chose their orange package + Lifestayle add-on + DVR for only $35/month. There is a bunch of channels and you can watch them live or record to the DVR for later.
These are three of my favorites so far.
Finally, this blog and my Etsy shop have finally gotten with the times and have a Facebook page! Go over and give it a like to see all my new listings, flash sales, new blog posts, and the very best funny memes!
Those are my favorites this week. It feels so good to be back! I hope you have the best weekend enjoying the fall weather. With any luck, we will all be having a weekend filled with this much joy!
Happy Friday! When I was looking through pictures to include on this post, I saw a few pictures from the Super Bowl and thought that’s so weird that I haven’t taken any pictures in two weeks! And then I realized the Super Bowl was just 5 days ago. This week has been the longest week ever!
We had a great time watching the Super Bowl together as a family and the boys and I rocked out to Justin Timberlake. (Obviously.)
And then we woke up Monday morning with our oldest in tears saying he didn’t feel good. Low grade fever – no other symptoms. No big deal. Tuesday however, brought a temp of 104 and a diagnosis of strep AND influenza A.
Thankfully, he’s finally feeling better today and no one else has gotten sick as of yet. This was all of them the day before the flu diagnosis, so the odds may not be in our favor? I’m not sure I know any families not dealing with some sort of sickness right now. This winter has been so bad with germs. I’m keeping all these sick kiddos in my prayers.
So on to better news. I’m happy it’s Friday! I’m happy to be sharing a bunch of random favorites with you today because these are always the most fun posts to read!
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Last week, I shared my January Book Review full of some really good books. I started 2018 off with a goal to create better self-care habits and reading more is one of them. I’m enjoying it so much, I only wish I had done it a long time ago! If you are looking for new recommendations, check this post out. I read 5 books in January and 3 of them I absolutely loved. I’m happy with those odds for my first month!
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Over the summer, I talked about my favorite shows to binge watch with my husband and I have a new one to add. Lately, Josh and I have been rewatching The Good Wife on Amazon prime. I had completely forgotten how amazing (and addicting!) that show is. It’s got major drama, romance, amazing actors, really great writing, humor, etc. It’s the best. Plus, Matt Czuchry has a leading role. Enough said. #TeamLoganforever
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These two have to be in my favorites this week. I’ve mentioned before that they are Daddy’s biggest fans. Every day this week these sweet boys have dressed themselves up in their big brother’s shoes, gloves and hats, packed up their backpacks full of toys and told me they were going to go visit Daddy at work.
They come to give me a hug and kiss, say “Bye Mom!”, grab a pretend set of keys, walk in a circle around the house and do it all over again. It’s hysterical. The bond between those two is the sweetest I’ve ever seen.
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I’m sure this is on a lot of people’s favorites this week but the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics is tonight! Will you be watching? We definitely will be. The older boys have been looking forward to the snowboarding and skiing for weeks and really I’m excited about all of it. I love the fun, the competition and the news coverage. It’s something to look forward to when we can’t spend much time outside in freezing cold Iowa lately!
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The start of Lent is next Wednesday (which actually falls on Valentine’s Day this year). If you are looking for something to do for Lent this year, it’s not too late to sign up for Best Lent Ever with Dynamic Catholic. I have done it the last couple of years and I’ve just loved it. They email you a link everyday with short 2 or 3 minute videos and a short reflection. I find them incredibly encouraging and inspiring and they help me focus my heart during this Lenten season. If you have any interest, I highly encourage you to sign up. (It’s completely free!)
Also, if you are still looking for classroom Valentines for your kids to take to school next week – check out my Etsy store! They are all instant download and you can print them at home. If you would like me to personalize them for you with your child’s name – just put that in ‘notes to seller’ on your order! I have 12 listed in my shop, click here to see them all.
Those are my favorites for this week. Our weather forecast for the Midwest this weekend is full of piles of snow so I foresee a lot of playing in the snow, hot chocolate and Olympics watching for us. 😉 Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
How is it the last day of January already? At the beginning of the year, I set some goals for myself to create better habits in my life. One of the areas I wanted to focus on was self-care habits, especially working to intentionally set aside time to spend doing things that I love.. like READING! I have to say, this has been amazing for me. I thought since this was something I have loved, maybe some of you will too. I’m going to start a monthly book review to keep myself accountable to my new goal, but also so we can share good book recommendations!
I read 5 books this month, which is already more than I read all of last year. (Insert embarrassed emoji here.) Three of them I loved, one was fine, and the other I just really didn’t enjoy. That’s not too bad for my first month!
This was the first book I read this year and it was the best way to begin. I flew through this one and yet it was so hard to read in the best way. Given the chance, I will always pick a light hearted book over any other book. This was not light hearted and yet still one of the best books that I’ve maybe ever read. (I know.)
This story was of personal experience to the author which made it even more endearing to read. It’s a love story filled with heart break that made me see relationships in a whole other way than I had before. This book had me from the very first page and didn’t let up it’s fast pace the whole time. I’m not sure how to give much detail on the synopsis without giving away the heart of the story so I’ll just say that this is one you should read. It’s one of those that sticks with you and I won’t be able to forget it. The characters were so relatable and realistic that I felt their emotions myself!
I just really loved this one. I also loved that the author didn’t shy away from telling the story full of the details that needed to be told. Alert: graphic scenes and language, just FYI.
With this title, I went in thinking this book was going to be a cute little romance. No way! This book was so much more than that. A little romance, a little conflict, a little heartbreak and a lot of mystery. And I LOVED it. This was the author’s first book and I was disappointed to see that so far it’s her only! I love how she writes and the story she weaved together.
It’s about a woman who travels to a small town in Georgia to scatter her mother’s ashes. She goes there originally for a few days to do some research on her mother’s life before she was her mother – a life that was purposefully kept secret. She finds out way more than she bargained for and has to reconcile the things she learns with the woman she thought she knew. It’s one of those really good books that keeps you guessing and up past midnight because you can’t put it down. Totally recommend!
I wanted to read another Colleen Hoover book this month because I loved It Ends With Us so much. I chose this one because I loved the idea of the plot and I think it was her next most recent one she published.
The story is about two people who meet by chance, develop a meaningful and intense connection and agree to meet back on that day every year for 5 years. It started as a sweet love story but then kind of took a dark turn. I was a little over halfway through this one and I was absolutely loving it. And then sadly… I just didn’t. I found the end of the book unsatisfying and a little difficult to get through. I didn’t dislike it, I just had a hard time reconciling the end of the story with the rest of the book?
I love the way Colleen Hoover writes but maybe it was just the plot of this one that I didn’t enjoy as much as her other book. I think I need to read another of hers in the next couple months and break the tie. 😉
I hadn’t intended to read this book this month but I’m so glad I did! My husband has been teasing me about how into my books I’ve been lately and how I’ve been staying up way too late some nights wrapped up in a story. I convinced him to choose one for himself a couple weeks ago and this is the one he chose. Well wouldn’t you know that HE got so wrapped up in this book that he read it in less than a week. (And if you know my husband you know that’s a big deal for him to care that much about a book.) He just could not put it down! I picked it up one day while the kids were watching a movie, read a little and I understood why he didn’t want to stop reading.
THis isn’t usually my genre of book but it was so good! It’s a thriller/suspense novel about a group of kids who just graduated college and are facing a dreadful job market. They decide to start kidnapping rich men and asking for a low amount of ransom from their wives. They receive their money, let the men go and move on to another city to do it all again. It all works great until they accidentally kidnap someone of importance and it all spiral wildly out of control.
Owen Laukkanen, the author, wrote these college kid’s thoughts and behaviors so realistically that he just about had me on their side of this whole scheme. They were just so likeable! The book was extremely fast moving, unpredictable and doesn’t focus on the gore and violence that similar story lines might have. It was a book I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, but I’m so glad I read! This was the author’s first novel but he has since published more that will probably have to make it to my list!
So, if I’m being honest I struggled with this one. Backstory: I’m a total Bachelor fan and have been for years. I don’t really even know why, but even in all it’s ridiculousness I enjoy the show. I read Sean Lowe’s book For the Right Reasons last year and I totally loved it. I love hearing behind the scenes info from the show and I really loved hearing about his faith journey. So I thought I would read more books from the Bachelor franchise. Andi’s book has been on my list for a long time.
I wanted to like it but I just struggled. I thought it was marketed as a ‘tell all’ but it’s really more a book about dealing with break-ups with tiny bits of Bachelor experience in between. I think I may not have been in the target audience of this book which was probably why I didn’t enjoy it very much! Parts of the book were way too TMI for my taste so it was a little difficult to get through. Unless you are in the target ‘dealing with a break up’ audience, if you want to read a Bachelor book I would absolutely recommend Sean Lowe’s!
Now it’s your turn! What have you read lately that you loved? What should be on my list to read next?
Happy Friday!! This week definitely made us work for it! This is pretty much how I’m feeling right now too.
I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites!
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I added a bunch of adorable Valentine’s to my Etsy shop this week. They are all $5 Instant Downloads that you can print at home yourself!
All of these new designs are available either as treat bag toppers OR as 4 x 4 Valentine card tags that you can use alone or even attach to candy or another treat. Plus you can spare yourself the annoying picked over Valentine section at the store.
I love the treat bag toppers because I can buy a big bag of whatever the kids want to give out (like M&Ms, goldfish, etc.) and they can split it into snack size baggies instead of buying all the individually wrapped packages of things.
You can click any of the pictures to be taken to the listing. Or you can click here to see all the Valentine’s in my shop. Keep me in mind when you are looking for easy Valentine’s for your kiddos to take to school or daycare!
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It’s just been one of those weeks! Josh has been working long hours in a busy season at work. The little boys are sick with colds so they are crabby and not sleeping well. The house is a straight up disaster that I feel like I’m always picking up but it’s not making a difference. I’m totally testing the limits of my dry shampoo. And I’m just tired and weary. We’ve all been there.
I love when I stumble upon a Bible passage that just speaks to me, even when I’m not looking for it. I saw this passage and just felt that it was meant for me. I so need some ‘strength in my soul’. When I looked it up in my Bible, it is from the ‘Hymn of a Grateful Heart’ which is even more perfect.
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I posted Part 2 of my step-by-step guide to making birthday cakes this week. I’ve been making my kid’s birthday and special occasion cakes for 7 years and I’ve learned SO much. If you have ever wanted to make birthday cakes for your kiddos but didn’t think you could- go read this. I promise you can. Part 1 is about the baking and Part 2 is about the decorating.
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My mom works in academic support and recommended this Mathopolis app to me to help Caleb with his ‘math facts’. They’ve been working on addition and subtraction and they are working on getting basic repetition down (4 + 4, 6 + 5, etc). He loves the app because as you answer questions correctly within the time limit, you help put out the fire. It’s so much more fun than flash cards! 😉 They have all 4 operations and different levels for each. It’s perfect for adding a little fun into homework which is ALWAYS a favorite here.
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I’m putting this book in my book review next week so I almost didn’t add this to my favorites. And then I just had to. When I made a goal for myself to start a habit of making time to read this year, Josh jumped on board too. He grabbed The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen at the library last week and I have never seen him read a book so fast. Truly. And we’ve been together for over 13 years.
Josh and I don’t usualy read the same kind of book. I’m more light and fluffy stories and he likes the thriller/suspense which usually isn’t my scene. I was cuddling on the couch with Luke and Reid the other day when they weren’t feeling well and picked up the book out of curiosity. And then I couldn’t stop. It was SO good, you guys. It’s super suspenseful and an action thriller without being gory or too intense. I really loved it. If you are looking for a good book to get wrapped up in (even if you don’t usually read this genre) – check this one out!
Those are my favorites this week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
(This post contains affiliate links that may provide a small commission to me at zero extra cost to you. Click to see my full disclosure here.)
Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m here talking about cakes again and I’m excited because this is the fun part. If you missed last week, I posted about how to bake birthday cakes and this week it’s all about easy ways to decorate them! You absolutely have to have solid, flat, delicious (obviously!) cake layers if you want to decorate a cake yourself so go back and read all those tips in Part 1 before you bake your cake.
Just as a side note, all my decorating tips are to be used with frosting. I’m not a fondant girl and I don’t think I’ll ever be one. 😉 Fondant doesn’t taste good and personally, I’m making my cakes so that they look cute but also so they taste delicious! Just taste the very best homemade frosting that I’ve been using for years (recipe down below in step 2) and I think you’ll see why.
I love to search Pinterest for cake inspiration. It is such a great idea resource! I find a few inspiration pins and then always put my own spin on an idea! You can check out my cake board here.
Decorating seems to be the scary part for everyone – I know it was for me when I started making my kids cakes. I promise though, these easy tips are all you need to make an amazing cake PLUS I’m going to share the very best homemade frosting recipe that I’ve been using for years.
If you followed all the steps in Part 1 for baking a flat (not raised in the center) cake then you really shouldn’t need to do much trimming off the top if at all. You do want your cake layers to be as flat as possible so if you see any raised areas, just easily trim them off with a serrated knife.
I love using cake shape as an easy part of my design. You can do this by carving the cake or using different size cakes to form a shape. I made this Paw Patrol cake by using a double layered 9 inch round cake and four cupcakes to form a paw.
I made these “2” cakes for my twins by carving 8 inch round cakes and an 8 x 8 square cake with the below tutorial from Cakebaker that I found on Pinterest for easy ways to make number cakes!
Whenever you carve a cake, I prefer to do the carving with a serrated knife on a separate cutting board and then move my carved pieces to my cake board. Doing it that way prevents tiny pieces of cake from getting stuck all over your board. (TIP: I put a tiny bit of frosting on the cake board where I am going to lay my cake so that it doesn’t slide around when the board is moved!)
Step 2: Mix up your frosting and color it!
I’ve made a lot of frosting when I’ve been baking but this recipe I’m going to share is my very favorite. I’ve been asked for this recipe a bunch of times when I bring my cakes places because it’s really amazing.
2-4 tablespoons of milk (I usually use the full 4 to make sure that the icing is not too thick to spread)
Cream butter and shortening together with a stand mixer or hand mixer. Mix in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar, mixing between each cup you add. Gradually add the milk, until you reach the right consistency.
The amount of frosting you need to make depends on the size of the cake you have. In order to have enough frosting for a base coat and any frosting decorations I want to do, I listed below how many batches of my frosting I make up. It’s just a guide though, you may need more or less depending on how thickly you frost your cake and how many colors of frosting you need!
8 inch round double layer cake – 3 batches
9 inch round double layer cake – 3 batches
10 inch round double layer cake – 3-4 batches
Half sheet cake (12 x 18) – 4-5 batches
I strongly recommend that you mix up these batches individually or the frosting doesn’t mix properly. For example, if you need 3 batches do NOT triple the recipe in your mixer. Mix the recipe up 3 times. It’s worth it.
Use gel food coloring to color frosting in the amount you need for your design! I always use gel coloring instead of the traditional liquid. It gives brighter, deeper colors and also doesn’t add liquid to make your frosting too thin! In my experience, the color does get deeper with time. I’ve had trouble trying to mix up a bright red that just wouldn’t change from a dark pink. I used it anyway and the next morning it was very red!
Step 3: Stack your cakes
If you are making a single layer cake (like a half sheet cake) – you can skip this step!
If you are making a double layer cake, put a dab of frosting in the center of your cake board and place one layer of your cake with the top facing up. (The flat side that was in your pan should go against the board for a flat, level base.
Put a good layer of frosting in between them. It always needs more than I think. Nobody wants a dry cake!
Then place your second layer on top of the frosting, with the top side down and the flat side up. It’s okay if there is a bit of a gap in between the layers- you can fill that in with frosting!
Step 4: Give the whole cake a base layer of frosting
Before you begin, make sure your frosting is the right consistency to spread. It should not be too stiff or it will not spread easily and will pull off the top layer of your cake! If it’s too thick, just mix in a little more milk in half teaspoon increments.
With your frosting knife, take big dollops of frosting and place a few of them over your cake. Gently spread them around until the top is covered. Then carefully do the sides, making sure to fill in any gaps between your layers of cake. You want a good, thick layer of frosting. Your knife should not be scraping the top of your cake, only touching frosting if that makes sense.
If you have a small gap between the bottom of your cake and the board, don’t worry. We’ll cover that up. If you have carved your cake and find that your cake is breaking apart as you frost, you can always follow the below step for putting frosting in a piping bag and pipe on your frosting with a large tip. Just gently smooth the top out.
Step 5: Add your decorations!
This is the fun part! Now that you have your base layer over all your cake, you can go back and add anything you want. Place your frosting tip of choice in your piping bag, snip off the end and place it into a glass. Then fill up your bag with frosting, leaving enough room that you can twist it closed at the top.
There are probably hundreds of piping tips out there but these 5 are my favorites and the ones I most use.
# 1M – I always use for frosting cupcakes or for piping borders on cakes
# 12 – I use for general decorating, filling in shapes, or borders on cakes
# 3 – I use for fine decorating details and any writing I do
# 233 – Grass, Elmo’s hair, dog fur, anything fun like that. I love what this tip can do.
# 47– I think it’s purpose is supposed to be a basket weave or straight ribbon but I love using it for a border.
I’m not very good freehanding my designs so I love to use guides. I’ve lightly traced around cups, straight edges, etc. with a toothpick, then piped over it with frosting to make a design. I also love to print images off the computer on regular paper, cut them out and gently lay them on the cake to trace the shapes (especially with character cakes!). I traced the shield and the bone in the Paw Patrol cake I mentioned earlier.
I used a ruler to mark the web on this Spider-Man cake and traced the Batman shape from something I printed online.
And this soccer cake, I laid a smaller cake pan on top and lightly traced the shape for the soccer field!
I also love to decorate cakes with small toys or edible items. It’s an easy way to make your cake fit the theme without having to free-hand difficult decorations. The soccer balls and goals on that soccer cake and the Paw Patrol pups were perfect for those cakes. The train tracks on these “2” cakes were made with upside down Hershey bars, black icing and small toy trains. I loved using tractors and crushed up Oreo “dirt” to decorate this construction themed cake too!
Finally, I always place a border around the bottom of the cake to cover up the messy gap where it sits on the board. You can do anything with this you choose. Sometimes I just do dots of frosting, sometimes I try to be fancy with the basket weave tip.
** You can also use these white couplers if you want to use the same color frosting with different tips. You place the larger piece of the coupler inside your bag and snip off the end. The tip fits on the coupler outside the bag, and then the other piece of the coupler screws in around the tip to hold it in place. You can unscrew that and replace the tip with another without having to get a new frosting bag.**
Also, if you mess something up don’t panic! Either roll with it or scrape off your mistake, replace your base layer of frosting and try again. 😉 I may have done that a time or two.
That’s it! If I can do this, you can absolutely do this too. If you have any questions, contact me or post in comments! Your cake does NOT have to look perfect to be perfect for your child!
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Today I’m talking about one of my favorite subjects- birthday cake! It’s birthday season in our house and I’ve been in the kitchen a lot lately baking cakes, treats for school, etc. I was thinking the other day how I much I enjoy making their cakes myself but how intimidating I used to find the thought of it. And so this post was born. I’m going to share all my easy tips and I promise when you are done reading, you absolutely can do it yourself too. I’m going to break this down into two parts – today’s post will be all about baking the cakes. Next week in part 2, I will share my easy tips to decorate them.
Growing up, my aunt always made all of my birthday cakes. I’m pretty sure I asked for a Barbie birthday cake (you know the kind with the actual doll in the middle of a dress made of cake) for at least 5 years in a row. I remember being so excited to see it and watching out the window for her to arrive at my party with my cake.I never even realized that was something special that she did for me until I was in college. I somehow thought that everyone had an aunt that liked to decorate cakes. 😉
Years later, I found out that my grandma used to decorate cakes and sell them out of her home when my mom and my aunt were little. She would of course make their birthday cakes too and taught my aunt how to bake and decorate them. My grandma died when I was really little so I don’t have very many memories of her. I had always loved to bake and hearing that she did too made me feel connected to her in a way that I hadn’t before. I have always made my kid’s birthday cakes myself because I want to but also because it makes me feel close to her. I love that I come from a line of cake bakers and I like to think this is in my genes. (That’s a thing, right?)
PLUS it’s way cheaper than store bought, it can look exactly how I want it and the look in my boy’s eyes when they come down on their birthday party morning and see the cake I made is priceless.
When I had my own kids, I started making their birthday cakes and learned a lot from my aunt and A LOT from trial and error. If you have ever wanted to bake your child’s birthday cake but were too intimidated to try, follow these easy steps. I promise you. It’s way easier than you think it is!
I love baking half sheet cakes (12 x 18) for their birthday parties which is what I did in the pictures here. I love half sheet cakes because they feed a ton (30-40+ people in my experience), have an easy flat surface for decorating and are thick enough that they look great without needing to have layers stacked. However, you can follow these steps for any size cake pans. I included notes in each step for how I bake 8 inch, 9 inch and 10 inch round double layer cakes.
3 cake mixes + eggs, oil and water per the mix instructions – I like to use 2 of one flavor and 1 of another but you can always use 3 of the same! **See my notes below in Step 3 for amount of cake mix needed for other size cakes**
Take your cake pan and lay it on a sheet of parchment paper. Use a pencil to trace the outline of your pan and cut it out with scissors. Place it in the bottom of your pan. I usually don’t line the sides of my pans but I do spray them with cooking spray. You absolutely can line the sides if you want to, and it’s fine to let parchment paper stick out over the sides of the pans.
It’s tempting, but don’t skip this step. Especially with larger cakes, sometimes pieces of your cake do stick in the pan even when you spray it well. And that SUCKS.
TIP: If you are having trouble with the parchment paper curling and not staying flat in your pan, spray your pan with cooking spray so it has something to stick to. It’s not necessary, but I always do this so that my paper lays where I want it to. The last thing I want is the paper moving while I pour the batter and having half of my cake stick to the pan.Â
Step 2: Wet and wrap your baking strips
Baking strips are like a hidden secret that I discovered years ago. If you’ve ever baked a cake before, you’ve probably seen how the middle of the cake commonly domes up when it bakes. That’s fine for cakes you are planning to spread with frosting and leave in your 9 x 13 pan. It’s not good though when you need to remove your cake from the pan, stack it with another and decorate it. You can try to trim off the dome, but you lose a good chunk of your cake and your edges are funky and crispy from baking unevenly.
Wetting these baking strips with cool water and placing them around your pan helps the cake cook more evenly. They get rid of the dome and the crispy edges. You can buy these strips OR you can be cheap like me. I use cut up strips of old (clean!) bath towel that I wet and safety pin around my cake pan. It does the same thing and costs nothing but is a little more work without that Velcro of the baking strips.
Step 3: Mix up your cake
A half sheet cake needs 3 cake mixes to fill for a nice, thick cake. I like to use 2 cake mixes of one flavor (here that is the funfetti) and 1 of another (here that is the chocolate) so that we can have two kinds of cake for the party. If you dump both your mixes into the pan at the same time, the bigger mix will fill approximately 2/3 of the pan and the other the remaining 1/3. It’s funny because people always love the line of pieces that are a mix between the two! Use a small spatula to smooth out the cake mixes to fill the corners of the pan.
I use 1 cake mix divided into two pans for 8 and 9 inch double layer cakes. When I do 10 inch double layer cakes, I use 1 full cake mix for each layer.
I don’t even attempt to make my own cake from scratch when I bake a half sheet cake because I know exactly 3 mixes fill it nicely and I don’t know how much a homemade batch would fill. I have made my own cake when baking 8, 9 or 10 inch round cakes. I’ve tried several different recipes and I’m going to be honest. They didn’t taste as good as the box mix so I hardly ever do it anymore. Because why do more work for something that doesn’t taste as good. #just saying
I have ‘doctored’ the cake mix though before with good results. Although absolutely not necessary, adding 1 extra egg to each cake mix and/or replacing the amount of vegetable oil called for with melted butter makes a more rich cake.
Step 4: Bake cake
Bake your cake according to package directions for 8 and 9 inch cakes. For 10 inch cakes, also bake at 350 degrees but for approximately 10 minutes longer than it says for the 9 inch cake. Keep an eye on your cakes! For the half sheet cake, I bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Here’s a pro tip from my aunt: The general rule of thumb is to bake a cake until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. That is actually too long. Once a fork comes out clean, the cake is already overbaked and too dry. Once the top of the cake is set and if you gently push down in the center with your finger and it springs back, then the cake is done. That’s the secret to a delicious moist – not dry – cake!
As a general rule, I always set a kitchen timer for at least 5 minutes less than the box recommends and keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t over bake.
Step 5: Dump and cool
Once you pull it out of the oven, set your half sheet cake still in the pan on top of the oven for 30 minutes to let it cool. Then carefully place the cake board on top of your pan and quickly flip it over to dump it onto the board. Let it cool the rest of the way before decorating which is probably at least an hour.
If you are using 8, 9 or 10 round layer cakes, let your cakes sit in the pan for 15-20 minutes and then dump onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
5 easy steps and your cake is baked. And it’s delicious! I’ll be back here next Wednesday with part 2 – How to decorate a birthday cake!
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Today, we are officially over halfway through January and so begins the time of the year that I slowly start to lose my mind from being inside all the time. 😉 December is always full of fun with Christmas activities and seasonal temperatures but January, February and most of March (if you are in the Midwest like we are) can be tortuous. This year we have already had a bunch of windchill warnings and have another one issued for tonight, which makes getting out of the house to do anything with young children very difficult! They are too little to understand why they have to keep their hats and mittens on at all times and cannot express to you if they are cold or what body part may be exposed to the temperatures. As they get older, it gets much better but those first few years can be really difficult! Especially when you have twins!
When our twins were born premature in late September, before we were discharged the NICU doctors recommended to me that we keep them away from people and at home as much as possible during the next few months. It was daunting to think about the winter ahead stuck in the house all the time!
Today’s Twin Tuesday is all about how to survive your twin’s first winter. Because that first one is HARD. If you can survive the first one, you can do anything momma. Here are 5 things we did to make it through the winter with our infant twins.
Accept the realities
Our oldest son was born in January, so I didn’t have to go back to work until spring. We snuggled in and barely left the house his first few months of life. Since we didn’t have any other small children at home, we were all able to stay healthy during the traditional cold and virus season. Fast-forward to December right before he turned one and all 3 of us caught every single cold and virus that went through his day care. We were sick all the time his first real winter. I was super concerned and mentioned it to our pediatrician who said “Oh yes. A baby’s first winter, they get sick all the time. Don’t worry. It builds immunity.” And that was that. The same was true with our second baby’s first winter but I knew what to expect and didn’t sweat it.
I was more concerned though when we brought our premie twins home who had a much less mature immune system than our older two did facing their first winter. Our pediatrician warned me that we had to accept the reality that with two other children at home the odds of them not getting sick at all were slim. She told us to expect common colds but to call her if they had a fever or had trouble breathing.
Basically, we did our best. We kept the older boys away from them when they had a cold. We washed our hands like crazy and we limited visitors (and made them wash their hands too!). I was breastfeeding on demand and I felt comforted that would help them fight whatever they were exposed to also. They each got a small cold or two but nothing that concerned us or that I hadn’t expected.
Expect that your twins will probably get sick. Do the best you can to limit their exposure to germs and follow the advice of your pediatrician when they do. Try to appreciate that anything they do get will increase their immunity and hopefully make all future cold and virus seasons easier on all of you!
Find some inside activities outside your house
When the cold winter days seemed endless, I would sometimes pack up the babies and go walking at the mall before it opened to shoppers. It was pretty dead early in the morning so there wasn’t anyone wanting to touch the babies or get close to their faces (as strangers feel they need to do). Josh and I would also on the weekends sometimes take everyone to a local indoor Sports Complex on off hours just to get everyone out of the house. The older boys would watch whatever high school sport was being played while I walked around with the babies in the stroller. Again, no crowds so no people trying to stop me and get a look at the babies.
I loved using these car seat covers instead of having to dress the babies in thick coats inside their car seats. I would dress them normally in long sleeves, pants and a hat with a lightweight blanket and this cover. In the car and at our destination, I would unzip the sides of the cover so they didn’t get too warm. I was amazed at how nice and warm it kept them!
Attempt to get out without the babies
I know it’s hard, but attempting to get out of the house without the babies is extra important during the winter months of being constantly stuck inside. I find that if I’m not conscious of getting out of the house (even now!) it can really get me down. Mental health is so important with brand new babies and it’s difficult to be stuck inside without sunshine or interaction all day. You could plan for your significant other to keep the babies for a bit while you meet a friend, go grocery shopping, grab a book from the library or run some errands! It makes such a huge difference.
Enjoy the drive
When my twins were infants, the car was kind of our happy place. Sometimes they would nap, sometimes they wouldn’t but they were almost always quiet. We would go for drives in the winter for a change of scenery. I would listen to the radio or a podcast and sometimes I would stop for coffee at a drive-through. A drive for 30 minutes of the day did wonders for my outlook on being stuck inside!
Find a routine inside your home
I’ve always been a person who thrives on routine and I found when we were stuck inside that was even more the case. When we couldn’t leave the house, it helped to have a routine of even moving rooms of the house at the same time every day. For example, maybe we would start the day doing tummy time in the family room for awhile, then move upstairs while they played with a few toys in their bouncers and I folded laundry, then read books in the kitchen as I got lunch ready, etc. It seemed like so much work to move them from room to room but it gave us a purpose for our day and something to do. I still do a version of this with our two year old twins during the winter!
Don’t forget. You will make it through this too and it’s okay to count down the days until spring!
Our week was spent pretty much boycotting all bed times so it was a rough one. At around 8:00 each night in our house, my energy level is at 2.4% and my boys are at 120%. I don’t even know how this happens. My kiddos had another short week at school and have Monday off next week. I’m not sure if we will make it when it comes time for a full week of school again!
Like always, I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for a fun list of Friday Favs. These are my favorite posts to read and put together!
one
After I killed my second giant Big Bubba water jug by dropping it (from the top of the car as we drove away and knocked off the counter by tiny hands), I knew I needed a different choice. I notice a huge difference in the way I feel when I’m dehydrated so I always keep a giant water bottle with me all the time. I got this stainless steel Liquid Savvy one for Christmas and I think I’m in love. It does a really good job at keeping my water cold and it came with 3 different lids to choose from. It has already been knocked on the floor a few times and there isn’t even a scratch on it! I do miss the huge straw that my Bubba had but on the plus side, this one never spills when it gets knocked over like that one did. I chose the 32 ounce bottle which is big enough to hold a good amount of water and small enough to fit in my cupholder in the car. I also love it because it’s only $20 unlike some of the other brands of stainless steel water bottles. It’s always a goal of mine to drink more water, and if that is you too – this one is my new favorite.
two
This week I posted my 2018 goals and one of them was to work on my terrible habit of worrying too much. My small group Bible study just chose a book by Max Lucado to read together called Anxious for Nothing. It arrived this week and I’m so looking forward to reading it. Just looking at the inside cover talking about how to overcome everyday worry spoke to me like I could have written those specific worries down myself. This book covers several of my 2018 goals- limiting worry, further developing my faith and prayer life and making more time reading as a self-care goal! (I’m quietly high fiving myself.)
three
My older boys both had birthdays in the last couple of weeks and we have had so much fun celebrating. We had a little birthday party last weekend for them with my family instead of a doing a big party like we usually do. The boys had a great time and we ordered pizza so there was zero stress for me. That’s my kind of party! I still made their choice of cake of course, because what’s a party without cake. 😉 Caleb chose a Yoda cake….
and Eli chose a Paw Patrol cake.
Instead of a doing a big party with friends, they chose to take a little trip as a family to celebrate. We’ve never stayed in a hotel all together since our twins were born so it should be a fun adventure. With lots of coffee….
four
The last couple of years, Caleb has decided that he wants to be an artist. He has always had an artistic eye like his Daddy so that never surprised me at all. He has an amazing art teacher at school that encourages him so much and I love seeing him in his element! My mom got him these two books for his birthday about creativity and art and they really are amazing. He loves The Dot more and I love Ish more, but they are both great. If you have a budding artist in your house, you should check these two Peter Reynolds books out!
five
Finally, I got these Fila yoga pants at Kohl’s and I love them so much they are all I have been wearing lately. They are super comfy and they have back pockets! Maybe it’s because of the pockets or maybe it’s the material but they look like real pants which makes me feel like I can wear them all the time. 😉 I have them in black but I’m definitely going back and finding them in gray!
Those are my favorites this week! I hope you all have the best weekend!
