Rising to the Occasion

We'll, we're having another snow storm here on the east coast, what to do?  I remember as a child, my mom baked bread from scratch.  We would eat it fresh out of the oven, hot with melted butter and a drizzle of honey.  Mmmm.  Since the kids and I are stuck in the house, I decided it's time to overcome my fear of baking bread and the great unknown of yeast products.  I typed in "easy bread recipe" in google and came up with this recipe from Allrecipes.  It mixed up fast in my Kitchenaid mixer and it's now hopefully rising by the stove.

Yes!  I was so excited that my dough actually rose that I forgot to get a photo of it!  I split it into two loaves, covered it again and waited for it to double in size again and here they are.  It actually worked and the loaves are ready to bake.

They look just like mom used to make, and taste good too!  I'm so glad I tried this, it actually was easy and I encourage you to try it too.

Valentines for Sisters

Way back when my sister and I were in high school we started a tradition of giving each other a little something for valentines day.  (You remember the days when perhaps you didn't have a special someone for that big holiday?)

 My mom would give us each a small heart shaped box of chocolate or a few flowers.  As we got older, Karen and I would send each other a little something at college, maybe a heart shaped frame or charm.  Sometimes it was just a pretty card.  Life has gotten busy and we've sent a lot of pretty cards.  This year, the kids and I made some heart shaped cookies.  We're ready to box them up and ship them across the country.  Hopefully, in time for Valentines day.

We found something really new and exciting for decorating.  It's called Disco Dust!  Can you see in the photos, that it's like glitter for cookies?  Disco dust comes in every color in the rainbow.  I shake it onto wet icing and it stick like glue.  It looks best with just a small amount of glitter, so I iced the cookies and let the dry.  Then, I go back and draw details in with and icing pen or piping bag and add the glitter to that.  It's magical!

Happy Valentines Day to all, and don't forget to share a little love!

More Valentines

I can't seem to stop myself from looking all over the internet.  I keep finding so many wonderful ideas for kids valentines to exchange.  Kristin at Bunnycakes has done it again!

Her boys will be passing out some fun old-fashioned treats, Hammonds lollypops with a fun, playbill styled card.  

Your children can pass these too and there is plenty of time to get personalized cards at Bunnycakes Etsy shop.   After purchase you will receive a pdf file to download so that you can make as many as you need on your home printer.  If your child prefers to sign his or her own name, you can download the card at her blog.

Valentines for kids...

I am amazed at the creative valentines I've found online for kids.  I love the way these fold and have the little wrappers to hold them closed.  My kids like that they aren't too mushy and gushy!  

You can find these valentines and more at Juniper Jefferies Etsy shop.  These are printable cards - can you tell that I love this concept?  In a few minutes you can print and cut these cards and have unique cards for your children to hand out at school.  

Valentines for the class?

Do you have children in school?  Mine need to bring valentines in for each student in their class.

These three printable valentines are available at Bunny Cakes Etsy shop.  Kristin will add your child's name to save you some time and you can print out as many as you need at home.  (She will email you a pdf file.)

This is my pick.  I like the conversation hearts, since they remind me of my childhood.

Aren't these fun?  Perfect for either a boy or a girl.

Celebrating My Sister

Today is my sister's birthday!  My goodness, we've known each other all our lives, but it seems we're learning more about each other every day.  Who knew, back when we were teens, how much we'd value the time spent with each other?  In honor of my sister, here are a few quotes - just for her!

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.  ~Margaret Mead


What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it?  ~Jenny DeVries


In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.  ~Author Unknown


A sister is a forever friend.  ~Author Unknown


When mom and dad don't understand, a sister always will.  ~Author Unknown


There is no better friend than a sister.  And there is no better sister than you.  ~Author Unknown



We've been though many good times and bad, thick and thin and through it all we've been there for each other.  I'm glad you are my sister, and I am blessed to call you friend.


Happy Birthday Karen!

Wrapping up the Holidays

I hope you had some wonderful times with your family and friends over the holidays.  We spent some time with my sister, visiting from Oregon.  I know it's after Christmas, but I just had to share some holiday wrapping with you!

I found the initial tags at Martha Stewart.  My son loves green and my daughter loves pink.  The kids knew exactly which presents were theirs when they came down the steps.  The wrapping paper was from Target.