Cupcake Pops

Grace is having a cupcake-themed birthday party in a few weeks!  We are so excited…it’s the first time we’ve hosted a party for her with friends here in Texas.  We’re inviting about ten girls from her Sunday School and ballet class.  Part of the activities will include cupcake decorating!  To work with the theme, I decided to practice making these cute cupcake pops that I found while searching the internet for ideas.  Click here to get the instructions from one of my favorite blogs, Bakerella.

I found the lollipop stand at Michael’s.  They turned out really well and were fairly easy to make!  The basic technique is:  bake a 9x12 cake, crumble it into fine pieces, mix in 1 1/2 cups of frosting, shape, and dip into candy melts. I chose to put lollipop sticks in these, but they’re just as cute sitting on a plate as petit fours. Grace and the other kids that I babysit had fun helping me make them!

For this particular batch, I made coconut cake with coconut frosting on the inside. 

Side note:  I am all about SEMI-HOMEMADE cakes.  You just can’t beat a boxed cake mix, especially when you enhance it with flavorings or add-ins.  They are better because the boxed mixes use cake flour instead of regular flour.  When mixing up my cake pops, I used pear juice instead of water and added coconut flavoring to the batter.  I stirred in more coconut flavoring in the tub of icing before adding it to the crumbled cake. 

The end result is a moist and flavorful cake with a creamy chocolate coating!

People have asked how I’ve managed to lose 64 pounds over the past few months while starting a cake decorating business.  The answer is that I’m simply not tempted by cake.  I’ve never been a huge cake fan…as a child, I even refused birthday cakes.  (If I ever opened a french fry business, I’d be in trouble!) 

However, after I did a taste test, I liked these so much that I sent them with Todd to put in his teacher workroom and get them out of my house!

Give and Get Event

 

The Give & Get Event is happening again at Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic this Thursday, November 12th through Sunday, November 15th! 

Print off this coupon for 30% off your total bill, including clearance merchandise!  As an added bonus, 5% of your total will be donated to the charity of your choice:

1. Donors Choose
2. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
3. Feeding America
4. Care
5. Teach For America
6. Service Nation

Just for fun, I’m listing some of my favorite items!

From Old Navy…

I adore this Wool-Blend Bell-Sleeved Coat.  It is fully lined and hits at the knee.  The camel color goes with everything…casual to dressy!  Although it retails for $99.50, with the in-store sale and this coupon, you can get it for $34.83.

This Ruffled Hoodie is the perfect thing to grab when you are cold around the house or need to quickly run to the store.  Cozy and cute, it comes in a variety of bright colors.  With the coupon, you can get it for $17.15.

From The Gap…

Love the plaid.  Love the shape.  Love everything about this Wool-Blend Plaid Dress.  A fitted jacket or cardigan could be worn over it for cooler weather…if cooler weather ever decides to come and stay around here!  With coupon, it comes to $41.65.

I couldn’t leave Gap Kids off the list, so this is a cute girls’ sweater dress that would look adorable with a pair of leggings and boots.  With coupon, it is available for $24.50.

From Banana Republic…

I love the simplicity and elegance of this Twist Wrap Dress.  The cut would flatter almost any body type in a timeless design.  If I’m spending money on a nice dress, I want something I could wear for many years…not the latest fad.  With coupon, you could wear this to a holiday party for $87.50.

The coupon is good in stores for 30% off your total purchase, including clearance merchandise!  Happy shopping!

Deployment

My sweet brother Jon is leaving today for another deployment to the Middle East.  This time he will be in Afghanistan for several months.  He leaves behind his pregnant wife, 3-yr-old, and 1-yr-old daughters. 

It’s at times like this that I find it difficult to obey God’s command not to worry, especially when I’m constantly bombarded with media coverage of the atrocities that are happening over there (and here!).  But part of walking in faith is trusting that God’s plan is working just as it should, no matter how difficult or worrisome it seems. 

We all covet your prayers for Jon and his family during this lengthy time of service.  Specifically, you can pray for protection for Jon and his entire Marine unit, a healthy pregnancy for his wife, and comfort for each member of their family during his absence.

I also encourage you to continue to lift in prayer all members of our military who give such great personal sacrifice to ensure our freedom to live as we do.  Here in Texas, our national and state flags are being flown at half-mast because of the terrible Ft. Hood tragedy.  It is a constant reminder of the force of evil that is at work in this world. 

Thank you, veterans, for your works of service to this country.

Monday Milestones

Horrors.  I gained a pound this week.  I was hit with a terrible head/chest cold that knocked the wind out of me, therefore I didn’t step on the treadmill or do any “Shredding” this week.  I figured if I couldn’t breathe sitting on the couch watching “Dancing With The Stars”, then I would end up in the hospital if I tried to keep my appointment with Jillian Michaels.

Anyway, in addition to limited physical activity (other than extreme shopping with my mom), I also ate out several times.  Even though I made good choices and counted all my calories, my sodium intake was pretty high and that contributed to my gain.

Sigh…

Hopefully this will be a better week.

Visit With Mimi and Granddaddy

The past few days have been busy and fun.  My parents came in for a quick visit and stayed with us while dad had some work meetings in a nearby town.  Unfortunately, a ferocious head cold decided to visit me at the same time, but I didn’t let it stop me from doing as much as I could with mom!

On Thursday and Friday I was a feeling a little better, so we had marathon shopping days!  Several items were on our lists:

• a dress for Grace for Claire’s rehearsal dinner
• shoes for a fancy dress that mom’s wearing on a cruise in a few weeks
• Central Market bulk spices
• slip-on casual shoes for Grace
• weekly grocery shopping
• wedding and baby shower gifts
• Christmas gifts

In our adventures, I discovered a new love:  DSW Shoe Warehouse.  I can’t believe I’ve never been in this store before yesterday!  What a gold mine of beautiful, name-brand shoes.  Mom and I spent the majority of our time at the clearance racks.  It’s amazing…hundreds of shoes on clearance, and they are ALL beautiful.  No junk.  I found a pair of Cole Haan red dress shoes similar to the ones below that were gorgeous.

I didn’t buy them, but boy do I understand why people pay so much money for them.  How often can you step into a pair of 4.5 inch heels and feel like you could run a marathon?  They were SO comfortable.  The original price was $269.00.  They were almost 50% off on the clearance racks, marked at $139.00.  Then, you take an additional 40% off for a take-home price of $83.00.  Totally worth it, but still out of my price range.

Anyway, mom did find a beautiful pair of gold dress shoes to go with her black dress.  We also stumbled on a pair of red dress shoes for $20 that we are both going to wear to Christmas parties.  Mom will wear them first, then mail them to me along with a pair of black heels I’m letting her borrow! 

Mom and Dad went home this morning, but we’ll look forward to seeing them soon at Thanksgiving.  One of my great sorrows is living far away.  Mom and I never get done all the things we want to do together!  And Grace LOVES being around them so much.  But we're thankful for the visits that we have several times per year.  God is good.

Lunch With Friends

After ballet class this morning, we went to eat lunch at McDonald’s with some friends from her class.  It was fun to visit with another mom (and grandmom!) while our girls played on the playground.

After getting our food and taking it to our table, I noticed that they had forgotten Grace’s apple juice.  I went back and showed the cashier my receipt and told him that we hadn’t received her drink. 

He looked at me with a blank stare and said, “Yeah, we’re out of apple juice.”  Silence. 

I said, “Oh, you don’t have any more in the back?” 

More blank stares, then he reluctantly turned and asked his buddy, “Hey, man, do we have any more apple juice in the back?”  The other employee confirmed that they were out, then my cashier turned back to me and said, “Nope, we’re out.”  Silence.

I said, “Okay, I guess we need a cup so I can get her a Sprite.” 

Cashier turns to his buddy and asks, “Is it OK for me to give her a  Sprite?”

Me thinking, “Duh!  We already paid for a drink!”

After getting “permission”, he gave me the cup as if he was doing me a huge favor.

Here’s what I’m wondering:  Would it have been too difficult for him to say, “I’m sorry, ma’am, we’re out of apple juice.  What other drink can I get for you today?”

Ah, customer service.  It ain’t what it used to be.

Monday Milestones

Well, the good news is that I lost a little over half a pound this week.  The bad news is that I still don’t get to move my weight loss ticker.  I’m taking full responsibility for not losing more this week because I ate pizza one night, exercised only twice, and raided the Three Musketeers candy from Grace’s trick-or-treat bucket.

I consulted with The Diet Evangelist (a.k.a. Larry Thompson), and he gave me some good advice about my general plateau over the past few weeks.  I am not drinking nearly enough water.  And, my caffeine consumpton has practically tripled over the past 3-4 weeks.  My sodium has gone up as well.  That combined with only exercising a couple of times per week has contributed to my stalling.

I guess the silver lining is that I haven’t gained anything back!  I’m not going to meet my ultimate goal by Christmas, which is what I’ve been wanting, but I’ll just keep trucking along and praying for the self-control and motivation to stay consistent! 

Preschooler Quotes of the Day – Halloween Edition

“Mommy, can it be Halloween tomorrow, too, PLEASE??!”

“How about we eat candy for breakfast tomorrow, OK?”

“Where’s my pixie dust?  Did daddy take it AGAIN?”

[Pointing to the edge of the driveway at our neighbor’s house while Trick-or-Treating] “Mommy, Daddy, you can stay right here.  Don’t worry about me a bit.  I’ll be just fine.  I know how to knock on the door and say ‘Trick or Treat’ and ‘Thank You’ all by myself!”

Nightime prayer:  “Dear God, thank you for Tinkerbell and trick-or-treating and Jesus.  I saw lots of monsters but I wasn’t scared.  I don’t have to be afraid.  Please help nobody to be scared at Halloween.  Amen.  Oh, and please don’t let my daddy go back to work.  I want to play with him all day long.  Amen.”

***OUR LITTLE GIRL IS GROWING UP AND THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO TO STOP IT!!!***

Family Fun Night

Our church hosted a fall carnival tonight and we all had a blast!  Grace dressed up as Tinkerbell…we took a few pictures in the front yard before we left.

She was very excited because I let her wear a little bit of makeup and “pixie dust” on her face and arms.

There were different games in each of the rooms in the Children’s Building.  After each game, they got to pick candy to put in their buckets!

Todd helped her shoot the rubber band gun.  She actually hit the bulls eye all by herself on her last shot!

The balloon room was a big hit!

She chose a rainbow to be put on her cheek in the face painting room.

Here’s Grace with her friend Natalie.

And here’s Grace with her friend Kie.  His muscles looked so cute!

After all the games and candy, she jumped in the bounce houses and played on the indoor playground for a while.

It was a really fun time of fellowship with our friends and family time together.  After the carnival, we enjoyed pizza at the Mellow Mushroom.  It’s a totally hip and happening restaurant in the TCU area that uses all fresh, organic ingredients.  Very yummy…I highly recommend the Funky Chicken pizza.  It had homemade BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, grilled onions, bacon (sadly…I left it off), and a mix of cheddar and white cheeses.

Fun times!

Belle Dress

Our sweet friend Claire asked me to help her get together a Belle dress to wear to her costumed bridal shower this weekend, and I was so excited to help!  I managed to find some pretty yellow satin at the fabric store that had a small stain the size of a dime.  The girl who cut the fabric offered to mark it down and call it “damaged”, so it was dirt cheap!  The rest of the supplies (zipper, laces, tulle, buttons, etc.) I had on hand.

To design the dress, I tried my best to copy Grace’s Belle costume from a couple of years ago.  It worked out pretty well without a pattern.  I kept it really simple and didn’t line the dress or finish the inside seams…so it was fairly easy and not stressful! 

Doesn’t Claire look just like Belle?  I told her she could work at Disneyworld!  Grace wanted to wear her Belle dress, too, for the picture!

Preschooler Quote of the Day

I was in the kitchen cleaning up breakfast dishes when I heard Grace’s excited voice from the family room:

"Mommy!  Mommy!  There’s a BIG lizard under the couch!  He’s soooo cute!  Can we keep him, PLEASE???!”

I caught a glimpse of him an hour later (and he IS big), but as of now, he is still on the loose.

How To Go On A Date, Get Exercise, And Wear Out Your Daughter At The Same Time

Step One:  Go to Wal-Mart and buy a pink tennis racket.

Step Two:  Go to the tennis court and let your child hit the ball around for a while.

Step Three:  Tell your child that it’s time for mommy and daddy to play tennis, and her job is to be the “ball girl”. 

Step Four:  Enjoy playing tennis with your spouse while watching your daughter run to get every stray ball that you miss or over-hit.

Step Five:  Hit a few extra balls out on purpose that she must run far to catch.

Step Six:  Repeat steps four and five over and over and over.

Step Seven:  Take home an exhausted daughter and watch her literally collapse into bed for an early bedtime.

Step Eight:  Enjoy a quiet evening with your spouse.

Monday Milestones

Same song, fourth verse.  For four weeks I’ve stayed at the same weight.  Grrrr.  I’m not quite sure what is going on.  I’m staying within my daily calorie count every day.  I rarely eat out.  I could exercise more, but I’m working out hard 2-3 days per week. 

Someone suggested that maybe my body is trying to hold on to extra weight for the winter.  At first I laughed it off, but now I’m starting to wonder…

Anyway, I’ve still got almost 1/3 of my journey left towards my ultimate goal, so I need to figure something out.  On a positive note, this is the healthiest I’ve been in a long time.  I played tennis with my husband for a long time on Sunday afternoon, and actually gave him a run for his money!  I have a lot more endurance and don’t get worn out as easily as I used to.  My blood pressure has been great.  So I guess I’m doing something right, but I wish the scale would reflect it too!

Wedding Blessings

Last night Todd and I attended a special event for a sweet young woman who is getting married in a few weeks.  We’ve known Claire for many years and been good friends with her family.  We’ve watched her grow and mature into a beautiful woman who is eager to marry and start her own family.  This wedding is extra-special because it’s also Grace’s debut as a flower girl!

I’ve never been to an event like last night, and it was the perfect way for people who love Claire to give their blessings on her upcoming marriage.  After a time of fellowship and dessert, we gathered in a group and went around one at a time, giving words of encouragement and advice about marriage.  Claire and Cal got to hear words of wisdom from people who have been married as many as 50 years!  Then we had a brief time of prayer for the couple.

In lieu of gifts, the people who came were asked to write cards and/or letters that Claire and Cal will open and read on their 1st, 10th, and 25th wedding anniversaries.  Isn’t that a neat idea?  Todd and I had fun writing our letters together.

In a world where marriage is often treated as flippantly as buying a new car, it was truly special to see this couple treat their upcoming nuptials with such reverence and maturity.  Marriage isn’t easy, but it can be filled with joy and comfort when it’s built on a solid spiritual foundation.  I wish Claire and Cal many, many years of happiness!

Things I Love Thursday – Silicone Baking Mat

I’ve been eyeing these silicone baking mats for a while, and I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago.  I like the idea of having an instant non-stick surface with minimal clean-up and no added fats or cooking sprays. 

I chose to buy the Wilton Easy Flex Silicone Baking Mats.  As a cake decorator, I trust Wilton products, and this did not disappoint.

I must say that they work perfectly!  Nothing sticks to them!  I’ve used the mats to bake cookies, bake biscuits, roll pastry dough, and roll fondant.  When baking, I love that I don’t have to scrub a huge cookie sheet…I just rinse the baking mat and put the cookie sheet back in the cabinet! 

Although I invested $8.99 per mat, in the long run it will probably save me money because I no longer use cooking spray when baking.  And, it has definitely saved me time and energy!

For more Things I Love Thursday posts, visit The Diaper Diaries.