s'more cupcakes

i wanted to bring dessert last night to a last minute cookout.  the problem was i didn't really have anything and i didn't want to leave the pool to go to the grocery store.  i had a box of chocolate cake- so i made cupcakes.  my oldest niece, olivia loves all things sweet- except chocolate.  i imagined her being so excited to see cupcakes then so sad that they were not vanilla.  SO,  i wanted to try to make them into something she'd like.  like any all-american girl she loves s'mores.  here's what i came up with:

i just broke up graham cracker in the bottom of the cupcake liners.

then i added chocolate cake mix on top.  i always use an ice cream scoop for perfect cupcakes.

once the cupcakes were done i placed a marshmallow on top of each one, broiled for a minute or so. (i just kept checking)

and there they are- perfectly toasted marshmallows!

this is what they looked like on the inside.

i thought it might be cute to top with a piece of graham cracker. this one i did in the microwave.

the funniest thing is that only jack ate a cupcake.  the rest of the kids had a popsicle!  when i make these again i think i will do a few things differently.  i'm going to make a little graham cracker crust on the bottom instead of just pieces by adding a little butter and baking that alone for a few minutes.  also, i think a little hershey bar needs to be tucked inside of the cupcake.  so, once i add the batter i will just sink a rectangle of chocolate inside......that sounds yummy doesn't it?

happy memorial day

yes, i spray painted this table!  just the pop of color our deck needed.

hope your day is just as much fun as ours!

this weekend is extra special.....these two cuties below: my nephew and niece- twins ty and addie.....officially became a big bother and big sister to sweet baby girl- drew hazel.  i can't wait to get my hands on her.  it's amazing how quickly you can fall in love :)





and, of course both of these great pictures were taken by aunt jen

end of year teacher gifts

it's that time of year again to thank the wonderful teachers for a great school year.  last year a friend and i created these for our preschool teachers.  i wanted to use the same concept but change it up a bit these special ladies.  i asked the other parents to donate gift cards to the teachers along with having their child write his/her name on a circle. 

you'll need gift cards, notes, wooden dowels, glue gun and a bucket

i love the way preschool children write :)

i added little summer cut outs, you could also just use stickers if you'd like!

glue the gift card to the dowel.

each child has his/her own "stick"

you'll need something to hold your sticks into place.  sand would work perfectly......but i just had rice at my house.

arrange the gift cards as you'd like...

in order to get my ribbon to stick, i used a little hot glue on the back

i also used a dot of hot glue under the bow to hold the front in place

here they are all finished and ready for graduation! 



and there he is......all ready for kindergarten!



my newest hobby

i've been painting.....and it's been lots of fun!  i've had this end table for years.  it's last place was on the porch where it held sunscreen and bug spray.  it did not look so hot.  we were getting ready to toss it when i though- maybe, just maybe i could bring it back to life :)  (jordan really tries hard to support me when i get into new hobbies.....sometimes it's hard for him.)  ok- so here is what i started with:

seriously, i just dumped the paint right on it as i painted. 

once it dried completely, i sanded it to rough it up a bit.

of course once it was done i had to carry it all over the house, looking for it's new home. 

and there she is....in the guest room.  even though it totally doesn't match the room :) 
 guess it's time for new bedding (see why jordan hates me new hobbies?)

this was SO easy and really fun.  i've now been spray painting everything in sight- that's a post for another day....think watermelon pink!

chicken soup for a rainy day

it's very rainy today.  we woke up this morning to a thunderstorm.  i hoped it was not a sign of the rest of the day.  i felt nervous this morning.  see, pretty soon i have to send this face to kindergarten:

my sister took this picure around christmas


while i imagine it's tough for most parents to send their oldest to school it feels especially hard to send jack.  he's allergic to everyone's favorite lunch box treat- peanut butter.  he's allergic to more than just peanuts but it's the big one.  he only has to touch them to cause a reaction.  it's scary- the kind of scary that makes me want to keep him by my side at all times :)  i know that wouldn't be fair to him.....would it?

anyways- this week at preschool the kids are bringing their lunch as a "getting ready for kindergarten" activity.  this means of course, peanut butter.....in his classroom......lots of sticky-fingered 4/5 year olds.... 

 i love his preschool.  sunday afternoon an email was sent out reminding parents about sending lunches, and that "a child" in the class had a nut allergy- so if the kids helped make their sandwiches in the morning to please wash up.  the email also went on to say that they would have a nut-free table.  i didn't know they would do that, but it made me feel better.  at school this morning i was greeted by reassuring smiles that they were ready to take care of jack.  the clorox wipes were out and they were sure that several kids had packed nut-free lunches so he'd have plenty of classmates to sit with. 

i thought i would make dinner for one of the sweet ladies making sure he was safe at lunch.  i decided on soup because of this rainy day.  here's how to make it: 

 you'll need: 3/4 cup chopped celery, 3/4 cup chopped carrots, 3/4 cup chopped onion, 32 oz chicken broth, the rice that's already made, 3 tablespoons flour, olive oil and 2 cups cooked chicken....mine was in the oven.  the little "p" is my pepper shaker.  the salt is in an s.....i love them on my counter- it's my initials.  a little gift a while back from my sisters.

saute the veggies in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until tender-crisp....is that a word? 

add the flour, stir the entire time.  cook for about a minute.

add the chicken broth.  continue to stir...

i usually use my whisk just to be sure there are no chunks of flour, that wouldn't taste very good. cook on high for 2 minutes until it thickens.  add the chicken and rice, season with pepper.

here's my chicken- i just used 2 chicken breasts- covered with olive oil, salt and pepper baked 25 minutes on 350.  rotisserie chicken is really good for this recipe also.

you should always try a bite before you give it away......just to be sure it's yummy.

here's what it should look like

all packaged up and ready to deliver

and, just so you know- when i picked him up he was perfect.  the sun even came out for a little bit.  i am really grateful for a school that loves my jack so well. 

remember to thank the people who help make your days a little brighter. 

imagination movers

this weekend we went to see the "real live movers" as will likes to call them.  we went to the imagination movers concert and they did not disappoint.  it was so much fun. 

on the way!!!!

this face......worth every cent of the ticket cost :)

they came down a ton during the show.  we had really great seats, but they even went to the back a lot.

if they would have allowed her on the stage, i think she'd of gone. 

jack now wants a guitar just like rich's!

and since he's so cute, one day i'm sure we'll say yes!

all of our kids got high fives from the movers.  those cute girls are two of my nieces.

we had a ball.  our kids don't get to watch a lot of tv- this is one show that i love.  the movers are great.  if you're able to catch their show live- you should.  they are awesome musicians.  seriously, at one point i was dancing......and i wasn't even holding a kid.  it was that good :)