Surprise…Rainbow Cupcakes….

I saw these rainbow cupcakes on a couple of blogs…you can also make a layered cake. I have been wanting to make them forever! I finally got around to it yesterday. I did them secretly…so my children couldn’t see what I was up to..I wanted them to be a suprise. I didn’t want to use a boxed cake mix…so I hunted around on the internet for a good cake/cupcake recipe. I think I found a winner! These were the best tasting cupcakes!! I haven’t had a cupcake in a long time…and these cupcakes were incredible! And so easy….especially if you just make the normal recipe.

First, you have to buy the Wilton Icing colors. They come in special little containers. I got them at Michael’s..you can buy them individually or in sets. You can’t get these bright colors with any other type of food coloring. They are just so bright and vivid! A lot of fun.

Basically, you make the recipe and then divide the batter up into as many colors as you want to use….then put a little bit of food coloring into each bowl of batter. Mix well…..and then dollop them into the cupcake molds. You could also make a multi-layered cake….either each layer could be a different color or just use the same dollop method to put the batter into the two cake tins.

I also found an incredible buttercream icing recipe! I found both recipes on allrecipes.com. I love that site. I did twick both recipes a bit, according to some comments that had been made about each.

My children loved biting into them and discovering the tie-dyed effect!

Simple White Cake

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Original Recipe Yield 12 cupcakes or 1- 9×9 inch pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 209 | Total Fat: 8.9g | Cholesterol: 56mg

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 181 | Total Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 13mg

Teeny Tiny Things…..

Toilet training is going pretty well. I have to use a lot of bribery. Candy, books, stickers..anything it takes…okay, well, not anything. River got her first real prize..she picked a little green monkey out of the treasure chest. She carried that little monkey around all day. Then she decided that the little monkey was her new little baby. And then she decided the little green monkey baby needed a friend. So she was carrying around two “babies”. Suddenly her babies were cold and they just had to have little scarves. Well, that was easy enough. But they were still cold….now they needed hats. Alright, that took a bit more work…But then her babies were still cold and they needed sweater coats. Well, that took a bit more time and energy…but now her babies are nice and warm…except their hats keep falling off!

I just hope she doesn’t think I’m doing this for the other 11 monkeys that are in the treasure chest!

What’s hot and what’s not…..

What’s Hot:

-Two of our new favorite books from the library..I may have to buy our own copies of these!…In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck and illustrated by Tricia Tusa and One Ted Falls out of Bed by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Anna Currey. I just love the stories and illustrations in each of these adorable books!

-Toilet training! Things are going pretty well….some prizes have been earned and gotten from the treasure chest!

-Our avocado plant that we planted about 6 months ago is really starting to sprout..though I don’t think we’ll ever get any avocados from it!

-New pajamas pants! I had a bunch of crazy material left over from different things and I’ve been making River lots of new pajamas pants..now everybody else in the family wants new comfy fuzzy pajama pants!!

-An organized shoe closet! There is nothing better than organization..at least in my eyes!..okay, maybe a few things!

-My rabbit foot plant is finally looking a little bit more alive!

-The end of the Halloween candy! only a few old dudes left!

-A new bed for my daughter Tuesday’s room…..

What’s Not……

-The mess that is still in my daughter Tuesday’s room after putting together her new bed!

-The mess in our backyard from Fall leaves….

-The fact that I haven’t painted anything new on my Starry Night mural! I must finish it by Christmas!

I hope everyone has a great Wednesday and hops over to Loobylu to check out all the other blogs on What’s Hot and What’s Not Wednesday!

Toilet Training for dummies…..

Okay..so today is the first “Official” day of toilet training..whatever that means! It has been about 7 years since I’ve toilet trained. Needless to say, I forget everything! About a month ago we went out and bought potty seats and training pants and River was very excited! She even peed on the potty once! But then, she decided she didn’t want to be a big kid and refused to even go near them. So, I put them away and decided to give it a break.

Then we decided it was time again. She is almost three! So, I had her help me “select” prizes from Oriental Trading and waited anxiously each day for them to arrive. When they finally arrived, we made a treasure chest and filled it with the prizes.

And today was the first day….well, she decided she was scared of the potty seat and didn’t want to go near it. After a bit of coaxing and bribery, she finally made it on the potty. (I had to promise to read her 10 books while she sat on the potty!) She got a sticker and prize just for sitting on the seat. She was so excited! But now she has to actually pee in the potty to get her next sticker. There has been no pee in the potty, but we are making progress. I set the timer and each hour we give it a try….(always with me reading her about 5-10 books..but hey, it’s worth it..who wouldn’t want to sit on the potty if someone promised to read you books?!)

First Gift….

today is the day where bloggers everywhere are joining together in a campaign to
buy water for christmas.

4500 mothers bury their children EVERY DAY due to contaminated water.
the lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.
and it doesn’t have to be.

as we get ready to rush through department stores and browse through catalogs searching
for the perfect presents….lets pause for a moment.
let’s PAUSE.
today…November 13…lets buy clean water.
clean life saving water.

$10 will provide one person in africa clean water for $10 years.
your money can change and possibly save someone’s life.
a real life.

let’s do this together.
one day.
$10
let water be the first gift you buy this christmas.

just think….if all the “whatever readers” gave $10 (you are free to give more if you’d like…)
we could raise enough to build a well TODAY.
i know how many of you there are…and we could do it!
a village could be changed because you read a blog that encouraged you to give…and you did.
that’s awesome!

$10
that is 2 starbucks coffees
it’s on CD on itunes
it’s a pizza
one movie ticket
less than one container of detergent!
$10 can change someone’s life.

click the photo below to be directed to the secure donation site of the highly recognized, non-profit
charity: water.
click on the yellow donate button.
All donations are tax deductible.
100% of the profit goes directly to clean water solutions in west africa.

share this on your blog.
link it…copy it…tell everyone.

What’s hot and what’s not…..

What’s Hot:

-Bobbi’s Your Favorite Hummus….I used to love this stuff about 10 years ago..and then they either stopped making it or I just couldn’t find it..well, it is back! And is so delicious! The best hummus out there.

-Fresh rolls dipped in olive oil with spices. We eat wayyyyy tooo much of this stuff! Almost every night with our dinner.

-My new bag….Lucky brand slouchy patchwork mailbag….I love it! Okay, I am not a huge pocketbook fan and I usually don’t buy leather….but I don’t think I have EVER bought a nice bag…and I saw this and told my husband that if he ever needed a gift suggestion for me….BUY ME THIS!!! Well, guess what..he bought if for me..right there on the spot!! I know it sounds materialistic….but it brings me a little bit of joy each time I use it…and it will last me a long time!!

-A quilt that my mother made…..it has these funny 50’s designs of children on it..I have been using it in River’s room.

-Thanks to My Mother…the current book I am reading. I think I have read this book about 6 times. It is one of my favorites. It is a book about Holocaust survival and is incredible! It just boggles the mind what a human can endure!

-When Tuesday and Quinn were approximately 2 1/2 years old, I took photos of them at almost the exact same age….wearing the same outfit, in almost the same pose…well, River just hit that age mark, and I took a photo of her in the same pose, wearing the same outfit. On a future post, I’ll have to show you what we do with the photos!

What’s Not:

-A package that has been sitting on my kitchen counter, waiting to be mailed. We have pen pals in Uganda and I have the package all ready to go…it just needs to be closed up and addressed and actually brought to the post office! I will do it this weekend!!

-Coupons…I read through the circulars, cut out the coupons…and then they sit…and sit..and sit….and I never actually get around to using them! I keep promising myself that I will use them…some day….(but then they are expired!)

-My oldest, Tuesday, is away this week…at camp..with her school! I miss her so much. Not even phone calls are allowed..this is the longest I have ever gone without talking with her! I know she is having a wonderful time, but I can’t wait until she comes home on Friday!

Thank you to Loobylu for allowing me to play along for another week!

Quinn’s Room….

Yesterday, I loved doing a post with River in her room…so today I thought I would try to get some shots with Quinn in his room. His room gets better morning light….I may have to try this again..when the light is better. I waited until the afternoon to take the photos. But I do think that I don’t take enough pictures of them in their rooms. I almost didn’t post the first photo…he was getting agitated with me…but it is such a typical 9 year old look….

River’s Room….

One of the blogs that I like to visit is Ashley Ann Under the Sycamore Tree. I love her wonderful photographs and her tips on getting a great photo. One of the things she suggested is going into your child’s room, with your camera, right as they wake up from their nap. So, today, I gave it a try. River immediately proceeded to tell me all about her dreams. It was the cutest thing. I thought she wouldn’t like me coming into her room with a camera, but she loved it and was so happy to sit there and tell me all about the books that she had read before nap time and all the nice dreams she had! I think I got some really cute shots! After she finished talking, she decided she wanted to play for awhile, so I thought I would take some more shots….

What’s hot and what’s not…..

This is becoming a regular Wednesday thing! And this time, I actually prepared and thought about it during the week!

What’s Hot:

*Bright colored threads! I love them…and I love looking at them..they inspire me!

*The time change and cozy lamps. I love when the time changes and it gets dark early! I have two tiffany lamps and I think they make the home so warm and inviting.

*My new hand soap, Nature’s Gate Mandarin Orange and Patchouli..the fragrance is just so wonderful!

*The slide in our living room. For some reason, we decided to put this slide in our living room so River could play on it…well, it has been the biggest hit! All the kids love to play on it all day long..and hey, doesn’t everybody need a slide in their living room?

*Cuddling and being cozy. With the temperature dropping, the cats and all of us have been cuddling and hugging a lot more!

*My Neutrogena hand cream. Again, with the temperature dropping, my hands are constantly dry! This stuff is the only thing that can make them feel less scratchy and itchy.

What’s Not:

*Toilet training..it started out well, but then quickly went down hill. We are taking a break for now, but I ordered some “prizes”. When they arrive, we are going to make a prize treasure chest and start again!

*All the Halloween candy! I’m already tired of looking at it.

*Our coin jar..which is very large..our goal is to fill it to the top..and boy, is it taking a long time!

Once again, thanks Loobylu for the inspiration!

Another Halloween…

Well, another Halloween has come and gone..and it was a lot of fun..maybe one of the funnest Halloweens ever! It rained, but that was alright…the kids all had a great time. River was so excited to get into her costume. Every piece of candy she received was more exciting than the last! She just couldn’t believe that people kept giving her candy! After about an hour, she got incredibly tired, since we had skipped her nap. She decided she wanted to head home, but then we would pass another house and she would announce that she wanted to trick or treat again.