Fall Art

I have taken Thursdays as a sort-of "no housework" day to do things with the kids. Ellie doesn't have school, and we don't have a sitter or any daytime activities.
So today, since it was one of the first actually cool days in a while, I was thinking fall.
I remembered this pin that I saw HERE Yes, it is in Italian, but it doesn't really require detailed instruction.
My kids are 4 and 2, so our projects didn't turn out quite so nice, but the kids had fun and it was an easy project.
As an added bonus, I also got to use my favorite toy- my Silhouette Cameo!
I found an image of trees, and selected out just the branches to cut out, enlarged it so that two would fit on a piece of construction paper (construction paper does not fair the best in a silhouette- it tore a little, and I had to do a bit of trimming with scissors- I think it is just too fragile, I set the blade to 2)
Then I pasted the bare trees to blue construction paper, set the kids up with finger paint and q-tips, and let them at it.
Here is the result:

I actually think that Ellie's turned out pretty cute- she is very orderly, and did each branch a separate color, then switched to brushes so that she could do clouds and a sun (which of course Greg then wanted to do as well!) Ellie also insisted on a sticker- in school, they generally get a stamp or a sticker on all their work. 

We have been working on her writing her name, so I generally have her write it on everything she does! 

The Butter(cream) Battle

I have been searching for the perfect icing recipe. As cupcakes go, I have pretty good luck with using a box mix (or an almost-home-made recipe- I really like the box cake plus egg whites and soda) but I really don't like canned frosting.
I don't like the idea of buying cupcakes. Don't get me wrong, I love Cupcake a la Mode and Smallcakes. But paying $20-$40 per dozen for cupcakes for a 4 year old's party is a bit much. I mean, if the cupcakes got eaten, that would be one thing. But really, pre-schoolers tend to either lick off the frosting and toss the cake or take 2-3 bites and be done.
On the other hand, there will be parents at the party, and I would like the cupcakes to actually taste good.
Thus, my search. Pinterest has been quite helpful in this regard. I have tried 5 recipes total. Though I would like to try a cream cheese variant, I just don't have time before Saturday.
Here are the recipes that I tried.
1. Buttercream with flour
Ok, this recipe required cooking. On the stove. I can bake, but I really can't cook. That said, this frosting was HORRID. Not just a little bad, or too thick or thin or burned or something resulting from me using the stove. It was WAY too buttery. I ended up adding a bunch more powdered sugar just to keep from tasting like just butter. But then, it just tasted like a so-so buttercream.
2. Best Buttercream Frosting
This was not bad, a basic buttercream. It was too sweet for my taste. I didn't use cream (I didn't have any) but I used whole milk. despite the higher quantity of vanilla, this really just tasted like sugar.
3. Dream Frosting
The family was divided over this one. I made it, and the next two, all on one day, and compared them. I didn't ice any cupcakes or anything, just made small batches to test head-to-head. Bri-Guy liked this one the best. I think it looked really nice- it had a sort-of sheen to it that buttercream does not. I am not a huge fan of fluff, though. It was definitely lighter than buttercream, and had a marshmallow-y taste to it. The texture seemed a bit slick, almost slimy. It was not sticky, which surprised me. It didn't really firm up any more in the fridge, so if you make it, make sure to add enough sugar to pipe or whatever, because it won't thicken too much. Also, I just made vanilla. I doubled the amount of vanilla in it. Both the Fluff Frosting recipes I have seen have used added flavor- strawberry or almond, so maybe I would like those better, but I was looking for a basic vanilla.
4. Sprinkles Frosting
No, this does not have any sprinkles in it. I guess it came from some cupcake company that Oprah raved about, thus making them famous by default. This and the next were my favorites. This is a thick, buttery recipe. It has a pretty strong flavor, and would probably overwhelm ligher flavors of cake, like vanilla or strawberry. I think it would be really good on chocolate. When refrigerated, it firmed up pretty hard, much like a canned frosting. After sitting out again, it regained the soft consistency, so this one would be good for making ahead of time. I doubled the vanilla in this recipe, too.
5. Magnolia's Frosting
This is from a bakery somewhere, and I guess is not actually a buttercream, but a confectioner's sugar frosting. Other than proportions, I really don't know what sets them apart. This was a slightly lighter, sweeter frosting compared to Sprinkles. I could see this going really well on a lighter or flavored cake (like strawberry or lemon) I didn't use quite as much sugar as it called for, and doubled the vanilla (are you sensing a trend here?) This one firmed up some in the fridge, and would probably keep pretty well for a couple of days.
The photo at the top is of these last three frostings.
Some notes: I didn't use salt in any of these, instead I used salted butter. I generally put in more vanilla than called for in frosting, just my personal taste. I also really like using other flavorings- almond, lemon, orange, peppermint, and will try some of these at some point. When you make frosting, you really do need to let the butter get to room temperature. Melted butter just doesn't work, and if the butter is too firm, then you end up with little bits of butter, which no one really wants to taste!
So which one will I use? Well, despite the fact that the family (2 of the 3 who tried it- G-Man wouldn't taste any of them on the grounds that they were a new food we were trying to get him to eat, and baby B is too little to taste-test) liked the fluff frosting, since I am the one baking, I am going to use the Sprinkles Frosting. I am doing a chocolate cake, and think it will go well.

Girls and their Hairbows!

Another Pinterest Project...
I have been looking for a cute way to store all the girls' hairbows, and here it is!
A very simple project, using cardboard, fleece, fabric, tulle, ribbon, fake flowers, and A LOT of hot glue! This one took me probably 3-4 hours over two days, but that was because I was re-using tulle from a tutu that I made for my daughter (that she wore for pictures, ONCE and then refused to wear again because it was "itchy") So, I had to take apart the tutu. Takes longer than making one, I think!
So, you can find the tutorial HERE but basically, you cut out a form from cardboard, glue down a layer of fleece or quilt batting or something like that, glue down your top fabric (pull really tight here, and be careful on the curves to avoid wrinkles) glue on the criss-cross ribbons (if desired) glue bunches of tulle (you will need a lot. I tied mine in bunches of 6 strands) Glue on the ribbon that will hold the hairbows- you will want to use grossgrain ribbon, anything else and the hairbows will slide off. Then glue down the flowers to cover all that glue up! I finished with a flower on the shoulder (great for covering those wrinkles that you couldn't quite avoid) and gluing a solid piece of fleece on the back to cover up all the loose ends. I put it up using command strips, we will see how that holds up!
The pic on the left really shows the color better, on the right shows about 2/3 of the ribbons that we own. I have a bunch that I am saving for the second holder I am making for Baby B.
After I put most of the bows on and took the picture, I moved things around, and put all those plain clips that bend to snap on up on the top part, so that I could just hang them there and leave them open- much easier in the long run! I still need to figure out a good storage solution to the millions of headbands, ribbons and hair ties that are cluttering up the kitchen!

G-Man and the Answering Machine

Naptime today, and Bri-Guy and I hear the phone ring. I run to get it, but the machine picks up first. I hear the pre-set recording (despite having the machine for years, but have never recorded a message!) and then the computerized voice of CVS calling to inform me that I have a prescription to pick up.
Deciding that it isn't important, I turn back to what I was doing, about to tune out the machine, until I hear G-Man on the phone. It sounds like he is talking to the CVS recording, and Bri-Guy have a laugh about it. I am thinking that maybe I should give the phone to him the next time I have someone call me about a political campaign.
After a minute, I say, Shouldn't we go get G-Man off the phone?
Bri-Guy goes upstairs and then comes back down, perplexed. G-Man, apparently, is sound asleep.
Yup, though the answering machine is about 4.5 feet off the ground, in the office, behind the baby gate, G-Man has managed to record an outgoing message on our machine... something we haven't done in all the years that we have owned the thing.
I think I might just leave his recording on there for a while!

More Pinterest

Pre-School Photos

I wanted to try a pinterest photo shoot to document the kids' growth each school year. G-Man hasn't started school yet, but wanted in on the action!
I used a ladder to take the pics, and, of course, sidewalk chalk!
Just a tip- make sure that you are in the shade! I drew out the letters, then had to wait all day for the sun to be behind the house so that the sun wasn't right in Elf's face when she was laying on the ground!

Messy Playdate

I like Pinterest. Check that. I LOVE Pinterest. So much so that I have a board specifically for "just in case I should ever renew my vows and get to have another wedding."
I pin a lot of stuff, especially for my kids, or to do with my kids. And I really do try to actually DO some of the stuff that I pin.
My biggest success was a Messy Playdate.
Quite simple- I found a bunch of messy play/sensory activities, and set them all up on the patio so that the kids could play.
This is what I included: Paint (which I made), Shaving Cream, Water Beads, Dirt, Sand, and a Baby Pool of Bubble Bath.
Other than the sand, I found all these ideas on Pinterest. I also tried to make bubbles, using two different recipes, but failed. We have hard water, so it might have been that. I got the dirt from the hardware store, the shaving cream from the dollar store, the water beads from the floral department at an arts and crafts store. (the bubble bath was from the grocery, I think, it is what I had on hand) All told, I think I spent $10 to set this up. I didn't have to buy any containers or pools or anything, though- I used the baby pools and water tables that I already had.

And here are some during/after. I would say that the kids had fun!