St. Patrick's Day

I know that St. Patrick's Day was awhile ago & that Easter is next Sunday but I am just getting around to posting about it.  I have been enjoying the boys, the weather, baking & crafting & kind of just enjoying being  so I guess I just took a break from the computer for a while............& it was nice!!

Anyway I am back now & have (as always) so much to catch  up on.  Here are the yummy cupcakes I made for B's class for St. Paddy's Day; they turned out alright but it was harder than I thought to separate the batter & try to get all the rainbow colors in each cupcake.  

After having 2 kids my marriage & hubby need special attention here & there so I found a wonderful blog The Dating Divas & they have lots of wonderful ideas & crafts for your special someone!!

And then there are the crafts that I did; Lance made a wonderful craft room for me (I need to take pictures & post them because he did an amazing job) & I have been enjoying it as often as I can.  The boys are getting on better schedules as far as napping goes so some days I get them both down at the same time & just disappear in there for an hour & I come out feeling refreshed.........sounds crazy but I do.

I have a lot to learn about a lot of different things as far as crafting goes but I don't think that everything turned out to bad.

And then of course there are the 2 most amazing boys in the world in there green attire..........

They are as cute as can be & full of life, love & energy & I AM BLESSED!!  

Hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day.

Valentine's Day Art & Crafts.........

For Valentine's day this year I wanted to give the grandparents & Lance something that B could help make himself & since he is only 18 months that meant something that he could get dirty doing & that meant that he would really enjoy it!!  I found this idea over at A Little Tipsy; I really did try to get B to put his hands on the paper the right way to make the hearts but he had something else in mind so I just went with it & decided that I would figure out a different way of using & making his hand painting into the perfect gifts.

I used a heart cookie cutter to cut out some hearts to mail with our Valentine's Day cards to friends & family & then used the rest of these to make frames for the grandparents & daddy.

For the grandparents...........

For daddy.........

I think that they turned out really well & think that they were a great way for B to show his favorite people how much he loves them!!

I also made more cupcakes (red velvet) & used another idea from A Little Tipsy for Valentine's Treats for B's daycare buddies.  I also think that these turned out well; I did change the type of chocolate to milk & white chocolate just because the kids in his daycare might not all like the mint flavor & I also just used red sprinkles instead of the crushed m&m's. 

 I used adorable printable tags that I found at Good Gravy Designs

 The kids loved them & the were so easy & fun to make.  The red velvet cupcakes that I made were from a recipe I found on Better Homes & Gardens (my new favorite recipe website) & they were a bit tricky when it came to the baking since they rise funny but I think that they turned out well after a 1st batch trial run (only fill the cupcake tins up half way).  I followed the recipe & sprinkled some of them with powdered sugar but had some left over cream cheese frosting from when I made these & used it on some of them as well.

I boxed them all up (well I did eat a few) & took them to family on Sunday & B's daycare for Valentine's Day.  I think that they were a hit & I have to say that I am really enjoying baking, cooking & being creative; these are things that I have always loved to do but have just never made or just taken the time to do lately.

Snow = Baking.......

Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful dusting of snow.  It was the perfect amount for the south; enough to cover the ground but not enough to send everyone into a morning panic!!  Schools & work didn't have to shut down & Georgia DOT didn't have to again show us how they can't handle it when it snows.  Stores did sell out of milk & bread because the weather men of course freaked everyone out the night before but hey..........that's what they are there for right??

I went around our neighborhood to take some photos just because I thought it was so pretty.

After a peaceful morning around our neighborhood I went in to make cupcakes & treats for Brayden's daycare class (& me) for Valentine's Day.  I have wanting to get back into baking for quite a while now but kept telling myself that I didn't have time to do it.  Well, I am going to make time to do it because I enjoyed doing it so much yesterday!!  Not to mention the fact that this pregnancy has brought on a horrible sweet tooth & though I have been trying to control it I have not been very successful at it; so now I have told myself that if I am going to have something sweet I am going to have to make it & NOT buy it.  My thought is that I will eventually get over baking for a minute or just to lazy & that in turn will mean no sweets for me.........we shall see if this works out for the good or bad over the next 3 months!!

I have been craving a Sweet Potato Cupcake ever since I saw this post on Mrs. F's blog; so I made them from scratch & I don't want to toot my own horn but TOOT-TOOT they were amazing!!!  I used a recipe that I found on Better Homes & Gardens & not only was it simple to make the cupcakes but the cream cheese icing was a cinch as well.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2  tsp.  baking powder
• 1  tsp.  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  tsp.  baking soda
• 1/4  tsp.  salt
• 1  cup  butter, softened
• 1-1/2  cups  sugar
• 3    eggs
• 1  17.2-oz. can  vacuum-packed sweet potatoes (unsweetened), mashed
• 1/2  tsp.  vanilla
• 1  Recipe  Cream Cheese Frosting, below
•     Finely shredded orange peel

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line twenty four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set cups aside.

2. In medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour mixture; beat until combined (batter will be thick).

4. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 minute. Remove from pan and cool completely.

5. Place Cream Cheese Frosting in large resealable plastic bag. Cut a 1/4-inch opening in one corner of bag. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with orange peel. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

In large mixing bowl beat one 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened, and 2/3 cup butter, softened, with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons bourbon or milk and beat until combined. Beat in 8 cups powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth and of a good piping consistency. Makes 4-1/3 cups.

Make Ahead:Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in airtight containers up to 1 month. Store frosting in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days.

nutrition facts

• Calories400, 
• Total Fat (g)17, 
• Saturated Fat (g)10, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)5,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, 
• Cholesterol (mg)71, 
• Sodium (mg)210, 
• Carbohydrate (g)60,
• Total Sugar (g)48, 
• Fiber (g)1, 
• Protein (g)3, 
• Vitamin C (DV%)9, 
• Calcium (DV%)3, 
• Iron (DV%)5, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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I boxed them up in the adorable Valentine's boxes that I found at Walmart & they are all ready for delivery!!

If you like to bake or if you just get the chance I really do suggest that you try them.  I will have to post about the other treats that I made for Brayden's daycare class when I finish them; they look so yummy & I just hope the kids all enjoy them.

Have a wonderful Friday!!

I Love to Bake.........

I love to bake but it seems that I always say "I don't have time to do it"; well yesterday I made time to make yummy delicious muffins!!  Brayden's daycare (he goes twice a week) is having their Fall Festival today & they needed homemade baked cake walk goodies & I was more than happy to help out!

I made Cinnamon Apple Muffins.........

Banana Nut Muffins...........

Blueberry Strudel Muffins.......... 

& Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Muffins........ 

I wrapped them all up (well I kept a blueberry & chocolate one for the baby) & dropped them off yesterday! 

I was planning on taking Brayden today but it is from 11-2 & he naps from 12-2; plus he is still fighting off his cold & tomorrow is a big day of pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes, pony rides, trick or treating & tons more Halloween fun.