We made some cupcake cake pops with Brayden today. Don't look too closely at the end result - this is what happens when a 3 and 6-year-old helps dip in the candy coating.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Bakerella
Reese and Emmy received a gift from my friend Susan at General Mills -- an autographed book from Bakerella! Susan knows Reese LOVES to bake (and mostly eat) cupcakes and cake pops, so when she met Bakerealla she thought of my girls. So nice!
We made some cupcake cake pops with Brayden today. Don't look too closely at the end result - this is what happens when a 3 and 6-year-old helps dip in the candy coating.
We made some cupcake cake pops with Brayden today. Don't look too closely at the end result - this is what happens when a 3 and 6-year-old helps dip in the candy coating.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas
It was a very Merry Christmas with the Cipra family.
Reese received the #1 gift on her list -- the Barbie Dreamhouse "with the hot tub on the roof!"
Jack performed his self-choreographed "fastest dance in the world." Where is the video camera when you need it? Hilarious!
Santa came for a visit!
Emmy and Reese loved all their gifts. Emmy even gave some a kiss!
The "men in black" Under Armour.
Reese received the #1 gift on her list -- the Barbie Dreamhouse "with the hot tub on the roof!"
Jack performed his self-choreographed "fastest dance in the world." Where is the video camera when you need it? Hilarious!
Santa came for a visit!
Lauren's so cute! Hard to believe she was sick just 24 hours ago.
Emmy and Reese loved all their gifts. Emmy even gave some a kiss!
The "men in black" Under Armour.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Milk and Cookies
Reese was very specific that Santa needed 2 glasses of milk and 3 cookies this year. Why? I have no idea.
Christmas Eve
It was a Merry Christmas Eve at the lake with the Haags!
Emmy helped Grandma with the dishes... or maybe she was just facinated with her kitchen rug.
A few family pictures before church.
Emmy helped Grandma with the dishes... or maybe she was just facinated with her kitchen rug.
A few family pictures before church.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Snowman Pancakes
We made snowman pancakes today. This is the type of thing you do when you stay up too late browsing around on Pinterest..
Friday, December 21, 2012
Christmas Cards
Emmy LOVES all the Christmas cards we received and taped to the deck door. She looks at them multiple times a day; points to all the kitties, puppies, and babies; and pulls them off the door. Sorry for the families that are posted at "baby level" because all your cards are bent, but have been looked at often!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Live Nativity Scene
We enjoyed a live nativity scene at a church in Plymouth tonight. Thanks to Tracy for telling us about this great event. It was FREEZING outside, so Daddy and Emmy watched from the car while Reese and I braved the cold.
We sat with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus...
Met a donkey and a camel named Claudia...
Pet some sheep with the shepards...
Then went inside for some treats and a photo booth...
We sat with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus...
Met a donkey and a camel named Claudia...
Pet some sheep with the shepards...
Then went inside for some treats and a photo booth...
Preschoool Christmas Party
Reese had her preschool Christmas party today, and I was the parent assigned to help. It was so fun to see Reese at school interacting with her classmates and teachers.
The kids had a treat, played musical Christmas trees (instead of musical chairs), played Christmas BINGO, and opened gifts. Reese received a Little Pet Shop character from Tyler, and she gave Tyler some superheros.
I love this picture of Reese and Mrs. Koosman as she opened up her gift from us (I was so excited about the large utility tote from Thirty-One with "Koosman" stitched on it, I almost could not wait until Christmas to give it to her). We LOVE Mrs. Koosman!
The kids had a treat, played musical Christmas trees (instead of musical chairs), played Christmas BINGO, and opened gifts. Reese received a Little Pet Shop character from Tyler, and she gave Tyler some superheros.
I love this picture of Reese and Mrs. Koosman as she opened up her gift from us (I was so excited about the large utility tote from Thirty-One with "Koosman" stitched on it, I almost could not wait until Christmas to give it to her). We LOVE Mrs. Koosman!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Neighborhood Party
We attended our annual Christmas party with the neighborhood girls today.
The girls ate a few snacks. Thanks to Pinterest for the ideas: candy canes out of strawberries and bananas (although I must admit the picture looked much better on Pinterest) and Christmas trees out of Cheerios, marshmallows, butter, and decorated with M&Ms.
Made a snowman craft... while Emmy snuck away to finish up the girls' snack.
And we exchanged gifts. Even the moms exchange gifts, which is fun. This year Reese got little Princess and the Popstar figurines and a Dinosaur sand kit. Emmy got a Cabbage Patch doll and an electronic book. I received a scarf, bracelet, and a homemade picture frame.
We had the girls line up for their annual group photo. This was the best one I got -- I hope someone else emails me a better one, then I'll update it here!
Thanks little ladies! This is a fun tradition!
The girls ate a few snacks. Thanks to Pinterest for the ideas: candy canes out of strawberries and bananas (although I must admit the picture looked much better on Pinterest) and Christmas trees out of Cheerios, marshmallows, butter, and decorated with M&Ms.
Made a snowman craft... while Emmy snuck away to finish up the girls' snack.
And we exchanged gifts. Even the moms exchange gifts, which is fun. This year Reese got little Princess and the Popstar figurines and a Dinosaur sand kit. Emmy got a Cabbage Patch doll and an electronic book. I received a scarf, bracelet, and a homemade picture frame.
We had the girls line up for their annual group photo. This was the best one I got -- I hope someone else emails me a better one, then I'll update it here!
Thanks little ladies! This is a fun tradition!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Betty Crocker Party
I invited some friends over for a Betty Crocker Red Hot Holiday Trends party! I worked on this campaign last year with the Betty Crocker Kitchens, and the campaign is just as fabulous this year. You can find it at BettyCrocker.com/RedHot.
I decorated in Betty red and gave out big red spoons as party favors.
This was definitely the most delicious party I have ever hosted, and I have hosted a lot of parties. Everyone was assigned a different recipe to make at home and bring to the party. ALL the recipes turned out great! Seriously, even those who don't cook or bake very often did a great job! And here they all are...
I made the Sparkling Ginger Hard Apple Cider. This is full of alcohol -- bourbon, ginger-flavored liqueur, orange-flavored liqueur, aromatic bitters, and hard apple cidar. We joked that you should not drink this if you are pregnant, may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant any time in the future. It was tasty!
Katie made Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cakes. They were mini and delish! Perfect if you know someone who eats gluten-free.
Heather made Elf Food. This is super yummy, and many of us commented that we will make it for our kids (ok, for ourselves) to eat during our drive to grandma's house for Christmas.
Michelle made Chocolate Stout Caramel Corn. She commented that it was very easy, and she's going to give the judge she works with the rest of the Guinness beer that was called for in the recipe as a Christmas gift. Perfect!
Lisa made the 18 Layer Red Velvet Cake, and it was a show stopper. We made her ceremoniously make the first cut to reveal the fun inside. Lisa told everyone how it was made (it's surprisingly simple), but commented that it would have been much easier if she would have actually had 3 cake pans of the same size at home!
Tracy made Bakerella's Snowman Cake Pops. When I first sent out the invitations to this party, I was really hoping Tracy could attend and make these cake pops. Tracy is a graphic designer, super talented, and patient! I think her decoration rivals Bakerella, but she admitted it took her 4 hours. These were another party favorite, and most people took them home for their kids.
Amanda made Chocolate Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake. She had never made a cheesecake before, so had to borrow a springform pan from a neighbor. Amanda claims the cheesecake shifted a bit in the car, but I thought it looked (and tasted) perfect.
Kelly made Alfajores Hidden Surprise Cookies. She commented that she could make them in pieces -- make the sugar cookies one day, toast the coconut another day, etc. This is necessary when you have a baby and a 3-year-old in the house and you can't find a consecutive hour to prep!
Very nice job, ladies! It was a fun night!
We had planned to make the bonus recipe for Paw Print Dog Treats and donate them to the local Animal Humane Society. But, we were too busy eating and ran out of time. So, today, I made them for our neighborhood dogs instead. Merry Christmas to them! Woof woof!
I decorated in Betty red and gave out big red spoons as party favors.
This was definitely the most delicious party I have ever hosted, and I have hosted a lot of parties. Everyone was assigned a different recipe to make at home and bring to the party. ALL the recipes turned out great! Seriously, even those who don't cook or bake very often did a great job! And here they all are...
I made the Sparkling Ginger Hard Apple Cider. This is full of alcohol -- bourbon, ginger-flavored liqueur, orange-flavored liqueur, aromatic bitters, and hard apple cidar. We joked that you should not drink this if you are pregnant, may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant any time in the future. It was tasty!
Katie made Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cakes. They were mini and delish! Perfect if you know someone who eats gluten-free.
Heather made Elf Food. This is super yummy, and many of us commented that we will make it for our kids (ok, for ourselves) to eat during our drive to grandma's house for Christmas.
Michelle made Chocolate Stout Caramel Corn. She commented that it was very easy, and she's going to give the judge she works with the rest of the Guinness beer that was called for in the recipe as a Christmas gift. Perfect!
Christy made Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato Flatbread. This was a party favorite because it was delicious, and because it was one of the few savory dishes. Christy commented that she could not find the delicata squash called for in the recipe (this is one of the problems with living in Rockford -- we don't even have a grocery store in town, and the stores close by don't exactly have a large selection), but used the tip and substituted a butternut squash instead.
Lisa made the 18 Layer Red Velvet Cake, and it was a show stopper. We made her ceremoniously make the first cut to reveal the fun inside. Lisa told everyone how it was made (it's surprisingly simple), but commented that it would have been much easier if she would have actually had 3 cake pans of the same size at home!
Becky made Caramel Apple Crisp Tarts. Becky claims she never cooks or bakes, and I think this was my favorite dish. Sooooooo good! My mouth is watering as I type and remember.
Amanda made Chocolate Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake. She had never made a cheesecake before, so had to borrow a springform pan from a neighbor. Amanda claims the cheesecake shifted a bit in the car, but I thought it looked (and tasted) perfect.
Kelly made Alfajores Hidden Surprise Cookies. She commented that she could make them in pieces -- make the sugar cookies one day, toast the coconut another day, etc. This is necessary when you have a baby and a 3-year-old in the house and you can't find a consecutive hour to prep!
Very nice job, ladies! It was a fun night!
We had planned to make the bonus recipe for Paw Print Dog Treats and donate them to the local Animal Humane Society. But, we were too busy eating and ran out of time. So, today, I made them for our neighborhood dogs instead. Merry Christmas to them! Woof woof!
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