Bubblegum Cupcakes and Birthday Parties

This sweet girl is official 4!!!

This past week was spent celebrating Selah's 4th birthday, and this year we actually had friends to help us celebrate (thanks ya'll!!). Last year we had moved right before her birthday and hadn't met a whole lot of people yet, but this year, we partied, twice!  

And, like every good party, there had to be a cake, I just didn't know what kind of cake until about a week before her birthday, when she announced, "Mommy, I want bubblegum cupcakes for my birthday!" At random...the girl must have had bubble gum, and cake, on her mind...the sweetness that goes on inside little girls heads, it's wonderful!  Well, how could I deny her BUBBLEGUM CUPCAKES?!  So I searched Pinterest (of course!) and found several cupcakes that just had bubblegum flavored frosting and then I stumbled upon a "recipe" (basically it is just a box cake mix and added flavor, can that be considered a recipe??) for bubblegum flavored frosting and cake! Perfect!!  Here's the website I got the recipe from, and here's my version... 

First, you simply follow the directions on the back of a box of white cake...I love to use Pillsbury!  

Then, you add 1/2 tsp LorAnn Bubblegum candy flavoring, which I found at Hobby Lobby (don't forget your 40% off coupons!!!).  I also added some pink food coloring. Bake as directed on box.

This was my first attempt at making homemade frosting, I always just buy it...but it was SO easy, I may never "just buy" it again! Nah, who am I kidding, BUT I will be making my own more often, that's for sure!  Here's the recipe:

Cream 1 cup butter until light and fluffy.  Add 7oz jar marshmallow creme and whip for 2 minutes.  Add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat for 2 more minutes.  Add 1/4 tsp bubblegum candy flavoring and food coloring if you want.  

Frost the cupcakes, and add whatever you want on top...sprinkles, gum balls, candy, whatever...we added gum balls! 

My helper!  She must have asked me at least 50 times (give or take a few) when she would be able to put the gum balls on top...she.could.not.wait!!  Oh, and, we found the gum balls at Hobby Lobby as well, or I should say, Selah found them! I would have walked right past them, but they happened to be just at her level, smart move Hobby Lobby, smart move!!

I thought the bubblegum flavor would be a bit much for cupcakes, I kind of imagined biting into them and feeling like I was eating toothpaste in cake form...but that wasn't the case at all! They were delicious with just the right about of subtle bubblegum flavor...MmMmM!

Now, party time! Her actual birthday was on a Wednesday, so we started the day with the traditional streamers hanging from the doorway (which my loving husband helped me do at 11:30pm since I forgot earlier in the evening...) and balloons filling the downstairs and a new addition to our birthday celebrations...a fun sign!

Who knows if I'll do this every year or not, but it was fun
and made Selah feel extra special that morning!

That morning Selah had VBS, which she LOVED!  I found out later that her teacher sung to her in her classroom as well as, apparently, they sang to her from the stage... wish I had been there to see that!! How neat!!  Selah told me and her grandma during a Skyping session all nonchalant, like it was no big deal, so who knows what really happened, but either way, her special day was acknowledged. 

Then, her grandparents picked her up from VBS to go have lunch to the place of her choice (pizza!) and go on a shopping trip for her to pick out her own present, and this is what she picked...

She had been asking for a doll that can get wet...she got it!
And it was so fun watching her give this cute
doll a bath, her sweet smile in this picture says it
all I think, but she was being just so nurturing and motherly...
then, at one point, the baby was face down near the facet so
her feet and back could get scrubbed...oops!

Later that evening we went out to dinner (again, her choice, burritos and quesadillas this time!) with us, her grandparents, and her aunt and uncle. I love living near family!!! I really, really do!  Next, we headed back to our place to eat cake (that's where the bubblegum cupcakes come into play!) and open/play with gifts.

Boy, do I love her!

We gathered around the tub to catch a fish...one of her gifts.

So fun!! It actually moves around and acts like a real fish, it
even fights you when you try to reel it in, as close as you
can get to the real deal!

Owen was so funny standing there looking on at the action,
he was so fascinated! 

Working on a huge floor puzzle!

That night, Selah and I had a mommy/daughter sleepover!  Most nights she hates when I have to leave after story reading, praying, and singing, and begs me to sleep with her, so I told her that on her birthday I would...so I did! We read books (normally we just read one), we chatted, we giggled, we sang, and then she slept soundly...I hardly slept a wink, probably because I didn't bring my own pillow, that would have been smart! But it was worth it! Fun memories with my special little girl, who will quickly outgrow wanting to have sleepovers with her mother... I will cherish and hold on tight to these times while they last! 

Excited!!

  
  

Getting her new princesses ready to sleep.

She's the sweetest!
(notice the dolls' location on the bed,
notice the amount of space they take up...
ya, all night my friends, all night)

Saturday is when we celebrated with her friends at a splash park.  The weather was fabulous!  It had rained the day before, so I was a little nervous, but it was perfect!  I hardly even saw Selah, or Owen for that matter.  I was chatting it up with all the moms, and Selah was just too busy running around having a blast!

Most times I saw Owen, he was eating...

Not wanting to take pictures...too much fun to be had!

I missed all of this...thank goodness
there were other photographers around!

LOVE this picture!!!

And this one! The joy!

Little man.

Cake!! She picked Tangled!
I didn't make this one, I wish...but no,
one homemade(ish) cake a week is enough for me!

She's four...I just can't believe it!

It was delicious...and I ate way too much of the leftovers!

Present time!  She sure got some goodies
that are keeping her extra busy this week...love it!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this year's birthday celebration so fun and special!  We love you guys! 

COOKIES!!!

Yesterday I baked/cooked, from noon till dinner, in the summertime, in Texas...why??? Because I'm crazy, that's why!! No, actually, I had a very good reason...buuut it's not why you guys clicked on a link titled "COOKIES", so I'll get right to the good stuff!!! 

Sorry in advance for the lack of pictures, I didn't think to blog these until afterwards...but I just couldn't not share these!! (yes, I used a double negative, they're that good!)

First, I made a batch of good, ol' fashioned, Nestle chocolate chip cookies...they're always a hit! I just used the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips...easy peasy! 

Next, I made a batch of...ready for this? Oatmeal Craisin White Chocolate Chip cookies!! 

 On the back of one of these babies is a recipe I found a couple years ago...now I get to share it!

The Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1.5 cups old-fashioned oats
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup Craisins Dried Cranberries (you could use any dried fruit really)
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

The Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*.  Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well.  In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix into butter mixture.  Stir in craisins and white chocolate chunks.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

These come out chunk and puffy, because they are filled with so much stuff! They are delicious...and, obviously very nutritious because of the oatmeal...Enjoy!!


The last batch I made were cookies I found from Pinterest awhile back...

**NOT my picture...it's the picture from the website where
I got this delicious recipe..there's a reason it was winner of
whatever contest this website was holding!!

LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES!!! If you like lemon stuff...these cookies are a must make!! You can of course get the recipe from the website I linked above, but I'll write it here for you too.

The Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

The Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. (I just put tin foil on a baking sheet and sprayed that down.)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar.  Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte (not melty or shiny). Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Pure yumminess!!! 

Tomorrow (or whenever I get a chance to get back on the computer) 

I will give you the recipe for the muffins I made this morning...

Zucchini Chocolate Chip 

(don't let the fact that there's a vegetable in there psych you out...

these muffins are deeeeeelicious!!).  

I'm also making bubblegum cupcakes for Selah tomorrow for her birthday...

so if those turn out successful I will post that as well!  

Stay tuned!

Road Trip 2013: Part One

I originally intended to blog throughout the trip, but that quickly became out of the question.  We had so precious little time with each group of people we visited that we wanted to squeeze in as much time chatting, playing, laughing, and just -being- with one another as possible (if only we didn't need to sleep!!), so now that I have had a couple weeks to turn off "vacation" mode (I say vacation with quotes because I'm not so sure this type of travel can be considered a vacation perse, I think by definition vacation includes rest...) anyway, I've been able to regroup and settle back into our everyday home life and start writing and reminiscing about it all...should be fun!!

The first day of travel we made it to St. Louis, MO, where we got to see the arch (my first time!!) and ride the little futuristic looking elevator carts up to the very tippy top.  We got there after dark, which gave us a beautiful view of St. Louis all lit up, but I also hope to be able to go back during the daylight and see that view as well.  The kids did FANTASTIC in the car, I don't think it could have gone any better!  Owen got fussy here and there but nothing terrible that couldn't be easily be fixed with a gas station/park stop or food...food is good!  

Keeping Owen busy with books, toys, and beads.  

Selah is practicing making patterns with pool noodles.

Sadly, the only picture we got with all of us standing at a state sign.
We REALLY loved our short time passing through Missouri,
a really beautiful state with super friendly people and gorgeous, big, green trees!

We stopped to eat dinner at Panera Bread (love that place!)
and this is where we discovered that Owen LOVES pickles
(and isn't too much a fan of tuna salad).

The kids and Daniel went outside to get the wiggles out while
I finished eating inside, it was hilarious to watch them running
back and forth on this stretch of grass,
with Owen and his "cape"!

The Arch!!!
I was surprised at how enormous it was in person! 

It was such a beautiful evening!!  Look how green that grass looks!!
It was so soft too...it's amazing the things that will impress this Texan! 

Our view of St. Louis while up at the top...beautiful!!

This is at a park the next day, after our stay in a hotel,
which is quite an interesting experience with to littles,
but we survived, and that's what's important. 

I just had to take a picture of these trees...
I wish I could just uproot it and dump it in my backyard :)

We finally arrived at our first destination in Manawa, WI on Sunday evening where we stayed with Daniel's aunt and uncle.  We met (and most likely bugged) their cats, opened birthday presents, ate delicious food, watched brightly colored birds perch at cute birdhouses for their meals, learned about gardens/canning, Himalayan salt rocks, and LTD (an awesome magazine/online store with incredible, cheap products). Selah scoped out a life-sized doll that she lugged around with her (I believe it was taller than her!) and she gave her lots of lovin'!  It was so cute and funny watching her be so motherly to this huge doll! We packed a picnic and spent time at their little piece of paradise on Bear Lake swimming and discovering lily pads, I've never seen one of those in person, and they are so neat with their tall, bright yellow flowers!!  We stopped at a Piggly Wiggly for Old Dutch Dill Pickle chips, which are only found up north, and they're Daniel's absolute favorite! Don't you love the name Piggly Wiggly?! I do!! One of the highlights of our trip was going to one of the Packer's practices that is open to the public and walking around Lambeau Field.  It was an awesome experience to be surrounded by fellow Cheeseheads and see Packers' merchandise ev-er-y-where! We are stocked up for the fall!!

I was thrilled to hear they had this treasure on their land
and that we were able to swim in the cool water
and walk on the sandy lake floor...it was wonderful!!!!

This is Selah and I wading in the water before
we even knew they had a lake and there was
a possibility to go swimming.

Once we got the go ahead to swim we threw on our suits,
grabbed lunch items for a picnic, and had ourselves
a perfect afternoon.  I felt beyond blessed to be here!
Unfortunately, Daniel's aunt and uncle both had to work,
so they couldn't join us :(, but I hope they know we had
a blast and we are very grateful!! 

Here we are on our way to watch the Packers practice!!!
 Selah loved pushing Owen around in his
new, smaller, easy-to-travel-with stroller.

It was surprisingly super hot that day at the Don Hutson Center...
I thought I had left Texas?!

But the kids were troopers and we got to stay the whole time!

O, ya know, just hanging out, watching Aaron Rodgers throw a few passes...very, very cool!!!

More football practice stuff goin' on...

And here's Owen, practicing how to hike a ball...
or practicing how to take off his shoes.
Eh, either one is cute.

Daddy with his boy, enjoying probably the best
day of his life...seriously, he would never say it,
or even show it, but I'm pretty sure
he would prefer this day over our wedding day,
or even our children's birth days...
I'm actually very okay with this, perhaps that's
why he married me :)

LAMBEAU FIELD!!!

Posing with Vince Lombardi...

and now with Curly Lambeau himself...I made this picture extra huge
so you could see the sweet smile on Owen's face, I was coming in for a tickle!

Post practice snack...a heaping bowl of grapes with Uncle Dave!! 

There were several times along our journey where
it made the most sense for me to sleep with Selah...
I loved this sleeping arrangement!!
I loved the extra cuddles with my girl
(even if that meant I was up half the night cuddling with
her feet, they were cuddles nonetheless!) and I snapped this shot while in
Manawa because she just looked so sweet and peaceful and I just had to
take a moment to capture that look and that feeling before I hopped into
bed for the night.

     I love Owen's face in the
        below picture because
 it is his typical excited/annoyed
(depending on the circumstance)
        growl/scream/shriek,
                      ha!

Balloon
Fun

in
Lambeau







Our next stop was Daniel's grandparents (on dad's side) who live in Norway, MI; a town known for pasties (of which we consumed, yum!), Lake Antwoine (of which we swam in, brrrrr!), Pine Mountain Ski Resort and Veterans Memorial (of which we perused and paid respects), Piers Gorge (of which we hiked and watched rafters), and all the family ties and history (of which we listened with intense curiosity and wonder).  Who knew such a small town could offer SO much!?  

I was on a mission throughout our trip.  I was intently observant and intensely interested in everything I saw and heard because the older I get, the more I desire to soak up as much information about where our family came from, what lives were like many years ago, how our family is the way it is now...there's so much fascinating lives to learn from and about, and this was the perfect opportunity to listen and learn and experience.   

Here are Daniel's grandparents with 

their grandchild and great-grandchildren! I love them!  Great people who showed us a great time and told us great stories!!!  Looking forward to the next time we get to see these lovely people!       

 Selah of course scrounged up

all the dolls she could find and

loved on them the whole time...if you happen to have any stored away dolls that could use some TLC, lend them to Selah for a bit, she'll get the job done!! 

This picture captures a moment filled with
warm, gooey, sweet, cinnamonney,
deliciousness!!!
(P.S. I got the recipe for this creation, and it maaaaay
just pop up on here someday...)

Our view from the Veteran's Memorial...just so beautiful, both the view and my daughter!!

You can see Brian Treiber
(daniel's dad) on one of the bricks above, and Don Treiber
(Daniel's grandpa) on one of the bricks to the right.  So grateful for their service to our country and so neat to see them honored in this way!! 

Selah is helping to water the garden...everywhere we
went people had gardens and fresh produce right from their
backyard...it was awesome!!!
I've been inspired and I can't wait to start my own!!!

Daniel's grandma took us on a tour of the land (lots and lots
of beautiful land!) where she, and several of her relatives, grew up.
This was a church right down the road from their farm where
she said she would run to play.  Looking at this old structure
is just so fascinating to me!! As Daniel's grandma was talking
about this church, and the memories she had from this place,
I could almost envision her as a little girl playing and
romping around, and I could almost hear the laughter, squeals,
and shrieks of kids playing together.  In some ways, I was able to
close the gap of years our generations span and put myself in her shoes
and understand her a bit better...releasing the past can do that...fascinating!!      

Another stop on the tour of their families' land and
a spot they would walk to or ride their bikes to during the summer to
go for a dip in the cool water...can't you just picture
the fun they must have had?! 

Swimming in Lake Antoine...

another wonderful afternoon soaking up the warm sun rays
and splashing in the refreshing water!

I loved hearing about what our families' hobbies are, and puzzle making
is one of Daniel's grandparents' hobbies...and, as you can see here,
they are very good at it!! This is a 1000 something piece puzzle,
tons of tiny, tiny pieces, that they would patiently work on everyday for
months...and now here is the finished product...so talented!!!
We put Selah by it to show you just how big it is, and boy,
I was terrified anytime one of the kids would stroll past this puzzle
for fear all their hard work would come crumbling down,
but we left with it still standing! Thank God!

Owen, meet Jack...

                                Jack, meet Owen!

This is Bandit, who loves to run and chase tennis balls
while avoiding Owen with his brush...

These are Daniel's uncle's beautiful dogs. and
the kids had a blast hanging out with them!
We may need to buy a dog now...

Owen's on a mission to leave no dog unbrushed!

Where's Selah?!?!
So much open space to just run and be free!!
Something this suburban family knows very little about,
but enjoys and appreciates so very much!

Sneak attack hug from sister!!

 

Time to hike

at Piers Gorge.

Daniel and his boy.

She loved our hike!

I just love this picture!!

The Treiber gang

Brother and Sister explorers of nature

Enjoying being in the great outdoors with my kids;
the air was crisp, the sounds were peaceful,
and the sights were incredible. 

Watching these brave people

raft down this river.

It really looked like a lot of fun, and I was feeling adventurous,
so I said at the time that
I would totally do it if we hadn't had young children
with us...but I wonder if that courage will remained
when/if I ever get the opportunity to do this, time will tell!

Selah and her great-grandpa, hand in hand.

Some really cool roots I just had to snap a picture of.

We stopped by at a natural spring and waterfall.

Having a little indoor fun...Daniel attached a string
of those baby ring toys to Owen's paci...it was very
entertaining to watch him try to walk around with this thing.

A quick stop at Mickey D's before heading to
Daniel's other grandparents (his mom's side).

After our wonderful stay in Norway, we headed to Florence, WI where we got to spend some good quality time with Daniel's Grandma Babe and Grandpa Bill.  

This may seem like an odd place to add this, but it's on my mind, so let me just take the time now to tell you a few of the challenges of going into different houses with a walking, on-the-move babe.  

Every place we went we ended up having to rearrange our hosts' furniture/decoration items because, of course, Owen would beeline it directly to the extremely breakable item that holds significant sentimental value and clumsily study it with curiosity and wonder. Luckily, we made it the entire trip, on which we entered eight different households, without breaking a single thing...a miracle really...but it was pretty comical to watch (and participate in) the hustle and bustle of hiding, removing, and storing in high places all the delicate items that would draw Owen's attention.  We sure know how to make an entrance!!  

Another challenge was keeping Owen away from stairs (most the houses we went to didn't have gates)!! He loves to climb stairs, and I don't dare let him do that yet without someone behind him, so Daniel and I would tag team the little stair-climbing squirt or we would get creative with furniture (again, rearranging people's homes, it's what we do!) and try to block him from them.  Daniel was good at getting creative and often found a successful arrangement of various pieces of furniture to keep Owen corralled into one area, but then sometimes, we just followed...ya do what ya gotta do!  I have some pretty strong quads after this trip!    

Ok...back to our visit with Daniel's grandparents in WI... 

Here they are!! Holding their great-grandbabies!!

 Daniel loves rhubarb, just straight up, raw rhubarb, and he has passed on this love to his children...

That face...ahhh...I love this little dude, all bottled up with extreme intensity!!

Sharing a rhubarb eating moment together, while Grandma works
hard pulling weeds...looking back on this picture, I probably should have offered
to help with the pulling weeds...I hope I'm still capable of pulling weeds
when I'm a young 80 something year old...wow, impressive!

He would carry/drag this thing around all
over the huge yard, gnawing on it every now and again
with those two itty bitty teeth on the bottom,
gotta love that sour rhubarb!!

Oh, and, random fact we learned: consuming
large quantities of rhubarb leaves is bad
because they are poisonous.
Thankfully, we didn't discover this because of any incident,
but he did like taking a chunk of leave every now
and again, so we had to look it up...glad
to have read the large quantities part.  

Just romping around their backyard...they have a ton
of land!! We got to see a deer and her baby
one day....soooo precious!! Wish I had had my camera!

So much fun!!

Selah dancing, barefoot, in the big yard with soft grass!!
I love the north!!! 

We got a couple visitors while in Florence, Daniel's 
Aunt and her two girls.

Selah was enamored by these two older, extremely sweet girls
who treated her like a princess, doing absolutely anything she wanted,
and Selah just savored the time she had with them.We played tag, hide-and-seek, Simon Says, and they
read her books (her fav!) and colored with her (another fav!).
They were her instant BFFs!
Wish we had had more time with this sweet family...

BUT, we had to say our goodbyes and head out on our way to Duluth, MN...where we will pick up in Road Trip 2013: Part Two!