this would be lynnie-lou.

I have re-filled my “bribe bin” yo.

what’s that?  you have not heard of the “bribe bin”?

a couple of years ago, my friend told me about one other mom’s idea to take the money (cha-ching) that she WOULD HAVE spent going somewhere to have pictures professionally done, and spent it on crap.  dollar store, target dollar isle, crap.  she filled a bin with it, and when her children happily acquiesced to her request to take a picture, they got to reward themselves with a treat from the “bribe bin”.

dude, I hopped on that like that one suess character hopped on pop.

it is a marvelous thing. 

my trip to the dollar store produced pop rocks, ring pops, sour patch kids, swedish fish, and a plethora of princess stickers.  all of these things exist in my little girls’ idea of heaven.

but, I have added a couple of little details to this.

a) I get to pick out their outfit.  but sometimes their little outfits, chosen so creatively, are my muse.

2) I get to style their hair.  this comes in most importantly for peyton.

III) I pick the time and location.  I need good light.

four) I even invented another requirement, that nails need to be painted.  I don’t care how long it stays on, they must be manicured!!

so needless to say, peyton was the first, obviously,  and the other two have been waiting, and asking, and begging, pleading even, tears have been involved…  to have their turn.  pop rocks are more popular than I had anticipated.

lynn was the most dramatic about it, so she was next:

(and I had a really hard time picking my favorites, don’t judge me.)

but this laughing sequence is the best ever….

Cupcake confession.

I have my “go-to” items when I make cupcakes.

Some of them aren’t your traditional baking items, but they work for me!

Thought I would share what has made my life easier when it comes to baking my favorite treats.

**NOTE: I am NOT trying to pass myself off as “the best cupcake maker ever”, nor do I insinuate that I am a “professional” baker, by any means, it is a hobby.  It is something that I enjoy, and unless the people who I share these with are lying, others enjoy the fruits of my labors as well.*

These are staple items that I have in my house at all times.  You never know when you will feel like something sweet to eat, or an activity to do with the kiddos.  Even to take a plate to someone who might need some sweetness in their life!

 

Powdered sugar, cake mixes (and all necessary ingredients), nut cups, my piping bag, coupler and favorite tip, un-even spatula, and ice cream and cookie dough scoops.

Let’s start with confession #1..

RARELY do I bake a cake or cupcake from scratch.  There are certain recipes that are favorites, but these cake mixes are the best things in my book.  I try to get the butter recipe ones, they are the best and the moistest.  If the flavor I want doesn’t come in a butter recipe, I tweak the recipe to become a butter recipe.  Substitute the 1/3 cup of oil for 1/2 cup of margarine or butter, softened.  Decrease the water to 1 1/4 cups, but keep the eggs the same.  I keep a few of these in food storage, love it when they go on sale!

After you cupcakes (or cake, we like those too!) are done baking, let them cool for ten minutes, cover with foil and freeze for a half hour to an hour.  This traps in the steam and makes for a moister cake.  (I learned this tip from a friend of a friend, best thing ever!)

Another tip I learned from a cooking show (although I can’t remember which one..) is to use an ice cream scoop for getting that batter into your cupcake liner.  It is the perfect amount of batter.  I love using my little ones for my “baby” cupcakes.  Perfect amount every time!

    

Then there’s the liners.  I prefer to use nut cups.  They have a nice, sturdy construction to them, the also have a slightly  waxy coating to them that makes them pop out so easily.  I buy them at the local craft store for a couple dollars a package.  They are great to line up on one cookie sheet and pop them all into the oven at the same time.  No more rotating muffin tins!

Then there’s the frosting staples..

Powdered sugar is another food storage item (along with marshmallows now that Veronica shared the joy of homemade marshmallow fondant with me).  Can’t have frosting without this stuff!

My favorite frosting tip of all time is Wilton’s 1M tip.  It is mated with the GIANT coupler, which goes with the GIANT piping bag, but well worth it.  It makes the prettiest piping on top of those cupcakes, makes them more edible, because they look prettier!

Then there’s that GIANT bag.  I use coupons on these bad boys.  40-50% off..  YES, PLEASE!

This guy can hold A LOT of frosting, I mean an obscene amount, but that makes the job that much quicker and easier.

So, there’s my tips..  watch out tomorrow for a new recipe my friend shared on her blog. 

Had to try it..

LOVED IT!

What works for me..

Had a question from Adie about capturing kiddos.

This is what works for me:

The older kids, I can, sometimes, pay.  This is a tip a friend found on another blog.  The mom there, figured that she would be paying a pro to take pics, so why not pay her kids so she could get good ones of them?  That works for me, with my oldest…  sometimes.

I am not above bribery. 

After having my mom and dad gift me lenses that I was already saving for, I took the saved money and bought prizes for my girls.  When I have assignments to do, I will bribe them with a trip to my own little store, where they get immediate gratification.  This time of the year, the currency is popsicles.

Ashley has proven to be my best little subject lately, and she usually does it just to ham it up.  She will usually forget all about the possible incentive.

See..  she’s a ham.

On the technical side, my only tips are to increase that shutter speed and shoot in burst mode, so your camera can keep firing during those active moments that kids are awesome at.  After you shoot a few hundred shots (I am only half kidding there), go pick your favs.  It is better to fire away and get a few to sort through, then wait for that perfect shot of them and miss getting it.  I can’t tell you how many I shot of Lynn on her bike.  There were many to choose from , but I was able to choose, I wasn’t stuck.

I caught Peyton being silly in this candid moment thanks to my zoom lens.

I really enjoy getting more candid shots of my kids, and that is why I love my zoom lens so much!  I can be farther away from them, just observing them, not in their faces to where they know what I am doing.  I get great, un-posed natural shots of them having fun that way.

I have also learned to loosen up about it all.  If I am driven and get to focused in it, then it isn’t fun for them anymore and they start to run away from me.  If I am having fun, just going with it, then they do too.  It also helps me, to let them choose some poses, so they feel like they are a part of it all, that I am not telling them how to do it.

Ashley loves to choose her poses…

Another part of that is to play and experiment yourself.  If you are mixing-it-up, you can get some awesome shots that you never would have expected to get if you didn’t step out of your comfort zone.  By that, I mean to adjust your white balance, play with your different picture and color modes.  PLAY!!

 

 

Hope that helps!  Can’t wait to see what you do!

Tips & Tricks..

Not sayin' you all want to make my delightful yet jacked-up cake, but here are some tips I have learned along the way.
- I do not make my cakes from scratch, I do my brownies, but not my cakes (gasp!! I know.. I am now less of a woman than you thought..) and my FAVORITE cake mix is the butter recipe variety.
YUM.
- Wrap your cakes in foil and freeze your cakes immediately after they finish the recommended cooling time to turn out of the pan.
These two things make for a really moist cake.
In making the fondant, USE THE POWDERED SUGAR! Really. In most recipes, I do not always use that amount, sometimes more, and sometimes less, but with this, don't be shy.. use a lot. (But add it a little at a time..)
- Ganache.. it is delicious and so tasty.. but let me help. The first time I made it, the recipe did not state to whip the cream and chocolate mixture. WHIP IT. Let it cool, and then whip it. If you are using it as a crumb coat, chill it, but let it be a little soft to spread.
Just some tips.
Hope you enjoy them.
We enjoyed the cake. :)

I have a blue tongue.. (Recipe for Sugar Cookies)

I do indeed..
It all started with a tradition of sorts. Brooke and I started it the summer of MiKell's first cheer camp, making sugar cookies themed around the cheer sport and school colors.
We just keep on going with it because MiKell keeps going on cheering!
I also found a new use for my fabric cutting guide (a.k.a. clear ruler)..


Perfect for cutting square sugar cookies without wasting dough, and, well, because I don't have a square cutter! :)
Pizza cutters are awesome as well..
See how the lines make everything perfectly square?


Like the BHS cheerleaders will measure these babies before munching them.. make sure they are square. Ha!
I used a flooding technique for the frosting.
Brooke introduced me to a new blog that is mighty inspirational!


My first idea (plan A) to do the lettering didn't quite work out, so I had to move on to a different idea (plan 2 :D) and form the letters, each one, individually, by hand, one at a time..
Am I getting across the point that this was more time intensive than I thought?
Ah, they turned out cute.


The cheerleaders (or cheater-leaders as my girls like to call them) loved them.

The recipe comes from Merrill side of the family, by far THE BEST sugar cookie recipe my mouth has ever drooled over, and on..
I will share:
Because I am nice that way ;)

1 cup softened butter (I use margarine and it works too..)
1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream the butter, shortening, and granulated sugar. After it's nice and creamy, add the powdered sugar, vanilla and eggs. Sift together the remaining ingredients, and add slowly.
Roll to desired thickness on a loured surface (our house likes between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch). Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 7 1/2 to 8 minutes. Cool and then frost!

Oh, here's the proof of the blue tongue.. and the fact that I ate too much frosting, too late last night..

Pillow Case Dresses...

There are some who are interested, and I will personally teach (I taught two yesterday...) how to make a darling Pillow Case Dress. But here are the instructions for those who like to self-teach.
I am not taking credit for this much loved, often used pattern/idea, just sharing the tips I found useful...
Supplies:
45 inch wide fabric; the yardage depends on how long you want it to be. I suggest measuring the intended wearer, from shoulder to where you want it to fall, and add 2 inches (or more if you want to lengthen later, or plan on doing a wide hem) . Make sure that your print will look good the way it will be cut off the bolt. You don't want a print with a cute scalloped edge cut incorrectly, so the scallop ends up on the side of your dress, or vertical stripes end up horizontal stripes... in that case, you would want a yard and a third. Peyton's dress I cut at 16 inches.
thread to match your fabric
trim(s), 1 1/3 yards (trim is always optional :)...)
ribbon, I would suggest at least 2 yards
bias tape, at least 1/2 inch wide, but I prefer to make my own, it's easier to work with
Or you can use a pillow case, cutting off the top, sealed edge... and you can skip to step 4.

Tools:
sewing machine
iron
scissors (a rotary cutter and mat are very helpful too.)
straight pins
device with which to measure...

Ready?
Here goes!

Step 1: Cut the selvage off the side of your fabric. Measure and cut your fabric to fit you darling girl. Do an overcast stitch along all four sides of your fabric. You don't have to do this step, but I prefer to, as I am a perfectionist, and Grandma would do it that way... I also hate it when a project unravels when it is washed because the raw edges are exposed... I wished I would have done an overcast stitch on Lynn's Halloween costume...
Step 2: If you are attaching trim, as in a ruffle, pin it and sew it now. If you are hemming it, pin it and sew it now. If you are attaching any other kind of trim, pin it and sew it now. Trust me. I learned the hard way...
Sew it...
Step 3: After you have sewed and hemmed, sew the sides, which ever two sides that don't have trim or aren't hemmed, right sides together. I use my presser foot as my classic guide, I don't really measure seams... I just used the edge of my presser foot.
While it is still inside out, press open the seam that you just sewed.
Step 4: Turn the dress-to-be right side out, make sure that the seam you just pressed, is in the center and back. Cut a "J" shaped arm hole (should measure 5 inches, from top of "J" to the bottom) on the folds of the fabric, this should make a "U" shaped cut piece. I like to save these, sometimes I use them to make pockets :). Overcast stitch on those fresh cut areas, if you'd like.
Step 5: Now is the time to make bias tape, if you wish or to attach your pre-made bias tape.
I like to make mine by cutting a strip of fabric 12 inches (for this project) by 2 inches. I press it, not quite in half, so there is just a little lip on one side.
Step 6: Pin the right side of the bias tape to the wrong side of the arm hole. This picture shows double fold bias tape, that works too. That kind just sandwiches the fabric between the two folds of the bias tape. If using double fold, you need not follow the next step.
Step 7: Flip the bias tape over to the right side of the fabric, press and pin..
Step 8: Sew with a straight stitch, to attach the bias tape to the top side of your fabric. You want to sew as close to the edge as you can.
Step 9: At the top of the dress, fold down a quarter of an inch, and press.
Turn down an additional inch, press and pin.
Step 10: Straight stitch again, as close to the edge so you catch both folds, all along to make a pocket for your ties. (Repeat for the other side.)
Step 11: Cut your ribbon, and seal the edges so it won't fray... cut it so it extends about six inches past the top of each arm.Step 12: I like to use Grandma's crow hook, but you can use what ever works best for you, to feed your ribbon through the little sleeves. Make sure they are pulled evenly so there is equal amounts of ribbon on both sides.
Step 13: Tack your ribbon ties, and both layers of fabric with a quick "x" stitch. Tie it in a square knot. This helps so your ribbons won't come out in the wash, and when you ties it on you cutie, one side's bow won't be obviously larger than the other side's...
Let me know if you have any questions or need any help!