Keeping busy....

Wow. I've been pretty light on the posting lately but these days are getting away from me!!! I'm normally pretty good about not letting myself get overhwelmed during this time of the year, but this Christmas is different. I feel like a crazy lady being pulled in every direction! ;)

I needed some therapy! So I got my girl and we rolled our sleeves up for some good ol' fashion fun in the kitchen. Gingerbread cookie time!!!! Its so refreshing to bake and decorate without the pressure...who cares what it looks like just as long as you're having fun doing it (and it tastes good)!!! :)

Here we are (me no makeup, hair pulled back, messy kitchen... you think I'm scared??) cutting out our cookies, getting them ready for the oven! Nothing makes my girl more excited than decorating cookies!

Wonder where she gets that from??? ;)

Concentration people. I started off the border and then handed it over to B. She did the classic mistake of putting the tip too close to the cookie....you don't want to drag it...I tried to teach her the proper way, but do you THINK she'd listen to me? NOPE! Instead she just said, "Here! You wanna do it?!" (we're going to have such a good time when she hits those teenage years aren't we!)

To which I said, no ma'am...this is your rodeo!!! Her vision/design was much different than mine so it worked out well!!! :) How awesome are these???? I know all you single ladies have your eye on that gingerbread man! He's taken ok. Get yer own man!

All you bakers, crafters, whatever'ers...you know that feeling of pride after you sit back and look at what YOU just created? All by yourself. Your two hands. Great feeling isn't it?

Prideful to sad after I told her she could only eat one. Happy Holidays y'all!!!!

I'll be back after a few hours of resting...got a cute dessert table to show off. :)

Monopoly Cake

This cake was created for Brennan who is celebrating his 7th birthday. Brennan is obsessed with Monopoly so his mom thought a Monopoly themed cake would be perfect for his big day.

Brennan's favorite spaces are Park Place and Broadway so I made sure to put those front and center. And he also loves counting the money so I made sure to have plenty of that on the cake as well (thanks to my edible ink printer).

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Wine and Wrap!!!

Last night I had a few girlfriends over for a Wine and Wrap party. It was such a fun (and productive) time!! We try to schedule a Girls Night Out each month and what better get together for December than a Wrap and Wine. I made a big pot of soup, turned on the Christmas music, the girls brought over their presents and some wrapping paper, we drank some adult beverages, chit chatted and WRAPPED!

I set up a table full of "wrapping treats". I actually got everything last year during the after Christmas clearance sales so all the wrapping treats were basically free. ;)

From scissors to tape, ribbons to bows, everything you needed to wrap up your gifts was neatly organized on a wrapping treats table.
As always, printables from Amanda's Christmas Collection. Find them at Amanda's Parties TO GO!

I wanted to have plenty of tape on hand...didn't want any ladies fighting and tables flipping over the last piece of tape! ;) hehe


I love how fun and PRODUCTIVE this party was! All my girlfriends left with all their gifts wrapped and such a weight lifted off their shoulders.

Merry Christmas and Happy Wrapping!!!!

Christmas Tree Cupcake Tutorial

Don’t you just love the holiday season!?!?

Every time I turn around there is something special going on, some kind of celebration.

And where there is a celebration there is a need for sweets!

Aren't these cupcakes adorable?!? A tall swirl of icing covered in chocolate. Stick some M&Ms on and dang, you got yourself a cupcake!! :)

As my girls said in the morning when they awoke to these bad boys as their advent surprise, "Are they real!?!? Can we eat them?"

Too good to be true I suppose. ;)

Wanna learn how to make them? :) They're not as difficult as they may look. Head over to Amanda's Parties TO GO. Amanda invited me to do a guest post on her fabulous blog. I created a fun tutorial to show you just how easy they are.

Cupcake 1st Birthday Cake

I just love how sweet and simple this little smash cake is...