DIY Cupcake Cup (or 'Have Cupcake, Will Travel')

I love cupcakes. I do. They are perfectly portioned little bits of goodness that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They are a great option for kid's parties - they come in their own packaging, are the right size for little hands, and kids love them, well for the most part; Little P still isn't keen on them.

But there's always been one thing that's bugged me about cupcakes - how do you travel with an individual cupcake? 

Think about it. You’ve been to a party, the host offers you a ‘to-go cupcake’ and then you have to work out how to get said cupcake home in one piece.

You can't really drive with one as you kind of need both hands for that (safety first people). You could put it in your lap, but you will more than likely wind up with frosting on your pants (not a good look). Put it on the seat beside you, and well disaster is bound to strike. You could put it in the cup holder, but then there’s the whole ‘how do you get it out without creating a mess’ situation.

What a pickle.

Never fear though, I have the answer (compliments of some very smart fellow bloggers).

It’s really simple actually – use a 9 ounce plastic cup. Yup, that’s it (as demonstrated by Russell and Billie)

Russell has the new and improved 'cupcake in a cup'
while Billie goes 'old school'

Russell stays clean using the 'cupcake cup' and a fork;
as for Billie, well, you can see what's going on there

Now, you could of course, just have cups on hand at the party and just let people know that if they want to take one home, by all means use the cup for ‘safe traveling’, but you know me, I can’t leave well enough alone. I had to go and Washi it up.

All you need for this simple little project is Washi tape, plastic cups (which you can pick up at any grocery store, craft store or party supply place – I get mine from Target when they are on sale), a little creative inspiration and of course the cupcakes.

Just take a cup; slap some Washi tape on it, and TA-DAH!!! One very quick and easy way to enable people to travel with cupcakes (and cheaper than those individual cupcake boxes you can get).

Take one cupcake, take a cup and add some Washi tape to it,
and there you have it - Cupcake Cup to go!

If you want to step it up a notch, decorate a disposable fork with some paint, or a little Washi and add it to the cup. 

For a little extra 'wow' decorate a fork as well

You could also have them prepped and ready to go, with a little plastic wrap over the top (to prevent spillage – nothing worse than a dropped cupcake), or you could use a paper doily, some tulle (getting visions of a ballerina themed party), or just a funky napkin to cover it with. Tie it  off with some baker’s twine, or throw a colored rubber band around it and you are good to go.

Options are really only limited by what you have on hand and your imagination.

Cute huh?

So till next time, keep calm and eat cupcakes!!

K

(no cupcakes where harmed in the making of this post - plenty were eaten, but none were harmed)

Monday Mommy-ism

Mommy-ism #121: sleep (part 1). Little kids can sleep anywhere. This is usually because they have fought going to sleep so hard that when it finally hits them, it hits them hard. And in a variety of different ways:

• There's the 'fell asleep while eating' position, usually occurring at the dinner table and involving either a hand still grasping a spoon or fork, or a handful of food that never quite made it to their mouth
• Or the 'half on, half off' position, normally occurring on a couch, favorite chair, or even from time to time on their actual bed
• Or the 'fell asleep while doing something' position, similar to the first one, but this usually involves them holding onto a favorite toy or toys, surrounded by books (because they couldn't decide which book they wanted to read), or on the rare occasion, shoes
• Or the very popular (if somewhat uncomfortable) 'fell asleep in the car seat' position

Little P - getting her beauty sleep in our bed
(in the MIDDLE of our bed)

My personal favorite is the 'fell asleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed and now they don't want to move me in case they wake me' position - yup, that ones a killer.

K

Summer Camp (that's not really a summer camp)

The type of classes I imagine they have a summer camp

When I hear the words 'summer camp' I automatically start seeing snippets from movies like ‘Friday the 13^th’, ‘Addams Family Values’ and ‘The Parent Trap’ (the original one, with Hayley Mills, not the Lindsey Lohan one).

Which is bad as it shows that my ideas of summer camp come purely from movies and not from experience.

And this year my Little P is going to 'summer camp'. Well, at least that's what her school is calling it. They've given the kids special t-shirts to wear for the entire summer, there's a list of activities a mile long of what they will be doing over the next few months and even guest speakers (!) that will be coming in to talk about.... well, I don't know, kid's stuff I guess.

Look, as long as there are no camp fires, or weird camp counselors and she doesn't come home covered in glue and glitter (any more than usual), I'm all for it.

What I do know about the summer camp her school is doing is that Little P is super excited about it. She's never not liked going to school, once we get there she's all 'Bye Mommy. Have good day.' And with that, I'm temporarily forgotten - till I come and get her.

But this week, the moment she puts on that special t-shirt, she's ready to rock and roll and can't wait to get to school.

I'm hoping that as she gets older, she will still enjoy going to camp, as I have no doubt this will be something that she will be doing every year - unless of course I can get her internships at work each summer....

What did you do over the summers as a kid? Were you a ‘camp kid’ or did you do something different for those long days of summer vacation?

Till next time,

K

Monday Mommy-ism

Mommy-ism #166: you're doing it wrong. It's amazing how quickly little one's develop their own idea of how to do something right or wrong. And how incredibly quickly than translates into YOU being the one who is always wrong. 

French Pressing it

Little P informed me today that I was making MY coffee wrong. Really? After all these years a two year old, who doesn't drink coffee, is going to tell me I'm making it wrong. Oh, hell to the no. Little one, I love you, but if you mess with my coffee, you and me are going to have a problem.

K

Birthdays, Burgers and Bloggers at Johnny Rockets LV

One of the very cool things that come with being a blogger is getting invited to some pretty awesome events that I might not have otherwise had the chance to go to. And being part of a wonderful group of local bloggers means that I not only get to go to these kinds of events but I also actually get to meet and hang out with the people that I talk to almost daily online, but very rarely get the chance to meet in person.

When the invite came asking us to come out and celebrate Johnny Rockets 27th birthday (and honestly, they had me at the mention of free food) I was kind of giddy. When the first one opened on the Sunshine Coast back in the 90's, it was kind of a go-to for me and my group of friends (partly for the food, but mostly for the entertainment). I was so totally down for this event.

The first thing I noticed when I got there (it was at the location in the Flamingo Hotel and Casino) was that there was a person ‘painting’ with ketchup. That’s right people; she is a ‘ketchup artist’. And the girl had serious skills.

 

Who says ketchup is just a condiment?

That and the large walking shake that was handing out samples of, well, shakes.

 

We got to try a few of their burgers (see free food!), sample the shakes, watch and partake in the group dancing – and yes, I did dance as well, got the Johnny Rockets button to prove it – and get a grill lesson (although I was so pre-occupied in talking with some of my fellow bloggers that I totally missed out on that one). Once we had a chance to eat, drink and get merry, the President and CEO of Johnny Rockets, John Fuller along with the President of the International Division, Steve Devine took time out of their busy schedules to talk with us about the company, some of the history and what we can look forward to in the coming months and years at all their locations.

See, learning new stuff can be fun (and filling!).

And I even scored one of the ‘ultimate tweeter’ prizes – me, an ‘ultimate tweeter’!! I’ve had a Twitter account for well over three years and only really started using it in the last six months, so to get that title was kind of cool (yes, I know, I’m geeky) – and the swag didn’t hurt either. And I’m guessing that now that I have an apron I might have to actually cook stuff (*sigh*, price of fame I guess).

They even had cake
(granted it was shaped like a burger and fries, but still, CAKE!)

All in all it was a fun night. And I’m totally looking forward to the next one.

Happy Birthday Johnny Rockets (and thanks for the free food, the fun and of course the swag).

Till next time,

K

(I was in no way compensated for this post - unless you count the food - I just had a great time and wanted to share it with you).

Love for Daddy - 5 Favorite Father's Day Crafts

Father's Day is fast approaching (seriously, could this year go by any quicker?), and I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas  for Little P's Grandpa's (M has already put in his request for what he wants to do that day, so he's all sorted) and I've found so many great crafts to do, that there just simply isn't enough hours in the day or boxes big enough to ship them to both upstate New York and Australia.

But I've gathered my five favorite ones here, just to share with you, and maybe provide you with a little inspiration for the Daddy's (or Grandpa's) in your life.

1. Lego Key Holder from MinieCo (admittedly I love this for the pure geek-i-ness of it, but tell me, who wouldn't want a Storm Trooper keeping their keys safe?)
2. Printable 'Love Daddy to Pieces' from Colette over at My Computer is My Canvas (I'd do this for M simply because he's just nuts about Reese's Pieces - and it's such a quick and easy gift for the kids to help with)
3. Printable Soda Bottle Covers from The Idea Room (again, another quick and easy update to something most Dad's love - their soda POP. See what I did there? POP, as in Dad? No? *sigh* I thought it was funny)
4. Father's Day Tie Box from the ladies over at Eighteen25 (love this idea for a Father's Day BBQ, or even to give to Daddy-O to put his snacks in at the office. Super cute and too easy)
5. Scrabble Tile Picture Frame from Just Another Day in Paradise (I love this and you can easily personalize it - you are purely limited by your imagination and the number of scrabble tiles you have lying around. Or you can cheat and just get them through a hobby store or a site like Etsy)

Every single one of these is really quick and requires very little in the way of items to purchase. Heck, if you are like me, you probably already have these things lying around anyway, which is really why I love them (I'm all about instant gratification).

And remember, Dad's, just like Mom's, are really just happy to get a card, a cuddle and to hear 'I love you Daddy' - although, I'm sure that being able to sleep in, maybe get in a round of golf or being able to watch the game (whatever game that may be) would also rank pretty high on their wish lists of things to do that day.

To all the Dad's, Daddy's, Pa's, Papa's, Grandpa's, Gramp's and Da's (I didn't forget you Dad), the fixer's of broken toys, the mender's of flat tires and busted gear, the protectors of fluffy toy animals and the kisser of boo-boo's; thank you. 

For all that you do, all that you are, and all that you mean to us.

Have a wonderful Father's Day.

K

Having a baby - as easy as 1,2,3

Having a baby for some people is sometimes as simple as thinking 'I want a baby', and then before you know it, they are knocked up and ready to go. Their pregnancy is a breeze, their labor a piece of cake and the next thing you know, they are on their way to baby number 2, 3 or 9.

For others, like myself, it takes years. Years of planning, of multiple appointments with a variety of doctors, all trying to work out why you can't get pregnant (or just as bad, why you can't stay pregnant). And for those of us who have to rely on science to help Mother Nature along, it becomes an emotional roller coaster that at times, feels like it will never end. 

And for others, it never begins, because for whatever reason, being pregnant is just not in the cards for them.

I have never NOT talked about Little P being an IVF baby, but it's not something that I will just volunteer to talk about either. Even now, two plus years down the track, bringing it up in a conversation still chokes me up. But after recently talking with a friend of mine who is going through IVF, I decided it was finally time for me to get it out there. To let others know that yes, it sucks. It sucks big time, having to bring science into something that should really be a natural occurrence. And I could totally tell you what a wonderful experience it was, how it was all glitter and unicorns. But I'd be lying. Because it was hard, and it was long, and it was painful. 

Our little miracle - Little P

So here are the things I'm not going to tell you:

I won't tell you it was an easy decision, because it wasn't. Admitting that you, as a wife and as a woman, can not do that one thing that every woman should be able to do, is heart breaking and makes you feel like a failure. No matter what any one else tells you, you still feel like you let everyone down.

I won't tell you how incredibly hard, both physically and emotionally it is.

I won't tell you that every time you hear it didn't work your heart while break a little more, or that you feel like giving up, because to keep going hurts so much.

I won't tell you that when you hear that you are pregnant you will feel both elated and terrified at the same time.

I won't tell you how incredibly devastating it is to find out that you miscarried for whatever reason. Or how a little piece of you dies every time you hear those words 'I'm sorry, you lost the baby' (four times for us).

I won't tell you how going through the process leaves you bruised in places you didn't think you could get bruises. That the medication makes you feel ill, or that the fact that you have to inject yourself daily (sometimes multiple times) makes you feel more like a pincushion than a person. 

I won't tell you how bitter and angry you get at the universe, or how every time you see or hear someone else is pregnant that you think to yourself 'I hate that bitch', and immediately feel horrible for thinking that. 

I won't tell you how many times you will curl up in a public restroom and cry, because you just saw someone with a pregnant belly, or holding a new born, or you just happened to walk through the children's department in a store and you lost it.

I won't tell you that no matter how much someone loves you, you feel that the pain is yours alone to bear, even though you know it's not.

I won't tell you how you will hold your breath and your heart will skip a beat when you hear that heart beat for the first time. Or how hard you will cry when you see that first image on the screen of your little one (or ones).

Does this shirt make me look fat?

I won't tell you that even though your morning sickness lasts three long months, you are just so thankful to be pregnant, that you don't complain about it.

I won't tell you that even though it's safe to tell people you are pregnant, you keep it to yourself just a little while longer, hoping that you start to show first.

I won't tell you how you will just stare at your belly, imagining the little person that's growing inside of you, and how you will be blown away by how much you can love someone that you haven't even met yet.

I won't tell you that for the last eight weeks you may need to be monitored almost daily, strapped to a heart rate monitor, just to make sure both you and the baby are doing okay.

But I will tell you that the moment they place that tiny person in your arms for the first time, that you will not only cry with joy and relief, but also with grief for the little ones who were called back to Heaven too soon.

And I will tell you, that after all you just went through, you won't think twice about doing it again.

Because in the end, it's so worth it.

K

The 'Body After Baby' Dilemma

'Your body is a wonderland...'

Oh John Mayer - these words may be true before a lady has a baby, but once that little bugger has done a number on a woman's body, it becomes more like a foreign land - one you need a passport for.

It's funny. Just when you think you know everything you could possibly know about the body you have inhabited for many a year, POW, you have a child and it's like you are all of a sudden complete strangers.

Things that were once on this side are now on that side. Wait, what? When did that move over there? And gravity-smavity; kids do a bigger number on your breasts than gravity ever could. 

Oh, and that flat plateau that was once your stomach (after thousands of sit-ups, crunches and miles and miles of cardio) all of a sudden looks more like hilly terrain with deep ravines than anything resembling smooth plains. 

And don't even get me started on how your legs suddenly start to look like a road map of the United States - now that your veins have all of a sudden risen to the surface.

Add to that the suitcases that have taken up permanent residence under your eyes from the lack of sleep, the way your butt seems to have somehow changed shape (how the hell did that happen?) and the fact that when you sneeze you now have to cross your legs (we all know you do it) it’s surprising that women will time and again choose to have another baby.

So, even though you now realize that you really just can’t rock those tube tops and hot pants any more (thanks kid), you and I both know, that we will willingly, nay, energetically, jump into the role of 'pregnant lady' without a thought to our backs, butts, ankles and stomachs. Because in the end, it's totally worth it.

Yup - I would totally do it all again.

Ah, motherhood – ain’t it grand?

Till next time,

K

A little Washi Tape love

So, my love obsession with Washi Tape just seems to keep on growing. 

So far, I've washi'd a ruler, my eye glasses case, notebooks (and more notebooks), picture frames of all sizes, jars, candles and vases.

The ways to use it are pretty much limitless - I have plans for the arms on sunglasses, covering an old beaten up clutch, watch bands and even my clock at work. I'm telling you, this stuff is friggin' awesome.

My little red notebook got a makeover; painted jars got washi'd;
Candles love the washi and picture frames - need I say more?

I've even created a board on Pinterest just with ideas for it - and big thanks to Amy Anderson for not only creating a website dedicated purely to Washi Tape, but for introducing me to fellow Washi addicts.

If you have even a little bit of crafting love in you, give it a go - it's seriously easy to use, and if you make a mistake you can just peel it off and replace it. You will need to set it just to secure it in place (Mod Podge works great for this, but pretty much any form of sealant will work), but other than that, it's a piece of cake.

The ways to utilize it are purely limited by your imagination (and the ability to find things that you haven't already covered in Washi Tape).

Now, I wonder if I can washi the rims on my car?

Till next time - may the WASHI be with you.

K

How NOT to spend a national holiday

There's a saying that 'even the best laid plans of mice and men can go astray' (although what mice have to plan about is beyond me)… and this weekend, that saying held true for us.

I had plans to spend some time with friends on Friday night – till they all got sick.

I had plans to spend Saturday morning swimming at friends place – then they all got sick.

And for Memorial Day, well, we had plans to join some friends for the usual BBQ and swimming deal, but it didn't happen. Fortunately, no one got sick, but in the morning, M discovered that our water heater decided it was time to pack it all in and had gone'boom'.

So instead of swimming, eating burgers and hot dogs, and drinking probably way too much, M got to go out and buy a new water heater. He then had the fun of installing said water heater along with having the sheer joy of cleaning up the almighty mess the old one made when it kicked the bucket (so to speak).

As for me and Little P? She napped and I got to clean (yay for holidays!!).

But I can't really complain - I didn't have to go to work, and it's been ages since M and I had a Monday off together. And I did get the chance to actually watch a movie while M was busy pulling the water heater out.

But still....

(Little P prepping the potatoes; burger time (thanks Carls Jr);
M & Little P jamming; Little P doing the annual Memorial Day run

So instead of burgers with friends, we had burgers at home, got to enjoy an impromptu jam session between M and Little P, got to watch M turn the box the water heater came in, into a castle for Little P and essentially just had a mellow day.

She's the Queen of the Castle; busy decorating her new abode

And while it wasn’t how I planned to spend Memorial Day, it certainly wasn’t the worst way to spend it either.

So, here’s to you all – may your holidays always be filled with unexpected adventures, may your cup always be full, and may the burgers never get dry (or have any of those nasty boney bits in them).

Bring on the 4^th of July – I’m ready for you!

K

And a salute to the red, white and blue, and to all those who have served, and those that continue to do so. Thank you.

And the Liebster Award Goes To...

I got a notification via Twitter today that a fellow blogger, Ashley from Chitown and Allaround nominated myself and some of my fellow bloggers for the 'Liebster Award'.

To say that it got my attention is something of an understatement - so I immediately went to her blog to find out what the heck was going on. Here's what I saw:

"The Liebster Award is for blogs with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever nominated them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

So, I then of course had to Goggle the crap out of it to work out what it all meant. I finally found some details on Sopphey Says and it basically breaks down like this: 

• started in 2010 by a German blogger who wanted to get not only the number of their followers up, but to share the love with fellow bloggers
• it's kind of like a chain letter - you get it, you nominate a group of other bloggers and the love goes round and round
• there have been variations on the number of followers that a blog needs to have less then to be eligible (anyway from 3,000 to 200)
• and the number of bloggers who you need to nominate have varied from 3 to 11

So, while I won't be walking a red carpet or making an acceptance speech, I'm all for supporting my fellow bloggers. 

M and me being big old goof balls

And here we go, first part - 11 random facts about me.

1. I'm a goof ball and a big old geek at heart.
2. I get the worst cravings for Twisties (Australian chips). So much so that I sometimes dream about them.
3. I adore Stephen King and Dean Koontz and have been known to devour entire books of theirs over a weekend
4. My first ever 'grown up' drink was Southern Comfort and 7UP (I kid you not)
5. When I first met M, I wasn't exactly the nicest person - if I remember correctly, instead of saying 'hi' when I was introduced to him I called him 'that damn Yankee' (and yet he still asked me out and look where we are now)
6. Little P was our last try at having a baby - we totally lucked out with her
7. I love riding motor bikes, although I haven't done that since I was pregnant (I totally blame M for that)
8. I have been known to leave extra cake batter at the bottom of the mixing bowl just so I can sit down and eat it
9. I know all the words to the songs in 'Tangled'
10. I knew M was the one for me after our first date
11. As much as I hate mornings, nothing makes me smile more than having Little P give me a hug and say 'hi' first thing when we get up

Such salty goodness

Okay, enough of the randomness. Here's the 11 questions that Ashley asked:

1. What is #1 on your bucket list?

That's easy - go to Italy next year for our 10 year anniversary

2. Do your close friends and family call you something other than your first name?

Where do I start? Smoochie, Mama, Sis, Possum, Mouse, K-Fox, Foxy, Kel-Star...

3. What is your favorite ice cream?

Chocolate - duh

4. If you were stranded on an island, what are your 3 must-haves?

Stephen King novel, sunscreen and a boat to get back to civilization (is that cheating?)

5. What's a movie that you can watch over and over again?

The Princess Bride

6. Do you speak any other languages?

Does 'bad English' count?

7. Have you ever traveled outside of the U.S.?

Yup, originally from Australia, but have been to Canada, England and France

8. If you found out this is the last meal of your life, what would it consist of?

M's Espresso Rubbed Petite Filet with baked potato and honey glazed carrots

9. If you could splurge on one item, what would it be?

Christian Louboutin heels

10. Do you have a special talent?

I can make people snort drinks out of their nose.... and I make some pretty killer cocktails (although not sure either of those actually count as a 'talent')

11. What was your favorite TV show from your childhood?

Ooo, that's a hard one. I guess if it came to the crunch, I would have to say The Goodies

So, now it's my turn to share the love. This was hard as a lot of them have been already nominated, so I went with my top seven. Without further ado, I hereby nominate these wonderful bloggers for the Liebster Award:

Kim Ulmanis

Sierra Nicole Designs

Wacky Jacqui Designs

Jennifer Falcione

The Tired Mother

Nine Months of Shower

Rockin Mama Baby Gear

And here's the important stuff - my 11 questions to you fellow bloggers:

1. If they made a movie of your life, who would play you?
2. Cake or pie?
3. If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would you want to sit down and have a meal with and why?
4. What makes you laugh?
5. What scares you (like hide under the covers kind of scared)?
6. Your greatest achievement?
7. What do you like most about being a blogger?
8. What's the one song that will get you to get up and dance?
9. Coffee or tea?
10. What's your secret obsession? (and we all have one, so fess up)
11. If you were a secret agent, what would your code name be?

Have at it, and have fun.

K

Nailed It - Disney Princess Silhouette's

Anyone who has looked on Pinterest for inspiration for their little girls' rooms has probably seen this set of Disney Princess Silhouettes. 

Ignore the finger prints (didn't notice them till after I saw the picture -
note to self, always clean glass after putting in your artwork)

Awesome right? Problem was, the version I liked are created and sold by an Etsy store and while I loved them, I wanted to have more than one, and it just wasn't in my budget to get three or more of them. But the longer I looked at them, the more I thought I could do something similar myself. 

After searching Google for silhouettes, I finally found these versions of the Princesses  and off on my merry way I went. (I found out after I started this project that I could have made them myself in Photoshop. If I decide to do this again, I'm totally doing that.)

All you need for this project is the following:

• Frame (or frames if you are doing multiples. I got mine from Michaels on sale)
• Silhouettes printed out (you can get them from the site I did, or do it yourself in Photoshop)
• Colored paper to either use as the background or as the actual silhouette
• And adhesive of some sort to hold the image to the paper

That's it. I think this cost me a total of $12 - which was just for the frames. I had the paper on hand, printed out the image at home and I just used double sided tape to attach the image to the paper.

And then it's just a matter of cutting out the silhouette (you can use either scissors or an Exacto knife - I used the knife; was easier to get into all those little fiddly bits).

You can use the original black silhouette or make a colored version

Little P insisted that Abigail be in the photo - apparently she likes colored paper.

Then you can trace the image onto the colored paper if you don't want to have a traditional look, or just stick the silhouette to the paper that you are using as a background, pop it in the frame and voila! You have your very own set of Disney Princess Silhouettes.

And the finished product

So for about a third of the cost, and about 20 minutes of my time, I got new artwork for Little P's room and another craft under my belt.

Did I nail this one or what?

K

(just as a side note, if you are familiar with vectors you can go to CLKR and download vector templates of all the Princesses there. I'm not that comfortable working with them so I went the easy route, but I know a bunch of you out there could do it).