Tie-dye cupcakes... why not?

My 5-year-old decided he wanted a glow party for his birthday...  so we quickly became the house of all things fluorescent, colorful, and/or neon.  In our attempt to stay vibrant, I discovered DIY tie-dye cupcakes, described below:

1. Make a batch of white cake batter (I used Aldi brand cake mix- do what works for you)
2. Separate into 6 bowls and add food color drops as follows
1. Red: 12-15 drops red food coloring
2. Orange: 5 drops yellow + 2 drops red
3. Yellow: 7-10 drops yellow
4. Green: 7-10 drops green OR 9 drops yellow + 2 drops blue
5. Blue: 12-15 drops blue
6. Purple: 7 drops red + 2 blue
3. Line cupcake pans with tins and drop batter in by spoonfuls...  I did red first, then orange, etc.  Have fun with this- it is not a science, it's an art form! 
4. Bake according to recipe directions
5. Frost with fun colors
6. Warn guests with dye allergies ;)

My best friend's wedding...

Today is an incredible day because my long time best friend is getting married...  And certainly when a best friend gets married, it's important to give something a little more personal than money.  So, I remembered a long ago shower gift I saw and called up my good friend Google to help me out with this one, wishing the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness together, as symbolized by candles.

To our favorite couple, wishing you love forever!
An explanation of our gift....
A basket of candles that come in a pair,
Of all different colors for you two to share.
The white ones burn first, they are wrapped in white lace,
To celebrate your fist married night in your place.
The burgundy pair is the color of wine,
Burn these when friends come over to dine.
The blue pair will burn for eight winter nights,
To celebrate your first married Festival of Lights.
There are candles to burn Christmas Eve before bed,
While waiting for Santa- that's why they are red.
The black candles are for your first married fight,
Use them to burn while you make up all night!
Two pink candles will pave the way
And add romance to your first married Valentine's Day.
Now when your first year of marriage is through,
The ivory pair will light up for you two.
Eventually we hope that maybe, just maybe,
The pink and the blue will honor your baby.
And just when you thought you could put these away,
Light the lavender pair for your fifth anniversary day.
Now just one pair left, the big twenty-five,
The anniversary pair that keeps love alive.
So congrats bride and groom, on the start of forever
May the two of you always be happy together.

Thought for the day.

I'm baaaaack... with cookies!

It has been TOO LONG since I've posted....  but, I'm a teacher and a mom and the end of school is a crazy time for me.  My apologies to my readers (looking at you, Mom and husband!).

My son was snack helper at daycare and is apparently sick of my favorite chocolate chip cookies, made extra delicious with instant pudding mix.  (Try these out...  I get so many compliments on them!)

He wanted "cinnamon cookies" which I interpreted to mean Snickerdoodles.  I read through a couple of Google's suggestions, but was falling short on some ingredients, until I found this AMAZING RECIPE from the Food Network.

Our daycare provider said they were the best cookies she's ever tasted.  Definitely worth a try.

Happy summer and enjoy!

Finding grownup girlfriends: What mama never told us...

After reading some very funny articles on the topic and spending a fabulous night with five women I adore, I spent my afternoon lawnmowing session pondering adult friendships.

Meeting friends used to be easy(ish): elementary school, you hang with whoever's in your class; middle/high school, every girl for herself; college based on interests, but everyone's desperate for friends; early career/grad school: people with the same goals or jobs (I've found those to be hit or miss...  luckily I had some great hits).  No one ever told me that, in my late 20s, as a wife and new mom, I'd be exceptionally lonely.  (Don't feel badly for me.  This is all past tense.  At 31, life is better.)

Rewind to 2009.  From the outside, I'm sure I appeared very well adjusted.  Two small kids, great husband, nice life in the town I was raised, social personality.  "She probably has loads of friends.  She knows everyone."  But inside our little yellow house, this was not the case: I was early to the game on marriage and kids, sooo... My high school/college friends were scattered around the world doing terribly interesting things AND all of my children's peers' parents were a few years older than me, and, while that wasn't an issue for me at all, I somehow felt it might be for them.  I remember saying to my husband, "I'm lucky to have met a few, wonderful women in my life and to consider them friends.  Maybe that's all I get."  Which sounded fine.  But when he would go off to soccer or Frisbee or basketball or to hang with his buddies, I knew it kind of sucked.  Since I was insecure and totally unwilling to reach out and find new friends, I was sort of my own worst enemy.

In the four years since, a few things happened:

1. A dear friend moved home (Hallelujah!)
2. I changed jobs and met a lifelong friend
3. I went out on a limb.  I started calling and "mom dating " my daughter's friend's mom and...  she's amazing.  I started running and inviting my then neighbor...  she's great.  I broke the past high school mold of immediately resenting aforementioned friend #1's other friends and getting to know them...  they're great.  I reached out to women who are local that I "knew" before but never bothered knowing, and am so happy I did.

With the kids and the husband and a career, I still think my girls friends are some of the most important people in my life and that being a good friend is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and each other.  Friendship is changed a little- now outings include things like trail runs, trips to the science museum, school events, and (too infrequently) catching-up dinners.  However, at the end of the day it still makes me a more complete and better person.  At any age, friendship is good for the soul.

Clean-out-your-cupboard crockpot pasta

Dilemma: It's 2:30 pm.  Your father and stepmother are coming over for dinner.  You have not been to the grocery store.  You could do that now, but you'd really rather squeeze in a run with a girlfriend.
Solution: Creativity and a crockpot.

This was my afternoon.  As usual, I turned to Google and once again came across the Year of Slow Cooking blog.  This woman totally impresses me.  Like, want to have her over for coffee and be her friend kind of impresses me.  Instead, I'll just keep stealing her ideas.

So based on what I had in my cupboards, I used her baked ziti recipe.

1. Grease your crockpot with cooking spray.
2. Rinse your pasta (I used penne) with water so it is damp going into the crockpot.
3. Make one layer of uncooked pasta in crockpot and top with pasta sauce (I used a jar of vodka sauce and a jar of primavera), grated cheese (I used mozzerella), and chopped vegetables (I used mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes).  Sprinkle with minced onion or onion powder or garlic powder.  
4. Repeat layers until you have the desired amount of pasta, etc.
5. Pour 1/3(ish) cup water around the edges of the crockpot to add moisture to the mixture.
6. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
7. Serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

Hubby was impressed, guests were happy, and I was able to run 5 miles with a great friend, so it was an all-around hit.  Thanks Year of Slow Cooking!

Introducing, my 2 favorite apps...

I am a happier person when my body is healthy and my home is clean.  I also love my iPhone.

Enter my two favorite apps...  in no particular order.  (And not counting the Project 365 app I already blogged about.)

• For a clean home: The Home Routines app is a great way to manage a household- with rotating weekly lists that break down top-to-bottom cleaning into manageable 15 minute chunks, complete with timer.  And with a checklist tracking feature, it makes me feel super-productive when I'm just doing ordinary tidying up. And while $4.99 may seem a little steep at the app store, trust me- It's. Worth. Every. Penny.
• For a fit body: Nike Training Club is your personal trainer on a budget.  Filled with targeted zone and all-over cardio workouts for all schedules and fitness levels, NTC is a great way to get in shape and stay in shape.  I've been using it on-and-off for a year and a half and have still not tired of the  workouts.  When I started an intense Monday boot camp class at our local gym, I felt totally prepared thanks to my high-knee-burpee-tuck-jump-plank routines at home with NTC.

PS.  I have no financial incentive to writing about this.  In fact, I have reason to believe that my mother is the only person who reads this blog and she doesn't have an iPhone.  I'm just putting it out there that these really do help me in my daily life.  I'm a fan. (Got it, Mom?)