Nas' Sweet Sixteen!

Bakerella's white chocolate crunch.
It's no secret that Nas loves carbonated soda. I found these cupcake picks at Bake it Pretty.

Nas received lots & lots of Coca Cola & one squishy Coke pillow.

Bowl of Mustaches!

Megan & Eric

Julie & Rachel

Loving the mustaches!

I love chocolate-caramel fondue!!

Duck, duck, goose (really!)

Wondering why I kept asking for Michael's coupons? I needed them for the swords! $4.99 at Michaels....with the coupons they were 40% off. The kids had a sword fight, then drove all over town with their swords. Did you happen to see them?

Red Velvet Cake

This past Monday, Bakerella posted a recipe for Red Velvet Cake. It looked so delicious I had to make it. I recruited Nas (who was home sick) to help. The cream cheese frosting was the best part. For the recipe, click here.

Sweet 16!

Happy 16th birthday Naseemjoon!!!

We love you!!

Shamwow!

Omid received a belated birthday present from Lin & Ward yesterday: his very own box of Shamwow! Omid can't believe his luck!!



Omid practicing, "You'll say WOW every time!"

A demonstration!

Wowed onlookers!

The verdict: The Shamwow did a good job in soaking up wet messes. BUT...I did not care for the dull film it left on the granite countertops. I say, 'Sham-BOO!"

I love Scrapblog!

Haven't checked out http://www.scrapblog.com/ yet? Do! It's the best! I have made potluck invitations for work, birthday cards, advertising posters, labels, etc. on this site! My latest creation: a birthday party invitation for Naseem. You can do almost anything on this site. The best part: it's FREE! *(or almost free...some of the premium stickers/backgrounds cost $$).

NOTE: Dear family members: You did not receive one of these invitations because this is Nas' party with her friends! The family party is later.

Front of the invitation:



The backside: I love this photo of Nas.

Cookies!

I have been using Just Whites whenever I've made royal icing for my sugar cookies. The truth is, none of us like the taste very much. I Am Baker posted a royal icing tutorial this week. I printed it out and made her icing recipe. It tastes much better and is so simple! I made some last night and frosted a bunch of dog cookies. They were a disaster! I tried again today. This time I did not rush myself. I have to say....I love the results! They were almost too cute to eat! These boys remind me of Buddy! Sweet boy...I miss him.

Check out I Am Baker's Oreo Cakester Petit-Four goodies. These look yummy!

Netflix This!!

Cute, quirky movie. The kids and I were craving pie afterwards (go figure!). We used up the last of the monster blueberries we picked last summer and baked a yummy pie.

Aha!!

Looks like Omid and I were BOTH right!

Chocolate Croissants - Tres Magnifique!

I have made chocolate croissants for breakfast two days in a row. I had to do something with the extra ganache I made the other day. Neither the kids nor Omid has complained about breakfast. I may have to take these to the next potluck too. They are so easy and delicious.

I made an extra batch to give to a friend who needs some TLC right now.

Tucked inside valentine baggies.

Directions on how to bake them (they taste best right out of the oven).

I snagged one of Nas' valentines and made a little flag (Hope you are feeling better!).

Chocolate Croissants
1 package Pillsbury Croissants
1 recipe ganache

For the ganache, I melted 2 t butter, 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/3 c whipping cream (+ more if the chocolate ends up dry). You want a smooth, glossy chocolate. I refrigerated the leftover ganache (it will turn to fudge!). For the croissants, spread the ganache over the unrolled croissants and baked them for 11 minutes at 375*.

This baby...

This baby...looovvveesss the sunshine.

This baby...wanders all over to find a sunny spot to sit & sun himself.

This baby...is photogenic, but detests cameras in his face (unless it's Lara Blair's camera. She pays him in treats after all).

This baby...enjoys waiting for unsuspecting pedestrians to walk by and then scares them with his terrifying bark.

This baby...does not know he is a dog (& we're not telling him he is).

This baby...is our baby & we love him!

Make This!!

These were so easy and fun to make!

Fortune cookie recipe-click here.

A few tips:

* Only make two at a time.

*They will get puffy - don't worry.

*Have your fortunes precut & ready to go.

*These babies are HOT and you WILL burn your fingers. I used an oven mitt & spatula to make the folds; then hung the cookies on a glass to cool.

Sweet Valentine Ideas

I think these Valentine's Day ideas are just too cute! I am most definitely making the fortune cookies!!!

diy fortune cookies

heart attack

toothbrush valentine messages

happy valentine tea
blow a kiss flip book

cupcake picks
scratch ticket valentines

Bedbugs 101

Yuck! I heard on the radio yesterday that bedbugs have made their way to Seattle. One good tip I learned from the radio story: keep your suitcase off of your hotel bed. For more info, click here.

Netflix This

If you liked My Big Fat Greek Wedding (which I did), you will most likely enjoy this movie. I'd heard it received terrible reviews, but I was determined to watch it anyway. Omid and Matty did not want to watch it. Matty said, "Another chick flick?" I told him it was a comedy, not a chick flick. He said, "Don't expect me to laugh." I kept track of Matty's laughs: during the movie he laughed 11 times. Omid laughed even more. I read that this was the first movie since 1957 to be granted permission to film at the Acropolis.

Jones Soda Labels

I love the Jones Soda labels. So creative! I found out today that you can submit your own photos and ask friends to vote. So...please vote for Matty or Remy to end up on a Jones Soda label. Nas is still looking for an acceptable photo of herself. When we submit hers, I will add it. Thanks for your support!

Remy:
http://www.jonessoda.com/gallery/view.php?ID=0001112127

Matty:
http://www.jonessoda.com/gallery/view.php?ID=0001112130

Please Vote YES for Camas Schools!

Paws for a Cause

I felt like a celebrity mom this afternoon. Nas and I took Remy to his Paws for a Cause appointment. We walked in and Lara and two staffers from the Humane Society were so excited to see Remy. They all yelled, "REMY!!!" Remy loved the attention! Then Lara introduced Remy to the staffers and also the director of the Humane Society. She explained that Remy was her 'Rock Star' and also her PAWS poster child. I didn't realize what she meant until I came home, opened the ordering guide and saw Remy ON THE COVER! He is also on the inside. So proud!

Cover of the ordering guide.

Remy did great at his appointment! He performed on cue & did everything Lara asked (while working for treats, of course!). He also ate ALL the treats she had available. It's a good thing we were the last appointment of the day. Thanks Lara!

Want to donate to a good cause? All the $ goes directly to the SW WA Humane Society. There is still time to book an appointment!