Kisses + Caffeine

Sharing my journey as a mother, wife, homemaker, Jesus girl, entrepreneur and all things in between!

A Kate Spade Inspired Graduation Cake!

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I was visiting my in-laws at their farm house in Indiana when my sweet friend Sara reached out to me about a last minute surprise cake for her sister-in-law that they needed the day after we got home. Once she sent me details of what they were thinking, I just couldn’t say no! I love when my customers give me a bit of “free reign” on the design of things, and decided to go a bit “Kate Spade” on this one! 

The stripes on the top tier are edible sugar sheets (they come in all kinds of colors! Shop them here) cut to size for a nice, clean line.

They wanted her name to be on the cake to personalize it a bit. I wanted to add some sparkle! So I used my Cricut to make a custom topper with glitter cardstock. 

The little plaque on the front is one of my custom sugar cookies to incorporate the quote that they wanted but keep it edible. The topper is the only non-edible part to this whole cake! 

For the cap base, I molded rice Krispy treats and covered them in black modeling chocolate (I will have to share that recipe with you guys sometime!). The mortar board is just a square of white chocolate covered in modeling chocolate and topped with a piece of sugar sheet. 

The one request Sara did make was that she wanted flowers on the cake! I perfected my buttercream frosting (Praise hands! I’ve been at it for years!) and piped a mixture of sizes and colors cascading down the side of the cake. (Pastry bags are your friend for these types of things!)

My initial vision was for the “confetti” to be a metallic gold, but Amazon lost my package, so black it was! I am actually really happy with the way that it turned out though. If I have learned one thing in my baking adventures, it is that sometimes things are out of our control and we just have to roll with the punches and work with what we have!

At the end of the day, the cake turned out to be one of my personal favorites! My customer loved it and it was the perfect addition to celebrate a beautiful lady as she accomplishes a huge milestone in her life! I am so blessed and honored to be a part of celebrating life’s special moments, and I hope that I can continue to do so for years to come!

Bee Cookies for Baby Banff

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When my friend Kim asked me if I could do cookies for a bee themed shower for her grandson, I was absolutely giddy over it! I have been dying to tackle these forever, and this was my chance! These Ann Clark cookie cutters were the perfect set, so the came together pretty easily. 

For some contrast, we mixed in the baby’s name, initial, hives and honey jars. I used my favorite food coloring pens (get them here) to add the detail work. I seriously LOVE these!

She also asked me to take on the cake! I don’t usually do much with fondant, but I am really happy with how it turned out! I opted for modeling chocolate because it tastes way better. The hive is a giant cake pop and the bee cookies were the perfect addition. 

There ya have it! The cutest cookies for the cutest shower! 

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

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I love super easy, low maintenance recipes! It seems like fixing a healthy meal can take hours sometimes, so these things that come together super quickly are my go-to. And you guys, this one is SO easy! 

Simply throw chicken (we used one breast per person) in the crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce and let it cook until easily shredded. For me, this was about 7 hours on low. You could also do about 40 mins on high pressure in the Instant Pot (LOVE this thing!)

When the chicken is close to done, cook your spaghetti squash (microwave method here), and dice up a red onion.

When the squash is cooked, scrape out most of the insides and mix it with the chicken and chopped onion. 

Place mixture back In squash shells and top with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and then enjoy!

That really is it! So delicious, and its veggies-most if you are a 2B Mindset-er.

Waiting on the Promise

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When you are in the thick of infertility struggles and miscarriage, it is so easy to feel forgotten. As women, we tend to bear the silent pain and struggle of waiting without the world knowing. We field the well-meaning questions. We meticulously track cycles. We get poked and prodded. We take the tests and then cry alone at the negatives, only to do it all again the very next month. We pick up the pieces of broken dreams when our pregnancy ends. We face Mother’s Day with empty arms, hoping and praying that maybe next year will be different.

But Psalm 115:12 promises us this: “The Lord has not forgotten us; He will bless us.”  His promises are good. This scripture, as well as the one above, brought me so much comfort during my season of waiting. My journey to motherhood was definitely not one that I would have chosen for myself, but the Lord used it to teach me so much. To mold me and shape me. To give me an empathy and compassion that I would not have had otherwise. His plans are perfect.

I want to encourage you, sweet friend, if you are in that season of waiting to simply cling to His promises. Pour your heart out to Him and accept His perfect comforting peace. Sometimes He makes us wait to teach us. Sometimes it is to protect us. Sometimes it is because someone down the road will need us and our strength in their time of weakness and pain. Sometimes it is simply because our blessing is not ready yet. As you face Mother’s Day, simply know that you are not forgotten. You are loved beyond measure and your rainbow is coming.

 

Woodsy Cookies for Baby Baylor!

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Custom sugar cookies are my new go-to gift! (Get my recipe for cookies here and royal icing here). So with the impending arrival of my sweet friend Claudia’s beautiful baby girl, I knew I had to make a set to take to the hospital. Baylor’s nursery theme is floral and woodsy, so I went with that for the cookie theme as well! 

The antlers were done using an edible watercolor paint and then the flowers are piped on using royal icing.

I loved my little Easter Bunnies, but wanted something that felt more “baby” so I made a few cute little sleepy bunnies for this set.

Of course, what is a set of “welcome baby” cookies without a few of the baby’s name?! (I do my black detail work with these fantastic edible markers). I absolutely loved doing this set and the family loved eating them! 

Mother’s Day 2019 Gift Guide!

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Mother’s Day is almost here, and if you are like me this year, you probably wait until the last minute for everything! I’m tryin’ to help you out, friends! I am rounding up all of my favorite ideas in one post to make your life easier. Have any other awesome ideas? Drop them in the comments!

Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst

Lysa is my girl! Everything she writes, I love. She is a fantastic instrument of the Lord and constantly pours out the truths that my heart needs to hear. This devotional was gifted to me, and it is hands down my favorite one, and I have gifted it to several women that I love. Highly recommend! 

This great little prayer journal!

This was a gift that I received from my sweet husband for Christmas, and I love it so much! The layout is simple and straightforward, and it really helps me to focus my heart on reflection and gratitude to start my day!

Breastmilk Jewelry

Okay I know this one seems a little unconventional to some, but it’s actually really neat! As a mother who struggled to get pregnant and then struggled to breastfeed, my piece that I have coming is very, very special to me! They basically turn your milk into a stone…how cool is that?! And now I have an heirloom that I can give to my sweet Addilyn when she grows up. 

Custom Sugar Cookies

If you are super fancy and love to bake, you can make your own set using my sugar cookie and royal icing recipe. If you aren’t into DIY, you can message me and place a custom order, or get the exact set above!

A Ninja Coffee Bar

Okay look. Us mamas need coffee. It’s how we survive. And in this house, we love our Ninja coffee system. It can do a full pot or various single sizes of coffee, but is way easier to clean than our Keurig was (no mold!). It also makes the coffee taste super flavorful and rich…even the cheap-o coffee that this mama buys on the regular! Michael loves to do the fancy drinks with it, too and they are totally not hard. I just don’t have time for all that.

The system is usually $199, but Amazon has it on sale right now for $119!! That is a fantastic deal! Get one for the mama in your life. She will thank you!

A “Naked Wines” Membership (Or one-time shipment!)

This mama also loves the occasional glass of wine to unwind at the end of a long day. We signed up for a membership a while back and love getting to try new things and support small wineries. You can customize your preferences and let them surprise you, or you can go in and manually choose what you want. Use this link and you get a $50 voucher to spend on your first case! If you are a mama reading this, get one for yourself! It makes a great gift for anyone, for any occasion! I also love having bottles on hand in case we need to grab a last minute hostess or birthday gift. 

A Snuggly Soft Robe

I personally am hooked on Posh Peanut robes. They are super high quality, very comfortable and are great not only for maternity and nursing, but I still live in mine! Light enough to not be hot, but enough to keep you warm and cozy. Plus who doesn’t love the option of matching their little? This is a great gift!

A Massage

I took a poll on Facebook and this was definitely one of the top answers! Moms hardly ever take time for themselves, and a spa day is a fantastic way to give mom the gift of “me” time! 

Someone Else to Clean Her House

Another top hit on the Facebook poll…even just a one time cleaning service is a HUGE treat! Seriously guys, we love this stuff. In fact for me, this may even be above the massage! Better yet, have the maid come while I am AT the massage. Hah! That, my fiends, is a dream come true! 

A Macaron Cookbook

Okay, maybe this is on my personal list! But hey, if the mama in your life loves to bake, I have heard this book is fantastic! And who doesn’t love adorable little macarons?? They are super pricey, so the idea of making them at home intrigues me. It’s definitely on my short list. Package it up with a macaron baking mat, some gel food coloring, a cute apron (this “mama and me” set is adorable!) and some almond flour and make a sweet little gift basket! 

Those are just a few of my best ideas! I would love to hear about anything special that you have done to spoil the mama’s in your life, or had done for you!