Archives for October 2020

A Spooky Sweet Charcuterie Board

October 31, 2020 Leave a Comment

COVID may have stolen the ability to do most of our “traditional” Halloween activities this year, but Mama wasn’t letting the day go by without making it extra special! I baked for customers all week long, but at the end of the day I made sure to hold back one of my candy filled pumpkin cakes for my little loves and their pals.

I wound up with an extra mixed box and decided that I would finally give a sweet charcuterie board a try for our little shindig!

I mean what 2.5 year old’s eyes wouldn’t bug out of their head at this spread?! Custom Sugar cookies, buttercream cookie sandwiches, hot chocolate bombs, chocolate covered Oreos, brownies and candy! YUM!

Have you done a sweet charcuterie yet?! If not definitely add this to your Christmas “must do” list this year!

A Busy Bee 60th Birthday Cake!

October 19, 2020 Leave a Comment

Oh my gosh have I ever been dying to try a bee cake! My sweet friend Kim contacted me because she wanted something special for her beekeeping husband to ring in his big 6-0. She gave me total creative liberty (love when people do that!) and I was able to thrive!

To the mama who is raising her kids without any family close by…

October 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

I see you.

I dream about last minute meals with my mom and dad. Dropping the kids off with the in-laws for a free date night. Or just to catch my breath and clean my house. I dream about our parents getting to rock our babies to sleep and tuck them in more than just a few times a year. Having them witness all of the little milestones. Impulse sleepovers. Meeting at the play ground. Walks by the river. Grandparents day at school.

I love the anticipation of visits, but hate the tearful goodbyes. I hate telling my babies that Grandma will see them tomorrow, knowing it isn’t true, just to avoid the meltdown of the leaving. I hate canceled trips (thanks COVID) and the disappointment that comes with that. I’m thankful for technology, but hate that my kids main face-time with their family is through a phone screen.

If you can relate, know you are not alone! It’s hard and for most of us, there isn’t much we can do because the Lord has us where He wants us.

If you can’t relate, please don’t take it for granted. Thank your parents. Hug your aunts and uncles. Enjoy the cousin chaos. Cherish your date nights, knowing that those babies are being absolutely spoiled. Let your parents drop by for impromptu visits. Soak it all in. You have no idea the gift that you have!

A Fun Fortnite Cake!

October 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

Confession: I have never seen or played one second of Fortnite! I’m sure that’s simply because I’m a #girlmom. So when my sweet friend Jessica asked me to do this cake for her son, I had to do some research! I have done several Fortnite cakes, but this one is by far my favorite yet! With a fun galaxy look to the buttercream and big fat swirls of icing on top…plus who doesn’t LOVE Oeros?!

I used my Cricut to make a topper for it and it was good to go! Do you have a Fortnite lover in your life? Try out this look! No Cricut, no problem! Contact me through my Etsy shop and I can make you this exact topper!

Mama Got a Brand New Deck!

October 8, 2020 Leave a Comment

I LOVE our home, but this spot down by our basement door has always been a bit of an eyesore. Throw in our slightly janky above ground pool and it was downright embarrassing to me. Knowing that we would be stuck at home this summer and hopefully spending a lot of time down there, we decided it was time for a change!

Overall, this makeover wasn’t all that expensive, but it makes a huge difference! Check out this gross before…

First, I painted a coat of Drylok on the cinderblock. I was hoping it would be enough to just do one coat, but we didn’t love how splotchy it looked.

After adding a second coat, this time using KILZ waterproofing paint, we finally had the look we were hoping for; a clean, white wall!

Once I got the wall done, it was the hubby’s time to shine! We went back and forth on if we wanted to do a paver patio or a floating deck. The floating deck won, largely for cost reasons but also because our ground is so rocky that digging for a patio could be tricky.

It really only took him about a day and a half from start to finish, even with a couple of little supervisors!

And some hug breaks. (Don’t mind the nasty door…it’s getting painted very soon!)

And maybe a few dance parties.

It turned out absolutely perfect! Some pine straw landscaping for a cheap ground cover, a planter with mosquito repelling plants, and an affordable furniture set were next!

We also grabbed this outdoor rug, and some cute outdoor pillow covers to spruce it up!

Knowing the babies would be spending a lot of time out here, we also decided to add a sun shade, and then some lights for evenings out.

This is the exact shade we have. It is perfect! Our lights are plug in, but I am eyeing up these solar string lights for when these wear out!

We used the Quikrete walk maker to put in a sidewalk over to our lower driveway so that you could get easily to it from the deck without getting muddy. This was SO much cheaper than pavers, and super easy, too!

We absolutely love the way everything turned out! Now that the pool is down for the season, we are working on putting a fire pit in its place (pics to come!). We will see if the pool makes its way back up next season or if we fall in love with the pit in that spot! It really is the perfect little family hangout area, and we spend a lot of time on it!

Because I love a good before and after:

Frito Taco Pie

October 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

Two recipes in one week? I’m on a roll! I’ve been making this Frito Taco Pie for so long that I am not even sure where the recipe came from to begin with. I can assure you this: it is a family favorite and a great quick meal! I promise you will love it, and you can totally freestyle! Want to add corn to the filling? Go for it! Top it however you like. You can even add some hot sauce if that’s your thing. Welcome to your new favorite way to taco!

Frito Taco Pie

Servings: 8
Time: 35 mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

1 roll crescent rolls
Fritos corn chips
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
Sour Cream
Shredded cheese (we like Colby Jack!)
Your favorite taco toppings!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef in a skillet and prepare taco seasoning according to package directions.
Spray a pie dish lightly with cooking spray.
Place crescent rolls in the dish with pointed tips in the center, and press into the bottom make a crust.
Layer a couple of handfuls of Fritos on top of the crust.
Top with cooked taco meat.
Spread a layer of sour cream over the beef.
Top with a few handfuls of cheese (we go heavy on the cheese!).
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is fully cooked.
Remove from the oven, slice and top with your fave taco toppings! We love lettuce and tomato over here!

Seriously, guys. So. Stinking. GOOD!