I Love My Mia

Oil slicks, rough terrain, uneven texture, cracks and crevices, dry patches.  What I am describing?  No, its not the wilderness or desert, it is my 30 something face. 

When I was in my twenties, I never gave a second thought to my skin.  I sometimes took of my makeup before going to bed, and even possibly used a moisturizer.  It was really no big worry.  I would have the occasional pimple, but nothing a good concealer couldn't take care of.   Fast forward ten years and two babies later.  Oh my gosh, maintenance on my face has become a full time job.

A few years ago, I started to notice fine lines setting in.  The breakouts would come more frequently.  This last year, I have noticed a huge change and not for the good.  I have been using Philosophy products for several years, and I am a true Philosophy Girl.  Still my skin is just lacking the radiance I had in my 20's. 

So, I have been watching the buzz around a product called Clarisonic.  At first, I couldn't justify the $200 price tag that accompanied a tool to help clean your face.  I heard celebrities rave about it, beauty editors dedicating articles to it, and of course QVC running hour long shows on this one product.  A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that QVC had a Today's Special Value for the Clarisonic.  I said to myself, if it around a $100, I'll try it.  The Clarisonic Mia (the smaller version) appeared for $125.   I made the decision to purchase it, and figured I had QVC's money back guarantee. 

My Mia arrived a week ago.  I charged it and that night cleansed my face.  I'll be honest, no noticeable difference on the first use, except for the amount of make-up it removed.  A week later I have noticed a change in the texture and smoothness of my skin.  I have also notice the appearance of pores and "black heads" on my nose are diminishing.  I'm hooked.  The Clarisonic stays and hopefully a new start to better skin.

I know it is a considered purchase.  I also just realize I have outed myself to my husband as to how much it is :o)  Hopefully he won't be too mad, considering it will make me look better, right?  It's also on easy pay, so not that much of a hit on the credit card every month.  I definitely think it would make a lovely present for a birthday or the holidays. 

Here's a picture of mine in the pink paisley.  Oh, and notice the new Vera Bradley cosmetic bag behind it, in Twirly Bird Pink.

Rainbow Cake

As you saw in my previous post, we had a magical birthday extravaganza.  Adam's request for his birthday cake was it had to be rainbow.  Back in March, I had posted a rainbow cupcake for Cupcake Spotlight and Adam told me then, that's what he wanted for his birthday.

The process is quite simple and the effect is very special.  Don't limit yourself to just rainbow colors either.  For a princess party, use pink, purple and white. For the 4th of July use white, red, and blue.  The possibilities are endless.

recipe

1 white or yellow cake mix, prepared according to box instructions
food color, I used Betty Crocker gel colors
2- 8 inch cake pans


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions.  Next divide the batter into six even amounts.  My cake mix yielded 5 cups so I had approximately six bowls filled with 3/4 c. each.  Using gel colors, tint the batter to desired colors.

Next with your greased cake pans, start pouring three of the colors into a pan.  This requires a slight bit of thinking. You want to put colors that compliment each other in the same pan.  For example, I poured the red, yellow, and orange together.  Then the blue, green, and purple.  Pour one color at a time directly into the center of the pan. Don't worry about spreading it or making it even, they colors will level themselves out as you pour.

Bake according the package instructions.  Allow to cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove from pan an allow to cool to room temperature on a baking rack.

Frost and decorate with your favorite frosting and sprinkles.

***If you are doing cupcakes pour approximately one teaspoon of each color into each cupcake well.  One teaspoon of all six colors, fills it about 2/3 full. Bake according to cupcake instructions.***

Rainbow Cupcakes



Abracadabra: A Simple Guide To A Kids Magic Party

The party day came and went, and in my opinion was just perfect.  My little boy enjoyed an afternoon with friends and family, and thanks to video will have this memory forever.

The planning part was actually quite simple.  In years past when throwing a party, I always wanted to cram too much into an event.  As all experiences provide a lesson, I learned that a few simple, heartfelt ideas can go a long way.

Adam requested a magic party.  I went to my favorite party supply website, Oriental Trading, and started to scope things out.  To my surprise, I found plates, napkins, party favor ideas, and decorations.

I wanted a few simple activities for the kids to do as they arrived.  I decided on "magic" bookmarks, that when the kids draw on a their design it is revealed in rainbow colors.  The kids also decorated their own magician hats with stickers.

The food was also kept simple.  I ordered pizza, and provided fruit skewers and a vegetable platter.

After the meal was complete we enjoyed a rainbow cake, which I will give step by step instructions to in tomorrow's post.

To round out the activities we had a pinata and a magic show.  The price of magicians for a children's party can be very expensive, so I enlisted my husband to provide the entertainment.  The guests and myself were pleasantly surprised as how good he actually was.  He learned tricks the month prior from a magic book.

Finally as the kids were heading home we offered them a few party favors. Included in the bag were magic tattoos, stickers, their own box of tricks, and a magic wand.  I made the magic wands from doweling and then painted them with sparkle paint.

My best advice for giving a party, is keep it simple and stick to one theme.  My next project: Brandon's Toy Story birthday in November!

Hectic Week

I'm sure most parents will agree with me, the month of June is down right CRAZY!!!  The school year is coming to an end, and it seems more and more projects are coming about.  I just got a notice home yesterday  Adam will be in an end of the year play.  GREAT, right??? Well now I have to make him a fox costume for his role as Foxy Loxy from Chicken Little.  It never ends.

I know it will only get harder as the boys get older, with more involvement in different activities.  The other item I am preparing for is Adam's 6th birthday party this weekend.  Now Adam really won't turn six until July, but he really wanted a friends birthday party.  We are always back in our hometown for his birthday, and he doesn't have the  opportunity to celebrate with his school friends.  So after he gave a bunch of logical reasons why he should have a party early, we gave in.  He gave a really good argument ;o) 

Then I asked him, "What kind of party do you want?"  He replied almost instantly, "Magic!"  So I started my online search for magical ideas and party supplies.  To my surprise, there were plenty of ideas, and I came up with a few of my own.  The only other request was for a rainbow cake, similar to the cupcakes I made in March.

Next week I will post the entire party.  I have ideas for decorations, activities, party favors, food, and of course the cake!  Have a safe and sane rest of the week, and I will see you soon with our magical festivities.

p.s.  I also have company coming this weekend too!!

Cupcake Spotlight (June 2011)

Is it a cookie? Is it a cupcake? It's a mix between the two.  I started making these about 15 years ago.  I loved a store at our local mall called Original Cookie (who since has been taken over by Mrs. Field's).  They had these little delectable cookies filled with frosting.  Every time I would go the mall, I would buy one.  The only thing was, they were super expensive.

This began my quest to making my own version.  After several attempts, I came up with the process.  It's not hard, but does involve a few steps.  Also, I discovered using Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough does work best.  Homemade doughs tend to be too soft, and wind up burning the edges before the center gets cooked. 

I thought these would be perfect to make for 4th of July.  They travel well to parties and picnics, and are always a crowd pleaser. Decorate them with festive sprinkles and you are guaranteed to be a hit.

Enjoy!

Click here for recipe.
Linking to these parties.

Golden Raisin Almond Cinnamon Buns

I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend.  We did!  We spent the weekend with friends and play dates.  Today was spent with my sweet boys and an afternoon of shopping. 

A little while ago, I baked a bunch of various treats for a bake sale.  One of the tasty items was a variation on a previous post of cinnamon rolls.  I added golden raisins and almonds to the mix and it was yummy. I also changed the frosting up a bit to a plain powder sugar glaze, instead of cream cheese. I didn't want the icing to compete with the delicious raisins and almonds.

Follow the instructions for cinnamon rolls and filling in this post.  When making the filling add 1/2 c. of golden raisins and 1/3 c. toasted slivered almonds.  Bake as instructed.

Recipe for Glaze

2 c. powder sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 4 tbsp. water

In a medium bowl add powder sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Slowly add water one tablespoon at a time until you reach a smooth and slightly runny consistency.  You want to be able to drizzle the frosting.  Top with almonds.

Roll into a rectangle and trim if necessary

Evenly spread filling and start to roll from long end

Pre-score the slices to get even rolls

Drizzle with frosting and almonds

Patriotic Cookies

It's not too late to make a sweet treat for this weekend.  Are you invited to a picnic or having guests over?  This is a perfect end to a day of festivities.  I have shared this recipe before, but wanted to give a few extra tips for making them even easier.

Recipe for cake like cookies.

Here are a few tips:

• If you are in a rush and can't make your own frosting, go ahead and cheat with store bought frosting.  I feel if part of the dessert is homemade (like the cookie) you can get by with a canned frosting.
• Make sure to use a generous amount of frosting. The one thing that is so delicious about these cookies is the thick layer of frosting.
• If you are freezing the cookies, go ahead and flash freeze them on the cookie sheet before stacking them in a container.  Use parchment paper in between layers to prevent sticking upon thawing.
• If making them for a crowd use a small circle cutter (about 2 inches).  The smaller size is easier to eat at a picnic and allows people to try several flavors.
• Want to change up the  flavor combination?  Try adding 1 tsp of lemon extract or almond extract to the dough instead of vanilla.

Another great benefit of making these cookies yourself is you can control the quality of ingredients.  Also, the store bought version has a disclaimer for nut allergies, make them yourself and you can be nut free!

I didn't really need to show how to cream sugar and butter. This picture is just a ploy to show my new hot pink mixer ;o)

I used a biscuit cutter to make perfect circles.