The boys each made a cake for the Cub Scout Cake Bake Auction Fundraiser.
Camp Fire Cake
We baked a chocolate cake and used chocolate frosting. We crushed up red and yellow hard candies and melted them in the oven to make the fire. We used Twix for the fire logs. He placed marshmallows around the bottom of the cake at the end.
Bow and Arrow Cake
We baked a yellow cake and frosted it with chocolate frosting. He placed Graham crackers around the sides of the cake and M&M’s on the top to look like a target. We made and arrow with a dowel rod and some duct tape cut to look like a feather.
My Thanksgiving tradition is to make Gingerbread houses; so I decided to build them with my nieces and nephews this year. It was so much fun, now there are 11 cousins and J is the oldest!
We used Graham Crackers and Waffle Cones for our Gingerbread Houses and Christmas Trees this year.
I used a pear for the Turkey’s body and then cut up fruit to place around the pear for the Turkey’s feathers. These cousins just LOVE fruit.
I read “The Night Before Thanksgiving” to the cousins before bed… It is a great book with cousins and other extended family members. These cousins just love reading too.
My sweet, wonderful boy is growing up so fast. He loves science, Legos, and cousins. J is 9 years old this year and his best friend and cousin is 8. Their birthday’s are just 3 weeks apart and they both love Legos so they had a joint party this year. J’s aunt and I had fun planning another party together.
All the kids colored Lego minifig coloring sheets and we hung them up to make a banner.
J made a Lego container to hold the forks. We covered the juice boxes with construction paper and added dots to look like Legos.
We wrapped some of the gifts to look like Legos too.
J got a few new Lego sets and the Lego Movie.
J gave his cousin a watch for his birthday.
The boys had fun putting their Legos together with Papa.
We played Lego games too.
J’s aunt made cookies to look like Legos and Minifig marshmallow pops.
To start the Lego cake I found a Lego font in a Google search. Then I printed out the boys name and colored it to look like the Lego logo.
Then I used my homemade marshmallow fondant to create edible names that look like the Lego logo.
Next I used candy melts to create the candy Lego bricks and minifigs with my silicone Lego molds.
Then I made the cake with colored white cake mix in my checkered cake pans.
Next I made my butter cream frosting green and frosted the cake. I added the candy bricks around the boarder of the cake.
Then placed the green fondant on the top portion of the cake and added the name Lego logos on top.
Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
Ingredients:
16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
3 TBSP water
2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
Crisco
Directions:
Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all the loose bits. Grease your hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
When you have your colors finished coat the fondant in a light layer or Crisco; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Store at room temperature for several months. To us it, dust the surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/8 of an inch.
Then I placed a thin piece of yellow fondant around the cake above the bricks and set the minifigs on it.
Then I placed the #8 and #9 candles that I had.
Happy Birthday, my growing boy!!!
He wrote about his Lego party the next day in writing class…
My Mother-in-law loves to play the Hay Day app so we threw her a surprise party. Here is the link to the Android Hay Day App and here is the link to the Apple Hay Day app. The truth is almost every adult in this family plays Hay Day… My in-laws, 3 of their sons, and 2 of their son’s wives.
I made tissue paper pom-pom farm animals and a birthday banner for decorations.
We grilled for dinner. I attempted to make deviled eggs that looked like chicks hatching. I also made carrots out of green silverware and orange napkins.
I printed out the images from the Hay Day wiki for the signs that are on the table.
Juice Press: apple juice, lemonade
BBQ Grill: hamburgers, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and pork steaks, cornbread
Salad Bar: lettuce, olives, cheese, bacon bits, carrots, tomatoes
She got a favorite book as a gift and read it to the grandkids.
Then we had dessert. I had cow pies (chocolate covered nuts), haystacks, and blackberry muffins.
Pie Oven: mini pie crust with pudding to put in them, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
Ice Cream Maker: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream cones with blackberry jam as a topping
Last I made her favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting to look like a pig pen. I made the pigs with pink marshmallow fondant. I put KitKats all around the cake and made little flowers and grass around the outside with colored butter cream frosting. I made the ladder with tootsie rolls.
T turned 4 this year! He loves the minions on Despicable Me so we chose that as his birthday theme this year. I layered his cake with blueberry and yellow cakes then frosted it with butter cream before I added the fondant.
Marshmallow Fondant Recepie
Ingredients:
16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
3 TBSP water
2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
Crisco
Directions:
Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all the loose bits. Grease your hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
When you have your colors finished coat the fondant in a light layer or Crisco; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Store at room temperature for several months. To us it, dust the surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/8 of an inch.
We also had banana splits since the Minions seem to love bananas.
I made these marshmallow minions with yellow candy melts.
I cut up banana pieces and let the kids dip them in the chocolate fountain then dip them in a topping.
I used yellow cups, electrical tape, and googly eyes for these cute Minion cups.
We also had a pinyata.
For lunch we had stuffed crust pizza… “Oooo Stuffed Crust” (that’s one of the boys favorite lines in the movie.)We also had a pinyata.
I also found these Minion snacks.
I made Minions out of plastic Easter eggs and filled them with banana Runts.
Then I made these cute balloons too.
Time for presents! I used Minion Duct Tape around the bottom of a plastic blue table cloth for the tables.
My sister-in-law, Cloninger Photography, did a great job with his birthday pictures again this year.
The boys and I made a yummy dessert and fun Father’s Day cards for their Daddy!
“I Love You This Much” Card
First the boys traced and cut out 2 hand prints. Next we wrote, “I love you…” on the hands.
Next we cut a strip of paper and wrote “This Much” on it. Then we folded it back and forth over and over.
Finally we glue the strip in between the two hand prints.
Superman Father’s Day Card
First fold two sides of a piece of paper in to meet in the middle.
Fold down the corners of the top to look like triangles.
Next we cut out a tie shape and glued it to one side of the folded front. Then we glued 3 buttons to the other side of the folded front.
On the inside at the top we wrote, “DAD” and put a Superman emblem in the middle.
Oreo Brownie Cookie Bars
First press down some cookie dough into a baking pan.
Then add Oreo’s to cover the cookie dough.
Last we add the brownie batter to the top of the Oreo’s.
Bake and enjoy with ice cream!
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo Brownie Bars
Ingredients:
Package of Brownie Mix (+the eggs, oil and water needed for that!)
Package of Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (I opted to make the Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough from scratch! If you go this route – use a little less flour than you normally would to keep the cookies moist.)
Package of Oreos (regular or Double Stuffed – you choose!)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking pan with wax paper or foil and spray with cooking spray. (You can opt for a 13×9 pan if you want thinner bars.)
2. Make your cookie dough whichever way you like and spread in the bottom of the pan. If you are making a full batch of homemade Toll House cookie dough, you will only need half the batch!
3. Cover your cookie dough with Oreo cookies.
4. Whip up your brownie mix and pour evenly over the Oreo cookies.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
6. Cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy! Add some ice cream to completely put this indulgence over the top!
I homeschooled my 2 boys and my husband’s 2 little sisters. We had an End of the Year celebration with lots of fun! I surprised the kids with a banner hanging when they woke up that morning.
I took pictures of the kids on their toes and jumping with their hands in the air; then printed them, cut them out, and laminated them. Added a ribbon where their hands met in the air. We gave these to our Grandmas for bookmarks.
Handprint Footprint Flower
I put the boys hands in pink paint and their foot in green paint and made prints on the paper. they cut them out and glued them to a green stem, so they looked like a flower.
Mother’s Day Card
I painted the boys hands and placed them in the paper in the shape of a heart. Then I put their foot in green paint and placed it at the bottom of the paper. “From the bottom of my HEART… to the tip of my toes… I LOVE YOU!”
A Surprise From My Son
My 3rd grader is the sweetest. He made me a card full of puzzles including a secret code.
My sister and I have built gingerbread houses on Thanksgiving since we were teenagers. Now we live 2000 miles apart so this is the first time we have made them together in years; and we got to involve our kids too.
