Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes are super easy and fun for the little critters!  You can use just about any cake or muffin recipe.  I used a pumpkin muffin recipe because of the time of year, but I think a white or pink cupcake would seem more like a real ice cream cone!

Kate's getting pretty good with the mixer!

Fill them 3/4 full...

I use a plastic baggie to frost.  You can buy your frosting or whip some up...  The frosting recipe I use is from Allrecipes...  Here it is:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

Super easy to whip up!

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and in a large mixing bowl. Begin mixing while slowly pouring in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.  Several minutes—be patient; it’s worth it!

Frost and top with sprinkles or little candies--Katie absolutely loved making this recipe--it wasn't too challenging, and she can sprinkle the toppings on after I frost them. 

We never know when that little treasure is going to arrive, but my email inbox seems to be the source of never-ending inspiration.  Amongst the many chain letters that I'm supposed to forward or I'll spontaneously combust--I was sent a story about a young girl, a mom, and a post office worker with a big heart.   After I read the story I was in tears, but I appreciate this so much because we have two aging animals--a dog that's 15 and a cat going on 18...  What a lovely sentiment: Here it is as I received it...


There is a God in the Post Office.

This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the  US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words: 

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her, You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith ,' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the Letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Lycopene occurs naturally in tomatoes, and it has long been suggested to work as an anti-carcinogen. Recent studies that have questioned lycopene’s effectiveness in fighting prostate cancer, and other studies say that tomato’s cancer fighting qualities are due to a number of different compounds in tomatoes, rather than lycopene by itself.  But several other recent studies have shown that the tomato-derived carotenoid lycopene may in fact reduce the risk of several cancers by activating cancer preventative enzymes…  

So what should you do?  Eat pizza… regularly!  Okay, maybe not everyday, but with studies supporting the positive effect of tomatoes to fight cancer, and suggestions that tomato paste or stewed tomatoes might be more potent, pizza with tomato sauce might just fit the bill.  And pizza doesn’t have to be unhealthy either.  There are plenty of ways to create a healthy pizza dinner that is low in saturated fat and packed with your favorite vegetables and fruits.  We make pizza at our house a lot—I love to experiment with the dough, and Katie loves to put the toppings on. 

Buy low-fat mozzarella cheese and pick your favorite toppings to suit your diet. 
Here is my favorite recipe for the pizza dough—I do not buy the dough pre-made, it’s just too easy to do from home.  It’s also therapeutic, IMHO, to prepare any yummy dough!

 
Homemade Pizza Dough

1 envelope or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (run your tap as hot as it gets—110 degrees approx.)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
You can also add spices to your dough—garlic or other herbs…  I’ve also added parmesan cheese—nummy!

How easy is this?

In a large bowl mix the yeast and brown sugar with the water (110 degrees).  Allow the yeast to sit for 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt and oil. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.  Reserve one cup to knead in as you work…

Using a clean, floured surface knead in flour from reserve until the dough is no longer sticky. I usually knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.  Place the dough into an oiled bowl.  Lightly rub the ball of dough with olive oil as well, and cover it with a cloth. You will need to let the dough rise until its doubled, about 1 hour.

Next, punch down the dough and form a ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before forming your crust. You can roll it out, or you can form by hand.  I use corn meal on a lightly greased pizza pan—this helps to remove the crust when it’s done baking.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let the dough rise for another 15 minutes before topping and baking it. Choose your favorite toppings and have fun!  (You can precook it a bit, but I’ve never done this and mine always turns out fine.)

Bake pizza in preheated oven until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

I usually just use an organic spaghetti sauce with extra herbs added for the pizza sauce, but you can also make this from scratch as well.

So much fun to do with the kiddos!

You can use just about anything for toppings...

Almost done...  Didn't she do great?

Now if you really want to get all crazy, you can grill your pizza! 
That is, if you live where it's warm--like me!  (in the 80s this week!)

How the heck do you grill pizza?

Using a covered grill with a large surface area is best so you can crisp one side of the crust then flip over onto indirect heat to warm the toppings and melt your cheese.

To cook pizzas on a charcoal grill, use coals at  medium-hot temp on one half of the grill—and transfer enough coals to the other side for melting toppings. If you use a gas grill with two burners, preheat one burner on high and then leave the other unlit till it’s time to melt toppings. For a single-burner gas grill, preheat on high and lower the flame to cook the second side of the pizza.

Form pizza dough into 8-inch circles and place on a floured surface.

Transfer 1 or 2 dough circles onto the hot side of the grill. Within 1 minute the dough will puff and the underside will firm. Using tongs, flip the crusts over and onto the cooler side of the grill.

Top your crusts. Cover the grill and cook.  You may want to rotate the pizzas a few times until toppings are heated, about 4-6 minutes.
 

What a dear heart!  Erin from The Mom Buzz given me an award—I’m tickled!  If you haven’t been to The Mom Buzz, you’re seriously missing out—all the cool mom-tips you could ever look for. The award is the Smile Award—which was given to her from Felicia at Go Graham Go (another great blog!)

The qualifications to receive this award are:
A. Display a cheerful attitude.
B. Love one another.
C. Make mistakes.
D. Learn from others.
E. Be a positive contributor to the blog world.
F. Love life.
G. Love kids.

The Rules:

1. Please link back!
2. Post the rules
3. Choose 5 people to give it to
4. Recipients must fill the characteristics above
5. Create a post to share this
6. Thank the winners!

So, I think these five bloggers deserve this smile award!  They make me smile, and I look forward to reading each of their blogs daily!

1. Robin at Healthy Living
2  Frogs in my Formula
3. Jan at Better Spines
4. Patricia at Communication Exchange
5. And a new blog I found today: AZ Mom of Many Hats…

 

So there you have it fellow bloggers!  Thanks for making the smiles and giggles, and if you want to play along, grab the award and share the love...

What’s one thing that every mamma wishes for?  More time.  Mommyhood in the 21st century is more than a simple juggling act; it’s more like a three-ring circus (well at least at my house)! 


Nicole's top 10 ways to spare a few minutes…

10.    Let the critter choose whatever she wants for breakfast.  Yes, she can choose whatever she wants—she’s not going to eat it.   *Time saved—at least 14 minutes.

9.  Keep juice kid-reachable in the fridge and fruits handy where she can get to them easily (she’s going to be hungry because she didn’t eat her breakfast).  But this also requires that you keep the floor clean; they’ll scavenge off of the floor if you let them.  (Whatever you do, don’t teach them the 10 second rule)  *Net time saved—6 minutes.

8.  Junk baskets are the king collector bins.  Jewelry? Junk basket.  Jelly beans? Junk basket. Spoon. Junk basket.  *Time saved not searchin' for humdingers—7 minutes.








7.  When in doubt, throw it out.  If you’re not sure what it is, and if within the last month it hasn’t been worn, played with, fought over, or eaten—goodbye, adios!

6.  Let the lollygaggin’ kiddo dress herself.  This requires some practice, and humility....    *Time saved not arguing—7 minutes.

5.  Sweats and a big a** purse.  Comfy sweats can easily take 11 minutes off your daily prep. No highfalutin garb here, and a big purse is easy to keep kid-ready: Baby wipes, Benadryl, crayons, camera, cell phone, fruit snack, change of underwear, squeegee, the basics…

4.  Buy in bulk. 

3.  Multi-tasking.  This one is a given but worth mentioning all the same.  Most moms that I know can talk to their BFFs on the phone while texting their husband and cooking dinner—and checking their email.  *Time saved—22 minutes.

2.  McDonald's.  Oh those golden arches (must have a play area!)  This one is a big time saver.  You don’t have to cook.  The play-date is built in.  If you get a Happy Meal, too, then she has 2 toys to play with…  *Time saved—29 minutes.  **This can also lead to the ever-so-coveted nap, in which time saved easily doubles. 

1.  And the number one mom time saver: Noggin!  Guaranteed to stop any toddler in her tracks...   Need I say more? Time saved—one hour! 

Total time saved using these easily manageable tips?  Almost 2 and a half hours!  What to do with time saved?         Blog, of course!

I didn’t want to leave the dads out.  So here are the top 5 ways to save time if you're a guy.

5.Clothes. Just take them off and leave them where ever you're standing.  *Time saved daily—5 minutes.

4. Closet doors, dresser drawers, doors.  Just leave them open, no need for that pesky closing and reopening stuff... Lights, garage doors, toilet seats—no need to turn ‘em off, shut them, or put them down; you just have to back track to turn ‘em on, open them or lift again.  *Time saved—4 minutes

3.  Lawn.  Only mow the lawn once a month—sure the wife will nag, but think of the time saved.  *Time saved--One hour.



2.  Rocks.  Landscaping with rocks in the backyard doubles the time saved…  *Time saved—Two more hours.

1.  Beer.  Yes I said beer.  It works for a meal, snack, light entertainment--whatever.  No more asking, “What’s for dinner, babe?”  *Time saved—15 minutes.
 

Total time saved?  Over 3 hours!  What do men do with their time saved?  Golf…

I thought it would be kinda cool to create a greeting card for the holidays on Animoto... (This is only a test--not my actual greeting card...)  Take a peek if you want--WARNING: it's kinda long and redundant, but you'll get the idea after 10 secods or so. Oh, if I didn't mention it, Animoto is super easy, too.  All you have to do is pic your pictures and select them to be uploaded--then the rest is taken care of by the application.  The application feels your music and delivers a phenomenal product.  If you don't have your own music, Animoto has a selection to choose from.  I'm tellin' ya--if you have a few pictures hangin' round your computer, try it out--you'll be amazed.  The video below took me about 15 minutes to make (after I shot some pictures with my camera).  Total time spent was about 1/2 an hour...  I'm not sure what my next project will be, but I'm sure I'll have to share it! 

 I’m obsessed...
 
With reading labels, that is…If it has a label on it, I’ll read it!

Tea is always good for the soul!  And it was a welcome surprise today when I read the back of my box of tea...  Food for thought
 
If I had my child to raise all over again,

                        I’d finger paint more and point the finger less. 

I’d do less correcting and more connecting.
 
    I’d take my eyes off my watch and watch
         with my eyes. 

                     I would care to know less and know to care more. 

I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.

   I’d stop playing serious and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

              I’d do more hugging and less tugging. 

   I would be firm less often and affirm much more. 

I’d build self-esteem first and the house later. 

I’d teach less about the love of power and more about the power of love. 

~Diane Loomans from Full Esteem Ahead...

Pucker up…   Lemons are good for you!  There are many uses for this delightfully yellow fruit.  The lemons in my back yard are just beginning to ripen—I can’t stand it; I’m so excited!

What are some of the benefits of this sunshine fruit? 

Lemons are packed with vitamin C; they’ve been said to enhance your beauty by rejuvenating skin from within and bringing a glow to your face—I’m not sure about that, but it’s worth a try! 

Some say that lemons help to flush toxins from the body, and lemons are purported to help with gallstones and kidney stones. They are also known for breaking fevers and curbing the common cold, improving the immune system and fighting infections.

Well, all I know for sure is that the lemons are in season here in the desert, and I couldn’t be more excited!  A little lemon in my water, tea, smoothies, even cookies!  (Yes, I said cookies!)  I have a fabo cookie recipe for you using some lemon zest (num). 

Check out cookie recipe below!

Lemon Zest Cookies!

3/4 cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest  

In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add large egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Add lemon zest. Stir until soft dough forms.

Divide dough in half. Chill for a few hours. Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough and cut cookies or form a ball and press with the bottom of a cup dipped in sugar.   

Bake for 8-10 minutes.    

Lemon Tips:

Choose smooth-skinned lemons that feel heavy for their size.
 
Store lemons in the refrigerator. 

One medium lemon equals approximately one tablespoon of lemon zest and two tablespoons of lemon juice. 

Before juicing, use your palm to roll the lemon on the counter top a few times to help extract the juice.

If you will be using both the lemon zest and juice, remove the zest first before cutting and juicing the lemon.

When zesting a lemon, make sure to remove only the thin bright yellow part of the skin as the white pith underneath tastes bitter.

Lemon juice sprinkled over avocados, apples, etc. helps prevent discoloration.  

Nature Made Vitamins is offering a free 14 day sample of selected vitamins...  I went for the liquid gel vitamin B--But they are also offering samples of C, D, Calcium, and a few multi-vitamins...  You can't beat free!

You can also apply to be a Jergens Naturals Ambassador for their new Naturals line--NO Parabens--I like that! 

          "Approximately 2,500 respondents will be selected as Brand Ambassadors. We will notify you by email in the coming weeks if you have been selected, and we will also send you a package containing a Jergens® Naturals™ Daily Moisturizer for you, as well as up to 10 samples and coupons for you to share with your friends. We will ask you to complete a brief online survey after receiving and sharing the Jergens® Naturals™ Daily Moisturizers samples and coupons." 

It took about 2 minutes to sign up--easy schmeezy!

And for you coupon collectors--here's a free Kozy Shack Ready Grains Cereal--all natural! 

Everything happens for a reason, right?  I’m not disagreeing: I’m just askin’ cuz today when I woke up, one of the first things that I did was step in dog pee.  And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why… Why. Me. Today? Of course, my husband’s answer is to break out into a terrible rendition of Juvenile’s “Back that a** up,” while I’m cleaning the floor…
 
Now, I kid you not, ten minutes later, I notice that the cover is off of the sandbox—you guessed it; my cat is now peeing in Kate’s play area… Hmmm… Everything. Happens. For. A. Reason… 

My favorite jeans? Dirty. Creamer for the coffee? Empty. Katie pitches a fit in Pier One. Typical. Arizona State defeats Washington State. Comical, huh?

And where’s my eyebrow tweezers? Gone!!!!!! Six exclamation points, you say?  Why? Everyone knows that God put the exclamation point right above the number 1 for a reason, duh!!!!!!

My turn to read to Katie and put her to sleep before snugglin’ with Scott. Took forever. Kate said I give the best tickles.  Seven kisses from my Katie before she fell to sleep. 

Scott’s now snug as a bug—snorin’.  No snuggles… 

Hungry. Ice cream!!!!!!  Everything happens for a reason…

*smiles*