Cupcakes for Christopher

I woke up to a pile of dishes that seemed insurmountable.  I washed until the dish drainer was full and the dishes on top were doing more balancing than drying.  I then began to wash more and fill up the second sink with drying dishes.  The second sink was full and there was still a pile of dishes to be done.
"Oh girls!" I exclaimed, "What is mama going to do w/ these dishes? I have no more room for them."
Katie, in all of her 4 (almost 5) year old wisdom said , "Save 'em for next time I want to make Lightning McQueen cookies!!!"

THAT'S MY GIRL!!! I gathered the remaining dirty dishes into a neat pile next to the sink and began the preparations for race car cookies.  I had a rough idea of what we would do and figured we would also improvise along the way. As I got ready to begin the sugar cookie recipe Katie looked at me with concern and said, "Is there wheat in these cookies mama?"

Christopher, Becky's Son and the only boy of the group, has a wheat allergy. Katie and him have already begun plans for their wedding. They are convinced they will be getting hitched very soon.  So convinced that Christopher invites everyone he comes in contact with to come to the event and the other evening when they were over for dinner he stood up, very grownup like, and announced, "UNCLE JONATHAN I have a very important question... Can I marry Katie?!"

When I informed Katie that there was wheat in the sugar cookies she was very concerned and I told her that I didn't have cookies but I did have a cake mix that we could make for him. (By the way, if you are into the gluten/wheat free diet Becky and I are big supporters of Bob's Red Mill products.)   Cupcakes were a very suitable alternative and we substituted our cookie sheet for muffin tin.  The next thing that hit my mind was the fact that I was out of red food dye.  Oh well, surrounded by two sisters and two girl "cousins" Christopher would be able to handle dark pink instead of red as long as I could convince Katie that it was Red. 
I turned half of my white icing "red" w/ raspberry extract flavoring and the other half "Dinoco" Blue. 

We baked a dozen cupcakes and I poured the remainder of the mix into a heart shaped silicone cake dish my mom had given me a few Valentine's Days ago. The cake was going to be the girls' to decorate any way they wanted.  I covered the cake in the raspberry icing straight out of the oven giving it a bit of a poke cake effect and then let it cool.  After the cupcakes cooled I iced them in the blue and did the designs in our red creation.  Katie decided on the words "Ka-chow, the number 95, a lightning bolt, a checkered flag, and my sad line drawing of Lightning McQueen himself. I drizzled the icing that was left in the piping tube onto the now cooled cake and gave the girls sprinkles to decorate.  I am not sure I am going to be able to find the cake under the sprinkles.

Katie and Abby in their aprons from Great Aunt Judy. Waiting for the cupcakes to bake.

Burying the cake in sprinkles!!!!!

Sprinkle Cake

Lightning McQueen Cupcakes

Libby after enjoying the cupcakes

Tonight Jake and Jonathan (Becky's and My husbands) are replacing the clutch in our car.  So we will be having dinner and dessert. WHEAT FREE!!!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Down.

Well, here it goes. I have tried blogging before and it has died off quickly, but I LOVE baking, crafting and photography. I have pictures and crafts filling up my house w/ no purpose other than to say to people..."HEY!! Look at what I did today!!!" Not trying to toot my own horn, just love putting stuff together. I get intense pleasure out of taking the odds and ends I have lying around and making a wreath, or taking a pound of ground beef and a cup of rice and coming up with a unique dining creation to feed 14 people. (Me and my family (4) My best friends and their families (10)) 
I have been known to put my kids in the car and run over to my best friend Becky's house for some much needed "Crafting Therapy." As our kids join together in their bedlam we sit around a large box of ribbon or felt creating/finishing a project and taking deep breaths as we join together in our mommy mantra. "We love our kids, We love our kids." 

Me and Becky and ALL our kids!!

Wreath that I showed up at Becky's house w/ half finished  for Crafting Therapy.

 A cake I decorated for my December Mothers of Preschoolers meeting

 Chocolate covered strawberry cake for my friend Jamie's Surprise party. Even the cake was chocolate strawberry, and I was extra proud because this was my first attempt at Chocolate covered Strawberries. I thought they looked exquisite!

Chocolate Cupcakes filled w/ strawberry mousse. The cup of plain mousse in the middle was for my husband. He is allergic to chocolate. Poor guy!! :P

Nothing brings a smile to  my face more than giving someone one of my creations. Whether it is a craft or a dinner or a baked good.  The fact that making it gave me joy and receiving it gives them joy, makes the process wonderful. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively it is the sugar of my life. I see most of the responsibilities of my adult life like taking my medicine.  We never really want to. We most of the time fight it and put it off, knowing the whole while it is in our best interest. But what I have learned is that Mary Poppins had it right. A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine of my life go down a little smoother.