The Gift of Starbucks

One of my favorite gifts to give (and get!) is a Starbucks Gift Card.
Here's a super cute way to give one as a fun gift!

Here's What You'll Need:

 1 Starbucks cup, dome lid, and their signature green straw
Gift Card
Brown paper (I used a bag)
White Tissue
Hot Glue

Here's How:
1. Cut your brown paper to the appropriate size of the cup. Crunch the paper for texture.

2. Fill your cup with the brown paper and stick the gift card in the middle of the cup.

3. Top the brown paper with crunched white tissue.
('cause you can't have a Starbucks drink without their whipped cream!)
I cut the straw in half and hot glued it to the top of the white tissue.

4. Don't forget to add the persons' name and the type of drink they are getting.
Go on, you know you've always envisioned yourself working there...

This particular one was a 'Birthday Frapp' for Joel's dad.

Or as part of a 'End of the Year Gift' for Reese's teacher...

I added a beach towel and magazine to the 'drink' and placed it all in a beach bag!

The perfect ingredients for a great summer!

Happy FIRST Day of SUMMER!!!!!!

I don't know about you, but I'd like to celebrate with 
a tall, decaf, iced, white mocha with whip. 
Or a grande passion tea lemonade, sweetened..... 
or a tall cookie crumble frappuccino .... 
or a tall vanilla bean afrigado.....
Oh, the possibilities are endless. 

What's your favorite drink?

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Graduation Celebration Lunch

Reese's Great-Grandma hosted a Graduation Lunch for Reese after she graduated Kindergarten.

We had such a nice time celebrating with Reese.

I made the desserts and did minimal decorations.
We had fun with 'unusual' graduation colors....

Instead of a whole cake, I decided to make cupcakes (in Reese's pick of flavor).
I happened upon these cute baking cups at Wal-Mart and thought they'd be perfect to hold my cupcakes and the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup graduation hats on a stick.

 The flavor Reese picked???

(I couldn't agree more!)

 They turned out great... the SECOND time.

When I put the first batch of cupcakes in the oven and was cleaning up the counters, 

I saw these; sitting pretty, room temp and all.....

In case you are wondering, this particular recipe without eggs isn't any good!

{You can find the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes here. 

Just don't forget the eggs!}

I also served fruit dips with fruit salad.

 Reese's Great Aunt found these fun cookies that resembled diplomas.
(I cut Fruit Roll Ups into strips and tied them around the cookies.)

 Mini S'mores Cups were the frozen dessert for this lunch.

 {Frozen S'mores Cups can be found here. Instead of using the pan she recommended, I put my desserts in mini cupcake liners and they turned out perfect!}



I think it's safe to say the desserts were enjoyed! :)

Reese was showered with great gifts!

A huge THANKS to the family and friends that have shown Reese so much love and made her Kindergarten Graduation so special!!!!

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Con'grad'ulations Reese!

Some may say I went a little 'over-board' with the whole graduation thing.
Okay, maybe I did... a little.... and I loved it, a LOT.

My first baby is now 'officially' a big girl.
Big girl as in, she attends the Ladies room on her own in restaurants and can fill her own plate of food when we are eating. Okay, so I usually 'happen' to have to go to the bathroom when she does and we're working on the 'only take what you can eat' thing.
She's more and more independent everyday! (sniff sniff)



May 25, 2012

Her class performed "The Little Red Hen".
Fittingly, Reese was the Red Hen!

Here she comes! (It's very serious business!)

The class did many poems and songs they learned this year including Psalm 1!

When Reese was awarded her awards, her teacher had such sweet things to say about her. She told us how Reese was so kind to everyone in class and how hard she worked this year in her Bible memorization, reading and math.

Congratulations Class of 2024!!!!!!

On to first grade...

 My handsome guys in attendance!

We had a small dessert reception following the graduation.

First Grade Here We Come!

With the help of another Mom, we served lots of finger desserts, fruit and dip assortments.

However, I cannot take credit for the cake. (Just the fondant worm on top) :) 

A very sweet and talented lady in our Church agreed to make the cakes and turned my 

pinterest-found-print-outs into real cake!

(I'll share my dessert recipes and decoration how-to's in a future post.)

A 'School Supply Cake' and a framed teacher poster decorated the beverage table.

I also made graduation frames with the graduates' pictures. 

(They got to take these home to keep as a gift from Reese.)

Centerpieces for the dessert tables were pencil covered vases with fresh flowers.

Congratulations Reese!
We are so very proud of you! You have amazed us daily with all of the things you have learned this year! Thank you for being a sweet student, friend, sister and daughter. We thank Jesus that He put you in our family! What a blessing you are!
We love you!
Mommy, Daddy & Graham

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Last Day of Kindergarten

We recently celebrated the 

'Last day of Kindergarten' for this little girl....

 (You can get this sign here.)


Can you see the excitement????

These are the little bags we purchased for Reese's fellow girl classmates as graduation gifts.
(The boys got a bag full of Spiderman 'boy' things.)

Up next...... Kindergarten Graduation!!!

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The BEST Macaroni and Cheese.....

I know, I know.....
EVERYONE and their Mother has 'The BEST' Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
Well, I do too! ;)

It's the only kind I make... er, um.... if I don't reach for the kind in the blue box.
(Hey! I am NOT the only person who serves the occasional
macaroni-and-cheese-from-a-box-with-powder-as-'cheese').

So, when I have the time (which really isn't an excuse with this recipe) and when I'm craving 'the real deal' this is what I serve.....

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Here's What You Need:

2 cups elbow macaroni (or any pasta you have on hand)

2 eggs, beaten

1 can evaporated milk

1 stick of margarine, melted

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

4 Tb melted margarine

Here's How:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until almost tender. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and the stick of melted margarine. Season with salt.

3. Put 1/2 of the cooked macaroni into a 2 quart baking dish and top with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese.

Repeat layers.

4. Pour the milk mixture over the macaroni and cheese.

5. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, paprika, 4 Tb melted margarine and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle bread mixture over the macaroni.

6. Bake at 350* until brown and bubbly, 40-45 minutes.

Make it and enjoy all of the cheesy yumminess that oozes out of the noodles.
Once you taste this recipe, I have a feeling you might agree with the title of
"Best" Macaroni and Cheese!

Adapted from Chef Joe's Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

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