It has been awhile.

I am embarrassed that it has taken me so long to get back to posting. Last week was crazy busy and I have been sick again.

Not only did I have My Boy's birthday, we also celebrated Baby Bugs Birthday. We had family over for cake and ice cream to celebrate both birthdays.

My son's only request was that his cake was to be chocolate. Since I was going to put quite the effort into his hamburger cake I just bought one for the family party.

I got this beauty at Samm's club. I bought large star sprinkles and matching star candles at Walmart. hint: shop in the party favor section, the candles are cuter and cheaper. The sprinkles were from the cake decorating section in crafts.



Baby Bug loves Raspberries. So I piled them high on a made from scratch Raspberries lace cake. I find anything piled high on a cake to be impressive. Try chopped up candy bars or even gum balls.

That's how we roll

Although summer is almost over, I still like a cold treat whenever I can get one. This frozen log of love (oh yes, it's a log and it is full of love) is good in any weather.

Homemade Ice Cream Cake Roll (MIL recipe):

1 chocolate cake mix

6 eggs

2/3 cup water

2 half gallon blocks ice cream any flavor (Blocks are hard to find. I had to use the cylinder and it has less ice cream in it.)

Beat the eggs a couple of minutes then add the water. Beat the cake mix into egg mixture till light and fluffy. Cover to jelly roll pans (cookie sheets) with waxed paper. Divide batter evenly and spread out on pans. Bake 16-18 minutes at 325 degrees.

While cake is a warm from the oven, sprinkle a plain cotton dish towel with powered sugar. Turn warm cake upside down on sugared towel. Peel of wax paper and roll the cake with towel.

Let cool. This will help prevent big cracks from forming when you roll the ice cream and cake.

Cut ice cream into slices.

Place slices onto unrolled cake.

Using the back of a large spoon press ice cream and smooth in cracks.

Roll up length wise.

Some cracks will occur. No worries. Just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and cracks will disappear. Freeze until firm. It helps the rolls quality to also wrap a couple of grocery bags around finished roll before freezing longer than a couple of days.

Slice and serve. You could also drizzle with your favorite topping.

Remember: this recipe makes to Ice Cream Cake Rolls, so there is enough to share or enough to last through your favorite TV show.

Piles and Piles of Presents

Ahhhh, I'm late! I am just catching the tail end of Tuesdays Trash for Treasure with Kimm @ Reinvented. Wait, it's Tuesday right?

It has been a rough day. Starting with Baby Bug being covered in an awful rash and ending in Wild Child falling asleep with a Migraine and a whole lot of crazy in between. Still, I love my trash and wanted to share another 2x4 scrap idea with you.

So, stain your scraps. Size doesn't really matter. (In fact go larger for a bigger impact.) Any scrap will do.

Then Mod Podge scrap paper to your blocks and tie on some ribbon.
There you have it. You can make piles and piles of tiny wooden presents to add a bit of Christmas flare to any shelf or counter top.


Wrap them up in cellophane and you have a great friend or neighbor gift for this upcoming holiday season.

Mod Podge Some Birthday Cake

I have been working on making homemade Warm Delights with a box cake mix. (recipe here) I thought it would be fun to give as birthday gifts for friends, neighbors and co-workers. So I put this mix in a jar. To make the gift wrapping fun and to re-use what I have I grabbed small jars. You can use half pint or pint depending on recipe size.

Cut a 2 1/2 inch circle out of scrap scrapbook paper. Mod Podged onto a used, but washed canning lid.

I just Mod Podged the edge.

Then covered the top in Mod Podge. (Let's see how many times I can use the words Mod Podge in this post.)

Tie a ribbon with a candle. Include directions on tag.

Microwave cake right in jar.

Let cake cool before adding candle.

Here are a couple of other Mod Podge posts for this month. Click on photo for full post. (The bread box post is one of my favorites. Be sure to check it out if you are new to my blog.)




Be sure to check out other Mod Podging nuts at Xazmin's Mod Podge Mainia @ This Is The Year.

Microwave cake

I Love Betty Crocker Warm Delights!!! They are delicious and convenient, but sadly, a bit pricey. I have tried microwave mug cakes. Gross! When I heard my MIL discussing how one of my cutie nieces made microwave cakes using a cake mix I knew I needed to give it a try.

You will need: (for a 2 serving cake, that I of course will eat all by myself, use the following recipe. Cut recipe in half for single serve.)

1/2 cup cake mix

3 tablespoons water

1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Stir cake mix and chocolate chips with water until completely moistened.

Microwave for 65 seconds. If cake still appears wet, microwave for an additional 5 secs at a time until all wet spots are gone.

It definitely needs the chocolate chips or frosting. I am working on a recipe for the fudgy filling.

You can use any cake mix. Be sure to try them all and get crazy creative with your add ins. I am thinking Carmel bits will be handy. You may have to try it over and over agian. Just remember cake eaten in the name of science does not hurt you. It's for the greater good.

Homemade Bookmark

This is a fun east activity for kids. Your child may want to make a whole bunch of bookmarks to give-a-way to friends for school or even simply gifts to Aunts and Uncles.

You will need:

Paper

Clear Contact Paper

Scissors

Markers, paints, stickers or whatever you can find

You can cut the paper into strips or have your child color the entire paper first then cut into strips. You can also use existing art work.
Color.

Cut 2 pieces of contact paper for the front and back of you bookmark.

Adhere to paper. Smooth out bubbles.

Trim edges. There you have it. A homemade book mark.

You might even want to read books with your child before or after your craft or even take a field trip to the Library.

Once S'more

Every summer I cover the inside of a shoe box with foil. The kids and I then make s'mores out in the sun. We talk about reflection, outside temp., solar power and such. We try it at different times of the day so the kids can get a feel for how the temperature rises and falls. Anyway, it's mostly just for fun now, but when they are older I will help them look up answers on the Internet.

Another sideways picture. Ahhhh, I swear it was fine 2 seconds ago.

So if it is still hot in your region of the world, find a shoe box and give it a try. It works better if you let the marshmallow sit a few minutes in the sun first. It doesn't take long for the chocolate to melt.

Impressive Loaf

This bread tastes as great as it looks. I love using this recipe to add pizazz to a meal lacking in visual excitement.

You will need:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough

1 loaf frozen wheat bread dough

melted butter

Set dough out to thaw slightly.

Dough needs to be firm enough to cut. Cut into 8-10 pieces.

Dip each piece of dough and place dough in greased bread pans. Alternating white and wheat. (I skipped the butter this time so that the dough would stick to each other so I could slice it and have each color showing. The butter will cause it to be unnecessary to slice. You can just pull it apart.)

Cover and let rise. I didn't give mine enough time. Be sure to start early enough so that your bread will be able to rise over the top of the pan.

Bake, slice and enjoy!

Frame tutorial

I finally finished up another frame for craft it forward. Wow, it's a good thing I got procrastination out of the way. Just in time to be several days late for Mod Podge Mania @ This is the Year with Xazmin.

You will need:

A wooden frame (from Michaels)

Wooden letters (optional)

Scrap paper

scissors

Pen

Mod Podge

Paint

Stain

Ribbon (optional)

Embellishments (optional)

Paint or stain frame and peg. (the peg comes with the frame)

Trace frame on paper. I include the dot to represent were the hole for the peg is on the back so that when I glue the paper I know exactly what direction to place it. Be careful were you place frame. I have cut the paper several times to find out I included that little white strip on the bottom of the paper. (Classic Melissa :))

Paint letters. I also inked the edges.

Mod Podge it all together.

I love these little stickers on frames for girls.

These frames make great gifts! They would be even better with pictures of me in them. No they wouldn't. I joke. I would never be that mean.