Yum, yum, yum!  I promise!  I was fortunate to get this recipe from someone and now you are being blessed with my good fortune!  Be sure to pass it on …

Compared to last year’s party … this year was WAY low-key!  And perfect.  Just a couple of girls … a movie and dinner at a hibachi place where they know us by name we love.  Perfect.

Anyway.  I wanted to share the bday treat we brought into school yesterday.  I found it on Pinterest {of course!} … super cute, super easy and the birthday girl was on board {which is a bonus btw}.

So … here’s the before {drum roll please} …

And here’s the after!  Despicable Me minions!  Cute, no?  Seriously super easy … the original source is found here, but I’ve created a PDF of just the directions for the cupcakes and you can download it here.

I made it a little easier on myself than what the directions call for.  First, I pre-ordered the frosted cupcakes.  Second, I used frosting from a tube {black gel}, and because I ran into a little frosting fiasco {don’t ask!}, I didn’t frost the rest of the goggles in.  But hey, they’re 8 year olds … who’s gonna notice right?

Taylor and I had lunch with Wynt and Piper and I’m happy to report, the cupcakes were a hit with everyone!

After lunch, I had the seriously incredible privilege of listening to Wynter’s classmates list one adjective that describes her.  Can I just say … what an incredible thing to do!  The teacher wrote each word down on the board and created this bubble around Wynter with beautiful words that not only describe her, but also build her up.  I’m going to print out a copy of the photo and put it somewhere she can see it regularly and let it’s words soak into her heart.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up …
1 Thessalonians 5:11 {ESV}

And, um … it was two boys who gave the words “cute” and “adorable.”  And while, yes … I agree with those sentiments whole-heartedly … it freaked me out a teeny bit.  :)

Happy birthday my precious, vibrant and full-of-life eight year old.  You care for everyone, you want to see everyone happy, you sacrifice, you do, you love.  I am blessed beyond belief to be your mama!

Anyhoo.

I was a tad excited to put some things together!  Actually … I think I was a tad excited to have a reason to put some things together!

Anyhoo {again}.  I thought I’d share the recipes with y’all!

This one is fairly easy … and pretty tasty too … don’t let the ingredient list fool ya!

Cocktail Meatballs:
1 jar of chili sauce
1 jar of water {in empty chili sauce jar}
1 medium can of sauerkraut
1 medium can of whole cranberries
3/4 cup of brown sugar
40-50 meatballs {I use frozen turkey meatballs, but knock yourself out if you have time to make from scratch}

In medium pot, stir together chili sauce, water, sauerkraut, cranberries, and brown sugar until cooked through.  Pour over meatballs in a slowcooker and cook on low for a few hours until cooked through.  Or cook on high for less time.  Use your own Betty Crocker judgement on that one! :)

These little suckers are the tastiest-easiest-ever things to make!  Like literally, 10 minutes and you’ve got a tray full of deliciousness!  Directions found here.

And these?  These my friends are just sinful.  A sinful pan of butter + caramel goodness.  A sinful treat that’ll have you coming back for more … trust me!  Recipe found here.

I’ve never made cake pops before and to be completely honest, have always been a bit intimidated to try.  But when I saw these I thought “cute, simple, basic” … keywords right there!  Bonus … they were pretty yummy too!

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{download directions here}

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Take this amazingly-easy and equally-yummy mini lasagna … even the girls loved it!  The original post is found here, and you can download the recipe here.  Mangia!

Oh! and stay tuned for lots more ways I’ve been “inspired by” Pinterest … I’ve been a busy, busy girl!  :)

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Um yeah … so I do have a little too much time on my hands! ;)  But ya know what?  It’s the first time in a long time that I don’t have a mile-long to-do list and I get to do some fun things … just cuz I wanna!

So … I saw this recipe in the March edition of the Food Network magazine and knew I had to try it!  Honestly, it was super easy … and I promise you, it was super yummy too!

If you want to wow your next dinner guests, download the file here.  Mangia!

{oh! p.s., instead of mixing vanilla frosting, food color & cocoa, i found a buttercream frosting, already tinted yellow, so i didn’t need to do any mixing}

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