Roofio! Roofio!

Thanks to a little inspiration from a friend on Facebook, I decided to test out the rainbow cupcake phenomenon for 'ol St. Patrick's Day!

I can't wait to snack on these little gems. Here's the recipe I followed courtesy of Family Fun.

I couldn't help but think of the legendary food fight from Hook while making these. The bright colors piled on top of each other had me shouting, "ROOOOOFIOOOOO" to my KitchenAid mixer.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and SPRING BREAK!

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Dump me in the pile (or stereotype) of teachers who like apple-ly (yes, that's a word) things. I have several reasons why I like apples. Here are just a few:
1. Apples are delicious
2. Apples dipped in anything are even more delicious
3. Apples are cute as a button

This year, I had two students bring apples to me. It was truly a touching moment!

I think you get the idea. No wait, I think I should elaborate a tad more with visual examples. As most teachers, I need to appeal to all learners who read my post.

classic literature involving apples

fabric to complement your classroom decor

endless possibilities of bulletin boards

yummy and delicious cookies

Now I'm positive that you get the picture. In a nutshell, I'm an apple-lovin' teacher. So today, when my second grade team from Hallsville came to visit me at the lake I made these:

Martha knows best

Before you think I created a masterpiece, I have something to admit. I used box cake mix and pre-made frosting to create this little treats. Whew, I'm glad that's out in the open. 

cupcakes and Vista Grande go together like peas and carrots

Let's just say, Best Choice makes some pretty great white cake mix. Kudos!

I decided to end my day with one more apple-ly project. Can you tell I'm getting excited about the upcoming school year? Pinterest introduced me to this little gem of a project and I was hooked. 

It's the perfect tote to carry papers and whatnot to and from school. Craft Stylish provides a very detailed tutorial on how to complete this project. 

I headed to Wally World and picked up my supplies:

With Michael Scott and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin staff entertaining me, I started stamping away. 

It's not perfect and things got a little messy, but that's quite alright with me! :)

Fondue For You!

While browsing Oh! Afternoon Snacks, I saw their idea of making cupcake fondue. I am a huge fan of cheese and chocolate fondue. Naturally, I wanted to apply this idea to cupcakes. 

Since Andy and I had plans to eat dinner with friends, I thought this was the perfect chance to make a fun dessert! 

I bought a box of Funfetti Cake mix and I made (what seemed like) 1,000 mini cupcakes. 

I prepared the icing as directed on the site and rushed to DG for some sprinkles. Come to find out, Dollar General does not sell sprinkles.

Strike 1!

I also couldn't find any skewers.

Strike 2!

After dinner, we were all sitting and chatting in the living room when we realized the dog, Maggie,  had started eating the cupcakes! She successfully ate roughly half of the pan of mini cupcakes. From her reaction, they were quite tasty! Luckily, we got to eat a few before she invaded.

Strike 3!

I do believe next time I make this fun snack I will be better prepared with the following:
1. sprinkles
2. skewers
3. placing the goodies at a high level where dogs and/or small children can't reach them!

I think this would be the perfect treat to bring for an office/staff carry-in. Maybe this will be a great way to meet new people at my new school? :)

Fruit Loops are the Key to my Heart

In 2nd grade we talk about having a text-to-self connection with stories we read. This means that when reading you relate personally to a character or event in the story. Well, I had a cupcake-to-self connection with this recipe. I love fruit loops. I love eating them with or without milk at ALL hours of the day. I also love cupcakes. I could eat cupcakes at all hours of the day. Fruit Loop cupcakes screams cupcake-to-self connection!

So, naturally, when I found a recipe on Crepes of Wrath for Fruit Loop cupcakes I thought I had died and gone to heaven. After checking my pulse I decide to test these cupcakes out!

I got out all of my ingredients and set the oven at 375 and realized that I didn't have any milk. The first thought that came to me was, "I'll ask a neighbor!" Then, I quickly remembered that I do not know my neighbors. I checked out the window to see if my one neighbor who waves at me was home... strike two! I contemplated knocking on doors and asking for 1/2 cup of milk and saying it was for my dear old granny's birthday cake (instead of just my Wednesday night activity). Instead of pretending I was the Big Bad Wolf, I decided to head to QT down the street. For the record, my dear old granny would love these cupcakes.

 I think the most fun part of making the cupcakes was "zesting" an orange and a lemon. After I zested all that I could zest, my orange looked rather naked. I made the wise choice of putting it out of its misery and eat it! It was a great decision. 

The recipe said to be GENEROUS with fruit loops on top ... so I did exactly that. 

While I've been putting off my comp day presentation, I've been crafty!

I purchased close to 1,000 (not really) white baskets from Wal-Mart prior to the school year for my classroom library in 2nd grade. Now, my library will be different in 5th grade so I am left with a lot of baskets. I found this organization tip from Oh! Crafts and gave it a whirl. 

http://www.ohcrafts.net/decoration-ribbon-organizer.php

Before: a ribbon mess!

After: Alex and my organized ribbons! 

I don't know about you, but I love Scrabble! I have to admit though I have never played with a board and scrabble tiles. Instead I've only played electronically. A few days ago I bought my first Scrabble game ...but I used it for a craft instead. :)

http://www.ohcrafts.net/decoration-scrabble-tile-magnets.php

I superglued magnets on the back of the tiles found inside my board game. Now, I can spell fun things on my fridge or use in them in my classroom as fun decor. The possibilites are endless! 

Lastly, I did some shopping on Etsy! I love Parada Creations! Her prints are super cute and will look smashing in my apartment.

Have a loopy and fruity day!