HOOAH.........

I am so excited to say some of our boys are home!

It was with great pleasure that I made these cookies. I've been very busy with these so I haven't had much time to blog.

When soldiers come home they are greeted by many loved ones, given welcome home parties and such. For the single soldier it's very different. They go back to the barracks. Our FRG (family readiness group) does a great job getting together welcome home baskets for our single soldiers. I wanted to be a part of this.

No way was I missing out on making some one's homecoming special.

I was on a mission to find a good cookie to do for them. After doing the 9/11 memorial cookies for a week I didn't want to see any more red, white and blue....not for a bit anyway.

I didn't want anything too complicated or time consuming, after all I needed 200 of these.

Callye, of Sweet Sugarbell's had made some camouflage cookies a few months back so I searched her blog and found them!

After following her tutorial and the cookies were dry, I added HOOAH to my cookies......HOOAH.......the Army's word for everything and anything. It means anything.....except "no".

You can learn how to make these here.

 Allow cookies to dry overnight before adding wording.

Then I printed out HOOAH and used the the push pin trick....my handwriting isn't steady, especially with the insane amounts of coffee I consume. Just lay the print out on the cookie and use a push pin to mark the letters. Then connect the dots with the royal icing.

Welcome Home Soldiers!

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

REMEMBER 9-11.........

Ten years ago today America was changed forever. Our hearts were broken.

Terrorists came into our country and destroyed lives. They had no regard for the lives they took. They thought they would crush us....they thought it would make us weaker, but HATE never wins! It only made us STRONGER!

AMERICA will always stand TALL, stand PROUD......and AMERICA will always have HONOR!

Brave men and women went into those buildings to save lives.....to search for survivors. They didn't think about anything but saving others. True HEROES....Honestly, hero doesn't even begin to describe them.

There will never be a day that goes by that I don't remember what happened.

Unlike the terrorist, I will never let HATE consume my heart.  I will treat others with LOVE, RESPECT, and KINDNESS.

Today let us remember those lives that were lost. Let us remember to always have LOVE , RESPECT, and KINDNESS in our hearts.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

They are FALLEN.....but NOT FORGOTTEN!
_______________________________________________________________________

To make a 9-11 Remembrance cookie......

Make pentagon shaped cookies and let cool. I cut mine out by hand.

Next use a stencil to draw out the design on the cookie with a food marker. I use Wilton food writers

Then outline your cookie with black royal icing. I also outlined the white and blue parts (shown below)

Then I filled in the white areas, let dry about an hour. Then I did the red, blue and black.  If your colors have bleeding issues wait until each color dries about an hour before filling in the next.

Then with a #2 tip outline around all areas with black royal icing. With a #2 tip write REMEMBER in white royal icing under the twin towers as shown below.

Let dry. 

Hope you all enjoyed my ten days in memory of 9-11

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Stars and Stripes cake........

It's such a beautiful day.......and I have the best husband in the world.  I can't begin tell you how lucky I truly am.  There aren't many good men out there anymore....no seriously, I think I may have gotten the last one. 

I am so proud of him.  He's an American soldier.....what's not to love right?  He just got back from his second deployment. It's so good to have him home. It's with him in mind that I make most of my desserts. 

This patriotic themed week in memory of 9-11 was near and dear to my heart.  I have such a deep love for my country and those who serve it. 

It was a great pleasure to do this project in memory of 9-11.  I'll never forget that day nor will I forget those who lost their lives and those who make sure something like this will never happen again. 

I was so excited to make this cake. I always love baking and creating something pretty, but this time was different. This time I got to use my new Cricut cake machine!

As always my husband buys me the neatest little gadgets. I guess it's the only thing he can enjoy in the cookie/cake making process.....other than eating all my creations. So it should have been no surprise when this new toy of mine showed up at the door.

It sat on the shelf a month in my baking supply closet.....secretly I just didn't feel like reading the instructions.

My husband is always trying to do things for me.....guess he's working on brownie points or something, I'm not sure. Well I didn't have a star cutter small enough for the stars I needed. So my husband got the new Cricut machine out for me and set it up......he even read the instructions, which to men I believe is totally taboo. He even cut out the stars for me....that did earn him brownie points.

The machine was easier to use then reviews I read online. The fondant didn't tear or get jammed up. Guess I should have tried it out a while ago instead of believing what I read somewhere online. I did stick the sheet of rolled fondant in the freezer for a few minutes to harden just a tad.

How many of you have one of these handy little machines? Don't you just love it?

If you don't own one you can get one here.

 I highly recommend purchasing one. They are very easy to use....after all my husband was the one who used it to cut out the stars.

I can't wait to use it for other treats I whip up in my kitchen.

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Patriotic Mickey Mouse cookies.......

It didn't take much planning to know what cookies I would make for today's blog.  These were too perfect for today because...........

Today is my 5th Anniversary!!!! Five long incredible years together. I couldn't be more blessed.

Five years ago two totally opposite people exchanged vows....yes OPPOSITE....like completely opposite.

He's quiet......I'm loud

He's NOT a people person.....I'm a social butterfly

He's a big kid......I'm not :)

We really can't be more opposite.....but it works for us. I know it sounds cliche but he COMPLETES me.....Oh and he slow dances with me in the kitchen.....that's a plus in any girls book.

So, it was to no surprise when it came time to picking out our honeymoon destination.  He didn't suggest Jamaica, Hawaii, or some other exotic location that most couples choose. No my husband wanted to go to..... you guessed it.....DISNEY WORLD!

Hey.....It is the happiest place on Earth. (I secretly love Mickey Mouse, but I'll never tell).  Don't this picture just shout MAGICAL?

It really was a place where his inner child could come out......or stay out....because it's really always out. Y'all did see his Transformer collection right?

I made sure to take lots of pictures so I could one day show his children, when he tells them to "grow up" lol.....Always have proof in your hands. Take a snapshot of everything. You never know when you may need it for blackmail.....lol. Here are a few pictures of my big, kid of a husband.

 

We had an amazing time on our honeymoon.

 We had our Mickey and Minnie newlywed hats on. We were VIP everywhere and had special seating (a little something special Disney provides for honeymooners). It really was a magical time.

It's five years later and the man still takes my breath away.

We've been through so much together. He joined the Army.....HOOAH, we moved to Germany for three years, we had two deployments, we lost my mother to cancer, we had two miscarriages, and we had two beautiful girls together. We have had our share of good times and bad.....but we made it through,  still faithful.... and loving one another.

Thank you baby for five of the most MAGICAL years a girl could ever have.  I can only hope to have many more years with you.....slow dancing in the kitchen.

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Scalloped heart flag cookies......

It's been a crazy week. A sick baby, overworked husband, and teenagers who seem to need you for EVERYTHING you can imagine. Does it ever get to a point when they do things on their own? I think I may have created little monsters.... all on my own.

My name is called eight million times.....and we won't even get into the text messages.  My phone is constantly going off with a text from one of them. Thank God the two babies can't text yet. Although my three year old is working on that skill, thanks to her teenage sister. She's already too big for her britches.

Sick babies=simple red, white, and blue mini heart cookies

I'm so sorry I haven't been on top of my blog and baking the past few days. Last thing I ever want to do is NOT give my all with something...to do something half hearted.

I've always been the type of person that wants to do my best at EVERYTHING. I don't like posting pictures of things that I did in a rush, but I wanted to honor my commitment to do a patriotic dessert for ten days.

I was unable to post a picture yesterday because my daughter is still ill. So bright and early here I am with yesterday's cookie.

I hope to be back blogging and baking at my BEST really soon.

These cookies are super easy to do. Great for a beginner.

First bake and cool mini heart cookies.

Next outline hearts in your desired color. Allow to dry about 30 min. Then fill with flood icing.

This is so easy and fast to do.....great for when your little one is feeling under the weather.

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

USA Star cookies.....

Labor day.....

The hubby is off today....yippie! Unfortunately we have had a sick baby in the house for the past three days.....so no rest for the weary here.

If you're a mom you know there isn't a day off for you today.  It's work as usual....not that I'm complaining. In my opinion it's the best job in the world. My babies are my life. But,  please excuse my less then perfect cookies and short blog post....I've been up for a few days straight. I'm sure at some point I will fall on the floor unconscious  like a Sims character who didn't get rest or food....wait did I eat today? hmmmm I wonder.

Oh and my hubby.....Oh, I couldn't ask for a better hubby then the one I have. He's always so helpful. What I can't quite understand is that how he can still find me attractive with my hair a mess, bags under my eyes, flour on my face and the grey in my hair that desperately needs to be dyed. To spite the way I have looked the past few days he still finds the time to tell my how beautiful I am. *SIGH*

I made cookies with him in mind......which is often. He's an American Soldier....a true hero.  He stands for the USA.....the American worker. To him I owe the world.

I made USA star cookies late last night.

First bake and cool star shaped cookies.

With a #2 tip outline stars in white royal icing and let dry a bit.

Next fill the cookie with white flood icing. While icing is still wet drop dots with a #1 tip and thinned out red royal icing. I usually work 2-3 cookies at a time.

Let cookies dry for several hours.

Next with blue royal icing and a #2 tip write USA in center of cookie. Let dry.

Another super easy patriotic cookie.

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Dotted Patriotic cookies.......

It's rained and rained for the past two days. I loaded up on candles (because the electricity goes out with a strong wind around here) and prepared for the worse....but nothing. 

This afternoon the rain stopped and the sun came out. An hour later the electricity kept going on and off. SERIOUSLY? Is that crazy or what? 

I managed to get some cookies baked and decorate to spite the bad weather.

These weren't too difficult. Just need a big supply of patience.

Bake and cool oval scalloped cookies.

Outline cookie with white Royal icing.

Let dry about 30 minutes. Next fill the cookie with flood icing. 

Allow cookie to dry for several hours or overnight.

After cookie has dried pipe royal blue dots with a #1 tip along outer edge.  Move inward a little then pipe red dots with #1 tip. Continue moving inward a little and alternate colors for each row. 

Let cookie dry overnight.

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Fourth of July Sundae Cupcakes

Its been a dreary, rainy day. If it rains too much longer I may just float away.  I mean really what's up with all the bad weather?

The kids are all stuck inside.....driving each other nuts. Before they killed each other and I had to clean up all the blood (no fun at all), I decided to cheer them up with dessert. After all dessert makes everything better......RIGHT?

Off to the kitchen I headed to make them something cute, yet easy.

I made them these super easy sundae cupcakes.

Use your favorite cake recipe. I used the Wilton jumbo cupcake pan (the sundaes call for the King sized cupcake pan but I just used what I had)

Bake according to your cake directions.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Starting at the outer edge of the cupcake, using a 1M tip, swirl the top of the cupcakes working inward.

Then make a second swirl smaller than the first, starting inward a bit. Stop at center and pull up.

Place candy cherry bomb or red fondant rolled in a ball on top of swirl.

Sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Insert candy stick if you have available. If not use a candle and insert it upside down as I did here.

It's very easy and will be sure to brighten your children's day when they are stuck inside.

Enjoy....

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Uncle Sam Hat cookies.....

Do you ever just have one of those days.....

You know the ones that start out with a schedule and a plan of what you will get done for the day. Nothing in your plan listed babies getting sick, husbands needing a ride home for lunch, 865 text message (yes I think I received that many), getting on facebook, and my plan defiantly didn't have anything  on it that said FORGET TO TAKE OUT SOMETHING FOR DINNER. How could I forget about dinner?

I mean we eat it every night, yet it totally slipped my mind. Will social services pick me up if I feed my husband and kids cookies for dinner? Somehow that is all I focused on today were cookies. They took me  half a day to do with all the interruptions. 

Even though we may all starve to death tonight, the cookies are made.  

I used a tombstone cutter to cut the hats out (just turn them upside down) and you have a hat. 

Let cookies cool on rack. 

Now...pull something out the freezer to fix your family for dinner (this is where I messed up)

Outline the blue area.

Then outline the red sections.

Allow the icing to dry for about 30 minutes. Next fill in the blue and red sections with flood icing. While the blue section is still wet place white star sprinkles. I used a tweezers to place them on the cookie. BE CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH THE COOKIE.

Let the red and blue sections dry for several hours.

Last you will fill in the white stripes with flood icing.

There you have it....Uncle Sam hats. These are great for the 4th of July, Memorial day, Labor day, or just for that special Soldier in your life. 

Enjoy....

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~

Do you remember....

In ten days it will be the anniversary of 9-11. A day most of us will never forget.  It was a day lives would be changed forever. Nothing would be the same.

So much was taken from us that day. It was the day that men, woman and children died. The day some became heroes and it was the day that started a deployment process among our troops.

Being an Army wife, I'm extremely patriotic. I'm all about the RED, WHITE, and BLUE. For the next ten days I will be focusing on remembering those who who lost their lives, those who became heroes, and those who put their lives on the line every day to defend our nation.  It will be the tenth anniversary  9-11 and I will be making a dessert a day in memory of this. Starting today.

I know, I know that is eleven days counting today.....well my FIVE year anniversary is on the 9th of this month....yes FIVE years! Five wonderful, magical years with the man of my dreams....but that's another story.....onto the dessert.

Today I made white chocolate covered strawberries dipped in blue sanding sugar. These are adapted from fruit and fireworks seen in the 2012 Wilton Yearbook. These are so simple to make.

To make these you will need:

• Strawberries...as many as you want to serve
• blue sanding sugar (if you don't have any you can make your own by mixing food coloring with sugar. mix well and let dry about an hour)
• Wilton vanilla candy melts or white chocolate

Ingredients needed

First thing you're going to do is rinse off your strawberries...that's right rinse them off. No telling whose hands have been on them....sorry I tend to be a little obsessed with germs....okay, well a lot obsessed. Look they are EVERYWHERE people...so don't judge.

After your strawberries are cleaned and germ free...let them dry. They must be dry....or the melted chocolate won't stick to the strawberry.

While those beautiful plump strawberries are drying, melt your white chocolate or Wilton vanilla candy melts in the microwave.

Dip 2/3 of the strawberry in the melted white chocolate.

Next, dip 1/3 of the strawberry into the blue sanding sugar. Place the dipped strawberry onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper to harden.

After the chocolate hardens, transfer to serving plate. It's that simple.

Enjoy.......

~Throw on your heels and get to baking~