(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Lizard Watching

She loves the water but we can't keep her in the pool for long. She wants to explore. I wish I could capture the excitement she has when first spotting a lizard (picture a lot of bouncing, screaming, and finger pointing). Then she just squats and observes.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts HERE , HERE or HERE.

Tempt My Tummy - Monterey Jack Salsa

Besides fresh from the garden salsa, this is my favorite salsa. Very eclectic. Tasty. Colorful. Visit Blessed with Grace for more Tempt My Tummy recipes!

Monterey Jack Salsa

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 green onions, chopped
1 ripe avocado, chopped (two would be good too!)
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 (4 ounce) can green chile peppers, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1 cup zesty Italian salad dressing

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 3 cups.

Birthday Cupcake Tower

I did take the giant cupcake wrapper off before she dug in.

Little Bit was not a big entertainer with the smash cake. She took a few bites of the frosting but didn't go for it. She would much rather be down on the ground walking around. The frosting was strawberry buttercream, which was a good tasting frosting (even though I don't like frosting because it is too sweet) but didn't hold up in the heat and humidity. I used all butter. I think it would have held up better with shortening...but where's the fun in that? More pictures of the birthday girl later this week.

Aloha Friday - Lime in the coconut?

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."



So head over to her site, An Island Life and answer her question but while you are here you might as well answer mine:



I have a tree full of persian limes.....now what? Any suggestions for lime based recipes?
I can only make so much limeade (I don't even drink sweet stuff) and my Lime Basil Talapia is good but not too often. I will freeze some at the end of the season but what should I do with it now?

Thanks! Enjoy your weekend~

Kid Friendly Friday - Make Your Own Cupcake Stand

Welcome to Kid Friendly Friday where each week we link up our posts that showcase kid friendly things such as recipes, book reviews, fun things to do, crafts, etc. You will get some great ideas from my very talented participants! Linking to one of your old posts is fine - good ideas never get old :)

We are having Little Bit's first birthday party tomorrow. I love entertaining and do understand it's more for myself than the 1 year old that has no clue that a party is even warranted. I decided on cupcakes (with a huge cupcake for her smash cake - pictures to follow next week). I needed a cupcake stand but wanted something that would be more versatile than the wire ones you see at craft stores. I bought cake boards and cake forms (thick Styrofoam disks) at my bakery supply store. The cake boards I use for all of my cakes so having a few more sizes is great for me.

Supplies needed:
cake boards (or anything sturdy enough to hold cupcakes, foam board would work but you might want a few thicknesses for each layer)
cake forms (or anything with height that would be stable enough in between layers, think along the lines of peanut butter jars)
wrapping paper (or any paper large enough to cover cake boards and forms)
ribbon
hot glue
Total cost for mine was under $20. With items from around the house you could do one for next to nothing.

Trace the cake boards onto the wrapping paper, cut out, and use very little hot glue to secure the paper to the board. A little glue holds just fine and is much easier to take apart when done. Hot glue ribbon around the edges (again, go easy on the glue).

The forms are covered with white paper that I cut and hot glued only the end of the paper together (didn't get any glue on the Styrofoam form so the paper would slip right off when done).
That's it! Stack, use, un-decorate and pile up for easy storing. No need to glue the layers together. Gravity works :) HERE is the tower with a giant smash cupcakes and cupcakes on it.

And thanks to The Clark Clan who posted their slime reicpe on KFF. We had so much fun playing with the slime we used your idea for our party gift bags....

Play along! Link up to MckLinky below!

Happy 1st Birthday Little Bit!!

Wordless Wednesday -

Pants on the head.....tons of fun!

Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts HERE , HERE or HERE.