promised cookie instructions

first, choose your project... for this project it was the game Settlers of Catan

Get your space ready- before starting any cookie project I wipe all my counters and then dry them. notice in the picture my frosting is in the tupperware bowl to the right, I have the frosting in the main colors I want in the Wilton bottles with my tips to the left of the oven. I have the cookies I'm going to be doing next to the game pieces that I want the cookies to end up looking like. and the black 'thing' in the bottom left of the picture is my outlining bag (frosting a little watery-ier than toothpaste in the sandwhich bag with a #2 tip) *the yogurt container has my cupplers and paint brushes in them.*

Make your cookies... I started out using the bagged sugar cookie recipie and then after I decided I liked doing the cookies I went and started making my cookies from scratch.  ...and yes, I do have lots of different cookie cutters but you don't need to go buy any, for most of my cookies I cut them out by hand using a cut out picture as my template.

Outline your cookies... I use a #2 tip with a cupler and a sandwhich bag. let dry about ten minutes

fill in sections, make sure not to fill in sections that are touching until the sections are dried...twenty minutes.

then fill in the rest. *with the game pieces, I used a small, fine paintbrush to get the frosting into the small cracks and such so the filling wouldn't bleed into the outline. once everything is filled in I let it dry for a few hours, or overnight.

then your ready to give them away!

Hope that helps a little and if you have any other questions, please leave a comment and I'll answer them as best as I can. :)

...oh, the frosting is Wilton's Royal Icing recipe, it's great because it dries hard  :) 
- Royal Icing Recipe-
1 lb. Powdered Sugar
3 TB. marienge powder (hobby lobby, JoAnns.....in the cake decorating section)
about 6 TB of water (I use about 5 and then add 2 tsp. of flavoring/extract- raspberry is my favorite)
mix it all in a blender on med. for 8 minutes. it will come out really thick. I put it in my tupperware bowl and then take a chunk of it in a cup and mix a little more water and colors till its like toothpaste for the outline and a little more water for the flooding.  

cookie of the day is....

Last night we talked about Disneyland with our kids, we are planning a trip in about a year or so with the older kids (Sorry Jordan!) and since we were talking about Disneyland when the kids went to bed I made up a batch of sugar cookies and went to work cutting out our favorite charecter.  This morning I decorated him and luckily I snapped a picture before they dried because someone.Trent.ate most of them before I had a chance to take a picture when they were all done. He says that's okay, cause then that means I'll have to make more. ;)

quick picture before they were all dry.

SHOCKS!!

Trent suprised Carson Friday night by taking him to a Shock, arena football game.

 A much needed man-to-man time

They had a great time,(helps that the Shock's won major that night) and I think they just started a new tradition.

 This would be Carson yelling..."Go Shocks!" and pointing to the sign behind them that's showing the score

fyi.that's the Shock's mascot...a fox.

yesterdays cookie

                                                Good news today I'm not making cookies. :)
                                        Here was yesterdays project.

and thanks to Kellianne, I have a new idea I'll be doing in the next couple days.

Spa Party

One of Audrey's good friends celebrated her 4th birthday and Audrey was invited to her spa party. SO CUTE! glad the mom's could all come too.

(heres my disclaimer...I just realized I haven't update "blogger" in a long time..so now I finally realized how I can change picture size and stuff like that...but in the process, I also realized the pictures are all in reverse order. go figure! )






the girls at Twigs for cupcakes and  hot chocolate. (again reverse order. dang.)



the four girls with their hair, make-up, fingers and toes painted.



getting her hair done

talking with the birthday girl as she was getting her manicure :

all the girls, excited to get beautified!

 

Audrey's turn for a pedicure.

you might not be able to tell, but she has just been "glitter-fied" eyes, lips and cheeks.

Such a fun idea, Happy Birthday Sarah!! 

So glad you and Audrey are such great friends!

This weeks hobby

So I found this blog I LOVE and literally drool over here. I decided to try it out and have loved having a creative outlet. Trent laughs when I get into these moods, cause our kitchen ends up having a semi-permanent addition for a few weeks.

Here is my first attempt at making the graduate cookies..and a snail :)

Second attempt, much better. I sent these to my niece that just graduated high school

I was thinking of a friend of mine, we went to Hawaii for our senior trip...then came these bad boys. :)

the kitchen takeover!!! getting ready to make a bunch of cookies for Trent's work. he asked if I would make a bunch of cookies for all the nurses and CNA's that he works with.

At least he humors me with my hobbies.

work in progress

They didn't turn out quite like I wanted, I got a little lazy and tried to do some short cuts.. even still it took all day. (lots of drying time involved.)

Any ideas for others??

I have to make a few more before I move on to next weeks hobby :)

T-ball is over

Carson has officially finished his first year of t-ball. He LOVED it! We will definitely be going to a lot of games over the years. He especially loved that Grandpa Parks came over just to see him play a game.

Carson running home

Coach Ben and the whole team

Classic Carson,

at his favorite place, the pictures mound

(we couldn't find his hat before the game.)

and its good!!

(look closely and you can see the ball)

Supportive sisters cheering him on

They were really into the game

celebrating the last game with a baseball field cake

WAY TO GO BUDDY!

Couer D'Alene Lake

On Saturday we took the kids to the Couer D'Alene lake for a few hours, we all had a blast and we will definitely be going a lot this summer.

grateful

This is one of those "Friday confessionals" but on Wednesday. :)

The past couple days I have been feeling a little.....sorry for myself. I was missing friends in the Harbor and feeling down that I might (yes mom, I said might I still haven't decided yet) not be able run the half marathon I'm training for. (not that I like running to begin with, but I was finally feeling like I had a "place" with some people in the area, and the thought of not being involved with them, and having that to "connect" us, kills me.)

so....

Last night as I was heading to bed after a fun yw's 'spa' activity and then a friend and I talking until midnight I was thinking about how grateful I am for all that I have. I have a great relationship with a loving, involved husband. I have three healthy, beautiful, active kids who each love life and have a deep understanding of what 'family' means. I have parents that are so supportive and involved and willing to do anything at anytime. In laws that are very loving and supportive. I live in a beautiful area that we feel safe in. we have a great house in a great neighborhood that's close to everything. We are able to run/bike/roller blade/walk to just about everything from the store-library-school-church-parks and more parks. My kids all have great friends that they love being with and playing with. We have a huge ward that again is all close in proximity and I am SOO lucky to work with the young women that I get to work with.

So with that in mind. I'm starting today off right. Happy attitude and just continuing to remember all the things I am grateful for. :)

What are YOU grateful for?