valentines day

you make my heart RACE!

My son is a matchbox car lover (one of the many) and when I was thinking of what to do for his preschool Valentines it made sense to make my own cards. Our school does not allow us to bring treats (boo!) so these Hot Wheels inspired Valentine’s Day cards are perfect. I simply printed out on white card stock, I purchased three packages of five Hot Wheels and attached them with washi tape that looks like tire marks. Below is the file for you to print too! Enjoy!

Click here to print your own “You make my Heart Race Valentine” RACEvalentine

valentines day {hugs} & wonderfully sweet cupcakes to share

We love valentines day over here. Payton started begging me to put up our decorations as soon as the New Year began. There’s a few other things we’re obsessed with: Disney’s Frozen, Hershey’s Kisses, cupcakes and hugs. What’s more fitting than Olaf inspired Valentines for Payton to bring to school and cupcakes as their special treat for their holiday party? Hmm…nothing! I got some help with the Olaf printable, they are so stinkin’ cute and she was so excited to share these with her friends! Especially because her favorite candy was nestled in clear plastic bags and that making them meant eating {a lot} of hugs during the process.

As for her special treat to bring I baked red velvet cupcakes and topped them with these super cute toppers I found at Michael’s. The liners are also from Michael’s and have the cute owl’s on the base. When I picked Payton up from school her assistant teacher said she didn’t believe Payton when she said her mommy baked them. Mrs. V thought she was telling a high tale until our teacher chimed in. ha! It was so cute. They were totally a hit and all three teachers were even happier when I showed up with personal boxes of cupcakes for them to take home. Room mom score!

Happy a wonderfully sweet lovey dovey day!

Olaf Card Source: Magic by Marcy

surprise deliveries from cupid

my little sidekick and i set out yesterday morning to make sweet treats for her friends, cousins and grandparents. this year was a lot more fun and i didn’t feel like i was making her valentines for her. i gave her choices, she chose and then she helped prepare everything. when deciding on her cards she wanted the pirates, can’t say i disagree, i think it’s fun and she loved saying “arrrr”. that was going to be it but then on a whim i went to target to pick-up some pretzels so we made some chocoatley treats, then when those were finished i asked her what else and she said cake. so we whipped up some mini brownies. brayden was finally napping so we just kept going. by the time we were done it was 12:30 so we took a lunch break and then a nap. it was the perfect morning. i love that she can converse, help out and honestly she is already a perfectionist. while she napped i packaged up everything and then this morning at 4 am we had to drop daddy off at the airport, he is gone on a business trip for the fourth year in a row. on our way home we dropped off cupid’s treat bags for her friends. this was so much fun, i just pray no rain, animals or ants get to the bags before the sun rises.

pretzel kisses.

you’ll need:

hershey kisses

pretzels

m&m’s

here’s how:

1. place pretzels on silpat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.

2. place one kiss on each pretzel.

3. put the tray in the oven and bake at 275 for 6 minutes. if you decide to use regular hershey kisses they will melt faster. i used hugs and caramel kisses, they don’t squish down like the originals.

4. payton unwrapped the caramel kisses for the second batch while the hugs were in the oven.

5. remove from the oven and gently place an m&m into the warm chocolate.

6. let cool on baking sheet until chocolate has re-set again.

7. reward your helper by allowing them to eat the first one.

after the pretzel kisses were all finished she put the few valentines we were mailing into her purse. to those receiving these, sorry they are crumpled. she didn’t have the patience to place them in with ease.

all the goodies spread out ready for assembly.

pirate graphic was found via mer mag

i took candy bags i had leftover from my friends baby shower, placed all the goodies in and closed them up with one staple. the letters are scrapbook letters i used to differetiate for delivery.

that’s it. i hope that all the ones on cupid’s list loved their surprise treat!

happy lovey dovey day to all my readers!

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valentines day candy “machine” {diy}

a few weeks ago i raced through michael’s to purchase the items for a clay pot gumball machine. payton has been potty training and was going about 4-5 times a day so i wanted to make her a special treat jar for her potty rewards. when the three of us were racing through the store because my janky michaels had all their carts in use for stocking the abundance of crap in that store. so just picture me holding b in the carrier, p walking around wanting to pick-up every little thing. me continuously saying: gotta keep going, let’s hurry, it’s for your special candy jar. it worked. but they didn’t have the correct size votive candle holder so our globe is a little smaller then it should be. i knocked the treat jar out during nap time, wish i would’ve just slowed down i just knew that a certain toddler would want to see her pink chocolates in her potty jar as she woke-up so this mommy delivered.

here’s what you need:

clay pot, clay pot saucer, glass votive holder, acrylic paint, wooden balls, clear spray paint, paintbrush, hot glue, ribbon.

here’s how:

1. paint your pot, saucer and wooden ball with your acrylic paint. you will need to cover these with a few coats depending on the color you choose. i went with a baby pink so it took about three coats. let this dry.

2. if you desire a sheen, take your painted saucer, wooden ball and pot outside and spray a thin coat of clear spray paint. let this dry.

3. on a steady surface, place your pot upside down. apply a good amount of hot glue to the bottom of the pot. place the votive candle holder onto the hot glue. apply a good amount of pressure to ensure the glue/glass adhere to one another. let dry.

4. take the saucer and turn upside down. place a good amount of hot glue in the center and apply the wooden ball. let dry.

5. fill the globe with candy, tie decorative ribbon around the glass and decorate however you wish. my brown dots need to be touched up a bit.

and here it sits on our counter top. you can give these for valentines day gifts or use it as a reward jar like i did. i know my little toddler loves having her own special candy jar.

love{ly} nails

i love when i get “me” moments. this usually means i make a pit stop at starbucks, this time splurging b by ordering a skinny hazlenut latte, something i have not enjoyed in over month. then i walk across the parking lot to my nail place where i have gone for over nine years. they really are like family.

i am a typically a plain not-to-flashy nail person. i gave up the french manicures over the summer and starting using the opi shellac, but when money starting getting tight i reverted back to acrylic for the price point. ha ha. this time i opted for a simple holiday look. my fav chalky pink with a simple white heart on my ring finger. i think it’s cute and simple.

just a cute little reminder when i look down at my nails that this small heart has a bigger meaning.