There’s certainly nothing wrong with picking up a cake at the bakery or grocery store. The year after Mom died, I just couldn’t bring myself to bake birthday cakes because I’d made one for her just a few days earlier. The kids all got grocery store cakes that year, and it was OK! Whether you want to save a bit of money, or you just like the taste of home-baked cakes better, you don’t have to be a professional baker to turn out something cute!

I actually do enjoy cake decorating. I’ve never done anything with fondant or sculpted flowers, but I do love my shaped cake pans, decorating tips, and icing bags! Even so, I don’t always have the time or energy to make an extra-special cake. What’s my fast and cute solution then? Cupcakes!

Kids love cupcakes. They also take less baking time and significantly less decorating time than a full-blown cake. Just three easy steps and you’re done!

1. Bake the cupcakes.

   Grab your favorite recipe or boxed cake mix. Bake them up using paper or foil cupcake liners. Not only do the liners make clean-up that much easier, they also add to the cuteness factor.

2. Everyone’s favorite part… frosting!

   A couple of cans of icing will work fine. If you’ve never tried making your own frosting, I highly recommend you give it a try! (Here’s a great recipe for Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.) Also, consider buying the extra-large decorating tips for cupcakes. I found a set of three at Walmart for just a few dollars. It’s so much faster than icing them with a knife! Not to mention how awesome cupcakes look with big swirls of icing on them. It does tend to use up more frosting, so you may need a double batch to cover 24 cupcakes.

3. Top it all off.

   There are a couple of quick and easy decorating options. You can just grab some sprinkles, colored sugar, or candy and go with that. Or, you can use some cupcake picks that go with the party theme. I usually print off my own cupcake toppers, rather than buying them. Just do a search for free printable cupcake toppers and you’ll find plenty of options. I got mine at HaleGrafx. A number of sites suggest using a 2 ½ inch round paper punch to punch out the toppers. I thought $15 was a bit much to shell out for a paper punch, so my solution was to trace around a half-used roll of electrical tape and cut them out with scissors. Then just use a little tape to attach a toothpick to the back of the paper. I had my minions children help me with this part. Grab a number candle for the birthday child’s cupcake and you’re done!

Fun parties don’t have to be expensive or time consuming. Simple doesn’t have to mean not cute either! Figure out how much you want to do, and then let the rest go. Focus on spending some time having fun with the kids, and you’ll all have a wonderful day.

What are your best cake or cupcake tips and tricks?

Dear Little Guy,

Three years ago we still had snow on the ground. I walked up and down the stairs over and over during labor. Things didn’t go quite as expected, and we went to the hospital. Thankfully, you were born just fine shortly after we arrived.

In just three short years you have grown so much! You run everywhere and climb on everything. I’d almost say that you were fearless, but occasionally you still need Mommy to hold you when something scares you. You try so hard to keep up with your older brothers, and don’t quite understand why you can’t do everything they do.

Your favorite word seems to be “no”, like most toddlers. Your laughter is infectious though! You don’t just giggle, you laugh out loud like Grammy Kathy did.

Graham crackers are your snack of choice, though any type of cracker will do. You have a tendency to stash sippy cups of water all over the place. I can never find them, but you always seem to know where they are.

You’re stubborn, but you get that from your parents. Someday, it will help you stick with something even when it’s hard.

You are absolutely in love with your siblings. They love you just as much! It warms my heart to see how much you love your other relatives too. You’ve been known to shriek someone’s name out of excitement when you see them. You enjoy frequent video chats with Auntie. You’re a little extrovert!

The days when you spent most of the time in my arms are long gone, but you still curl up on my lap with a blanket sometimes. Just last night you grabbed a book and climbed up on the couch with me while the older kids were playing. I’m glad you haven’t completely outgrown that yet!

My Little Guy… the time is speeding by. I’m afraid if I blink you’ll be all grown up. But no matter how big you get, you’ll always be my Little Guy!

Happy Birthday! (Don’t grow up too fast.)

Love,

Mom

“Why am I writing a post on faith and family when I’m a wreck myself?”

I slumped in my office chair and muttered that for the hundredth time. Try as I might, I couldn’t come up with anything particularly profound to say about Resurrection Day. I was debating whether that made me a terrible Christian, when I decided that maybe it just meant that I’m the kind of person who really needs Resurrection Day…

You can read the rest of my post over at the HEDUA blog!

I admit that I do love Pinterest. I like being able to pin a link to a recipe, school idea, or article that I want to refer to later. I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest, but searching for party ideas can be rather overwhelming. Some people have put together some seriously gorgeous birthday parties!

Personally, I’m looking for ideas that are a little more quick and easy. (Not to mention budget friendly!) So I’m going to share some of my favorite tips and tricks for cute parties.

Re-think theme partyware.

I’ve gotten the coordinated plates, cups, napkins, etc. for some birthdays. But it can sure add up fast!

First, check the dollar store and other deep discount stores. We have a local surplus and salvage store that I have found some tremendous deals at. I picked up a complete set of princess partyware for less than $5. (While you’re there, pick up some cheap wrapping paper too.)

If you really want a particular character or theme, I have a great tip for you. Pick up a package of stickers in your chosen theme and head for the solid color paper items. You can usually find them in packs of 12 for less than a dollar. Use the stickers to decorate the cups and napkins. You could also pick up a solid table cover and throw a few stickers on it as well.

Simplify decorations.

When I was a kid, Mom had a foil “Happy Birthday” banner that she used for every birthday. When the party was done she just folded it up and tucked it in the drawer with her cake decorating supplies. I have a plastic banner that I can use indoors or out. At the end of the day, I can roll it up and put it back in the closet.

Find a banner that you can reuse next year, add in a balloon or two and call it good. Honestly, the kids are probably more interested in the cake than the decorations!

(If you do want a few theme specific decorations, try searching online for free party printables. Hale Grafix offers some cute free printables for kids’ parties. They even have LEGO theme printables!)

What’s your best fast and frugal party tip?

Next week I’m going to do a post about everyone’s favorite part of birthday parties… the cake!