I used to volunteer in my friend's public school classroom during the holidays to make Marshmallow Menorahs with the students! So I was so happy to see the same project going on at the Community Shuk in Oakland, with Oakland Ruach Hadassah leading this activity! Tiny loved sticking and stacking the sweet treats together. And I loved the gumdrop and lollipop innovation!  Chef Faith Kramer, of Blog Appetit, has kindly shared her instructions. One for each night, let's share this delight! ~ What sweet and crafty holiday treats do you create with your kids? ~

Paper cupcake cups naturally lend themselves to crafty turkey creations! You can cut little slits all the way around the wrapper, and cut off some "feathers" to make room for the legs. Circle labels can be placed in the middle for the body and head. Or you can cut out circles from construction paper, and glue them on. Then draw or cut out the rest of the turkey details, and you are done! We added initial stickers to make these into place cards for Thanksgiving dinner. I am sure everyone will gobble them right up! ~ What fun Thanksgiving crafts do you create? ~

With cupcakes that look this good, you know a couple of them will disappear before "Happy Birthday" is sung. And that is just what happened at my niece's Halloween Birthday Party! Even her friend, a two-year-old lion, could not resist these tempting frosted cupcakes by Black Jet Baking Co. in San Francisco. As the friendly feline reached for his second mini cake, it was decided that some singing needed to start soon! Luckily my kids wanted one of each, so I got to try them all! There was a dried coconut topping and pink and chocolate frostings, but the almond-filled German chocolate topping was my favorite. Thankfully we have two of those in our fridge this morning! They are the kind of cupcakes you could make at home if you had three recipes for cake and four for frosting, lots of sugared toppers and sprinkles, time, patience and no one pulling on your apron springs, or skinny jeans. They are homemade cupcakes, perfected. ~ Where do you find your special birthday sweets? ~

We don't like to miss a good birthday party, and we really try to get to them all. But once in a while a vacation or a prior commitment gets in the way. Or a sick kid. One Sunday morning it was a sick Tiny that kept us from a good friend's birthday party. And while we couldn't take part in the music and games, we were so impressed that favors and cupcakes were saved especially for us. I mean our kids! How lucky that we got to try these Minnie Mouse topped cupcakes from the Bay Area's Wooden Spoon. Moist cake and creamy frosting really were the sugar that helped the medicine go down that day. ~ What treats have been known to cheer up your little ones? ~ 

I modified the "Inside the Actor's Studio" survey for the first day of school! Here are Tiny's answers. Let us know how your little learners respond!

10 Questions
1. What is your favorite word?
Kitten (really it's hyperbole!)

2. What is your least favorite word?
Doggie

3. What is your favorite thing to do?
Petting cats

4. What is your least favorite thing to do?
Go to sleep

5. What sound do you love?
Meow

6. What sound do you not like?
Woof

7. What is your favorite silly noise?
Ga ga ga gee gee

8. What do you want to be when you grow up
A singer on the radio

9. What do you not want to be when you grow up?
A clown

10. When you get home from your first day of school, what do you want to do?
Bake a cake!

~ What first day of school traditions do you have? ~

When you're planning a double baby shower it's nice to know someone in the sign business! Who knew? Upon entering a baby shower that I was co-hosting, even I was surprised and impressed by the signage! These cutout letters from my friend's company Priority Graphics, were perfect to set the mood for this Spa Party! The letters-on-ribbon signs in the doorways denoted the spaces such as: Spa, Eat, Drink, Shower and Bath! We knew what to do and where! ~ How do you personalize a living space for an event? ~

I co-hosted a baby shower for two mom-to-be friends. Both are expecting their first babies this fall, and they are both having boys. I wanted a fun little personalized treat to go with all of the other gourmet sweets we would be serving: Sprinkles Cupcakes, Serendipity truffles and cookies to be dipped in a chocolate fountain. These back-to-basics Hershey's Kisses, personalized with labels from Pretty Pretty Products, were just the trick. They were cute and sweet, and fun for my daughter to pass around to the guests. Her idea. Of course she may have saved a few for herself too! ~ What personalized party treats are your favorites? ~

Traditionally before Passover, you search the house for bread crumbs to discard. Meaning you hide big bread crumbs around the house for your kids to find and feel helpful! I thought a more tasty treat to find would make this exercise more fun, and eating the treats would be a fun way to get rid of them too! I recently received a recipe from my friend Esther for her family's favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Tiny and I made them together, and then I hid eight of them in the living room for her. She found six of them right away, and the last two were more of a challenge. All of them were delicious. I am sharing the recipe below. ~ How do you play with your food? ~

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas mashed, mixed with 1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together in order listed.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Whether it's a baby shower invitation for yourself or someone else, you definitely want it to stand out!  I asked Jessie, my friend and owner of Therriault Design, for innovative ideas for baby shower invitations.  She said that she likes "to incorporate something about the parents, or perhaps a theme of the baby shower.  For this invite, I used the dad's tattoo which he has on his arm, in lieu of a stork.  But as far as styles and trends, I am a fan of all things vintage. Vintage toys, mobiles, etc. As for alternative baby colors, I love tangerine, aquamarine and key lime green."  This pink crow sits on a string which can be tied around your finger as a shower reminder. Oh baby!  ~ Parents: What kinds of baby shower invites did you have, or what type have you made for other mothers-to-be? ~