So Glad It's Spring

I'm so glad that Spring is finally here!  Although I enjoy all of the seasons winter always seems to drag on just a little too long, even though for the most part this one would be considered pretty mild.  But I"m still happy to see warmer weather and the first flowers of spring blooming.

For those of you with spring birthdays coming up I have a lot of new party ideas and recipes to post in the coming days.  Just a hint, think Hunger Games, Angry Birds and of course The Lorax

My kids are out of school this week on spring break which brings its own set of challenges because now they are bored all of time.  So if you're in the same boat as me be sure to check back for some fun games and activities to keep the little ones busy and mom happy.

Peanut butter Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

These delicious and easy to make cookies are always a big hit with children.


Supplies:
3/4Cup Peanut Butter
1 Stick Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
2 1/4 Cups White Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 Cups Quick Cooking Oatmeal
Wax Paper


Directions:
Add the sugar, milk, butter and vanilla to a medium sized sauce pan and heat while stirring until it reaches a boil.
Then allow to cook for approx. two minutes. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and oatmeal stirring well.  Next using a spoon (the size will depend on how large you would like the cookies to be) drop the cookies by the spoonful onto wax paper, the cookies will harden as they cool.


* For chocolate lovers just add some cocoa and or chocolate chips to the recipe.

Transformers 3 Birthday Cakes Cupcakes And Party Supplies

Kids especially boys love Transformers, and who can blame them?   The Transformers movies are cool enough and have just the right amount of explosions to get any boys attention.  After all what does a boy like better than cool machines and  explosions.

I took my kids to see Transformers Dark of the Moon just last weekend and they really loved  the movie, as did a lot of other boys in the theater.

So if you do happen to have a Transformers fan in your household I can't think of a better birthday party theme than a Transformers 3 birthday party.

The birthday cake is a good place to start when planning a birthday party.  eBay always has a nice selection of affordable cake toppers and I think that you'll be pleased with their selection of Transformers 3 Cake Toppers  These edible cake toppers which are very easy to work with usually retail for around $9.99 or less.

The Transformers cupcake toppers are also a popular choice with a lot of kids. They can be used instead of or along with the birthday cake to extend your cake servings.

If you're looking for Transformers party supplies like the party plates and the cups along with the napkins they can all be found here at some really affordable prices.  eBay also has a nice selection of Transformers balloons here you can find several different designs of Transformers balloons such as Bumblebee, Optimus Prime as well as a Transformers balloon bouquet.

If you're looking for some Transformers party favors like the loot bags, stickers, sunglasses,pencils and tattoo's they can all be found here at a great price.

Food ideas for a Transformers party:
Pizza
Mini-burgers
Snack Mix
pigs in the blanket
Lime kool-aid

Happy Face Cookies Recipe

The Happy Face cookies make a great addition to any birthday party and are always a big hit with the kids.

The top middle cookie is a puppy dog that my youngest son made. Note that he has two different colored eyes.

The following recipe makes approx. 12-15 depending on the size of your cookies. And although a fairly simple recipe will make a delicious cookie when finished.


Happy Faces Cookie Recipe.

2 1/2 sticks of butter - softened
1 cup of sugar
3 cups of flour
2 tsp. vanilla
food coloring

1.Cream together your butter and sugar then add the vanilla and flour.
Mix well until it forms a crumbly ball.

2.Next decide what colors you're going to use for the hair, eyes and mouth. I used yellow and red for the hair and green and blue for the eyes and more red for mouth and nose.

3. Divide the cookie dough into small portions for the features (nose, mouth eyes and hair)leaving the majority of the cook dough for the faces.Next add a few drops of food color to each of the small portions and mix well, for this I used a small fork.

4. Refrigerate the cookie dough for several hours or until firm, otherwise the dough may be to soft to work with.

5. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

6. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for approx. 8-10 or until done.