Babycakes Cake Pop Review

I would like to state for the record I am not a paid spokesperson for Babycakes Inc.  I am just a simple stay at home mom who enjoys buying kitchen gadgets regardless of whether I need them or not.  Whew!  Glad I got that off my chest.  NOW!  Onto the review.

For Ethan's birthday I had grand and glorious plans to create a ninja turtle shell out of Styrofoam and use is as my base for neon green cake pops.  If you haven't figured it out yet the birthday theme this year was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 





I have a wonderful recipe for cake pops...the old fashion version.  Click here for that recipe.  Then make them, cause they are fantastic. 

Since I love getting in over my head on every project I ever sign up for I decided that the old fashion version just wouldn't be good enough for Ethan's 7th birthday extravaganza.  Soooo I bought the Babycakes Cake Pop maker.  I was so proud. 

As it turned out I signed myself up for wayyyy to much that weekend and I wasn't able to make cake pops for Ethan's birthday.  Don't worry I did make a killer strawberry cake (recipe to come soon) and he was not disappointed. 

All in all it turned out better than my cupcake catastrophe last year.  When I spent 6 hours making tye dye cupcakes and turning them into Buzz Lightyear masterpieces and then dropping every single one on the floor RUINING all of them.  Yes I did fall in the floor and cry.  And then to rub salt in the would I slipped on the icing when I tried to get up off the floor and had a whole new tantrum.  I'm not ashamed. 

Let's get back to what this blog was originally meant for.  The review. 

A few days after the exhausting birthday weekend I got around to using my new cake pop maker. 
Here's what I think about it. 

1.  It's purple...and I love that color.
2.  Follow the directions. No matter what you tell yourself YOUR way is not the right way.  FOLLOW the directions.
3.  Use a icing bag, or something similar to pipe your batter into the holes.  Don't use a tablespoon or you'll make a gigantic mess.
4.  They are small...if you like small you'll be pleased.  If you were hoping for slightly larger cake balls you'll be disappointed.
5.  Don't leave it unattended.  Burn baby burn.
6.  Don't overfill the holes or you'll make cake that looks like Saturn and it's rings. 
7.  It comes with all kinds of gadgets!
8.  The original cake balls are better. 
9.  I got it from amazon and it wasn't expensive...that's always a perk.

Aren't these super cute?  yeah...I didn't make these.  Mine looked like....well certainly not this.

Sooo.....would I buy it again? 
I think I would, I've only used it once so I need to try it some more before I'm completely sold.  It's a glorified waffle maker.  And I'm like the donkey from Shrek...I LOVE WAFFLES!

Favorite things...Baby edition

There are 100 bazillion baby items out there all with the selling point of making you and your babies life easier, better, more fulfilled, etc.  I'm a sucker for all things that promise to make our life and babies life easier...well really I'm just a sucker for anything that will make baby happy and cry less.  How's that for honesty?

Through trial and error we have found some baby items that are MUST haves, and some baby items that are trash worthy.  Let me also state the items I'm going to go over aren't just for the baby we currently have but also Anna, and Gabby too.

At the top of the list we'll start with bottles.

Anna had trouble latching onto a baby bottle nipple so she could only use NUK nipples.  They were a lifesaver!  If we didn't use a NUK then her entire bottle would end up on her clothes.  So of course for babies who tend to leak when they are being bottle fed NUK is the way to go!

Our current little one doesn't have a problem with his latching abilities so I followed my sister in laws lead and have been using the Playtex drop in bottles.  I. LOVE. THEM.  So much less work..and I'm all about less work!  The bottles do not cost and arm and a leg and neither do the drop ins.  So I owe the cut down in bottle washing work to Amy! 

The BUMBO seat is one of our baby boys favorite things.  He loathes laying down...unless he's being held of course ;)  This helps him sit upright and enjoy all the sights and sounds of life without risk of falling over.  It comes with tons of accessories...we don't have any of those because we don't need them yet.  I do not recommend buying this brand new.  Check out craigslist and consignment stores first they are jammed packed with bumbo's for half the price.




  This picture is my niece Paiton.  This particular picture is her NOT loving her bumbo seat...and it's hilarious.  My all time favorite crying baby picture ever.  Sidenote:  She is the happiest baby I've ever seen...just not in this picture.

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When my cousin was little she had this neat contraption called a jumping johnny.  She loved it and it would keep her occupied and happy as a clam for hours!  Well, the jumping johnny needs a door frame to attach to.  Our house is void of door frames except in places that wouldn't be ideal to place a baby.  So The Fisher Price Jumperoo is perfect!  Baby loves it and he can use his legs to bounce up and down and it has multiple lights, bells and whistles to keep his attention occupied.  We love it.  The other two boys love it too...they just aren't allowed to be in it. I'm such a meany ;)  I scored this at "Once upon a Child".  I love that place.

Butt Paste.  Works wonders for the diaper rashed butt. Far exceeds Desitin in my opinion.  An overnight wonder. 





I'm sure I'll be adding to list list as time goes on.  But these are my baby favorites!

My Favorite Things

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things"

Name that movie!

-The answer is sound of music (FYI)

I thought that be a wonderful introduction to this blog because I'm going to share with you some of my favorite things!  This entry will focus on THINGS not people. 

1.   Kitchen aid mixer.  Hands down favorite item ever.  If I am ever separated from my mixer for long periods of time I might go into a deep dark depression.  My mixer and I need each other.  We are better together. 

2.  Northern Nights Sheets.  Best sheets on the planet.  You can get them from QVC and they will change your life.  You may never want to get out of bed...but don't blame that entirely on the sheets you could just be lazy...or stressed, or sleepy.  Whatever, the sheets rock.  Get some.

3.  Kindle.  That sucker can hold up to 33,000 books!  Okay I'll never ever read that many books, but seriously the possibilities are endless!  I read a lot more now knowing that I have the largest book store right in front of me.  The more you read the smarter you are (right???) .  Does that rule still apply if you read trashy romance novels?  Not that I read trashy romance novels or anything of the sort.  Honestly, I read a lot more knowing I don't have to travel anywhere to go buy a book.  Kindle=awesome.

4.  Shark Steam Mop.  It will remove dirt from 16 years ago.  Nothing is to hard for the steam mop.  It makes cleaning easier.  Since the majority of my day is spent cleaning, I like the process to be as easy as possible.

5.  Crock Pot.  Get one.  Embrace the concept of slow cooking.  Tons of recipes out there, and most of them are good!  Fix it and forget it.  Just don't completely forget about it...that would be bad.  Real bad...like burnt food bad.  Bad. 






Kiss the raindrops on roses and kittens with whiskers goodbye!  These are my favorite things!

All women need...

I am aware that there are a lot of area's that I have no clue about.  However I do feel that I can share some insight on things that I feel most women need.  I seriously doubt I have any male readers besides my husband.  But if you are a male and your reading this I apologize in advance, in fact go ahead and close out of the screen.  There is nothing in this post that a guy needs to read about. 

1.  A good bra.  Not a bra off the clearance rack at wal-mart either.  I'm talking a good, sturdy, durable bra.  I learned the hard way that I could either buy multiple cheap bra's or buy a few really nice not so cheap bra's.  Also make sure your straps are tight!  Come on ladies what is the point in wearing a bra if your not gonna keep your straps tight?  Don't believe the myth that good bra's are ugly with straps that look like a tank top.  There are some really nice fashionable and comfortable options that still work great.  I go to the Bali/Playtex store in Pigeon Forge and have never been disappointed.  I'm just here to bust some myths ladies.  Good bra's don't look like your grandmothers.  I can testify that once you get a bra that really fits you, and does its job you will never want to shop the clearance section at walmart for one again. 

2.  Tweezers.  Whether you are plagued with hormonal issues or not it's always good to have tweezers on hand.  But this particular item goes out to ladies who need tweezers for more than plucking your eyebrows. 
I can't brag about tweezerman tweezers enough.  They are awesome!  You want to get tweezers that are sharp, slanted, and thin.  If you can purchase tweezers with the change in your purse there is a huge possibility that you will be disappointed.  Save that change for a candy bar when your checking out at the store.  I have also learned that you will ALWAYS lose or misplace your good tweezers, and NEVER lose the bad ones. 

I'll stop with these two.  I have more must haves, but I can't give away all my advice in one day.  This is my attempt at a cliff hanger, I gotta keep you coming back for more!

Fabulous Find

I get so excited when I start to sit down and type this that I can hardly stand it!  This is the best fabulous find post I have ever blogged.  This next item is right up there next to my shark steam mop, yeah it's that great. 

It's the cricut.  It's a personalized cutter.  I have a hard time explaining the magnitude of awesomeness this is so you need to go here to learn all about the features of this handy dandy dream come true.

I am not crafty.  My mind doesn't run 500 miles  an hour thinking of decorating, creating, and making things pretty.  I wish I was one of those women who can create whatever they think up.  I have several friends who are creative beyond words and I am green with envy.  I don't even have shamncy fancy handwritting, just your run of the mill boring handwriting is all I have to offer.



This cricut created this.  ahhh-mazing.

 Te circut is my new b.f.f. because even I can now be creative.  If I took all my creative friends ran their creative minds through a juicer the circut would be my end product.  It cuts letters, cute little objects, makes cards, name tags, banners, the list is endless!!!!! 




All cricut creations.

 My favorite part is that it is user friendly.  It's not some snazzy computer, you press a button, load your paper and voila!  Creative magic happens.  There are all kinds of different cartridges you can get to cut out patterns and other neat things.  If you scrap book then this is a must! 



This party brought to you by the cricut.


Pick out the paper of your choosing and run wild!  Aunt Susan let me use her cricut so I could get some projects accomplished for the children's play.  Allen and I both instantly fell in love and will be buying our own.  FYI:  They have a cricut that cuts out fondant for cakes!  I could seriously open up a bakery with that bad boy!



This is the cake cricut...I dream of the day when this is in my kitchen.


I'm starting to sound like an infomercial and that's just annoying.  But seriously folks this is beyond amazing. I feel like my Ma when she first got a hot glue gun.  Man everything at our house was hot glued!  I think I had hair bows hot glued to my hair as a child.

If your creative this can take you to a whole new level.  If your not creative then this can make you creative.  It's a win win situation.  I like those odds!

My Kitchen, my Sanctuary

If you read my blog or know me at all then you know I love to cook.  Love doesn't even almost describe my feeling about cooking, I ADORE to cook.  ADORE ADORE ADORE.  So are we all on the same page?  I LOVE LOVE LOVE (and adore, don't forget adore!) to cook.  Since I am cutting back on my food intake (read all about that here) I am not sharing a recipe today cause I don't have any low fat recipes I feel like sharing at the moment (I'm bitter about being fat right now, feel sorry for me).  I thought I would tell you about the items in my kitchen that I hold near and dear to my heart.  Some have practical purposes, others have sentimental value, some stuff I just find neat and pretty.  First I need to tell you a quick side story...We have this fantastic camera, takes excellent pictures.  This fabulous camera is NOT battery operated.  This fabulous camera has a cord to charge it...and ONLY a cord.  Well electrical cords that are not permanently attached to things automatically go missing in this house, I don't know why.  I think the sock fairy got bored taking all our socks (only one in the pair though!  stupid sock fairy!) so she started taking our power cords too.  I curse the sock/cord fairy all the time.  SO since I have do not have the cord to the camera it is dead, so the pictures I am posting are straight from google...leave it to google to save the day.

Okay my favorite kitchen possessions is my Kitchen Aid Mixer.  I had been dreaming about a kitchen aid mixer since I was old enough to dream.  Around the age of 7 or 8 I realized that the kitchen aid mixer is the mack daddy of the mixer world.  Nothing else comes close to comparison.  I never could afford one, and came close to crying every time I would have to use a "regular" mixer.  So for 22 years I lived life without a kitchen aid mixer and what a sad sad state of affairs that was.  When Allen asked me to marry him a couple things went through my mind.  First:  I needed to make sure he had asked my dad, because I couldn't get married unless my daddy gave his blessing.  In case your wondering I am absolutely a daddy's girl.  Once Allen told me all that was taken care of I got crazy excited!  I was getting married!!!!!  YAY! 
Second:  It came to me (almost like a vision) that this would be the PERFECT opportunity to get that kitchen aid mixer I had been dreaming about since birth.  I have a fantastic family (also large) and Allen has a fantastic family (also large) and we have fantastic friends and church families.  I knew that wedding showers would be soon coming...in my mind wedding shower=kitchen aid mixer!  I told EVERYONE that I didn't care if they gave me the first plate, spoon, cup, crock pot, serving dish or anything else all I wanted was a kitchen aid mixer (color:  red.  If possible)   Well wedding showers came and went and no mixer, I will say though we RACKED UP!  We received some amazing gifts, things I still love and use.  We were so very blessed! Allen and I decided that we would take our gift cards and put them towards the mixer of my dreams.  Well lo and behold the very LAST gift I got to open at our wedding was A BRIGHT RED MACK DADDY KITCHEN AID MIXER!!!!!!!  OOO my wedding day was the best day of my life because I married Allen AND I got the mixer!!!  My mother in laws boss (who is a billionaire) got it for us and surprised us at our wedding reception.  I love that guy.  My mixer stays out on my counter for all the world to see, I am so proud.  I use it for everything.  Cakes, cookies, it makes creamy mashed potatoes, breads, nothing is ever lumpy.  It was everything I dreamed of and more.  If you don't have a kitchen aid mixer you haven't lived, it will change your life.  Go buy one, if you can't afford it start saving.  Just do it, you won't regret it. 

Next on my list of near and dear kitchen items is my silver tea pitcher.  My Mimi made the worlds greatest sweet tea and she always put it in her silver tea pitcher.  Well now that silver pitcher is mine.  It special for so many reasons, I can't look at without memories flooding my mind.  It has a few dents and dings but I love it just the same.  And tea tastes better coming out of that pitcher, maybe its because of all the memories that pour out along with the tea.  I love my tea pitcher, I love my Mimi, I love my memories.  Iced SWEET tea and memories...does it get anymore southern then that?  I love the south. 

And I'll end with this one.  My Fancy cake plate.  I think everyone needs a fancy cake plate.  It makes any cake come alive!  You can put cookies on it, cakes, anything you want!  It adds class to your cooking.  I like classy cooking.  I got this as a wedding present from a sweet lady I went to church with.  Whenever I have to go to a covered dish, or take a cake somewhere it ALWAYS goes on my pretty cake plate.  I never leave it ANYWHERE.  If I go with it, it comes back home with me.  You can have the cake on it, that's all well and good.  But you can't keep my plate.  It's a rule. 

I'll share some more kitchen must haves along the way but that's all for now.  Have a great day, I think I will go stand in front of my cake plate and imagine there is a huge chunk of delicious cake on it.  The rule is I can't eat the cake, but no one said I couldn't dream about it!

Must haves

I love how each family has certain things that they swear by.  Certain brand names that are a must have, certain things you can't live without, and things that no matter what you can always find in their cabinets. 

 Here are some things you can ALWAYS find at my house
1.  Makings for Macaroni and cheese. 
2.  Pop Tarts
3.  Green Beans
4.  REAL butter
5.  A Mr. Bubbles cleaning product
6.  Mr. Clean with Febreeze
7.  Swiffer wet clothes
8.  Magic Eraser
9.  Sugar Free kool-aid
10.  Cereal

I have few things I have to have name brands for.  They are as follows...
1.  Cleaning products...go big or go home.  Cleaning happen here 24/7 So I don't have time to buy a cheap cleaning product and have to take twice as long for it to do its job. 
2.  Toilet Paper..recently I found the Sam's generic TP and it is GREAT.  You get a big ole package of it, and it does its job without leaving you sore...I'll leave it at that.
3.  My CHI straightener, it works miracles on my hair.  They aren't cheap but they are worth every single Penny and more!
4.  Spaghetti Sauce I bought store brand 2 times.  My first and my last!  It's Preggo all the way for us!
5.  Garbage bags.  GONE are the days of the garbage can wars.  I have to have the Glad force flex.
6.  Duncun Heinz Cake mixes.  I have tried every brand out there and Duncun Heinz is my favorite.
7.  Dukes Maynaise.  Grew up on it, why change now?

What are your must haves?

Fabulous Finds

Recently I saw a commercial for falsies mascara by Maybelline. I think we all can agree that mascara commercials have taken over the TV lately. But it appealed to me and I was out of Mascara so I purchased this brand. It isn’t very expensive and it really works! It doesn’t make you look like a stripper…it is like a push up bra (btw I have NO need for those) it accentuates what you have. It doesn’t clump up and make it look like coffee ground on your eyelashes either. I recommend it! It receives 5 stars from this consumer!

Mom's new toy...a crock pot!

I can't tell you how excited I am about my newest purchase.  It's a crockpot!  Never in a million years would I have ever thought a crockpot would have brought me such joy.  But these are the days of motherhood.  Therefore a crockpot makes me happy. 

We received a crockpot for a wedding gift but it is a small one and I use it for potpourri warming.  We have fallen into a routine of meals and I need to spice that up a little bit.  I am tired of Meatloaf, Chicken, Spaghetti, taco salad, pork chops, and grilling.  There is nothing wrong with any of those meals and they are Pruitt favorites and things I know my kids love.  But I need some variety...I needed a crockpot. 

So I have a few dinners planned out.  We are going to try mac and cheese in the crock pot...google that recipe it looks awesome.  Crockpot chicken taco's that I read on on hollyfurtick.com.  Apparently there are a lot more options then I had ever thought about. 

It is typical of my personality to eat crockpot meals for the next week and then never eating a crock pot meal again...I go full force, burn out, and quit.  So if you have any crockpot recipes your family enjoys send them my way!  I don't my pretty new crockpot in the back of a cabinet.