This Mother’s Day my daughter gave me one of those sweet cards she makes at school where she completed sentences like “I like it when…” and “My mom’s the greatest because…” On the card she mentioned how much she loves my peanut butter cookies and that she loves it when I bake.

Life has been so hectic lately and I honestly could not remember the last time I baked anything. So I almost instantly preheated the oven, pulled out the recipe for peanut butter cookies, put on my apron and invited Natalie to help me bake some cookies.

We had such a great time baking together and it reminded me of how much I miss it– and how I should put it back into my routine.

Want to bake some cookies with your kids this weekend? Evidently, I’ve got a great recipe and I’m happy to share it with you. To be honest, though, I think the most important ingredient isn’t listed. It’s love. I’m thankful to get to share mine.

Peanut Butter & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Jif reduced fat)
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• optional— mini chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter, egg.  Add other ingredients and mix well.
• For those who are patient, refrigerate 3 hours. For those who are not, skip the refrigeration.
• Scoop dough onto the pan, or form balls and place on the cookie sheet. Criss-cross with a fork if desired.
• Add mini chocolate chips to some or all cookies before criss-crossing to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
• Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes while on the cookie sheet. Remove to cool completely.
• Enjoy!

Do you bake with your kids? Or did anyone invite you to bake with them when you were younger? Please tell me about it in the comments.

Get ready to sample Houston’s foodtruck delights at H-E-B Montrose Market’s 1st & 3rd Friday Foodtruck Meetup this Friday, May 17, from 5:30-9 p.m. There will be 13 foodtrucks and live music to enjoy.

Foodtrucks participating in the Houston meetup:

• Sweets by Belen
• Big Daddy Z’s
• Fork in the Road
• L’es-Car-Go
• Soul Cat Cuisine
• Coreanos
• St. John’s Fire
• The Waffle Bus
• Juice Girl
• Flaming Patties
• Chi’Lantro BBQ
• Craft Infusion
• Urban Izzy

Here’s a sampling of what you might order for dinner:

· Green Chile Mac & Cheese Ball– Spiced up Green Chile Mac’N’Cheese rolled into a ball and fried to a crispy treat. Served with Cilantro Yogurt dipping sauce

 · Truffle Fries– Waffle fries tossed with exotic Truffle salt.

 · ½ lb Prime Burgers– 100%Prime beef with truffle fried egg, bacon jam, caramelized onions & cheese or simply lettuce, tomato, onions & cheese

· Asian Pulled Bahn Mi– Slow roasted pork with a hoisin-ginger glaze. Served Bahn Mi style with Fresh cucumbers, carrots, jalapeno, cilantro and Sambal Mayo on a fresh Boillio roll

· Samosa Burger or Bites– Traditional Samosa filling with Potatoes, sautéed peas, onions, garlic and rich Indian spice formed into patties, rolled in panko bread crumbs and fried crispy. Enjoy on a bun or cut into pieces over spring mix. Served with fresh mint green chutney & cilantro yogurt dip

· Oreo Bites–Oreos and cream cheese rolled up & dipped in Chocolate. Umm Yummmmmm!

If I was free Friday night, I’d definitely  swing by and check this out. Hope you can.

H-E-B Montrose Market is located at 1701 W. Alabama, Houston, TX 77098.

Does your child want to be an Adventures in Odyssey Ambassador and travel on an exciting Good-Goers Mission Based Adventure trip to another country with a parent?

This summer, Focus on the Family’s audio series, Adventures in Odyssey, is hosting A.C.T.S. (A Call to Service) to promote the biblical message, “When you serve, everybody wins,” and a summer of serving. In addition to the joy that comes from serving others, kids can also enter to win a trip to serve others in a different country!

Whit, Connie, Eugene, and the other characters from Odyssey are encouraging kids to serve their families, their communities, and their world in a variety of totally do-able ways.

As part of the fun, 100 kids participating in A.C.T.S will win the brand new Adventures in Odyssey album and two grand prize winners (one girl and one boy) will get to travel out of the country on a Good-Goers Mission. The out-of-country destination will be announced on a live podcast May 22—hosted by AIO actors Katie Leigh (Connie) and Chris Anthony (Chris)—which you can watch at whitsend.org/acts.

Here’s how the A.C.T.S. (A Call to Service) challenge and contest works:

Kids who choose to join A.C.T.S. will pick up a service log and collect fun character stickers for hours served at participating bookstores throughout the summer. You can also download a serving log at whitsend.org.  At the end of the summer, kids can record and upload a short video telling how they serve and why they’d like to become an Adventures in Odyssey Ambassador.

Based on the video entries, 100 winners will get the brand new AIO Album, and after online voting, two grand prize winners (one boy and one girl) will get to travel on an exciting Good-Goers Mission Based Adventure trip to another country with a parent.

Free Adventures in Odyssey episode download and weekly service ideas

Need more inspiration?

Click over to download the free Adventures in Odyssey episode on service, as well as a list of weekly service ideas kids can do. Then, share it with your family and get ready for the inspiration to service that is sure to follow.

I’ll be reporting a few times throughout the summer on more ways you can serve and let you know what my family is up to, too.

A joyful finish… After 6 years, we finally took a pic with the Capitol in the background. :) That’s my husband whose face I am blocking with my bike. (oops!!) The cute kid is Steven and Ami’s son, Liam.

If you’ve been reading MomsToolbox for awhile, then you probably know about my annual participation in the Houston to Austin MS 150 each spring. It is a 2-day, 180-mile bike ride from Houston to Austin to raise money to combat Multiple Sclerosis.

2013 was my 6th year to participate in the fundraiser, which is the largest MS fundraiser in the world, bringing in about $18 million for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. And, from what I can tell, this one extremely efficient organization, so I have no doubt they put every penny raised to its best use.

This year the ride was April 20-21, and the weather was the best I had ever experienced. Also, this year I wasn’t able to train on my bike as much as I had the first two years, but I trained in other ways and it definitely paid off.

The following is from my journal after day one:

This has been a seriously amazing day. It’s my 6^th MS150 from Houston to Austin and, so far, most definitely my best riding day… and maybe my best riding day ever.

All the other MS rides I have done have had pretty miserable weather, but today was, and is, absolutely gorgeous.

When we started this morning at 6:45 it was still a bit dark and was also a chilly 44 degrees. Brrrr.

Getting ready to roll!

I wore full-fingered gloves under my regular cycling gloves, as well as spandex thigh highs (okay, leg warmers), my light cycling jacket and an extra UnderArmor t-shirt under my jersey. I was still a bit chilly but wouldn’t dream of complaining as the weather was the most promising of any year I had cycled— and a tailwind was predicted!

Basically, a tailwind means that the wind will be coming from behind and potentially push you on your path.

For every MS150 I have ever cycled, there has been a headwind, a massive force slamming against me, sometimes even making rides downhill a struggle. I was due this mythical tailwind and thrilled at the possibility that 2013 just might be the year. And today it most certainly was!

No headwind for all but maybe the last 7 miles and tailwind for much of the other 91—gorgeous!

I was giddy as we began rolling. I could barely contain my excitement.

“This is gorgeous!!” I would spontaneously shout.

“Oh, Steven, thank you so much for convincing us to do this,” I’d yell.

“Wow! I love this! What a day!!”

I promised to keep it under 75 exclamations of joy. (But I knew even that would be hard for me.)

We rolled out and rolled, rolled and rolled. I stayed with Gary and Steven for quite awhile.

When riding, often cyclists will tuck up close to each other so that they can catch the pull or draft off the rider in front of them. This can be dangerous as you have to trust the rider in front of you to call out road hazards, and you must pay close attention to your spacing, but it also enables you to go faster with less effort. Cyclists in this arrangement take turns pulling at the front and then drift to the back of the line, rotating back up to the front as new riders fall to the back.

I’m not one who typically enjoys pacelines, as I feel like they take so much of my energy to concentrate on the rider in front of me, so often I do my own thing. But with Steven and Gary I went up front at one point and pulled for a bit. I pulled and pulled and then was passed by and then caught up with another paceline and jumped on the back. That group was going at a great pace for me to keep up and they pulled us quite a long way. As long as we were with the group, the guy pulling at the front never came back. Eventually we turned a corner and lagged back a bit, losing the paceline, but still reaping the benefits of drafting them for several miles before that. Then it was back to the three of us for awhile.

The only negative of my day was that my cycle computer, which serves as a speedometer and odometer among other things, stopped working right at the start. It was a little frustrating not to be able to tell my speed or distance. However, once we came upon the lunch stop, at about 9 a.m., it was a delightful and invigorating surprise. I couldn’t believe we had made it so quickly!!

We bypassed the stop, though, and eventually stopped at a convenience store in Bellville.

In the past I had either stopped at rest stops or not at all, so the idea of running water and space, as opposed to a porta-potty thrilled me. It’s the little things that can be so big, people! :)

We refueled, used the bathroom, peeled off our layers and were back on the road in 30 minutes.

We stayed together as a threesome for a few miles, but the hills always impact me more than they impact Steven and Gary, so it wasn’t long before the guys left me. I had encouraged them to leave whenever they wanted right from the start. I don’t mind rolling solo and I hate the thought of holding anybody back.

I pedaled and pedaled, passing farmhouses, bluebonnet flowers, cattle and field after field.

I passed tons of families and groups cheering us on, some with sound systems blaring, one group of musicians with a serious fiddler, and lots of kids with cowbells and smiles.

One of my very favorite parts of the ride is rolling through Fayetteville, where it appears the whole town gathers to celebrate. People gather on restaurant and business patios, as well as front lawns of homes to blow bubbles, clap, cheer and encourage us. I can’t help but to smile and wave back—they make us feel like heroes.

At some point after that I turned on music from my phone and began singing along with the music blaring. (Don’t worry, I don’t use headphones. The phone was playing through the speaker for anyone to hear.) I had sung before on rides, but just a few short hymns here and there, and only when I was pretty sure I was alone. This time I was belting out all sorts of songs. I didn’t really care if anyone heard me. One man rode near me for quite a while. I hope my voice didn’t ruin it for him. :)

I was having a joy-filled time singing, pedaling, thinking and taking in the gorgeous weather. Did I mention that we had a gorgeous tailwind?

I’m not sure what mile it was when I passed a rest stop and saw Gary waving at me. I think it was the second to last one, making it about 20 miles from the first day finish line.

Once I knew he had stopped, it became obvious that yes, I had a good chance to finish before he and Steven, which really wasn’t that big of a deal to me, but Ami and Steven had mentioned the concept, challenging me, more than a few times. (I have finished before the guys a few times in the past, but really because I don’t stop much and the guys typically take one more stop than I do on the first day. Day 2 is a completely different story! They typically finish an hour or so ahead of me.)

So, anyway, this was the first time I realized that I really could finish first again and, well, I have to admit that this really energized me. Is that wrong?

I pushed and pushed, still enjoying every pedal stroke.

Seriously, the weather was amazing, how could I not be inspired?

In cycling, you are supposed to communicate with the other riders for safety reasons. If you are intending to pass another rider, you should pass on the left side and call out “On your left,” or “Left side,” as you approach and pass. This lets the rider know you are there and also encourages them to slide right, if needed, to give you room to pass safely. Cyclists also call out when I car is in coming from the front (“Car up!”) or from behind (“Car back!”) or other hazards like gravel, bumps or railroad tracks.

I often call out other things to fellow riders while passing. For example, I might shout out “Hey #220—Nice fundraising!” after seeing someone rider number. Rider numbers 1-300 are reserved for the top fundraisers and issued in order. Our friend Steven is #165 this year, having raised about $9,700 last year. I also comment on cute jerseys and accents (tutus, boa trims—yes, they are there) or just comment on the gorgeous weather. I like to relate and chat briefly with other riders here and there.

As I was passing one rider I noticed his number indicated he was a VIP.

“How VIP are you?” I couldn’t resist asking.

“What?” he said.

“Your rider number says you are a VIP. Why is that?” I asked.

“Oh! This is my 19^th year and I’d rather have that than ‘Veteran Rider,’” he explained.

We chatted a bit about the weather—seriously it had been so bad the past few years that anyone who had ridden before was overjoyed by the glorious weekend we were having. Then he told me to save some energy for the last 7 miles.

“When we make that last turn, we’ll be into a headwind, so save something in the tank for that,” he said.

We agreed that 7 miles of headwind paired with 90-ish of a slight tailwind was just fine with us and cycled on.

It wasn’t long before I passed the last rest stop, which is 11 miles from the LaGrange finish.

I passed the point where the wind stole my bag of Fig Newtons right out of my hand last year. I smiled and pedaled harder.

I passed the place where my stomach started to contract so terribly my first year that it felt very much like labor. That was awful, as it remained that way long after I finished that year. I remembered crying in pain those last 10 miles and was thankful to not have that pain this time.

I made the turn into the wind and still giggled. Yes, the veteran rider was right- there was definitely a headwind, but I had 7 miles to go and the wind was not that terrible at all. Only 7 glorious miles and I had energy to spare.

I pushed and pushed, then started to wonder about Gary and Steven. Would they overtake me at the last point? Would I lose my lead? Or would I be texting Ami at the finish with a three-peat first finish?

I dug in and pedaled a bit harder.

Soon I saw a sign that read 1.5 miles to go! I pedaled harder.

Then 1 mile.

Then .5 mile.

I could see the fence, the signs, all the indications that I was getting closer. I wondered where Gary and Steven could be.

The crowd was definitely smaller and consequently quieter this year than in the past. Typically there are cars and people lining the roadway for the last 2 miles or so, clapping, ringing cowbells, holding up signs. I was finishing earlier than I had in the past, which could account for some of that. My suspicion, though, was that the smaller crowd had something to do with the bombs at the Boston Marathon earlier in the week. Throughout the ride I saw more police presence than in the past at the rest stops.

But the crowd that was there was enthusiastic and still encouraged me greatly as I rolled over the finish.

“Good job!!” I heard over and over.

I saw signs saying “Thank you,” and was reminded why we ride—to raise money to combat Multiple Sclerosis. Seeing those signs always bring me right back to reality and tears me up. I am so thankful I am able to ride. I have a strong body, a supportive husband and a great babysitter. I’m not sure why God has gifted me with those things (and more) but I am truly thankful and glad to put them all to use to help others.

The finish curves around a bit, so, once I reached a safe spot, I pulled over to the side and hopped off my bike to wait for Steven and Gary. After a minute or so, I decided to walk my bike to the other side of the finish, leaned over to snap a photo of my heart rate monitor results, and heard my name.

Steven rolled in right after me. I probably beat him by a mere 3 minutes. I texted Ami to let her know, Steven and I chatted a bit and it wasn’t long before Gary rolled to the finish.

I finished the ride at about 12:30, which, factoring in our stop, meant I spent 5:30 on the bike. I was thrilled with that result.

GLORIOUS DAY!

I couldn’t stop talking about what a great day and great ride it was… I was still filled with energy. Ahhhhh…. SUCCESS!

Day one, DONE!

******

Here are a few photos from our stay at Camp St. Marks, an overflow of the larger campsite for riders. We ride with the National Oilwell Varco team and they take excellent care of their riders. This means we sleep in a big tent with other riders riding under their name and that they take care of transporting our luggage, feeding us, and other things. They were extremely accommodating and a great bunch. I couldn’t help but notice that I was one of only about 5 or 6 women riders on the team, though. But that didn’t bother me for a second.. and they still set aside awesome porta potties for the girls. :)

This is the sleeping quarters side of the NOV team tent. I slept on one of the cots you can see along the right side.

Yes, this is the one of the porta potties set aside for the women. LOVE it! It even flushed and had water. Thank you, NOV!!

Barbecue dinner– They also had burgers and hot dogs for us, and tons of snacks and drinks after we arrived.

Thank you to all the volunteers who fed us and take care of us! I love the pancake breakfast which is open to all riders. There are about 14,000 of us, so that is a lot of pancakes!!

It’s not often I am up for eating three MASSIVE pancakes for breakfast. :)

Getting ready to roll on day two. In a big tent filled with guys, I got dressed mostly with a sheet over me on my cot.

I did not journal after day 2. Once we finished, we hung around a bit and then headed back to Houston– this time in a car. But I can tell you the second day was equally, or possibly even more thrilling. I had been nervous about cycling through the park in Bastrop, which is particularly harrowing ride with steep drops and climbs and curvy roads. But I even powered through that with gears to spare. Yes, it was still a challenge, but every year it gets easier and easier and this year I loved it even more. I ended up finishing after the guys on day two, as I had expected. But this year I finished at 12:01, about 10-15 minutes after them, which I did not expect.  I think the game is ON for next year. Gulp.

Here are a few pics from the finish:

Toasting a successful ride with bubbles from Hermann J. Wiemer

Me with my MS CHAMP.
Riders can ride in honor of someone with MS by taking a bandana from the MS Society signed by someone with MS. I rode with Peggy’s bandana and was thrilled to meet her at the finish line in Austin.

There are shower trucks at the campsite in LaGrange as well as at the finish is Austin. Steven’s status as a top 300 fundraiser enables him and a guest to bypass the lines at the other shower trucks and use the VIP showers. The showers are the same, but the lines are not. And, although it might not be a luxury shower, I have never felt better showering in my flip flops, washing away all that road grime! Aaaahhhhh!

What an amazing, amazing weekend!

Since this is a fundraiser, it would be remiss of me to not give you the opportunity to contribute to the MS Society. If you would like to learn more about MS and its effects, or if you are up for helping the MS Society work towards a world with no MS and help those battling its effects along the way, please click over to check out my MS fundraising page. Even though the ride is over, they will still accept contributions in support of my ride. And trust me, this is one organization I know will put every penny contributed to good use, so if you can spare $5 – $500, you can rest assured it is going to be used well.

Explore Brazil without even leaving Houston now through this Tuesday, May 7, with Passaporte Brazil at Central Market in Houston.

The celebration features workshops (paid and free) covering coffee, wine, food, music dancing and much more in a special celebration tent at Central Market at 3815 Westheimer.

Today (Saturday) the celebration features a Brazilian Patio Party from Noon- 4 p.m., complete with live music and a Samba demonstration. You can also taste some of the best Brazilian coffees today from Noon- 2 p.m. at the Brazilian coffee bar.

The patio party continues Sunday, also from Noon- 4. And for those wanting to explore Brazilian wine, there will be a Wine Tasting with Pizzato and Casa Valduga on Sunday from Noon – 3 p.m.

On Monday, Passaporte Brazil hosts a Wine Workshop to taste and learn more about Brazilian wines. This workshop costs $10, but I have no doubt it will be well worth it. I’ve just begun exploring Brazilian wines, and I have been delighted with my findings (especially the sparkling!!)… I hope you will be, too.

Tuesday holds a cooking class on salsas, sauces and relishes– a great way to liven up meals and celebrate Brazil anytime!  This class is $55 and requires advance registration, as you’ll be making pork roast, frilled, beef, fish and chicken. YUM!

Want to know more? Click over to the Central Market blog for more details.

Yesterday at my daughter’s Daisy Girl Scout troop meeting, we introduced lanyard crafts and the box stitch.

Teaching patience and crafts

The girls are in the first grade and the project was definitely a challenge for the girls, as well as for the moms helping, including me. However, as difficult as the project might have been, my co-leader and I agreed that it was well worth it, as it is and was also an exercise in patience– which is a great thing to exercise and learn.  It is a bit challenging, but it can be done.

Once the technique is mastered, there are a lot of other lanyard crafts out there to keep kids happily busy for hours rather inexpensively with relatively few supplies to tote.

Today I sent a note to the moms with a few resource links on lanyard crafts. I thought I’d share them here, too, in the event you want to tackle lanyards with your own kids or use this at a Girl Scout or Cub Scout meeting or birthday party activity.

We used the box or square stitch, but there are lots of others out there.

 These are my favorite videos and feature young crafters explaining the project:

•  The easiest way to start a box stitch lanyard that I have found: (Be patient with the camera angles, she has a great technique. :) )
• A different method for starting a box stitch lanyard, with better videography
• Short video on the lanyard box stitch, once you have started

 More lanyard resources:

•  Overview of the box stitch using shoelace-like material and other techniques
• Variety of lanyard stitches and crafts
• Variety of lanyard stitches, techniques and projects with step by step instructions and photos. There are also links within on finishing the projects
• Tons of lanyard ideas and inspiration with video

 Not just for girls…

Last night we were talking about this at the dinner table and my boys (ages 9 and 11) were also intrigued. I’m hoping to get everyone hooked… it could sure be a summer travel lifesaver or boredom buster. :)

Have you ever made lanyard crafts? What are some of your favorite techniques or projects? I’d love to read your tips!

Many of you know my sister-in-law, Toni, of The Happy Housewife.

Last year Toni started exercising and really got in shape. She looks great and seems to be feeling fabulous, too. (Not that she wasn’t already looking just fine before all this or anything.)

Toni shared a bit about her journey to getting fit for good on her site earlier this week. If you missed it, I highly recommend reading her post, How Did You Lose Weight? because it is has some solid, followable, awesome advice. And it has links to join an encouraging, inspiring Facebook group she leads that is filled with great people also looking to get Fit for Good.

Click over and take a look at what Toni has to say. I’ve definitely been inspired by her.

Last week I met a mom of two who is expecting her third child soon. (She blogs over at I Still Hate Pickles, and she just released an Ebook of Devotions for Lent, in case you were wondering or need a new devotional guide.)

Well, anyway, as it turned out, the timing of her three children very closely resembles that of my own… except I have a few years on her.

When she told me her children’s ages and her due date, I could not help but become one of those who shares pregnancy and mom experiences without asking first.

“Oh, I have to tell you…” I began. It came out of my mouth before I even realized it. I promise. And then I couldn’t stop.

“Going from two to three for me was CAKE compared to going to one, or even two. It was SO much better than I expected.” I told her.

I remembered all too well the frustration I felt in managing life as a mom with our first baby.  When our second was born, juggling two really got me. But, by the time our third baby was born, I managed much, much better than I had the first two times. And, in the event she was as worn out as I was the first two times, I wanted her to have hope. Because I could have used a touch of it at that point in my journey.

So I’m just wondering for those of you out there with two, three, eighteen or any number of children in between. (Or, well, above, too.) What was your most difficult transition? And which were your easiest? And if you are a mom of one, was transitioning into motherhood what you expected, easier or harder?

Please, if you have a moment, do share. I’m curious to know if other moms of three or more felt them same way I did. And I’m also curious as to what other moms thought of the whole transition into motherhood.

Thanks for sharing. :)

 Crave in Houston now offers cupcake party packs to go, allowing any kid to become a master cupcake artist and and any mom to be a hero without much effort.

(Is it bad to admit that I want to be a hero without a lot of work sometimes?)

The Party Packs come with everything kids need to decorate and enjoy one dozen cupcakes in 19 different designs— the cupcakes, frosting, adorable fondant pieces and decorations and a master drawing of all the suggested designs are all in there.

Kids can make ladybugs, fish, pirates, Cinderella, flowers and 14 more original, easy-to-decorate ideas.

The Party Packs cost $50 per dozen, which, in my book, is a great price for gourmet cupcakes and effortless fun. (For a price comparison, one dozen frosted Crave cupcakes cost $39.) And yes, these cupcakes are not only fun to decorate, but they are scrumptious, too.

Crave invited me to bring my daughter and her friend to the store to try out the Party Pack concept.

We opened the kit, set out the pieces and a few plates, and the two girls, ages 6 and 7 years, got right to work decorating cupcakes (and, yes, even snacking on a few of the decorating elements, of course. They loved the colored hair pieces.).

There were enough fondant pieces to create 2 of each of the 19 designs, and with that many pieces, that meant there were plenty of supplies to add their own touches, if they wanted. I think they loved having the master design sheet as a guide.

The only place the girls needed help was to remind them to coat the cupcake with a lot of frosting instead of skimming the surface. Other than that, the girls went to town decorating on their own, without any help needed from me.

There was one point that Joann Ho, the store manager at the West University location, stepped in to show us a trick for making curly hair for Cinderella. (This lady knows her cupcakes!!)

She suggests tying the decorating string into little knot and using those pieces at the top of the cupcake. Easy peasy and a great tip for anyone trying to make curly hair on a cupcake!

As I stepped back and watched the girls go, it occurred to me that, in addition to being a great kids party idea, this would also be a great activity and dessert for any party where kids are present. You could easily set this up in the kitchen or any room and let the kids go, while the adults could hang out in the next room visiting.  Seriously— this was that easy. Plus, since they’ll have so much fun decorating, you could put the kids to work making not only their dessert, but cupcakes for the adults to enjoy, as well.

Even though I live way out in the ‘burbs, I see a few Crave Party Pack purchases in my future. Joann explained that the packs need to be ordered in advance, but that, for convenience, it is possible to pick up the pack one day and use it the next day. The cupcakes and frosting will stay fresh. (Just don’t put the frosting in the refrigerator overnight or it will get too hard to spread easily.)

When we were all finished, these girls could barely wait to eat lunch and then get home eat their creations…

Want to know more? Here are the details…

 Crave Party Packs come with:

• one dozen unfrosted cupcakes in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry
• three tubs of frosting: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry
• cut out fondant pieces to make two each of 19 designs
• design guide for 19 designs
• knives for spreading
• $50 per kit

Crave  has two Houston locations:

• 1151-06 Uptown Park Blvd., Houston, TX 77056
• 5600 Kirby Drive, Houston 77005

Phone: 713-62-CRAVE (both locations)

One quick note: Although we tried the party packs out at the store so I could report back to you, these are meant to be taken home or to a party, not decorated at Crave.

Guess what?

Your votes made me a finalist in the Foods From Chile Next Top Blogger Contest, which means I’m one step closer to an amazing culinary adventure in Chile, thanks to you and your influence on my behalf!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Yesterday I shot a video explaining why I think the judges should pick me, as each of the other 9 finalists did, as well.

The judges will take a look at that and my entry post and make their decision by the end of the week.

Will I get to go to Chile again, this time exploring some of its vineyards, olive groves and fruit plantations up close? Will I get to visit the Mercado Central in Santiago and Nam Santiago Food Festival and get to share my experiences with you?

I don’t know the answer just yet, but I do know that I have some of the best fans out there. So thanks, everyone, for your support in getting me to this point. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the judging that’s taking place now, but I already feel so fortunate to have made it this far.

Oooh! I can almost taste all that fresh, delicious fruit, vegetables and seafood… and all those wines…