With Icing On Top

I borrowed an idea from a couple other blogging friends, and we enjoyed some fun family time making and decorating chocolate swirl cupcakes on the first evening of our vacation. :o)

As always, the beaters are the best part--from start to finish! :o)

Aren't they pretty? I love the swirls! :o)

Ah, the counter is so neat and clean as we begin the icing process . . .

Peter's Masterpiece:

Hannah's Masterpiece:

Daddy's Masterpiece:

Mommy's Masterpiece:

After eating our first masterpieces, we moved on to additional canvasses (with much additional mess!!!!) . . . :o)

Since I have just one cupcake tin I care to use (the other one burned the last batch of muffins I made in it about four years ago . . . ), we made the remainder of our batter into a cake which Daddy iced and the kids decorated.

I had (past tense being the correct tense!) about 2/3 of a bottle of rainbow sprinkles. Hannah cheerfully used ALL of the remaining sprinkles on our cake. "Isn't it the most beautiful cake you've ever seen, Mommy?" :o) Gotta love it! And it was worth every sprinkle just to see her pleasure! :o)

That same evening we also started what I hope will become an annual tradition of Thankful Turkeys. We created construction paper turkeys using our handprints, and then we wrote on each finger something for which we are thankful. (We had fun guessing Peter's!) :o) It was a fun project! :o)

It was a lovely start to what would be a restful and enjoyable vacation!