Lemon Lavender Cupcakes

My inspiration for these cupcakes come from Joanna Gaines!  Every time I pass through Waco I try to stop at the Silos Baking Company and grab a few sweet treats.  I love her lemon lavender cupcakes and wanted to try to make some at home.  While they may not be as good as hers, I think the frosting turned out pretty tasty!

I posted the frosting recipe below.  I may need to eat a few more cupcakes from Joanna Gaines to get it just right…oh well, I will make the sacrifice!

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Lemon Lavender Frosting:
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of butter (2 sticks of butter) at room temperature
4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
3 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon edible lavender (for garnish) or you can add to frosting
pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
~Stand alone mixer use whisk attachment and beat butter for 2 minutes.
~Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream or milk, lemon zest and lemon extract.
~Beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes
~Add salt and if too thick add more cream or milk
~Add lavender and lemon zest to top of cupcakes

M&M Cookies and Milk

M&M Cookies and Milk

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M&M Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup + 2 tsp of light brown sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tsp of sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup shortening (or butter flavor shortening) I use Crisco.
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup M&Ms

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl

Beat the shortening, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla together in mixer. Add the eggs, then slowly pour in the dry ingredients.

Stir in the M&Ms by hand and drop on cookie sheet.  I add extra M&Ms on top!

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (depending on your oven) or until just golden brown. Cool then place on wire rack.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Mother’s Day 2016

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Reading to my little girls each night in bed is something I still miss to this day. I miss hearing them beg for one more book or one more song or one more prayer.  Trace Adkins hit the nail on the head when he sang “You’re gonna miss this”.  My eyes well up with tears each time I hear it…

You’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this

Today my girls did many things to make my day special.  One of the sweetest things was to give me a book I read to them as a child.  Each of my girls picked out the book that reminded them of me when they were young.  They wrote a note inside and told  me why this book was special to them and the memories they have of me reading it to them when they were young.  That touched my heart!

They also made me lunch so I could put it on my blog!  They were so thoughtful!  They made a delicious healthy lunch.

Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers  Recipe Here
Strawberry Pecan Salad
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Pink Lemonade

 And last but not least they gave me a new hand mixer for the kitchen.  They know me so well! I love the pink…so pretty. KitchenAid 
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Thankful today for my wonderful daughters and so blessed that God allowed me to walk through this life with them!