REESES CAKE!!!!!!!!

My sister in law LOVES Reeses (and so do I!) So I thought I'd try to concoct a Reese's cake for her Birthday yesterday. I used a Betty Crocker Super Moist Triple Chocolate cake mix. The first cake I tried to make was with 2 round pans for a layered cake. Once I frosted it, 1/2 of it collapsed, I'm not sure if it was because its such a moist cake and not very sturdy or if the PB frosting was too dense. So for take #2 I took the safe route and just made a 9x13 pan cake. Here is the recipe for it! :)

1 Betty Crocker Super Moist Triple Chocolate cake mix - bake cake as directed. (You don't HAVE to use THAT cake mix, you could use any chocolate, but I found this to be the yummiest :)) Let cake cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting:
3c powdered sugar
1/2c milk
1/2c smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
blend for 3 mins

If it's not thick enough for your taste, keep adding more powered sugar until it thickens up, or refrigerate for a few hours.

Toppings:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
5-6 Reese peanut butter cups fun size
8 Mini Reeses (for middle flower, optional)

For the toppings I melted about 1 cup of chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave (in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth, I found that adding a little peanut butter with the chocolate chips makes them melt smoother) and spooned into a sandwich size ziplock, cut a small slit in corner and drizzled it back and forth across the cake. I did the same thing then with the Reeses peanut butter chips.

Then I chopped up about 5 or 6 Reese's and crumbled them across the cake. I finished by placing one whole Reeses and 8 mini Reeses around it for a flower in the middle.

LOTS of compliments all around, everyone loved it! Except for my brother in law who didn't even try it because he doesn't like Peanut Butter! :P

Memorial Day Weekend Mega-Post: Children's Musuem, Cottage, Pool and Home improvements!

DISCLAIMER: There are ALOT of pics and videos on this MEGA post, so it may take a while to load - sorry! :P

The last few days have been busy and lots of fun (and crazy weather). Thursday night after work I brought Addelyn to the Children's Museum for family night (Thursday nights are only $1.50 to get in). I thought it would be super busy but wasn't bad at all and she had a blast :)












She wanted to push this grocery cart the WHOLE time! Definitely her favorite :-P




Giant Lite Bright


Attempting to get a pic together





Joel also did a ton in the yard!



Saturday and Sunday we went up to my inlaw's cottage.
Rebuilding the dock








All finished :)


Joel wanted to teach Sara how to ski by using the canoe...on land :P



And he wanted to show her himself....HA!!





Campfire :) Did I mention we left baby with Gramma and Grampa!? A nice little break :)



Canoeing with my love :)








Sunday was CHILLY. We kept waiting for it to warm up, the forecast was 92 and it only reached 65 and rained most of the time, but we got the boat out in hope of some sun, but it ended up raining just as we were coming in, and then cleared up as soon as we went inside :-P We went home early and was in the 80s in GR.




Joel braved the cold and got in the water to ski anyways




Memorial Day Monday was nice and HOT, got close to 100! Spent some time playing outside and in the pool











What a little stinker!! ;)



And then a sweetheart ;-)

She also had her first fudgescicle ;)










AND last but not least we got a NEW sink! SO happy to be rid of the nasty old one! :D

"Summer" Weekend

The calendar may not say its summer for over a month yet, but it sure felt like it this weekend! Temps in the high 80s and even low 90s today and lots of sun and water sure made it seem like summer!

On Friday, Addelyn and I spent the day playing outside in the pool and in the backyard...






I said, "Addelyn, look at the little flower!" and she got down to smell it, ha! (you cant even see it in the pic she was so close :P)


She kept running from me to Joel touching her nose to ours and giggling :)




Saturday we went to Grand Haven beach, she absolutely loved it!








Playing with Auntie Alyssa


Love her face! :P



So happy in the water!


Then we got home and grilled out


And grampa and gramma came to visit




And even had our first bonfire complete with smores!


Overall an amazing (and exhausting!) weekend! :)