Beyonce’s Lemonade Recipe

You can’t be alive right now and not know about Beyoncé’s latest visual album, Lemonade. It’s everywhere. And it’s amazing, blew me away. It was so raw and powerful, and absolutely visually stunning. I loved every second of it and haven’t been able to stop listening. I hardly ever make music purchases anymore (Spotify all day, amiright? ) but I just couldn’t not purchase this album. It’s too good.

The theme is pretty clear: Beyoncé (or the character she’s portraying) has been dealt some seriously sour lemons in the form of infidelity but she won’t be broken– instead, she’ll make lemonade. Towards the end of the film, Beyonce lists the ingredients and directions of her grandmother’s lemonade along with a very poetic tribute:

“Take one pint of water, add a half-pound of sugar, the juice of 8 lemons, and the zest of half of a lemon. Pour the water from one jug into the other several times, strain through a clean napkin. Grandmother, the alchemist. You spun gold out of this hard life. Conjured beauty from the things left behind. Found healing where it did not live. Discovered the antidote in your own kitchen. Broke the curse with your own two hands. You passed the instructions down to your daughter, who then passed it down to her daughter.”  

I’m almost embarrassed to admit I made Beyoncé’s lemonade. But I did. I was so curious, I needed to know what it tasted like.

Marshmallow Bunny Ear Cupcakes (Easiest Easter Dessert EVER!)

I have a last-minute, way too easy Easter dessert idea for you. Actually, it wasn’t my idea at all. I was food styling for a client a few weeks back and the recipe called for cutting marshmallows in half to create bunny ears for cupcake toppers, which I thought was brilliant. At the last minute, the client went a different direction and all of our adorable, sugar dipped, mallow bunny ears went to waste :( So I decided to share the idea right here, instead! These festive treats come together in mere minutes with the help of store-bought cupcakes and they are a terrific Easter activity for little hands. Enjoy!

UncommonGoods + Let the Holiday Gift Guides Begin!

‘Tis the season, friends. There are exactly six more Saturdays before Christmas. Whoa! As the years grow (as we grow), we’re finding ourselves wanting to give fewer, better, more thoughtful gifts. Enter UncommonGoods, an online marketplace that connects artists and makers of sustainable, handmade products from around the world with individuals looking for truly uncommon goods. Two years ago I discovered UncommonGoods when we received darling hand knit booties as a newborn gift for Cielo and I was immediately drawn in. There’s a little something for everyone–find curiosities for the home, rad serving ware for entertaining, or personalized gifts. Each product features a picture and story about the maker so you know who your goods are coming from. Here are a few of my favorite gifty finds from UncommonGoods. Enjoy!

One: wooden clothesline drying rack / Two: Walnut Wood Planter /  Three: Stoneware Nesting Bowls/ Four: Rad Baguette Sack/ Five: Cheese “&” Crackers Tray/ Six: Tea Kettle/ Seven: Recycled Rope Magazine Rack/ Eight: Pedestal Lamp/ Nine: Zodiac Embroidery Hoop Art/ Ten: Living Wall Kit/ Eleven: Soup and Sandwich Dishes

(This post is sponsored by UncommonGoods a brand we love and admire. Thank you for supporting the brands that help support Love + Cupcakes.)

Interview with a baby: Cielo at 18 months

Now that Cielo is talking non-stop, we decided to start “interviewing” her every few months to see what she’s up to and what fun things she’s saying as she grows. This is our first interview and we had no intention of ever putting it on this blog (which is why it’s so long!), but it was just too precious not to share. Take a peek below if you’re interested. -xoxo

 

Motherhood: The first three months (A long-lost post!)

Before you read this, I need to set it up for you. I started writing this particular blog post almost a whole year ago! I never finished it and therefore never posted it to the blog. Last night, however, I was perusing my archives and realized I had not one but about a half-dozen, half-written blog posts from my early days of motherhood. I had it in mind to regularly update readers about my encounters as a new mom but somewhere along the way, I lost interest in the idea and abruptly stopped. After uncovering these long-lost posts, however, I was surprised at how relevant and interesting I still found the topics. And it was nice to go back in time and hear the me of a year ago talk about new motherhood. I know I turned to mom blogs and the internet in general for answers and guidance when I was first starting out as a mama, so if these posts help even just one of you, I think they’re worth sharing…even if they’re a year old! So, without further ado, here’s my take on the first three moths of motherhood:

Happy Mother’s Day + #worldstoughestjob

Happy weekend all, especially all you mama’s! Hope it’s special. A friend sent me this video with the subject line: Thinking of you. How sweet, right? Thanks, Meghann! Thinking of you too. Mom’s really are THE BEST! -xo

p.s. two YouTube posts in a row? Don’t worry this is not the new normal.

The YouTube Video that Made Me Cry

 

I am not one to turn to mush very easily. Yes, sad things make me sad and happy things make me happy but rarely do I fall to a puddle of tears as a result of either. So when I found myself uncontrollably blubbering at my computer, I knew I had to share this touching video of young children picking their mothers out from a line-up…while blindfolded!!

It’s a promotional ad for the jewelry brand, Pandora. Here’s how they describe it:

“As a small experiment of women’s uniqueness and the special bond between a mother and child, we met up with 6 wonderful women, and asked them to let us blindfold their most precious loved ones. Their children!”

My heartstrings have been sufficiently tugged.  -xo

 

P.S. This post is NOT sponsored by any company, I just really loved this ad.

Baby Bites: Chickpea Falafel & Tzatziki Dipping Sauce

New year, new series here on Love+Cupcakes! It’s about time, don’t you think? In the spirit of fresh starts, I’m happy to introduce a new column: Baby Bites– baby friendly recipes that are healthy, delicious and made for little hands to pick up all on their own. First up, Chickpea Falafel with Tzatziki.

***A quick disclaimer about using my baby food recipes: This may go without saying but as author of this blog, I feel a sense of responsibility to my readers regarding the content that you find here. I would like to note that I am a new mom and by no means an expert on child rearing in any way, shape or form. Furthermore, I am not a nutritionist nor a pediatrician so please do your due diligence before feeding your infant anything. It’s important to make sure that she is ready, that your pediatrician has given the green light and that you’re introducing foods that are safe and age appropriate. The recipes that I am sharing here are foods that I have given to my own daughter. Okay, enough serious stuff….go check it out!

Yes, Please

Have you read Amy Poehler’s, Yes, Please? It’s fantastic. I read it in book form first and then listened to the audio version on Audible (You can try it for free!). Amy reads it herself and I HIGHLY recommend it. There’s something so great about hearing her speak her own words. She knows best how to deliver each line and I got so much more out of it the second time around. Plus she has special guests read their own chapters (i.e. her mom and co-stars. I don’t want to give too much away!). I knew how funny Amy Poehler was before reading her book, but I had no idea how insightful she can be. She shares wisdom on her career, motherhood, being a woman, getting divorced and life in general with such sincerity and foresight. She has so many good quotes, I kept having “aha” moments as I listened along. The chapter on her two boys was my favorite. She speaks of them with such warm reverence. You can hear her heart overflowing with love for them. She made me so excited to be a mom. I’m pretty sure I teared up at least once.

There’s so much good stuff going on in this book– clearly I loved it and I think you will too.

(psssst! listen to the audio version, you won’t be sorry!!) –xo

Cool baby shades

For being just 9 months, Cielo has quite the sunglasses collection. More than I have even! When you have a new baby, these things can’t be helped I guess. She’s gotten most as gifts. And while they’re all absolutely adorable, many fall off or pinch in strange places and look completely uncomfortable on Cielo’s tiny face.

But recently, we discovered Babiators and they fit like a charm! Plus Cielo seems to like them and wears them without any fuss. I, of course, think they’re crazy cute on and would make Cielo wear them all day long if she let me– who doesn’t love a baby wearing glasses?!

As if cuteness wasn’t reason enough, every pair of Babiators comes with a “Lost or Broken” guarantee! That means they’ll replace your kids pair of glasses if they break or get lost! Say what?! Doesn’t get much better than that.

To see more eyewear styles and colors for your little ones, check out Babiators.com.

 

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Babiators. All opinions, words, and images are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who allow me to continue to create new content for Love+Cupcakes.