Dazzling my Taste Buds: Dazzling Delights Review

Apr 30 2010

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting, Birthday Party Guide, Giveaways, Reviews

I was sick, a few weeks ago. It was Easter long weekend and my husband was off work, which meant that I should be happy. Instead… sick. I had a terrible head cold and just feeling down about it. To top it off, my kids were sick, too!

As I was resting at home, there was a knock at the door. Heidi was there, from Dazzling Delights, with two cute boxes of goodies for me to sample! Now, I love to bake. In fact, I think that I’m pretty handy in the kitchen. I think of myself as a connoisseur of kitchen goodness. I even enjoy baking, love to bake with my kids and often use baking as a form of procrastination. Why clean a mess when you can make one. Uhhh…. don’t tell anyone I told you that. But! To get homemade baked treats that I didn’t make?! There was no mess to clean up? No dishes? No fingerprints all over the counter. Why, I was feeling better already! I popped the boxes open and took a peek at the dazzling creations I was given. Two Black Forest Cupcakes and a number of different-sized and delightfully-iced sugar cookies! Ooohhh…. royal icing! And also, black forest cupcakes?? Uhhh… yum!

I closed the boxes and thought of how excited my family would be to see the treats that we could share, when they got back home. I wandered down the hall to get my baby boy and then found myself wandering back to the kitchen. What can I say? The goodies were calling me. So, my little man and I pulled out a black forest cupcake and took a closer look. Whoops, maybe a little too close for him, you think?

Well, I did what a good mother had to do. I licked the whipping cream off his fingers of course. It tasted pretty good second-hand (literally *ahem*) and so I dropped my teeth into the cupcake to try it out for myself. Sigh.

Whipped cream on my nose, cherry bursts of flavour and chocolate? It doesn’t get much better. The cupcake was gorgeous to look at (what a classy platter that would have been with a dozen of those nicely displayed) and even more scrumptious to taste. Moist. Rich (but not artery-clogging) in taste and just the right blend of flavour. I tore open the cupcake to take a look and to try and capture the perfection.

Look closely. Are you drooling yet? Seriously, put your nose to the screen… ummm.. okay, maybe not. What a scrumptious treat. My taste buds were truly dazzled and I was feeling about ten hundred (I mean a thousand) times better. I decided that I even felt well enough to leave the house! But not until I savoured the other cupcake of course. Oh. So. Good!

Don’t worry. I’m not entirely selfish. I did share the cookies with my family. The kids were enthralled by the awesome icing work. The dazzling ladies had created colourful flowers and captivating Easter baskets on top of their sugar cookies. What fun! The kids each enjoyed a basket and left me to eat the bouquet.

I’m a big fan of sugar cookies. Sweet! Crisp! Royal Icing! The best part of the cookies, though, was the detail to the decoration. While I didn’t manage to get a good picture of the Easter baskets that I had been given (before the kids got to them), the Dazzling ladies posted them in their facebook album.

I was thoroughly impressed with my tasters from Dazzling Delights and would recommend that you get these ladies to bake your next occasion cake for you!! No preparation, no mess, no icing stress, just a dazzling delight to add to your day or your special occasion!

Now, one lucky reader of KamloopsParents.Com will get to enjoy some Dazzling Delights in their home! Heidi and Ry-Ann are giving away one $20 gift certificate to be used towards an order with them. There are a few ways that you can enter…

1) Share your best (or worst) kitchen disaster story to get three entries into the draw. You can leave a comment or e-mail it to elizabeth@kamloopsparents.com.

2) You can check out this album of Dazzling Delights cakes and leave a comment to tell me which is your favourite.

3) You can become a fan of Dazzling Delights on facebook to earn another entry. Let me know you joined.

As usual, the giveaway will be open until Thursday, the 6th of May at 10pm (Kamloops-time). The winner will be drawn by random.org and will be announced here and informed by e-mail. You can enter by commenting or by e-mailing your comments to elizabeth@kamloopsparents.com.

16 Comments

Two More Winners – LadyBugz Sling and Wild About Party Packs

Apr 29 2010

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting

The draws are finished and the winners are ready…

For the LadyBugz Ring Sling Draw, the entries are in order:

1 – Caputo Clan

2 – Caputo Clan

3 – Caputo Clan

4 – Judesmommy

5 – Miranda

6 – Miranda

7 – Judesmomy

8 – Judesmommy

9 – Miranda

10 – Littlebearsmom

11 – Littlebearsmom

12 – Boo

13 – Boo

14 – Mel

15 - Mel

16 – Mel

17 – Treedle_d

18 – Treedle_d

19 – Treedle_d

20 – Krystal

21 – Krystal

22 – Krystal

23 – Sarah

24 – Sarah

25 – Sarah

And, random.org pulls the winner… #9 “Also became a fan!”

Miranda, you win!!

I will be in touch.

And, for the winner of the partial birth-tea party pack from Wild About Party Packs…

1 -AliGregory

2 -CaputoClan

3 -Sarah

4 -littlebearsmom

5 -twinmama

6 – Karly-KustomKribs

Random.org says….#2 – CaputoClan!

“Knights of the Round Table! I think I would appreciate it more than El at this age, but it looks awesome!”

Don’t forget that Wild About Party Packs is offering a discount code to those that have read the review and have the discount code!

Thanks for particpating, everyone!!

0 Comments

Experiential Learning Cycle

Apr 29 2010

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting, One Parents Perspective, Parenting Resources

I’ve been taking the “Nobody’s Perfect” course, through the YMCA and Strong Start. It’s been great to get to discuss parenting issues with other parents, hear their ideas and think about the way I do things. I hope that all the other parents involved would agree, for themselves as well. There was one class, however, that hit the mark particularly well with me: The Experiential Learning Cycle.

Often, when something happens with my kids, I react to what is going on. If it happens again, I look more closely and then if it repeats itself I kind of focus on trying to figure out how to make it go away (especially with bad behaviour) or how to move on from the event. In NP, we were introduced to the Experiential Learning Cycle, which is the process of “noticing: what?”, “relating: so what?” and “applying: now what?” when we are dealing with any experience. It’s something that I kind of do automatically when something happens, but I don’t necessarily look at the experience very deeply. The deep part can sometimes hurt. It can bring up something that you might want to ignore or not acknowledge is affecting your kids. It can be painful. However, the point is that it is important. It is valuable to look more deeply at our kids’ behavours, to really find out “why” they are behaving in such a way and to really examine what the things are that make them them. Sometimes, when I get into the “groove” I forget to examine things as closely.

It’s a good idea to check this out and, when something comes up, to try it out…

It’s a cycle:

1) Experience

2) Noticing: What?

3) Relating: So What?

4) Applying: Now What?

5) Experience

6) Noticing: What?

7) Relating: So What?

8 ) Applying: Now What?

9) Experience

you get the idea…

***

And, the reminders for today…

Don’t forget that you have until tonight to enter the giveaway for a ring sling from LadyBugz Slings ‘n Things.

Also, you have until tonight to enter the giveaway for part of the demonstration Wild About Party Packs Birth-Tea Party Pack.

1 Comment

“Mush It” – Amish Friendship Bread: Kidz in the Kitchen

Apr 28 2010

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting, Kidz In The Kitchen

We’ve been baking every ten days, for a while now. Why? Well, I was given a starter bag of Amish Friendship Bread and we are really enjoying it. Have you ever heard of Amish Friendship Bread? Well, it’s basically a few ingredients in a bag (yeast, sugar, milk and flour) that you leave on the counter for a number of days. Most days you just mush the bag… or you get your kids to. However, my advice is that you encourage your kids to do it only while you are watching, otherwise they might throw it down the stairs…. just sayin’… *ahem*

Sometimes you add extra ingredients (flour, sugar and milk), but you spend ten days with the bag and then, at the end of the time you mix other ingredients and make a yummy sweet loaf.

It’s been lots of fun, baking these loaves. They are delicious and sweet and moist and they make a great gift, dessert or tea party snack! There are a number of recipes that you can use to finish off your bread.

Today, I have eight starter bags of Amish Friendship Bread that I would love to share with you! If you are interested in having a loaf to bake with and pass on, just leave me a comment and I will get one to you. Share the love… and friendship.

5 Comments

"Mush It" – Amish Friendship Bread: Kidz in the Kitchen

Apr 28 2010

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting, Kidz In The Kitchen

Sometimes you add extra ingredients (flour, sugar and milk), but you spend ten days with the bag and then, at the end of the time you mix other ingredients and make a yummy sweet loaf.