Summer Pins Leads To Summer Fun

Summer is officially here.

Kids are out of school and it is going to be 90+ degrees the next few days in Missouri.

While, I would love summer more if I had a pool in my backyard and if it would stay 80 degrees the whole summer, it is one of my favorite times because my family from Iowa comes down.

They stay for awhile and are coming really soon!

Even with the exclamation point you probably can't tell how excited I am.

These kids make me so happy. They are fun, sweet, and a little crazy. Every year, I have something fun for them to do.

In the past, we have had turtle races, slip 'n slides, water gun fights and balloon fights, plus they also go fishing, ride horses, and go to the zoo a couple of hours away.

I also bake something with them every time they come and this year is no exception.

I have been combing Pinterest to find some great summer pins that will guarantee the kids have a good time. I even created a Summer Ideas board which you can check out here. One of the biggest hits from my summer fun research was the Bubble Gum Cupcakes.

Oh yes, bubble...gum...cupcakes!


That is a whole lot of kid fun wrapped up in a tiny little cupcake. You really need to go and look at them because they are just too cute! And, I was super excited to see that Ruthanne, who is the Easy Baked blogger, used Duncan Hines Frosting Creations packets for her bubble gum frosting. I have yet to try the packets and now have a big reason too.

I also need to mention that this pin got 147 repins and 40 likes!


Is is bad that I squealed like a little girl when I saw that?

Well, I did anyway. That is the current record holder for my most repins! I know what I like and that is why I repin different things, but it is so nice to know that other people love these cupcakes like I do.

The actual craft ideas for the kids are still being developed, but they do include making their own stepping stones and tie dyeing some T-Shirts.

Back to the things I want to make for them and with them.

If I am feeling super ambitious, I will attempt to make this Tie Dye Cake. It is beautiful and would be really impressive. Plus it would go along with the actual shirt tie dying we would be doing. The cake part sounds easy enough, but the frost is intimidating.

I am not really crafty, but I want to be and my cousins make me want to be crafty even more.

Sticking with bright colors, I found a super easy cookie recipe that we can try together.

I have seen Jello Cookies before and now I just have to try them. You make the cookie dough, divide it into 4 sections, and then pat it out and sprinkle on some dry jello in whatever flavor you like  on each section. Then the jello is kneaded into the dough and you have a jello cookie. To make the flavors even more pronounced, you roll the cookie balls in the dry jello like you would sugar and the bake.

 So cute! It would be fun to have the kids pick out the flavors they want and then taste-test them all.

My last pin is something that I know the kids would love to help me make.

Mini Hamburger Cookies have been around, but after seeing them again with my summer and kid state of mind, I decided I need to make them.

They are adorable and so realistic looking! My cousins love to decorate cakes and cupcakes so I think with a little supervision and guidance we could make these together with each kid having their own component to do, like an assembly line.



Summer is always a fun time, but when these kids come, summer becomes about memories. I know they have enjoyed everything we do and make. Their parents often talk about how excited they get before coming. And I get just as excited! Thankfully, Pinterest has given me lots of great ideas of things to make and things to do with them this summer.