Do you “C” a pattern below? Why yes, they follow the theme to Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop that is organized by Deb from Focused on the Magic.
Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.
Yes, I am one of those people that will sit under a blanket or two in the winter eating some ice cream. Of course, in the summer ice cream is a splurge and fantastic treat on a warm day. Most of the places around here have soft serve in the summer months, but also hard ice cream.
For me, the choice is a no brainer. There is nothing like soft serve vanilla and chocolate twist ice cream with rainbow sprinkles in a cone. This takes me back to my childhood when my parents would take me to the local Carvel store. On our anniversary, I told TechyDad that I wanted to get ice cream for lunch. It was late, warm, and nobody felt like eating anything extreme. We went to a local place and my lunch is seen below.
So my question to you this week is inspired by the photo above:
What type of ice cream is your favorite in the summer? Do you prefer soft serve or hard ice cream? Be sure to let me know if there is a certain flavor that you prefer (there are so many these days) and splurge and let me know sprinkle or dip preference as well.
___________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #210
As a little girl, my father introduced me to the joys of cake batter. I enjoyed that, even if we were warned about the danger of raw egg. Then something else came into my world. Cookie dough was even better to me. I loved the taste, the texture, and the flexibility. I was obviously not the only one that enjoyed cookie dough, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and then others added cookie dough to their repertoire and it became an instant hit.
One year, for my birthday (before kids), I asked TechyDad for a tub of cookie dough for my cake. Skip the other items, I wanted something that really called my name. Much to my surprise, he did this. It should not be a surprise that I have a Cookie Dough World board on Pinterest.
Recently, a lot of my pins were focusing on recipes by Lindsay Landis and her new The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook: Cookies, Cakes, Candies, and More
I am definitely intrigued with a lot of the recipes. A few that sound fun to try sooner, rather than later are:
If you love cookie dough, or know someone that does – this is a great gift for them. Lindsay has a great variety of treats that play on old favorites with a splash of cookie dough. Oh and FYI – you can check out other recipes and goodies on her website Love & Olive Oil.
If you love cookie dough, what would be your dream cookie dough recipe creation? As always, Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books. What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.
I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy any of the books through my links. 
What do you do when your child asks to have another birthday party with the same theme they have already done? If it is pirates in our house, I say:
I mean, it isn’t every day that you have the supporting characters from Jake and the Never Land Pirates as inspiration. Of course, this year we were lucky and they actually had party supplies. Bubbe and Grandpa found additional items near them and made the scene perfect for our little buccaneer.
JSL asked for one item to be a repeat from last year. He wanted the same pirate cupcakes that I made. I agreed to do this and brought my supplies to finish decorating before everyone arrived.
Once everyone was done eating, we pulled out some pirate crafts to keep the kids busy. First, they made pirate hats and then colored some Jack Sparrow-esque looking pirates.
While the kids played, it was time to set up the table for cupcakes, fruit, and other goodies. We had to make sure that the pirates were ready to guard the cupcakes before we called everyone over.
Then, it was time for the birthday pirate to open his presents. He got a lot of booty and really enjoyed everything from all of the family that came. I think you will see there was a mini pattern here.
Lots more to share, but we need to decompress after our pirate party fun. Right now, I am likely off battling the sneaky guy below.
Of course, Captain Hook stands no chance thanks to Jake, Izzy, Cubby, and Scully now living with us. JSL will have a fantastic time using Bucky with his new friends to battle the sneaky pirate.
We have a good chance of doing well don’t you think?
Last year, while at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, my almost four year old son fell in love with Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Sure, he liked it before we left for Disney. However, dancing around with Sharky and Bones, Mr. Smee, Captain Hook, and Jake sealed the deal. When we got home, he announced that he wanted a Jake and the Never Land Pirates fourth birthday party. Unfortunately, they did not have those items to buy so we improvised with what we had on hand.
For Chanukah, we were able to get JSL some Jake and the Never Land Pirate shirts from The Disney Store. He wore this shirt under his pirate costume for the Disney Junior Swashbuckler Soiree the first evening of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration.
His love for all things pirates continued and grew. While at Disney World for the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, JSL declared that he wanted another pirate party. I think meeting Jake again and having him write a special birthday wish in your autograph book may have something to do with it.
For his actual birthday, we found another new Jake shirt for JSL. Then we noticed that The Disney Store had Jake and the Never Land Pirate twin sized sheets. This was perfect for the new bunk beds. In addition to that, we splurged and got him the little Jake doll to go with the theme.
Now, less than a week away from the party, we are trying to figure out how to make it different. I have new pirate crafts, found a few Jake and the Never Land Pirate party items (not enough), and will be making the cupcakes the same since JSL requested them.
If you have had a pirate party, or have ideas, I would love to know suggestions on items that we may want to add to our second. Leave comments, links, or other items that you think would be helpful. Thanks so much!
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.
