Thanks for Teaching Us to Fly | Teacher Appreciation Cookies

It’s that time of year again…Teacher Appreciation Week! Where to start? There are so many ideas to choose from…Let’s see:  Thanks for helping us bloom (See last years post here); Who’s the best teacher? (mini owl cookies would be so cute) and I could go on and on.

This year the room moms decorated the classroom door with butterflies that the children had made and it hit me….mini butterflies in a jar with a message that says, “Thanks for helping us spread our wings and fly!” Most importantly, I love butterflies and I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to use the mini cookie cutter. We decided on blue, green, and orange. Hope you like these mini beauties.

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We added some coordinating hearts because they are always a favorite!

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Mazel Tov! | Bar Mitzvah Cookies

Traditional images come to mind when a young person is called to read from the Torah as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

And so of course we were honored and excited to make some special cookies for such a special occasion … but where to start?

Believe it or not, it was our first time using the Torah Scrolls and truthfully, we weren’t sure, especially after our first layer of flooding when Blanche (5 year old) informed us she thought they were Popsicles! Oy vey!

Later, we would have to say these we’re our favorites, fully complimenting our white Stars of David draped with Tallit (prayer shawls), along with the traditional saying of congratulations, Mazel Tov!

Let us know what you think!

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What’s on Your Oscar Ballot? | Oscar Party Cookies

We wanted to do something fun and original for the Oscars (to be broadcasted on ABC this Sunday, Feb. 24: oscar.go.com/) … first we planned to do envelopes or message cookies that said, “And the Oscar goes to …,”. Then we hatched an idea inspired by using only the animated films (largely because we had actually seen them). Oh and then there was the idea of Hollywood Stars and replicas of the TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Mann Chinese Theatre or Grauman’s Chinese Theatre), who knew the name/owner had changed again? But I digress because focusing on iconic Hollywood symbols made us think of the ultimate Hollywood icon!

Pictured below with some quintessential gold stars, check out our replica of the famed sign! 

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Are you a Triathlete? | Swim, Bike, Run Birthday Cookies

Well, neither are we, but Elaine’s brother is and it’s his birthday!! And so what do we do for this fit freak? We bake cookies! Check out these little replicas … “Swim … Bike … Run!” Or do as we do … bake!! Happy Birthday Aaron, Yenta Mamas style!!

Triathlon Cookies

Happy Birthday Triathlete

Here are the cookies all packed up and ready to deliver!

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The Dowager Countess of Grantham Returns … | Downton Abbey Cookies

To Downton Abbey (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/)… and to our living rooms (in the States) on Sunday!

For a few months now, I have been telling Elaine, “There’s this terrific show on BBC, you should check it out, you would enjoy it – it’s full love-to-hate characters and love-to-love characters and beautiful costumes and gorgeous cinematography – plus a bit of mystery and intrigue and painfully real (yet soap-opera-ish) story lines and drama”! And then I go on and on …

Alas, life is busy and can you believe it, she still has yet to watch one episode!? But all that will change on Sunday evening when she attends our friend Staci’s Series 3 Premiere Party (where apparently Mr. Bates will be serving something, ha) and deniably, she’ll be hooked and forced to buy Series 1 & 2 on Netflix … to this fun gathering, Staci had asked us to bake some fun Downton Abbey-inspired cookies!

Check out our maid’s dresses and classic porcelain tea cups and please, let us know, if you too, follow this stellar program!!

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Happy 2013 | Cookie photo booth props

Photo by: Waldman Photography

Photos by: Waldman Photography

Happy 2013! Thanks to Waldman Photography we had a super fun photo booth on New Year’s Eve! My girls had a blast posing for the camera and I think the adults did too. We took our annual family photo with our “New Year Sunglasses.” (I really need to make a collage of my family in our glasses from all the past years!) The best part was that of all the Yenta Mama cookies were put to good use (see cookies here). Check out some of the fun!

Photo By: Waldman Photography

Photo By: Waldman Photography

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RR 2013

Go Badgers! | Custom Made Cookies for the Rose Bowl 2013

We live with a die hard badger fan! Friends ask if he owns any clothing other than University of Wisconsin wear. Now that the badgers are headed to their third Rose Bowl in the last 3 years, we made some cookies for him to take with him to the big game! Next year I might actually order the motion “W” cookie cutter.  For the sanity of the house, we really hope the Badgers win this year! Go Badgers and Barry Alvarez….please bring home a win!

Jewel Colored Holiday

We want your opinion? We decided we much prefer these royal, jewel-tone Christmas cookies over the traditional red and white. Of course we have made both this season. Which do you prefer? To those who celebrate…have a Merry Christmas!

For comparison…..Here are the traditional red and white!

Holiday Angels

We are busy making teacher gifts for the holidays. This years theme is “Thank You for Teaching our Little Angels.” We love the simplicity of red and white together. For other angel inspiration check out sweetsugarbelle.com who did a beautiful tribute post to the families in Connecticut.  Enjoy!