Take *THAT* technology!

Bah... I know *exactly* how the "Office Space" guys feel.  I've spent the past two hours trying to update this blog.  One thing's for sure... I need to learn some more about all of this stuff.  If I could beat the living crud out of HTML, I'd be swinging a baseball bat right this second.  How frustrating.  I have a feeling I might try my hand at all this editing again someday... just not tonight.  The nerves can only handle so much.

Shamelessly Showing Off....

My little man.  He's almost 7 months now & gosh, he's fun.  He's constantly cracking us up.  Since I've gotten my new camera, I've been following him around like the paparazzi taking pictures of him.  He seems unphased by it so far.  I'm hoping he adapts to seeing his mother with a lens attached to her face at least 50% of the time.

Hud loves loves LOVES to eat.  He started on solid foods & he just can't get enough.  One of my friends got us this "Nibbler Bag" which I lovingly refer to as his "Feed Bag."  I chop up some banana pieces, stick 'em in the mesh bag, twist on the handle & away he goes.  Hudson LOVES this thing.  It lets him feed himself without making a mess....well, too much of a mess anyway. 

My grandma likes to feed Hudson.  She even likes to feed him things he's not supposed to have.  Hud is her first Great-Grandbaby.  And she doesn't spoil him at all.  {Insert eye-roll here.}  This is what happens when I say, "I don't think he needs any peppermint."  "Oh, just a taste," she says.  And then I stand there snapping pictures of the whole thing.    To my surprise, he actually really liked the peppermint.  Who am I kidding?  It's food.  Of course he likes it.  Ahh, tis the season, I suppose.

Speaking of 'the season,' it's stinkin' cold outside!  I don't ever remember a December that was THIS cold.  Holy moly & the wind?!?  Yeesh.  I have to seriously bundle this baby up just to lug him out to the car.  Luckliy, we're equipped with a hefty supply of warm (& adorrrrable) hats for the Huddy Buddy.  This is his "Fargo" hat--complete with fuzzy lining & ear flaps.  ♥

I've never seen a baby who loves getting a bath as much as this little guy.  He is ecstatic as soon as he hears the water running!  His little chubby legs start kicking & his rolly-polly little arms start flapping.  He's tried several times to lurch himself into his tub while I'm still undressing him.  I swear, this kid must be part fish.

Ahh, yes.  That's my baby.  Cute, huh.  I do believe we'll keep him.  ♥

Never Have I Ever...

What's up with his pants?  And what are those penguins doing by a pond?

"Mary Poppins-The Musical" is coming to Pittsburgh next month.  I'm sure there are oodles of folks who are just thrilled about this.  I'm not one of those people.  You see, I've never seen "Mary Poppins."  Ever.  I still have no idea why there are penguins involved in the commercials.  I read a book in elementary school called Mr. Popper's Penguins... but I have a feeling it's unrelated.  Friends of mine are shocked to find out that I've never really ever sat down and watched it.  They're even more shocked to find out the other "standards" that have never graced my presence.  I have a feeling that my parents had a Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke aversion.  It's strange that most of their films never made it into our VHS player when I was growing up.  Maybe my mom & dad have something against musicals.  Whatever the case may be, I feel a little lost.  I have no clue what really goes on in these classics.
Probably the most shocking unseen-by-me film is "The Sound of Music."  I'm all about studying about WWII & forgoodnesssake, the hub & I met in a Holocaust class of all places!  Until just this year, I had no idea that the movie had anything to do with Nazis.  (Who puts Nazis in a musical?!?) For the last 26 years, I seriously thought the entire film was based upon Julie Andrews running around in a field singing her head off about the hills and how they were alive.  And those kids... are they orphans?  Oh, wait that was Annie, right?  Yet another classic I haven't seen.  For the longest time, I assumed Daddy Warbucks was some chain restaurant's advertising persona... kinda like Colonel Sanders.  "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is another film that I've never seen.  I know the chorus to the title track.  That's about it.  Oh, and the car flies.  Don't ask me how, though.
For the love....f you're going to see Mary Poppins the Musical or if you've seen the movie-- can you just tell me just what exactly those penguins are doing?

Don't get me wrong here.  I ♥ love♥ musicals.  "Guys & Dolls," "Bye, Bye Birdie," "West Side Story," "Wicked," "Newsies"-- all at the top of my list.  I'm thinking some day I'm actually going to need to sit down & watch these movies I've never seen.  Maybe I'll make my parents watch them with me.  You know what they say about payback.

PS: Have I mentioned that I never ate a PB&J sandwich until I was in tenth grade?  Seriously.  Please fill me in if there are other "typical kid" things I need to cross of my list.

Oh there's no place like Shutterfly for the Holidays...

Attention all bloggers! I have an awesome deal to share with you! Shutterfly is currently doing a promotion where you can receive 50 free cards by promoting their site on your blog. All you need to do is do a post about what you plan to do this year for Christmas cards or about favorite cards you have done in the past, follow a few simple rules, and ta-da! 50 free cards!


Check on their site, because there's so much you can do - design your own Christmas photo cards, holiday cards, and even calendars and photo books.  I do love Shutterfly's photo books.  They make fabulous gifts! 

The great thing about Shutterfly is that there's something for everyone.  These are my personal favorites from their 2010 holiday collection.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/mod-ornaments-holiday-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/holiday-love-sketch-christmas-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/snow-globe-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Now, what are you waiting for?  Head on over to Shutterfly to check out their cards and enter all of your blog info here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/!  Be sure to blog about it & submit everything here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5528/2010-holiday-card-collection1/

Happy Shutterfly-ing!  Enjoy your 50 free cards!

I'm dreaming of an *organized* Christmas.....

If you know me at all, you are fully aware of the fact that I am *not* the world's most organized person.  I like to say that there's a method to my madness.  {Hey, if you ask me where the other black boot to match the one in my closet, I'd be more than happy to tell you that it's under the bed, slightly to the left of a striped sock.  See.  Told ya--method.}
Well, we're having Christmas at our house again this year... Tyler's fam, my fam... the whole fam!  I'm pretty excited, but I remember being incredibly stressed out last year & I was looking for a way to avoid that whole frazzled look this season.  I came across a nifty little Christmas planner at Eighteen25.  I loved the idea & decided to tweak a few things & make my own.  Eighteen25 used a compostion notebook.  I'm more of a "type it out" kinda gal rather than a "write it down" kinda gal, so I used a 1" three-ring binder from Wal*Mart & printed everything out.  I'm pretty thrilled with it, if I do say so myself.  Here's how it all turned out!  {Yes, I realize I could do all of this on an Excel spreadsheet or even in just a plain old notebook... but this way is so much more fun!!!}
Ahh, I've been so in love with digital scrapping, I forgot what it was like to actually cut paper & attach things to it.  Got all my spiffy scrapbook paper & stickers at Scrapbook station. 

Here's the cover...

This is the inside pocket.  It's where I'll keep catalogs, flyers & ad filled with gift ideas.  {Note the super-sweet little countdown sticker I added.  Yup, ♥ that.}

Tabs to let you know what's inside... These were super easy to print out using the Avery Tab dividers.  Another fabulous Wal*Mart find. 

I added my Christmas Card address list {Not posting a photo since everyone's full names & addresses are on there.}  I just made a table using Microsoft Word.  Easy peasy.  I have a column for the names, one for the addresses & also a place to check off "sent" & "received."

Weekly calendar pages printed from CalendarLabs to keep track of all the holiday festivities & our usual suff too.  I printed out pages for Nov. 28 all the way through Jan 1, 2011,

Don't you just hate it when you try to do some early Chrismas shopping & you end up forgetting what you've already bought?  I've done this plenty of times...so I'm glad I included "The List" in my planner.  Notice that it's blank for the moment.  I've done plenty of early shopping... just didn't want any peering little eyes to find out what they're getting this year. :)

Since the festivities will be at our place this year, that means I'm in charge of figuring out what we'll be eating.  I found this menu idea at Organized Christmas.  It lets me see what all we're having & who's making it.  Love, love, love this idea.  ♥

Also included under this tab is a way-cool grocery list {who knew that existed?}  I used one of these babies for the first time the other day when I went to Giant Eagle.  Made my shopping experience SO much more relaxed.  I didn't have a hodge-podge list of this, that & the other thing & I wasn't calling Tyler at home to see if we needed milk, or ketchup or baby wipes.  Everything's listed the way you'd find it in the store.  I found this idea at MomReady.com & tweaked it for us & things we normally buy (oh, and I made the font super-cute too).

The next two parts are awesome.  I've become quite a coupon-clipper lately & I love that I can stash all of my gift-coupons in one spot.  Also, it's fancy.  Woo woo.  To make it, I got some small manilla envelopes at the Dollar Tree & double-stick-taped them to the divider.  Simple as that.

I'm not the best at keeping track of receipts & I'd feel horrible if someone wanted to return a gift I got them... but couldn't because I'd thrown the darn receipt away.  (Seriously, though... I give *ahh-mazingly* thoughtful gifts.  Who would want to return them!?!?)  This is the place to stick those little slips of paper... just in case.  Follow the same instructions as the coupon pocket.

And there you have it,  Hopefully this will come in handy & mak this stressful time of year just a little bit easier! 

Am I the only one who....

Yeesh... has it been over a MONTH since I've blogged?  Now that Hudson's more mobile (rolling e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e), I haven't found as much time to do all the blogging I'd like.  This is fairly random, but hey, sometimes random is good, right?  Right. 

So, am I the only one who....

...would rather change eleven poopy diapers than do a sink-full of dishes

...does not understand Twitter at all. 

...can't ever remember how to spell: available, diarrhea & definitely.

...thinks Mr. Noodle from Elmo's World and Cat from "The Cat in the Hat Knows about That" are both kinda creepy. 

...wishes that she could have my make-up permanently affixed to her face to avoid putting it on every day.  Oh, am I also the only one who won't even leave the house unless she has her "face" on?

...goes through lists of things that start with each letter of the alphabet in order to fall asleep at night.

...would *love* for her house to look like a Pottery Barn catalog, but completely realizes that is just not going to happen right now.

...would still listen to cassette tapes if she had a tape deck in my car.

...is really & truly still afraid of the dark. 

... at age 13, had a somewhat-serious infatuation with "Hobie Buchannon" (Jeremy Jackson) & therefore watched Baywatch at every possible opportunity.

...does *not* like pumpkin flavored anything (with ONE exception--my mom's pumpkin gobs...hint, hint!).

...wishes she could go back & talk to her 17 year-old self.  {Sheesh, I'd have a LOT to talk to that girl about.}

....takes way too many digital pictures, because she knows the crappy ones can be deleted.

...has "Become a contestant on Jeopardy!" on her bucket list (pretty close to the top of the list too...).

So, what about you?  Are you wondering if you're the only one who.......?

If you tell my husband about this post, I will be forced to hunt you down...

Seriously.  I mean it.  I'm just *so* excited about my first fondant experience!  I feel like I need to shout it from the rooftops!  "I made something out of fondant!  And it looks.... okay!"

I'm making Tyler a Star Wars themed cake for his birthday.... it will go along nicely with his Star Wars themed gifts.  Both are surprises.  {Let's keep them that way, shall we?}  :o)  I got the crazy notion to *make* his cake instead of ordering it this year.  {It must be from some lingering post-partum hormones...}  

I've made cakes before... and since I'm aiming to impress, I decided to use fondant. For the first time.  Ever.  I've never even used the store-bought stuff.  Don't get me wrong though... I've watched those cake shows on TLC & the Food Network too many times to count, so I considered myself good-to-go.  Sure I could have used plain old regular icing... but fondant just looks so.... cool.  You can do so much with it.  It can be texturized, three-dimensional, and the recipe I had even tastes pretty good!   

I used this recipe for my fondant.  It took a LOT of kneading and even more powdered sugar.  {Seriously, I think I must have breathed in about a half cup of the stuff just mixing everything up!}  I got food coloring gels from Mary's Cakes & Candies.  I was determined to make a little Yoda to sit on the cake. 
 Here's the final product! 

Yes, I know... he has a bit of a pig nose.  I told you... it's my first fondant creation.

He's a little wee bit more *portly* than the "traditional" Yoda. 

{Even celebrities gain a few pounds, y'know.}

 I'm very proud of his little cape--complete with a hood!

 Check out those little Jedi toes....

I ♥ how his light saber turned out! 

However, I learned that wrinkles are very hard things to create when using fondant.

And this is where he's staying... inside a powdered-sugar-coated storage container... in a cool, dry place.

Now I'm just incredibly anxious to make the actual cake!  More pictures to come!

Insp-HER-ation

When Hudson was born, people kept telling me that the only way to stay sane & un-sleep deprived was to sleep when he slept.  I tried it once or twice & just felt like I was wasting precious "get-something-done" time.  We're incredibly {in-cred-ib-ly!} lucky to have a baby that sleeps through the whole night just about every night.  {He fell asleep at 8:30 last night & didn't wake up until after 7 today.  ♥!}  He is also a good napper.  His excellent sleeping skills leave me with some extra time on my hands most days.  As a new SAHM {blog-speak for 'Stay At Home Mom'}, I like to stay on top of things & like to find ideas that are unique, creative & fun.  I tend to turn to the internet. 
I've seriously become addicted to a few blogs & as crazy as it sounds, these gals have really inspired me to try new things {hence this blog & all those insane cupcake recipes I've been posting} and to not feel bad that I made the choice to stay home with my baby.
While the little guy is out like a light, I decided that I would introduce you to a few of my favorite blogger gals in hopes that maybe you'll like them too.

PS: I'm sorry that most all of the images pertain to food... I haven't eaten lunch yet and I'm kinda hungry.  I promise, these sites do have more to offer than just yummy desserts!!!


Amanda from kevinandamanda.com
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/

Favorite.  Website.  Ever.  Seriously, I *just* want to meet this gal.  She is all kinds of incredible.  From her amazingly adorable free fonts, to her home decor, photography & website tutorials, delicious recipes, to her cute Boston Terriers... *sigh*  I just ♥ her.  Amanda's scrapbooking room {yep, she has an entire ROOM devoted to scrapbooking} makes my eyes tear up just a bit.  I can't even begin to add enough links to show you how talented she is.  Just spend some time on her blog.  You'll see what I mean.  {Today's post is a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.  Be still, my little heart!!!}


Ree aka The Pioneer Woman

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

This woman is insanely talented.  She cooks, she bakes, she photographs, she homeschools & she writes.  I *adore* her writing style.  If you get a chance, you need to read her multi-part rendition of how she & her husband met started dating & got married.  I especially love the photography portion of her site.  The funny photos that she features are just hysterical!



Michelle from Brown Eyed Baker
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/

A Pittsburgh gal who makes the *cutest* cookies that even the men-folk would appreciate.  Michelle recently posted these incredible Steelers jersey cookies.  She even included my absolutle fav, Brett Keisel!  She has made Steelers logo cookies, and even Pittsburgh Penguins cookies!  I *need* to get these cookie cutters!!!  I love that she includes tutorials on her website so that if you're just a beginner {like me}, you'll still be able to follow along without getting frustrated.  This royal icing tutorial is my #1 choice!




Bakerella {She doesn't even need a first name.  She's just that cool.}
http://www.bakerella.com/

This woman started out just putting her cake pops on her blog to show them off a little.  Now she's an internet sensation!  She's been on Martha Stewart's show, featured on about a bajillion websites & blogs & she has a new book out.  I can not wait to get her book!  For my bridal shower, my mom & I made the cake pops & they were a huge hit!  Yum!  My all-time favorite cake pops are these adorable little chicks!  You MUST check these out--and perhaps even try your hand at making them!


Shelley, Missy & Alison from How Does She?
http://www.howdoesshe.com/

Can we just take a moment to discuss how *incredible* this cake is?  I would probably pass out if I made it & it turned out like this.  This website has so much stuff to share!  From crafts, to holiday ideas, to date ideas, to recipes {like that gorgeous cake!!!}, this site has it all.  I like how everything is organized and I really love that there's more than just one contributor.  I really enjoy the decorating ideas.  And... being the... um, slightly unorganized gal that I am.... I do love her organizing hints.  {I'm trying!!!}

Hopefully after reading this post, you'll feel inspired & will check out these blogs from time to time!

Ohh, it's just about that time of year. Technically, it's still summer... but I can already feel Fall in the air. With just a few days until we officially ring in the autumnal season, here are the top five things I'm most looking forward to:

1. Caramel Apples- Oh, yum. I *have* to eat at least one of these in order for it to really feel like fall. I loooove making them with a layer of caramel, then a layer of chocolate over them. I have this adorable little Apple Dipper that I need to use again this year!

2. Wearing LONG sleeves--especially cardigans! I ♥ feeling all cuddled up in my cardi's. I am absolutely loving the styles {but um, not so much the prices?) of Anthropologie's fall sweaters. {Swoon!}
 

3. The return of Glee {Season2}- Oh, Emma Pillsbury.  I have missed you & your exquisite fashion sense.  I just ♥ her.  {And you too, Mr. Schue!} Does anyone else envy her cardigan clips as much as I do?
 
 

4. Taking Hudson to the pumpkin patch-- I can't even wait.  I have some photo ideas that I'm excited to try out.  I even got him an adorable little pumpkin hat to wear!
 
 

5. Everything Halloween-realted!  I think it just might be my favorite holliday.  Costumes, decorations, candy... I love it all!  I can't wait to dress up Hudson in his very first costume!

Best. Cupcakes. Ever.

After tasting last week's root beer float cupcakes, my husband informed me that he simply wasn't "into them."  Ugh.  Seriously?  He claimed that the problem stemmed from the fact that the smell and the texture didn't match.  He even went as far to say somtehing to the effect of, "Okay, now, I don't really like these things... but you guys dig in,"  when I sent a dozen root beer float cupcakes to work with him to share with his co-workers.  He's swell, eh?
Seeing as I've never seen this guy turn down any baked good of any kind, I made it my mission to create a cupcake he would not be able to resist.  After much research and contemplation, I came up with it.
Caramel Latte Cupcakes.  Now, I must admit... Tyler *hates* coffee.  Hates it.  He's tried my beloved Caramel Frappucinos on more than one occasion. & usually ends up gagging every time.  {What can I say?  He's a trooper.}  So when I decided to make a cupcake with a *lot* of coffee-based ingredients, I was a little concerned... but I kept the faith & made 'em anyhow. 

I found this recipe online.  It sounded like everything I was looking for.  Except... I had no idea where to find Vietnamese coffee, or what it even tasted like for that matter.  I decided that McGrady coffee would suit just fine.  {I don't drink a ton of coffee, so we don't even have a coffee pot in our kitchen.  I used the little "tea bag coffee singles for this entire recipe.  It called for strong coffee-- I added 3 tea bags coffee bags to 3/4 cup of water to get it nice & strong.  I also didn't use milk.  I wanted the cupcakes to have a little pizazz, so I substitued some International Delight- Fat Free French Vanilla that was hanging out in our fridge.  Best decision ever.  It *made* the recipe in my opinion.  I also did not add any coffee grounds to the mix.  There was just something about that that was unsettling to me.  Feel free to try it out... but I totally left them out.  I also added one caramel square to each cupcake before I baked them.  You know... these things:

I loved the idea of biting into chewy caramel inside, however, this part didn't work the way I thought it would.  {Hence, the *experimental* portion of the recipe!}  I put the caramels on the top of the batter, once they were in the baking cups... and by the time the cupcakes were done baking, the caramels had sunk to the bottom, creating a burnt smell.  They also hardened up once the cupcakes cooled & stuck to the wrapper.  Bah.  Next time, I'm going to use Smucker's Caramel Topping {in the jar, not the squeeze bottle} and use a pastry tip & a ziploc bag to squirt some caramel {the Smucker's Topping is a LOT softer and I don't think it will be as hard when it cools.}
Okay, without further delay...here's the version that I came up with:

Caramel Latte Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup International Delight- French Vanilla
1 teaspoon coffee grounds
Smucker's Caramel Topping
 
 
1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out coffee and milk together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the coffee/milk mixture and beat until combined.
Be careful when adding the coffee/milk mixture to the batter. If you add it too quickly the mixture will look curdled. Add small amounts and beat well to incorporate.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and coffee and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Fold in the teaspoon of coffee grounds.
10. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes. Note that these cupcakes will shrink slightly when they cool).
11. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. 
12. Remove from pan & allow the cupcakes to cool for at least 10 minutes.
13. Add Smucker's Caramel Topping to a ziploc freezer bag & snip off one corner.  Add a metal pastry tip & coupler to the end.
14. Insert the metal pastry tip into the middle of each cupcake and squeeze some caramel into the center of each cupcake.

Okay.... now for the frosting.  Honestly, I think this is the *best* frosting recipe I've ever made.... or eaten for that matter.  It's based on this recipe-- but with a few tweaks to enhance the 'coffee-ness.'

Coffee Frosting
1/2 c. shortening
1 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. flour
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk  (I used my International Delight again!)
2 tsp. vanilla (I used 1.5 tsp. of cold, strong coffee & .5 tsp of vanilla)
1 egg white

Beat all ingredients exactly 10 minutes.

Ho-ly cupcake.  That is some good frosting.  I love how the coffee gives it such a pretty warm color.  ♥  To ice the cupcakes, you can either do the ziploc bag frosting trick, or just scoop some on & then smooth it with a knife or rubber spatula.  Delicious either way.

When Tyler got home from work, I think he was pretty impressed  with the fact that I had cranked out an amazing dinner {check out the recipes page up top for how to make ranch mashed potatoes & spicy mustard chicken {coming soon}!} AND more cupcakes.  I think he was a little skeptical... but I assured him that they were just "Vanilla Caramel" cupcakes.  He believed me, took a bite & with eyes rolled back into his head, informed me that those were the Best.  Cupcakes.  Ever.  Of course, I admitted to there being quite a bit of coffee in the recipe... and he didn't seem to care.  He said he would be thrilled to take a batch of *these* cupcakes to work... and promised that he would even go so far as to shamelessly promote their deliciousness.  What a guy.

I always did love surveys...

I found this online somewhere and thought it was pretty interesting.  Thought it might be good for a too-early morning post...  I always did love those 'fill-in-the-blank' kinda surveys.

I Love: a lot of things.  Too many to list here.  {List toppers: my amazing family & awesome friends.}

I Know: a lot of random, mostly useless information.  Play Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit with me sometime & you'll see what I mean.

I Feel: ambivalent about not going back to teach this year.  Part of me is thrilled to stay at home & be a mom.... but there's also another part who is really going to miss having my own classroom & kids to share my love for learning with.

I Eat: root beer floats for breakfast sometimes.  Don't judge me.

I Worry: too much.  Especially about things over which I have absolutely no control. 

I Make: little here-&-there crafties.  It's my stress reliever.  I'm working on a Halloween Quiet Book for Hudson at the moment.  I'm hoping it turns out something like this.

I Laugh: loudly.  In public places.  Often.

I Crave: Frozen Caramel Mochas/Frappucinos... even when it's 20 degrees outside.

I Lose: every tube of chapstick I've ever owned.  I just can not keep track of those little buggers.

I Obsess: over details constantly.  {Gosh, you should have seen me when I was planning our wedding.  Everything had to be just so.  I don't *think* I was a bridezilla, but I definitely knew exactly what I wanted.}

I Wish: I would have just sucked it up & taken all the computer classes offered in high school.  I think I would have really enjoyed them. 

I Buy: good bargains.  Seriously, I rarely pay over $10 for an article of clothing for myself {unless it's something that I absolutely *have* to get}.  I pride myself in being a very frugal shopper.
I Sell: little things in my Etsy shop.  You should check 'em out.

I Fantasize: about redecorating every room in our entire house.  Lowes & Home Depot are magical places to me these days.

I Never: leave the house without make-up.  Never.

I Cook: and tweak the recipe to suit what I have on hand.  Sometimes I think my version is better.

I Sing: to Hudson a lot. Especially Raffi's Baby Beluga.  Sometimes he loves it... sometimes he screams.  {Am I really that bad?}

I Borrow: a lot of stuff from my sister.  I suppose sometimes 'borrow' isn't even really the right word.... hah.

I Can't: believe fall is almost here.  Don't get me wrong, I *love* autumn & all its glory, but... Summer 2010--where did you go?!?

I Want: a DSLR camera {& photography lessons!} in the very worst of ways.

I Miss: the stress-free days of high school & college.  Real Life is a lot more complicated than I ever imagined.

I Listen: to a really eclectic combination of music.  Lionel Richie, Alabama & Pitbull on the same playlist?  Yup, that would be this girl.

I Read: magazines in a record amount of time.  I'll also read anything by Robert Fulghum, Anita Shreve & Erma Bombeck.  They're my favies.

I Stress: when the house is cluttery & people are coming over.  Actually, I often tend to have a nervous breakdown.

I Like: surprises.  Always have... probably always will.  {Except if the surprise is that you're coming over... and my house is a wreck.}

I Always: have music playing in the background.

I Fear: bridges.  It's called Gephyrophobia.... and I most certainly have it.

I Watch: my favorite shows OnDemand or using my PVR.  I dunno what I'd do without those things.  {Probably get a ton more things done... hah.}

I Believe: in love at first sight.  ♥

I Hope: today is a good day.  {Fingers crossed!}

Root Beer Float Cakes!

Lately, I've been on a bit of a root beer float kick.  I love 'em.  I'm rather picky about my floats, however... .  don't think I put just any kinda ice cream in my root beer.  First off, it must be vanilla.  Must.  No soft serve will do.  My preference is Hagan 'Homemade Vanilla."  Trust me--it's the best by far.  Once, I got some Target brand vanilla, thinking "This will do."  Nope.  Not at all. 
I've also been on a bit of a cupcake kick lately.  I attribute most of it to all the cake reality shows on TV this summer.  Cake Boss (saw Buddy at a bridal show a few months back), Ace of Cakes (I ♥ the employees at Charm City Cakes, but my husband says they're a bunch of pot-smoking-hippies) , DC Cupcakes (don't even get me started on how obviously scripted this show is....) & my absolute favorite, Cupcake Wars. 
From the Food Network website:
It’s cupcake vs. cupcake in Food Network’s tastiest competition yet! Each week on Cupcake Wars, four of the country’s top cupcake bakers face off in three elimination challenges until only one decorator remains. The sweet prize: $10,000 and the opportunity to showcase their cupcakes at the winning gig. Whether a special Ace of Cakes anniversary celebration, a star-studded magazine party or an A-list celebrity golf tournament, these Cupcakes Wars really heat up. Candace Nelson (owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes) and Florian Bellanger (chef and co-owner of online macaroon company MadMac) serve as permanent judges with a third rotating judge each week, and Justin Willman hosts.
Basically, the competetors must come up with recipes that go along with the theme & then build a presentation table to showcase the cupcakes.  Being a complete sucker for thematic schemes & cupcakes (of course!), I asked Tyler to present me with a cupcake challenge.  He suggested "Octoberfest."  Fantastic.  I had my cupcake idea all set.  Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg... I was ready.  Until I realized there was a pumpkin shortage.  Who knew?  So, I decided to just do something fun.... which just happened to be combining root beer floats... and cupcakes!

Here's what you need to make these little sweeties:

1 box of white cake mix

root beer concentrate

vanilla extract

1 can/bottle of your favorite root beer (Tyler is an A&W fan)

1 container of vanilla icing (or use your favorite recipe)

1 box of Golden Oreo Fun Stix

1 bag of gum balls

cute cupcake liners

1 FREEZER Ziploc bag-- quart size or larger

An adorable little assistant who doesn't say much

Directions:

Set your oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, dump in your box of cake mix. *Do not add eggs or oil as shown on box directions!*  In a glass measuring cup, pour in one TBSP of root beer concentrate.  After that, fill the measuring cup up to 1.5 cups with your favorite root beer (can or bottle... either one!).  Dump your root beer mixture right into the cake mix.  Add 1.5 TSP of vanilla extract.  Blend well.  (You can use a mixer, but I just used a rubber spatula.)

It will look a little something like this...

I dunno about this, Mom....

Reassure your adorable little assistant {and perhaps yourself} that even though it might not look good now {even though it might look downright awful now}, it will surely taste good later.  Continue on by placing cupcake liners in your cupcake pan & adding 1/4 cup of batter to each cup.
 

Place your pan in the pre-heated oven for 18-22 minutes.  Enjoy the fact that your kitchen smells like a soda shop while the cupcakes bake!

While you're waiting {& sniffing the root-beer-scented air}, start unwrapping the Oreo Fun Stix.  Cut each stick in half with a serrated knife.

Hope & pray that one of the little suckers breaks so you can perform a taste test. 

{I hate to break it to ya, but these do not taste one bit like a golden oreo.  They're more along the lines of those little icing filled wafer cookies.  Still good, nonetheless!}

When the cupcakes are done baking, remove them from the oven  & let them cool down {super important!} before you begin icing them.  Fold the top of a freezer ziploc bag down & fill the bag with vanilla icing.  Snip off the end & use it as a pastry bag to ice the cupcakes.  Do those little fun swirly-things if you must.  :o)

Next, place one Oreo Fun Stick into each iced cupcake {insert at a slight angle for a better "straw" effect}.

Pick out all of the red gum balls from the bag & place one gum ball in the center of each cupcake.

Sit back, relax & enjoy a root beer float cupcake! No glass or spoon required!