cupcake overload

I am going to enter the Cupcake Cup.

Now, according to the rules, the cupcakes don't have to be mine, but the picture does. However, since I love making cupcakes, both the cupcakes and the photos will be mine. This means that I will be in cupcake mode for the next few weeks. I can submit entries until March 12, so I plan on making cupcakes every weekend until then. Boy are my family and coworkers going to love this! :)

Now, does anyone have any ideas of amazing cupcakes that I should make? Does anyone else want to enter? It's going to be fun!

new nose

Today, I have a new nose.

Ever since I was small, I got really bad bloody noses.

Yesterday was the worst.

45 minutes long.

Yuck.

This morning, I went to an ENT, and they stuck some silver nitrate on a stick (looks like a really long matchstick with silver at the top instead of red) on the guilty blood vessel.

I got really light headed, and the doctor was really awesome in helping me not to pass out, as was Mr. Webb.

Now the inside of my nose is silver, and I feel like a robot.

The doctor made Mr. Webb's day by letting him look at my big blood vessel before he cauterized it.

Mr. Webb made my day by purchasing me Almond Joy Pieces.

Just like Reeses Pieces, but Almond Joy.

Heaven.

gone fishin'

This is my cute nephew.

I wish I could be like him.

Life is so great from a child's eyes.

Thank goodness for a change at work that made today feel like this compared to last week's craziness!

quick and easy decorating

I saw this idea for a cute, but fast and inexpensive, Valentine's Day decoration. I found it at Love, Actually. This blog has a lot of fun date ideas for spouses. I like that they did some decorating ideas, though.

Basically this decoration is candy sprinkles and a candle. Here's how mine turned out.

molly

filled cupcakes

For my family dinner tonight, I decided to experiment with filled cupcakes. I made some delicious chocolate cupcakes (used this recipe-super yummy), and I filled them with vanilla frosting. I also added some frosting on top so they kind of looked like Hostess cupcakes. I also made some white cupcakes (not as yummy as the chocolate), and I filled them with 4-berry jam. The jam ones were a little harder to fill, because the yummy berry chunks kept clogging up my filler tip. The chocolate ones were by far my favorite! I will definitely be making these again. Probably soon!

the magic thief

This is another book that I got for Christmas.

The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas, was an interesting book, but I really didn't like the style it was written in. I got a little more into it at the end, but it's probably not one I would read again. I may not even read the next book in the series.

The book is about a young boy, who is a pickpocket. One night, he steals a wizard's magic stone. Instead of punishing him for it, the wizard takes him on as an apprentice. Together, they are trying to save the city, who's magic is depleting rapidly.

I'd give the book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Right now I'm re-reading the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. 5/5 stars for me. I'd recommend it for sure!

kids

Sometimes (like today), I wish the kids I work with could realize that the effort they're putting (or not putting) into school now will actually matter later on in life. I want so badly to help them, but they seem like they don't even care.

How can I motivate these awesome children to reach for their potentials?

good news day!

1. My new shoes came, and they are everything I imagined!

2. My resolutions are (for the most part) going strong.

3. Free lunch at work today.

4. Mr. Webb is home for dinner in 20 minutes (ish).

5. Someone wants to do a giveaway on my blog...

I don't know when the giveaway will be, but comment if you would be interested in participating. I think it's kitcheny stuff...


I'll let you know when and how to enter when the time comes.

the evolution of calpurnia tate

I got "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" from my in-laws for Christmas. I started reading the very next day, and I finally finished it!

This was a delightful book. I usually read action packed books (like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games...etc), so this was a little slow and dry for me, but I still liked it a lot.

"My name is Calpurnia Tate, but back then everybody called me Callie Vee. That summer, I was eleven years old and the only girl out of seven children. Can you imagine a worse situation?"

Now tell me you didn't read that and start laughing.

Anyhow, the book is about little Callie Vee and her relationship with her grandfather. She starts to notice different things about the bugs and animals in her yard, and so her grandfather gives her "The Evolution of Species" by Charles Darwin. This little girl and her grandfather explore nature, searching for a new species of animal, insect, or plant.

I'd give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

won't you be my neighbor?

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood, a neighborly day for a beauty.

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.

I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day. Since we're together we might as well say:

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please, won't you please?

Please won't you be my neighbor?

Someone spoke about this at a church meeting I went to last night. Good old Mr. Rogers.

Say something nice to someone today. Make someone's day.

a question

Today I've been wondering...

Why does water from a soda fountain (what I call "restaurant water") taste so much better than tap water at home?

resolutions

I have finally gotten around to making my new years resolutions. I don't do this every year, but I decided that this year it was needed. I made resolutions to do with family, health, finance, work, spiritual life, and more. I am not going to share them all (you'd get bored), but I do want to tell you some of them so that you can check up on me once in awhile and make sure I'm actually doing these things.

1. Make dinner every night (except in cases of extreme illness and/or invitations to eat at other places).

2. Keep my house clean and organized. [PLEASE KEEP ME IN CHECK HERE!]

3. Exercise every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. [Check me here, too.]

4. Actually use my "green" bags when I go grocery shopping.

5. Write in my journal once a week (I made this goal a few months ago, but I never kept it...).

6. Read the Old Testament all the way through (I'm not sure I've ever done this).

7. Be prepared for Primary by Friday every week.

So...if you guys just want to pop in and ask me how I'm doing once in awhile, that'd be awesome!

What resolutions have you made?

happy feet

No, I'm not referring to the movie about the cute little penguin, Mumble.

MY feet!

You see, during my last year of high school, I purchased some shoes. They very quickly became my favorites. They were white sneakers, with a pink, a green, a blue, and an orange stripe on each shoe. Not only were they cute, they were also comfy. I got many compliments on these shoes. During my last year at college before I got married, these shoes started to fall apart. I did wear them almost every day, so I guess it wasn't too surprising. But I was very sad. I tried to go back to the same store I got them to buy a new pair, but they didn't have them anymore. I looked everywhere online and couldn't find them.

At last I've found a pair of shoes that isn't exactly the same, but come close enough that I will love them when they arrive in the mail.

My wonderful husband had purchased me these shoes:

And I am going to love them.

Get ready shoes. Here I come.

And thank you, Skechers, for making little girl shoes for big people!

frog cake

On Saturday night, my sister-in-law texted me, asking if I would make a birthday cake for my nephew. We were celebrating it the next day. I didn't have time to go buy supplies, so I had to make do with what I had, and what my mother and mother-in-law had.

It turned out SO GOOD! I was so happy! I ended up making a frog cake. It was very simple, and very quick. It took one 9-in circle cake, one 8-in square cake, and two cupcakes (but I used ding-dongs that we got in our stocking from our in-laws). You cut the legs out of the square cakes, and the cupcakes are used as the eyes. Instead of frosting it smoothly, I used a decorating tip to make it look a little more fancy. The tongue is just a piece of Fruit By the Foot (courtesy of my mother-in-law's pantry).

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

And here is a picture of Mr. Webb and I on New Year's Eve.

Happy 2010!