Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge 7--- THIS ROCKS!

Hey guys,

 Long time no read from me.... I have been uber-busy, did I mention UBER?! But I was looking at a blog that I adore and look at daily to keep up, and she (Jamieanne at The Sweetest Kitchen) has a new Mystery Box Cupake Challenge every month. For the new year, I couldn't resist, the ingredient is POPCORN!!! Now, if you have been following my blog, you know one of the first cupcake creations I made was  popcorn looking cupcake! And the funny thing is, her picture was of popcorn in a red and white striped bag!!! EEEEEK!! Mine have handmade cupcake wrappers that I made out of red and white striped paper!!!! Ok. Enough is enough, on to the knitty gritty. Please see more below, along with prizes you could win!

The official rules can be found in the "Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge" link above.
Prizes you could win and be awesome for!
The winner of January’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:


Bake It Pretty; a $5 electronic gift card

Beanilla; 3 Madagascar, 3 Mexican & 3 Indian vanilla beans

ExoDesign; a wire whisk charm necklace

Hello Hanna; a pack of Sweet Stands cupcake stands

Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice

Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners

Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25

Tundra Books; a selection 3 very sweet children's books

Thank you to all our prize sponsors!
 
NOW HERE IS MY CUPCAKE!!!
 
It is a double chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream, topped with marshmallows, cut to look like popcorn pieces. Then the "popcorn" is spritzed with yellow food coloring to look like butter.I decided to try something different for my children. They adore popcorn AND cupcakes, and quite frankly, I was tired of popcorn. :) In my son's Sunday School class, they have big styrofoam pictures of popcorn bags, and movie reels and all. So when I saw these, I figured I could make a cute popcorn wrapper for my cupcakes, and go from there! But of course, I went to the Lobby, LOVE THIS PLACE, and they only had the "old world" style popcorn bag type print. Eh, I ran with it, I think still cute!When it came time for our Friday Family Movie Night, I was pumped and ready to go with these babies! And they were delicious and quite cute! So, here are the cupcakes I made. Please excuse the pictures, I wasn't going for "magazine" hahaha, just memories to have! :)
 

Please vote for my cuties!!!

Are you kidding me!?!?!?

Almost a whole entire month (eek!) has passed since my last post. It has been so crazy! New car, new cat, new rescues, new projects, new ideas, new kid drama, and new family drama, and a mini vacation. UGH. Any who. Who is ready for the holidays? ME!!!! We usually do not start to decorate our house or get a tree until 'Black Friday'. But for some reason, we have been feeling the spirit, and decided to buy an artificial tree today and some decorations. Early?! Just a smidge, but, 'tis the season! :)

 OK. I would like a little feedback. I am thinking about branching out to Internet cookie sales..... I still have yet to figure out how to ship cupcakes, or I would be all over that. Any ideas on that too, would be GREAT!

I made some pumpkin cookies for my son's 'Harvest Party' at school and received SO many compliments and all, that I am thinking about selling them and shipping. I am thinking I am going to have to get someone to do a review for me, someone who would tell me the 100% honest truth. And I know who you are! Jana! :)

Finished product.

Scattered Mess.

Touch-ups here.

  On another note, tonight for dinner, I made Taco Soup. Have you ever had this?! It was delicious! It was like chili, but taco-ish, but chili-ish. Fantastic. I couldn't get enough. Top with cheese and tortilla chips, next time I will use Frito's, yum. The tortilla chips were good, but I am such a salty person, so Frito's rock... Naturally. :) I am going to be back on here soon with a bunch of catch-ups and photos.

  I have some great pictures of our mini vacation, Halloween, and our trip to the Pumpkin Patch.... Which by the way, we left with NO pumpkins and $60.00 in candy! Gotta love kids, oh and parents who are complete suckers! No pun intended. :) 

Tag! I'm it!

$ GASP! I have been tagged by that most adorable Kristin, from Keenly Kristin!

Here's the drill, when you are tagged, one of you will be! You answer the 8 questions that the tagger has come up with. Then you get to create 8 questions of your own, tag 8 people, and continue the torture! ;)
So here goes.... P.S. If you were not tagged (b/c it is SO HARD to choose just 8 from all of you lovelies), then feel free to chime in as you wish!

Her 8 questions for me:

1. What is your favorite dessert?

Surprisingly enough, it is NOT cupcakes! :) I adore adore peach cobbler, pumpkin gooey bars, and brownies! Oh yes, and Buckeyes!
2. What do you "collect"? (bags, sunglasses, shoes, figurines, etc.)
I used to collect those glass paper weights with glass designs inside, not so much anymore.... Although I was just at an antique store and found some that were nice. Hmm...3. Who was your biggest celebrity crush as a teenager?
"Like, Oh my gawd".... It had to have been.... Justin Timberlake. He is still gorgeous. Now it is more like Kristen Stewart and Oh there are sooo many.
 4. What is your "signature dish"? (what recipe are you known for making, that you take to most functions, etc.)

Spaghetti & Cheese-- like macaroni and cheese- but with angel hair pasta (this is a family holiday staple, if it is not in the house on a holiday gathering, people will FLIP)- and pumpkin gooey bars!
 5. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?

Me and my darling children went to see Toy Story 3! Too cute, can't wait to get it when it comes out tomorrow.
 6. What is your favorite scent for a candle?

Without a doubt "Home Sweet Home" by Yankee Candle
 7. What is your favorite pair of shoes?

Are these shoes that I own? Or wish to call favorite? If its a pair I own: my Sperry's. If it is a pair I wish to own: Christian Louboutin "Miss Fast Plato" heels I adore! (see pic to left; aren't they sexy!?)

 

 

 

8. Do you sing along with the car radio?

 

My kids will scream... YES!

In our house, music is key.... all kinds! Especially jazz, classical, swing, big band, and anything from the 30's-60's!

 

Now on to my 8 victims!

 

Duane @ Duane Scott

 

Lucky Jones @ Happy High Heels

 

JMarie @ bichonpawz

 

Mary @ Food Floozie

 

Jana @ Boobies, Babies, & a Blog

 

Stephani @ Home Sweet Farm

 

Tanya @ Miller Family Racing

 

Lauren @ That 22 year old Housewife

 

NOW on to my 8 questions for the tagged above!

 

1.) If you could choose to be any kind of food, which would it be, and why?

2.) What is the best memory you have from elementary school?

3.) What is your most favorite holiday tradition?

4.) What would be your dream location to live (money not a problem)?

5.) Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish? If so, where were you?

6.) What is your favorite color?

7.) If you could choose to marry any celebrity, who would it be?

8.) What is your absolute favorite song? EVER.

 

Thanks guys! Can't wait to see your answers!

$ Ady's big 1st birthday!

Hey guys!
This past weekend I did my best friends, little girls, first birthday cupcakes! It was a blast, I forget how much I miss all of my friends! We moved an hour and a half west of them, and I just forget how fun they are. Anyways. I did her cupcakes, the theme was polka dots, the #1, and cupcakes. So I grabbed a picture of the plates and used the color scheme from there. I completely forgot that my camera was in my purse, and DID NOT take one picture of the party! Very sad. But I did manage to save a couple from her page to use.
Adylen was turning one, and buddy, she loved it. All of the attention, the cake, the food.... Who wouldn't?!
It was at this gorgeous new park (again, wish I had pics), and they had 4 different playgrounds, a huge interactive game that made sooo many sounds and lit up, it was beyond cool. My kids had a blast, and it was fun, the weather was perfect.... OK time for some pictures....

Follow me back Tuesday!

Follow, link-up, grab button, and blog!

I hope you guys have a most wonderful day!
Also, I hope you meet some new bloggy buddies!

There once was a man from.....

  Bahaha, I must have looked very approachable at the grocery store yesterday. Some kind, older gentleman, came up to me and commented on how nice my tomatoes were looking. Don't pretend like you weren't thinking what I was thinking he was referring too! :) But no really, he was speaking of tomatoes. Odd. But I let him know that the tomatoes from that certain produce section from that certain store, well.... sucked. He then proceeded to ask me, kind of smugly, "then where could I find any great tomatoes?" AH HA! I knew the exact place, gave him directions, and he was quite smitten with me. I know, it happens a lot like that with me. :)

  Anywho, short cute story I just thought of. I have been super busy. Now that I am working from home, and still baking for work, never mind keeping house, kids, husband and dog. Wow. It has been crazy. I did learn though that sometimes it is fun to just roll around in the grass and beat up your hubby and kids! ;) Oh yes, severe pain this past week too.... Had to have a tooth cut out of my gums, YOWCH. Now THAT was painful. And, I love food way too much to be forbidden to not eat it for 3 days.... This coming weekend I have a baby shower to make cupcakes for, and my friend Ashley's little baby's birthday to do as well! It is candy/cupcake themed, can't wait to post pics when I am finished.

  This is a smidge of a mish mash, Hodge podge, post for me. Although here lately, they are all that way.
On another note, not that I'm not busy enough already, I have decided to share recipes on here too. Of course, I will start with some of my yummy cupcake ones, but I am thinking all foods all around. I have a great bean salad recipe I am dying to share (It is my friend Jennifer's-- AMAZING), and also a new twist on dip, and homemade yeast rolls. MMMMmmmm..... Let me tell you how hard it is, especially if you love yeast rolls, to go out in the morning to workout and have to smell yeast rolls cooking in the air for 20 minutes. Unbearable! It is like putting a chocolate cake just out of reach while I am at that point in the month where I crave it. ;) Sorry guys, lol. We live about 2 miles from the Flowers Baking Plant, and every morning they start baking those dang yeast rolls, and it is heaven in the air. :)

  Sometime this month we are taking the kids to our family farm and I cannot wait to take lots of pictures. I am such a shutterbug. We have cows, and a cabin, and a new house (6 bedrooms, nice) and a stocked lake, and so much acreage. I cannot wait. There is nothing like being there in the fall, with the fire blazing in the house, or in the fire pit outside, grazing with the cows, skipping rocks down the creek, walking the pastures, roasting marshmallows, making "campfire stew" (another recipe I cant wait to share), fishing, going on the boat, waking up to the geese, and may more things. I love the country. Except for manure, bugs, wet slimy fish, worms on hooks, mosquitoes, & cows looking like they are going to stampede. I know, such a country girl at heart. NOT. I used to name our cattle and remember their tag numbers, one day I realized they kept disappearing, no one would tell me the whole truth. Then I grew up, and was told, and also realized. Oh, huh, We are a beef cattle farm. Fantastic. Poor Belle, winding up someones hamburger. :(

  OK, so now that I have officially jumped from one spectrum to the next, I am going to go catch up on my dvr! Good night all. I hope you all had a most splendid weekend. P.S. Do any of you watch "Are you being served?" GREAT SHOW!

Stockmar Park-- Warning: Photos Galore!

We have a little state park down the road from us called Stockmar Park. You can go and walk the trails up and around the "Mountain", you can pan for gold (Gold Rush of 1800 something here), you can also go to the Gold Museum, and you can visit the Live Animal Exhibit! My kids adore going there, they are in love with Chief, the big horse, and Tiny Tim, the miniature horse! I happen to love Porkster too! The park has the 2 horses named above, 2 piggies, lots of chickens, rabbits (with the longest hair I have ever seen), goats, sheep, and 2 HUGE and I mean HUGE bulls. Oh, and a most adorable, loving, bob tail black cat!

  I love to hike the mountain trails, so relaxing and beautiful. The curiousity in me is dying to duck into one of the many underground pathways, caves, and tunnels. But chicken me, will not, too many bugs, too dark, and lord knows what else! Hard to believe I grew up on a farm. :) My grandfather would be sooo proud. (NOT)
Anyways, we feed the animals there about every week and I was able to get some pictures of us doing so. Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Tomorrow it is going to be raining, and the high is FINALLY 74!!! I am so glad to be out of the 90's!!!! WHEW-HOO!