Flower Power Cupcakes

Happy 30th Birthday to my friend Stephanie! (And happy birthday to third-person Grandma, who turned 85 today too, but she doesn't know about blogs.) I made Magnolia Bakery's chocolate cupcakes and used an idea for decorating them that I got from Betty Crocker. These flower petals are actually pieces of marshmallows that I cut up with scissors. Hard to believe, huh? I was very skeptical but it worked great. The centers are ginormous gumballs because I know from a previous blog post that Stephanie loves them as much as I do.



Hey, has anyone seen Kermie and Miss Piggy? ... uh-oh.

Lemonade Cupcakes

Every year I have to make Lemonade Cupcakes for Heinz's birthday. This year I had an idea for making them look like a glass of lemonade. Next time I'm going to make squares of rock candy to put on top to look like ice cubes.



The birthday boy makes sure that no batter is left behind.

From Instant Bar Mitzvah to Instant Live Bait

In New York, I could step outside my apartment and get an instant bar mitzvah. Now I can get fresh, live bait anytime. (But I do have to say that the live bait is not real close to my house. But it is close to Heinz's work.) I find this comparison amusing.

Craft Room Lights

I know that this light is super trendy right now, but I don't care because I love it. Heinz put two of them in the craft room for me today. You can get it at Ikea.

The Harry Potter Party Is Still ON!

I am so mad I can hardly see straight right now. The jerks at Warner Brothers (don't think I'm not going to complain) have pushed back the next Harry Potter movie until next JULY. I have been planning a party around the movie release date for MONTHS. I mean, you can have a Harry Potter party anytime, but it was fun planning it around the next movie. The party is still on for Nov. 22, because I can't wait until next July. I mean, I already bought gumballs and jelly beans!

My First Herb Garden

I've finally planted my first herb garden. I've been wanting one for years. I've had a hard time finding seedlings since it's the wrong time of year to start an herb garden. They all treat me like I'm crazy. But I don't care since Heinz is going to make me a green house for the winter.

I've already had some of the basil, which looks the best (in the left pot). I made a fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad yesterday. YUM-O!

I Finally Got the Dishes Unpacked

Two weeks ago when my mom was here we went through my old childhood toys and cleaned them up. It's amazing what good condition they were in. I guess that's what happens when an only child has my personality type.



I'm ready to make cupcakes!

At the Beach Cupcakes

I made some Beach-themed cupcakes for Luke's birthday a couple of weeks ago. I was pleased with how they turned out because this is what I hoped they would look like. I first made some little white chocolate seashells that I tinted ivory. I used Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcake recipe (YUM!!). I first spread on some ivory-tinted frosting and dipped that part in vanilla wafer crumbs. Then I spread on some aqua-colored frosting and put a goldfish cracker in it. Then on the back of the seashell, I put a little bit of ivory frosting on to adhere to the sand. Then once we were at the party, I put drink umbrellas in some of them.

This Is Why Men Aren't Allowed to Decorate

We were at Home Depot a couple of days ago looking for a sconce for the stairway. This was Heinz's suggestion.

Grumpy Old Bear

I made Susan B. Anderson's Grumpy Old Bear from Itty-Bitty Nursery for Luke's birthday. I think he liked it!

Now We're REALLY Back in the South!

Because I'm frying okra, yum! I believe that this was my great-grandmother's cast-iron skillet. Fried okra is my favorite. I order it sometimes at restaurants but it's never as good as when it's fried in cornmeal.