I'm not as smart as I thought!

So I tried to change my Blogger template.

big mistake.

BIG MISTAKE!

I lost all of my saved changes and settings.

So now I have a black background, no fun graphics and definitely no new look.

I'm bummed.

And feeling defeated by the computer...a machine...and not even a particularly fancy one.

Bummer.

I'll try again after work and hopefully by the time you all read this it will be fixed.

Cross your fingers.

And your toes...for good measure.

Penguingenius!

Penguin Cupcakes!!!

At a recent stop into my local Home Goods store I found myself in the baking aisle (shocker!) and was immediately drawn to the stack of cookbooks. And what did I find there??? Hmmmm???

Well I will tell you! There sat a deliciously adorable book entitled, "Hello Cupcake". You HAVE to get this book! Puppies, panda bears, little people in blankets, corn on the cob...all made out of cupcakes.

And for just over $10 I will have a book that gives me step by step instructions on how to make penguin cupcakes!

My nephew picked these out of the book for his birthday and I got right to work. Six hours later they were finished...but not perfect. Let me enlighten you on some tips I picked up while embarking on my first themed-cupcake adventure!

1. Nothing is ever as easy as it looks in the book!

2. Cut and shaped Starburst candies (the beaks and feet) WILL pick up the crumbs of ANYTHING in their path, making them appear as though your penguins have been playing in the dirt! Not a particularly appetizing look.

3. A one-hour car ride to your birthday destination is not conducive to stacked cupcakes of any kinds. Slippery little suckers!

4. Canned melted frosting (I know, canned, ew, but it was what the recipe called for) takes FOREVER to dry. And by forever I mean longer than I had time to wait!

5. Penguins in any shape or form (even slightly lumpy, melty ones) are adorable!

And now I'm inspired to make all kinds of little confectionery creations. With this book and my overactive imagination my kitchen will soon be filled with cupcakes of many different shapes and sizes. And I"ll have the pictures here to prove it!

Bake on, bakers!

Shop, Shop, Shop It Up!

I'm looking for a new style. Correction: I NEED a new style! Currently I have a, "Too Busy to Care" look going on...and that just isn't going to cut it. I hesitate to admit that I still have clothes in my closet that I purchased more than 5 years ago...on sale...at a discount retailer...and they weren't that cute even when I bought them! My shoe collection is less of a collection than it is a pile. The backs of my running shoes are broken, my beloved patent leather slip-ons have holes in them (and so do my leopard print slippers and several of my shirts!), and I've resigned myself to Good-Willing a couple of sweaters that I'm convinced my grandma would refuse to wear! Who gave me that Norwegian sweater with the decorative clasps anyways? If it was you, just know that I thought it was lovely...so lovely that I put it away in a special place...only to be worn for special occasions....like when Jesus comes back.

And let me just throw out there that I'm working my way towards my 30's (geez, first my weight and now my age...I'm just all about embarrassing myself in this blog!) and the enticement of cropped sweaters and ripped jeans is wearing off. The goal here is to dress appropriately for my age without adding to my wardrobe anything with a high waist, an appliqued picture, or gold studs. Seriously, is there a handbook for women over 50 that states that you MUST own something that has been dipped, dunked, or be-dazzled with gold?? I refuse to buy that handbook when I'm old enough to have one. I refuse!

I want to be a Gap girl. Truly I do! I want to have effortless style and grace, simply floating around in my whisper thin flip-flops and my over-sized white cotton tee. Like this girl, for instance. She's adorable in her floppy hat, no-frills white button down and chunky sandals. You put me in that outfit and you get a WHOLE different look. I look like I should be pushing a shopping cart, filled with garbage and muttering incoherently about jelly donuts.
I just don't pull off the "relaxed, fuss-free, girl on the go" look so well. I'm not really comfortable in nothing more than a t-shirt and jeans. It just looks a little sloppy on me. I need to accessorize! I like lace, and details, and color! Oh, and if I could wear a dress EVERY DAY, I totally would...in the summer! In the winter I will wear a parka, and boots, and a hat, and gloves...ok, you get the picture!

Here, THIS is much more the style concept that I embrace! Why do those Anthropologie people insist on asking $158 for this dress?? It's cotton and thread people, cotton and thread!!


Or how about this yummy, buttery top? Kind of makes you want to lick it, doesn't it?? Anyone want to take a trip to Francesca's Collections with me? With a $24.00 price tag, I will take TWO!


Oh, and since I can now add my favorite Roxy flip-flops to the list of "Things that have been in my dogs mouth and torn apart by his teeth"...I need new shoes too! I'm hoping that list stops with the shoes or my doggie might be seeing the wrong end of a rolled-up newspaper a lot more than he'd like!

Who wants to go shopping with me?? Come on ladies, you know you want to!!!

I need partners in crime who don't mind an all out shopping adventure, complete with brownies and diet coke...and SEVERAL hours of intense shopping! I don't mean to scare you with the word intense, but if you've ever seen me near a sales rack you know what I'm talking about. If it ends in .97 get out of my way!!

So, if you're up for the challenge let's get shopping!

Singing in the rain!

I walked the five miles into work today. In the rain. Carrying a cake pan full of mini lemon cupcakes.

It was so fun! I hummed, I plotted out new baking adventures, I daydreamed a little bit, and I enjoyed the gorgeous, cool morning breeze.

And on my way I was greeted by a little old man on a bike who slowed down just long enough to give me a cheeky grin and exclaim, "Happy Birthday!" before pedaling off into the distance. Adorable! My only guess here is that he saw the cake pan and assumed I had baked myself a cake for my special day. Or he was crazy. Either way he kind of made my day!

So, this Wednesday (which is my Friday - thank you holiday week!) I'm rocking a baseball cap, no make-up and my yoga pants...at work... and I feel amazing!

Girls with sneakers...and baked goods...unite!

Happy 4th everyone!

Ta ta!