i heart long weekends!!

hi blog world!

yes, i have been MIA. for no good reason. lazy i suppose. ( i think we can blame it on the awesomeness of sunshine.......) seriously, once the sun and warmth hits cleveland, you almost have to be outdoors. i  literally have been outside everyday for a week. yes, even sleeping. ha. kidding. (did you seriously think i would sleep outside with bugs and arachnoids???!!!)

ok, first and foremost: kudos to liz from sunny bug world for awarding me the

this is my very first blog award and i am thrilled to say the least! i am sorry , liz that it has taken me soooo long to say thank you and let you know how much this means to me!!! xoxo

Here are the rules for receiving and passsing it along!

1. Accept and thank the person who sent it to you.
2. List 10 things about yourself.
3. List 5 additional things you don't like.
4. Pass the award on to 10 other bloggers.

So...10 Things About Me:

(some of this you may just already know!)

1. i love anything PINK, frilly, ruffly, girly, etc!
2. i have a love/hate relationship with my job. i love it for the flexibility, the pay, the hours....i hate it for the monotony, the drama, etc.
3. i love to be outside....(when it's warm and sunny!~please refer back to paragraph one!)
4. i am a giver/people pleaser. i love doing things for others and love making people happy.
5. i love to bake.
6. i love to craft.
7. i love to dance.
8. i just started taking yoga. (um, love it, love it, love it)
9. i grew up in michigan during the summers....all the way up in the upper peninsula. my parents had a summer home up there.
10. i love the smell of lilac bushes!

on to the things i dislike:

1. i hate dishonesty and lying.
2. i hate backstabbing girls. those nice to your face but the second you walk away....(come on, i know you all know one....or two)
3. i HATE people who put up their christmas decorations but still  have their flipping halloween and thanksgiving pumpkins on the porch. seriously.
4. on the same note....i hate discombobulated christmas lights. they all have to match or be color coordinated....(yes, i am anal like that)
5. i am deathly afraid of spiders. i have gotten a little better, but please little critters, do not come inside my home, or you are risking your life. thank you.

ok, onto the awards i am passing to:

tiffany ~at simply shaka

paige over at two runners and a brown dog!

sara tea at culinary cracks

lindsay ~canadian girl on a budget!

smitten sugar

sweet creations

holly~love imagine create

michelle at every little thing

a day in the life of karen

andrews mom!

so there ya go~ there are tons more blogs that i read and i would love to award EVERYONE.....so next time!!! i promise!

ok, on to my life.....just busy. (i know. i know. everyone is flipping busy.) i decided to open an etsy shop, so i have been really just trying to get it up and running. of course i will rant and rave when its DONE! i need to design a banner and i am illiterate via way of computer. i dont own photoshop either.....so this should be fun~

here's a little something i scored for 1.99.....kind of my mood these days:

and just more flower productions:

sooo see lovies, i have been busy.....i will be around now as i try and get the etsy shop going! wish me luck and prayers!

night bloggies....i have missed you guys!
xo
t

sunshine saturday!

well, it's about time we have a sunshiney saturday in cleve town. seriously. i am so TIRED of cold and rain. it rained every day this week, but finally a start to the weekend with mr. (or miss) sunshine, just as bright as ever!
i wanted to get out in the yard to plant some junk flowers and such! however, we ended up going to lunch at one of our local brewerys. so fun. we also stopped at world market for a little look aroundseeeee and now back home. i am deciding if i am going to the fabric store or not........the problem being is that once i get back to the home abode.....i tend to not want to leave again! yes, LAME. i know. lazy. yes. I know. i want to share why i want to go to the fabric store:

are these not the cutest darn flowers you have ever seen. fake flowers that is. well, ok, they are probably not the cutest. but they ARE pretty darn adorable. i am proud of them.....

i plan on putting these on EVERYTHING. t-shirts, skirts, jackets, purses....mashed potatoes. ok, not really the tators, but everything else!

have a lookie and let me know what you think! (do you love these colors as much as I do???)

and one more for you.....with a pink one of course!!! 

 

 i cant wait to make more....i think i have an addiction!!!!

i hope you are all enjoying this happy saturday as much as i am!

hugs and blessings,

t

xoxo

cupcake pops~hollar!

well my foodie bloggie buds.....i promised and now i am delivering! last night i started the whole process of the cupcake pop process....shenikeys, thats a mouthful....anywhodoodles, i made them and i have to say that thanks to our dear friend, ms. bakerella, herself i have now made my first attempt at these cute lil suckers.

be prepared for messy hands and fingers. oh, and it leaves lovely chocolate under your fingernails, too.....lots o hand washin goin on last night.....oh, make another note to self. dry hands well before rolling more BALLS! yes, BALLS. big ones. i like big balls, i can not lie...oh...wait different song....

so you can go here for the recipe with amazing directions if you need pictures to help you out with knowing what to do exactly. i needed pictures. but heres the recipe

cupcake pops

1 box cake mix
1 container frosting. any kind works! (thats the joy of this recipe)....i used buttercream, i think duncan hines.
chocolate discs, milk and white
gel color dye (wilton brand is what i used)
1 styrofoam piece to stick pops in
1 small flower cookie cutter
sucker sticks, bags, ribbon

preheat oven according to cake mix directions.....spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. mix cake according to box. do not overbake. allow to cool completely. i covered in plastic wrap at this point and finished the next night.

crumble in large mixing bowl. add frosting. typically you can use about 3/4 of this. i used the entire container and i thought they were pretty sticky. still moldable but just sticky. refer to paragraph above on messy hands and fingies.

roll into balls. i made mine about 2 inches. bakerella did a little smaller.

stick in freezer for about 15 mins. i left mine in longer.

 now is where you really want to look at the pics at bakerella's site. i had a bit difficulty trying to form the cupcake part....you have to use a small flower cookie cutter.....i think partly because mine were SO moist...but its hard to get the hang of this at first. (i am brutally honest....or maybe just slightly SLOW to learn things new).....

you can make 1/2 and keep the other 1/2 in freezer while doing this. they get warm quickly and more difficult to handle. then dip in chocolate (milk first), then turn upside down and insert stick.....then dip in the white. i did pink with sprinkles. i did not have the styrafoam container so i stuck them into a basket.....not really a good idea, as a couple fell. damn it.

but here lovies is the result. i have to say not too shabby for first time. my friends at work RAVED about them, which is always good for a girls esteem!

i love love love the way they look and they are just fun! thank you bakerella! you. are. my. idol.

and can i just say i also love the pink polka dot ribbon. i am a sucker for anything pink. so girly, frilly, ahhhhh....love it!

soooo what is everyone doing for fun this weekend? we have no major plans. i have a date with my bed and dateline......love that show. i always seem to fall asleep during the last 15 mins. always. i do not think i have ever seen the ending. loser.

big hugs......let me know what ya'll think of the popsiedoodles!

xoxo

cinco de mayo TREATS!

ok....so i am a day LATE. seriously, this week has been utterly crazy. it seems that every night i have had something going on or somewhere to be. tonight i am looking foward to some true blue r & r. oh wait i have to whip us some of these yummy treats for a friend at work. tomorrow is her bday....

go HERE now for the cutest treats, EVEEEERRRR!  i mean come on.....i am convinced that bakerella lays in bed at night dreaming of these adorable ideas. this is one talented girl. anywhoozies, i am attemping to make the cupcake pops in about 10 seconds. i did pre bake my cake, so will post pics if they turn out.

k, getting back to a more serious topic. how many of you celebrated cinco de mayo?? hhhhhuhhhh? ok, i have finally convinced myself that i am getting old. like really old. we had went to an indians baseball game tuesday night, and had every intention of going out for some sensationally fabulous margaritas.....however, my lame A$$ just could not pull off two nights of going out on a school night. (a.k.a. WORK). ugh. i felt so tired and just wanted to nap all day long......then add in a very long track meet after work, i was whooped. call me a baby. call me old. i am certainly not too proud to admit.

k, sorry getting wordsy.....(i must have ADHD)....focus T. focus. here is the most amazing margarita recipe. it is not your typical margarita my friends.....but let me forewarn. they go down EASY. way too easy. so drink up and happy cinco de mayo, the day after!

margarita especial~

1 1/4 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce cointreau liqueur
1/2 ounce brandy
4 ounces sweet and sour cocktail mix
1/8-1/4 ounce lime juice

place ALL ingredients into a martini shaker with ice. shake. shake. shake. pour into salt rimmed margarita glasses filled with ice. garnish with lime slices.

(i doubled the recipe, and it all fit into the shaker)

and there ya go......easy now. they do not taste strong and are the yummiest margarita i have ever laid my sweet lips on!

love and hugs,

t