Cupcakes Galore

Okay, well two anyway. I was feeling a bit adventurous this week.

My first cupcake, was the Chocolate Almond Poblano cupcakes from beauty and bread. They looked very good, and were fairly easy to make once you figured out where the ingredients were. This is an entirely vegan cupcake. The flavor was good, but I wasn't quite expecting the heat that it brought. Still, it was fun roasting the peppers, and I think that they will taste good in chili next time I make it.



For my next, less tongue burning creation, I went for the Raspberry Almond Ricotta Cupcakes with Citrus Meringue Frosting by Chockylit. These turned out very good. I wasn't able to make the Burnt Buttered Almonds, for some reason I couldn't get the sugar and butter to caramelize for anything. Even after several attempts. Oh well. Plus, being short of a blow torch, I had to improvise, which was a lot of fun. I have a gas stove, so I was able to use the flame from the burner and a really long set of tongs to create the desired caramelization on the meringue frosting. I am tempted to rename these Flaming Cupcakes. It was a lot of fun, but I wouldn't recommend it in general. It's probably a totally unsafe way to do it, and I will be getting a real blow torch soon. But, it was still fun.


I had a ton of leftover meringue frosting, so I decided to make little meringue kisses to go with.

Just a little fun on JibJab

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I Wonder If They Would Do The Same...

...for a divorcee who remarried. Somehow, I doubt it.

The letter Hancock received from the church states that because she has refused to end her sexual relationship with her boyfriend, "you leave us with no other choice but to carry out the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ" … "In accordance with Matthew 18:17 we intend to 'tell it to the church.'"

Technically, it is also a sin to divorce and remarry. But hey, who am I to judge? All I have to say, is if they're going to call her out on this sin, I certainly hope they're willing to call out others on their sins too. Or what about gossip, which seems to be a favorite pasttime of many church women?

If we're going to start judging people on their behaviors, then let's judge everyone. If not, have some mercy. There was a reason that Jesus said "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her".

Anyway, that's my random rant for the day. Church hypocrisy ticks me off more than a lot of things, so I thought I'd share.

I Did Not Know This, And I Wish I Still Didn't

However, it is a tad interesting. And good old Wiki never fails to inform.

Ceramic figurines called 'caganers' of US President-elect Barack Obama are seen at the Santa Llucia Fair, on December 2, in Barcelona. Statuettes of well-known people defecating are a strong Christmas tradition in Catalonia, dating back to the 18th century.

(AFP/File/Lluis Gene)

Hat tip: Boots & Sabers

Little Village And A Baby Blanket

Well, I finished the corset, and managed to somewhat deal with the sizing issues. I took in the sides a little, creating a bit of a flat felled seam. It works, for now. The pictures aren't much different, so I won't bother you with those. I do, however, have pictures of my next projects that I finished up.

Here is a baby blanket I made for a friend of mine. The embroidery was so cute and easy, and it just cried out, "Stitch Me!". Audibly. I swear.

I just did a simple two layers of flannel, one side brown and the other side pink (she had a girl). Then I did the embroidery on a scrap of muslin, and appliqued it to the blanket. It was much easier than trying to embroider onto such a dark piece of flannel, plus it gives a nice contrast.

A closeup of the birds


Now for my next little project, some Little Houses. These are so darn cute, and such a quick way to use up scraps. I made several, using a scrap piece of linen, some felt, and some calico fabrics. These are little ornaments, that can easily be made by just about anyone. You don't even necessarily have to have a sewing machine, they'd be easy enough by hand. I did some embroidery on mine to make them extra cute. I plan on making several more with a plain muslin for the house, so that the kids can draw on them as a great little crafty, handmade Christmas present for certain family members (shhh.... you don't know who you are!). The kids will love the project, and I will love the quiet. I almost forgot to add, but the instructions for these great little ornaments can be found here. I can make one of these babies up in about 20 minutes or so (if I'm not being climbed like a mountain goat), and they are so fun to embellish!

So here are the little houses. I'll start with my favorites, and go from there.

Almost Done...

I am almost done with my new short corset. However, it happens to be a little too big. I really need to work on those sizing issues....

But anyway, they turned out so pretty. I almost hate to sell them, but if I want to make another pair, I will likely have to. Plus, I hate to have them sitting around not being used.

Anyway, here are some pictures. They turned out so pretty.....




I used this embroidery pattern, which was so pretty. I had a hard time keeping it to only three colors, but it's so pretty and simple, that now I can't touch it. I usually have a hard time sticking to simple designs, because I always want to add more, but I also love the look of the simple designs, because they are so pretty.

So if anyone is interested in buying this, you can email me for the details.

Thirty

I am 30 today. For a long time, I never thought it would bother me. It's just numbers. Aging is a part of life. We can't change it, and we can't stop it. Those little numbers that we fill in on forms will keep getting bigger whether we like it or not.

But today, I am 30. Where did all that time go? It seems like only yesterday I was getting married, and a few days before that I was still in grade school, and I hardly remember much in between any of it. I am feeling a bit old today, but then, 6 kids will do that to a gal. Maybe not getting a full night's sleep in so many years will take it's toll. Makes me glad I'm not 40 though, because I know I couldn't do it then, if I can barely keep up now some days.

In this year before I turned 30, many things have happened. I had a beautiful baby boy, and survived it. I visited my family in Kansas for a month. I got to sit in my cousin's Lotus (and I still rub it in for my husband). I got to see a childhood friend that I hadn't had contact with in 10 years, and got to meet her beautiful little boy. I have made contact with other friends I hadn't seen in years through Facebook. My children have all aged another year, and are healthy and happy. I realized my husband still loves me despite my many shortcomings, and will continue to love me through many more.

While for the most part I'm not too bugged about turning 30, there's still that tiny nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me I'm getting older.

They're Just Mad 'Cuz They Didn't Get Any

Really, a felony? A group of consenting adults gets together to raffle off some consenting prostitutes, make some money, and it's a felony? What isn't a felony anymore?

I'm not saying that prostitution is a good idea, and the idea of raffling them off is not any better, but what happened to this being a free country? Since when can we not make decisions for ourselves? Personally, I think they were mad that they didn't get a cut. That seems to be the case in most of these situations, where money is involved anyway. But that's just my opinion....

Movie Review: Serenity

My husband and I watched Serenity for the first time a few days ago. It was very, very well done in my opinion. The simplicity of the storyline, coupled with decent acting, and not overdone action scenes, lent to a very well rounded movie. It was one of the better ones I'd seen in a long time. I won't give any spoilers here, but I strongly suggest you watch it. It's worth it.