Potted Meat

First Birthday's are Big Ones!

2010-10-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I received an order for 48 cupcakes and a cupcake cake.
On Thursday I went to "town" to buy all the stuff I didn't already have.
On Friday... I baked!

Check out my new pan! Holds 24 cupcakes! Make me feel semi-professional :)

On Saturday I will deliver.

Also, other orders of business... I have officially created a Facebook page. Saying that, I am pleased to announce that I have FINALLY came up with a name for what I do.
Are you ready?
Drum roll please.....

LOVE IN A BOX

Watch out. It's gonna be famous one day ;)

So, this is going to be one of my last posts totally dedicated to baking. Hey- I've got a 2 year old daughter I need to start bragging on ;)

Somebody's Turning 6 Today!

2010-09-25T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm assuming she is a fellow chocolate lover!

The order: two dozen chocolate cupcakes with strawberry buttercream and two dozen chocolate cookies-n-cream cupcakes.

I hope she's has a very happy birthday and is as pleased with her cupcakes as I am :)

As American as...

2010-09-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

apple pie....cupcakes that is!

This recipe is 100% original.

I started off with a graham cracker crust (graham cracker, butter & sugar).

On top of that goes the apple pie cake batter (butter pecan cake mix, a can of apple pie filling, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla).

Post baking:

I frosted these with a cinnamon vanilla buttercream.

It was the first time I had tried the basket weave technique. It was surprisingly simple! I tried to make each cupcake look like a mini apple pie :)

I tried to make each cupcake look like a mini apple pie :)

The official score (as rated by my husband) for these cupcakes was a 9/10. I thought they were really good. Very buttery (in a good way) and screamed for a glass of milk. These are for a party this evening, so hopefully everyone else will feel the same!

Happy 3rd Birthday Evan!!

2010-08-29T02:52:00.001-07:00

I was more than happy to make cupcakes to celebrate a special boy's 3rd birthday.

The party was construction themed. Lots of hard hats and bulldozers!

Good party, good friends, good food. Just the way it should be :)

Margarita Cupcakes

2010-08-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

My list of cupcakes to try keeps getting shorter and shorter. I can now mark off Margarita cupcakes. I followed a recipe I found online via Google. You basically just substitute margarita mix for water. The frosting is lime buttercream. I only used the juice of one lime and biting into these cupcakes creates an explosion in your mouth! The top is sprinkled with sea salt which makes these cupcakes contain 3 of the 4 tastes your tongue can detect (sour, sweet & salty). The hubs said they were the perfect balance of sour and sweet. We were both disappointed with the cake's consistency. It just tastes like box cake. Oh well.. below are my pics.

P.S. Happy 5th Anniversary (tomorrow) to my official cupcake tester! I LOVE YOU

More is More

2010-08-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well... I just got back from a trip "home". Happy to report while on vacation, I made 6 batches of cupcakes. The only new ones I tried were S'mores by request for my sister-in-law's birthday. I'll definitely be making them again soon. I only photographed the last batch I made because I really liked how the piping turned out on them. Flowery. Take a look!

The kids liked them too.

Cousin Fry

My angel, Aubree

MINT Chocolate

2010-07-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try this frosting technique for awhile now. I finally got around to it and had an epic failure on my hands. The first few times I tried dipping the cupcakes, the tops and/or frosting just fell off into the melted chocolate. Then I tried freezing the cupcakes before dipping them which seemed to help some.

All-in-all I was disappointed in more than the process. I indulged in one of the few that did manage to stay in one piece and all that added chocolate just made the top way too heavy for the cake. Luckily, most of the cupcakes I made were normal (as in cake on bottom frosting on top).

Each time I bake I consider it a learning experience. This time around I learned that mint extract is stronger than most other extracts. I used half of the amount I usually use and thought it was too much. I didn't want to feel like I was eating a big mound of toothpaste. I was also reminded of how concentrate gel food coloring is. That stuff is potent- baleedat!

Things I Love to Bake With

2010-07-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

In random order:

1.) Pillsbury Cake Mix. I have no clue why it's the cheapest of the 3 major brands, but it is by far my favorite. It doesn't give me wrinkle tops or an random amount of cupcakes like other brands.

2.) Egglands Best Eggs. I never knew there was an actual difference in eggs, but after a big streak of finding "bad" eggs I tried EB. I have yet to encounter something disturbing which makes this non egg lover happy :)

3.) Kitchen Aid Mixer. I make large quantities of frosting when I bake. I can't imagine managing without it.

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese

2010-07-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe these red velvet cupcakes started out as a German Chocolate cake mix? Shhh... don't tell everybody! It's a delicious recipe that includes some vanilla pudding and sour cream as well.

Luckily, the recipe made 30 cupcakes and the order was just for 24, so I got to sample :) They are really, really good!

Polka-dot heart blanket is what Aubree calls it

2010-07-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

To quote my husband "Your gonna be great at all those womanly things when we get old, babe" What he meant was sewing and cooking basically. Why sewing you ask? Well, because of this:

If you remember, my only other sewing experience is with these (which I made 2 more pairs of this weekend). I can now thread my sewing machine and fill a bobbin without reading directions! I have the itch for sewing all of a sudden and have all these ideas of things I want to try.

First on my list is pillowcase dresses. If you have never heard of them (where have you been?), here is a picture of one:

Cute, huh?

My friend, and all things homemade expert, Candace has already agreed to have a "sewing date" with me and tackle them.

Also, I found this adorable blanket. It looks super easy too! I'm gonna wait and start this after we get back from vacation (which is only 18 days away!).

Yay for a potential new hobby that is calorie free!

Yes, more cupcakes

2010-07-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Do you know what those are?

Wanna guess?

Those are Samoa cupcakes.

Remember?

Chocolate cake, caramel filling, coconut frosting. Yep. Pretty awesome.

I used caramel ice cream topping and it was too thin to use as filling, but the commissary on base was closed or I would have probably whipped up some cream to add to it. Oh well.. that's the beauty of experimental baking... you figure out how to make it better the 2nd time around.

As for Derek's opinion. He left me a note on the computer that said: "Well, I had to eat another cupcake after you went to bed and now I declare them the BEST cupcakes that you’ve made…..they are the best in every way. The caramel soaked into the cupcake makes it super moist and more flavorful, the icing is fantastic, and the toasted coconut gives added flavor and texture. They are the best yet!!!"

:) Sweet husband and even sweeter cupcake apparently! :)

Next on my agenda is Mint Chocolate with a super cool frosting technique I've never tried before.

Stay tuned!

My Favorite Cupcake Ever

2010-07-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

My favorite cupcake thus far in my 28 years of life has yet to be named by me. At this cupcake shop in town I'm pretty sure they call it Hazelnut Heaven, but it's a little different than mine. I make a chocolate cupcake, fill it with Nutella and top it with maple buttercream (they use Praline). I'm pretty sure I've blogged about it before, but I'm just too lazy to go through the archives and check. Anyway, they're having Family Day at Derek's work today so if you or your husband is part of JSF you will have a chance to try one of these:

Their not so pretty. Need a little garnish. Maybe some shaved chocolate that I don't have on hand. Anyway, I was watching Cupcake Wars on Food Network last night and got a WONDERFUL idea for a cupcake. The guy did a play on the girl scout cookie Caramel deLite (or Samoas). If you know me, you know there's nothing I'd rather do than turn desserts into cupcake form. Basically it's a chocolate cupcake filled with caramel, topped with coconut buttercream, sprinkled with toasted coconut and drizzled with more caramel. (Boy, was that a run-on sentence or what!) It's pretty much all my favorite things rolled into one. I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THEM!

Cookies-N-Cream Cupcakes

2010-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

I made these for a friend's husband's birthday. I wish I would have used chocolate cake instead of white, but initially I thought it might be overwhelming with the richness of the frosting. Now I realize it would have been a lot prettier. This was a very easy recipe and I love the Oreo-on-bottom surprise :)

FORE!! Or...28 Actually!

2010-06-19T12:14:00.001-07:00

Happy (Early) Birthday Derek!

If I had a cupcake portfolio these would definitely be in it! The whole reason we are celebrating Derek's birthday early is because he's playing golf on his actual birthday. As soon as I saw these cupcakes, I knew these were going to be his birthday cupcakes! I got the idea from the awesome book What's New, Cupcake. I just hope they taste as good as they look!

Cupcakes for a Baby Shower

2010-06-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

The day has come. My first *real* cupcake order! These are vanilla cupcakes with strawberry filling and chocolate frosting. Can you tell their for a pregnant girl? :)

Mum Cupcakes

2010-06-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try this technique, courtesy of What's New, Cupcake for awhile and finally got around to it.

So... what do you think?

My Flavors

2010-06-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've been getting some more orders for cupcakes. So instead of e-mailing everybody a list of flavors, I thought it would be smart of me to list them on my blog and then e-mail everybody the link instead. See, sometimes I have good ideas ;) Anyway, here are the current flavors I offer. Check back often as I will update this frequently.

Cake flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Lemon, Red Velvet, Coconut, Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate, Pistachio, Cookies & Cream, Mocha, Margarita, Chocolate Cherry.

Buttercream Frosting Flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, Mint, Mint Chocolate, Mocha, Coconut, Lime, Banana, Orange Cream, Maple, Strawberry, Raspberry.

Cream Cheese Frosting Flavors: Regular Cream Cheese, Lemon, Strawberry.

Other Frostings: Cookies & Cream, Rocky Road, Peanut Butter.

Fillings: Nutella, Blueberry, Strawberry, Red Raspberry, Peanut Butter Cream, Peach, Blackberry, Cream Cheese.

Some Favorite Combos:
*Snowball- Chocolate Cake frosted with Cream Cheese Frosting topped with Shredded Coconut.
*Almond Joy- Chocolate Cake iced with Coconut Buttercream topped with Slivered Almonds and Shredded Coconut
*Creamsicle- Vanilla Cake topped with Orange Cream frosting.
*PB Bomb- Peanut Butter Cake frosted with Peanut Butter Frosting topped with Salted Peanuts.
*Margarita- Lime Buttercream on top of Margarita cake sprinkled with Sea Salt.

Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or orders. brookecrismond@gmail.com (661)258-7655

Getting my Ducks in a Row

2010-05-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have an order for baby shower cupcakes. The theme is Rubber Duckys. I was just playing around getting some ideas. I don't think I'm gonna go with these unless I can really polish them up. Either way, I thought I'd post them.

My First 10!

2010-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

The lovely cupcake above earned me my first 10 from the ol' hubs. Most of the time his complaint is with the sweetness but the tart raspberry filling mellowed out the sugar in these Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting.

I also made cake pops!

Let me say this was my very first time making these. There's a lot more time into these than you would think.

The pink ones are Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The chocolate ones are Vanilla cake with a-Hint-of-Coconut Buttercream. I could have made these look fancier if I would have bought a cute matching container to put them in and hid the styrofoam they're sticking in, but I just used something I had here at home and after baking 3 cakes and 3 batches of homemade frosting I was pooped! I didn't even bother grabbing my camera to take pictures during the process. All in all, I think I have about 8 hours invested in the trio!

Good thing I enjoy baking :)

On the Agenda

2010-05-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Coming up....

*Homemade Marshmallows* I am not a huge fan of marshmallows. I can take them or leave them so I never had any intentions of making them from scratch until I read "If you have never tried a homemade marshmallow you have no idea what you are missing out on. Those nasty jet puffed chemical white blobs you get at the store and well pretty much tasteless and only good for setting on fire when roasting marshmallows for s'mores at camp when you're like 10 years old. But a HOMEMADE marshmallow is a whole different thing. They're light, fluffy, sweet, melt in your mouth goodness."
Sounds intriguing, huh? We'll see!

*Cake Ball Pops* Never heard of them? Google it! In a nutshell, you mix up a baked cake with some frosting, roll it in a ball and dip it in chocolate. You can use any flavors you like. I love recipes with creativity flexibility.

Also... I think it's apparent that baking cakes/cupcakes for a living is my dream job. I plan on spreading the word that I am open for business! I have one last MOPS meeting and I'm going to take a couple of things for the women to taste. I don't have a fancy name on business cards (yet) nor do I have a website. But I will bake you a darn good cake (or cupcakes) for a darn good price!

Happy Birthday, Kristie!

2010-04-15T10:29:00.001-07:00

Today is not only tax day, it's my friend Kristie's birthday! She's a fellow chocoholic so I made her some Milky Way Cupcakes. It's a chocolate cupcake with a piece of a milky way candy bar baked in the middle topped with caramel buttercream.

Before baking:

After baking:

After frosting:

I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out. It has been a long time since I baked something in the middle of a cupcake. The candy bar hardened back up into original shape after cooling it had more of a chewy texture, though. These were really good. I wasn't the biggest fan of the frosting, so I used a decorating technique that used as little as I could. Overall, I consider these pretty successful! I just hope Kristie feels the same!

I'm gonna do better

2010-04-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't been quite the blogger lately. The last time I made cupcakes, I didn't take pictures, but let me tell you they were very different and quite tasty. I had a cupcake at a local cupcake shop that was outstanding and tried to reproduce it. It was a chocolate cupcake with Nutella filling frosted with a maple buttercream. VERY RICH--in a good way!

I am baking more cupcakes Thursday for a friend's birthday. I'll post pictures. I'm not going to tell what kind I'm making... you'll have to check back to see!

Also, on my baking agenda is this Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze. Doesn't it look fantastic? I think it's gonna be a "Welcome Home" thing for Derek. He's been in Texas for the last week or so.

Anyway, just wanted to give a shout-out to say I'm still here and still interested in my blog even though it doesn't look like I am!

Yes, it is Amazing

2010-04-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2010-03-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

I made Easter cupcakes for MOPS and forgot to photograph them before taking them. I snapped this picture of the mini ones after a few had already been eaten and didn't end up getting a photo of the full-size cupcakes at all. They were basically the same except they had a peep on them! I hope this inspires you to make your own Easter cupcakes-- why not!?!

2 Year Pictures

2010-03-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

Aubree turns 2!

2010-03-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

My baby girl is officially 2. I didn't think I was going to get emotional over this birthday like I had the last. I didn't... until I read her "Now I'm 2" which is a book about how she's not a baby anymore. She's not. She's on the road to being a big girl! Anyway, since the main subject of this blog is about baking, I figured I'd highlight the food/cake aspects of her birthday.

I worked a long time on this cake. I had this image in my head and Friday night I was pretty sure it was going to be the furthest thing from the cake in my head. But, after finishing it Saturday, it turned out ok!

There was a "2" candle I put after "Birthday"

Aubree liked it! She even had to sample it before anyone else did :)

Oh! And there were chocolate covered bananas- DELICIOUS!

There are more birthday pictures on my myspace and facebook if your interested :)

The Next Million Dollar Idea

2010-03-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

Somebody needs to invent a website that lets you pre-design your cake (or cupcakes) online before you make it at home. I'm envisioning it to be like "Paint" but with standard cake shapes, decorating tips, different fonts and lots of colors to experiment with. It could be called "Cake Blueprint" or something like that. I am getting ready to make my daughter's 2nd birthday cake (yes cake, not cupcakes) and want to see what different options would look before I commit to one. I'm the furthest thing from an artist, so the ole' pen & paper aren't going to do me any good. Plus, how do you draw a scalloped edge? Way beyond my talent. So, can somebody please come to my rescue and construct one? Thanks in advance. Oh, and I need it up & running by Friday!

Too Healthy

2010-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Moist Zucchini Bran Muffins

This is what I call too healthy. That two-word statement describes the ingredients and the way it tastes. Aubree likes them and they contain a vegetable and a fruit. With just under 150 calories a piece, they could be ok-- if your desperate! I found the recipe on Food Network if you want to check them out for yourself :)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

2010-02-28T09:31:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I just did a different "mini" version of these. My friend Candace just had a beautiful baby girl, though and she's pretty into the chocolate and peanut butter combination. So....

Nothing says "Congratulations" like 12 cupcakes!

Derek isn't here to rate these, but I'm sure he would think they're really rich. But, he would like that they are not overly sweet. In fact, I'm wondering if I should have added more conf sugar to the frosting...? It's also a little soft. But, they all turned out really pretty if I do say so myself.

I couldn't leave out my only other friend on base!

The good thing about these 2 friends is that they're honest. If the cupcakes suck, they'll tell me. I don't think that's gonna be the case, though :)

Probably My Favorite Cake Ever!

2010-02-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

...and ridiculously easy!

Bake a box white cake mix & punch a bunch of holes in it with a straw.

Pour a mixture of one can of eagle brand milk (you can use fat free if it makes you feel better) and one can of cream of coconut (I used Coco Lopez) on top.

Top with whipped heavy cream. The recipe calls for shredded coconut on top. It would make it prettier, but I'm not a fan of shredded coconut, so I left it off. And that's that! And that is WONDERFUL!

Sweet Potato Bread with (or without) Pecans

2010-02-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Food Network's website and made it at Christmas (without nuts). It was DELICIOUS! I am planning on making another batch tomorrow. I'm going to try to use Splenda for Baking instead of sugar and reduce the oil by using part applesauce. I'm sure it won't be as yummy as the original recipe :) It's such a dense, moist bread, though, I'm sure it will be great. There's a reason it has a 5 star rating!

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups water
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine sugar, water, oil, eggs, and sweet potatoes and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add pecans and mix well. Divide between 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pans to room temperature.

Thank you Chalene!

2010-02-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

For making Turbo Jam such a fun workout!

Day 45 & going strong!

A Thorn in My Side

2010-02-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

a.k.a. Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Whew! Well, at least it's over with!

I found this recipe some time ago from a fabulous blogspot. I was dying to try it. So, when my friend invited me to a Scentsy party, my first thought was "YES, but only if I can bring some cupcakes!"

Round 1: The recipe only made 12 cupcakes, so I doubled it to make 24 cupcakes that eventually turned into wells. They had a big sink hole in the middle of them. I googled reason why this happens and none of them applied to me. Then I realized I hadn't doubled the eggs. Dummy.

Round 2: I doubled the recipe again doubling the eggs this time. The end result blew my mind. About half of the cupcakes were okay and the other half were just like the first batch- SUNK.

I have no idea what the issue was. Maybe I should have doubled some ingredients but not others. I'm not that scientific yet.

But...... on to buttercream. It turned out passable. The homemade caramel I made to mix in it tasted a little burnt. My bad. I frosted them anyway and added the final ingredient, sea salt. Here's what I got:

.................................................................................

I thought the salt made them taste like pretzels. I'm not a big fan of pretzels. Derek's first reaction was something along the lines of "HOW GREASY! HOW MUCH BUTTER ARE IN THESE?" Well... you don't want to know!

I didn't think they were horrible, but I'm not going to be proud to hand these out tomorrow. I'm just too lazy to bake something else!

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

2010-01-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

I'm quick to talk about the bad companies, but let me tell you about a pleasant experience I've recently had.

To make a long story short I ordered some dishes on www.macys.com. When they arrived, one of the dishes was broken. There was a sticker on the box that said "Damaged on Arrival". I had planned on taking them back this weekend and exchanging them.

Today the Fed Ex guy brought me a package from Macy's and it was the same dishes-- undamaged. I hadn't even told them they were broken. I guess they got word from USPS. ?? I dunno, but I thought it was really upstanding that they replaced them without me even asking. It was a super bonus because only 1 out of a 5 piece setting was damaged, so I got to keep the other 4! I will be purchasing more from them in the future! You should too!

It's lunchtime, do you know where your squirrel is?

2010-01-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

This is my new little friend. He comes and sits on my back wall everyday at lunch time. I've started throwing pecans out in the yard for him. Him and one of his friends eat them and have a little party. They sound like birds. I think they'd hang around a little longer each day if it wasn't for Dixon. He stares at them through the glass door and growls. I enjoy their company. I'll try to take more pictures later :)

Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes

2010-01-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in my new book Cupcakes by the Cake Mix Doctor. It was good. Derek gave it an 8/10 as well. The comments I got was that the taste of cream cheese was too overwhelming in the frosting. It was a 2:1 ratio with butter, if I make them again I'll use a little less.

I thought the batter was really pretty :)

The finished result wasn't that bad itself!

What's a better way to celebrate 30 straight days of working out than with 2 batches of cupcakes?

Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2010-01-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Well I had mostly success making these. If I ever make them again, I will know what to do differently to have complete success. It's like they say, "practice makes perfect". That holds true in the cupcake world as well! Like I mentioned in the previous post, I got this recipe from Food Network Magazine. They had a section on how to turn your favorite candy bars into cupcakes. This one is supposed to be like a Reese Cup. I followed it except for the cake part. I just used a fancied-up cake mix. Too much time and work for basically the same results. Anyway, Derek gave these and 8/10 because they weren't too sweet. He's my official cupcake taster :)

Mini chocolate cupcakes with the peanut butter "stuff" on top. Yes, this picture was taken in my freezer. That's part of it.

After dipping in chocolate glaze.

If anybody wants the exact recipe, just let me know. I'm more than happy to give it to you.

On to Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes!

"and a lot of cupcakes"

2010-01-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well, that's what my title header says and lately I haven't been living up to it.

Tomorrow I bake!

On the menu: Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes and Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes

It's the first time for both recipes. I can't take credit for either unfortunately. Also, I'm pretty sure it's the first time I've ever baked mini cupcakes! We'll see how that turns out!

HI-DE-OUS

2010-01-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

What has this girl done to herself?
Please note the "before" picture isn't before plastic surgery, just before her last plastic surgery.

The headline from People magazine reads: "When reality TV show star Heidi Montag, 23 announced last week that she had undergone 10 plastic surgeries, all in one day, the news was met with some (naturally) raised eyebrows." LOL

And then there was cornstarch.

2010-01-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

It helped... after 5 times. We also used Dawn and clarifying shampoo. It's finally looking normal again. FINALLY!

The Post that Requires No Title

2010-01-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

I just walked into my bedroom and found this:

Just like any other day I had put Aubree down for her nap. Her room is really bright, so I put her on our bed to sleep during the day... just like EVERY OTHER DAY. Except when I walked in to check on her an hour later, I found her in the position above. My first thought was "She fell off the bed!" then I looked closer:

My child had found the Vaseline it appeared.
It was all over her clothes, on the nightstand, all over the carpet, the rocking chair, and....

Our less than 2 week old comforter :(

If anybody has any secrets for removing Vaseline from hair or fabric let me know!

Some stores...

2010-01-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

...are really making me mad!

I am posting this blog as a source of information to those who read. A...warning perhaps.

American Eagle- Derek's Mom bought him some clothes from American Eagle for Christmas. One pair of pants didn't fit right so we took them back with the gift receipt she provided. The cashier said we could only get store credit WITH THE RECEIPT! What? I asked her what we would get if we didn't have the receipt and she said "store credit". So... Why do they offer receipts in the first place?!? They are a company that has proven once they get your money, there's no way your getting it back!

Sears- I ordered my father-in-law's Christmas present online and got expedited shipping so it would be here by Christmas. It was promised to be here by 12/21. Well.... it wasn't. So on 12/21 I called Sears to get my expedited shipping charge ($10.70!) refunded. In the back of my mind I assumed the gift would arrive the next day, but regardless I wasn't paying that extra fee. While talking to the customer service rep she told me the reason the item didn't arrive was because it was out of stock at the warehouse (it said "in stock" on their website) and had to be shipped from another store. I asked if she had a tracking number for the package. She said she didn't. Then I asked when it was shipped. ONLY THEN did she tell me it hadn't been shipped yet. Shady, shady, shady. So I simply asked her to cancel my order. She said she couldn't because it was "processing". Sears never sent me an e-mail or called to tell me about this "issue". Today is 1/5 and it still hasn't arrived!

I remember years ago getting upset at Target for not taking back their store brand items without a receipt. Not even offering store credit!

The thing is... when several stores all sell the item I want to buy I'm not supporting these stores that are not customer friendly and I feel like are out to get me.

I am interested to hear if you have any other stores that have let you down. Please share :)

HAPPY NEW DECADE!

2010-01-01T12:04:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed bringing in the new year! I stumbled across this poem the other day written by my cousin, Lydia, about my Mamaw. Those of you who knew her will appreciate this and those who did not will get a glimpse of her spirit. The kind we all strive to achieve when we make resolutions to become better people.

Mamaw's Egg Rolls
Blues music fills the house.
Mamaw must be cooking.
I fall back asleep to be awakened by the smell of egg rolls frying.
I walk into the kitchen blinking from the bright light
Where Mamaw smiles and says, "Hi, Honey. Get you an egg roll."
"Okay, Mamaw," I say.
I have to hurry because egg rolls don't last long in Mamaw's house.
I pick up one perfectly browned egg roll.
I hear Papaw whistling through the house.
He stops to dance with me in my pajamas on the way by...egg roll still in hand.
I finish my egg roll and pick up the spoon, wet three sides of egg roll wrapper, carefully lay a
line of meat down the center, and roll it all up.
I try to seal the ends by poking them in with my finger, but they are never as perfect as
Mamaw's.
I hand her my sloppy egg roll to fry, apologizing for its condition.
Mamaw pats my back and says, "You do a better job than I do, sweetie."
"No I don't, Mamaw," but she insists that I roll the rest anyway.

Christmas

2009-12-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

I think this one pictures summed up Christmas this year.
Can you tell who all the attention was on? :)

It was great having family around this year. I just wish they could have stayed longer :)

We all got more gifts than expected. Aubree ended up with a ton! I was careful not to over buy for her but once you put every body's gifts together she has a room full of new toys!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and remembered the reason for the season admist the chaos. Here's to 2010!

A Holiday MUST!

2009-12-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

I'm no food photographer, but it doesn't take a fancy picture to make these look delicious!

Chocolate Covered Cherries (also known to some as Cherry Cordials)

1/4c butter
2c powdered sugar
1T milk
1/2t vanilla
1/8t almond extract
3 dozen maraschino cherries

Thoroughly cream butter with sugar and milk. Blend in vanilla and almond extract. If mixture is too sticky additional powdered sugar may be added. Mold a small amount around a cherry being careful to completely cover. Placed on wax paper covered tray & set aside (I refrigerate).

Coating: 2c (12oz package) Hershey's Chocolate Chips
2T shortening

Completely melt chips and shortening in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Cool stirring occasionally until coating is lukewarm & slightly thickened (98degrees). Dip cherries. Allow coating to become firm at room temperature. Check bottoms. Seal with additional chocolate if necessary. Do not refrigerate. Takes at least 2 days to form cordial.

Brooke's side notes: Anytime the powdered sugar mixture is becoming too sticky I throw it in the fridge for a minute. Be careful not to get your chocolate too hot. Your body temperature is about 98.6 so the chocolate shouldn't even feel real warm to the touch. I buy the cherries with the stems. It's sooooo much easier to dip them if you have something to hold on to. If you want a totally different candy, you can choose to refrigerate these. It isn't traditional chocolate covered cherries but it's still darn good!

And it's up!

2009-12-11T21:27:00.001-08:00

Moonrise at the Rodez

2009-12-09T09:01:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time I was watching this t.v. show on HGTV called Color Splash. The designer, David Bromstad, was making over a formal living room into a library. The episode was titled Dramatic Den Makeover. Anyway, the whole point was this one piece of art the homeowners had. It was the inspiration for the room and when I saw it I immediately fell in love. I missed the name of the artist who painted it so I've been on a wild goose chase ever since. I'll spare you the details of my search but alas I have discovered the piece:

Moonrise at the Rodez by Victor Shvaiko

My new mission is to bring myself to pay the price asked for this piece, forget about it, or find a cheap copy of it. So, keep your eyes peels as will I and let me know if you ever see this beauty in person.

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving and Merry (Early) Christmas

2009-12-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been over a month since my last post and a lot has happened!
For starters, we're in California now! We're done moving in but still putting the finishing touches on everything which has kept me busy. Over the next month I plan to (try to) keep my blog updated. So stay tuned!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

This is Foofa:

That's what Aubree dressed up as this year.

She helped give out candy again this year, but next year-- it's on!

Dear Abby,

2009-10-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks for being a huge inspiration. You are quite possibly the strongest person I "know". Thanks for bringing to light how petty all my problems are. I hope the rest of your life is filled with more blessings than you can handle!

Sincerely,
Brooke Crismond

Days....

2009-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

9 until Halloween.
63 until Christmas.
4 until Derek returns to work :(
18 until we move.
142 until Aubree's 2nd birthday.
130 until mine.
1 until my payday.
10 until Derek's.
58 until Moo Moo & Pop come see us!
35 until Thanksgiving.
3 until Church.

Not that I'm counting down or anything....

Make cupcakes, not war

2009-10-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

5 random things...

2009-10-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

1.) Never buy Palmolive dishwasher detergent. IT SUCKS! It leaves such a horrible film you can barely get it of by hand!
2.) Derek is (almost) a Staff Sergeant! He sews on around Jan. Here's a pic from his recent ALS graduation:

3.) We're moving to California on November 9th (20 days)!
4.) Moo Moo & Pop (Derek's parents) are coming out for Christmas :)
5.) Turbo Jam is a really fun way to workout!

Cupcakes + Halloween =

2009-10-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the cutest? Maybe when Aubree's older I will try to make this for her. If you are interested, the instructions are here.

I tried it!

2009-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Remember that cool icing technique? Well, I finally got around to it!

New Blog Name?

2009-09-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Not like anybody reads this (AEB the numeral counter I added --->).. but I'm thinking about changing the name of my blog. I was informed that "Potted Meat" isn't too appealing to a blog site that has a lot to do with cupcakes! What do you think? Any name suggestions?

Fellow Military Peeps

2009-09-25T15:25:00.001-07:00

Shop at the commissary? If so, click here to get some great coupons!

Do you know Him?

2009-09-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Give me 3 minutes and 19 seconds of your time and watch this:

A Trip to the Library

2009-09-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Produced:

Another Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

Super Cool Icing Technique

2009-09-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna have to try this-- soon!

18 Month Check-up

2009-09-15T16:52:00.001-07:00

Aubree recieved an excellent bill of health today.
She weighed 27lbs 8.5oz (86 percentile) and was 32.28" (63 percentile) long.

Here are my 3 favorite new pics at the moment:

A freebie

2009-09-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Free Kashi cereal!

Woot!

2009-09-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

So there's this website... it's called woot.
And....
It only sells one thing per day.
BUT
What it sells is usually really cheap.
Cheap as in price, not quality!
There are also links to spin-offs sites like shirt.woot and kids.woot (my new personal favorite).
It's definitely worth checking out daily.
Every now & then they have a "woot off" where they sell multiple things a day.
And also seldomly they have the famous "bag of crap".
It's rumored that people have received KILLER bags of crap (we're talking t.v.'s here...)
Shipping is always $5
And...
I think you should check it out!

Videos of Aubree

2009-09-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

I wish I hadn't stupidly recorded her sideways. But, here ya go!

Very Vanilla with Chocolate Buttercream

2009-09-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

I got bored today and wanted something sweet. If there had been another option in my pantry, I would not have made these because believe me, I did not want the dirty dishes that came along with it!

This was the first time I had ever made chocolate icing. It turned out very very good. Don't ask for the recipe because I free-styled it.

Everyone else has all these cool props when photographing their cupcakes. I used a plate that came with Aubree's play food set. Perfect size!

This is how cupcakes were meant to taste!

Up close & personal.

2009-08-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

Thermostat vs Thermometer

2009-08-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Do you know the difference between a thermostat and a thermometer?
Both have something to do with temperature but they are fundamentally different. Inside the house, a thermostat is something we set that dictates the temperature in a room. A thermometer simply tells us what the room temperature is.
People are either thermostats or thermometers. You either gauge the temperature (thermometer) and gripe about it, or you do something about it (thermostat).
Choose to be a thermostat!

Guess what today is...

2009-08-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Our 4th Anniversary!

PB & J Cupcakes

2009-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Peanut butter cupcakes with strawberry jelly buttercream. I mainly made these so I could try to do a rose. I hadn't ever done one before so I watched a how-to video on youtube. Not so shabby for my first time!

I'm taking a hiatus from cupcakes for awhile. My husband has threatened my life. He's on this diet kick and says I'm making it hard for him =) I am, however, going to make these for church this weekend. They are fantastic!

Schwans offer

2009-08-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

I just got my Better Homes & Garden magazine and it had a free offer from Schwans. It's for new customers only and it's good for a free item $10.00 or less. No strings attached, delivered free to your home. I tried it and it worked perfectly. I ordered Fiesta Lime Chicken. Try it!

Tiramisu

2009-08-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Tiramisu cupcakes. Easy. DELICIOUS!

It started with a Nilla wafer in the bottom of the cupcake liner.

The batter was even the color of coffee!

Looks yummy even before they're baked.

Cream cheese icing.

Dusted with cocoa.

VIOLA!

For a change

2009-08-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I wouldn't blog about cupcakes. I love baking, but I have a life outside of that =)

Appreciating:

1.) Aubree being cool with me brushing her teeth today. Yesterday she was not. She wanted to do it all herself which does not produce clean teeth.
2.) DVR!
3.) Fall is approaching! I wish I was somewhere to see leaves change colors, but I still enjoy the temperature drop and all the holidays at the end of the year!
4.) Derek having the day off. We didn't get done what we originally planned, but it was nice hanging out being lazy today and going to Golden Spoon.
5.) Learning how to hyperlink!

Thinking about:

1.) Tomorrow. The dishes I have to wash. The sun I want to worship. What things I can do with Aubree... I'm thinking finger painting with pudding!
2.) How life will be in California. How life will be when we get out of the Air Force...
3.) Money, money, money... MONEY! I want lots of it!
4.) Aubree's runny nose and how I hope she'll sleep ok tonight. Poor baby :(
5.) Plans for this weekend... None. MAKE SOME!

You put the lime in the coconut and... YUM!

2009-08-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

I had some shredded coconut left over from the last time I made cupcakes. I figured next on my list would be these:

Lime cupcakes with triple coconut icing! They were good! Nothing complicated. White cake box mix with lime concentrate instead of water. The coconut icing had cream of coconut, coconut extract and of course the sweetened shredded coconut. When you use three times the coconut you can't go wrong! They actually exceeded my expectations!

So I'm not in love... lust maybe, but not love...

2009-08-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

They ended up reminding me of Snowballs... the taste and the look. Lots more ideas flowing.. stay tuned =)

I'm on a roll

2009-08-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the grocery store and I've bought all of the stuff to make these cupcakes I saw on

(Love that show!)

They're chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese icing rolled in sweetened coconut. Simple, huh? I'm a huge coconut person, so I bet I'll love 'em. I always send them to work with Derek the next day, so I bet all the Airmen will love them too! We'll see!

Get your shades ready...

2009-08-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Not everything can be a success. This definitely was one of those things. This was my attempt to make Banana Split Cupcakes. I mentioned in the previous post my ideas. I followed through with all of them except the frosting. Whipped Cream frosting isn't portable, so I made a buttercream instead. I started with a cake mix and added to it. I think I added too much because after I filled 24 cupcake liners, this much was still left, enough to make 6 "Texas" size cupcakes. It was the first time I used that pan, so it was ok =)

After baking. The batter was so lumpy, but probably too liquidy as well. See how flat they are!

You got those sunglasses ready? PUT 'EM ON! I made a basic buttercream and instead of adding vanilla extract, I added banana. The flavor was good. A little too stiff and very hard to work with. Also it was the first time I worked with gel food coloring. It was a little brighter than I intended =)

I topped some with walnuts.

And nothing impressive with the others...

I think if I made these again, I could learn from my mistakes and they'd turn out alright. They are more like muffins than cupcakes. They're not the right consistency, the frosting's too grainy and they're....... well...... UGLY :( Oh well, I must move on. I'm thinking tiramisu! What do you think? I would love to get somebody else's ideas!

Cupcake #14

2009-08-10T21:17:00.001-07:00

For the hubs, my version of a banana split.

Vanilla cake with crushed pineapple and strawberries in addition to mini chocolate chips. Frosted with a light & fluffy banana whipped cream.

Sounds yummy, huh? I'm gonna surprise him with them later in the week!

30 Life Principles by Charles Stanley

2009-08-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

The 30 Life Principles

Our intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.

Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

God’s Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.

The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.

God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems
unreasonable.

You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.

The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to
accomplish His purpose in us.

Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.

Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.

God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.

Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.

Listening to God is essential to walking with God.

God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.

Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.

We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.

As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.

Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.

Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.

Obedience always brings blessing.

To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.

You can never out give God.

To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.

God blesses us so that we might bless others.

Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

Prayer is life’s greatest time saver.

No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in his or her walk of faith.

We learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops.

An eager anticipation of the Lord’s return keeps us living productively.

Cupcakes!

2009-08-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

I made some cupcakes today! It had been awhile and we're having a small group meeting a church tomorrow, so I thought I'd bake =) Plus, it seemed like the best thing I could blog about for my 100th post! I made 2 different kinds, both derived from box mixes: Tangy Strawberry with Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate with Buttercream. Here's the strawberry:

The chocolate cupcakes were the best cupcakes I have ever put in my mouth. I found the recipe online. It's basically a chocolate (fudge) box mix with a pack of chocolate pudding. I added a little something-something myself of course. The icing was a Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It's intimidating, but not that complicated really.

Mix egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until disolved.

Whip them until stiff.

Switch attatchments and add in butter. If you want the recipe, ask me and I'll get it to you.

They turned out ugly because the frosting's consistency wasn't right for a piping bag.

The only alternative I could do besides spread it was to use an ice cream scoop, but I didn't have enough to put that much on all of them.

My favorite part of today was finding this:

Isn't this the best for transporting cupcakes? I was stoked when I came across it! It's the first thing I've seen that carries a full batch.

Coming soon...

2009-08-06T10:46:00.001-07:00

Cupcakes!

Stay tuned....

=)

Oreo Truffles

2009-08-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

My friend Britni told me about this one. It's the easiest recipe ever!

Mix in food processor or blender:
1 box of Oreos
1 block of cream cheese

Refrigerate.

Roll into balls (choose your size).

Refrigerate again until they can hold their shape while on a toothpick being dipped in chocolate.

Dip!

I cheated and bought the dipping (milk) chocolate that you just zap in the microwave instead of doing the whole double boiler thing. Britni said she tried white and dark chocolate and they were both yummy. Nothing like a recipe you can customize!

They really do have the consistancy of truffles. They taste just like Oreos, though. Pretty good to be so easy!

Be Smart

2009-07-31T06:48:00.000-07:00

Wisdom is becoming skillful in honoring our parents and raising our children, handling our money and conducting our sexual lives, going to work and exercising leadership, using words well and treating friends kindly, eating and drinking healthily, cultivating emotions within ourselves and attitudes toward others that make for peace. Threaded through all these itmes is the insistence that the way we think of and respond to God is the most practical thing we do. In matters of everyday practicality, nothing, absolutely nothing, takes precedence over God.

Dear Restaurants,

2009-07-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Macaroni & Cheese isn't an entree. While delicious as it is, it's still just a side dish. Kids do love this combination, but they don't need it to be the majority of their dinner.
Thanks,
Brooke

If I (ever) did it, here's how (it would go down)

2009-07-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've got the blues-- and that's a good thing!

2009-07-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

So I live 2,000 miles from home.
I get homesick.
Especially when I think about my Grandparents, living and deceased.
And right now my relationship with my Dad is rocky, so I find myself feeling lonely sometimes and thinking about days past.
I found this station (978) on my Dish Network called "Lucille". It's nothing but blues music. It makes me happy.
My Mammaw and Papaw used to listen to blues in the kitchen when Mammaw was cooking or we were eating. At Christmas when all the family would come up, there would be a dance after all the presents were opened. Blues was the music of choice then. Still is.
My Mom was a DJ at a radio station and hosted a show called "The Blues Vein". I used to go to work with her sometimes and hearing some of that music now takes me back to that On-Air Room. It reminds me of home. Since I discovered that channel, I put it on when I'm just hanging out or playing with Aubree as background noise.
I love it. It almost instantly puts me in a good mood. Especially when Aubree starts dancing to it.
Being so out of touch with everybody and getting ready to be even further away, I feel like I have a piece of home with me here.

Boo on you Dawn

2009-07-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

I saw this...

So I bought this:

(because I wanted to give a buck to help animals)

And...

I didn't know you had to go here
---> www.dawnsaveswildlife.com <------ to do it!
I think buying it should be enough. No internet required. Some people don't own computers, you know.

Friday = Funday

2009-07-17T12:02:00.001-07:00

A little about my day:

Aubree brought me a hand full of dog puke this morning.
:O
Thank God she hadn't put any in her mouth!
I washed her hands and then saw 4, yes 4, piles of dog puke that Dixon was re-ingesting. Yum. So, I had a lengthy carpet shampooing party this morning.

Then, I was chillaxing on the couch and saw a tiny red ant. I looked down and they were everywhere!
:O
I got out the vacuum cleaner and vacuumed the carpet where they were, found the trail leading against the wall and have continued sucking them up all day.
The exterminators were supposed to come Sat and they didn't, so I called again today and put in another work order.
Fun.

I'm very curious as to how the rest of my day will pan out.

On a completely different note: WE'RE MOVING TO CALIFORNIA!
Derek got this job he had applied for and he starts in November. There's a little debate as to how long the job's for. Either 2 or 3 years. Anyway, we're both excited. I can't wait to live 45 minutes from the beach. I'll miss Las Vegas, but I'm ready for a change.

Here's a random picture from today:

From the 4th

2009-07-11T08:18:00.001-07:00

It's a little blurry, but I think it describes Aubree's reaction to fireworks! HA!

F is for Failure

2009-07-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give an update on my vegetarianism.

Well... Let's recap:

Day 1(July 1st)- I had been up since 5:30am cleaning and at 11:30 realized I was really hungry. I went downstairs to find my husband fixing himself a philly cheesesteak sandwich. It looked good. I got him to fix me one too.
I ate it.
And just like that it was over.

I decided I would then offically start on the 2nd since I had already messed up the 1st.

Well, today is the 10th and I've yet to start.... *sigh*.

It's hard to remember to not eat meat when your not grossed out or offended by it!
I've decided the next time I try this (which will be soon), my first goal is going to be a week.

On another note, I will post some new pictures tomorrow. Right now I'm going to watch a movie I rented 4 days ago :)

Today is the Day

2009-07-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

... that I become a (temporary) Vegetarian! I think the hard part is going to be remembering that I'm not eating meat. We'll see. I'll keep you posted!

Gish

2009-06-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Or that's how Aubree says it!

I've thought these were cute for awhile. Why not post them for all the world to see?

Peek-a-boo!

2009-06-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

"Hello" from Brooke & Aubree!

Homesick

2009-06-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

Bleh... I'm really homesick since my Dad left. It was a good visit. He's always good company. I hate living so far away-- from everybody!

P.S. There are lots more new pictures on my myspace: www.myspace.com/brookecrismond

Spumoni Cupcakes

2009-06-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for this idea. I got it from www.howtoeatacupcake.net It's a really cool site, check it out if you have time. I didn't bake the cupcakes from her recipe. I dressed up box mix. My Dad and Derek both love Spumoni (chocolate, cherry & pistachio) ice cream. I thought it was cool I could turn it into a cupcake!

The finished product. I thought it was cool to chill the frosting and then scoop it with an ice cream scoop to get a different effect than you usually see.

After baking. The batter is thick, so you can spoon it into the cups and it won't spread out before you put the other flavor in.

The cupcakes were easy, the frosting was time consuming. I did follow the recipe on the site for that. My suggestion if you try it is to definitely find some shelled, non-salted pistachios.

Dreaming....

2009-06-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.kirkkara.com/#section=gallery&productid=6826-R

I really like a lot of his stuff, but I'm in love with this set. I have the wedding band. Now, if only I can get the matching engagement ring! Out of order, I know, but better late than never!

It's Been Awhile

2009-06-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

Gosh. Time slips away from you doesn't it? I've been busy and keep getting busier! My Dad's coming Thurdsay and like I've mentioned before, Derek's birthday is Sunday (hello Summer!) and Father's Day too! Needless to say, I've got a lot to do in the next few days. I thought I would take a minute to post a few new pics of Aubree.

Look at all those teeth! She has 2 new jaw teeth as well!

Good morning, where's my tutu?

This is her "smile". It's pretty far from a smile, but it cracks me up every time she does it!

Sassiness

2009-06-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite picture of Aubree. That's not her lips. She's sticking out her tongue. That's as far out as it comes! Enjoy :)

I have expensive taste

2009-06-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

I love this bedding! I was shopping for bedding for our guest room and saw this at Ross. They only had 1 full size. We needed king :( I looked for it at Bed, Bath & Beyond and couldn't find it. I didn't figure I would since it was at Ross. I assumed it was an old print or d/c. Well, we went to a different BB&B and found it! The same comforter that was $50 at Ross was $229 at BB&B! The King? Well, it was $299. That doesn't include sheets either. Just bedskirt, comforter and 2 shams. Just how much money are they making?