scrumptious sundays

I love pictures. I love to take them, relive them, etc. I'm guilty of browsing complete strangers' photos on Flickr and Facebook. There are so many talented bakers and photographers sharing their creations over the internet that each Sunday I will highlight my favorites of the week.

This Sunday's theme is Turkey Cupcakes in honor of next week's Thanksgiving festivities! I'm SO excited to be cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner. I have a LOT to live up to by using some of my grandmother's best recipes, but hopefully I'll make her proud!

1. Happy Thanksgiving ! .........., 2. turkeys, 3. turkey cupcake, 4. leahs.cakes "Turkey", 5. IMG_8925, 6. turkey parade., 7. Martha Stewart turkey cupcake, 8. Cupcakes, 9. Turkey Cupcake, 10. Turkey Cupcakes, 11. Roast Turkey Cupcakes, 12. Turkey cupcakes, 13. Turkey Cupcake, 14. Thanksgiving cupcake nightmare, 15. Rafter of turkeys, 16. Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

show us your life - pets

This week's Show Us Your Life over at Kelly's Korner is PETS!!! Unless you're a newcomer to the blog, you know all about my precious Gabby and how much I adore her. I thought I'd share one of her many quirks and a couple of cute pictures this week.

As affectionate as she is, Gabby is not a lap kitty. She has nothing to do with sitting on one's lap, however, will manage to press herself up against you as close as she can without actually getting on you.

Gabby around a year old snuggling with my feet. 

She cracks me up with how close she will get to me in order to snuggle, yet will fight to the death to get off of your lap if you put her there.

Gabby snuggling with Zach, shortly after we moved in. 

Gabby doesn't know the word stranger, so she'll snuggle with anyone who will sit still. She quickly decided that Zach would be her new best friend after we moved. They are absolutely hilarious together.

Gabby and I last year. 

The only way Gabby will get on you is if you're lying flat on your back. She'll come stretch out on your stomach and snuggle into your shoulder. Cutest thing you've ever seen? Absolutely.

So there you have it - Gabby, the snuggle bug in all her cuteness.

pumpkin cupcakes

Pumpkin isn't just for pies this Thanksgiving! For our Thanksgiving pot luck at work this week, I ventured out and made Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Cupcakes. This was quite an adventure for me, because I hate pumpkin, but oh. my. word. They were unbelievable.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

What really made these cupcakes was the frosting. I combined several recipes to create a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. (Say that five times fast!)

Still loving my cupcake stand =)

The frosting was so good, in fact, that I refused to throw away the excess. I piped it into a tupperware container and refrigerated it until I could find something to put it on. And find something I did...

Anna's Ginger Thins!

Oh yes I did. And I don't regret one single calorie of that decision. I now urge you to run and get some Ginger Thins, make this Frosting, and indulge yourself this weekend. I promise you'll thank me. Big time. In fact you could spread this frosting on just about anything and it would be amazing.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz fat free cream cheese - room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4-6 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

In an electric mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until fully incorporated. Gradually add powdered sugar in small portions, scraping down the sides with each addition, until desired consistency is reached.

Pumpkin Cupcakes waiting to be eaten at our office pot luck.

elegant cupcakes

In my opinion, Red Velvet Cake is an icon of Southern elegance. It also happens to be the favorite of a coworker whose birthday was accidentally forgotten on Monday.

We couldn't think of better way to say we were sorry than with some homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes. For a special added touch, I topped them with edible pearls and they were just gorgeous if you ask me! And these gorgeous red cupcake liners? Found in the holiday baking section at Target!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Edible Pearls

Have I told you lately how much I love my cupcake stand from Sur la Table?

(Thanks, Mom!)

Ready to say "I'm sorry" during lunch

www

When I started back up with WWW, I promised to share the good and the bad.

This was a bad week. I lost, but I'm not proud of my loss. I ate like crap and not once did I go to the gym. I ate pizza (work fundraiser), Mexican food - twice (I have no self control), and I didn't hesitate once to eat food throughout the day when I wasn't even hungry. A myriad of personal reasons kept me from the gym, but there's no excuse to have not found alternate schedules.

By some miracle, I lost a pound, but I felt awful. So awful that Sunday I was convinced I was coming down with the flu. A good night's rest proved that I was indeed in good health, but I knew something had to change.

So today, I got myself back in the gym and it was amazing. I had an invigorating start on the treadmill followed by one of the best yoga classes I've had to date. It was powerful in that I reached new levels of flexibility and strength, yet at the same time, I left completely relaxed both mentally and physically.

Tonight I saw first hand the changes that exercise are making to my well-being and have promised myself that I will continue to view this journey as a lifestyle change rather than just a phase.

must-have monday

A showcase of items I find noteworthy enough to share. Some are big, most are small, if I had a million dollars I would definitely buy them all.

Have you seen the previews for this?

I'll admit that when Zach got his Sony eReader, I thought it was something I'd never use. Now I'm a bit jealous. The Nook would be especially fabulous for traveling where you don't want to lug around a ton of books, not to mention reading the paper or a magazine while on your lunch break. Fabulous!

In my opinion, the Nook takes the cake when it comes to eReaders. This opinion has nothing to do with technical specifications, however is based solely on accessorizing potential.

Like being able to customize the color of the back...

Or allowing Kate Spade to keep it safe...

And having equally stylish, yet less expensive storage alternatives...

Love it.

scrumptious sundays

I love pictures. I love to take them, relive them, etc. I'm guilty of browsing complete strangers' photos on Flickr and Facebook. There are so many talented bakers and photographers sharing their creations over the internet that each Sunday I will highlight my favorites of the week.

This Sunday's theme is Mickey and Minnie Mouse Cupcakes in honor of my insane desire to visit Disneyland during the holidays! There's some talk about a few of us from work going, but it's dependent on whether or not we're able to get discounted tickets. Things are tight, so I don't want to get my hopes up, but I'd be THRILLED if we were to make it out there!

1. minnie cupcake, 2. Mini Minnie cakes!, 3. mickey mouse's gloved hand cupcake, 4. Minnie Mouse Cupcake, 5. Mickey Mouse Cupcake Army, 6. MIckey Mouse birthday cupcake, 7. Mickey Buttercream Cupcakes, 8. Mickey Mouse cupcakes, 9. Mickey Mouse Cupcakes, 10. and Mickey Mouse too!, 11. Disney Cupcake, 12. World of Minnie and Mickey, 13. mickey mouse cupcake, 14. Mickey Cupcake, 15. DSC_0378, 16. Mickey and Minnie Cupcakes