Cupcake Overload

Today, Little One will be having a sleepover and instead of cake, she requested cupcakes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, last Thursday was Chocolate Cupcake Day at the local bakery, which meant I had to get a dozen of their assorted chocolate cupcakes, like chocolate cherry and triple chocolate. Those didn’t last very long, so obviously we needed more for the party.

And boy, did we score!

Chocolate chocolate, Italian cream, chocolate raspberry, pumpkin pecan, peanut butter chocolate, and the pièce de resistance:

Guinness Beer Cupcake!!!

I only got one, and no, not for the girls. This one is for Hubby. I’m hoping I get a bite of it, though. I love to cook with Guinness, so this may be awesome, or just this side of “What the heck were they thinking??” I almost got the maple and bacon cupcake, but Little One wanted something fancier, and more normal.

Ok, time for me to start getting the upstairs ready. Manicures, flower making, and hairstyling is in my future.

And so is wine 😉

Weekends Should Start on Mondays

I just do NOT understand why everything piles up on Fridays.

One kid has Sign Language Club, another has German Club. Then we have high school football, and tonight Little One’s band gets to play with the High School band, which means she gets to sit with them all through the game, which also means she has to stay until the end of the game, which translates to traffic jam afterwards. Tomorrow, the other two get to enjoy an ROTC trip to the USS Lexington for the weekend, and that means that Little One will enjoy having a sleepover for her birthday.

From Roamy, who knows me well 🙂

Just what I need: a bunch of screaming teens in the house, eating sweets and chocolate and drinking sodas and gossiping about the cutest boys in school. And I will be serving and cleaning up and praying the earplugs hold up.

Hope y’all’s weekend is far quieter 😉

By the Pricking of My Thumbs…

I have a confession to make: I have no idea how to use a sewing machine.

I can hear you gasping in shock all the way over here.

Before y’all condemn me, I know how to sew, but only by hand. And it’s not that I haven’t had the opportunity to learn on a machine. My mom sews, my sister sews, my daughter took it in what we used to call Home Economics before it went all politically correct. In retrospect, I should have taken Home Ec. It sure would have made my culinary path a bit easier, that’s for sure. I think the reason I never learned to use a sewing machine was fear: I was afraid of sewing my fingers, or making a huge mistake, or tangling all the bobbins, or having the machine come to life. I have an active imagination.

Lately though, I have been wanting to learn to use a sewing machine. Why? Because all of the tiny little projects I have been doing need some sewing, and my thumbs are about to go on strike.

Last night as I was making a cord cover for Eldest’s light fixture, I jammed the needle into the thumb cuticle. I bet that just made y’all flinch, didn’t it?? I know I sure did. I think that was my last straw. Perhaps getting a small, standard sewing machine isn’t a bad idea. Oh, nothing fancy that does embroidery or the dishes. Just something that will prevent me from inflicting multiple stab wounds on myself. I’ll make sure Santa Claus gets the memo. I know he’s always at a loss as to what to get me 😉

Guest DIY Post!!!

My sister, Reno Queen, puts my DIY skills to shame. Actually, compared to her, I have no skills. I am a total and complete n00b. In my family, we all agree she is Bob Vila’s fraternal twin, only prettier and far younger. You need new screens? She builds them for you. New backsplash? She will cut tiles to fit and make a mosaic that would rival those of Pompeii. I’m telling y’all: the gal can do almost anything.

And I say “almost” because she never got around to working for SpaceX™.

Anyway, she was gracious enough to write a tutorial on making a beautiful work of art for your home. So without further ado, here you go!

***************

How I Planned to Paint Furniture and It Turned Into Some Other Craft 🙂

Supplies: Cabinet door, sander with 60 grit sand paper, Krylon™ Fusion paint in Satin Black, Paper towels, 180 Grit Sanding block, Stencil, Precious Metals liquid leafing, sponge paint applicator, E6000 and a Cross.

First you take your piece (in my case it was a sample cabinet door) and using 60 grit sand paper you sand off the original finish. (Image 1) I used my mouse because it is easier and faster, but if you don’t have one you can do it by hand (but it will take forever). Make sure you sand the grooves well. (Image 2) Make sure you do this in a well-ventilated area because dust will be everywhere!

Image 1

Image 2

Airing Dirty Laundry

I have a confession to make. There is one room in the house I absolutely hate: the laundry room. It is uncomfortable in the extreme, plus it tends to be the catch-all for everything that has no place of its own. Random magazine? Laundry room stack. Empty votives? On top of the washer. Loose change? My pocket. It was a mess. And the sad part is, I really had no place to organize anything.

Then one day, a friend of mine posted on the social-site-with-faces that she managed to fit her behemoth washer and dryer combo against the far wall, freeing up a lot more room for her to actually open the doors of the machines without hitting her legs, and making it possible to fit her laundry sorter against the wall, where she has always wanted it. Well, I have behemoth machines, too, but I had my doubts as to whether they would fit in the same configuration. But I had hope, so I fetched the tape measure and ZOMG!!! I had about a foot leeway!!

My laundry room before:

Yeah….not very pretty. And before y’all cast any stones, that was the worst shape it has been in since I moved to this house. But it is very bad…awful…OMG I hope my mom isn’t seeing this. Anyway, I told Hubby of my plan to transform the laundry room, and he was more than happy to help me. It was the fastest way to Skyrim™, I’m sure!!

And laundry room after:

LOOK AT ALL THAT SPACE!!!!

We bought a restaurant rack and I managed to fit and organize everything with shelf area to spare. Even the kids are excited about doing their laundry. I’m not sure how long that will last, but I’ll milk it as long as I can 😀

My Heart Hurts in a Good Way

Today…

*sob*

Today, Little One turns THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!!!

*sniff*

How did this happen??? I specifically told her she was NOT to grow past the age of ten. I know I did! I even made her sign an agreement. So what if she was asleep and it’s not her signature? That’s irrelevant!! The point is she is supposed to stay my little one, my punkin, my baby, especially since the other two disobeyed me as fast as they could.

But no…. She just HAD to go and start growing up. And not just in age, but in height, too. I am officially the shortest person in the family.

*wails*

But I will get over it. A birthday means cake, and fun, and happiness. And even though she is commencing her path to adolescence and leaving her childhood behind, that just means I get to throw fits and cry like a baby get to enjoy her new-found confidence and charm.

That is, until she makes me mad. Then all bets are off 😉

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE ONE!!!

Sunday Sithy

Yep, football day and re-doing the laundry and probably finishing off Eldest’s room.

I’m not holding my breath on that one.

So, for y’all’s entertainment, a Sithy!!

Best adaptation of this meme EVAH!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday!! 😀

FREEEEEDOM!!!!!

My friend, Princess Natasha, was kind enough to post this news on her social-site-with-faces profile. I thought it was my duty as poster of fluff here to make y’all aware of it.

Consider this your Public Service Announcement for today.

And guys, be sure to support them!!

Have a great day 😉

Checking It Twice, or Five Times to Be Sure

I have been making and revising the Christmas List™. This year it has been a bit more frustrating than before. You see, there have been changes to the List of which I have recently become aware. Nothing big, like new family members. I am aware of those changes! No, just little things, like color preferences, new style preferences, new hobby interests, etc.

Still, it’s not a big inconvenience, just a mild one. At least gift certificates and money are always failsafe. Come to think of it, so is food.

But I just can’t be trusted with purchasing chocolate. The stress of the season would force me to take advantage of that. Well, just having it around would force me to take advantage of that. Ok, “force” is not the right word. STOP JUDGING ME!!!!

Just for that, I’m going out to get another bag of Halloween candy. It helps with the stress 😀

Tacky is the In Thing

It’s that time again. HOMECOMING!!!

This is Eldest’s senior year, and she really, really wanted a tacky Homecoming mum for her last year in high school.

I could not pass up the challenge. I purchased the required flower, backing and ribbons, and added to it feathers, a boa, Christmas strands, and a gaudy chandelier drop I found. I would have used LED lights, but that was sooooo 2011.

And my niece’s will have zebra striped ribbon, huge bells, and glitter!!

Very tacky, and I for one love it. I’m of the opinion that one should stand out. One should not go through Life unnoticed 😉