Tie Dye My Life

Remember the days of tie died shirts, pants, bags, and flags? I sported a tie dye wardrobe when I was younger, I thought it was absolutely fantastic! Because of this obsession, and my love for cupcakes, I was inspired to try something new (for me at least). The tie dye cupcake ladies and gents, I have done it and man is it good. Really simple to do and so much fun. 

All you need to do is colour the batter that your using and scoop the different colours, in layers, into the cupcake cup. 

Check out the results,

these are the little darlings cooking

All done baking, fun colours! 

, 

mmm yummy icing

Best simple cupcake

These are some tasty treats! 

Breaking Into Song

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in high school musical?

While sitting in Rocks class today with Single Betty our professor Cam started singing:

Bye bye miss american pie drove the chevy to the levee but the levee was dry... 

He finished the whole song and the class joined in, in what I would like to call a high school musical moment. Betty joined in.. I more or less just sat there humming in my head as I have a fear of public humiliation. 

Great singing Betty! 

Have you ever had a high school musical moment?

Just When You Think No One Is Looking

Have you ever seen someone do something strange? Maybe it's because they thought no one was looking. Today on the bus, I saw a guy fixing his hair in the black screen of his PSP. Not really embarrassing, but really rather strange!

This can also go along with when people pick their nose in the car, or even worse...the sidelines of a football game. 

I know sometime when no one is looking I

-bust out dancing in my kitchen.

-Drink from the orange juice carton

-jump on my bed

- annoy the cat

- drive too fast

- eat the pillsbury ready to bake cookies right out of the fridge

- push my glasses up like Urkle right in the middle

- read my betty crocker cookbook

-read http://singlebetty.blogspot.com <- this one is awesome! 

What do you do when no one is looking?

Manly Men

Have you ever seen a guy carrying a purse? This stunning phenomenon is now refereed to as a murse (man purse).  On my way to class I saw a guy with a murse and I didn't know how to take it. I really prefer men to have a backpack for class, not a purse...

This just looks like a man holding his wife's purse. But by all means men if you want a purse go for it...

I find that men aren't being men anymore, they have decided to do silly things like get peck implants, or pedicures, even manicures. Really men this is just wrong. 

I need a hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, manly man, not a man who sits in a spa all day while I am out fishing and canoeing. 

Brad Paisley illustrates my point quite well.. take a listen!

What Is Your Life's Blueprint?

A few weeks ago someone read this to me and I thought it was awesome, I hope you like it as much as I do. 

Six months before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967.

I want to ask you a question, and that is: What is your life's blueprint?

Whenever a building is constructed, you usually have an architect who draws a blueprint, and that blueprint serves as the pattern, as the guide, and a building is not well erected without a good, solid blueprint.

Now each of you is in the process of building the structure of your lives, and the question is whether you have a proper, a solid and a sound blueprint.

I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life's blueprint. Number one in your life's blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you fell that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.

Secondly, in your life's blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You're going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life — what your life's work will be. Set out to do it well.

And I say to you, my young friends, doors are opening to you--doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and your fathers — and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to face these doors as they open.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great essayist, said in a lecture in 1871, "If a man can write a better book or preach a better sermon or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, even if he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door."

This hasn't always been true — but it will become increasingly true, and so I would urge you to study hard, to burn the midnight oil; I would say to you, don't drop out of school. I understand all the sociological reasons, but I urge you that in spite of your economic plight, in spite of the situation that you're forced to live in — stay in school.

And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. don't just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn't do it any better.

If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can't be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be be the best little shrub on the side of the hill.

Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.


This Little Piggy Went To Market.

Have you ever been driving down the road and had a truck full of pigs (or cows) come up beside you? The pigs all have their little snouts sticking out of the ventilation holes of the truck. 

Personally I love bacon, I love ham, I love pork, however, when there is a truck full of oinkers driving down the highway I just feel bad inside. The poor pigs don't know - or I don't think they know - that they are headed to the slaughter house. 

I was driving home today thinking about eating a big ol' bacon sandwich and seeing the piggies threw me off a little from this favorite brenner (breakfast for dinner = brenner) idea. 

I guess they were raised for the purpose of food. Thanks little piggies. 

Betty Crocker You Make Me Better

Do you love trying out new recipes? Searching online for something new to try? 

I love to experiment and try making new things in the kitchen. My whole family knows that I love to cook, to bake, and to experiment in the kitchen. 

This year for Christmas and I have said in my previous post "the little things" it's awesome when your family knows you perfectly that they know what the BEST Christmas present is. My Grandpa and Grandma got me a cookbook by Betty Crocker that is packed full of different fun and exciting recipes; from various egg recipes to different types of cakes, to holiday focused recipes. 

If you want to dazzle your friends and family this is a cookbook that I suggest.

Just thought I would share one of my favorites!

Valentines Day Breakfast.

Are you the kind of person who's single and still loves to make Valentines day special with your favorite people?

I sure am! I woke up this morning rather early for no apparent reason, and I was looking for some cool breakfasts. I love Martha Stuart's cooking and ideas as I have previously said, and I found her lovely breakfast idea - using a cooking cutter to fry your eggs in, this way they are in the shape of a hear! I thought that this was just fantastic. My housemate Lynn and I decided to try it out. We found out quickly that if we had larger cookie cutters it would have worked out better however, it was still awesome!

Here is what you do; Make the toast first and use the cookie cutter to cut the shape. Fry your eggs, then put your eggs in the empty spot of the toast. Simple and pretty! 

Unfortunately we didn't have a heart, so Lynn's eggs were in the shape of a starburst and mine was in the shape of a foot. 

Cupcakes Take The Cake

Has anything happened to you out of the blue, something unexpected and fantastic? If not then you can just share my story.
I am a Martha Stewart fan, WAIT, let me rephrase that, I am a fan of the cooking, baking, and elegant things she makes. I believe it was November when Martha’s show had her two weeks of cupcakes. During this time Martha had three ladies on her show who created a blog called Cupcakes Take The Cake, this site is devoted to everything cupcakes. As seen by a few of my previous posts, I love to make gourmet cupcakes, which resulted in me becoming addicted to this cupcake blog! Here is where it gets exciting! Rachel sent me an e-mail and asked if it would be alright to put my cupcakes on the blog. Of course I was jumping out of my skin and super excited.
To view Cupcakes Take The Cake click here.
To view the photos of my cupcakes on the site click here.

Thanks for joining in my excitement! Please share some of your exciting, and unexpected stories with me. 

March of the Penguins

Have you ever wanted to create something extremely unique? I wanted to make something exciting for my blogging class and this is the idea I had. I love to bake cupcakes of all different sorts. These penguins had many different steps in order to get them just right. They do look a little amateur but hey, we can't all be perfect. 

  If you are interested in finding out how to make these delicious little birds just leave me a message and I will give you the steps! 

(this cupcake idea is from a book called hello cupcake) 

All Hail The Cake Batter

When you were younger, 5 or 6, did you ever eat cake batter right off the beaters? Out of the bowl? Off the Spatula? My house mate Sarah and I often do when we have an occasion to cook cakes or cupcakes. By the time we are finished our faces often look like the little boy on the right of the screen.  

I decided at the end of last week that I was going to bake some cupcakes for my blogging class at UWO. Since I don't take my cupcakes lightly, they have many different components. The ones that I have decided to make are penguins, comprised of several different elements. From the bottom there is the cupcake, then icing, next is a mini doughnut covered in chocolate with a doughnut hole on top covered in chocolate. Then it's time for the aesthetics of the penguin: half a chocolate wafer cookie for the wings, white chocolate for the belly and the white of the eyes, a chocolate chip for the eyes, and a fish under its arm to complete the look. 

I really hope they like them! We'll find out tomorrow. 

I Want To Be A Superhero.

Have you ever had a dream where you thought you were flying? A dream where you could flap your arms and go all the way to the ceiling? 

When I was younger I used to have dreams that I was flying. These dreams quickly escalated and I wanted to be a superhero. I started to watch superhero television shows like Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, then it occurred to me Wonder Woman was a fake, a fraud, a floozy! This woman would turn around really fast and suddenly her outfit changed - As if. She also of course has to be totally feminized with the luscious locks and rather hideous outfit. But I mean really come on people how is it that there are under 10 female superheroes and yet the male superheroes just keep on coming? 

I think its about time there was a female superhero who was actually awesome... me perhaps!? Let's hear your thoughts on that one! Making the bad guy obese one cupcake at a time.

Me, Myself, and I

Do you ever go for drives by yourself just because you can? Or simply because you need the space from the world that is constantly surrounding you? 

Today I did just that, I had to make a run to the store to get cookies for the wings of penguins that I am making for my blogging class for Wednesday (Penguin Cupcakes!). Really this is besides the point I am trying to make. I decided that I would go for a drive, I mean it was a beautiful sunny Sunday with great road conditions. I thought that I would try and escape for a while by driving with no where to go - really the best kind of driving. So I drove down richmond and out into the country, turned left onto 20 mile road. Along the way I saw some lovely houses and barns which made me think, who lives there, what are they like, if I met them would they like me? Often I have some strange thoughts like that going through my head, I love to know what people think of me the second that I meet them. So I asked myself, are first impressions how we base our relationship with a friend or an acquaintance? This also got me thinking about the different ways that I have met people. Was I doing something stupid, embarrassing, funny, or was I just being plain clumsy? I don't really know, I feel first impressions influence the way you view a person at first, but once you really get to know them, the first impression really doesn't count. 

So go ahead make a 'special' first impression on someone! 

My Newest Love

Have you ever fallen in love with a song? I have come to realize that my favorite song can change from week to week or even day to day. Today my favorite is I Don't Know sung by Lisa Hannigan - a folky artist. I stumbled across Lisa's song while in Starbucks waiting for my Raspberry Mocha Latte, they have 1 free song from itunes each week, this week it was Lisa. The lyrics to this song are amazing, I can feel myself standing in front of someone and just blurting this out to them, just because. (remember when watching her video to scroll down the side and pause the ipod on the right) 

I Don't Know

By: Lisa Hannigan

I don't know what you smoke
Or what countries you've been to
If you speak any other languages other than your own
I'd like to meet you

I don't know if you drive
If you love the ground beneath you
I don't know if you write letters or you panic on the phone
I'd like to call you

All the same, if you want to
I am game

I don't know if you can swim 
If the sea has any draw for you   
If you're better in the morning or when the sun goes down
I'd like to call you

I don't know if you can dance
If the thought ever occurred to you
If you eat what you've been given or you push it 'round your plate
I'd like to cook for you

All the same, I would want to
I am game

If you walk my way
I could keep my head
We could creep away in the dark
Or maybe not
We could shoot it down anyway

I don't know if you read novels or the magazines
If you love the hand that feeds you
I assume that your heart's been bruised
I'd like to know you

You don't know if I can draw at all
Or what records I am into
If I sleep like a spoon or rarely at all
Or maybe you would do
Or maybe you would do

If you walk my way
I will keep my head
We will feel our way through the dark
Though I don't know you I think that I would do
I don't fall easy at all

If you walk my way
I will keep my head
We will feel our way through the dark
Though I don't know you I think that I would do
I don't fall easy at all

Four Ways I Get Rid Of The Studying Woes

During exam time, do you ever seem to find yourself a little more stressed than usual?

I know that I sure do. There is just so much pressure and competition to do well. In a way thats what drives me to study - just do better than the other guy! 

Here are some of my favorite studying strategies 

1. Put the ipod onto Sigur Ros - a very mellow band, awesome to study to. 

2. The next step is to grab some great snacks. My favorites: 

 

chocolate mint tea                    Reese Puffs 

(chocolate theme here ladies and gents!) 

3. Comfy clothing definitely help you get comfortable and into the studying mood (or sleepy, which, can be bad.)

4. RELAX. TAKE IT EASY. DON'T TRY TO CRAM. SPREAD OUT YOUR STUDYING

At this very moment I am studying for my Sociology course: The Urban City. Wish me luck my exam is Saturday. 

Hope my tips help you get over the studying woes, I know I have them, how about you?

To Blog or Not to Blog... The State of the Blogosphere

It's alive and it's coming after me. Oh it's got me and I am being pulled in...what do I do? I've been consumed by blogging, I am it's captive. As an assignment I had to read The State of the Live Web and it's use of technorati. 

Every day blogs are kept track of; the number of people that go on blogs, write blogs, create a new blog. The numbers are outrageous - and really high! 

In response to this article I would like to say that blogging in todays day and age is all the rage. Everyone wants to have their say on the world. Not only that people just want to share what is going on in their every day lives, I mean people have become to busy to even talk these days so having an online web diary or blog that tells people about your thoughts and what your doing just seems to be the next logical step. Personally I feel like I am thriving from an online outlet; I get to post almost anything that I want to and it feels like people are getting to know be better because I just get to rant! 

The article also talks about tags, and linking, two of the most important things for the blogging community. Linking to others blogs is a great way to increase the flow to your blog. If you scratch someone's back they will most likely scratch yours right back! I say get out there and make a blog of your own if you don't have one. As the article says it is a growing thing and people are constantly making blogs, it also says there are roughly 17 post a second...not a minute, A SECOND! I find this to be insane. I guess this just means I will always be able to find what I am looking for right here through blogs! 

If your interested in the blogging world and want to find out some more interesting facts please visit The State Of The Live Web. 

Lets all get-a-bloggin! 

Being Bold - My Kind Of Guy

Have you ever noticed a hot guy who seems to be in almost all your classes? You want to talk to him but you just can't work up the courage to go up to him and say "Hi, I'm _____. Do you want to go out some time?" (this applies to you gents also!) 

I know that I sure have been way too shy to jump out and say 'Hi' to the guy sitting right in front of me. 

 <--I'm not by any means this bold!

On another note...My housemates and I have decided that there are two acceptable guys to date. 

1. There is the guy who is buff and toned and down right hott. 

2. There is the guy who is larger boned and just cuddly and you can just snuggle up into his arms. 

Really ladies you all know its true. 

Wedding Bells

Don't weddings make you excited? 

They are even more exciting when your part of the wedding party (or so I think). My sister Ruth is getting married in June and I am one of her bridesmaids and I am so excited! I can picture the whole wedding in my head and it looks perfect! 

A girl in my class wrote a whole blog about fairy tale happily ever afters and how they are a bunch of hooey check out her post at Single Betty- Really a brilliant post and I highly recommend this blog it is fantastic! 

When I get married I want it to be on the beach with some sweet bohemian sandals and some sun! I want nothing more than to have a super simple wedding with nothing that outrageous just lots of fun and an amazing dance - 80's dancing people nothing is more outrageous. The beach to the right would be the perfect choice for me (P.E.I.)! 

That's all I have for now. 

See you on the other side.