UBD cupcakes.

Welcome!! This is the saga of the very FIRST named cupcake. Yesterday was Uncle Brad's birthday (Happy Birthday, UncleFather!), so I thought it'd be a great time to delve into the world of "baking from scratch." And that is what I did. Step One: select recipe. I wasn't entirely sure how a recipe for Chocolate Sponge Cake would turn out... but I gave it a shot.

This cookbook was a book that was one of Aunt Sue's college coursebooks: "The Basic Cook Book." Clever title.

Second, collect the ingredients.

Third, whip until your arms hurt. Then whip again.

Make a mess.
Bake.
Decorate. And enjoy.


Uncle Brad gave them his seal of approval, and they have therefore earned the name: UBD cupcakes.

A new day.

I changed the logo. duh. I felt a bit bauhaus-ish today. I don't really know why... but there it is.

As I'm sitting in this coffeeshop, which is now a Tuesday afternoon tradition, a million thoughts are running through my head. And I saw this on my coffee-neighbor's laptop and thought it to be helpful:


And as of right now, the most applicable thing is #2. Be calm.

So that's what I'm practicing. Being calm.*k

Julie, Julia & the blog

Last night, I went to a book club. And we watched a movie. About a book. That counts, right? So let's begin; my very first book club. I never wanted to be one of those "book club girls." The thirty-somethings that are unmarried, that drink wine, commiserate about their singleness and how romantic a book is. But lo and behold, there I was... drinking wine... talking about books. Now, I tend to get quite distracted in large-group conversations, so I found myself getting lost when these women were talking... Popeye was on the large screen. How could you not get distracted about this? Anyway. Fast forward to the movie (Julie & Julia).

Fantastic. Funny, witty, cute, clever... all of those. And inspiring. Julie (main character) cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook and blogs about it. Dedication! But now I'm completely inspired to do something similar. I haven't decided quite yet what it is that I am going to do... Suggestions? Ideas? I read this blog about doing something new every single day for 365 days. Quite interesting. But what about cupcake-ing? My bff and I have this grand idea to one day open up a cupcakery/craftsy shop. Could it have something to do with that?



I'm not sure. But I'm taking suggestions.

*k

way too many good videos to pass up today.

Seriously. This is good stuff... parenting advice 101.

My favorite book.

I've turned into a reader over these past couple of months. In fact, one of the best days here in Texas was when I was able to procure for myself a library card. Remember Reading Rainbow and the big push for getting a library card? Well, we're going to have to move past the nostalgia for a big. In the past 5 years, I discovered this book. And it's a children's book, really. But I found it useful. And appropriate. And the best news is that there's a series of them. All very helpful for children. And now there's a movie trailer about it. Much thanks to my friend, who discovered this trailer and passed it on to me. I will forever be indebted to him.



*k

Scraps.

I love projects that utilize old scraps of craft projects gone by... And I also love the vintage feel and handmade quality of home made items. Therefore, I love these flowers. Knitted flowers and fabric flowers alike... One day, I will post ones of my own creation. But in the meantime, I will post ones of others creation. Happy weekend!!

Unemployment.

I've been unemployed now for about 2 months. Rather, I was laid off in January, but I decided to embrace the unemployment until graduation and then start looking for real jobs. So here I am, in Fort Worth, TX, looking for real jobs. This is the hardest. I feel a bit like I've been getting dumped every single day since graduation. And not in the good "let's just be friends" or even a "I hate you, get out of my life" kind of way. This is the more subtle approach of never calling back. So when a guy gets your number, sounds super-interested in you, and then never calls? But you pretend like you're not anxiously waiting by the phone for the next week... yeah, that kind of break up. Some days are better than others, of course. All that to say... I was reading a book called "Secure in the Everlasting Arms" by Elisabeth Elliot last night. Love her. Here's what I got from the chapter entitled "God in Each Moment"...

'In the barren places of my life I can be assured that God is there as He is when life is fruitful, and that the time is coming (give me patience, Lord, to wait!) when He will fulfill His word: "I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together so that people my see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this" (Isaiah 41:19-20)
Like little children on Christmas Eve, we know that lovely surprises are in the making. We can't see them. We have simply been told, and we believe. Tomorrow we shall see.'

Be encouraged that this is merely a passing moment.

My favorite.

I promise, this is not turning into a wedding blog. *Promise*

This is something that really makes my heart soar. Spontaneous, large-group dancing really gets me excited. It makes me happy when people are able to throw away their silly inhibitions and enjoy life. And celebrate on a day that should be celebrated. Enjoy.