Pay it forward!

So I thought I'd switch it up a bit with my 'Fifty-two New' this week. This wasn't planned at all but I thought it is a great ending to the second week of the year for me. I've always been touched by the stories I hear about people "paying it forward". I used to work at a Christian radio station where they were famous for "make a difference Monday". I'd always look forward to getting into my car on Monday and turning on the radio to hear a story about a nice thing that someone did that morning for someone else. The most common mention would be of the drive-thru line at Starbucks. Now I'm sure you've all heard this story before. It started off with one person paying for the coffee of the person in the drive-thru behind them. That cycle continued for a while until it finally stopped. It made big news here with our radio station and that's when "make a difference Monday's" came about.

Well, today was my "make a difference Monday"! Yes, I know its Friday, but hey :-) I just dropped my daughter off at her sitter and made my way to Starbucks as I do every morning. I usually don't do drive-thru's, but today was different for some reason. I drove on up to the window and placed my usual order just as another car drove up behind me. As I continued on to pay for my drink, the thought came to my head. I'm not sure why at that very moment I thought about paying for the coffee behind me. I've had my share of opportunities to do this but for some reason now was the first time I've acted on it. Boy did it feel good! It brought me back to think of those times when I was younger that I would be more involved. Involved with helping others more. Yes, this guy behind me was driving a Lexus and probably could afford to pay for a year's worth of his own coffee right then and there. But that was not the point! I was reminded of how much more I could be doing just to make someones day a bit brighter. It may look as though everything is fine and dandy on the outside, but they may be going through a lot on the inside. Maybe stress, sorrow, loss- anything. And right now I am as happy and grateful as I can be. I have been so blessed for all that I have and for the family and friends that surround me. I don't know what the person behind me is going through. He may be as blessed and happy as I am. But it was such a great feeling to do the unexpected for someone today to brighten up their day. It's greatest way to express the thanks I have for all I have, the happiness I feel, and the life I've been given!

Happy Friday!!

Cooking and Pictures

So my love of cooking and baking started when I moved out of my mom's house in 1995. My love of picture taking started when I got my first SLR camera. Well, I take that back. It started when I first stumbled upon The Pioneer Woman's blog. And my love of blogging soon followed thereafter. I started a blog two years ago. Me being the picky person that I am, I just couldn't seem to figure out which one I wanted to go with. First it was WordPress. Then Blogspot. And until recently, Tumblr. And now back to Blogspot. Now I had all good intentions of keeping up with it, but just couldn't find the time between work, little cupcake, yada yada yada. I mean 'Pink Cupcake Momma' was just a "I'll get to it when I get to it" kinda thing.

Well it's a new year. And what does everyone do during the new year? They set New Year's resolutions. I've never been the type of person to write out a New Year's resolution. Probably because when I first did I practically failed most of them within the first month. But I've decided to go 'Julie and Julia' on you. Then add in a bit of Ansel Adams....well, not that extreme. I thought up the 'Julie and Julia' idea after reading xoxo, Trina's last 'Fifty-Two New' post. I just love her blog!! I usually obsess over her fun outfits and cute jewelry she posts about, but this time it was her post about baking soda and biscuits that I was really obsessing over. Maybe I was super hungry that day. I'm not sure what it was, but I just had to make those biscuits. While I was making them an idea popped into my head. Hey, why not do a Fifty-Two New for 2011. Genius!! I did have to switch it up a bit and make it my own. Soooo, I'm doing a Fifty-Two New using only NEW recipes (recipes that I've never tried before) and.....wait for it.....pictures (new pictures following this project as a guideline). Awesome right!?!? Well I can't take all the credit for it since it was all Trina's ideas. Hee, hee. And I think I'll cut the pictures down to one a week instead of one a day as the project states.

So, follow my journey as I make one new recipe and post at least one new picture a week. I promise not to make all the pictures be of food =) And to start it off, I've posted a new picture of the first new recipe I tried on New Year's day. It's from the recipe for bacon, egg and cheese biscuit muffins that Trina posted on her blog.

Happy New Year! And can't wait to share my posts with you for the rest of 2011!!

Uncrustables......

So my husband and daughter are HUGE fans of PB&J sandwiches. I think they could live off them. But the thing is they are pretty picky when it comes to what kind of sandwiches they are. They LOVE Smuckers Uncrustables. I have to agree, they are quite yummy and very convenient. But those suckers are expensive. So I was delighted when I saw The Pampered Chef's 'Cut-N-Seal'. Not only was I excited to be able to create my own for my family, but I knew I would finally stop spending $4 for a box of sandwiches that probably really costs less than a dollar. I jumped on the purchase right away!

After a week of waiting it arrived at my doorstep. I jumped at the chance to try this thing out. Who cares if it was 1pm and no one was hungry. I ripped open the box and pulled out the peanut butter. Voila! It was perfect!! I absolutely love this thing. But even more, my family is happy to have their very own Uncrustables maker at home. Ready to make their favorite sandwich in a pinch.

For the love of DOUGHNUTS!!!

So besides cupcakes, I am head over heels in love with doughnuts. As a child I would walk with my cousins to Winchell's Doughnut Shop and order the most colorful doughnut they sold. It didn't matter how messy it was- I just had to have it! It was a plain cake doughnut with pink frosting and colorful sprinkles. You could say that I loved anything pink from a very early age. And that did have a little influence on the choices I made when picking anything out =) I was also taught how to make homemade doughnuts by my mom. But they were nothing fancy. Just a plain ol' doughnut sprinkled with regular sugar and sometimes a little cinnamon added to mix things up a bit. Don't get me wrong, they were yummy and I still make homemade ones every now and then. But you will still find me sneaking into the local doughnut shop to buy my colorful treat at least once a week.

Now you all know my love of Etsy. If you aren't aware of Etsy, I highly recommed checking the site out. I have not bought jewelry from anywhere else besides Esty since my very first purchase from them online. The site is filled with a whole bunch of amazing and original pieces. Anyway, back to what I was about to say! As I was doing my nightly "browse" on the site, I came across this eye catching pendant. It was like I was in the Winchell's Doughnut Shop again. I was staring at this piece of jewelry as if it was the real thing. It looked so yummy that I was starting to crave a doughnut. Yes, I know it's crazy. But how could you not? Anyway, I convinced myself that I already had a cupcake necklace, so why not?!?

(Click picture to see Etsy seller)

Well, my necklace came in the mail today. And I have to say that I am so pleased with it. It looks exactly like it does in the picture and I can't wait to wear it tomorrow!

Cupcakes

It's been a while since I've been blogging. A lot has changed since. We'll, I've quit my job and am now the proud mama of a preschooler. Where has the time gone?!? It has been a wonderful 2-weeks and I am loving it! Of course given that I am at home....sitting, thinking, wondering "what if?", a thought crossed my mind. What about starting a business? Just a little something to start on the side. But what would I do? What do I LOVE? Then it hit me. I'm not called 'Pink Cupcake Momma' for nothing!! Soooo, I'm in the works of starting a home business. CUPCAKES!!!

I'll have more later. And even maybe a website- if I can pull my husband away from his own time devoted to his business. So I'm crossing my fingers that my idea will come to fruition. Because nothing makes me happier than cupcakes and baking them =)

Sunday's

I really think Sunday is the best day of the week. Yes, there is the little fact that work is the next day, but I just really LOVE Sunday's! It's a total family day for us. We do everything together from the minute we wake up.

Today we did our usual Sunday brunch, but not until we baked some yummy blueberry muffins for the week. Maddie is always insisting on helping me out in the kitchen, which was a tough transition for me. Being the neat freak that I am , I've finally learned to let go. The messes she creates no longer have an effect on me. I've come a long way =)

This Sunday was a play-in day. After a week long tease of beautiful weather; mother nature has decided to bring us back to the land of gloom. We decided to travel to Old Sac for a fun day at the Railroad Museum. Maddie and I have never been there, and Chris insisted it would be fun. Desperate to find something to do to keep our 2-yr old occupied, we made the 30 minute drive. Not being a fan of railroads, trains or crowds- I have to admit that Chris was right. It was pretty fun! And I also found something for myself at the end of our visit....shopping! Granted, it was the museum gift shop. But I never turn down the change to possibly find a "treasure" to take home.

It was a pretty fun weekend- minus the rain of course. But I can say that it was a GREAT Sunday!!

<<<---Can you find Maddie??

Shampoo and Conditioner

So it's been a few days since I've been using the Organix Coconut Shampoo & Conditioner. I love it! My hair feels great and smells delicious. I think I want to try some of the other fragrances.