the good with the bad

here are things that annoy me, today especially:

1. when people chat extra exuberantly outside my office door. excuse me, people, i'm trying to work/listen to rascal flatts on spotify in here, can you keep it down?

2. when people move said 'meeting' into the neighboring office only to make the discussion even more lively. i didn't know people could laugh louder than me. they do exist my friends.

3. when the office neighbor on the other side has an equally fun meeting. stop it! this is work!

with that said, here are the things that make me happy today:

1. fall nail polish colors

2. thinking about fashion night out.

3. wondering about what shoes i should wear to a wedding this weekend.  yes my dress has sequins. love it!

4. thinking about my vacation in general.

i'll be there so soon!! yay!

"i found you masai husbands. they are hard to get. hurry back. NOW!"


best email closing ever. when can i go back to kenya again?

i thought they were dead.

i have this very strange theory that came from heaven knows where but its my theory none-the-less. when i don't hear from or about a person, i assume they're dead.  like dead, gone, in the ground. kicked the bucket, kaput, no more, etc. i know, i know, its very strange. here are several people i am pretty sure are dead.

1. keanu reeves. i mean, he must be.

2 . tori spelling. until I saw her on a commercial.

3.  the foo fighter. untold they were on the vmas. winning a moon man. oops.

4. i don't even know what her name is anymore. i mean, i think it's christina milian. dead.

5. mc & nick cannon? dead.

clearly, all these people are dead. i mean, otherwise they would be a part of my consciousness. or at least my twitter feed.

this weekend

i'm sure you've all been waiting in great anticipation for my recap of cabin weekend. this is by far, my favoritest weekend of the year. it beats christmas, halloween & apple day. ok, it doesn't beat my birthday but i rarely spend 48 hours celebrating that. i wish i did...maybe this year...ok, back to the point. this weekend was lovely, spent in the company of some of my favorite people. here are some highlights.

1. catching up with my friends on friday night is never a good plan. generally not established until saturday morning. during yoga. when you can't do warrior pose bc you're equlibrium is slightly...off.
2. cheeseballs are delicious any time of the day. you know, like cheeto's cheese balls.
3. mr. sunshine is an excellent stryofoam cup cutter. me...not so much but i helped anyway. this may or may not come in handy again but it's good to know the hidden talents of the dynamic duo who are my future neighbors, such as jell-o shot creation.
4. i could swim a thousand miles in a lifejacket diaper. er...did i say miles? i mean, it was maybe feet.
5. the newest dance craze is clearly going to be the hurricane irene. as performed by stm.
6. a man (loosely using the term as i describe this situation) in a speedo will think he has super human strength & agree to be duct taped to a tree. then will think he actually is super strong when someone cuts the tape on the other side of the tree to free said speedo-clad man.
7. if you slip on a floatie while midnight swimming, you might get the biggest bruise of your life on your almost butt/hip area. i mean, that's what i've heard. *ahem* moving on...
8. all my friends have googled the kardashian wedding to see what a certain bridesmaid looks.
9. don't joke about the gillian yoga dvd not being "challenging" or your butt & almost butt with hurt for several reasons the next day. it's called karma.
10. you know it's a good weekend when you have trouble narrowing down all the great things to a list of just 10 items.

is it cabin weekend 2012 yet?  i have the best friends in the whole wide world. you should be very jealous.

see you

at the cabin!

love this jam

about that time

this is actually my favorite time of year. yes, my friends...its cabin weekend time! this is the weekend the great 8, which is actually 9 now bc sunshine is back in God's country (mn not edina but she's there too), head north to pretty rikky's cabin. we slap on not enough sunscreen, put accessories on upside down,  grab the straws & dixie cups, throw all caution to the wind & all cheesy puffs to the lake! hopefully this year the elixir of life will help keep the dive bombing seagulls away! right, shi'cici?

t-minus 3 days. be jealous.

what?

this may or may not be me right now.

working late makes me do crazy things. yes, check the time stamp...i'm working.

for fall

or for right now. i mean, i could definitely work this somehow into my wardrobe. it would be so awful & so difficult but i could suck it up just this once.

don't forget

i generally don't but it appears as though last week i may have. oh well, monday is going to let me try again. thanks pal. so this week i pledge to try much harder at being awesome. i also will remember a few other things too.

like an upcoming trip to somewhere awesome...

hooray for fashion week with mjuff! a work trip that i can extend to a fun weekend in...

chi! who wants to come?

until then, i'll spend my time thinking of treats for cabin weekend...

& enjoying the sunshine!

you be the judge

so tonight i ventured into uncharted territory...cake made with pop. or soda for you weirdos from the east. or sodie pop if you're my super baller nana. i mean she's the coolest person i know so she can call it whatever she wants.
this root beer float cake is courtesy of ms joy the baker...hey thanks joy!

basically mix this...

aka flour, salt & baking sodie...

with this...

aka 2 eggs

plus this...

(choco chips, root beer & cocoa powder for those who don't have superhuman brains that can deduce ingredients by simply staring at a photo)

enjoy this...

...while you wait for the cake to cool. frost & snarf. that's my fav part. all in all it was pretty good but it didn't taste like root beer really at all. i mean, like none of it. so don't make this tasty treat looking for root beer...make it looking for choco goodness! yes , someday i will not blog my kitchen adventures with the camera on my phone. but not today. sorry charlie.


also, why are all f-word packages b-proof?

 i mean...i have since learned to open all things over the sink but really hersheys? im a great customer...why you gotta be that way?!

next project

these guys! yup, you're eyes do not deceive you! this is a lucky charms ice cream sandwich!! hooray! thanks to my dear cheese loving friend, jj, i found this recipe. also, i needed to identify the cheese loving friend because i have several friends that have a deep affinity for the cheese.

who wants to be my tester? applications are now being accepted.

wtf?

how the fudgecake did i get on the email list for barney's?! i mean really, how did i get on this list? clearly there was no profiling involved when the email Gods decided to send me this.

of course i love this shoe. absolutely, i can justify spending a gazillion dollars on this. or $800...whatever, you know a gazillion helps me make my point. i don't need to eat right? stop. it.



no i did not remove myself from the list. i love this shoe. i will continue to torment myself until i find my Mr. Big who can buy me a pair of manolos. yes, i am a masochist.

not that i watch scary movies but

i actually would love one while you're in there.

patio

can i come?

i love a good patio party.

words to live by

not gonna lie to you, i have been a bit of a hot mess this week. long days in the office smattered with too many things to do & not enough time to do them all. i need to just slow down & remember to breath. here are a few of the things i love in my life this week:

1. sunshine is home! oh my goodness, oh my goodness! this makes me so very happy!!

2. project runway parties. nuff said.

3. bike rides with my buddies. then eating something totally nutritious like cookie cream dip stuff.

yes, yes, our bikes are a little more serious than this but still...

4. dance parties while i drive home.

5. driving home.

6. baking treats.

7. laughing.

if only this were true.

unfortunately, i'm pretty sure it's God's way of kicking your @&$.

who loves pancakes?

who doesn't love pancakes is probably a better question. well do i have a treat for you, my lovely blog followers. its cupcakes that taste like pancakes & syrup! yes, its true & they are yum-a-licious!

i have clearly been on a baking frenzied kick lately by making (& sharing) cupcakes. they are pretty much my favorite. when i re-discovered some blueberries in the freezer from the 4th of july, i figured why not attempt a blueberry cupcake, now let me preface the recipe for above treat by saying i do not like blueberries. not even a little. for some reason...probably the same reason i don't like pineapple. because i'm weird. i have no other explanation. i don't like popsicles either. i'll blog some other day about all the widely accepted societal things i do not like. try these treats!! but only if you like pancakes & syrup. also, thank you again to ming for making cupcakes. i heart you.

cupcake

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup suga

1/4 tsp bakin soda

1 1/2 tsp bakin powder

14 tsp salt

1/2 stick butta, melted

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup milk

1 cup blueberries (not frozen anymore from the 4th of july)

mix flour, suga, bakin soda, bakin powder& salt. in a separate bowl (still haven't figured out why you need separate bowls but whatevs) mix butta & egg lightly. add buttermilk & milk to egg mixture. add liquids to floury mix & mix until just blended. toss in blueberries (gently people, don't squish'em!) & pour into cupcake liners. the sassier the better. bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick or any other handy poking object comes out clean. cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove from pan to cool completely.

icing

1 stick butta

3 cups confectioner's suga

1/4 cup milk

3 tbs maple syrup

in a saucepan, melt butta at medium temperature until golden brown. be careful not to burn the butta - that can get stinky. in a bowl, mix butta & suga. then add milk & syrup. beat until smooth. wait until the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting aggressively. or non-aggressively. i just really like frosting. i also recommend putting some tin foil or wax paper or other type of counter covering if you plan to frost aggressively a la me. this frosting is a little sticky at first. 

voila! cupcakes that taste like blueberry pancakes with maple syrup!