Superbowl Bound

I know I've been MIA since classes started last week,

but I HAVE to acknowledge my team's VICTORY!

 WOOT WOOT!!! SUPERBOWL BOUND!!!  Once I get through this first couple weeks of school, I'll have to resume my wonderful past time of blogging.Both reading and catching up as well as writing!!

One game away!!

Next Sunday, January 23rd @ 3:30 p.m. PST



GO STEELERS!

Zebra Cake Photo

I had a busy Friday evening baking my heart out. 

I had two cake orders for local pick up and and a couple of Etsy orders to ship.

Here's one of the cakes.



Cakes were Strawberry with Cream Cheese Filling

Iced with a white (vanilla) Butercreme

The Bow / Ribbon was made with Homemadw Marshmallow Fondant

Let's go Steelers!!

Well, for the third time this season, the Steelers will meet the Ravens tomorrow. 

First game we lost, second game we prevailed.

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This game is a very important Playoff Game.  The winner will advance to next week's game against the Patriots for the opportunity to play in Superbowl 45!

The Steelers' biggest division rival is none other than the Ravens and I was not a happy camper when the Chiefs couldn't pull off a win last week against the Ravens.

Tons of friends (who has cheered AGAINST ME the entire season) are actually pulling for the Steelers to win tomorrow, only because they want to see a
Steeler / Patriot match-up.

Personally, I do too!

So, Good Luck to the NFL team who has THE MOST SUPERBOWL WINS!!

It's that time of year again......

Classes start again next week.  Ugh.  Back to having a busy weekly schedule!!  That's okay though.  It's another step closer to fulfilling my goal of pursuing my Bachelor's in Criminal Justice!

I currently hold an Associates of Science Degree in Administration of Justice and an Associates of Arts Degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences.

(Yes, and I'm a Cake Decorator)

My educational goals are to complete my transferable classes and receive my Bachelor's Degree.  It may take me until I'm a

senior Citizen, but I will do this!!

My 21 year old keeps teasing me that we'll probably end up graduating at the same time.  Probably so, perhaps not.  I have a feeling she may graduate with her Bachelor's before I do, but you know what?  As long as I accomplish MY goal, I'm not worried about how long it takes me.  In the long run, I will be happy regardless!!

Happy Hump Day!!!

Follow Me Back Tuesday Blog Hop!

It's everyone's favorite day of the week again, Tuesday..

So that means it's time to link up & follow for

Follow Me Back Tuesday

Hosted By:

Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's & Boobies,BabiesAndABlog

This Week's Guest Host's Are...

Crystal from My Life As Mom And Wife, 

Kimberly from A Day In The Life of an Air Force Wife and Mommy of 2

How it Works

•Follow all 3 Hosts & Guest Host's - Spots 1-5 leave a comment w/ a link to your blog so the hosts can follow you back (only leave a comment that you follow if you actually follow )

•Snag the F.M.B.T button & make a F.M.B.T. post.

•After you post, use that link to add your blog to the hop along with your blog name

( NO BLOG HOPs & GIVEAWAYS PLEASE ) These entries will be deleted.

•Follow the blogs you like & Follow Back who follows you ( Remember to leave a comment so you can be followed back )

•And most importantly - Have Fun and Come back and see us every Tuesday !!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes Special Offer!!!

It's early I know, I know, but it's never TOO early for getting in on a great deal!!

Check out

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to take advantage of an awesome early

St. Patrick's Day treat!!

Now thru March 1st

Pre-Order your Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

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Ship dates: Friday, March 11th & Monday, March 14th; shipped Priority Mail ~ delivery by Tuesday the 15th & Wednesday the 16th.

Local Delivery or Pick Up on Wednesday the 16th by appointment!!

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Keep checking back daily for an opportunity to

win a free dozen!!!


Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes:

A Chocolate Cupcake with Guiness Beer filled with a Baileys Chocolate Ganache, topped with Baileys Buttercreme. Very Delicious!

Happy 21st Birthday!!!

I'm pretty sure this photo was taken last night / early this morning sometime after midnight, and after the bars closed.

My daughter turned 21 today, Sunday, January 9th.  After stalking her Face Book today, it's been confirmed that her along with a bunch of her friends went out right at midnight to celebrate.

She's having a nice dinner tonight with a bunch more of her friends at Tex Wasibi's

One of Food Network's own, Guy Fieri's resturants.

(Guy is most notable for his "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives" show)

It should be a fun and interesting evening as Brian and I will probably be amongst a group of early to mid-twenty somethings.

More pictures to come!!!

Parties Galore!!

We have SO MUCH going on in the next few months, it's extremely mind boggling!  With that being said, let me share a couple of the invites for our upcoming parties / events we're hosting!!

Coming up the first weekend in February is our SUPERBOWL party! 

I'm hoping that my STEELERS will make it thru the playoffs next weekend, so they'll be one step closer to the big game, however, if they don't, we're still celebrating!!

Here are our invites:

What do you think?  They're pretty cute if I may say so myself.

I bought the PDF file from an Etsy Store and am very happy with the final product.

(I'll be doing a COMPLETE review of Etsy Stores in a very near future post, so you'll get the info on where to purchase invites)

Two weeks after the Super Bowl, I'll be hosting a very special Baby Shower!  I'm so excited because not only are the parents very good friends of ours, but Brian and I were asked and are honored to be Baby Jason's God Parents!!  :)

Here are the invites for the shower:

Aren't they just simply adorable?  I found this invitation on Etsy as well, however I had a very good friend of mine (who does anything party related with regard to invites, favor tags, Hershey Kiss labels, Candy Bar wrap around labels, and much, much more) see if she could replicate it, and she did!!

I'll be doing an enclosure card which will contain their registry info.

I also found these cute Umbrella & Tear Drop confetti on Etsy to sprinkle on the cake and food tables!!

Super Cute huh??

I'll definitely be updating my blog as the party planning gets into full swing!

Happy Saturday!!!

Yay for Friday!!!

Check out Smart and Trendy Moms' Blog for this awesome Blog Hop.

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We're a week into this New Year, and how've you done with any of your Resolutions, Goals or Wishes?

I'm into book number 3 for the year.  With two books read under my belt, I've got 123 to go.  Pacing myself perfectly.

Book #1 was:

Book #2 was:

I've also been working on my weekly menu planning and actually sticking to said menu.  :)  So far, so good.  I think we strayed one night, but for the most part, we're on track with that goal as well.

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My "PROJECT" for the month of January going into February is to de-clutter and re-organize our den.  Plain and simple.

I have a TON of beach wedding stuff I have to get rid of.  So, I'll be listing everything wedding related on a few Wedding Planning Forums. 

I'm going to organize all of my baking pans.

 (And believe me when I say I have close to 75 or so pans of different shapes and sizes).

After the den is completely organized and looks awesome, I'm headed to the kitchen.  Re-organizing the cupboards for sure!!

I want to use these SnapWare containers.

I will be sure to take before and after pictures of my de-cluttering and re-organizing projects. 

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What do YOU have on your plate this weekend?

As for me, I have a cake & cupcake order for Saturday; a two tiered cake order for Sunday; my daughter's 21st Birthday dinner on Sunday  AND, somehow I have

to squeeze in FOOTBALL both days!!  Yikes!!

Happy Friday and GO STEELERS!!

Frugal Fridays & Friendly Friday Blog Hops

Welcome to Frugal Fridays!

Frugal Fridays is a weekly link-up hosted by The Frugal Free Gal and co-hosted by Inspiring You To Save. The hop includes links for Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Giveaways, and Your Favorite Post of the Week.

Here's how it works:

Become a follower of Inspiring You to Save and The Frugal Free Gal.

Add our Frugal Fridays button on your blog somewhere.

Link up, visit other blogs, and make new friends!

Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog too! Just click “Get the code here…” at the bottom of the list. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way for everyone to get even more traffic to their blog.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select three blogs at random and will feature links and a write-up for those blogs in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight some of those each week. Say hello to the lucky chosen 3 for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):

Fair warning: If you have never visited Twinsomnia before, I almost guarantee that you will spend the majority of your afternoon going from post to post and nodding in agreement and/or cracking up. From hilarious or moving stories about her three kids aged five and under (including adorable identical twin boys) to photographs that look like they’re straight out of a magazine, Megan takes precious time that should be spent sleeping and writes a blog that you won’t want to miss.

 

When you hear the title Grandma, you might picture a sweet old lady in a rocking chair knitting… but that’s not what you’ll find at Grandma’s Guide to Life. Carli writes about working out, shopping and her love for couponing, bargains and saving money. Whether you’re looking for freebies (she has great Mailbox Mondays posts), store deals, giveaways, family talk, craft ideas she has come across and more, this Grandma is blogging her way through it all.

Journaling their daily adventures, Holly’s posts at Popsicles and Pigtails range from visits with family to shopping trips to fun blog hops (present company included) and more and feature her warm personality and great photos of her gorgeous daughter, Darbee. A sweet compilation of reasons why Holly is blessed to stay home and watch her daughter grow up, these memories are ones that she will have captured online forever.

Now that you know about these 3 wonderful blogs, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can grab the code to share the link list on your blog too.

All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – just leave a comment with your URL for GFC. I haven’t been able to follow everyone back because of not having the URL.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Super Duper Savings & Date Day Thursday!!

I saved $242.88

What?  How?  Huh?

Well, what's my most FAVORITE store in the world?  Target!  And I've been stalking their Seasonal items since the day after Christmas.  Yes, they went 30% off, then 50%, and then 75%  And I bought Christmas stuff every.single.time I went!

I bought Christmas Wrapping paper, Gift Bags, Christmas Cards, and all kinds of stuff!!

THEN..... I get a phone call from the dear Hubs while he's on his morning break.  Guess what?  At HIS store, (not his his, but his) their Seasonal went 90% off!  Say what?  Ohhhhh Yeeeahhhh.

I say:  "Hey hon, how 'bout I come and have lunch with you?"  :) 
My way to go check out what they have left in their store for 90% off.  Hehehe. 
Oh, yeah, and to have lunch with him too, of course.

Check this out!!

Did you see that??

$242.88

I saved $242.88  Yes I did.  And if you look carefully, I only spent $40.66.

I'll take pictures and show you all what I bought and for how much!!  :) 
You're going to be extremely amazed!! 
So stay tuned for that!

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Date Day Thursday

Ever since Brian & I started dating several years ago, we've spent Thursdays as our "Date Day".

Every.Single.Thursday we used to go to Panera Bread for a late breakfast, early lunch.  Brunch.  Brian would get Breakfast, I would get Lunch.  :)

Here's my favorite ~ Asian Chicken Salad and a half Asiago & Roast Beef Sandwich.

Since our big Wedding Cruise, we've been going to:

We now go at 7:45 am for their "Gator Special"

$1.99 for 2 eggs, hashbrowns, and choice of toast, biscuits & gravy or pancakes.

Not bad eh???

Our Date Day today, will also consist of shopping!  I have two cake orders for this weekend and two for next weekend, so a shopping expedition to the Cake & Candy Supply store is definitely in order.

Gotta love going shopping on Date Day Thursdays!!

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Cookies

My niece asked if I'd make 100 flower cookies for her daughter's 2nd birthday.

Said birthday party is in Guam.

So, I had to get crackn'!

I took pictures. 

Here they are baked, cooled, and outlined with Royal Icing:

Here they are filled in with thinned out Royal Icing:

And here they are completely decorated:

NOT

Why?  Because I was in such a rush to get these babies packaged and shipped!  HOWEVER, I'm sure my lovely niece will take tons of photos and I'll be sure to share them with you!! 

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Hope you have a great day today! 

I'll be thinking of you all as I enjoy my Date Day with my love!

Twitter Hop Thursday!!

Welcome to Twitter Hop Thursday, hosted by Simply Stacie, The King’s Court IV, Little Yaya’s, Kelly’s Lucky You and Dear Crissy.

Would you like more Twitter followers and be introduced to more neat blogs and businesses out there? Come and join us!!

1. Add your Twitter to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Twitter for the four hostesses and follow each of them on Twitter. We will follow you back.

3. Follow as many people on Twitter as you like, but make sure to leave comments with links so they’ll know where to follow you!

Spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog! Write your own post or copy and paste this one. Below the MckLinky box, you’ll see “Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code”. Have fun Twitter-Hopping along!

We have selected a Twitterer of the Week from last week’s entries and the lucky winner is Coupons Equal Cash! They will be in the #6 spot! We will choose next week’s winner from everyone who participated today.

Please only add your Twitter url. All other entries will be deleted. Thank you!

This is a Blog Hop! 43 entries so far... you're next!

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Parties, Parties, Parties!!

Gold Leopard Print; Princess Crown with tons of Bling; Zebra Print with Pink Accents; Cupcakes Galore

The above are themes of cakes I'll be making this month.  One cake (or cupcakes) every weekend of January.  Now, keep in mind these cakes aren't plain 'ole sheet cakes, but these are tiered cakes.

One gal celebrating her 21st Birthday (happens to be my lovely daughter) - 20 + people;
another gal celebrating her 24th Birthday - 20 + people;  one is having  Bridal/Lingerie Shower - 50+ people; and the Cupcake Cocktail Hour will be having approximately 20+ attendees.

It's going to be a busy month, especially with classes starting again on the 18th for me, as well as potentially starting a new job.

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Since we were talking parties, here's what our social hosting calendar has in store for us (Bri and I) in 2011 ~ I love celebrating, especally hosting parties!!

February ~ Superbowl Party
March ~Steph's Baby Shower
April ~ Anniversay Party
May ~ Happy Birthday to Me Party
June ~ Beer - Tasting Birthday Party for Brian
*July ~ Christmas in July BBQ*
(*Tentative for now*)
December ~ Annual Christmas Party

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I can't forget my daughter's Sweet 16 Celebration which will be in October of 2012.  Yes, she's already talking about it.  Yes, the event planner in me is taking over!  I thought it was nuts to even think about a party which is 21 months away, HOWEVER, it takes just as long, if not longer, to plan a wedding.  Not that this Sweet 16 Celebration will be as extravagant as a wedding, but come on....it's my baby...I'm an event planner...I like to be organized, so......it's on my list.  :)

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Word of the Day:

proselytize

:verb:

to induce someone to convert to one's faith

to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause

Example Sentence

Eliza is a staunch environmentalist who always feels the need to proselytize to anyone who doesn't recycle or drive a hybrid automobile.

Welcome to Wandering Wednesday! Wandering Wednesday is a weekly link-up hosted by Inspiring You To Save! and Paisley Passions. It was created for socializing and to get new followers, subscribers, and readers. Every Wednesday a new linky will be posted. Here's how it works:

Follow the hostess and co-host (first and second spot on the linky)

Leave a comment if your a new follower with your web address and I will follow back.

Grab the link-up button and post "Wandering Wednesday" on your blog to help spread the word.

Link up your blog post for "Wandering Wednesday". The more people that know, the more that will join in, the more fun it will be!!

Have fun!

Thumbnails: This is a Blog Hop! 14 entries so far... you're next!

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Word of the Day:

netroots

\NET-roots\

noun

:definition:

the grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet especially by blogs

:example sentence:

Inarguably, it was the campaigning by the netroots that helped the senator get elected.

Do YOU take life for granted??

Counting my Blessings

1)  New Beginnings

2)  Good Friends

3)  Amazing Children

4) Grateful Family

5) Most caring, understanding, best friend ever!

Isn't it amazing how much we take for granted in life every.single.day?  I mean we all love our significant others and children but do we really show them how much?  Do they know how much they mean to us?  How much we really love them? 

Your good friends.... do they know how much you treasure their friendships?  Do they know how much you appreciate them being your friend?

Often times we all get so caught up in this crazy thing called LIFE that we tend to take for granted some of the things we have in our lives.  Both physically and materialistically. 

Often times it's a little too late to tell that person how much you love them, or too late to show your friends just how much their friendship means to you.

Life is just too darn short for us to "forget" those special people in our lives.  You never know what the day holds for you, so be sure to tell those you love that you love them; tell your friends how much their friendship means to you; be sure everyone who is a part of your everyday lives know exactly how important of a role they play in your life. 

It's important not just for you to say it, but for them to hear it.

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Today's Word of the Day is:

concrete
(adjective)

Definition:

1: naming a real thing or class of things

2: formed by coalition of particles into one solid mass

3: relating to or involving specific people, things, or actions rather than general ideas or qualities

4: relating to or made of concrete

2011 Goals & Wishes

While I used to make New Year Resolutions every year, they usually ended up being epic fails.  So last year I started my "New Year Goals" list.  It was a list of things I WANTED to accomplish, but they were more of a "get as much crossed off the list as you can" type of thing.  And with the wedding, cruise and vacations thrown in there, I knew it was going to be tough.

I found this excerpt from a fellow blogger, and it totally surmizes the same exact ways I was feeling, and expresses what I wanted to say:

I have spent the last couple of days pondering the difference between a goal and a resolution. It is a strange thing to ponder, but I think knowing the difference helps me to establish what I want to set for myself this year.


Merriam-webster defines a resolution as : a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body or assembled group. A goal is : the end toward which effort is directed.

I am not good with resolutions. I never stick to them because there never seems to be an end, and going by the definition it is just an expression of opinion. I like the idea of goals. I am stating the end point where I want to be. I looked through my goals that I set for myself last year. I accomplished some, but not all, but I completed something.

I am excited to have goals for this upcoming year. I know that I won't accomplish them all, but if I don't set my threshold high, then I won't strive for any of them. I am going to actually print out my goals this year and post them so that I can make sure to work through the list. I think that is partially why I didn't complete so many from last year.


So, this year I have a list again.  A list that I want to slowly but surely have things crossed off.  My "goal" per se, is to cross as many things off said list as I can.

This year, I've separated my goals & wishes into two categoties:  Lifestyle Goals & Around the House Goals.

Lifestyle Goals ~ 2011

Take time to stretch & work out every morning
Cook and Eat Healthier
Stick to my weekly menu planning
Read the Bible in 90 days
Read 125 books
Blog on a daily basis
Keep in touch with family more often
Create & Stick to a Daily Household Chore List
Continue to pursue my BA
Take mini-vacations with Brian more often
Continue our Date Day Thursdays
Purchase at least one Christmas gift a month
Stick to my Word of the Day
Attend & get involved with Church
Put $20 away a month in a "pickle jar"

Around the House Goals ~ 2011

De-clutter the Den
Get the Den cleaned & organized
Get my Clever Confections business supplies organized
Re-theme the bathroom
Re-organize kitchen cupboards

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I'm sure I'll be tweaking these lists as the days roll by, hopefully crossing things off as they are achieved and /or accomplished.

Let me leave you all with today's Word of the Day!

flummox

It's a verb, and it means confuse.

Here's an example of the word used in a  sentence:

Ruth was flummoxed by the angry outburst and wild accusations that greeted her mild complaint.

Happy New Year!!

Yay!  It's a New Year!!

While 2010 was such a great year, I'm glad it's finally over!!  It flew by so fast for me; perhaps the fastest year for me that I can remember!!

We had so many memerable milestones this year ~ some good, some bad.  I loved every second of my life in 2010, but I'm so very ready for the New Year!

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The hubby and I got married in April on the beach of Catalina Island!  We were fortunate to have 40 of our closest friends and family members cruise with us on the Carnival Elation for a 4 night, 5 day cruise down Baja Mexico.  While in port at Catalina Island, we had our ceremony on the beach!

It was simply AMAZING!!

In May, we celebrated with our family and friends at an "At-Home" Reception in California, followed by another Reception in Minnesota four weeks later in June.

We had a very busy but exciting couple of months of traveling!  It was an awesome time, that's for sure!

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Unfortunately, our happy times cme to an abrupt halt.  A week after our return from Minnesota, we were informed that Brian's only Uncle had passed away.  So, instead of flying back on short notice, (flights were actually up to $800 plus per person), we rented a car and road tripped it 2000 plus miles back to Minnesota for the funeral.

We got to see some of Brian's family members who he hadn't seen in years and I was able to meet some of them as well. 

Needless to say, we were in Minnesota for our Reception, Brian's 50th Birthday as well as his Uncle's Funeral.  Our June and July was full of traveling!

Three months later, my grandfather in Hawaii passed away.  So, in October, Brian and I flew to Hawaii for my grandfather's funeral.  We were there for about a week and despite the fact tht we were there for the funeral, it was Brian's first trip so we were able to take him around the island and do some touristy things as well.

Again, for the funeral, I was able to see lots of family members that I haven't seen in decades!!!  I was even able to actually meet some that I've never met before.

My brother flew in from Guam and I hadn't seen him in about 5 years.  Also, Brian was able to meet my father!  Along with my brother and all my other family members!

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So yeah, it goes without saying, our 2010 had some very memorable moments and events!

I hope 2011 brings everyone lots of joys and memories!

Happy New Years!!!