It's My Party and I'll Make Cupcakes If I Want To

On Friday it's my birthday and at work when it's your birthday - you have to bring something to for the group to eat ...

Usually I bring some bars but this year I decided to make cupcakes...

I've been looking for inspiration...


I did go to school for cake decorating many MANY years ago.

But as it is with many people, I couldn't find a job, life got in the way and my cake decorating skills are VERY rusty.

I use to be able to make roses with ease....

I even graduated at the top of my class...

I was even picked to make a wedding cake the first semester...



But I never felt my work was good enough...

So tomorrow night, I'll pull out my decorating kit...and make some cupcakes....wish me luck!

I can't think of anything better than chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and chocolate candy bars on top. Doesn't this look wonderful?

Operation Organization Challenge

I'm always trying to figure out the secret to being organized.

Sometimes I'm more organized than other times.

Coming Clean is hosting a challenge for the next eight Friday's. Choose an area in your

home to reorganize and post your goal. You'll want to check out her blog and get more information. Don't forget to add the Operation Organization Challenge button.

I can't wait to see all the ideas - what area could you use help with?

What would Mom say?

On Saturday, we're heading out to Idaho to visit DH's parents. I think it's been six or seven years since we've seen them and we feel so bad for letting time fly by and not get there as often as we should.

Are you listening to your Mom?

If you happen to live nearby to your Mom, you are so lucky. My Mom has been gone for eight years now and there isn't a day, that goes by, that I don't wish that I could call her and find out what to do....

Visit your Moms - they love you.

Today's Thrifty Treasures & Metamporphis Monday

It's time once again for Today's Thrifty Treasures over at Southern Hospitality and Metamporphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Make sure to check out the other blogs and what they've done and found!

Yesterday I found many great bargains from Goodwill. No more driving all over looking for that great yard sale. Just one stop, okay maybe two stops and then I can head for home.

This great white ironstone pitcher..

Another rolling pin, a globe bookend - only one side..

This lazy susan - I'll put in the downstairs bathroom to organize the cupboard...

Pewter creamer - I found a pewter sugar container last weekend...

Bathroom pretties for the bathroom counter...(never been used)....


Now on to my metamorphis - my laundry room. I posted about redoing our a laundry room with

burlap.

But we ran out of burlap and so we left the sad looking wicker shelf behind the door for another time. DH and I stapled more burlap on the wall and installed more shelfs. It's much easier to find stuff now and a lot more organized, and it's more manageable...

Before...

After....

Sunday's night TV is so good right now.. Big Brother, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, HGTV Design Star & Army Wives ....thank GOD for TiVo

And if you love to read, and you love to thrift - check out books by Mary Kay Andrews...she's my new favorite author! I've got two books to read too!!

50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Cat - Week 2

Do you know why a cat rubs her checks against your leg?

She's marking you and letting others know that you are hers! This isn't the same as a cat urinating, only other animals can pick up the scent on you from the rubbing.

So what does it mean when two cats rub together?

The message is "strength in numbers, let's create a group odor."

Other Cat Clues

Tail - If the tail is straight and upright while walking around, your cat has confidence. If the tail flicks toward you, they are saying hi. If the tail is moving side to side or thumping on the floor - your cat is agitated. A light twitching means they are in relaxed alertness. And if you've ever seen a cats tail when it puffs up - they are really scared!

Eyes - Cats can't really see in the dark, but they can see better in the dark than we can.

Ears - Cats ears contain more than 40K nerve fibers, which helps them to hear very high and very low frequencies. Back off your cat, if her ears are flattened against her head, in a defensive stance or ready for a catfight. If the ears are pointed forward and slightly outward, your cat is relaxed.

Whiskers - Cats have 24 whiskers spaced in four rows on each side of hte face. Whiskers are used to protect their eyes and help side up the width of entries. If the whiskers clear the space, the entire body can get through. (This must happen after six months, my cats are always pushing their way into a empty cardboard pop holder.)

Nose - Important organ - when cats sniff another cat's scent - they learn a mini-bio - the cat's gender, whether they should interact or not, it's age and it's health status.

YouTube - Wedding Entrance Dance

While I don't understand or enjoy the books that Oprah has picked for her book club, Oprah had a show about the "YouTube" phenomenon.

I must live in the dark ages because I have never heard of You Tube. I asked my kids if they heard of YouTube and they rolled their eyes..LOL

You can watch just about anything on You Tube, music, sports, decorating, people doing stupid things, you name it and there's got to be a video.

This YouTube video has had over one million hits! This couple got married in St Paul MN - JK Wedding Dance Entrance. You can't help but bob your head, the music is great and the wedding party looked like they were having a blast!




What a fun way to start the wedding!
Have you ever checked out YouTube?

Savannah Breeze anyone?

As I indicated in my last post, the books picked for the Oprah Book Club make me feel inferior when I read them. I don't get them and I find them boring and easily lose interest.

While reading many blogs, I heard about Mary Kay Andrews, an author of several books about women and thrifting. I'm intrigued by any fiction book that has thrifting in the storyline.


Right now I'm reading Savannah Breeze and it makes me want to open a (motel) inn and fill each room with my thrifting finds. If you haven't read this book, you simply must - especially if you love thrifting and romance...

I should be doing laundry or cleaning but I plan on reading until it's bedtime...

The cover on the book says this is a sequel to Savannah Blues and Hissy Fit. I've got them requested through the public library. Doesn't sound like I'm going to have anytime for thrifting, this book is GOOD! Could DH's prayer's be answered? Prob not!

I'm sure glad I have this book, Obama is on - boring! I'll leave it at that.

Oprah - Free Book to Download

I love to read but lately my reading has been limited to magazines that I can glimpse at while watching TV. One of the most relaxing things to do, is to sit down and read a book and be transported to another place.

I've never been able to understand the books that Oprah picks for her book club. Oprah's books make me feel inferior, I don't understand the book and quickly lose interest. It's like the movies that win an Oscar for best picture - I"ve gone to see a few but usually the movies are long, drawn out and uninteresting. Do you find that you feel the same way?

I found something that might work for me. Starting today, Oprah is offering a free book to download until Wednesday. "Heroic Measures" by Jill Ciment and this book has been identified at as 1 out of "25 Books You Can't Put Down."

You've got until Wednesday, have you ever read a book on your computer?

Today's Thrifty Treasures

Welcome fellow thrifters!

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting Today's Thrifty Treasures so make sure to stop over and check out all the other thrifters. My experience is that there are so many treasures to find at Goodwill that I hardly ever go to yard sales anymore. The Goodwill store that I love is packed and overflowing with all of the items that people no longer need.

Here's some of my thrify treasures:

Two wicker storage containers - one will go on the kitchen counter to hold the mail.

I've been watching for another glass container and today was my lucky day!

Today we went to an auction and they had so many antiques and the prices were pretty reasonable. We thought this would be cute to put in the laundry room.

I got these dessert dishes, we're trying to work on our portion controls..
perfect for our sugar fee pudding!

Beautiful brush - also got a mirror - I forgot to get a picture of that.

Classic red beater

While DH and I were scoping out the items, we found these two books. I mentioned
to him that we should try and see if we could get them if the price didn't get too high.....

Hand size book published in 1915 ....

This book is also the size of your hand, published in 1901...The string is keeping it together, the back cover is no longer attached.

We got both books for $2 a piece....I'll be listing these books on Ebay in the near future.....
Any idea how much these books might be?

What are your Thrify Treasures?

50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Cat - Master