Let Them Eat Cupcakes

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a nice week, and will have an even nicer weekend. Currently I am glued to my computer forcing myself to push through mental block and finish a paper for my class that is due Monday. 

I decided to share a fabulous recipe with you all found on a site I stalk from time to time; so far her recipes haven't let me down. I also decided to share some other brown sugar and buttery flavored cupcakes I have tried and fallen in love with in the past few weeks.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes & Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Butter Pecan Cupcakes (they taste just like ice cream)

I decided on a glaze vs. a frosting for this recipe

Martha Stewart's Brown Sugar Pound Cakes 

recipe


The brown butter glaze is sinful! I decided I cannot make these very often!

I have a busy weekend ahead and I am looking forward to trying a biscuit recipe from Williams Sonoma ( I will share those too) for a dinner party the children and I will attend.

Has anyone made any new treats or entree's lately?

Doing a Happy Dance... Well, Almost

Previously, I mentioned my plans for my bedroom redo, and the hopes I had for a lovely and safe new bed for my little one who thinks he is a stunt man already.

I am pleased to say the bedroom plans are well underway and yesterday, the UPS driver delivered a long awaited package to our home....

We ordered this bed from overstock.com and I feel like a little girl at Christmas. I have about 5 projects both decorative improvements and decorative for parties going on in addition to school, the kids are out for the summer and are ready to do things. For the next week or so, my lovely bed will remain in its box in the garage.

I am working on the curtain panels next week, the photo of the fabric online did not do this lovely pattern justice...

I bought more than enough fabric when it was on sale at fabric.com; I have enough for accent pillows which I plan to use on the bed and bench in different sizes.

I did a little cleaning in my garage over the weekend and came across never opened sheer panels in ivory... what luck? I had forgotten even purchasing them. No need to hit the store for the sheers to compliment the curtains similar to these, I was thrilled!

via Target

I have my lovely lanterns to add to the nightstands,

The clearance globe to compliment the colors I am working on, 

A while back, I got a steal in the Home Fabrics store, looking for a floral pattern in ivory and blue, I came across this fabric for .99 cents a yard, I bought all they had left 4 3/4 yards so for less than 5.00 I have enough to make some decorative pillows after I cover my bedroom bench.

The best most awaited piece to be completed in my room is my lovely secretary I got at Salvation Army last September, it has literally taken me this long to work up the nerve to paint the desk. I have been taking my time, moving at a snails pace to revamp the old girl and hopefully go from this 

to something along the lines of this...

via

btw, thank goodness for blogs- this post helped my confidence sooo much!

Now for the reason I cannot do my happy dance just yet... I have been too busy to focus on one project to it's completion! I am having attention deficit moments, I start then put on hold for a couple days then start something else and the vicious cycle continues... I really need to get it all done soon however, the happy dance is itching to come out so I will be a busy woman over the next week or two!

Wish me luck! On a really happy note, my wall gallery along the staircase is really looking good if I do say so myself, I may do a work in progress post, as the gallery has taken on a life of it's own and is larger than I thought but I love it!

Have a great day everyone!

In the Right Place At the Right Time

While shopping for shoes and accessories for a prom my daughter was asked to attend (Let me take a moment and express my sadness, my precious baby girl is growing up) a few weeks back, we decided to go to the local Ross department store. My daughter asked to go into a new store in the shopping center and Pier 1 Imports was right next door. I decided to give in, what was a few more steps if it would make my daughter happy? Besides, I could "pop" in Pier 1... 

And then I saw the sign "Going Out of Business, Everything Must Go" I almost dropped the baby! 

I had one thing on my mind, more mini items from the Tasting Party line and I was not disappointed!!!  

The Tasting Spoons were in sets of 4, I paid 2.85 cents each for them... I could not believe my eyes at the register, they are white ceramic and were originally more than 7.00 each!

The Etched Cordial Glass Set was a mere 9.99 after being marked down from the original  24.99 price tag! 

The Mini Flares and the spoons were marked down to 14.99 from 29.95 I was so happy I clapped my hands and did a happy dance right in the store. 

A quick trip to Costco for our pantry needs proved a great mid week-treat, I got to put a Rachel Ray item in out cart! These vinegar and EVOO bottles were on sale for 12.99, my husband also decided to buy a new television that evening as well - he works hard so he deserves a little discount retail therapy too! 

Like my friend Katrina, I have been on the prowl for a vintage high chair that I can paint for my son's first birthday party similar to these:

 via

via {btw... this chair is retailing at 245.00}

 Much to my dismay, I had been unable to seek out the perfect chair and purchase in time before someone beat me to the punch. I had all but resolved to just get a cheap high chair from a local retailer and be done with it until a yard sale grabbed my attention. I had just come from a doctor's visit and was not feeling well at all until I saw these two beauties!!! I literally ran back to my car, jumped in and drove to the local grocery store fore an ATM machine-- all the while praying the chairs would be there when I returned. 

I am now the proud owner of TWO vintage high chairs - they both will be painted and used for parties I coordinate. I paid a whopping 20.00 for BOTH chairs! 

(please excuse the water hose, I am multi-tasking 99.9% of the time and today is no exception LOL!) 

I found all these deals and spent less than 70.00! 


Have you found any unbeatable bargains lately?

Thrifting and Shopping In Northern California

During my visit to Northern California, deciding on where to go shopping and trying to fit in all the places we love to look for deals became a focal point of interest for Katrina and I after Avery's adorable 1st Birthday party. We decided to pop in Goodwill (Sunday) and we were not disappointed. Katrina found some long sought after Pyrex bowls and I found a piece I have wanted for ages.... a classic Soup Tureen.

Here are some images of pieces I have checked pricing on but could never commit to purchase-

Wedgwood Nantucket Basket China - 88-oz. Soup Tureen

$180 via

Footed Soup Tureen $39.95 via

Here is what I found at Goodwill for a mere 14.99! I couldn't believe my good fortune! This is just like a tureen I saw in House Beautiful that I could not afford!! I love the scalloped detail and the delicate presentation of the tureen.

(please excuse the dusty secretary, I am pleased to say I have worked up the nerve to paint it and will be done soon)

A trip to Crate and Barrel was worth the wait (Katrina and I attempted to shop there on Saturday evening and arrived as they were closing) as I lucked up on this ceramic ladle for 6.95 to compliment my new piece!

I was so thrilled to find both pieces, I literally squealed when I saw the tureen sitting on the shelf, Katrina and I both found long sought after items for our collections. 

I saw these precious little gems almost right beside my tureen while in Goodwill. These will be a cute compliment to my buffet when I have my brunch. 

At 99 cents each, they were a very good deal!

A trip to Target not far from Katrina's house proved very beneficial for my bedroom which is currently under remodel. 

 Katrina and I were browsing the wares in Pottery Barn on Saturday evening, I shared 
with her my longing for a petite classic globe and to my delight, there were two different styles in a price mark down section! Well... Katrina talked me out of one of the globes, the price was still a little high, boy am I glad she did. In the 50% off home decor section at Target, I found this lovely piece and the price was over 10.00 less than the one I admired just the night before.

These lanterns will make a lovely compliment to the bedroom, I picked up one for each nightstand, they were less than 7.00 each! One of the first things I did after coming home from my trip, was unwrap my lanterns and put candles in them.

I think I did pretty well shopping and the best part was sharing the fun with a great friend. 


Have you found any steals on items you've wanted lately?

A Long Overdue Meeting

Last week my husband, infant son and daughter were a part of a very special meeting, a long overdue official meet and greet with my good friend Katrina!!! 

  Katrina and I met over 3 years ago on the knot.com planning our weddings, we became friends overnight!

 We talk by text and email just about everyday and have been since we met, we've sent packages to one another, helped each other with ideas and planning and even have some of the same recipe books so that we can bake together by phone! Katrina has talked me off the ledge, and has been a shoulder to cry on when I was low. Over these 3 years, Katrina has been very supportive friend throughout my pregnancy, ups and downs with my day to day life, and she was/is there for me dealing with the loss of my grandmother. I call Katrina my modern day pen pal because we had never actually met.

 Katrina and I both planned our babies nurseries; shared every detail about their rooms, the color schemes and all sorts of plans about the babies with one another! It was a really good and surreal feeling to be standing in the same place and talking with the person you've known so well for so long - we had a really good time and so did the boys!

I think they are fast friends too - 

My daughter Jai (who is a really tall 12 year old) had such a good time with "Miss Katrina"  she told me she didn't want to come home. Our families really enjoyed one another which made the visit even more enjoyable for Katrina and I.

Katrina and I (and our husbands and kids in the background lol!) got lots of things done, we managed to decorate together, go to the mall twice, go thrifting and to Target. We even went to dinner and lunch together as a large group! We made the most of our visit and I will be sharing details of those experiences with you all very soon! 

I must have thanked my husband 20 times for taking off work and making this visit possible for me. I was so grateful to be visiting with my friend and sharing in her happiness with the first milestone for Avery making one year old! I am a very lucky woman!