Wedding shower cake

This is the wedding shower cake I made last night. I intentionally chose a simple design because I knew I would not have much time to decorate. I get home from work at 5 and the party was at 8.

But for some reason, everything with this cake went wrong.

Thing 1 - I baked all the cakes Tuesday night so they would be ready to be decorated. I stuck the last one in the oven kind of late, so my hubby (who was staying up anyway) said he would take it out when the timer went off. Well, in my half-asleep state of mind, I read 'baking-soda' as 'baking-powder.' When I got up the next morning The cake was terrible. It had not fluffed up at all. I had to throw it out and make another one before I went to work.

Thing 2 - I also made my icing before I went to work. I use a recipe that calls for cooking and then letting it set in the fridge to firm up and I wanted to give it plenty of time. Again, something went wrong and when I got home it was the consistency of pudding. It tasted great!! But it would not work. Hubby to the rescue!! Or at least, hubby to the store...... to buy frosting. =(

Thing 3 - At this point I am feeling like we can do this! The cake is dirty iced and covered in fondant. All I have to do know is decorate it and frost the cupcakes. So hubby (isn't he great?) said he would do the cupcakes, and I start piping away. He used a pipe bag too to make swirls on the cupcakes. Not three cupcakes in and his bag busts at the seam. (He is a bit of a hulk anyway so I didn't think much about it). Then mine does too. Ugh....

Oh well.... With a little improvising this is what we ended up with.

It definitely is not my best work, but considering the time crunch and all the little snags, I am pretty happy with it.

I love the black and white.... so classy and romantic!!=)

To see how to make a heart shape cake without a heart shaped pan click here.

Trying my Hardest

I really like working out with other people. I know I push myself harder with others around, especially if they are able to do more than me. The company makes the time go by faster and for me, it helps take my mind off of the fact that my muscles fell like jello and I may in fact drop this dumbbell right on my face (skull crushers kill my arms!!).

But not all workout partners provide this kind of company. I have recently learned that there are certain people I should not work out with.

Not everyone is encouraging. Not everyone is motivating. And some people just don't understand that even if they think they are helping you by telling you everything that you are doing 'wrong' that they are really just giving you one more reason to walk out  the gym doors and not come back in. As if I needed any more reasons......

There are 1000 ways to skin a cat and there are a million different ways to work out. Sure, some are better than others, but they are all better than sitting on the couch eating potato chips.

The bottom line is, I have gone from a size 18 to a size 8. I got my first gym membership at 15 years old (with my mom's signature), and I have gone from 250+lbs to 169lbs. I know how to workout. And I know what works for my body.

I don't want to be able to bench press a truck, I don't care how much I can lift. I just want to get a good sweat, feel my muscles working, and feel sore in the morning. That is what works for me.

I just think everyone who steps into a gym should respect the fact that every body is different and everyone is at different points on their fitness journey. And believe it or not, not everyone has the same goals that you do. I work DIFFERENTLY to achieve DIFFERENT goals. Not better, not worse, just DIFFERENT.

Just because I am not trying YOUR hardest does not mean I am not trying MY hardest.

Please excuse the curse word, but this says it all!!

Please don't tell me I can lift more. Please don't tell me to do my push-ups faster. Please do not call me a wimp. Please don't look disappointed when I finish my reps. Please don't scoff when I ask for a lighter weight. Please don't make me feel like I am not pushing myself.

I understand this kind of 'encouragement' may work for some people (especially guys), but when I tell you repeatedly that it does not help me, respect that.

Be encouraging. Be positive. Be supportive.

So if anyone reading this works out with a partner, take time to ask them what motivates them. Tell them what motivates you. And then, just do that. A great workout partner is like gold!! But what makes a workout partner 'great' will be different for different people. Make sure you know how to be one.


What do you need from a workout partner??

Make Mascara Last Longer

I hate buying mascara.

I spend ten bucks on something so tiny!! And does anyone ever really notice if I am wearing it or not?

Then two months later it starts drying out and I feel the need to go buy more. What really bothers me is that there is still so much in the bottle that I haven't used! But it is dry and clumpy so all I can do is throw it out. Well it is time for that nonsense to stop.

There are several tricks to making your mascara last longer. The easiest by far is to add a few drops of contact solution to it and stir it up. This alone can add a month or more! It keeps it from getting dry and clumpy so you can actually use the entire bottle. When was the last time that happened?

Another trick is to never 'pump' the wand into the tube. This increases the amount of air that gets in and drys it out. Instead, twist the wand to get more mascara on it. This helps keep it moist longer.

Now if you are like me, with very sensitive eyes, the dryness of the mascara is not the only thing that bothers you. As the wand gets older it gets more dust and germs on it. After a couple months or so, even if it is not dried out, it makes my eyes itch so bad that I would have to throw it out if not for this tip. Boil the wand! I know, it sounds weird. But seriously, boil a bit of water and stick the wand in and clean off all of the old mascara on it. This removes enough germs and dirt for me to use it for another month at least.

Mascara is expensive, especially when you think about what you are getting (goop on your face.) But if you take care of it you could wind up only needing to buy it twice a year. You may think it is not worth the effort, but if someone was willing to pay you ten dollars to boil a small pot of water, would you? I would. So just think of it as paying yourself! =)

If you spend $10 on mascara every two months you would spend $60 a year. Or, by making it last longer you could spend only $20 or $30 a year. I don't know what your family's budget looks like, but that helps mine.

Taco Seasoning

One more way to save money and know what you are feeding your family. Make your own taco seasoning! No preservatives or modified anything. You control what goes in it.
It is so easy to make and saves you money!

Here is the recipe I use.

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes
 1/2 t oregano
1 t paprika
1 Tbsp cumin
2 t pepper


You may want to add salt. We are not big on salt in our house and we like it just fine without any.

I add about two Tbsp per pound of meat with a little bit of water, a few splashes of Tabasco and a can of southern ranch style beans. SOOO yummy!!

If you like a dryer taco meat without a bit of a 'sauce', just omit the flour and water.

You could also substitute the flour for ground rice. Just run a Tbsp through a coffee grinder until it is a powder. You would only need to use 1 Tbsp of rice instead of 2 Tbsp of flour.  

You can also use this mix for chili. The only difference is the chili to cumin ratio. So I just use this mix and add more chili to taste.

Store in tupperware or an old spice bottle.

=)