brain dump that starts with a miracle

Both my Mom and Alicia have instructed me to quit feeling the pressure of "a first blog back" and just start. (That's been one of the major road blocks I'll confess -- where to dive back in after so much time and so many crazy events?)

Tonight, I give you a secular miracle. Spiritual miracles over yonder.


An orange Starburst to me is worthless. So check out this miracle bag I drew yesterday. Target really is a holy house.

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Can you believe it's nearly November? I sure can't, but this Halloween-New Year's stretch is my favorite time of the year, so who am I to complain? We leave for Panama four weeks from today--marking the third time in three years I'll be in a foreign country for Thanksgiving. Nothing like saying thanks to those early pilgrims by evacuating the country that gave them freedom and cornbread.

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I have church at 11:00. There's something about the 11AM block that sucks the entire day away. Today, I left for church at 10:30 and didn't leave the building until 4:30. Sure extended meetings kept me at church longer than normal, but what happened to the in and out in just over 3 hours? 11AM church is a time vortex, I'm telling you what.

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I finally caught up on my last DVR'd episodes of the shows I've been missing since I went on the road the first week of September. Today, I enjoyed four episodes of The Vampire Diaries and didn't feel one bit of bad about it. Sure, the town of Mystic Falls might be a titch dangerous, but if the menfolk all looked like they do on that show, it might just be worth the risk.

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I did a three week tour out west for work and a bit of play. 10 days Utah, 7 days Portland, 4 days Detroit. It was exhausting and exhausting. While there, I spoke at a work conference on the parallels between catering cupcakes and managing successful web projects (the playback audio also confirms I speak with a lisp. >). High profile, high stress. Somehow I also thought it wise for cupcakes to accompany my presentation, so I found my self baking 180 cupcakes the same week I was freaking out about a host of other things that needed to be done allwithin24hours.

I learned some new stuffs this go round -- chocolate raspberry is the new black, bacon cooked in a microwave cooks flat and beautifully, and lemon cupcake with cream cheese frosting and coconut on top might still be my all time favorite.

Annnnnnnnnnnd now I want a cupcake.
The good news is this is the view I got to watch from my parents' kitchen while also baking, frosting, cleaning up, practicing my talk, or trying not to dry heave from nerves.
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This will be my eleventh winter with snow and I've still yet to figure out the whole winter shoe issue. Please someone, anyone, anyone, give me some pointers?

Also? It's good to be back. It was stressing me out missing so much of my personal history.

Giving "feed my sheep" a WHOLE NEW MEANING

If "feed an apostle" was on my previously mentioned bucket list, I'd totally be able to cross it off.

Team Cupcake!

If you ever think making 350 cupcakes in 15 hours (minus any sleep you'd like) sounds like a good idea, I beg you to watch this video of this weekend's grand event.

1 oven.
2 caterers* with day jobs.
3 kinds of cupcakes.

Don't try this at home:



*We had a bit more help than just Mallory and I. Special thanks to those who bought groceries, brought in pizza, replenished the Diet Cokes, set up boxes, took photos, and stayed out of the way. We couldn't have done it without our pit crew!

And HAPPY WEDDING RACHEL!

On...

Creativity
Once upon a time, I used to keep up to date on a pretty creative little blog. I told stories, waxed anecdotal, drew pictures, wrote satirical poems, and posted photos of weird things (like my hands). My posting has suffered the last few months (years?); I feel overwhelmed at trying to jump back into the fray. (To be honest, I don't feel very funny or creative any more.)

But, I've been putting my creativity to use other places! Out in the real world! No words involved!And now! Behold! A picture display! (and some necessary commentary...)

1. The night before the 3rd of July, our trip to the Drive-In movie was rained out. Instead, we had the first annual Wonders of the World Rice Krispy Treat Sculpting Extravaganza. The creativity of my friends is outstanding. My favorite was the fast food hamburger meal, but the TMNT, King Kong climbing the Empire State Building, the octopus, and the various dinosaurs put my unintentional and possibly racist Michael Jackson tribute to shame.

2. Helped create this "Saved by the Bell" class pose.

3. Helped style these two brides. Two besties, two weddings, two weekends. I just couldn't be happier for either or more in platonic love with their respective husbands. How sweet to be in the bride's room helping zip or lace. My uber-talented sister Alaina took both of their photos. Julie and Greg here. Kendall and Josh here.

4. Someone thought I knew how to arrange flowers, so I tried my hand. Ju's bouquet, boutonnieres (22!), and centerpieces (9).



4. Shark Week party! I love theme parties, so how could I resist? (PS--does anyone need arm floaties? I've got a dozen.)

5. And last, the crowning glory... the 220 cupcakes I made for Kendall's reception. My 12+ hour piece of the puzzle seemed like an eternity, I can't imagine how many hours it took my mom to throw a world-class reception in our backyard. My darling cousin Rachel was my sous-chef; Mallory took a quick turn for one batch. We made three kinds of cupcakes, a cinnamon roll inspired with cream cheese frosting, coconut, and chocolate ganache on a chocolate cake. They were by far the nicest cupcakes I've done, but I don't think I'll be quitting my day job any time soon. So there you go. A reminder to myself as much as to anyone, that I can create in ways other than blogs no one people are reading.

An otherwise odd pairing

Why yes. That IS a bacon-topped cupcake. Your eyes are not deceiving you.

Isn't everything better with salty meat?

Get thee to a cupcakeary!

Another grouping

Wow, am I a bad blogger or what? I seem to have reached new lows. Maybe it's because my life is fuller than ever--or because I don't have as much free time at work to multiply and divide words.

Here's the sitch. It's 10:35 at night and I need to make this fast. (Will I? CHances are slim, but here's praying for quick thoughts and speedy fingers.) I have EARLY all-day client meetings and have to get up in the 6's. THE SIXES. Aye carumba. The meetings are super important and I'm feeling a little nervous, seeing as it will be my fifth day on the job and a lot is riding on this international site redesign. Here's hoping for the best!

So I guess I'll try to keep it to a dull roar here for the time being. I'm in all day meetings Monday and Tuesday, and in Portland for work Wednesday to the following Friday. The jury is out on how much desire I'll have to be blogging in the evenings as the baptism by fire at the new j continues. Ready for some shortisms? LEt's do it up.

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The weather got nice, the Boston Sailing Association had an Open House; what else to do but check it out? I definitely didn't help sail the boat one minute; it was like a mini cruise in the harbor!

I tried to dress as Ralph Lauren as possible.



















Looking at the picture above and to the left, it's okay if 1) your insides feel a little weird because I have a scarf made of human hair. 2) You think my hair is the exact RBG value of the Cowardly Lion's mane.
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I was sitting on the floor yesterday at Staples, perusing over some clearance items for my sister, when a guy in a maroon shirt started making comments. Assuming he worked there, I responded about the product. Mistake. This creeper skeever proceeded to drop this doozy on me:

I can tell by your sweater and hair that you must be part of the upper class.

Um, what? Folks. I'll be the first to admit that I can definitely dress to impress. Was I so adorned at Staples yesterday? No. I was wearing an H&M sweater and had beach ratty hair (though it had been washed that morning, it had minimal product and had air dried).

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Last night was LPug's giant "Under the Big Top" circus-themed birthday party. The invitation explicitly said to dress up in crazy/wacky colors. You don't tell me these things unless you mean them. So there I am, at a party with 40+ people in the ward, and there are three people dressed up. I am one of them. Oh well; I rocked my purple and blue nylon overalls like they haven't been rocked since stake dances. Oh yeah, I wore my "wacky" makeup dancing that night too.

I keep expecting to find the line where I should be embarrassed by the things I do.
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I made cupcakes today. One box, one batch. Strawberry cheesecake. I learn something new every time I make cupcakes. Today's tidbit has to do with the paper holders. Key word: PAPER. Don't use the aluminium ones. They lose their shape easily, don't cook evenly, and tear easily when they come out of the tin. THese were the least "pretty" and uniform of any of the cupcakes I've made thus far. Just a point to note.
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Sometimes I dread having to fight the formatting in Blogger that I don't blog. Especially posts with photos.
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We had a picnic today at a local Arboretum. Picnicking (if the spelling looks wrong, blame Blogger) on the lawns is only allowed ONE day of the year; how fortunate it coincided with Mother's Day, Laura's birthday, AND her engagement day! A cause for celebration on all four fronts. The weather was gorgeous, the colors were vibrant, and spirits were high.

I'm only sorry I had to wear my glasses. I can definitely see how no one recognized Superman in his CLark Kent glasses. I feel like no one will recognize me when I wear my glasses; it's the strangest mindset.
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In the latest mouth update, I'm nearly healed. I'll admit, things were pretty dodgy for about a week. After my latest post, I developed a smattering of pretty intense canker sores that were swelling my mouth. But save one dime-sized friend still keeping me company, I'm on the up and up. TMI?
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Okay! Late. Blogger was taking forever to upload pics, so I'm up later than I wish. Let's hope my cutting off Coke Zero at 6pm was enough to ensure I fall asleep without much drama. BIG meetings! BIG work travel! BIG WEEK!

Keep a kind thought for me.

And lastly, a shout out to all the Moms I know and love. Thanks for having and raising the babies I can't have and don't want.(Ha. Ha.) For the rest of you, keep a smile on your face when you think of this phrase my sisters and I get a hoot from every year (circa church 2003): "I'm a woman, I'm a mother." If you're a boy and reading this blog, I don't believe it.

To bed I said!

Cupcake-a-thon

Once upon a time, I made some cupcakes.

And by some, I mean in the low two-hundreds. I told you I tend to go overboard in planning and hosting.

The cooking was actually for a cause--to raise money for an MS walk I'm going to participate in later this week. Thanks to all those who attended and donated!

I used a variety of base flavors, frostings, and decorative elements. Don't worry, I posted a sign warning of the digestive problems that would result from eating the wooden shapes.

And of course there are pictures. Be prepared to discover what my hands were doing while my ears were listening to Conference...

Base flavors included chocolate peanut butter, chocolate coconut, black and white, lemon, cinnamon roll, white, Snickers, strawberry shortcake, and plain chocolate. Frostings included cream cheese, vanilla, mint, and chocolate ganache. My personal choice of the night was a toss-up between the strawberry cheesecake and lemon with cream-cheese frosting and coconut.

Last night I thought I'd be happy if I never ate a cupcake again. However, posting these at 4pm in the afternoon is doing wonders in changing my mind... good thing there are still a few at home.

Some of my favorites up close:

I think it's time for me to move on to another hobby. Ideas?