Cupcake Whore.

I made these cupcakes this weekend for a party. I changed a few things, though. For the party I made mini-cupcakes. (The leftover batter was turned into these larger cupcakes to keep all my boys happy). And I totally cheated and made a cake mix for the cake part. I had to. My internet was down and I had three hours to make the cupcakes and had decided not to print the recipe out ahead of time. And I also added way more lemon juice and zest than instructed. And opted not to color the frosting purple. I felt it made one think the frosting was lavender infused. Not the filling. Which is white. And lavender infused.
They were a big hit. But when are cupcakes not?

It's this easy.

Such a talented artist. She needs her own website.

Delicious!

We had been looking forward to this all week. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles! Who knew the little guy could eat so much? And who knew a camera phone could take a pretty decent photo?

Take a letter, Maria.

This letter arrived for my oldest guy from his Grandma. I just love it. My dog looks exactly like that! After I read it, I wouldn't allow anyone to touch it. In fact, the reason I took a picture was so my guy could read it without getting it dirty. I have to frame it and would like it to be crease free. I have issues with paper. And cleanliness.

Dirty Birds.

This birdbath had interesting beginnings. My old roommate found the base piece at a yard sale about eight years ago. Neither of us knew what it was, but it seemed like a cool piece. When my guy and I moved out, we ended up with it and it kinda sat outside for five years.
Last summer we discovered that it made a super cool outdoor umbrella stand.
A year later and we are much smarter. I found an $8 saucer and plopped it on top. And now we have an $8 bird bath!
It's like I'm Dorothy and I've always had the birdbath, I just had to click my heels together.
That just makes me want to buy shoes.

Weird Morning

After being asked if I was pregnant and punched in the arm by a renegade jogger, it would be nice to come home to a glorious garden and relax in the shade of a free peach tree.
But, alas, we are still pretty far from that dream.
I've transplanted some succulents and found others at the 99 cent store. The tree was free and the other stuff was super cheap. Eventually there will be grass on the right of the treated lumber edging. And in the center of the yard, off to the right of the photo, will be an olive tree. Olive-less, of course.
Right now I'm off to ask my garden goddess neighbor her advice on what plants I can add to the mix to complete the "look." There will be one soon, I promise.

Art?

Here are some more "art" finds. I happen to like these, but my husband's more critical eye does not agree. I can't help it, I love the sailboats. And the colors. The back is marked "Naples" which makes me like it more.
The other painting looks like Austria or Switzerland to me. When I bought it at the Goodwill, the checkout clerk asked what I thought the location was. I said, without hesitation, "Austria." He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Do they have a coast?"
I tried to figure out what he'd expected me to say. Like, "Michigan," or "Boca Raton." And I couldn't think of any reason why "Austria" would cause such a commotion in his brain. And then I realized I'm thinking too much about the Goodwill clerk.

Eatin' Kitchen

Okay. So I shopped. But I had a project that I had to do. I had to blow up these images of the boys and I had to put them in exactly these frames and I had to hang them in my kitchen nook. I know, it's actually called a breakfast nook. And I would be a lot happier calling it a breakfast nook if I had any other eating space in the house. But as it stands, this is it. Add that with the fact that air conditioning has a problem flowing into this area and the southern exposure and you can understand why we eat in the living room. And why I vacuum once a day.
Also? Bad photography strikes again. I really need to work out my lighting issues.

Two for that, you must be mad.

I have been trying to curb my shopping problem lately. I decided that I can go to thrift stores and the 99 cent store and that's it. My little guy loves a thrift store so it's worked out okay. And I found this painting for $2. It's growin' on me.
I am still trying to figure out how to photograph anything in my tiny, dark house, so forgive the annoying reflection.