Smore Cupcakes

While I was away on the most fabulous trip, I was featured on one of my favorite cooking blogs, Two Little Chefs.  Two Little Chefs is run by two lovely ladies and one of them happens to be one of my most treasured friend. Some of my most fond memories have been shared with Kelly, and I am so so lucky to have her as a friend.

The recipe that I shared is my favorite cupcake from Trophy Cupcakes located here in Seattle. Jennifer, the owner of Trophy, shared the recipe on Martha Stewart and I was out to make them as soon as I could. While they don't look as grande as Trophy's, they tasted just as good! I altered the original recipe just a tad bit because there was not enough graham crackers for my liking.

If you want to make these fab cupcakes using my notes and instructions, visit Two Little Chefs and let me know what you think! Also, try out this recipe that Kelly and I created while I was visiting her.

Lemon Berry Cupcakes

I recently stumbled on the most adorable baking blog and fell even more in love with it when I found out that the writer was not only a fellow Seattleite but also a high school student! Pâtisserie Natalie features mouth watering recipes with beautiful pictures to go along. I still can't get over that Natalie just graduated from High School this year!

We went over to some friends for dinner last night and it was the perfect excuses to make these amazing cupcakes that Natalie featured on Cakespy. The lemon pound cake with the blackberry and raspberry layered frosting was so divine that I could barely finish off one cupcake. I definitely will be making these again  next time I crave a lemon cake.

Also, I think I want to invest in some new decorating tips. I currently use the open star tip, any one have suggestions on some other tips?

Health Freak

I used to be a health freak. Working out, eating super healthy and dropping weight like it was going out of style. In 2008 I reached my ultimate weight goal and then gained almost all of it back when I got comfortable.

Proof, check out that awesome jaw line of mine. May 2008

So the thing is that right now I am craving my old health freak lifestyle.  I want to become a crazy jock and maybe go back to vegetarianism. Dear Bop and Beep  and Lucy Van Pelt it is mostly your fault that I want to do this, you have inspired me.

Wanna know what one of my biggest obstacles is? I am a sucker for a good burger. Which is super weird since I was once a vegetarian. Oh how a good burger makes me happy.  And oh how unhealthy burgers are.

Today I am a guest blogger at Behold the Metatron and I am sharing my favorite healthy burger recipe. Thank you Bop and Beep for introducing me to this amazing burger.

Define Beautiful

About a month ago a friend emailed me and asked if I wanted to participate in a sort of special project, The Define Beautiful Project. She asked me, along with several other ladies to write something up about what made us feel beautiful.

It took me forever to think of something.

A long long time.

Mainly because I have a hard time believing myself that I am beautiful. My self image issues are insane. I can name about 100 things in less than 5 minutes that I don't like about myself but I had a hard time coming up with a short list of things that I did like about myself. It took me about a week and a half to come up with an answer. Which is pathetic.

This tiny little exercise was the hardest and most rewarding experience. It made me realize that I have a lot, and I mean a lot of things going for me. It also made me realize that I have a lot to work on with coming to terms with myself.

Go read my definition of beautiful and maybe you should participate. It's been an amazing experience.

Guest Post-Diana

I honestly don't remember how I meet Diana, I think my first real memory of her was at my wedding. She was Brock's aunt and uncle's neighbor. Diana eventually married Karen's (Brock's aunt through marriage) nephew and that was pretty much the beginning of our friendship. She moved up to Seattle right about the time I was leaving for California and was extremely delighted for us to move back and live 2 miles away. Sometimes when I am positive that I ready for motherhood, I borrow her little dude for the day and that fulfills my motherly needs for at least a good 6 months. He's full of energy and loves to steal stuff out of my purse when I am not looking. hehe 
Diana is a real thrift goddess. She know her way around the grocery store and always scores the best deals. She taught me her thrifty ways and I scored $20 worth of groceries for 5 bucks. I was on such a high after that trip. Next time I do it, I'm taking her along so we can go deeper into the science of couponing. Fellow readers, she wrote up a short intro into the world of couponing just for you!

On my drive home I saw someone standing at the corner intersection asking for money. This time, the sign they were holding intrigued me. It said, "A little can go a long way." I wondered, "If I gave this person $5, how far could they make it go?" I further challenged that thought by wondering, "How far could I stretch $5?"

With a meager five-dollar bill, which most people believe can only buy you a "5-dollar footlong" from Subway (before tax)-I ventured off to some nearby grocery stores to see what I could get. But, I didn't go alone. I carried with me my coupon book, which is really a photo album that works perfectly for separating my coupons into their specific categories.

Albertson's is a great grocery store because in many regions they provide "Twice the Value" coupons. These store coupons will double the value of your manufacturer coupon up to $1.00. So, when I used my $1.00 coupon, I actually received $2.00 off. When the TtV coupons are available, I am always sure to scour the ad and match up the best coupon deals with what my household currently needs.

My first purchase included 2 Dial Liquid Hand Soaps originally priced at .99 each and some disposable gloves at $2.19.

• Final cost would have been $4.17 + tax, but I had coupons for each item, and after the doubler coupons, my total was $1.03. *Phew* I almost thought my $5 was gone already.

My next purchase, (also at Albertson's with the doublers) was 2 packages of Rhodes Frozen Rolls priced at $2.79 each.

• Final cost would have been $5.58, but after coupons my total was $1.58.

We had just run out of salsa at our house,  and La Victoria salsa priced at $2.99 each (16 oz)-just an average price, however, I had a very high-value coupon that I printed from their website months ago to get $4.00/2 so it still turned out to be a thrifty deal, at only $1.98 for 2 jars.

.41 cents left over.

I know, I know. You may be thinking, "A 5-dollar footlong would taste better than rolls with salsa, and some soap on the side." However, I was grabbing some deals and keeping myself stocked up on items that we need and that is the key: to stay stocked up and not buy again until you can get it for cheap.

For example: It's never fun when you realize you've run out of toothpaste, and then spend $3.00 on a tube where if you stock up on a deal (for me, less than .75 cents a tube) you are able to see when your supply is depleting, and typically have a few weeks to watch for the next best deal to come along.

I don't need to go into more detail about all the items you can potentially get for free--I'll leave that up to Thrifty Mom, Coupon Cravings, and Money Saving Mom. These are just a few of the hundreds of blogs that highlight a variety of deals or who matches up coupons to your advantage. They do a lot of the work in searching the deals and communicating them to their readers. All you need to do is print/clip, shop, and see how far you can stretch your $5.00, and maybe even donate that little bit extra to others in need.

Try it out. This is definitely a hobby I have thoroughly enjoyed doing and sharing.

Don't know where to start? Buy a Sunday paper, or visit a few of your favorite brand's websites for coupons. Other good resources are coupons.com, redplum.com, and your local grocery stores website. I highly recommend following one or two of the sites listed above (or any avid couponer's site) so they can guide you to some of the best deals in your area.

Guest Post-Michelle

Michelle and I worked on the same team at Amazon.com back in the day when I was a  working gal. Michelle moved to Seattle from San Fransisco and gave me all the inside scope on the Bay area before I moved there. Because of her insight,I ate the best veggie burritos and lived in a nice little town. She is a lover of music and good food and her blog, It is what it is documents her adventures as a hip, young professional in the rainy city of Seattle.


Meet Mo.  Cutest Puppy Ever.

A few days ago I was showing a couple friends the rooftop garden of my
apartment building.  It has a great view of the Space Needle and
wanted my friends to get some pictures from the garden..  Even though
there are barbeques and tables, most people go there to walk their
dogs there.  After 15 minutes of picture taking we were ready to leave
when we ran into Mo.  As you can see he is a-dorable

When I was growing up we always had dogs.  First we had a dog that
looked like Lassie (I don’t remember its name, I wasn’t even 5 then.)
Then we had Fritz and Rubbles, two Doberman Pinschers that were
outside dogs, and ended up giving them away after a few months.  The
last dog we had was Oreo. He was previously a neighbor’s dog but was
moving to a place that did not allow dogs.  My dad felt sorry for him
so we kept him.  Oreo was also an outside dog that looked like Benji
but was black and gray with white hair on his chest.  Thinking back my
dad was the one that always took care of our dogs, like all kids, I
didn’t have to do much to take care of it.

A few of my friends have dogs and now I am itching to get one. But
when I say I want a dog, the first thing everyone says is how much
responsibility they are and how your life changes when you have a pet.
It’s like they are talking about having a kid!  I would feel bad if my
dog had to stay in a crate or be penned up in the kitchen all day
long. I have a neighbor whose dog literally cries all day long when
its owner is away.  It’s sad.  Even though Seattle is a very pet
friendly city, if and when I move back, I’d have to get a place that
allowed dogs, which is harder to do in SF.

The smart thing for me to do is to get a dog when I settle down and
live in a more permanent place.  Until then, I’ll go nuts over Mo and
the other puppies in the building.   But when it’s time to clean up
their mess, I’ll give them back to their owner.  It’s almost like
holding a baby and then passing them back when they start to cry to
need to get changed. ..well sort of.

Guest Post-Kelly

Kelly and I have been friends since my first semester at BYU. I meet her in my Arabic 101 class and I instantly knew that I hit the jackpot when it came to a new friend.  She is energetic, a lover, a dreamer, and makes the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted. I always went to her with my confessions and issues and we would talk it out over some delightful treat that she had baked. Kelly blogs about her struggles and triumphs as an ESL professor along with mouth watering posts about her new kitchen creations.


When Layla asked me to post for her, my first thought was of flattery- how nice that she thought I would write a good guest post! The next thought was one of panic- what on earth was I going to write about? And what if everyone thought my topic was dumb? What if I couldn’t come up with a good topic and Layla regrets ever asking me? What if, because of my terrible post, people stop reading her blog? So I started thinking. And thinking. And thinking.
I consider myself to be a bit eclectic…jack of all trades, master of none, that’s me. I love (with nearly equal passion) languages, English grammar (both of which, I’ve unfortunately discovered, most people don’t really like to discuss on blogs) hiking, classical music, gardening, reading, exercising, clothes, Irish dancing, food, and therefore cooking. And that is where I stopped. Cooking.
Cooking is my way to express myself. It’s like being an artist, except my weapon of choice is a paring knife rather than a paint brush. I love food. When I’m not eating, I’m thinking or dreaming about food. Grocery shopping is a pleasure; planning dinner is a delight.
My husband and I have a disagreement when it comes to food. He says he eats to survive. He appreciates good food, but really, to him cooking is more of a hassle than anything else. He’s just as happy eating cream of ________ casserole as boeuf bourguignon. Or so he claims. I, on the other hand, eat because I love food. I love the flavors, the textures, the smells. I love the process of making food. It doesn’t matter how long it takes or how complex the recipe is (I’ll confess- sometimes the harder the better). I just love being in the kitchen.
Some of my fondest memories of my childhood involve time spent in the kitchen. When I was a kid and my family was broke, my mom used to make everything from scratch: granola, bread, cookies, pie. You name it; she could whip up something delectable in a flash. I used to alternate my time outside romping around the field or climbing our apple trees with sitting at the kitchen counter helping my mom peel potatoes or shape loaves of bread.
I learned a lot from those days. I learned that the best cookies are always made with butter. I learned that you don’t really need to measure how much honey or molasses to go into wheat bread, but you probably should measure the yeast. I learned that you should handle pie crust as little as possible or it will become tough. I learned which apples make the best pie, best cider, and which are best for munching. And I learned that if you really love someone, you feed them.
And so, if you ever have a problem or are feeling down, I will probably try to feed you. If you come over to visit (especially if you time it right), I’ll insist you stay for dinner. Or at least for dessert. And if you’re lucky, I’ll be in the middle of making something fantastic. Like gingered pear and apple cobbler. Or Thai red curry. Or caramel apples, with caramel freshly made from the perfect blend of cream and honey. Or chicken corn chowder. Or hot whole wheat bread….

Guest Post-Natalie

I met Natalie when I worked at the Provo Courthouse. Her husband and I worked together and she was the reporter that would come in on a daily basis. I watched as they went from casual flirting to full-blown engaged in a matter of months. She has one of the most delightful blogs, The Bobby Pin, where she captivates her readers with serious topics, like domestic violence, or being frugal and glamorous all at the same time.

Pain

A few weeks ago, I burned my hand. I was straightening my hair, getting ready to go to the symphony with my husband. Then, all at once, my foot stepped on the straightener, making it slip it through my hands.

Despite running cold water of it and icing my hand, I ended up with a nasty blister. Husband wondered if we should go to the emergency room.

I preferred the symphony.

As I sat there in pain, I told husband I didn't feel like I could complain, because I read blogs of women who have endured so much more.

Husband, however, gave me permission.

"You don't fully know the pain of others until you experience some strain of it yourself," he said.

Now, I don't think my pain helped me empathize for someone who had felt so much. But as I was overwhelmed with my throbbing hand, it felt good to have permission to hurt. So I did

My hand doesn't hurt anymore. But sometimes I feel as though -- and women, especially -- don't feel like we can hurt. Oh, sure, we cry in private, but do we let ourselves hurt? Or does the vulnerability of experiencing pain block us.

When I shared my burn scar with a friend, she opened up about her current physical aches and pains. We hugged it out.

I say we open up. No longer shelter our pains both physical and emotional. Let us band together as women, and do more than just happily say that everything is fine. A little honesty, no matter if we feel others will think it is silly or dumb. It is your pain, it is my hurt, so it is serious. As we are vulnerable, we will reap benefits. Closer friendships, less stress from being guarded.

And most importantly, we will not be alone. 

Au Revoir

In a couple of hours I will be on my way to Sea-Tac International Airport to make my journey to The City of Light. I'll make a pit stop in the magical country of Iceland and maybe I'll have some time to frolic in the grass and sing Bjork songs at the top of my lungs.

I'm excited for this trip, a little nervous yes, but so excited! It will be my first time in Europe as an adult and I can't wait to experience it all! I'm especially excited to experience both France and England as a local (in both countries, I will be staying with friends that live there) rather than just a tourist.

For several years, I would have dreams of being in London and Paris and I would wake up disappointed because I really didn't know when I would get the chance to go. I really can't believe how lucky I am!

While I'm off to Europe, you will be treated to delightful post from incredible peeps. They range from young professionals to supermoms and they will not disappoint you! I was more than thrilled when they agreed to help me out. I really am a lucky girl :)

I'll be back soon!

P.S. Dear husband of mine, don't forget I love you.
{Photo}

Juicy

Dude let me just say I love gossip. I especially love community gossip.

Want to know what my favorite local blog is? My Ballard.

They have got this tiny neighborhood covered when it comes to the juicy stuff.

I love that they care so much about each other and the community that they have a blog completely dedicated to it.

Want to know why traffic was all backed up on the bridge on Thursday night? Let me see here...It's because a couple of idiots jumped off the bridge and they had search and rescue looking for them.

OR

Why are there huge orange spray painted circles on the grass near 14th ave? That's right, someone circled dog poop and reminded our fellow dog walkers to pick up their poop.

There was a helicopter circling our building and street at around midnight the other night. Of course we went to My Ballard for details. Why wouldn't we? Turns out they were looking for a runaway. NOW THAT IS HARDCORE! People were out helping and doing everything possible to get this girl back home. And they did. This is exactly why I love Ballard!

They have other stuff too, like local BBQ info's and football season information. OH and that Tobey Maguire movie that is being filmed at our local elementary school. Apparently it has to do with a raccoon infestation, a headline that has already been covered on the blog.

You better believe that I follow them on twitter and subscribe to their blog feed.

A Word Cloud

I made a word cloud based on my last couple of posts. It turns out I blogged mostly about food.

Brought to you by Wordle

Need Some Inspiration?

I love TED. It's a conference that is held every year in California where the inspiring people go to give fantastic talks and party the night away. It's pretty exclusive and it was kept from the public for awhile.

Wanna laugh (check)
Wanna cry (check)
Wanna feel inspired (check)

They have everything and it's free for you to watch online. I've been hooked for about a year and it's about time that I shared my best kept secret.

I'm Bored and I Read Blogs Like This One

Why Mormon Girls Stay Single. Seriously, the title says it all. Thanks Natalie for the intro, I've spent the last hour being entertained. Enjoy peeps!

***Disclaimer*** I have a sick sense of humor, and I don't take things very seriously. So don't take it too serious and have a laugh.

Holiday on a Budget

Are you strapped for cash this holiday season? Are you trying to be creative with your gift giving and want it to be affordable? Domino magazine is featuring 20 gifts that you can make or buy for under a $1.00. Check it out and let it spark your creative side.

Addicted

Are you bored out of your mind like I am? Did you like Twilight? Are you a hopeless romantic?

If you answered yes to any one of those questions, then you need to read this blog. I'm telling you, it's worth it. She's got drama, love, anger, and forgiveness all wrapped up in one nice package and topped off with a big fat red bow.

The best part about all of this, is for awhile people thought it was real. Rumors were flying all over the blog world about whether it was real or fiction. The author once said that she was sitting around with some of her good friends while they argued about it and she kept her mouth shut. She finally had to come clean and say it was fiction.

By the way, there are no vampires. Sorry...

Thanks Christine for introducing me to this blog!

My 100th Post

Hooray! I finally made it to post 100. In honor of this moment, I will list 100 things that you probably don't know about me. Are you ready?

1. I weighed 5 pounds something other when I was born.
2. I was born two weeks late.
3. I'm the oldest of three full siblings and two half siblings.
4. Up until the recent move to California, I have moved every three years to a new city or new home.
5. On my dad's side of the family, I have over 50 cousins.
6. My favorite book is Catcher in the Rye.
7. When I was in College, I changed my major four times.
8. I majored in Psychology.
9. I majored in Spanish.
10. I majored in Linguistics.
11. I graduated in Middle Eastern Studies.
12. I trained for a half marathon.
13. I fell on a treadmill while I was training for the half marathon.
14. I never ran that half marathon.
15. I lived in Amman, Jordan.
16. I lived in Zarqa, Jordan.
17. I lived in Shreveport, LA.
18. I lived on a farm in Hall Summit, LA.
19. I lived in West Monroe, LA.
20. I lived in Rexburg, ID.
21. I lived in Provo, UT.
22. I lived in Seattle, WA.
23. Now I live in a city right outside of San Fransisco called Foster City.
24. I attended La Tech.
25. I attended BYU-I.
26. I graduated from BYU.
27. I attended all three of those universities during my freshman year.
28. I meet my husband when I was 14.
29. I married him when I was 20.
30. I got married in the Manti LDS Temple.
31. I have been married for 4 years.
32. I don't have children.
33. I am a convert to the LDS faith.
34. I joined the church when I was 12.
35. I was raised as a Muslim.
36. I am half Arab.
37. I am a daughter.
38. I am a wife.
39. I am a daughter in law.
40. I am a sister.
41. I am a sister in law.
42. I am a mother... to an 11 year old cat.
43. I am a granddaughter.
44. I am a niece.
45. I am a youth leader at church.
46. I am a friend.
47. I am an aunt.
48. I am a registered Democrat.
49. I voted for Barack Obama, and I am really proud of it.
50. I feel inspired by him.
51. I am a little bit of a tree hugger.
52. I recycle almost everything that can be recycled.
53. If I hear one more person tell me that throwing away trash is just as economical as recycling I might have to scream.
54. I recycle because this earth was given to me to take care of it, not to destroy it.
55. I am a newbie vegetarian.
56. I really don't like meat that much so I thought I would give the veggie diet a try.
57. I really don't like peaches.
58. I really love pumpkin.
59. When it comes to ice creams and frozen yogurt, I prefer the fruity kind.
60. I could live off of hummus and pita bread.
61. I don't like cooked carrots very much.
62. I don't like cake very much.
63. I love cheese cake though.
64. I want to have at least 2 kids.
65. I don't want more than four kids.
66. I refuse to have three kids.
67. I never crawled.
68. Because I never crawled, I lack some serious motor skills.
69. Whatever I do with my right hand, I have to do the same thing with my left hand.
70. I have ADD.
71. I have dyslexia in Arabic.
72. But not in English.
73. I love the Smashing Pumpkins.
74. I despise Bjork.
75. I have recently become a crafty person.
76. I can't cut a straight line.
77. I can't draw a straight line, even with a ruler.
78. My favorite color is red.
79. My least favorite color is purple.
80. When I sleep, I grind my teeth.
81. I also sleep walk.
82. I love sushi.
83. I love diet pepsi.
84. I'm not a big fan of diet coke.
85. Today I found out that I really like cheese and honey.
86. I own a rather large collection of nail polish.
87. One of my favorite pass times is taking bubble baths.
88. One of my best friends is sleep. Oh how I adore thee!
89. I hate roller coasters.
90. I lived in Utah for four years and never went skiing.
91. I attempted snow boarding.
92. I really love running.
93. I hope one day that I can run a marathon.
94. When I have kids, I think I might try out the whole natural birthing.
95. I was in a major car accident when I was 11 years old and I shattered my elbow.
96. Part of my elbow is fake.
97. When I was seven, I cut the tip of my finger off.
98. I own a really cute house in Seattle.
99. I'm really excited about my future.
100. I really love writing blogs!

If you read all of that congratulations, that was a lot to take in!

Oh Snap I Got Tagged!

List:
3 joys
3 fears
3 goals
3 current obsessions/collections
3 random/surprising facts

3 Joys
-Being married to Brock. Every day is a surprise.
-Sleeping on green grass under the bright sun.
-Traveling. I love everything about it.

3 Fears
-Being assaulted (I watch too much dateline).
-Clowns. Who seriously thought that clowns would be awesome? They should be shot.
-I'm terrified of being alone. I would never be able to live by myself.

3 Goals
-I really want to go back to school. Just don't know in what.
-I really need to lose ten more pounds.
-I should probably workout.

3 current obsessions/ collections
-Nail polish. I have a rather large collection
-I love meebo.com ...Seriously, it's some pretty impressive stuff.
-Reality T.V. I can't believe I'm admitting this. I really don't understand why I get so addicted.

3 random/surprising facts
-I hate peaches. No it's not just the fuzzy stuff that gets to me, but the whole dang fruit. I just don't get what is so great about it.
-My favorite smell is fresh cut grass. It reminds me of my grandmothers farm.
-My Freshman year of college, I attended three different universities.

Now for tagging people......Livi,Diana, and Kim