29 Things Before 29 (or New Years Resolutions)

You don't have to tell me. I'm more than aware I've been a complete failure at blogging the last two months. I just haven't felt particularly inspired nor have I had an abundance of free time (even though I was off work for an entire week). I was too busy eating cookies, watching movies, and working on a puzzle. Give a girl a break. I live a really exciting life. I know. Anyways, since it is almost NYE and I still hadn't done my 29 things before 29 list I thought I could just roll it all up into one big resolutions/goals/things I need to accomplish post. Sound good? Great. Here we go...

1. Blog at least once a week.
2. No alcohol or sweets for a month. The alcohol part? That will be easy. The sweets? Lord help me.
3. Find a church to attend. This must happen this year.
4. Get my new website up and running. More on this to come. Hopefully soon :)
5. Buy/hang curtains in my living room and bedroom.
6. Take photography lessons.
7. Take a Bikram yoga class.
8. Travel abroad. Europe. Mexico. Canada. Wherever!
9. Increase my savings account by changing my automatic funds transfer from $50 to $100 a week.
10. Walk at least 10,000 steps every day for a month. I just got a Fit Bit for Christmas so I'm kind of obsessed. :)
11. Call a friend I haven't talked to in awhile on the way home from work at least once a week.
12. Say "I love you" more and mean it.
13. Eat a paleo or low carb diet for a month. Again, this will be very difficult for a carb lover like myself.
14. Read 12 books.
15. Try 12 new recipes (bonus points if they aren't desserts).
16. Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This one is kind of cheating because C and I are already planning on going there in March, but I've wanted to go forever so whatever. This one's a freebie!
17. Milk a cow. Random you may say? It sounds fun...and I just really want to visit Shatto Milk Company sometime this year. I might die of happiness if I'm able to bottle feed a baby cow. Soooo stinkin' cute!
18. Sing karaoke.
19. Buy a house plant and keep it alive for 6 months. Let's be honest. There is no way it will live for year. Baby steps.
20. Swim with manatees or dolphins.
21. Go for a hot air balloon ride.
22. Send snail mail to a friend or family member each month. I know I had this same idea last year, but I failed miserably, and I always love getting fun mail so it's time to return the favor.
23. Buy my parents dinner.
24. Have a garage sale to get rid of everything still boxed up in the basement. If I haven't used it in almost a year I really don't need to keep hanging on to it.
25. Buy a piece of jewelry that signifies all I've achieved so far.
26. Take a spinning class.
27. Try 12 new restaurants.
28. Visit at least one state I've never been to.
29. Hold a snake. I didn't have enough courage to do this last year. Maybe 29 is the lucky year? We shall see.

Hopefully these are a little more achievable than last year. Happy New Year friends! Cheers to 2014!

Tomorrow I Turn 28

You guys. One day until I'm 28. Where did this year go?! Let's check back with where I was a year ago. Hmmm let's see. Still not married. Still no kids. Still have one cat. What we really should focus on here is that I made it another entire year without adopting more cats. That's an accomplishment people. Now let's see how I did on my list of the 28 (er 29) things I wanted to do before I turned 28. I don't think it's going to be pretty...

How cute is this ice cream cake my family got my Dad and I for
our joint birthday celebration on Sunday?! Love it!

1. buy a DSLR camera and take photography lessons - Completed 10/27/13. Okay so I haven't actually taken lessons, but I'm going to count this one as a win. My dad has taught me some things I swear.
2. run 1,000 miles - Okay so this one I know I did 1,000 miles of cardio. Was it all running? No. I ran 596 miles before my knees started bothering me in July, and I tried to tough it out until September, but I decided to take a few months off and stick with the elliptical, stairmaster, walking, and group fitness classes until January. I'm going to count this as complete because the circumstances were out of my control? Just give it to me. You'll see I failed on quite a few others if you keep reading...
3. find a church to attend - FAIL. Mal and I went to church a few times in April and planned on making it a weekly thing, but then we got busy. The only time I regularly go to church is when I stay in Topeka. This needs to change in 2014.
4. go to a movie by myself - completed 1/20/13. I went and saw Les Miserables all by myself.
5. learn to ski - Completed 2/23/13. I skied at Snow Creek in Weston, MO. I also only made it a few hours before I wimped out and headed inside to the bar to watch KU basketball. Priorities.
6. make a budget that I actually stick to so I can save more money for a house - I might not have actually created a budget per se, but I did buy my first house on 2/14/13 so that counts. Also C is attempting to keep my spending in check (attempting is the key word).
7. read 8 new novels - Hit this one out of the park! I'm currently on book #12. Here's what I've read - (1) The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, (2) The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, (3) Little Bee by Chris Cleave, (4) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, (5) Someone Could Get Hurt by Drew Magary, (6) Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, (7) The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, (8) Wild by Cheryl Strayed, (9) Power Moves by Karl Welzein, (10) The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian, (11) Divergent by Veronica Roth
8. take the GMAT - FAIL
9. try 10 new restaurants - (1) Room 39, (2) The Majestic, (3) Brewbakers, (4) Salsa Grill, (5) Avelluto's, (6) The Beacon, (7) Chez Elle, (8) The Farmhouse, (9) Nara, (10) The Filling Station..and many more. I've been an overachiever with this one for sure. Of course...the goal with the food.
10. try 12 new recipes - Another food one complete. Maybe next year I should have all food related goals. Then I would be an A+ student. Here's what I made - (1) Chocolate Ganache, (2) Avocado Feta Dip, (3) Tomato Basil Soup, (4) Pineapple Lemonade Sangria, (5) Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas, (6) Blueberry Muffins, (7) Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, (8) Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball, (8) Funfetti Cookie Cake, (9) Sugar Cookie Bars, (10) Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, (11) Red Velvet Shortcake Cookies, (12) Roasted Bacon, Mustard, Walnut Brussels Sprouts, (13) Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole
11. run a half marathon and beat my PR (1.56.28) OR run a full marathon and beat my PR (3:56:22) - I ran Rock the Parkway half marathon on 4/13/13 and finished in 1.48.59. Go me!
12. complete a 365 photo a day challenge - Completed 4/30/13
13. avoid fast food for an entire month - Completed February 2012.
14. sing karaoke - FAIL
15. take a trip to a state I’ve never been to - I went to cities I'd never been to this year. I spent time in Charleston, SC and Athens, GA. Although these aren't new states I think I can go ahead and count this one as complete since I traveled a lot. Right?
16. attempt to eat a Paleolithic or vegetarian (haven't decided which) diet for an entire month - FAIL
17. learn to french braid - Watched a how-to YouTube video two days ago. It counts.
18. celebrate three unusual holidays - National Taco Day 10/4/13. National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day 11/12/13 - Ok so maybe my pizza wasn't quite the works, but I did consciously eat pizza that night because I knew it was a national pizza day of some sort. It counts. National Microwave Oven Day 12/6/13 - Yup I heated myself up a fancy Lean Cuisine. I'm so gourmet.
19. host a girl’s night every other month - Bachelorette watch party in January, Housewarming party in April, multiple summer cook outs (I said cook out and not BBQ Cory so you don't have to correct me), Mexican fiesta in October, Friendsgiving in November, NYE party coming up this month. Guests weren't limited to the female variety, but the Tindahs and I still hosted some great get-togethers so this one is a win.
20. only use reusable grocery bags - FAIL
21. make my bed every day for a month - Completed March 2013
22. get a promotion - Completed 5/2/13
23. take a spinning class - FAIL I was planning on going to SoulCycle this morning, but it was cold out and sleeping in sounded much better than walking around with a bruised butt all weekend. Maybe next year...
24. buy a KitchenAid stand mixer - Completed 12/26/12
25. send snail mail to one family member or friend each month - thank you note to Molly in January, but after that month this was a big, fat FAIL
26. learn to knit - FAIL
27. floss every other day - FAIL
28. conquer my biggest fear - hold a snake - FAIL. C dragged me into Petsmart at least three times, but the closest I got to holding a snake was timidly peering at the glass from 3 feet away. Maybe next year... Actually probably not.
29. learn to shoot a gun - FAIL. I haven't done this yet, but I think I'm going to learn over Christmas so maybe this is only a partial fail?

Yikes I only completed 62% of my list. That's even worse than I was expecting. Guess I need to try again this year, but first I'm going to go enjoy my weekend in NYC! xoxo

The Great Cookie Swap 2013

Last year I was a little late to the party (and had just started my blog a month or so earlier), but this year you better believe I had the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap on my radar months in advance. This was such a fun way to get into the holiday spirit and a great way to try different cookie recipes (not to mention gain a few pounds along the way but whatever. So worth it). Here is what I sent to my matches, Kaitlin, Chrissy, and Kendra, which an adaptation from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe. Hopefully they enjoyed their sweet treats!

Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies
yields 24 cookies

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut up
1 tablespoon red food coloring
vanilla Almond Bark
pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter and red food coloring using a pastry blender until mixture resembles a fine crumb. This is going to take awhile, but hey, it will just make you feel a little better about all the dough and cookies you're about to consume. Who needs a Bowflex or Shake Weight when you have a pastry blender?! Guns of steel here we come!

Once the dough starts to cling together, remove from mixing bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Form mixture into a ball, kneading until smooth. Roll dough to a 1/2 inch thickness and cut out dough with a cookie cutter of your choice. I used a cut little flower about an inch wide. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Please scraps together and re-roll until all dough has been used.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until centers are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack or wax paper to cool. While cookies are cooling, chop pistachios until they are a fine crumb. Melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second increments. Be sure to stir between each round to avoid over cooking. Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Let stand on wax paper until set then enjoy!

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 21

Happy Thursday! Lets jump right into it.

1. Awhile ago I mentioned I had a running list of baby names on my iPhone. Well I can happily say my top two girls names (I don't have favorite boys names because well, that just can't happen. I will have girls if anything) did not appear anywhere in the 100 Most Popular Baby Names of 2013. What are they you may ask? I'llllllll neverrrrrrr telllllllll (spoken in a similar creepy, sing-songy way to Brittany Murphy in Don't Say a Word). 
2. Speaking of children, why didn't Elf on the Shelf exist when I was a child?! Seriously. I feel like I really missed out. Luckily I have fun co-workers, and for the second year in a row we have some traveling work Elves on the Shelves. Jingle hasn't visited me yet this year, but I'm anxiously awaiting his arrival.

   

   Jingle chilling in a peppermint marshmallow bubble bath last year. 

3. Every company should have four day work weeks. No exceptions. Last week I only had to work Monday, Tuesday, and a half day Wednesday, and it was ah-maze-ing, and I'm not even asking for that! I just want one more day. Give me Friday. Give me Monday. I don't care. I'll stay as late as I have to Monday-Thursday, but that extra day off would be so fantastic. 
4. Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments are far superior to ALL other ornaments. While I hate shopping when there are large crowds, every year I make an exception the day after Christmas to go to Hallmark to buy ornaments half price. I have my eye on way too many this year. 

   

   photo from hallmark.com

   

   photo from hallmark.com

   

   photo from hallmark.com

   

   photo from hallmark.com

   

   photo from hallmark.com

5. I'm having major anxiety about what to get people for Christmas. Surprisingly C was the easy one to shop for even though he is ridiculously picky. My dad is a different story. His birthday is December 17th so I have to get him TWO presents. Does anyone have any good ideas? I think I've got one, but I'm at a loss for the other. Help me!
6. So I tried eggnog for the first time on Thanksgiving, and as much as it pains me to say this, I kinda loved it. I've always alleged I hated eggnog (although I can't even remember the last time I'd had it prior to last Thursday). Oh how I wished I would turn up my nose in disgust, but no. Quite the opposite really. I can't stop thinking about having more. Why oh why does it have to be so caloric? I mean 200ish calories for a cup before the rum is added?! That is just madness. 
7. On Tuesday morning my group fitness teacher informed us only 12% of Americans work out on a regular basis. Twelve. How sad is that? We need to get our butts into gear, and stop making excuses (myself included). Last week I only worked out once. This week I've gotta do better...especially I'm guzzling down eggnog. What are your favorite workouts to do in the winter? I'm such a baby so all my activities are of the indoor variety.

   

   Long sleeves are necessary even when I'm at the gym...at least for the first 5 minutes or so. 

8. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I am most definitely an early riser, and this list of 23 Signs You're a Morning Person proves it. I feel like such a failure when I don't get out of bed by 8:00 a.m. on the weekends even if I have nothing to do. Most weekdays I'm up and at 'em by 4:15 a.m. I realize I'm crazy, no need to tell me. I blame my mother. 
9. Lastly, I just downloaded an new iPhone app called QuizUp and you should ALL download it so we can play. It's really fun I promise. 

Happy National Cake Day!

Happy National Cake Day! Although I don't think I'll be able to get my hands on any actual cake today (which is probably a good thing considering Thanksgiving is in two days), here are some pictures of cakes I've whipped up. Nothing wrong with a little cake food porn right? Right. :)

Lemon first birthday cake for Ryann. Photo credit: Anne Pendleton Photography

Gender reveal cake for Ashley. Photo credit: Ashley Jenks

Chocolate malt cake

White almond sour cream candy birthday cake

To All My Single Ladies

Calling all single ladies! If you are single and ready to mingle you must download the LuLu app. Seriously girls. This thing is genius.

Created last year by Alexandra Chong after a six hour post-Valentine's Day brunch, Lulu provides "a private network for girls to express and share their opinions openly and honestly." It's a forum for girls to read and create reviews of guys they know. How freaking amazing is this?! Dating after college is tough. How are you supposed to know if the handsome guy you met at Kona happy hour after one too many glasses of Pinot Grigio is secretly a creepy serial killer, or even worse, cheap, if you don't have any mutual friends?! I'm obviously not speaking from personal experience or anything. :) One word - LuLu.

So how does it work? Girls can create reviews on their male Facebook friends, and rate men in categories - ex-boyfriend, crush, together, hooked-up, friend or relative - with a multiple choice quiz. Women add pink hash tags to a man's profile - #oneofthegoodones, #globetrotter, #cheaperthanabigmac, #stage5clinger, etc. - which are used in some fancy-smancy algorithm to calculate a score ranging from 1 to 10. Be on the lookout for blue hash tags though. These are added by men, and are not factored into their overall score.

Sounds pretty easy right? So what are you waiting for? Download this app immediately. You're welcome.

For even more information about this fabulous app, check out this great article from the NY Times.

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 20

My mini hiatus is over! It's time to get back on track with Thursday Thoughts!

1. Doing yard work is the pits. Seriously. It is by far THE worst part of owning a house. I spent a majority of last weekend raking endless bags of leaves. Don't get me wrong I love all the huge, pretty, old trees in my front and back yard but cleaning up after them? Not so much. Not to mention, my debilitating fear of snakes had me on edge the entire time. On several occasions I scooped up an armful of leaves with a twig and ended up jumping out of my skin and tossing the freshly raked leaves all over the ground. Luckily I survived the weekend snake bite free. 

   

   Oh ya, and a helpful pointer for all Mission residents. Leaves have to be in paper bags, not
   plastic. This dummy got to re-bag 12 bags of leaves after doing it wrong. Fun times.

2. Speaking of my house, it is starting to look like a winter wonderland in there! Maybe it's a bit premature, but with Thanksgiving falling a week later this year I wanted to be sure I didn't miss out on a full season of Christmas cheer. My decorations starting going up last week. Yup. You read that right. The Chicken Tindah's decorating began last Wednesday. 
3. Oh Chrisssssstmas tree, oh Chrisssssstmas tree, why are you so expensive?!? I knew I wanted to get a big tree for my house this year since I'm no longer in an apartment, but I wasn't prepared for how expensive they were! Holy moly! I did a lot of research. Hobby Lobby. Home Depot. Target. Menard's. I went to them all. I ultimately decided on this beauty from Lowe's. It was a little bit more than I wanted to spend at $288, but it was just too pretty to pass up...and I'm telling myself it's an investment. I'm in love. 
   
4. This is SO me. Mint M&Ms are the BEST variety. Christmas music started the day after Halloween and continues until New Year's Day. I tried getting C on this bandwagon with a sing along in the car a few weekends ago. He was so not amused. What a Grinch.
5. Have you seen this website that can guess what you post about on Facebook? Too funny. Here are some of the funny, kinda accurate statuses it created for me: So I wish I had brothers! I'm not a giant! I choose sugar over spice! CHRISTMAS MUSIC TIME! Margaritas at Nada are calling my head? Mandy your little short but that's why hot shorts were invited right? I look like old times. Ok...so maybe they aren't so accurate :)
6. Has anyone tried Stacy's Bake Shop Bakery Crisps!?!? I've had a longtime, borderline unhealthy obsession with Stacy's pita chips for the last several years, and I seriously can't wait to get my hands on the Vanilla Pound Cake Crisps. They sound divine, and at only 130 calories per 4 crisps they are sort of guilt free....if I can stop at just 4 crisps...which I obviously won't. In fact, I probably won't stop until the entire box is gone. Oh well. These sound yummy none-the-less.

   

   These come in Vanilla Pound Cake and Banana Nut

7. If I'm going to be eating entire boxes of cake crisps I better hop on board with these 20 fitness trends for 2014. It looks like high intensity interval trainings (think Crossfit) takes the top spot. How do you guys feel about Crossfit? I've only been to one class, but I wasn't super keen on it. I'm more of a regular group fitness kinda gal. I like my kick boxing, 50/50, and strictly strength classes way better. 
8. That Walt Disney was one smart cookie. I'll leave you today with 16 Quotes to Help Guide You Through Life.

Right Now

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*obsessing over *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Pop Beauty Aqua Lacquer in Floating Rose that came in my Birchbox last month. It is the perfect wear every day glossy color. What can I say? I'm obsessed.

Forgive my chipping polish. That's on my list on to do's for this evening.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*working on *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eating less carbs and more protein. Why is it so difficult? Ugh. The thought of cooking raw meat reaallllly grosses me out which doesn't help my cause. I think maybe I was a vegetarian in another life. Poooooor little cows and chickens. Although, it doesn't stop me from eating it when someone else prepares it so maybe not.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*thinking about*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

An oh-so-glorious three day work week in the near future. Bring on Turkey Day and Black Friday! Although I must admit I despise Black Friday shopping. There are just way too many people, and not enough good deals if you ask me! It majorly stresses me out. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*excited for *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This weekend! There are so many fun things on the agenda Saturday and Sunday. C is back in town. We're going to the K-State/OU game on Saturday morning (me to watch my baby sis dance and him to write), and then Saturday night it's back to KC for the Tindah's first annual Friendsgiving celebration. Annnnnd the fun doesn't stop there with another Thanksgiving celebration closing out the weekend on Sunday. I. Can't. Wait. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*can't live without*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Donuts...and after I just got done telling you guys I was eating less carbs. Is it sad the reason I'm most excited to go to Manhattan on Saturday morning is not to attend the football game, but because I finally get to experience Varsity Donuts. Yup leave it to this fat kid to be more excited about eating than attending a sporting event. But I mean really, how cute are these donuts?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*on repeat*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron. You may have heard this song on a Zale's commercial recently. I saw them in concert earlier this summer, and they were pretty great...not to mention one of their guitar players is real cute. Go see them if you have the opportunity!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*devouring *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Stacy's Limited Edition GINGERBREAD pita chips. I've been dreaming about these guys since I first tasted them last year, and guess what? They're back! Thank goodness. You all seriously need to go get a bag of these. Right now. What are you waiting for?!

                           *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*thankful for*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My family, my friends, my job, life in general. I think that about sums it up! :)

Move it Monday

Lately I've been real lazy, not only with blogging but with working out, with healthy eating, and life in general. Seriously. I've been a total bum. Friday night I was in bed at 7:30 p.m. No joke. Who does that?!

Since this is her last Move It Monday until the new year, I'm linking up with Ashley today to try to set some goals.This week I'm getting my lazy butt to the gym at least 5 times, eating way less carbs and more veggies, squeezing in at least a few blog posts, and trying to be a little more social. No more going to bed before 9:00 p.m...at least not this week. This granny can't make that promise forever.

Sorry this post is extremely lame, but instead of sitting in front of a computer all night I'm going to go socialize with the Tindahs. We made it through Monday! Woooo hooo!

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 19

We'll make this short and sweet considering Thursday is almost over... Major blogging fail this week, and fair warning - these are all going to be super random.

1. Why must people on Instagram and Twitter identify themselves as (and I quote) "mother of [insert number here] fur babies"?! I mean realllllllly?! I myself have a cat who I'm probably just a wee bit too obsessed with, and I absolutely identify myself as a crazy cat lady, but I will never, I repeat, never say that I am the proud mother of one fur baby. It's almost as bad as using the word hubby. 
2. Cats in tights is the greatest thing to happen on the Internet. Period. End of story.  

   

   Photo from http://meowtfit.tumblr.com/
3. Speaking of cats and tights, look at what I just bought!! How freakin' cute are these?!? 

   

   Photo from http://us.asos.com/

4. Runny milkshakes are the worst. The other night my mom and I had a particularly disappointing shopping trip (I was trying to find a dress to wear to a wedding at the Topeka mall - big mistake, and low and behold everything was hideous) so we stopped at Steak n' Shake for a chocolate milkshake on our way home. I swear mine was as liquidy (is that a word?) as milk. Yuck. I like my milkshakes so thick you can barely suck it up through the straw. Those are the kind of milkshakes that bring boys to the yard. Oh well. My thighs are probably thanking me right now.
5. Ummm my dad sent me this earlier this week. How disturbing. Luckily my little ol' Camry is a 2011 so it is not infested with spiders. Thank the lord.
6. If C wasn't going to be in town this weekend I would totally be decorating for Christmas on Saturday and Sunday. Sigh. I suppose it can wait until next weekend. I can't wait until it looks like the North Pole exploded all over my house. I'm way too obsessed with this time of the year!

...and those are the only thoughts I have this week because work has fried my brain. I'll try to be more interesting next week! :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 18

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Who all is dressing up this evening? For the past few years I've gone to my friend Alex's parents house because they have the most ah-maze-ing haunted house. We dress up and sit at the bottom of the driveway to hand out candy to the little ones who are too scared to venture up to the house. This year we have a pretty cute costume in mind. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see what we dress up as later this evening! And now without further ado, here are your Thursday Thoughts!

1. Speaking of Halloween, I cannot wait until Jimmy Kimmel has his annual video where parents tell their children they ate all of their candy after they went to bed. Best. Thing. Ever. Yooooooooouuuuuuu sneaky mom!
2. My work is trying to make me fat. Yup. They want me to become obese. We have an exorbitant amount of treat days for birthdays, bosses days, wedding showers, baby showers, Wednesdays. You name it. We have a treat day for it. Of course Halloween is no exception. In fact, it's the most absurd. There are different rooms throughout the building with different themes. There's a sandwich room (where meat and cheese sit out all day), a "healthy" room, a cheese/crackers/Little Smokies/chips & dip room, a candy room, a breakfast/dessert room, and last but not least, a nacho room. By about 8:37 a.m. if you haven't made it to the nacho room, well, then you're out of luck because that place is wiped clean. Gluttony at it's finest.Woof.
3. Yesterday, when discussing different types of oatmeal with some of my co-workers (see we even obsessively talk about food), I learned something completely mind-blowing. Did you know Quaker packages can be used as a measuring cup?!? I've been eating oatmeal for at least 20 years, and I never knew this! My world will never be the same. Gone are the days when my oatmeal comes out too runny or too dry. Hallelujah!
   
4. Ok enough Halloween and food talk. Last week my house was TP-ed. Although I may act like a high schooler quite frequently, you'll be surprised to know I do not in fact socialize with 16 and 17 year olds on the reg so I was quite confused. Fortunately it was a case of mistaken identity, and once they realized their error they came back and cleaned it up! How impressive is that?! I can't say I would have done the same when I was 16.
5. Although toilet paper is not one of my favorite decorations for my home, I am getting uber-excited to decorate for....wait for it....CHRISTMAS! How early is too early? I've already been shopping around for the perfect Christmas tree. Why do they have to be so gosh darn expensive? Oh well. Totally worth it. Now who wants to come over, and help me carry up my 27 bins of Christmas decorations from the basement? 
6. Basecamp Hotel is a hotel after my own heart. This is my kind of camping. A tent set up indoors with a cute little fire pit where I won't have to spend the night with any creepy, crawly creatures or mosquitoes?! Sign me up!
   
7. Speaking of sleeping, my winter PJs are out in full force. Are they sexy? Absolutely not. Are they cozy? Heck yes! There's nothing I love more than cuddling up on the couch in multiple layers under a blanket when the temperatures drop. I'm kind of obsessed with the fleece pajama pants from Old Navy. Is it embarrassing to own at least 7 different pairs? I don't of course. I'm just asking for a friend... 
8. Everything about this Twentysomething Party vs. Thirtysomething Party is true (well except for the drugs part. Just say no kids), and I'm only 27. This doesn't bode well for me when I'm actually in my 30s does it? 

Halloween Kitty Cat Cupcakes

If you follow me on Pinterest then you've probably seen the hundreds of Halloween things I've been pinning the last few weeks. I finally had some free time yesterday morning (and we happened to be celebrating my sister's birthday today) so I got to try out some new treats!

In case you aren't aware (which I'm not sure how you couldn't be), I'm a self proclaimed cat lady, as is my mother...and my middle sister...and my younger sister. I guess you could say it runs in the family. Of course when I saw these Black Cat Cupcakes from Better Homes and Gardens I knew I had to recreate them. Side note - if you don't get the daily emails from BHG sign up now. Seriously. What are you waiting for?! They're great.

I did a lot of baking on Thursday night so I took the easy route and opted for boxed chocolate cake mix and store bought chocolate frosting for these cupcakes. After all, the pizazz is in the decorating. Here is what you'll need if you want to make these cute cats:

• Chocolate Jimmies
• Milk chocolate candy melts (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
• Dots
• Peanut butter chips
• Black Pull n' Peel Licorice or black frosting

After you've frosted your cupcake, start by applying a generous amount of chocolate sprinkles to the top of the cupcake (enough so that it resembles fur). I found the best method was to pour the sprinkles in a bowl and gently dip/roll the cupcake

Next it's time to give this little kitty cat some ears. Cut milk chocolate candy melts into triangles so they resemble ears, and gently press into cupcake.

Bonus! Look at all these chocolate scraps you can munch on :)

For the eyes I used yellow and green Dots, but any gumdrop will do. Unfortunately the box of Dots I happened to pick up was severely lacking in the yellow and green department so I had to make each Dot into three individual eyes which made some of them a little smaller and rounder than others, but I think that gave the cats character. For the pupils, I alternated between using chocolate sprinkles and piping round pupils with black frosting. I think the cats with sprinkles for eyes looked a little evil so the piped eyes were much friendlier looking. Make sure to put a dab of chocolate frosting on the back of the eye so that it actually sticks to the cupcake.

For the little kitty nose I used peanut butter chips. If PB isn't your thing, butterscotch chips would also work. Again, attach to cupcake with a little dab of chocolate frosting. Next pipe on whiskers with black frosting or attach black licorice. Good luck with the licorice. I went to three different stores and couldn't find it anywhere. Oh well. Frosting tastes better anyways. :)

And there you have it - cute black cat cupcakes. Easy enough right? Enjoy!