lemons and lovebirds

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T14:12:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted, but we've been incredibly busy!

Seriously, it's already Valentine's Day? It seems like Christmas was just around the corner. Time. is. flying.

The days have really flown by this past week. Mr. Pants and I both had big plans to organize/clean our house this weekend (since becoming homeowners, we've realized just how much work a house can be--and we haven't even gotten into the really fun stuff yet--like mowing the lawn AND kids), but time slipped away from us. On Sunday, we both were like, "Where did the time go?!"

Here's where the time went, I think:

I had every good intention of sending my sister-in-laws and their husbands a Valentine's package filled with brownie goodness... but, temptation got the best of Mr. Pants and myself...and we ate them. You know, one turned into two, two turned into three, then I didn't have enough to create a proper Valentine's package...and then... we said screw it and finished them off in less than two days. OOPS!

On Sunday, I spent half the day creating the Valentine's Day cake that my co-worker ordered. I think it came out pretty well, and I was pleased that it only took me nearly a whole Sunday instead of the whole weekend. I brought it in to work today and she was super excited about it, so I'm glad that I was able to successfully replicate the cake she envisioned. I also made her daughter four cupcakes so she didn't feel left out.

Last night I made cupcakes for my work friends in an attempt to rid our house of all the leftover icing from the Valentine's Day cake. Mr. Pants will be out of town for work these next few days, and I can't spend them in a sugar coma! Plus I think I've already gained 5 pounds from "testing" all the batches of icing when I made them. One of my co-workers loves my cupcakes and surprised me with the best hug this morning once she realized I had brought them in. I used to be embarrassed by her displays of affection toward my baked goods, but now I love it! She's the best person to give a cupcake to because she's always so excited about them. The cupcakes are yellow "butter" cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting, red vanilla buttercream, and raspberry buttercream. Gone within minutes!

We also spent some time with my college roommate, Beth, her husband, Joe, and her adorable two-month old, Aiden. In honor of the visit, of course I just had to make Beth a cake:

And... I caught up on three episodes of Glee and two episodes of Modern Family and one episode of An Idiot Abroad. Does anyone else feel anxious when they know they have so many TV shows on their DVR just hanging over their head? I kinda do.

So, since we've been so busy and Mr. Pants is getting ready to travel, we plan on spending a quiet evening at home this Valentine's Day. We're both not big on crowds and don't want to fight the masses just to go out to eat. We plan on making one of our favorite pasta dishes together and exchanging gifts. And somewhere in there, Mr. Pants will have to pack! When he returns on Saturday, we plan on going on a movie date. (We're the worst about going to see movies--we always say we're going to, but then never go!) I really want to see The Vow, but of course that's too girly. And I know I'm probably way late in the game, but I just saw the preview of the George Clooney movie, The Descendants, and it looked fabulous! But after trying to buy tickets on Fandango this morning, it looks like its last day in theatres is Thursday. Sad day. Anyone have any movie suggestions?

So, in the spirit of St. Valentine, I leave you with a quote, my friends:

"A hundred hearts would be too few

To carry all my love for you."

~Author Unknown

And another cute quote my friend Julie sent me last week:

"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness--and call it love."

And... a funny picture, just because I love me some Tiffany's, and I couldn't resist.

I hope you all enjoy Valentine's Day and spend time with someone special! xoxo :)

The Nick Carter Experience

2012-02-06T10:52:00.008-05:00

Vic and I had such a great time at the Nick Carter concert on Friday. Vic's son, Aaron, was AWESOME on the keyboards! I found it so interesting to see how musicians live while they're on the road: what do they eat? where do they usually sleep? how often do they do their laundry? I had no idea there would actually be that many crazy screaming girls (fans? stalkers?) camped outside of the bus.

And Nick Carter was pretty awesome too. We met him and his girlfriend, Lauren, and they were incredibly humble and just plain nice. Seriously.

I really tried not to be a screaming girl fan like Mr. Pants and Vic joked I would become. Vic told me that I was pretty chill when meeting Nick, even though I stammered that "I ~~listened to his music~~ screamed at the top of my lungs to the Backstreet Boys every day in my car when I was 16." Also, Nick and I had to take two pictures together because my flash wasn't on for the first one--to which I calmly told him, "I'm sorry. I'm just not prepared for this moment," and he simply laughed at me. It wasn't until halfway through the night that I really started to come undone. Nick started singing Backstreet Boys songs and it was then that I went crazy. Vic promised me that he wouldn't tell Mr. Pants about my screaming fit.

I took tons of pictures during the concert because I just couldn't help myself. Here's some of my favorites:

(left: Vic and me // center: Nick and me // right: Nick, Aaron, and Vic--aww!)

(Nick in action! Apparently his fans are called aliens? Just like Lady Gaga has "little monsters.")
(Side note: Mr. Pants, Vic, and our friends Beth and Joe think that Nick's pants are a little weird...look closely, haha!)

(left: Aaron tearin' up the keys! // center: crowd shot // right: trying to be artsy...Aaron and Nick rockin' out)

This collage sums up my favorite experiences Friday night:

The concert in general. The music was infectious. Wearing Nick's astronaut helmet as soon as he exited the stage. Checking out Nick's tour bus and talking with Nick's drummer, who has also played with Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken...and whose hometown isn't far from where my sister- and brother-in-law live. Embarassing Aaron on the tour bus by asking the bandmates if I could wear one of their astronaut helmets--this was before I realized I'd get to wear Nick's. (I have to admit I was weirdly obsessed with the helmets in general, though!) Seeing the love between a father and son--and how proud Vic was of Aaron nearly brought tears to my eyes several times. You can totally tell Vic and Aaron are related, and not just because they look alike! Vic and I on stage watching the crew clean up--and listening to the screaming girls begging for just a small piece of something that was on that stage (the crew gave them broken drumsticks, and that made them even more ecstatic!). And watching the crew go about their nightly routine at the end of the show was just so COOL! (I don't know of a better way to describe it.)

No wonder bands have groupies. How can I become a tour manager?!

And if you haven't already, you should totally check out Nick's album, "I'm Taking Off." I didn't think it was possible to love Nick without the Backstreet Boys in tow, but I was surprised when I found some of the songs stuck in my head! So, I've now been listening to the CD on repeat, which makes Mr. Pants really ~~happy~~ crazy.

It was an incredible night/morning--and definitely an experience I'll never forget. Vic and I got back to my place a little after 1:30 a.m., and Beebs was waiting up for me, which made me laugh. I'm sure he wasn't really waiting up for me--he was just looking out our kitchen window--something he probably does every night at that time. But after indulging my inner 16-year old, seeing Beebs watching me as I got out of the car reminded me of being 16 again, and having my parents wait up for me after a night out.

How was your weekend? :)

Cheering for Cupcakes

2012-02-05T21:30:00.002-05:00

Who do you want to win the Super Bowl?

I like the cupcakes (and Madonna).

:)

PS - these are the super great printables from 9 to 5 Mom that I told you about here!

Friday Festiveness

2012-02-03T11:06:00.005-05:00

I have so much going on this upcoming weekend that I don't know when I'm going to be able to share all the wonderful things I've made this week! I promise to show you everything I've been working on soon, but in the meantime, check out some of my favorite Super Bowl festiveness:

Who can resist these super cute printables by 9 to 5 Mom?! I couldn't. These are how I quickly turned a dozen cupcakes with plain white icing into 12 wonderful, festive, Giants vs. Patriots cupcakes for Mr. Pants' co-workers!

We all know I only really watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Remember that adorable Volkwagon Vader kid commercial from last year? Well, Volkswagon's done it again...except this time with a cute dog! (And who's not a sucker for doggies and babies?) Check it out here.

Now I know unless all you fabulous readers are Superwoman (or Superman!) you won't have time to make this adorable onesie for your little one before Sunday... but I saw this on Pinterest this morning, and it was just too precious not to share!

Many national fast food chains and restaurants are also trying to cash in on the appeal of the Super Bowl by offering coupons and other great deals, like the ones I found here. While this article is from a San Antonio-based newspaper, I'm sure you could google a particular place in your area and see if they're offering any good deals!

Our cat, Beebs, will really watching the "kitty" halftime show during Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. (This player description amuses me!)

And, last but not least, because they're close to my home, and also wonderfully delicious...the ever-popular Georgetown Cupcakes! (Or DC Cupcakes for those of you who follow the show. I have to admit I don't. Check out these fabulous Super-Bowl inspired treats (yes, they deliver nationwide!).

What are your plans for the big game? What's your favorite part about the Super Bowl? I love the commercials... and making a cake decorated for the team I'm cheering for.

I clearly was rooting for the underdog during last year's Super Bowl. Don't judge the decorating. This was a homemade sour cream vanilla cake...and I quickly decorated it before the game started.

Happy Friday! :)

How much is that cupcake in the window?

2012-02-02T09:17:00.003-05:00

Big news: I now have a second paying customer! I'm super excited! When I took my new job in December, I didn't realize that I would gain a group of co-workers willing to a) actually pay me to make them cakes and cupcakes and b) pass along my contact information to their friends and family!

My second order is similar to the baby rattle cupcakes here...except they won't be rattles. My co-worker's daughter is in a Brownie troop and she needs two dozen cupcakes for a Valentine's Day party Saturday. A bunch of seven-year olds are pretty unadventurous when it comes to flavor, so I'll be making vanilla cupcakes topped with pink icing and white nonpareils.

I spent all of last night making a surprise cake -- which I promise to blog about soon! and the icing for the cupcakes. I went to bed practically covered in powdered sugar, but it was worth it. I'm just so excited about how my surprise cake turned out!

I promised to write all about my date with Nick Carter--which, sadly, may not be much of a date at all now. My friend Vic's son, Aaron, plays keyboards for Nick Carter--not a bad gig, right? Vic and I were super excited to see that Nick would be playing a show nearby, so a group of us made plans to go. Since we had "connections in the band" (oh, that feels good to say that, haha!), we thought maybe we'd get to go backstage, meet Nick, hang out with Aaron, see what it's like to be on tour. Awesome, right?! Totally awesome! Up until yesterday, that is... when I came across this as I googled the venue:

Nick Carter's sister, 25, dies.

Major sad face!!! Not only was I sad for Nick Carter (he seemed to be doing so well after his post-pop star meltdown!), I was sad because I'd been looking forward to seeing Vic, Aaron, and the concert. Aaron told us that the show was still on, but that it was really tough for Nick to perform...and understandably so. Although I'm sure we'll enjoy the concert (how could we not? I heard the keyboardist is awesome!), there will definitely be an underlying sadness. What a bummer.

On a happier note: today is my best friend Laura's birthday! She's celebrating her 30th in Vegas, and I hope she's living it up at the MGM Grand. It's too bad I couldn't join her this year -- she helped me celebrate my 23rd birthday in Vegas a few years back, and what a birthday celebration it was! (It was relatively tame because we didn't have any of those crazy Hangover guys to emulate.)
So, in honor of Laura, here's a picture from when we were all in Vegas together (can you spot Lauren from Life Uncluttered?!). I think I'll just live vicariously through Laura for the rest of the day (she's the girl on the far right). Happy birthday, Laura!

Burning love?!

2012-01-31T20:43:00.001-05:00

Source: gabriel utasi

Today I finally saw a real orthopedic doctor. Today I actually got a real diagnosis! And that diagnosis also meant I had to get a cortisone shot.

Did I tell you I hate needles? Did I tell you this one was huge? And they stuck it all the way in? And Mr. Pants refused to listen to me give him the play-by-play of it all at dinner because he also hates needles?

I texted my mom while I was in the examination room waiting for the doctor to come back and administer the shot. She's had a cortisone shot before. She comforted me by letting me know that she felt immediate relief once it was over. Which... I did.

Yay!

But then the good doctor told me that I might experience intense burning and pain for a few days--worse pain than any I have experienced from the actual shoulder injury. And that I should take Aleve for the next few days, as it will work best to combat all the inflammation in my arm. He also said that I felt better immediately because there was a numbing agent in the shot. (So that's how he put that big needle deep inside my arm without me ripping his head off!) Then he told me that the numbing agent would wear off, and that I'd need to monitor my pain levels for the next few hours. Great.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, my arm is now currently on fire and I feel like I've been punched one too many times, so, sadly, I'm going to call it a night. Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow!
It can only get better from here, right?

"Happiness is like a cake; have too much of it, you get sick of it."

2012-01-30T20:27:00.001-05:00

Mr. Pants and I really like watching the show "An Idiot Abroad" on the Science channel. On Saturday night we watched the first episode of Season 2. Karl Pilkington, the main "character" of the show, was pontificating about happiness and he attributed it to a cake. I have to agree with him. Nothing says happy like a wonderful piece of cake! (Although I'm not sure I could ever get sick of cake...)

I knew that after I finished all the cleaning and my errands for the weekend that I wanted to do a practice version of the Valentine's Day cake I told you about here.

Even though I was lazy and didn't make all the icing I needed, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out! I haven't actually made roses in months and really needed the practice. I made about 30 roses and probably only 5 of them were any good. The four on the cake could have been better, but I dropped a couple of them trying to put them on the cake...ugh. Needless to say after making two batches of icing, making roses, and making the cake I was EXHAUSTED! I even experimented with the glittery finish that my customer wanted...and I think it came out amazingly well. It's really hard to tell in the picture, but the glitter gel gave the icing such a nice sheen on the top. And, not to worry--I'll be making light pink roses for the actual cake--I know this one was very red!

Yes, that's raspberry buttercream filling--yes, I almost dug
into this cake before I could get any pictures!
Now, I know I told you all on Twitter and Facebook that I have so many good things slated for the rest of this week and that I'd share them with you today, but I have to admit that I'm pretty tired tonight, and the thought of more typing is, well...not thrilling. Check back tomorrow and I promise to spill all the beans about my hot date with Nick Carter (yes, that Nick Carter...from the Backstreet Boys) this Friday night and our day trip to Fredericksburg on Saturday! Also--I can't believe this Sunday is THE Sunday! My hairdresser had to remind me about the Super Bowl...(that tells you how much I care about football).

Thank you all for the sweet comments and for reading my ramblings! :)

Just...

2012-01-27T09:29:00.009-05:00

(Source: popsicle love)

Totally an appropriate inspirational phrase for the day? morning?! Yesterday was probably the most pain-filled day I've had since my "accident". I was a hot mess for sure. Mr. Pants was so awesome and tried his best to calm me down, so I went to bed last night with the thought "Tomorrow's Friday. It's going to be a better day." So I woke up at 6:30 this morning and hopped in the shower. It's never a good sign when you turn off the water in your shower only to hear more running water...except it's the sound of rain pelting your roof. Oh yeah, it's a freaking monsoon out there today! Mr. Pants and I definitely "swam" to work! The only good thing about this weather is that it's thankfully not any colder--we HATE snow. I drive a Mustang, which is rear-wheel drive, so the only weather my car actually likes is 75 degrees and sunny.

I definitely don't want to make my blog a sob story about my arm. I always feel bad when someone has to take care of me. I like being independent. And then there are times where I feel like I always have SOMETHING to overcome. Is it just me, or is everyone like that? Or am I just dramatic? Are women more likely than men to have multiple challenges? Ok. I'm getting off my soapbox now.

I went to my first real session of physical therapy Tuesday and instead of working with my usual therapists, I'm working with an intern who's doing her final clinical rotation before graduation. Now I'm not saying she isn't competent, but she had me do some pretty difficult exercises Tuesday. When I came home and told Mr. Pants how hard the exercises were, and how no one seems to know what's really wrong with my arm, he told me that he really wanted me to see a "real" therapist--that we were paying for me to see licensed therapists, and that I should talk to Chad and Sandy, who I've worked in the past. I told him that we should give the intern a chance. (I guess I was feeling a little sensitive. My sister and brother-in law are both therapists who just graduated, and every time I work with the intern, I think about them, and how they had to learn to do their job somehow too.)

Now for Wednesday. I felt pretty good when I woke up. My shoulder and arm were pretty loose and I sort of felt like I had rested through the night. Some nights I wake up because my arm goes numb or I'm in pain. I decided that I was tired of not really knowing what's wrong with my arm. Is it really my arm? my shoulder? my neck? I don't really know. I've only seen a neurologist for the problem and since it hasn't really gone away I decided to give my orthopedic doctor a call. My orthopedic doctor is awesome! He performed major surgery on both my legs in 2010...yes, at the same time! And he is so awesome that his first open appointment isn't until MARCH! But since I wasn't in terrible pain Wednesday, I decided to take the appointment. I even asked the receptionist if I could see someone else in the interim and still keep my March appointment, just so I could get the green light that I should still continue the therapy program. She told me no, I had to pick one doctor or the other. So I decided to go with my trusted orthopedic doctor.

Yesterday I woke up and I literally couldn't move. I had shooting pain going all the way down my arm, starting at my shoulder. It took all the strength I had to get out of bed. I tried stretching in the shower as that sometimes helps. Nothing worked. I felt nauseous because of the pain. Then my arm started burning. I could barely get dressed, do my hair, eat, zip my coat. I thought about not going to work but I had a deadline I couldn't miss. So I did what I had to do and dragged myself into work.

When I got to work, I called my orthopedic doctor and asked if I could cancel my March appointment with my trusted doctor and take an earlier appointment with a different doctor. The woman told me no, because I was a patient of my trusted doctor, I couldn't switch. Uhh...what? Something about their "protocol." So when I called the day before, I was allowed to see a different doctor. Today I wasn't? I was at a loss. I didn't know what to do, but I needed to see someone, and ASAP! And I wanted to preferably see someone at that practice. It would be a waste of time and money to have to start over at another orthopedic clinic.

I freaked out for a moment and called Mr. Pants at work. I used to tell Mr. Pants all the time "I will never call you at work unless I'm dying." He shares a phone line with other people and so there's not much privacy when I call. Plus I feel like I'm interrupting his important work. And although I've gotten more comfortable with calling, I still don't call him that often. Luckily he was the one who picked up (because I'm not sure I could have spoken calmly to someone else). He told me to call my physical therapist. So here's how the rest of the day played out:

9:15 - called physical therapist, was told they wouldn't be in until 9:30. Called orthopedic doctor again and asked to speak to trusted doctor's assistant. Perhaps he could work some magic and get me in earlier? Was connected to his voicemail so I left a message for him to call me back.

9:15-10:15 - tried to work, but it hurt so bad to move the mouse and type that I ended up printing out what I needed to edit...but it hurt to write. Intern physical therapist called me at 10:15 and I sucessfully freaked her out by telling her that my pain level was at a 9. She asked me lots of crazy questions, like "do you have any shortness of breath?" She told me I should still come to my therapy appointment that evening, but that we wouldn't do any exercises.

11:00 - called orthopedic doctor back and asked to speak to trusted doctor's assistant...again. He actually picked up and told me that their "protocol" was wrong and that I should see someone in the interim. Oh, thank goodness! What a relief! However, the scheduler was at lunch, so she'd have to call me back. Getting closer, but the problem still wasn't solved.

12:00 or so - decided to grab lunch because it wasn't helping anything to starve myself waiting for their phone call. And I had given them my cell phone number anyway.

12:45 - in the middle of eating lunch, and of course the phone rings. My lunch got cold since I was on the phone for a while going over all my symptoms. Scheduled an appointment for this coming up Tuesday and was able to snag an earlier appointment with trusted doctor.

12:45-4:00 - finished deadline (thankfully!) along with some breaks to google "shoulder impingement" and "bicep tendonitis" and other fun things. You know how it goes! Medical googling is the worst, and I can't ever look away...

4:00-5:45 - left work and told Mr. Pants all about my annoying day and how frustrated I was/am with not knowing what's wrong with my arm.

5:45 - left for my 6:00 therapy appointment and did lots of stretching while I was there. The best part was getting my arm wrapped in this crazy ice/sling combination that felt amazing. I actually have all the things I need to wrap my arm this way at home...and I think we're going to have to try it.

I felt pretty good when I got home last night, but I think that's just because my arm was totally numb from all the icing. And I'm not as in much pain today as yesterday, but the rain certainly doesn't help my mood.

I promise to post something better tomorrow! Thanks for letting me vent! And how's the weather in your neck of the woods? Hopefully not as squishy! :)

I like a girl who knows what she wants.

2012-01-25T20:09:00.002-05:00

So after yesterday's baby shower, I had several people come up to me and ask me if I made cupcakes, cakes, etc. for events and what I would charge. I won't say the thought of having a side baking business hasn't crossed my mind, but it seems so far fetched to me that I've never truly considered it. I still feel like a novice baker, and I'm so modest that even if I were really good that it just feels wrong to charge people.

A few weeks ago when I made this cake and let Mr. Pants take it to work to share with his co-workers, he told me that a few people asked "where'd you buy the cake from?" I thought my dear hubby was just telling me that to be nice, but he was dead serious. They ALL loved the cake! (And to think that it was only a semi-homemade box cake...)

That's why I was so shocked when my co-worker asked me to make a Valentine's Day cake for her and her husband and that she'd pay me $35! Not only is she my first paying customer, she's also the first person I'm making a cake for other than close friends, family, or to share with the office.

I asked her what she wanted, thinking she'd give me full creative liberty, but she totally had an idea already in mind. I scrambled to give her a notepad and pen so she could jot it down.

She wants...a heart-shaped devil's food cake filled with raspberry buttercream. AND frosted with red sparkly vanilla buttercream AND outlined with chocolate icing AND with three red roses AND with "Happy Valentine's Day" on it. Kinda scary!

When I showed Mr. Pants, he was like, "wow, your co-worker is a girl who really knows what she wants!"

Think I can pull it off? Fingers crossed! I'd hate to ruin her hubby's Valentine's Day gift!

Baby rattles and meatballs...what a combination!

2012-01-24T20:03:00.027-05:00

Let me first start off by saying that today was a great day...I actually felt good for the first time in what seems like FOREVER!

As my family and most of my friends already know, I was a klutz about a month or so ago. I hit my head while trying to sweep up the mess I made while baking holiday goodies for Mr. Pants' office mates. Most people hit their head, say "ow", and can function shortly afterward, but oh no...not me. I ended up blacking out for a hot second. I was acting so weird afterwards that Mr. Pants decided we should go to the ER. (I vividly remember wanting to wear "pretty" shoes to the ER, and throwing shoe after shoe out of the closet because they just weren't the right pair.)

Turns out I had a concussion! That concussion turned into consecutive doctor's visits, multiple MRIs, and weird (might I add painful!) nerve tests that made me feel like I was in some sort of science experiment. Why all this for a concussion, you ask? Well...now I have...drum roll please...unexplained arm and shoulder pain! So I'm back in physical therapy for the SECOND time in my life. Ever since my concussion, I've been more tired than usual. Simple things that I used to take for granted, like dressing and undressing, reading and writing, and everyday errands are just exhausting. My attention span is here one day and gone the next.

But let me digress. (I told you I had a short attention span!) Back to TODAY! I promised to tell you all about baby rattles and meatballs, didn't I?

Today the other editor in my office had a baby shower. She's due in April and having a GIRL! I used to make delicious treats (as Mr. Pants likes to call them) for my old co-workers all the time. But since I started my new job, I haven't had the opportunity to bake for my new co-workers. This was a perfect reason to bake something for the office. I get so excited about researching--umm, googling!? creative recipes.

So when I came across these baby rattle cupcakes on cake central, I knew they were a winner:

I made my own baby rattle cupcakes in the span of three days. On Friday I bought the lollipop sticks, ribbon, and Life Saver mints. On Sunday I was ready to assemble the handles! I won't say making them was super easy, because they definitely tested my patience, but they were easy enough. I most definitely perfected my bow tying skills by the end of it, though. I made a batch of royal icing and used it to "glue" the Life Saver to the stick. Instead of tying the ribbon directly onto the lollipop sticks, I tied them and then glued (using real glue!) them to the stick.

On Monday I baked a batch of French Vanilla cupcakes. Note: I do enjoy baking treats from scratch. However, I think that cake mix is perfectly acceptable for baking delicious cupcakes and cakes, especially if you want to spend most of your time decorating them! So I quickly made 15 oversized cupcakes using my favorite cake mix... Duncan Hines. Sorry, Betty Crocker, but you just don't cut it. (That might be another post for another day.)

I usually use the classic Wilton recipe to make icing, but I think that icing made with real butter instead of Crisco tastes better! My favorite icing recipe is Magnolia Bakery's buttercream vanilla--I'm not too sure how much different this is from other recipes, but it's delicious. So I whipped up a batch of that, iced the cupcakes, and topped them with white non-pareils for a little extra pizazz. (Usually people want to know how in the world I ice the cupcakes. I use a Wilton 1M decorating tip and the swirl technique.)

Today I took the finished cupcakes into work and I'm proud to say they were a huge hit!

And now about those meatballs: our cat, Beebs, is sick. We've been charged with the fun task of trying to give him not one, but TWO pills! Have you ever had to give pills to a cat? It's not fun! No one can ever accuse me of not loving our cat. We've tried everything from hiding pills in wet cat food "meatballs" to shoving peanut butter and pills down his throat...gag me now...

One is such a lonely number...

2012-01-23T11:46:00.002-05:00

and that's why I hope to publish more posts after this one, of course! One of my "resolutions" (although if you ask my husband, he'll tell you that I don't really make those) was to start a blog. Goodbye Facebook, hello blog-land! From one social media addiction to another, of course.

Do I know what this blog's going to be about? No! But I can tell you that I'm happily married to a wonderful man who's affectionately nicknamed Mr. Pants, pretty obsessed with our cat, Beebs (and most cats in general!), enjoying decorating our new home, and often baking sweet treats to share with friends and family. I bet you can expect to see a few posts related to at least one--if not more--of these.

So why the name lemons and lovebirds? Just two random things I happen to love. I'm that girl who will happily suck on a lemon with salt (no tequila shot necessary, really!)...and for some reason, I adore the sweet look of lovebirds.

So that's about it for my first post. I have to admit I'm pretty excited that I've finally found some inspiration to start writing. Tomorrow's post should be interesting--I'm not sure if you can handle it! Here's a preview: Baby Rattles and Meatballs... :)

PS: Better late than never, right? Most people have probably already given up on their New Year's resolutions by now. Well, I'm just beginning... let's hope I can keep this going!