Frosting for the Cause: Pistachio-Cardamom Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Look at me, I'm a guest blogger. Several months ago I signed up with "Frosting for the Cause" to write a post, donate my cupcakes, and donate $25 to cancer research. June 3 was my day, and now it's here. I'm super impressed with this project, and mastermind Paula's management of it. I hope you'll go over and check it all out. If for nothing else, my Pistachio-Cardamom Cupcakes with the BEST EVER Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Also, I am fascinated by these Chocolate Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes. Can't wait to try them.

Thank You, Jump Up and Down!

In January I won an adorable handmade dress from the eclectically talented Jessi at Jump up and Down. I don't know her personally but I occasionally check in on her fun finds, cooks, crafts, makes and ideas, and it's always great to happen upon her giveaways.

In this particular case it was a dress just perfect for Hazel this spring. It arrived one afternoon while Ginger was sleeping, and since we could therefore avoid the political repercussions of opening a package that only contained something for Hazel, we immediately opened it, tried it on, and went on the back porch for a fashion show:
Hazel danced around admiring herself in the glass door and exclaimed that she looked like a beautiful Princess Queen, and no one could argue it. Thank you SOOOOO MUCH, Jessi! It's wonderful and so are you!

And with Easter coming up, check out some of Jessi's ideas. What a wonderfully fun time of year!

A Blog of Its Own

It was just a matter of time. The signs have been there all along, just waiting to be read.

Although the VGP "ended" on December 31, the baking slowed down in January but never really stopped. By mid-month I was already working out of my cookie folder again, trying recipes I found too late to try in December. Then I got a 40%-in-store-only coupon from Border's and went browsing the cookbook section. I walked out with the mother lode - The Ultimate Cookie Book, along with a list of cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies book that I could hopefully - and did - find on her website. Suddenly I had spreadsheets - MADE and TO TRY, with columns - name, date, source, rating, comments, and I was filling them out fast.

I also recently found myself - subconsciously at first - on the lookout for pretty plates and interesting dishes that would look good under a cookie. I started to look more carefully at cookie photography in books and magazines. I even made a trip all the way to IKEA with both girls (during the 11-day diet so I couldn't even get a cinnamon roll or frozen yogurt cone!) just to look for small props and set, all with next December's virtual goody plate in mind.

When my TO TRY list hit 70+ I realized this train was going too fast to hold up until December. And with my MADE list at 10+ by mid-February, I realized I'd have too many for only 31 days of December, but if I started posting cookies and goodies on my blog now as regularly as I made them, there wouldn't be much room for anything else. And I like my anything else - I don't want to crowd it. Not only that, but if I post a Core recipe, followed by a diet update and then a big old buttery cookie recipe, it sends a bit of a mixed message, don't you think? Welcome to being ME.

So I was left with no other option. What else could I do? Cyberspace is a big place, and the Goody Goddess wanted a piece of it.

I exported, and then imported, December's goodies, along with Pancake Week and a few other treats from various DMTotW posts. I'll still be posting other recipes on DM, like slow cooker and dinner recipes. Probably the love sonnet to chocolate now and then for good measure.

But from now on, The Virtual Goody Plate is where you'll find all my sweet treats - the cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cakes, breads and candy that I am crazy - seriously, CRAZY - about making.

So no longer will you go innocently checking my blog only to be accosted by images of sticky dribbly ooey gooey perfection on a plate, and then be able to threaten and accuse me of "killing" you. No, if you go to The VGP - and you will - you'll go there on purpose.

And there will be NO COMPLAINING!

Nursery Rhymes

And speaking of Nursery, I've found a gem. In an a conversation today with my brother Dave, guru of all things I need to know, he explained Blog Search to me and I was fiddling around with it. I searched "LDS Nursery" out of curiosity, and in the list found an article on Mormon Times called "Weaning Sunbeams." Exactly pertinent to what we are going through, both at Nursery and at home with Hazel, so I clicked and read, and silently smiled at the universal experience all Nursery leaders and Sunbeam teachers must have had this last Sunday.

I chuckled thinking of the newfound liberation felt by the younger toddlers, freed from the dangers and opression of the big & burly 3-year-olds. Also the near-half class size, the more prominent role of the battery operated bubble machine, and the one new Sunbeam begging to return to the good life (all of which happened to us.) I got a kick out of the entire thing, and see that the author, Stacie Duce, writes her Nursery Rhymes column a couple times a month. She just got a new reader.

Nie Nie Auction Follow-up

Thanks to everyone who spread the word and/or bid on our auction here - we made $100 for the Nielsons! To donate see the button on the right. I myself made the rounds on a couple of auctions and won this fabulous bag from Apostrophy Designs via Ponytail Challenge:Anybody else score something great from the auctions (besides Kat)? Many auctions are still going on, and new ones being added - Design Mom is keeping an updated list of live auctions here. A couple of bloggers are also gathering totals from this enormous effort so hopefully soon we can find out a grand total.

While looking at Apostrophy's stuff I also noted she's doing a bag giveaway at Vermillion Rules! Then I saw that VR! does giveaways of really awesome, usually Etsy, stuff almost daily, so I have added her to my growing file of giveaway bookmarks.

So far this week, cool stuff from:
Less Ordinary Designs
Sassy Aprons (would you believe I'm still on the hunt for my perfect apron and may have to actually make it myself?)
Lovey Duds

Also cute outfit at Grosgrain is being given away this week (really hope it's to me...)

...and of course I almost cried when I saw the giveaways that I've already missed out on, but now I know.

The Good Stuff - August

Grown-up Good Stuff

Softspots Ivy Mary Jane shoes - This comes from my first guest good-stuffer, my sister Tona. This fall she starts a new tenure-track history professorship at Worcester State College. She bought these shoes at DSW as her perfect everyday nice work shoes. She says, "I like how they look a little like clogs. I also liked the suede cushions at the spots where it tends to rub my feet, at the heels and across the foot. I just love everything about them. And if you look on the bottom view you can see they have this really pretty design on the sole." Every fall I must admit I can't wear by Birkenstock sandals year round, so I must look for cool but sensible shoes, as hard as they are to find in a 9-1/2 W. Maybe I'll give these a spin.

Modal sheets by Pure Beech - We got a new bed so we needed new sheets. I agonized in the store - Egyptian cotton? Modal? Pima? Bamboo? But two restless kids don't let you agonize for long so I grabbed these because the sample swatch was unbelievably soft and the bittersweet chocolate color whispered sweet nothings to me. They're like silk and we love them.

SavvyAuntie.com - A cool site aimed at "P.A.N.K.s"— Professional Aunts with No Kids of their own. I used to be one, and I know lots of aunts totally involved in the lives and achievements of their nieces and nephews, so I think this site really fills a gap in the web world of parenting.

The dude they call Dipset (never mind his full name) who does randomly "beautiful" works of dance art/musical interpretation which he posts daily. I can really get behind shameless public dancing with abandon. One of my favorites is "Sittin' on the Dock" here. What's your favorite Dipset piece? Let us not be surprised he is Canadian.

Blogs with giveaways! All the Nie Nie Day auctions got me blog surfing waaaaaay more than I usually do, and it was actually kind of fun to discover some great ones. Like the ones that do frequent giveaways of cool stuff. I didn't realize this was so common, and I will be checking back to get in on the action at: Grosgrain and Suburose. Know of others?

Oriental Carpet Mouse"rugs" - I just like mine; it classes up the otherwise disaster that is my desktop. Who couldn't use more class?

Zyliss corn holders - Though corn on the cob season is coming to an end, I was glad to find these bright plastic holders with a smart link-together design that keeps you from getting poked in the drawer. Great for kids to hold a hot cob, but I use them, too! (Ed is too cool...)

Kid Good Stuff

The Dangerous Alphabet - I picked this up in a bookstore and it appealed immediately to my dark side. What else can you expect from an illustrator named Gris Grimly (please tell me this is a nom de plume...) I dearly wished Dave was there to share it with, but in all honestly I would probably not ever share it with an actual little kid, at least not one the right age for alphabet books. More like 10-year-old boys or something. But it's totally twisted and I want one for myself...

Spending so much time at my parents' house, the house where I grew up, and watching my girls play with the toys there, some of which were mine when I was little, has got me looking back a bit at the Good Stuff from my youth, so it's kind of retro...excuse me, "classic", month for Kid Good Stuff:

Weekly Reader Children's Books - In the late 70's and early 80's we were in the Weekly Reader book club and received a new book every week or month or something. I didn't realize until a few months ago that those books, many of them our very favorites of all time, were not widely published, but only available through the book club, which now no longer exists. So I've gotten a few of them through used sellers on Amazon and other sites, but I really think that 1) they should either be re-released, or 2) they should start up the club again, with equally good new books. I'm waiting. Some of my favorites were: Christina Katarina and the Box, Panda Cake, James the Jaguar and The Giant Jam Sandwich (which I guess you can get new.)

Fisher Price Classic Toys - Wandering the toy aisles of Target, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw three classic - can I say vintage? - toys from my youth, sitting on the shelf, brand new in boxes. The boxes were simple brown cardboard with black print that said something like Fisher Price Classics. They were a wind-up musical clock, a wind-up musical scrolling "television" and a rotary phone with eyes. They were just as the originals, with 60's looking decals and pictures. I grabbed them each in turn and played with them, letting the girls have turns too. I didn't buy them at the time, unsure if the girls would love them as I had. I came home to look them up online, but can't find them - not at Fisher Price, not at Target, nowhere online.

But it got me thinking what other toys do I remember that were really, really the bomb, and I thought of one. I was on Ebay instantaneously; 2 hours later had paid my bill; 2 days later, received this:
Yes, it's a real record player. Real as in it has real records, but it's a music box. You wind it up with a knob, put a record on, and place the arm on. It houses, instead of a needle, a set of prongs that make tones as they flick over the bumps on the record, just like a music box. The 5 records are 2-sided so there are 10 songs total. The girls (and I) love it and I keep it on a high shelf - a "special toy" that requires permission to use.

Anyone else remember this?

What other classic toys were totally the best that you wish your kids could have?

For the girls, August has been all about "making things," especially with
Playdoh and...
Pizza dough!

Nie Nie Day is Coming - Watch for Good Auctions!

Well some of you may follow Design Mom's blog; I am sporadic but loyal. Her friend and fellow talented blogger Stephanie and husband Christian, parents of four, were in a tragic plane crash a few weeks ago; in critical condition, with months or more of recovery ahead of them. It has been moving to follow the ripple effect of sympathy, caring and generosity made possible by blogs and the internet, and I too have wondered what I can do to help. I don't know them personally but what if something like this happened to people I do know and care about? I would be screaming injustice and begging for any help on their behalf. As it stands, an impressively talented and savvy artistic community is rallying around the Nielsons in their time of need, fundraising in several ways for their medical/financial needs in the months to come.

For her part, Design Mom has named this Thursday, August 28, Nie Nie Day. She will be hosting a silent auction for something secretly awesome - I would expect nothing less from her - and has encouraged readers and Etsy sellers to do the same. Proceeds go directly into the Nielsons' paypal account. On Thursday's post she will tell of her own auction and include a list of links to everyone else's.

Naturally I want to participate. I love stuff like this, and for a good cause is even better. So I have contacted a few talented friends and have a pretty good auction lot taking shape. Please check back here Thursday to bid and/or check Design Mom's other auction links. And of course let us know if you score something awesome. Thursday should be an interesting day. More than anything I hope we can make a killing for the Nielsons.

Scrapbooking Survey

I got this forwarded by email from a friend. I'm not a scrapbooker myself, and I honestly don't know which of my friends/readers are but thought I'd throw it on here in case there are any takers.

"Do you know anyone who is into scrapbooking that I can get to take a survey? I'm helping a guy at work who made an investment in a company called Scrapblog. They have an online application for laying out scrapbook pages. Would you be willing to take this 10 question survey and pass on the link to anyone else you know who might be willing to take the survey. You can check out Scrapblog at if you are interested."

Here's the survey.

This post was worth it just for the awesome scrapbook image I found.

An Inspired Giveaway

Last weekend I taught a jewelry-making workshop thanks to a $15 class I took at Michael's a few years ago and an enormous bin of beading supplies I needed to pare down before the move. Creative juices flowed and we all ended up with some nice pieces, admiring them on each other at church the next day. Lindsay made 3 lovely pairs of earrings and, with virgin lobes herself, is hosting an earring giveaway on her blog, so get over there before Friday and join the fun!

It's true, blog giveaways are oh-too-fun, so it's gotten me thinking...we'll see what I come up with.

Ratings??

What the...? Why are there suddenly "Rate It" stars at the end of my blog posts? I feel violated and confused.

May I Direct Your Attention - New YW Leader Blog

My sister Tona was recently called to serve in the Young Women's organization in her (LDS) ward, for the first time in her 17 years since leaving YW herself. Totally eager to make it real, she began searching for online forums, blogs or groups of other LDS YW leaders to discuss lessons and timely issues in ministering to young women...and found none. She inquired of several other resources, and no one knew of anything, so she started one herself.

Beginnings New is "the place for LDS young women's leaders who want more than clip art and cute. Substantive, positive, caring, smart... that's us. So join the conversation." This is certainly a place for any YW leader to check in and weigh in, but I've enjoyed reading the posts and comments, and leaving my own, even though I work in Primary. I've got two daughters and by the time they are teenagers I am sure to be completely out of touch, so it's nice to check in and see what's going on with young women these days. Check it out.