Life at Random

My life recently...

- Finally completed my primary set! The little blue was one of my first ever Pyrex scores, which means it was probably under $2. Last summer, my parents found the yellow & green at a garage sale for $3 for both. Last week I found the red for $1.99 at my local Red Racks. This brings my total to $7. Yay!

- Scored one of my most-wanted Pyrex pieces! I'm sure others out there have their "must-have" list, right? My #1 is a complete Spirograph, #2 Mod Kitchen, #3 New Dots set (good luck to me, right? Haha!) Well, cross off that #2! I scored this Mod Kitchen last week for a wee bit more than what I'd normally pay, but...c'mon, it was my #2! $19 for this beauty! I figured the best way to break it in was to use it. Here she is, fresh out of the oven with stuffed shells.

- Helped my momma yesterday bake for a church fundraiser. Can we just take a moment and look at how adorable my mother, Ace, is?!

We made so many cupcakes!

#1: Drumstick

Chocolate cake stuffed with chocolate buttercream & waffle cone pieces, topped with chocolate buttercream, waffle cone pieces, walnuts, and chocolate drizzle

#2: Dirt & Worms

Chocolate cake rolled in chocolate ganache, topped with chocolate buttercream, oreo crumbles, gummy worms, and a mini Oreo

#3) Peeps

Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, topped with Sixlets, sprinkles, and a Peep

#4) Lemon (My personal fave!)

Lemon cake topped with lemon buttercream, candy pearls, and a Lemonhead

- Found this little guy at a local flea market - and although it made me chuckle, I didn't bring it home:

- Practiced my "wedding hair"! I'm getting married in ELEVEN DAYS. Holy canoly! It's a very non-traditional Vegas wedding (yes...Elvis will be there) with our immediate family only (large reception with extended family/friends to follow back home.) I'm wearing a birdcage veil made by one of my very best friends, and I'm thinking wearing my hair down in a long vintage wave like so:

Thanks for tuning in to my chaotic ramblings!

xoxo,

2013 Thus Far!

Hello, all! 

Time is flying by at super speed, I swear.

2013 has been pretty amazing.

I rang in the new year with the best group of friends and family I could have ever asked for - I'm blessed!

I haven't been buying much Pyrex (I've been buying too many things for my upcoming wedding - AHH yay!) But, I mean, I've still got some new goodies to share... 

Pyrex full of chocolate from my momma for Christmas - looove!

Fifty cents each - love deals like these! Has anyone seen this little bowl before?

First Sandalwood pieces - Christmas gift from my momma!

And this beauty was a trade from the lovely Brittany! It's my first piece of Horizon and I can't get over how much I love this blue!

I also scored this for $1 awhile back. It's currently sitting on my counter holding my cupcake wrappers. 

 Also in 2013, my darling fiance had a birthday! (He's 28! Big kid.) He requested vanilla Coke cupcakes, and they turned out pretty delicious.

I'll leave you with this horrible, dark, grainy picture...okay, I'll explain.

I was born and raised in a small small town. Last week, a new restaurant opened up - which is big big news around here. Of course we had to go and try it. (It was pretty awesome, FYI.) However, as we were leaving the rather charming downtown area, I noticed I parked in front of this:

A display of Pyrex...say WHAT?! They were most definitely closed, but now I'm so intrigued to go check it out...I'll update when I do. :)

xoxo,

A Birthday & Hazelnut Latte Cupcakes

My dear brother had a birthday last weekend.

Of course there was a party!

One of the birthday boys favorite hot coffee drinks is a hazelnut latte - so I decided on a chocolate espresso cake with hazelnut buttercream frosting.

The result? A little piece of heaven.

A shot of the snack table mid-party (please note all the Pyrex):

Here's to you, Adam! The happiest of birthdays, brudder. You are loved.

Cupcake Overload!

This weekend my mom's side of the family is having a big ol' get together. We all love food - especially sweets. So tonight in preparation, we baked.

Oh, did we bake...

Vanilla cake filled with purple buttercream and topped with pink & white swirled buttercream...and sprinkles.

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream topped with vanilla sugar and a whopper.

Chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream topped with a sliver of a peanut butter Snickers.

"The Hippie" - Banana cake filled with caramel buttercream topped in vanilla buttercream and rolled in granola.

Which looks the most tempting to you?

Happy #4, Rach!

Tomorrow my favorite 3 year-old turns the big #4.

(What other 3 year-old plays the ukulele?!)

Cupcakes, of course, are in order. 

(My mother made her most-delicious lemon cupcakes and I iced them.)

Lemon cupcakes, for the zestiest little gal I know.

So here's to you, Rachel. Another year older, another year more awesome.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Happy 4th of July!

No...I did not make these - but I did pick them up at a fantastic little cupcakery. Lemon blueberry, red velvet, snickers, & s'mores. Yes pleasssse!

Never fear - of course I baked something today!

What has cream cheese icing...

And berries...

Fruit flag pizza! 

Now it's time to go light some smoke bombs and pretend sparklers are light sabers...

Have fun today, everyone! Stay safe!

Flameware & Mocha Cupcakes

Warning: This post is slightly random and very picture-heavy. You've been warned.

So this morning I woke up at 7am (on a Saturday!) to go to garage sales, an estate sale, and an auction with my daddy-o.

The auction promised vintage pyrex, but I didn't see any until...

WOAH FLAMEWARE. And yes, that orange box is a BRAND NEW teapot. And for $12, my brand new teapot!

For another $12 I scored this double boiler and saucepan.

Randomly, at another garage sale, my mom found the 6-cup percolator for 50 cents! It's missing the stem, but still a great price! (The 4-cup I already had!)

Just when I was beginning to lose faith in all garage sales, I found these gems for $5:

I've been wanting a set of Pyrex canisters for awhile now, but all I could seem to find was the vegetable print, which isn't really my style. I love this print though! (Anyone know what it's called?) 

Now, off the topic of Pyrex...

Father's day is right around the corner. What do you get a dad who has everything he wants? Oh, that's right. Cupcakes!

For my coffee-obsessed dad, mocha cupcakes - made with love. Oh, and lots and lots of sugar.

It's like heaven in the form of cake.

And now as I unwind from my day on my patio, watching the evening storm roll in...

Look how big my celosia is growing! I'm so proud it's still alive. (My thumb is not green at all.)

And my amigo-mix coxcomb is thriving, too!

Cheers! Happy Saturday, everyone!

Lemon Zest Cupcakes

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

I haven't baked in awhile, and it's a friend's birthday at work tomorrow. You know what that means...cupcakes!

These lemon zest cupcakes are my momma's recipe, and they're amaaazing.

Yes, that's a lemonhead on top. Just for fun. And because I love lemonheads.

And, yes, that's Pyrex they're sitting on. My two loves together!

The recipe I use is very similar to this - except I don't use any oil or pudding, just the sour cream.

Yummm!