If there was one thing I’d really like to learn to do that would definitely be cake baking and decorating. I will admit that I’m addicted to watching those shows that come on TLC and W, my favorites are definitely Cake Boss and DC Cupcakes, although DC Cupcakes irritate me because they sound so scripted and less natural on camera whereas Cake Boss sounds really natural and comfortable with the camera being around. I’d still recommend both shows to anyone interested because the artwork on both is amazing regardless of the latter sounding scripted.

Here are three cakes I found through Google that I really liked, clearly I dig zebra:

I can’t wait to be able to afford all the equipment I’d need in order to even get started; such as a kitchen Aid mixer, a food processor, different utensils and what not and not to mention the baking ingredients which I’d have to stock up on, but I’ll tell you this.. as soon as I can afford all of that you better believe I will be experimenting. I’ve always wanted to learn to make good buttercream icing, so I’ll definitely have to find a recipe for that.

I know they tend to cover the cakes in fondant which apparently keeps the cake fresh longer and also makes decorating easier as it’s like a canvas to an artist. That’s another thing I’ll have to learn to make when the time comes, but it looks like a lot of fun. I started learning to cake decorate at my old job, but someone already trained to decorate came in and I stopped being trained. From the little time I experimented at work I learned just how hard it is to apply icing to a cake properly and it can even be difficult to ice several cupcakes before your wrist starts getting tired, not to mention roses are difficult to make.

I have an ample amount of respect for those of you who have already mastered cake baking and decorating and if you want to share anything you’ve created or recipes definitely send me a link/let me know and I’ll check it out, I love looking at other peoples artwork.

5 comments

Category: General
Tags: Baking, Food

Day 10: Take a picture of your dinner. Did you prepare it? Share the recipe if you’d like.

It’s been a few days since I last blogged and I apologize for that, I’ve been busy lately. So, here is the last day post of my blog challenge which is to share a picture of dinner and the recipe if I wish. Tonight, we had a very cheap, fast meal, hamburger helper.

This is the hamburger before the noodles and powdered cheese was added. I know it’s not quite as much meat that the box recommends, but we’re trying to cut back and save to make food last longer.

Here is the hamburger helper after it was all mixed together and finished cooking for 12 minutes.

Once the hamburger helper finished cooking I placed it into my lovely bowl to eat.

Generally, you are supposed to use milk in your hamburger helper according to the box, but we’re out of milk so we chose to use just water and it still tastes just as good as it does with milk in my opinion. If you’d like to try this hamburger helper it’s the cheeseburger flavor.

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Category: General
Tags: Blog Challenge, Food, Photos

Day 09: If you only had 2 weeks to live, what would you do different with your life, if anything?

If I only had 2 weeks to live, I probably wouldn’t do much different, I don’t believe I’d tell very many people because I wouldn’t want them giving me special treatment just because I was about to kick the bucket. I’m sure I’d tell Trevor and my parents and sister and what not and spend as much time with them during that last 2 weeks as possible. I’d do anything I could to make it something they could think back on as a happy time because that’s how I would want them to remember me.

Death is a scary thing and it comes at you in all different directions when you least expect it. Ideally we should all try to live everyday like it’s our last day, but it’s quite hard to do. I wish I could let go of petty things that shouldn’t matter that I know I wouldn’t let bother me if today were the day I would leave this beautiful green earth, but sadly I’m not like that. I’m a dweller, but I’m slowly working on it.

I would probably delete facebook and all those types of pages because I hate when someone dies and people bombard the page or take over the page. For instance, my cousin died earlier this year and my aunt started using her facebook which was creepy. Now, my aunt has changed the name of her facebook and turned it into her very own facebook which I find odd as well. I don’t want something like that happening, so I would delete facebook all together along with other social networking sites.

I would leave letters to the most important people in my life letting them know how much my life would have never been as great without them in it and how appreciative I am of those people. I probably should let the people I care about the most know more often how important they are to me. I honestly just need to work on letting go of small things and living life as it comes and not dwell on uncertainty and things like that. I need to learn to deal with problems as they come rather than dread their approach or idea that something bad could happen and just accept that things happen, you have to live and learn until your time comes.

15 comments

Category: General
Tags: Blog Challenge, Family

Day 08: Review a movie.

I’ve chosen to review Full Metal Jacket because I’ve recently watched it again for the first time in several years. It was released in 1987, directed by Stanley Kubrick; you might recognize his other work: 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, along with other works. The movie has a great cast with such actors as: R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Baldwin and Matthew Modine.

In Full Metal Jacket you follow these men training to become US Marines. They are put through hell by the Sergeant named Harman; one private in particular, known as “Gomer Pyle.” Pyle definitely struggled throughout training and eventually was handed off to Private Joker to be responsible for, which means he had to teach him everything he knows and make sure he grasped it. I like to think of Pyle as a lost puppy at first, he seems so innocent. Eventually, he comes through and actually appears to be a man training to be a US Marine rather than someone who is lost in the clouds. The ending of the first half of this movie has a very intense scene in a bathroom, definitely my favorite scene of the entire movie.

After training on the island with Sergeant Harman, the now US Marines are in the Vietnam War where you will follow them on their journey to try and win the war. They will make jokes, there is sexual references, and lots of racial slurs. I find the ending of the second part of the movie to be the one with the most impact; trying to find the source of a sniper and watching your friends and fellow US Marines die while trying. I would call the end very intense.

My boyfriend isn’t a huge fan of this movie, in fact, he thinks it’s awful, but I will disagree. I find the movie to be very moving and very intense. He says, “It’s no Apocalypse Now.” And while that may be true, it’s still a very good Vietnam War movie.

I give the movie 5 / 5 stars.

15 comments

Category: General
Tags: Blog Challenge, Movies, Reviews

Day 07: Get a guest blogger to blog this day about any topic the guest blogger wants.

Hi, I’m Mickee and I’m a friend of Ashley’s. I’m also a brand whore…

What makes a brand whore? By my own definition, a brand whore is someone who religiously buys, owns, and promotes others to purchase a certain label. Lately, I have been defined by this and I feel the need to clarify it.

It’s not hereditary at all. My mom is the coupon lady. She’s always looking for deals and savings. She doesn’t mind what the box looks like, as long as it does whatever she needs.

But myself, I know Apple builds the best computers. Starbucks brews the coffee that I prefer. And hands down, Tide will always be my favorite laundry detergent. So I can’t help but plunder, what’s in a brand that really delivers?

Is it the package? The logos are generally more professional and the design looks like a Photoshop dream. But is that really what we buy into? Is it the hype? Because one person says it’s the best, am I brainwashed? I never buy Tylenol instead of the store brand because of the packaging, but because experience has shown me that it always helps faster.

As consumers, we make decisions to buy the things we need and want. I find being loyal to the things I like just as important as being loyal to my soil. It’s comforting.

So what do you think about being a brand whore? And what brands do you always use?

You can find more of my blogs here and here.

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Category: General
Tags: Blog Challenge