Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I needed a quick treat I could whip up for a Wednesday night small group. Our food theme (because we're fun like that!) was "meats and sweets" and I was obviously going the sweet direction. I remembered this easy breezy recipe (I overheard it in the teachers' lounge and let's face it, it's not to hard to keep the ingredients straight) and decided to try it out.

And just for the record, I do not love to cook (I tolerate it because I must nourish my body somehow and my neighbors' feed me if I feed them). I especially do not like to cook new recipes. Ah, the fear of the unknown! But I was so pleased by how these little cuties turned out that I made another batch almost immediately.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Assemble the troops.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (or muffins, if that makes you feel better)

Ingredients:
1 box of spice cake mix
1 can of pumpkin

(see, I told you it would be easy to remember)

Directions:
Combine cake mix and pumpkin.
Stir. Hard. The batter will get super thick. You could probably add up to a half cup of water just to make it easier, but I use this as my exercise for the day. Besides, you'll be wanting to burn off the calories later. Bake according to box directions.

So thick the spoon sticks straight up in the batter.

I poured my batter into a mini cupcake pan, making 24 mouthfuls of deliciousness, with some batter left over. Regular sized would work too. Just note that the batter is way thick - these babies aren't going to spread and settle down in the pan. However you get them in there is pretty much how they will come out, crazy peaks and lumps and all.

Out of the oven.

And speaking of the calories I just mentioned, these cupcakes as is are not bad for you at all. You have omitted the heavy hitters of eggs and oil, so you can eat these pretty guilt-free. That is, until you add the homemade cream cheese frosting.

Bad, bad frosting ingredients.

Cream Cheese Frosting (worth it, trust me - remember all the calories you saved on those healthy cupcakes?)

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (I know, I know, but still so good!)
4 oz cream cheese (half a package)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Cream together the room-temperature (or briefly microwaved for lazy-dazies like me) butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, a bit at a time, beat until nice and fluffy. Frost those babies. Dare yourself to eat just one.

With an artistic bit of cinnamon sprinkling.

Tempting close-up of these bad boys!

What I'm Reading

Just Finished

My book club made a landmark decision this month - for the first time in our five-year history, we are reading a book with no movie adaptation. We'll actually be forced to (gulp!) discuss what we've read at this month's meeting! At least we picked a fascinating read. Amazon says: Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?

Currently

Continuing my New Year's Resolution to read and watch all the Harry Potter books (and celebrating the fact that they're finally available on my Kindle), I'm currently on the fourth in the series. There is a notable difference that takes place in book four. The writing becomes more sophisticated, as though the author acknowledges that her audience is growing up. The story, too, shifts into darker territory, ramping up towards the inevitable finale. In a way, book four is where it truly begins. The first three just laid the groundwork.

Up Next

My other book club chose Loving Frank for our next book. It blends fact and fiction to weave the tale of the love affair between architect Frank Lloyd Wright Mamah Borthwick Cheney. It's a book I've always meant to read, based on the reviews it got when first published, I just never got around to it. Now that Matt and I are planning a trip to Chicago, it seems especially timely, given the architect's influence in the Windy City.

That's what I'm reading. What about you?

The Best Job

Being a mom is a hard job, but it's the best job. (Mascara alert.)

Under My Umbrella

Rain, rain

Go away

Come again

Another day

Little Violet

Wants 

To

Play!

Lake House Weekend

This weekend my family had the pleasure of heading to a beautiful Oconee lake house for a mini-family reunion in honor of my mom's birthday. Mom has long dreamed of having all her kids take a mini-vacation like this, and we were all excited to make it happen for her big day. 

The lake house was fabulous. We're already scheming to go back.

Our best attempts at fishing. Danielle won for the biggest stick.

It was a nice relaxing weekend filled with laying on the dock, testing out the paddle boat, cooking and eating together, just being a family. We're all so busy, we really treasure the times we get to spend together. And it's easier to relax when we're all away from the daily pressures of home and laundry and work. Violet had fun hanging out with her Aunt Danielle and Uncle Lukas. She took a little while to warm up to them, but they won her over eventually.

Silly Aunt Dani!

Uncle Lukas shows off.

In true Swedish style, we all prepared a little something (song, poem, tribute) to honor my mom. Dad rewrote the lyrics to a song and we all serenaded the woman of the hour. The chorus went like this (can you guess the tune?):

Here's the truth and we must share it

There is none to match our Berit

We've shared a million cups of coffee, but we've just begun

She's our super Bee, and she is number one!

The Fortunato Family Singers.

It was pretty hilarious.

Some presents...

And a new book... (hopefully I can borrow it!)

The birthday girl declared the holiday a success and we loved it too. Happy (early) birthday, mom! We love you!

Am I Old?

As I was thinking back over everything we did this weekend, I started wondering... Why do I recap the weekend here? Do you all really care what we did these last couple of days? Well, even if you don't, tough cookies, because reviewing my weekend helps me take it all in stock. It changes my thinking about the last couple days. As I view it from a different angle, I discover the way the light catches on certain events and makes even the boring seem beautiful. I'll go from "this was such an unproductive weekend and I can't believe it's over already I got nothing accomplished" to "wow... I did all that and a load of laundry!"

And went to my first Tupperware party! (How 1970's am I, right?) And let me tell you, Tupperware ain't cheap. I had no idea what I was getting into, but whoa. I have a whole stack of plastic containers currently residing in my kitchen that cost less than the one piece I purchased at this event. Just be glad I didn't get suckered into hosting my own party or I'd be guilting and cajoling you all to show up and spend your own money! Like I said, I did pony up for one piece - it's a shoebox shaped container that has two regulating air vents on the side. Supposedly it helps keep your produce fresher because you can pop the vents depending on the needs of the veggies inside. I'll let you know if it was worth the ridiculous amount of money I spent on it.

The party was immediately followed by the Braves opening weekend baseball game! We met Matt's parents off an exit to swap cars/childcare duties, and then headed up for the tailgating extravaganza. I'm pretty sure the last Braves game I tailgated at was the one where we announced to our circle of friends that we were pregnant with Violet. So it's been awhile. Now almost everyone we were with has gone on to have a kid of their own, so our conversations were hilariously different. At one point I stopped and had to ask, "Does it seem weird that we're all married and parents and homeowners (etc.)?" To which my friend Kelly emphatically replied, "No! We're in our thirties!" (As in, "we're old and this is what we're supposed to be doing!") Still, every now and then it still surprises me. Thirty always seemed so... old. But I don't feel old. I mean, I still shop at Old Navy for crying out loud. (Unless... am I too old for Old Navy? Ya'll would tell me, right?)

Anyway, lest this delve into philosophical depths I'm not ready to explore at this late hour (of 9 p.m., because apparently I am old), here are some visual aids...

Tailgating... the weather was perfection.

Great seats!

Braves win!

The rest of the weekend followed pretty much the usual pattern of: laundry, entertain Violet, put Violet in timeout for unspecified crimes against nature, hug Violet, grocery store, entertain Violet, grade papers, dinner, entertain Violet, put Violet in bed, put self in bed. We're looking at jam packed weekends like this one until summer arrives, but I'd say they are worth it.

Eat Your Heart Out!

Nothing special to say, just thought I'd give you a peek into what a random dinner hour looks like around here. (Except I mean breakfast, not dinner. Dinner generally involved four other kids, a much bigger mess, and quite a bit more noise. Same general glee applies, however.)

Ah, if only breakfast made me this happy.

She's knows she's not supposed to put her hand in the cup. Stinker!

Grin behind the glass.

Our Easter

It's awfully nice that our families like each other so much! (Grandma, Grandpa, Mimi and Papa)

Easter dress. Worn for approximately 1.3 hours, exchanged for something more play-able. (Sigh.)

One (of several!) Easter baskets. Spoiled much?

Happy girl.

Birthday Egg Hunt

Our neighbor Reece turned four over spring break and celebrated with an Easter egg hunt - what a great idea! The party was a blast. There was a bunny hop sack race, egg-on-spoon relay, egg dying, and the egg hunt of course. While last year Violet wasn't quite sure what all the egg fuss was about, she knew exactly what she was doing this time around. I had grand plans of saving her eggs and redistributing them Easter morning, but she had those plastic cups pried open and all the candy gobbled up before I ever realized what she was doing!

Sampling the spoils of the hunt.

Working her way through the harvest.

Not too keen on sharing.

The sour gummy strikes again!

Birthday decor.

Cake time!

Bean bag toss.

In the basket.

Just in case you were wondering...

Just in case you were wondering... she's pretty much awesome.

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

Being back in my parents' house has made me revert back into a 15-year-old. Hopefully a less annoying one. But just as lazy and self-absorbed as ever. As a spring break mini-vacation, it has been wonderful. Exactly what I needed. My mom has been playing nanny, albeit the world's least paid one. Seriously, I have barely seen Violet since we arrived here. They have been going nonstop from trips to the park and down to the lake to feed the ducks to having picnics on the porch. All while I'm shopping or taking myself out to lunch or just laying on the couch reading Harry Potter and not lifting a single parenting finger.

And not only is my mom entertaining our little friend non-stop, she's also back to caring for her 31-year-old "teenage" daughter. She brings me snacks on the porch. She cooks dinner and cleans up the dishes in my wake. I'm encouraged to go upstairs for nap time. She forces me to eat ice cream every night while we watch silly reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond". Violet and I are both in for a rude awakening when we head home tomorrow.

Here are some highlights from today. (I'll leave out the real high points - me on the couch, Kindle in hand, completely absorbed in my book, or me wandering aimlessly but joyfully through Target - as they don't make for interesting viewing.)

Little sis Nicki and I head out to see The Hunger Games.

Discovering the community garden just down the street. Oh, and I finally joined instagram.

A brief sighting of Violet.

Class Pet?

To be (a class pet) or not to be?

I've recently been given the option of borrowing this little lady as a class pet.

For the record, I hate the idea of class pets. I don't have one. Never wanted one. They are distracting. Messy. You have to worry about them on weekends and find sitters for them over long breaks. It's one more creature to worry about in an already crowded room. Yet another creature that won't clean up after itself.

But... it would earn me some cool teacher points. Most of the other first grade classrooms have something, even if it's just a frog or two. I've caught my students staring longingly at Tad, the neighboring reptile, whenever we pass through his classroom. And we're about to launch into our animal unit.

BUT (notice the bigger but), Matt has already declared he will not have this rodent in our house. Turtle, maybe. Gerbil, no.

What to do? What to do?

Polka Dots!

Love me some polka dots!

Hello Spring Break!

Yesterday I dropped Violet off at her Mimi's house so I could enjoy a little getaway with my book club besties, just in time to kick off my spring break. We didn't get away far, just dinner at Serenbe (remember that place?), a showing of The Hunger Games, and then a restful night at the Loughman B&B. (Matt's parents graciously lent us their home for a night so we girls could have a sleepover together. My sweet MIL even stocked the fridge for us!)

It's always so nice to spend some time with good friends. We're all so busy these days, but book club is sacred and it always brings us together once a month. And I'm continuously reminded of the importance of treasuring and nurturing these friendships. It's right up there with nurturing and treasuring my me-time. Which is what I'll be doing this spring break.

Violet and I are spending a few days at my parents' house, which translates into lots of free babysitting for me. I plan to spend a few blissful hours shopping without having to remind Violet to sit down in the cart every two minutes. I might even take a book to a coffee shop and read uninterrupted, stopping only to smile indulgently at the self-important teenage girls that will flock around their caffeinated blended beverages hotly debating Team Gale versus Team Peeta. Even the teeth-gritting idea of a Walmart errand run seems relaxing when I know I won't have to tote Violet around with me. It's such a luxury to have doting grandparents close by.

Doing some exploring.

Throwing sticks in the water.