A Semi-Fresh Start

I went out with some friends tonight and saw the movie Julie & Julia. It was incredible! I saw the preview months ago and absolutely fell in love with the idea of picking something like Julia Child's cookbook and setting a deadline to complete every recipe in it, while writing a blog about your experiences. Now I'm definitely no cook(I burn toast, no joke) and would not even attempt to do exactly what Julie Powell did, but I have been looking for new things in my life that I could really explore and get involved in. I think I've been so hooked on the way that my home looks that I've lost interest in anything else that could be stimulating my imagination. Being in Utah a few weeks ago and seeing so many incredible new things opened my eyes to the whole scrapbooking and card making scene. It's always been something I've been tempted by, but I have a hard time actually sitting down and doing it. I've found a nice way to get motivated though. Thank goodness for beautiful paper and my cute Martha Stewart cupcake punch. I'm in love and constantly looking for situations where I can make a card or attach a little note to anything. It's been so much fun, and I love doing that little bit extra, if for no other reason than to make myself smile. I've also gotten really into baking lately. I've always stuck to the same recipes, and almost always resort to the ever reliable 'Cowboy Cookies' whenever a dessert is needed. I think seeing that picture of Summer hiding behind her mini strawberry bundt cakes is what sealed the deal. Those sucker made my mouth water, and I loved the idea of making them myself. I've since jumped onto a couple of different baking sites and have so many things I want to try out, and some that I already have. I'm always looking for a new reason to try something out. Thank goodness for the missionaries. They've happily agreed to be my official taste testers. I've also decided to do a Cupcake of the Month club. I had a horrible start to it, and ended up resorting to a boxed mix. Terrible for someone who's wanting to get into baking from scratch. I'm such a nutter sometimes. So anyway, I'm serious about it now. The 1st of each month is delivery day. I'm going to pull all kinds of cupcake recipes from all over and try them out, one per month. Some are going to be based on taste, and others are just for the overall decorated look. I'm now on the lookout for potential club members. All I need are hungry tummies and people willing to give honest feedback, and I even deliver so there's the extra incentive! Along with the cupcakes, I'm trying out other ideas. I just did a cream cheese pound cake yesterday, and it turned out wonderfully! Wanna see?

Mmmm, yummy drizzled cream cheese icing goodness. I took that about a minute before dropping it off with the Elders. The one that stayed at home with us was sliced into before I remembered to take a picture.

So, if you are craving some homemade, scratch mixed, baked-with-love treats, let me know. I'm already planning September's Cupcake, individual multi-layer yellow cakes with buttercream frosting, and mini cheescakes with cherry topping. I'm so jazzed for that last one!

I'm happy for the little things in life that push us in new directions. All of this may not seem like anything drastic to other people, but it's exactly what I need in my life right now!