Stationery card

Picture Our Year Holiday Card

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Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

For the past 3 years I have wanted to enter a local holiday baking contest, but have not because I was either too busy or didn't have the "perfect" cupcake. Well this year I was inspired by the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks. My first attempt turned out nice but did not capture the flavors of my favorite drink and was a little too sweet.

With the chaos at school, Thanksgiving and my son's birthday just around the corner, I decided not to perfect the cupcakes. The morning baked goods were due to the competition site I woke up with inspiration. I did some online searches, baked the cupcakes, ran to the grocery store to pick up missing ingredients and finished the cupcakes with 15 minutes to go.

When I dropped them off at 3pm I was told that they would announce the winner around 6pm, but they would call to let me know for sure. At 5pm I received a call from the person in charge and she told me that I was the overall winner. My response was complete shock. She said they were absolutely delicious and then asked if I could be there at 5:45 so the mayor could present me with my award. How exciting... but crap...now I have to shower and get ready.

I received a big basket filled with lots of Betty Crocker baking goods and tools. I wasn't expecting a prize, just bragging rights.

Caramel Apple Chaos

I was asked to make caramel apples for my friends wedding. No problem. I knew it was going to be a small wedding and I had made them before. Well their small wedding turned into a 300 guests invited. Not only that.. what was I thinking making caramel apples in middle of July for and outdoor wedding. Needless to say, this was not a fun experience for me. Had they been favors for my wedding I would have thrown them in the trash. Maybe that is why they never made it to the tables. I decided to post pictures anyways!

Oreck Vacuum Giveaway

I have been seriously looking into getting a new vacuum and one of the brands I am looking at is Oreck. I am tired of pet hair and dander. With my little boy on the ground all the time I am even more aware of how gross my carpets are... even after I just vacuum. So when I saw the Oreck Halo Vacuum Giveaway over at Life in a House of Blue I was very excited. I might get lucky and win this awesome vacuum. So head on over and check it out!

Baby Star Giveaway

Kari at Giveaway Addicted Mommy is giving away a fabulous diaper bag from Baby Star. I was able to see this bag and I really would like to win one. It is nicely made and doesn't even look like a diaper bag. So head on over and check it out.

TV Addiction

I have created a monster. My son, only 6 months old is obsessed with TV. I can't believe it. I am not a fan of TV, but I noticed recently that the TV is on all the time and it is hard to get Harrison's attention when he is eating. What have I done? I have only been at this for 6 months and I am officially a bad mommy.

Focus Friday #4

Let's not talk about last week. Still have not made my dentist appointment.

Monday will be my first day back to work. I have been home with my little man for 10 weeks. It has been a wonderful 10 weeks and I am not excited about going back to work. I really thought after 10 weeks I would get bored. Well I was kept myself very busy and enjoyed spending time getting to know my little guy.

So my task for this week is to just survive. I will not freak out and make grandpa nervous. I will be strong. I will miss him so much. I tear up every time I think that I will not be with him all day and be able to comfort him.

I will survive!

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