Holiday=Craziness

So its been awhile since I have blogged. You can thank the holidays for lack of blogging. Between trying to prepare for christmas and trying to keep my household in semi-order, I have had little free time. Also Addy has been so fussy, I think she might be getting her first tooth soon. Hopefully soon I will have more time to blog about some of the fun things I have made lately...such as my pumpkin cupcakes with spiced buttercream frosting ( so yummy), and my adventures in furniture rearranging ( If I move the furniture again, I think my hubby might lose it, lol).

Another typical weekend...

Staying home, cleaning, and taking care of my babies....

I love furniture....

The way to this womans heart....you guessed it, furniture. I love shopping for furniture, although and I rarely get to, and my husband dreads it. So since I am in the mood to furniture shop,but lacking the funds, i decided to window shop online. These are finds....enjoy!

1)Craft Table

I could do some serios crafting at this table : )

2)Media Center

If you have children or even a husband, then you are aware of all he gadgets that go along with them. This system provides storage for toys, game system, books, baskets, and picture frames. Although the color might not be so great for children ( fingerprints).
3) Dining Furniture
I feel like the dining room is the one room in the house, where you can be very eclectic.

I love this red hutch! Its pretty, and it had alot of storage.

Farm house table. Big, round, and never going out of style. This is a must have!

Fun chairs!

4)Kitchen table/island

Rustic kitchen table. Great for hanging out or prepping food.

Nice comfy bar stools for the kitchen island

5) Hall Tree

Great for entryway or mud room storage. I love the style of the hall tree above, although I am not too fond of the color.

If you are short on space, but still need entryway storage a sofa table is great. It can't hold coats, but it is great for keys, and sunglasses.

6)Couches

Nice simple sofa, and easy to accessorize

Comfy and easy to clean. The perfect choice for children.

Comfy and stylish. This would be my choice, although I am sure my 3 yr would destroy this couch in less than six months.

7) Poster Bed

What a dream! This bed looks so romantic. I would love to have this, maybe someday I will have a bedroom big enough.

So my shopping trip is over, maybe next time I will get to bring one of these home with me!

Free magazines!

I love magazines, but I hate paying for the subscription. They can really get pricey when you have a couple of subscriptions. I currently subsribe to..
*Do it yourself
*Traditional Home
*House Beautiful
*Better Homes and Gardens
*Redbook
*Readymade
And the best part is, I do not pay a dime for these! My husband drinks alot of coke, so I save the reward codes, and get free magazines. This maybe old news to some, but if you drink coke, save the reward codes! You could be getting free magazines : ) Just log onto http://www.mycokerewards.com/ to get started.

Julie and Julia

I finally got see the end of this movie today. It seems like everytime I try to watch it, I am interrupted, but not today. I must say, I loved this movie. I found the movie very inspiring If you have not seen it yet, you must!

My Planner...

I do not know what I would do without my planner After 2 children my brain is at maxium capacity. If I do not write something done, than I will forget. I would highly suggest that every woman, own a planner. It does not have to be fancy, but it should be small enough to take with you in your purse when needed. Planners are truly life savers, keeping one part of your life organized, when the rest of it seems so chaotic.

Baking...yum!

Baking, such a fun ( fattening) hobby. While on the search for the perfect buttercream frosting recipe, I stumbled upon a recipe  that looks so yummy, smores cupcakes! I hope you all enjoy. Maybe soon I will be able to actually test the recipe for you soon.
-ES

S’mores Cupcakes
Makes 16-18 regular cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
Graham Cracker & Milk Chocolate Cupcakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 20 grahams)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (I reduced this to 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 cup milk chocolate (I pulsed mine in the food processor to make them a lot smaller)

Swiss Meringue Marshmallow Frosting (NOT BUTTERCREAM)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup regular sugar and 1/2 cup vanilla sugar)
4 egg whites
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix flour, crushed graham crackers, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk and beat until batter is almost smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (Mine were done at 16 minutes). Remove from oven and cool.
5. To make the frosting: Combine egg whites and sugar in the top of a double boiler (or a glass bowl over but not touching a pan of simmering water). Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until mixtures reaches 160°F, about 5 minutes. Pour egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high for 6 minutes or until room temperature. Add optional vanilla extract 1 teaspoon at a time until desired flavor.
6. Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with grated milk chocolate or graham cracker crumbs.

Welcome to my Blog

My blog is going to be a little eclectic, but I hope you enjoy it.  
-ES