Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes

Uhm. The. Best. Cupcakes. Ever. I'm. Serious. Make. These. Now.

 Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix (check box for ingredients)

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 tbsp sugar

1 cup thawed cool whip

1 container whipped chocolate frosting

24 Mini OREOs (add more for decorating)

12 Strawberries (for decorating)

Chocolate Syrup (for decorating)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F.  Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Mix cream cheese, egg, sugar and 2 tbsp. of chocolate frosting until well blended. Spoon half the cake batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Top each with about 1-1/2 tsp. cream cheese mixture and 1 cookie; cover with remaining cake batter.

Bake 19 to 22 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with chocolate frosting and/or cool whip. Top with remaining cookies, strawberries and chocolate syrup! Enjoy!

Looks good, right???

#81 Take Professional Pictures

Kyle Blair Photography

Kyle Blair, is not only a great photographer, but he is also one of my dear friends! He actually got accepted into a photography school in Paris this fall and will be moving there to study! So proud of him! BUT...in the mean time, he is still snapping photos right and left. He asked if he could take some photos of me while I was in Memphis this past weekend...so ofcourse I jumped at the chance. Not only was "take professional pictures" on my 101 list....but I thought it would be fun to do it with a friend! Gotta love having friends in the photography business!

What do you think???

Honey, I'm Home!

Shew, what a weekend! I'm always exhausted when I return from a trip to Memphis. But...that's a pretty standard after shock when I try to squeeze in everything I want to do and everyone I want to see into ONE little weekend. But regardless...it was a phenominal weekend...and well, I can always catch up on my sleep later today. Tuesday is a good day for a nap, right?

Well, after my seven hour drive to Memphis and making a quick stop over my sister's house to visit. I met up with some of my dearest friends at Bahama Breeze for a little girls night dinner. Kimberly was luckily in town from Texarkana the same weekend for a wedding. Gotta love how that worked out! Oh how I love these girls with a passion.

(Amanda, Lindsay, Kelley, Kimberly, Jacqueline)

After dinner, a few of us headed downtown to meet up for my friend Andrew's birthday. It was a bar hopping night starting at Silly Goose...venturning over to BB Kings...then ending the night at Silkys. I was pretty excited to spend time with all favorite people.

(Lauren, Jacqueline, Heather, Stephanie)

Saturday was a pretty busy day. It started with a little photo session with the one and only, Kyle Blair. (I'll post more on this later this week). Then, I headed to my sister's house for my niece's second birthday party. She loves Abby Caddaby from Sesame Street, so ofcourse, she had an Abby birthday complete with a matching tutu, wand and Abby shirt. Isn't she a doll?

Then, after the party, I headed over do my friend Natalie's house for the Second Annual Stickles Spring Soriee. (Click here to read about the Spring Soriee on Natalie's Blog.) She had one last year when I came in town as well (Read about last year's here!) It's always great chatting, catching up with my girls, and EATING!
Our little get togethers never get old. I heart you girls!

(Jacqueline, Lindsey, Haley, April, Lynsey, Natalie)

Then, on my last day, I spent some quality time with family and relaxed before I had to make the drive back.

Nice little four day weekend in Memphis. I will be planning my next trip soon. Who wants to come??

145 days to Memphis

MEMPHIS:  Home of the Blues. Home of Elvis. Home of BBQ.
And...Home of ME!

I haven't been home in 145 days! Can you believe it? That's the longest time I've ever gone without seeing my family and some of my closest friends! So, needless to say, I am pretty excited to be heading home tomorrow morning!

I've got an action packed weekend ahead of me, including two birthday events, cookout, and a surprise (to be discussed later, maybe!) Ah, so glad I took off work an extra day to relax when I return! :)

Happy (early) Weekend Everyone!

[All Photography: Compliments of the very talented, Kyle Blair]

Temporary Adoption

The school year is ending; therefore, so is my Adopt-a-Classroom Program.  I must say, I was a little overwhelmed when I first decided to be a part of this program. I mean, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH 19 KINDERGARNERS???? But I was actually blessed to have 19 of the sweetest little five year olds. We sang lots of songs, read lots of books, ate lots of cookies and capri suns! (Yes, I poked the straws through for them. Remember how hard it was to get the straw in there??) Sweet sweet kiddos. I'm gonna miss them!

Here is a picture of one of my students, Amber. She was an absolute sweetheart and probably gave me about 10-20 hugs every time I came to visit. Nothing like a hug from a child to brighten your day!

Speaking of sweet kiddos, here is a picture of me and Heather, the girl I mentored last school year playing dress up.  She picked out our outfits...how do we look?

So, until the school year starts up again, I will be kiddo-free.  :)

Cake Mix Cookies

What do you do when you are in the baking mood but are too lazy to spend more than 10 minutes in the kitchen??? You make CAKE MIX COOKIES!!!! (Or I guess you could just buy the slice and bake cookies but I guess I wasn't THAT lazy)!

This is probably the easiest cookie recipe there is.

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (use whatever flavor you wish, I chose chocolate fudge)

2 eggs

1/3 cup of oil

Then, depending on what flavor you use, you can add any different add-ins. 

I used 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, just to add a little extra to my cookies. You could also use chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, M&Ms, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, etc. etc. Get creative!!

Directions:
Mix your main ingredients together until well blended. Then, stir in any additional ingredients. Make them into 1 inch balls and place them on a greased cookie sheet (makes about 3 dozen). Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. If you like your cookies soft-batched, like me, take them out of the oven at 10 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy with a cold glass of zero percent milk. Yes, ZERO percent, friends. (Find it in the organic section!)

Happy (easy) Baking! Enjoy!

My Photography Biography

If you know anything about me at all...you know that I LOVE taking pictures. On a good night, I probably average taking close to 50-100 photos. That's right...I'm one of those people. So, if you don't like having your picture taken, you either need to hide from me or learn to love it.  (I vote for: learn to love it!)
Seeing as how I LOVE photography and everything about it...I've turned into a scrapbooker. (Yes, I realize sometimes I sound like an 80 year old woman trapped in a 20 something year olds body!) I used to be one of those scrapbookers who held on to every scrap, every picture, had thousands of cute little papers, ribbons, cut outs, stencils, stickers.....the list goes on and on. But, to be honest, I just don't have the time for that anymore...or the patience!
So, what did I do??? I moved on to creating scrapbooks online. (And then, ordering them in print ofcourse!) Sure, its not as authentic as putting it together by hand...but my point, which is creating a book of memories, is still accomplished. So far, I've completed 3 scrapbooks and I have 3 more in the works. Want to see a little sneak peak so you can see what I'm talking about? Ok.

Here is a scrapbook I made about my trip to New Orleans in 2009 for Mardi Gras. I made it as a present to Heather and Stephanie. Here is the cover...and a little snapshot of the inside. Isn't it adorable?

I also went to Charleston last year with my friends Kevin, Matt and Stephanie....so ofcourse I made a scrapbook about it.

Here is Halloween 2009. I was Tabasco Sauce. (Is it hot in here???)

And I have a few more in works, including: The Bahamas, California...and one that is a secret.

Marking "start a new scrapbook" off my list....now I just have to finish them and add them to my collection!

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. ~Eudora Welty

Red Bull (Reds Game + Bull Riding)

My weekend started with Ladies Night at the Reds/Cubs Game on Friday night!! (The Cubs won, BUT we beat them in Saturday AND Sunday's game!!!) What is Reds Ladies Night, you ask??? Well, I have no idea other than I got a free Rosie Reds tote bag and a free 10 minute chair massage. (If you market "free massages".....I'll more than likely attend.)

After the game, we proceeded to Righteous Room for some cocktails then to Cadillac Ranch. I must say, I'm not a fan of Caddy Ranch...but at that point in the night (and our buzz) we weren't too concerned as to where we were going. As you can see...I was so intoxicated I rode a mechanical bull. And by "rode"...I mean, I got on and then....fell off. See:

And then we rode it again....and fell off...again.

I heard a lot of laughing.

I heart Nashville!

29 Deaths. Loss of Homes. Cars. Everything. An estimated $1 billion in damages. Nashville needs our help!

Interested in donating? Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10. Or find someone who's company is matching donations. My company is matching dollar for dollar, up to $5000 for all donations going to the Red Cross, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Salvation Army, Second Harvest and United Way! (Let me know if you want to donate here and I can send you a form!)

Also, tune into our network, Great American Country (GAC) on May 16th as we are partnering with Gaylord Entertainment and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau to develop the two-hour Music City Keep on Playin' - A Benefit for Flood Relief telethon event! Read about it here.

Nashville, you are in my prayers! So glad all my friends who live there are safe!

Interested in reading more, here are a few good reads:  We Are Nashville, Help Vince Young Raise Money, and Conserve Water for the Nashville Flood.

A Snapshot of May

Well, the month of April was fantastic...so no pressure, May, no pressure. Although I do imagine good things for the month. The thing I am most looking forward to is...(drum roll, please) MEMPHIS! Ahhhhh....home sweet home. Ever since I moved in August of 2007, I've ventured home atleast every two months to visit with my family and friends (Sometimes twice in one month!). However, lately my trips home have become farther and farther apart. BUT...this month....I'm going!!!

I haven't been to Memphis since Christmas. Can you believe it!!! By the time I get to Memphis...it would have been 145 days since my last visit. ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE DAYS! SHEESH! I better get home before my mom forgets what I look like! :)

And the thing I am least looking forward to is....my close friend moving away at the end of this month. I'm happy for her and her new gig in San Diego...but I'm so sad to see her leave. Who is going to do the crab dance in the middle of a bar? Who is willing to dress up as a taco for Halloween to go along with my hot sauce costume? Who is going to take random road trips with me to Columbus just to go to the Big Bang Piano Bar? Ahhhhhhh....this sucks!! I will be taking applications for a new Cincinnati BFF starting in June!

Californication

Hi friends.

Well, my week long California vacation was a success. What did we do, you ask? Lets start with Los Angeles/Hollywood.  Well, as previously posted...we did the Chelsea Lately Show and Ellen Degeneres Show.  We also, did a double decker tourbus around Hollywood. Went to some go-to places to stuff our faces, including Ketchup and Katsuya. 

Is anyone in love with the bang-bang shrimp at BoneFish Grill??? Well, Katsuya has a sushi roll that is literally bang-bang shrimp on top of a california roll (eh, it was supposed to be tuna roll but i subsitutued it for california...i mean, I WAS in california!). Mmmmmmmmm. It was $17 for one roll, but it was worth it. Mouth.Watering. I need to marry a chef so he can make this for me on a weekly basis. Perhaps Curtis Stone is single. (Even though LB will fight me for him!! :)

We also went to the W Hotel for drinks, Dillions, The Edison (awesome place!), the Saddle Ranch, and a few other places. It was a gooooood time.

After staying in LA for 4 days, we ventured off to San Diego for the next 3 days. Let's just say the beginning of the journey didn't go so smoothly. First, Stephanie and I RAN through Union Station to catch our train. Then, the train had engine problems and we were delayed about an hour. Then, some drunk a-holes sat next to us (literally made us move over so they could sit at our table) and were not-so-nice-people. BUT....we finally arrived in San Diego at 11pm...and 15 minutes later we were dressed and ready to party!

I must say, San Diego was a blast. The people were very nice, welcoming, ready to party...and the views....quite amazing.

It was a nice long trip but I've been on detox ever since I returned. Sick Sick Sick. And I'm STILL sick. How long does it take to recover from 7 days of straight drinking and averages of 4 hours of sleep a night? I know it is more than six days. It better not be more than 7.

It's Showtime!!

My trip to Los Angeles immediately began with a taping on the Chelsea Lately show! Running a little short on time, Erin and I had to change at the airport, forgo lunch and hall our cute little jeep wrangler rental car over to Santa Monica to make it to the show. But after we arrived, we were forced to wait in line for 2 hours, then go through a security screening process. Then we finally got to sit in the audience (front row VIP section, might I add). Amazing seats and a great show!!
I mean, front row...seeing Chelsea Handler and Chuy in person...seeing Katie Cassidy's skinny ass...Shaking Chuy's squishy hand...and Erin even got her book autographed by Chelsea...(I wasn't smart enough to bring one.) I was pretty pumped to be a part of the show...but damn them for not letting me be able to bring in a camera of any sort to capture the moment. Stories are always better when you have a picture. Ohhhwell.

Speaking of shows and the main reason for my trip...day two was for the Ellen Degeneres show!!! I was so excited to finally see Heather, the winner of the tickets, and do the sprinkler on Ellen's show!  Seriously...being in her audience was a blast...there are dance contests during the commercial breaks and all. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It really was a great experience and I'm glad I was able to cross it off my list and do it with three amazing friends! :)

Jax ~ Steph ~ Erin ~ Heather...dancing on the Ellen Show

Guest of the day: Annette Benning