Baby, It's Cold Outside

So, I know it's been awhile and I apologize, but it has been a hell of a month so far. November just doesn't seem to like me. So, I decided when better to start back than today to share some lovely treasures with you all! :)

 this adorable little puppy!

this hilarious ecard!

this totally awesome room.

this collection of photos of all the yummy glee men.

and this funny picture.

I promise that in the future I will try my very best to post more often and here's to hoping things get better! Although I believe that since everyone has started playing Christmas music, they must. So I'm off to go listen to my new Christmas cd's and get happy!

Tighten Up

Hello again! Time for another Thursday's Treasures. I really like doing these posts because it lets me share the fun things I find while I look around the internet. So, without further ado, here we go...

these adorable cats

this slightly funny and totally accurate picture of Matthew Lewis

 this totally funny and totally true e-card

this super cute Audrey Hepburn statue

this adorable gif

Lost

So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and have come to the conclusion that, although I'm only 20, I'm going through my mid-life crisis. I guess I'm just in a rush, I don't know. Since I'm not in school at the moment I spend a lot of time just in the house by myself reading or watching Grey's Anatomy or A Very Potter Musical/Sequel over and over. While I enjoy me time as much as the next person, I'm bored. 

Also, this week I ventured out to Valparaiso, a city here in Indiana that I really love btw. I don't know what it is about it but I just think it's the cutest little downtown square and I love going there. Anyways, I found this amazing bakery Designer Desserts Bakery. First of all, the shop itself is awesome. It's like my head exploded onto the walls and decor. 

I mean, a dinosaur eating a cupcake? Hello, I fell in love before I even tried the cupcakes. Then I tried the cupcakes.

 This is a Pink Champagne cupcake. I also like to call it Heaven. It is seriously the most delicious cupcake I have ever tasted. Plus I like the breast cancer awareness decorations :)
We also got a half-dozen to bring home and share. Because they are large and it is almost impossible to eat your way through a whole one of these by yourself.

Delicious.

Ok, so you may be asking me what this has to do with my, for lack of a better name, mid-life crisis. Here's what it has to do with it. How freaking awesome would it be to own a cupcake shop like this one? I love baking cupcakes and they always turn out pretty tasty (or at least they have so far). Then I remember the past two years I've spent taking education classes and all that money I've spent. And I remember that I have no knowledge whatsoever about business. Also there's the fact that I really like going to substitute at the local elementary schools. I would also loveeeeeeeee to be able to go somewhere. Anywhere. I've never been anywhere (unless you count the Florida trip I took when I was 4 that I don't remember, and I don't) and it makes me so sad. Almost everyone I know has been somewhere. 

Then on top of all that, I feel so alone. I don't know what it is because I'm not really alone all that much (I suppose 6 hours a day is a pretty big chunk of time but I'm asleep for some of it) but I feel like my friends down at school have just forgotten about me and moved on (with the exception of two lovely ladies that I talk to everyday). And other than them, all my other friends are either in school or have a job. And I sit here all day doing nothing.

Also, I've just thought of what I'm really going through. I think it's an identity crisis. And I'm telling you now instead of just renaming it throughout the post because I want you to know that I figured it out while typing all this out. I just don't know who I am or what I want anymore. Right now I'm not a student, I'm not employed, I don't have a boyfriend, I don't see my friends all that much. And I complain a lot. I do know that. 
So, what do I do now? I don't know what to do with my life from here. I'm at a standstill. 
I've been listening to this song a lot lately and I decided to share this cover with you instead of the original because I really like it. Plus I really like the cover artist.

This song makes me feel slightly better and I can forget about all my crap because I love to sing it really loud.

Relashio

I have decided to start a new posting 'tradition'. Every week once a week I will post some exciting/interesting/adorable pictures that I have found that week to share them with you all. So, here goes; some 'treasures' I've found on the internet this week :)

 This cute picture of some of my favorite Harry Potter people.

 This cute kitty reading Twilight.

This adorable deer mounted on the wall! Normally I hate them but this one is just too cute!

 This beautiful butterfly. 

 This drawing of couture Disney Princesses.

 This gorgeous apartment.

 and this 'totally awesome' AVPS scene :)

Well, I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! And the new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice tonight!

OH! And happy birthday to the beautiful Miss Kate Walsh!!

Protego

So I have just finished this week's episodes of Glee and New Girl and I must say they were verrrrry enjoyable.

First, Glee.
I have fallen in love in one hour with Mike Chang.

 Not only did I love when he sang for his audition, that scene with his mom was absolutely adorable!!!!! Plus, as we all know, he kills it on the dance floor. I absolutely loved that he chose to follow his dream and was ok with his 'Asian F'.

Now that I've discussed Mike Chang, I'd like to discuss Mercedes. I'm not really sure how to feel after this episode. Firstly, though, you need to know that I love Mercedes. She is my favorite character and I love when she sings. But, after tonight I'm not sure what to think. Don't get me wrong, I too hate that Rachel always gets picked for everything over Mercedes, but I didn't want her to leave New Directions!!! (Also for anyone wondering, Mercedes is not pregnant. Amber Riley tweeted it after the show). I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens from here.

Until November. I don't know about everyone else but I am pissed that there won't be any new episodes for a month! Why? There have only been 3! Not happy.
When it does come back on, however, this man will finally be making his appearance!

I hope you all get as much of a kick out of this picture as I did when I found it! It was almost as funny as the Celtic Thunder cd I found with a picture of him at about age 12 on it. Classic! 


Now onto New Girl. Hilarious! 

This show always makes me laugh but tonight's was exceptionally good. The ending is always hilarious and tonight's was no exception. Also, I love Zooey Deschanel and her voice makes me super jealous. I am really excited for this new show and I really hope it gets picked up for another season!

And now I'm off to cast some spells on Pottermore!

Dissendium

Well, I made a life-changing decision yesterday. I am no longer a UIndy greyhound. I withdrew from classes yesterday and moved off campus and came back home. I decided that after starting to have panic attacks plus the pressure of school, it was all just too much. So now I'm home.
Part of me feels like a big failure but the rest of me is just relieved. I'm relieved that I don't have to write lesson plans or stay up all night or work my ass off for nothing. I'm relieved that I can hold my kitty and sleep in my own bed and see my family every day. I miss my friends down there but it was nice to wake up today and not have to worry about what homework I had to get done or if I would pass the big test. It was also nice to wake up with my kitty and be able to wear my pajamas all day.
Now I'm not totally done with school. I'm in the process of applying to schools close to home so I could commute. Hopefully if all goes as planned I will be enrolled somewhere next semester and will just be spending an extra year in school. I really don't like that idea but it beats the way I was feeling at school these past few weeks. I was always frustrated and sad and anxious and homesick and upset.
So, I'm taking a semester off and will start school back up again next semester! For now I'm going to be re-doing my room and taking it from pink-loving 13 year old girl to me. Because the pink gives me a headache. I will also probably read Harry Potter again because, well, why not? And I'll go on Pottermore I expect. (I'm a Hufflepuff btw :P). If you want to be my friend or have a duel my username is SilverRose160!

Reducto

So there I was just checking my email this morning, like I do every morning, when I saw it. 
I FINALLY GOT MY POTTERMORE WELCOME EMAIL!!!
Now, you can call me a nerd or whatever if you want to because, believe me, I know I am. My excitement when I saw the words "Your Pottermore account is ready!" in my inbox was through the roof. So, since I had class today I spent all day anticipating the moment when I would be done and could get sorted, go to Diagon Alley and maybe brew a few potions. Then when I got home and clicked on the glorious link...
IT DIDN'T WORK! 

It took me to a page that said "Due to high levels of demand, we are currently restricting access to Pottermore. Please come back and try again later."

WHAT?? You sent me my email now. I want to get on now! 

So I have been refreshing the page every few seconds and I am still awaiting that magical moment when I can finally enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Obliviate

 I'm pretty sure there is a sign on my forehead that says "Walk all over me, I don't care." Because seriously I am so tired of it. I feel like lately I'm either invisible or in the way and it's getting really old. I'm tired of feeling like I wanna cry all the time and I'm tired of feeling like I'm unwanted. I wish people could just tell me when they have a problem instead of acting like they're ten and just ignoring me.

I'm also tired of being sick. I don't know if it's from this new panic disorder I've supposedly got or if I'm really sick and no one can fix it. I just want to be able to sleep at night and not feel like I'm about to fall over from lack of sleep/my chest feeling like someone is sitting on it.

Also, no matter how lame it may sound, I miss my family so much. I don't know what my problem is these last few weeks but I feel like I have separation anxiety or something. I feel so out of place here at school and I feel like I'm missing everything that's going on at home. My sister is growing up and becoming a teenager and I'm missing all of it! And it would probably be a different story if the people here weren't ignoring me right now. 

I honestly don't know what I'm doing right now and what's wrong with me. I just want things to be good for once in my life. I want bad things to stop happening to me and I want things to just go as planned.

And just a side note, I'm watching Ramona and Beezus right now and it's almost making me feel a little better. Maybe I wish I was 9 again?

Herman-na-na-na

For the past few weeks for school I have been teaching a group of four Kindergarteners on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And they are completely driving me crazy! Now don't get me wrong, they're cute and say the most adorable things. I even have one who has a brother with one eye and one leg. Yeah.
But...
Oh my gosh, I do not want to teach Kindergarteners. They are so hyper and antsy and don't listen! And they seem to want to know what everyone else is doing instead of listening to what we're doing.
So today I subbed for half the day at an elementary school in my hometown in a fifth grade class. 
And. I. Loved. It.
I absolutely loved being in an older classroom. I was so shocked at how much I enjoyed being in a fifth grade class because I absolutely did not like sixth when I subbed last year. There is such a difference between that one year. The fifth graders were so well-behaved (other than some talking) and they were very respectful and polite. It was definitely not what I expected and I am thinking now that I will probably choose an older grade when I get my degree.

Also, Facebook is pissing me off. Anyone else not liking it? I mean seriously, if I wanted to use Google+ I would get an account.


Now I would like to talk about the season premieres that I saw this week.


Glee:
First impression? I miss Sam and Zeises. Also, I like Quinn's new hair, but not her new attitude. She can keep the pink cos I like it, but she needs to get her ass back to glee club. Love: Blaine at McKinley!!! Love: Sugar! I loved Vanessa Lengies in Stick It! Love: the Kurt/Rachel bond that seems to have formed out of their shared performance in an empty theatre in NYC. Overall, this episode was a much needed pick-me-up for this Gleek!


New Girl:
LOVEEEEEEEEEE THIS SHOW! If you didn't see it you either need to watch it as soon as possible or just throw your TV out the window. It was absolutely amazing! It was hilarious and I am even more in love with Zooey Deschanel if that's possible! It's going to be a great way to end my Tuesdays!


Grey's Anatomy:
I'm kind of on the fence about his one. I was glad to get it back and I enjoyed that it was a little more reminiscent of the older episodes, but it still made me mad. If you haven't watched yet, don't read because I'm gonna talk about it. I have to. Love: the way Cristina and Owen made up! So glad Mer gave Owen that verbal slap in the face. Love: Bailey. Period. As always I loved Bailey in this episode. So sassy. Love: all the adorable babies! Zola and Sofia are absolutely adorable! Hate: Webber!!!!!!! No!!!!!!!! I mean, obviously I want Mer at Grace but no Chief Webber? Who's gonna be chief now??? Hate: That Lexie and Mark still aren't together. All I can say here is wtf? Hate: THE ENDING!!! I realize it's gonna be on again in a week but I mean come on! I just want everyone to be happy again! This whole Derek hates Meredith thing is pissing me off! Just make up already. He is not being very McDreamy.  Oh one more love: the ending. I know, so let me explain. I hateee the ending in general, but I loved that it was Alex who comforted Meredith because I love that they are friends! I have always loved their friendship and am sooo glad that they are friends again!

Well, those are the only shows I watched this week because I was too busy doing homework to catch any others. 


That's all for now because I'm exhausted and I don't think I can stay up for anymore.
Bya!

Wingardium Leviosa

Good morning! Hope everyone slept well, I know I did. 

Since my last post was only last night and I haven't done anything but sleep (unless you count watching Beauty and the Beast this morning), I've decided to share some more funny Harry Potter pictures with you all :) They make me happy, so I hope thye make you happy too!

Apparently I was in a Voldemort mood today. I particularly enjoy the first one. Plus I like tacos, so... ya know.
That's probably all for now, we'll see if anything exciting happens today and I'll let you all know! For now though, enjoy the day!

Pieces of Me

So, I decided that since earlier my post was kind of a big rant I'd post something a little more fun. It was also a nice break from all the homework my professors thought would make my weekend better. I got the questions from The Nearsighted Owl, a blog which I found recently that I really enjoy, and decided to write down the A-Z's of me. So, enjoy!

A. Age:20

B. Bed size: Now this one depends on where I'm at. Most of the time I have a tiny college twin bed that totally sucks. When I come home for the weekend however, I have a lovely full size bed that I enjoy spreading out on and sleeping with my kitty.
C. Chore that you hate: Dishes. Fuck dishes.
D. Dogs: I has one! Her name is Ooma and she has jank teeth and is totally adorable. And she misses me when I'm at school.
E. Essential start to your day:
F. Favorite color: I'm not really sure what it's exactly called but it's a light aqua/turquoise/blue-green-ish color. However, I also just like the color blue in general.
G. Gold or Silver: I would probably say silver, although I don't really wear jewelry all that much. My favorite necklace however, is gold; it's a cross that my grandma gave me when I was younger, so I like gold as well.
H. Height: 5’9"
I. Instruments you play: Does singing count? I love to sing, but I can't play any instruments. I tried to take band in middle school but I couldn't play any of the instruments. Like, I literally could not play any of them. Then I took guitar lessons in high school. And hated it. So, I still can't play any instruments. But I can sing!
J. Job title: Student! I do homework all the damn time. I am also in my junior year so I am doing student teaching two days a week now. So I suppose I'm also a Student-Teacher.
K. Kids: My kitty! I love my Luna!

L. Live: Indianapolis. Although, I rarely actually ever go into the city.
M. Mother’s name: Kimberly.
N. Nicknames: Well, I guess Katie is a nickname since my actual name is Kaitlyn.
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was a baby. And that's it.
P. Pet peeves: Bad spellers (I was in spellbowl in high school), ignorant, stupid people and bad drivers.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic." -Albus Dumbledore
R. Right or left handed: Right!

S. Siblings: Little sister in 6th grade who is super awesome.
T. Time you wake up: 6 am (eww) on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then on Mondays and Wednesdays I can sleep until 8. I can wake up whenever the hell I want on Friday, Saturday and Sunday :)
U. Underwear: Well, I wear them. And I like colorful pairs.
V. Vegetable you hate: Brussels Sprouts. My mom and my sister love them. The smell makes me nauseous.
W. What makes you run late: The internet. I have to check Facebook and Twitter before I leave in the morning so if someone is having a really dramatic day and I can't help but get sucked in, it makes me late.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: My chest, my ankle, probably my other ankle.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Cupcakes! I even have an awesome icing gun!
Z. Zoo animal: Kitties!!! Also I like the giraffes. And dolphins.

Imperio

So apparently American Apparel, the popular hipster clothing brand, has finally decided to include size XL clothing in their line. Now, American Apparel has been in business since 1989 and is just now beginning to make clothing in a size XL which translates to a size 12/14. This line is called the Next BIG Thing. Keep in mind that this is happening a little more than a year after model April Flores asked if they'd ever consider doing a plus size line and they replied with "That's not our demographic."


Now I'll say that I'm fat because it's true. It's not really an insult so it doesn't really bother me to say it. That being said, I am not a size 12/14. Because since when is a size 12/14 considered plus size? In most any store you go to you will find clothes up to a size 12, 14, or 16. Stores like Target and Walmart (yes, I know they are a totally different kind of store than American Apparel, but that's not the point) even have most of their regular clothes in a size XXL. Even stores like Forever21 and Wet Seal which are more similar with the brand have semi-recently come out with a plus size line. Plus size lines that go up to 3X! Now that sounds more realistic to me. A size 12/14 is the size of the average American woman, not a 2 or a 4. Wouldn't it make sense to carry this in a normal clothing line?

Now this really isn't even the point of this post. It probably would have crossed my radar and I would've said "Oh well, it's not like it surprises me" because it doesn't. What surprises and disgusts me a little, is the way in which they announced the line. Not only is the name a little bit ridiculous (we know what the Next BIG Thing is without you making the word big, well, big) the way in which they announced a model-search was absolutely appalling to me. 

Think you are the Next BIG Thing?
Calling curvy ladies everywhere! Our best-selling Disco Pant (and around 10 other sexy styles) are now available in size XL, for those of us who need a little extra wiggle room where it counts. We're looking for fresh faces (and curvaceous bods) to fill these babies out. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up.
Just send us two recent photographs of yourself, one that clearly shows your face and one of your body. We'll select a winner to be flown out to our Los Angeles headquarters to star in your own bootylicious photoshoot. Runners up will win an enviable assortment of our favorite new styles in XL!
Show us what you're workin' with!

I mean, seriously? A little extra wiggle room? XLent model? Photos of you and your junk to back it up? I think the only way they could have been more condescending would have been to write, "Hey fat people, we really don't want to make a line for you but send us a picture of your fat asses and jiggly arms and the least-fat one will win a modeling job." I don't know about you, but that's pretty much what I took from the message. Also, did I mention that the winner is chosen by online voters who rank the women from 'Not quite' up to 'XLent'. Umm, rude!


There was also another woman who took the ad the same general way that I did. Her name is Nancy Upton and she is a complete genius. Now Nancy is actually a size 12/14 whereas I am not. She decided to respond to the search and submitted photos. Photos of her bathing in ranch dressing, eating a chicken wing and pouring chocolate sauce into her mouth. She looks damn good and did a damn good job of portraying the message that American Apparel has sent with their model search contest. Here is an article with some of the pictures and some email conversations the writer had with Upton. You can also read about her decision and American Apparel's response here, in the blog she created on tumblr.

Now I realize this post has pretty much been a rant, but what I really want it to be is more of a nod to Upton because it took guts to do what she did and I definitely applaud her for it! I feel that what she did is quite inspiring and the slap in the face for American Apparel? She won the contest! Why? Because she voiced her opinion and voters agreed. And it also helped, I'm sure, that she looks pretty fucking awesome.

So, thanks Nancy, for being a superly bad-ass woman.

Expelliarmus

Apparently it's been a month-ish since I've posted anything. To that I say, blame school. I have been here for almost three weeks and they have been three of the longest weeks of my life. I'm pretty sure I had a panic attack the first week because I was so overwhelmed and then proceeded to get a chest cold. Yay, me!

My room this year, however, is pretty legit. No more showering in a room full of stalls and other people, I have my own bathroom. I share it with one person, but that's definitely like 10 steps up from a whole floor full of girls. And I actually have a closet and an abundance of drawers. It really is lovely.

Now, I am almost positive that my classes this semester were designed specifically to kill all of us. Seriously, I'm pretty sure the junior block of the Education department here will all be full of zombies by December. We are at three lesson plans a week right now and we read at least two chapters of the book for every class. And we are teaching kids. Right now I am in a Kindergarten classroom at one school and I have two second-graders at another school that I tutor in math. Now, don't get this 'tutoring' confused with the work you would do to tutor someone with their homework in a specific subject. For this tutoring, I have to make up a lesson plan for every class (every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:45 am) that will help both my students learn whatever the topic is. Did I mention my students are at two totally different ends of the spectrum?

They are also the sweetest things ever :) Along with these two second graders, I have a group of 4 Kindergarteners who absolutely make my Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are working on a colors unit right now and I have a feeling I'm going to miss them like crazy come October when we move up to first grade.

Now, since I have spent way too long talking about school, I would like to share some pictures that have no doubt helped me get through all the stress :) Enjoy!

And now I shall go do some more homework.



Oh, and I would also like to acknowledge the fact that I still don't have my Pottermore welcome email and I am getting pissy.

Levicorpus

Well, it's the night before I have to move down to school. How am I spending it you ask? Chillin with my cat.

She is probably what I'm gonna miss the most. Also my bed. Because college bed are not comfortable in the slightest.

My room is currently a total mess because it was hit by a packing tornado. The things I didn't want to take but were with the things I wanted to take are laying spread across the floor. 

You may recall that I posted earlier about Pottermore. I was elated to have gained early access. Now ask me if I have been able to exercise said early access. The answer is no. I am still waiting for my welcome email and it is killing me!!

Another thing that is killing me is waiting for Glee to come back on! I absolutely cannot wait to see my Damian on the show!!!!!!! I am absolutely thrilled that he won and I can't wait to see what they do with him! And the rest of the cast for that matter! I expressed my concern in an earlier post about some of the main cast members graduating and I just really want to know how Ryan Murphy is going to handle it!

Well, I suppose I should go to bed since I have to be up early to go down to school.

Confundo

Well, it's a Lazy Sunday, but unlike Andy and Chris, I'm not going to see the Chroni-what-cles of Narnia today.

 Haha oh man, those two make me laugh :)

Anyways, today I just thought I would share some photos I have found whilst Stumbling on the internet. It has pretty much replaced my habit of Facebook creeping because no one is very interesting anymore.

So, here you go, some lovely pictures of Albus Dumbledore, the baddass. :)

 Aah, Dumbledore, how I love you :)

Jelly-Legs Jinx!

If you read this blog regularly, you will know that one of my great loves is Glee. You will also know that my true love is everything related to Harry Potter. If you do not read this blog regularly, now you know. 

So, what do these two loves have in common? Two words: Darren Criss.

Now, there are probably people who know what I am talking about already just because of him. But for those of you who are not yet fortunate enough to know, I happen to be talking about the funniest set of videos I have ever seen. A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel. 
 Now, if you haven't heard of this, then I feel sorry for you. You should most definitely go watch them right now. I laughed my ass off the first time I saw them and every time I have seen them since. They are actually plays performed for live audiences with music written (and some performed) by Darren Criss. The actors and actresses are absolutely amazing!

Now I'll admit, while I enjoy looking at Tom Felton,

Draco Malfoy is not my favorite character in the Harry Potter books or movies. Yes, he does obviously try to make up for his mistakes in number seven, but he's just no Neville Longbottom.

Mmm :]
Anyways, like I said, I'm not particularly fond of Draco. In A Very Potter Musical, however, he is probably my favorite character. Draco Malfoy is played by Lauren Lopez and there aren't even words for how much I love him :P

Now, this being said, there aren't really any characters I don't like. I am particularly fond of Snape, Ron, Harry and of course Dumbledore. Oh, and the Zefron poster.

So, in short if you have not yet seen these videos, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. Or you could just be stupid little poofers like Draco.

Allohamora, baby!

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! I AM SERIOUSLY SOOOOOOO EXCITED RIGHT NOW! I JUST FOUND THE MAGICAL QUILL ON POTTERMORE AND REGISTERED FOR AN EARLY ACCESS ACCOUNT!!!!! :DDDDDDDDDDD

I literally jumped around my living room when it said that I was magical!!!! 

Also, I have decided to name all my future posts after spells. 

K, bye.

Don't Rain On My Parade

Ok, so I have another new-found obsession.

The Glee Project!!! I'm pretty much in love with Damian and his sexy accent :)


I have also started reading Harry Potter again (for the fourth time this summer) because I am boring and have nothing else to do with my life at the moment.
I won't be able to say this, though in a few weeks because school is getting ready to start back up! I can't decide if I'm happy about this or not :P. I will be a junior this year so I will be spending Tuesdays and Thursdays in an actual classroom first semester. I'm sooo nervous!!! But hopefully it will be amazing!


I am currently listening to Glee songs and awaiting its return in September, although I'm not too happy the whole graduation concept. Obviously they have to because they're not stupid but I'm gonna miss them and I don't know if it'll be the same without them :( I've read the possibility of both a spin-off show for the graduates and their being on the show anyways (just not as high schoolers). I also read that the graduates are under contract for 7 seasons. This is only 3 so I suppose it will all work out. But all I'm sayin is if Puck goes, I most likely will go.

I also heard that Chord Overstreet turned down the chance to come back to the show? I'm not sure if this is true but I really hope it isn't because he and Mercedes are absolutely perfect together!!! She needs some Trouty Mouth love!!! :)


I recently got a Twitter account and have fallen in love with the tweets from Professor Snape. Soooo funny :) 
I haven't made any cupcakes lately and it makes me a little sad :( Those Strawberry Lemonade ones went fast and now I have to decide what to make next and get the ingredients. Excited :)

Trouble is a Friend

So, I suppose I should talk about the cupcakes I made yesterday. They were deee-licious. I went with Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes. I found the recipe on a blog called Annie's Eats.  I saw them and decided that they looked and sounded like a tasty summer treat, perfect for a pool party, which my sister's friend was having the next day so I decided to try them. They were fairly easy to make, just a lot of ingredients.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Yield: about 21 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Lemon slices

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  Stir together with a fork and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat until well combined.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Add in the milk and mix until smooth.  Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended.  Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full.  Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.  (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)

To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set aside.  Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.  Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve your desired texture and flavor of frosting (I added about 7 tablespoons of puree).  Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices. 

Again thanks to Annie's Eats, because her blog is full of yummy-looking recipes that I will hopefully try soon!

They turned out really well and I had fun making them.  Plus I think they're kinda pretty :P
 I guess I had forgotten how fun it is to make something from just a pile of ingredients. This recipe gave me looads of extra frosting though so now I'm trying to figure out something to go with strawberry lemonade frosting.  I'll probably go with some chocolate; I think that'd be tasty!

Ain't She Sweet

Cupcakes!!!

Today we had a yard sale at a friend's house and she has been on a cupcake-baking-spree. She made the most delicious cupcakes today- Lemon Blueberry. They were absolutely amaaaazing! So, I have spent a good part of the past hour looking for cool cupcake recipes online and am planning to begin my baking career tomorrow :]

Falling or Flying

So, it's been about 6 months since my last post and I guess my only excuse is that life got in the way.

I am now almost ready to go into my junior year of college, if I could only get a loan because apparently that's like the hardest thing in the world. 

I made it into the education program at my school after months of nerve-wracking waiting.

I have become obsessed with Harry Potter. Call me a band-wagoner if you will, but I don't care. My love is true :P I have read the books three times this summer, just sayin.


But, as I mentioned I have read Harry Potter and, not matter how cheesy it sounds, those books have helped me tremendously. I don't know what it is about them, but it's like being taken to another world (which I imagine is the point) and I forget about my problems. I mean come on, Harry is fighting the world's most powerful wizard at the age of 17!


Also, the last movie came out this summer and I was all over that shit! :) Me and my friends went to the double feature and were the first ones in line. Because we got there three and a half hours early. Which means we were at the theater for about 9 hours. 

And it was amazing.


I cried for pretty the whole second half of the second half. Especially when Fred dies because I love me some Weasley twins. Well, them, Hermione and Neville. But, my shirt....

..had to be devoted to Gred and Forge :)


I have seen the movie again twice since that first night and have cried every time. 


Also, we are having this garage sale. It's tomorrow and thank God. It has been nothing but cleaning and moving heavy crap from here to the other house. I definitely can't wait for it to be over.


And I just found out that we are currently under a tornado watch until 1am. In July. Seriously?


Well, my brain is too sleepy to think of anything else to write right now. So I think I shall go read some HP and the Sorcerer's Stone before I go to sleep :)