The amazement of sticky frosting

This was my first time making sticky frosting from scratch.  It is quite an amazing process.

This fluffy white frosting recipe came from The Modern Baker...Combine 4 large eggwhites, 1 cup granulated sugar, large pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup light corn syrup in your mixing bowl over a a saucepan of gently boiling water until 130 degrees and whisk by hand until the sugar is dissolved. Then put your mixing bowl back on your mixer and whip it. The result? Sticky wonderfulness to top off some devils food cake cupcakes.

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Succulents are Sexy

Suc-cu-lent adj.1.Full of juice or sap. 2.Having thick fleshy water storing leaves or stems. 3.Highly interesting or enjoyable; delectable.

A

S u c c u l e n t

L o v e . . .

S m o o t h,

j u i c y   l e a v e s.

S e x y.

Will you be Michael Jordan's Valentine?

Remember elementary school around Valentine's Day?  We would make heart shaped 'mailboxes' out of construction paper, glue, doilies and glitter and hang them on our desk waiting for them to be filled with corny little cards and sometimes sweet treats.  Those were the days! I think Michael Jordan would agree with me...

We found these gems at a yard sale in upstate New York over the summer. Let's just say my husband has a thing for Nike and Jordan so he was very excited about these!  The box was never opened!

Look how young he is!

And my personal favorite...

I hope this helps you to get in the valentine's spirit this week.

Michael Jordan thinks you're cool, lookin' fine and wants you  to have a jammin' day!

Pine State Biscuits....Yum!

Woke up early this morning and headed to Pine State Biscuits, which has been on my list of places to check out in Portland. Definitely worth it!

This is the egg, cheese and bacon biscuit. The biscuits were flaky and buttery and the bacon was so tasty!

This bad boy is the 'Reggie Deluxe'...that would be fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and egg on a biscuit, topped with gravy!   Holey moley!!

If your not feeling this crazy, you can opt for a plain biscuit topped with butter and honey or jam, too!   They also have a list of sides including grits, brasied greens, warm honeycrisp apples OR I saw someone else order an impressive plateful of golden hashbrowns topped with chives.

Drinks include Stumptown coffee, Sweet Tea or bottled soda with names like Cheerwine, BubbleUp and NuGrape.

Located at 3640 SE Belmont Street in Portland. If you are too far away to visit yourself you can check out pinestatebiscuits and drool!

Mama needs a brand new bag!

We are heading to Mexico for a little fun in the sun.  I needed a bag that I could take from the beach to the town. Something that would resist the sand and water but would also be nice to look at. So I thought I would make one!

The fabrics:

A bright orange floral pattern oil cloth, orange rip stop nylon with a nice honeycomb pattern for the lining, and a black and white dot print that I thought would make an interesting accent pocket.

The pieces are ready to be sewn together...

Just need to push the lining inside the bag.

Cute pocket!

The final step is to topstitch all the way around on the ol' singer.

Voila...a new bag!

Ready to head to the beach!

The Coraline Nike Dunk Special Edition

Yes, they have tails!

I love when imagination meets your feet.

These are one of 50 pairs that contain special props from the actual movie and  have glow-in-the-dark soles! 

Did I mention the hand stitched details and the light blue with white stars satin lining?

Unfortunately, these aren't in my size because I wasn't one of the 'awesome, elite, super cool' to receive them...I just happen to live with one of those people.   So, if I really want a pair of my own and if you do to (without the tails and special props of course) we'll have to see the movie Coraline when it comes out on Feb. 6th and then visit coraline.com. (HINT: Stay until after the credits!)