Happy Easter Turtles!!

I hope you all had a very Blessed Easter!

Wow! It was so beautiful today, I was thrilled!  This is how Spring is supposed to be (as opposed to the summer days we have had lately!)  So, as far as Easter Sundays go, you just can't get much better than today!

So, it was a really crazy, busy day.  Really though, what holiday isn't?  Plus, when you have kids the hoopla is magnified by ten.... per child!

So, we started out at Church this morning. (We were late, as usual...) I figure that getting everyone there, with teeth and hair brushed and clean (mostly not wrinkled) clothes on is mostly what matters, right?


The service was great!  It always is.

After a pit-stop at home to let the dog out, we headed over to my parents' house.  It is the usual gathering stop for holidays.  Great big yard and finished basement where the kids can play, be loud, whatever... without giving all the adults a massive headache.  
Seriously.  There are 4 boys, and one sweet little girl who manages to keep up with the boys.  
The stink of them alone will knock your socks off, so the location is perfect!
Luckily I managed to snap a few pics of some of them before they ran off to play in the dirt!

Well, I got 3 of them at least.  Getting all 5 kids to hold still for a picture in their nice clothes is tough!


So, we had a nice lunch with all the usual fillers!
We had barely made it into the coffee, but the kids couldn't stand it.  So, my sis and I headed outside to hide the Eggs.
There aren't too many places to hide them, so we have to be a little creative. 

They don't care, it's all about who gets the most (the fastest)!


As you can see, we have to give strict instructions before sending them out.  Can't have a brawl breaking out (if Lilly sees one she wants and a boy snatches it... yeah, it has happened.)

And they are OFF!

   

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the eggs get picked up compared to how long it took us to hide them!
Why can't this principle work for toys???  If only.


We also had a few guests with us today!
Meet Timmy, Pedro, and Pokey.  

We seem to have acquired a lot of turtles lately.  There is a creek behind my sister's house where some seem to live and they manage to make their way to the back door.  It's over at that point, the boys always want to keep them!


Poor Pedro showed up once before, but managed to escape (thanks to her dog, Barnaby..)  Still, he came back.  He still had his name painted on his shell.  
Some turtles just doesn't learn.

Finally, after playing with their new pool sprayer toys and a bucket of water in the driveway (which was a great, cheap form of entertainment that lasted a while!), the kids treated us to a show!  


Not sure how best to describe it, but they practiced and had a good groove going....

I'm still here!

Yes, that's right!  I am still here!
I keep wanting to apologize for my lack of blogging lately, but really... do you want to hear that? 
Probably not.

So, this is what I have been up to.  It has been a crazy, crazy life since the cupcake business launched!!  Wow, I am so blessed by all the wonderful people in my life!  I have had so much support from friends and family, and have made so many new friends in the process! I really love it. (Did I say that already?  sorry.)

I can't even tell you how much I love what I do!!!  It is so rewarding to make a product that people enjoy!


One thing I have made myself do, though is make time for me.  Since I am working almost non-stop lately, I decided that I had to set aside time for myself to relax.  Even if it is only a few minutes a day.  That has made such a difference!  Every night, after the house is quiet and everyone is asleep I give myself about 30 minutes to curl up with a good book.
Love it!  It gives me a chance to unwind, and frankly I sleep better because of it!  I love to read, so this is the perfect stress reliever for me!


So, on that note, I want to know about The Hunger Games movie!  I am still reading the books (I am currently half-way through book 3).  I am curious how people have felt about the movie after reading the books?

By the way, if you have not read it, it is a must-read!  This is something everyone would enjoy.  My 10-yr old is even asking to read it!  Go get it now if you haven't, you won't be sorry!

You know, if you see a movie without reading the book first you will come out with a totally different reaction from someone who has read them.
So far I am loving the books!  I just don't want to be disappointed if the characters and storyline is not in line with the book.


Thoughts?


Now, on a TOTALLY different subject!  My sweet yellow lab, Dixie, is growing so big!  She is quite hyper (still technically a puppy) and does not do too well when I am out working a lot.  She stays in her kennel while we are not home, so there is a lot of energy to be spent when we let her out!
(This is a VERY old picture of her, but trust me she is getting BIG!)

My point (there really is one!) is this:
We have found the most WONDERFUL thing to burn off all that energy!!  Plus, it doesn't take what little energy you have left after working a long day, either!


I guess this falls into the "I Recommend" category.
It is called a "Chuck-It"!  We found this little gem at Target recently, and it is worth every, single penny!  I think it cost around $8.00, but I could be wrong....
Listen, IT IS WORTH IT!

All I have to do is show it to her and she is bouncing up and down happy!
This long, plastic arm-looking-thing holds a tennis ball at the end.  You simply put the ball in it, then reach back and, well.. chuck it!  It seems like it sends the ball flying for miles!  It certainly goes a lot farther than I could throw it!
My sweet Dixie can't help herself... she runs after it.

Now, normally when she brings back a tennis ball that she has so diligently retrieved, she doesn't want to drop it right away.  However, I take an extra ball out with me and have it loaded and ready to "chuck" when she returns!  Therefore, she drops the soggy, dirty, messy ball she just went after!


Now, the real genius is this!  I don't have to touch the nasty, drool-covered ball!  You can reach down with the "chuck-it" and use it to pick up the ball!  So, while she is running the marathon to get the prize I am loading up for the next round!  


After 15 minutes of this.... well, all that puppy energy is spent and I don't feel quite as guilty for having left her home alone that day.  She immediately comes inside, gets a gallon or two of water, then collapses over the nearest air vent and falls asleep.  

(Now, I just have to find friends who will give me some old, used ORANGE or RED tennis balls.  Those yellow balls turn a nasty shade of green once she has had her turn with them, which blends in with my grass....)

We bought ours at Target, but you can get them so many places!
Here is the link to Amazon:

If you have a retriever-type dog, this is something you need... trust me!

Okay folks, that is all for now!  Time for some sleep, but I promise to be back soon!

A little pampering!

The holiday were crazy this year!
Of course, the holidays are crazy every year.  I don't think I am alone in this dilemma.

Between work, kids, school, church, and all the activities that go with them I felt like I was sitting in the middle of a tornado with no way of hanging on.
When it was over, I started feeling a little under the weather. 

That, I expected.
Sadly, it happens every year.  I think when the craziness ends and I finally slow down, my body is confused and doesn't know how to respond.  Luckily this year it came only in the form of a cold, rather than the severe case of the flu I got last year (on Christmas Day, no less!)

This year I decided that when January rolled around, I would set aside a day  to do something for myself.  I rarely ever do anything like that!  Partly due to time constraints, and partly (mostly) due to cost. 
However, on this occasion I was given a gift certificate and I could not wait to use it!

If you live in the Donelson area, you have probably seen the Seraphim Salon and Spa. 
It sits just off Lebanon Rd in a beautiful old stone house.

My gift certificate was for a Natural Elements Massage.   As I stated above, it could not have come at a better time.  I could feel the tension and stress from my increasingly-gray roots all the way down to my toes!

I have to give them kudos, because it was by far the best Salon experience I have ever had!
First of all, when you go in, you are automatically taken over by something that smells really good.
It didn't smell like color and bleach the way some salons do.  First impressions are so important.

Second, the ladies at the front desk were all smiles, knew my name and greeted me warmly!  Before I could get a word out of what I was there for they asked me if I would like to relax with a cup of coffee or hot tea before my massage!

Hello! Can you say GREAT SERVICE!?

Next, I was taken upstairs to the area where the massage therapist works.  It was the most comfortable, relaxing atmosphere I could imagine outside of my own home! 
Before she came in, the massage therapist gave me a cup of the most delicious Aveda hot tea I had ever had, while sitting on a comfy sofa in a bath robe, with my feet in a hot bath.

Of course the massage was awesome too! 
It lasted about an hour.  Afterward, she refreshed my tea and gave me a glass of cold water to sip on before leaving.  I was surprised at how much the glass of water helped to "wake me up"! (I was so relaxed, I really didn't want to go anywhere, so this helped.)

So, if you are in the area and want to treat yourself, go for it! 
The ladies at Seraphim will take great care of you, treat you like family, and you will leave feeling like a whole new person!

Another recomendation!

Hello!!!!!

Yes, I know it has been months since my last post.  I am most definitely ashamed of this since I truly love keeping up the blog, but as you can imagine things have gotten a little.... uh, hairy in the months since my last post.

I'm sorry.
(does that about cover it?  If not, well....)

Anyway!
I wanted to start the new year off with another recommendation for you!
You probably know how much I love to read.  It is one of the few things that I almost always manage to make time for in a day.


Usually at night, after everyone has gone to bed, I will snuggle up in my favorite chair and enjoy some peace and quiet for a little while.
This is usually only 20-30 minutes, or until I nod off, whichever happens first.

Really it is therapeutic!  I find that it helps me sleep because I am able to completely take my mind off of the hectic, craziness that has become my life lately before going to bed.


As I have said before, I love a good suspense novel.  
Most people who know me think that it means I am reading horror stories, but that is actually not the case.
I do love horror movies, but books are different. Most of the time you cannot translate something that would be surprising and frightful onscreen into something that would deliver the same effect in a book.  On the other hand, a good suspenseful book could easily be turned into a horror movie, simply by the extra effects and features, music, etc. that a film can add.  I always love seeing a book that I have read turned into a movie.
Then, when people talk about what a great movie it is, I remind them of how I was teased for reading the book.... 
oh, nevermind!

Anyway, I typically read books that are suspenseful.  I love the page-turners that wind a story and keep you guessing until the very end.
I have read MANY of these over the years, from John Grisham to James Patterson.  All the big names you think of when you enter a bookstore.  I have even read a good variety of Stephen King.  That is a story for another day, though.  His are typically suspenseful, but in a more supernatural way.   


Then, last summer when I went to Florida with the family I was in need of a new book.  I took one along that I had picked up at a yard sale.  
My first day by the pool I realized I had discovered a lemon in the book world.  One that sounds interesting and exciting on the back cover, but is slow and stupid once you get 50 pages in.  
Ugh.  
There were NO bookstores, I was an hour from the nearest Wal-Mart, and the Piggly Wiggly close by had zip.

Luckily, my little sis has the same taste in reading and had brought a few extra books along.
When I told her of my dilemma she was happy to loan me one of hers.


I looked on her bedside table to choose my new read and came away with one from an author I was unfamiliar with.
My sister told me that once I read some of his books, I would be spoiled.  I would find it hard to read books written by other authors because they just didn't have that extra "umph!"  I figured she was being dramatic.

WOW!!!

I am totally hooked!
The author's name is Harlan Coben.

He has been writing for years, I just cannot believe I did not stumble upon his work before now.  My sis was right.  I just hope he keeps writing.... what will I do if he every quits?


Regardless, I picked up the book and started reading.  
I could NOT put it down.  I managed to break for dinner, but was soon buried in the story once again.  
I have no idea what time I finally fell asleep that first night, but I do know that I soaked up a good tan the next two days.  That is because I spent the next day and a half by the pool with my nose buried in that book!
I read it all the way through, in record time considering the fact that my 2 kids, 2 nephews, and my niece were usually splashing in the pool right beside me!

That first book I read was called "Just One Look".

I have since read 5 or 6 of his other books.  Each one was fantastic!  Obviously I have my favorites, one of which is that first book I read.  


As with some other authors, he has a series of books that follow a main character (Myron Bolitar) through each.  Therefore, those need to be read in order.  So, before picking up one of his books, I recommend you check to be sure you are not starting in the middle of the series.  It might be hard to follow if you don't start with the first one.


Among my favorites so far, if you are looking to try one (aside from the one mentioned above):

* Caught

* Tell No One

* Play Dead

All of his books are available on Amazon.  I got most of mine that way.  Just click on the links above if you want to try one of these, it will take you right to it.


You CANNOT go wrong with any of these!  You will find yourself whisked away into a suspenseful mystery, trying to determine if you have it figured out!


Isn't that the best part, after all?

I recommend...

So, this was such a well-received post the last time, I decided to post another one.

Today I am going to recommend a book I just finished.
Now, I read a lot. I love it! There is no way I could blog about all the books I read, it would take too long. If I did that, I would never have the time to actually read them!

But, every now and then, I know that a book I have read would be something everyone would want to know about!

Most people who know me are aware that my taste in books and movies is different than most women my age.
It's OK, i'm a big girl, I can admit it.

I DO NOT like love stories, or your typical "feel-good", mushy book. I don't take book recommendations from Oprah, sorry.
I like true-crime, mystery, and "who-dunnit" type stories. The real page-turners that keep you reading to find out the twist at the end. I like to be entertained when I read, and have a break from reality, etc.

But, occasionally I will read something that interests me that could somewhat fall into that "mushy" category. Sort of.

The book I am talking about is called "Heaven is for Real". It is a true story, written by the father of a little boy who became very sick, very quickly, and while in surgery experienced Heaven for (in earthly time) a few brief moments. To him it lasted longer and he had some amazing stories to tell.

This child was only 3 1/2 years old when this happened to him. In the book he talks about things that a child that age would have no way of knowing on his own.

I had tried several times to get this book from the library, but there were about 150 people on the waiting list in front of me! No way could I wait that long!

So, I ordered it from Amazon (it was only about $9).

It is one of the most amazing and wonderful books I have ever picked up! It was not long, only about 165 pages, but I could not put it down.

I had read the entire book in less than 24 hours!
Trust me, this is one book you will want to get right away! Even if you do not read a lot, or if you say you don't "have time" for it. It won't take you long, you can read it with your morning coffee or while you eat your lunch.

If you do, post a comment and let me know what you thought!!

What have I been up to!?

Can't tell you how many times I have answered that question lately!

I have had many people ask me "What is going on with you?, something is different."
Yep, it's true. I have had quite a few changes in my life recently.

For starters, I have been asked quite frequently "are you still a photographer?"
Me: "Yes, of course."
I am simply adding to my "repertoire"! I have been blessed with great clients, whom I love working for and photographing. That has not changed.

However, the large amount of my time lately has been spent doing other things.
Other things that I love!

If you have been here before, you have seen my post images of the cakes and cupcakes, etc that I have been doing for a couple of years now. Actually, I have been doing this long before I began blogging about them.

Recently, my husband and I had a long talk about everything swirling around us in our life at this point. Actuallly, we were driving home from a family vacation to Florida so we had about 9 hours of talking to pass the time.

The kids were both involved with video games and iPods to keep themselves occupied during the long drive, so it gave us some rare time to talk with little interruption.

What we discovered was that we were on the same page. We usually are. We both had decided in our heart that we had something else bigger we wanted to do. We had tossed the idea around for a bit, but during that long drive we came to the conclusion that this is the direction God was pointing us.

So, we got to work, got permits and licenses, etc. and made it official.


I am now the official owner of Dixie Belle's Cupcakes!

We are very excited about this venture! All the initial plans have been made. We are still working out a few of the "kinks" of a new business, but so far things have been great!

Our biggest part of the business is the fact that we will soon be mobile.
If you have seen the news stories about the Food Trucks growing in popularity, you can add us to the list!
We will bake the cupcakes and then bring them to you! Imagine needing your 2pm sugar fix and not having to go out and get it! Just walk outside to the curb and find fresh cupcakes waiting for you!

Currently, I am taking orders and will deliver cupcakes anywhere in the range of Nashville and some surrounding counties.

Once our mobile cupcake truck is ready (it is still under construction, but will be ready soon!) we will travel the streets of Nashville ready to serve all those in need of something sweet on the go!

We will regularly tweet and post Facebook alerts as to where we will be and when, so you will have to be sure and follow us so that you do not miss out!

I cannot even begin to tell you what a blessing this has already been in our lives. I pray that it will continue to be.


Our temporary website is up and running, so make sure to check it out for more information on what we have to offer!
www.dixiebellescupcakes.com

Then, head on over the Facebook and "Like" our page at Facebook.com/dixiebellescupcakes
If you want to tweet with us, we are happy to have you @DixieBelleCakes

Now, don't think this means I will not be blogging any more! I enjoy it too much to stop! While I have been on a bit of a "hiatus" lately I am planning to be back to my blogging self in no time!

So, don't wander off! I will be rattling off more tales of life shortly!

Sweet Cupcakes

I always love to share when I get an order for something I am excited about.

It has taken me a while to get the pictures off my camera, but these are some cupcakes I made recently for a ballet recital.
It was a big job that I did with my neighbor. We were baking and decorating for 2 days straight, but they turned out so great!

We actually had a wedding reception to provide cupcakes for the same weekend, and sadly I did not get time to photograph them all.

Let me just say, It is really hard to bake all those yummy things and not eat them.

Man. That was really hard.

Anyway, back on track now. So, we had a wide assortment of flavors to do for this one. I have had many cake orders, but never so much variety in one event.

For the wedding we did:
Carrot cake with cream cheese and pecan frosting
German chocolate with german chocolate frosting
Strawberry with buttercream frosting
Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting

Now, for the ones I did manage to photograph....
I thought it was a pretty good idea for the customer having the ballet recital to offer 2 kid-friendly options, with one of them appealing to whatever boys would be there.
No self-respecting boy wants a frilly, pink cupcake no matter how good it tastes!

This is what we provided for the boys.



It is a devil's food cupcake with cookies and cream frosting, made with real Oreos.
Aren't they cute? These were a big hit!

I have also prepared these with a slightly cocoa flavored cookies and cream frosting for those of you who want something with chocolate that isn't too sweet.

Finally, the one I personally chose as my favorite.



This is a simple white cupcake, with sweet pink buttercream rosettes. They looked like a florists box of pink bouquets when we were finished!
In addition, we added a little glittery touch to the top for a little "girlie sparkle!"

Now, there is one thing I want to point out. Did you notice something?

As cute and kid-friendly as these are, there is not a pound of frosting on top waiting to send your kids into hyperspace-sugar-shock.
They are cute and tasty, and have plenty of frosting to suit any kid's taste, without being too much.

These are a great option for any occasion and much easier than carving a cake. If you have a birthday party, or some other event coming up give me a call!

With the exception of the German Chocolate, you can get these delightful treats for only $3 each or a dozen for $27.

Who can resist?? I'm having trouble myself.....