I guess we're moving...

The good news is that our home is under contract and things seem to be going well. We plan to close at the end of the month.

The bad news is that we don't currently have anywhere to go...

I'm putting Sunshine & Lolli on vacation until we are settled in a new place. I've been slacking off, only putting out a post a week as it is. I also have a ton of great projects planned, but no where to complete them at the moment.

Please don't give up on me, I'll be back full force once we are in our new home!

Thanks!

Have a Happy Day/Week/Month!!

Cupcakes

I felt like something sweet today. So, I went back through my photos and found the cupcakes I baked for my daughter's first birthday. Yum!

I learned a fabulous secret a while ago regarding boxed cake mixes. Buttermilk makes them better. Oh, so much better. While I like making baked goods from scratch, sometimes it is nice to be able to cheat and still make something decent.

So, if you are in the mood for something sweet, here's my ridiculously easy recipe for chocolate cupcakes courtesy of "Hello, Cupcake!"

Chocolate Cake-Mix Cupcakes
Yield: 24 standard cupcakes

-18.25-ounce box Devil's Food cake mix (try to avoid mixes with pudding added)
-1 cup buttermilk, in place of the water called for on the box (the box will call for more water than the buttermilk you are using)
-Vegetable oil (the amount on the box)
-4 large eggs (in place of the number called for on the box)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

Using substitutions above, follow the box instructions to mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at low to medium speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat until thick, 2 minutes longer.

Spoon half of the batter into a zip-top bag. Snip a ¼-inch corner from the bag and fill the paper liners 2/3 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from baking pans, place on a wire rack . Cool completely.

I think she enjoyed them. What do you think?

Have a Happy Day!

Mustache

House Update: I've been a bit MIA lately. First, we had to get the house ready for sale, now we need to start looking for somewhere to live. The newly painted door and shutters must have worked. The house should be under contract tomorrow morning and if everything goes through, we need to be out by mid-June!

With everything going on, I haven't had much time for big projects. My son has been obsessed with mustaches lately, so I decided it was high time to make him one:

Materials:
Felt, cardboard, scrap paper, wooden skewer, hot glue gun, scissors, pencil

Sketch out your mustache, cut out your pattern:

Cut out your felt mustache:

Cut out a cardboard mustache:

While your hot glue gun is heating up, eat some dark chocolate:

Glue the cardboard and felt pieces together:

Attach the wooden skewer to one side:

Reinforce with a small piece of felt:

Now allow your mustache obsessed boy to model it:

Let others get in on the action:

Jellybean, Grandpa and yours truly getting in on the fun. :)

Wish us luck on finding a new home and Have a Happy Day!!

Before and After

Last month, I posted photos of my home and asked for opinions on what red to paint my front door (previous post). After everyone weighed in and after careful consideration, I decided against all of the reds that I had up and we went with a really deep brownish red called "Miso" from the Martha Stewart collection (I love Martha).

Well....unfortunately, the so called "brownish red", wasn't exactly red in real life, but more of a deep purple. Fortunately, I love the color and I think it actually looks great with our red brick. Tell me what you think...

Before

After

The pictures don't quite do it justice. I promise you, it is purple. My husband thinks that I did it on purpose because purple is my favorite color. I assured him that I did not.

For better or for worse, the for sale sign is in front of our home. We are hoping that it sells quickly. Send me your good home selling vibes. We could really use them right now.

Have a Happy Day!