Blogger Roll Call: Cupcakes & Cake Wrecks

Since the holidays are upon us and I might not be able to write my normal lengthy and thought-provoking (ha) blogs, I thought I'd start a little series which I am titling Blogger Roll Call. This is where I will give a little highlight of one of the blogs I follow and enjoy, and maybe in doing so some of you will discover you want to read them too! I keep a list which you can reference to the right of all these blogs but perhaps they need a little more explanation to get you interested.

So without further ado, I present the first edition of Blogger Roll Call, featuring Cake Wrecks and Cupcakes Take the Cake! I lumped these two together because they both deal with delicious baked goods, albeit in two very different ways.

Cupcakes Take the Cake celebrates the delicious beauty of cupcakes. The pictures on this blog are amazing - these cupcakes are literally tiny visual masterpieces.

These cupcake-lovin' ladies also post recipes and links to fancy cupcakeries all over the country. Before I read this blog, I would never have dreamed it was possible to create a vegan cupcake. I mean, I'll probably never actually do this, seeing as how things I love includes milk, eggs, and butter, but still. Good to know!

Cake Wrecks, as the name might imply, takes things in a whole new direction. Six days of the week, she posts submitted "wrecks" - professionally made cakes that are hideously ugly, poorly done, or have hilariously mangled inscriptions.

It is almost too good to be true that such monstrosities exist. BUT THEY DO. On Sundays, she provides a little break from the insanity and showcases "Sunday Sweets" - beautiful and cream of the crop custom cakes made by inventive and artistic bakers.

Both of these are a fun and delightful read, especially if you love baking and sweet treats as much as I do!

Italian Cream Cupcakes

Last night was my first ever attempt at piping icing onto cupcakes. To say that I was thrilled with the outcome is an understatement. They turned out BEAUTIFULLY!!! Direct quote I made to Ben: "I could bear children less beautiful than these cupcakes."

These are Italian Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting. The first round I put way too much batter in the cups and they baked out over the top. Still yummy, but really messy and ugly. Take two was much better and those got the special icing treatment.

I'm totally adding an icing bag and tools to my Christmas list. (I used the empty powdered sugar bag with the corner cut off... effective but not exactly reusable.)

And now, just because I'm obsessed, a few more pictures of their loveliness. They got an indoor and an outdoor photo shoot...

Why I Love My Coworkers

Yesterday at the good ole GMA we took our staff Christmas picture. And whereas most offices might have been satisfied to stop with this:

...we took it one step further. And that step was called "Jazz Hands."

Pay no attention to Josh there in the front, ruining the photo with his not-jazz-hands. He claimed that he didn't really think everyone was going to do it. Except EVERYONE DID.

What a blessing these nuts are in my life. Because even on days when I don't like my job very much, I always love my coworkers. And considering we spend a lot of time together, I'd say that is a very good thing.

Things My Children Will Never Do, #193

Scene:

{int. Olive Garden restaurant; crowded with people waiting for tables}

HEATHER: Oh my gosh, that kid almost punched his dad in the crotch.

{Jon, Ben & Amy turn their heads to see child, apx. 8 years old, in confrontation with his father. They overhear and observe...}

OBSCENELY BRATTY YET ADMITTEDLY ARTICULATE CHILD: Get your hands off me!

DAD: ...

O.B.Y.A.A.C.: I'm gonna punch you! I already told you twice!

DAD: ...

O.B.Y.A.A.C.: What more do you want from me?!

DEFEATED LOOKING MOM BEING CLIMBED ON BY TWO DAUGHTERS: ...

DAD: ...

{Fade out.}

______________________________

No, seriously. That happened. We watched it go down this past weekend when we went to Olive Garden with J&H. Shocked, the four of us discussed how we would have been bodily carried from the restaurant by our parents at the first shade of such behavior. And honestly, I wouldn't ever have even dreamed to talk to my parents that way, let along take a swing at one of them. I guess, I... I don't know, respected them?! Shocking! On the one hand, I felt bad for his parents, but on the other... good grief, how regular an occurrence is his behavior that it literally warranted ZERO reaction from them? The dad was restraining the kid's hands and I guess he was telling him to stop it, but... just... wow.

So, added to the list of things my children will never do (have a computer in their room, enter child beauty pageants, become Cubs fans) is threaten me with physical violence in the lobby of an Olive Garden.

Although, upside to the situation, we walked away with a sweet new catchphrase: "I'm gonna punch you. I already told you twice." To be used in an enraged voice for mock-threats. Ex:

"Ben, take out the trash or I'm gonna punch you. I already told you twice."

Can I Get One More Boomer Sooner!?!

This weekend an extra-adorable-looking Sam Bradford became the second sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy award. I figure he earned it, what with breaking about a jillion individual and team records this season. The wunderkind QB of the Oklahoma Sooners was nominated alongside Big XII rival (and good buddy) Colt McCoy of Texas, as well as the 2007 Heisman winner, all-around good guy Tim Tebow of Florida. Who was wearing a very shiny and dapper looking blue three-piece suit, I might add.

Bradford, Tebow, & McCoy... don't worry, that cast is on his non-throwing hand and expected to come off before the title game....

Anyway, it was a treat to see him win! I read this really cool article about how many of the Native American kids in Oklahoma look up to Bradford as a role model - and no community could use such an example more.

On a lighter note, won't it be exciting to watch Bradford and Tebow face off in the big game? Of course I want my Sooners to win, but I know whatever happens, we'll be in for some great football. In conclusion, this will be my last Oklahoma Sooner football related post of 2008. Hopefully the next time you hear from me on this subject it will be a victorious-sounding entry on January 8th right after we win the National Championship game!

Let it Snow!

Ah, snow. I know it is something most people down here in the South could do without. Even the hint of flurries is enough to keep kids home from school and send drivers into a panic. Still, being a daughter of the Midwest, I miss white drifts up to my knees and snowballs and sledding and cold red cheeks and the dangerous beauty of ice-encrusted trees.

So when wintery weather comes to us here in Middle Tennessee, even though it pales in comparison to the snows of my childhood, I'll take what I can get. And last night's storm definitely counts. It was blustery and sleeting and then the sky sent down those fat wet snowflakes that stick to everything. It snowed for a few hours, and then it got really cold and everything froze solid.

And when I awoke this morning, I peered out the window and God was there. He looked a lot like a winter wonderland all a-glow from a newly stretching sunrise, but I'm pretty sure it was Him, being all breathtaking and beautiful and making me love Him for waking me up.

It takes a lot to pry me from my warm bed in the wee hours of the morning. This sunrise had me leaping into Ben's coat and boots and dashing, pajama-clad, into the yard to take these pictures.

There was a clarity to the cold, and something invigorating about the smell of fresh snow. It was like awakening to a world undisturbed... It was, in a word, lovely.

I'm Not A Trekkie.

I just wanted to make that clear. I've never been to a convention, worn a costume, read the books, or learned to speak Klingon. I don't know the history of the Enterprise or how all the many manifestations of the Star Trek universe fit together.

That distinction aside, however, I am a fan of Star Trek, albeit a casual one. Here's why.

See, one of my fondest childhood memories is curling up next to my dad on the couch while he watched Star Trek. He was always a sci-fi fan, my dad - from him I learned to love Douglas Adams, Ray Bradbury, and the X-Files. While he'd watched the original Star Trek show in the 60s, he raised me on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Each week we joined our beloved crew - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Riker, Geordi, Data, Worf, Counselor Troi - aboard the USS Enterprise for another episode of intergalactic goodness. I still remember bits and pieces of my favorite episodes... I think I even saw one or two of the movies.

So even though I haven't watched an episode of Star Trek in probably 15 years, I still geeked out a little when I learned that J.J. Abrams (oh, he who brought us the trifecta of awesomeness that is Lost-Alias-Felicity) was directing a new Star Trek film. And I geeked out even more when I saw the trailer in all its big-screen-glory before the new Bond movie a few weeks ago:




See, it looks kind of awesome, right?! No? Anyone?

Well, if nothing else I'm pretty sure my dad will go with me...

O Tannenbaum!

I'm so excited it is Christmas tree time! The choosing and decorating and enjoying of the Christmas tree has always been an important family tradition for me, and it is something I'm happy to carry on in my own home. We've gotten three pretty cute trees over the years we've been married. Here they are in sequential order:

In the McMinn house, we always had a real Christmas tree. Sure they are messy and more trouble than an artifical one, but I just want the lovely imperfection and wonderful scent that comes with a real tree. I'm not knocking the alternative, but in my house I just can't imagine anything different.

My parents are notorious for going... large when it comes to their tree. They always say, "This year we're cutting back and not going to get such a big tree" and then I come home for the first time and an enormous Douglas fir has taken over a quarter of the living room. I'm talking twelve and thirteen footers. Including one that had to be anchored into the wall because it fell over twice. Here is a picture where you can see a portion of the tree from last year. The size of the fireplace in relation should tell you something about how huge the tree was.

The tree at home is always decorated with colored lights and plastic popcorn-&-cranberries garland that we have had, literally, for as long as I remember. Then it gets covered tip to trunk with a completely random and uncoordinated array of decorations. No fancy matching globes and beaded garland. Just old ornaments and craft projects from my sister's and my childhood, little pretties and gifts from across the years. And I love it all.

I especially love a little tradition passed down from my mother and her sisters to me. There is a special beauty of a lit Christmas tree that can only be appreciated by the nearly blind - to gaze upon its loveliness in a darkened room without the aid of your glasses or contacts. The glow of each individual bulb swells to enormous proportions, creating a fuzzy colored patchwork of overlapping light rings - pink and blue and gold and green and red. It is magnificant. I found this picture online, which is a pretty decent approximation of the actual experience:

Anyway, all this was stirring around in my mind because Ben & I are planning to pick out our tree tonight. I can't wait to bust out all my decorations and put on some Christmas music and usher in the season by putting up our own lovely tannenbaum. I'll be sure to post a pic of the finished project soon!

To Hear the Angels Sing

I have mentioned before here when I've blogged about music that I love when an artist redoes a familiar song in a way that makes it new again. This has been true for me on numerous occassions with hymns, and I find it especially powerful for Christmas hymns.

On the one hand, the familiarity of Christmas hymns is part of their charm. They haven't changed; their words and melodies ring true as ever and usher in the anticipation of the season. But on the other hand, they are in danger of becoming meaningless, as the words tumble over our lips without much thought to what they mean anymore. The wonder and captivating beauty of what the songs are celebrating gets lost somehow.

So I wanted to share today how one such song became new to me again. I was never a big fan of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" anyway - the melody is kind of awkward and gets really high, and it just didn't pack the emotional punch of some of my favorites. But yesterday I was listening to Sara Groves' new Christmas album and her version of the song totally captured my attention. By the end I was crying, overcome by the lovely old words and the sweet hope they proclaimed.

You must listen to Sara's version of the song on her myspace page. Click the link and then in the music player select the Christmas album and find "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." I hope it moves you as it did me. Here are the beautiful lyrics to the hymn in case you need a reminder.

It came upon a midnight clear

That glorious song of old

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold;

“Peace on the earth, good will to men,

From Heaven’s all gracious King.”

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

And ye beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

Still through broken skies they come

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heavenly music floats

O’er all the weary world.

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hovering wing,

And ever over its Babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

What a beautiful message! So many centuries ago, the angels spilled forth from heaven to proclaim the good news - not just that Jesus was born, but that God desired to reconcile with His children. They sing it still, o'er all the weary world, above our noise and fear and sadness, if only we will listen. We have such a great hope. Look now! Our salvation comes, riding on the dawn...

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

My Thanksgiving weekend was a little non-traditional. Since Ben's ability to take vacation time is somewhat limited, we decided to take advantage of a sure-thing-four-day-weekend and get out of town. Just the two of us. It was our first trip like that since our honeymoon three and a half years ago! So while we forfeited our typical trip home to St. Louis to see family, we tried to incorporate some of the Thanksgiving standards like food and football...

Thursday we left Nashville and headed east towards Asheville... you wouldn't believe the confusion that caused people when we told them about our trip, since those two words obviously sound a lot alike! We occupied ourselves during the drive by listening to all the songs on my iPod in alphabetical order. When we got bored with that (around letter D) we switched to listening to episodes of Arrested Development, which was quite entertaining.

We arrived after a twisting and turning drive through the mountains to our destination: the Inn on Mill Creek, a bed & breakfast in Black Mountain, NC. We would highly recommend it if you are interested in staying in that area! It was really secluded... so much so that instead of a street address we had to put the longitude/latitude coordinates into our GPS to get there! Dave & Brigette, the innkeepers, were really great and so helpful. Plus Dave's breakfasts were delicious!

That night we had a proper Thanksgiving dinner at another local B&B that has a restaurant. There was turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, pumpkin pie - the works. We definitely didn't miss out in the food department!

Over the next couple days we had fun exploring Black Mountain and Asheville. While in the area we visited the famous Biltmore Estate, the largest private home ever constructed in the United States. It was built in the late 1890s by heir to the Vanderbilt fortunes. It was interesting and beautiful, although crowded and a little touristy.
We had more fun taking silly pictures outside on the beautiful terrace as the sun was setting...
We had a fun day in Asheville after we finished at the Biltmore. We googled "best burger in Asheville" and were directed by our GPS way across town to a hole-in-the-wall joint called Burgermeister. No, really. We were a little skeptical as we wove through some sketchy looking parts of town, but we ended up in a neighborhood called West Asheville, full of funky shops and cool finds. And Burgermeister delivered. If you know me, you know I am not a big red meat girl. No real reason - I'm not offended by the eating of cows, but I just prefer chicken. But when you go to a place called Burgermeister and it is advertised as the best burger in town... well, you know what they say. When in Rome...

I swear to you after eating this delicious burger I could feel my body respond, thanking me profusely for the intake of iron. I felt stronger... I now had the strength of a grown human and a bit of cow. (Ahem, Dwight Schrute reference.)

After we rolled out of there and stopped at some of the shops, it was cold and icky and rainy and we decided to go see a movie. Ben oh-so-graciously accompanied me to see Twilight. I loved it even more the third (yes, third, don't judge me!) time around and to my surprise and delight Ben said he liked it too! Most of that can probably be contributed to the fact that he likes ME and is a good husband, but still. I'll take what I can get, and if he says he liked it then I'll believe him!

Saturday night we holed up in our room and watched the OU-OSU game. It was a nail-biter at times but my Sooners were victorious, winning 61-41. With their win, the three-way tie for the Big XII South was in place, and I had to wait until Sunday afternoon when the BCS standings were released to find out that OU was officially headed to the conference championship game to face Mizzou! I know a lot of people were disappointed in the way things turned out and believed that Texas earned the shot at the title by beating OU on neutral ground in the Red River game. Of course I disagree and would argue that OU's margin of victory in defeating ranked opponents is enough merit. But either way it is decided now and I am ecstatic that we will get our chance to win the Big XII and go to the National Championship game! Boomer Sooner!

As if all that wasn't enough excitement, we ended our Thanksgiving weekend by rushing back to Nashville through awful rain and traffic to get to the Ryman Auditorium in time to catch the Jason Mraz concert.

It was a fun show - very high energy and lots of crowd interaction. I was especially impressed with Lisa Hannigan, who was his opening act. She is an Irish musician probably best known for her vocals on many Damien Rice songs. She has a beautiful voice and played lots of interesting instruments in cool arrangements. But once again my concert experience was slightly marred by an annoying drunken person. This time it was a hippie dippy lush seated next to Ben... well, seated isn't the right term, considering she spent the entire concert dancing awkwardly and flailing around spilling beer on people. She also was trying to hang all over and sort-of flirt with Ben, for which I served her up a few dirty looks laced with the clear message of "Keep your damn drunken hands off my man." Ugh. Ben handled it nicely; he has lots of experience with that sort of person from his many stints at Bonarroo!

Anyway, aside from that it was a fun show and a great end to a rather nice holiday weekend!