It's a Wonderful Life

~ Sharing my experiences through this wonderful journey we call life

It's a Wonderful Life

Monthly Archives: May 2012

Easy Cake Pop Recipe

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Home & Garden

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Tags

baking, buttercream, cake, cake pops, chocolate, dessert, mocha

Check out my friend Lee’s blog on how to make cake pops! With his step-by-step instructions you don’t need a babycakes maker and he tried mocha buttercream instead of chocolate…yum!

Healthy for the Wedding

So, hopefully that little ball-related teaser whet your appetites (both of them). With that out of the way, and a little time while I wait to hear back from my client, I give you the step-by-step…

As I said, these are incredibly simple to make.

Step 1: Make a cake

Nothing special here…just follow the directions on the box or in the recipe and make sure it’s fully done. You don’t want to burn it, but given what follows, overcooked is most definitely better than under.

Let it cool completely…You will be tempted to move on to the next step, but waiting is imperative.

Once you’ve got a bowl full of crumbs, you prep the frosting. If you’re going the lazy route, it’s one box of cake and one tub of frosting. Since I couldn’t find pre-made frosting without trans fat, I decided to make my own. It was a…

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How to Make Cake Pops

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Home & Garden

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Tags

babycakes, baking, birthday, cake pops, dessert, party

The other day I was shopping for craft supplies at Michael’s and stumbled into the baking aisle. I’ve always admired anyone who can decorate cakes or make really pretty desserts. I’m an ok baker but it’s definitely something I want to improve on so stay tuned for lots more recipes and dessert adventures. I decided to buy a cake pop maker (it cost $29.99). I also got meltable chocolate both vanilla and dark chocolate and a few different types of sprinkles. You will also need candy sticks.

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The baby cakes maker came with recipes but I decided for the first time to use a box cake. I used a chocolate Betty Crocker Cake and followed the instructions on the back of the box. Next, I plugged in the babycakes maker and let it heat up. If you have a decorating bag, it’s much easier to squeeze the cake mix into the small holes this way. If you don’t have a decorating bag, you can use a plastic bag and after you fill it, cut a tiny bit off one of the corners and squeeze. The cake balls will take between 4-6 minutes to cook. Use the tool provided to scoop the balls out once they are cooked. Place these aside and let them cool. In the meantime, continue to make additional cake balls.

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Above is what the cake balls will look like after they’ve cooked. Some of them will come out uneven but you can correct this when you decorate.

There are a tons of options when it comes to toppings for cake pops. You can use icing, whipped cream, chocolate and then top with nuts, coconut, sprinkles etc. I decided to melt dark chocolate and white chocolate. A little trick to help the pops stay in the cake is to tip the end of the stick into the melted chocolate and then into the cake and allow it to cooI. Next I dipped half of the cake pops into each of the chocolates and after dipped them into sprinkles.

All in all they came out great and they taste delicious. I’m going to try experimenting with different flavors next time.

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You can also bag the cake pops for a party or entertaining.

Decorative Flower Pot

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Home & Garden

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Last year I bought this great outdoor ceramic pot from Home Goods (I love that store) and I noticed that my plant from last year didn’t survive. I decided to grab a fall small flowers while I was at the nursery and it came out so cute!

My Herb Container Garden

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Uncategorized

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Earlier I posted how to make a container herb garden. I finally had a chance to plant mine this weekend. I had larger containers so instead of purchasing smaller ones, I decided to recycle my larger ones. Since I was using larger plants, I put two of each kind of herb per pot. 

 

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The mint plant (the furthest to the left in the picture) is larger than most of the others because I took one of the large plants from last year’s garden. All of the other plants I purchase at a local nursery.

 

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From left to right- Mint, Basil and Cilantro.

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From Left to Right- Thyme, Oregano and Rosemary.

Proposal dreams!

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Wedding & Events

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Every girl dreams of her wedding day, who she will marry, how he’ll propose even down to what THE ring will look like. Let’s go back almost 15 years ago, it was the first day of middle school in September of 1998. I can remember it like yesterday. I was nervous about changing classes and having a locker, secretly thinking “what if I can’t get it open?” My parents were being THOSE parents and were making such a big deal about middle school. They were up early making me and my sister breakfast and of course, taking pictures. But the worst was that my dad always brought out the video camera. Talk about embarrassing! Especially when there are about 7 other kids at your bus stop.

We finally got to school after what felt like ages and I headed to my homeroom. I quickly saw a few people that I knew from elementary school and felt relieved. After homeroom, it was time to go to our next class and that’s when it happened, that’s when I saw him. He was taller than most of the other boys and skinny with brown hair that was cut into the shape of a bowl(back then this was considered cool, not so much anymore!). We made eye contact and I couldn’t believe how blue his eyes were. All I kept thinking was who was that boy?

I headed to my next class still mesmerized by his eyes and sat down in the middle of the room. I grabbed something out of my book bag and when I looked up- there he was. I just about had a heart attack. Of course the teacher starts to take attendance and I am first like always since my last name starts with A. He continues calling names until he says “Richard Foy” and now I finally know who this boy is.

I could go on for ever but I am going to try to condense the rest. Richie and I starting “dating” shortly after meeting but it was middle school and boyfriends changed constantly. I dated other guys and he dated other girls. I had a serious relationship for 2 and 1/2 years in high school but when we broke up, Richie and I started seeing each other again, 6 years after first meeting. We decided that we couldn’t start a relationship because we were both going off to college and it would have been too difficult.

After college, I met another guy who I dated for 2 years. Shortly after we broke up, Richie texted me and a few days later we met up at a party. The second I saw him again all of my feelings from the past came back and I couldn’t believe how overwhelmed I was with emotion. We spent the whole night talking and laughing and catching up. It felt so great to be around him again. The next day he took me up to Lake Minnewaska and we went hiking and then had lunch at a brewery. I couldn’t believe how fast I was falling for him again. After about 3 months back together, I found out that I had to relocate to Minnesota for work or I was going to lose my job which I absolutely love. I was so upset because I thought I was going to have to make a very tough decision but Richie quickly said “I’ve let you get away too many times and there is no chance I’m letting you move to Minnesota without me.” I knew in that moment he was definitely a keeper. We moved to St. Paul, Minnesota in October of 2011. It was difficult to leave our family and friends behind but I knew it was the best move for my career. So let’s FINALLY get to the nitty gritty of the proposal.

It was Tuesday, December 20, 2011. It started as a normal day, we both went to work. I had a late meeting that was cancelled so I headed home early. I called Richie and let him know and he told me to go get a pedicure or work late. He was acting strange, oh well, I headed home. He called me about 45 minutes later and told me to be ready to go out to eat. But i didn’t want to. I was in my pajamas, starting to cook dinner and I just wanted to relax. He seemed aggravated when I kept saying no. About 30 minutes later my cell phone rang and it was Richie, he asked me to open our apartment door cause he had too much stuff.  When I opened the door, there he was down on one knee, holding a ring box. I almost had a heart attack. He said “I want to know if you will spend forever with me?” I immediately starting crying and kissing him and then he took the most beautiful ring out of the box and onto my finger. He then told me that he had the ring custom made so that he could incorporate a small diamond that my grandfather proposed to my grandmother with and my father proposed to my mother with. It was the cutest and most thoughtful idea in the world. Next he explained, that he had this plan to set the whole apartment up with flowers and candles but I got out of work early. So he made reservations at our favorite restaurant to do it there and then I wouldn’t go out to dinner. He said he was so nervous that he had to do it and couldn’t wait. It was absolutely adorable and perfect. I knew from the day that I first looked into his blue eyes that we had something really special and now I get to spend my whole life with my best friend and soul mate.

We just started wedding planning so I will update you with some of our ideas!

Painted Terra-cotta Pots

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Crafts

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I would say I’m crafty, I’m no Martha Stewart but I am pretty good at the basics. I always try to give my people gifts that they can keep forever and be reminded of me by. With mother’s day approaching(this all happened last week) I needed an idea for mother’s day. This year my friend Deanna and I decided to paint terra-cotta pots for our moms. Deanna got her BA in art and she is amazing at painting. I knew I would need some direction because I am terrible at drawing/painting.

Here is what you need to make the pots:

– 1 terra-cotta pot (we went to Walmart and they had a ton of different sizes, we opted for the medium ones which cost $2.99 each)

– several bottles of outdoor acrylic paint, in the colors of your choice (we also got these in the craft section of Walmart and they cost $1.99 each)

– several brushes with rounded tips and different sizes (we got a pack that was $4.99 at Walmart)

Be careful when you put your pots in the car because one of ours rolled of the seat and broke..oops! Anyways, we put garbage bags on my kitchen table so we wouldn’t get paint everywhere. Next, we put the paint onto a sheet of aluminum foil where we planned to dip our brushes. You can rinse your brushes in water but we found it easier to designate each brush to a color because water can make the paint runny. Now comes the fun part!! I watched Deanna as she quickly painted her flower (she made it look so easy) I was confident that I could do it. My first flower came out alright but nothing like hers. I practiced on paper a few more times and then we did our pots. They actually turned out great but I could definitely use some more practice on my painting 😉 You can do different flowers and use any colors that you want. I used a magic marker to write a message to my mom on the bottom. I also bought a nice plant for her to put in the new pot. She absolutely loved the gift and it was very inexpensive to make. You can also make this for other occasions for example a house warming gift, birthday etc.  and since you already purchased the supplies next time you only need the pot!!

Wedding Outfit Five

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Fashion & Beauty

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coral dress, fashion, Forever 21, nuede, polyvore, pumps, style

I decided to challenge myself a little further for the next few wedding outfits. First, I decided that I wanted to stay under $100. I also wanted to create outfits from one store so that if you love the outfit you can make one stop and purchase it. Coral is another great color for this season and I’ve always thought it looks especially good with a tan! All of the items are from Forever21 and cost $80.60! Plus nuede pumps and a great structured bag will go with so many other outfits and can also work for several seasons.

Wedding Outfit Five

Forever 21 dress
$18 – forever21.com

Forever 21 stiletto high heels
$25 – forever21.com

Forever 21 structured handbag
$25 – forever21.com

Forever 21 metal jewelry
$7.80 – forever21.com

Forever 21 tear drop earrings
$4.80 – forever21.com

Wedding Outfit Four

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Fashion & Beauty

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Tags

blue, fashion, floral dresses, floral print, Kenneth Jay Lane, Oasis, pearl necklaces, polyvore, Rocket Dog, style

This would be the perfect dress for an outdoor wedding. Wedges are more practical than heels since they won’t get stuck in the ground. Florals are very popular this year and I love the print. I’ve always been a huge fan of pearls because they’re classic and elegant and so versatile. The total for this outfit is $181.

Wedding Four

Flower print dress
$50 – awear.com

Platform shoes
$45 – modcloth.com

Rocket Dog clutch handbag
$23 – debenhams.com

Oasis multi strand pearl necklace
$45 – oasis-stores.com

Kenneth Jay Lane glass earrings
$18 – shopbop.com

Wedding Outfit Three

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Fashion & Beauty

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

ASOS, big bangles, cream, Dorothy Perkins, fashion, flowers, Jon Richard, Miso, neutral, peplum, peplum dresses, polyvore, style

Peplum dresses are HUGE this season. At first, I thought this style of dress would be unflattering especially in the stomach area but it’s actually really flattering on most body types. For those with wider hips the gathered fabric at the waist is very slimming. On the other hand, those looking to appear curvier will in this style of dress. Flowers and neutral colors are also really hot right now. This whole outfit is $108.50.

Wedding 3

Dorothy Perkins v neck dress
$27 – dorothyperkins.com

Strappy dress sandals
$26 – kmart.com

ASOS leather clutch
$35 – asos.com

Miso flower jewelry
$11.50 – republic.co.uk

Jon Richard tahitian pearl earrings
$9.00 – debenhams.com

Wedding Outfit Two

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by itsawonderfullife43 in Fashion & Beauty

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Tags

blue, cream, dress, fashion, nuetral, polyvore, style, Tinley Road, Zara

Another great outfit for a summer wedding! Total cost of this outfit is $142.

Wedding 2

Velvet dress
$43 – modcloth.com

Tinley Road high heel shoes
$40 – piperlime.gap.com

Zara messenger bag
$36 – zara.com

Crystal jewelry
$23 – fantasyjewelrybox.com
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