Tis the season...

for weddings and cupcakes!

I am fortunate enough to have been hired to make cupcakes for a wedding in November. I also have a tasting for a December wedding this weekend!

I can't help but think that my own wedding anniversary is coming up. Thanksgiving was around the corner, and all my immediate family was going to be together for the first time in four years. So my hubs, then boyfriend, and I figured we might as well get married with everyone here.

So in three weeks we got it together. Not much  planning, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Daniel was a little upset that we didn't have the means for an engagement ring because it was so last minute and we had just bought a house. I assured him that our 1929 craftsman was my engagement ring and I was just thankful for it. Very few people can live in their ring. But he assured me one day there will be something ridiculous on my finger.

That was almost two years ago. We spent our first anniversary in the hospital with the birth of our daughter, who came along six weeks early, but strong, like ox.

And here we are. In a month I'll have kept a baby alive for a year (no thanks to her daredevil spirit) and have two years of marriage under my belt.

With everything finally slowing down, sans the trying to open a coffeehouse and build a small business, it's back to thinking about that pretty little ring.

Quick sidenote: Not huge on traditional, and I'm leaning towards onyx as the main stone

So here are a couple potentials:

I'm leaning more towards the second one. I'm just worried it's a little too big. The first one, though, does not have the stone set in the ring and I've never been a big fan of that.

Anywhoozle, I'm not very good at getting things done in it's "proper" order, but it all gets done eventually :)

So what do you think?

We're on Etsy!

We are officially nationwide thanks to Etsy.com!

Check us out :)

Football Season is Upon Us!

My friend Ashley was hosting a couple's shower for her sister and her sister's future husband. Her sister loves baseball, her fiance football. So baseball sugar cookies for her and FOOTBALL CUPCAKES FOR HIM!

I don't watch football often, but I'm pretty sure these will be a staple at all future Super Bowl parties :)

Our order for tomorrow.

This is my first time working with fondant for an order.

Here it is!

Photo by Betsy McPherson

They're iphone app buttons.

I made the fondant out of marshmallows. I hate the taste of fondant, so I figured if the apps were eaten, these would go down a bit smoother.

Underneath is chocolate buttercream frosting. And the cupcakes themselves are chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, half have toffee chips, and the other half have chocolate chips in them.

Anywhoozle, I hope they like them :)

Carrot Cake

I figured we should get back to what this blog was intended for:

Photo by Betsy McPherson

This was my first attempt at carrot cake. My irritatingly horrible oven over baked them slightly, and I need to perfect my cream cheese frosting recipe, which may be difficult since I can't stand the stuff, but I think they came out pretty well for a first try :)

update!

oh it's been so long!

this last week or so has been full of progress, set backs, realizations, and theft.

which i suppose would be what one considers a set back.

but i'm regrouping and categorizing all of what life has thrown my way.

and be grateful for everything i have.

daniel and i celebrated our sixth year of being together yesterday! it's gone so quickly. we've celebrated our anniversary a little differently these last couple of years. last year we were pregnant. and this year we were fortunate enough for lily to go to sleep early so we could pick up dinner and watch a movie. but it was amazing.

this afternoon dan came home with my anniversary present: a brand new laptop!

i had bought a brand new laptop last month, and i loved it, but someone broke into our house and stole it last weekend.

so now i have this one, which i think is even better. and on a whole other level since it was given out of total sacrifice and love. and because he really believes in everything i do, including this crazy cupcake adventure.

demo at our property is underway! we've been having meetings, getting invoices, crossing fingers over financing, the whole nine.

but we are pushing through all the bureaucracy and trying to keep hope alive.

hopefully i can post pictures soon of the building!

We're going to a good home.

Coming this fall, The Cupcake Crusade will have an official home!

Ashley, Lynne, and I signed our lease and the location 720 Moreland is officially ours.

There's A LOT of hard work ahead of us, but if all go well, Hodgepodge Coffee House and Gallery will be home sweet home!