My Christmas Craft

I saw this project last year but since the stores sell out of their christmas stuff in early Dec, I wasn't able to try it. But this year, I bought all my ornaments before Thanksgiving to make sure I had enough! Yes, I felt very silly buying christmas stuff that early, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

This year, the blog writer had a wreath contest and I think those wreaths turned out better than mine. But nonetheless, I'm happy enough with it! Take a look:

Incase you can't tell, the colors are red, green and brown.

2 years of snow.......IN A ROW!

My little Maddie is going to start thinking it will snow every winter! Last year, she didn't care for the snow much. But this year was way different; I had to practically drag her inside, soaking wet, to warm her up after almost 45 minutes of playing in it.

I tried to make a snowman but she thought it was more fun to stomp on it. So after a few attempts, I said "forget this, my hands are freezing." But I do have to say that making snowballs and throwing them at no one was her favorite thing to do.

Christmas gift BARGAIN!!!!

We set a holiday budget every year and I try my best to stick to it. I'm also a sucker for good deals and bargains but not so much getting out on Black Friday and fighting the crazy people.

Some girls in my online moms group passed along this deal and I couldn't pass it up. Here it is:

Target has the LeapFrog Tag Junior on sale for $28.99 until 11/25/09. Target also has a coupon for $10 off any LeapFrog Reading System, which I received in the mail but you can also print it here. AND you can use a LeapFrog manufacturer coupon for another $10 off.

With a whopping $20 off, you can have this item for $8.99!!!! Man, I feel great after finding a bargain. :)

Happy Pregnant Lady

An update to my previous post (because I know you're all losing sleep); I found my favorite candies at Walgreens!!! And a bonus, they're 99 cents!! Woohoo!!

My Favorite Halloween Candy EVER!!!!

Mary Janes Peanut Butter Kisses!! Oh yum yum yum! It never failed that I'd get tons of them because no one else liked them each Halloween.

However, this year I can't find them ANYWHERE! I've looked at Wal-Mart, Target, HEB, Party City and CVS; no luck. It's going to be a sad Halloween if I can't get some.

It's official, I'm a terrible saleslady!

I signed up to sell Uppercase Living in the Spring and to remain an active "Independent Demonstrator", you have to maintain a certain level of sales every quarter. Well, now I know that I would have a terrible career in sales because after 2 quarters, I'm being kicked out. But that's ok, I'm not crying over it or anything (besides I have my baking business now!).

SO, I wanted to let all my friends and family in on a little offer. As an "Independent Demonstrator", I get 25% off all Uppercase Living products (not including shipping + taxes). Before I get kicked out of UL, you can order anything you want, 25% off, through me. Trust me, I'm not getting a penny out of this, I just wanted to make the offer to everyone so y'all can get a great deal.

Unfortunately, they've already cut off my website ordering so you'll have to order directly through me, but it will still be shipped to you and I can still take credit cards and checks.

To see UL products go to http://mlocklear.uppercaseliving.net

I'll be kicked out of UL at the end of the 3rd Quarter, which is roughly the end of September. You can email me with questions or your order at missylocklear@comcast.net.

I want to Bunco

My mom has been in the same Bunco group since I can remember (maybe elementary or middle school?). Heck, even my grandma belongs to two groups!

I have to say that I'm super jealous of them because I really want to belong to a bunco group. My problem is that I don't have many friends that live nearby.

Does anyone know of any Pearland groups that need a new member?

(I have no idea who the ladies are in that picture, I just googled Bunco and that was a picture that came up)

Has anyone clicked on the pink cupcake to the right??

Wilton - Course 2 Class 4 - FINAL

This week was my final Course 2 class. I had to make 50 Primroses and 25 apple blossoms for my final cake, but I ended up running out of room on my cake so I didn't use them all. My instructor says they last for a really long time so I think I'll keep the rest of the flowers in case I need them in the future.

The cake is french vanilla with buttercream icing, pretty plain huh? I put vanilla baking chips in the cake batter to give it a little extra "oomph" and I think it turned out pretty yummy.

I also learned how to do the basketweave and rope border. Overall, it was a pretty fun class. But I'm REALLY looking forward to Course 3 where I learn how to work with fondant and tiered cakes!!

Wilton - Course 2 Class 3

More royal icing flowers this week. The reason they're all purple is because I was using left over icing from the previous class- I don't like to be wasteful!!

Daffodils
Pansies
Daisies
Roses

Wilton - Course 2 Class 2

I started Course 2 this month and I'm pretty excited. The first class was learning to do a couple of flowers with buttercream but they weren't all the pretty, so I didn't take pictures.

But the second class we made flowers with royal icing, which is way different to work with than buttercream. We made apple blossoms, violets, violet leaves and the primrose. Our final cake (class 4) will have 100 apple blossoms and primroses, so I better get really good at them!

Violet Leaves & Primroses
Violets
Apple Blossoms

Graduation Cake

In my last post, I mentioned that one of Jake's co-workers asked me to do a cake for her daughter's graduation party. It was a full sheet cake (my first ever), half vanilla and half chocolate, with buttercream icing. I haven't heard from Tannis how the party went, but I'm really hoping the cake was pretty and yummy enough for everyone. Here it is!!

Wilton - Course 1 Class 4 - FINAL

I had my final Course 1 class last night but before I left the store, I had already registered for Course 2 so you haven't heard the last of my cake decorating adventures.

My cake was an 8" round classic white cake with strawberry filling. The cake itself could have been a little more moist so I'll keep working on that. Also, I used two mixes; one for the top layer and one for the bottom layer so this thing was HUGE! Jake and Maddie had a piece when I got home and he took the rest to work today.

The roses looked a little better than last week but there's always room for improvement. And my drop flowers (on the bottom of the cake) were a disaster. Here's the result:

And I'm super excited to say that I have gotten my first business as a cake decorator!!! One of Jake's co-workers ordered a sheet cake for 50 ppl for her daugher's graduation party next weekend. WOOHOO!!! Maybe I have finally found something I can earn some extra income with (painting = fail, uppercase living = fail, so far).

Happy Memorial Day

Wilton - Course 1 Class 3

This week I learned the shell border and dots of various sizes. The cake was supposed to be a clown theme so I baked a funfetti cake by Pillsbury......HUGE MISTAKE!! I have concluded that Pillsbury mixes are terrible. Not only do they taste blah but I had the hardest time getting the dern thing out of my pan. So anyway, lesson learned; stick to Duncan Hines.

I used the colored icing from last week because I didn't want to waste it. So I grossly underestimated how much yellow icing I'd need for the clowns' bodies, thus I only have 1 clown. But I highly doubt I'll ever be making clowns again, I find them a little scary. Here's the result:

Then I learned how to make the "Wilton Rose"....can you say "intimidating?" This one is definitely going to take some practicing, that's for sure. But I really want to get good because next week's final cake is going to have 7 of them!!! The rose on the left was made by my instructor and the other was made by me;

I have some serious practicing to do.

Wilton - Course 1 Class 2

For Mother's Day I asked for something a little unconventional; a Wilton cake decorating class. It's a 4 week course in basic cake decorating techniques and tips. So far I've had 2 classes. The first class was going over what supplies I need and we watched the instructor make buttercream icing and how to ice a cake. Nothing too exciting. I already had this

so I was ready for the actual decorating part.

The second class was using the star tip. We had the choice of decorating a character cake or this;

Not bad for my first real try at cake decorating. I discovered that 1. icing a cake is NOT as easy as it seems and 2. using the star tip makes your hand hurt really bad. The actual cake was a lemon cake and it was very yummy. Again I sent most of it with Jake to work so we didn't have to eat it all. Especially since the next 2 classes, I'll be decorating cakes and bringing them home. Talk about lots of cake!!!

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

I'm a sucker for anything flavored Cookies & Cream so I HAD to try this recipe that I found here. Only I used my muffin pan, not the silicone baking cups, so I got around 30 cupcakes instead of 24.

We took them to our Mother's Day celebration at the Schmidt Jrs. house and of course had left-overs. We let the Jrs. keep 5 and I sent the rest with Jake to work. I've already gotten one email from him asking for the recipe so I figured this was the best way to share it with others.

Grade: A+ per Jake and Maddie :)

30 Oreo cookies
1 package plain white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
2. Count out 12 Oreos and separate the top and bottom wafers. Make sure each has some of the icing on it. Place one wafer, icing side up, in the bottom of each paper liner. Set them aside. Place the remaining 18 Oreos between sheets of waxed paper or in a large, closed zipper-lock bag and crush them by rolling over them with a rolling pin. Set these crumbs aside.

3. Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 1 1/2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the crushed Oreos and fold these into the batter until well incorporated. Set aside the remaining crushed Oreos for the frosting. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cup­cake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
4. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cup­cakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your finger­tips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you plan to freeze them, don't add the cookie-crumb topping. Wrap them in aluminum foil or in a cake saver and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw the cup­cakes overnight in the refrigerator and top with cookie crumbs before serving.

COOKIES AND CREAM FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
remaining crushed Oreos

Mix together butter, confectioners sugar, and a pinch of salt until it’s creamy. Increase your mixer speed to high and beat until its light and fluffy. Add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat until its smooth. Fold in crushed Oreos. Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes.

Debbie's Banana Dessert

No, I have no idea who Debbie is. But I thank her for making this super duper banana pudding dessert. My Nanny gave me a cookbook for 2006 Christmas which was compiled by a bunch of ladies from her church. She lives in a pretty small town in Central Texas which happens to have a very large population of German-Texans. With names like Koepp, Bierstedt, Tschoepe and of course Schmidt......you can't go wrong with these ladies recipes.


2 boxes vanilla wafers
1 stick butter, melted
2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 (8 oz) containers of whipped topping
1 large pkg instant vanilla pudding mix (prepare according to directions)
1 bunch of bananas - (I use 4 bananas)

Crush 1 box of vanilla wafers & mix with the cup of melted butter - press this mixture into a 13x9 pan. Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar & add 1.5 containers of whipped topping - spread this mixture over crust. Cut up 3-4 bananas in round slices and place side-by-side over this layer. Layer prepared instant pudding next. Top with remaining whipped topping. Crush 1/2 the other box of vanilla wafers and sprinkle on top & line the sides of the dish with the remaining whole wafers. Refridgerate.

I've made Debbie's Banana Dessert on a few different occasions so I decided to share it with you. I made the latest batch last weekend for the Schmidt Jrs' Annual Crawfish Boil. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before I put it out. So I put it out on the table, turned around to grab my camera and this is all that was left in that minute of time, I'm not kidding.

ice cream + cupcakes = genius

Coldstone Creamery must have Einstein working in their R&D department because they have created the most perfect, yummy thing ever; Ice Cream cupcakes!!!

If you've had a piece of Coldstone's ice cream cakes, you already know they're delicious. But the cupcakes are perfect portioned sized and did I mention they're yummy? Well they are.

The only bad thing is that the store by me only makes them once a week (sometimes every other week) and when they hit the shelves, they sell fast. So I've been calling like a mad woman to see when they had some for sale and I finally got some! They're sold in packs of 6, I lucked out and got a pack with 2 of each flavor (another bad thing, they only offer 3 flavors right now) so Jake, Maddie and I got to sample each. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the inside Cake Batter Delux, but it was yummy!

If you like ice cream and cupcakes (who doesn't?) you must give these a try!

Ziploc Omelet

I got this email from my mother-in-law about making a super easy omelet so I gave it a try. Here's the email:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This works great !!! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!

• Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.
• Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.
• Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.
• Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake.
• Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
• Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.
• Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed

I followed the directions exactly but I had a bit of a problem. My ziploc bags melted on the bottom and egg started leaking in the boiling water. So if you try this recipe, I would suggest double bagging your omelets. But all in all, they turned out delicious! I made bacon and cheese, here's the pics:

I'm fiiiinnnnniiiissshhheedd!

I actually completed the sampler about a month ago but then I took it to the cleaners to be cleaned and then to Hobby Lobby for framing. It turned out really pretty!! I just hope Maddie keeps it for a really long time.

Uppercase Living

You are looking at Uppercase Living's newest independent contractor! Since I became a stay-at-home-mom, I have tossed around the idea of joining a direct sales type of company (Avon, Tupperware, etc), so when I came across this company I knew this is what I wanted to try. The type of products UL sells is very innovative and the market is not saturated one bit.

With the crummy economy, I have really felt the need to earn some supplemental income and hopefully be able to send Maddie to MDO a couple times a week (MDO is crazy expen$ive!). I just hope the economy isn't so crummy that no one will purchase from me!

I'm working to get everything started up and hopefully I'll have pictures of products in my own home to share with everyone! My website is http://mlocklear.uppercaseliving.net/ and I will be able to take orders via the web. Maybe in the next few months I'll have an open house to invite all my girlfriends over to see what I have in my home, and of course it's a good excuse to make yummy food and catch up on gossip, um I mean news.

Happy Mardi Gras!!

I've only been to Mardi Gras once but I had a fantastic time! I was in college and a bunch of my sorority sisters decided to make a trip to New Orleans. It was my first time to NO and I fell in love. The old architecture, food, friendly people; I just loved it all.

My sister-in-law's mom and dad live in Slidell, just north of NO, so I've been exposed to Mardi Gras pretty consistently for the past 10 years or so. I would get so excited when they brought us real, Louisiana King Cake. So last year I decided that I was going to do it myself, since I love to bake and all.

A nestie friend of mine married a good 'ol cajun boy and inherited his momma's recipes. She graciously shared her king cake recipe with me and the rest is history, I was HOOKED!

This year I made: 2 blueberry cream cheese, 2 strawberry cream cheese, 1 regular cream cheese and 1 cinnamon cakes.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!