You know how normal people are obsessed with things like Johnny Depp or photography or something? Well, I'm obsessed with fonts (and cupcakes). I could literally spend hours determining the perfect font for a simple powerpoint. Sure, I want it too look good and I want good grades but, what I really care about is the texture the font brings to the overall look of the slides; does it create movement, does it flow, does it's character jive with the subject matter. You know, all really important things. I swear, if someone wanted to appoint me designated font-picker for anything ever, and pay me, I'd be happy.
My love of fonts and desire to put them together and make something beautiful out of them can be overwhelming. You know how I just ran the Peachtree, on the 4th of July? Well, I entered their t-shirt design contest. Of course, I didn't win- I spelled the name of the race wrong! But, I guess besides that, my design wasn't clean enough. So, I've decided to take another shot at it; this time, I'm gonna make it immaculate! I was so excited about playing with fonts again to possible make a winning design, I literally started last night. That's probably way to early.... But I told you, I'm obsessed!
Well, it didn't last long. My design looks a whole lot better as a sketch than a full blown piece. I'm still not done with it but, I sent it to my boyfriend as I was working, you know to get his opinion and praise for my brilliance, and he kinda brought me down. He said my design was too intricate, it wouldn't be chosen. He was right, of course. My favorite design style is Victorian so I used that as my inspiration and wound up with way too many swirls and ornaments for a t-shirt. So now it's back to square one and I'm bummed. I don't really know what I want it to look like now... good thing I have a year!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
So this is it...
Yesterday was my last first day, EVER. With the completion of this class, I'll earn my masters degree and move back into my parents' house. Hmm, I feel like that's an oxymoron..
I'm ready to get out there! I wanna go work for somebody and show 'em what I've got! I literally feel like my brain is busting with all the knowledge Grady has shoveled me for the past three years! Yes, I'm completely scared to fall flat on my face and embarrass myself but, at the same time, I've worked so hard for that moment and that opportunity, it's driving me crazy to be jobless one month from graduation.
On a positive note- I recently ran my first 10k! It was the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. My boyfriend's family has been running the race since before he was born. So have thousands of other runners because this race is the world's largest 10k with 60,000 runners. Can we just take a moment to contemplate that number? 60,000. Runners. I lucked out to be placed in B group, meaning I was the second group to start, after the wheelchair, seeded and sub-seeded runners.
After the BostonMassacre Marathon, I was terrified at what might happen along the route or at then end, inside Piedmont Park. This is probably because I'm such a hypochondriac. I was also afraid the mass number of runners would run me right over. I was in B group, remember? That means super fast. I do not run super fast. I wouldn't even say I run, I just jog. Slowly. Especially up hills. PLUS, we were late getting to the start line so I didn't get a chance to stretch before we took off, zig zagging around hoards of people to make it into our groups before time started. My legs were cramping, it was drizzling a little, and I barely got to kiss my boyfriend goodbye before he darted off to the sub-seeded group. (His one of those really fast people).
Before we started, under the American flag, the announcer recognized those who help(ed) keep us free and safe. Then he counted down and I held my breath. I started five minutes after group A and I remember looking at the start clock, watching it tick closer to 5:00 and wishing it would just stop or get there faster, enough with all this waiting business! And then they waved a flag (which I couldn't see over all the people) and off we went.
The whole thing was kind of a blur because I was so nervous. It's strange, I felt a little like a celebrity having people lining the streets, cheering and staring and applauding me. I tried to stay along the right side because that's where the slow people like to hang out. Unfortunately, businesses like to hang out free things to people along the left side of the street. Boo.
If you've heard about the Peachtree, you may have heard about Heartbreak Hill. My boyfriend told me it was called that because the hill was so terrible people died on it every year. He's such a stinker! This is definitely not true. I think the hill is only a small incline but boy, it lasts forever! Like half a mile forever! Also, it goes right passed the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital. That's were the name really comes from- seeing those people cheering you on who can't be out there themselves. It didn't really break my heart to see them, it made me smile, because they were smiling. It was extra motivation to keep pushing. Also providing motivation were all the people who started walking on the hill. All of a sudden, I felt like I was flying just because I kept pushing while they all dropped off like flies hitting an invisible wall.
After that hill, my knees started hurting a little and the cramps I had before the start started to come back. All the people along the side helped me push on and forget that I was running 6.2 miles (oh my goodness, 6.2 miles!!!!!). Once you hit about 5.7-5.8 miles (this is me guessing- I'm terrible at guessing!) the number of people lining the streets swelled, the music was louder and more frequent and the cheering, bells, and clapping became constant white noise. That was really energizing. I've never felt that kind of accomplishment before. It was really something special that I don't know I can explain properly. It was something like exhaustion, motivation, pride, relief, inspiration, thankfulness, excitement, and power, all at the same time.
So when the time came that I rounded the last corner, started the down-hill stretch and same the 6 mile sign, I was able to kick it into 3rd gear and sprint under the finish line just under an hour. BOOM!
That's how I felt.
Maybe a little bit more like "boom". haha
I think the worst part of the experience would be after the finish, when I ruined my shoes in the park. It's been raining for two weeks in Atlanta and Piedmont was super muddy. I tried to wash my Nikes when we got home but, they'll never be the same. sob.
Other than that monumentous event and weeping over my lack of job, the only other thing I've been doing is cooking. Tons of cooking. My boyfriend's family has a garden which seems to beover producing zucchini and squash. I think I have those two vegetables coming out of my ears!! Time to get creative I guess!
I'm ready to get out there! I wanna go work for somebody and show 'em what I've got! I literally feel like my brain is busting with all the knowledge Grady has shoveled me for the past three years! Yes, I'm completely scared to fall flat on my face and embarrass myself but, at the same time, I've worked so hard for that moment and that opportunity, it's driving me crazy to be jobless one month from graduation.
On a positive note- I recently ran my first 10k! It was the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. My boyfriend's family has been running the race since before he was born. So have thousands of other runners because this race is the world's largest 10k with 60,000 runners. Can we just take a moment to contemplate that number? 60,000. Runners. I lucked out to be placed in B group, meaning I was the second group to start, after the wheelchair, seeded and sub-seeded runners.
After the Boston
Before we started, under the American flag, the announcer recognized those who help(ed) keep us free and safe. Then he counted down and I held my breath. I started five minutes after group A and I remember looking at the start clock, watching it tick closer to 5:00 and wishing it would just stop or get there faster, enough with all this waiting business! And then they waved a flag (which I couldn't see over all the people) and off we went.
The whole thing was kind of a blur because I was so nervous. It's strange, I felt a little like a celebrity having people lining the streets, cheering and staring and applauding me. I tried to stay along the right side because that's where the slow people like to hang out. Unfortunately, businesses like to hang out free things to people along the left side of the street. Boo.
If you've heard about the Peachtree, you may have heard about Heartbreak Hill. My boyfriend told me it was called that because the hill was so terrible people died on it every year. He's such a stinker! This is definitely not true. I think the hill is only a small incline but boy, it lasts forever! Like half a mile forever! Also, it goes right passed the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital. That's were the name really comes from- seeing those people cheering you on who can't be out there themselves. It didn't really break my heart to see them, it made me smile, because they were smiling. It was extra motivation to keep pushing. Also providing motivation were all the people who started walking on the hill. All of a sudden, I felt like I was flying just because I kept pushing while they all dropped off like flies hitting an invisible wall.
After that hill, my knees started hurting a little and the cramps I had before the start started to come back. All the people along the side helped me push on and forget that I was running 6.2 miles (oh my goodness, 6.2 miles!!!!!). Once you hit about 5.7-5.8 miles (this is me guessing- I'm terrible at guessing!) the number of people lining the streets swelled, the music was louder and more frequent and the cheering, bells, and clapping became constant white noise. That was really energizing. I've never felt that kind of accomplishment before. It was really something special that I don't know I can explain properly. It was something like exhaustion, motivation, pride, relief, inspiration, thankfulness, excitement, and power, all at the same time.
So when the time came that I rounded the last corner, started the down-hill stretch and same the 6 mile sign, I was able to kick it into 3rd gear and sprint under the finish line just under an hour. BOOM!
That's how I felt.
Maybe a little bit more like "boom". haha
I think the worst part of the experience would be after the finish, when I ruined my shoes in the park. It's been raining for two weeks in Atlanta and Piedmont was super muddy. I tried to wash my Nikes when we got home but, they'll never be the same. sob.
Other than that monumentous event and weeping over my lack of job, the only other thing I've been doing is cooking. Tons of cooking. My boyfriend's family has a garden which seems to be
Monday, June 17, 2013
Personal Cupcake Challenge
You know that feeling when you're awake at 4:30 in the morning working on a project and you just wanna quit but you're so close to finishing the excitement of seeing all your hard work pay off pushes you through?
If you look really quickly, mine look like little ice creams, so that's a plus. On the downside, they look NOTHING like the originals...
No?
Just me?
Ok, what about when you're running, the race is almost over, you're pretty much spent and then you see the finish line and people are cheering you on and you get that one last burst of speed you didn't know you had- that feeling. Maybe a couple more people with that one.
Anyways, I got that feeling yesterday from making cupcakes. Unless you're on Cupcake Wars, I don't think people normally get an adrenaline rush from making cupcakes. But my sister gave me a challenge: make banana split cupcakes (from a recipe she gave me) with fewer calories. She's trying to loose weight but, like any sane person, doesn't wanna be stuck eat cardboard. Did I mention the recipe she gave me was 600 calories!!!! Holy crap!!!
 |
| Banana Split Cupcakes; theirs and mine |
However, I'd have to say, I killed this challenge! You wanna know how many calories are in these miniature little beauties? 87. EIGHTY SEVEN!!! That means you could have six of these little things and still not have taken in as many calories as only one of the original recipe!! snap, I did good.
Some notes:
-dipping didn't go well, maybe i needed more nonpareils. Or maybe I needed to let the chocolate set longer. Either way, the chocolate kept falling off into nonpareils so that only the first ones looked cute.
-the vanilla frosting that I used, while it was less caloric, fell right off the little cupcakes- I would recommend something else.
-overall, the biggest change I made was to the batter itself, my go to cake recipe for anything and everything is Better Homes and Garden's Busy Day Cake. It never fails!
- i ended up making 43 cupcakes instead of just 40, which is what the following numbers are for.
Here are the ingredients and calorie counts:
Here's the original recipe if you're not on a diet and loves bananas: Banana Split Cupcakes
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Maymester
So that's it! Finished my first and last Maymester class! To be honest, it was a little bitter sweet. Of all the classes I've taken for my masters and in my undergrad, this one has been one of my favorites. So it was sad to have it end so quickly... especially since I have another stupid research class to take in July... fun...
The class I just took was Social Network Analysis. Doesn't the name sound daunting and exciting at the same time?! I thought so. And, even the first couple of days in the class, I really had no idea what I was doing. My teacher was talking a mile a minute about all of the fancy calculations and analyzations you could do with this program to find out all sorts of information about social networks and it just went right over my head! Luckily, the more I played with it, the more I understood it. And now I think it's the coolest program in the world- besides Pinterest- I'd die without Pinterest. (Just kidding, but really.)
Here's an example of what kinds of things I've been looking at:
The above graph is a visual representation of runDisney's Twitter community. Using the program NodeXL, I've been able to see the different groups of people who tweeted about runDisney. The sizes reflect their importance in the network. I also got to analyze their Facebook fan page and their YouTube presence. It was so cool!
I know this post is a little on the nerdy side but it was seriously so interesting! I think it was one of the most useful classes I've taken so far- which might be because the whole social/ digital/ interactive media thing is kinda my scene (do I even have a scene as a student?).
The class I just took was Social Network Analysis. Doesn't the name sound daunting and exciting at the same time?! I thought so. And, even the first couple of days in the class, I really had no idea what I was doing. My teacher was talking a mile a minute about all of the fancy calculations and analyzations you could do with this program to find out all sorts of information about social networks and it just went right over my head! Luckily, the more I played with it, the more I understood it. And now I think it's the coolest program in the world- besides Pinterest- I'd die without Pinterest. (Just kidding, but really.)
Here's an example of what kinds of things I've been looking at:
 |
| runDisney Twitter-sphere |
I know this post is a little on the nerdy side but it was seriously so interesting! I think it was one of the most useful classes I've taken so far- which might be because the whole social/ digital/ interactive media thing is kinda my scene (do I even have a scene as a student?).
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Lemon Ice Box Pie
So last week I made these cupcakes. One of the problems with them, despite the mismatched decorations, was the copious amounts of leftover frosting. I supposed that could be seen as somewhat of a blessing- you know for those cold, lonely, nights when you're curled up in bed watching the Notebook, by yourself. But alas, it just takes up too much space in my fridge! Sooooo... I made a pie with it!!! One of my better ideas I must say.
Welp, I didn't have enough frosting to make a denser pie and, and to be honest, I didn't have a blender to make a proper crust either. I don't know what you would call this then, a wonder in the making, maybe. Seriously, it is that good!
The crust was made of chocolate spritz I had made weeksand weeks ago. They were particularly bland so I thought they were make a good crust. Unfortunately, I don't have a food processor or blender or rolling pin anything fancy like that to crumble up the cookies with so, I just put them in a plastic bag and attempted to crush them with my hands... that didn't work so well... they just kinda broke into small pieces. That made for a pretty crunch and rugged crust. That's why I said it was a wonder in the making! ;)
The frosting was made of powered sugar, butter, lemon juice and yellow food coloring. To it, I added whipped heavy cream and actual whipped cream, like from my freezer. It had a creamy consistency and I knew it would never solidify in the fridge so, in the freezer it went!
And it came out delicious!! My boyfriend, who doesn't like sweets, said I was converting him with it! ha! It was only a matter of time, Mwahaha!!
Welp, I didn't have enough frosting to make a denser pie and, and to be honest, I didn't have a blender to make a proper crust either. I don't know what you would call this then, a wonder in the making, maybe. Seriously, it is that good!
The crust was made of chocolate spritz I had made weeks
The frosting was made of powered sugar, butter, lemon juice and yellow food coloring. To it, I added whipped heavy cream and actual whipped cream, like from my freezer. It had a creamy consistency and I knew it would never solidify in the fridge so, in the freezer it went!
And it came out delicious!! My boyfriend, who doesn't like sweets, said I was converting him with it! ha! It was only a matter of time, Mwahaha!!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Cupcakes and Cocktails
Hi!
Well, as per usual, this post is almost too after the fact for it to be worth it but, I made that silly promise to myself so, here it goes!
I had a premonition last week. I'm sure that I'm using that word wrong because people don't normally have premonition about cupcakes, do they? I guess, if you're a dessert loving foodie, you probably do!
Anyway, because my boyfriend was going to be working last Thursday and I was going to be alone (which would have been simply terrible- being alone makes me depressed and moody!) I decided it would be brilliant to have a little girls evening with my sister. What makes this a premonition? Well, I haven't gotten to that part yet!!
Drum roll please!!!
Image this-- sweet, buttery cupcakes, matched perfectly to a girlish cocktail! oh, my goodness!!
I can't actually take all the credit for this idea. I actually signed up for a Thirsty Thursday newsletter. That's when the idea hit me; I would match a recipe from the newsletter to a cupcake recipe! Well, that's all well and good if the newsletter actually comes, which it didn't. Not to happy with Cooking Channel right now.
So then it was up to me. BTWs, I know nothing about mixing cocktails. I don't even drink that often because I'm such a super lightweight that I would barely enjoy it before I fell into a tipsy rant about oh, I don't know how freaking HOT the apartment is.
So yea, I was pretty sad that my whole cute idea was about to be spoiled because I didn't get an inspirational newsletter. Silly ,silly me. The Internet is one giant inspiration vacuum! I'm even on Pinterest for heavens sake! So I off I went into the wilds of the Internet hoping something yummy would just jump out at me!
What I found was Skinny Girl Vodka. That means lo-cal liquor to compliment my hi-cal cupcakes (if that's not a match made in heaven, I don't know what is!). AND! They have recipes right there on the site! The one I decided on kinda depended on what I already had in my kitchen. I ended up going with the tangerine flavored vodka and a drink they called they pom-tangerine (mostly because I have some crystal light cherry pomegranate in my cupboard). To match, I decided we'd go with a citrus theme and do lemon cupcakes!
No, it doesn't have Blue Moon in it. That's just the only clear glass I own... (I'm actually pretty proud of that glass. It was a prize from some party Mellow Mushroom had in Athens last year.) Sorry about the picture quality, it was night-time in my apartment (aka the lighting was dodgy) and I took it with my smartphone. Oops! All in all, it was pretty good. The first time I made it though, I put in wayy too much of the sparking water. I know because that's about all it tasted like. The second time was much better though! As for the vodka itself- we sampled that too (you know for research purposes...) It was pretty good. That doesn't make me that comfortable however, knowing that I spent $22 on it and it was only "pretty good." It wasn't overwhelmingly tangerine-y but it wasn't as full and smooth as I expected a $22 bottle of vodka to be. I guess the "you get what you paid for" saying still rings true because I did pay for a low calorie, flavored vodka; so with that in mind, I guess it would have to be a little bit pricey. And I guess that explains why it wasn't full-bodied; it was full calorie-d.
Well, as per usual, this post is almost too after the fact for it to be worth it but, I made that silly promise to myself so, here it goes!
I had a premonition last week. I'm sure that I'm using that word wrong because people don't normally have premonition about cupcakes, do they? I guess, if you're a dessert loving foodie, you probably do!
Anyway, because my boyfriend was going to be working last Thursday and I was going to be alone (which would have been simply terrible- being alone makes me depressed and moody!) I decided it would be brilliant to have a little girls evening with my sister. What makes this a premonition? Well, I haven't gotten to that part yet!!
Drum roll please!!!
Image this-- sweet, buttery cupcakes, matched perfectly to a girlish cocktail! oh, my goodness!!
I can't actually take all the credit for this idea. I actually signed up for a Thirsty Thursday newsletter. That's when the idea hit me; I would match a recipe from the newsletter to a cupcake recipe! Well, that's all well and good if the newsletter actually comes, which it didn't. Not to happy with Cooking Channel right now.
So then it was up to me. BTWs, I know nothing about mixing cocktails. I don't even drink that often because I'm such a super lightweight that I would barely enjoy it before I fell into a tipsy rant about oh, I don't know how freaking HOT the apartment is.
So yea, I was pretty sad that my whole cute idea was about to be spoiled because I didn't get an inspirational newsletter. Silly ,silly me. The Internet is one giant inspiration vacuum! I'm even on Pinterest for heavens sake! So I off I went into the wilds of the Internet hoping something yummy would just jump out at me!
What I found was Skinny Girl Vodka. That means lo-cal liquor to compliment my hi-cal cupcakes (if that's not a match made in heaven, I don't know what is!). AND! They have recipes right there on the site! The one I decided on kinda depended on what I already had in my kitchen. I ended up going with the tangerine flavored vodka and a drink they called they pom-tangerine (mostly because I have some crystal light cherry pomegranate in my cupboard). To match, I decided we'd go with a citrus theme and do lemon cupcakes!
 |
| The Pom-Tangerine |
So on to the cupcakes!
I'm sure you can tell, they are pretty different. Like, I didn't even decorate them the same! I thought (and I don't think you can tell this from the picture) that the recipe had a glaze below the frosting- it didn't. And I couldn't find lemon-shaped hard candies at the store, anywhere! So I improvised. :) What I ended up with was blue and yellow sprinkles and orange lifesavers. Tipsy Girls Approved! And, no worries, all the left overs were pretty good too!
Till next time!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Valentine's Day Recap
In three words: less than perfect. Me and my boyfriend have been having a hard time because of all the hours he works. (Does that make me selfish, that I feel like he doesn't have time for me between work and school?)
Anyway, it started off pretty rough and slowly got better. I guess the reason why I still describe it as less than perfect is because the bad stuff sort of tainted my whole day.
What he got for me:
Breakfast, which I didn't take a picture of because it was just too darn early to be awake anyway, was a bagel with cheese and a heart-shaped egg. This was the general idea:
Because the chicken was Paula Deen's recipe, it was obviously delicious (could be the mass amounts of butter, but who cares about health on a holiday!) The meat was so moist and juicy and the skin was perfectly crispy. By the way, this was the very first whole chicken that I have ever cooked, EVER. It was a disgusting process. Do you know what an uncooked chicken feels like- cold and wet and it's heavy like a little baby (which basically means I was contemplating vegetarianism at this point). It seriously took everything I had to clean and stuff and lather that thing with butter as fast as I could so I could be rid of it! Good thing it turned out better than I ever could have hoped because that probably would have been my first and last whole chicken otherwise, Thanks Paula!
Definitely SO GOOD!!! Because it was Valentine's Day, I didn't want just good, I wanted great. So instead of making a couple individual cakes, I decided to make one, giant lava cake, for us to share (awww, isn't that cute!) I couldn't really find a recipe for just one cake, or a recipe that would allow me to divid all of the ingredients without wanting to pull my hair out (how am I supposed to divid 5 eggs by two, they don't make half-eggs!). This is the recipe that I ended up finding and using. It's by lululu at home. Originally the recipe was supposed to make 6 cakes. Well, halved the recipe and poured the entirety of that into one large mug, and stuck it in the oven. Of course, it takes longer to cook now than 15 minutes (it's more like 20-25) but I just waited for it to rise and for the top to be set, as she says in the recipe, and VOILA! a perfectly giant lava cake for two! The picture up there is the final devastation. Yep, we weren't able to finish it because we had eaten so much dinner already and that lava cake was ginormous!
So that was the end. It was a pretty good day all in all, and most certainly a delicious one. I hope everyone else enjoyed their special days! If anyone actually read this, this is the time I would ask how your Valentine's day went. But, as of yet, no one is out there... so... yea.
ttfn!
Anyway, it started off pretty rough and slowly got better. I guess the reason why I still describe it as less than perfect is because the bad stuff sort of tainted my whole day.
What he got for me:
- three pink balloons
- peanut m&ms
- a teddy bear
- breakfast,
- lunch,
- dinner!!
Breakfast, which I didn't take a picture of because it was just too darn early to be awake anyway, was a bagel with cheese and a heart-shaped egg. This was the general idea:
It's safe to say that's nothing how mine turned out. In fact, it took me three tries until I finally got something that cooked all the way through and looked remotely like a heart!
Lunch was a whole heck of a lot bit easier. It was just pizza! I shaped it into a heart though and cut all the meat and veggies in hearts too! Again, because I can. ;)
I also took the liberty of making a separate dessert just for lunch. They were called boyfriend brownies- appropriate! Yea, well, they turned out nothing like the picture! I was more than a little disappointed until I ate one- the sugar coma convinced me they were delicious despite their odd appearance.
Dinner was my favorite (mostly because it was THE BEST dinner that I think I've ever made). I made a WHOLE roasted chicken, parmesan green beans, heart-shaped roasted potatoes (you knew that was coming) and italian herb bread with roasted garlic.
 |
| Paula Deen's Lemon-Pepper and Rosemary Chicken |
 |
| Roasted Potatoes |
I added the link for the potatoes because she had them in a marinade for a while, normally I just through them on a pan with some seasoning, toss, and go! I didn't, however, follow her seasoning suggestions. To be honest, I completely forgot what I put on these little cuties (but seriously, how precious is that heart shape, c'mon!). I think it was something like chives and onion salt and oregano. It was basically a little of everything tasty that I have in my puny small cabinet. And they turned out wonderful! Yea!
Here the rest of the spread:
Yes, those are Christmas china and why yes, everything is on a coffee table. Welcome to college! I think flowers spruced it up a little though ;)
Dessert was a drink I found called "love potion." It was so tantalizingly perfect, I had to make it. *Not my image (duh, it's too professional looking!)
 |
| Sprite, raspberry sherbet, pink lemonade, and vodka |
And for dessert, I tackled... molten chocolate lava cake! ohmygoodness!!!
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| Molten Lava Cake |
So that was the end. It was a pretty good day all in all, and most certainly a delicious one. I hope everyone else enjoyed their special days! If anyone actually read this, this is the time I would ask how your Valentine's day went. But, as of yet, no one is out there... so... yea.
ttfn!
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