I Have A Confession

Admitting the issue is the first step right??

This summer I had big plans for my blog and have some many great posts just waiting to be written, finished and/or published. And I have promised myself that they WILL get done... eventually. 

In my mind I should be able to: work a full time nonprofit fundraising job, be an awesome wife and fur baby mommy, spend time with my friends and family, actually accomplish a large percentage of all the great ideas I find on Pinterest, run an Etsy shop (yea the one that has nothing currently in it), be involved with various extra-curricular activities and volunteer projects, while (somewhat) attempting to be a domestic goddess, training for a half marathon and still have time left to blog about all this awesomeness at least 1 to 2 times a week! (And we didn't even talk about the fact I am trying to come off my Adderall and start a family!) 

My mind is a really warped place. Really, I live there. I know. 

And in typical Allie fashion, I try to find the positives in my crazy revelations...even when I have had the same revelation at least 100 times in my life. To my credit I feel like I have grown a lot over the last few years and some important lessons are finally starting to stick..

• It okay to say no...really it is (yea still working on that one)
• You don't have to have a jam packed social calendar every day of the week - staying home in your pj's on a Saturday night is actually kind of fun
• Just because you want to do everything, doesn't mean you should
• If you you aren't taking care of yourself, you can't expect to help take care of others
• Some people/organizations/activities flat out don't deserve you 
• At the end of the day, even if you are able to do all the things you wanted/needed/had to do, but you still feel like something is missing - you are an over-committer! You have so much to do that you don't actually take the time to get what you need out of those things to feed YOUR soul and make YOU happy! 

So today, I, Allie Martin, wear the blogger dunce cap for allowing myself to fall victim to over-commitment and not making  the time to do something I not only LOVE, but actually find kind of relaxing most the time - blogging! 

Here's to hoping we won't have to have the conversation again anytime in the near future! :) 

Happy 21st Birthday Miss B!!

How can my sweet little cousin be turning 21 today!?!?! Seems like yesterday you were...

Wow time sure files! And now you are on a plane, heading to Vegas to do up your 21st birthday in a big way! I am so bummed out that I am not getting to go with you (sometimes being a responsible adult sucks!) but I know you will have a blast! Happy Birthday and I love you Miss B!!

Hey Kids, Look At My Crayons

About a month or so ago we were cleaning out the art room at the office and realized something: we have WAY to many crayons!! We had so many new boxes that had never been opened we decided that we could part with some of the shoe boxes full of broken older crayons. As we started packing them up to donate to another organization that could use them, I decided to save a big old bag of them in case we ever wanted to do some melted crayon art.

Fast forward a few days and an hour or two on Pinterest later....I had a brilliant idea!! I was going to use some of those crayons to make some awesome shaped rainbow crayons for the kids to use at Camp CARE!

After a little research, I knew it would be best to use the oven but we didn't want to spend a bunch of money on shaped silicone bake ware just to melt some gross old crayons in it. Yet, I found several people who said they used ice trays in the microwave and it worked just as well. It was settled then - I would find some ice trays and we would just do it in the microwave.

To start we needed to get all the paper off of the crayons. Because they were older crayons the paper didn't just peel off as easily as I hoped. A little trick we figured out that worked really well was to use a knife or a something with a needle point to slide down the paper to cut it. Then it would just slide right off in one piece!

Once you get a good selection of crayons unwrapped, start breaking them into small pieces to fill the molds. We had a lot of fun playing with different color combinations from simple red, white and blue to a full on rainbow.

Once you get all your molds filled it is time to head to the microwave. It was suggested you melt in 4 or 5 minute increments, checking how they are progressing in between.  At first it looked like things were going really well then I opened the microwave door to this....

Apparently the glass in the microwave got too hot and melted a hole (actually 2 holes) in the bottom of the mold. This is really when I should have given up, but oh no - Allie had a BRILLIANT idea! Put a dish towel under the mold to help shield it from the direct heat of the glass.

A few moments later the smell of smoke confirmed, that I should NOT be allowed in a kitchen even if it is for crafting. Yep, I caught the dish towel on fire...in a microwave.

At that point I pretty much chalked all this up to a crafty fail and decided that I should call it a day. (Not sure how the board would respond to "I am sorry I burned the office down. But look at these re-purposed crayons we made!" )

Allie: 0 - Crayon Craft Project: 2 

But never fear my friends there will be a rematch! Stay tuned! :)

The Summer Of Cupcakes: Gigi's Cupcakes

All aboard the cupcake express!! The third stop on our The Summer of Cupcakes tasting tour: Gigi's Cupcakes!  While they are a franchised Cupcakary I have more people tell me this had to be one of the locations we visited because they were simply amazing. After doing some research about the company the more excited I was about trying them. I love hearing about people who started built their dream from the ground up and Gigi's story is a great one! 

Location:   Over 50 stores in 18 states, with 7 in Texas. Dallas and Plano being the closest to Fort Worth. 

Hours:      Very by location. As a bonus you can place orders online 24 hours a day for any of the locations! 

Pricing:    $3.25 each 

Flavor Selection:   They have more amazing flavors that you can imagine! Just check out their Spring and Summer menu!

Okay, let's get down to business!

We went to the Dallas location at Lovers and Inwood. And the fun and girly exterior already had me excited!

Not only were we offered a sample as soon as we walked in the door, we quickly learned that they were running a Monday special of  "Buy Two, Get Two Free!"

As much as we didn't really need that many cupcakes, I am not going to lie...I was excited because I was having a hard time deciding what I wanted! 

And the 4 cupcakes we decided to go with?  (clockwise)

Scarlett's Red Velvet: Red velvet cake with a vanilla filling topped with cream cheese frosting, a white chocolate heart and red sugar crystals.

Wedding Cake: White cake topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkled with white nonpareils.

Miss Princess: White cake baked with fresh strawberries, topped with a cream cheese frosting, pink sugar crystals and a pink fondant crown.

Texas Milk Chocolate:  Milk chocolate cake topped with milk chocolate frosting, chocolate sprinkles and a bright yellow fondant star.

And the results........................

• The only criticism both Kipper and I had was that they didn't have forks and that there was no place to sit and eat.
• They do have counter space that you can stand at to eat. 
• And of course Kipper was happy because Milk was on the beverage menu! :) 
• If you are an icing person like us - THIS PLACE ROCKS! The icing is as tall as the cake part! On the flip side, if you aren't big on icing you might not love it as much as we did. It wasn't the best cake we had ever tasted, but the combination with the icing was a perfect marriage! 

The final verdict? Thumbs up all around!!! 

Stay tuned for our next stop at Bliss Cupcakes & Confections! 

The Summer Of Cupcakes: Auntie AM's Sweet Stop

Time for the second stop on our The Summer of Cupcakes tasting tour: Auntie AM's Sweet Stop!  It is a rolling bakery, baking fresh onsite daily, with a menu of cupcakes, cookies and other sweet treats!

Location:   Cowtown Chow Down Food Park 

            1100 North Main St Fort Worth, TX 76164

Hours:      Wed: 11:00 pm-2:00 pm and 5:00 pm-8:00 pm

            Thu: 11:00 pm-2:00 pm and 5:00 pm-9:00 pm

            Fri: 11:00 pm-2:00 pm and 5:00 pm-10:00 pm

            Sat:11:00 am-10:00 pm

Pricing:    $3 each 

Flavor Selection:   They only had four cake flavors the day we were there but the lady said they do rotate, but they didn't have a full list available, nor have I found one on their facebook page. Something a little different they do is that the cupcakes come un-iced. You can pick if you wanted a flavored filling and what flavor of icing you want. 

Okay, let's get down to business!

This was not one of the original locations on our list since they opened  right around the same time. But after we hear about it we decided to switch on of the locations we selected in Dallas for one right here in Fort Worth. Plus we had really been wanting to check out the new food part - Cowtown Chow Down!

While they give the option to have a filling added to your cupcakes we opted to just pick out the cake and icing. Of course we started with Red Velvet and Cream Cheese frosting. It was the second flavor I was really excited about, Peach with Cream Cheese frosting!!

And the results.............

• It was a little warm but in the Fall this new food park is going to be great! 
• The staff didn't really explain all the options with the fillings and different icings, we just sort of had to figure it out. But they were very nice
• It would have been nice to have a place or something to put the cupcake on verse just a few napkins. 
• I was VERY excited about the peach flavor, but it didn't even really taste like peach unless you happen to get a peach chunk. :(
• They just have the icing sitting in containers on the counter and then use an ice cream scoop to put it on the cupcake. Not sure if it was the heat or their recipe (or maybe a combination of both) but the icing was a little runny and make it hard to eat. Plus extra messy, even with a fork! 

The final verdict?  

Sadly, we both gave it a thumbs down. Maybe we should try them again after they have been open a while but not sure if we will or not. 

Well that is 2 down and several more to go...this tour might be extended well into the fall the rate we are going! lol! But we are having fun so that is all that maters! 

Blame It On The Bath Salts

Are you every in the middle of a conversation with someone and you have to stop and think "Are we really talking about this?"  Or even worse you have a really long detailed conversation with someone and afterward  are slightly freaked out you even had it? Welcome to the Martin Household. We have these conversations all the time. 

Just the other night Kipper and I wear sitting around talking as we waited on our dinner to be delivered. We were talking about this crazy zombie like, cannibal behavior that seems to be consuming the news the last week thanks whatever the heck "bath salts" really is. (This conversation is totally paraphrased but you can get the general idea.)

      Me: This is the problem with using drugs. When you murder someone you aren't with it enough to think everything through and that is how people get caught.

     Kipper:  okay.....

     Me: Really, if I wanted to murder someone I think I could totally get away with it. 

     Kipper:  (stares at me) 

     Me:  I have seen so many episodes of  Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Bones, Without a Trace etc. I know all the tricks that work and the ones that always backfire. 

     Kipper:  Well I was a cop for 7 years and I know that isn't how it works in real life. They are TV dramas. 

     Me:  Whatever.  

     Kipper:  Okay so if you were going to murder someone and you think you can get away with it, how would you do it? 

At this point we begin to run down my theoretical ideas and Kipper proceeds to point out wholes in my plan and what would work better. Then we pause for to get our dinner from the delivery guy...hoping he didn't hear anything before we answered the door, cause that would be awkward! Then back to the conversation.

    Me:  Okay so maybe I couldn't do it alone. But with your cop knowledge and my TV research we totally could do it together if we ever had to. 

     Kipper:  And why would we ever need to commit murder? 

     Me:  Good point, but just in case we have a pretty good start to a hypothetical plan.  

     Kipper:  Right...never mind the fact we both would have terrible guilt and would more than likely never go through with it and if by some chance we did we would end up turning ourselves in within 24/48 hours.  

     Me:  True. 

     Kipper:  And to make it worse it is breaking one of the commandments. God doesn't really like when you do those things.... 

     Me:  Another very good point. 

     Kipper:  And let's not forget you can't handle the sight of blood very well. 


     Me: Yea, we can pretty much never commit murder. Forgot I said anything. 

     Kipper:  That is what I thought. 

So everyone should feel safer knowing that the Martin's will never be committing murder. (unless you count all the plants I have killed since getting married...if you those count I am in real trouble!)  

And to make myself feel better about the fact that we had this crazy conversation I am blaming it on my love of cop dramas, scary movies and....

The Summer Of Cupcakes: La Bella Cupcakes

Last week Kipper and I made the first stop on our The Summer of Cupcakes tour: La Bella Cupcakes.   

Main Location:   2405 North Main St Fort Worth, TX 76164

                 Tues - Sat 11 am to 6 pm

                 Sun 11 am to 5 pm

                 Closed on Mon

Satellite Locations:  North East Mall and Hulen Mall

Pricing:   $3 each or starting at $29 a dozen

Flavor Selection:   Flavors are broken into 3 categories - Traditional, Specialty and Top Shelf.  Everyday all of the Traditional flavors as well as  2-5 Specialty flavors available for walk in customers. Top Shelf flavors are by special order. 

• Traditional:  Chocolate on Chocolate, Chocolate on Vanilla, Cream Cheese on Chocolate, Red Velvet, Strawberry on Chocolate, Strawberry on Vanilla, Vanilla on Chocolate, Vanilla on Vanilla                                       
• Specialty:   Almond Joy, Apple Spice, Blueberry, Caramel Apple Twist, Carrot, Cherries N' Chocolate, Cherry Blossom, Cherry Limeade, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Coffee, Chocolate on Strawberry, Coconut, Egg Nog, Gingerbread, Lemon Burst, Maple Bacon, Mint Chocolate, Orange Dreamsicle, Oreo Bottom, Peanut Butter Cup, Peppermint, Pumpkin Spice, Rolo, Spice, Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Bean, Wedding Cake                                      
• Top Shelf:  Guinness Chocolate, Mocha, Snickerdoodle, Strawberry Champagne, S'Mores, Tiramisu

Okay, let's get down to business!

Kipper and I did our "tasting" at their newest location in the food court at Hulen Mall. All the cupcakes are baked at the main location in the Stockyards and then they deliver them to their satellite locations everyday.  

Of course we got our favorite, Red Velvet, which is also our "baseline" flavor for each location. For our second flavor Kipper and I decided on Cream Cheese on Chocolate. 

After taking it all in, here is our official "scores" followed by a few comments! (And you thought I was joking when I told you we were going to have a have an official scoring system for this adventure didn't you?)

This my friends might be the BEST cupcake Kipper or I have ever tasted!  Seriously, the best ever.

• The cake was incredibly moist and the icing almost melted in your mouth. 
• The staff was very friendly and answered all of our questions. 
• I scored the atmosphere low because lets be honest, how could you NOT score the atmosphere of a mall food court on a Saturday afternoon low? 
• Loved how they displayed all the cupcakes in different cake stands with glass domes. Gave the presentation more of a boutique feel than if they would have just been in a bakery case. 
• It would have been helpful if they would have had all the flavors labeled so we didn't have to keep asking which flavors were which.
• One downfall is that they ONLY sell cupcakes, no drinks. We had to stand in line at another food vendor to get a drink. 

So the final verdict??? Thumbs up all around!!

    

Stay tuned, we will be heading out on another tasting adventure this weekend! (and I promise it won't take me a week and a half to post about it! lol!)