Popcorn poppin.

It's the PERFECT fall day so what did I do? I did what I do best, baked. Chocolate and caramel along with popcorn and nuts. Oh Dear. I found the recipe on the back of a Kraft caramels bag so I thought I would try it out. It is amazing. Just be sure to use Bakers chocolate because it adds a rich cocoa flavor to the mix. I also added a variety of nuts to make things fun.

My attempt at decorating.

Vic's birthday party was this evening. I spent most of the morning today decorating each little cupcake for after dinner dessert. This is a picture of what was left after all the blood, sweat, and tears. The top cupcake is a devil's food cupcake with Oreo icing that I made. The bottom cupcakes are the product of a tube and tips.

Go on with your sassy self.

No me digas!!! Don't tell me that I can make these!! As soon as I saw them, my mouth started to water, maybe because I like sesame seeds. Who Knows?!! Who cares for that matter, just check out this wicked awesome website full of goodies. I thought it said "A dash of ass" the first time I saw it, but like Ms. Shirley said, get your mind out of the bowling alley.

http://adashofsass.com/

Hillbilly "ashtray".

What you see may not seem real but believe me, it is. Vic and I went to McDonough, GA to visit a place called Buckners. At this place, they serve food on a Lazy Susan (?) on a circle table that the whole family can gather around. They serve the norm, fried chicken, green beans, cornbread, and PEACH COBBLER. Yum. After leaving the fine dining experience, Vic and I stopped for gas at a local gas station. We were standing in line to get "lotto" tickets when Vic taps me on the shoulder and reveals something astonishing.... A Spit Cup...made to fit in your drink holder in your vehicle. I screamed out loud...you're sh!*'n me right? No it was true, someone actually created, and is selling spit cups. So for all of you hard core dippers and chewers...stop by the gas station near Buckners and your prayers will be answered.

Max's Coal Pizzeria

Vic and I visited Max's Coal Pizzeria in Downtown because it received good reviews and it was a new pizza joint for my love. We were very impressed by the atmosphere but the food was average. We were quite disappointed because we felt it was overpriced. Needless to say, we will not be returning but if you have a group who can split a $20 medium pizza then you're in luck because this is the place for you.

Something new to crave.

and it is not a Honda.

I just discovered Diamond Glazed Pecans. They have to be the most amazing things that I have EVER put into my mouth. I used them along with a prepackaged mix for pecan bars and the outcome was phenomenal. These pecans taste just like the are drenched in molasses or syrup. I tried a few and I almost could not put them down. Outstanding. You can find them at Wal-Mart or least that is where I found them. You won't regret it. They have a few stellar recipes on the back such as Diamond Glazed Pecan Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes or Diamond Glazed Pecan studded Cornbread Muffins. I plan to make the frosted cupcakes soon so I will post the photos when completed.

Adventures with the Bitch: Story two

My poor little Duchess has been cooped up in the house or at doggy day care for nearly two weeks due to rain and home remodeling. The sun finally poked through the dark, ugly clouds today so I took her to this super awesome trail down the road. My boyfriend and I noticed one day that there was a paved and lit walkway under a bridge near our house. He checked it out the other day and reported to me that I needed to see it. He was right, I loved it. I took Duch there this morning and the trail runs into some softball/tee ball/baseball fields at the end. I took her inside the fence and locked the gate and she tore out, leaving nothing but mud and dirt in my face. I decided to run inside the fence as well and when I came around to the opposite side of the field there was a lovely little turtle. I affectionately refer to him as "Mr. Turtle". When Duch saw what I was playing with she immediately tried to pin it down and dig Mr. Turtle out of his shell. I took him away to safe place outside of the fence, but the amusing part of this story is that every time we reached that side of the field, Duch and I stopped to check on Mr. Turtle. She would stop before I did every time and sniff at the gate to locate Mr. Turtle. I am sure he has meandered his way back into the woods but I got a quick photo of him which is located above. He was pretty fly for a Testudine.

The Pottery Place.

Vic and I did not take his niece out for her birthday in June, so we decided now was just as good a time as any. I thought Decatur would be a great place to go because I wanted to visit the toy store there called Hoopla. We took a tour around Decatur, stopping at every "child friendly" place. We visited toy stores and candy stores ....and on and on. After lunch, we dropped into a little shop called The Pottery Place. Here, Vic, Alina, and I spent a couple hours hand painting little random ceramics. I haven't had that much fun since I went to 4-h camp. :) I have posted some of the pictures. The staff was so kind to provide a cupcake and ice cream to Alina because it was her "birthday". She had quite a day, little princess teacup.

"Get Coffee"

It's a rainy Saturday, like most of the days have been this week, and Poppy and I had to drag ourselves from the bed to get the day started. I suggested to him that we visit my favorite little local coffee shop called "Get Coffee" in Chamblee. I know is sounds very mundane, but they have the most excellent lattes and they also have sandwiches and breakfast foods. I stumbled upon this place one day when I got lost and fell in love with it. As you can see in the image above, they have funky decor and it is a very comforting and enjoyable atmosphere. The people who work there are super friendly and attend to your every whim. So if you are around the Chamblee area, you should definitely look them up.

http://www.codyrotten.com/getcoffee/

Lesson of the day: Latin Jazz is my Kryptonite

I signed up for dance classes about a week and a half ago. I was so excited about dancing again that I gave 150% of my energy to my first class therefore causing injury. I strained my hip and one day while I was attempting to sit Indian style, my hip locked up and I was in excruciating pain. I had to steer away from high impact workouts for a week!!! Sad but true. Today I felt I was ready to get back in the game. I chose Latin jazz because I am fairly good at shaking my bon-bon or at least I thought I was. They call the beginner courses "discover" so that really new dancers have a class where they can be surrounded by other beginners, unfortunately I did not know that the experienced dancers like to take beginners classes for shits and giggles. Much to my dismay, I was the absolute worst dancer in the class, surrounded by a sea of veteran dancers who blew me away. It was the longest hour ever. Somehow, I kept a smile on face for the duration of the class and then promptly exited while staring at the floor. I want to do hip-hop next but after being disgraced in Latin Jazz...I feel very intimidated. I may work up the nerve by next week. Cross your fingers.