Pumpkin + Cupcakes = 7 Year Old Bliss

So yeah...cupcakes are pretty much the reason my 7 year boy gets up each day.  If the world were suddenly bereft of the little frosted cakes of goodness, I'm sure he'd have a nervous breakdown. 

He may have a small sweet tooth.

He also, like his momma, loves anything pumpkin.  And I do mean love.  Yesterday when I announced that we were going to bake pumpkin cupcakes, I honestly think I saw a hint of lust flicker in his eyes.  Or he may have been farting.  But either way, he grabbed his stool and was at the counter faster than you can stinky.  (I think he really did fart.)

Anywho, I had a request over on Facebook for this recipe, which I got out of the Taste of Home Ultimate Halloween magazine, so without further ado, here it is:

Aidan takes his mixing duties quite seriously.  He may have also snuck a taste or 15.

Surprise Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil (I used regular vegetable oil, which is soybean oil and it worked just fine)
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
 Filling:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg

1. In a large bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar, oil and eggs until well blended.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into the pumpkin mixture until blended.
2. For filling, in another small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add egg; beat on low until just combined.
3. Fill paper-lined muffin cups one-third full.  Drop filling by tablespoonfuls into the center of each cupcake.  Cover with remaining batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin portion comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.  
5. Frost with cream cheese canned frosting; sprinkle with Halloween candies.

Our finished masterpiece!

I have to add that throughout the making of these little frosted nuggets of orgasmic joy, Aidan kept saying, "These are going to be SO good, mom.  Did you taste the mix?  Soooo good.  We make the best cupcakes." 

He was right, they were soooo good.  In fact, there are only two things that would make these babies better....being calorie free and having them fed to me by a naked Gerard Butler while he speaks in that f*ckhot Scottish accent.  Yeah.  I love me some cupcakes...

How to name a pirate. Soap, that is.

Some of you may have noticed that I have a new line of Special Edition Soaps featuring some really kick-ass soap wrappers custom made by Auntiescardshop especially for moi.  Oh?  You hadn't seen them?  Well, what the heck?!  Go look! 

You'll find some amazing soaps wrapped up all pretty like with equally amazing handmade soap wrappers.  They are, in short, amazing.

Gingerbread Vanilla Goats Milk Soap

Winter Solstice Goats Milk Soap

Ginger Pumpkin Goats Milk Soap

And my personal favorite...the soap that I cannot seem to name...

I currently have a voting contest going on over on my Facebook fan page.  Scoot on over and "like" the name/comment you like best for this soap!  The name that has the most "likes" wins, and the person who submitted the winning name gets a free bar of my currently unnamed pirate soap :)

Like a Squirrel gathering acorns...

...I've been running around getting ready for Autumn!  There's never enough time in the day to get everything I want accomplished actually accomplished, but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

In just one more week, my first batch of Pumpkin Cappuccino soap will be done curing and ready to list in my Etsy shop.  A week or so after that, my Earth Goddess soap will be ready to list.  I need to get off my arse and make my Amber Moon soap, too!

 Pumpkin Cappuccino Soap

In between working, sleeping, CP soapmaking, and mommying, I've managed to whip of a few new soaps that are nothing short of lovely (forgive my narcissism)....

Ahhh...Mr. Tweed, I love you.  I swear, you look and smell so fabulous I am giving up on men and making you my #1.  Isn't he handsome?  Oh, you should smell him....all debonair and class and Cary Grant in a bar of soap.  Think fedoras and martinis, my loves...

Green Irish Tweed Soap

While Mr. Tweed will win you over with sophistication, Mr. Black here is tall, dark, handsome and a bit more gritty.  Think of him as the sexy, sensual and slightly naughty cousin of Green Irish Tweed.  Leather jackets and motorcycles, cigarettes and swaggers...James Dean and Marlon Brando.  Yum, sigh, swoon!

Black Irish Soap

How about a little Autumn with a Celtic twist?  This lovely soap is more than just gorgeous...it smells absolutely amazing!  Think a cozy cottage, crackling fire, and the scent of buttery spices, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.  Mmmmmm...

Celtic Moon Spice Soap

Pumpkin apple butter fragrance will put you in the mood for the holidays with top notes of orange, apple, pear, pineapple, and cherries; middle notes of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove; with base notes of warm vanilla. Unique, and simply amazing!  Warning:  This soap may cause you to lose your senses and take a bite instead of taking it in the shower.  This is not dessert.  I repeat, this is not dessert.

Pumpkin Apple Butter Goats Milk Soap

Help a girl out...Vote for new soaps!

I have so many new amazing scents for Fall inspired soaps that I am having an impossible time trying to decide which ones to make first!  Some will be cold process soaps and some will be melt and pour soaps, so all will be made eventually.

Right now, I am trying to decide which of the 4 following I should use to create cold process soaps.  Can you help a wicked girl out?

Here's a quick description of each scent:


Pumpkin Cappuccino:  Nice spicy pumpkin with the perfect hint of robust coffee.

Black Irish:  A clean, sporty, marine type with top-notes of lavender, fir and bergamot, a light floral/herbal middle-note, and a woodsy, sandalwood and musk base-note.

Amaretto Tiramisu:  A delicious treat from the heart of Italy! Smell all the wonderful tones of Italian amaretto espresso, lady fingers, cocoa powder, Madeira, mascarpone, and heavy cream.

Earth Goddess:  An earthy blend reminiscient of a summer forest just after a rain storm. Ripe with juicy berries, wild mint and herbs.

Amber Moon:  Warm woods, lively citruses and soft floral notes are harmoniously blended, creating the core of this composition.  Precious amber, creamy sandalwood and vanilla further enhance this accord, adding to its alluring appeal.

Gingerbread Latte:  The comforting scent of home baked gingerbread and tantalizing espresso.

Green Irish Tweed:  Creed's Green Irish Tweed was created for Cary Grant. This is an elegant, rich, sporty scent with notes of sandalwood, Florentine iris, herbaceous clover, French verbena, violet leaves and ambergris. It's simply what a well-dressed man ought to smell like!

Cinnamon Toffee:  A blend of caramel, creme brulee, cinnamon, sugar, toffee and vanilla.

Maple Crunch:  Blend of maple, smoky nut, and vanilla bean.

Butter Rum:  Old-fashioned blend of rich, buttery vanilla with a dash of cinnamon and spices.

He makes dirty look gooooood!

Ok, before I get started and forget all about it, a sale announcement:

Take 20% off your entire purchase at WickedSoaps Friday through Sunday (excludes gift sets & collections, shipping charges, custom and wholesale orders).

No code necessary, discount will be reimbursed via Paypal once payment is received, or you may request a revised invoice prior to paying.

Now on to the real reason for this post...

A few of you may remember my post about a month ago about one grown up Cedric Diggory.  If you don't, click here and take a peek...trust me, you won't regret it.  Mmmm...lobster bibs and beer....

So Mr. Robert Pattinson, formerly Cedric Diggory of Harry Potter fame and more currently Edward Cullen of the Twilight phenomena, has taken the world (or perhaps just female hearts and lady bits) by storm.  He's a pretty, pretty specimen of the male persuasion, though, I never thought he had an over abundance of talent.  In fact, I'm fairly certain I referred to him as "barely legal eye candy" in my last post about him. 

It's time for me to eat my words.

Two nights ago I watched his newest flick, Remember Me.  I didn't really have any expectations except perhaps an increased heartbeat, heavy breathing and maybe an excess of saliva.  Color me shocked when after I got over the initial daze of his prettiness, I realized the man was acting.  And acting well.

And looking so f*cking good it should be illegal.  I mean, complete sex hair, scruffy, sweaty, oh-my-god-let-me-get-in-the-shower-with-you-you-dirty-boy kind of good.  Here...take a look and see what I mean...

Ahem.  Anyway.  Back to the movie.  It was good.  Extremely good.  For those who haven't heard of it, here's a little summary ***MAJORY SPOILER...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK***:

Tyler (Rob Pretty Pattinson) is a 21 year old living in NYC in the summer of 2001.  He's still dealing with the suicide of his older brother 6 years before, his strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan), and trying to be a good brother to his 11 year old sister to whom his father doesn't give enough attention.  Ally is a student at NYU who lives with her overprotective cop father after her mother was murdered in the subway with Ally there to witness it when she was younger.  These two kids meet, fall in love, are torn apart due to angst and secrets, get back together.  Toward the end, you see that dad starts making an effort with lil sis, Tyler sees that dad loves them all, group hug, guys!  The movie ends with Tyler waiting in his father's office while his father takes his little sister to school.  When sis sits in her desk, camera pans to the chalkboard to reveal the date is September 11, 2001.  Back to Tyler, standing in dad's office looking out the window and the camera tracks back to reveal him looking out over the Manhattan skyline from one of the top floors of one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

I suck at summaries, but let me say this...I saw the date on the chalkboard and had a feeling of dread start in my belly.  When they panned out and showed him in the WTC, I felt like I'd been punched in the chest. 

It's really rare that a movie lingers with me, but this one has almost haunted me for the last two days.  Go forth and watch, kittens.  Even if it's not your thing, at least you'll get the eye candy :)

Thirsty Thursday Sale!

It's almost the end of the week and I'm already thinking about kicking back with a cold beer or two. I think a sale is in order! 

Save 20% on any order of $20.00 or more at WickedSoaps, today only! Your savings will be refunded via Paypal when you use code "Thirsty Thursday" in notes to seller when you check out!

Tell your family, your Twitter buds, your Facebook friends, Robert Pattinson.  If you see Rob, please tell him I may be 32, but I still get carded for beer, so I must look younger...you know, if he's interested ;-).

What the hell happened to Cedric Diggory?!

Ok, ok...I'm not really one of those fan girls.  You know the one's I'm talking about...screaming, pulling at their hair, jumping up and down...nope.  I haven't been one of those since 1989 when NKOTB ruled my every waking moment.  Ahhh...Joey....

Anyway, normally this blog is reserved for only shop, Etsy, and soapy related things, but today, I thought I'd blog about something (erm...someome) a bit different.

I don't think it's ever been a secret that I love Twilight.  I picked the books up one morning while in Target with my boyfriend, started reading the first one in the car on the way home, and didn't put the sucker down until I was done with it.  Honest.  I even took it with me to the loo.  And when I finished Twilight, I immediately moved to New Moon...etc etc.  One weekend and 4 novels later, I was a 30 year old woman pining over a fictional 109 year old teenage sparkly vegetarian vampire.  Sounds outlandish, I know. 

I was pretty excited when the movie Twilight came out, though I was a bit surprised when I heard they chose Cedric Freaking Diggory to play Edward.  C'mon, man!  This is Edward Fucking Cullen!  Yes, I realize that Edward is really only 17, but whomever played him had to present an air of sophistication and wisdom, maturity way beyond 17 years.  Did they really think Cedric was the boy for this? 

I had to investigate.  Imagine my surprise when I did some sly googling and realized little Cedric Diggory had grown up.  Grown into a very surprising yummilicious Robert Pattinson....Still, at the time, I didn't go all fan girl.  He was some little 21-22 year old actor (and still Cedric Diggory in my mind) and I was 30 years old.  Fast forward about a year.  New Moon is just about to be released and I come across this:

I immediately drooled.  No really, I think I felt some dribble out.  I wiped the corner of my mouth, right clicked that mutha and saved it to my desktop...all the while thinking in the back of my head,

You know when you fan girled all over NKOTB he was in diapers...you know this, right, Misty? 

Shut up.  I'm not going out and buying Tiger Beat so I can plaster my bedroom walls with him, am I? 

Nope.  Do you think he even knows who NKOTB is?  He wasn't even born when they got together.

Shut up.  He's legal.

Ok, Mrs. Robinson.

It took me a while, but I think over the last 6 months, I've become comfortable viewing Mr. Pattinson as nothing more than eye candy.  Very young eye candy.  Legal eye candy.  Ok, ok...so I downloaded some Johnny Depp, too...just to raise the age median. 

The point of this entire pointless post (other than an excuse to stare at Robert Pattinson), is to admit to one of my guilty (and I do mean guitly) pleasures.  It begs the question, though...what is your guilty pleasure?

I'll leave you with one more photograph of a very grown up Cedric Diggory.  Admit it...even with the bib, he's delicious.