Sports-Minded Baker

I'm not sure about you guys, but I have a tendency to associate colors with certain things... mainly, sports.  So it should've came as no shock to me today when I couldn't figure out what color combinations to use for my "tie-dye" marble cake pops. 

I planned on using pink, yellow, green, blue and purple, and I wanted to determine what colors I was pairing together before I started melting the chocolates, to try to be efficient.  But then my color-association problem came up.

Yellow and purple?  No... those are the Vikings' colors (or the Lakers, but I'm not a basketball fan).

Green and yellow?  Negative, that's the Pack.

Hmm... I got it! Orange and green?  #!*$... Miami Hurricanes.

After awhile, I just waived the white flag and matched up the colors randomly. I'm probably the only nut who thinks of this stuff anyways, haha.  It's all good, I have no shame in admitting I can be a little crazy about this sort of thing :)

By the way, the cake pops turned out really cool.  I'll post pics later this week!

xoxo,
  Kim

I Think I Have Laliophobia

Hi everyone!  I'm sorry I've been M.I.A. this week - I'm still here, I promise!

I had to give a customer service presentation today at my day job for 210 of our student workers, so I was busy all week preparing for that.

I was so nervous!  My heart was racing so fast I could feel my pulse in my throat when I talked.  I'm not sure what gets me so worked up... I wasn't worried about the material I was presenting, I'm comfortable with the students and I really liked the PowerPoint I put together.  But when someone hands me a microphone, ooh boy, that strikes fear in me like no other.  I think its the potential to embarrass myself in front of other people that gives me such anxiety.

When I was in college, I worked for this same department actually, and I attended these all-day Saturday trainings as a student worker.  I remember dreading them, because they always seemed to drag on with speaker after speaker droning on about this and that. Now that I am on the administrative side, it gave me a whole new perspective on the process.  I didn't want these students to think the same of me, so - I came armed with cake pops... I am not below bribes people, haha.

Let - me - tell - you... the bribe worked!  After I tossed the first cake pop into the audience, I had their attention and soon multiple hands were waving in the air, wanting me to call on them.  The best part was, after the whole training was over, one of the male students that caught a cake pop came up to me...

Student: "Um, you made those cake pop things right?
Me: "Yea, I make them as a hobby.  Did you like it?"
Student: "OH MY GOODNESS, that was the awesomest thing ever.  How did you make them?"
Me: "Like step by step how do I make it?"
Student: "Yea, I've been trying to figure out how you got cake into this shape, it's sooo good..."

So I explained how to make cake pops to this 19-year old lifeguard, and he was so intrigued. :-)

xoxo,
  Kim

ps:  Laliophobia is the "morbid fear of speaking or stuttering". I can certanily identify with that.

Birthday, Barbecue & Boards

Some Labor Day weekends I've had have been relaxing, lazy and casual... not so much this year!  My weekend can be summed up in three words... birthday, barbecue & boards.  I mean come on, who doesn't love a good alliteration? :-) 

Birthday
On Saturday, hubby and I headed to my best friend's house for her hubby's birthday party.  I'll be honest, at first it was slightly awkward because there were so many groups of people there - his coworkers, Army buddies, family, friends and then friends of friends. We know most of their coworkers and family, but still, the party hadn't quite gelled yet and everyone seemed to be sticking to their own groups.  But then the food came out and everyone seemed to start to mingle and the party really got underway. One of the "friends of a friend" brought this Whipped Cream vodka - I was pleasantly surprised, it was really good. We mixed it with orange juice so it was like a nice lil' adult creamsicle!  (Pinnacle also has a Cake flavor, hmmm, may have to try that next time.)  Of course I madencake pops for the party dessert, and everyone loved them, which is always fun to see.

Barbecue
On Sunday, hubby and I headed west to Lancaster to visit my parents for a little family Labor Day barbecue.  Unfortunately, my brother and his fiance were out of town, so there was just a few of us, but it was still fun nonetheless.  Mom made her famous pulled pork, and they also had grilled vegetables as well as fresh and grilled peaches.  They went to a farmers market on Saturday and found these little baby eggplants - so cute, I had never even heard of them before!  (Confession: I didn't care for them personally, but everyone else seemed to like them.)

Boards
Today, Dad and I were down in the KC Bakes workshop and having fun with some chalkboard paint I picked up.  Check out our newest stand!
 

Create your own detailing...



... then it wipes clean with a damp rag!

I think these may become a big hit!   How was your holiday weekend?

xoxo,
  Kim

Back to School

I don't have any children yet, but my Facebook newsfeed was full of pictures of my friends' kiddos all dressed up for their first day back to school today.  Seeing all of this brought back so many memories.

When I was at Staples last week, I actually got a little nostalgic seeing all of the new "must-have items" for students to stock-up on.  I used to love the excitement of picking out a new back-pack, lunch box and all of the other supplies for the coming year.

But when I was in grade school, the #1 thing you needed...

A Trapper Keeper!!!  Remember these things?  Do they even still make them? 

Oh my gosh, it was such an ordeal to pick out the perfect folders to go in them too.  I remember spending so much time going through boxes of them at the store... funky colors, animals, cartoons.  I also remember Lisa Frank items being wildly popular.  Bless my mom for putting up with it, because I don't think I ever used half of them.

What do you remember about back-to-school? 

xoxo,
  Kim

Come on Irene, er, Eileen

Living in South Jersey, all I've heard for the past few days is Irene, Irene, Irene.  Hurricane Irene, which is working its way up the east coast, has everyone in the area on high alert.  Worse than all of the storm hype, I've had Come on Eileen stuck in my head, except its stuck as "Come on Irene".  Seriously, its been stuck in my head for the last two days.

After having dinner with my parents, my mom insisted that I get a few cases of water, just in case. So hubby and I went to the grocery store last night, and wow... what a sight!

No bread...

Only a few cases of bottled water...

Milk? Not so much... down to gallons-only of Skim
(thank goodness I drink almond milk)

Right now its just drizzling, sometimes lightly and sometimes a little more steadily.  Only time will tell how bad this storm really comes through.  We have no plans to venture out, so I have a decent amount of Law & Order re-runs on DVR (love L&O!), and if the power goes out, I have 7 new books waiting to be read, thanks to Borders going-out-of-business sale :-)

If you're in the storm area, please take the proper precautions. Its definitely better to be safe than sorry.

xoxo,
  Kim

Kids and Rain... Lots of Rain

Well, as I anticipated, I had SO MUCH FUN babysitting this weekend.  And before I say anything - my baker's hat off to all parents out there!  I've been babysitting since I was 13, so thats nothing new... but this was the first time I had two kids, by myself, for more than 24 hours.  After I put the kids to bed on Saturday night, I didn't even turn on the TV, the silence was so soothing, lol.

On Saturday, we first went to a local playground.  Of course I had my camera along.  I only snapped a few pictures, since I was busy chasing the kids around, but I think I got some good shots...

Sylvia peeking over the slide.

Oscar on the monkey bars. 
He's in opposite mode right now; I told him to smile, and this is what he gave me, lol.

This painted canvas was hanging on the playground fence; the wind picked up, and I snapped this picture of the backside of the canvas.

Spotted this Coke cap on the ground; couldn't resist :)

On Sunday, we woke up to rain, rain and moreeee rain.  Anyone in the PA/NJ/NY area knows what I'm talking about.  We handled our cabin fever very well, keeping busy with arts & crafts, puzzles, games.  After the rain finally cleared late in the afternoon, I snapped this fun shot of their dad's bike in the backyard.

We made the coolest cupcakes too, but more on that tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

xoxo,
  Kim

Long Week!

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to pop in and say hello.  Things have been a little hectic around my way.  I wasn't feeling great earlier in the week, so I had to go for doctors appointments and what not, which is nothing fun to blog about.

I am looking forward to this weekend though.  I'm babysitting two of my favorite kiddos while their parents go to a wedding in Lancaster, PA - my hometown!  Too funny.  I've been sitting for these guys since Sylvia was one (now 7 - gasp!), and since Oscar (now 4) was born. I was actually lil' O's nanny for his first year. Sigh... they grow so fast!  They were in my wedding too.  I mean c'mon, it doesn't get any cuter than this...

I'm really excited to spend some quality time with them.  We'll definitely be baking, that's for sure, but I'm undecided as to what.  I was thinking of sugar cookies, but they take awhile to cool before you can decorate them, and thats a little anticlimactic for young kids.  Maybe cupcakes... hmm...

What are you up to this weekend?

xoxo,
  Kim

My Savings Secrets

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times... never go shopping without a coupon.  If you don't mind throwing away your money, you can PayPal me what you don't want (juuuust kidding, lol).  But seriously, save your money folks. There is just no reason to pay full price if you don't have to.  So here are a 3 of my favorite shopping tips and strategies that I've developed to maximize my savings.

Specifically for craft purchases, you don't have to go whack-a-doo like the Extreme Couponing people. No dumpster diving or newspaper stealing required for these savings.  Go to your local craft store's website... most have some type of printable coupon for that week.  Also, sign up to be on their email list.  I admit, I delete half of what they send me.  But there are those times that they send out really great deals that I would've missed otherwise.

TIP #1: AC Moore always has a 40% or 50% off coupon to save on one item.  Print a handful of coupons. Grab a friend (or two), and arm them with a coupon, then check out separately - this way you save on more than one item.  

I also like to print a few extra coupons, especially the good ones, and if I see shoppers with a full cart or an expensive-looking purchase, I'll give them a few.  Sharing is caring!  One time I spotted a bride-to-be buying a wedding invitation kit. I knew from experience that those things are expensive, so I gave her an extra 50% off coupon I had... it saved her $45!  That felt good :)

TIP #2: Sign up for the store rewards card.  Most people avoid the store cards because they think they are a hassle. But not utilizing the store card is the same as doing this...

At AC Moore, you get one point for every dollar you spend. Then, when you get to 200 points, you get a $10 gift certificate in the mail.  It's that easy!  And if you're a serious crafter like me, those points add up quick... I'm not even going to tell you how many free gift certificates I've gotten from my AC Moore card.  TIP #2 bonus: if you forget your card, they can use your phone number instead, right?  So, if your friends or family tend to shop at the same store, tell them to use your phone number when checking out to help you earn extra points.

TIP #3: Don't forget about competitor's coupons!  Most retailers will honor their competitor's coupons to make sure you shop at their store.  But before you load up your shopping cart, stop at the Customer Service desk to double-check their coupon policy... you don't want to be that person in line... you know who I mean, haha.

Do you have any tips or tricks that help you save money?

xoxo,
  Kim

A Little Note Goes A Long Way

Have you been down the card aisle lately?  Stores are making THE cutest note card sets.  Everyone from Target to CVS or even your local supermarket, they all have an array options to suit your peronal style.  And of course there's a lot of places online to find stationary.  Check out this one I found... I mean come - on!  How cute?!

Why am I talking about cards?  The other day, I got a hand-written note from a friend thanking me for helping them with a project.  And I've got to say... in this day and age with e-mails and e-cards, there's just something so heart-warming about receiving an unexpected card that is written out by hand.  The fact that someone took the time to pick out a card, and personally write out the note inside, it's really special.

So the next time you have some extra spending money, pick up a pack of cute note cards (or two), and surprise someone with a little hand-written sentiment... to say hi, thank you, or just for the heck of it.  I assure you it will make the recipient's day.

xoxo,
  Kim

Name the Next Tutorial

So it's been awhile since my last tutorial because I haven't had any cake pop orders lately.  Buttttt.... I have an order this weekend for 50 cake pops.  On average, I get about 40-45 cake pops, so that means I have to make 2 cakes and will have lots of leftover cake to experiment with.

I was thinking of making some cupcake bites.  Here's some I made a few months ago.  I had just bought some new candy dye, so I had a lot of fun making different color combinations.

Would that be interesting?  Or do you guys have any other ideas? I love trying out different methods and techniques, so I'm pretty open to new suggestions.  Just nothing toooo crazy, haha.

Thoughts?

xoxo,
  Kim

Golf, Babysitting & Lots of Mud

Have you ever had a weekend that is over before you know it?  I feel like just minutes ago it was Thursday, I blinked, and now its Monday.  People joke that time flies, but it really does!  Here's a brief recap of my adventures...

Friday.  I volunteered at ReUse Your Shoes First Annual Golf Outing.  ReUse Your Shoes is an amazing charity, local to the Philadelphia area, that collects shoes for those in need.  If sneakers are deemed unusable, they are sent to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program - how cool is that?  The day was so much fun - great weather, great cause and even greater people.  And bonus - I won a really cool raffle prize! I usually never win ANYTHING, so I was very excited to such an amazing arrangement.

Me & my winnings!

Saturday.  Saturday started off slow. I actually lazed around the house for most of the morning for some much-needed R&R, because my legs were so sore from being on my feet all day at the golf outing.  Afterwards, I babysat for one of my "regular" families. Their two girls are such characters, and at ages 3 and 5, they are so funny.  I've made cake pops with them twice now, so they think they're experts on the craft. Its too cute, because now they try to tell me what to do. "OK Miss Kim, now you have to dip it in the chocolate and shake off the extra."

Sunday.  After getting to bed late from babysitting, I was up at 5:00am to get ready to go watch my brother participate in the Merrell Down & Dirty 10K Mud Run.  The event was really awesome! It definitely inspired me to get back to running... I am SO doing the Down & Dirty next year.  Call me crazy, but getting that dirty looked like so much fun.  My brother said that after the long course, it actually felt good to go through the mud.  I took some really cool pics throughout the race, and uploaded them to my new Flickr album.

I must say that the event crew was very conscientious of the runners.  They had a great bag-check system, plastic chair covers to put on your car seats for the drive home, bags for your dirty clothes as well as showers with soap and shampoo for the runners.  And, if you didn't want your muddy shoes after the run, there was a tent where you could donate your shoes (& socks) to charity.

My brother, Aaron, crossing the finish line!

There's a mud run in Quarreyville, PA, that I'm seriously considering.  Would you ever do a mud run?

xoxo,

   Kim

Boxes A Plenty

Now that KC Bakes offers four size options for our cake pop stands, we're having to get more creative with our packaging methods.  One of our customers tipped us off that USPS has a game board box... hmmm, intriguing.

A quick Google search led me to The Postal Store, where I found the game board box, and it's measurements are perfect for shipping our Mega Stands, score! Even cooler, it's free!  I didn't want to be greedy, so I ordered 10.  No problem, right?   Well lookie what showed up on my dad's porch...

Hmm, that's weird... did they come pre-assembled?  That looks like a a big pile for just 10 boxes. Let me look at the box details...

Whoa, whoa, whoa... what does that say?

Quantity 25 per box!?!?  Woooops!!!  I guess I ordered 10 CASES!  So now we are the proud owners of not 10, not 20, but 250 boxes!!! 

Good thing they were free!

xoxo,

   Kim

What Are You Reading?

A really good book is like a double-edged sword.  It is so good, you can't stop reading it.  But at the same time, its so good, you don't want the story to end.

Well ladies (& gentlemen?), The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is one such book.  Each time I picked it up, it was harder and harder to put it down.  I read it while I was exercising, on my lunch break, all hours of the night... I even read it while walking to the car after work - yes, it was that good. *sigh*  I wish it had a sequel. 

Whether you are travelling, laying by the pool, or stuck inside on a rainy day, here are some other page-turners that I couldn't put down, that would make for excellent summer reading.

What are you reading?  I need good suggestions :)

xoxo,
  Kim

Sanity Saturday

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to pop in real quick to say Hi!  I've been slightly AWOL this week, which can be summed up in one lil' cartoon...

For the first time in the last several months, I have nothing to do today... no cake pop orders, no travelling, no errands... nada!  Hubby works until 4:00pm on the weekends, so I declared today Sanity Saturday!  I slept as late as I could (8:30a, whoa rock star!), caught up on my DVR shows, got Subway for lunch, ahhhh... just what the doctor ordered.  And to cap off this lovely day, my BFF and I are going to get pedicures and go out for sushi.  My new outlook can be summed up by THIS cartoon...

What are you up to this weekend?

xoxo,
  Kim

To Central Market We Go

Growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Saturday morning trips to Central Market were always something I really really enjoyed.  For most of you non-locals, Central Market is the country's oldest farmer's market, nestled in a stunning 120 year old red brick building, and is bursting at the seems with regional charm.

From time to time, my dad and brother would tag along, but usually it was just me & my mom.  Parking in the Prince Street garage, we always managed to enter by Mr. Bill's stand, and today was no exception.  The moment we walked in, I was hit by the aroma of the freshest seafood, taking me all the way back to when I was little and eye-level with those glass cases of fish and shrimp.  For some reason, this was always my favorite stand in the entire building.

  

Today, Mom and I were on a mission to get maple extract and bacon (for a recipe I’m experimenting with tomorrow), as well as produce and fresh shrimp for the kebabs we were making for dinner. 
               

Is it kebabs or kabobs?  You know what I mean - meat on a stick.  Potato, potahto... Tomato, tomahto, let's call the whole thing off.  OK, now I’m sitting here listening to Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong!

Market is sensory overload... in a good way.  It's proverbial cup runneth over with vibrant colors, incredible textures, potent fragrances and the buzz of souvenir-seeking tourists intermingled with regular shoppers skillfully navigating the labyrinth of narrow aisle ways.

Initially, I was going to narrate my little adventure today, but since pictures are worth a thousand words, I figured I'd let them do the talking .  To check out my journey, click on “Read More” link below my signature.

xoxo,
  Kim

Oven Mitts

On August 24, 1943, Heat Protective Apparel was patented by the United States Patent Office through patent no. 2,327,625. As a result of this patent, Lawrence E. Dickson of Chicago, Illinois, was credited with the invention of oven mitts, gloves and aprons.

Oven mitts are an essential tool for us bakers.  How else would we retrieve our confections from the wrath of a flaming hot oven?

Well my friends, I'm here to tell you that oven mitts are not only useful for taking things OUT of the oven, but they should probably be used more often to put things IN the oven.  Had I heeded this advice, I would not be sitting here with a bag of frozen fruit on my hand!  What was I doing you ask?

I have friends coming over for dinner tonight, so decided to cook a really nice meal and make lasagna.  As I was putting the lasagna in the oven, I accidentally grazed my left-hand-pointer-finger-knuckle (got that?).  It startled me a little, so I wound up over-correcting my lasagna-entry, and my right-hand-middle-and-ring-finger-knuckles rubbed up against the inner right wall of the oven. My reaction went a little something like this...

Lesson learned kids, use oven mitts for all things involving your oven... maybe I'll buy some cute ones like this, hoo hoo!

xoxo,
  Kim



Four B's

So my night can be summed up in four B's... babysitting, baking, blogging & the Beatles.  Allow me to explain!

I'm babysitting right now for a family with two girls, ages 7 and 6, and one boy, 4. The kids know I'm a baker, so they always love when I make stuff with them.  Tonight we made chocolate chip cookies, straight off the back of the Nestle's chocolate chip bag... a classic recipe that never disappoints.

So that's 2 B's. Now that the kiddos are in bed, I'm blogging and jamming to the Beatles on Pandora.  Ahhh... "Wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys just came on.... I LOVE this song! I'm literally sitting here bobbing my head along to the music, and singing out loud - folks, there's a very good reason I'm a baker, and not a singer, LOL!

I've got to tell you, their mom has my dream kitchen.  Marble countertops that go on for days, a huge marble-top island, a walk-in pantry bigger than my last apartment, a red Kitchenaid stand mixer and the pièce de résistance... a double wall oven! *swoon* I mean look at this thing!

The girls drew me these pictures while the cookies were baking... 

(Top) That's me in pink, behind the counter at my bakery, making a cake pop.
(Bottom) A sign for me to put in my window; "It will help you get lots and lots of customers to buy all your treats and you will make money." - direct quote from the 7 year old.

I'm hoping the parents get home soon, because I'm dangerously close to scarfing down all of those cookies!

What are you all up to this weekend?

xoxo,
  Kim