cake balls...

these are super easy... tons of fun... and REALLY delicious! 

a real crowd pleaser!

first cook your cakes... use a box cake... it gives you just the right fluff to sponge ratio...

i used one devils food and... 

(please forgive some of these photos... no idea why they have decided to rotate)

one yellow cake... mr. rooster's fav

then you take icing in the can... yes... in the can... i am usually TOTALLY against but for this... it TOTALLY works...  just the right sticky to fluffy ratio...

for the yellow cake i used cream cheese frosting with a few drops of yellow food coloring... to match the color of the cake... you'll see why in just a moment...

darn photo... sorry... so i used milk chocolate with the devil's food cake...

you will need some melting candies... i chose peanut butter chips... chocolate chips... green mint chips... and white chocolate chips... put those aside for just one moment...

take your cake (i used only half because i was making two different flavors at the same time and because i was rushed for time i didn't) crumble it up in the bowl with your icing... if you use half of the cake you will use half of the icing in the can... if you use the whole cake use the whole can... easy enough.

 mix them together...

then take a melon baller... spoon... or just your hands and start making the balls... whatever size you would like... no rules here...

 lay them out on a piece of parchment paper...

when you are finished making the balls put them in the refrigerator... or if you are in a hurry... the freezer... you need them to harden... you don't need them frozen solid!

now... go find those melting goodies... put them into individual bowls... pop 'em in the microwave for the time specified on the bags...

then dip the cake balls into the melted goodies... place back on parchment... sprinkle if you wish... and pop 'em back in the refrigerator...

here are the yellow cake balls with chocolate melty all over... oh and sprinkles...

here are the devil's food with milk chocolate and white chocolate... and green mint melty...

then you eat 'em!

there are lots and lots of different varieties you could make... let your imagination run wild... and let me know how it goes!

organization station...

i am thinking about getting us organized a bit better on the home front... these photos are inspiring...

lovely design

place to dream...

dream place

treasure hunting... first expedition...

                       look at this school house turned into a darling cottage...country living  showed it to me...

love the use of this VIBRANT color in a little bitty stairwell...

great use of solids and patterns in the again teensy tiny space...

i want this kitchen... minus a few things... and maybe my splash color would be something other than green...hmmm...

maybe no certain splash COLOR... but rather COLOR is the splash itself... yeah that's BETTER.

xo

apples and pumpkins past...

mr. rooster and i are going to get our pumpkins soon... i can't wait... i love pumpkin pickin' time... a few years ago we went to pick out pumpkins with his parents at a farm in wisconsin. i was so excited for the outing... i had it all planned out in my mind... it was going to be a cool day we would wear sweaters...drink apple cider... go out pick some apples... then move on to the pumpkin patch and locate just the right one...or ten...

well... that was all fairly accurate with the exception to the weather... it did not cooperate with my fantasy at all... in fact i believe it was 90 degrees that day out in the apple orchard and pumpkin patch... 

here is mr. rooster and his dad picking out some perfectly imperfect apple for us.

we had such a great time pickin' apples and pumpkins... i can't wait to go get our pumpkin this year!!

dear gary p. and colleen ellen...

hello,

i am a cockapoo.  i am the perfect addition to your family... i don't shed... i am smart. i am little (18-22lbs.) i LOVE people...

oh and i am CUTE... and i come in a BUNCH of different colors...

so... why don't you take a drive down to CEDARBURG... yes WISCONSIN... and see me...

http://cockapoolove.com/testimonials.html

mr. gary p... i am brownie... i thought you might like me...

mrs. colleen ellen... i am regan... i thought you might like me...

                                    

hey! don't forget me wiley... i am from cedarburg too!

{all images from: www.dogbreedinfo.com and http://cockapoolove.com/}

love, your future cockapoo

moon...

i am convinced that honeymoon pictures are notoriously boring/tortuous to those who were not on the actual honeymoon (entire world minus bride and groom)... the photos are also quite amusing to me... a series of pictures of people who are madly in love with one another yet who are rarely in the same photo... creating a series of photos which are basically uncomfortable for everyone else to look at because the subject in the photo is making eyes at the viewer... cute

and if there is one of them together they are usually at dinner... obviously they had the waiter take the picture... awe too cute... then there are the pictures of a breath-taking view that can only be appriciated when one is actually in the exotic locale... wow beautiful...

then there are the photos of an amazing experience... yet again usually only appriciated by the two love birds on said honeymoon... awwww... look at the seal... and wow what a magnificent sail boat too... and in the same photo... no way... (by the way the seal is the greyish thing in the left hand side of this photo)...

mmm... and then there is him... my husband.

our honeymoon was delicious... 

more PUMPKINS....

i am in trouble... pumpkin trouble... 

for miss soon to be say-pay... she will probably win AGAIN... crafty lil bugger...

for miss fabulous (craftly impared) bless her...

for miss k (can't come up with a good name for her... maybe next time)... beautiful and organized

for miss hot mama (mrs. h.e.n's momma)... oh how i wish she could be at the party...

for mr. e

and for mr. rooster... not that he needs any ideas... 

{images provided by: http://www.marthastewart.com/}

2nd annual pumpkin carving contest...

i am gonna blow them outta the water... hopefully none of the competitors will see this before the big event... the big event is actually not so big... it is actually a little dinner party mr. rooster and i had last year and decided to do it again this year and call it the 2nd annual pumpkin carving contest...  last year we had a definite WINNER... i don't have a picture but it was a hibiscus cut out just perfectly by miss. soon to be say-pay... this year i am going to do a combination of these two pictures...

{images provided by: http://www.marthastewart.com/}

what are you going to carve this year?