rainbow cupcakes!

so last week I decided to make rainbow cupcakes for a few of my coworkers birthdays and I couldn't be more happy with how they turned out.

a lot of the instructions that I found on how to make them just called for a white cake box mix but I was too lazy to go to the store and buy a box - and I wanted to make them from scratch so I found a white cake recipe --

looks like fun, huh?

here's how you make them it's super easy!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Gel food coloring


Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. 

3. Divide batter into six small bowls (1-2 tablespoons each)

4.  Add gel food coloring to batter (purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red/pink) - I did pink instead of red just in this batch.

5. Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so on, following the order shown. As you go, gently spread each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the color underneath.

6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Frost and sprinkle away after cooled!

[white cupcake recipe adapted from allrecipes]

I definitely say go for the gel food coloring if you're going to make them, I've never seen batter or cake come out as vivid as this did and I'm excited to make a rainbow cake next and play around more with the gel food colorings!

In other news, it's gross outside and I'm currently in sweatpants, on the couch, eating fruit, drinking tea and  watching 16 and Pregnant - I don't have plans to do anything else today but be lazy and watch trash tv - sloth day at its best. Vacation is good. :)

10K!

I did it! I ran my first 10K this weekend! Well, I definitely did  not do as well as my 5K (not that I did so well in that either, haha) but I finished and that was the one goal I had for myself! We can't find the results online yet but I'm pretty sure I ran it in around 1:11 (so around an 11 minute pace overall - and I did walk up the monstrous hill that was around 1.5 miles in - sorry I was not running up that thing). Oh well, I did it a lot faster than everyone sitting on their couch not running, right? 

DJ was great and ran the whole thing with me... which kinda sucks because the time he had in the last 10K he ran was like 3 minutes faster than the overall winning time for this one - oh well, he's sweet and stuck by his wife. 

I was definitely sore on Sunday (and today) and am going to stick to this length for awhile. Awhile back I had planned to run a half-marathon at the end of October but it's just not going to work out -- maybe next Fall (or Spring) who knows! 

what-a-week....

welp, it's been an quite an eventful week over in our neck of the woods! so here goes the cliff notes version....

guess who got a new job this week??

that guy.

DJ's been freelancing since we got to GA and has been doing really well for himself, but just he landed himself a fulltime gig at a local start-up! this guy, I swear - he hasn't written a resume since he graduated college and people just keep offering him great jobs. I guess it helps to be extremely charming and good at what you do [and have an amazingly supportive and beautiful wife... maybe? no? well, worth a shot]. he took a big risk to follow his heart and change career paths to do what he loved and it's paying off... so proud of you jiggs!

guess who went to their first MLB baseball this week?? meeeeee! 

that's another thing checked off the 30 before 30 list! DJ's friend Joey called us and said he had some extra tickets to the Braves v. Nationals game on Tuesday and offered them to us... so a group of us headed to Turner Field and watched the game. High: Great seats! Right behind the Nationals Dugout and a spontaneous night out with friends. Low: The Bravos lost and I didn't get any cotton candy. sad day. I'm excited to go to see them play again on the 12th vs the Marlins! here are some pictures from the game....

guess who is going to try not to eat meat for the next month??

yup. this gal.

[definitely not that dog...and yes, I am wearing shorts - thanks for asking]

yup. 30 days: no meat allowed. they say it takes 30 days to make or break a habit. when we were in the berkshires, we didn't eat a lot of meat at all, and when we did it was grass-fed and almost always local so we knew were it was coming from and that it wasn't loaded with chemicals or hormones. since we've been in GA I can't say that's the case. not that I eat a lot of meat, but I'm not sure it's the quality that I really want to be eating.  not to mention, I know there a lot of health benefits that come from not eating meat so why not see how my body handles it? I mean, if it's good enough for Bill. who knows, after 30 days I could not want it anymore - or I could immediately scarf down a bacon cheeseburger. either way, I tried something out.quite honestly, I think I'm going to miss sushi the most. pescatarianism anyone? maybe I'll do that after my meatless month. I know some people may think it's silly, but whatever, as bobby says - it's my prerogative.

...and lastly, guess who is still ridiculously cute and spoiled??

[couldn't leave Ollie out now could we??]

lastly, SO excited for college football starting today!!!! 

aaaaaaaaaah dafkljsdfjkld 

that was me being really excited.

GO GAMECOCKS!

GO KNIGHTS!

First 5K!

This past Saturday I knocked another thing of my 30 before 30 list and ran my first 5K! I can't lie, I'm pretty darn excited about it. I met all of my goals [1. run the whole time, no walking 2. less than a 10 minute mile pace 3. beat the ladies pushing strollers] - heck yes! The course was SUPER hilly which definitely kicked my butt but overall, I felt good and am excited for our next 5K [on flat ground] to take a little time off [I know I can do better].

to top it off, we found out later that day that I had the fastest time in my age-range [25-29]... whaat?!

also, my super impressive husband was 3rd in his age range and oh yeah, 9th overall...

yup, he's a rockstar.

I'm so excited to have knocked something off my 30 before 30 bucket list and to start training for a 10K next!  I never thought I would run a 10K but DJ has been so supportive and encouraging. He keeps telling me that I'm in better shape than I think I'm in and could run one tomorrow if I wanted [he must be nuts]. Seriously though, the fact that he thinks I can do it really does makes me work harder and want to get better and stronger!

1001 Places to See Before You Die

I'm so exited to be visiting Philadelphia this weekend to see [at least] two more places from the 1001 Places to See Before You Die book. One thing on my 30 before 30 list is to visit/experience 100 of the 1000 [10% that's a good goal right?!] 

...as of today I've visited...

40 out of my goal of 100!

here's the breakdown of what I've seen so far [what page the description is on in the book and the date(s) I visited]...


EUROPE [6]
- Capri [Campania, Italy, pg 181] - Summer 1999
- Pompei [Campania, Italy, pg 184] - Summer 1999
- The Best of Sorrento [Campania, Italy, pg. 188] - Summer 1999
- Rome [Lazio, Italy, pg. 192] - Summer 1999
- Sistine Chapel [Rome, Lazio, Italy, pg. 196] - Summer 1999
- Venice [Veneto, Italy, pg. 231] - Summer 1999


ASIA [1]
- Persepolis [Iran, pg. 456] - Summer 1996


AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, + THE PACIFIC ISLANDS [5]
- Sydney Opera House & The Harbor [New South Wales, Australia, pg. 516] - Summer 1998
- Fraser Island [Queensland, Australia, pg. 522] - Summer 1998
- The Great Barrier Reef & The Coral Sea [Queensland, Australia, pg. 522] - Summer 1998
- Bubbling Rotorua [North Island, New Zealand, pg. 534] - Summer 1998
- The Home of Jet-Boating [Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand, pg. 539] - Summer 1998


USA + CANADA [28]
- The Grand Canyon [Flagstaff, Arizona, pg. 568] - April 2006
- Hollywood [Los Angeles, CA, pg. 575] - April 2006
- The Pacific Coast Highway [California, pg. 578] - April 2009
- San Francisco's Cable Cars [San Francisco, CA, pg. 581] - June 2009
- California's Wine Country [California, pg. 583] - June 2009, January 2011
- Everglades National Park [Florida, pg. 599] - 1994/1995 [?]
- Key West [Florida, pg. 600] - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 [hello college spring break]
- South Beach [Miami Beach, FL, pg. 604] - Spring Break 2001
- Walt Disney World Resort [Orlando, FL, pg. 605] just to name a few: 1993, 2000, 2008, 2009
- Savannah's Historic District [Georgia, pg. 610] 2006, 2008
- The French Quarter [New Orleans, LA, pg. 634] November 2002
- The New Orleans Restaurant Scene [New Orleans, LA, pg. 635] November 2002
- The Freedom Trail [Boston, MA, pg. 644] September 2005
- Tanglewood Music Festival [Lenox, MA, pg. 649] July 2010
- The Catskills [New York, pg. 671] - February 2011
- New York City [NYC, pg. 677] - 1995, 2004, 2010, 2011
- Historic Downtown New York [NYC, pg. 677] 2010, 2011
- Museum Mile [NY, NY, pg. 686] 2010, 2011
- The Biltmore Estate [Asheville, NC, pg. 689] July 2011
- The Heart of Charleston [South Carolina, pg. 706] August 2005, June 2006, June 2010
- Low Country Cuisine [Charleston, SC, pg. 707] August 2005, June 2006, June 2010
- Spoleto Festival USA [Charleston, SC, pg. 708] June 2006
- Memphis Rib Joints [Memphis, TN, pg. 712] October 2006
- Nashville's Music Scene [Nashville, TN, pg. 712] January 2006
- Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA, pg. 731] December 2008
- Pike Place Market [Seattle, WA, pg. 733] - April 2008
- The National Mall and It's Monuments [Washington, DC, pg. 734] December 2005, March 2006
- The Smithsonian and Beyond [Washington, DC, pg. 735] December 2005, March 2006

let me know if you have questions about any place on the list, 

I'd be happy to share my experiences with you, 

these are some of my favorite places that I've visited and seen!

don't forget to enter my giveaway! :)

biltmore visit!

As part of our girls weekend to celebrate Lindi's birthday we spent the day at the Biltmore in Asheville - which means I also knocked another thing of my 30 before 30 list! We were both in complete awe of the house, gardens and grounds and had a great time exploring - we grabbed a quick lunch [pizza + lemonade] before venturing out to explore the gardens! The gardens are breathtaking and I'm going to do a whole other post with all of the flower pictures I took, there were just so many beautiful blooms everywhere! We also ventured out to the waterfall, which was great and a nice workout to "earn" the ice cream we would later eat.  We lucked out because the weather was perfect, a nice 70-75 degrees all day so we were cool and comfortable and not sweaty [I can imagine how uncomfortable I would be if I was hot].  We did the audio tour [$10 extra] in the house and it was definitely worth to hear some extra stories and have a tour, but on our own pace [everyone recommended that we do it and they were right, definitely worth it!].  

unfortunately, photography isn't allowed in the house so you'll just have to go visit for yourself to see it! we kept calling it the adult version of disney world when we were there and it definitely had some truth to it. either way, we had a blast and I'm excited to return - I think I might be able to convince DJ to join me during the holidays to see the house all decorated!

sweetwater brewery tour

so my old friend Kristen [we went to UCF and USC together] was coming Atlanta to visit her family and we were trying to make plans to get together [and so she could finally meet DJ] and she suggested the Sweetwater Brewery, which was great because we'd been wanting to go and I could scratch another thing off the 30 before 30 list!


so Kristen met up with DJ and I for lunch at Hobnob [which was amazing, great food & beer selection! of course, we scarfed it down so fast I didn't have time to get pictures] and we caught up for a bit and then headed the brewery.  we got to sweetwater at 2pm [they open at 2:30] and there was already a line?! it was packed but we had a blast, it was great to catch up and kristen and DJ got along great [I knew they would, they're a lot alike].  I definitely recommend visiting sweetwater, for $8 we got a pint glass and six drink tickets (they also have an smaller option without the pint glasses for free!), the beer is awesome [sweetwater blue is my fav] and we even snagged bar seats so we could just sit and chat in the AC!

all in all, great day with great people!

thanks for spending some time with us coop-a-loop, it was great seeing you! DJ, Ollie and are looking forward to our trip to VA to visit you and the boys this fall! 

Skydiving with DJ!

so we yesterday I completed my first "30 before 30" task/goal - DJ and I went skydiving! it was amazing, and believe it or not - an even better experience than my first time around.  


we woke up bright and early on sunday morning and hit the road for Skydive Georgia in Cedartown [a mere two hours away].... we got there right on time at 9am [yes, we woke up uber early, barf]. filled out paperwork, watched the video and just relaxed for the next two hours or so. we then met our instructors that we were jumping tandem with - they were great! DJ jumped with Johan and I jumped with Lance... Lance was great and since this was my second jump he let me be a little more involved, I got to wear the altimeter [the only one on the jump] and I pulled the cord at 6,000 feet for our chute to open, then he let me steer the parachute until landing.  we decided not to get the video, I already had one and DJ didn't want one so here are a few iPhone shots of our day.

I'm so glad that DJ got to experience this for the first time and that we got to experience skydiving together. Crazy to think yesterday I  jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet... today is going to be pretty dull in comparison.  It was such an exhilarating experience and I can't wait to do it again, yes, we've already decided - that was not our last jump! 

30 before 30 - the list is complete!

get excited.

the list is complete.

some exciting, some mundane, some cost $$, some are free... just a wide variety of things that I'd like to have "notched" off my belt by the time I turn the big 3-0. I'll keep the list here permanently for you to be able to check in on my progress as I go. There are a few things on the list I've already done [travel outside the country, skydiving] but I want to experience those WITH my Danny J - he just makes everything that much better.  

To be honest, I realized as I  made the list there are a lot of things that I'm really lucky to have accomplished at a young age that are on a lot of people's bucket lists [four continents, held a baby kangaroo, spent a month in Italy, snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef, spent time in Wine country, lived at the beach, been all over the country, and so on] and of course there are many other things that I would LOVE to have accomplished by the time I was 30, but let's be real - I'm not rich [humble state servant pleased to meet your acquaintance]. So, some of these adventures are definitely costly and I tried to keep those to a minimum.


let's just hope the "rapture" doesn't happen at 6pm tonight and I can actually work on this list for the next year and half!

well, anyways.

I know, you're on the edge of your seat...

so here it is...

Thirty before Thirty

1. Travel outside of the country with DJ

2. Make a quilt

3. Make a rainbow cake

4. Run a 5K

5. Run a 10K

6. Run a Half-Marathon

7. Take a cooking class

8. Bake a pie (from scratch)

9. Start working towards my pHd [or another degree]

10. Eat carb-free for two weeks [or longer if I can take it]

11. Sew something as a gift for someone else

12. See BNL in concert

13. Visit my father's grave in Iowa

14. Visit the Biltmore

15. Visit 101 places from the 1001 Places to See Before You Die book

16. Family Photo Shoot [DJ & Ollie]

17. Go Skydiving with DJ

18. Go to a professional baseball game

19. Go to a professional football game

20. Go to a college bowl game

21. Eat vegetarian for a month

22. Go on a honeymoon 

23. Go to Las Vegas 

24. Try 30 new recipes

25. Visit Harry Potter World at IOA

26. Visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

27. Visit the Coca Cola factory 

28. Visit Sweetwater Brewery 

29. Change a diaper

30. Take steps towards having a baby

I know, #30 is crazy, but don't get all excited - I don't turn 30 for almost two years and it states "take STEPS" not procreate. woof.

thoughts? 

what's on your list?

30 before 30

DJ's birthday is coming up in the next few weeks and he's turning 29, which makes me think about turning thirty [30 flirty and thriving, anyone?] -- which has made me think about "bucket lists" and I've started working on my "30 before 30" list -- only problem is as of today I only have 16 items on it.... 14 more to go [all to be unveiled once the list is complete, get excited!]

any ideas? 

do you have one, if so -- what is on your list?

image via here

only a few more days to enter my giveaway, don't forget! :)