Mustache Monday - I'll Drink to That!

Well everyone... here I am, still in Vegas, still clinging on to the very, very last of our first anniversary celebration, and yet I have  managed to post a mustache for this week's Mustache Monday.  How fantastic am I?

(Answer: very)

May I introduce you to the ever-classy, incredibly chique,

Mustache Pint Glasses 

(as seen on Design*Sponge)

Mustaches are no longer for the menfolk, ladies!

Grab a glass, fill it with your favorite beverage (mayhap some freshly-squeezed lemonade made with the help of one of these?) and enjoy your newly [and temporarily] fuzzed upper lip :)

Be sure to tune in later this week for a post about our trip.  I can't wait to tell you about all the cupcake shops we visited!

Thanks again to Amber who suggested this trip and to everyone who wrote back with their awesome ideas.  Even though we didn't get to go everywhere you all listed, we now have some great ideas for other vacations we can take later on!

2 days and counting...

...Until our First ♥Wedding Anniversary♥!!

On Sunday, my husband and I will be celebrating our first of many, many wedding anniversaries :)

 

On Sunday, it will have been 365 days since I was doing this...
 

...while he was doing that...

...and then we did this...

...and had one of these...

...before driving off in one of these...

...to go dance like this...

...and eat some cake...

...with friends like this...

...before he pulled one of these...

...and I did a thing like this...

...and then we partied on down all night!

I love you, baby! 

xoxo

♥

Wordless Wednesday - Here We Are!

{US}

By Lauren Burke

♥

♥ Sugar from my Honey ♥

In case you don't know, I'm pretty much in charge of sweets in the Dot household. 

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Usually, it's Cupcakes.

Yummy, sweet, cupcakes.

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Delicious, ooey, gooey, CUPCAKES.

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But sometimes, it's other goodies...

•••
I've tried Cake Pops (à la Bakerella)

[Thanks for the encouragement, Christina!!]

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Pies

(Don't laugh!!  I tried!!)

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And Cookies

 

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.

.

.

But not tonight.

 No.

Tonight, dear bloggy friends,

MY HUSBAND IS MAKING DESSERT.

Isn't he cute all up in the kitchen like that??

Nice wide-angle shot of the mess creativity in action.

Saucepan??  WHAT IS HE MAKING?!

Great googly moogly... WHAT IS THIS CHOCOLATEY GOODNESS??

Apparently, my DARLING and WONDERFUL husband decided to make me

Peanut Butter Chocolate Revel Bars 

From Better Homes and Gardens -- Click here for recipe. 

For Peanut Butter Chocolate Revel Bars, substitute 1/2 c. peanut butter for the 2 tablespoons butter in chocolate filling and substitute peanuts for the walnuts or pecans.  

(My hubby didn't put any nuts in ours.)

Do you SEE all the chocolate goo oozing forth??

And then there was none...

~♥~

I Need Your Help!

Our FIRST anniversary is in ONE WEEK.  One week exactly.  And as of this moment **right now**, we have approximately...

ZERO

plans.

We don't have a thing planned.  Nothing.  Zip, nada, zilch.

It's not because we don't want to do anything -- no not that at all.

It's just that, well, we've been in the process of moving.  Oh, and Christmas shopping.  And celebrating.  And then celebrating again.  And then un-celebrating.  And then taking down decorations.  And then job searching.  And when it came time to take a breather and relax, we realized: 
OH MY GOODNESS WE HAVE ONE WEEK BEFORE OUR ANNIVERSARY!!

We can't let our first anniversary go by without celebrating!!

Sure we could just go out to eat someplace nice but, sadly, that's not exactly something super exciting for us.  We often use "going out to a fancy restaurant" as a way for me to get out of cooking dinner reward for a tough week.  We're really open for most anything.  Cold weather doesn't dissuade us and we'd totally book a flight somewhere but the question is: 
WHERE??  

It'd be for about 4 days (we're thinking Friday-Monday) and really the big thing is we'd like to go somewhere that we could have fun but also stay in and relax.  We're pretty much thinking we'd like to stick to the continental U.S. but hey, we're open.  We live in the SoCal area, if that helps.  Bottom line here: 

HELP US PLAN OUR ANNIVERSARY!!   

Seriously, I'm open to suggestions.  Do you live in a fun area?  Know of some great cupcake places near you that we need to try?  Did you visit this one place that one time and you really, really liked it?  

TELL ME!  

And heck, if we choose your place, maybe I'll send you a postcard saying, "Wish you were here"!

Well?  What are you waiting for??

Plan away!!

I'm in the Money, I'm in the Money!!

Soooo... Guess what?

I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW!!

Yes ma'am, yes sir, I have a job interview on Monday.

I'm running through the list of Do's and Don'ts in my head:

• Don't begin the interview by saying, "C'moooon.... mama needs a new pair of shoes!"
• Don't reach across the table and beg the interviewer for the job
• Don't Do Don't try to bribe the interviewer with cupcakes
• Don't tell the interviewer that I have skills I really don't have (i.e. nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills...)
• Don't do this: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Do act professionally
  
• Do tell the interview how awesome I am
• Do wear deodorant

As I think of more, I'll be adding them to my list.  Feel free to leave some suggestions ;) 

I'm really excited about it, too :) It sounds like a great opportunity and I'm just praying that it'll be as great as I'm making it out to be in my head.

~♥~

In the meantime, I have recently been the lucky recipient of some fabulous awards and I want to take a minute to accept them:

First, here is the Sugar Doll Award that I received from Bibi of From Misery to Happiness in 365 Days.  If you get a chance, check out her other awesome blog: Gourmet Meals for Less (and try some yummy recipes, too, like these bad boys... *drool*...)

I'd like to pass this award on to Sammy of Surviving the Kitchen.  Keep up the fun recipes, girl!!

Next is the Happy 101 Award from Mandi of Life in Beta.  You **have** to see the fun stuff she knits.  Now, this award came with some rules:

• List 10 things that make me happy
• Try to do at least one of them today (I'll have to do this tomorrow since today's almost over!)
• Tag 10 bloggers that brighten my day
• For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog and create your own "makes you happy" list

10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY
♥ My sweet husband
♥ My great family
♥ My awesome friends (both real and bloggy!)
♥ ~Cupcakes~
♥ Polka dots
♥ Garlic-laden food
♥ Kittens (OK, really any baby animals, but seriously... kittens...)
♥ A good hair day (am I right or am I right, ladies?)
♥ On the same note as the one above: being able to pull on fresh, straight-out-the-dryer jeans without doing the pants dance
♥ My home being clean :)

Before I choose the 10 bloggers to pass this award on to, allow me to accept and pass on my third award, the Lemonade Stand Award, graciously give to me by Christina from Three A's and a C.  The Lemonade Stand Award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude (yippee skippy!!)

There are just a few rules for accepting this wonderful award, too:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post (Check!)
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude (Check!  See below!)
- Link the nominees within your post (Check check!  See below!)
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog (Ummm... almost check!)
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award (Checkkity Check McCheck!) 

I PASS THESE TWO AWARDS ON TO THESE 10 BLOGS THAT I LOVE LOVE LOVE!:

1. BlogBaby!!!
2. Janna of Janana Bee
3. Amber of The Daily Tribal
4. Kitty of Fahrenheit 350°
5. Daune from Triplets Plus Two Momma
6. The Rambler over at My Rambling Thoughts 
7. The Sweet Baker at Me and My Pink Mixer
8. The Angel from Angel Believes...
9. Michelle of Muffin Tin Mom
10. Anna of Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder

 Thank you so much to all three WONDERFUL ladies for being so kind to honor me with these awards.  You all are just so creative; I love your blogs and reading them makes my day!!

2010?! WHO OK'D THIS?!

2010?!

When did that happen??

Where did 2009 go?

Shoot, forget 2009, I'm still waiting for Y2K to take effect.

Is it safe to come out yet...? 

I'm not sure how I feel yet about 2010.  For one thing, how are my New Year's glasses supposed to work? 

Please tell me how this can possibly be OK:

And for another thing, what am I supposed to say for the year?  I mean, all throughout the 2000's we've been saying things like "oh-nine," "oh-eight," etc. for short.

What am I supposed to say for 2010?  "Ten"?  "Oh-ten"?  C'mon.

And why on EARTH would I want to say goodbye to 2009??  2009 was pretty darn good to me.

For starters, 2009 was when I got all marriedificated.  This was probably one of the best THE best decision of my life.  My husband is the most wonderful, loving, and caring man I know.  And he has a cute butt.  Done deal.

Also, 2009 was when my sister GRADUFIED high school.  Yep, she's a college student now.  *sniffle* They just grow up so FAST, you know??

In 2009, my other sister and I went to go see [•[WICKED]•].  It is muy awesome and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for the real story behind the Wizard of Oz.  Here's my kid sis with Elfie after the show (you can still see some of the green makeup clinging to her forehead!  SWEET!!)

I feel like there might be something else... like... maybe... oh, that's right -- 2009 was when... Miss Dot's Cupcake Spot opened [and then subsequently moved] its doors!!  
I've been doing baking for corporate gift boxes for about 3 years now following being a personal assistant for a caterer, but 2009 was when I decided that, as cupcakes are the new black, ♥cupcakes♥ would take center oven rack stage in my baking life.



However...

2009 had its downs, too.

In 2009, my aunt/godmother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In 2009, my other aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer.

In 2009, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

So, what did we do?

Did we whine and pout?  Did we cry a lot?  Did we whine about "Why me why me why me?"

Well, yes.

But!!

We also didn't take it sitting down, and, in 2009, we did the Susan G. Komen Walk Race for the Cure! 

I usually participate in this with my BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, but this year, we had a little bit more motivation.  

Here's me, my mom, and aunt #1 about halfway through the race:

So, I guess now that I think about it, 2009 really had a good long run.  I think maybe I'm ready for 2010.  I'm ready for some new ups and, consequentially, some new downs.  I'm ready for some new adventures and surprises. 

Go ahead, 2010, and hit me with your best shot.

 

  ♥HAPPY NEW YEAR!!♥