London Calling

Guess who has the day off? :)

I'll be putting it to use cleaning, decorating the house, and - if I feel like it - crafting. I know I said I would try to get one more DIY project done before my parents come to town tomorrow, but I'm not convinced it will happen... I'm still shocked I finished the tiles!

In unrelated news, I really want to go to London. I always have - it's pretty much top of my list - but after watching the royal wedding and the King's Speech in the same weekend, I want to go more than ever. Thankfully, Mr. G is on the same page. He liked the King's Speech more than he would probably admit (as well as the royal wedding), and he is particularly excited about the prospect of going during the Olympics next year... I'm right on board with that idea!

We're in no position to be saving right now for an extravagant European vacation, but who knows where we'll be next year... In the meantime, we have to save up to rent a cabin this summer and fly out to Vegas this fall for our one-year anniversary. :) So many things we want to do! Let's hope we can afford it all and still be able to eat... But hey, you're only young once, right?

Speaking of money, this blog has inspired me to (finally) start trying to find some freelance writing work. If you know of anyone or any company in need of a blogger/copywriter/editor, hook me up! ;) But seriously... I would love you forever.

Last bit of news: our dog, Molly, got her *professional* haircut today, and she looks fabulous. Her winter coat is finally gone - she is ready for summer! Here she is (she knows how good she looks):

That's all for now!

Feel free to comment if you are traveling anywhere fun this year, or know of great places to find deals on London vacations. OR if you want to hook me up with a writing gig! ;)

<3 Mrs. G

Easter Cupcakes

Hey everyone!

The royal wedding may be this Friday, but this past Sunday was one of my favorite holidays - Easter! I love Easter because it involves going to church, getting together with family, and eating good food. :) In honor of my first Easter in Minnesota, I decided I was going to make cupcakes for our family gathering. I have never made cupcakes from scratch before, and I have probably only ever made them a couple times from the box, but I got inspired after watching several episodes of DC Cupcakes and the Cupcake Girls (which is what happens when you're not working and have On Demand). I like to challenge myself when I'm learning new recipes, so I went with two different recipes (a la Martha Stewart, of course) that involved fresh fruit - strawberry cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream frosting, and banana cupcakes with honey-cinnamon frosting. Even the icing was made from scratch! Here are links to the recipes I found on Martha's website:

Banana cupcakes

Strawberry cupcakes

And here are my finished cupcakes (still working on my icing skills...):

Even though they kinda looked like a kid made them, they actually tasted amazing. Fresh fruit really does make a difference! The family really enjoyed them as well, especially the kids. :) Cupcakes just make everyone happy.

After hearing about my cupcakes, my brother-in-law's girlfriend (who also bakes) got me a book of 200 cupcake recipes! I'm SO excited to try them - there is everything from lavender to strawberry margarita to camomile to crazy savory cupcakes that have corn, chili, and bacon in them. Who knows, maybe now I'll open up a cupcake shop here in MN haha. ;) Either way, I can't wait to bake more! Once I make my cake plate, I'll really be legit!

That's all for now - time for this girl to catch up on some crafting while Mr. G is away at a baseball game. :)

I hope you all had a lovely Easter as well. Feel free to comment with any of your Easter recipes!

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. Georgetown Cupcakes (of DC Cupcakes on TLC) has made royal wedding cupcakes! So cute. Check them out here.

Guess who's a Royal Wedding Guest... Blogger, that is :)

Hello, fellow subjects!

As you all know, this is a very special week for those of us who obsess over weddings and event design, and it's a very historic week that has captured the attention of the world.

I wrote a blog entry about the royal wedding that has actually been featured on a website! Check it out at KateMiddleton.com.

Hope you're all as excited as I am for Friday to get here. I am a hopeless romantic after all, and I wish William & Kate all the blessings in the world - they're going to need it!

Happy royal wedding week!

<3 Mrs. G