Back from long business trip and look! Cocoa swap box!

DSC_0794, originally uploaded by RhondaMHC.

I recently returned from a very long business trip - hence no posts since late January! Well, upon my return, look what I found! Some awesome gifts from my secret pal! How wonderful is this??? She sent me the most decadent Dove bars (I ate one so one is missing - oops!), a GORGEOUS cocoa colored mug - its just the perfect size and weight. She also sent me a tape measure - needed one! The most decadent dark chocolate marshmallows - simply divine! And you should see the adorable stitch markers - they are handmade, came in a lovely little burgandy organza drawstring bag, and the most fun yarn! Its fuzzy and mulit colored - gorgeous! What you don't see is some pretty little crystal heart votives and a the most adorable little fuzzy valentine's day guy! My daughter has confiscated and won't give it back! Thank you so very much Secret Pal - you are simply AWESOME!!! She did such an amazing job and was so thoughful! You really did a wonderful job and I thank you so sincerely! It was such a welcome surprise when I came back from out of town! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!

I've been a little busy....realizing my dream since I was 14!!

My dear sister got me into see my absolute idol from when I was 14 years old - bck in 1984 - and for those of you who were teenagers in the 80's - this group of fabulous boys from England were so hot you had to say their name twice.....who is it you say? DURAN DURAN! Yes - I'm a groupie and for an hour and a half the other day, I was 14 again. No kids, no long and committed relationship, no stressful job, no bills to pay, and no college funds to save up for.....just me, my older sister, and I swear - I could feel my hair perk up - wanting to be BIG again! Even though I KNOW there is a hole in the ozone layer with my name on it from all the AQUANET I used in the 80's - big hair, big earrings, big shoulder pads, and skinny jeans - it all came back to me as I sat FOUR FEET away from my teenage crush - Simon LeBon. *SWOON* This took place at a local oceanfront restaurant, 40-50 other women just like me, all us realizing a DREAM. Nick Rhodes was also there - there were promoting an upcoming tour and recently released new album. How neat. Sigh. How divine. Sigh. I remember when I went to their concert - I was so far back I couldn't really see them at all performing - but I remember just thinking I couldn't believe I was actually in the same room with Simon LeBon! Fast forward 24 years later (OMG, Am I really that old? really?) and I'm freakin' FOUR FEET away from Simon LeBon! All I was thinking was, I'm actually in the same room as Duran Duran. Are they really sitting right there talking? Did he just look at me? OMG. Do you think I could actually TOUCH him? Uhhh huh. Oh yeah. Not only touch but actually TALK to them - and not like you talk to your computer - they actually heard you and TALKED BACK. OMG. I was SUCH a girl. SUCH a 14 year old girl.....and it was (in my best valley girl accent) Oh Ma Gawd - it was like totally awesome!!

Hubby won his race

DH (dear husband) won his race in Charlotte this past weekend. He doesn't usually race down there but he decided to give it a try after they invited him. He was very happy he won and of course Will was excited that his dad brought home a trophy. I'm not sure how much longer DH will race, but he enjoys it, and at our age its hard to find thing you really enjoy. When you find it - you should enjoy every minute of it. I know he does - I do try to relate - but its just not something I enjoy. I've told him to keep racing his cars for as long as he wants. Besides, it gives me a great excuse to keep knitting and buying yarn without guilt!

Cocoa Swap update

Now that we're in the thick of 'Winter'... has your knitting changed to match the season? Are you moving on from dishcloths, and tank tops to afghans, hats and mittens? Has your yarn changed from silk or cotton to wool, superwash or heavier cottons?
I don't think I'm a slow knitter - my time is just limited with a 1yr old, a high stress job that requires a lot of hours, and a need for 8 hours of sleep each night. So while most other people are looking ahead to spring and summer, I'm still working on finishing my winter projects! I've not found the right cotton yarn yet that gives enough not to hurt my hands (any suggestions?) but I do very much like cotton yarns. I got my shipment from WEBS from their year end sale. I must admit, I'm a little disappointed with the yarn choices I made. I guess the pictures looked better online than what I selected. I know I took a chance - but I wanted to try something different since I always seem to buy the same type of yarn.

This is Lains Du Nord - Cashsilk. I bought it in a creamy off white, a light grey, and a deep chocolate brown. It was simply such a good deal - I wasn't sure what I'd make with it - perhaps a nice layette or something for my sister's baby to be.

I also bought this - Bazic Wool superwash - I liked the colors - teal blue, nice apple green and pink. The yarn is a little nubby - neat texture - and very soft. I took a few pictures of LuLu in the cream bolero I made for her. She's walking around playing with my Blackberry - pretending to talk on the phone. She loves to push the buttons, of course, goodness knows who she has called! Can you see I didn't sew on the left sleeve yet? Hee Hee. It fits her nicely - 3/4 sleeves and all....

Cupcake ice cream cones (say THAT fast!)

So this is the Nordic ware cupcake pan I bought from Willams-Sonoma at Christmas. I know many people make cupcakes right in the cone itself -but I thouht this would be really cool. Well, it is and it isn't. I wasnt sure how much to fill the pan with batter - I used pinapple supreme! Yum! Notice the lovely mounding on top? Perfect shape for icing just like a real ice cream cone, no? No.

Just in case you wanted to see what the inside of the pan looked like - to get the 3D idea of the cone shape it makes.

So I popped 'em out. Perfect. Well, not so.....they're TOP HEAVY. ugh! so as you can see, I had to CUT OFF the lovely roundness perfect for icing just like a real ice cream cone. Also, notice the extra cupcakes on the side. A box of duncan hines cake mix made enough to fill (overfill I realized now) the pan mold and have enough left for 4 traditional cupcakes.

Et Voila! Ze perfect ice cream cone cup-a-cake-ah, no? Well, actually no again. Its still so freakin frackin top heavy guess what happened after I took this picture? (oh and notice the back up cupcake in the background - that little worker cupcake is holding up the star of the show there!)

The cake is so heavy (read - deliciously moist) that it can't stand up!?! An ice cream cone you can't stand up! Grrr. My dear husband, always supportive replied, well maybe you're just supposed to hold them........its honestly too much cake to eat and the proportion of frosting to cake just isn't right. Darn it!

So, here's some calorie free cupcake goodness for your viewing pleasure! mmm. Pinapple supreme cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. *oh! and replace the water in the batter with pinapple juice. wow.