ya'll should already know what "t.f.t.p." means... if not, please reference this post. lol. now that we have that out of the way, let's talk Memorial Day weekend! all 6 of us Wilson kids [if you include Gee] had some fun in the sun as we swam Monday morning away. Gee was only out there for 30 minutes, and she got browner than i've ever gotten in my life! don't believe me? see for yourself:
this weekend was one not only of brown-ness, but also of some major milestones [in my eyes, anyway]. sweet baby Gee no longer uses a pacifier OR drinks formula!! let me tell you, the latter development was a much easier transition than the former. story time! because i know ya'll love my stories...lol :) Saturday, Gee and i went over to Old Ben Ivery's [my grandpa's] house to pick up some things for my apartment [*insert excited squeal here*]. when i got home, i realized that i had left Gee's pacifier over there. seeing as i was already settled in at the house and had no intentions of leaving again that night, i figured that must have been a sign for me to try and get Gee to go to sleep without it. that was the only thing she was using it for, anyways; she was rarely using the pacifier during the day anymore. so when bedtime rolled around, about 9:30ish pm, Gee sat in the recliner with her PawPaw, screaming in sleep delirium. she'd had her dinner and her bedtime cup of milk; there wasn't much else we could do but rock her and listen to her scream. she kept twisting around trying to look at me, so i figured she needed her mommy to put her to sleep [lol]. i took her in the kitchen, fixed her a cup of water, and sat on the couch in the den where it was cool and quiet. she calmed down and drank the water, and i could tell she was full, but she still kept sucking on the cup, as if it were a paci. when i tried to take it from her, she started screaming again, so i gave it back to her, and she stopped. but she didn't put it back in her mouth. so i took her in our room and sat in the rocking chair. she kept a tight grip on the cup, but as i rocked and talked and sang and shushed, she eventually drifted off into dreamland. she finally relaxed her grip on the cup enough for me to take it out of her hands. i figured it was finally safe to put her in her crib. however, when i did, she promptly woke up and started screaming again. i picked her back up and swayed and shushed and sang some more until she calmed down. then i put her back in the crib and rocked her and rubbed her belly. voila! sleeping baby with no pacifier. was it difficult? yeah duh!!! but it was time. if there's one thing i can't stand, it's an older toddler [18-36 months] walking around with a paci in their mouth. while i was still pregnant, i was determined that my baby would NOT be one of those kids. mission accomplished :D
ok, story time is over! now enjoy some more Memorial Day pics:
mommy, baby, and auntie :)
Uncle Caleb
the Wilson kiddos!
us again! :)
coming up soon: a reflection on what i've learned while working with 1st and 2nd graders for the past two weeks, and how i can apply it to my planned career path...sounds interesting, right? :) until next time!
i'm pretty sure that my Facebook friends are tired of my posting this song, but, as it is my current theme song, they'll have to get over it! because i'm "...moving higher/*CLOSER TO MY DREAMS*/and higher and higher, higher/feel it in my being..." let the music play as you read this story:
on Friday, April 22nd, i received a text message about applying for an assistantship. seeing as how i hadn't even completed my senior paper nor my application to the Higher Education Master's program (at the YOU of A), i had no expectations of getting an assistantship, and figured that, if i made it into grad school, i'd just get some student loans to take care of it until i could hunt down some other form of assistance. so to say that this opportunity fell into my lap is a total understatement! of course, i said yes, and was told to send my resume, cover letter and reference list by that Sunday (two days later). after finally finishing the senior paper early Saturday, i began working on my first cover letter ever. which was kind of weird, because i always feel strange when i have to talk about myself and my accomplishments. but i managed to get something on paper, and after making my parents look over the letter and my resume [for the millionth time], i sent them off into cyberspace on Sunday, April 24th. not expecting to hear anything back for at least a week, i go about my business. Tuesday, April 26th, i check my email and what do i see? "Congratulations! You are a finalist for the Office of Diversity Programs Graduate Assistantship Position." whaaaaaaat!?!?!? super excited! i read the email to my mother, mentioning that they wanted me to come up to Fayetteville for an interview on Monday, May 2nd. i had already agreed to sub that day, so i asked her if i should just to ask for a phone interview. "NO!" she told me emphatically. "You call SubTeach and tell them that you won't be able to work, and you go up there for that interview! I'll keep Gabriela for you." yes ma'am! what else could i say? so that Sunday i found myself gearing up for my first solo trip to Fayetteville since having Gee. it was quite strange for the only sounds to be my own screaming [singing] at the top of my lungs instead of Gabriela's wailing cries. nice, but still strange. i interviewed Monday morning, turned in my application to the Master's program after that, and headed home on Tuesday, feeling confident yet anxious to hear the results. and results, i did hear! Monday, May 9th, i was running an errand. when i got back in my car, i saw that i had a missed call from a University of Arkansas number. i rushed to call it back, and in turn received the sweet, sweet news that i was selected to be the new graduate assistant for the Office of Diversity Programs in the Walton College of Business!! i could barely control my emotions, yet i somehow managed to make it through the short conversation without crying. however, when i called my mother as i was on my way back to the house, the tears burst from my eyes. i was so unbelievably overcome at how God had begun to show me what His intentions were for me. i was still in shock when i stepped through the door and gave my mama a huge hug, then called my daddy, sister, grandpa, etc. well, not really etc.; i didn't want to tell too many people since i hadn't yet officially been accepted to the program, something that i was nervous about for the sole reason that my GPA had suffered quite a bit during my last semester of classes, due to the depression and laziness brought on by my last trimester of pregnancy. i checked my email several times daily, looking for a word from the powers that be at the graduate school. finally, after all of my references were in and my application was submitted for review, i got an email on Friday, May 20th from the program coordinator, Dr. Murry, asking when i would be available for 30-minute phone interview. we decided on Wednesday, May 25th at 4pm. i rushed home from school to charge my phone, and sat on the couch waiting for the phone to ring. when it did, Dr. Murry introduced himself again, and he explained that, as the program coordinator, he would decided whether or not he would admit me to the program after our conversation. that made me both happy and apprehensive; happy because the waiting game would finally end, and apprehensive because i might say the wrong thing or my GPA might drag down the rest of my application. Dr. Murry told me details about the program, then asked me a few questions. i won't get into all those details, because the important part is this: "After reviewing your application and hearing your answers to my questions just now, i have made the decision to admit you into the program." JACKPOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i couldn't thank him enough, i was SO happy to finally be able to yell to the world that i am OFFICIALLY going to be a grad student in August! and couldn't have done it without my awesome family, friends, mentors, supporters, and, of course, the Lord, who had to have orchestrated all of this. from a text message, i have a way to pay for my higher education. it still makes me sit back and sigh in awe. tell me He isn't amazing, and i'll tell you to read this story again, and i know that you'll have no choice but to change your mind. this is my testimony, and i'm gonna tell everybody i know. Thank You GOD! excuse all of the exclamation points in this post, but i'm still on cloud fifty-leven hunnid million!!!
let's officially welcome my sweet baby Gee into toddlerhood! *round of applause* hehe :D after several days of going to pick her up from daycare and being informed of how much Gee would walk around there [which she wasn't doing it home], she finally decided to show me her skills. very proud mama right here! check her out:
and of course, tardy for the party as always, here's my list for what should've been yesterday's [not another] manic monday. which actually turned out to be a manic monday because of all the excitement surrounding Gee's new mode of transportation! anyways, here goes:
list#FOURTEEN: things i love about... myself. :)
***my hair, or lack thereof :D
***my height [being 5'0" is the shizz! most of the time, anyways!]
***my creativity, not to toot my own horn or anything. hehe.
***my musicality/love of music, which i hope to intentionally pass on to Gee.
***my crazy/wonderful mind and the ability to use it sanely. mostly sanely, that is. ;p
short, sweet, and to the point, much like myself! LOL, until next time!
this ad popped up on the side of my Facebook, promoting a page called "Proud Single Moms". as i am a single mommy, i clicked on it, interested to see what information it provided. but as i thought about the title, Proud Single Moms, it made me think. i didn't even end up clicking on the page's provided link, because i was too busy pondering this thought: am i really a "proud" single mother? i have to say, my answer to that is "no." i am a proud mother, and i truly do not regret my decision to become a mother. however, i will admit to feelings of shame when i tell people that i have a daughter, and some of them sneak a peek at my ring-less left hand; some will straight up ask if i'm married; and some, knowing i'm not married, just give me that super-duper judgmental look like "oh, you're just another young black girl who got herself knocked up." initially, the shame tries to get the better of me, but then i stop myself and remember: sure, i may be a young black woman who got herself knocked up, but i am also a young black woman with a college degree. i am also a young black woman in the process of starting on another degree. i am a young black single mother who is not always trying to pawn my daughter off on others in order to hit the club and party. i am a young black single mother who, knowing that i would have no partner in my child's father, chose to be a young black single mother because i believe in taking responsibility for my actions, not running away from them or pretending like they didn't happen. i am a young black single mother on a mission to one day be a not-as-young-but-not-old married mother with a fulfilling job, happy relationship, and a fabulous life. what i am NOT is "just another" young black girl who got myself knocked up. i am NOT "just another" anything. i am Gabriela's mother, i am young, i am black, but i refuse to be the stereotype of a statistic. point being, though i may not always be so proud of the way in which i became a mother, i won't let it be a reason for people to doubt me. or for me to doubt myself. while "proud single mom" i am not, i am a proud mother. period. and there ain't no shame in my game when i say that. :)
yes, i was hooked on RHOA the first couple of seasons [WHO GON' CHECK ME, BOO!?], and i am still perplexed as to how this song even came into existence. however, i am super tardy on a couple of things, and this song came to mind. listen and enjoy. or cringe. :)
...aaaand we're back. here's what yours truly is "tardy to the party" for:
[not another] manic monday! --- it is clearly Wednesday. but honestly, i'm doing good to get it in before the end of the week! i'm back working regularly again for a couple of weeks [with 1st and 2nd graders, not the jr. high heathens, thank GOD], and i'm still trying to get back in the swing of it after hardly subbing at all for a few weeks [due to other important duties, like getting out of this place so i can QUIT subbing. lol]. it's boring as i don't know what, but i can't complain when i'm getting paid! anyways, here's this week's list, which should actually be "weekly rituals," but aside from church, i don't really have any...so here we go!
list#THIRTEEN: "DIYs i want to try"
--> website design, from scratch. back in my MySpace days, i self-taught myself a lot of HTML, which i've mostly forgotten, but would love to re-learn. i also fancied myself a fledgling graphic designer, as evidenced by this album of embarrassing MySpace background paraphernalia and my major in Advertising and Public Relations. please keep in mind i was, like, 14 or 15 when i made these. "yung & sexxii"? really??? -_-
---> sewing dresses for G, and myself, for that matter. i've known some sewing women in my day, and i love the whole idea of making my own clothes. did i ever tell ya'll that i thought it would be supercool to be a fashion designer in 8th grade? only because i was taking Home Ec, and we had to draw three different clothing designs. i thought mine were awesome, so i drew little mannequins with slutty clothes for the rest of the semester. they really weren't that great. and i have no clue why all of them were half-clothed. whatever.
---> calligraphy art. my Granny Annie was a calligraphy artiste. she took bible verses, quotes, poems, and made them pop off of the page with her beautiful writing. why wouldn't i want to learn how to do that?
---> diaper cakes. they look easy, and people pay for them. need i say more? :)
---> quilting. see "sewing dresses".
the other item for which i am "tardy for the party": my baby's G*DAY!!!! i am over a week late with my G*DAY report, not to mention that i didn't even remember G*DAY until the day after G*DAY...shame on me. but anyways, here it is: the 11-month G*DAY report!
*Gee can now stand up without pulling up. she also can almost run when someone holds her hands; just waiting for her to be ready to step out solo! :) did i mention that she is a dancing machine? in case you didn't see it on Facebook, check her out:
*she's discovered how ticklish i am on my feet!! she was playing on the floor and grabbed my foot. i am ridiculously ticklish everywhere, but especially on my feet, so i started laughing. what did Gee do? attacked my foot! it was all i could do not to kick her in the face - my normal defense against tickle monsters. mama and i just laughed and looked at each other in amazement of how perceptive Gee is...aren't babies amazing?
*she drools. All. The. Time. i'm still waiting on her to have more than two teeth, though...
*the baby food days are LONG gone. i gotta say, i used to feel bad about serving her Chef Boyardee and green beans or carrots almost everyday...up until yesterday, when i talked some sense into myself: if she likes it AND it's easy? what's the problem? i promise, that's one thing i can't stand about myself. if something seems too easy, it must be too good to be true, so i must make it harder on myself. motherhood is helping me break myself of that mentality, thank God!
*Gee is soooo affectionate, i love it! she hugs and slobber-kisses and gives back-pats... just the sweetest baby ever :)
#BloggerBeTRIPPIN. just had to get that out of my system. :)
last night, i cooked dinner for the three Uncle Cs and my daddy. and me, of course (Gee's dinners mostly consist of Chef Boyardee, green beans, and maybe fruit. don't judge me, it's easy and she likes it!). we had chicken fajita taco salad, so really the only thing i had to cook was the chicken, which took longer to cut up than it did to actually cook. womp. however, it got good reviews, and all three of the boys had seconds, so that's always a good sign! to go with the taco salad, i had planned to make some fresh guacamole. i bought three avocados, not even bothering to look at the sticker that read "RIPE WHEN SOFT". needless to say, all three of the avocados where not only not soft, but they were straight up hard. i spent 30 minutes trying to get the flesh out of those avocados while cooking the chicken and wiping Chef Boyardee sauce out of Gee's eyes. fun fun! not. the escapade did make me think about my Granny Annie, who passed away last October after battling breast cancer.
she absolutely loved avocados. i used to turn my nose up every time she mentioned them, but now i absolutely love guacamole. i have yet to try avocado in non-guacamole, but it's probably cool, too. anyways, my Granny Annie was also a lover of all things beautiful. paper, cards, writing, quotes, verses... and she loved sunflowers, too. the last time i saw her alive was the Thursday before she died. she lived right around the corner, so i put Gee in the stroller and walked over there, just to visit for awhile. by that time, she wasn't eating very much, but she had me put some strawberries and sugar in a bowl, and put in on the table to sit awhile. honestly, i found the task to be a bit tedious, because i figured that she wasn't going to eat them anyway, but i did it anyway. when i came back into the living room, both Granny Annie and Gee were asleep, Gee in Granny Annie's lap. i kick myself daily because i didn't take a picture; i take pictures of almost everything, yet i have not one picture of Gee and Granny Annie together. not one. i just have to be satisfied with memories of the two of them, such as when Gee was just a few weeks old. Granny Annie told me that i should put a blanket on the surface of the play pen, because it might be cold to Gee. seeing as the surface was fabric, i thought it unnecessary, but since she insisted, i did it anyway.
memories of Gee and i driving Granny Annie to her radiation treatments, as she shared with us family history between the chest-rattling cough caused by fluid building up around her lungs. memories of Granny Annie holding Gee while i ate, and her giving me her meal to take to my brothers because she couldn't eat it. though i saw her condition deteriorate before my eyes, i always figured i would have more time with her, that Gee would have more time with her, that she would have more time with Gee. but she didn't. i didn't. which is why her memory must be kept alive. i will make sure that Gee knows that she had a Granny Annie who adored her, who watched her grow for the four short months she had with her. i think about her every day, especially when trying to make guacamole. or when i see a sunflower. or when i stop in the store to admire something that i would buy just because it's something pretty. while she may not be physically present, i feel my Granny Annie's spirit all of the time. as i go to the Relay for Life tonight, it will quite frankly suck to see the luminary with her name on it say "In Memoriam Of" instead of "In Honor Of" as it did just a year ago. but instead of getting depressed about her death, i will choose to celebrate her life. i love you, Granny Annie, and miss you soooo much.
me, Gee (still in-utero), and Granny Annie, prepping me to waddle across the stage [May 8, 2010] :)
and to think, this whole post originated from me trying to make some friggin' guacamole. :)
"It's just another manic Monday (oh-woe)
I wish it was Sunday (oh-woe)
'Cause that's my Funday (oh-woe)
My I don't have to runday (oh)
It's just another manic Monday." -Bangles
the chorus to this song runs through my mind just about every single Monday, especially since i've started working on a somewhat regular basis. i mean, really, whose Mondays are anything but manic? i know for Gee & i, it usually sucks having to get up early, run around making sure we're both ready to get out the door, think we're ready then forget that i still have to do *something* with Gee's hair [because it'd be a national disaster if she went to daycare with her hair all over her head, right Mom? lol]...yes, manic, manic Mondays are how we start off our week. in an effort to bring some order to counteract the chaos of this notorious weekday, i present to you "[not another] manic monday!", a concept born from two facts: today is Monday [and i was absolutely bored at work], and i have yet to finish my 30 Days of Lists. it's already been much longer than 30 days, so adding a couple of months won't hurt :) i will do my best to present a nice, orderly list with lots of wonderfully useless absolutely vital info about Gee & me. maybe next time i'll do it early enough for somebody to actually read it during the day on Monday... yeah right. anywho! here we go:
list#ELEVEN: "Date Night Ideas" [with Gee, of course!] ---> a stroll in the park. once Gee reaches the appropriate age, this will be followed by snow cones [weather permitting]. small watermelon with cream, please! :D ---> shopping! there is no age limit when it comes to retail therapy! ;) ---> at-home movie night. my Punkin loves TV; yes, i probably let her watch a bit too much. BUT, at least i'm getting better about reading to her at least once a day, so that makes up for all of the TV, right? at least Nick Jr. is commerical-free...LOL. ---> fro-yo while walking down Dickson St on a beautiful summer evening. ugh, can't wait to get back to Fayetteville, AR and THE University of Arkansas! ---> museums & mexican food. i love both, therefore Gee will, too. if she doesn't, well... she will! :)
do you have a special way of calming down your manic Mondays? let me know! until next time...
"it takes a village to raise a child." -African proverb
for part two of a reflection on my first mother's day, the quote above came to mind. i was browsing through today's Facebook shoutouts, which ranged from the simple "Happy Mother's Day!" to the lengthy "I just wanna take this time to thank my mama Dorothy Ray Sugar Pie Williams Jones Johnson who is responsible for every success and accomplishment in my life. I LOVE YOU MAMA! Oh yeah, and shoutout to grandma 'nem. Love ya'll too." LOL. what struck me though, as it does every year, were the many stati that made sure to recognize the single mothers who are "doing it alone". i thought about all of the single mothers i know, regardless of age, and i know that i can only speak for myself, but i can tell you that throughout this past [almost] year of raising my daughter, i have NOT been alone. am i married? definitely not. not even close. no boyfriend, beau, nothing. however, Gee and i are surrounded by her village: family, friends, mentors, associates... her village reaches across city, county, and state lines. although i plan on going to grad school five hours away from my parents and biological family, we have another family waiting for us when we get there. there may be a few exceptions, but i don't really think that any of us single mothers truly "do it alone". our support systems just don't begin with a significant other. they begin with our own mothers, and fathers, then reach out to our aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, and end with anyone we know who cares about our wellbeing and the wellbeing of our children. of course, i would love to eventually have a significant other to serve as a strong example of a father figure to my daughter. however, for now, my own father is doing an amazing job of filling that role. i suspect he'll continue to do so, even when [IF] that significant other comes into play. on this, my first mother's day, i give thanks to the Lord for everyone in Gee's village. because of you all, i am not doing it alone, nor will i ever have to. :)
by the way, i had a fab mother's day. i didn't do anything extravagant; i did receive some workout gear from the parentals. gotta love their support of my new workout plan :) i helped my daddy finish dinner prep and helped him clean the kitchen - after i woke up from my impromptu nap with Gee. my daddy and i worked as a team so that my mommy could hang out and relax in the bed: a luxury for a mother to three "energetic" [to put it nicely] boys plus a grown daughter [who can, admittedly, act like a spoiled brat sometimes...sorry :)]. my punkin went to bed relatively early, and as i write this, i'm enjoying a moderately-sized serving of Blue Bell's mint chocolate chip ice cream... it's the simple things that make a day special. i hope any other mothers reading this had a simply special mother's day, as well! until next time... :)
i remember "back in the day" when my sister and i had the "Soul Food" movie soundtrack on cassette (yes, i'm old enough to remember cassette tapes!); this is the only song i ever listened to. i would hit the rewind button over and over again until i fell asleep, committing this song to my memory and my heart. i don't know that i really *felt* the lyrics back then. as a matter of fact, i know i didn't. but as i approach my first mother's day, i totally get it.
i was going to break down how i can relate to every single lyric of this song, but i can't, because i'd be writing until Mother's Day 2012. just click on the words above to read all of the lyrics; they'll tell you how i feel. without my mama, there's no way i'd be able to be such a [hopefully] great mommy to my G*Baby. i remember making that phone call to her, all the potential scenarios running through my head: she'll disown me, she'll scream at me, she'll curse me out [even though she doesn't curse], she won't say anything, i'll never be able to come home again, i'll have to figure out this motherhood thing all by myself... but what did my mother do? pray and take action. that's probably one of the most important lessons i've learned from her: when facing a tough problem, pray first, then take action steps to solve it. crazy that it takes moving back home AFTER college to learn the most important life lesson of all...
although i'm more than ready to move OUT of her house [more on that later...lol], i'll be forever grateful that she let me back in while i adjusted to motherhood and sorted myself out this past year. of course, everyone with a great mom thinks their mom is the best, which is true for them. what's true for me is that my mother, S.J.W., is THE best mother in the ENTIRE history of mothers, hands down bar none, and i love Love LOVE her. love her. and in case you didn't get it the first three times, I LOVE MY MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! happy mother's day, madre. :)
[Mother's Day, Pt. 2 tomorrow: my thoughts on my 1st mother's day as a MOTHER! woot woot!]
"finished reading 'Finding Fish' by Antwone Quenton Fisher today. amazing story of an amazing life. makes me realize how cushiony my life is; IDK why i can't get it together. if this man, who should (according to statistics) be rotting in jail right now, can overcome his obstacles - which were, like, Mt. Kilimanjaro-sized - why can't i hop over my little baby ant mound-sized issues? it's like i just keep throwing myself in the mound and lettings those annoying little ants keep biting me. it stings, but not enough for me to get up and move." -LW
yeah, i wrote that. 6 months ago. why? because although i walked across the stage May 8, 2010, i wasn't finished. i had yet to even start on my senior paper. yes, one paper standing in the way of me and the MAJOR "piece of paper". is it finished now? yes. will i have a degree? yes. will it have "2010" on it? no, but does that matter? heck no. why? because the point is, I. Will. Have. A. Degree. is this mildly embarrassing? sure it is. i asked myself a million times how i could let one paper take me over a year to finish. answer: i wasn't ready to get up out of the ant mound yet. i found myself getting entirely too comfortable in this little town of mine. no rent to pay, no bills, easy job...the life, right? wrong. i had to remember who i was at the core - an overachieving, non-settling, get-up-and-goer who HATED life at home and who couldn't WAIT to get away - and that woman was slapping me upside the head constantly, screaming "Get It TOGETHER and Get Up OUTTA This Joint!!" when i finally got tired of her screaming and slapping, i got myself up out of the ant mound and picked off all of those little ants one by one: self-doubt, fear, lack of courage, laziness, sluggishness... away they all went as i made myself conquer that paper.
now, i'm [mostly] ant-free, and my degree will be in the mail this summer. not only that, but my application for grad school is completed and turned in. not only that, but i just got back yesterday from an interview for a graduate assistantship! i thought it was too late and that i'd be taking out student loans for the first time ever in life. however, as my amazing sister told me: "when people are meant to go places, they can't stay in our small town for very long, and you were meant to go places." talk about a triple-shot of confidence-boosting juice right there; love that girl! point is, she's right. i was meant to go places, and to those places i shall go. rather we, because where i go, Gee goes, as i have fervently stated before. *does cabbage patch* Go Lauren, Go Lauren. LOL. gotta hype myself up sometimes!
now, it's time to play the waiting game; pray, pray, and after you get finished, pray again for me, people! i need & appreciate it more than you know :)
i'm pretty sure my mom is sick of hearing about rainbow cupcakes. lol. as you *should* know, a certain G*Baby has her 1st MAJOR G*Day coming up in 1 month and 9 days! i've decided to make the "theme" Cupcakes & Rainbows, so i'll be baking rainbow cupcakes for the occasion. after talking about this for the fifth time in three or four days, my mom was finally like, "You know, I'll just buy her a cake and you won't have to go through all that trouble."
"But if I wanted to buy her a cake, I would buy it myself. I want to bake the cupcakes myself! I know I can buy her a cake...I don't want to."
i didn't really mean to put her on shut-mouth, but i low-key did. -sorry mom-. anyway, the point is, i really really want to be one of those moms who has the "to-die-for" home-baked goods. i may not have a floor you can eat off of, but you'll be so busy eating my cupcakes and brownies, you won't even notice....hehe. :D
excuse me, just had to fantasize about the future for a moment. but back to the present. i'm determined to serve these homemade rainbow cupcakes at G's birthday celebration. i found the recipe at tablespoon.com. what i did differently:
-used 5 colors instead of 6. you have no clue how long it takes to mix food coloring into batter inside of a ziploc bag until you actually start doing it. i ended up using a spoon, and it still took plenty of time.
-i didn't make the rainbow toppers. i didn't even frost the cupcakes (making them look like muffins, which is what my little brothers keep calling them. lol.); after all of the work it took to make 5 colors of batter and pour each color, one by one, into the cupcake tin?? pssht, i was tired. i'm just a rookie baker, remember, so i wasn't used to doing all of that! anyway, i know you're just itching to see how they turned out...even if you aren't, you're going to find out anyway!
the main dish!
some mini-cupcakes i made with the leftover batter.
my brother's way of letting me know that they were a hit! :)
they were pretty good; cream cheese frosting would've made them fanTASTIC :)
for a first attempt, they weren't too bad; however, cupcakes need frosting like pizza needs ranch dressing. therefore, on the next attempt, there will be frosting. and M&Ms or something. i may eventually get bold enough to try the rainbow toppers, but i'm aight with them for now. until next time! :)
