Talk, Talk, Talk

So bug has started talking...well in a manner of speaking.

She just non stop babbles & coos. She loves to hear her own voice.

I've been told that means she's going to be a singer...HAA! Not if she's related to me.

But regardless it's insanely adorable.

I'm beginning to think she's part parrot. Anytime she hears a noise or sound she latches on to it like her life depends on it and repeats and repeats and repeats it.

This past week she's been imitating a dinosaur "Ra...Raaaa...RAAAAA" 24/7...Don't believe me?

I managed to catch some of it on Video while mommy and daddy were out shopping.

Sometimes I just want to squeeze her she's so flippin cute. But then I remind myself that a year from now I'll be missing the silent voiceless baby.

I suppose that's what to be expected when you have a girl.

And considering I never shut the eff up I suppose I'm even more screwed.

But for now, I will be enjoying these adorable little ramblings.

The Photoshop Difference

Alright. We need to have an honesty moment please.

The last 36 hours I have been TIRELESSLY searching the internet for tutorials and anything I could get my hands on in regard to how to understand Elements.

Because to me right now, it's the equivalent of reading chinese.

Forrealz.

SO. This smart mama came across the most wonderful website on the face of this earth. The CoffeeShop Blog is run by Rita, my savior.

She so easily explained how to set up actions (for the photoshop learning impaired and NON impaired), to my make life a hell of a lot easier. Her actions and presets are FREE and STUNNING.

So I did a bit of a test with a few old pictures and and a new one tell me if you like the photoshop difference.

This is the first original picture of Bug, pre edited (and a sneak peek of a bit more of the crochet giveaway I have coming up) :

This is edited with the program I was using:

Now WITH Photoshop:

There are things like definitely like about each picture but the depth of the picture from photoshop is what really draws me.

Now for an oldie.

Original:

My Old Editing Program:

Now Photoshop:

And in Black and White:

I LOVE using actions, they're so easy to use!

Does anyone have any favorite free actions websites or actions in general they love?!

Share away!

Delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes

Sometimes Mommy shouldn't drink while baking.

I don't know what it is but somehow I always manage to eff it up.

Like remember that time I promised you a Recipe . Yea...I may have had a glass of wine or two while attempting to make that abomination of a dessert as well.

Now here's the awesome thing about baking. It's REALLY REALLY hard to screw it up ...AND have it taste terrible.

Unless it is over-cooked or you used an abundance of one ingredient like 57 eggs instead of 3. But for the most part, you add a bit more oil, it'll be more moist, you add a bit more chocolate...well lezbehonest that's not an issue...It's more with your everyday cooking that'll really screw you over. Too much salt...too much garlic...too much hot pepper flake...all bad..very very bad.

So now I'm sure you're asking yourself what the hell it was I actually did...

Welppp, I added too much of the one ingredient that Paula Deen holds dearest to her heart.

Butter.

So how much did I add?

A half a stick.

Not bad you say to yourself...how much did it call for in the recipe?

Well...therein lies the issue.

None.

Not even a little.

So where the hell did I come up with the idea of putting the butter in?

Well, if you ask me the box is stupid.

And to a perfectly coherent person it's probably fairly easy to comprehend, but when you've had a little to drink and you're excited at the prospect of eating red velvet cupcakes...when read quickly the directions can be misconstrued.

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

The FROSTING requires a half a stick of butter, because somebody had their wheaties the morning they decided at the Duncan Hines meeting that they were going to INCLUDE frosting in this particular box.

GENIUS.

AND it had a fancy frosting bag so I could get all badass cupcake-decorator on those suckers.

Now normally adding butter to something isn't necessarily a bad idea.

Except for the fact that recipe already called for a bunchhhh of oil. And generally speaking in terms of baking a recipe will call for EITHER butter or oil..not both.

So I then proceeded to follow the rest of the recipe accurately.

I threw them into the oven, crossed my fingers, and prayed to the cupcake gods that I didn't just totally eff up my glorious dessert.

When the timer sounded I half expected them to be these gloppy nasty oily red blob things. But they were perfectly formed cupcakes.

Still skeptical I waited for them to cool (which was nearly impossible mind you) and frosted them.

I tasted the first one with my eyes closed like I was about to ingest a live bomb and you know what?

It wasn't half bad, in fact, it was tasty. Really tasty. Moist...a little rich, but definitely tasty.

I've discovered I actually LIKE the taste of butter in it. Would I add that much? Oh hell no.

But what I'm proposing is cutting the recommended amount of oil and adding a quarter stick of butter.

These would make DELICIOUS moist not too oily or rich, buttery yummy cupcakes.

Yum Yum!

Try it with your favorite cupcake recipes and tell me what you think!