Homemade Carrot Cupcakes

I decided to clean out my garden last week - pull all of the dead stuff, prune the veggies that still had some life left and pull all veggies that were ready to be eaten. This means I was left with a TON of carrots. I've been pulling carrots all season - eating them when I needed them, but I didn't even put a dent in them. 

That one carrot on the far right was bigger around than some of the cucumbers I grew!

So naturally, I needed something to do with all of these carrots. Since my dad was going to be visiting, and both of my parents LOVE carrot cake, I decided to make some carrot cupcakes - from scratch - with home grown carrots.

I've done this once before - shredded the carrots by hand - NOT FUN. But I got a food processor for my birthday last year, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get some use out of it!

Took 4 minutes to complete this shred - about 1.5 hours faster than the manual way.

I used a recipe I found from a google search - you can find it HERE. The thing I love about this recipe is the fact that it only makes 12 cupcakes. So if you don't want to have a ton of cupcakes, this is perfect. It also calls for plain yogurt which adds a bunch of moisture. 

All of the ingredients needed for the cupcake - not including the carrots. 

On a side note - do NOT buy this kind of baking soda if you are planning to use it for baking. When I saw it at the store I was super excited because it actually closed back up and SEALED. Well, as you can see it's not exactly easy to pour the soda into the measuring spoon. Most importantly, you can't get the lid off at all! So I end up having to pour it out over the sink and I have a lot of waste - time to go back to the good old box variety. 

So, you mix together your dry ingredients and set them aside. Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and once they are combined stir in your shredded carrots. Then gradually add the dry ingredients making sure they are completely combined before adding more. 

                  

Once everything is mixed together, divide the batter evenly in a 12 cupcake pan (make sure to line the pan first!) 

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. Insert a toothpick to determine if they are done. Once it comes out clean you're good to go (I check everything at about 20 mins, and pull them out when the toothpick isn't COMPLETELY clean, because I like a moister cupcake)

Transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool 100% before frosting. The frosting recipe is on the link I posted above. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of me making the frosting - my dad showed up in town around that time, and I was completely distracted. I do have a picture of the final product - very delicious! 

I used a super large frosting tip, and just put the frosting in a ziplock that I cut the corner out of. This way, when I was done I pulled out the frosting tip, and throw the bag away. There is nothing worse than cleaning out those reusable frosting bags - yuck!

Let me know if you try out this recipe and if you like it!! 

First Buckeye Game of the Season (for me)

I finally made it to my first Ohio State game over the weekend. Typically I go to the home opener, but things have been pretty crazy this fall. I had to BEG my dad not to give away the Wisconsin tickets. First Big Ten game, night game in the Shoe - I had to be there. 

I LOVE going to the games with my dad - there really isn't anyone I would rather go with. He went to Ohio State too, so he gets it. He gets goosebumps when the band marches in. He gets that overwhelming feeling in his heart when Carmen Ohio plays. And most importantly, he gets a cheesy grin on his face and usually gives me a big hug. This is rare for my dad, but Ohio State is our thing. We are the only two in the family that graduated and have a true love for the Buckeyes. 

Cheerleaders marching in right before the team. Backwards OHIO because we are on the "wrong" side of the stadium.

We started tailgating early - I was very careful to pace myself so I would make it through the entire game. It was nice to have so much time because my dad knows a lot of people who have tailgates, so we always have a lot of stops. This time we could actually spend some time at each of them.

No idea what kind of car this was, but he LOVED it. 

We got into the stadium early and watched warm-ups and the band march in (that honestly might be one of the greatest things ever). And we got a Script Ohio before the game - which always gets the crowd fired up!

Always strange to see the lights up - Ohio Stadium doesn't have permanent ones!

Dad and I sitting in the grass at our last tailgate - enjoying a hog roast before walking back to the stadium.

It was a LONG day, but it was worth it. Dad and I both had a blast, and the Buckeyes won! It was a pretty good game from a spectator standpoint too. Because OSU is so large, and because they make the RVs tailgate WAY out by the baseball fields, I think we walked 7 or 8 miles on Saturday. Dad and I both agreed it was good for us - we burned off all the junk we ate (not to mention the alcohol). It was HOT out for a late September game, but it was awesome. 

I don't get to spend much time one-on-one with my dad, and it always makes me a little sad when I realize how amazing he is, and how little time we spend together. And at 6:30 Sunday morning he was up and out my door by 8AM headed two and a half hours north where my parents live. 

I then plopped my butt on the couch and did NOTHING for the majority of the day. That was pretty nice too - overall a great weekend!

Any other Buckeye fans out there? Anyone else enjoy some college football this weekend?

5 on Friday

Linking up today for my first 5 on Friday - link up with Darci to join in on the fun!

{ONE}  I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's night game in The Shoe with my daddy. We haven't been to a game yet this season, and this will be a GREAT game! Plus, I haven't spent any quality time with my dad in a LONG time. I'm just hoping I'm still awake by the end of the game - getting old sucks!

{TWO}  I picked up some new drawing pens yesterday, and I can't wait to start using them. In order to use them I would need to find some time to draw. Well I've decided I'm going to MAKE that time. 

{THREE}  What is with Columbus traffic lately?! In the past two days I have been stuck in more traffic than I have in the past two months. I'm very glad my daily drive is away from all of the traffic. If I had to deal with this on a daily basis I would need some high blood pressure medicine - I don't know how you big city people do it!

{FOUR}  Have you checked out Kiki La'Rue yet?? I'm well on my way to becoming a Kiki La'Rue Addict. The clothes are well made, and CUTE for us plus sized girls. Shipping is super quick and customer service is the best. I currently have a store credit and I can't decide for the life of me what to get!

{FIVE}  I'm excited to blog next week, and I've made my first ever "blog plan." If you are an extreme type A like me, you understand the importance of a list. Now that it's on a list it will happen. I have a few projects I've been working on that are finally complete so I will finally be sharing before and afters. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Fall is Here

I can't believe how gorgeous it is outside today, and I feel yucky!

I'm wondering if most of it has to do with the fact that I slept with my bedroom window open for the past 2 nights, letting the amazing cool air flow in. . . right into my sinuses. Probably didn't help that I did yard work yesterday for a few hours too. Although the allergist says I don't have "fall allergies" I'm def feeling something!!


Anyway - I put up my fall decor over the weekend. Didn't do much outside yet, but got the inside looking very fall-like. Now all I can think about is watching Halloween movies and making chili! Anyone remember Hocus Pocus? It's one of my all time favorite Halloween movies! The possibility of me watching this in the next week is VERY high.

A few pictures of my fall decor:

My mantle. As I was looking through pictures on my phone I realized I had last year's picture of my mantle, and stunningly they are almost identical. What can I say - I know what I like!

Owl bag that I always use to pass out candy to the kids. And my front door - def something lacking there. I've got to find something better, but at least I have something up for now.

And that's all I have for today - like I said, allergies are kicking my butt today. Are you ready for fall? What is your favorite part of fall??

Writing Again . . .

Well if any followers are left (not that I think I had any to begin with), I'm going to start writing and posting again!

As always, things have been a little crazy, and unfortunately some not-so-good things happened within my family. Everyone is OK, but it was a rough few weeks. And, as those days were never ending and miserably unhappy, I've come to realize that I really do enjoy writing. I don't know if I'm good at it or really what to write, but I'm going to make a dedicated effort to this little blog. 


So, I'm going to recap my last work trip - a trip to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio to recruit!!

It's not Ohio State, but it's still fun to get out of the office and be back on campus! Plus, I get to see some co-workers that I don't see very often. And more than anything, I enjoy talking to all of the young energetic kids ready to enter the workforce (boy I feel OLD). 

(Yes, this is what we did for 4 hours Wednesday afternoon)

Not going to lie, the highlight of the trip is ALWAYS Bagel and Deli

                                 

And I got to eat there twice! And most importantly, I tried something new. 

I'm not only one of the pickiest eaters, but I'm always SUPER nervous to try new things when I'm traveling for fear they will upset my stomach. But I made a great choice because it was delicious and I had no tummy troubles. 

Back to the grind today, but very much enjoyed the 2 day break to be "at college" again.

If you are a follower, stay tuned, because I WILL stay committed this time and blog on a regular basis. Enjoy the weekend!! 

30 Years Old

I don't know why 30 is bothering me so much, but it is.

As I write this, it's only 9:59PM on August 4th, and I'm not 30 yet. . . . I wasn't born until 11:04 at night. So I've still got an hour, and for whatever reason, it means a lot to me. 

I feel like at 30 years old I should be a lot further than where I am right now. Don't get me wrong - I have a fantastic life, and I'm doing very well. It's just not where I thought I would be.

I never wanted children, and I still don't, so I'm not sitting here thinking my child bearing years are passing me by. But I am sitting here thinking I'm missing out on something because I don't have anyone to spend my life with. I don't have that person who means everything to me. That person who understands, and experiences everything with me. 

And honestly, I'm not where I thought I would be with my career. Where did I think I would be? I have absolutely no idea. But I do know I never thought I would be where I am. And again, where I am isn't a bad place, it's just not where I thought I would be. 

I guess the real issue is that I don't know what I want to do with my life. And maybe (most definitely)  I'm disappointed in myself for not knowing the answers. And I'm disappointed in myself for not going for what I WANT and instead taking the safe way out.

And since this is in NO way the safe way out, I'm spilling my guts and getting it out there. Maybe tomorrow when I wake up and I'm 30 I will have more answers. 

Who Am I??

I can not believe it's been over 2 weeks since my last post. I knew it had been awhile, but I had no idea it was that long! Life has been crazy. My family has too many birthdays between July and August. . . . 

So, since I really haven't blogged much at all yet, I figured I might as well link up and tell the wonderful Internet about me. Because - why not?

So today is Part one of the linkup with Kimmyyyyy.




Lots of questions, but only 5 today. Keep coming back to find out more - I hope you are ready to find out a little bit about me!
1. List 20 random facts about yourself. 1. I am a Superman freak. HUGE fan since I've been about 10. 2. I was in a dog attack when I was 6. I couldn't even be around a dog on a leash without freaking out. Thankfully my parents decided to get us a puppy to help me with my fear, and now I am a dog lover. 3. I had a baby tooth until I was 24. And then I had to get braces to pull down my permanent tooth. 4. My childhood home was on a golf course. I have been golfing since I've been 6 and I'm not too bad. I just really don't enjoy it. 5. I don't like chocolate - I'll eat a few things covered in chocolate, but ask me to eat a bar of solid chocolate and I'm out. 6. I'm left handed. So are my brother and sister. Both of my parents are right handed. 7. I played water polo in college for Ohio State. 8. I would always rather go to a local hole in the wall bar. 9. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. Absolutely refuse. 10. Once I go to a restaurant and find something I like, I will order the same thing every. single. time. from there on out. 11. I will not eat bananas or mashed potatoes because of the consistency. 12. I would give my right arm to have a nice in ground pool in my backyard.

13. I have generalized panic disorder. Basically, I get anxiety attacks a lot :[ 14. I could eat pizza every meal of every day. 15. I have never put a cigarette in my mouth. 16. Although you may think my favorite moves are Superman, they are actually the Back to the Future Trilogy.  17. My brother is 12 years older than me. And he along with my sister-in-law gave me the coolest nephew and niece ever. 18. I HATE mowing the lawn, or doing any kind of yard work for that matter. But I'm also OCD and insist it look perfect. 19. My dream job is to write children's books. 20. I can't for the life of me go to bed if I have dirty feet. If I walk around barefoot for 2 mins, I have to wash my feet before crawling into bed. 

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears. 1. Throwing up. I don't know why but I have a serious fear of throwing up in a public place. I didn't have an unfortunate childhood experience, but for some reason I act like I did. 2. Flying in an airplane. Well, not really. I fear being locked in an airplane with lots of gross germy people. Give me and empty plane and I'm good to go.  3. Waking up to find my dog dead next to me. Unfortunately I discovered my childhood dog laying dead on the floor one morning. Since my current dog sleeps in my bed, I have an extreme fear of waking up in the morning and touching him only to discover him cold and lifeless :( Yes, when I wake up in the middle of the night I make sure he is breathing. 

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.  I don't have a spouse, so I can't answer this one. Don't even have a boyfriend right now! I can only hope my relationship is loving and caring and open.

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.  1. You will finally get kissed. Don't worry about being the only one who hasn't been kissed yet - it's worth the wait. 2. You are SUPER skinny - please wear a bikini and stop wearing you swim team one piece! 3. Grow out your bangs. 4. Don't be so mean to your mom - she is an amazing person and an even better friend. 5. Become closer with your sister - you don't need to push her away now that you are in high school. She will ALWAYS be there for you. 6. DON'T STOP SWIMMING. Yeah you still have 2 years of high school left, and you will swim a little in college as you play water polo, but don't EVER stop. Swimming is your perfect therapy.  7. Cherish your nephew's young years - he grows up way to quick! 8. NEVER stop being your own person. 9. Enjoy being 100% taken care of.   10. Wear more sunblock! At almost 30 years old you will fear skin cancer because of all the time you spent in the sun unprotected. 

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?  1. My mules (Stephanie speak for my pets - Cooper the Cocker, Kal-El the short hair cat, and Luthor the long hair cat).

2. My family. 3. Cool evenings that make sitting on the patio perfect. 4. My amazing co-workers. 5. An ice cold Bud Select.
Thanks for reading - make sure to link up with Kimmyyyyy and come back later for more about me!! (And I will try to have more pics next time)