what a saint

saint cupcake is simply amazing. i have never had more delicious cream cheese frosting in my entire life. and the coconut cupcake is to die for. i still need to try their red velvet, but i'm sold. deeeeeelish.

btw - have you seen cuter packaging?

an evening on the water

i must preface by saying how bummed i am that our camera battery died before we could take any pictures of our friday night adventure . . . thanks for the photos, david b. at yelp.

the hubs arranged an amazing friday night date. we drove out to sauvie island, hopped on a friend's boat, and cruised down the multnomah channel to mark's on the channel. we parked the boat right at the dining pier, and watched the sun set over the water, while dining on amazing saganaki, pasta, and carrot cake. i can't imagine a better way to spend a friday evening. thanks, hubs!!

slate

i'm pretty sure i NEED this dress. daaaah-ling.

cheeeeeese

i ordered this today. can't wait for it to get here.

the one. the only.

dear h.j. heinz -

please allow me to thank you for being a genius. thanking you is simply not enough, but i fear that i do not have to the words to express my gratitude to you for creating the best. ketchup. ever.

although my love handles and thunder thighs might not appreciate my insatiable desire for your perfect condiment, i can't help but often satiate my cravings for your ketchup, most frequently complimented by fries or burgers.

my taste buds owe you a lifetime satisfaction.

always your loyal consumer,

miss rikki

(1957 heniz ad recreated in 2008 by don henderson)

d'oh!

turns out it really isn't good to drink too much soda.

i want to live . . .

here. saw this house in bend over the weekend. amazing.

(photos from john l. scott)

yes, more cupcakes . . .

i spent a good chunk of time yesterday baking cupcakes from scratch. the hubs liked the sweet lemon with raspberry buttercream better, but i liked the red velvet with extra creamy cream cheese frosting. both recipes still need tweaking, though. suggestions?

one sweet day

i'm feeling a bit nostalgic tonight. the hubs and i are in bend, oregon for the weekend: we're hitting the lake and the trails - what a blast! but the gorgeous mountain surroundings reminds me of lake arrowhead where we got married. here's a picture of us on our big day . . .

i am a chicken shit

i am so thoroughly disappointed in myself.

despite the incredibly empowering decision i made last month to quit my job, i am staying. inside my head, i'm kicking and screaming, trying to talk my logical self into realizing that this job is absolutely murdering my will to live. with each and every un-stimulating moment i spend glued to the computer, this job is eroding my intelligence. pleeeeeease quit! pleeeeeeeeease!

yet, my logical mind prevails. sure, we can afford for me to not work for a little while, but what if i can't find another job? i have been looking steadily for several months, and haven't had a single nibble. not-a-one. apparently, the portland market is one of the five worst in the nation for finding a job right now. and a job that pays the nearly 80k i make now? yeah, not so much.

i don't want to be this logical person. i want to live carefree. i want to disregard the bills and the loans, and do what makes me happy. isn't that what life is about, after all? not real life. real life sometimes means doing what you don't want to do so that one day, you'll be able to do what you want to do. i'm just tired of waiting for that one day. and scared that it may never get here.