It's cupcake time again. I have been a cupcake making fool. Here are the newest ones.

Irish Coffee- Coffee cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream frosting



Extreme Vanilla w/ Vanilla bean Sea Salt- Vanilla butter cake with a vanilla bean frosting topped with a sprinkling of vanilla bean infused sea salt.



Jungle Boogie- Banana cupcake with peanut butter chips topped with fudge frosting and rolled in crushed macadamia nuts.





Peanut Butter On My Chocolate!- Chocolate cupcake with a a Reese's peanut butter cup baked inside topped with peanut butter frosting and drizzled with a chocolate ganache.




I also made an Italian Creme Cupcake, but forgot to get pictures. That one was a white cake with coconut and chopped pecans and covered in a Cream Cheese frosting. So good!

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“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson





I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend.

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I have to take this opportunity to brag about my fabulous friend Rachel who was the first friend I made when I came to Alabama. I'll back up a bit. Back in 2002 we were working as preschool teachers. We met and hit it off immediately over a shared love of books, cheesy movies, music, and food and wine. She makes me laugh everytime I'm with her and I love her to death. I'm bragging about her today because she did something that she had wanted to do for a long time. In the very near future she will be a published author! She wrote a book that made publishing editors swoon and they snatched her talented little self up. I am immensely proud of her for following her dreams and taking that huge scary step from safety and security to total uncertainty. She made it happen for herself and soon she will see that dream come to fruition. So Rachel, I would just like to say that you are amazing and immensely talented and there is no one I would rather watch Xanadu with than you. (Mainly because you're the only one who gets it besides me.)

That being said, all of this has really made me think about my life. How many things have I dreamed of only to tell myself that it was ONLY a dream and that nothing would come of it. The truth is that I am the only one that can make my dreams a reality. If I don't put myself out there and make an effort my dreams will remain just that, vague memories of something bizarre and great that gets lost in the haze of waking.
The thing is, my friends success hits home because of the fact that I write things all the time. I get ideas and jot them down, but I never finish them. She did. She succeeded. So I have made the decision to finish what I have already started. I am dusting off my old dreams and making an effort to turn them into reality. Even if I never become a published author, isn't success defined by trying?

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As some of you may know my uncle is married to Chimene Diaz. We are grieving today for the loss of Emilio Diaz father of Chimene and Cameron Diaz. He passed away yesterday morning due to complications of the flu that turned into pneumonia. We are shocked because he was such a vibrant, healthy man. I spoke with my grandfather this morning and he says they are all taking it pretty hard. He was such a nice man. He loved his family fiercely and there is nothing he wouldn't do for his family and friends. A more down to earth man you'd never met.
It just makes me think how precious our time on this earth is. We never know what may happen to any of us at any given time. Life is so unpredictable and fragile and we need to seize opportunities to love and express those feelings to people that mean so much to us.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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My very lovely-impatient(hehe)-friend Rachel tagged me for this. She knows everything about me so this is nothing new, but for anyone else...
Here’s the game:

You’re feeling: Satiated. Just ate thai food for lunch. YUM!

To your left: My Diet Cherry Pepsi on ice.

On your mind: All of the organizing I want to do at home.

Last meal included: Chicken and rice noodles in a peanut sauce.

You sometimes find it hard to: STAY organized!

The weather: COLD! I had on shorts a few days ago, and now I am in a sweater with the heat on. Wierd Alabama weather.

Something you have a collection of: Perfume and body sprays. Its a sickness. If it smells good I want it.

A smell that cheers you up: Wood smoke. Makes me think of autumn. Mmm...(Same! Love it!)

A smell that can ruin your mood: Old lady perfume

How long since you last shaved: 2 days ago.

The current state of your hair: Dark brown, clean, and up in barettes.

The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): My 4 stacking file holders.

Your skill with chopsticks: Awesomely good.

Which section do you head for first in a bookstore: Historical fiction

Something you’re craving: Cake

Your general thoughts on the presidential race: Sigh. (I second that!)

How many times have you been hospitalized this year: None!

Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: My room. I have a nice blue chair and ottoman next to the window and my books.

You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: actress

Something that freaks you out a little: When my son pops his wrists and knuckles. He knows it makes me cringe. The booger.

Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: chicken

You have never: gotten a tattoo

You never want to: Get a tattoo


I'm tagging...anyone who wants to do this.

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I bought a book called Organization for Dummies last week. I can't find it anywhere now.

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Thank you so much to everyone who has lent me words of support and for all the Happy Birthday wishes. They are all greatly appreciated. I can't even tell you how much it all means to me. I am so grateful for all of you.

My birthday, as far as birthdays go lately, was ok. Ok, I lied. It was fraught with minor problems that I just had to let go(after a minor freak out). After work my mom took me out to dinner and I had the Chicken Marsala. Hello garlic mashed potatoes! Shortly thereafter ,as we were paying the check, I had a glass of very cold water accidentally dumped on me by a 2 yr old looking for "ICE LICIA!" Then on my way home my mom calls and tells me I have a brake light out. Rather than chance it I head to the auto parts store,buy a light and finagle an employee to help me replace it. Crisis averted. I head home and realize I haven't had cake on my birthday. Unacceptable. I start to get ingredients together when my son informs me that he locked my keys inside the car. My only set of car keys. OK THEN. I minorly freak out before I realize that I have roadside assistance with my insurance so I make the call. As I waited for the tow truck guy I made Italian Creme Cake cupcakes. I ate 2 before he got there. I deserved it! Boy oh boy....34 is shaping up to be a VERY interesting year. I may want to go back to 33. Geesh!

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If you can call turning 34 happy. Lol Oh well...another year gone by...another year to look forward to. And I AM looking forward to it. Time is precious and goes fast. Enjoy the ride.
Knock a couple back for me. It's Monday..you deserve it.

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The last few weeks have been a personal hell. Allow me to explain.

If you have read this blog for awhile you might know that my son Colin has Attention Deficit Disorder-Inattentive type, not hyperactive. He was diagnosed last October and started on medication. At that time his grades were failing and his teachers intervened and made we aware and this led to his subsequent diagnosis of ADD. They arranged what is called B.B.S.S.T which is where the teachers and counselors get together and discuss his strengths and weaknesses and what they can do to help him succeed by offering help to him. It worked. His grades shot up and the medication was helping him focus.Everything seemed much better.
Over the past 2 months I noticed his grades dropping again and also his general mood had changed at home. He was moodier, angrier, sadder, worried, and anxious. Put simply, he was not the same kid. I started getting notes home about absent homework and classwork unfinished. I quizzed my son only to find out that he was not getting the help in the classroom like he was before. I sent numerous e-mails to his teachers asking that he continue to get "extra" help as he had not quite gotten to the point where he could do it himself. All I got were replies that said he was getting a zero grade for missing work because of their "no late work accepted" policy. Really? In the 4th grade??!? Colin was getting worse with every passing week. His asst. principal called him into her office and told him if he didn't "shape-up" he would fail 4th grade. I was not aware of this meeting and all it did was add to his anxiety. I was furious. His doctor was informed and his medication tweaked. Meanwhile I tried to figure all of this out. I called the school and spoke with the counselor who informed me that they had taken him off of the B.B.S.S.T. team because he was doing better and din't think he needed it.She admitted that they should not have done that. I was not pleased nor was I informed because if I had been I would have flatly refused. Just because he is on medication does not mean he is cured. All of it together should work as support for one another to help him succeed. They took away the help he needed and as a result he is failing. I think the school failed him. I liken it to removing his life preserver in rough waters where he is still learning to dog paddle.
I am so upset. I am tired of watching my child fall into a depression. I am tired of hearing him say he hates school. I am tired of holding him while he sobs because he "just can't do it". Don't get me wrong. I am there for him, but I am tired of school being the cause of all of this. As a result he is now temporarily on anti-depressants to get him over this hurdle. It was with a heavy heart that I finally submitted to that.
As for me, I can't sleep. I find the easiest tasks tiring and some things have taken a back seat because its all I can do to drag myself out of bed to make it to work. I feel like I am drowning. I need peace, and sleep, and for my son to be ok. My mind races with the possibilities of where his despondency might take him. It is scary and upsetting. All the while I put on a smile for my child and stay strong for him because he needs me, but all I really want to do is hug my pillow and cry in a heap of blankets.

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I'm alive. I'm just going through some stuff right now that's kicking my butt. I am tired. I can't get Un-tired. I will write more about it later. I hope everyone is well and enjoying the spring weather.

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