In this Sunday Funday Series, I share little tidbits and finds from my week that brought a smile to my face, in the hope that they’ll do the same to you!
1. Citrus Candy Corn Bundt Cake
As cute as candy corn looks, I can’t stand its chalky taste. So I wouldn’t miss out on the classic fall treat, I created my Citrus Candy Corn Bundt Cake instead! With the tempting flavors of lemon and orange, even my guy—who refuses a bite of every single thing I bake—devoured ¼ of the cake before I took a bite. ¼ of the cake! Yup, it’s just that good.
2. “Now You See Me”
Although I usually respond to comments and edit photos in the evenings, my guy popped the movie “Now You See Me” into the DVD player Tuesday night. I tend to stick to chick flicks and the occasional Disney movie, but this film literally glued me to my seat. It’s about four talented magicians pulling off one of the biggest tricks imaginable… But I won’t ruin the surprise. Grab some popcorn and watch it!
3. Virtual Coffee Dates
Annoyed by the two-hour drive between our houses, a close high school friend and I decided to hold weekly “virtual coffee dates” last month. We reach for the nearest mug, fill it with water (no point in caffeinating in the late afternoon!), and talk by FaceTime. It’s refreshing and rejuvenating to hear her encouragement. She works in a bakery (check out her blog!), so she’s really sympathetic to my recipe disasters like flat cakey cookies and sunken muffin tops!
4. Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes
The moment I saw these cupcakes by Jessica of Desserts With Benefits, I wanted to be her best friend. Or neighbor. Or official taste tester. A rich chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter and topped with fudgy chocolate peanut butter frosting, all for 170 calories?? Pass me three, please!
5. Online Shopping
With only one clothing store in town (that refuses to stock my size), I rarely go shopping. Instead, I sporadically browse a few online sites. After spotting sales at Kohl’s and Charlotte Russe—with free shipping for each!—I ordered five tops. And three hats. All for $60! When the Charlotte Russe package arrived, I started to grin. What girl doesn’t love being called gorgeous? (That top was actually from Kohl’s though!)
6. Running Buddy
On my Thursday morning run, I passed by a blonde woman who called out a pleasant greeting. Despite never jogging with anyone before, I slowed a bit to continue the conversation. Although closer to my parents’ age, she shared that she worked three jobs, owned three cats, and just returned from a cruise with 48 girlfriends. And she runs 5.2 miles at a time. All with a smile on her face. What a beautiful inspiration!
7. Cake Decorating with Craftsy
Both Stefani of Cupcake Project and Alexandra of Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker wrote a review of a free Craftsy class called “Modern Buttercream” this week. (Here’s Stefani’s and Alexandra’s.) They gave it two thumbs (spatulas?) up, without a single negative remark, and posted photos of their gorgeous cakes. Since the class is free, I really want to check it out—and the basic fondant one too!
8. My Brother to the Rescue!
My computer refused to restart on Friday. It flashed an error screen with the word “PANIC” typed one too many times for comfort, so I did just that and texted my brother. Help help help! He immediately sent back the fix, which saved the day. Hooray for computer savvy family members! While waiting the 6 ½ hours for the computer to reinstall software, I did what any food blogger would do: I baked cookies!
9. Ohio State Marching Band
As I confessed with these donuts and these cookies, I was a band geek. I marched all four years in high school, mainly playing the flute (but doubling on alto/bari saxes, oboe, English horn, and piccolo). One of my old coworkers, a fellow ex-marcher too, emailed me this video of the Ohio State Marching Band. Watch carefully around minute 4:21—they bring the moonwalk to a whole new level!
10. Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats
I know I just said in #1 that my guy refuses everything I bake, but… He loves rice krispie treats. And will eat the entire pan as soon as I finish a photo shoot. Last year, he saved almost all of these Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats for himself… I think it’s time to make him another batch before Halloween hits!
Cyndi says...
Wow! On many levels. And agreed, moonwalk to a whole new level. Thank you to The Ohio State Marching Band!
Amy says...
They’re a talented group of musicians! If only our field shows could’ve been that creative… Would’ve made Saturday reviews a little more exciting!
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says...
LOVE this all. FaceTime coffee dates are the best, aren’t they? 🙂
Amy says...
Thanks Kammie! Yes, FaceTime coffee dates are amazing. I wonder what we did before the internet and iPhones?…
Brittany says...
YOU ARE SO CUTE it killlsss mee!! I love your idea of a virtual coffee date, we should totally do that…AH! Maybe in the morning sometimes so we can really drink coffee!! All your candy corn themed goodies are inspiring me to attempt a vegan candy corn recipe I have had stashed on Pinterest for almost a year now! AH!
Amy says...
YES! YES YES YES!! We should TOTALLY do a virtual coffee date! And we can do it any time of day — I just restocked my decaf supply. 😉 I hope you post your vegan candy corn recipe on your blog. It sounds like a really fun kitchen adventure!
Andrea says...
Hahahahahahahaa… that picture KILLS me! Oh, well. Ok, I saw a suggestion to watch that marching band video on Youtube, and I wondered how a MARCHING band got into the top suggestions, but now I see why. Too freakin’ awesome!! And cute top! You are brave to shop online- I’m always afraid it won’t fit me right or I won’t like it once I get it home!
Amy says...
Doesn’t the video bring back all our marching band days?? I wish we could’ve had a field show as fun as that! For online shopping, I mainly browse through stores I’ve previously been to in person so I have an idea of how the clothes will fit, but I’m not always successful! 😉 I really like how it takes less time than driving to the store and finding what I want on the racks. (And I almost always wait until shipping is free!)
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker says...
Thanks for mentioning my cake post Amy! Your comments are always the sweetest! Also, I totally love the chick flicks too, but I thought Now You See Me was awesome. 🙂
Amy says...
You’re welcome Alexandra! You’re incredibly talented — I’m still in awe over your last two cake posts. I wish I had your talent!