cupcake making

About these mini cupcakes:

1. I have led myself on many guilt trips over the years about using the boxed big-brand cake mixes at the supermarket. But not today. I actually made these from scratch. (Yay me!) And I know it's kind of a cliche when people say, "It was so easy I'll never use the boxed (bagged, frozen, etc.) again," but these were good. And easy. And everything I needed I already had in my pantry. Find the recipe here.

2. Also, I bought an all natural icing mix to try. Pretty proud of myself for this one. You see, I really believe in using all natural ingredients, and eating organic as much as possible, but sometimes it seems impossible with 2 kids! I'm tired, I'm mentally exhausted, and I just want the quickest thing I can grab. Great thing is, this mix is easy. Perfect, I'll take it.

Here are the frosting details: Naturally Nora Extraordinary Vanilla Frosting Mix via Whole Foods. The verdict: yummy :) Easy to make, tastes good, and I'll be trying more of these mixes.

3. I was feeling pretty good about myself up to this point, but then I kind of crashed. I had hoped to come up with some brilliantly cute decorating idea, but then I reached for the old colored sprinkles and let the girls shake away. I needed a mental rest. They're still cute, just not extraordinary, and we're just going to eat them, right? At least that's what I'm telling myself.