Oy Vey!

HOLY.  MONDAY.

What. A. Day....

Let's just say I was thrilled when yesterday was over.  It was just all-around stressful.

& that's about all I have to say about THAT!


How was your weekend?!  Mine was absolutely divine.  I feel like I've had a common-theme lately of saying my weekends were just what I needed...  But it's true!  I have a habit of getting sick around this time of year so, this year, I've taken a proactive approach.  I've purposely planned more down-time for myself {yes, down-time is something I have to plan...  with spreadsheets...  okay, that last part is just a joke...  maybe?}.  I've deliberately forced myself to spend more of my time off just relaxing and getting plenty of rest.  So far, so good!  No sickness yet.  That may be due to the fact that it's September and still in the nineties here every day...  Never mind that!  We will just pretend like my self-driven sickness prevention program is working its magic....

Friday was a fun night, as I agreed to babysit a few kids I watched while in college!  I started babysitting this family when the oldest was just 1.5 and the next oldest was just 3 months old...  Now the family has FOUR kids, and the oldest is now 7.  I can hardly believe it!  The most fun part is that I held down the fort and watched the kids while mommy was at the hospital for her scheduled c-sections with babies #3 & 4.  This is enough to make me feel ancient!  I love that the kids whose diapers I once changed are now reading, holding intelligent conversations with each other, and would rather watch The Cosby Show than anything else on earth.  God love them!  E, the oldest, stopped what she was doing this weekend, looked at me so intently, and said "Hey, Katie?  I'm SO glad you came to babysit us!"  Melt.  My.  Heart.  These kiddos' daddy is the dentist who will be putting on my braces next Monday and they said they think that means they'll get to see me more often.  Love them!  So, Friday night was spent playing, watching good ol' Bill Cosby, and reading books while mommy and daddy went on a fun surprise date - dinner & a drive-in movie!

Saturday morning I went to our team WOD at CrossFit VB, and almost died.  Thrusters are NOT my friends!  That afternoon I spent my time running errands, and THIS happened......

That's right, folks.  It's well into the nineties here and I'm drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  Well, the Frapp version...  I just couldn't stand the thought of having a latte when it felt like a latte outside.  So, I opted to go frozen WITH whipped cream.  I highly suggest it!

While I was out running my errands, I grabbed some of my very favorite beverages at Target.  The downside to Walmart being the king in these parts?  The drink selection just isn't bomb...  Namely, the sparkling water selection.  As I mentioned before, I'm a recovering Diet Coke addict and sparkling water is my vice.  My very favorite version is this canned La Croix Peach-Pear flavored sparkling water.  Try it, love it, thank me later.

 

Later that evening I made a little pit stop at a CrossFit football party.  We have a fairly new couple at our gym that moved to the area from California.  They, conveniently, live in the same condo complex I do!  The Razorback game was on pay-per-view this weekend, and they offered to purchase the game and have people over for fun tailgate snacks and some hang-out time.  I couldn't stay long but, since their place is just a stone's throw from mine, I stopped by to say hello before heading out for my evening plans - a fun surprise dinner and movie :)

I think that God must have known on Sunday just what my Monday would be like.  Hence, He called me {in the aisles of Walmart, might I add} to bake these homemade apple spice cupcakes.  Am I EVER glad he did!  The first thing I did when I got home from work on Monday {other than skipping CrossFit...  if I skip, you know it's been a heck of a day!} was to put on sweats, plant myself on the couch under the A/C, and eat a cupcake.  Yes, only ONE...  I promise.  Praise the Lord and hallelujah for these cuppycakes!  They were my saving grace yesterday.  {recipe at the end of this post}

I've told you guys before that my trashy addiction comes in the form of a single reality TV show...  RHONJ.  The week's new episode airs each Sunday night, and my mama records it on her DVR so that we can watch it together at some point every week.  Sometimes that happens on Sunday nights, and sometimes on a random night when I really need a dose of my mama and some trashy TV pleasure.  That night was last night.  I headed to her house and we commenced the TV watching.  I'd posted a picture of my coveted cupcakes on Facebook with a caption about "God leading me to make cupcakes on Sunday so I'd survive Monday."  In proper fashion, I had sweet friends texting me almost immediately to check up on me.  I fashioned a response along the lines of how I had "just sat on my couch in sweats and eaten a cupcake while crying and was contemplating going out and buying myself flowers, scheduling a massage for this weekend, and purchasing the newest edition of Southern Living."  I headed home around 10:30 and, much to my surprise, I found this scene on my doorstep... {DISCLAIMER:  please excuse the bugged up door frame...  note to self to clean that nasty thing ASAP}

I was smiling from ear-to-ear.  What a sweet, thoughtful, and attentive gesture!  I tend to be a bit dramatic...  Just sometimes.  Okay, maybe a lot. So, when I woefully claimed to go out and buy myself flowers and a decorating magazine, I totally didn't expect to come home to this.  My heart smiled, BIG! 

Okay, before I get too sappy...  CUPCAKES! Y'all, this recipe tastes just like fall.  And it's SO easy!  I made mine on Sunday and stored them in a cake carrier in the fridge.  They have been the perfect cold treat in a way-too-hot week, while still satisfying my fall cravings.  PLEASE let me know if you make these cupcakes and how you like them! 

The recipe is for "mini" cupcakes, but I used the same ingredients and had almost the perfect amount of batter for 12 regular-sized cupcakes - in fact, I could've probably made 14 or 15 cupcakes instead.  Also included is an icing recipe if you want to make your own - I opted for the easy way out and bought cream cheese icing from Walmart and just spooned it into a Ziploc, cut off one corner, and piped on my own fancy store-bought icing instead.  I try to keep it classy, y'all!

Enjoy! xoxo

Mini Apple Spice Cupcakes With Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

-          2 cups flour

-          1 tsp. baking soda

-          3/4 tsp. salt

-          2 tsp. cinnamon

-          1/2 tsp. nutmeg

-          1/8 tsp. cloves

-          1/2 cup butter

-          1 cup sugar

-          1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

-          4 eggs at room temperature

-          1 1/2 cups apple sauce

For the icing:

-          2 sticks butter

-          1-8 oz. package of cream cheese

-          ¼ cup brown sugar, packed

-          2 tsp. vanilla extract

-          4 cups powdered sugar

-          4 tbsp. milk (approx.)

Directions:

1)      Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2)      Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves)

3)      In a separate bowl, cream together the sugars and butter.

4)      Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

5)      Add applesauce.

6)      Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

7)      Place 1 tbsp. of batter into each liner for mini cupcakes, or fill regular sized cupcake liners 3/4 of the way wil batter.

8)      Bake for about 10 minutes for minis, and 12-15 for regular sized cupcakes.

For the Icing:

1)      Beat together butter and cream cheese

2)      Once creamed, add in brown sugar, vanilla extract, and about powdered sugar.

3)      Beat until combined, then added in milk (about 1 tbsp. at a time) until desired consistency is achieved.

4)      Fill a gallon Ziploc bag with icing, cutting off the corner, and pipe onto cupcakes individually.