• 15 minute posts,  aging parents,  corona virus 2020,  party party

    I’m on a roll. Happy New Year!

    bug-the-grungy-victorian-bride-zombie

    What? Another post before I get to the Big Sweet Sixteen Seattle post? Yes. What can I say, I’m on a roll and I gotta get all these backlogged photos blogged. It’s part of my process. A process that’s been limping along for the last ten years like it’s dying in the desert. I don’t care. I refuse to give up. I know it’s all going to someday get lost in the digital graveyard but while I’m paying for hosting I might as well continue. Maybe someday I’ll actually have enough money to convert it all into a paper book that my grandchildren will never read. One can dream.

    bug-and-her-bf

    So anyway, New Years! Just like the rest of the world, we didn’t really do anything. It was Covidschmastic. We had a neighbor couple over and Bug invited her boyfriend. Poor Bug, she had grand visions of kissing someone at midnight but we were not making it easy for her. It’s just not that romantic to celebrate with your parents and the neighbors who are also parents. Their teens were working or off with their friends and Joon was at her mom’s. It was a bit anticlimactic.

    new-years-dance-for-two

    We set up the ping pong table in the driveway (that slants downwards) and that was fun. Our bluetooth speaker some tunes and her boyfriend attempted to dance. It was sweet.

    pandemic-new-years-party

    Payam set up his hobo fire pit and he and I toasted a glass of wine or two. (Dry January, what?) We both love that fire pit because when we first met we were supposed to go to a very crowded and noisy bar. It just wasn’t working for me because I have a mouse voice and no one can ever hear me. Eventually, we both decided we’d rather go sit in his backyard and talk and get to know each other over his fire pit. It was simple and charming and Payam was such a gentleman because he never asked me to come in which was great for me. I’ve always been super cautious when it comes to dating, especially after going through a divorce. The bbq firepit holds a special place in my heart and I love it when he pulls it out.

    v-festive

    When midnight finally rolled around we cheered each other with sparkling cider and blew our noisemakers.

    old-farts

    Then everyone went home and we went to bed like the old farts we are. I’m sure Bug stayed up on her phone.

  • 15 minute posts,  photography

    The Quest for the Pink Strawberry Cupcake

    strawberry-cupcakes-bug-and-cadence

    Bug has a best friend named Cadence from her elementary school days. I’m not sure how far back they go, third grade maybe? She’s a bestie from way back when they all used to play with their stuffed Pusheen plushies on the playground. It was called the Pusheen Club and they were a serious click with serious games, well known amongst the elementary crowd. Pusheen has long been forgotten but their friendship holds and it makes me so happy because I’ve always loved Cadence. If I could adopt her I would!

    Recently Cadence started a little baking business to finance a band trip to Hawaii next year. It’s called Sweet Candences. How cute is that?!!

    strawberry-cupcakes

    So of course I had to get on that bandwagon and order a batch of pink strawberry cupcakes! Cadence didn’t have a recipe at the time but she put something together with strawberry and a buttercream marshmallow frosting that was out of this world. And they were PINK!!!

    I’m obsessed with pink.

    strawberry-cupcakes-photoshoot-shenanigans

    Naturally we had to do a photoshoot.

    strawberry-cupcakes-hand-shot

    Cadence isn’t shipping her baked goods right now but if you are local, you should hit her up on her Instagram account: @sweetcadences.  If she starts a gofundme page I’ll put it here but so far I don’t think she’s reaching that deep. She should though. I’m all for girls earning their own money by working hard and doing something they love.

    cadence-and-the-strawberry-cupcakes

    Three Cheers for Cadence!

    the-strawberry-cupcake

    Many of you remember the pink obsession I went through when I was pregnant with Bug. I was absurd in the lengths I would go to celebrate everything pink and to celebrate everything WITH pink. I’m still kind of absurd.  I wanted pink strawberry cupcakes for my baby shower so bad but who knew pink strawberry cupcakes weren’t really a thing back then! Not me. I tasked one of my good friends to make them for me but she couldn’t make time (being a full-time working-woman that she was) and no matter where she looked, pink strawberry cupcakes did not exist. Without telling me she settled for regular vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting. I’m ashamed to admit I was sorely disappointed like a spoiled prima donna. I hang my head about that whole baby shower, to be honest with you. I had my hands so deep in the planning of it you could hardly say it was a baby shower for me. It was a Brendafest like no other Brendafest and I’m really surprised I have any friends left. I guess everyone humors me.

    So anyway, long story short I have never stopped in my quest to find the perfect pink strawberry cupcake and now I have found it.

    cadences-cupcakes

    I don’t have a recipe for you but I do have a good friend named Cadence who could make some for you!