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Cupcake Crazy With Bettie’s Cakes

Posted on September 15, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I really like making, baking, decorating, and even buying cupcakes. The unfortunate part for my waistline is that there are a bunch of amazing cupcakeries in the area. One of them was even featured on Cupcake Wars on Food Network the other day.

On the night that we should have been dining at Disney World, TechyDad and I went out to dinner while the kids stayed with Nana and Papa. After our amazing meal, we both wanted something special for dessert. So we went to try some sweet treats from Bettie’s Cakes at the local mall. Yes, there is actually a cupcake stand in the food court. Insert drool here:

In the end, TechyDad and I were eyeballing the monster cookies. Of course, we HAD to try a cupcake. We agreed to get a Rasberry Zinger to split between us. Check out the amazing packaging that gets the cupcakes home safe and sound:

Are you hungry yet? No? Well, I think we need to remedy that with some more cupcake photos when the Rasberry Zinger and cookies made it home.

Although the cupcake was moist, delicious, and the frosting really great – my heart skipped a beat for the cookie. It was ooey, gooey, and amazing. My only complaint (which others will scoff at), is that it had a bit too much chocolate in it for my taste. I know the horrors – right?

On Sunday, we took the boys to Hoffman’s Playland for what will likely be the last time this season. In front of Hoffman’s is a new location for Bettie’s Cakes. Yes, there are three locations, plus two cupcakery vehicles including their double decker pink bus. After going on some rides, we went in to check out Bettie’s ice cream or baked goods for a treat.

The three boys opted to have a small ice cream (which was rather large). Each ice cream comes with a topping of your choice.

JSL picked Death By Chocolate with gummy worms.

NHL picked Bettie’s Three-Ring Circus – which was cotton candy flavored. He added marshmallows on top.

TechyDad had Cookie Bookie and topped it with Reece’s Pieces.

I was not too enthused with the ice cream choices. The cupcakes looked interesting, but well there was something else that really caught my eye. Here she is:

The boys loved their ice cream, and I took half of my cookie home even after sharing with everyone. Check the boys out. I think you can tell they were very happy:

It was not something we do often, but well worth it for some delicious family fun and together time. Thank you Bettie for this experience that we will always remember.

Do you have cupcake places by you? Do any of them deliver or have special flavors like Blueberry Pancake, Chocolate Covered Pretzel, Chocolate Covered Cherry, or Boston Cream (all coming later this week)? Would love to hear about them since I really do adore cupcakes. The weekly flavors at Bettie’s are always listen online – which is a great perk.

Disclosure: I wrote this post as a customer of Bettie’s Cakes. We went there and bought our items both times. I wanted to share our experience and toot the horn of a great local business. I reserve the right to drool upon reading this and wishing for another visit soon.

Categories:
baking decisions food glorious food fun jsl Local Business nhl photos TechyDad yummy

Never Forget Red, White, and Blue = Hope

Posted on September 11, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Each year since I started blogging, I have written about the events of September 11, 2001. Every time I do, tears come to my eyes. Not only am I a New Yorker, I am an American that lived and watched as our country was challenged in a way it had never been before. I sit here today, trying to put the fear of future attacks behind me. The reality is that as this ten year anniversary comes, my fears intensify.

My boys know nothing different, but I do. We were so naïve before September 11, 2001. Never did we think something like this could happen in our backyard, but it did. Families lost loved ones. Men and women became widowers and widows. Children were forced to grow up without a parents. Now, we watch as these brave people grieve and show their faces before countless cameras.

What strikes me the most over the last few days are the children of September 11. These brave tweens, teens, and twenty-something young people have matured so much faster than they should have. They are proof that the American spirit can not be dashed with such horrible tragedy. These young people have done amazing things. They have used the memories of their parents to push and pursue things. A common theme from all of them is that the events made them stronger and who they are today.

Ten years ago, I remember something else that happened. As people began to realize what had happened in NY City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA – familiar colors came out. Red, white, and blue were everywhere. Almost every house in our area had Old Glory flying high. In addition to this, people were wearing shirts with the flag on it. Pins with the flag were being worn on lapels. I remember trying to buy them for people because we all wanted them on our jackets as the cooler weather came in.

A little less than a month after September 11, we celebrated the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in my aunt and uncle’s sukkah. These decorations show just want was happening at the time.

I truly hope that people come together today, on the 10th anniversary of this tragic day and remember. We need to remember those that lost their live, we need to recall those that saved lives, and we MUST think about reviving the sense of American spirit and community that existed in the months after.

Once again, we need to embrace the red, white, and blue in the name of hope because we will never forget.

Categories:
looking back photos real world news

Back to Nursery School

Posted on September 10, 2011 9:46 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

On Tuesday you went with me to drop NHL off to school. Then, it was time to head over to your school to meet and greet everyone. You would not be staying alone, it was just a quick visit. On the way in we stopped for a first day photo like we did last year.

Then we had to wait a while before it was time to go into your classroom. We looked at the photos of all of the teachers on the bulletin board. While there, you had some fun being silly and asked me to take a bunch of photos.

Finally, it was time to head in and find your cubby. We found everything and suddenly you started to cry. You were sad because you thought I was going to be leaving. I think you were a bit overwhelmed because of so many new faces. Your best buddies from last year were not back, or in another classroom. It was a lot for a four year old. We all reassured you that everything was ok, and went to sit and work on your star of the week bag.

Then you wanted to explore the room. Miss L showed you were the blocks were. You sat there so happy making a structure that kept getting bigger and bigger.

There have been tears most mornings, but the smile on your face at the end of the day tells the story. I know you are going to have a fantastic year playing, learning, and growing. Before we know it, you are going to be a kindergarten kid. For now, I want to cherish this time which includes a fun apple picking field trip together soon.

Love,

Mommy

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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.

Categories:
Dear Kid Saturday jsl milestone photos school

Enough With the Weather

Posted on September 9, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Weather – not exactly the topic of choice for a blog post, yet it is one that is on my mind. You see, in my part of NY, we expect weather issues in the winter. Ice and snow often keep us home, make driving treacherous, and cause damage to our home. This is not usually true in the spring, summer, and fall. These seasons are relatively quiet most years.

Mother Nature apparently decided that she was going to get our attention this summer. Over the last two and a half weeks, it has been wild, wacky, and down right deadly in certain locations.

Tuesday, August 23 – The boys and I just got into our car that had been serviced. As I turned the key, the car started to buck violently. The boys did not seem to notice. I got out of the car. This is when I felt dizzy and like my knees were going to go out from underneath me. This should have been my clue, but I was tired and getting ready for a romantic 10th Anniversary getaway with TechyDad. Thanks to Twitter, I quickly learned that what I had felt was not my car – it was an earthquake. Yes, in NY we were experiencing the quake that started in Virginia. Linda Carmical wrote about the social media connection and how word spread.

Sunday, August 28 – Hurricane Irene, came up the east coast and left a major impression on regions that were a lot further inland than ever expected. Thanks to this monster storm, we had to cancel said trip to Disney World. Roads were flooded throughout NY, bridges closed, and rivers running into homes that are gone. We were so lucky, but so many others were not.

For a few days, the weather was quiet. The sun came out. People started to clean up, repair homes, and move back into areas that had been evacuated by the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Then it changed.

Sunday, September 4 – While at a birthday party, my father called us. He wanted to let us know that there were tornado warnings throughout the area. Sure enough, when we looked outside the wind was wild and the sky rather black. The party was over and we knew that closer to our house was getting better. As we left Chuck E Cheese, a clap of thunder shook the entire parking lot. A car alarm went off, and the sky was lit up with bolts of lightning. As we drove you could see the ominous sky fading behind us. By the time we reached our home the news of a tornado in Amsterdam had been confirmed. Here is a video that was filmed of the Tornado crossing the NY State Thruway (at about 5:48 in the video):

This seemed to open the rain up to the area again.

Monday to Thursday, September 5-8 – Yes, Mother Nature decided to dump more water on the area already inundated with flooding after Hurricane Irene. Welcome the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Pieces were not picked up and inches of water were back all this week. Back to school has been gray, rain filled, and nasty. The Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, along with countless other creeks and waterways are over their banks. Watching the reports out of Binghamton, NY and other areas just breaks my heart. At midnight on Wednesday, areas in Schenectady County that had been evacuated during Irene were once again in chaos. People were told to leave immediately as water started to spill into the streets.

My heart goes out to all of those who have been dealing with this horrible weather and damage. We will be working on a project to help locals with items that are needed. Of course, I so wish we could bring some of the water to those in Texas. Thanks to the drought that area could really use it to help stop the raging wildfires.

So my question to you this week:

Do you recall many natural disasters from your childhood? If you do what were they and how did they change your life? Dare I ask . . . how is the weather by you?

I hardly recall any other hurricanes in our area. I remember them going to Long Island and places south of us, but no flooding in our region like this. This week, we are expecting the sun to return, which is much needed. Of course, this flooding will be an on going issue with any additional rain for months.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #168

Categories:
Aloha Friday bad news looking back messy photos real world news summer twitter weather

Wearing Disney Magic with My Fun Clothes

Posted on September 4, 2011 12:00 am by Upstatemamma

As I write this, I am in my car driving to Disney World. I have been a Disney fan for as long as I can remember. As soon as I turned eighteen I applied for a job at the Disney Store (they don’t hire anyone under eighteen). I can sing a long with any Disney soundtrack and no one I know will play Disney trivia with me because I always win.

I have passed this love onto my children. My son’s first in theater movie was Wall-E. Since then he has seen every Disney movie that has come through the theaters. My daughters’ own just about every Disney Princess book they sell at Barnes and Nobel. We took all of them to see Tangled opening weekend last November. My daughters’ are begging me to transform their Fab 5 (that’s Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto for anyone who does not know) room into a Princess room. They are Disney enthusiasts to say the least.

Last summer we took the kids to Disney World for the first time. In preparation for the trip I decided I was going to make the kids Disney wardrobes. All three kids had a Disney outfit for every single day. It was so fun. Plus, I kept it a secret and surprised them with it on arrival. I had a lot of fun making things that fit my kids’ personalities. I was able to make things that you just can’t find anywhere. I made my daughter a Lightning McQueen dress and a Buzz Lightyear dress. This summer not only do the girls have "boy" character dresses but each of my (now) four children have matching outfits of Mickey, Pooh and McQueen. You just can’t find that anywhere. It’s fun to turn the traditional "boy" characters into something for the girls. And one day I will figure out how to "boy up" princess things for the boys, like my son, who like them as well.

They got many compliments the whole week. Many people asked where I got the dresses or the shorts. People seemed surprised that I had made them. Some asked if I sold them. We came home and I spent time making different things for my children. Trying to hone my skills, to improve and feel like I actually could sell these things I make. After several months, many different internal debates and some cold feet. I opened up an etsy shop – My Fun Clothes.

I have had so much fun over the last few months making things for my children (they did, of course, need a whole new wardrobe for this Disney trip) but for other children as well. I have been proud of the fact that other children are wearing clothes I originally designed for my kids. As a matter of fact their is a little girl who will be in Disney while we are there who has two dresses that I made. I have had the opportunity to make many custom things that have been designed by parents to be the perfect fit for their children. A Tinker Bell dress – specifically green fabric Tinker Bell because the mom wanted green and Tink, a Nemo dress made from Nemo fabric I had on a different style of dress and ruffle pants with the fabric from the Tinker Bell dress – I didn’t even make that style of pants yet but the mom emailed me and we designed it together. Mostly, I have enjoyed getting to do something I love while being able to bring people exactly what they want – characters, colors and designs.

Whether your children are Disney enthusiasts as well or you are just looking for something different than everyone else has please come on by and check out the shop. I have recently added some fall and Halloween things. If you do not see exactly what you are looking for just get in touch with me and we can make anything you like. It just takes a little magic and some pixie dust to make your wish upon a star come true.

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I am Upstatemamma and I blog over at Our Life Upstate. I tend to write about a little of everything – from life with four kiddos to sewing to homeschooling to marriage stuff to breastfeeding to the occasional political rant and anything else that pops into my brain.