Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Kailyn celebrated her first birthday on New Year's Eve with her very first giant-sized cupcake. She was unsure at first but then realized that the frosting and sprinkles were yummy!!! She was a little unhappy with Uncle David because he ate the cherry on top. Now that she has had her first cupcake taste - Kailyn wants to know when she can have her first Lollicake...Mom???

The Shoppe - Denver, Colorado

I like cupcakes - ok, I LOVE cupcakes! When I travel, I make sure I go to at least two cupcake bakeries as part of my itinerary. I do internet searches to see what bakeries I want to visit. So far I have had cupcakes from Magnolia, ButterCup, Kumquat, Happy Cakes, Sprinkles, Crumbs, Lovely Confections, Yum Yum's and The Shoppe...and I know I am missing a few in there. I am not a food critic - I just know what I like in a cupcake. My expectations are simple...the cupcake must be moist and the frosting not too sticky sweet. Presentation of the cupcake is also important. And, of course, I can't help comparing them to what I bake at home (which get rave reviews from their consumers!). So...I have to rate The Shoppe in Denver as the BEST cupcake I have eaten outside of my own home. Emma's cupcakes are moist and her peanut butter frosting is to die for...Denverites, if you haven't visited The Shoppe - you must put it on your agenda. It is fun and funky as their menu consists of cereal (yes, cereal) served in big bowls. You can mix and match your cereal flavors, and they have toppings you can order for your cereal. They have a good coffee/expresso bar so you can get your coffee fix. The Shoppe also has a Design Goods Area that features books, jewelry, novelties, etc. And then there are the cupcakes...yummmmm -the cupcakes!!! You can check them out at theshoppedenver.com. They are located on Colfax and St. Paul...you will not be disappointed! The ones pictured are eggnog, banana split, peppermint, pumpkin and cranberry. My daughter, Kristin (have I raised her right, or what?), brought these home for me after I had to fast for 48 whole hours...it's amazing how you feel starved when you are told you CAN'T eat - whereas, if I chose to not eat for 48 hours - I probably would be fine! Thank you, Kristin, for enabling your mother's cupcake addiction!

SnowBaby

Once again, too cute to not post. I bought this snowman suit for Kailyn when she was born last year. She never had an opportunity to really wear it and now she is actually too big for it. She was a good sport and let me take pictures of her in it - she was a little upset that she couldn't move in it...but she did a good imitation of melting!

Reindeer, Moose or Mice???

Kristin & I were up until the wee hours of the morning making lollicakes for her office...we made Rudolph - but I am not sure if Rudolph is a reindeer, a moose or a mouse - oh well, he still is cute! The pretzels give the lollicakes that salty/sweet taste that I believe we women often crave... I love dark chocolate covered potato chips...and french fries dipped in a Wendy's frosty - you can't go wrong!!! We also made snowballs and Christmas trees to go with Rudolph...he and his friends had fun all night playing and shouting out with glee...yipee!

Starbucks for Baby!

Another had to post picture of the Princess Baby...she does love her Starbucks - cup that is!!! Is she wishing that she had a cupcake to go with her coffee??? Soon...December 31st she will be turning one and she will getting her first cupcake - YUM!!!

Macy's Day Parade

One of my Thanksgiving traditions has been to watch the Macy's Day Parade with my girls while getting the turkey in the oven. This year I actually got to watch it in person! We stayed at a hotel on 52nd and Broadway and had a view of the parade from the 7th floor terrace. Though it was COLD outside, it will be a memory to cherish always. While in NYC - I did taste a few cupcakes from Kumquat, Magnolia and Crumbs...and I brought my lollicake supplies so we were able to make some lollicakes for Thanksgiving. The security at the airport took away my can of frosting - I guess they thought I was going to do something dangerous with it!!!

Cupcake for Santa!

Santa and I had a long talk about all those cookies he has been getting over the years - and fellow bloggers, he's tired of cookies! This year he was thinking cupcakes would be a nice change for him on his travels around the world...I told him about all the deliciously wonderful cupcakes that we all make, and I swear I think he popped a button or two as visions of cupcakes danced in his head!!! So not wanting to upset Santa with the same old "Cookies for Santa" plate - (hey, I'm done with coal unless it has been made into diamonds!)- I created a "Cupcake for Santa" plate. My Princess Baby granddaughter and her cousin will have their plates ready on Christmas Eve with maybe a gingerbread or red velvet cupcake for Santa to enjoy after he fills their stockings...and don't be surprised when you hear him exclaim "Happy Christmas to all and cupcakes are just right!"