Spring Time = Cake Pop Time!

Spring has been desperately trying to force it's way into my neighborhood lately. You would never know if you looked at a weather forecast, but the sun has managed to poke through at least once a day, the past two days, and with it, my energy is increasing! You won't find me running marathons, but I have been accomplishing more in my evenings. I even tackled cake pops again! 

You'll recall I last made cake pops over a year ago. They were cute. They were also a ton of work.

When bf got me Bakerella's book for Christmas, I was genuinely excited to try them again. For a little while anyway. Then, work and life and all-around-being-lazy-with-my-free-time set in. For the past three months, I've flipped through the book, awed by the cool creations, yet daunted by the work. 

Until this week. 

With a little help from bf, I whipped up a partial batch of Cupcake Bites (think Cake Pop, without the stick) for my Girl Guides. You can find Bakerella's directions here.

Not bad for only my second try, if I do say so myself!

I wanted a Girl Guide theme, so I used blue and white M&M's with sprinkle stems to make a trefoil.

I made a special one for bf. Can you find it? 

He deserved a thank you kiss for his epic cake-baking skills. Funny, he also picked up this jar of icing for me... 

Some of Bakerella's tips that really helped this time around:

• Make a small batch. It's manageable and more fun. BF made 2 batches of cake mix, so I had an extra-thick cake. I used 3/8 of the cake and made 18 bites. Mine were on the slightly large side, so you can estimate 1/4 cake = 12 bites/pops.
• Use cake mix and pre-made icing. I NEVER use store-bought mixes, but it was just downright easier.
• Use lots of candy melts. Last time, I didn't have enough and I had trouble dipping. You can always save extra and reuse later.
• Wash and dry your hands often while rolling the balls. They stay together nicer.
• Have everything set out before you start. Isn't this the golden rule in the kitchen? It's necessary for cake pops/bites. Once the candy is melted, you want to dip. Once you dip, it dries fast. Your M&M's and sprinkles have to go on right away or the candy will be hard.

One day later... only one little guy left! YUM!

I Was the Girl That Bought a Playbook This Morning

SURPRISE!

I bought a Blackberry Playbook today!  

Isn't it pretty inside its box! I like the blue!

There's even 'no brainer' instructions. 

I got to step 3 and now I'm waiting for it to download 750 MB of updates. Yes, 750 MB on a 16 GB machine! Yikes! I hope this is doesn't preface what my Playbook experience is going to be like. 

As it would've seemed this morning, I appear to be the only person that bought one. I should have taken pictures. Imagine if you will, when I pre-ordered my Playbook on Saturday, the sales associate assured me this would guarantee I don't need to stand in line when they open at 7 AM. "Perfect," I think.  "I can pick it up before work." I roll in at 7:15AM this morning to a parking lot more deserted than a school yard in July. 

No line. In fact, 2 sales associates actually came outside to greet me with open arms. Oh wait, no, they were having a cigarette. It was like a dream walking into the store. All the red-clad reps waiting in a line at the door. "Are you here for a Playbook?" 

I actually felt slightly pathetic for them. Then, I felt pathetic for myself. Am I the only person that wanted this thing I was willing to come at 7? Where were the door crashers? I got back in my car, and thought, where is the hype? I heard all about the date the iPad 2 was released? Nobody mentioned the Playbook once.

Turns out some TV crews even went out to stores to find they were empty. Look at this, 3 people?

The only story I could find about lineups on Google was from the Waterloo Record - RIM's hometown. I'm guessing this isn't the welcome RIM was hoping for. With their tight-lipped updates and the official announcement of it's release date 2 weeks ago, my gut tells me they were hoping for more excited customers. 

Regardless, I'm excited! The updates are done, so I'm going to go PLAY! 

It's Almost Here!

1 day

12 HOURS!!

It's almost here! Can you guess? Check back tomorrow morning and I'll reveal the surprise. I am so giddy, I feel like a child at Christmas waiting for St. Nick to come. Hopefully, I'll be able to sleep tonight!