So, I recently told Carson that Pinterest "makes me a better mom". That might be overstating the impact that a social website has had on my ability to parent. It has however, opened up a whole new world of creativity in baking and crafts that I doubt I would have ever otherwise had. I did not grow up surrounded by crafts, or routine baking outside of holidays and I certainly never thought I would be a "homey" person or much of a homemaker. Now that we have a "real" home, though, and a toddler running around it I have really felt the pull to make these tangible moments that she will remember as she grows up and hopefully has fond memories of us cooking and celebrating. I lump this into my overwhelming (at times) desire for Harper and I to share an amazing bond as she gets older, but it is also really about establishing this idea that I have of a rich and full life that I hope for both her and for myself as we shape our little family.
Enter the wonder and beauty that is Pinterest.
Many people I know have a love/hate thing with Pinterest. There are so many ideas that it can be overwhelming, and so many of them are waaay beyond anything that I can ever manage to accomplish with any semblance of sanity or actual decency. So, I only pin things that I have a hope of doing and I choose not to see it as a competitive mommy thing or as a mirror of my possible limitations. And, I'm not going to lie- making some of these ideas and recipes has yielded some high praise from other mommies and that makes me feel good too!
These pics from my Cinco de Mayo creations might just be my highest accomplishment to date- both in execution, and in baking Margarita cupcakes from scratch. I often find that I have really grand expectations and visions for my "projects" which then frequently seem to be lacking a bit behind when all is said and done, but these really did fulfill my exact hopes. We won't talk about how I dropped one of the trays as I carried them out the door for the BBQ sending a billion nerds and gobstoppers through the house, and several careful and deliberately iced cupcakes onto their heads. It was like watching a bad accident that you couldn't stop. Thank God, one of the trays had already made it out there and Hunt squelched the urge to kill me as he was sweeping and vacuuming Willy Wonka's candy factory from our floor.
I got the recipe for the Margarita cupcakes here- surprisingly easy, and did well with the Gluten Free flour:
The inspiration for the candy in the mini marg glasses actually came from a little party inspiration on the Party City website of all places- how's that for random!
And, just like that, I pinned my own photo and creation onto Pinterest for the very first time- how fun!
