Cupcake Fail

I do not like to bake.
And out of all baking that I don't like to do, I really don't like to bake cupcakes.  They are a nightmare to me.  There are so many of them and I never get the portions right in the cupcake cups so they always bake to high and I don't like to icing all those individual cakes and once I take them out I never know how to store them.  So, knowing all of that, what was I thinking when I purchased this a couple of months ago?

I was thinking about how much my girls would love to do this one rainy day.  It was definitely a moment of weakness for me, knowing how much I dislike baking cupcakes, but I bought it for them.  I forgot/put off making them until the last week of summer vacation.  It was raining one day and we didn't have any plans so I thought this would be a perfect day to break out this project.  Of course, the girls were thrilled.  They love to bake and they love tie-dye so this was a perfect project for them.  They did a great job measuring and mixing the ingredients.  They take it very seriously.

Not sure what is up with the matching gymnastics leotards.

Since this was a tie-dye cupcake mix we had to divide the cupcake batter into a few bowls then they picked what colors they wanted to dye it.   A couple packs of powdered food coloring came with the kit so we had a bunch of options to choose from.

 Next the batter went into the cupcake pan.  I worked very had to make sure we didn't overfill the individual cups.

This is where our first problem occurred.  We were supposed to get 12 cupcakes out of the mix...we barely got 7.  So already I knew something wasn't right.
But as they baked they smelled really good.  They made the entire house smell great.  It was better then any Yankee Candle I have ever bought.

Part of the fun in baking is licking the bowls.

While the cupcakes baked we made the frosting.  Now, in hindsight I just should have bought white frosting and dyed it, but that wasn't what the directions said to do and if you know me you know I am a strict directions follower.  So we made the icing from a powder mix that came with the kit.  This is where the problems really started.  The icing was so runny that I could easily see that it wouldn't stick on the top of a cupcake and there was no way it was going to look like the picture on the front of the kit.  I tried to add more powdered sugar but that didn't help at all.  In fact, that just made it worse.  And lets not even talk about the taste...it was horrible.  So sweet and just terrible.
The girls didn't seem to mind though, they thought it was good, so we proceded with the directions.  I put the icing in the fridge in hopes of getting it set up a bit while the cupcakes cooled down.  (As a side note, at the end of the baking time the cupcakes had overflowed the cups.  I knew this was going to happen once we only got 7 cupcakes instead of 12.)
After they were cooled we took the icing out of the fridge (it hadn't changed one bit) and we started to icing the cupcakes.  We, again, had a few different colors and you were supposed to put it on the top of a cupcake then swirl the colors together with a toothpick to make a tie-dye effect.
It was a mess.  The icing just ran right off the cupcakes and there was not even a chance to swirl it with a toothpick.  It was a disaster.

This was within about a minute of putting the icing on the cupcakes.  After about 3 minutes all of the icing was completely off and the cupcakes looked bare.

The girls were really excited to try out one of their creations.  So we all picked one and took a bite.  We had very different reactions.  They loved it...I did not.  It tasted as bad as it looked...maybe worse, if that is possible.

Looks just like the picture on the front of the kit, doesn't it?

In the end, while the cupcakes failed, the time spent with my girls was a success.  But after they went to bed I threw all the rest of the cupcakes away.  :)


Now I know all of you bakers out there are thinking of all the things I probably did incorrect and are wanting to give me advice on how to make it better next time.  Save your breath...I'm buying store-made cupcakes from now on and when and IF I ever decide to make them again I will use store bought icing.

First Day of School

First day of school outfits--check
Fingernails painted to match the first day of school outfits--check
Meet the teachers--check
Explore the new school and playground--check
Purchase school supplies--check
Repurchase school supplies after the teachers gave us different supplies they needed in their classrooms--check
Pick up bus passes--check
New backpacks and lunchboxes--no check  They didn't make it to us in time for the first day of school.  Big bummer.
Incoming typhoon--check

Looks like we are as ready as we can be for our first day of second and fifth grade.  I was able to meet both girls teachers on Friday and really liked both of them.  I am a little sad (and a little happy, if we are being honest) to be sending them back to school, but we are all really ready for a regular schedule and routine again.  Our family functions better with a routine. 

A second and a fifth grader

Showing off their painted nails

and their new shoes.

Our bus stop is right outside of our neighborhood.

Checking in with the bus monitor.

I can't believe this is her last year of elementary school.

They are expecting a typhoon to hit Korea in the next day or two, so we will see if we make it to school every day this week.  (As of 2 pm on Monday school has been cancelled for Tuesday...well I had one nice day of peace and quiet.  It was good while it lasted.)

But for today, the first morning of school was a success.

Now that school is in session we won't be going on as many adventures and so the blog posts will probably slow down.  I still have a few adventures from our last few weeks to blog about so there are a few more posts, but it is going be less frequent with us not having our days free anymore.

These are 2 great kids.

Toy Alley

They have massive markets over here and in the markets they have streets that are designated to specific items.  There is a toy alley, a bakers alley, fabric alley, a shoe alley (I'm particularly excited to visit this one but I'm waiting till school is back in session so I can go and browse at my leisure) and pet alley.  One day this past week we went on an adventure with some friends of ours out to lunch then on to toy alley.

The girls with their friends at lunch.  The younger boy isn't wearing a shirt because his mom was hoping to keep it clean for the rest of the day...it didn't work, it was dirty before we even walked out of the restaurant.

My girls love to hang out with and take care of these boys.

They attracted quite a bit of attention on the subway together.

Toy alley is a small piece of heaven for children...and a nightmare for parents.  :)  There are so many toy stores all packed with toys.  In toy alley they also have a few stores with party supplies and a few stores with arts and crafts supplies, but it is mainly toy stores.

An arts and crafts supply store-not quite the same as Hobby Lobby

There are at least 50 small toy stores in toy alley.  Now when I say small you have to understand the aisles are barely wide enough for us to fit through.

Sorry my picture is a little blurry.  I didn't realize it until after we had left and I was downloading them from my phone.

This was so narrow we had to walk sideways through it.  Probably doesn't meet American fire codes.

A lot of these toy stores sell wholesale as well as individual sales.  So when you are ordering from Oriental Trading you now will know where it comes from.

The toys aren't just inside either.  Often times they have so many toys that they won't all fit in the store so they stack them outside as well.

We had a fun day with our friends.  We didn't even buy anything huge, just a few stocking stuffers for Christmas and a few little dollar type toys.  It is just so fun to go and take it all in.

Showing off my new $3.00 canvas bag that I bought to put all of our purchases in.  (Often times they don't give you a bag when you make a purchase at a market-including grocery stores-so these reusable bags are really handy to have over here.)

My friend and I waiting for the subway on the way home.  The Koreans always make a peace sign when they get their picture taken so we did it too.

Splish Splash Water Park

One week we decided, with some new friends, to head down to another base that is a little over an hour from where we live to a small water park (it actually isn't that far of a drive but traffic is so terrible that it makes it a long drive).  Thankfully, the base provides an awesome bus service so for a very nominal fee I was able to sit on a bus and talk to my friend and not have to stress about the crazy Korean drivers or the traffic.

This was our first time using this particular bus system and the first time I had ever been to this water park, unfortunately I didn't do enough research before leaving on this adventure and quite a few things went wrong and it actually took us almost 3 hours to get to the water park.  Thankfully, the girls and I were with friends and the time passed quickly.

Now when I say water park, don't think of American water parks, this is really a large pool with 2 water slides, a high dive, a raining mushroom and a few things to climb on in the water.  But, we had never been there before and the girls thought it was awesome compared to the one very small slide and low dive we have at our base pool.

The girls were both really excited (and totally petrified) to jump off the high dive.  Lucy went first and surprised herself and me when she jumped right off of it.  Of course, I didn't get a picture the first time so she had to do it a second time for me to get her picture.

Check out that form!

Not wanting to be one-upped by her younger sister, Taylor wasn't far behind in overcoming her fear of the high dive.

Check out that form!

The girls both had fun playing in the water fountains.

 Thankfully, I didn't have to drive home either.  The bus made it a very stress free day for me.

After a fun day in the water, we are hot tired and ready to get on the bus to head home.

The girls and their new friends on the bus ride home.

It was a LONG day (we left the house at 7:30 am and didn't get home until almost 6 pm), but we had a great time and all look forward to doing it again next summer.

Toofless Lucy

Lucy lost her fourth tooth 2 nights ago.  This tooth made her toothless on the top.

She isn't particularly fond of pulling her teeth out so there is always quite a bit of drama to get it out, but once she does she is very excited for a visit from the tooth fairy.  This is the second tooth she has lost since we have arrived in Korea and so far the tooth fairy is 0 for 2 in coming on time to Korea.  The first time she didn't show up we decided it was because we had just moved to Korea and she hadn't gotten updated records with our new address yet.  But the second time we knew that wasn't the case, so we weren't sure why she didn't show up.  (We blamed it on the terrible rain we had gotten that day.) Thankfully, she showed up last night and she brought Lucy a special certificate.  This is the first time we have ever received a certificate from the tooth fairy that has the "Official Visit From the Tooth Fairy" seal on it.

The tooth fairy must have felt terrible because she also gave Lucy a little extra money for this tooth.  In her letter she told Lucy she was in a hurry which is why there was "fairy dust" all over the place in Lucy's room.  Lucy was very excited to see all the glitter like powder sprinkled in a path from her bed to her window.

I really hope that from here on out the tooth fairy is a little more on the ball.  It has to be costing her a fortune to make up for her tardiness.  And I'm sure that certificate took quite a bit of time to make.     (I mean, have any of your children ever received a certificate from the tooth fairy with the official seal on it?)  But then again seeing the smile on Lucy's face when she wakes up makes it all worth while.  

13 years and counting

This is a photo of a photo which is why it is a bit grainy...but you can still see how young we look!

Yesterday Russ and I celebrated our 13th anniversary.  It is crazy to think that we have been married for 13 years.  Our marriage is now a teenager.  :)  We have some wonderful, new friends here that volunteered to watch our girls while we went out for dinner.  I had heard about a place called Mad For Garlic that I wanted to try so we got all dressed up and set out to find it.  After only 1 wrong turn and a 2 block detour we found it.  Thankfully, it wasn't full and we got right in.  The food was awesome.  As you can imagine everything was coated in garlic so if you aren't a fan then this would not be the place for you.  I didn't take any pictures inside because it was really dark (ambiance lighting) but we took a couple afterwards.  It was pouring down rain as we left the restaurant and of course I didn't have my umbrella, so my knight in shining armor ran to a convenience store and bought one for me.

The last 13 years have been an adventure of the best kind.  It hasn't always been easy, in fact some of it has been very difficult.  But as we both look back over the past 13 years we can clearly see God's perfect hand of guidance in our marriage.  Neither of us were looking for a spouse when we set out to go to college in Cedarville, OH.  In fact, just the opposite.  Russ wanted to play soccer in school then move to the mountains with his dog and work.  I wanted to get a degree in Business then move back home to PA and start a business with my dad.  Oh my, how God had other plans for us. 

Some fun facts about our marriage:

• Since we have been married we have moved 13 times. 
• Four months after we got married we moved to Korea for a year to teach kids English.
• Russ joined the Marine Corps after we had been married two and a half years.
• We have traveled to 7 different countries outside of the US together since we have been married.

I am so very thankful that God, in His infinite wisdom, brought Russ into my life.  He is the perfect man for me.  When we first met we were opposite in many ways but as the years go by we continue to grow closer together and become more one.  I can't imagine doing the adventure of life without Russ.  I love him more then I can express with words and I look forward to what ever God has in store for us in the future.

We were laughing when we took this picture. 

See the ambiance lighting made for dark pictures.

Bike Ride on the Han River

One thing our family loves to do together is take bike rides.  Thankfully, our girls have lots of energy and endurance and can ride for many miles before wearing out.  Back in North Carolina we had lots of trails where we could take long bike rides and often did so on Saturday afternoons.  A concern of ours about moving to the middle of a huge city was that our weekly bike rides would be a thing of the past.  So, we were very happily surprised to find out there is a long bike path along the Han River which runs right near the base.  It is so hot and humid here we haven't taken as many bike rides along the path as we would like, but once it starts to cool down it will be something we will definitely do on a more regular basis.  One Saturday we did brave the heat to ride along the river and we all had a great time.

Heading out on our first bike ride in Seoul

The girl in the yellow shirt isn't in our family (Taylor is farther up ahead) but she rode with us for a long time.

Stopping for a water break and to watch some kids that were skiing on the river

Busy Seoul right beside the river

It was hot and we were really sweating

It is popular to have exercise equipment in the parks.  All the equipment works off of body weight and you will often see the older Korean men and women using the equipment. 

We stopped and did a quick workout as well.

Russ doing some pull ups.

I figured since I don't stand out in this country I should wear a bright orange shirt.

This is a cool double bridge.  You can ride your bike or walk across the bottom bridge (which the girls thought was awesome) once you get to the other side there is another path along that side of the river.

The large mirrored building is the 63 building.  It is the tallest building in Seoul.