just live

Don’t let the neon colors and tie-dye look fool you, this cake is delicious, with a capital D! It’s super easy, just a lot of steps, and you don’t even need to be talented to do it (I sure never thought I had this kind of thing up my sleeve!)

Ingredients:

White cake (box) - bake according to directions
Vanilla icing
Neon food coloring (or regular colors if you prefer)
Small bowls for individual colored batter
2 cake pans (I used 8 inch ones)

Step-by-Step:

1) First make the cake batter as instructed on the box.

2) With a scooper of some kind, separate half of the batter into 4 bowls. Only put half in the bowls to save for the second cake pan.

3) Add 2-3 drops of food coloring to each bowl of batter. Add more if you want the color brighter.

4) Pour the batter into the greased cake pans. You can create a design as you want. No matter how you pour it, it will become tie-dyed.

5) Bake for about 30 minutes at 350º. I like under cooking it because it’s more moist that way.

6) Let cool for about 45 minutes or so. You want to make sure it’s as cool as possible to get the best design on the icing.

7) Ice the bottom layer. You can add food coloring if you want.

8) Place the top layer on the bottom. Ice the top and sides of the cake completely.

9) Drop food coloring into the center of the icing and smear outwards. I did purple first, then pink, then green (which actually ended up looking orange). This created the flower. Honestly, I just messed around with it and didn’t even plan on doing a flower. So you never know what you could create!

10) Add blue frosting to the rest of the icing in the container. Ice the sides of the cake starting with the bottom up. This will give the fading affect.

* If I did this again, I would do the sides first, then the top flower. It would keep the petals in place since some of them went off the edge of the cake.

Then you’re done! This is what the cake will look like when you’re ready to eat it :)

Enjoy!

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So I found this on The Frisky website and loved everyone one of these on the list. I also included a few of my own.

1. I love when a man puts his hand on the small of a woman’s lower back, as if to say, I’m here for you if you need me.
2. I love when a man wipes away a woman’s tears or pushes a strand of her hair away from her face, tucking it lovingly behind her ear.
3. I love how millions of men go off to work every day and then come home after long work hours to share in the housework and child-rearing.
4. I love how men contribute hundreds of millions of dollars every year to charities in the U.S. and across the globe.
5. I love when a man makes us feel like women.
6. I love when a man waits patiently inside an elevator to let all the ladies out first.
7. I love how a man who would go to the ends of the earth for a woman he loves.
8. I love how a man who will rub his partner’s feet at the end of the day even though he’s had a hard day at work too.
9. I love the men who so bravely and willingly risk their lives in service to our country and to protect us all.
10. I love being Little Spoon.
11. I love the way a man looks into his child’s eyes and loses himself.
12. I love that men’s various discoveries throughout the ages (scientific, mathematical, medical, etc.) have made our lives easier.
13. I love the way a man runs into the ocean like maniac.
14. I love the shape of a man’s big, strong back when he leans over to pick up something heavy.
15. I love when a man knows what to say and what not to say to make a woman happy.
16. I love when a man tells a woman how lucky he is to have found her.
17. I love the way a man takes a woman’s delicate hand, brings it to his lips, and kisses it gently, showing how much he adores her.
18. I love when a man chows down on his food, as if only a 9.0 Richter Scale earthquake could shake him from his glorious feast.
19. I love how a man in love thinks of his partner’s sexual pleasure before his own.
20. I love a man who will do the jobs that most of us would never consider. Sewer inspector, anyone?
21. I love the way my small hand fits into a man’s big hand.
22. I love the way a man smells, cologne, body wash, it doesn’t matter.
23. I love that all men are taller than me and I can wear my 4-inch heels.
24. I love that most men can grill, and fantastically might I add.
25. I love how even a man with the worst singing voice still isn’t afraid to sing along in the car or shower.
26. I love when a man gets so involved in a football/basketball game that he stands up and screams at the TV.
27. I love when a man makes me coffee in the morning and knows exactly how I like it.
28. I love when a man holds the door for me.
29. I love those good morning/good night text messages just to let me know he’s thinking of me.
30. I love a man that can find the humor in an otherwise stressful/difficult situation.

Tweet at me and let me know what I left off the list!

http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-01-02/20-things-i-love-about-men/

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1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. 
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.
    
    

Note: I did not write this myself. I found it from a friend’s Twitter and knew had to share it! Source: http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/

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This has been a crazy year of changes for me. Some were amazing and others were not so good, but all were for the best. So here’s just a handful of the things that I’m thankful for this year.

I’m thankful (for)…

#1  — my family. They accept me for who I am, quirkiness and all. Sure I say those “dumb blonde” things every once in a while (or more…) but I appreciate that they find me funny and don’t make fun of me (not too much at least).

#2  — (speaking of family) I have been able to live under my parents roof for the past year. Sure it’s been hard going from being on my own for years to living with my parents again, but it has it’s perks, most of all it’s saved me bookoos of money!  I’ve spent a good chunk of that on vacations/concerts/going out, but I’ve been able to save most of it for what I really need to spend it on….

#3  — nursing school. It’s been a long and hard first semester, but the fact that I’m still doing well and can (faintly) see the light at the end of the tunnel is what keeps me going.

#4  — oh and I can’t forget, my new friends from school. It sounded cheesy talking about the “new friends that I met in school today” back in March, but they have really become some of my closest friends. We’re gonna go through A LOT together in the next few semesters so we better like each other!

#5  — all my friends…old and new. I’ve been able to reconnect with old friends this past year and have had a blast! It’s so great to know you have friends there for you during the good and bad and I don’t know what I would have done without them. Trips, concerts, crazy nights out, wine nights in, sporting events, you name it — I always know I’ll have fun when I’m with my friends.

#6  — my dog Sammie. We had a great 12-year run with the little guy and as much as we are going to miss him (especially this holiday season, which was his favorite) we will always remember all the smiles he brought to our faces. If only I could have videoed every crazy thing he did!

#7  — my health. After studying nursing for a semester and seeing all the illnesses out there, I’m so thankful to be healthy. We only have our one body, so we need to treat it right. I’m going to be a lot nicer to mine from now on.

#8  — I was able to say goodbye to my granddaddy. Even if I did say goodbye 6 months early, I am still so grateful to have seen him while he was still looking and acting like himself and tell him that I love him.

#9  — my patients. I was terrified to work in a long term care facility (aka nursing home) when I first started school. But after meeting my first patient, I realized they aren’t as bad (grumpy, smelly, etc) as I thought, and I’ve really grown to love the “old people.” I’m so glad I was around them when I was having my lowest days; I don’t think anyone else in the world could have made me feel better but them. And working with the newborn babies brought a fresh perspective to life, they’re so innocent and just freaking adorable!

#10  — that I found love. I had forgotten what it was like to be loved by someone and how much fun it can be to share your life with them (if only for a little while). Now I know what I was missing these past few years and can’t wait to find it again.

#11  — that I lost love. As cliché as it is, I learned so much about myself from the breakup. I’m grateful to have gone through it, even if it was painful for a little while, because now I know what I really want and deserve. I’ve also learned to just be myself and now I’m having a blast being single!

#12  — my iPhone 4. I’m not even sure how I managed without a smartphone. It’s truly a wonder. Oh, and it’s also great for procrastination, but don’t tell my professors.

#13 — my car. Poor thing has been banged up 4 times in the past 8 months (only one of which was my fault but the stupid concrete pole got in my way). I’m just thankful to have a car that still runs (knock on wood) after all the miles I’ve put on it and bumps and bruises it’s gotten.

Now go and put together your own list! You’d be surprised what you come up with…

♡

• I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
• You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
• Laugh at your problems, everybody else does.
• Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity.
• I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
• If winning isn’t everything why do they keep score?
• This girl rang me up one time, she says “come over, nobody is home”, I went over, no one was home!
• Depression is just anger without enthusiasm.
• The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
• Before you insult a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you insult him, you’ll be a mile away, and have his shoes.
• We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
• Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don’t have a good partner, you’d better have a good hand.
• Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling.
• Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
• I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather.. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.