On baking

Considering my original plans for summer school never worked out I find myself with an extensive amount of free time so, of course, I picked up a new hobby.

This  is something that you probably know about if you are friends with me on facebook!

I read up during the last semester of school on how to decorate cookies. I love how you can order gourmet cookies in almost any shape and and decorated to perfection! It fascinates me and I've watched many videos. So I finally got the courage to buy everything and try it out.

Here was a picture of the first batch I ever tried.. It was before I tried glazing/flooding, so all I practiced was piping.

he second batch. This was the first time I tried glazing and made the glazes way too watery so in some of the icings, the shortening separated from the icing. :( But the flowers turned out great(Well, they turned out better than the first)!

The third batch was for my lovely boyfriend! Some of them didn't turn out how I had imagined, but he still thought they were delicious regardless. This was also the same day I made a scrapbook arrangement I saw while browsing graftgawker.

And my fifth batch was the first time I ever made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I did decorate them but I forgot to snap a picture of them before I transported them to one of my best friends good bye party!

And my most recent batch of cookies were ones that my nieces, who are 8 and 10, helped me decorate. My boyfriend and some friends were over too, but the girls did most of the decorating.

And my most recent baking endeavor was last night! My boyfriend and I attempted to make rainbow cake in a jar. The process of making it was definitely fun and could be a project you do with multiple people considering one box of cake mix makes three jars, it was definitely a fun experience!

on dorm rooms

I, personally, cannot wait to FINALLY move into my apartment (which I will be sharing with three great friends) for many many many many reasons.

Some people may not agree with me (like my boyfriend who plans on living on campus all four years), but many of you lovely ladies may agree with me.

Here are my reasons:

1. I won't have a roommate I know. I got really lucky when I got such a great roommate (Thanks Bailey), but she will be living off campus next year and I don't have anyone that would be available to live with me in my dorm. I don't want to got pot luck and get a bad roommate. Like I said before, I got really really lucky with my roommate.

2. My closet is minuscule. I don't even have enough drawer space for my clothes, let alone hanging space. And that also leaves me with little-to-no space for my shoes. I'm a girl. I have a lot of clothes and shoes. I can't help that I want and need more space.

3. With that said, my room isn't big enough either. I believe the dimensions of my room are somewhere around 11 x 14 ft. And that includes both my roommate and my beds, along with our desks, our sink and cabinets, and our closets. It can be pretty cramped. We don't even have space for our TV without giving up one of our desks.

4. I have to walk up and down four flights of stairs to do laundry. Need I say more?

In my apartment, not only do I have my own room and bathroom, but I have a large closet, a laundry room AND MY OWN KITCHEN. 

Oh, I know that that sounds like a stereotypical woman thing to say but I love to cook and bake. And, yes, my dorm has one but it's tiny and the appliances are ancient and it's diiiiirty. I would rather have a kitchen that has my own appliances and I don't have to lug my supplies up and down all the stairs that I mentioned before, let alone risk them getting stolen because I leave them in storage in the kitchen.

***DISCLAIMER***: Living on campus you're first year is a great idea. You get to be on campus and close, and you also don't have to worry about going out getting groceries, etc. if you don't like to cook. Also, living on campus can make you appreciate your personal space more, and that can lead to being more responsible once you do sign a lease on an apartment/house later.

Of course, that's my two cents.

on Thanksgiving Break

Not that mine has started yet or anything (because my profs suck), but I am quite excited.
So, as I sit here not paying attention to my Psych prof, I will be talking about my plans and why I am excited...

1. It starts tomorrow (Tuesday) night. And not only does it start tomorrow night, it starts with the burn of the bonfire I've been working on with the rest of the students at A&M who are involved in Student Bonfire. That also means me coming out as a Green Pot (Administrative and Financial Management) which is also the highest leadership position a female can have. I feel pretty honored I was picked up and I love my three sisters as well. :)

2. Once I get back on Wednesday, I get to bake. And not only all of the things that I posted in my baking post last week, but a few other things came to mind... So I'll be baking all day and late into Wednesday/Early into Thursday, and maybe Thursday morning. I love baking.

3. Thursday will be my three and a half year anniversary with my boyfriend. Which needs no explaining. :)

4. We will BTHO t.u. Considering we're 8-3 and they are 5-2, we are ranked (17th) and they are not, and just the fact that they are t.u. we will beat the hell outta them on Thursday.

And then I come back to campus for a week for finals, then back home until January!

on baking

I have become quite the adventurous baker in the last few weeks. I began with cookies that weren't so adventurous, but they were a hit with the guys that live in my boyfriends dorm. :)
I've worked my way up through brownies and what-not, then last weekend I baked meringue cookies for the first time. They're a little tough to make because they require a lot of time to set and rise, and tampering with them can make the fluffy meringue fall in on itself. But these were a hit too.
I spent most of the day today checking out recipes for my Thanksgiving contributions and I've narrowed it down to a couple. I have to make quite a bit because I'm baking for my family Thanksgiving and Austin (my boyfriend whom you will hear quite a bit about).

1. Pillow Cookies

2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

3. Brookies

4. Cupcake Stuffed Cupcakes

5. Homemade Thin Mints


All of which look delicious... if I have the time between driving home to Katy from College Station and if I can somehow convince my mother to buy me what I need before I get home will depend on if I manage to make all of these things for my favorite two families... I will be reporting back with pictures sometime after next Thursday. :-)