...

Well I've decided I kind of suck at this whole blogging thing. I do enjoy it but I just never remember to do it! At first I didn't want to be one of those people glued to the computer posting constantly so I tried to space my posts. And now I've spaced them too far apart! haha. Oh wells. It's not like you can be good or bad at something as simple as a blog. It's not like I'm being graded on it. People may be judging what I say but they aren't gonna be like. Wow. This girl totally sucks at blogging. haha. Anyways...

Life is so good! I was having all these negative feelings toward this summer break and being back in Montana but so far it's been really good. I've been staying busy doing a million little jobs. As of right now I have 3 part time jobs! I'm working at Old Navy (love it and the discount) I've also been cooking for a family in my stake as a "personal chef/assistant" I do their grocery shopping, errand running, cooking, party planning. It's been so much fun. I absolutely love this family! Plus I get to drive their beautiful cars and she pays me so well! And as of this past week I've been hired to help out another family in our stake as a "mother's helper" This family is adorable and so sweet. I don't know them very well but I've heard about them. About a year and half ago their father died in a plane crash and so she has 6 kids ages 3-12 or something like that. So I will be visiting them this week and helping out once a week with cleaning and just giving her a break so she can go to the temple, run errands, and just relax! I'm so excited! I love life! haha.

So when I'm not at Old Navy I'm usually cooking or baking or having fun with my family. Or hanging out with some great people in the singles ward. I'll have to update you on that later. But this recipe is from a million years ago. They were the second batch of cupcakes I made this summer. I took a million pictures in hopes of posting them on my blog and being all crafty/artsy. But you know it's not too late! haha. These might be my favorite. They aren't too rich but they are very sweet. Plus who doesn't love raspberries? They are seriously my favorite fruit. So here they are.

They are lemon cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting. I got the lemon cake recipe from Your Home Based Mom which is a fabulous blog. And I had a carton of raspberries and thought hmm. I should incorporate them. All the frosting recipes I came across suggested using jam for the frosting but I wanted to use the fresh berries. So I just googled! And I found a great recipe. So here you go!

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

Cake:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 C sour cream
3/4 C water
3/4 C oil
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Use a strong mixer, this batter is thick. For cupcakes, bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (I was able to get 24 very full cupcakes from the recipe). For regular cake, pour into a greased 9×11 pan or two round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don’t over bake or the cake will be too dry! The toothpick test works to check to see if they’re done.

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar.
• 1. Beat butter for about 3-4 minutes. Until light and fluffy. 
• 2. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Put the powdered sugar in different shifts. Add. Mix. Add. Mix. and so forth.

I think I put in too many raspberries. So the frosting was a bit wet. And as you can tell I struggled with the piping. But you should see my most recent cupcakes. I'm a pro at this frosting thing! lol. You have to get the right stiffness! But they were yummy. Regardless of the soupy frosting!. ENJOY!