I guess I'll stick with my day job

Point and laugh. Really it's okay, I give you permission . Even fancy angles and pink paper couldn't disguise this mess. These poor excuses for dessert were the outcome of what I hoped to be a solution to an expensive addiction I have recently become aware of: gourmet cake pops. If you haven't tried them yet I warn you...only the strongest willed sweet lover can resist these pieces of Heaven on a stick.  The magic starts when your favorite flavor of moist fluffy cake  gets lovingly coalesced with rich creamy icing then tenderly molded into shape. After a cruel but necessary chilling in the refrigerator the delicate treats are ready to meet their indulgent destiny. Dipped in delicate candy coating these sugary masterpieces are the ultimate ethereal afternoon delight. I am quite the confection connoisseur and these simple goodies are on my top five list of amazing desserts along with my own recipe for peanut butter pie and my aunt's homemade "ooey gooey" brownies.  My friend, and owner of Tarin Cake and Pops, introduced me to these cake bites and as I said before I was immediately addicted. I found myself stealing them out of my kids Easter baskets, and found every excuse to buy more...Easter pops, Mother's Day pops, birthday pops, more birthday pops...I ran out of reasons this week after we finished my daughters soccer pops and two boxes of Mother's Day pops. So I thought, how hard could these be? I googled a recipe, bought all the ingredients and set to work. The instructions were pretty straight forward, but the process seemed to take forever. I baked the cake and waited for it to cool. I mixed in the icing and spent twenty minutes making an endless pile of gooey messy balls. I rearranged my fridge to properly accommodate my snacks en masse...then chilled them overnight. I woke in the morning already dreading the next step...melting and dipping. I knew there was no turning back, and I must trudge forward to conquer this mountain of pink majesty. Melting the chocolate and stabbing the balls with toothpicks I painstakingly covered each little orb. About 20 balls in, I lost my patience and the once smooth spheres turned into lumpy messes. I finished them off by quickly melting a second color and hurriedly spreading it to cover the toothpick holes. And ta da!  Needless to say the outcome was just plain ugly...delicious ...but ugly. I'd hesitate to donate these things to a blind person, but my kids liked them anyway.  The moral of the story here is that I will continue to buy my pops from Tarin Cake and Pops  whenever the opportunity arises, because the work involved and my lack of talent (and her obvious mastery) just makes it the most logical thing to do. I can only hope that she starts a frequent buyer program. Hint. Hint.

Frugal Finds: Frugal Friday Princess edition

So of course every email I received this morning had a royal flair. After such an elaborate wedding, I think all of us commoners would like to be pampered (for less), so  I put together my favorite finds fit for a Queen.
First off, does your little girl love Pinkaliscious? We randomly found one of these adorable princess themed books to read at the library one visit and my kids have been hooked ever since. Well today on zulily you can start your own collection for $11.00.  The pink collection features three books, stickers, crayons, and a color your own poster for creative Royalty.



Have you tried Circlebuzz? They are a great daily deal site here in San Diego that focuses on family friendly deals.  Today they are celebrating there first birthday by giving a $10 site credit for only $1!!!! Perfect time to sign up and see how much money you can save on family activities!




Shutterfly is having a decent Mother's Day sale until May 1st (order by then to get it shipped on time!) with $10 off every 30 gift purchase (code4XVH-6H3D-1MUE-C82T0K) .  Plus right now photobooks are up to 30% off, so you could double up the savings!