Biggest hand EVER?! plus a giveaway winner!!!

It is FRIDAY and I'm loving it!!!

Let's jump right in to the giveaway winner for the PoochTags giveaway!

It's Elisabeth from La Vita e Bella!

Congrats...I will email you later today!!

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So remember when I posted this photo on Wednesday?

See my nail polish? It is soooo bright but I love it! It came in my Birchbox for March. Sign up {HERE}

When I first saw this photo...I immediately saw how huge my hand looked (or maybe the weird angle). I do actually have big hands anyway but this made it look even worse!!!

I cannot wear bangles because they won't slip over my hand haha (thanks mom!)!

And then it reminded me of the sitcom...King of Queens.

Do any of you watch that television show?

We are always watching the re-runs!

Do you remember the episode where Kelly and Decon give them a painting but Carrie's hand and arm are humongous?

This is the only photo I could find but it's blurry.

{via}

I feel like that painting right now!!

oh well! I'll just have another glass of wine!


Are y'all as weird as I am?!

happy friday ladies!!

xoxo

manda

A Total Basset Case!

Hola For Love of a Cupcake readers!

I am Sarah from Total Basset Case and
I am so honored to have been sponsoring Amanda's lovely blog this month!

Hi!

I have a super yummy and 'girly' recipe for you today!

My friend, Pam, sent me this recipe.

I've talked about Pam here and she continues to send me the most fabulous recipes.

I made these Tuscan Chicken Cakes for the Mister and I a few weeks ago and we loved them!
They are very similar to a crab cake, but, you guessed it, with chicken.

I think these would be perfect for a luncheon, a shower, atop some whole wheat pasta or on a salad.

Tuscan Chicken Cakes

2 cans (12.5 oz each) chicken, shredded (I used a couple of boiled chicken breasts)

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, divided

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 egg lightly beaten

¼ cup prepared basil pesto

2 tsp honey mustard

1/3 cup finely chopped roasted red peppers, drained

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

2 Tbl olive oil

Golden Aioli

½ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbl honey mustard

Pesto Aioli

½ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbl prepared pesto

Prepare both aioli flavors in separate small bowls. Whisk together

the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

In large bowl, mix together chicken, ½ cup bread crumbs, mayo,

egg, pesto, honey mustard, roasted peppers, and red onion. Using

1/3-cup measure, shape chicken mixture into 8 cakes; refrigerate

for 2 hours. Remove from frig and lightly coat each cake with

remaining ½ cup bread crumbs. In large nonstick skillet, heat

oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden

brown, about 3 minutes per side; drain on paper towels. Serve

with both of the aioli toppings.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try these out!

And feel free to stop by and say hello to Floyd and I!
blog  l twitter l facebook l instagram


p.s. I am hosting a giveaway when I reach 200 followers...
I can't wait to reveal what it will be!

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Thanks Sarah!!
ok...so this looks super yummy!! I may need to try this over some pasta!


Sarah always has great recipes on her blog! I've actually tried two or three now and a couple have even made it to my weekly rotation!!


now go show this lady some love! you will love her!! and you'll love her adorable basset furbabie!


the week is almost over ladies!
xoxo
manda

Tail Wagging Tuesday!

So I know I always bomard y'all with photos of the pups on Tuesdays...

and today is no exception!

Except...C-Mae over at Happiness is... is having a link up!

 So I caught Chloe and Tank playing in the backyard this weekend as always!  Got some good action shots! This one is my fav! (Tank was charging after Chloe...ears flying in the air!!) 

 

and a few other action shots!

and a few normal shots!

Now go link up with C-Mae! or at least visit her!

She's one aweome lady that I read on a daily basis!

xoxo

manda

MMM...Crossfit?

OOOHHHH happy Monday!!!

Let's face it...we all need some motivation on Monday's right?!?!

Let's link up for MMM (Motivate Me Monday)!

First...I haven't posted a nice butt on here in a while...I seriously am working towards a nice butt.
What?
No... I am not embarrassed to say that haha!! 
 I want a nice butt!!!
(is this a close enough view of someone's random butt?)

Source: pinterest.com via Amanda on Pinterest

and this is a super cute bikini my soon to be nice butt will look good in haha!

Source: fuckyeahfitspo.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

and does anyone else need this pillow on the couch? or even on their bed?!

Source: etsy.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Ok...time to be semi-serious!

Has anyone ever heard of Crossfit or done Crossfit?!

I'm kind of curious and am thinking of trying it!

A little about Crossfit (via)

What is CrossFit?

What It Is

CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

What It Isn’t

It isn’t elitist. The Crossfit program is universally scalable, which means anyone and everyone can do it. The needs of our Olympic athletes and grandparents differ by degree, not kind. Our special operations soldiers and sailors, mountain bikers, skiers, housewives, and high school athletes have all found their best fitness from the same regimen.

*taken from Crossfit.com

What are your thoughts?

Well now that I've gotten a quick butt-fix in (you know you're obsessed too!)...I'll tell y'all ladies to have a wonderful day!!

Now link up ladies and tell us how your fitness journey is going!!

Grab the button and visit my co-host Ashley!

xoxo

manda

Sponsor us?!?!

Happy Sunday!

I hope it's starting off well! I'm headed to my very first blogger meet up later today with the H-town Blogger Hotties!

I just wanted to touch base with you and do a shout out for April sponsors!
I mean...it's ridiculously cheap!!

I, myself, am sponsoring some great blogs in April so there will be lots more traffic here! This blog has grown so much the past month...can you believe I only started blogging last August?! That's right...only 7 months! 

My stats as of March 25, 2012:
Followers via GFC, Bloglovin and Google Plus: 693
Followers via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: 1,247
Page views per day: 250 to 500 depending on day of week.
Page views per month: 7,000 tp 10,000 and growing fast!

Ways to advertise...
(I still have one large spot left...first come first serve!)

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I hope you'll take a chance on us!!

Enjoy your Sunday ;-)

email me! forloveofacupcake@gmail.com

xoxo

manda

A Giveaway! {from Poochtags}

Hello!!!

I have a super cute giveaway for you!

Serina from Poochtags
is giving away...this dog tag!

Her tags are sooooo cute!
They would even make cute gifts for friends!

Want to see some more cuteness?!?!

Let's get to know Serina a little more!

"I am avid animal lover and own 3 Doxies (1 cart-dog) and 1 Rescued Pittie. My boys are all spoiled rotten and get pretty much what they want :) I spend most of my free time hiking, walking dogs, kayaking, and anything outdoor related. My boys are all part of my outdoor adventures and love to suit up for the kayak ride!

I have always had a fetish with providing my boys with top-notch clothing, harnesses, collars, tags, and much, much more. I developed a "tag fetish" a while back and began buying and or collecting unique dog tags. With unique tags being hard to find or not what I was really looking for I decided to develop and make my own and that is where my shop came into play."

You can find Serina here:

Blog : Shop: Facebook : Twitter : Pinterest

Ready to win this cute 'poochtag'?!?!

enter via rafflecopter below.

US Only and I will announce the winner next Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck Ladies!!!

xoxo

Manda

PS...want to enter some other giveaways?!

5OHWIFEY

AUNIE SAUCE

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps! plus dessert!

Yay!

Its Friday!

First I want to say congrats to...

Katie from - for Lauren and Lauren

79Katie Follow My Blog

Name: Kati

Option: Follow My Blog

for winning the Oriental Wave Necklace from OriginAL DesinZ

and also say congrats to...

Amy Lynn from - Life as I know It

Name: Amy

Email: amylynn188

Option: Follow My Blog

for winning the $20 credit to OriginAL DesinZ!

I will email you ladies today!!

................................

now to a super easy recipe and healthy too!!!

I originally saw this on Sara's Bog at A Total Basset Case!

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

original Recipe found {HERE}

INGREDIENTS:

1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 small onion, minced

2 tbsp bell pepper, minced

3/4 cup water

4 oz can tomato sauce

8 large lettuce leaves from Iceberg lettuce

DIRECTIONS:

Brown turkey in a large skillet. When no longer pink add dry seasoning and mix well. Add onion, pepper, water and tomato sauce and cover. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Wash and dry the lettuce. Place meat in the center of leaf and top with tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.

This recipe is soooo easy to make and will now be added to my rotation! 

And if you're looking for dessert..you should head over to Ashley at 5OHWIFEY!

There may be a recipe for microwaved brownie in a mug. It literally takes 6 minutes all together! I gave the recipe to my sister...she texted me 10 minutes later and said it was the best ever!!

Happy Friday ladies!!!

xoxo

manda

Just Plain Rotten

I have one big...It's not ok!

(I don't think Amber and Neely will mind!)

It's not ok story...

I thought this photo was appropriate for this story.
haha. way back from {THIS} post

Saturday I went grocery shopping around noon and we unloaded all the groceries out of my trunk.

5am on Monday rolls around...I hop in my car to go to the gym.

My car reaks!!!!

I have no clue why...maybe it was my lunch containers i forgot to bring in on Friday?   ...so I roll down the windows to let it air out while I drive to the gym. (hey I'm not missing the gym if I'm getting up at 4:30am!)

Call me crazy...I dare you!

So I have a good workout..drive home (car still stinks!!).

I get ready for the day and go to the freezer to pull out the chicken I'm going to cook for that night. I'm thinking to myself..where is all of my chicken I just bought?

Light Bulb!

I run to my trunk and sitting there are two packages of rotten chicken.

You've seriously got to be kidding me. It didn't help that we had hot/warm weather all weekend either...so that just made the smell even worse.

Well...the smell is finally gone out of my car. It took the whole day driving around with my windows down...hair blowing everywhere and humid! grrrr.

Has anything like that ever happened to you?!?! Or did your car get stinky for some crazy reason?!

....................................................

It is ok...that as I am typing up this post...Chloe and Tank are playing and Tank keeps getting stuck under the bed! (he thinks he is smaller than he really is!)

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And one last thing...I wanted to link up with Two Smuppies to show you whats in my purse...ready to be bored?! lol.

purse hanger, coach purse, lots of papers needed to be thrown away, cough drop, angel body spray by victoria secret, lip gloss and chapsticks, makeup, bracelet, gum, eye drops!

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And it's the last day to enter the current giveaway {HERE}!

I also just listed {THIS} mint bracelet...grab it while you can...they go fast.

Have a great day ladies!!!!

xoxo

manda

Mr. Shuffles

It was another pretty weekend!
Meant to be enjoyed outside!

By the way...Tank gained 4 pounds in one week. He's growing so fast I won't be able to pick him up much longer!

Want to see the next two photos that were taken?!

I was trying to get these two to sit by each other so you can see how big Tank has gotten compared to Chloe but it wasn't happening and Chloe ran off!

It was really sunny and I could barely see!!

So why is my title called Mr. Shuffles?

That is Tank's new nickname.

He shuffles his feet everywhere he goes.

When he's tired or just woke up...it's even worse! He just barely picks up those huge paws....and it makes a shuffling sound on our hardwood floor. It's funny because Chloe is as quiet as a mouse but you can hear Tank coming a mile away!

(Eric says he gets it from me but I beg to differ haha!)

Hope everyone's week has started off great!

xoxo

manda

MMM...love your bodies this week!

Good morning ladies!

I have a quick question lol?!

Do you wear jewelry to the gym?

I was at the gym at 5am and this lady...no more than 35 years old...was wearing big dangly earrings!

It's not like she had just gotten off work and maybe forgotten to take them off. I just thought it was odd.

Anyway!

As always, Mondays are so hard...

I felt swollen...from eating too many foods with sodium this weekend. Probably the Mission Burrito we had last night! Weekends are always our cheat days.

But I feel better after doing some cardio and a few weights.

Get yourself moving ladies!
Even if you can't make it to the gym...do something like this...

Source: Uploaded by user via Amanda on Pinterest

I also found this super cool treat for those warm spring and summer days coming up!

Source: soon2befit.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

Frozen Fruit Pops Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 pop • Old Points: 0 pt • Points Plus: 1 pts Calories: 32.1 • Fat: 0.2 g • Carb: 7.8 g • Fiber: 1.1 g • Protein: 0.4 g • Sugar: 5 g Sodium: 1.4 mg

Ingredients: * 1/3 cup diced kiwi * 1/3 cup diced watermelon * 1/3 cup diced strawberries * 1/3 cup diced pineapple * 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice or orange juice

Directions: Combine diced fruit in a bowl and fill each 5 oz cup with fruit. Add 1 tbsp of juice and insert craft sticks into each cup. They easily stay in place because of all the fruit. Place in the freezer a few hours until firm. To remove the pops from the cups, run under warm water a few seconds. Enjoy!

I have one request...

love your body this week ladies. Let's treat it good!

Now link up ladies and tell us how your fitness journey is going!!

Grab the button and visit my co-host Ashley!

xoxo

manda

Saturday Giveaway {from Original Designz)

Hello!!

I am so pleased to introduce

Allison of Original Designz!

She is graciously giving away...

Yes...there will be two winners!

(one winner for each of the prizes above!)

Want to know a little about Allision and her shop?

“OriginAl DesignZ handmade with genuine leather, love, and care. I am a crafter and designer at heart and there is no greater passion for me than sharing my creations! My designs come from wide range of influences from nature, geometry, minimalism, & Asian influence. All goods are upcycled and made with scrap leather.

Here is also a video of me talking about the jewelry I make, from an artist showcase I did with RAW Artists:www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUm4E7DvmWk ”

Here are some awesome items from her shop!

Visit her shop {HERE}.

Want to win??!
Enter via rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

xoxo

Manda

Grrr... David's Bridal...plus a giveaway winner!

YAY!! it's Friday!!

First and foremost...I'm sure you want to know who

the winner of the Mashugana earrings are?!?!

Congrats to...

Kara Rowe from All in a Row{e}
(I'll email you later!)

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As I said earlier this week...I was not happy with David's Bridal. Do you remember last weeks post {here} about bridesmaid dresses?

Well...I thought about it and I def wanted my sisters to wear this dress...

So I had them call to order.

My sister calls me back within 10 minutes and David's Bridal said it was discontinued!

WHAT?

We just tried on dresses maybe 3 weeks prior. Why would they not mention that when I told the sales lady we would be calling to order this particular dress soon. They even made the note on my account so my bridesmaids could call them directly.

Seriously??

So...since there is really no where to look at Bridesmaids dresses (unless you ladies have a suggestion?)...

I found another dress at David's Bridal that looks similar. I will be making an appointment soon to have my ladies try them on.

I just want to thank everyone last week for your comments! They helped so much!

I think I have decided that all of my ladies

will wear the same dress.

hopefully this one looks good...

That is...if David's Bridal doesnt turn around two weeks later and discontinue it. GRRR!

I still kind of like the other one better...I guess we are back to the drawing board.

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On another note...I seriously need to get my save the dates out. Did anyone else hate asking for everyone's address?

We ordered these from Wedding Paper Divas and love them!!

.....................................

I hope y'all have a lovely weekend!!

xoxo

manda

Jamie from Awesomely-Awkward

Hey there cupcake lovers!

I'm Jamie.

I blog at a little place called Awesomely-Awkward.

Who are you and why am I reading this you ask?

Well, I'm Jamie but I think we already covered that.

I am the girl who got braces when she was 23...

I dance around the kitchen singing to my cat with a wooden spoon and a mic. Me and my hubs laugh at each other all the time. (he's a college student... we ran away when we were 18 and got married). I could eat french fries with every meal... sometimes I do. I work at a bank and go to college at night. I blog and make jewelry in my spare time. I like to have a way to stay creative.

I would like to think my blog is funny.

I sometimes say random inappropriate things. It's always exciting though, I don't really have a schedule. I write about what I want, when I want. Blogging is my hobby. It's something that I love to do. Sharing stories, making people laugh, maybe even teaching people something. Some style posts... some (not so gourmet) recipes... Mostly it's me sharing my life's awesome and awkward moments.

My life is not always interesting but it sure is fun to write about. I also have an online jewelry shop. I love making jewelry and if I had the chance, I would spend all day making custom items. It's just another great way for me to express myself.  My shop hasn't been open for long but I have already had some great success.

 
 

I love working with silver (can you tell?) but work with gold, beads, and other metals as well. I hope you guys have enjoyed learning a little more about me. Come stop by the blog and say hi anytime! If you feel like checking out the shop use code "cupcake" at checkout for 20% off all orders.


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Thank you so much, Jamie!  I have to tell you ladies...that when I started blogging in August...Jamie was one of the very first that I started reading!
I know you will love her!  Now hop on over to say hi!
Blog : Shop

Have a great day ladies!

xoxo

manda