Macaron Day

Today is Macaron Day! 

I would say out of every bite of confectionery goodness I have had, macarons are my absolute favorite. 

Not to be confused with their chocolate-coconut counterpart (macaroons), macarons (with one "o") are French meringue cookies. They come in pretty much every flavor you can think of and are typically filled with a ganache, jam, or cream. 

Dainty, pretty, just a couple bites. 

Perfectly scrumptious. 

Whether you have them often or never heard of such a thing, today would be the perfect day to treat yourself to one. And if you do, please let me know what you think.

Either way, I hope your day is sweet. 

image: Anh and On

Superbowl Sweets

This post is a bit belated, seeing as the whirl and watercooler convos of the Superbowl have come and gone, but I decided to post it anyway. 

We were invited to a Superbowl party on Sunday and I offered to bring cupcakes. 

Of course, I couldn't just bring a regular old frosted cupcake when the option existed to make them football-themed. I found a couple images on Pinterest and tried my hand at them.

The first was simple and straightforward.

Chocolate cupcake, chocolate frosting, piped laces.

The second was a bit more elaborate and let's be honest, not as well executed. It looks a bit like a kindergartner's project, but oh well, I tried. 

Can you tell what it is?

I was going for a bird's eye view of a football stadium, but the off-colored green and wavy, white lines make it look a bit more like an impressionist painting. 

Oh well, still delicious. 

I don't particularly care for football, but having just been to Seattle (and gone to high school with one of the players), it was fun to have a vested (and ultimately victorious) interest in one of the teams this year. 

Did any of you have a particularly special (or themed) Superbowl this year? 

Please, do tell. 

images: hilaryclair

Birthday

Today is my birthday.
I love birthdays. Always have. Always will.
A reason to celebrate.
For sparkle and sweets.
For celebrating, surrounded by loves.
For saying "Yes!" to dessert.
For decorations.
For dressing up.
For reminiscing on the last year and imagining the next.

25
High: Loving our neighborhood, particularly the tennis courts by the lake and the endless summer hours spent there.
Low: Wishing for a job where my passions collide with a paycheck.
Random: Went to Vegas this year with F and my in-laws. This was my 26th US state visited; Excited to be more than half way there.

I'm thanking my lucky stars for all the blessings in my life.

On to 26...
xo, H

images: BHLDN