Breakfast Cupcakes

**MYSTERY GIVEAWAY COMING UP ON JULY 2ND! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!*

Oh my goodness! You could do these so many ways, it makes my head spin! You could make them with spinach, just with eggs, or you could add sausage and diced tomatoes, I mean it's just crazy! So, I'm going to share my simple recipe with you and then you can add your own flavor and share your recipe with me. Deal? Deal.

You will need: biscuits (I used the small, cheap kind), turkey bacon (or real bacon if you must.. poor piggies), and then eggs and shredded cheese.

Preheat the oven according to the directions on the biscuit package. Cook your turkey bacon until it is almost done.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, add a biscuit (I like to flatten mine a bit first), and then 1/2 slice of bacon. Add an egg, and then shredded cheese on top.

Bake for about 20 minutes (depending on how done you like your eggs) and serve with ketchup (or not.. but yum!).

I guess you could technically cut the biscuit in half, then put half on bottom, and half on top. That'd be like a sandwich. Hmm. Maybe I'll try that next.

So, let me know what variations you come up with. I'm really excited to see them! You know I'm all about the easy cheesy recipes!

Deal of the day!

It's been requested that I start a "deal of the day" post! So I am! :) No promises on if it will actually be every day, because you guys know how I am when it comes to keeping up with things. But I will try. I will post coupons, great deals I find, etc. If you have any you'd like me to share, just email me! randomosityblog AT gmail DOT com

Click here to print $5-$10 worth of Kellogg's coupons! Hold on to these and match them up with sales!! They don't expire for a while.

Also, if you click here you can sign up for daily deals and freebies. I recommend using a spam email when signing up for these types of things. (A spam email is one you create JUST for deals, freebies, etc.)

Randomosity 101

If you're new, I just want to say welcome and thanks for stopping by! (If you're not new, thanks for coming back!!) Randomosity's "followers" have grown by hundreds on Facebook, over 100 on Google, and by the thousands as far as page views go, just in the last few weeks. That's a good thing! It means you guys like me enough to keep coming back, and that makes me happy!! :)

If you came here for my HE Safe detergent tutorial, here it is. And my "famous" pizza cupcakes are here (so yummy!).

As always, if there is anything at all that you'd like to see on my blog just let me know! The title of my blog is randomosity. Nothing is too random, I promise! I'm very passionate about a lot of things (if you can't tell by my random bouncing back and forth posts), and I love to help people... so if there is something you need help with, I will try to post about it! Just email me (randomosityblog AT gmail DOT com -- I type it that way so spam bots don't email me).

Just a quick little tour... the tabs up top will take you to the different sections in my blog. If you're looking for something specific, you can use the search bar up to the left. If you clicked on my blog from Facebook (through networked blogs), it might look weird. If so, click here and it should fix that problem (it will just open in a fresh window).

I've had quite a few requests from readers asking how they can start their own blog, how to make buttons/banners for their blog, or even how to make money by blogging. I plan on starting a series about blogging soon, I just have to get everything in order. So for now there might be a post or two about it whenever I get a wild hair, but that's about it.

If you'd like to follow my blog on Facebook, you can do so by clicking here. If you'd like to be my friend on Facebook, just click here. And Twitter (which I use less frequently) is here.

I taught a couponing class tonight -- if you're looking for coupon info, it's up top under "Save $$".

I have lots of crafts, tutorials, recipes, and more so stick around if you've got a moment. Also before I sign off I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all my readers and sponsors!! I love that you like reading my mess... I'm so random that I never thought I could keep your interest... but you've proven me wrong and I love it! I love reading all of your blogs so feel free to leave your link in the comments and I will stop by. Thank you!

No-Bake Reese's Cups Copy Cat Recipe: Guest Post

This is an easy no-bake recipe that my daughter wants to share with everyone.

You will need;

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

chocolate chips

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

muffin tin

cupcake wrappers

Take 2 cups chocolate chips and melt in the microwave 30 seconds at a time.

Pour a little chocolate into the cupcake wrappers. Set in refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and the graham cracker crumbs.

Take chocolate out of the refrigerator and drop a spoonful of the peanut butter mixture on top.

You may have to re-melt the chocolate. Drizzle it over the top, being sure to cover the peanut butter.

Put them in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. They melt fast so keep them in a container if you are not eating them right away.

This is what they look like when they are done.

These are even better than the Reese's Cups!

Decisions, decisions!

My girls are in dire need of some new comforter sets, and we are remodeling our bathroom, so I have been surfing this website. I found a few really cute items, and most of them are reasonably priced. My girls love purple, so this purple queen comforter set is perfect. If it was up to Sapphire, they'd have all black everything (even walls), but we usually can compromise on purple.

Have you seen our bathroom yet? It's pretty plain. It's done in a Paris theme, and it's brown and blue.

When we build our house I'm hoping we can have a bigger bathroom (or at least more than one!). I was looking at this mirror medicine cabinet, and a bathroom linen cabinet to hide all of our dirty clothes. :) It seems like, with 5 of us and no washer or dryer in our apartment, the laundry stacks up fast. I'm very thankful that Rachel takes care of it all, it seems like an overwhelming task!

How many bathrooms do you have? And how is yours decorated? I'd love some ideas!

Beginner Photography Tips & Some of my pics

I took a class at the Missouri Botanical Gardens with Sltphotoart.com (FB) and it exceeded my expectations times 100! I can't say enough good things about the instructors and the class itself. It truly was phenomenal! Just wanted to share a few shots that I got, before I share some tips. I love them! Please don't be too harsh if critiquing - this is the first time I've ever used my camera outside auto mode. :)

I don't think I have the eye for photography, but I absolutely loved taking these pictures. I could've stayed outside all day shooting flowers and waterfalls. I am excited to save up for my next lens... one that can zoom in a bit more than the one that came with my camera (which, by the way, is a Canon Rebel XS and is amazing). I like taking pictures of landscapes, wildlife, etc. With portraits there are just too many variables, ya know? Is the subject squinting? Sweating? Frowning? Screaming and crying and not wanting their picture taken? With flowers, what you see is what you get. No surprises, unless the wind is blowing or it starts raining!

I have been reading up on beginner photography tips this week and just wanted to share a few with you guys.

The rule of thirds.  Imagine a tic tac toe board on your photo. You place the important elements where the imaginary lines connect. Click here to read more about the rule of thirds. You can break this rule, but it's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind. This is mostly a guideline, not a rule like the name suggests.

Use your own eye. Don't try to take photos like other folks do. Sure, you can use all the tips/tricks that you find online (take some, leave some), but you want to develop your own artistic viewpoint to share with others. For me, photography is about passion. I love bugs and flowers, so of course I enjoy photographing them. Most of us are parents and have a passion for photographing our children. Find what you love, discover your own style, and stick with it.

Don't delete while you are out shooting. I did this a lot on Saturday. Every time I looked through my shots, I found some I didn't like and I deleted them. When I got home, I went to find the others that I was going to delete but didn't have time to. They actually looked great! One of my best shots I almost deleted because I didn't like how it looked when I played it back. So don't delete until you have reviewed them on the computer.

Buy a UV filter for your camera. It's much easier (and cheaper) to replace a UV filter ($10!) than your actual camera lens ($100s!).

Learn how to manually focus. I didn't even realize what "AF" and "MF" meant on my camera until my instructor told me to switch to manual focus. If I only learned that one tip from the class, it would've been worth it. Try it, and you'll see what I'm talking about. It literally made a world of difference.

That should get you started on working with your DSLR camera. If you have any questions (or suggestions) let me know. I'll try to find the answer for you. Check out other helpful articles below.

20 DSLR Photography Tips

13 Resources for DSLR beginners

10 Tips for DSLR beginners

7 Bad Habits of Digital Photographers

4th of July Crafts

With the 4th of July coming up so soon, I wanted to share a few of the crafts my family will be doing this week. :) You can click on the picture to visit the tutorial.

4th of July centerpiece (made with sand, so easy!)



4th of July Planter


How to fold an American Flag



A penny pendant (at one of my favorite sites: Enchantedlearning.com)


A confetti launcher, how fun!


Fireworks pens (or you could make red white and blue duct tape pens!)


If you have a huge ribbon stash like I do, this flag is for you!


Can stilts!


If you're a homeschooler, or just looking for boredom busters, check these worksheets out.


A star spangled welcome!


How stinkin cute is this centerpiece?


Now this takes talent...


And last but not least... some chocolate (and lots of other recipes)


Okay, so I might not get around to all of them this week, but they're awesome and I had to share! Leave a link in the comments if you are posting patriotic crafts so I can check them out!

WAH Opportunity: Willow House

I would like to introduce you to a new friend of mine! Her name is Halle and she recently joined Willow House. If you're like me, you've never even heard of this company, so I am going to have her share a little bit about herself and her company so we can all get acquainted. 

I joined Willow House because I love decorating and wanted a discount on their awesome products. As soon as I became a consultant I realised that this could be a profitable business and help me stay home with my children rather than get a job outside the home. All their products are really high quality and they specialize in entertaining products and housewares.We even have amazing weekly deals.. Click here to see them.

The best thing about this company is the amount of support you reveive, when you log in you even have a ‘chat online for help’ option so you can have someone help you in real time, this is such a big deal when you have a question and need an answer immediately.They also give back in a huge way to domestic abuse charity 'Cut it Out'

 

If you become a consultant before 30^th June (cutting it short, I know!) the sign up fee is only $49. The lowest its ever been, for this price you get a kit worth over $200. Or you can purchase a bigger kit for $199 with over $500 worth of items. One of the great things is you don’t have to buy your own sales materials and brochures. For every order you place, 5% gets turned into business credit that you can use for supplies. You can also earn a $50 fuel bonus if your parties reach a certain (very achievable!) level of income in a month.

If you like decorating and love great products this is an awesome opportunity! 


I know if you are like most moms, you want the chance to be able to stay at home with your child(ren). Working from home is a great opportunity! If you think Willow House would be a good fit with your life, please email my friend Halle and she can give you more information.

My Story

This is going to be a very long post, but I promise it is the short version. I don't share personal info much on here but I am trying to come out of my shell a bit more, so I figured why not jump in head first? I already shared the whole lesbian thing, so let's go to the next tough subject: adoption and surrogacy.

I was connected with J through a surrogacy company I volunteered/worked for. I had been helping S with her business for a little while, and had wanted to be a surrogate for a long time, so it seemed perfect. The process was very simple. J was from China but living in the states. S and I met J and set everything up almost immediately. Though J said he was single, I knew he was gay and that was okay with me. I just wanted to help him become a father. He wanted a child more than anything.

I got pregnant right away and had a very early miscarriage. Though my doctor suggested waiting a few weeks, J and S were both very impatient and talked me into doing insems again right away. I got pregnant with Ling. Things were great, I love being pregnant and knowing I could help someone out just made me feel amazing. I talked to J every day on the phone, and S a few times a week. We all kept in touch via text, phone, and email and had a great relationship. J came out to my 6 week appointment and got to hear the heartbeat. He was just beside himself. I knew he was going to be a great dad.

At my 20 week ultrasound, I had to wait until after I was out of the hospital to use my phone because it had no service inside the building. I literally ran outside to call him. I was so excited!! He was having a healthy baby girl. I told the ultrasound tech my story and she gave me twice as many pictures! When I called J, I said "IT'S A GIRL!! A HEALTHY BABY GIRL!!". He told me he was busy and he would have to call me back, and then he hung up before what he said could even register...

I never got a call back from him. When I called him, he would hit ignore. He stopped responding to my texts. He had joked that he wanted a boy, but I just knew he would be happy with a girl. Well, I was wrong. To make a long story as short as possible, J did not want a girl. More specifically, his family back in China would disown him if he had a girl. I obviously found this out late in the process, but I figured they'd get over it if they saw the ultrasound pictures. So I scanned them in and emailed them to him, congratulating him yet again.

When it had been a week with no contact, I contacted S to find out what in the world was going on. She told me she had been in contact with J and he didn't want the baby.

He didn't want his baby.

Now, to back track a bit, I used my eggs and his sperm to conceive this pregnancy. So the baby was biologically mine, but I was a hired surrogate so she was not "mine" to keep. It was a long process but he ended up calling and talking to me and telling me to keep "it". He never ever referred to her as "her". Ever. He always said "it". He said he would pay me the rest of what he owed me, per the surrogacy agreement, and I could keep it (Ling).

I was a single mom of 3 little girls at the time, and was in no position to take on a fourth. Plus, I hadn't even considered her my little girl up until this point. I talked to my mom and we came up with a plan: she was struggling as well so she said we could move in together and help each other out. We did just that. I started getting prepared to bring Ling home. I explained to my daughters that Ling was in fact their sister and we might be bringing her home with us. I always said might, and rarely mentioned it, because I didn't want to confuse them and nothing was set in stone.

When I was about 7 months along, I was contacted by J's lawyer. I was told that he wanted the baby. I of course said no way, but legally I was bound by our contract. He could get out of it (he had stopped paying me my compensation at this point), but I couldn't. All along, S was on his side with everything. She said if I wanted to keep the baby, I wasn't getting any compensation. I told her that was fine... and like I said, just kept getting ready to bring Ling home. There was a lot of work to do and a little time to do it.

I got a lawyer at this point because J's lawyer wouldn't leave me alone. It was hard to find a lawyer with no money and a surrogacy case in my state (there are no laws on surrogacy here and only two lawyers in the state that will touch it). The lawyer I got was an angel, an amazing woman. She didn't charge me a thing, and helped me every step of the way.

However, because of my state's laws, I had to relinquish Ling. The choices were send her to J, or find an adoptive family for her. I looked at adoptive family profiles and settled on one - a single woman from New York. This woman lit up in all of her pictures. When I laid eyes on her, I knew she was meant to be Ling's mom. As hard as it was, I knew that's how it had to be. I contacted this woman right away and we met, went shopping, and just felt like best friends. We emailed a few times a day, and just got to know each other as quickly as possible.

She flew in from her home state when I was in labor, and was in the delivery room. It was a magical experience for her.

After Ling was born, I didn't want to let her go. It was the hardest feeling in the world to explain. I knew she wasn't meant to be mine, but I had carried her for 9 months... I had a nursery for her at home... it was like my baby was being stolen from me and there was nothing I could do about it. Ling's mom stayed in the hospital in another room, and Ling slept in there with her. I got to hold her for a few hours before it was time to leave. I wasn't even in the hospital for 24 hours after I had her. I wanted to get out of there and go crawl in a hole and hide, but I had 3 little girls counting on me so I couldn't do that. I held Ling, took pictures (wish I would've taken more), and took a few videos. My girls got to hold her, and that was that... my mom took them out to the car and I had to hand Ling over to her mom. I truly thought I was going to die of a broken heart at that point. I nearly passed out, couldn't breathe because I was crying so hard when I watched her walk away with my baby.

My baby.

She just walked away and there was nothing I could do about it. They made me sit in a wheel chair and calm down for a little while, and then a nurse walked me to my car. I don't remember much after that... it's all a blur really. We went to court the next day so I could relinquish my rights. I had to sit up on the stand and tell the judge that I realized I was "voluntarily" (yeah right) terminating my rights and it could not be undone. Oh god... what I'd do to take those words back. There was nothing I could do. If I wouldn't have said those words, I just would've been in court with J. I didn't want him to end up with her, and he most likely would have. So I did what I had to do for Ling, and I gave her to her adoptive mother. I always look back and wish I could change it but the truth is, my life is great right now and so is hers. It's a shame we can't spend it together but that's the hand we were dealt. I just hope she understands when she is older, and knows it wasn't a choice I ever would have made willingly.

Today was great!

I accidentally set the giveaway to end early apparently, but I can't choose a winner until tomorrow so please be patient with me. :)

I went to PRIDE St. Louis today and had a blast!! Had a photography class yesterday and it was amazing. I have so much I want to post about, but I don't want to overwhelm you guys!

So, coming up soon there will be a post about PRIDE.. a post about my photography class (along with some awesome tips and pictures).. a post about my new makeup venture.. and a series of posts on how to monetize your blog! I'm so excited.

Just as a sneak peek, I will share a few pictures. I hope you enjoy them! Also I was thinking about doing a few (key word: few) reviews and giveaways. What do you think? I promise I won't turn into a review blog (I know a lot of my friends despise them), but I have had some folks contact me that want me to review their products so I figure why not.. it's randomosity, I can throw whatever in here, right? Right! So tell me what you think.

This is a picture I took during my photography class. It was so fun!

And this is a picture I took at Pride!

More to come, I promise! Thank you for visiting my blog, I truly appreciate it!

Blog Bash 2011 is HERE!!!

This year, Randomosity is excited to be taking a part in Blog Bash 2011! Over 150 bloggers are participating with lots of great giveaways – every giveaway is valued at $100 or more!  Once you’ve entered to win Randomosity’s prize, be sure to head over to the other giveaways! (Links are below.)


Welcome to BLOG BASH 2011!!! First of all PLEASE don't forget to visit my daughter's giveaway! There are some great things up for grabs. Click HERE to go to her giveaway (will open in a new window). Please click here for pictures and values of the prizes. This giveaway ends on the 26th at midnight. There will be ONE winner for all of these prizes... valued at $300!! Just leave a comment with your email address after you are a FOLLOWER of my blog to be entered.

This morning

I have a photography class to go to this morning. They're supposed to teach me how to work my fancy camera. I will definitely post pics when I get back!!

Thanks to everyone who has been entering my giveaway, I appreciate it!

Guest Post!

Watching the VMA's

Guest post written by Arnoldo Acevedo

I think that the VMA's is one of the coolest awards shows on television. I love to watch the VMA's all the time and I think it is so much fun to watch this show whenever it is on. The VMA's are truly any artist's opportunity to make a splash in the entertainment industry. If an artist wins a VMA award, then he or she usually goes on to enjoy great success in the music industry.

I think one of my favorite VMA shows was when Lady GaGa kept winning awards. I think she ended up winning seven or eight awards all together. She did such an incredible job on her music videos that year, that she deserved to certainly win every award possible. I thought she also looked fabulous at the awards ceremony. I remember her dress was this crazy white creation by Armani. Her dress was so stunning and unique. Sometimes, it is fun to watch awards shows just to see the crazy fashions that celebrities try to pull off. Sometimes, I have no idea why celebrities try to pull off certain outfits, but then again, I never question why they choose to wear some of the craziest dresses.

Overall, the VMA's is a great awards show to watch on directstartv.com. This show is so interesting for its crazy fashion choices by celebs.

Wordless Post -- This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Leave your link in the comments if you have a similar post. -  soulemama.com

HEADSTART on BLOG BASH 2011!!

This post is basically to give you a head start on the BLOG BASH that is starting on the 22nd. It is also for all of my sponsors to double check their info and make sure it is correct. Please check back on the 22nd for the ACTUAL giveaway. You MUST comment on the ACTUAL giveaway post to be entered. Also, my daughter is participating as well: Nellie.

You must be a FOLLOWER of my blog to win, and you must LIKE all sponsor's pages to win their prizes.

SPONSORS: Some of you do not have pictures.. I need them so PLEASE email them to me: randomosityblog AT gmail DOT com

Donna's Creations -- Pillowcase Dress $15 value -- FB/Website


Mark.(Kerri Augustine Independent Rep) $17 value  -- FB/Website


ABC Designz -- Calla Lily Clippies $6 value -- FB/Website



Scentsy Pal w Fragrance Pak $25 value -- FB/Website

Soda Pop Kidz - 6 month model listing $25 value -- FB/Website

Treasures by Tracey - Wooden Stamp Set by Stampin' Up & 3 handmade cards & envelopes $17.50 - FB/Website


Crafty Creations by Rachel - Sock Monkey $15 value -- FB/Website


We Choose Joy - Tie & Beanie Set $38.25 value  FB/Website

Sweet Stitches - Custom crochet hat $20 value   FB/Website


Little Sweetie Clips -- Lilac Satin flower with pearl center on skinny headband FB/Website


Earthly Remedies by Erin   FB/Website

Mommygrams & More -- Whale T-Shirt with personalization -- $$ value   FB/Website



Paradise Beads -- $25 gift certificate -- FB/Website

Inspired Jewelry Designs -- $27 value -- FB/Website


Laynie Lou Lou Designs --    -- FB/Website



Wrap It Off - Ultimate Body Applicator $30 value -- FB/Website


I realize some sponsors do not have a website or FB listed yet. I'm working on it. :)