Cookies and cupcakes and calories, oh my!

The week before halloween has been truly scary around our house.  I've been doing my best imitation of Smiling Suzy Homemaker, but have been so high on sugar from licking the bowl, spoon, beaters, floor and my forehead...  OK, I'll admit I didn't go so far as those last two, though I did indeed spatter batter or frosting on both of them.  


On Monday I baked the following cupcakes for one of the boarding students celebrating his birthday.  My mother had imported halloween sprinkles and candy corn from our nearby Wal-Mart back in Texas, so I went hog wild with them.

On Tuesday I got a break, but of course I had to go shopping for more baking supplies.  Wednesday morning, I rolled out of bed to create these hand dipped white chocolate Oreo ghosts for the oldest daughter's volleyball team to go in their snack bags.

Later that morning, I also whipped up another two dozen cupcakes for another boarding student celebrating her birthday.  See the little blue plate with eight not-so-fancily decorated cupcakes?  They were some extras I had and handed them off to the nice older British gents who man the security gate at school.  They appeared to be most appreciative of my offering.  I had visions of them sitting down over a nice cup of tea while biting into the cupcakes and wondering about the candy corn perched on top since it's not something found here in England.  I say, dear fellow, what sort of sugary confection could this be?  Why I am utterly flummoxed, Watson, as to what in the devil it is!

And finally, the youngest daughter and I made some cupcakes for her volleyball team's post game nosh on Thursday.  Yep, we're still trying to use up the zillion candy corns in the three bags my mother imported for us.  Plus the bag my husband brought back from his Texas business trip.  Hmmm... maybe candy corn would add a nice crunch to salads or give a bit of color to a broth?  Maybe I could put it in the bird feeder and get my ADHD yard squirrels all hopped up on sugar since they're always chasing away the birds to hang upside down and eat to their little heart's content anyway.  Or maybe go all crazed Martha Stewart and hot glue gun it to some plain pillar candle for that extra special festive touch.  Would it really be a "good thing"?

I had been eating very sensibly on the cruise the week before, so licking the spoon wasn't too terribly naughty of me on Monday.  By Thursday afternoon, following my 5th batch of cupcake batter, my stomach was so bloated that I needed to don a maternity top.  Lesson learned (yet again) - gluttony leads to tight jeans!