Buttered Popcorn and Summertime Blahs

I love Summer.  Really I do.  But somehow this past week or two, I've been running into a little bit of Summertime blues.  The weather here in the Greater Toronto Area has been fabulous... just the perfect amount of sunshine, humidity and rain for my taste, yet I don't feel that I'm enjoying the Summer as much as I usually do or want to.

I've been trying to put my finger on it and I think the culprit is... loneliness.  During the Winter, Spring and Fall, this stay-at-home wife has the perfect balance of friendship (both online and offline), church events and family gatherings to fill my extrovert heart to capacity... but once May hits, the programs cease at church, and friends, both online and off, head off with their families doing fun summery-type events.  My usual posse are occupied with their kids, now out of school and I'm left alone during the long days of summer to preoccupy myself, and this Summer, quite unsuccessfully I might add.  I've begun to think that perhaps I need to find a  summer job like the students in our area, but that sunny weather loving girl just can't imagine sitting inside an office again during those dog days of summer.

I don't mean to sound all pity-party and all, but I guess that's part of why my blog has been more silent of late.  I feel like my life is just one big bore right now and I have nothing too exciting to share.  Sigh.  I really should find an outside hobby (i.e. volunteering or something) to get me out of my little shell.  Part of this "funk" I've been feeling lately too is with the demands of Hubby's job, he's been unable to commit to any summer plans and my toes are just itching for some soft South Carolina sand.

As I type and whine, while sipping a glass of wine, I can hear the Holy Spirit nudging my spirit to not be so selfish and ungrateful.  I do have a wonderful life and I do need to reset my focus.  God has blessed me with an amazing, hard-working Hubby who provides me the luxury of not having to work.  He has blessed me with a home, food, wonderful friends and family... health... so much!  So, forgive me for sounding like a spoiled brat.  I'm tempted to just erase this entire post, but I won't because I think I need to document this little epiphany tonight.  Sometimes it's good to just be honest with ourselves and let that spiritual lesson smack us on the head to wake us up!  So thank you for being my shoulder to whine lean on.  I feel better already!

So... the other part of my post title tonight is "Buttered Popcorn" and you may be wondering what on earth that has to do with my summertime blahs... well... nothing except that I wanted to share with you my latest culinary creation from my "Hello Cupcake" cupcake book.  Last night Hubby and I were invited to friends' for a "farewell" party for one of our other friends who is leaving next week for a 2 year stint as a missionary at a boarding school in Kenya.  I offered to bring dessert and spent all afternoon yesterday (Friday) making these:

Buttered Popcorn Anyone?

Here's a closer look:

These were super easy.  I baked 4 dozen mini cupcakes (vanilla cake mix) and then iced them.  I had two bags of mini marshmallows (one white, the other multi-colored, picking out the yellows) and cut half the mini marshmallows in thirds, and the other half leaving whole.  Using frosting (I just used the Betty Crocker canned this time), I put about 1/2 a cup of frosting in a plastic bag, sealed the bag and then cut a tiny tip out of one corner and used that to pipe a tiny dollop of frosting to attach the 3 small pieces (in a clover-leaf shape) to the whole marshmallow and then placed the "popcorn" pieces onto the cupcake.  I used 3-5 popcorn pieces per cupcake.  Super easy... but time consuming.  My back was breaking by the time I finished but they were yummy and a fun, novel way to bring dessert.  Everyone enjoyed them and some even thought I had seriously just brought 2 popcorn bags of popcorn to the party - hee hee.  

Okay... I feel so much better for just having come here to "chat" with you, my blogging buddies!  Hope you're having a great Saturday... mine was pretty boring... until now!  Night ;-)