Tee Time

While there is no doubt that I am a better cart driver than golfer, I have always enjoyed the sport. Perhaps it's because golf reminds me of vacation or maybe it's the good memories of tournaments I've attended over the years...could even be the "golf parties" I enjoyed in college or even just the attire in general. Somehow I do not think the fondness comes from my summer of being the only girl in golf camp (I was too young to appreciate that opportunity at the time!)

When a friend requested golf cookies for her son's second birthday party, I was happy for a new challenge. Navy and green were the party colors with argyle, stripes, dots and flags all making appearances in the decor. In the end we both loved the golf tees the best.

Thank you Carey!

Cupcakes, Bumblebees & Preppy Football

Eclectic title, right? I have come to the conclusion that if I ever want to blog about the months worth of cookies I still have to show you, I am going to have to combine different cookie collections into one post. Maybe weekly recaps would help me? Who knows. In the meantime, I will share a few of my favorites from last week.

Cupcakes and chevron for a friend's sister who could use a smile right now:

Bumble bee cookies done to match a party invitation for little Lucy (love that I did her first birthday cookies too!)

And finally UNC football/sorority cookies for a reunion weekend the uber-talented party planner "Southern Vogue" was enjoying with her college friends.

Thank you Anna and Melissa!

Are You Ready for Some (NFL) Football??

While I am MUCH more of a college football fan, the NFL is on non-stop in our house on Sundays. I watch it, play in a survivor league and even create many a football-themed meal but I am not what you would call die-hard by any means. Many of my friends are though, so I thought I would put together a few photos of NFL cookies I've made...

First up is a Michigan cookie platter I made recently for a birthday party - thank you Mina!

These went to a game last year in D.C. (Thank you Alicia!)

And being a local, Redskin cookies are on the regular around here...

Finally, good thing my Jets-loving dad isn't much of a blog reader or he would be unhappy with how many Giants cookies I seem to make...

Good luck with your teams this season to all who care! ;)

Are You Ready for Some (College) Football?!

My dad always jokes that aside from the obvious (my education) the money on college was well spent given that it left me with a love of football. As sad as I am to say goodbye to summer, the consolation prize of college football season makes it somewhat okay. One of my favorite things to do is tailgate before a game, though watching at home is a close second. I couldn't love my alma mater more and will look forward to cheering on the Hokies Monday night.

And since I am a two-team-loving girl for the past 8+ years, I will be cheering on the Nittany Lions tomorrow as well.

So let's break out the Blue Moon Harvest and cheers to fall...more specifically GAME DAYS!

Boys Will Be Boys

Every once in a while someone asks me to do a cookie I don't know all that much about. And you know what? Sometimes I enjoy making those very cookies the most.

The first set that comes to mind in the "out of the box" cookies is a set of WWF cookies I made for a big match in April. One of the nicest moms I know ordered them for her twenty-eight year old son who was hosting his friends for the big event. Not sure what he thought when his mom dropped these off, but at least she was thrilled. :)



And then one of my favorite people ordered these skateboarding cookies for her son's birthday party. The best part about these was that my friend's husband ended up enjoying them as much as her son did!



So thank you Mary and Jen for bringing new challenges to the table...and for educating me on things that I was clearly missing out on. If your guys ever need to be taught what Lilly is in return, please feel free to send them my way! ;)

Baubles, Tennis, Birthday & More

I had the pleasure of making cookies for a thirtieth birthday party a few weeks ago. The birthday girl's mom contacted me directly and wanted to surprise her daughter with the cookies. She gave me a list of interests of her daughter's as well as the meaning behind some of those interests. The cookies were customized based on the stories and some had special meaning to her family. In the end the mix worked well together despite the varying shapes and colors.

I am always a fan of the little black dress with pearls cookie:

And the tennis rackets were a favorite of mine (first time I have made those!)

(These are all Instagram photos - you can find me on Instagram at onepreppycookie.)

Finally I worked in a few "bauble" cookie designs I had originally done for a friend's Stella and Dot party...



The bauble cookies (and colors) are also among my favorites.

Thank you Pat and Mary Jo!

Get in Shape Girl!

I am not a person who loves to work out. I took dance lessons the majority of my childhood/teenage years but I don’t think I once went on a run aside from the annual required mile in P.E. I can probably count the number of times I went to the gym in college on my two hands. I’ve never been the heaviest person and never the smallest. I’ve gained the better part of thirty pounds in my adult life three times and have lost it twice (I’ve been half-heartedly working on that third time around for a few years now.)

Post-college I’ve gone to the gym on and off, spent a lot of time walking and a little time running. I’ve always belonged to a gym, but most years it seemed more like a monthly donation. :) In the year leading up to my wedding I joined a fitness boot camp and lost about thirty pounds for the second time (the first time had more to do with dieting) however showering at the local YMCA after a 6 a.m. workout just didn’t work for me long term. Another problem? I didn’t enjoy those workouts. They were necessary and effective, but my heart was not into them for the long haul.

Over the years I have learned that there are two things that work for me when it comes to exercise – accountability and enthusiasm. I am not an at-home video girl and need the accountability component of other people in the room (not to mention people who ask me where I’ve been when I miss a class.) And I have to like what I’m doing.

Two days into 2012 I joined a new gym close to where I live and started attending their Zumba classes. I’ve tried these classes in the past but just never gave them a real shot. The past few months have been a different story. Going to the classes consistently has enabled me to learn some of the routines, making the hour fly by instead of me watching the clock. I’ve made friends along the way who fill the important role of asking me where I’ve been when I miss a night and thanks to a few excellent instructors, I have managed to have a lot of fun. It’s to the point where my day does not seem complete without an hour of Zumba. I will never be the best in the room but trust me, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about moving and having a good time. I feel better than I have in a long time and make better eating choices as a result. Yes I have lost a few pounds this year, but I am mostly proud that being active makes me an all-around healthier person.

My point in telling you this? That when it comes to exercising, it’s all about finding what you love. For some that may be running and others it’s lifting weights. Whatever it may be, consistency will pay off. Zumba has reminded me of how much I love to dance and has created a wonderful outlet. Time that I used to dedicate to watching TV has now been reallocated to doing something positive (sorry Bravo!) Here’s to me keeping up what I’ve started this year. Wish me luck!

What works for you when it comes to exercising?? I would love to hear!

PS - In an ironic twist one of my favorite instructors is also an aspiring cake decorator! You can follow her along on her journey here.

Sporty Spice

I've never been overly "sporty." Sure, I've run a few short races, done boot camp exercise trainings and have fallen in and out of gym routines over the years. However growing up I was never on an organized sports team aside from two or three summers on our community's swim team. Later in life I revealed to my parents that I cried myself to sleep on the eve of every swim meet. They of course felt terrible but sports have just never been my thing (even though my mom bribed me with a full size candy bar every day after practice.) I always preferred dance lessons and Student Government to field hockey and softball.

Enter a sporty four year old I had the pleasure of meeting last Friday night. At only four he is already a Lakers, Redksins and Yankees fanatic. His mom (a sorority sister of mine) incorporated his love for sports into his birthday cookies and I was happy to roll with her ideas.


Does watching Khloe and Lamar count as being familiar with the Lakers?? :)


I have a Pittsburgh Pirates-loving husband who may want to follow this boy's lead and consider converting to a Yankees fan if he wants to see his team in the World Series any time soon...


And although I cheer for them every year, I think we all know that the Redskins need to come up with a plan too. With a fan like last weekend's birthday boy leading the pack, here's to things turning around in no time!


So there is my dose of sports for the week. I hope you enjoyed!

Thank you very much April! I loved getting to meet your adorable family.

The BIG Game...Let's GO HOKIES!

Well, we've come to the point in our football season that the "big games" that really matter are here! Tomorrow my Hokies will be playing the Clemson Tigers. While I won't be heading to Blacksburg this weekend, my cookies will be making the trip with two sets of friends.

Being a dual alma mater household with both parties being passionate about our team, I know the conflict that must occur when your teams play each other. You're used to cheering for both, but then you are forced to side with YOUR team. Thankfully we have not had to face that in our house, but our good friends are in that boat this weekend. Therefore their cookies were made half Hokies, half Tigers.


Hopefully they will make a nice treat to drown the Tigers' sorrows in after the game (although I will admit to my nerves as Clemson has been on QUITE the roll lately.)

Then we have a batch going along with my friends whose Hokie heritage dates back several generations. They are acting as gracious hosts this weekend to a Clemson friend and asked for "ONE" cookie in their honor...


Thank you Lauren & Chris and Team Reynolds for giving me something fun to work on this week to get in the spirit. Looking forward to being friends again rather than rivals starting Sunday. :)

Have a great weekend everyone. And LET'S GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!

Tailgating Time...Let's GO Hokies!

Well, as much as I hate to say goodbye to summer, my consolation prize is to say HELLO to college football season! I am definitely one of those girls who enjoys to cheer on her team. Going to football games is one of my husband and my "things" and being a dual alma mater household, we are already gearing up for a fall season of road trips.

When I was touring colleges nearly 15 years ago (yikes!) one of the major items on my checklist was school spirit. The second I stepped onto the campus at Virginia Tech, I knew it was "the one" for me. I just knew it...and I was right. Once a Hokie, always a Hokie.

VT gave me an amazing 4 years complete with friendships that will always be maintained. I have been back every single year for at least one game with those friends and hope that will remain the case. We're heading down to Blacksburg tomorrow for opening day and of course I had to make a few Virginia Tech cookies to share at tailgates.

Can't wait to hear "Enter Sandman" blare on the speakers in Lane Stadium. (Even my Penn State loving husband gets a huge kick out of that!)


We'll check out our team this year and hope that our QB can lead us all the way to New Orleans in January.


And if we're lucky, maybe we'll even get a tailgating picture with the Hokie Bird!


So LET'S GOOOOOO HOKIES!!!


Happy football season everyone!

Take Me Out to the(Red Sox) Game!

When I was a little girl, I loved baseball. My brother and I would compete for the game tickets my dad would bring home and during the time we lived in Cincinnati, I bet we went to cheer the Reds on once a week. My brother had the opportunity to see the Reds play in the World Series at game two back in the day. In a selfish move, I had picked the tickets to the sixth game with visions of a more exciting event/seeing the Reds win it all at home but sadly the series was over in four games and I never got my shot at seeing a World Series game in Cinci. Lesson on the importance of selflessness learned.

These days I have to say I am not much of a baseball fan. I enjoy to go to about one game a year for the spirit of it but you will never catch me watching a game on TV. My husband though? Watches.Baseball.Every.Night. Unfortunately his team hasn't had much to show for themselves in years but he is dedicated nonetheless.

Thankfully for my friends, they are Red Sox fans. I have no idea if the Sox are good this season or not but they will have a spirited following no matter what. When my friend contacted me about making Red Sox cookies for her husband's birthday, I knew it might pain my Pirates-loving husband to see them but surprisingly he liked them as much as I did.


And if I didn't already have my one ball game logged for the season, they may have even motivated me to buy some tickets this weekend. ;)

Thank you once again Alicia and Happy Birthday to you Ronnie! Glad to hear you guys enjoyed these.

Happy (Football Themed) Birthday Anthony!

It is really exciting to be doing so many repeat orders for people! I recently did baby shower cookies for a friend and I was thrilled when she liked them enough to request a batch for her son's birthday party. He is a big football fan (my kind of guy!) so we worked that into the theme.


Thank you again Jennifer!

They're Playing Basketball

Babies to basketballs...the variety of life! Don't think I didn't make even more baby cookies this week, because I did, but we will wait until next week to take a peak at those.

Today we'll enjoy the cookies I made for my buddy Ryan's end of the year basketball party.


Congratulations to my friend and Ryan's mom, the team's COACH, on a great season!