Challenge #4

Fun House
Journaling: What is making you smile these days? Create a top 10 list of anything you want to talk about.
I love music so I'm going to just post a top 10 songs I've been listening to recently (though not all time) and in no particular order. All links go to YouTube! :D

1. Stargazing by Myles Smith
2. Three Six Five by Shinedown
3. That's Not How This Works by Charlie Puth & Dan+Shay
4. Ordinary by Alex Warren - first song of his I've heard and I really like it
5. back to friends by sombr - it was a crazy coincidence how spotify recommended them to me and then all of a sudden, a couple of their songs started playing on the radio like a few weeks later. i like this one and 'undressed'.
6. Revolving Door by Tate McRae - she has really catchy songs.
7. can't slow down by almost monday
8. Azizam by Ed Sheeran
9. Bad Dreams by Teddy Swims - ngl at first I thought he was saying "closer when I cry" and I only found out later it was "no sound when I cry"
10. Me Without You by Evan Cline

These are the fics I received from the hurtcomfortex exchange. :)

Title: Fleurs du Mal
Author: Griddlebone
Fandom: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Pairing/Characters: Kimberly/Tommy
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4,466
Summary: Shortly after breaking up with Tommy, Kimberly comes down with a strange illness.

Hanahaki + Kim/Tommy post breakup is such a great combo and I loved the way it was handled.

Title: and swear, a taste of sweetness to soothe your soul
Author: forsworn
Fandom: The Princess Diaries (Movies)
Pairing/Characters: Mia/Nicholas
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 3863
Summary: Mia's been working too hard, but she's determined to enjoy her day off with Nicholas - and even if her exhausted body lets her down, Nicholas and his gourmet cooking skills can still lift her spirits.

This was so soft and sweet. I love Nicholas taking care of Mia and the banter/dynamic was perfect. :D

Tunnel of Love

Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.

Since this is what I did most of last Sunday, I'll talk about how much I love baking. I love to bake. It's something I've done since I was a child. My mom was the one who taught me, with box mixes and canned frosting to begin with, before I moved on to making cakes from scratch. I remember taking a whole tray of cupcakes for a surprise party our class planned for our teacher in elementary school (okay, it was the girls. I vaguely remember us thinking the boys couldn't be trusted to keep their mouth shut so we left them out. I think we were, like, 10 or 11?). I also remember making birthday cakes and father's day cakes for my dad. I remember taking things for all sorts of class parties throughout the years really. When we had a project in elementary school on teaching the class "how to do something", I chose baking a cake and I remember switching from mix to wanting to do a scratch cake. My dad carefully measured out the ingredients in the morning before school so it would save me time. So much of my baking memories are tied to my family.

Baking is something that calms my mind. There's a precision to it that I appreciate. I'm someone who likes really exact instructions, which is why even though I have learned to like cooking, I do like baking more. You stick to a recipe and outside of mild variables, like the oven timing, it should come out right. And I like the results too! I have a sweet tooth, but I do like when people around me enjoy my baking. I am not great with taking compliments, but I like hearing them (who doesn't, right? lol)! I do like pretty things so it's been fun learning and practicing decorating as well.

People have made jokes about me starting a bakery in the past, and while there are many reasons I wouldn't, I do just like some thing just being an enjoyable hobby. And I will keep doing it. It's a nice way to spend an evening or a weekend. Doing what I love and sometimes, for the people I love. Because they're the reason I learned to do this in the first place. :)

( cupcakes )