Cake Fun: March 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Put Down the Cake and Learn About the Real Estate Tax Benefit!

If you've been thinking about moving (like we have)... perhaps to a home with a more cake decorating friendly kitchen, now is the time my friend! Did you know about the tax credits currently available to certain Americans looking to purchase a new home? I've known about the first time home owner's tax credit for some time now, but didn't realize until very recently that current home owners who've lived in their home for at least 5 of the last 8 years may also be eligible for a credit. As much as $6,500 in fact!

Here's the catch though... you really need to act fast to benefit from this as the current deadline for qualification for this tax credit requires you have a written binding contract by the end of April and that you close by June 30th. If you're looking to move, try to have that contract signed within the next few weeks so you can qualify! Then, be sure you can close on that house before the June 30th deadline.

Naturally there are certain restrictions based on income for this real estate tax benefit, but so long as you earn no more than $125 k as an individual or $225k as a married couple you'll likely qualify. Take a few minutes to learn more about this, then sit down and do the math. Decide if perhaps this is the month you'll find that new house to build your nest in!

If you're a first time home buyer or haven't lived in a home for 3 years or more, you may qualify for as much as $8,000 in tax credit. That's just like being given free money!

Ok... that's all for now. Feel free to pick up your cake again and enjoy every last bite. Then go bake another one and give your Realtor a call!

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Sunday, March 28, 2010

What on Earth is a Cake Pop?

This is new to me, so if I'm the only one please accept my apologies!

Apparently cake pops are decorated cakes on a stick. Very small cakes that is. I guess that's a good idea... maybe if you're wanting to limit the amount of cake you're serving and save the expense and waste associated with purchasing paper plates and forks for parties? I just can't believe I've never heard of them before. And I thought I knew everything. lol

I'd love to post a photo of cake pops here at Cake Fun, but I don't have permission from any of the websites I've been visiting tonight, so I'll just post a link to the site I found most interesting. :) I like this Instructables site because they not only show me what a cake pop looks like, but they tell me how to make my own!

I'm seriously thinking that instead of going to the cheap plastic toy isle of Walmart this year looking for party favors for my son's next birthday party, that I'll make each child in attendance a cake on a stick to take home and enjoy at their leisure. Might save me some money and provide myself a bit of entertainment at the same time. Plus, then I'd have a photo to show you. lol

In the meantime, if you've ever made a cake pop and would like to share it on Cake Fun, please let me know. I'd be happy to show off your talent and give you a link back to your website, blog, Facebook profile or whatever you might want to share.

Toodles!

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Lakes Alive! It's a Kitchenaid Mixer Giveaway!

I'd like to start this post by sharing that I absolutely adore anything Kitchenaid. Yes, I was a fan even before Twitter and Facebook. I've loved Kitchenaid since my first experience with one of their mixers some 6 years ago.

With that said, I'm here to share a giveaway, presented to you by Mayhem and Moxie, and only open for a couple more days! You don't want to get past the April 2nd deadline without having entered this giveaway. Just trust me on this.

Talk about sweet, here she is... the call her Bertie. I think the name suits her well. Doesn't she look solid and strong? She's powerful, dependable, and never lets you down. I would love to have her come live with me, in my humble little home, where I would put her to work several times a week... guaranteed!

To enter this giveaway visit Mayhem and Moxie, and follow the simple rules, which will give you multiple opportunities to drop your name into the hat.

This mixer is a step up (and then some) from the mixer I'm currently using. Mine has a lot of miles on it and while it still works fine, it's not large enough to handle some of the jobs I'd like to tackle. If I were to win this prize, I'd do a happy dance all over my front lawn and invite the entire cul-de-sac over for cake! lol That's right... Bertie would get broken in right away!

Alrighty then! Jump on over, read all about Bertie and get your name into the running. It could be very worth the small amount of effort you'll exert! Good luck my friends!

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Win a Wilton 3 Dimensional Cupcake Cake Pan!

I'm sure you've seen photos of this pan before, but do you own one? If not, enter to win at Mommy of Three!

She's given her readers a multitude of chances to win, but time is running short. I just found this giveaway today, but the deadline is March 29th, 2010 at 11:59 EST, so don't delay! Good luck! :)

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Keep Your Cake Deocrating Peepers in Focus for Not a lot of Dough!

I love to decorate cakes, but I'm very near-sighted. I don't have my exact prescription numbers for eyeglasses handy, but my contacts are a -9 in (right eye) and a -7.5 (left eye)... this basically means that without corrective lenses I'm blind! lol

I haven't been able to afford a new pair of eyeglasses for a number of years now and my current pair of eyeglasses are only suitable for wearing at home... my doctor made me promise not to wear them while driving or operating any type of machinery! lol Why? I couldn't afford the non-glare coating. At the time it was some $75 to add it to the cost of my lenses and I just couldn't swing it, so if my contacts are our of stock, I have to stay home! The glare I get with my particular prescription eyeglasses, especially on a sunny day provides too much distortion and distraction to be safely or comfortably worn outside the house.

If I'd known about Zenni, I could have had my cake and ate it too... I'd have enjoyed a nice pair of frames and lenses for a fraction of what I paid my local optomotrist and would have had money to spare for the non-glare feature. I finally found affordable eyeglasses and will no longer be stressing about how to pay for eyeglasses.

Truth is 3 out of the 4 members of my family wear eyeglasses and/or contacts and one of those members is an 8 year old boy who has a tendency to break his frames. We've had to have his only pair of glasses repaired by a local jeweler twice in the last 6 months. What has that set us back? $35 a pop! Nice huh? With Zenni I could have had a backup pair. What did we do though? We bought him titanium frames thinking they'd be the best frames to get an active boy, not realizing they might actually be the worst. lol There are very few jewelers equipped with a laser that will weld titanium. We won't be doing that again.

Although I haven't yet tried Zenni personally, I do believe they're just as good as they claim based on an independent review recently posted by Examiner.com. They gave this online manufacturer a trial run and were happy with the end result.Check out their review for yourself!

Zenni sells direct to the customer, which is the only way they can sell a complete pair of eyeglasses to the consumer for as low as $8... usually no more than $40 total. If you want anti-glare, which I wish I had been able to afford way back when, you'll only pay an additional $4.95. Shipping is also just $4.95 regardless of how many pairs of eyeglasses you order! Not too shabby!

Let me know what you think of this online eyeglasses retailer! I'd say it's quite a find!