Eggless Banana Muffin Recipe Review

I recently shared with you, my lovely readers, the site Bloggerdise which I recently discovered.  One of the companies I found through this free site is Cookery Expressions.

Classes on Chocolate Making, Classic Muffins, Bread Baking, Cupcakes, Eggless Cakes, Cookies, Cake Decorating and Sugar Craft

COURSES OFFERED: 

1. Chocolate Making - 1 day workshop

2. Bread Baking – 1 day workshop

3. Eggless Cake Baking - 2 day workshop

4. Liqueur Chocolate Making - 1 day workshop

5. Cake Decorating - 3 day workshop

6. Sugar Craft - 1 day workshop

7. French & Belgium Chocolate Making - 2 day workshop

8. Designer Cup Cakes - 1 day workshop

9. Crispy Cookies - 1 day workshop

10. Exotic Brownies - 1 day workshop

11. Classic Muffins - 1 day workshop

Call 9560600056 now and REGISTER for the workshops.

Venue: Sector 7, Dwarka, New Delhi

It's run by a woman in India, Sharmila, who offers classes on cooking and baking; most of her foods and recipes are eggless, which is very popular today.  On her website you can see literally hundreds of photos of goods she and/or her students have made, all of which are beautiful - and make me hungry!  (http://cookeryexpressions.weebly.com/)

If you live in or plan to visit New Delhi, India, I encourage you to look into her classes.  Along with the photos, you can see detailed information about each course she offers on her website.  (Just keep scrolling through the photos until you reach an all-text portion.)  The bottom of the page has a contact form.

Obviously, my taking classes or even her mailing me something to try would be impossible/impractical.  So instead Sharmila emailed me a recipe for her banana muffins, which my family had for breakfast last weekend.

The recipe she gave me made a dozen muffins, so I made six with chocolate chips and six without (the recipe doesn't say anything about chocolate, but I always make my banana bread with chocolate chips.)  Everyone but my mom, who never eats banana stuff, thought the muffins made a great breakfast.  My dad and Eddie commented on the fact that they tasted a bit heavy for muffins, like bread, and I noticed it too.  They didn't rise up quite like muffins, either.  This is all normal for eggless baking, though.

All in all I was very pleased with the recipe and really, really wish I could have another, possibly even one of her amazing-looking desserts.  You, lovely readers, might still be able to - because tomorrow one reader will have the chance to win an exclusive recipe from Cookery Expressions!  Don't miss it!

You Should Try NaNo If... {guest post}

Today my blogger friend Sarah is here to talk about NaNoWriMo, the event which takes over my blog - and several other writers' blogs - for a month each year.

Hey everyone!  Thanks everyone so much for having me on this wonderful blog.  I want to thank Emily especially!  Her blog is one of my favorites in the way it combines life, God, and writing.

If you've been watching (Maybe) Teen Author (which should be renamed Future Teen Author because I'm almost positive Em will be published before she turns twenty) then you know that last month something insane happened.  Something called NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month.  A ton of writers from around the world sat down and wrote 50,000 words in 30 days.  If you break that down, it comes out to 1667 words a day.  That's no small sum!

So maybe you've been following some blogs that cross the line from books into writing and you've seen a few of the "I Survived 50K" blog posts.  Maybe a little nagging voice on one shoulder is saying that you should go for it next November.  But then, on the other shoulder, a voice is hissing "No. You're not good enough. You don't know enough about writing. 1667 words is WAY too many to cram into your schedule."  I thought the same thing this time last year when I saw all the "I Won NaNo Posts."  There was no way I could do it.

And then, on November 30, 2012, I did.

So here's my guide.  Should you or should you not attempt NaNoWriMo 2013?

You Should Attempt If . . .

1. You did it last year and got at least half of your word count goal.
2. You've written at least one 50,000 word novel before, no matter how long it took.
3. You really, REALLY want to even though your parents think you're insane.  (This is me.)
4. You have the time.  If you have some extra time every November and think you might want to do NaNo, I say go for it.  At the very least you'll have one word of a novel you didn't have before.

You Shouldn't Attempt If . . . 

1. You want to be a writer but have never written a book.  I think NaNo might just burn you out.  It's hard, and if you don't know what it feels like to write a book, NaNo might make you think it's that insane every time.  And then you might not write again.  Which might make me cry. :)
2. You seriously don't have time.  Family, friends, grades, jobs, eating, and sleeping are still important.  If doing NaNo would be bad for your health because it would take up one of the two hours you have left to sleep, don't try it.

I think that's it.  I'll be lurking in the comments if you have any questions.  Thanks Emily and happy Blogoversary!

Sarah Faulkner is a teen writer and reader in the eastern midwest, USA.  She's one of six kids, and she's currently in high school.  Her favorite things include Francesca Battistelli albums and books by Alex Rider.  You can find her at her blog, Inklined.

Etsy Double Giveaway!

More presents!  I decided to start off with the gifts this year.  After all, that's what kids start with on Christmas morning, right?

Today you, my lovely readers, have a chance to win a small lined moleskin notebook with a hand-drawn White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, donated by the owner of Orchids Heart, and/or a surprise gift from the owner of Space Pearls!

listing link

Here's the notebook!  It will look a bit different than this photo, but it's very similar.

Orchids Heart sells other Alice in Wonderland and personalized moleskin notebooks, as well as corsets, wrist cuffs, and fingerless gloves.

Here are some of the products Space Pearls sells:

Alice in Wonderland "Simply Alice" Charm Necklace

Hunger Games "Mockingjay" Necklace

Fairytale "Mermaid's Locket" Necklace

"I Love You" Bows and Hearts Earrings

Fairytale Pink Rose Ring

Once again, email readers will have to come to this post to enter the giveaway.  Please keep in mind that two separate giveaway forms means that you must enter each giveaway separately if you want to enter both; however, feel free to only enter one if you desire.  Naturally, two separate forms also means it's possible for the same person to win both presents.  That would be one lucky reader!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway


P.S. To all my readers who came for the pre-party surprise giveaway, sorry about all the "Invent your own option!" buttons.  It was the first Rafflecopter giveaway I've run properly and I'm still learning.  :S

Iiiit's Party Time!

Come one, come all!  Today we officially begin our second annual blog party!  First of all, thanks to all my lovely readers - and new visitors! - who are here for the party.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

{via}

To those of you who weren't here last year, here's the rundown: today marks the day I began blogging, and this makes two years.  Yay!  Between now and my birthday (seventeenth this year!), we have...

~guest bloggers

~interviews with authors

~giveaways and contests (presents!)

~at least one food-related post

~a special playlist just for this year's party

~a special party blog design

~lots of new friends!

I've arranged for a great lineup of bloggers and authors to visit, plus some really awesome presents.  :)

{via}

Sadly, playlist.com - the site I use for blog playlists - no longer allows embedding.  Instead, you have to go to the playlist on their site.  Here's the link to what I was hoping to put on the blog this month: http://pl.st/p/23745644043

Now, on the the announcement you've been waiting for: the winner of this year's first party present, a Stardust necklace from the Etsy shop Amarese, is...

*Drumroll!*

Shelley Waters!

Congratulations!  I'll be emailing you and Linda, owner of Amarese, about claiming your present.  :)

Lovely readers, I have one last note before you go.  Could you do me a favor?  Share the news!  Spread the love!  I want as many people as possible to enjoy all the fun at our party.  All non-bloggers have to do is pin, share on Facebook, and/or tweet the party button at the top of this page.  Fellow bloggers can do that as well, and/or put my button in my sidebar with the code found underneath.  Just scroll to the top of this page and you'll see the button and the code box.

Thank you so much!  See you tomorrow!

The Pinterest Report: DIY Sea Glass Look

Week Eight: DIY Sea Glass Look

{all photos linked to source}

The Pin:

sea glass paint



The Link:

Google+ Photos: DIY Vintage Colored Glass

The Test:

You'll Need: Elmer's Glue (poster used white glue-all, I used white school glue), food coloring (poster used Wilton's, I used McCormick in blue), clean dry glass

What to do: In a small, stain-resistant container, squeeze out a small amount of glue.  Mix in a few drops of food coloring at a time until you reach the color you want.

Then, using a soft paint brush, paint your glass object.  The poster used candlesticks while I used a cherry grenadine bottle that had some pretty leaf designs and the brand name on it.

While the painting was fun, the glue mixture was a little lumpy at times and the results weren't much like the photo.  My glass looks foggier and you can make out the brush strokes, plus the texture makes me worry that a little scratch will peel the paint.  Also, as noted in the original source, the glue will come off with washing.

In all, I'd say this is a great idea and fun for younger kids, but if you really want a sea glass look, you might want to try something else - or experiment with different types of glue or coloring.

The Grade:

Surprise! Jewelry Review and Giveaway!

Guess what?  Our blog party starts in exactly a week!  I'm very excited - we have lots of great bloggers to host, well-known and quality authors to interview, and presents to give away.  It's going to be great!  Today, though, I have a few somethings special for my lovely readers and our new party guests who came for the early surprise.

4 All Humanity is a privately owned online store that offers internationally created, ethically sourced women's apparel and accessories.  They sell clutches, scarves, dresses, tops, and beautiful jewelry, all from artisans in Africa and India.  Next year's products are to include creations from Peru, as well.  They're sending me two beautiful gold pieces to review, but they're also sharing the love with you.  Through December 31, 4 All Humanity is offering free shipping for the entire store, and they've graciously given me a coupon code just for my lovely readers!  Type in maybeteen10 to get 10% off your entire order!

If you like their store or want to thank them for these great deals, you can visit them on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Amarese is an Etsy shop containing lovely fairytale-based jewelry.  The shop owner creates Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Alice in Wonderland based pieces as well as pieces inspired by general whimsy and wonder.

She has given me one beautiful Stardust necklace to review, and is offering one for the winning giveaway entry as well!  We're offering this now so the winner can be announced and notified when the party starts - that way they'll have the necklace in time for Christmas!

The necklace is absolutely gorgeous, and it looks just like its photo.  I've worn it several times and everyone loves it (especially little girls, because glitter!)  The jump ring or silver loop attaching the charm to the chain came a little loose after a few days of wearing, but my dad's small pliers tightened it quite easily.  I love the little star charm next to the bottle especially, because I didn't realize it was part of the necklace and I think it adds to the piece.

(Email subscribers, you'll have to click the post title in this email to see the giveaway form.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just Me, Blogging

Lovely readers, I adore NaNoWriMo, but it definitely throws off my blogging schedule!  I have absolutely nothing in mind to post about today.  Horrible of me, I know.  I suppose I'll just share a few blog-related things from my life right now.

The most exciting bit of blog goings-on right now is the blog party that is approaching very quickly.  We'll get started on Wednesday, December 12, but as the button below says, stay tuned for a pre-party surprise!

<a href="http://maybeteenauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z399/blogmaniac15/Partyblogbutton2012.png" border="0" alt="Come on over to my party!"/></a>

Other activities: I received an email and therefore joined Bloggerdise.com.  It's a website that at first looks like an unprofessional, ad-ridden, possibly spammy area in cyberspace.  However, it's actually a respectable place for bloggers and small businesses or authors to come together for blog reviews, giveaways, and offers. It just looks a bit messy and amateur because it's a free site run by one man.  (More power to him!)  I've already met some great business owners and lined up some special things for our party.  New deals show up every day, and it really is worth it to join if you're a blogger.  I love the site!

I decided recently to go back to the very first blog posts I ever shared and clear some out.  There were the P.O. Box Club and new blog announcements (for newer readers, those were two websites I started but later shut down).  There was also the One School Year Challenge, for which I and a few readers decided to not buy a certain thing for a whole school year.  I chose books and posted a one-month update.  After that, though, other things came up and the challenge was completely forgotten, so I decided to delete those two posts about it.

Then, of course, there were a few tiny posts written before I knew what I was really doing with a blog.  Those had to go.

Finally, I've learned how to use meta-tags for search engines on Blogger!  So for posts I'd like to promote, I just enter a description in a certain box and save it with the post.  Go me!