Wednesday, November 16, 2011

It’s a Pie Party….

And do I have a pie to share…

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Blueberry Almond Cream Pie…..to die for.

I have become obsessed with making pies these past few months.  The joy and patience that a great flaky crust takes, the limitless varieties of pies you can create….I dream of pie. Often.

So making this pie for my family was a treat for me.  Taking a fellow blogger’s Blueberry Cream Pie and giving it a twist to make it for my boys was just plain fun.

Blueberry Almond Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 – 9 inch unbaked pie crust – I used this recipe here from Melissa Clark

Filling:

3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350deg.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients (except the blueberries) until smooth and wonderful.

Pour the blueberries into the unbaked pie shell, spread evenly. Then pour the filling over the blueberries.

Crumb topping:

2 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 ½ tbsps almond meal, or ground almonds (I get mine at Trader Joe’s)

Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then pour melted butter into the bowl and mix together using a fork until crumbles are formed.

Spread the crumb topping over the blueberry cream filling.

Bake in a 350 deg oven for 50 – 60 minutes. Cover crust with foil if it starts to brown too quickly.

Cool completely, slice, and enjoy!

Before:

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After:

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Enjoy!!

And check out all the wonderful pies over at Tidy Mom and her #LovethePie Party!!

Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom  sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton,Bags by Bloom and  Harvard Common Press

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Got Bundt?

Today is National Bundt Cake Day…another food holiday that I can appreciate. I love a good Bundt cake, I like the shape, the moist dense texture of a good rich Bundt cake, and how versatile Bundt recipes can be.

I recently found my favorite Autumn Bundt on Amanda’s Blog, I Am Baker.  Kristen, from Dine and Dish, was guest posting and posted her Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake.  I have now made this cake THREE times.  Once as Kristen posted with the pumpkin glaze, and twice with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.  To find the recipe for the cake, check out the post on I Am Baker, but scroll down for my Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. 

 

Oh, and here is the beautiful Bundt….

 

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Ok, so it’s not the greatest photo, or the prettiest Bundt cake…..but it is delicious!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

5oz Cream Cheese, Softened

1 1/2 – 2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 tbsp. Milk

1- 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Cream ingredients together. If too thick or too thin, add more sugar or milk until desired consistency is reached. Spread onto cooled Pumpkin Spice Cake.

(this frosting is also fantastic on Banana Bread or Carrot Cake too.)

Hope you get a chance to make this cake, you wont regret it.

Happy Autumn!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Oh yes, I went there.  I am all about the Autumn smells and flavors….it is truly my favorite time of year.  I find myself in the kitchen creating as many fall treats as possible lately, anything with apple, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg….mmmmmm.  I decided that I wanted to create a cookie with the spices of the season and add in some creamy caramel to the mix.  And these are what I came up with….

 

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Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons cream of tarter

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice mix

Unwrapped Kraft Caramels cut in 1/2’s

For the Pumpkin Spice sugar:

2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

½ cup sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice mix and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be soft and too sticky to roll. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Position a rack in the top and bottom thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350f. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.


For the Pumpkin Spice sugar: Combine the pumpkin pie spice mix and sugar in a small bowl.

Using a 1 ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon, shape the dough into balls, place caramel 1/2 in between two balls, press gently until caramel is completely surrounded by the cookie dough, keeping it’s “ball shape”.  Roll the stuffed dough in the Pumpkin Spice sugar.

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Place the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten them slightly with your fingertips so they stay put. Bake for about 12-13 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly golden in color. These cookies are supposed to be chewy, so do not overbake. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

These cookies are just made to be enjoyed warm from the oven, with a cup of tea….just a suggestion.  It is truly a challenge to eat just one!

Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days.

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Do you have favorite seasonal flavors you LOVE to bake with?  What are they?  Please share links…always looking for new tasty treats to make.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Darn you Daylights Savings Time!

Pre-Children I loved the fall back of Daylights Savings Time….that extra hour of sleep was precious.  Now that I am the Mama of two early rising boys, I kind of hate it.  It screws everything up.  This morning both boys were up at 6:10am – a whole hour before my alarm goes off on a Monday.  I tried my best to keep them quiet in hopes of them falling back asleep, even crawled into bed with Aiden to see if he would just shut his eyes for a little longer.  But no luck.  This happens every year.  Twice every year.  The time change screws with our sleep schedule.  And it really messes everything up for about a week.  The boys seem to have a hard time adjusting to the change, they sleep less, eat more, and even throws off their behavior.  It might be a good thing that Aiden doesn’t have school this week and Jakob  has 1/2 days – will make it easier for their teachers. 

Do your kids have trouble with the time change?  Do YOU have trouble with it? 

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

I adore Fall….it is my favorite season, bar none.  Living in Georgia there really wasn’t a fall season.  Last year at this time the boys were still running around in t-shirts and shorts.  Thank goodness Washington has seasons…and has THIS season.  Yesterday was a perfect fall day.  Slight crisp. Clear sky. Sun shining.  And what better thing to do on such a day then take the boys to the park afterschool to play with their friends.  Perfect.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Pillsbury….mmmm….brownies

A while back, quite a while actually, Pillsbury sent me a goodie box.  They had contacted me and said that they “saw that I like sweet things” (tee hee) and would I enjoy some of their treats.  Yes, please.  I had no idea what they were sending me, and that was part of the fun of it.  I was happily surprised when the package arrived.  I seriously love getting mail – it’s kind of obsessive for me.  Not bills, but packages and letters….make me happy.

Now, understand that I usually like to make all my desserts and treats for my boys from scratch, but there will always be times when I need a little help. I may cut corners on a pie crust, crescent rolls for a meal, or pick up a bag of treats for my boys when I know I am going to be super duper busy.  So when I opened the box to find two bags of their new Sweet Moments Brownie Bites….I realized that they do know that I like sweet things.  I decided that night that dessert was on Pillsbury!  I hate to admit that we almost ate a whole bag in one sitting…the boys liked them.  Jason liked them.  Even I liked them…and I am a tough one to win over with bought desserts.  These were good.  A good substitute for homemade for those days when I just can’t get in the kitchen.  (I would like to point out here that we do NOT eat brownies, cake, or pie for dessert every night…that would be ridiculous)

Have you tried these?

Sweet Moments (Image from Pillsbury.com)

You should….trust me.

A Big Thank You to Pillsbury for thinking of us, and for sharing your delicious Sweet Moments with us.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Madeleine LOVE

Thank you Donsuemor!  Thank you for sending me these incredible little cakes.  It was difficult for me not to eat them all before making this Raspberry Tiramisu, very difficult. I am excited to be participating in Donsuemor’s Dessert a Day project. Being asked to make a recipe using one of their delectable desserts was an offer that I jumped on.  From their list of French treats I chose the Madeleines….and they live up to their description. For those of you not familiar with Madeleines, they are small, light, sweet little cakes that are made in a very special pan.  (A pan that has been on my wish list for way too long, must purchase!)

“Our Madeleines

Donsuemor madeleines are elegant little French cakes with distinctive shell shapes. Rich and buttery with a unique flavor and texture—soft and moist with lightly crisped edges—they are made with the finest quality, all natural ingredients.

Donsuemor is inspired by spirited legends and romance of madeleines. In France, they are most often linked to the town of Commercy, in the region of Lorraine. One narrative suggests King Stanislas Leszczynska sent the recipe for madeleines to his daughter Maria following her marriage to Louis XV at Versailles. She named it for her father's French cook, Madeleine, who learned the recipe from her grandmother in Commercy. A slight variation of this story suggests that King Stanislas was hosting a luncheon. The court's chef did not prepare a dessert, and Madeleine, a young assistant saved the meal by preparing a little cake made at home in Commercy.

Another version suggests that madeleines were invented by Avice, the pastry chef of an influential nineteenth-century French diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, who placed the batter in scalloped-shaped molds.

And in Spain, the magdalenas, resemblance to the madeleines, are created to mark the Christian pilgrimage route that ends in Santiago de Compostela, in which sea scallops are the symbol most closely associated with this journey.

And for others, it is the French author Marcel Proust who immortalized them in his vivid description of savoring petites madeleines in his novel Remembrance of Things Past.

Donsuemor captures the tradition of these little French cakes, and creates a madeleine unlike any other. Once you taste them you will know why Donsuemor is the one you remember.

Donsuemor madeleines are available in five flavors, Traditional, Dipped, Lemon Zest, Chocolate, and Dipped Chocolate.”     Text from Donsuemor.com

I pondered the ideas of what to make with these sweet treats.  I thought a trifle, I thought ice cream, but I wanted to showcase the spongy goodness of these cakes….so I went with this….a Raspberry Tiramisu.

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See the lovely seashell shape of the cake…the traditional Madeleine shape…so beautiful.

Raspberry Tiramisu for Two

Ingredients

6 – 10 Madeleine Cakes (depends on size of your dish)

1/2 Seedless Raspberry Jam

1 tbsp Raspberry Liqueur

2 tbsp Whipped Cream Vodka

2 tbsp Water

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Mascarpone Cheese

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/8 cup Sugar

1 cup Fresh Raspberries

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract together until stiff peaks are formed. Cover bowl and put in fridge to keep cold.
  2. Stir together mascarpone cheese and 1 tbsp of whipped cream vodka.  Set aside.
  3. In a small pot, over low heat, whisk together raspberry jam, raspberry liqueur, remaining tbsp of whipped cream vodka, and water.  Stir to combine and continue to stir until jam has thinned.
  4. Take whipped cream out of the fridge, whisk 1/3 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese to lighten it up, then fold in remaining whipped cream.
  5. Pull out your cute clear dish….you really want it to be clear so that you can see the pretty layers as you serve it.
  6. Unwrap the individual Madeleine Cakes and try not to eat them all.
  7. Dip the cakes into the raspberry jam mixture to completely cover them, give them a bit to soak up some of the saucy goodness.
  8. Spread a light layer of the raspberry jam mixture on the bottom of your dish, then place one layer of the cookies in the dish.
  9. Spoon and spread half of the whipped cream/mascarpone cheese mixture on top of the cookies.
  10. Dip more cakes and place on top of whipped cream layer.
  11. With remainder of the whipped cream mixture top the second layer of cakes and smooth nicely.
  12. Cover dish and place in fridge to chill until ready to serve.
  13. Decorate top of tiramisu with the fresh raspberries when ready to serve.

You will need to use a knife to serve this tiramisu as the cakes will still have their spongy texture.

First layer of saucy cakes:

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Look at these layers….

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Thank you, again, Donsuemor for these delicious treats.  Jason and I certainly enjoyed this fantastic dessert after putting the boys to bed….we weren’t willing to share, and with the alcohol in the dessert we shouldn’t be sharing anyway!

You should definitely check out Donsuemor for more of their delicate treats, and also pop over to Cupcake Rehab to see what she made with Donsuemor’s  French Almond Cakes.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Monkey Monday…..FINALLY!

The day finally came…Aiden has been waiting for this day all summer.  Actually, he has probably been waiting for it since the last day of school.  Today was the day.  Aiden’s first day of school finally came.  Today was the first day of Preschool for Aiden.  Thank goodness.  Taking Jakob to school last week and having to tell Aiden that he would have to wait a week was just torture.  Absolute torture.  He didn’t understand.

This morning when we all woke up to start the day, I whispered to him “it’s the first day of school for you, do you want to see Teacher Shelley?” , he practically JUMPED out of bed.  He was so excited and so proud. 

Just look at this smile and see….

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Could his grin get any bigger?  He had a great first day, full of old friends and new, and happy that he got to go to school, finally, just like his big brother.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Monkey Monday: A Friends List

Yesterday the boys and I went to Priest Pointe Park for the afternoon….to make new friends.  Finally, Amanda and my schedules worked and we were finally getting to meet face to face.  The boys were excited to meet new people and have some fun…my little extroverts. It was a beautiful day, a fun afternoon filled with yummy snacks, sunshine, and new friends.

On the way home Jakob suggested we make a “Friends List” to keep track of all of our friends.  And while that seemed like a good idea for them, it got me thinking about my own “Friends List”.  Are there people on my list that I need to erase?  Are there people who got left off the list that I need to put back on?  Definitely, on both counts.  I need to work harder to put those people back on it….desperately.  And those that need to be erased…need to do that too…don’t need the negativity and stress that comes along with it.  I am exhausted from trying to keep those people on the list when they don’t make the same effort.

Do you have a Friends List?  Do you need to do some housekeeping to your List?  What do you do to help rebuild a damaged friendship?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Silly Boys

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My Mother took these pics during her visit with her fancy DSLR…..I now desperately want one.

Friday, August 12, 2011

A Pie For Mikey, Jennifer and their Girls

I bake with love.  It is the most important ingredient that I have.  It goes in to everything I make.  And today, it is going in to this Peanut Butter Pie….for Mikey, for Jennifer, for my family, for those who are no longer here to enjoy it.

The pie is chilling. And I am emotionally wiped.  It has been a heartbreaking week.  Hearing of Jennifer losing her husband, Mikey, this past Sunday has left many of us spinning, wondering why?, how?, what now?…an outpouring of love for someone that many of us only know in the virtual world.  I have not had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer in person, though I feel as though I know her.  I wish I could give her a hug, comfort her, FEED her.  I am on the other side of the country, I cannot do any of those things.  There are people there to do it for her, and for those of us who cannot be there, we can do one thing for her today…make a Pie for Mikey, at her request.  Read the pie story here.  I still cannot believe that she was able to string such beautiful words together, but then again that is what we do, we write, we share.

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I wanted to share a poem with Jennifer, one that brought me comfort when I lost my Step Father to a sudden heart attack, and then again 10 months later when my Father died.   Today I felt their presence as I made this pie. When I share it later today with my boys I will tell them a story about both of them, as I am sure Jennie will do when sharing this pie with her daughters the next time she makes it. 

 

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!

Mary Frye (1932)

I hope you find peace. May your memories and love get you through this incredibly hard time.

Much love.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Immobile Parenting

I can barely move.  The past couple weeks have been a little stressful. My body is rebelling.  The worst of it is my neck and shoulders.  I woke up this morning in immense pain, to the point that I had to roll out of bed rather than sit up because all my muscles in my neck and shoulders were screaming at me.   Torture.  Literally.  It is now 3pm, I am sitting on the couch stiff as a board, smelling like a wintergreen factory (thank you Icy Hot Rub), with a heating pad across my shoulders, and praying that the boys continue to play nicely upstairs for just a little while longer. 

Jakob has noticed that I am not moving as quickly today…that I seem a little stiff.  He asked, I told him that I was sore, I think he is now upstairs plotting with Aiden for a hostile takeover.  Plotting how to get away with doing all the things that he knows I can’t prevent him from doing.  I am afraid to let them out of the house , as there is no way in hell that I could catch them if they decided to take off on me….which Aiden has a tendency to do if he thinks he can get away with it!

Do you ever feel that when you’re under the weather that your kids are plotting against you?  Can they smell it on you?  No, not the Icy Hot Wintergreen Scent, the weakness – the inability to act as quickly and swiftly as you normally can?

Next time I will be buying the unscented Icy Hot, just in case.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

THIS….is how we spent out 4th of July….

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Such a beautiful day for a doggie swim at the beach in Gig Harbor. 

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Show me your pie!

Today is the Pie Party!  Time to show me your pie!  Seriously…..show me your pie!  Pretty Please?

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a lot of talk of pie, and a pie party….on twitter of course.  And then a Pie Party event on FB….realized I must participate.  I bake enough pie.  And I had a couple of pie recipes that I wanted to try out too.  So the wheels started turning.  Thank you so much to Shauna, Gluten Free Girl, for starting the Pie Party….hope we have more of these!

First, I made this Blueberry Cream Pie….and damn was it good.

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Then, I got the idea of making a S’Mores Pie in my head.  And couldn’t shake it.  Canada Day was coming up, 4th of July right behind it….and what says summer celebrations more than a S’More??  Not much. 

Attune Foods was kind enough to send me a box of their Organic Honey Graham Crackers a few weeks back, with hopes that I would make something delicious with them.  And I sure did.  This pie is incredible. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough of the Attune Foods graham crackers left to make the crust…the little mice that are my children seem to have been making their way into the box and helping themselves!  Luckily after turning them into crumbs in the food processor I measured….and voila…enough.  whew.  minor crisis averted.

I love a baked Graham Cracker Crust…I think baking it just gives it a nuttier flavor and tends to be more stable when slicing.

Graham Cracker Crust:

Measure 1 1/3 cup of graham cracker crumbs, mix with 1/4 cup of sugar, add 5 tbsp melted butter, mix together to coat all the crumbs with a bit of butter.  Press into pie dish.  Bake at 350 for 8 – 10 min.  Let cool completely before pouring in pie filling.

Easy Peasy right?

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Now I have a love of all things pie, but lately a GOOD chocolate cream pie has been creeping its way to the top of my list lately.  And this recipe makes a GOOD chocolate cream pie!

Chocolate Cream Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
  • 3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Pinch salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Instructions:

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, milk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (it will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Once the chocolate mixture is cooled.  Whip the 1/2 cup of whipping cream with powdered sugar until you get stiff peaks.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.  Pour the chocolate filling into the graham cracker pie crust and chill in the fridge for about 3 hours.

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Now….for the Marshmallow part of the S’more….the most important part! (in my book)  You can’t just throw on a marshmallow and all it good.  It MUST be toasted.  right?  So I cut marshmallows in half, covering the chocolate layer with them….then let Jason take the torch to them to “toast” them for me…..he did such a good job…look:

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And then….you have this:

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Beautifully toasted marshmallows, creamy rich chocolate filling, amazing graham cracker crust….S’MORES PIE!!!

Perfect for any summer night. 

Did you make PIE for the pie party??  Show me your pie….leave me a comment with a link…would love to see what you made!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Last day of KINDERGARTEN!  I am officially the Mama of a 1st Grader….gulp!

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I am so proud.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Monkey and Military Monday

A couple of weeks ago, Jason’s Platoon was helping put on a field day at a local elementary school, including bringing a few of their vehicles for the kids to climb on and explore.  Jason invited me to bring the boys so they could see the new vehicles that Daddy was working with (Jason is no long on the M1A tank)…..of course I said YES!  They would love it.  It was the perfect day, warm – not hot, sun was shining – not a cloud in the sky, though of course we forgot the sunscreen.  The boys ended up with red cheeks, and Mama ended up with one heck of a sunburn.  Oh well, was almost worth it.

Here are some pictures of our afternoon. 

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Please make note of the name of the MGS….CUPCAKE!!!  Perfect right?

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It was a great afternoon and the boys and I really enjoyed seeing who and what Daddy’s working with.  Now to see if I can get them to come to Jakob and Aiden’s school next year….

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I owe someone a huge apology…

 

I am an idiot.  Plain and simple.  I have a very bad habit of jumping to conclusions and making poor first impressions.  I admit that.  I also have a bad habit of assuming that those in my real life are unaware of my online life.  Tonight I got that slapped back in my face.  Again, I am an idiot.  And now I need to make up for it.  I am at a complete loss as to how.  So this is where I start, because it is 9pm, and walking across the street and knocking on their door when they have little ones they might be trying to put to sleep is not ok to me.  So here I go,

Dear J, M, J, and A,

I am truly sorry.  I don’t think sometimes, and I am sorry for the things I said.  My blog and twitter are how I vent.  I had noticed a change in how you all were not talking to me, or my boys, and had wondered if you had read my blog.  So I removed the post.  It was a rash post, before giving a true chance at our boys being friends and I regret it.  J is a great kid and my boys enjoy playing with him.  A is a wonderful little girl who Aiden adores.  And I fear that my words may have ruined what could have been great friendships. One more time, I am an idiot.

Today I couldn’t figure out what was going on, it seemed like I was getting the cold shoulder so I vented to the one place I didn’t think I could hurt feelings.  The people who only know me online. Mistake again.   I avoid confrontation.  I prefer to vent to people who I can’t see.  I am a bit of a coward that way.  Again, idiot.

I wish I knew what I could do to make it up to you.  Maybe you could let me know.  Maybe this public apology is a start….I hope it doesn’t make things worse. 

Please know that I am ashamed of this and hope that maybe we can work this out. 

Sincerely,

me…..the idiot.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Military Monday

 

Happy Memorial Day.  Spending the day with my favorite soldier.  Thinking of all those that can’t be with the ones they love.  Was checking out some of the posts of friends on FB…one stuck out in particular.  Written by a wonderful leader who I am proud to call my friend.  Much love Cory.

“Much respect to the fellas who never made it home. Our thoughts are constantly with your families and with your memory. Miss and love each and everyone one of you.”

Take some time to thank those who are serving and have served.  Remember.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Wordless Thursday…

 

I know I am a day late with this post….and I hope you will forgive me. The day got away from me.

A great friend of mine (Mia Cupcake) asked if I would be interested in a 30 Day Photo Challenge….of course I said yes, and that I would give it a go….We started last week and decided to post ever Wednesday.  Here are my first 6 photos….

1. A photo of yourself:

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2. A photo of what you wore today:

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3. A photo of your favorite place to be:  (Wherever these two are!)

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4. A photo from a high angle:

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5. A photo of whatever you please: (Jason bought these for me….good husband)

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6. A photo from a low angle:

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Come back next week to see another weeks worth….

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Mixing together two favorites

 

Every once in awhile a light bulb goes off on the baking side of my brain.  And sometimes that light bulb ends up with awesome results like this one…..

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I was having a pretty crappy day yesterday, but this is not the time or place for those issues….so when I have a crappy day I try to think of things that make me happy.  I will also say it was a little gloomy yesterday too, and I was missing all the sunshine we had last week.  So I decided to create some of my own sunshine, in the form of LEMON CURD.    And even though I would be happy just eating said lemon curd out of the jar with a spoon….I figured the family would rather something else yummy for snack/dessert.  And since this pound cake recipe turned out SO well, I decided to combine the two. 

I bring you….Vanilla Bean Pound Cake, with Lemon Curd swirled inside.  It is TO DIE FOR.   Basically I just layered the pound cake batter with the Lemon Curd in between….and the curd stayed nice and soft.  Just perfect.

If you are every having a bad day I strongly suggest you make some of this….you can’t help but smile at a bowl of bright yellow lemony goodness.  Trust me.  It worked for me. 

Look at this cake:

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