i love helping and blessing others!!!
blessings,
ALo
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2014
so exciting!
today i did a little bit of baking. i had been looking forward to this little gig for so long!! i met bridget through our church just before i got pregnant with the twins. bridget was also struggling with unexplained infertility. the journey sometimes feels so lonely and bumpy and hard, so meeting bridget was good for me. then i got pregnant and she did not. i felt bad. she did not make me feel guilty but i knew how it felt. i knew what she was going thru and i hated to make things worse. so, we kept in touch but only here and there. i knew she read my blog posts but i didn't want to make things harder for her. bridget and her husband went through many treatments and procedures and struggled with what God wanted for their family. fast forward several months...bridget is pregnant!!!!!! praise the LORD!!!!! she texted me a few weeks back asking me to make her a cake...a gender reveal cake. AHHHHH!!! so exciting!!! bridget and her hubby had an ultrasound but did not find out in the room what the gender is, but they know their baby is healthy and everything looks great. she did bring me an envelop so I know!! :) i am not sure when they will be cutting into the cake, but i am so excited to have been asked to be a part of their excitement. i am thrilled for bridget to be a mommy, especially after her long hard road to get here. please join me in praying for bridget, her hubby and baby! pray that God will continue to give them all health! here is just one pic of the cake, but no giveaways...not until they get to tell their families!!
i love helping and blessing others!!!
blessings,
ALo
i love helping and blessing others!!!
blessings,
ALo
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
4 months already!!
well, at least i am giving you the monthly updates!! lol.
in the last month it seems the girls have gotten so big! they are growing like crazy! life with twins is becoming much more normal for us. i have the girls on a great schedule...thankfully! i am not sure what i would do otherwise. i am super thankful for my husband who has been more than helpful/supportive/the best dad ever. we haven't done anything too major this month except sit at the pool at few times and we did go to our church middle school camp for a few days. peter went to help set up the tech and sound, so us girls went too...just for the weekend. it was so great being a small part and being with the students for a few days at one of my favorite times in a students' life...camp! i love being a mom and it is the most rewarding job in the world, but it is also the hardest and most demanding job. sometimes i miss being able to leave my job and come home and not get up at 3am for a feeding. :) so, being at camp, as a family, even for just a few days was the best of both worlds for me!!
so, we went to the doctor on monday for the girls' 4 month check up. they are hitting all of the milestones, right on track! annabel weighed in at 14lbs 9oz (75th percentile), 25 1/2" long (90th percentile) and her head is 16 1/4" around (75th percentile). she is a little ahead of the game...she is rolling over and cant be swaddled at night anymore. she is super strong and is really good at bearing weight and holding her head up. however, they both HATE tummy time!!! i mean, they pitch royal fits over it!! claire is still my little peanut. she was 12lbs 5oz (10th percentile), 24 1/4" long (50th percentile) and her head is 16" (50th percentile). she is not "standing" as much as annabel, but she is getting pretty good at holding her head up. i was encouraged by the doctor to not "baby her" as much...let her gain her strength. claire is not rolling yet, and still likes to be swaddled when falling asleep. she wriggles out of it pretty good, but they both like to be held tight when falling asleep! my girls are really good sleepers. we have had several nights of not getting up. the 3am feedings are becoming few and far between...thankfully! so, right now, they go down around 10 and get up at 5 to eat then sleep again until between 8 and 9. the last two days were off because they had to have 3 shots...that always really messes with things!! they both LOVE their hands...i mean eating them. they are also really figuring each other out. i love to watch them interact and have "twin time". they still both do great in the car, so we get out as much as we can. the texas summer heat is trying to kick our butts, but we do what we can! :)
each day has moments when i question if i know what i am doing...or if God was crazy in thinking i could be a mom to twins. then i will catch one of the girls smiling, or studying something, or a smirk while dreaming. thats when i stop and take a breath and say a prayer. i pray that i can continue to do my best, that the girls continue to grow and pass those milestones, and thank God for each moment that i have with them. these first 4 months have flown by and the awesome times way out weigh the hard moments! today was a good day...better than yesterday. we got out to run errands, stopped to see a few friends, did some laundry (this is everyday) and even made a batch of cookies. its a good day when you can sit and enjoy an almond joy cookie (recipe at bottom) while the babies nap! :) now off to start dinner!!
before i post the pics...please be praying for my mom. she had to have surgery today to repair her torn Achilles tendon and get rid of a bone spur on her heel. it has been an awful week for her awaiting surgery and now she will have to be in a cast for 3 months. if you know my mom, then you know this has got to be one of the worst things...especially this time of year! mom lives on a beautiful piece of land in michigan (michigan summers are the best!!!), so she wont be enjoying her tennis (which is how she got her injury), her horses, or the pool and lake. so sad!! she also cant drive!!! and lets not forget i have a 15 year old brother at home and she is a single parent...long thee months for both of them now! i so wish i was there to help her!!! love you, mom!! you are so strong and i know you can do this!! xxoo
here are a few pics from today... :) they are so big and starting to look a little more alike!
blessings, ALo
almond joy cookies, courtesy of my cousin Brooke Southwick
2 cups dark brown sugar (all i had was light, it worked!)
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 cup almonds
1 bag chocolate chips
pre heat oven to 325. cream sugar, butter, salt, and soda. add eggs and cream again. mix in the flour and coconut until well blended. mix in the almonds and chips until just incorporated. bake for approx. 15 min or until just golden. these are much better if not too done!!! enjoy with coffee or really cold milk!!
in the last month it seems the girls have gotten so big! they are growing like crazy! life with twins is becoming much more normal for us. i have the girls on a great schedule...thankfully! i am not sure what i would do otherwise. i am super thankful for my husband who has been more than helpful/supportive/the best dad ever. we haven't done anything too major this month except sit at the pool at few times and we did go to our church middle school camp for a few days. peter went to help set up the tech and sound, so us girls went too...just for the weekend. it was so great being a small part and being with the students for a few days at one of my favorite times in a students' life...camp! i love being a mom and it is the most rewarding job in the world, but it is also the hardest and most demanding job. sometimes i miss being able to leave my job and come home and not get up at 3am for a feeding. :) so, being at camp, as a family, even for just a few days was the best of both worlds for me!!
so, we went to the doctor on monday for the girls' 4 month check up. they are hitting all of the milestones, right on track! annabel weighed in at 14lbs 9oz (75th percentile), 25 1/2" long (90th percentile) and her head is 16 1/4" around (75th percentile). she is a little ahead of the game...she is rolling over and cant be swaddled at night anymore. she is super strong and is really good at bearing weight and holding her head up. however, they both HATE tummy time!!! i mean, they pitch royal fits over it!! claire is still my little peanut. she was 12lbs 5oz (10th percentile), 24 1/4" long (50th percentile) and her head is 16" (50th percentile). she is not "standing" as much as annabel, but she is getting pretty good at holding her head up. i was encouraged by the doctor to not "baby her" as much...let her gain her strength. claire is not rolling yet, and still likes to be swaddled when falling asleep. she wriggles out of it pretty good, but they both like to be held tight when falling asleep! my girls are really good sleepers. we have had several nights of not getting up. the 3am feedings are becoming few and far between...thankfully! so, right now, they go down around 10 and get up at 5 to eat then sleep again until between 8 and 9. the last two days were off because they had to have 3 shots...that always really messes with things!! they both LOVE their hands...i mean eating them. they are also really figuring each other out. i love to watch them interact and have "twin time". they still both do great in the car, so we get out as much as we can. the texas summer heat is trying to kick our butts, but we do what we can! :)
each day has moments when i question if i know what i am doing...or if God was crazy in thinking i could be a mom to twins. then i will catch one of the girls smiling, or studying something, or a smirk while dreaming. thats when i stop and take a breath and say a prayer. i pray that i can continue to do my best, that the girls continue to grow and pass those milestones, and thank God for each moment that i have with them. these first 4 months have flown by and the awesome times way out weigh the hard moments! today was a good day...better than yesterday. we got out to run errands, stopped to see a few friends, did some laundry (this is everyday) and even made a batch of cookies. its a good day when you can sit and enjoy an almond joy cookie (recipe at bottom) while the babies nap! :) now off to start dinner!!
before i post the pics...please be praying for my mom. she had to have surgery today to repair her torn Achilles tendon and get rid of a bone spur on her heel. it has been an awful week for her awaiting surgery and now she will have to be in a cast for 3 months. if you know my mom, then you know this has got to be one of the worst things...especially this time of year! mom lives on a beautiful piece of land in michigan (michigan summers are the best!!!), so she wont be enjoying her tennis (which is how she got her injury), her horses, or the pool and lake. so sad!! she also cant drive!!! and lets not forget i have a 15 year old brother at home and she is a single parent...long thee months for both of them now! i so wish i was there to help her!!! love you, mom!! you are so strong and i know you can do this!! xxoo
here are a few pics from today... :) they are so big and starting to look a little more alike!
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| Annabel Marie |
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| Giggles |
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| Claire Mackenzie |
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| she gets shy in front of the camera. glad she finally smiled!! |
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| blue eyed babies!! |
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| they love to hold hands, rub feet, anything to touch each other! |
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| serious! |
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| "Annabel, do think if i start crying she will stop??" |
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| "Mom, Claire is serious...you might need to be done!" i like big bows and i can not lie!! :) bigger the bow, better the mom!!! lol welcome to texas! |
almond joy cookies, courtesy of my cousin Brooke Southwick
2 cups dark brown sugar (all i had was light, it worked!)
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 cup almonds
1 bag chocolate chips
pre heat oven to 325. cream sugar, butter, salt, and soda. add eggs and cream again. mix in the flour and coconut until well blended. mix in the almonds and chips until just incorporated. bake for approx. 15 min or until just golden. these are much better if not too done!!! enjoy with coffee or really cold milk!!
Monday, January 14, 2013
I Learned from the Best
my mom is awesome. i think a lot of people could say that about their mom, but i really mean it. sure, we have had our ups and downs while i was growing up, but now she is much more to me than the person that grounded me for bad choices. there are so many things i could share, but this post would end up being really long. but, you know someone is awesome when more than one person says it...thats my mom...so many people think she is fantastic. here are a few VERY recent things that make me think she is awesome...
1. my mom taught me from an early age the importance of thank you notes. yes, it can be very time consuming. yes, it would be very easy to send a mass text or facebook message, but that just does not cut it. i know that over the next couple months i will write a lot of notes, but it is worth to express our gratitude to those who take the time, energy and money to spoil our babies. in fact, i sent out 6 notes just this morning. one of those was to my mom for gifts and cribs for the girls. of course, after i sent the notes out a package from my mom came. she sent a gift because she (obviously) cant come to a shower here in texas, but she was invited. lol. awesome!! thanks mom!!
2. my mom taught me to do chores right away rather than putting it off until later. of course, i do not always do that. in fact, if you ask most people, especially peter, i am not a good house wife. i hate doing dishes, i hate taking care of clean laundry, my car usually has stuff (bags, umbrellas, water bottles) on the seats, etc. although i have found, even if i hate to admit it, life is much easier if i follow what my mom taught me. dishes take half the time if you do them right away (before food gets stuck on there), my room looks better and is easier to navigate when i take care of clothes...plus i can easily find what i want to wear without having to iron anything, if i take care of clothes when they come out of the dryer. anyway, you get the picture. i did not make any real new years resolutions, but i am striving to do those three things (dishes, laundry, car care) much better this year. so far it is going well. peter and i are both happy about it! my life is about to be much crazier and if i can help myself out in anyway, i am all about it! thanks mom for helping us understand the importance of being tidy, even if it has taken me 30 years to get it!!! ps. if you have ever been to my mom's house, you will know how serious she is about it...there is never anything out of place and only dishes in the sink while guests are still there so they dont feel bad if she does them in front of them :)
3. my mom is a phenomenal cook/baker. i know she has probably had a few things that did not turn out or tasted a little off, but i cant really remember (except for these nasty chicken enchiladas that we had when i was in middle school, but i was a brat. i would love them now). as kids, we of course did not appreciate my mom and her cooking. i remember mom setting the timer for jonathan every time she made something with ground beef...so weird. now, you will regularly find me calling my mom for cooking advice, recipes, and just to talk "shop" about what we are making. i know that i love to help others by cooking/baking because that is what mom does. i love to celebrate with food, grieve with food, just love food. here is a link to a cake i made just this weekend. Ritz Carlton Lemon Pound Cake. peter was gone most of saturday. i know that he loves pound cake. so while he was gone, i decided to make him one. everyone that has had a piece has loved it. not too fruity or sweet, but very dense like a good pound cake. i didnt have whole milk and just used the skim milk that i had...still great. mom, thanks for being a great cook and for teaching me the difference between dried mince onion and real onion... :)
4. last one for today. my mom loves to spend time with people. she loves to entertain (which helps that she is a fabulous cook), but she also loves to help other people. growing up we always adopted a family at christmas to help them out, always anonymously. we always supported missions, both short term and long term missionaries...mom made it possible for me to travel to over 10 foreign countries doing short term missions. she generously gives to others through her church and other non-profit organizations. today, as i called to thank my mom for a gift (yes, i will send her a note) and to tell her i was making her favorite taco soup, she went on to tell me about what she and nate were doing. usually, mondays are spent a mission pointe (a local restaurant) with nate and grant (my brothers) and other friends. but today, mom and nate are going to help a single mom make it to bible study. this mom has 3 children under the age of 4, has no transportation, and lives in government housing. nate was a little sketched out, but my mom is following something that God has laid on her heart. she felt a pull to help this lady in a practical way. she and nate are leaving the comfort of their routine and life of plenty to go help a family that is just trying to make it sometimes. they are going tonight to take care of the kids and will see how things go, so they know how to prepare for next week. all so this other mom can go to bible study. how cool! giving back in the most simple of ways. i bet next week she takes food!! mom, thanks for making this a big part of who i am. helping other people enjoy life and grow their relationship with God just by being who you are is so amazing for me!!
i know that we are all who we are because of the influence of someone else in our lives, most likely our parents. i am so blessed that my mom has made a huge impact on my life, especially in such a positive way. it is exciting to see how i will respond to parenting claire and annabel because of my mom...my friend, encourager, supporter, sounding board, and shopping partner in crime. :) i love you, mom!!! good luck with those little kids tonight!! tell nate they are just preparing him for his nieces :)
tell your mom tonight how much you love her...how much she means to you!!
blessings, ALo
1. my mom taught me from an early age the importance of thank you notes. yes, it can be very time consuming. yes, it would be very easy to send a mass text or facebook message, but that just does not cut it. i know that over the next couple months i will write a lot of notes, but it is worth to express our gratitude to those who take the time, energy and money to spoil our babies. in fact, i sent out 6 notes just this morning. one of those was to my mom for gifts and cribs for the girls. of course, after i sent the notes out a package from my mom came. she sent a gift because she (obviously) cant come to a shower here in texas, but she was invited. lol. awesome!! thanks mom!!
2. my mom taught me to do chores right away rather than putting it off until later. of course, i do not always do that. in fact, if you ask most people, especially peter, i am not a good house wife. i hate doing dishes, i hate taking care of clean laundry, my car usually has stuff (bags, umbrellas, water bottles) on the seats, etc. although i have found, even if i hate to admit it, life is much easier if i follow what my mom taught me. dishes take half the time if you do them right away (before food gets stuck on there), my room looks better and is easier to navigate when i take care of clothes...plus i can easily find what i want to wear without having to iron anything, if i take care of clothes when they come out of the dryer. anyway, you get the picture. i did not make any real new years resolutions, but i am striving to do those three things (dishes, laundry, car care) much better this year. so far it is going well. peter and i are both happy about it! my life is about to be much crazier and if i can help myself out in anyway, i am all about it! thanks mom for helping us understand the importance of being tidy, even if it has taken me 30 years to get it!!! ps. if you have ever been to my mom's house, you will know how serious she is about it...there is never anything out of place and only dishes in the sink while guests are still there so they dont feel bad if she does them in front of them :)
3. my mom is a phenomenal cook/baker. i know she has probably had a few things that did not turn out or tasted a little off, but i cant really remember (except for these nasty chicken enchiladas that we had when i was in middle school, but i was a brat. i would love them now). as kids, we of course did not appreciate my mom and her cooking. i remember mom setting the timer for jonathan every time she made something with ground beef...so weird. now, you will regularly find me calling my mom for cooking advice, recipes, and just to talk "shop" about what we are making. i know that i love to help others by cooking/baking because that is what mom does. i love to celebrate with food, grieve with food, just love food. here is a link to a cake i made just this weekend. Ritz Carlton Lemon Pound Cake. peter was gone most of saturday. i know that he loves pound cake. so while he was gone, i decided to make him one. everyone that has had a piece has loved it. not too fruity or sweet, but very dense like a good pound cake. i didnt have whole milk and just used the skim milk that i had...still great. mom, thanks for being a great cook and for teaching me the difference between dried mince onion and real onion... :)
4. last one for today. my mom loves to spend time with people. she loves to entertain (which helps that she is a fabulous cook), but she also loves to help other people. growing up we always adopted a family at christmas to help them out, always anonymously. we always supported missions, both short term and long term missionaries...mom made it possible for me to travel to over 10 foreign countries doing short term missions. she generously gives to others through her church and other non-profit organizations. today, as i called to thank my mom for a gift (yes, i will send her a note) and to tell her i was making her favorite taco soup, she went on to tell me about what she and nate were doing. usually, mondays are spent a mission pointe (a local restaurant) with nate and grant (my brothers) and other friends. but today, mom and nate are going to help a single mom make it to bible study. this mom has 3 children under the age of 4, has no transportation, and lives in government housing. nate was a little sketched out, but my mom is following something that God has laid on her heart. she felt a pull to help this lady in a practical way. she and nate are leaving the comfort of their routine and life of plenty to go help a family that is just trying to make it sometimes. they are going tonight to take care of the kids and will see how things go, so they know how to prepare for next week. all so this other mom can go to bible study. how cool! giving back in the most simple of ways. i bet next week she takes food!! mom, thanks for making this a big part of who i am. helping other people enjoy life and grow their relationship with God just by being who you are is so amazing for me!!
i know that we are all who we are because of the influence of someone else in our lives, most likely our parents. i am so blessed that my mom has made a huge impact on my life, especially in such a positive way. it is exciting to see how i will respond to parenting claire and annabel because of my mom...my friend, encourager, supporter, sounding board, and shopping partner in crime. :) i love you, mom!!! good luck with those little kids tonight!! tell nate they are just preparing him for his nieces :)
tell your mom tonight how much you love her...how much she means to you!!
blessings, ALo
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Gender Reveal
well, its now official!!
we are having two little GIRLS!!!
Claire Mackenzie and Annabel Marie.
i am super tired tonight after a day full of excitement, but i wanted to share a few photos of the big party!! we were so blessed by all of our friends that came to celebrate with us...just over 60 people! so awesome! thanks to all that came and to all those have said congrats and wished us well through social media!! our little girls are going to be sooooo spoiled!!
besides finding out they are girls, everything looked great today! the one comment my doctor had was, "these babies are huge". lol!!! uh, thanks??!!?? they will surely take after their daddy!!
we received some really sweet gifts tonight too...i will post some cute pics of that later and more about the fun party...but i am just too tired :) thanks for understanding!! i will also post pics of the girls :) they are so cute!!!
thanks for being patient, but for being so excited with us. we are truly blessed. God is sooooo good!! good night!
blessings, ALo
we are having two little GIRLS!!!
Claire Mackenzie and Annabel Marie.
besides finding out they are girls, everything looked great today! the one comment my doctor had was, "these babies are huge". lol!!! uh, thanks??!!?? they will surely take after their daddy!!
we received some really sweet gifts tonight too...i will post some cute pics of that later and more about the fun party...but i am just too tired :) thanks for understanding!! i will also post pics of the girls :) they are so cute!!!
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| the desserts, including cookies shaped as lips and mustaches!! :) |
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| Baby A cake |
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| Baby B cake |
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| SURPRISE!!!! 2 GIRLS!!! |
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| look at everyone's faces as they realize whats going on...priceless!! |
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| Claire and Annabel's first outfits from us (mommy and daddy!!!) |
thanks for being patient, but for being so excited with us. we are truly blessed. God is sooooo good!! good night!
blessings, ALo
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Try these!
i am sitting on the couch, watching the olympics...loving life. i am still so excited! not sure that feeling will go away for a long time! :)
i realized that i never delivered on my promise to give a few recipes that we have loved lately. over the last few weeks, i have done a TON of baking and some cooking. i love the feeling of baking for people. i have gotten much better at it over the years...it has become quite a little hobby for me. pinterest and food blogs only feed that hobby...much to the delight of people here around me! so, rather than re-typing out all the recipes, i am just going to add a picture. that picture will link you to the website with the recipe. enjoy!!
this is by far one of the most delicious. flavorful, and EASY recipes ever!! i use a rotisserie chicken (almost the whole thing, sans skin, because we like lots of chicken). we do a toppings bar with avocado, cheese, green onion, tomatoes, black olives, and sour cream. try it...you will love it and me for sharing!! :)
now for a few desserts...the good stuff!
i made three different kinds of cookies for a wedding last week...they were all good, and there were not any left. guess they were a hit!
now for the grande finale... you have to make this..tomorrow!! for real...do it! i actually used two recipes, because i wanted a bundt cake, not cupcakes (shocked!), but wanted the icing from the cupcake recipe. so..here are two links plus the pic of first time i made this...yes i made this twice in one week! :) but to my defense, the first time i didnt eat any and the second time i had one piece...plus i am eating for two! lol.
ENJOY!!!
i realized that i never delivered on my promise to give a few recipes that we have loved lately. over the last few weeks, i have done a TON of baking and some cooking. i love the feeling of baking for people. i have gotten much better at it over the years...it has become quite a little hobby for me. pinterest and food blogs only feed that hobby...much to the delight of people here around me! so, rather than re-typing out all the recipes, i am just going to add a picture. that picture will link you to the website with the recipe. enjoy!!
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| Chicken Enchilada Pasta |
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| Pineapple Crockpot Chicken
this is another really easy meal! if you have a crock pot, try this! i love this blog...they have several great things there. i use this meal a lot for new moms or company. just 3 ingredients, plus a side of white rice and steamed broccoli...easy! its even better with a little bit of red pepper flakes.
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i made three different kinds of cookies for a wedding last week...they were all good, and there were not any left. guess they were a hit!
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| Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies very fluffy |
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| White Chocolate Chip Orange Cookies my favs |
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| Glazed Lemon Cookies these are great too |
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| Brown Sugar Pound Cake |
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| Brown Butter Glaze/Icing |
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| this was the first one i made, for christina |
blessings, ALo
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
How Many in the Jar?
wow, what a day. the first thing i want to say is another BIG thank you for all the messages, texts, emails, calls, and cards. i feel so loved and supported. i loved hearing from so many people that they were praying for me and for peter and for our soon to be expanding family. thanks so much!!
i am currently sitting on the couch just relaxing. i feel a little crampy, but they told me to expect that. nothing too serious, just that uncomfortable feeling. i am also spotting a little due to the slight cervix dilation needed to do the IUI. my cervix was still dilated from earlier this month, but something about doing more to keep the tube straight while doing the actual turkey basting. the spotting should stop tonight. if i see more spotting later this week i am supposed to call right away. there is a higher chance of ectopic pregnancies with IUIs, so we are on the lookout for anything abnormal. the IUI equally increases our chances of multiples...oh my! we knew that going in, but it is kinda crazy to think about!! i was told yesterday that dr. todd thought there were four good follicles before the hcg injection. who knows how many will release to be fertilized, but again...that is more than one! we wont know until much later if we have multiples. peter did awesome today! his numbers were SUPER high. after the wash down, there were 90 million little guys left to inject...90 million!! for real??!!?? i know that it only takes one, so that is why the number seems so crazy to me. the specialist said that this was higher than most. goes to show, this is mostly about me and my issues.
even with that, i left today excited. i am sitting here, thinking about it all and i am super excited! based on the way the doctors and nurses were talking and responding, they were excited and encouraged too. that helped a lot with my anxiety. everyone seemed so excited for us! of course, the cupcakes probably helped! :) i ended up taking 40ish to the doctor's office and about 15 got picked up by my sweet co-worker, rachel, for the rest of my co-workers. i dropped the cupcakes off in our doctor's office before we picked up the "boys" upstairs. when we went back, everyone told us how awesome the cupcakes were and they were so thankful to have had them. guess that gives me an in for special treatment! :)
after the IUI, we waited for about 35 min, listening to worship music and praying. it was pretty emotional for me and i am soooooo thankful that peter was there. he was able to take a personal day today to be with me. it has been awesome. while i was laying there, i thought so much about Charlotte. i thought about all that God has done for our family. i prayed about all that He still has planned for us. it was all a bit overwhelming and i teared up. but the worship music was so great and helped calm me down along with praying! i am so glad that we prepared in advance to do that. i have mentioned that i wanted to be a witness to the nurses and doctors at the office, so the worship music during the whole procedure was, hopefully, awesome for them too...for them to see who we are. we are teaching our high schoolers about being the salt and light of the world, so i am praying that while telling them and i am also showing them (and others).
so, here i am on the couch. i am disappointed that i missed out on the high school service tonight, but i am so excited that i am home to relax after our conception day! :) we wont know anything for about a week and a half, but we are going to continue to be excited about what God has for us...a baby!!
here are a few pics from today:
if anyone wants the play list that we had for today...we called it "waiting worship", i can make that available. we use spotify, so its super easy!!
Psalm 113:9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
blessings, ALo
i am currently sitting on the couch just relaxing. i feel a little crampy, but they told me to expect that. nothing too serious, just that uncomfortable feeling. i am also spotting a little due to the slight cervix dilation needed to do the IUI. my cervix was still dilated from earlier this month, but something about doing more to keep the tube straight while doing the actual turkey basting. the spotting should stop tonight. if i see more spotting later this week i am supposed to call right away. there is a higher chance of ectopic pregnancies with IUIs, so we are on the lookout for anything abnormal. the IUI equally increases our chances of multiples...oh my! we knew that going in, but it is kinda crazy to think about!! i was told yesterday that dr. todd thought there were four good follicles before the hcg injection. who knows how many will release to be fertilized, but again...that is more than one! we wont know until much later if we have multiples. peter did awesome today! his numbers were SUPER high. after the wash down, there were 90 million little guys left to inject...90 million!! for real??!!?? i know that it only takes one, so that is why the number seems so crazy to me. the specialist said that this was higher than most. goes to show, this is mostly about me and my issues.
even with that, i left today excited. i am sitting here, thinking about it all and i am super excited! based on the way the doctors and nurses were talking and responding, they were excited and encouraged too. that helped a lot with my anxiety. everyone seemed so excited for us! of course, the cupcakes probably helped! :) i ended up taking 40ish to the doctor's office and about 15 got picked up by my sweet co-worker, rachel, for the rest of my co-workers. i dropped the cupcakes off in our doctor's office before we picked up the "boys" upstairs. when we went back, everyone told us how awesome the cupcakes were and they were so thankful to have had them. guess that gives me an in for special treatment! :)
after the IUI, we waited for about 35 min, listening to worship music and praying. it was pretty emotional for me and i am soooooo thankful that peter was there. he was able to take a personal day today to be with me. it has been awesome. while i was laying there, i thought so much about Charlotte. i thought about all that God has done for our family. i prayed about all that He still has planned for us. it was all a bit overwhelming and i teared up. but the worship music was so great and helped calm me down along with praying! i am so glad that we prepared in advance to do that. i have mentioned that i wanted to be a witness to the nurses and doctors at the office, so the worship music during the whole procedure was, hopefully, awesome for them too...for them to see who we are. we are teaching our high schoolers about being the salt and light of the world, so i am praying that while telling them and i am also showing them (and others).
so, here i am on the couch. i am disappointed that i missed out on the high school service tonight, but i am so excited that i am home to relax after our conception day! :) we wont know anything for about a week and a half, but we are going to continue to be excited about what God has for us...a baby!!
here are a few pics from today:
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| awesome tortilla soup for lunch. FULL of veggies and so good! plus lunch w/ hubby! |
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| conception day celebration cupcake |
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| homemade almond funfetti w/ buttercream and glitter sprinkles |
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| mostly finished, just a few not frosted. |
Psalm 113:9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
blessings, ALo
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Left side, Strong Side
today was a good day. the worst part was the wait before the appointment, but i totally felt the prayers, encouragement, and support from so many people. thanks!!
my ultrasound showed several good follicles on my left side. they didnt see any on the right side, but i dont know if that is normal or abnormal since my left side was so good. either way, because we had some good ones, i got the hcg injection. actually, it was two shots because there is so much hormone to administer...it doesnt all fit in one syringe! so my love handles are feeling a little tender. the upside to having love handles is that i didnt feel them administering the shots! :) i have more than an inch to pinch. but please look at this picture. this is the box that my shot came in...check out the name of the medicine...
is that a joke? you just shot me up with gonads???!!!??? oh my word! dr. todd tried to reassure me that this was not the full name...apparently it didnt all fit on the label. but why would they abbreviate the last word and not the first word? i am confused. i am already more man than woman...this makes me nervous!! it did bring a few laughs, which was awesome!
tomorrow we are all set and scheduled to go ahead with the IUI. peter and i have to be there at 9am. peter will have to give his sample, we will wait anywhere from 45 min to an hour and half for it to get "washed down", then we will go see dr. todd and i will get turkey basted. we will then wait 30 minutes or so. hopefully we will be home by noon, but that is me being optimistic! :) either way...this could be the day we get pregnant again!!! the beginning of a dream come true for us. we are already celebrating...believing it will happen! i have made 60 cupcakes! some for the nurses and doctors tomorrow and some for our friends that are bringing lunch when we get home. they are not frosted yet, so i will show you a picture tomorrow. i made almond funfetti from scratch! i also bought really cute liners...everything is bright, fun, celebratory!
speaking of cupcakes...another awesome moment at the doctors office today...my nurse said i looked smaller than when i was there 10 days ago, so she thought i should weigh in. i was so glad that she noticed how hard i have been working!! i was down just over 5 pounds! i weigh 15 pounds less than i did when i got pregnant with Charlotte, and i weigh 7 pounds less than i did when i got married! i guess that is good motivation not to sample too many of my baking creations and keep doing the shakes and work outs!! getting ready to be pregnant!!!
so, my prayer for tomorrow is simple. Lord, open my womb! Lord, allow us to conceive a healthy baby!
Romans 5:13 May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith; that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.
blessings, ALo
my ultrasound showed several good follicles on my left side. they didnt see any on the right side, but i dont know if that is normal or abnormal since my left side was so good. either way, because we had some good ones, i got the hcg injection. actually, it was two shots because there is so much hormone to administer...it doesnt all fit in one syringe! so my love handles are feeling a little tender. the upside to having love handles is that i didnt feel them administering the shots! :) i have more than an inch to pinch. but please look at this picture. this is the box that my shot came in...check out the name of the medicine...
is that a joke? you just shot me up with gonads???!!!??? oh my word! dr. todd tried to reassure me that this was not the full name...apparently it didnt all fit on the label. but why would they abbreviate the last word and not the first word? i am confused. i am already more man than woman...this makes me nervous!! it did bring a few laughs, which was awesome!
tomorrow we are all set and scheduled to go ahead with the IUI. peter and i have to be there at 9am. peter will have to give his sample, we will wait anywhere from 45 min to an hour and half for it to get "washed down", then we will go see dr. todd and i will get turkey basted. we will then wait 30 minutes or so. hopefully we will be home by noon, but that is me being optimistic! :) either way...this could be the day we get pregnant again!!! the beginning of a dream come true for us. we are already celebrating...believing it will happen! i have made 60 cupcakes! some for the nurses and doctors tomorrow and some for our friends that are bringing lunch when we get home. they are not frosted yet, so i will show you a picture tomorrow. i made almond funfetti from scratch! i also bought really cute liners...everything is bright, fun, celebratory!
speaking of cupcakes...another awesome moment at the doctors office today...my nurse said i looked smaller than when i was there 10 days ago, so she thought i should weigh in. i was so glad that she noticed how hard i have been working!! i was down just over 5 pounds! i weigh 15 pounds less than i did when i got pregnant with Charlotte, and i weigh 7 pounds less than i did when i got married! i guess that is good motivation not to sample too many of my baking creations and keep doing the shakes and work outs!! getting ready to be pregnant!!!
so, my prayer for tomorrow is simple. Lord, open my womb! Lord, allow us to conceive a healthy baby!
Romans 5:13 May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith; that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.
blessings, ALo
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Not Expected
i know that some of you saw my tweet/status yesterday...thanks for praying!! if not, i tweeted that i was not feeling that great after my procedure. yesterday i was dilated again. i am not sure if i was in more pain because they dilated me more this time or what, but i was pretty miserable yesterday. i would start sweating from the pain...not that it takes much to make me sweat! i really was not expecting to be in soooo much pain! it seemed like this procedure was a lot longer and more involved than the first time. dr. todd did warn me though...he said he was going to dilate me more than last time in preparation for the next step. today i am feeling better. the cramps are still intense, but less frequent! i know that this is all part of the process, so its all good! the next step is a follicle search (ultrasound looking for good eggs) and an hcg injection followed by an IUI. if there is a good follicle on the 17th then we will go back the 18th for the IUI. dr. todd also upped my dosage of serephene for this month. we are praying this is it! :)
on another note...we went to a really fun 4th of july party with some friends from church. i decided to make a few things to take with us, one of which was a red, white, and blue almond sour cream cake. i found the recipe on pinterest. i was surprised that it turned out so well. i cant wait to make it again! it would be a really cute ombre cake! if you decide to make it, there should be about 2 cups of batter per layer :) the taste was sooooo good and it starts with a cake mix!! below is the recipe for my favorite buttercream frosting. i use it for just about everything!! this week i am going to make my friend kristy this banana pudding poke cake! :)
white buttercream frosting:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter softened
1 teas. clear vanilla (clear keeps it very white, but you can use regular)
4 c. powdered sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2-4 tbls. milk (depends on how you like the consistency)
enjoy!!
blessings, ALo
on another note...we went to a really fun 4th of july party with some friends from church. i decided to make a few things to take with us, one of which was a red, white, and blue almond sour cream cake. i found the recipe on pinterest. i was surprised that it turned out so well. i cant wait to make it again! it would be a really cute ombre cake! if you decide to make it, there should be about 2 cups of batter per layer :) the taste was sooooo good and it starts with a cake mix!! below is the recipe for my favorite buttercream frosting. i use it for just about everything!! this week i am going to make my friend kristy this banana pudding poke cake! :)
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| this was my cake after a few slices...there wasnt any left after about 30 min!! |
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter softened
1 teas. clear vanilla (clear keeps it very white, but you can use regular)
4 c. powdered sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2-4 tbls. milk (depends on how you like the consistency)
enjoy!!
blessings, ALo
Monday, October 3, 2011
This and That
a whole week without blogging...weird! i cant even say that anyone was really missing out. nothing "big" happened...well, at least not anything i really felt like blogging about. we did have inspections done on "the house" and ended up doing some shopping this weekend. house decor/furniture shopping with my husband was fun/interesting. when we bought our home in ohio, we didnt have to buy very much furniture...everything had been given to us/handed down from family (thanks again, family!!) we still have most of those pieces, but since we are pretty much tripling the square footage of our home, we need more furniture. what has made all of this so interesting is that my husband actually has an opinion about all of it. most guys would tell their wives to just go pick something out so that they could stay home to watch football. well, peter could care less about football AND he does care about what goes into the house. its fun because that means that i have some with a vested interest shopping with me. its interesting because we disagree about pretty much everything in life, including house decor! :) we did find a few things to agree on...score! on saturday, after shopping for several hours and walking through 4 stores, we found a cool cajun restaurant for lunch. if you have plans to visit us here in texas, dont be surprised if we take you to "ragin' cajun" for a meal. it had good food, outdoor seating, and a fun atmosphere. so, back to the inspections, we have to get 2 new water heaters (the existing heaters are more than shot) and repair the air conditioners. the draw back of buying a foreclosure is that we can not ask the seller to replace/repair items...the house comes as is. but, those things were still out weighed by everything else that we liked about the house (not excluding the cost!!!). we are hoping to close the deal on wednesday, but friday at the latest, according to the bank.
things at the church are going great. this weekend i came home after the 5pm sunday service, exhausted. i love middle schoolers, but i get worn out mentally with them! right now, i am still on a volunteer status at the church, but i am doing everything that i will be doing when i do take the job. i am calling this a trial run. november 1st will be when i make the "official" decision. peter and i have been going to the 9:30 am service together and volunteering together for the 11:30 am service. i am also there for the saturday night and sunday night services. we really like the church. the worship was awesome this weekend...i didnt want it to end!! so...still excited about being a part of COF and really looking forward to being a part of the "team" with jason, blake, and rachel! again, if you are planning a visit, you will have to come on a weekend to experience all of it with us! :)
so, i am addicted to pinterest. its not a secret. it has been true for a while now, but it is just getting worse! i am like my friend, elizabeth (btw isnt she so cute with short hair??), in that pinterest is killing any type of weight loss i thought i had going. not completely, but mostly at least! :) i have found so many good recipes! the crock pot chicken-n-dumplins were awesome! tonight i made hawaiian chicken with pineapple...soooooo gooooood! peter had been craving some cinnamon buttercream, so tonight i made some sugar cookies and brown sugar cinnamon buttercream to top them off...uh, i dont think i need to say more! if you are not on pinterest yet, let me know...i will send you an invite! :)
today, while surfing the web, i came across this recipe for marshmallow bon-bons. dont they look good? well, i thought of my mom immediately and our good friends, the jones boys. growing up, zach and aaron jones lived down the street. i honestly cant remember how much older than me they each were...zach was probably 6 years older and aaron 4? either way, they would babysit and were a riot. they would hide the remote controls from my mom before she would come home. once she for real could not find them and she had to call and beg to have them back. well, the joke was that since my mom didnt have a job outside of the home, that she must sit around in her robe watching soap operas and eating bon bons all day. it would make my mom so mad when they would tease her, relentlessly! zach and aaron were like a part of our family! one summer night, while driving home from his job at american eagle, zach lost control of his car and died. we were all devastated!!! i will never forget where i was and what i was doing when my mom called me and told me. i missed the funeral because i was in michigan visiting my dad for the summer, but it was probably better for my 12 year old self that way. i still think about the jones family. aaron is married with at least one little one and as far as i know, mr. and mrs. jones still live in their house in rivercliff subdivison. and as long as i live, when ever i see or hear about bon-bons i will think of those boys and the crazy chaos they brought to our house!! :) so, in honor of them, i will be making the marshmallow bon bons this week some time...dont you wish you were visiting?? :)
i think there have been a total of three plugs for you to come visit now, but in case you need one more...today's high was a glorious sunny 84 degrees with very low humidity. thats right...the heat has broken (for now)!! so, book a trip! we will sit on my new flagstone patio and eat something sweet! :)
i hope you all have a great week! thanks for caring enough to read all the mundane happenings in our life! hopefully, the next time i blog, i will be the proud resident at 8407 gentlewood ct. houston, tx. 77095!! :)
blessings, ALo
things at the church are going great. this weekend i came home after the 5pm sunday service, exhausted. i love middle schoolers, but i get worn out mentally with them! right now, i am still on a volunteer status at the church, but i am doing everything that i will be doing when i do take the job. i am calling this a trial run. november 1st will be when i make the "official" decision. peter and i have been going to the 9:30 am service together and volunteering together for the 11:30 am service. i am also there for the saturday night and sunday night services. we really like the church. the worship was awesome this weekend...i didnt want it to end!! so...still excited about being a part of COF and really looking forward to being a part of the "team" with jason, blake, and rachel! again, if you are planning a visit, you will have to come on a weekend to experience all of it with us! :)
so, i am addicted to pinterest. its not a secret. it has been true for a while now, but it is just getting worse! i am like my friend, elizabeth (btw isnt she so cute with short hair??), in that pinterest is killing any type of weight loss i thought i had going. not completely, but mostly at least! :) i have found so many good recipes! the crock pot chicken-n-dumplins were awesome! tonight i made hawaiian chicken with pineapple...soooooo gooooood! peter had been craving some cinnamon buttercream, so tonight i made some sugar cookies and brown sugar cinnamon buttercream to top them off...uh, i dont think i need to say more! if you are not on pinterest yet, let me know...i will send you an invite! :)
today, while surfing the web, i came across this recipe for marshmallow bon-bons. dont they look good? well, i thought of my mom immediately and our good friends, the jones boys. growing up, zach and aaron jones lived down the street. i honestly cant remember how much older than me they each were...zach was probably 6 years older and aaron 4? either way, they would babysit and were a riot. they would hide the remote controls from my mom before she would come home. once she for real could not find them and she had to call and beg to have them back. well, the joke was that since my mom didnt have a job outside of the home, that she must sit around in her robe watching soap operas and eating bon bons all day. it would make my mom so mad when they would tease her, relentlessly! zach and aaron were like a part of our family! one summer night, while driving home from his job at american eagle, zach lost control of his car and died. we were all devastated!!! i will never forget where i was and what i was doing when my mom called me and told me. i missed the funeral because i was in michigan visiting my dad for the summer, but it was probably better for my 12 year old self that way. i still think about the jones family. aaron is married with at least one little one and as far as i know, mr. and mrs. jones still live in their house in rivercliff subdivison. and as long as i live, when ever i see or hear about bon-bons i will think of those boys and the crazy chaos they brought to our house!! :) so, in honor of them, i will be making the marshmallow bon bons this week some time...dont you wish you were visiting?? :)
i think there have been a total of three plugs for you to come visit now, but in case you need one more...today's high was a glorious sunny 84 degrees with very low humidity. thats right...the heat has broken (for now)!! so, book a trip! we will sit on my new flagstone patio and eat something sweet! :)
i hope you all have a great week! thanks for caring enough to read all the mundane happenings in our life! hopefully, the next time i blog, i will be the proud resident at 8407 gentlewood ct. houston, tx. 77095!! :)
blessings, ALo
Monday, May 23, 2011
Well, that stinks!
i have lost two pounds. that stinks. i was hoping it would be more, but deep down i knew that it would not be. no excuses, but i have not done my job. i have slacked on my eating plan and slacked on my exercise. i have eaten lots of dessert then last weekend peter and i also took a trip to houston, tx...not the best place to eat healthy when you are being shown the "highlights" of the city (mostly food places!) let's just say that i throughly enjoyed my trip!! but seriously...if you have never been to houston you should go...soon! we had a great time...thanks so much to my aunt sally and uncle bill for showing us a great time. i was able to be a part of my cousin alyson's senior prom (hair and make-up). she looked BEAUTIFUL and i had a blast. ok, anyway... i have started off this week pretty good. i am determined to not give up even though i was terrible last week! thanks for all the encouragement and ideas!!
ok, enough about that! the new season of the bachelorette started a few minutes ago....this is so awesome, mostly because lisa and i have already sent 15 text messages back and forth breaking it all down. i cant wait to chat it up girl style over this season with lisa...i know that there will be so many laughs. have you ever seen this show? the first night is so funny...all the first impressions are awkward and awesome!!! grant is watching it with me here at the house (peter is in the room but totally ignoring us!) and he is totally cracking on these guys. i just cant imagine putting myself through something like this. i mean...creepy, weird, not fun! why did one guy come in a mask??? :) oh my! dont be surprised if there are a few posts about this in the future!
i also wanted to share a cupcake recipe with you...i forgot to take pics, but they looked similar to this, but tasted even better!
the cupcake (and butterfly cake) pictured is from Charlotte's celebration (sorry it is blurry, my camera phone isnt that great). but this recipe is a classic that i pulled out for my friend, per request, after just having a baby. i made them chicken cordon bleu casserole, rolls, salad and chocolate chip cupcakes with buttercream frosting. it was all good! let me know if you really want the recipes and i will send them to you, but you really should try these cupcakes!!!
Darn Good Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes
1pkg plain devil's food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 pkg (3.9oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine all ingredients (save the chocolate chips) until well combined. fold in chocolate chips. pour into cupcake liners. bake at 350 for 20-22 min or until cakes spring back. let cool completely before frosting. *if you are not making cupcakes let me know and i will let you know how to adapt this for bundt/layer/pan cakes.
Best Buttercream (not too "crusty")
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter (softened)
1 teas. vanilla (clear vanilla if you want very white buttercream)
4 c. powdered sugar
3 tbls. milk (more if needed)
cream together shortening and butter. add sugar and vanilla. mix well. add milk until smooth and creamy, until it is the consistency that you like. i like mine a little thicker for piping.
so good!! but, i guess cupcakes are out for me for a little while..at least a cupcake every night like last week!! cant wait to hear what you think about the bachelorette!!
blessings, ALo
ok, enough about that! the new season of the bachelorette started a few minutes ago....this is so awesome, mostly because lisa and i have already sent 15 text messages back and forth breaking it all down. i cant wait to chat it up girl style over this season with lisa...i know that there will be so many laughs. have you ever seen this show? the first night is so funny...all the first impressions are awkward and awesome!!! grant is watching it with me here at the house (peter is in the room but totally ignoring us!) and he is totally cracking on these guys. i just cant imagine putting myself through something like this. i mean...creepy, weird, not fun! why did one guy come in a mask??? :) oh my! dont be surprised if there are a few posts about this in the future!
i also wanted to share a cupcake recipe with you...i forgot to take pics, but they looked similar to this, but tasted even better!
the cupcake (and butterfly cake) pictured is from Charlotte's celebration (sorry it is blurry, my camera phone isnt that great). but this recipe is a classic that i pulled out for my friend, per request, after just having a baby. i made them chicken cordon bleu casserole, rolls, salad and chocolate chip cupcakes with buttercream frosting. it was all good! let me know if you really want the recipes and i will send them to you, but you really should try these cupcakes!!!
Darn Good Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes
1pkg plain devil's food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 pkg (3.9oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine all ingredients (save the chocolate chips) until well combined. fold in chocolate chips. pour into cupcake liners. bake at 350 for 20-22 min or until cakes spring back. let cool completely before frosting. *if you are not making cupcakes let me know and i will let you know how to adapt this for bundt/layer/pan cakes.
Best Buttercream (not too "crusty")
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter (softened)
1 teas. vanilla (clear vanilla if you want very white buttercream)
4 c. powdered sugar
3 tbls. milk (more if needed)
cream together shortening and butter. add sugar and vanilla. mix well. add milk until smooth and creamy, until it is the consistency that you like. i like mine a little thicker for piping.
so good!! but, i guess cupcakes are out for me for a little while..at least a cupcake every night like last week!! cant wait to hear what you think about the bachelorette!!
blessings, ALo
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Of Course I Will Share!
sorry, no pics of the first two, but these are some AWESOME recipes i have tried...only one since my "diet" and i didnt even eat but two bites! :) hope you enjoy these for me!!!
here Jenny:
Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
1 pkg. plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 pkg (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding
1/2 c. undweetened cocoa powder
1 c. chocolate syrup*
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
*i did not have enough chocolate syrup so i added sour cream to make up the difference, maybe 1/4 cup.
~preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all cake ingredients until well blended. pour batter into prepared cupcake liners...i did about 1/2 full to make a very level cupcake. bake for approx. 15 min. make filling while cupcakes cool.
6 tables. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
3/4 c. marshmallow fluff
1 1/2 tables. plus 1 teas. heavy cream*
*i used half and half, thats what i had
~mix together well, add to prepared pastry bag. using a piping tip, fill cooled cupcakes from the top until a small amount comes out of top. reserve extra cream for decorations. frost using below recipe.
Chocolate Ganache frosting
8 oz (1 1/3c) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c heavy (whipping) cream
1 tables. liqueur of choice or 1 teas. vanilla extract (optional)
~place the chips in a large stainless steel mixing bowl. pour cream into a heavy saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring. remove the cream from the heat and pour over chocolate. using a wooden spoon, stir until chocolate is melted. stir in vanilla is using. let cool at room temp until spreadable, 45 min. to an hour. frost and decorate with extra cream if desired, may need to add more sugar to thicken for decoration.
*i didnt feel like frosting these cupcakes, so i just place two more dots on top of cake with the cream...very good without...enjoy!!! :)
this next cake was sooooo good!!! i made this while in atlanta for some friends...it didnt last long! :)
Toffee Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
for cake:
1 pkg. white cake mix with pudding (i use Pillsbury)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sour cream
1 c. warm water
1 tables. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
~preheat oven to 350. mix all ingredients until smooth. pour batter into 2 prepared 9" pans. bake for 25-28 min. cool completely. make frosting while cooling.
for frosting:
4 tables. (1/2 stick) butter
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, chilled
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
4 c. confectioners' sugar
~place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and then browns, about 4 min. place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. pour hot butter over the cream cheese and add vanilla. beat with an electric mixer on low until butter and cream cheese are smooth. add sugar, a little at a time, beating on low until sugar in incorporated. make topping ingredients
for topping:
1 c. toffee bits
1/2 c. finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)
~transfer one layer, right side up, to a serving plate and top generously with frosting, smoothing with a metal spatula. add a generous, even coating of topping mix. place the second layer on top of first. frost top and sides. sprinkle with remaining topping. to make slicing easier, place uncovered in the refrigerator until frosting sets, 20 min.
last but, certainly not least...a lighter (well, kinda) cake. easy to change for desired needs, let me know if you need ideas!
Fresh Orange Cake
1 large orange
1 c. orange juice from carton (approx.)
1 pkg. plain yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1c. coconut (optional)
~preheat oven to 350. rinse orange and pat dry. grate enough zest to measure 2 to 3 teas. cut orange and squeeze the juice into small bowl, you will have about 1/2 c. of juice. add enough oj from carton to fresh juice to measure 1 1/3c. place zest and juice along with all the other above ingredients until you have a smooth batter. pour into prepared pan. i used a creative shaped bundt pan. bake for approx. 48-50 min. let cool completely. make glaze while cooling.
Glaze
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 teas. fresh zest
~combine all ingredients until smooth, no sugar lumps. pour over cake.
*i toasted some coconut and garnished the glazed cake...really pretty and so tasty! this is optional too!
i made this last night for my mother-in-law. she is visiting for the weekend and LOVES coconut. grant, however, doesnt LOVE it, so i only put the toasted coconut on half. sorry i didnt get any pics before we dug in...it sure was good, and still warm when we ate it! :)
enjoy some treats!!
blessings, ALo
here Jenny:
Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
1 pkg. plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 pkg (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding
1/2 c. undweetened cocoa powder
1 c. chocolate syrup*
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
*i did not have enough chocolate syrup so i added sour cream to make up the difference, maybe 1/4 cup.
~preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all cake ingredients until well blended. pour batter into prepared cupcake liners...i did about 1/2 full to make a very level cupcake. bake for approx. 15 min. make filling while cupcakes cool.
6 tables. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
3/4 c. marshmallow fluff
1 1/2 tables. plus 1 teas. heavy cream*
*i used half and half, thats what i had
~mix together well, add to prepared pastry bag. using a piping tip, fill cooled cupcakes from the top until a small amount comes out of top. reserve extra cream for decorations. frost using below recipe.
Chocolate Ganache frosting
8 oz (1 1/3c) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c heavy (whipping) cream
1 tables. liqueur of choice or 1 teas. vanilla extract (optional)
~place the chips in a large stainless steel mixing bowl. pour cream into a heavy saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring. remove the cream from the heat and pour over chocolate. using a wooden spoon, stir until chocolate is melted. stir in vanilla is using. let cool at room temp until spreadable, 45 min. to an hour. frost and decorate with extra cream if desired, may need to add more sugar to thicken for decoration.
*i didnt feel like frosting these cupcakes, so i just place two more dots on top of cake with the cream...very good without...enjoy!!! :)
this next cake was sooooo good!!! i made this while in atlanta for some friends...it didnt last long! :)
Toffee Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
for cake:
1 pkg. white cake mix with pudding (i use Pillsbury)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sour cream
1 c. warm water
1 tables. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
~preheat oven to 350. mix all ingredients until smooth. pour batter into 2 prepared 9" pans. bake for 25-28 min. cool completely. make frosting while cooling.
for frosting:
4 tables. (1/2 stick) butter
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, chilled
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
4 c. confectioners' sugar
~place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and then browns, about 4 min. place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. pour hot butter over the cream cheese and add vanilla. beat with an electric mixer on low until butter and cream cheese are smooth. add sugar, a little at a time, beating on low until sugar in incorporated. make topping ingredients
for topping:
1 c. toffee bits
1/2 c. finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)
~transfer one layer, right side up, to a serving plate and top generously with frosting, smoothing with a metal spatula. add a generous, even coating of topping mix. place the second layer on top of first. frost top and sides. sprinkle with remaining topping. to make slicing easier, place uncovered in the refrigerator until frosting sets, 20 min.
last but, certainly not least...a lighter (well, kinda) cake. easy to change for desired needs, let me know if you need ideas!
Fresh Orange Cake
1 large orange
1 c. orange juice from carton (approx.)
1 pkg. plain yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1c. coconut (optional)
~preheat oven to 350. rinse orange and pat dry. grate enough zest to measure 2 to 3 teas. cut orange and squeeze the juice into small bowl, you will have about 1/2 c. of juice. add enough oj from carton to fresh juice to measure 1 1/3c. place zest and juice along with all the other above ingredients until you have a smooth batter. pour into prepared pan. i used a creative shaped bundt pan. bake for approx. 48-50 min. let cool completely. make glaze while cooling.
Glaze
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 teas. fresh zest
~combine all ingredients until smooth, no sugar lumps. pour over cake.
*i toasted some coconut and garnished the glazed cake...really pretty and so tasty! this is optional too!
i made this last night for my mother-in-law. she is visiting for the weekend and LOVES coconut. grant, however, doesnt LOVE it, so i only put the toasted coconut on half. sorry i didnt get any pics before we dug in...it sure was good, and still warm when we ate it! :)
enjoy some treats!!
blessings, ALo
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Hello, Neighbor
remember how i told you about me making my version of the chocolate hostess cupcake? well, i forgot to take any pics, but they were AWESOME! the batter called for a cup of hershey's syrup!! yeah! well, peter and i didnt need all of the cupcakes, so our softball team enjoyed some and then i took a few to our neighbors in the cul-de-sac. we dont know our neighbors all that well, but we are all friendly with each other when we are out. right next door live john and pam. they always have little kids over...grandkids or nieces...and monday was no exception. two little girls came to the door and they looked so excited when i told them i had two cupcakes for them (meant for john and pam, but thats ok). i then walked to the house on the end of the street (2 down for us) where don and mrs. don live. all i knew about them is that they are super old and mrs. don loves to yell at her dog, taco, to come into the house. don came to the door and seemed really happy to see me, especially with treats. he told me he would hide the second cupcake from his wife! lol!! i noticed that our last neighbor, dave (who lives directly across the street from us) was not home yet from work, so i saved his to deliver later. just before we left for softball practice the little girls from next door came running over to return my tupperware, so i gave them two more to take back so that john and pam could have dessert too. judging by smiles, i am pretty sure i became the girls' best friend right there and then!! that is why i love to bake! for the smiles i got from them, and from don!
this afternoon, as i was just finishing frosting cupcakes for bible study...yes, more cupcakes...i heard don scuffling up my drive way. he didnt think i was home so we was leaving a package that was mis-delivered to his home and dropping off my tupperware. i opened the door and you could just tell that he was so excited to say hi. i, of course, had opened the door with a cupcake in hand for him. what i thought would be a quick hello turned into an almost two hour conversation on my front porch..yes, 2 hours! i was late for bible study tonight, but it was well worth it to spend time with this sweet man. don moore and his wife (gertie) have been married for 68 years! don will be 93 next month and gertie will be 90 in october, 2 days after my 29th birthday! i am just dumbfounded that don is not only still alive, but they both live with no assistance for the most part. they live in their own home and don still drives! they have two children (son, robbie, 67 and daughter, nancy, 65). i learned so much from our talk...all about his years here in ohio. i heard all about his friends (all but one are now gone), his barber (who only charges don $3.75 for a haircut), his children and grandchildren, his father's farm, and his wife's spunky self. it was amazing. in the two hours, only twice did he falter to remember what we were talking about. he told me about his life threatening leg injury which kept him from the war, even showed me his scars. at one point he was kinda shivering from the wind and i asked him if he was ok, he replied that it was ok if his teeth chattered a little, they werent real anyway :) i think he told me 4 times that he needed to go before diving right into another topic. i was happy to listen and he was happy to talk. he asked me twice to stop by sometime so that he can show me his house. he also said that i can bring him a treat anytime, but that his wife really needed to cut back, so he will just keep her portion for himself...lol!!! i cant wait to stop over to see the moores soon. what a great surprise to my afternoon!
here is a pic of today's cupcakes on my new stand from lisa...thanks girl!
chocolate orange cake with fresh orange buttercream frosting...pretty good!
this afternoon, as i was just finishing frosting cupcakes for bible study...yes, more cupcakes...i heard don scuffling up my drive way. he didnt think i was home so we was leaving a package that was mis-delivered to his home and dropping off my tupperware. i opened the door and you could just tell that he was so excited to say hi. i, of course, had opened the door with a cupcake in hand for him. what i thought would be a quick hello turned into an almost two hour conversation on my front porch..yes, 2 hours! i was late for bible study tonight, but it was well worth it to spend time with this sweet man. don moore and his wife (gertie) have been married for 68 years! don will be 93 next month and gertie will be 90 in october, 2 days after my 29th birthday! i am just dumbfounded that don is not only still alive, but they both live with no assistance for the most part. they live in their own home and don still drives! they have two children (son, robbie, 67 and daughter, nancy, 65). i learned so much from our talk...all about his years here in ohio. i heard all about his friends (all but one are now gone), his barber (who only charges don $3.75 for a haircut), his children and grandchildren, his father's farm, and his wife's spunky self. it was amazing. in the two hours, only twice did he falter to remember what we were talking about. he told me about his life threatening leg injury which kept him from the war, even showed me his scars. at one point he was kinda shivering from the wind and i asked him if he was ok, he replied that it was ok if his teeth chattered a little, they werent real anyway :) i think he told me 4 times that he needed to go before diving right into another topic. i was happy to listen and he was happy to talk. he asked me twice to stop by sometime so that he can show me his house. he also said that i can bring him a treat anytime, but that his wife really needed to cut back, so he will just keep her portion for himself...lol!!! i cant wait to stop over to see the moores soon. what a great surprise to my afternoon!
here is a pic of today's cupcakes on my new stand from lisa...thanks girl!
chocolate orange cake with fresh orange buttercream frosting...pretty good!
please excuse my junk on the table behind...remnants of home hair! :)
Leviticus 19:17-18 "Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against on of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."
Matthew 19: 17-19 "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments; Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:9-10 "Whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law."
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR!!
blessings, ALo
Monday, April 25, 2011
What's Cookin?
so, in an attempt to be a better wife and save some money, i have started planning meals. i plan 3 weeks worth of meals. :) today is the second round. the first round went very well, so now i am trying it again. basically, i go shopping for all 3 weeks worth of food outside of the fresh fruits and veggies and milk (we go thru about 2 gallons of mills a week...yes, there are only 3 of us living here). since i shop on mondays, tomorrow i will cook all the meat so it doesnt go bad, bag it into appropriate serving sizes, and label it for the meal. i actually have saved a lot of time and money doing this. i have found this really cute meal planner dry erase board with matching shopping list pad...pictures below...at target. instead of doing lunch, dinner and notes, i decided to just do dinners. we always eat leftovers or simple sandwiches for lunch...so no planning needing. the planning also helps so that i am not making the same meal every week.
so, you probably have noticed that i changed my blog up aesthetically a few weeks ago. i found my title font from this really cool blog. after downloading my font, i started looking around amanda's blog and found some pretty good looking recipes. when i started my meal agenda i printed a few of the recipes and we tried some the first go round...soooo good! tonight i made the cheesy chicken, bacon and avocado quesadillas...amazing, for real, and super easy!! there are only a couple i have not made because they are not our style, but i am sure they are delicious...try some! you should also check out her other posts...there are so many good things!! over easter break i went through one of my mother-in-law's cook books and wrote down 19 new recipes...oh my...my hand was killing me! i cant wait to try some for the next go round!!
i have also found so much joy in baking the past few weeks. i have always loved baking, but lately it has become somewhat of a creative outlet. i have made cookies, pies, cakes, and plenty of cupcakes. for easter i made a pina colada cake...DELICIOUS...and it looked pretty too! most of my recipes for baking come from the cake mix doctor cookbooks (i have two different editions) and they all turn out awesome! lisa bought me a really cute pastry stand (great for cupcakes!) 2 weeks ago and it has already been used a few times! :) i will have to start taking pictures of what i bake...dont drool on your keyboard though! today i bought a tool for decorating and/or filling cupcakes...YES!!! i think that tomorrow i will make homemade dingdongs. i hope that my softball team is ok taste testing for me. good thing we are starting softball so that i dont gain a TON of weight! :) if you are in the area and are ever in the need for some baked goods, let me know...i would love to make something for you! better yet, come over for dinner and dessert!! :) but seriously...let me know if you need something baked...i would love to do it. i am working on my decorating skills, even planning on taking a set of classes with my friend, breezy. what a fun hobby!
anyway, here are a few pics of my meal planner...
can you tell food is definitely a comfort for me? both making and eating...oh my! :)
blessings, ALo
so, you probably have noticed that i changed my blog up aesthetically a few weeks ago. i found my title font from this really cool blog. after downloading my font, i started looking around amanda's blog and found some pretty good looking recipes. when i started my meal agenda i printed a few of the recipes and we tried some the first go round...soooo good! tonight i made the cheesy chicken, bacon and avocado quesadillas...amazing, for real, and super easy!! there are only a couple i have not made because they are not our style, but i am sure they are delicious...try some! you should also check out her other posts...there are so many good things!! over easter break i went through one of my mother-in-law's cook books and wrote down 19 new recipes...oh my...my hand was killing me! i cant wait to try some for the next go round!!
i have also found so much joy in baking the past few weeks. i have always loved baking, but lately it has become somewhat of a creative outlet. i have made cookies, pies, cakes, and plenty of cupcakes. for easter i made a pina colada cake...DELICIOUS...and it looked pretty too! most of my recipes for baking come from the cake mix doctor cookbooks (i have two different editions) and they all turn out awesome! lisa bought me a really cute pastry stand (great for cupcakes!) 2 weeks ago and it has already been used a few times! :) i will have to start taking pictures of what i bake...dont drool on your keyboard though! today i bought a tool for decorating and/or filling cupcakes...YES!!! i think that tomorrow i will make homemade dingdongs. i hope that my softball team is ok taste testing for me. good thing we are starting softball so that i dont gain a TON of weight! :) if you are in the area and are ever in the need for some baked goods, let me know...i would love to make something for you! better yet, come over for dinner and dessert!! :) but seriously...let me know if you need something baked...i would love to do it. i am working on my decorating skills, even planning on taking a set of classes with my friend, breezy. what a fun hobby!
anyway, here are a few pics of my meal planner...
 |
| on the chair where i do my planning :) |
 |
| on the fridge/freezer |
can you tell food is definitely a comfort for me? both making and eating...oh my! :)
blessings, ALo
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Anticipation
i am so used to anticipating things so that i am not taken by surprise, but lately i have been trying not to anticipate, trying not to plan or look too far ahead. i have found that the things that i anticipate are the things that are hard for me (ie. speaking at the church, due date, fathers day, "angelversary", etc.) today i went to a baby shower. up to this point (since we said good-bye to charlotte) i have avoided them, some on purpose, others by chance. the shower today was for a close friend of mine in my bible study. ashley is due the end of may with her first baby girl. ash's due date is two weeks after what mine is/was supposed to be. this shower should have been a joint shower for both us of, for both of our baby girls. instead of going to receive, i went bearing cupcakes and a gift for baby bev (a nickname until she is born). because ash and i are close friends and because of the timing of everything, i have been anticipating that the shower would be hard for me to get through. i have been very open and honest with ash and the other girls in my bible study and they were all understanding and prepared for me to leave early if needed. but thankfully, not because of any thing i did, i felt ok staying. i had been praying all day that God would allow me to get over myself and be excited for my friend. yes, i gave into a few moments of selfish sadness today, but i did not experience most of what i had anticipated to. i am so blessed to have so many people praying for me as i continue on this journey of grief. i am praying that i will work hard on not anticipating things to be bad all the time. i am praying that God helps me keep my anxiety at bay. these are ways that you can pray for me too. again, thank you to all who continue to encourage and support me and peter. i wish i could put into words how much we both appreciate all of it!
in case you are wondering..i make awesome desserts, even if i do say so myself! today i tried my hand at some new decorating but used simple, classic flavors for the cakes and frostings. so here are a few pics of the cupcakes i made...owl and bird theme. sour cream cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (made from scratch!)
cute, huh? i had a lot of fun with my friend sandi making these...they took us a while, but everyone loved them, so it was worth it! i will have to add a pic later of the "project" that i have been working on for the last 9 weeks for ash's nursery...her gift. its awesome and frustratingly slow all at the same time :)
wanted to end with the card that my friend morgan gave me today. i have seen this card before, but it was so sweet of mobaby (another bible study pal) to get it for me for today! i am so blessed!
"Life really isn't fair sometimes. But the good news is that you will get through this. You've got the inner strength and determination to get through anything." inside "And if you ever feel like you have to be reminded of that, just let me know. I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it."
blessings, ALo
in case you are wondering..i make awesome desserts, even if i do say so myself! today i tried my hand at some new decorating but used simple, classic flavors for the cakes and frostings. so here are a few pics of the cupcakes i made...owl and bird theme. sour cream cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (made from scratch!)
wanted to end with the card that my friend morgan gave me today. i have seen this card before, but it was so sweet of mobaby (another bible study pal) to get it for me for today! i am so blessed!
"Life really isn't fair sometimes. But the good news is that you will get through this. You've got the inner strength and determination to get through anything." inside "And if you ever feel like you have to be reminded of that, just let me know. I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it."
blessings, ALo
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