Cute Pumpkin "Cake" Balls

So Cake Balls......*sigh*....I'm going to be straight with you

I hate 'em.

Don't get me wrong...I like the concept OK, and I think they're cute and all....But if I want to eat cake, I would rather eat a slice of cake...instead of whatever on a stick.  That and....I can't really make 'em.  That might be my true reasoning behind my loathing of cake pops....and cake balls.  It's messy and time consuming and just not for me.

So why am I doing a post with cake balls and cake pops???

Because they're NOT CAKE POPS!  It's faux cake balls.  It's CHEATING in the cake on a stick territory. 

Allow me to explain....and show you how to do them 3 ways for Halloween :)

Candy House!

Aaaaaaand that's it!! :)

So here it is...the last day to enter the giveaway.

So ENTER!

Ya know how I've been a little vague on what exactly I would be buying at Candy House to give away??

Well that's because I didn't quite know.  Ya see, I never know what I'm going to get until I step in the shop (and it's the cutest little shop too....I'll Instagram a pic next time I'm there.)

Well I went this morning.  They open at 9:30....I was there at 9:33......would have been there sooner if I hadn't been jonesin' for a Chai Tea Latte.....

Anyway.....here's what I bought for the winner of the giveaway!!

That's one gift basket my friends....and one of each flavor of candy apple they make!

Let's see.....what's in that gift bag??

MORE Giveaway Stuff!!

Ok so you know how like 9 days ago I said I would have some stuff of my own to contribute to the giveaway??

Well, besides what I buy at Candy house.....which is still a surprise) here is my humble contribution:

• A Beater Blade (which I love....and this one is un-breakable!!)
• 5 cookbooks: Macarons, Hello Cupcake, Milk and Cookies, Chocolate Passion, and Sugarlicious.
• a liquid measuring cup
• dry measuring cups
• and a little Christmas package with liners and cute little toppers.

So not only do you get goodies from Bake It Pretty, Copper Gifts, Ecrandal Cutters, Karen's Cookies, The Cookie Countess, BRP Boxes and Candy House, but some other goodies as well..  I'll be mailing a big ol box!!

All the books are great.  I personally own a copy of each of these.  Macarons has some really great macaron recipes and iseas, Hello Cupcake is always fun, Milk and Cookies comes from the same named bakery in New York, Cocolate Passion has SO much delicious chocolate lovliness!!, and Sugarlicious is a COOKIE BOOK from our beloved Meaghan Mountford over at The Decorated Cookie.  

There's only 2 more days to enter the giveaway!!  So go on over to the GIVEAWAY page and enter NOW!!  And let your friends know too!  Let's make it a party!!  Woooo 10,000 Facebook Fans!!

Down Knockturn Alley

So I was thinking of doing some kinda Harry Potter set for Halloween....

But then I realized that I have kids and a house to clean and all that so I had to downsize that project...

So I started to think about the creepiness of Harry Potter....you know, the dark magic... and that scene where he says "diagonally" in the flue instead of Diagon Alley.....and he ends up in Knockturn Alley...and that creepy shop.....

Sorry, my nerd is showing.  I'll cover that up.....

Anyways I was imagining what the shop signs down Knockturn Alley would look like....and I ended up with this:

Pink and White Chip Cookies: Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month!

So it's time to take a break from Black and Orange and all spookiness...

And think about something that really is spooky....breast cancer.

Now I'm not going to get all gloom on you guys...it's about awareness.  So for this month I'm only going to tell you once...

Get your screenings, do your self checks, and donate, run, walk, whatever for the cause.

Lecture over.....well done.

Now reward yourself for keeping care of your self and your fellow gal by making some of these cute and delicious drop cookies :)

The Perfect Chocolate Cupcake

So a while back...wow almost a year ago I made some of the most perfect cupcakes ever.  Perfect chocolate cupcakes.  I have always been fond of Joy the Baker's chocolate cupcake recipe...but sometimes it is a little unreliable.  I've had them cave in more times than they've com out....

So I did some tinkering from another recipe I use quite a bit and came out with perfect, fool proof, soft, delicious chocolate cupcakes.

They're awesome.  Served them at my daughter's 4th birthday party and they were a smashing success....

Here's her cupcakes from last year...

10,000 Facebook Fan GIVEAWAY!

**CLOSED**

Let me tell you a tale....

Once upon a time...in a land off Route 66....there was a small but fair kingdom.  In this kingdom lived a queen...you might call her the Queen Bee because she loved bees....and baking.  She would make her humble cookies, cakes, pies and sweets, and post them to a magical ethereal place called...the internet.  And while there were many places her work could be found....There was one ethereal realm....called Facebook...that allowed thousands (let's just say 10,000) people from all over the world to come by and say "what up?".

Once fair day, the Queen thought to herself.... I should thank all those that say such nice things to me...they keep me making cookies.....they make me feel special and loved...

So she cast a proclamation across the lands.....

She would reward one such good person with a bounty of spendiferous treasures.....

Is splendiferous a real word???  Nevermind...it makes no difference in a make believe kingdom....I can make up any word I want...I'm the queen.

It's Give away time!!!

Ahem.... Many shops in the kingdom came forward with lovely things for which the fair queen could bestow.
And this is the part of the story where I tell you what your going to get if you win.  :) **joy**

TUTORIAL: Dracula In Love

So I was searching my brain for something cute to design for Halloween....and all I could think of was that movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall....and that Dracula love ballad..

Hillarious if you haven't seen it.  Jason Segal....

Anyway.....that's how I ended up with this:

Yes...Dracula is in love.... and he has it baaaaaaad.

Who is he in love with??  Uh...I dunno...probably a blood bank tech....

No matter....

To share the love I thought I would also share a little tutorial for y'all....simple and sweet...

Then maybe a few more shots of the collection here...because I took a bajillion pics....weird right?  I mean me?  Taking way too many pics of cookies?????

Batty for Blackberry Pie! (And Pie Crust Cookie Bats)

I'm kind of a batty lady...

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ok no I'm not really....just tired...and a little delirious...so this post might be a little strange...

But hey, you'll get a yummy recipe from it so....there's that.

Oooooo..looks creepy and Gothic...like it could be filled with baked black beetles.  Blackberry Beetles...

Baked Blackberry Beetles.....say that 6 times fast...

Ok, it isn't that hard ...never mind.

Anyway!!  It'a a blackberry pie!  A mini blackberry pie!  Make that 2 in this picture....make that 3 to 4 from this recipe that I'm just about to give you...

TUTORIAL: From the Vault: Fall Pumpkin Wagons

Gotta make this a quick post unfortunately  Baby John is in his fussy state today....trying to breath fire.  And my oldest refuses to clean her play room and is trying to get into my cookies....so.  I need to be efficient.

It' a really quick and easy photo tut of PUMPKIN WAGONS!!

And can you guess what cutter I used??

Double Chocolate Cookies

I like drop cookies...a lot.

I mean don't get me wrong...I love decorating...but there's something in the oh so instant gratification of just dropping dough on the cookie sheet and puting it in the oven.....

And then doin' NOTHING with it.

Ahhhhhh.....the simple life.

Ok so I couldn't leave them COMPLETELY alone....just a few...little eyeballs....

Anyway,  these cookies are AMAZING!  Like a delicious brownie. I kid you not.  The perfect texture, the perfect size, not cakey, not too dense, not too chewy...soft and light.... DELICIOUS.  And so easy to make!!!

Haunted Halloween: Go Bo!

So I decided to make 2 sets to donate to the Bo Go Bake Sale this year...I dunno...to make up for missing it last year I suppose.

My first set was simple, and happy and fall....

So this set...well I went a little Tim Burton....or maybe I flatter myself.....But it kind of reminds me of a Gothic Alice and Wonderland....

I really like these.  I was on the line about them...hubs thought they just looked dirty...then I had to admit to him that that was sort of the point...it's meant to resemble old wallpaper or something that's getting that black around the edges.  Like a house that was once bright and colorful....gone dark

Tutorial: Speckling with Luster Dust

Ok, I have a really easy tutorial for you...of course I did it in video because it's one of the only ways to really show you how to speckle...it's more of a live action kinda thing...


But first let me tell you a little about the cookies I speckled.

I made these for the Go Bo Foundation.  Follow the link to learn more.  This is one of two sets I plan on donating to the Go Bo Bake Sale.

Caramel Macchiato Brownies

So I will admit....I'm not a huge coffee drinker.  I'm a little sensitive to caffeine.  That and I can't just drink it black.  I have to have some cream and sugar...THEN I like coffee...

So I STAY AWAY from Starbucks...because they have that SUGAR+coffee thing down....to a science.  

When fall comes around...sucker for those pumpkin spice....everything.  I try to limit myself to a skinny non fat cinnamon latte if I EVER decide I will give in to coffee....in college coffee and I were pretty tight...amigos...campadres...

Anyway....I don't drink coffee...I drink caffeinated sugar milk basically.....and that is why I am not a huge coffee drinker.

Doesn't mean I don't still WANT the sugar cream concoction...I do.  And I would have to say the KING of the over sugared creamy coffee drink would be...

The Caramel Macchiato

those yummy caramels are from Firefly Confections

I wanted one really bad the other day and I had no clue why....  Maybe I was in a caramel mood...but I was also in a dark chocolate coffee mood.  I was at a loss...

So I baked me some brownies...and put coffee in it....and then topped it with thick caramel sauce....and sugar...and chocolate...

Because I'M BAD!

TUTORIAL: One Stroke Flowers

I made these cookies for my MIL last year.  I was feeling inventive....and my MIL is a super awesome woman and I love her.  So I wanted to do something pretty for her.  But I didn't have a lot of time.  So I had to cut a corner...my usual corner cut is to not mix colors.  I will make white cookies (because I don't have to color the icing to do that) and then airbrush....  or paint.

Now I know I have stated before that I am not the best at painting at cookies....Mostly because it's like painting with watercolors and that's just not my thing....but I still know a few painting techniques.

I remember in art class being taught this really easy way to paint two toned flowers.  It's called a one stroke technique.  Because you can apply 2 colors in one stroke and make a beautiful petal.

Peach Ice Cream with Ginger Peach Compote

Peach Season is almost over....

Remember my last post on peaches?  How I talked about childhood memories of making peach ice cream?

Think I was going to let peach season pass and NOT make peach ice cream?

Heck, think I was going to let SUMMER pass and not make any ice cream AT ALL??

Those crazy words....

Of course I'm going to make peach ice cream.  It's one of my faves.  I made this batch for my mom last time she was here.  She was really wanting peach ice cream and we had a very fine bunch of peaches...I mean I kinda went peach crazy when she was here.  Peach-tacular.

TUTORIAL: Shading With Luster Dust

So when I was working on my owl set last week, I was trying really hard to work with a certain palette.  It was all kinds shabby chic...and there's a fine line between shabby chic and just plain pastel.

It wasn't as easy as I thought.... so once I had my colors mixed and my cookies decorated...they still didn't look right.  The pastel was just PASTEL and the other colors were much too bright to be shabby.  But I still liked the palette. I needed to do something to fix that.

So I brushed off the cobwebs...and out came the dusts...

Luster and petal dusts I mean of course.

I haven't used them in so long.  In fact the only one I really use consistently are the gold or silver ones...and those are for painting...but I have this whole stash of petal and luster dusts that I swear have never even been opened.

But I had a plan for them today.

Cherry Almond Muffins

So a couple weeks ago I need a girls weekend...like BAD.  So I went to see my friend Maryann (The Cookie Artisan) because she only lives like 3 hours away from me....and the drive to her house is like 75MPH the whole way so....sweet-borrowing-my-hubs-fast-car-action.  Anyway, while we were there she, being a perfect hostess of course (would you expect less?), made us blueberry muffins for breakfast.  Ok, so I usually hate blueberry muffins...the blueberries are always gritty and I dunno...but I was hungry.  So I ate one....then two....then stuck a couple into my suitcase...

Basically I was a blueberry muffin converter....

After I got home however and ran through my stash I needed more muffins....and I needed them BAD.  They were just so soft and moist and fluffy...and juicy...and sweet and perfect...and comforting....

Yes I AM talking about muffins still....

Shabby Chic Owls

Sometime in April my mom decided to host a baby shower for one of our long time family friend's daughter.  Her daughter grew up with my sister Amy.  So of course our families became friends.  Well, she was decorating the nursery with owls, so mom asked me if I would make owls for the shower....she asked me back in early March.  It's as if she knew I wouldn't get to them once baby John arrived.....like she knows me or something...moms...weird right??

Well yeah, I didn't get to them.  Totally coincidental...had nothing to do with the baby arriving...my mother isn't always right....

But I had already cut and baked the cookies.

Since I don't sell my cookies, no one eats them.  So I kept the owls in a ziplock in a freezer till about.... well... 2 days ago... when I decided I would finally get these owls done.  They had been haunting me...begging to be decorated.

The Most Innocent Mud Wrestling Ever

It's Friday...which means it's my "I'll write about whatever the heck I feel like, it's my blog" day.

Nice huh?

Anyway...last Sunday was a beautiful day here in Joplin.  For once it wasn't raining...I mean what's up with that?  Last summer we had the worst drought ever...all my flowers I JUST PLANTED died.  And this year it's like tsunami season.  Anyway...

It was a beautiful day.  I'm in the kitchen baking, Dave is playing with the kids.  It's a pretty nice Sunday.  Well little Sophie runs and gets her swimsuit because she wants to play in her little inflatable kiddie pool in the backyard.  So Dave fills it up but it isny holding water.  In fact it just seems to be flooding out yard.

This, however, does not seem to present a problem for our happy inventive daughter...

She would find a way to play in the water no matter the state of the kiddie pool....

Brown Sugar Peach Tart

Did you know it's peach season??

Well it is.  At least that's what my handy desk backdrop tells me and it would never lie to me.

I think.

(BTW: You should totally check out the desk top calendar by Going Home to Roost...it's spiffy to the max.  She does one every month for your computer and your iPhone.  New Love.)

Anyway...my weakness for peaches is deep rooted...in my deep southern heritage.  My grandpa used to go help harvest the peach crops in Georgia during the season.  We always had TONS of peaches around.  I have fond childhood memories of making peach ice cream on the patio...You know, with the old ice cream makers where you needed rock salt.  We would have peach tea, peach cobbler, peach jam.....

Anyway...I love peaches...and I've always had a soft spot for anything baked with peaches...like peach pie.  Or how about fancify it??  A peach tart!

And not just any peach tart....this is one sinfully-delicious-mouthwatering-sweet-and-savory-peach-explosion!

Yes I said it....explosion.  This is going to EXPLODE PEACHES.  

I don't shy away from the dangers of the kitchen...so I went for it..and my alchemy proved to be SO successful I have to share it with you...

Tutorial: Cutting Roses

We all know there's been a lot going on lately.  Busy busy....  SO I thought to ease back into it all I would share a simple tutorial with you guys.

I know you've all seen me do these roses before....

Ok not THESE roses....but roses similar to them.  Same shape that is.  Of course I have decorated them a million and one ways.  In fact this rose is my very first franken-shape.  I didn't have a rose cutter that looked like I wanted.  I wasn't thrilled with the cutters out there at the time either.  Keep in mind this was like 4 years ago.  Yep...I've been making these roses since the beginning....

Made these to send to my friend Kim while she was away at school

Weekend Update

So I know I don't usually do this, but I've decided to give y'all an update on how things are going over on this end.

Right now I would say pretty good.  Finally

It's still a little rough with a new baby....busy.  My mom was here for my birthday this weekend (did I forget to tell you I celebrated my 31st birthday on Wednesday?) and she said, "I don't know how you get anything done."  And my response was, "I don't." And it's true.  These kids have me busy busy,  BUT come September Sophie will be at Pre-School full time and I'll have much more time to get to bloggable things.  I have managed to bake some things and pre-write a few baking posts...some pretty dang good ones judging from the responses of my guinea pigs.  "My guinea pigs?" you ask in horror?  That's my family.  My immediate family and my in laws...and out laws.  I make them sample things.  It's hardly cruelty...they don't seem to mind.

I held a dessert party Tuesday....because I wanted to.  I had the need to bake.  I had Mom and Grandma here to entertain kids.  I was in a party mood.  So I did.  It was pretty awesome....hence some new recipes coming on the blog very soon.

With the kid situation tho, the one thing I just haven't had a lot of time for is cookies.  Which is a bummer because it's the thing I like best...and kind of the mainstay of my blog.  It just takes SO LONG to do a set ( A lot of you are cookiers...you know what I'm talking about).  So it literally takes me WEEKS to get a set of cookie together...and that requires some major effort.  So here's crossing fingers that come September I will be able to get back in the cookie groove and I will have much more cookies posted.

In the mean time, I haven't been feeling too well.  I have this terrible chest pain.  I've had it for like 2 months now.  Not long after we got back from the Dominican, I started having vertigo and headaches and nausea and panic attacks....so I went to quick meds...because it was freaking me out.  I NEVER get sick.  They said inner ear....cool...makes sense...then went to an Ear Nose and Throat guy...not inner ear.  I went to the cardiologist right away and he told me he didn't know what was causing my chest pain and other symptoms but it wasn't my heart (thank God).  So I figured maybe anxiety...I mean it's been pretty stressful since March. But as time has progressed and the other symptoms (like the vertigo) dissipated, the chest pain started getting worse.  And then I just started feeling sick.  So this last week I went to my general practitioner and she ran some tests on my gall bladder.  Turns out its hyperactive.  Awesome.  Hypo active Thyroid and a Hyper active Gallbladder.  Go figure.  When I get sick I get it bad.  So I have to go in Monday with a gastroenterologist and have a few more tests done....but either way I'm looking at surgery in the near future.  Convenient.

Anyway....with that in mind..I've decided to give up wine (it's not as hard as I thought it would be) and other alcohol.  We're an alcohol free house.  Which I'm good with.  Don't want my kids growing up thinking that regular drinking is a healthy habit.  Not that I judge those who do keep alcohol in the house...we just gave it up for our health over here.  But I still want that special treat in the evening...that small sip of something.. I mean the habit is still there...rewarding myself for a surviving a long day of laundry and screaming kids...So I've taken up tea.

In fact I think I might be full on obsessed with tea.  It's like wine in so many ways.  Different flavors, different regions, different harvest years...yes.  Tea has become my new vice.  And I'm ok with that.  Most times it keeps me off the sweets and there are health benefits.  I still stay away from drinking a lot of caffeine.  I have never been a big coffee drinker.  I stay away from caffeine and sodas.  I'm serious.  I drink water and tea.  That's it.  An occasional glass of milk when I want an "indulgence of creaminess" without digging in to the salted caramels that I got from Firefly Confections...awe man.... good stuff.  I will admit, I still do take one piece out ever now and then in the evening when nothing but a little sugar will do the trick.  But those caramels are DANGEROUS in the best way possible.  I highly recommend.  She does caramel right.

photo courtesy of Firefly Confections - do not Pin

Anyway....baby is sleeping, Dave is with Sophie at the park.  It's FINALLY quiet here at home (tho just temporarily of course).  So I'm going to order some tea.  And makeup.  Because those are my two vices...and I got some cash for my birthday.  Perhaps on another random weekend I'll let you know about the tea or makeup.  Or any of my other fave finds from the week.  

Till next week.

If you want to read any of my tea reviews come visit me on Steepster

Almond Cherry Pie

Over this last 4th of July, I had a surplus of cherries.  How did this happen you ask?  Well, I was coming back through Dallas on my way to Joplin, and so you just know I HAD to stop at the happiest place on earth...

Tutorial: Angels

A little while back a reader sent me an email asking of I had a tutorial for my little angels I made 2 years ago that was hosted on Frosting For The Cause.  She informed me that the link to the tutorial I made didn't work.  I checked it out, and sure enough the site is down.  So no one can get to the tut.  So I thought I would re post it here now.

Keep in mind, I made these 2 years ago!  If I were to make these now I probably would have just piped the hearts straight on instead of doing RI transfers....and even if I was to do RI transfers, I would do them over a sheet printed with hearts so that they were all the same.  But that's just the perfectionist in me.  They're still cute.
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I have been fortunate in my life to not know anyone personally affected by cancer. Though I don't have any personal experience to share, I am aware of the pain it can cause families and the devastation it can leave behind. I thank the Lord daily for my fortune. It saddens me to know that out there somewhere a woman is battling with her own body.

Keep up the fight ladies

So today, in honor and memory of those waging war against cancer we're going to make cookies. Cookies make everything a little easier to swallow. :)

Giving Thanks: Doves

As some of you know, 3 months ago my father passed away suddenly of a heart attack on his 60th birthday.  I had just had a baby 5 weeks before.  3 weeks before that my husband had to leave for 3 months for work.  It was a lot of stress and big life changes in short succession...all within a month about.  After all of this I held it together pretty well.  But as it all sunk in, it began to take it's toll and I started to become ill.  I'm ok now, thanks to family and friends who have been there for me.

It's been a very difficult 3 months.

I wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank all of the people who have lent me so much support through these last few months.  People have sent me flowers, taken my kids for play dates, made me dinner, sent me gifts....it's really been amazing.  What touched me the most were the things sent to me from people I don't even know that well.  I think I received cards, gifts, sweets, books, baby things just about every day for a month.  In fact it's been so overwhelming that I haven't even had the time to keep up with it and thank everyone properly.  I WILL get to that.  I mean it.

I just want you to know that each card, book, gift, box of hand made cookies.....each one made me cry.  Not in the bad way, but in the way that I was so grateful.  I felt so loved it couldn't be helped.  I just wept every day for a month...and happy tears for a change.  To think that you would go through the trouble to do something so nice for someone you may not have ever met in person.... it meant something to me.

I also want to thank everyone who left comments of comfort on the blog.  It was good to hear so much positive from so many.  There are some of you who have gone through similar experiences and for a while there, when it was really important, I didn't feel so alone.

I'm going to post a tutorial or two pretty soon.  I'm edging my way back into work and daily life.  Sorry for the hermiting.  I hermit.  But I'll be back.

Thank you for your patience.  And thank you for reading.

Internet Etiquette?

Maybe I'm just old fashioned or too conservative....

But I've always been taught the whole, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all thing.

Seems simple.  I mean it's something I teach my daughter.  The whole golden rule thing.  If you wouldn't want someone to say it to you, then you shouldn't say it to them....

Now, it's not like I can't take criticism.  I know I'm set in my ways, and I'm not likely to change the way I do certain things.  But that doesn't mean I can't take what's dished at me, be it helpful or not.  I mean, you never know if your suggestion helps someone, or if they're rolling their eyes thinking, duh like I haven't already thought of that.  But there's a difference between criticism and just plain rudeness.

Example of helpful (well meaning) criticism: If your having problems with your black icing, try adding some cocoa powder to it.

See, addressing a problem that she felt I had a concern about with the intentions of helping.  And providing a solution...

Let's try another one:  If you lined closer to the edges of your cookie, it would look nicer because you would see less cookie.

Ok, this has more to do with preference or aesthetic taste, but still attempting to be helpful.

Not offensive comments....

Key Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches

So I don't know if any of y'all know this about me, but I'm a native Floridian.  Lived there till I was 8 then became all Texified.  But still southern y'all.....always southern.

Anyway....it's fair to say I've had my share of key lime pie.  I LOVE key lime pie....it's way better than lemon meringue if you ask my taste buds.  Which no one really does....and my taste buds get hurt about that....taste buds have feelings too ya know.

So to make an effort to appease my taste buds, who get a little blue in the summer when they realize they aren't in Florida, we usually make a key lime pie out of an old cookbook our family has.  For some reason this year I couldn't place said cookbook.  Le Disaster.  So I didn't know what to do...taste buds were starting to complain and get all whiny.....nothing worse than whiny taste buds ya know.....we all know....

So I had to wing it....and experiment....and I finally came up with these!!

Key Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches!!

Seriously, these have everything that I was missing about our favorite lost key lime recipe.  Except now it's cool, refreshing and portable!  A real tropical frozen treat.

Tropical Pool Party

So this weekend I'm in the Dominican Republic for a wedding. Blogging from my iPad which I've never done before. So if the layout or whatever looks different please accept my apologies.

                                        

Anyway. This will be quick and sweet. Cuz I'm wasting sunlight. I made these for a tropical pool party last year. But I thought they were appropriate this week considering my location. 

My Father

So I am going to tell you right now, I have been avoiding writing this post because it still hurts so much, but I need to.

The month of April was pretty rough for me.  New baby, husband out of town, no sleep, 4 year old...the usual.  So I thought it would be really nice to go home and see my family in Texas the first weekend in May.  See, it was my dad's 60th birthday that Saturday.  My sister and her new fiance were coming into town especially for the occasion...the whole family was going to be there.  So I put myself and the kids on a plane and headed to Texas.  

The weekend started like any other at home.  Hugs to the parents, Dad cooked dinner for us (something he loved to do.  Dad used to be in the restaurant biz.  My passion for food stems from him), watched some TV, cooed over the baby...just spent time with family.  That's how we do it.  We just enjoy each other's company.  

That Saturday was the big day, my dad's birthday.  I didn't see my dad that morning....I was sleeping in...long night of feeding baby.  He was going to work that morning, "just for a little bit", so he told my sister when they passed in the hallway.  We went about our morning, getting ready for the birthday party later that night.  I was all excited to make him my very special chocolate cake.

We were ready to go and started heading to the car.  Now my parents have a driveway that accommodated one car wide so all our cars are out front are lined up like ducks.  If one person wants to go somewhere we have a circus act of car moving. Takes coordination.  Dad's car was still there.  He was supposed to be at work half an hour ago.

And that's about when my life changed forever.  When all our lives did.  

Dad suffered a major cardiac arrest.  When we found him upstairs, he had already gone.

JR Barnes

1953-2013

Sugar Cookie Recipe

I've oddly had a tone of requests for my sugar cookie recipe.  Which I think is interesting because a sugar cookie is a sugar cookie right?  But I still get requests.

Now I really like my recipe.  It isn't too sweet, in fact it's rather buttery which I love.  And has a soft texture. Not a super soft cookie but not a crisp cookie.  So if you like 'em crisp you wont like mine.

I warn you, it isn't ground breaking...I mean there's only so many ways to make sugar cut outs.  And it isn't diet friendly.  But it is delicious.

So here it is....

My sugar cookie recipe.

From the vault: Colorful Butterflies

So I have been a little short on time for cookies lately.  Weird right?  I mean the lady has a baby and suddenly she doesn't have time to do cookies?  Who needs a shower right?  There's cookies.

Anyway, so I'm going to be posting cookies here and there that I made a while back that I've been saving for  times like this...where I'm too tired to remember if I brushed my hair today...just to run my fingers through it and think " Have I even brushed it this week?  What is this in it?  Is that a Cheeto?"

Nice huh?

Anyway....here's some pretty butterflies I made a while back that are so colorful you can't help but cheer up and think, "ah, who cares if you haven't had a pedicure in so long that your toes look like raptor talons....see the pretty rainbow colors!"

Hi. My name is John.

On March 14 my due date finally came....and went.  And for the next 2 weeks I started get ever more impatient.  I mean really kid.  What's the deal?  I can't be that comfy.

I was pretty determined to give myself and my kid every shot at a natural birth.  Not that I am a hard core naturalist, or that I judge or anything.  I just wanted the experience this time around that I didn't get with my first baby.  Sophie was induced a week early because I became toxemic.  It wasn't pleasant.  She was not ready and neither was I.  I digress...

But 2 weeks post due date my doctor put his foot down.  No more waiting for me.  I wasn't progressing past 4cm no matter how many things I tried (and I tried almost everything).  It was due day...

So after a relatively shorter (compared to the days of labor I was in with Sophie) labor John was born.

John

Born March 28, 2013 at 10:38pm

21.75 inches long

7lb 15oz

I'm back!....I think

Well I've been gone a while.  Yes.  Sorry.  Had stuff ya know.  A lot of stuff.  So I'll probably be posting a ton in the next couple days to get everyone up to speed on life over here.  Just because I feel like I owe an explanation....and because it's been a roller coaster of emotions, it's only appropriate that I separate it all in separate posts...other wise it will be the post that never ends....

So bare with me here.  I'll be posting very frequently in the next few days....probably quite a bit today to start.  But for now I have to go to an appointment.  Talk to you soon

Nursery Progress - Week 3

So I know I've been gone a while.

I blame the whole hormonal baby thing.  I've been avoiding the internet like the plague.  Don't know why.  Maybe I'm trying to focus on the here and now.  Getting ready for D day.  (That's delivery day)

So I haven't been doing too many cookies.  And well, the cookies I have done, I am saving for "maternity leave" so I'll have something I can post in between midnight feedings and the occasional shower I might treat myself to.

So instead I have more nursery details....yay.  I know y'all are probably sick of the nursery.  But it's one of those things I have had to focus my attention on.  I'm seriously due any day now.

Any day.... *sigh*

So here's what we have going on.....

Finally got the wallpaper up on the shelves and OMG it's awesome.

Or ya know....I think so anyway.  And since it's my nursery that's probably good.

My mom spent hours putting it up on her last visit.  See the glass of ice tea on the shelf?  That's a southern woman's life line.  Gotta have tea to tackle any home improvement project.  Otherwise your doomed to failure.

We also got a couple accessories and some furniture in the room.

Sorry the pics aren't great.  But ya know...I'm not exactly an interior photographer...

Anyway.  This chair was inherited as well from my MIL.  It's awesome.  I love it.  I have a match in my master bathroom....

There's the chaning table covered by drapes.....and of course the giant giraffe.  I mean what nursery doesn't need a giant giraffe.

I swear it's taller than I am...which isn't a hard feat...but still...

And a lamp we picked up on impulse at TJ Max.   Yeah.  I shop the Max.  With no shame.

Anyway....crib isn't up yet....it's a long story.  Next nursery post will be the completed room.  Well maybe with the exception of some wall art pieces and a bed skirt.  The bed skirt was put on hold.  Part of the long crib story.  So till then...

Maybe pray I go into labor soon.  I really really really want to have a baby....like now.

Nursery Progress - Week 2

I went to Dallas recently and picked up the nursery curtains.  I looked everywhere for these and they discontinued them.  So I settled on these....and I was about to order them online but by the time I went to click check out they had removed them from the website!  So I thought, well, when I head to D-town, I'll stop at the nearest PBK and try and find them...hopefully they will still be in stores.  Well, they weren't.  They had one panel in the length I needed. *sigh*.  However, while I was looking for a replacement lo and behold I found these!!

Just like the ones I wanted but in blackouts instead.

The curtains I had been looking for since the very beginning.  The coveted dream discontinued curtains.  I guess they took them out of circulation because they were going to re-release them in blackout panels.  I prefer blackouts for nurseries anyway.  Makes nap time...well...darker.  Especially when the room is practically all windows.  They cost me almost double what I would have paid for the other 4 panels....but....ya know.....ya gotta do what ya gotta do...

I also picked up the wallpaper for the back of the bookshelves.

By the time I talk to you next week, I'll probably have a completed nursery to show ya.

Other details we have going on...

Zebra rug.  I know not the history or origin of this rug.  I inherited it from my husbands family.  But it works so....

elephant curtain finials.....

We had a baby shower and there's all kinds of stuff to get in the nursery now.  It's overwhelming.

We also have our crib and changing table picked out and delivered too.  I offered to assemble the crib...but the hubs got all mopey...something about it being his job....paternal rights...I dunno.

Anyway, that's how it's looking!

Nursery Progress - Week 1

Ok, so I don't know how interesting this will be to anyone but me and my other cookie friends who I've been going on about my nursery to.....but I thought I would give you guys an update on my nursery reno.  Ya know...just a little peek into why the heck I haven't been posting tons of cookies.

Gotta delegate time...I only have 4 weeks to get it all together after all....

Anyway....

This week (well last week really....I just forgot to post) we had the painter come out and paint all the trim in the room.

Here is what it looked like before...

A sea of brown....and khaki..... blah...

And here is what it looks like after the trim is complete.