Archives for February 2014

a Dance Party

February 22, 2014

Hannah is now officially 12 year years old. It’s hard to believe that this is her last year before entering teen-hood. It has been such a joy watching her grow into the wise, strong, confident individual that she is. And it makes this mama happy that she still asks for parties at home.

Last night she had a bunch of friends over for a dance party.
This was one of the easiest and most simple parties we have thrown. Some pizza, root beer floats, mustache straws, silver balloons, and a good dance mix was all that was required. At this age they fill in the gaps and keep themselves engaged.

A few times during the night I couldn’t help but to reminisce about past parties, ones with themes and games. I would peek in and get a little emotional about how fast time is moving and that next year I will have a teenager. I tried to think back to my own 12th birthday party. I think it was a sleepover where we watched horror films and played “Light as a feather, stiff as a board” and broke out the Ouiga board.

There are still a few stragglers here from last night. Breakfast dishes have been cleaned up and I have some left over pizza heating up. I hear a game of monopoly in the other room. The balloons are still hovering above and all is calm.

Earl the Squirrel

February 18, 2014

Remember Earl?
Our little squirrel friend?
He’s a grown man now but he still visits.
He’s been knocking on our window for nuts on these cold snowy days.

It will be a year this spring when Chris found baby Earl abandoned and brought him home.
He is still living out back in the big Silver Maple tree right outside Hannah’s window.
Chris can spot Earl a mile away and he even has a little “swish-swish-swish” call that he answers to.
Earl will still take a nut straight from Chris’s hand.

Sometimes I giggle when I am checking out at the grocery store with a basket full of almonds and walnuts. The cashier will say “You must be baking something good today!”
I just nod and smile.

Let’s start with cake…

February 17, 2014

We usually drag birthdays out as long as possible around here. The day you were born is an important day to celebrate so why not do it over several days or even a week!

Although Hannah doesn’t turn 12 until Tuesday, we began the festivities with a birthday cake with friends last night. I made this cake and it was to die for!
I am usually a chocolate cake with buttercream or cream cheese icing kind of gal but this cake spoke to me when I read the icing was made with sour cream and bittersweet chocolate.
The tangy to sweet ratio was perfect! Warning: make enough icing to ice your cake and eat it too. It was hard to stop tasting!

When I came home from the store to unpack the cake ingredients I was disappointed to find that I had overlooked the bittersweet chocolate I had bought contained almonds. Chris was nice enough to run back out for me. He couldn’t find plain bittersweet but did come home with both dark chocolate and milk chocolate. He thought combined it would do the job. And he was right. It was perfect.

And there is still cake left over. Cake counts as breakfast right?

Out and about

February 16, 2014

with all of the snow we have been getting, our days have been spent hunkered at home cozy and warm. i do make it a point to get outside every day but there is nothing like getting out and about and breaking the regular routine to cure that touch of cabin fever.
yesterday’s adventure couldn’t have come at a better time.

my mom treated my sis and i to lunch at one of our favorite places to celebrate our birthdays.
carving out a whole day together with two of of my favorite people was such a treat.
we lingered as long as we could eating, sipping and chatting before we headed out to do a little antique-ing.

since the three of us have pretty much the same tastes and style it’s always fun to peruse our favorite spots together, my favorite being a 3 story barn filled to the brim with beautiful old things.

as always, thanks mama for the perfect day! xo

Happy Valentines Day

February 15, 2014

i love valentines day.
a low stress holiday spent with the ones you love. a day to indulge just a bit.

we made some of our favorite treats today to celebrate.
a dutch baby for breakfast.
soft pretzels for lunch.
and clementines and strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue for an after dinner dessert.

my heart (and belly) is happy and full.
i think tomorrow we will start the day with a green smoothie.

snow day

February 13, 2014

we woke up to almost a foot of snow this morning. this has been the snowiest winter i can remember and there are no complaints here.

activities on a snow day may vary but a few things always remain the same.

recipe for a snow day

hot chocolate makes 4 mugfuls
whisk together in a saucepan on low heat and steep until fragrant and steaming hot
5 cups whole milk
1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw sugar
vanilla bean
cinnamon stick
sea salt
for a extra kick to warm your insides add a pinch of chile powder.

snowman
2 parts snow
1 part nature finds, hat, scarf and mittens.
don’t forget eyebrows, mustaches and eyelashes.
dot cheeks with beet juice or watercolors.

fire
always keep firewood and kindling in a dry protected place.
the night before a storm stack enough indoors on the hearth to get you started in the early morning.
hardwoods like ash and oak both burn hot and slow.
due to it’s resin, pine is a powerful fire starter.
hang your wet mittens and hats nearby to dry toasty warm for your next adventure outdoors.

bath
to sooth muscles from hauling firewood and shoveling, there is nothing like ending the day with a hot bath. fill tub with water. pour in Epsom salts and your favorite essential oils, light a few candles and submerge.

applesauce cake

February 13, 2014

we had just a smidge of our homemade applesauce left so i thought i would do it justice by turning it into cake. craft circle was this evening and i served it up with chai tea.
it’s a deliciously moist cake made with warm spices, brown sugar and pecans, tasting a bit like gingerbread. it tastes best warm out of the oven with a dollop of homemade whipped cream but is also the perfect breakfast drizzled with a little yogurt and honey.

applesauce cake

preheat oven to 350 degrees
grease and flour one (6 cup) fluted or bundt pan

1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon round ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup applesauce
1 cup chopped pecans

sift together flour, baking soda and spices.
cream butter and sugar. add egg
alternate adding flour mixture and applesauce.
add nuts.

scrape batter in to pan and bake for 30 minutes.
cool and dust with confectioners sugar.

adapted from the joy of cooking. i added ginger to the recipe.

Tuesday Nights with Izzy

February 12, 2014

i look forward to tuesday evenings with my sister elizabeth (or izzy as my girls call her).
being my only sibling i feel so lucky that she only lives 5 minutes away.
over the last year we have enjoyed dinner together almost every week.
it usually falls on a tuesday night and we alternate hosting each week.
there are no specific rules. no pressure, no stress.
sometimes we eat pancakes for dinner. and sometimes there is a roast chicken and scalloped potatoes.
the kids play while we cook and chat.
and the night is never complete without lots of giggling. usually resulting in me getting the hiccups.
some things never change.

Archives for February 2014

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