welcome, december.

hard to believe, but it's here. the last month of the year...and, to be honest, i'm a bit blown away by how fast the past...well, year...has flown by.

anyway.

as we move forward, i'm going to attempt to post a few times during the season's craziness. i haven't been in a "picture taking" mood. for a variety of reasons. i have to play a lot of catch up - burning discs, clearing out memory cards, etc.

think i can do it?

ha. i'm not so sure.

so, here we are. december. peppermint. baking. snowmen. delicate ornaments. these are definitely some of my december "feel goods".



what makes me happy this time of year is the lights. i love the lights that decorate trees and homes...those little, electric candles that people put in the window. it's all very comforting. and, well, my kids are basket-cases right now...making a mile-long wish list and asking a million holiday-related questions. they're buzzing with excitement. tapping in to that excitement is a whole other story. recapturing the feeling of what is was like to be young, anticipating all the good things december brings...it's hard for me to do, but my kids give me glimpses of it...reminders from awhile back.

as we head into the height of the holidays, i hope you're able to bring back some of those memories. revel in what makes you feel good and happy and warm inside. twinkling lights. toasty fireplaces. happy elves.

you get the idea. =)

got book club?

i do.

later today.

and, where's there's book club, there's an opportunity to bake.

so, of course i jumped right on that. and produced these sweet treats:



peanut butter cup cookies are a total piece of cake to make. made the dough this morning; baked them this afternoon. other than straight from a tube from pillsbury, it doesn't get much more convenient.

so, yes. i'm well aware that i haven't posted pictures from class. and no layouts. bad on both fronts. i'm dealing with a slow-poke of a PC, that makes it both time-consuming and frustrating to work with photo-editing software...let alone open then internet, which is a feat that sometimes takes minutes to accomplish. i get up and walk away a lot...do some cleaning...come back...do the next thing...wait for that program to save or run...get up do some more cleaning...

it's a real bummer.

so, it honestly kills the motivation to do any of these things.

as for the layouts. my basement is in a state of chaos. i want to move my craft area to a different side of the basement. move the kids' stuff to the side where my craft desk currently sits. it involves time and...well, another person to help me out. and right now, i'm it. (if only i could single-handedly move furniture...wow...). so.that.is.that.

for now...there are cookies. and book club.

we'll be discussing The Book Thief. which was a good read. sad read, but good. it surprises me that this is a kid's book, but maybe i shouldn't be so naive? the narrator of the book is Death and takes place during WWII in Nazi Germany. so, it's not what i would exactly call uplifting. regardless, it's well written. coherent. expressed beautifully. a bit of a tear-jerker.

up next is The Kabul Beauty School.

if you do care to join, there will be guaranteed dessert. you may just need to bring milk. ;-)

a thing of beauty...

...in a nice neat package.
specifically in a package containing a piece of homemade chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake.

it.is.awesome.

(and did i mention it's tasty? probably closing in on 500 calories per slice. + or - another 500 - after all, i did use light sour cream and some light cream cheese - hahaha).

delicious though.

it's been about a solid two months since i last blogged. that being said, the page is a little dusty. updates are coming soon. *slight update to my original draft...i have started making some tiny updates. the banner always takes me a very long time because i have to start from scratch and figure out how i updated the darn thing in the first place.* some highlights are in store, too. mostly from my photography class this summer, which took up a lot of my spare time. worth it though.

things are good here. settling into the fall routine with the kids. still settling. i feel like things have been a bit too crazy and i've been out a bunch. hoping it levels off soon. then again, if it didn't, at least things would be pretty "normal" here. ;-)

we watched anyway...

Sure, the heat index was 108, but we still went to the Phils game.
Cheesesteak? Check.
Flying Fish beer? Check, check.
Water? Triple check.
Graham Slam ice cream...goes without saying.



The Phils had the game pretty much locked up and by the 7th inning, we called it quits. A shower never felt better that evening. But, it was so much fun.

Things have been pretty busy around here. I'm currently trying to finish this book for book club - clear it out of the way so I can put all my focus in getting my assignment done for my photog class.

My husband reminded me that I need to rechannel some of my attention back to the basement, which we're currently organizing and getting ready to turn into a multi-purpose area that's mainly a rec-room of sorts for the kids. My craft section off to one side. And, yeah...a bit of a retreat. Complete with circa 1970's wood paneling. How sweet is THAT? ;-P

So, no, sadly no layouts right now. Photog class has been my priority...getting every nickel and dime out of it, just like I did with Karen's class last year. We finished up Composition last week and I was able to learn a bit more in the realm of photo-editing, which is awesome. I learned some fun basics on photo composition last year; now, I got to build on that...by trying to incorporate more than one of those fundamentals in a photo. Here are a few of my "comp fundamentals" photos that I edited using photoshop (PS):

Frame with a Frame + Rhythm + Leading Lines

Circle + Triangle (main flower, the flower beneath the main and the flower to the right forming a triangle)


Rhythm + Leading Lines + Negative space

Rhythm

Rule of Thirds

Circle + Rhythm + Leading Lines

So...fun stuff...I'm still working with my photo editing stills. It's been slow progress, but I really enjoy tackling it when I set aside the time.

Now on to Depth of Field...and more photo-editing, of course! ;-)

On a completely random note and end to the post, what better time to chat about July 4th...other than at the END of July. (Well...I guess you could've answered with "December" and that would've been true, too).

Here are some fun, little cupcakes I made, inspired by this bakery and their Patriotic cupcakes. Yum, right? (Not sure if their World Cup Cupcakes are still up there, but if they are, you need to check them out...).

(Photos courtesy of phone...so the photos are not the best, but...trust me, these little suckers were more delish than they may look!!!) .

If you're sitting there thinking: "There's no way in heck I could make those..." THINK AGAIN. You CAN. It's many steps, but if you through each one and tackle it piece by piece, it's not so bad. Here's how:

Tools you will need: A pastry/icing bag, a pastry/icing tip with a large hole at the end (sorry, I do not know which number, but make sure it'll allow for a large, even flow of icing to come out); red, white & blue sprinkles; muffin/cupcake pans; cupcake liners; a sweet tooth. ;-)

Step 1: Make vanilla cupcakes - from scratch, if you're feeling industrious; from a good, old-fashioned box mix if you're a time-saver.

Step 2: Make a chocolate ganache filling (hmmm...no picture). Don't have a recipe? Try this one or do a google search. I promise you - there will be plenty of ganache recipes to choose from.

Step 3: Stuff those little buggers with the chocolate ganache. How? Easy! If you have an icing set, take an icing bag and find the icing tip with the biggest hole at the end that you can find (I know this is very professional of me. If you're using Wilton or Ateco, I'm not sure about the tip number...); attach the tip to the bag with a coupler. Fill the bag with the ganache. Shove the icing tip into the cupcake and fill.

Step 4: Make vanilla icing or just buy a can of the pre-made stuff. Tint it to the desired shade of blue. OR...simply leave it white if you want. Frost your cupcakes.

Step 5: Make some star-shaped sugar cookies. Yeah you can do this from scratch. OR get a tube of sugar cookie dough from the dairy section of your grocery store. Roll the dough, grab a small star cookie cutter and make your stars. Once you bake the cookies, let them cool. You can ice them like I did...leave them plain...dust the edges of them with sugar crystals. Whatever your little heart desires. Be creative. Play with it.

Step 6: Grab some sprinkles. I got a red, white & blue assortment of shapes, sugar, regular sprinkles and dumped it into a bowl. Take your frosted cupcakes and roll just the edge of it in the sprinkles. You should have a blue middle free of sprinkles when all is said and done.

Step 7: Top each cupcake with a cooled, decorated sugar cookie.

Viola!

Done.

And delicious.

What are you waiting for? Go make some (because it's still July...!). =)

progress is as progess does...

and i'm moving along.

making time to do things that need to be done. even though time is slim to none.

the wallpaper border in the master bedroom is off. i finished taking it down yesterday evening. looked at the clock after i put my daughter to bed and figured, "what the hey...why not now?" and at 9.30 p.m. it was DONE.

now on to the tough part of the job: rubbing off the residual wallpaper glue.

i've googled a few home-made solutions that claim to do the trick. my mom is coming down to visit for a few days...i'm thinking of enlisting her help.

made barefoot contessa's peach raspberry shortcakes early last week.

not bad at all. having a really tough time with fruit. because of the early and consistent hot weather here (hot meaning a daily temperature of 80-mid 90 degrees), the fruit is ripening early...and rapidly. and, not holding up well. because of that, i'm not into my fruit desserts like i usually am this time of year. such a shame.

BUT, grilled salmon sandwiches are on tap for tomorrow night's dinner.

i'm a little "grill challenged", so this is guaranteed to be an interesting adventure for me. (interesting here defined as "resulting in a possible catastrophic outcome").

of course, my main focus right now is my photography class. it's been intense, right out of the gate. the homework assignments are definitely a challenge...they take longer...involve a lot of thought. hopefully, i'll be able to post the results of some of the photos from my first assignment. which aren't pretty. except they're mostly of my daughter, and i feel that my daughter IS pretty, so to say they're not would be putting her down. i should say that, technically, i'm not thrilled with them, but i'm pretty much starting from scratch again, relearning a few things...so, the outcome isn't what i want. but, it's what needs to happen to get to where i want.

make sense? hmmm. i'm sounding confused, which isn't good for first thing in the morning.

i'll leave you with a recent layout:

you can also view it here.

will be back with more updates. hopefully, i won't be drowning in a sea of wallpaper glue and lovely glue removal solution made by yours truly.

there are about 20 other things i should be doing right now...

oh well.

what's a little procrastination and a later bedtime every now and...every DAY. ;P

barefoot in the kitchen is still going strong.

i recently made ina's croque monsieur. (if you're a book junkie, you can also find this in her Barefoot in Paris cookbook).

think of it as grilled cheese, inside out. hmmm, except there's technically cheese inside, too. so, it's like and inside AND outside grilled cheese. (no, it's not burned. just nicely browned in the pan. seriously!).



okay, so where am i going with this? patience, my friend. (yes, you'll have to tolerate the dark pictures taken with my phone at hand. again...witching hour does not lend itself to a safe camera environment).

the efforts to put this together were minimal. the taste was extraordinary.

one of my friends was over that evening and can vouch. she can also take credit for handling the 5 pm crazies that my kids dish out...totally helps speed up dinner production. =)

on a whim, i also served up ina's jalepeno cheddar cornbread. WOW.

amazing. i've always relied on my super-special, hyper-secret cornbread recipe. tried and true. *ahem*. um, you know, the one found on the back of the quaker yellow cornmeal canister. ;-) yeah, that one. which i love...a little on the sweet side of cornbread, which is great. contrasts nicely with spicy mexican, if you're up for that sort of thing (and we are huge mexican cuisine fans here...well, minus the kids on that one). this recipe was right up there, though. it is made in a 9x13 pan. why the emphasis? because you will have a lot left over if you're making this for only a couple of people. and, even if you refrigerate it, you only have a few days to use up the leftovers. so, just make a mental note.

other stuff. oh, quick layout i did of james's storytime favorites. thank goodness i had this picture. i may have been scratching my head for awhile trying to think of what they actually were at 18 months as he's well into his 2's.

details of the layout and materials used can be found on my post here.

things on the scrapbooking front my take a slow down. this week was a big one as i started a new photography class, taught by wendy schultz. i'm really psyched about it. on the flip side, my free time (what's that again?) is going to be spent on the assignments and tutorials. which are sizeable. a wee bit longer than the ones from karen russell's class. i'm nervous. it's a big endeavor for me. i also don't have a clue what i'm doing (always a good feeling). i'm branching out into new territory, trying things on shaky legs because they're unfamiliar. but, it's what i have to do to be better...

slight confession: i may still use some of the extra time i find in a day to - oh, i don't know - rip down the awesome pink paisley wallpaper border in my bedroom. (i'm too embarrased to show a picture of my room because of the pink hideousness...and, well, frankly my room is a mess at the moment).

NO I DID NOT PUT IT UP THERE.

the former owners did. along with the pink carpeting in the same room.

seriously, what guy is OK with this? i'm thinking that the wife wore the pants in that relationship, BIG TIME. or he just didn't give a...well, you know.

(and if i've offended anyone out there...my apologies...but, pink bedrooms are not my thing...unless i'm all of a sudden a tween again).

anyway, i've managed to spend 4 years (that's right) ignoring it. i'm sure it would've been less if i actually had one ounce of decorating prowness. it's taken me awhile to settle on a style, color scheme, etc. but, i think i've reached it...

in time for me to start another photography class. =)

quick layout for the 6/13 sunday sketch.

just a quick note today. it's been a whirlwind weekend.
but, i was able to participate in SC's sunday sketch.


here's my take:

i used EK's photo label punch to make a little spot for writing the date of the picture:
here i used a stamp to make the clouds. one cloud i used as a mask and painted in what i cut out...the other a straight stamp cut out.

some more stitching. boy, there was a lot of stitching...


I just wish I could get the layout itself to look a bit brighter. The white cardstock looks grey. Granted, sunshine would probably have helped...but, with in and out thunderstorms...clouds and such...it wasn't happening.

Maybe I can tinker with it more another day...OR maybe I could somehow aquire mad-photoshopping skills...hmmm...

ace of {risotto} cakes.

not really.

okay. towards the end of the cooking process, i was getting the hang of things.

but, why rush to the end when i can fill you in at the beginning?

making ina's chive risotto cakes was an interesting endeavor. interesting in that: 1. it involved hot oil and a hot cooktop, 2. my kids were more clingy than normal that day, each clutching one of my legs near said hot oil and cooktop, and 3. both kids decided that normal dinner time was not OK, but needed to be earlier because starvation was apparently imminent.

such is the state of my home at 5 p.m....EVERY DAY.

battling these somewhat daunting elements, i still made the risotto cakes and am proud to report that a. i didn't burn down the kitchen {despite filling the first floor of my house with smoke}, b. neither me or my kids were burned in the cooking process. yay. and, c. the risotto cakes weren't a *total* disaster. there were some minor issues, so let's address those.

prep was a piece of cake. i did all of that in the morning before taking my daughter to school. cooked the rice, grated the cheese, minced the chives and threw all of these ingredients {plus a few others} in a bowl. sealed the top with plastic wrap and placed the bowl in the frig so everything could get nice and cold, as the instructions advised.

fast-forward to 5 p.m. it's the witching-hour. kids are antsy. unusually hungry...this doesn't set in until closer to 6 p.m. see, keeping track of all these things helps me mentally gear myself up for what i need to do and the state in which i get it done - am i relaxed? {which makes my concentration and general flow of things} much easier? am i hyped and pressed for time? {this is killer and makes me rush a bit more than i would like}.

i was hyped.

so, i add the oil to the pan. hmmm..really? only 3 tablespoons of oil for all these risotto cakes? okay, ina.

no, not okay.

if you're making this recipe, note that this recipe makes a lot of risotto cakes...and because of that, more oil is needed. i felt that 3 tablespoons didn't cover the batch. i had to add more oil...and cooking spray...because i hate using large quantities of oil in cooking. and the rice really absorbs the oil until you get a nice, crusty, brown outside to the cake.

initially, i started with small risotto cakes, as the recipe instructs. as i found myself pressed for time {with antsy kids at hand}, i started to cheat, making the cakes bigger. not good. the bigger the cakes are, the longer the cook time...and the harder they are to flip and the easier they fall apart. so, definitely keep the risotto cakes small.


see how they're falling apart? {at this point i was annoyed with the process and myself...because the cakes in this photo were still small...i hadn't even made them big at this point...and they were still not staying together despite the length of time the mixture spent chilling in the frig).


the picture above makes me happy. because it's at the point where i got my groove in the risotto cake-making-process. the first batch i chalked up to a rookie's luck. sort of like the universal theory behind the first batch of pancakes that come out of the pan...you can tell it's the first batch...they're thinner, lighter...different. the second batch is where you really get down to cooking...and get better results. i think that's what happened here. my cakes were definitely smaller. they weren't thin and not too thick. yeah, i definitely got into a groove here.

i'd like to say that my cakes were this beautiful:


they looked more like this:


and, for the most part, i'm OK with that. i never made risotto cakes before and i'm hardly a seasoned cook in this area. i'll take it.

the kids seemed OK with the concept of cheesy rice cakes {i figured chive risotto cakes would be code for "i don't know what this is but it's mommy-speak for something i won't like anyway"} - which isn't a complete fabrication if you look at the recipe and what basically goes into a risotto cake.

my son ate about 3/4 of his and then declared he didn't like it. {a routine meal-time statement when trying something new}.

my daughter ate a few bites, then was put off by the little green chives {saying it was a "seasoning" apparently didn't reassure her it was edible}.

{and to boost my overall kitchen confidence, i made neiman marcus cookies with white chocolate chips the next day - my own little concoction}:

next up on barefoot in the kitchen: delicious jalapeno cheddar cornbread and croque monsieur sandwiches.

p.s. photos courtesy of my phone. at the end of the day, i get a little nervous with whipping out my camera with all the action i have going on in the kitchen...

my natural.

sometimes it kills me how fast these {almost} five years has gone by with her.

we stayed local over the holiday weekend - no major plans. a neighbor gave us her daughter's princess bike - she had grown out of it. we lucked out and she happened to think of us before she junked it. {it's in gorgeous condition, too}. little girl was over the moon when our neighbor walked up the driveway with it a couple of weekends back. all we had to do was put the training wheels back on...

jim took her out on sunday for a little test run. apparently, she had been making mental notes. he showed her once, ran down the instructions with her {we're still going over the safety rules verbatum}, and - well - that's all there was too it. like she had been riding a bike for eons...









and, boy, was she sure proud of her accomplishment.



now she's into negotiating how many times we're going to go around the block so she can practice. i'm trying to scale it down a little on the hotter days we're experiencing right now.

hopefully be back soon with barefoot in the kitchen updates and some layouts. the wacky weather has me dodging clouds today - not the best for photographing them a la natural light.

it's hard to rely on my good intentions...

...when the end of the school/activities year is upon me and there are several other projects going on simultaneously. do i pick the worst time to engage in personal endeavors? you bet.

we've had a garage sale. and preparations for the garage sale. organizing and tossing stuff. sick kids. running to school. dance. gymnastics. music. making up missed dance, gymnastics and music sessions. you know - typical stuff.

so, you'll be happy to know i didn't completely slack off with my barefoot contessa recipe replicating in these couple of weeks...
i only dropped the ball last week. ;-)
and that was upon discovering the dish i picked to make required me to make a trip to the grocery store for fish. i wasn't feeling the grocery store vibe with the other errands and things that needed my attention.

c'est la vie.

i'll be chatting about what i have made, so far, in the next series of posts...hopefully, every few days as i have time to jot down my notes on what i did and how things turned out.

so, without further adieu...

i tried making the chicken salad sandwhich recipe from back to basics, being a complete chicken myself, knowing i was heading into a "busier than normal" schedule and needing something totally easy. this recipe fit the bit. and, it's nice to know that easy doesn't mean "it's going to taste mediocre". on the contrary. the flavor was fantastic.

my personal notes on it: i'm not a huge mayo fan. normally, large quantities of mayo sends shivers down my spine. i find fingernails on a chalkboard more appealing than the though of someone glopping mayo on a BLT sandwhich, dumping it over cucumber salad or dipping their finger in a container of mayo to take a taste (which, no joke, my daughter did the other week and i almost tossed...).

ketchup, however, completely different story...

and, when i say "large quantities" of mayo, i mean anything over a few tablespoons in a recipe. so, this was a little bit of a challenge. the recipe called for 3/4 cup. i had light greek yogurt on hand and some fat free sour cream. no mayo in the house. the recipe still turned out great and i don't feel like the flavor was compromised with the reduced fat and fat free condiments. i think part of that was due to roasting the chicken with generous amounts of salt and pepper as chicken is basically a bland piece of meat when you straight cook it. the fresh tarragon leaves were essential in that flavor boost, too, so if you can help it, don't skimp there.

and, because i'm a baker, i made ina's chocolate chunk cookies. you can find this in her barefoot contessa parties! book. i couldn't resist taking a picture of these beauties. i have always struggled finding a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. mainly because i feel like the cookies flatten out, flatter than a pancake, in the oven while they're baking. i like "plump" and soft chocolate chip cookies. when i make the nestle recipe, they're flatter than flat and crisp. which, granted, some people like. and, i've always altered chocolate chip cookie recipes by throwing blended oats into my flour. at that point, i feel like i'm making a neiman marcus cookie rather than a classic chocolate chip.

you get the picture.

or do you?



ina's recipe for chocolate chip - oops...i mean, "chunk", cookies did not disappoint. they were soft and chewy and stayed that way for days. and, yes, the cookies survived the house for more than days...a good week. i omitted the walnuts due to a member of our household being allergic to them. they still rocked.

i'll continue my recent barefoot contessa exploits soon. my kids need help playing fairy dress-up right now...and i'm a little scared that my son is donning wings and trying to fit sequined shoes on his feet.

my (culinary) hero.

This lady:

is my hero of the kitchen. I've watched Barefoot Contessa for years. My kids know her by name (well, does the name "Barefoot Contessa" count?). (Hmmm...this is a touch embarrassing, I suppose). I think Ina's truly fantastic.

Why?

Because she makes everything in the kitchen truly effortless.

Now, yes, of course cooking and baking are effortless tasks when you have a whole crew at your disposal, setting up everything, measuring out the ingredients, cleaning the dishes and pots you used to prepare the meal, putting them away, having a kitchen the size of a small home at your disposal...

And, I suppose it helps not having little children tugging at your leg or hiding behind you because one child is teasing the other, while you're using sharp implements at the counter...

And, surely, there's no crying or the need to break up fights every few minutes as you're trying to calmly saute something on the hot stove.

Okay, okay...

My point is, even with all that going on, I - you, whomever - can pull these meals off even with Armageddon occurring all around.

And, to me, that's an awesome thing.

So, this is where the whole "Barefoot in the Kitchen" blip at the top of my blog comes into play...

I'm going to be preparing a couple of Ina's recipes (yes, Ina and I are on a first-name basis, here - hehehe) each week. I may have a photo, I may not, but what I will definitely have is my honest opinion of the recipe - was it hard to prepare? Was it satisfying? Garbage-worthy? So, it's, in part, a personal challenge. I'm really the baker of the household. My husband is the cook. This allows me the ability to prove to myself that I can cook. And, that I can make some of these trickier meals. And, that I have a little "Barefoot Contessa" in me, too.

Stay tuned...

his big day.

big day.
big bed.
big boy.

hard to believe dude is ready to go into a regular bed.
when i was pregnant with my daughter, i can remember the vast number of people who told me how fast time flies by with kids. and, before you know it, they're grown.
and, i can also remember the crazy, restless nights with a newborn. the regular feedings. the nap "scheduling" - and that phase is gone so quickly. but, when you're going through it, it's like an eternity.
{and let's face it...the inability to get a solid night's sleep never really goes away}.
and, here we are, the next phase...

one last look at the crib before the last night of sleep in it.

one last nap...

one last storytime with the crib in his room...

dude...you promised you wouldn't grow up...

no...wait...that was my daughter...and she obviously didn't keep that promise. ;-)

of course, as soon as the bed arrived and was set up, both kids started acting appropriately with it:

yep, here too...

still processing all of the excitement...

so, when jim took the crib down, i was basically throwing dinner together. and, i was OK with not being around for that part of the process. for me, it's hard letting the baby thing go.

because, now it's the big time... (and, mickey mouse sheets)...

he's ready...

(placing a quick call to the grandparents first...from the bed...)

our first storytime in the "big boy bed"...

and, we're ready to roll.

i would've sworn a million times over that he wouldn't stay in bed that first night...we made it to three nights before dude processed the concept of "free range" and got out of the bed to roam. still, we're getting there.

now, if he would only pass out within a half hour of lights out...one can dream, i suppose...

do stop back in a few days. more in a little project i've cooked up. ;-) enjoy the rest of the weekend!