damn fine cherry cobbler

i've been on a baking frenzy.

every weekend this summer, i've tried to bake things using seasonal produce...and, loving the results.

made this excellent cherry cobbler over the weekend and was very happy with the end product. sad to say that it's all been consumed due to me and my husband {the kiddos are a bit wary of baked fruit desserts}. {btw - isn't the picture on the recipe link the cutest? i originally posted that picture on my blog, but changed it to the one i actually took for this post...not as delish looking, but...you get the point that the subject revolves around cherries...lol...}.

i've been able to make peach and cherry pies this season...as well as some delicious blueberry crumb bars. it's just what i do...pull out a new recipe to bake, hoping it'll be a keeper. my goal is to take the "keeper" recipes and assemble a small binder, organized by specific seasonal items, so when, say, cherries, are in season, i won't have to randomly thumb through old magazines and cookbooks to drum up something to satisfy...

but, i'm pretty sure this is going to be a winter project. i'm a little maxed out on projects and things that need to be done. however, i am looking forward to delving into my recipe box {or stack} and making some sense of it all. next week, peach cobbler...!

today...i know this much is true...

1. i love grilling food. i wish all of our meals could be grilled.
and if i had a ton of foresight, time & creativity, i would plan out every meal around use of the grill.

2. all meals should come in shish kabob form. it's not only makes meals fun, but two skewars give you the perfect portion of food. and, it doesn't get boring...you can put whatever you want on a shish kabob. {hmmm...contemplating breakfast foods to skewar as i type this...}.

3. i love the summertime. i used to be a fall-fanatic, but this started changing a few years back. i think it's because of the abundance of fresh produce...warmer weather...longer daylight to boost my energy...the ability to take pictures with ease due to the abundance of natural lighting...but, whatever it comes down to, it's just a great time for activities. the kids get outside regularly...there are an abundance of parks and outdoor recreational facilities to visit...it even makes hopping in and out of the car for errands more tolerable in the warm weather versus the cold. the only drag is that i find i have less time for things like blogging...and some other hobbies. i'm even amazed that i pinned down a few minutes to type this.

hope your summer has been a good one so far...go grill! =P

updates soon...sort of...

i finally realized today that it has been longer than i thought since i've last blogged. but, i do have stuff to chat about. just never the time to put all my thoughts down.

this past month was a whirl but i'm looking forward to some fun stuff coming up...including a Karen Russell class that's starting soon. =)

anyway, hopefully i will have a chance to sit down and process some of these thoughts, type 'em out & share very soon.

icing on the cake.

so to speak, it's the WORST icing imaginable. so, on top of the craziness with my son's health this week, i found out yesterday my dad has bronchitis. which is bad because he has one lung {the other had been removed in an effort to save him from terminal cancer a few years back}. i also found out today that my credit card number had been swiped at some point and someone had fun charging over $4K to it. {is it wrong of me to hope the person who did this gets nailed by karma BIG TIME?}.

like i said...it kind of tops off my week.

i'm also starting to believe that driver's licenses must be given away in cereal boxes. i thought about it today - quite a few times, actually - as i got behind one BAD driver after another. i thought how this has been happening all week - and, it's a scary trend in my mind. i mean, how do you ride BOTH lanes, not use signal lights when merging or switching lanes and think that it's OK to sit in the middle of an intersection in trying to make it through before the light turns red??? and, amusingly enough {but, not amusing when experiencing it in real time}, why do people act like they don't know how to drive in the rain when it has been raining for the past 8 days?????.

on a positive note, we got the green light for little dude's surgery. his congestion is better. and, now to work on getting him there and through it. what a hurdle.

at wit's end.

when i say i've been to the pediatrician's 1-2 times a week for the past 1-1/2 to 2 months, rest assured that it's no exaggeration. between amelia's pneumonia and getting her seasonal allergy attacks under control {finally} and james's ear infections and colds i swear the doctor's office has a room reserved for us. and, when i go in and they ask to see the insurance card and a verification on address, all i can do is chuckle {otherwise, i'd lose my mind}.

we have surgery for james scheduled next week. he needs a cyst removed from near the tear duct of his left eye. he also needs tubes at this point - his ears are red and inflammed. the poor kid. the latest and greatest: he's developed head and chest congestion. call it spring allergies...call it the 8 straight freakin' days - and counting - of rain stirring the pot...but we've got an issue on our hands. he's on two meds to try to clear things up and dry things out...otherwise we've got to reschedule the surgery and delay much needed procedures that have us otherwise bouncing in and out of the doctor's office. he goes back for a well-visit tomorrow. if you could just kindly keep him in your thoughts & prayers - hopefully, with any luck, we'll be trending in the right direction and can get the little guy back on track early next week with the procedures that need to be done.

a new kind of yum.

if you're stopping by for the first time, let me explain: i'm a baker. i've always been a baker. i love to bake - trying new recipes...whipping up the old as well. here's the proof:



so, this recipe was my latest adventure in the world of baking. and, it was very satisfying. =) this household is a huge fan of cupcakes. the kids love them. and, the adults...well...it's like the perfect portion of cake. i made giant vanilla coconut cupcakes for my husband's birthday - just take a peek at the picture on my blog banner.

but, pie has always been a huge favorite here, too. i'm just not the master of pie crust. so, i'm checking out a few options and i'm hoping to hone those skills a bit more. i've heard this recipe provides a no-fail promise to pie crust perfection. i mean...isn't everything better with a little vodka? now i just have to check it out for myself.

valium, wine & weeds.

my mom recently asked me what i wanted for my birthday in a few weeks.

i chuckled and asked her if she could hook me up with a year's supply of valium. seriously. that would be nice. =)

OR...my own private wine closet...with my favorite stashes from napa and sonoma.

valium and libations aside, these things would be pretty cool:

Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens - and the sucker is backordered too...most likely because it's so amazing...

that would be a totally amazing surprise...

i could also use a new watch. and, this would be super fun...

and this is very pretty {i have a weakness for anthropologie}.

crazy as it seems, right now, i'd take a landscaping service to come in and do some much needed spring cleaning in my yard...edging, weeding, topsoil and new mulch...tear out some shabby looking shrubs. the flower beds look a bit like something you'd see in Where the Wild Things Are. guess what this girl is going to be working on over the next few days? yep...researching landscaping services and calling in for estimates. =)

here are a few quick layouts i put together recently:

and...

this past week was pretty crazy. amelia had some respiratory relapses with her allergies. looks like the nebulizer is here to stay for awhile, along with some allergy meds to use during the rough seasons. james got yet another ear infection. we're looking at tubes next month, during the same time his cyst will be removed from near his eye.

i think the best birthday gift right now would be everything settling down a bit. happy & healthy. yes...that would be good, indeed.