Sewing Machine

It's true. I just ordered a sewing machine online from Costco. 

Cameron's swears that I won't use it and I swear I will. 

{If I use it once does that count?} 

Do You Want To Gain Some Weight?

Then you should either:

1. Get pregnant (It is really awesome)

2. Or make these coconut cupcakes. I think they are the best things I've ever eaten and I tried to ignore the fact that there are 6 sticks of butter in the recipe. I whipped these up for work the other day and they got rave reviews from everyone at work, my hubby, and myself. Seriously, Ina (from Barefoot Contessa) does not mess around with her ingredients... she loves her butter. On a serious note, try these!!

COCONUT CUPCAKES by Barefoot Contessa

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 oz. sweetened, shredded coconut

Cream cheese icing recipe below

-Preheat oven to 325 degress

-In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

-In a seperate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

-Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature (although I only did 1/2 pound)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

-In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Creativity

Sometimes at I wish I was more creative. 

Then I remember I don't have to be, because I have a Brooke. 

You will not believe the birdie shower invitations she designed for my upcoming shower... they are adorable and the cutest things I have ever seen. 

Check out how she made them here. 

The View From Up Here

30 weeks and my view is getting limited. 

My feet look like nubbins, almost invisible. Good thing I don't wear cute shoes anymore, I would miss looking at them. 

Farmer's Market

My perfect Saturday is sleeping in, going out to breakfast, and hitting up the farmers market. Exciting, I know. 

It never fails that we see one of my students and an employee from Cameron's work. No exceptions last Saturday. The samples are like taking a Saturday trip to Costco... although 1000 times better {and healthier}. We discovered these little treats on Saturday and they are delicious. So delicious I ate a whole one plain. 

I'm serving them up tonight with strawberries and fresh cream... I love summer. 

Seeing Stripes

It's my spring break and I'm nesting. My list is so long and enormous that all I can do is think about is how I'm never going to get that impossible list done. I think it is making me a bit cranky {other people might say, "It is REALLY making me cranky and crazy."} 

So I started with The Boy's room and a vision. Of course to recreate the vision I had to recruit Brooke... that girl has got mad skills. Moving into this house has opened my little closed eyes to DIY projects and I would have to say my painting has improved about 100%. It was pretty awful before.  Cameron totally has the rolling thing down and this room is our best work yet. Anyhow... Brooke and I did the stripes yesterday.

Here's how we started: 

And here's how we ended. 

Love you Brooke... thanks for spending your whole day painting with me.

Why Didn't I Think of This?

Here peep season is coming to a close and I found all these awesome peep ideas after the fact. I'm so making these s'meeps next year. Check out more awesome peep ideas here. 

And Michelle... I need this recipe! I love this idea!! 

Small Miracles

Some small miracles have been happening around here. 

The first: I activated some yeast

The second: I figured out ON MY OWN that I was using the wrong mixing tool for the mixer. 

The third (kind of): My bread looked a little bit like Emily's except it was a little smaller and undercooked. But who's counting? 

Next up: Cinnamon rolls. I recruited Cameron for this project... he was thrilled. 

Some how I collected a large supply of flour on my GINORMOUS belly. It is getting out of control. 

And they really turned out... I seriously still can't believe it. I'm sure they weren't as light and fluffy as they could have been... but they were edible my first time making them. Pretty much that was a miracle. 

Happy Easter!

They're Back

I went to get something on our porch the other day and noticed this on the ledge: 

Very strange. How did all these little twigs and flowers get here. It is certainly not from yard work because we like to pretend the yard fairies do that. But then I noticed noticed a bit of this on our driveway:

Gut instinct: look up. The devil birds are back... building another disgusting nest {soon to be full of disgusting poop.} Didn't they learn their lesson last time?? Now I have to ruin some birds dream of becoming a mother... on Easter weekend. 

2nd Anniversary

Two sweet years and 

I love you more than ever. 

Peeps

I almost forgot how much I love peeps. 

I reminded myself by eating an entire package today. 

{It is scary to google image "peeps." What are people thinking?}

Wii Fit

Saturday we went with Zalewski's to dinner and then ended back at their house for a little chatting and hanging out. I don't know how this happened but we got introduced to the Wii Fit. I opted out of getting weighed... no need to make that public knowledge 7 months pregnant. 

The Wii Fit brought out my competitive side apparently. My first Wii Fit age was 45 and I was not happy about that. Round 2 of my testing I scored {drumroll} a 29... spot on. Phew. 

While I skied, headbutted soccer balls {and shoes}, and hula hooped, Cameron digested two tums on the couch. 

After a little convincing Cameron pried himself off the couch... only to be disappointed by a Wii Fit age of 65. How is that possible? Anyhow, a victory in round 2... scoring a 33.

I must say that Wii Fit is pretty fun. Carolyn kickboxed and did aerobics and it seriously looked fun. I'm tempted....