“Modest theme is just a humble design with big intentions.”
Ut a nunc ornare velit ornare ullamcorper sed eu magna.
A Carb-kinda Girl
Deep down, I’m really just a “carb-kinda” girl…I love carbs, I love them in any way, shape or form. I love homemade bread, I love cinnamon rolls, I love bagels, I love donuts, I love chips…you name it, I probably love it. I, of course, try to eat these various carbs in moderation, but carbs are truly my downfall. I have to admit, I come by in naturally…I have grown up with grandparents and parents that are incredible cooks and bakers. They’ve each owned restaurants and just flat out are amazing cooks! I’m spoiled! Both sets of grandparents growing up would make the most incredible meals, and not just for holidays.
Some of my favorite carbs include, my Aunt Katie’s rolls…these rolls are pure heaven…and no one can seem to imitate these rolls. I absolutely love going back to Arkansas because I know that we are going to get some of Aunt Katie’s rolls. I’ve attempted to make them…a couple years ago we stayed with her for Thanksgiving and I watched the entire process with a close eye as she taught me all her little touches that aren’t written on my recipe card. I came home, made them…and although they were good…they were just not Aunt Katie’s!
Another favorite carb are my dad’s cinnamon rolls…we only get them a handful of times a year, but when we do, they are just super yummy and just have this same flavor and texture that take me back to my childhood! They are always BIG, perfectly browned on the outside and gooey yummy in the middle!
And then I can’t even think of specific favorite carb of my mom’s because there are honestly too many to choose from, and she is always trying new ones, and sending them home with us to try…and each one always tops the last…my favorite carbs of hers tend to be on the sweet side…her cookies, her cupcakes, her cakes…I mean honestly just none really compare. Although I think it’s great these cupcake “stores” are now all over The Woodlands, but to be honest none can hold a candle to Kerry’s sweets… so with all that to say, my carb choice of the week has been these Peanut Butter Cookies…they are incredible! So I thought I’d share. Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1 cup( 2 sticks) unsalted butter – room temp
1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
( I use either or)
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 oz chopped semi sweet chocolate – or choc chips
Sift flour, baking soda, salt in bowl and set aside.
In mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter, sugars until fluffy. Scrape down bowl, and add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated and light and fluffy. Add vanilla and peanut butter until mixed in don’t overmix.
Add half the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds, add remaining flour and mix until incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips with spatula. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line with parchment paper.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons , 2 inches apart. With fork dipped in water, lightly push down the cookie and then sprinkle sugar on top.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until brown.
The recipe comes from the cookbook Baked
Little Ballerina
About 4 weeks ago, Izzy and I started Mommy-and-Me Ballet. It has been so much fun doing this with her! Ballet is something so dear to my heart, I danced for nearly 13 years and so much of those years in dance influenced who I am today. The day I went to go buy Izzy’s first pair of ballet shoes and her leotard I got a little misty-eyed in the store realizing how many pairs of ballet shoes and leotards my parents purchased for me over the years and how I never even considered what they were sacrificing to let me dance for all of those years. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with thankfulness for all the money, time, and support my parents gave me over the years while dancing. Ballet will always be a huge part of who I grew to be, learning to challenge myself physically, learning discipline, learning what commitment means, and learning to be able to express myself through dance. So much of me regrets not continuing to pursue dance, although I know God put other things in my life to be involved in besides dance, but it will always be a passion of mine. I am hoping she will love it and over the years can learn all the things I learned! As Izzy runs around the house in her new leotard and breaking in her new ballet shoes I can’t help but be sentimental feeling like it was just yesterday it was me getting ready to go to ballet class! But now I get to enjoy seeing her express herself through some tondus and pirouettes.
Love-Hate
I’ve decided I have a love-hate relationship with this blog…its a love-hate relationship because in my mind I have blogged 25 posts since October…but in reality, I’ve posted none! I consistently have moments that I say, “I need to blog this,” and then as usual it doesn’t happen. I’m thinking it has something to do with being busy with 2 little ones.
Well, all that to say I do have some specific things over the past couple months I want to share with you all…but of course, I want pics to go with it…and of course as I sat down tonight to upload pics of these events…my camera battery is dead…see what I mean…love-hate.
So for now, some Izzy quotes that I have loved lately:
-We’ve been learning our Bible verse for the month, and when I ask her the Bible verse she can say it to me…it’s “Let the children come to me…” Luke 16:18…so when asked her, “Who says that, who can we always go to when we are worried or scared or need anything?” Izzy: “Mr. Mike!” One of her Sunday school teachers. Made me laugh!
-She’s really into asking everyones names, so when it’s a boy…”What’s hims name?” She asks it all the time…so funny!
-Tonight, before dinner I said, “Ok Izzy, you ready to come eat some yummy pot roast, carrots and potatoes?!?” Izzy: “Umm, no…I want chocolate.”
All about my little man:
Owen is such a cute little guy! His little personality is really coming out! He gets so excited seeing Izzy and will just squeal and laugh at her! He just wants to do what she’s doing so badly.
He’s starting to crawl…which I’m so excited for him because he was getting so frustrated not being able to get to whatever Izzy is into; however, I’m not sure how I feel about having 2 mobile kiddos! Now I consistently hear, “Owen, stop..Owen no.” It’s already begun…
He’s started to eat little crackers and puffs…and he LOVES them. This kid loves his food. Izzy was always a great eater but wasn’t ever too excited about it. If I get up from feeding him just to grab something he squeals so loud thinking I’m not going to keep feeding him…he’s very vocal about his food!
I will leave you with that for now! Even though they aren’t super recent some pics…
Yes, he’s 8 1/2 months now, but here are his 6 month shots!
The girl that keeps me laughing…
This will be how I will remember Owen at this age…on his tummy doing “Superman”… arms up, legs up,with his wrist moving like he’s riding a motorcycle…trying to so hard to get moving!
Tink and her Monkey
Hope everyone had a candy-filled Halloween! A few pics from last night!
Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes
I made these cupcakes for Izzy’s Party, and I have to say they are pretty amazing! Perfect for fall! Although when I made them I just made a classic cream-cheese frosting which was still super yummy! Hope you enjoy!
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup light brown sugar
Simmering water
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled
Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.
Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.
Using the electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, remaining 4 egg whites and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fill a medium saucepan with enough simmering water to reach a depth of 1 inch; place the mixing bowl on top. Whisk the mixture until it registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer.
Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and beat at high speed until fluffy; lower the speed and beat to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes.
Read MoreParties and Pumpkins
My little pumpkin turned 2 last weekend! We had a great time celebrating! On Saturday we enjoyed a day at the park with friends and family. I absolutely love fall, so we had a Pumpkin Party. Izzy loved playing with all her little buddies! And has really enjoyed some of her new toys this past week. We’ve been having tons of tea parties with Dora and Boots!
In a cupcake zone! She loved her Pumpkin Cupcakes! I’ll have to share the recipe later!! SOO yummy!
We had my Aunt in from Oregon and her son Robbie who is 3, and they quickly became good buddies! Sunday was her actual birthday, so I treated her to Birthday donuts before church! She was miss Chatty Cathy before church, I couldn’t get her to stop singing and talking to get a smiling picture! She was really into singing her ABC’s right here!
But Monday was a reality check for Izzy. She woke up Monday morning saying,”Mommy, sing Happy Birthday Izzy!” All while asking for “More donuts!” And then in the afternoon, “Mommy I want cu’cake!”
Then this past weekend, we headed to the pumpkin patch with some friends!
My two little punkins!
Izzy with some of her new little buddies, Peyton and Carter! We love playing with you guys!
Owen with his buddy Jackson (Peyton’s little brother). Then come January Carter will be a big brother, and so Owen and Jackson will have another little guy to play with!
Happy Fall Ya’ll!
Read MoreReflections
This past weekend we had the opportunity to attend, along with 30 others from Woodlands Point, the Together for Adoption Conference in Austin. My mind is still swirling!
Adoption has been something that Sean and I have talked about since we first got married, but this weekend solidified so many things for us. Our thought had always been, “wouldn’t be amazing to adopt one day, provide a home to a child who doesn’t have one.” That seems a very simple thought…bring a child home, and love on them. But the more and more we look at adoption the reality of how difficult it will be is hitting us.
But the one thing I think about as I write this is how thankful I am that God has adopted me into His family. That was one thing that was talked about this weekend, God’s heart since the beginning was for the adoption of his children to be in relationship with Him. And as many times as I push God aside and pursue my own selfish way, God continues to pursue me and love me, and nothing I can do can stop me from being His child.
So, what a cool reflection of the Gospel it is to see these families bring these boys and girls into their homes, and say “everything I have is yours, you are my child, you will always be my child, I will never leave you, you are mine.”
Sean and I have no idea where to start…we are still praying through what this will look like for our family…fostering? international adoption? foster-to-adopt? Although we are nervous, we know that this is something God is leading us in, and we are just praying for clarity on timing and where we need to begin.
All that to say, it was a great weekend! If you’d be interested in looking at what the conference was all about, click on the link above and you can watch some of the main session speakers.
Read More