It's My Life

This week at work we are honoring the lady who holds us all together. Our Administrative Assistant, The General.  No, that is not her real name. Her name aside. I am so thankful for her. She is a super hard worker. She is funny. Sometimes sarcastic. Always giving. She loves chocolate. Boy, does she love chocolate! In her honor, I whipped up these cupcakes to take to her. Thank you, General, for all of your hard work! To make these cupcakes: One Chocolate Cake Box Mix Eggs and Oil as directed by the Box. 2 packages of Oreo Cookies 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened 1 cup of Crisco Vegetable Shortening 6 cups of Powdered Sugar 2 Tablespoons of Milk 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract I want to first say, I tried out Reynolds new cupcake liners. I found these at Wal Mart and they promised to not turn black in the oven. I am so loving the way they look! Make the cake mix as the box describes. Before you put the batter in the cupcake liner, put an Oreo...

 Today we went with my in-laws to tour the new Kansas City Temple.  We have watched The Temple under construction for some time and I was excited to tour it. I only have photos of the exterior because photography inside the Temple is not allowed. The exterior is the most breathtaking white. I learned that after the Temple is dedicated anyone who enters must change out of their street clothing and put on all white clothing. Today, as every day the temple has been open for viewing, between 4 and 5 thousand people will take the tour.  We wore white slippers on our shoes to protect the carpets and keep everything inside looking as nicely as possible. The entryway has stunning stained glass and dark wood. The entire temple has the theme of Olive Tree Branches throughout.  My Father and Mother-in-law said that the dark wood was brought over from Africa. Once dedicated, only members of the Mormon Church in good standing are allowed to enter the temple. We w...

I try to stay off of Pinterest when I am hungry. I just end up pinning things that I want to bake or cook and I am still trying to be healthy. But this week I have tried two Pinterest inspired dishes and given them two thumbs up. The best news is that for the most part, they are actually both really good for you! {BONUS} T he first dish I have been gobbling up this week is OVERNIGHT OATMEAL . This photo is from Pinterest and is not mine!                                                         M y friend Krista pinned this and I thought it looked good but I wanted to wait to here her review. She liked it and I decided to try it this week. Ironically, my husband brought home a bag of Chia Seeds and I thought it was destiny! So here are the two recipes I have made this week Coconut Mango Overnight Oatmeal 1/2 cup old fashioned rol...

Have you ever avoided something?  Like stuck your head in the sand and hoped it was not true.  Because if you avoid it long enough, it will go away? That has been me. My husband, at my recommendation, signed me up for a 5K.  I know I should have been eating well, exercising, preparing for this event.  But, I did not. And today was the big day.   But, I finished. And I did not walk, well not all of it anyways.  I actually ran, half.  I crossed the finish line in 48 minutes.  That was 10 minutes behind my husband, who has been preparing everyday for the past two months.   And about 5 minutes before the first half-marathon runner came across the finish line. My son was there, to cheer me on.  {actually, he might have been there for the free food. I am sorry to anyone half marathoner who did not get free food. My growing son ate your share.} My great friend ...

I hope this post does not sound....full of myself. It was my birthday and I decided to celebrate....Me! I did the things that make me happy. I baked. I decorated. I entertained. In the end, even though it was my birthday, I hope others got as much enjoyment out of it as I did. There are a few desserts I have always wanted to make: Creme Brulee, Tres Leches cake, Pavlova, and Tiramisu. I made a quick decision while talking to my BFF on the phone, I was going to make my own desserts and invite friends over to share.  For both desserts I found great recipes at Pioneer Woman Cooks. I recommend her site, she has lots of great photos with step-by-step instructions.  Her photos gave me some confidence when I found myself cooking things I had no history with. If you would like to try this dessert, go here:   The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Tres Leches Cake My reflections on making this cake: It was actually way easier than I thought. No box mix was used and making the b...

I am a phototaker! I love snapping photos of anything and everything. And if I am honest with you, I use this blog as a reason for taking even more photos. So I am sure this will surprise you, but something cool happened to me this weekend, and I was at a loss for taking photos. I even thought during it that maybe I should grab my camera, but I was so into the moment that I did not want to let it pass without me. We were "egged". Are you familiar with this term? It is similar to being "boo'ed" at Halloween time. Someone leaves Easter Eggs at your house with a note telling you that you have been "egged." Well, it happened to us. We were out of town for the weekend and came home early Sunday morning. I was actually a bit concerned because The Short Chic helped Mommy set out eggs for an egg hunt for the older boys. She also helped her Nana stuff eggs for an egg hunt at her house. There were no eggs she had not had some insight information about ...

I am sharing my birthday with Easter, once again. I don't mind. A holiday full of chocolate...candy...egg hunts! We spent Saturday at my Momma's house. The boys went fishing. The girls enjoyed getting to know my Momm'as new neighbors. The Short Chic even shared her Grandma's carrots. To celebrate my birthday, we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Nothing warms up a spring evening like a backyard fire! Before the bonfire, we had an egg hunt. The Son brought his friend to the party, he had never roasted a marshmallow before. How is that possible?  Don't worry, he had a great teacher, now he can't say he has never roasted a marshmallow! After our meal, The Husband and the Guest went back out fishing. My kiddo's and I took a walk around my small town. The Short Chic wanted to see the creek. It was nice to get out and walk around a bit and enjoy the warm weather. The layout of the town is the same as it always has been; four bl...

I love classroom parties! Luckily for me, my Short Chic is in a church-based preschool. Which allows me to bring homemade treats to classroom parties. I am responsible for the sweet treat for the Easter party. I decided to make homemade marshmallows and dip them in chocolate. This is not the first time I have made homemade marshmallows. A long time ago, the domestic goddess herself, Martha Stewart, featured them in one of her magazines and I rose to the occasion. But that has been nearly 14 years. What I remember from that experience....they may sound hard to make but they were actually easy. Time consuming, yes. Difficult, no. This time, I used a recipe from  Smitten Kitchen . To make homemade marshmallows you need: Powdered Sugar 3 1/2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin 1 cup very cold water, divided 2 cups of sugar 1/2 of corn syrup 1/4 t salt 2 large egg whites 1 T vanilla In the mixing bowl add 1/2 cup of very cold water. Add the...

I am excited for me. I had a couple of first yesterday!  My friend Shannon called me a few weeks ago and asked if I would help her decorate a cake for her daughter's birthday celebration. Of course I agreed to that! Then she tells me she wants to do a cupcake cake.  Um, I have never done that. Nor have I ever actually decorated for someone other than my family. Now I am nervous!  So, after a very long day at a  Sip and See , I drove over to Shannon's house. Her little boy was my biggest helper. We made frosting. Tinted it. Piped it. Okay we might have even sampled some.  He told me he wants to learn how to make a cake because he wants to go on the Food Network and do the cake challenges. We agreed to be a team.  So, with no experience, we put as many cupcakes as we could get on a cake board. We covered all of the cupcakes with white frosting and then Shannon's husband...who also has to go with us onto the Food Network because he can ...