Foodie Friday: Royal Wedding Coffee Cake

Peachy and I hosted playgroup today complete with a royal invitation from the Queen Mum. (That is if you count me Photoshopping her onto the emails that I sent out.) While the Royal Wedding was long over by the time our gusts arrived, we still celebrated the lovely couple.

The divine Ms. L and Miss A posing for their photo.

Miss S couldn't resist the picture taking fun. She found her own hat to wear in the chair.

The Peach and I take a turn in the chair.

And what wedding celebration would be complete without cake? Since we were celebrating a bit early in the day, coffee cake was on the menu. I had fun adding this cake toppers by TomKat. While this recipe may seem a bit complicated, it is totally worth every step.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
Part 1:
-1 c butter
-1 c sugar
-2 eggs
-2 c flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 t salt
Part 2:
-1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
-1 c sugar
-1 egg
-1 t vanilla
Part 3:
-1/4 c brown sugar
-1/4 c butter
-1/2 c flour
-1/2 t cinnamon
Part 4:
-1 1/2 T melted butter
-1/2 t almond extract
-1 1/2 c powdered sugar
-enough milk to drizzle

Directions:
Part 1: Mix all well. Pat 1/2 of mixture into a 9x13-inch pan.
Part 2: Beat and spread over crust. Flatten "wads" of Part 1 and place on top.
Part 3: Cut together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Part 4: Mix and drizzle over cooled cake.

Mini Art Caddy

Once you venture into the world of art caddies, it is hard to find a way out. I started making a few larger caddies for gifts and that brought requests for more. Then I made some for a craft sale and completely sold out.

Now it seems as if any notepad or writing utensil finds me planning a new caddy. I decided it was high time that I made one for Peachy.

 I used a smaller drawing pad and included a pocket for stickers. She found it in her Easter basket and really likes it. (Too bad the drawing pad I bought has already started to fall apart!)

It is perfect for those times you need your toddler to sit for some quiet time and the small size makes it perfect for on the go.

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Easter Blessings 2011

This year we were able to celebrate our Risen Savior as we do most years, in the midst of our families.
We were wonderfully blessed yet again to be reminded of the love our Lord lavished on us that we will one day be celebrating at his side in heaven.

blessed in our growing family.

blessed to share this Easter with those we love.

blessed in sharing the heavenly and earthly joy of this holiday with this little one.

I hope your Easter was equally BLESSED!

Tutorial Tuesday: Egg Dough

Peachy and  I were busy last week making a fun Easter gift for her playgroup friends. I had the idea to make play dough and give it to the kids in plastic Easter eggs. One night while winding down for sleep I had the idea to use Kool-Aid to not only color the dough, but also give it fun scents. After a quick Google search the next day, I found that I was not the only one to have this idea. I mainly based my recipe on this one from food.com. The results were great. An easy to use play dough with fun fruity scents. The only issue we had was finding green Kool-Aid. We ended up using a yellow and adding green coloring in. I wanted small batches, so I really cut the recipe down, that is why there are some unusual measurements.

Kool-Aid Play Dough
Ingredients:
-10 T (5/8 c) flour (plus more if needed)
-2 T (1/8 c) salt
-1 small package Kool-Aid
-2 t cream of tarter
-1/2 c boiling water
-3/4 T oil

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Carefully add the boiling water.
3. Stir together and let sit to cool.
4. Once cool enough to handle knead the dough. (This is the only step that I had any color come off the dough, so be careful of staining at this point.)
5. Allow to cool completely and store in air-tight container.

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Foodie Friday: Baked Caprese Macaroni and Cheese

I got this recipe via Kim @ Newlywoodwards who found it here. And let me just say, this is not your child's mac and cheese. All three of us enjoyed this dish the night we had it for supper and all of the leftovers as well. Enjoy!

Baked Caprese Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:1 pint grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
1 pound pasta shells, medium size
3/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) Wisconsin Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 8-ounce ball Wisconsin Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced


Directions:Preheat oven to 350°F. In a baking dish, combine grape tomatoes, olive oil, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat and bake 10 minutes. Remove and let stand. 
In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil over high heat; add pasta and cook 12 minutes or until tender. Drain and let stand in a separate bowl.
In the same sauce pan, combine milk, butter, shredded Mozzarella Cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring continually, over low heat until the cheese melts into a thick sauce, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the drained pasta back into the sauce pan and toss to coat.
Pour the pasta and cheese mixture into an 10×14-inch oven-safe dish and top with baked grape tomatoes.
Coat the Fresh Mozzarella slices in the baked tomato sauce remaining in the tomato baking dish. Place the seasoned Fresh Mozzarella on top of the pasta and tomatoes.
Broil for 5 minutes or until the Fresh Mozzarella gets gooey, bubbly, and browned. Serve warm.

All Grown Up

This little girl makes me laugh on a daily basis. Yesterday she was talking about colors. All of a sudden she started talking about a purple hippo. I asked her if she saw a purple hippo. She said yes. When I asked her where, she said that it was all gone now.

This little girl amazes me. Her memory and attention span never cease to amaze me. She was given a coloring page at the grocery store yesterday and told that if she brought it back she would get bubbles. She reminded me all day long. Quite often we stash toys on her window ledge in her room before she goes to bed. We promise her that she can have the toy back when she wakes up in the morning. After a long night of sleep she rarely forgets what treasure is waiting for her and where.

This little girl is a chatter box. I can't believe that our Little Peachy has such a great vocabulary and really can't believe that she most often talks in sentences. Remember that color sheet? Here is what she would say: "Color bunny." "Bring it back." "To grocery store." "Get bubbles."

This little girl has a great imagination. Ordinary objects are transformed in her mind into whatever her mind can dream. No toy phone handy? No problem, she will use her hand. Need a computer in the van? That calculator will come in handy. What about a bathtub or potty chair for her babies? Have a clothes basket or cup around?

This little girl is a tremendous blessing in my life and I am incredibly blessed to be able to stay home with her and enjoy her on a daily basis. I love you, Peanut!

Wednesday Wishes . . . Part 2

While the dishes fairy did not make an appearance at our home last week, the snow did melt and I did get some sewing projects done. Two out of three ain't bad!!

This week I wish . . .
1. for more weather like we have been having!! Peachy and I have been spending lots of time out on the deck soaking up Spring's rays.

2. that all of my friends know just how special they are to me and just how special they make me feel. Thanks for being such a blessing!!

image source

3. that I am able to live a life that shows thankfulness for all of the wonderful blessings that I have been given.

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Maternity Skirt

Now that I am expecting number two, I have the perfect excess to sew some new clothes. (As if an excess is needed!) I modeled these two skirts after several non-maternity skirts I own. They were quick and easy to whip up and I am thinking there will be more in the future.

Materials:

1 yd (give or take) main skirt fabric

1/4 yd knit fabric for waist band

elastic (approximately your waist measurement)

Directions:

1. Begin by tracing off a skirt that you already own. A slight a-line works best. Make sure to allow for gathering at the top. I also like to make the center of the pattern a bit longer than the sides.

2. Use this pattern to cut two pieces, front and back, from main skirt fabric.

3. Cut your knit piece into a rectangle that measures 8 inches by your waist measurement.

4. Edge finish all around the two main skirt pieces.

5. Stitch front to back at side seams.

6. Stitch two gathering rows along the top of the skirt. (I like to sew two for the front and two separate for the back. This allows me to more evenly distribute the gathering.)

7. Stitch knit piece together along short sides.

8. Stitch elastic together into a circle.

9. Fold the knit piece in half with wrong sides together. Insert elastic into knit waistband. Push it to the top of of the fold. Edge finish the bottom of waistband.

10. With seam down the back, mark each side of the waistband to show front and back. Gather skirt and evenly distribute along the front and back of the waistband. Pin skirt to waistband with right sides together.

11. Stitch skirt to waistband.

12. Fold up bottom to hem. I hemmed it to just above me knees. Since the grey skirt is all knit, I decided to try out my serger's rolled hem stitch. I was very happy with the results.

And you are done!!

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