Ducky Birthday

Here is my little birthday ducky taking a bath so she would be all clean for the party.


Here is the bathtub birthday cake:


My 5-year old decorated the table for dinner. She is such a party planner already. A kid after my own heart!!

Milestones

My baby just turned one yesterday. She reached three major milestones this week: she turned one, learned how to walk, and was weaned from breastfeeding. Isn't it strange how every new thing your child does is such an emotional experience. You are so excited for them to learn something new and to grow, but at the same time you are so very sad because you will miss them being so small. I am excited that she is one, but I am sad because she is no longer a tiny baby. I love that she is learning to walk, but I will miss her adorable hip swaying crawl. I love not being tied down to breastfeeding and finally having my body back, but I will miss that closeness and being able to sit and hold her and just adore her for those hours everyday. I will miss all these sweet memories of my little girl, but I will cherish the new things she is learning to do everyday. (Here's a picture of the birthday girl...stay tuned for adorable ducky birthday pics.)

Heirloom Pies

I feel like pies are a part of my heritage. I know that is a weird thought, but I feel nostalgic every time I think about pie. My family has had a long tradition of pie making. My Great-Grandma Mae use to make pies. I never got to taste one, but they must have been pretty great because my Great-Grandpa would tell others that he "built" them. (Our family doesn't make things...we "build" things.) My Grandpa must have learned how to make pies from his mother. My Grandpa use to be an excellent pie maker in his younger days. He doesn't often make them anymore since he is in his 90's (he still can make a killer carrot cake though). We would often go over to Grandpa's house and he would have a couple pies waiting (I don't know that he ever knew we were coming...it was just common to have a pie all the time at his house). My favorites were lemon meringue and huckleberry. They were delicious!!! I guess that is where my Dad got his love of pies too. I don't think my Dad has ever made a pie (but he makes great coffee cake and biscuits), but he loves to eat them. My Dad has always said that he has a "pie hole". The black hole like space in his stomach where there is always room for a slice (or two) of pie. Even after a big dinner, there was always space in the "pie hole". My sister became a wonderful pie maker as well. She is who taught me how to make pies. I still remember the day she taught me. We made huckleberry pie (a family favorite). I even have the memory recorded in my journal. Now I love making pies!!! Any flavor will do...I don't care what it is, they are all great. I even had wedding pies at my wedding instead of wedding cake. They were triple berry pies that I made an ivy leaf crust around the edge. We placed them on a tiered plate and embellished with flowers. They were very unique, and beautiful. Yesterday was my Dad's 65th birthday....and since it was his birthday, the occasion called for a pie. I made two...a chocolate pecan pie (a new recipe, that was a hit...I didn't come home with any leftovers of it), and my standard apple pie. My 5-year old wanted to help me make them, so I let her...afterall it is passing on a family heirloom.




Here are the pie recipes I made for my Dad's birthday:

Perfect Apple Pie
6-8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
2 Tblsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of allspice

Mix all ingredients together. Place in pie pastry. Top with 2 tsp. butter (cut into tiny pieces). Place other pastry on top. Crimp edges. Sprinkle top of pie with sugar. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes with a sheet of aluminum foil on top. Remove foil and bake for 25 minutes more.

Chocolate Pecan Pie
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup broken pecan pieces
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Place in pie pastry shell. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Poke a few toothpicks into filling and cover with a sheet of aluminum foil (the toothpicks are to prevent the aluminum foil from sticking to the filling). Bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours until chilled.

Double-Crust Pie Pastry
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
2/3 cup shortening
7+ Tblsp. cold water

Mix salt with flour. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter (a must have for every pie "builder"). Mix in water until dough becomes manageable. Divide into 2 equal parts. Roll out between 2 pieces of plastic wrap (my best pie making advise!!!!). Remove plastic wrap and place pastry into pie pan. Continue making pie according to individual pie recipe.

Start a tradition in your family...make a pie!!! I think I will go have a slice of my leftover apple pie....YUM!!!!

Doll House Close-ups

Here are some close up pictures of our doll house. Enjoy!

Doll House Pictures.

I have finally figured out how to post pictures!!! HURRAH!!!! These are some pictures of the doll house my husband and I made for our 3 girls for Christmas. It was so fun to make. My husband made most of the tiny furniture (he can do anything!). My girls love to play Barbies and spend countless hours playing with this house. My 5 year old loves to redecorate the rooms and move the furniture all around.

From the mouths of babes....

My 3 year old never ceases to crack us up. Last night Dad was helping her say her prayers. It went something like this:

Dad: Bless Grandpa and Grandma.
3-year old: Bless my toys.

Another time:

Mom: Bless me to listen to Mom and Dad.
3-year old: Bless Mom and Dad to listen to me.

She is so funny! I don't know where she comes up with things. The other day my 5 year old was coloring faces on some paper dolls. She said, "These are Mom's eyes." And my 3-year said, "Where is Mom's moustache?" Well I have no idea about that one!!!!

The things little kids say are so adorable. I need to be better at writing them down so I can always look back and remember how cute they were. I better go do it right now!!!

Entertaining Cake

We had a party yesterday with my husband's family. I was assigned to bring a dessert. Whenever I have to bring dessert for a crowd, I always think of this cake that my mother use to make when she was entertaining. I call it Cherry Blob cake, but that is not it's original name. It has an impressive appearance, and it is so yummy. Try it.

Cherry Blob Cake

1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
1 can cherry pie filling
glaze (1 1/2 cups powdered sugar mixed with 2 Tblsp. milk)

Mix sour cream, water and eggs together until well combined. Add cake mix and stir until moistened. Spread in the bottom of a greased jelly roll pan. Blob cherry pie filling on the top in spoon full sized blobs. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool. When cool drizzle top with glaze. Serves 24 (or cut bigger pieces to serve 18).