What a Hoot!

My friend, Eileen called me with this cute owl cookie idea from Taste of Home magazine. I thought they were adorable and wanted to try making some for Halloween. I followed the the recipe exactly except for doubling it, and yielded about 22 cookies. So if you need a fun Halloween treat, there's still plenty of time to make these.....hoo, hoo!

Homemade Baby Gifts

Our favorite music teacher is having a baby girl, and I wanted to make something special for her. I fell in love with this floral fabric from Hobby Lobby and thought it would make the perfect blanket for a little girl.

I washed all the fabrics before sewing and was pleased how soft the cotton came out. The pattern for the blanket came from the Purl Bee. I made it 42 inches square with a soft cotton floral and a coordinating pink flannel. I embroidered a running stitch along the outside of the blanket.

I also made some matching burp cloths out of coordinating fabrics. I've made these before and loved how they turned out so I knew I wanted to make them again. You can find a great tutorial here.

Lastly, I added fun sayings to some onesies. I also cutout and fused a butterfly and flower from the fabric to two of the onesies, and I added a running stitch to the outside of the cutouts.

Cookie and Cheesecake Cupcakes

Lately I've had time to try some new cupcake recipes and wanted to share a couple that I think are definite keepers. Both of these cupcake recipes came from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.


If you enjoy making cupcakes this is by far the best cupcake cookbook out there. I have many cupcake cookbooks, and this is the one I continually go back to again and again. I haven't been disappointed by any of the recipes.

The first cupcake is a snickerdoodle cupcake. I was attracted to this recipe because my kids love snickerdoodle cookies so I figured a snickerdoodle cupcake would be just as yummy....and it was a big hit with my family.

The cake is basically a vanilla cake with lots of cinnamon. The recipe recommended using Seven Minute frosting but I chose to use my Marshmallow Buttercream recipe that I used in the S'more Cupcakes instead. I like the Seven Minute frosting but it doesn't last long and has to be eaten the same day that it's made, so it wasn't a practical choice for me.

Pictured above is a mini raspberry cheesecake cupcake. Our raspberry bushes are producing their second round of raspberries for the season so I was looking for something to use them in when I came across this recipe. These mini cakes are the perfect size to indulge in with out feeling guilty. Fresh raspberries are pureed in the food processor, strained through a fine sieve, and marbled through the cheesecake. I added my own touch of whipped cream and a raspberry on top.

It's Football Time Again!

I was reminded that it was football season when I went to work today. Not being a big football fan myself I guess I was a little oblivious to the people around me as I was sitting in the Indianapolis airport wondering why everyone was wearing a Colts jersey. Then when I got to Chicago and went into our lounge, there it was on the big screen TV.... football! No one was really watching it though, two people were asleep on the couches and one guy kind of seemed to be watching while listening to his Ipod at the same time.

I was reminded again later when I visited my sister's blog and saw the most adorable pictures of my niece in a Packer cheerleading outfit. Most of my family members are huge Packer fans and so I guess they figure they better indoctrinate my niece while she's young. The first thing I noticed in the pictures is that she has grown so much! She doesn't look like a baby anymore. It's been a while since we've been out to visit my family, and seeing how much she's changed made me miss her even more.

So whether your a football fan or not, I thought you'd enjoy seeing these pictures of the cutest little Packer fan, even though she might not know it yet! Too see more Madelyn pics click here.

The Proof of the Pie is in the Eating

This post is dedicated to dear, sweet Esme. On more than one occasion she has been so kind as to bake a pie and leave it on the doorstep for my husband who she thinks is pie deprived, and well, she's probably right. Not only are her pies delicious they are much appreciated and enjoyed by Keith.

I am not a pie-loving person so I don't make as many pies as I do cakes and other pastries. My kids are not too fond of pies either, except for apple pie which Ethan claims to be the only kind of pie that he likes.

So, Esme here is my proof that I really do make pies. I've averaged a pie a month for the last couple of months, not bad when you consider all the other baking that happens in my kitchen.

In early August I made a blackberry-peach pie (above) out of fresh blackberries and peaches from the farmer's market.

And now that local apples are in season again, Ethan has been bugging me to make him an apple pie. I finally got around to it, and I enjoyed baking it in my new Cuisinart convection oven that I received from Keith and the boys for my birthday. It turned out perfectly golden brown and the aroma in the kitchen was heavenly. Keith and Ethan gave it two thumbs up!

Thank you Esme for your thoughtful pie-giving self, and for inspiring me to make more pies!

A Honey of a Birthday Cake

For my birthday on Friday, I received this lovely beehive cake and mold from Steph. I can count on one hand the number of times that someone has made me a birthday cake (not including all the cakes my mom made me as a child), so having a homemade birthday cake is a very special treat. This cake was not only delicious and enjoyed by my whole family, but it was also a very thoughtful gift as well.

The cake was a honey glazed spice cake and the recipe came from Martha Stewart . I first fell in love with the cake and mold when it was featured on the cover of Martha Stewart Living magazine over a year ago. I had completely forgotten about it until a couple of days ago when Steph surprised me with it. Thanks, Steph for making me such a special birthday cake!

This is what the Nordic Ware mold looks like.

Meet Pongo

About a month ago we adopted Pongo from our local animal shelter and joyfully welcomed him into our home. I finally caved into the boys who had been begging me for a few days to take them to the shelter to look at dogs. Little did we know that we would all fall in love with Pongo, an energetic beagle mix puppy. Pongo got his name from the shelter and we felt like it suited him well. We don't know what he's mixed with because the shelter didn't have much information on him. However when the boys and I took him out to the playroom so we could get to know him, he stole all our hearts.

The only problem was that Keith was out-of-town and I knew we couldn't make the decision to adopt Pongo without Keith's OK. Keith was opposed at first as he didn't want to get another dog so soon after putting Highway down, but he had a change of heart, and we were able to convince Keith, upon picking him up from the airport, to come to shelter with us to meet Pongo. We came home with Pongo that night and felt fortunate to get him because there were already three applications filled out for him by the time we got back to the shelter with Keith. Luckily ours was the first.

Pongo is a funny puppy and likes to get into all kinds of mischief. It is impossible for me to sweep our floors with him in the room. He thinks it's a game and chases the broom around, trying to bite it. Ironing large items like tablecloths are also a challenge. He likes to bite the hanging edge and tangle himself in and around the ironing board. We've lost two sandals and a few socks, so far, and we still have to remind the boys to keep their shoes off the floor. The other day, I watched him pull a pillow off the chair and the next thing I see, is Pongo asleep on the floor with his head on the pillow.

He has a ton of energy but is also very smart. He's mostly potty trained, and crate trained. He goes to bed when we go to bed and gets up when we get up. He likes to fetch balls and sticks and will bring them back to us most of the time. He has brought so much joy into our lives, and although we'll always miss Highway, having Pongo makes our family feel complete again.