Blue Jeans

Today I felt inspired by an old pair of jeans. Besides needing an alteration I used the bottom edge to create this adorable accessory for my "American Girl". Taking about 10 minutes out of my day we had enough time to go play at a park.

It can be used as a belt, head band or anything else you can tie it up to. I did find that the jean material is heavy so keep that in mind. All in all, I love the look and I am excited to hem up another pair of jeans, just to see what else it can do.

To create this, simply cut the bottom edge off the length of the pants. Cut on one of the seams to break open the circle and starting from one end roll it up. Use a glue gun to glue as you roll. Attach the flowers together and pick a ribbon, elastic or headband to attach them to. To finish, cut out some felt for the backing and attach.

The fun part is that the more distressed it is, the better. So find that old pair of jeans your daughter doesn't fit into any more and make them into something she can.

Blue Jean, hope.

Drawn to Details

I like things to be hindering above the surface, quietly. The kind of things that can easily be missed. The flavors that linger in your mouth and you just can't put your finger on it. Things that you taste, see and touch that make you wonder why you even like them. Anything that makes me do a double take, I am drawn to.


Right on the sidewalk we found this little birds nest at a park, abandoned and wet. Now, perched up on the branches I have found it a new home and a new owner. This porcelain bird was a gift from my sister-in-law, chirping around from season to season it made its way to an egg.


If you liked this you may also enjoy http://outtoimpress-hope.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-time-forward.html
Lingering, hope.

Women Mentoring Women

We each have our great moments. The days where the sun shines brighter, our smile is wider and our lives are right where they need to be. In between those days there are days where we battle our kids, contemplate our choices and wonder if there is anything more to our lives. It seems that in a month's worth of time I am on a roller coaster of a ride and without doubt I know that there will be a day when I will simply be EXHAUSTED. Being a person who is pretty upbeat about life, I believe that my choices make my life to be as simple or complicated as I like. The truth is that no matter how great my life is, is is still filled with doubts, fears and struggles. On those days I need some thing that I can feel safe in, a place where I can unload the biggest load and be understood. Spiritually, I seek comfort in words at a time when I feel like I am lacking and fallen short of my purpose in not only my family but myself.

For these reasons and more I encourage you to find a Women's group that will welcome you. People that share their struggles so that you can face them without fear. Women that come together and empower one another because they understand that this journey is not your's to be taken alone but with the help of each other. I look forward to learning from people who have made it, women that have raised there children to be servants for the lord. Women that have lived, worked, breathed the air that I am. Women that have fallen down and stood back up to tell me their testimony, just so that it would be easier for me. (Contact me if this is something you are interested in).

Each month I bake a little treat for the center of the table. This month it was scones and if anytime soon you will be having a "sunshine kind of morning" perhaps you might be enlightened enough to bake these.

Currant Scones
Recipe courtesy of Williams Sonoma

Scones

2 14 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream plus more for glazing
1/2 cup dried currants
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger
3 tbsp. granulated sugar

Brown Sugar Butter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tbsp. firmly packed dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly butter a rimmed baking sheet.

To make the scones in a food processor, combine the flour, golden brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salg and pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles course corn meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the 3/4 cup cream until blended. Pour the egg mixture into the processor and pulse just until the mixture holds together.

Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead in the currants and ginger, and bring the dough together into a ball. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick. Using a fluted biscuit cutter 3 inches in diameter, cut out as many rounds. Gather the scraps into a ball and roll out again. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops lightly with cream and sprinkle evenly with sugar.

Bake the scones until golden, about 15 mins. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 15 mins or for up to 1 hour before serving.

Meanwhile make the brown sugar butter: in a bowl, whisk together the butte rand sugar until well combined and creamy. Pack into a crock and set aside.

More, hope

Valentines Day

This was written and inspired by love, from a boy to a girl. Long ago, when I was young...er.

It is twenty past eight and I'm standing alone, thinking of you again.
I stand staring at the water as it jumps with each drop of summer rain.
Like the beating of one's heart.

The grass is laden with dew;the air is filled with the scent of new beginnings,
And yet all I can think about....is you.

I stand atop this hill alone, gazing deeply into nature's glory.
Her beauty is serene, it is absolute, and it is the perfect story.
I see the beauty of God's creation and it make me want to cry,
I shed a tear, so sincere, I wipe it from my eye.

I cannot help but look in awe;I see it in the distance
God has given me a perfect rainbow. Time stands still, just this single instance.

The moment seems too perfect, this perfect place in time,
It seems too good to be so real, this moment cannot be mine.
For in my heart I feel so empty, there is but one thing on my mind
I am thinking of you and only you,
Why, oh why must I die with so much inside?

God has given me this perfect moment, in this perfect place in time,
Yet you are not here to share it, you cannot see it, You cannot feel its wondrous grace.

Oh, how I wish you were here with me, to see this glorious view,
For I would give up all of this just to be with you.
You are my beauty, my paradise, my wondrous delight.
But how it saddens me inside that I cannot be your knight.

I feel a pain you cannot know, I hold a sadness I will not show
I hear a thunder in the distance;I see a vision of us,
And I feel the pain that was given on a sad day of loss.

Why had I been so timid, why was I so damn shy;
I should have asked you for your hand before I let you fly.
My chance with you seems over now;I have fallen out of place;
I cannot let you know my feelings; I would not dare loose face.

For if you and me meant hurting you, than I would not interfere;
I would not break your happiness with the one you hold so dear.
I only wish to tell you so; I love you may then you may ever know,
I know this now from knowing you; I cannot deny it...It is true.

We have been so close these past few years, for all this reason, I come to tears.
It seemed so right, It was meant to be
But you chose some one you barely knew, Instead of choosing me.

Why? Oh, God, how could I have been so blind? This is not paradise I see
It is only in my mind. For in my thoughts my vision is true; I can see me here with only you!

Paradise is such a place for it would hold such glory;
I wish that I could be with you, you are my perfect story.
A thousand words I have to say, not one of them describes,
The way I feel in my heart, the way I feel inside.

If one thousand poets were given one thousand years,
If one thousand lovers were to shed one thousand tears,
Not one of these in the heavens above could ever come close
To the love I have for you.

The mere sight of you has always made me weak;
Even today I still get nervous when I am with you,
I find it hard to speak.

For this reason, I wrote my heart out.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Base Layer

6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into 6 pieces
7 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 lg. eggs, separated
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

Middle Layer

2 tbsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
5 tbsp. hot water
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Top Layer

3/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1 tbsp. water
6 oz. white chocolate, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
Shaved Chocolate for serving (optional)

For the Base Layer:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2 by 3 inch spring form pan. Melt the butter, chocolate and espresso powder in a large heat proof bowl set over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.

In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 secs. Add half of the brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 secs. Add the remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute longer,. Using a whisk, fold in one-third of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, ford in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Transfer the batter to the spring form pan, gently smoothing the top with a spatula.

Bake until the cake's center has set but is still soft (it will spring back after pressing gently with your finger) 13-18 mins. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. The cake will collapse as it cools, do not remove the cake from the pan.

For the middle layer:

Combine the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl;set aside. Melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. 2 to 5 mins.

In the clean bowl of a stanad mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and salt at the medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 secs. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 15 to 60 secs. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture in the melted chocolate until smooth. Using a whisk, fold on-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain. Spoon the mousse over the cooled cake and gently tap the pan on the counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles: gently smooth the top with an offset spatula. Wipe the inside edge of the spring form pan with a damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate the cake at least 15 mins while preparing the white chocolate mousse.

For the top layer:

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water; let stand at least 5 mins. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a simmer in the small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat; add the gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 30 secs. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5-8 mins, until thickened.

In the clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 secs. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 secs. Using a whisk, fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan over the bittersweet chocolate mousse layer. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2 1/2 hours. (The cake can be refrigerated up to 1 day; let it sit at room temperature for 45 mins before releasing the cake from the pan and serving)

To serve the cake

Garnish the top with chocolate curls. Run a thin knife arougn teh inside of the springform pan;remove the side of the pan. Smooth the side of the the cake witha clean knife. Cut into slices and serve.

Recipe courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

Layered, hope

Chocolate Tease

In preparation for Valentines Day, I baked a Chocolate Cake. In the spirit of things I was pretty excited because it is not often that I even find a recipe that interests me. So this was, in itself, an occasion. As I heated, melted, whipped and baked the first layer of my Triple Chocolate Cake there was a knock on my door.

I love unexpected guests, drop-ins and almost any type of visitor there is and by the sound of the door my day was only getting better. Inviting the guest in, I prepared tea and we gibber-jabbered over our lives. In light of my good mood, I decided to share the partially made cake and "whip up" another one later in the day. Even though the cake wasn't quite ready it was the "warm-out-of-the-oven chocolate" that takes your breath away and satisfies every hormone in your body. Yums.

Later on that evening I baked the second time around with a little bit more confidence. I patiently waited for it to cool as we had dinner with the family and lovingly prepared the mousse. It needed to set for a couple of hours and I was okay with it because of my previous indulgence.

I love new recipes, I also think that it is the only time that I actually enjoy the food going into my mouth so I was pretty excited to eat my cake late into the night, with my tea and my T.V. The satisfaction I get out of calories and laziness is a pleasure I work hard for. It was just one of those days when I wanted chocolate and a lot of it.

Well, it turned out that it wasn't just me that had this urge and when we were out of the house I found out that my dear sister-in-law took my cake to her party. This seemed a little over the top, but just as fast as I was surprised I felt it was also a compliment. Here's the email that inspired this post.

Nadia, I am not surprised the most amazing cake i have ever tasted came from your kitchen!!! I gotta say though that I felt pretty bad that (some one) decided she would take almost all of it. You gotta let me make it up to you :) Ill make you one of my tastiest creations but there is a catch...we have to exchange recipes. I just have to make that chocolate goodness for my mom and prove to her one more time that, I can too bake!! hehe :) Thank you so much Nadia it was delicious.

So that's the whole length of the story and for my one big fan I will be posting the recipe tomorrow.

Humbled, hope

The Chair

In the midst of all the junk, the broken and used. It stood out like no other object there and as I approached the chair, I was completely amazed. It would be a perfect fit in my home. Without any delay I dragged the chair with one arm and the three kids in the other until suddenly, it dawned on me. Was this chair some thing we needed or some thing I wanted? WANT. I knew that from the top of my head we had at least 15 chairs downstairs, but what was one more, Right? A little voice inside my head urged me to put the chair down and this time I listened. Right where I was walking, I set it down and didn't even look back. Little did I know that three days later when I returned for my chair, it would be half off. Little did I know that it would wait for me, just as I had left it. Patient for it's rightful owner. That day, I paid seven dollars for a chair at Salvation Army as well as remind myself that it pays to wait.

Patient, hope.

Kitchen Necessities

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. If its not dinner guests, then it's friends for lunch or simple conversation over tea. We throw parties, we hold events and more then not we host holidays. Food is always coming and going just as much as people are. This means preparation (it doesn't just land there ) and a kitchen that holds the proper necessities. Now, I know that I have more then perhaps what is required and with the recent purchase of a baking book I was intrigued when I found a list for it.

Baking list:
The small stuff......the stuff I flip through in catalogs and wonder if people put use into them.

Measuring spoons. "Check".
Measuring cups, for both dry measures and liquid measures. "Check", as of a week ago.
Icecream scoops in various sizes, from 1/2 inch to 2 inches. I have one, so "Incomplete".
Rolling pin. "Check", I think I might have 2.
Wire whisks, small and medium. I have a medium one, so "incomplete".....again.
Off set spatulas. Large, for frosting and small, for cookies and other tasks. "Check, Check!"
Heat resistant Silicone spatula, for hot mixures. "Check" BTW, very important.
Wooden spatula. "Check....."
Large metal (barbecue type) spatula. "Check".
Ruler. "Check".
Nonstick baking liner (such as silpat brand). The best purchase EVER! But I need a new one.
Parchment paper. I didn't know that this is not the same as Wax paper....I learned. "Check".
Mixing bowls in assorted sizes. "Check".
Sieves, medium and fine mesh. The fine mesh one is in almost every recipe! who knew? "Need".
Cookie cutters, plain and fluted, round and other shapes, in various sizes. I have a ton of playdough cutters....so "check" until further notice.
Knives, chef's, paring, and serrated. My ONE knife is my best friend. "Kershaw" Rocks.
Microplane or other rasp-type grater (for citrus and nutmeg). "Need". I always just used the reg.
Citrus juicer, handheld reamer or electric. I have both. Nothing beats fresh squeezed OJ.
Pastry blender for making doughs (if you don't have a stand mixer). "Check".
Metal or plastic pastry scraper. I don't know what this is....Help, Wickapedia, Help!
Pastry brush. "Check". If paint brushes count.
Disposable pastry bags and star and plain pastry tips. "Check" but it's not disposable.
Thermometers, instant and candy. I gave away the candy one and now I need one.....sucks.
Slotted spoons. "Check"
Short-handled tongs. "Check".
Sugar shaker. Hmmmm. I have a small sieve. Does any one know the difference?
Plastic airtight containers (for storing cookies and such) "No" We don't usually have leftovers....because I will eat them all, really.

Well, that does it. And it looks like I have a list on my hands. All in all though, I thought this was a great starting point to my kitchen. I like focus and direction because there are many times when my eyes wander off to other things that are shiny and nice, so it's good to know the difference from the things that are important from the things that are not.

It's time to look into those drawers, happy finding.

"Check", hope.

Saveur Soup

Today's recipe is a request made by "Genius" because it is a recipe that our kids won't eat but we love. This soup has been a keeper in my books and perhaps it will make it to yours......

French Onion Soup

Recipe courtesy of Saveur Magazine:

1 cup white wine
1⁄2 cup plus 3 tbsp. sherry
10 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sugar
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
2 qts. Beef Stock
12 1⁄2"-thick slices baguette
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 cups grated gruyère cheese
2 cups finely grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. Heat oven to 425°. Combine wine, 1⁄2 cup of the sherry, 8 tbsp. of the butter, sugar, onions, and salt and pepper in a 9" × 13" casserole dish and braise, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to brown, 40–45 minutes. Remove casserole from oven, cover with foil, and continue braising in oven, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 1 hour more. Keep the onions warm.

2. Meanwhile, tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with kitchen twine to make a bouquet garni. Put bouquet garni and stock into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Remove and discard bouquet garni. Stir in remaining sherry and cook for 5 minutes more.

3. While the broth simmers, spread the baguette slices with the remaining butter. Toast in a skillet over medium heat, turning once, until golden, 5–7 minutes. Rub the slices generously with garlic and set aside. Discard any remaining garlic.

4. Heat broiler with rack 6" from element. Arrange 6 heatproof bowls on a foil-lined sheet tray, divide onions and broth between bowls, and stir together. Place 2 baguette slices in each bowl; top each with about 1 cup gruyère and about 1⁄3 cup parmigiano. Broil until cheeses are browned and bubbly, 3–5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Love it, hope.

Love your enemy?

Yesterday, as I was about my regular cleaning routine I kept thinking about God. Yep, just completely in awe by him and his power, his grace and his love for....ME?

I had an enemy for years now and as I stood in the hall of my home I began to see God in it. I began to see how he used my feelings toward her to discover areas in my heart that I wouldn't have before. How he worked in me and used every tear I shed in my battles. Of course, I didn't know it then but yesterday it all made sense.


Each day that she was on my mind, required me to work on myself. Each confrontation, pushed me to understand. And each time I felt I was letting it go the devil would strike again. I think I forgave her every day, just so I could feel relief. There were many times when I literally felt "attacked".


Standing there yesterday I couldn't believe that the person I am today is because of my "enemy". I was amazed at how God could use hatred to change me into a better person and how I blind I was about the situation. I started to remember all the things I said and regret filled my soul. I was so sorry I couldn't take them back and at the same time glad that I could be forgiven.

I wish I could tell you that she is my best friend now, but sadly she is not. Regardless, I am sure she will continue to challenge me for a long time. I know she can stir me up, push all my buttons and question my expectations. In this process I will learn with a new perspective, with a new direction and with a some-what better me, I will welcome it.

Today, I am so excited to close this chapter in my life. For those who don't know me, let me just say that what ever your battle is, it is yours and maybe what you feel is meant to be felt. I was disturbed enough about this in my heart that it consumed me. Each and every day. This is also for those that have had to hear my story, through the years. Thank you for all the advice in a time when felt I had nothing more to give.

What's your situation? Do you think god could be in the middle of it? Think about it.

Let's lift up, hope.

Play dough' Play date

They say that a child's birthday is usually more for the parents then their kid. You might not want to admit this but when the child doesn't understand the concept of his/or her birthday....it for you. So, with Draker's turning two I decided to have a play dough' play date. My idea was to have a time when we would welcome children to play with eachother and sip on tea as we watched them, basically I wanted to divide the party in two directions and get the best out of both worlds.

Snacks for them.

Snacks for us.

Fun for them.

Fun for us.

All in all, they had a good time. They opened up every package on their plate and threw it around, then smooshed it. They colored on the the table and a few preferred the crayons over fish crackers. Of course they had a blast with play dough and did their job well, as to adding more to the pile that they had already created. It is true that there is no better fun, then a messy fun and a few kids together can show you that.

Young, hope.

Rough Draft

On my part, I have worked endless hours in painting the room. I have re painted, re touched and almost re...greted on starting the project. But then came today, my sons birthday. The room was in a stage that I would call a "rough draft" because it was still miles away from being finished. Furniture was still a big missing part as well as many other minor details.

To-do List:
(simple to hardest)

1. Paper planes
2. Hooks on wall
3. Hanging Art
4. Monkey Bars
5. FURNITURE!

I wish I could promise you better results sooner and it is very hard for me to leave a project unfinished so I have gone to concur a different room. Does anyone out there live with a princess?
I do.

Further, hope.

The Progress

Draker's loves his new bed.

And I love the Charcoal Grey.

In the progress, I find my new inspiration.

This fresh coat of paint has me excited.

Re doing, Hope.

A New Day

I took a day to think. I organized the toys, saw more home-improvement projects and made mental notes in my head. Pacing back and forth between the rooms I walked into the room several times to remind myself that I indeed started a project.

Knowing that I can't rush ideas out of me, I turned my focus on the opposite wall. At first it was going to be green. I wasn't crazy enough about the color to be slapping more of it on the walls so instead I took out my color chart and looked for a new inspiration.

There is was "Charcoal Grey". I called the order in and picked it up. I was hoping this would set the mood in the room enough to change my mind about my stenciled wall.

Here are some helpful tips I found for picking paint.

1. Find something you love and look at the colors, right away you will know what your drawn to.
2. Don't skimp out on the name brand paint.
3. If you are going for light room, pick a shade lighter on the sample.
4. Compare the swatches that come before and after, to see what hidden hue it contains because it will tend to come out more when painted.
5. Even with tips, rooms can still disappoint. But sometimes it takes that to know what you want.

Painting, hope.

Getting Started

As in many of the design make-over shows, in between commercial breaks there is the first step to any project. It seems so simple on T.V. but the actuality of clearing a room for me is a whole day of work. There is the moving of previous furniture and the decisions that come with it. I chose to try to sell the bigger things but this also lead me to take photos for the ads. After that was out of the way, I began searching my garage for the bin of painting supplies that I vaguely remembered. It was found neatly stacked on one of the shelves, which brought up the point that we are some what organized but labels would have helped. I carried the bin upstairs, along with the ladder and buckets of just purchased paint. I was so close to painting.


The next step is the prep-work. All that masking made me question weather or not I wanted to do this, as well as remind me why I don't do this very often. I am sure that to many of you this is not as big of an ordeal, but for me, the one that was blessed to be short....it is. Everything was going as planned and I painted my little heart out. It felt light, fresh and clean.


Disaster strikes, count on it. It turned out that my original idea was just not coming out so well on the wall. Being some what optimistic, I laid out a new plan in my mind. The results turned out better and it being late into the night I was relieved, just not satisfied.

Resting, hope.

Design a Room

It is now a full week into January. This is of some resemblance because my youngest son is turning two. For his second birthday we are taking him out of the nursery and instead he will be sharing a room with his older brother. For this month I want to take you into my journey for "Designing a room".

The Vision: I will be transforming a Bonus Room into a shared space for my two boys. Their are no closets, so storage will be very important. I am thinking a wall unit. It will also be the room where, when others come over they will play so it will need to be kid friendly. I am envisioning a play space that includes a television. Lastly, I have no budget so I will have to use things from around my home and abuse "Genius's" handy-man skills.

The First Step: I drew the room out.

Drawing gets your mind working without actually doing any work. Just by scaling the room on paper created the idea for painting "letters" on the wall. I will use the letters in their names to create a vocal point for the room.

Picking the color, is the hardest for me. It is as if there is no going back on the project. The advice I give myself, is to know my home well enough to know the junk that I store. This way I know what will work, what can match and what can be painted over.

I have 2 sheet sets. One in blue and one in gray. I have an airplane comforter, a corduroy gray comforter and a navy quilt. I have one wooden bed, one bed frame, 4 shelves and three mattresses. And the best thing I found was the green line in one of the sheets. Green. I was liking the sound of it and hoping to like the sight of it.

Time will tell, hope.

Christmas cookies

Family and friends is a large part of Christmas for many of us. We share times of laughter, we share food and we share love between one another. One past time that most of us remember and see in movies often are the memories of baking cookies. I have also taken up this tradition a few years ago and in this season of giving I would like to share a recipe for Coconut Macaroons. This year they were by far my favorite in the cluster of cookies that I assembled.

Coconut Macaroons:

Recipe courtesy Glenn and Lisa Marie Van Dyck, changes made by Nadia Chernichenko

1 lb. 2 oz. Semisweet Chocolate, Chopped
9 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
9 Egg Whites
2 1/4 Cups Superfine Sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. Vanilla
12 cups coconut,
* I used half unsweetened and half sweetened

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line sheet pans with parchment. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Beat the egg whites in a standing mixer to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and beat on high speed to stiff peaks. Mix in the vanilla. Turn the mixer down and slowly incorporate the melted chocolate.

Pour chocolate mixture in a large bowl. Fold in the coconut. Use a 1 inch cookie scoop to portion onto the sheet pans.

Bake for about 12 minutes, if you over bake them they will be really dry. Be Careful.

Well, I hope you still have time to add these to your plate and if not I am sure that Santa would be grateful.

Cookies and Milk, hope.

It's a fact

It's interesting to me that when I hear an educated person say the same thing I believe in, it makes more sense. It's as if my thoughts turn from an estimated guess to an actual fact. So the fact of the matter, is that I have been believing that the beginning of the week is the best time to be the most productive in the tasks that are most important. On a scale of priorities, my home needs to be clean and somewhat organized and free of clutter in order for me to function better. I have known this and have been cleaning my home on Mondays for years and only this week did it turn from "a thing that I did" to a "proved fact" that I heard on the radio this week.

So ladies, pick your priorities and do them in the beginning of the week. "You will feel more relieved, less overwhelmed and likely to have more free time for the things you enjoy". It turns out, that it's a fact.

Being Wednesday already, I am excited to finally tackle my creative side. First off, I ordered my Christmas Card online and finished my letter for my stocking. Next up, were those DARN shirts. It took out a large chunk of my day but putting away the sewing machine was the best feeling so far. One deep breath could finally be taken.

Walking on Clouds

"Walking on Clouds" is when a person is so happy (or maybe so in love) that you seem to float/not care/not pay attention to anything else around you. This is what I felt like on Thursday.

Due to my previous commitments I baked my heart out in the shape of puffs. There were cheese puffs for a ladies breakfast and sugar puffs for a Friday lunch. Intently, I concentrated on filling, coating, and decorating the sugar treats. So much so that by the end I thoughtlessly put them out in the garage. The problem was that it has been extremely cold, and a little creature created a home under the warmth of our lawn mower. I could honestly say that God showed up for me in a time when I was JUST.NOT. THINKING. It's as if he laid a shield of protection over my two foot tower of perfection and while one got saved the other dessert got eaten. It definitely got my attention in both ways but I had no mercy for that little mouse.


Weekends are different for me, in comparison to the rest of the week. It's a time when I stop scheduling and just let things come and go as they please. Saturday was my Christmas party and it was the perfect day for it too.


The turn out was great and after eating a breakfast of "Caramelized onion waffles with smoked salmon and eggs in a lemon cream sauce" we were ready to open gifts. The theme was Scarves, in light of a season when they become such an accessory.

Soon after that it became a little more casual and laid back. Some had to leave and some had no other place to be. Chatting away (as most girls do), I shared my hair ideas on them.




Well, I made it to Sunday. It was a filled day of Christmas shopping with my time-deprived kids and having company over but at the end of the day,when I watched the movie "Julie and Julia" I realized that while people were relating to Julie, I was relating to Julia Child's. She was different then the rest and she knew it, she was collected, driven and excited about it. I was both touched and inspired because the movie proves the very point of what I believe and that is that "our efforts aspire to something".

Believing, hope.

One set at a time

One step at a time, one foot in front of another was the motto for my day. And even though I have not done anything yet I took a large portion of my day just to think. Thinking and writing gets my thoughts in order and when things are in the right order, seldom can they overwhelm.

Creatively though I made the letters for my stockings. It was relaxing and I enjoyed the peace.

The next few days will be hectic, but the fun kind where your surrounded by people and laughter. I feel like have a lot going on and am trying to keep my mind focused on today's priorities instead of tomorrow's.

Hoping for enough time and self motivation.