Just in time for the weekend: Blueberry-Almond Coffee Cake

It's official!  The weekend has arrived and after the crazy week that we've had at our house, we are ready for some quiet.  There's nothing on the calendar and so the goal is to rest and get some of that IKEA furniture built (it's been staring at me since it's delivery early this week).  I am so ready to be able to start finding things that I need, like the stapler. . . can't find the darn thing!  I also finally decided on the backing to Weston's quilt and I didn't realize how difficult it would be to commit to a fabric for the backing. 

As I type, the kids are playing quietly together and at some point (very soon) they are going to be asking for dinner, so this is going to be quick.  I don't know how long the quiet is going to last. 
I found this recipe in this month's issue of Bake from Scratch and I knew it was going to be made as soon as I saw it.  I have a weak spot for blueberries.  Blueberries mixed with sweet, delicious carbohydrates are the best!  Not to mention the combination of blueberries and almonds just makes me swoon.  This is definitely a recipe that is easy to make and will give you a great excuse to have a friend over for coffee!  Don't get overwhelmed by the ingredients.

 Almond Flour is definitely something worth purchasing and keeping in your freezer for recipes like this.  In this recipe, it just adds a perfect almond flavoring to the cake that you can't get from almond extract alone.  Plus the cake itself is melt in your mouth, moist, and perfect sponge.  You will not want to stop eating this.  You really should just invite a friend over. . . me maybe? I will be happy to come share this with you. 

You should probably run to the store and get some blueberries. . . 


This recipe will be great tomorrow morning. 

Or the next day. 

Are you drooling yet? 

I promise, it's as good as it looks.

Nope.  I lied.  Sorry.  Not sorry.

It's better. 

You should go make this right now. 

Almond - Blueberry Coffee Cake 
from Bake from Scratch Magazine (Jan/Feb. 2017)

Ingredients:

Streussel -
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 TBSP butter, softened
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Cake -
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, divided
2 tsp course sugar, like Turbinado sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your favorite 9in round pan with spray and dust with flour.

In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, sugar and salt.  Stir in butter until crumbly.  I like to use my fingers to help it get those small crumbs as opposed to the big chunks.  Stir in sliced almonds.

In your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  This takes 3 to 4 minutes, and well worth the effort for a good cream.  Also, make sure you scrape the bowl after about 2 minutes of mixing, so all of it has a chance to get nice and creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Beat well after each egg is added.  Stir in vanilla and almond extract.

Slowly add dry ingredients alternatively with milk.  Stir in sour cream.  Pour half of the mixture into your greased and floured pan.  Sprinkle the top of batter with 1 1/4 cup blueberries.  Layer with the rest of batter.  Spread it around so it is even and pretty.  Sprinkle with remaining blueberries and streussel, and coarse sugar.

Bake for about 50-55 minutes.  Cool in pan on an cookie rack for 15 minutes.  Take a sharp knife and run it around the edges of the pan to help loosen it up and prevent breaking.  Place a plate on top and flip over.  Then flip over again on wire rack.  Let it finish cooling here and then enjoy. 

Getting Organized {Memory Planner Style}

I try every year to be organized.  I like organization (i really like office supplies and calendars kind of fall under that category). . . but I live in conflict with my creative/messy side.  It's kind of like I'm Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.  But not really.   Usually, I have a regular lined notebook and my calendar on my phone and that has worked great, but it has left a lot of room for improvement.

 Last fall, I noticed a trend in craft stores with memory planners.   They really caught my eye.  I almost bought one several times, but they are a bit pricey.  Here's what I noticed about them:
1.  They were pretty - I like pretty things.
2.  Different Designers and Brands had their own versions.
3.  They offered lots of flexibility on how far you want to take this organization business.
4.  There were accessories to help make it fun and functional.
5.  They came in different sizes, for everyone's different needs.

At the end of the year, I had a little bit of extra cash lying around. . . and a 40 percent off coupon (I never leave home without these!).  I decided to go with this Heidi Swapp Smaller Personal Memory Planner with a binder.  I really liked the gold stripes and the foil embellishments on the divider pages.  I bought some of the coordinating stickers, but also found some washi tape and lots of other stickers from other planners that did the trick.  I can't wait to add some of the stamps that go with this planner, but I haven't found them back in stock in awhile.  I think that this was a pretty popular planner choice this year. 

I also found some pink and gold striped pens that matched it perfectly at Target.  They write great and they fit in the little elastic pen loop on the side.  

I bought the extra shopping list pages and keep the notepad in the kitchen and just throw the page in the binder when I'm ready to go shopping.  It has really helped me stay closer to my food budget (which I am absolutely horrible with because I like food!).  There are also clear plastic sleeves to do some design and pretty it up with your personality.  I am still playing with them (a lot of that stuff is packed up, so when I can get to my scrapbooking stuff, I might do some more with these pages.

My favorite part of it is each month, there is a section where I can write my goals for the month and any other ideas for the month.  It is really helping me focus on certain projects as the month goes by.  I definitely don't feel as scatterbrained (but, it is only January, so I can't really say if that's because of the planner or not, but it is helping me!)

It also has a month at a glance calendar and each week with bigger sections that I can write more details or notes about that day.  I even found some fun journaling stickers that I can journal in those spots about certain memories.  In some ways, I feel like a little girl with my Lisa Frank stickers sticking them all over my Trapper Keeper. 

So far, I am really enjoying this and am staying a bit more organized than I have been in the past.  Sometimes, I feel like the older the kids get, the busier our schedules are and this is definitely something I plan to keep using.  It doesn't help that it's super cute, too!

I have a few other ways that we are keeping organized this year.  Some of them are things we've been doing for a few years, others are more new.  Be on the lookout for some fun ideas and hopefully some printables soon!

Connection Time: Grab your coffee and come chat!

 It's time to grab your favorite cup of coffee, tea, water, coke, whatever your heart desires to take a break and get connected.  I want us to sit and chat like good friends.  Each week, I share with you things that I create around the house, but these posts let you in to the reality of what happens in between all those yummy baked goods and creative whatevers that make an appearance every now and then. 

On Monday, this little blog space turned a crazy 9 years old.  I stand in shock, because there is NOOO way that it is that old.  There is noooo way that my son, who was 4 months old at the time, is almost 8 1/2.  This has been a happy spot where I could just type and share.  It has been a wonderful outlet where I can just write.  So, thank you for reading my words.  I appreciate you.  

When my son got home from school, my planner was laying out on the counter and he asked, "Mom, what is attack of the to-do list?"  While he misread it a bit, we laughed and went on with our afternoon.  But, I couldn't help but think how true that was.  I started the day with a few things on my list and by lunch time it was completely full of stuff that I wondered if it would all get done.  It definitely was attacking me today (Although. . . I slayed some of it this morning!).  How often I have impossible expectations on my day.  But, for right now, let's look to the list. 

How it works: I post some statements and their answers, then you can copy and paste them to your blog, the comments, or our FB page and do them yourselves.  Then we can share, talk, have community. 

Outside my window the sun is shining really bright.  This is kind of a big thing, because we've had rain A LOT.  It hasn't rained this much around here in. . . well . . . years.  There's kind  of a big drought happening and so all this rain is just wonderful.  The post rain sky, is blue, bright, clean, and it's just wonderful! 

I am thinking that spaghetti sounds wonderful for dinner.  My husband has been working some really long hours and hasn't been home for dinner.  I don't like to put a lot of effort into dinner when he's gone, but tonight spaghetti sounds good.  Also, we had eggs last night because he doesn't do eggs.

From the kitchen honestly, nothing much at this moment, but I do have some scones on the docket for today.  I found a bag of cranberries leftover from Christmas gatherings and I think that we should use them up with some scones.  I will probably be making this recipe. 
 
I am wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt.  It was cold this morning, and I've only left the house to take kids to school and pick them up.  When I am dressed in normal clothes, I find it  hard to get anything done. . . I don't want to get them dirty when I'm working in the kitchen or cleaning and it's just more comfortable.  I might even go throw some socks on in a few because my feet are getting cold.
 
I am creating a new room.  Ha ha.  We are in the process of re-doing our office (see post here).  But, the sewing machine is out and a bag of fabric for Ethan's quilt is ready to be sewn up.  I'm need to go get the backing for Weston's quilt.  I am also getting ready for a birthday party for my sweet Weston. . . I can't believe he is going to be 6 next week!

I am reading I just started re-reading The Proposal, by Lori Wick.  I needed a fiction book that would give my mind a break, and went with a series that I have read over and over.  If you like Pride and Prejudice, then you will enjoy this!   Last week, I finished Simply Tuesday, which was just a wonderful book that you all should read.  It spoke to my heart unlike so many books that I have read.  I found it encouraging and challenging.

I am hearing the Pandora station playing songs from Moana.  It seriously has the best music.  Oh, and I will never tire of Frozen and Tangled songs.  I am a Disney movie junkie!

Around the House there are a few piles that need to be dealt with and some decor that needs to be put out again after Christmas.  I let the house quiet for a week or so and now it's time to shop the house. 

One of my favorite things my double hoodie sweatshirts from here. I bought two this fall and I could probably buy a few more because they are sooo cozy and super cute!  I could totally be that person who wears the same sweatshirt every day of the week!

A few plans for the week The week is already half over, but I've been working on getting chores done around the house, keeping the kids alive, and getting some blog posts up and ready for you.  I am going to attempt to build some  IKEA bookcases by myself. . . they are small, so it should work.  I need to get to some things in the office, so building is a must!

What I am listening to  I already mentioned that Disney music is playing as we speak.  But, the Rend Collective station on Pandora is one of my favorites.   I also am listening to the Jamie Ivey Podcast and the Lead Stories podcast.  They are both great when you are trying to get things done!

Now it's your turn!  Come join the fun and connect.  If you blog about it, please link your blog to the blog comments below!  I would love to read it! 

Also, are there any blog posts that you would like to see?  Let me know in the comments.  I love to hear from you!


Copy and paste your favorite, or all of them and try it out in the comments:
Outside my window
I am thinking
From the kitchen
I am wearing
I am creating
I am going
I am reading
I am hoping
I am hearing
Around the House
One of my favorite things
A few plans for the week
What I am listening to

I made a mess {Office redo, part 1: Getting started}

My husband and I love to dream about what's next for our house.  He kept telling me I had to finish the kitchen cabinets before I could start anything else and I finished those the first week of January (insert happy dance here. . . don't worry, a post on the completed kitchen is coming soon!).  I wanted to share our process of redecorating this space, so you could see the mess that comes with it. It isn't perfect, in fact, it's a bit of a disaster right now.   We started making plans this fall for what our dream was for this space.  We spent lots of time dreaming on Pinterest and we had a good idea of what we wanted, we just needed to work on specifics.  We knew we wanted it to be a place where we could comfortably do our work, stay organized, relax and be inspired.  

So, first, let's look at the way things were to start with.  My desk area sat under our window and just didn't really function for a work space (except for sewing).  Stamping was hard to do because the table wasn't a solid surface.  Plus, it just isn't pretty.  We've been wanting to replace it with something better for a few years, so we could use this for hosting parties.  My fabric stash was sort of stored in several plastic containers in various spots around the room, including the book case and under the desk.  Most of my crafting and stamping stuff was in my IKEA storage. 

The first thing we started looking for was a loveseat to go where the desk was.  I didn't want to pick a paint color until we decided on our couch.  We went with this one from World Market in dove grey.  And from then, things sort of progressed at rapid speed. 

We packed up our stuff (I can't find anything! It might be a little nerve racking!) and sold the old furniture.  

I had picked a bunch of paint samples months ago when we first started talking about this re-do, and we didn't go with any of them.  We found the color by an article from HGTV magazine.  We are silly.  But, we were inspired.  We chose dust powder, by Behr.  As of now, I have painted about half of the room and am waiting for the new furniture from IKEA to be delivered.  So far I am loving the color and can't wait to finish it!

Sometimes I wish that I could snap my fingers and be done with this project, because I really cannot find anything.  But, apart from a few moments during the week that I can't find something (like my address book), I really am enjoying the process.  I painted while the kids were at school and kept the ceiling fan going.  It's been pretty wet and rainy so I really wanted it to dry and not stay wet.  It worked out great and was even able to do some touching up in the afternoons. 

I can't wait to share more as the process continues.  Keep a look out and come follow me on instagram to get sneak peaks at the progress!

Enjoy your weekend!

Let's get Real: Be who you were meant to be.

Let's take a break for a minute and take some time away from the messes of our daily lives full of toys, clutter, dishes, laundry, your to-do list and let's talk about something.

You. 

You are a beautiful woman.  You may be still be in your pajama pants  yoga pants and wearing your favorite hole-y shirt with your hair thrown back in a messy bun drinking your coffee (now cold) attempting to motivate yourself to fold that pile of laundry on the floor.  You might even be wearing your favorite jeans a cute sweater and a necklace drinking your favorite fancy coffee and heading to work.  Either way, you are a beautiful woman.  

You. 

You are unique.

Not only are you beautiful, but you are different from every other person on earth.  You are incomparable to the person next to you.  You are amazing!  I may not know you, but I know that you get up every morning and deal with the messy.  Life is messy.  It's busy and crazy and sometimes a bit insane.  If you are anything like me, you try to do too much.  You might be exhausted and on your fifth cup of coffee or you might be slaying the to-do list like a woman on a mission. 

We try and we fail.  We burn out.  We compare ourselves to other people are appear to be accomplishing way more than we are.   We are afraid to be ourselves. 

You. 

You are afraid.

I think we are so hard on each other.  No matter what we do, someone is not going to like it.  Criticism comes from everywhere.  We are self conscious and no matter how we pretend to not care what others think, words hurt. 

We hear that we aren't enough or we do too much.  We aren't good enough.  We try too hard. 

I think we put to much pressure on ourselves to be perfect.  We compare ourselves to that picture perfect house but we don't read the blog post and hear about the mess that came before the picture.  

Everyday, I get on instagram and seeing the beauty that my friends capture in their day.  Just this morning, I saw beautiful blue eyes, healing, and some special moments. Yesterday, I saw goofy snap chat faces, proud children and cup towers, piles of fabric, some rainy day baking, and sleeping children.  Every picture has a story and usually started with a mess.  Remember we are messy and we are beautiful.  We can be both.   

You.

You are creative.

You may argue with me, but I firmly believe this (you can read an entire post here!).  You creatively wade your way through the messiness of our day to day lives.  You creatively find the beauty in your day. . . even the hard days when it just seems hard.  You creatively feed your family, run your budget, make your home a home.  Being creative is messy (have you seen my office?). 

Let's start 2017 embracing our messy, crazy lives and look for the beauty.  Let's not compare ourselves with the appearance of perfect.  We are all unique, beautiful, and messy.  Let's not be afraid to be who we were created to be.

Let's encourage each other to be women who despite our mess, live life to the fullest.  Let's not hide behind our insecurities and fears. 

Join me on instagram and use the hashtag #embracethebeauty2017 all year!  Let;s keep each other accountable and encourage each other!

 

When there isn't a whole lot of time. . . {Vanilla bean fruit dip}

Sometimes I feel like there just are not enough hours in a day.  We just finished up a 3 day weekend full of both times of rest and times of fun.  It was a full weekend of birthday parties for some super special people.  We celebrated a sweet 2 year old, Jon's grandpa turned 91 and Weston's buddy turned 6.  So, when I remembered that my table had snacks on Tuesday, I as kid of wondering how I was going to fit in baking something.  Sometimes, it just can't happen.  So, I remembered we had apples and oranges that needed to be used up along with some marshmallow cream I had bought when it was 99 cents before Christmas.  Note to self: always keeps a marshmallow cream in the fridge for times like this. 

This recipe worked perfect because I happened to have all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. . . and there are only 3 ingredients, which makes things even simpler. Anytime I don't have to go to the store, it makes my husband very happy!  Also, there was no time for a quick trip target or a grocery store.  If you have cream cheese and marshmallow cream, you can make this.  I always try to have some on hand for quick, last minute recipes.   It is so delicious!  I even used my lactose free (doesn't give me a stomach ache) cream cheese and it turned out lovely.  It tastes like a soft cream cheese frosting that is to die for! 

Creamy Vanilla Bean Fruit Dip

Ingredients:
marshmallow cream
1 block cream cheese
vanilla bean paste

*If you don't have the paste, you can substitute vanilla extract and get the same flavor minus the speckles.

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl (big enough for your hand mixer to mix), mix up cream cheese and marshmallow cream until nice and smooth.  Add a tsp of vanilla bean paste and mix some more.  Pour into your serving container and serve with freshly cut fruit. 

Goodbye vacation and hello Coconut Macaroons

My kids had three weeks off for Christmas.  I love our three weeks off.  We slept in, baked a lot, threw a party, went to the movies, played with legos, watched lots of Christmas movies, and went to Target way too many times!  But, Monday came and I got out of bed (before 8:00) and we very slowly made it out the door.  We were welcomed back to school with a downpour.  No joke!  As soon as we got to school the rain started and so we enjoyed our rainy walk to the kids lines. Thankfully we keep an umbrella in the trunk for such occasions (note: it's kind of a miracle that it was there since it hardly rains anymore. . . until lately!).  I managed to make it back to my car without getting completely soaked and headed to the nearest Starbucks to start my celebration.  Not only did the day scream hot caffeinated beverage but so did the weather.  I celebrated by running all those errands that are harder to do with two boys in my tow (Ulta, DSW, etc.).  I even headed to Panera for lunch and a good book!

Now, we are nearing the end of the week and I am ready for the weekend!  Everyone is exhausted around here and sleeping in sounds so delightful!  You know what else is delightful?  These cookies. 

This year, I was on the hunt for an amazing coconut macaroon recipe.  I found one just before Christmas by Ina Garten and I couldn't resist adding them to my Christmas baking plans.  I have a thing for coconut and chocolate combinations.  Almond Joy Bars and Theo's coconut bar are some of my favorite candies.  And really, it was by Ina Garten. . . she's like a goddess in the kitchen, so what could go wrong?

My first batch was great, but it wasn't perfect.  I used my cookies scoop and they came out HUGE and took longer to bake.  They may not have looks as pretty as my second batch, but they received rave reviews and didn't take long to be eaten by everybody.  So when I was thinking of what treats I was going to make for our annual post Christmas party for Jon's work peeps, I knew that a second go at these would be perfect!  I made a few adjustments from what I did to the first batch and they came out perfect.  A friend of mine, willingly became my taste tester for these since my sweet husband doesn't like coconut, and sent me a text telling me they were "to die for."  Completely made my day!

On your next trip to Target, pick up some coconut and sweetened condensed milk and you can easily make these in just a few minutes (plus baking time).  You won't regret it. . . unless you don't like coconut, but for now, we will just pretend everyone likes those white flakey shreds!

Coconut Macaroons
adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
14 oz. shredded sweetened coconut
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 extra large egg whites (I used 2 egg whites plus about 1/2 of another egg's whites)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Set it aside.  On high speed, whip the egg whites and salt with whisk attachment*.  Whisk for several minutes until medium firm peaks (beautiful white peaks will be foamy and stand up when you lift the whisk).  Once, you have reached medium-firm peaks, fold gently into coconut mixture.

Using a spoon, carefully drop spoonfuls of mixture onto baking sheet.  Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool and serve or dip bottoms into melted chocolate**.

* If you are unsure about what medium-firm peaks look like, Ina even has a video that shows what her peaks looked like.

** Melt chocolate bark or 1 cup of dark chocolate chips + 1 tsp coconut oil.  Dip bottoms carefully into melted chocolate and set on wax paper or parchment paper until cool.  Drizzle tops with chocolate.