cupcake monkey!

Moving on...

2011-03-21T04:01:00.005-07:00

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It is with mixed emotions that I tell you, this is my last post on cupcake monkey. I thought dropping down to only one post a week would be fine for me, but it turns out it just is not. I still find myself almost obsessed with things to post and with checking in with other blogs daily and while I love doing that, it turns into another obsession...an obsession with "stuff." I want everything I see and it is making me ridiculous. I have also seen some ugliness in the blog world (definitely not from any of you!) and it is making it clear that I want a break from all of it. Sooo, that's all for cupcake monkey! I realize this sounds incredibly dramatic and like I am fishing for attention and I can assure you that I am not! :) I always hated when blogs I used to frequent would just end with no explanation, so I wanted to let you know what was going on. I'll still check in here and there at other blogs, just not regularly. Thanks so much to those of you who have stuck with me this long! Your friendship and support have been wonderful!!

Suzie

Love of a photo...turned master bedroom re-design...

2011-03-21T04:00:00.005-07:00

Happy Monday!

I know that title really makes no sense, but here is the story...I mentioned last week that my husband was out of town and when he is gone, I go home project crazy. I decided it was time that we finish our master bedroom. I have been through a whole army of throw pillows, but none of the combinations I have come up with over the years have been right. I found an old magazine article I had ripped out describing batik fabrics. I knew Etsy wouldn't let me down, so I typed in 'batik fabric pillow' just to see what would pop up and saw this:

SISTERBATIK

I fell in love with the photo...not just the pillow, but the whole look. Then I found this one:

and I really fell in love. I just love that pillow. I mean I LOVE that pillow. I can't explain it...kind of how I can't explain how I love my husband. I just do. It is so beautiful, so different from other things out there...I am in love with it. For real. So after coming back to that photo easily 400 times, I took a break and went through some of my favorite blogs. I was reading a post (can't remember which one) on The Decorista and the very first comment was from SisterBatik. Sign #1 I need that pillow. A few minutes later over at Look Linger Love, I did a search for pillows because I remember I had fallen in love with one of hers and just wanted to check out some of her color schemes for inspiration and found this post! Somehow I missed it when posted back in January...Sign #2.

Sign#3...who really needs more than two signs, right? I decided to sleep on it and then obsessed a little more the next morning. Then I pulled the trigger and ordered it.

As you may know now, when I like something, I obsess about it for a while. After I made the purchase, I went to their blog and looked through it forever...completely enthralled by the colors of the photos...kind of like a child. :) The photos of their studio, loaded with all of their beautiful fabric just made me so happy:

In addition to all of their gorgeous pillow covers, they also make lavender sachets and a variety of bags. You really must take a peek at SisterBatik's shop and their blog!

I can't wait to get moving on the bedroom re-do! For now, here is how I am feeling:

~Those window panels have already been purchased...just waiting for them to arrive.

~That fantastic Michelle Armas painting NEEDS to be in my bedroom. My husband says he reads my blog. We shall see. Honey, I want it!! Mother's Day will be here soon! :)

~That pillow!!...my soon-to-be-pillow...I hope it arrives soon! :)

_____________________________

Happy Week!

Green for St. Patty's Day?

2011-03-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Can you guess how I'll be sportin' green for St. Patrick's Day? I am over at hello, splendor today to tell you all about it! Here is a clue:

I guess it's pretty obvious.

Happy Tuesday!

Before & After: My Laundry Room Makeover! ...and some other stuff.

2011-03-14T04:00:00.006-07:00

Our laundry room was in sad sad shape. It was just plain white and just plain boring. Honestly, I hated being in there and since laundry has to be done, I decided I needed to make the space a little happier. It is also the first room you see if entering the house from the garage...definitely time for a makeover, since first impressions are so important.

Here are the depressing before shots:

Pretty dreadful, right? Now for the after shots:

A few details:
1. Paint: Naturalist Gray, by The Freshaire choice (a Glidden brand) in semi-gloss (on sale for $14/gallon).
I agonized over painting the ceiling the same color. After reading this article, Why do Americans have a fascination with white ceilings?,
I was finally not feeling like I had to have a white ceiling. I admit to doing it partly because it was so much easier, but also because I thought it would look great. I am happy with the results.
2. Rug: HomeGoods $20 I needed a punch of color and also something to prevent our dog from ice skating out to the garage when we leave the house because he is deathly afraid of the vacuum. It is a little more hidden now, but he knows it is there. This rug makes his exit better for everyone.
3. I added a hook (an extra one we have had for years from Pottery Barn) for his leash. For some reason we never had a real home for it and always had to go on a hunt for it. Now it has it's own place.
4. The mirror by the door: We have two. One is here and the other one I decided to put in here with magnets for last minute messages I might need before running out. Also not a bad idea to check your face before leaving the house. :P
5. The photos are from my son's first birthday photo shoot with my friend, Adrian of Canyon Photography. Looking at his sweet face makes laundry a bit easier.
6. Doesn't everyone have a bowl of fake oranges in their laundry room? ;)

It's really nothing spectacular, but I can honestly say I now love being in there and love leaving the laundry door open. My son loves it too and likes to bring in a stack of books to look through on the rug, while I fold clothes. :)

_____________________________________________

When my husband goes out of town, I usually spend the time doing home projects. While on his trip to New Orleans, I did this laundry room makeover. He had to go out of town again the following weekend and this time, had he been spying on me, he would have thought I was a complete crazy person. Each night after my son went to bed, I fluttered around the house re-arranging accessories, mentally making over rooms, enlarging a photo of a pillow I have fallen in love with and then placing the laptop on my bed to visualize what it will look like, since I have no desire to ever learn how to use Photoshop. I watched all of my ridiculous, trashy tv and looked through countless magazines and catalogs, all while wearing a mud mask and giving my hair a deep conditioning treatment. I also ate Indian food (which he doesn't really like) and wine one night, banana pancakes and wine the next night, and a sleeve of Thin Mints and wine for dinner the last night! That bottle of wine (which he really would have hated) only cost $3.99, so I felt completely justified in purchasing that pillow I mentioned above. I will share more about that next week. :)

My son and I also tried getting photos of ourselves to send him while he was away. Using a camera timer with a toddler is tricky, but we did manage to get these shots:

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and have a great week!

I love...

2011-03-07T05:00:00.052-07:00

~MARDI GRAS!!~

This time of year in New Orleans and its surrounding areas is simply amazing. There are so many parades to see in the days leading up to (and then of course tomorrow on) Mardi Gras. It is such a wonderful experience that I feel everyone must do once. We had the pleasure of living in New Orleans for almost four years and while there, my husband started participating in the Caesar parade. Since moving, he still takes part when he can and this year was no exception. My son and I had planned to go (this is family-friendly, I promise I would not put my son in a bad situation) and then I started stressing about food because of his allergies, naps, crazy crowds, and so I decided we would stay home. I gave my husband strict instructions to take lots of pictures and he did! The theme for the parade this year was 'When I Grow Up.' His particular float's theme was 'I Want to be a Rockstar':

That's him on the left. :)

Some other floats in the staging area before the parade started:

The crowded streets during the parade:

Since I wasn't able to go on the trip and enjoy the food, I thought it would be perfect to try out some recipes from my New Orleans cookbook. I am so glad I finally did! I made these this past Saturday night for dinner and they came out beautifully. I just scanned the recipes from the cookbook to avoid making this post even longer. If you are interested in the recipes, just click on them to enlarge. :)

This soup was delicious! We actually ended up having it on Sunday for lunch because by the time I was done making it, I was too hot and I didn't feel like eating it! Ha! We had cheesesteaks on the patio, instead.

This souffle was fantastic. It was so simple and easy and went perfectly with the soup.

We enjoyed both on our patio on Sunday afternoon. Absolute perfection:

Now I kind of want to make these:

pastry crowns filled with cheesecake mousse and topped with glazed banana bits

If you have never been, you really owe yourself a trip to New Orleans. It is way more than just Bourbon Street, boobs, and booze, I promise.
________________________________________________

For some reason, every time my husband is out of town for a few days, I feel the need to paint something. This time while he was in New Orleans, I gave our laundry room a makeover. It was long overdue. I will share that transformation next Monday!

Have a wonderful week!

[ I apologize for the weird spacing. I have no idea what was going on there, but my laptop almost went through a window a few times.]

Letters!

2011-02-28T05:00:00.006-07:00

~ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ~

My sister reminded me a while back that when I was younger, I carved my initials into the side of my Dad's car. These were no tiny initials...I seriously carved one foot letters onto his car door. I have no clue why and when questioned, I tried to blame a friend. ???

My son has quite the fascination with letters. "B" was the first letter he learned and for quite a while, every letter was "B". Now he knows almost the whole alphabet and loves to point them out when we are out, when he sees them on signs or boxes or whatever might have a letter. In my true fashion, I had to scour the WWW for fabulous letter images. Here is my tribute:

C is for C O L O R

large wood letter D

Make your own alphabet crayons!

Make your own alphabet marshmallows!

letter pillows

modern classics alphabet poster

vanilla poppy seed letter soap

The Letter S, Peter Blake

word cake

alphabet tree in the Children's Services Early Learning Center, Indiana

And then when I came across this birthday party, I think I squealed:

Mia and Mike's Alphabet Birthday Party

And then I saw this and it sealed it for me:

alphabet/flashcard party

What a perfect theme for my son's second birthday! Yay! This stuff excites me a little too much, perhaps. My head is spinning!! Eeeeeee!! Oh well. Let the party-planning begin!! [His birthday is in June, in case you had no idea just how crazy I am. Ha ha!]

His love for letters started last year just before his first birthday. Photo by the fabulous Adrian of Canyon Photography, taken in June 2010

___________________________________________________

My husband was in New Orleans this past weekend, participating in the Caesar parade. I cannot wait to share his pictures next Monday for a special New Orleans/Mardi Gras tribute!

Have a great week!! I can't even believe March starts tomorrow!

Making it work...

2011-02-21T05:00:00.003-07:00

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Holy Moly! Since last Monday a lot sure has happened. The theme of our week was, in the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it work!"

1. It all started with Valentine's Day. Before becoming parents, we would have gone out to a fancy dinner. Since getting pregnant and then having our son, we made it a tradition to stay in and make our favorite hors d'oeuvres. This year for some reason, we couldn't really seem to get it together. It seemed like Connor was kind of coming down with a cold later in the day on Monday, so I didn't want to take him out. Using what ingredients we had at home, we scraped together what ended up being a perfect V-day dinner. We made it work and put together steak bruschetta, using a harvest loaf of wheat bread with roasted flax and pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, and steak. We never really follow recipes, so we just threw it together and it was fantastic!

So easy and delicious!

2. That night Connor had a pretty rough night's sleep. At about midnight, I brought him into bed with us and he coughed off and on all night long. :( By morning, he just seemed pretty miserable. I called his doctor to see if we could get in for an appointment because by this point, he was starting to breathe really hard and I was getting worried. They were all booked up and suggested waiting until the next day. Umm...not happening. I called his allergy and asthma doctor and they fit him in right away, gave several breathing treatments, gave an RSV test (results back in 3-5 days?!!), wrote a few prescriptions, and sent us on our way with strict instructions to head to the ER if things were not improving throughout the day. In the next few hours, things went from bad to worse. We headed to the ER at the closest children's hospital and after waiting a little over an hour, they tested his vitals and made him a priority. Seeing panic on a nurse's face is not something I will ever forget. They immediately started him on oxygen, then breathing treatments, then x-rays, then bloodwork, and an IV for fluids and meds. This went on for a few hours. Once a space was available, they got us a room and we continued with testing, breathing treatments, suctioning [by far the worst thing to watch :( ]. It was determined that he had RSV. It was quite an emotional roller coaster for all of us...obviously it was the worst for Connor, but seeing my poor baby hooked up to all sorts of things with a look of panic in his eyes is something I would never wish on my worst enemy. :( After being in this room for one night, we were moved to a "real room." This was a much cheerier space. I think we all felt a little better after being moved to this room:

after finally getting a little rest :(

My husband and I tried taking turns sleeping in 30-minute increments, but honestly who can sleep when this sort of thing is happening. We probably got about 4 hours of sleep in 4 days, but we made it work with mommy/daddy adrenaline and lots of coffee. After three days in the hospital, Connor was looking and sounding much better and we were happily discharged. :)

3. Unfortunately my husband and I both got sick too. We were all a little slow-moving all weekend. Luckily the weather was kind of crappy, so a weekend of snuggling, movies, and comfort food was just what we had. Those days at home gave me lots of time to stare at the yucky color (a weird gold done by the previous owners) on our walls in the family room/kitchen and how I hate it with the color of our kitchen cabinets (honey oak...bleh). Have I mentioned before that we have lived here for nearly four years?? I have no clue what has taken us so long to make this change! I think we just got used to it. Ugh...anyway, it is definitely time for something different. I mentioned a while back that I wanted to paint the cabinets, but quite honestly I have no interest in doing that. If we planned to live in this house for a long time, then they would be long gone, but for now, I think we are just going to paint the walls and see what we think. Anything will be an improvement, so that is what we are leaning toward. Over the past few weeks, I have come across ads, blog posts, beautiful homes with similar color schemes to what I want now for our space. The following have something (a shoe, window shades, a door, a floor, etc.), not necessarily a cabinet, in each photo with the same honey color of our cabinets:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

All of the above images also contain some shade of gray, along with something with a similar color to our cabinets. They have inspired me. I want to find a gorgeous shade of gray for the wall that complements the wood color. I know it can be done and it will and it will be great! We are going to make it work. :)
Annnd...I just felt the need to purchase these two pillow covers (the ones on either end) to go in the adjoining family room:

John-Paul Philippe Pillow Covers

Now we just need to get moving on the paint!

4. Lastly, oh my goodness...I began craving some sort of ice cream sundae or a blizzard or something. We did not want to leave the house, so we made it work with what we had at home and let me tell you...YUMMY!

caramel delight icecream with leftover allergen-free muddy buddies

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~Our week definitely started and ended great...the stuff in the middle was awful, but we are over it now. Honestly, I think when you can just make the most of what you have, you can take anything the world throws at you. Make it work! ~

Have a wonderful week!...I sure have a lot of catching up to do!!

[Thank you all so much for the sweet words last week. You all have no idea how much it meant to me to read such lovely comments.]

A heartfelt letter to my readers:

2011-02-14T05:00:00.016-07:00

Happy Love Day!

I have been thinking about this for a while, but it really hit me this weekend, after having the best time with my boys and then today on this day of love. :) I do not have time to be a blogger. I praise those who can do it, but I just cannot. I know that probably sounds ridiculous to some (since it's not like I blog for a living), but it is the truth. I used to write my posts for the following day during my son's second nap each day. Now that he is only down to one and since that nap can sometimes only last for 45 minutes, this means that I only have 45 minutes during the day to get things done around the house without a "little helper." This also means that I have to spend time at night working on posts because 45 minutes often doesn't cut it, not to mention the other projects I want to work on. I just cannot justify spending time away from my husband and son to stress about writing posts. And yes, I seriously stressed about posts. I also feel extremely guilty when I don't get to visit other blogs each day. Serious guilt! That is just silly.

Queen of Hearts Valentine Cupcakes

I have gotten several emails from small shops over the past few months, asking if I was accepting sponsors and while that was certainly tempting, I just didn't want the pressure. I started this blog mainly for a creative outlet for me and I feel like having sponsors gives me a certain responsibility to make it worth their while and that also stressed me out. This is just a hobby for me and hobbies should not be stressful, right? I am not going to stop posting altogether, but have decided to only have one post a week on Mondays. In the next few weeks, we are going to be starting on some major projects in our home (finally!...it's only taken 4 years), so I will be documenting those and posting about them, as well as my usual family story-inspired posts, charitable causes, recipes, and fun finds. Sooo, I am not dropping off the planet, just now only posting once a week and probably only checking in with other blogs a few times a week. I know this note is unnecessary, since this is just my personal blog and you probably don't care (!!), but I just wanted to let you know how I have been feeling and to again thank you for reading and being so supportive. I hope you will stick with me!! So...ummm...see you next Monday?

Suzie

One more treat...

2011-02-11T12:39:00.001-07:00

When I saw these pretzels mentioned on The Soho back in December, I knew I had to make them. I have dipped pretzel rods before, but never the small ones. I ended up making a huge batch for the wonderful ladies who watch our dog when we travel over Christmas. For Valentine's Day, they are just perfect because they look like little hearts!!

Put 'em in a jar and you have an easy gift! We took this batch to my husband at work today, even though it's not quite Valentine's Day:

Happy Valentine's Day Eve Eve Eve! :)

[Free printable shown in the background, available here!]

My little valentine...

2011-02-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

my baby monkey

I had a little pity party for myself last week. I blame PMS, but I was so sad thinking about my sweet little baby not being able to have "normal" treats like all other kids because of his food allergies. This happens mainly during holiday times when other kids who do not have food allergies get to have cupcakes and cookies and little chocolates. There are allergen-free alternatives to pretty much everything out there, so I really just needed to chill out and do more research...but I had a little moment and was so sad.

My sweet husband came home with ice cream made with rice milk and made Connor an ice cream sandwich with his "safe" snickerdoodles:

He didn't devour it like I thought he would, but he had fun trying it.

Once I got myself together, I poured myself a bowl of Rice Chex and noticed the recipe on the back for muddy buddies. Before checking online for an allergen-free recipe which no doubt exists, I did some playing around myself. I semi-followed the original recipe and used 9 cups of Rice Chex, 1 cup of Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips. 1/2 cup Sunbutter, a drizzle or two of olive oil, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Honestly, I don't even think I needed the olive oil, but since the recipe called for butter and I couldn't use that, I gave it a shot. I also omitted the vanilla that the original recipe calls for simply because I was out of it at home.

These things are so good!

My husband didn't believe that it wasn't the real thing. My son gobbles it up and asks for more...and that makes me a happy momma.

This week we worked on valentines for his friends. I took advantage of the many free printables out there and chose these adorable elephant valentines by Ana of Live & Enliven and these precious zebras found on Bunny Cakes! Then we added a little something and...:

Can't wait to fill in the names and hand them out!!

Have a wonderful weekend!! I hope you have fun plans!

Project Artwork, Day 1

2011-02-10T05:00:00.002-07:00

I have always adored children's artwork. There is just something so wonderful, so innocent, and so perfect about it. When I taught preschool, the walls of my classroom were covered with the wonderful drawings, paintings, and collages of my little ones and I cannot wait for spaces in my home to be the same.

a masterpiece by my 20-month old son :)

Last month was the first time my son really started using crayons. He has played with them for a little while, but they usually would go in his mouth or to the dog. Over the past few weeks though, he has gotten interested in coloring on paper and so I decided to start a little something: Project Artwork. For this project I will be keeping a piece of artwork in a file from various stages of his development and plan to display them on a huge gallery wall of sorts. Obviously I will keep tons of his artwork, but until things start flooding in from school when he is of age, this will keep me organized with projects we work on at home.

Starting from Day 1 (1/26/11):

I think it will be fun to be able to look at a wall years from now and see one of his very first pieces! I am still not quite sure how I plan to display everything, but these images I have had saved (that have been floating around the blogosphere) sure have my wheels turning:

image source

the jan eleni collage™ – an exclusive archival art piece of your child’s personal art.

image from Better Homes and Gardens found here

image found here

It all brings me back to the post I did back in September about wanting to create a family wall. You may remember I wanted to do a mix of family photos and also personal prints/artwork:

you can click here if you want to be directed back to that post for image credits

I'd love to incorporate our son's artwork into that wall. I know this post is all over the place, but once again, that's how the thoughts are in my head! I know I am not the only one with a love for their children's artwork. There was a group of posts last week about favorite artists and I could not agree more with the sentiments of a few who named their children as some of their favorites. [This link will take you to Torrie's list...at the bottom of her post, there is a list of the other bloggers who participated last week.]

I cannot wait to continue our collection of original artwork...starting with the work of my favorite little artist.

12 small things by HAND/EYE

2011-02-09T05:00:00.013-07:00

Have you heard of 12 small things by HAND/EYE? If not, take a moment to learn about this amazing organization:

12 Small Things by HAND/EYE offers high quality, handmade, artisan goods from around the globe. Our collections support craftspeople working to improve the lives of their families and communities in some of the most challenging situations on the planet. Their stories are those of strength, hope, and beauty, and each of our products reflects these qualities in their design and craftsmanship. 12 Small Things by HAND/EYE strives to assist these communities and artisans through commerce.

I am likely posting this a little too late for gift purposes, but take a look at just a few of the items from the Valentine's Day collection, which support struggling communities:

hand woven jeweled clutch ~ Pakistan

glass shell necklace ~ Ghana

wood heart bowl ~ Haiti

tagua nut bracelets ~ Colombia

It's crazy how things work... I stumbled upon this organization yesterday, wrote up this post, and then decided to go to West Elm's site to see if they had any new lamps. I got the chills when I saw this:

Hearts for Haiti:

Have a heart. Our ongoing collaboration with the nonprofit HAND/EYE Fund and HAND/EYE Magazine led us to these beautiful and unique papier-mâché pieces. Handcrafted by the artisans of Caribbean Craft, an artisan’s collaborative in Port au Prince, Haiti, these whimsical ornaments make a bright, festive statement suspended in multiples in a window or displayed in a bowl. Best of all, 10% of the proceeds of each sale goes back to the HAND/EYE Fund to benefit the artisans behind the hearts.

So weird to see this the same day...but amazing! I hope you are having a great week!

Clearing your dresser...

2011-02-08T05:00:00.015-07:00

image source

My Mom denies this, but I could swear that she once got in an argument with my sister and cleared off the top of my sister's dresser with her arm and everything came crashing down to the floor. I remember thinking it was hilarious, but my sister did not. I don't know if my sister remembers this ever happening, so hopefully she will chime in because if she doesn't remember it, then I am surely losing my mind...perhaps it was a dream.

Here are a few dressers that sure would make a sad crash if everything came tumbling down to the floor:

image source

Mom and Kat, I want your thoughts!! Did I dream this or did it really happen? I think I remember a Garfield bank on that dresser too...it shattered.

Mmmm...cookies!

2011-02-07T05:00:00.005-07:00

Happy Monday!! I have tried to resist baking, but after seeing so many posts last week about Valentine's Day cookies, I felt like I had to make some. I have also not been able to the cookies my sister made over Christmas out of my head, so I decided I needed cookies in the house for the weekend. Once again, I cheated and used a packaged mix. I did make my own frosting, though! :) I decided I wanted to do hearts made of sprinkles, so I placed a heart cookie cutter on the frosted cookies and poured sprinkles in.

I have to be completely honest... After my third heart, I was so over it. I had sprinkles going everywhere, powdered sugar all over myself, a sticky camera, and a few bad words leaving my mouth. I only had a few minutes left before my son awoke from his nap, so I needed to finish in a hurry. Here is how the remaining cookies looked:

Ha ha! Oh well. At least they still tasted good. :)

Have a great week!!

[Oh...since the stupid Steelers lost last night, we decided to eat our feelings and ate the rest of the cookies.]

Happy Friday! [A Story in Pictures, 2]

2011-02-04T05:00:00.028-07:00

This weekend I plan to...

Drool over this and pretend I could ever make such a thing:

Heart Cake

Continue playing with all of this:

free printables shown in the corner of my pile are available here and here!

Probably eat more of this:

Our Primanti Bros. sandwich re-creation

Then get comfy right here:

our couch in the family room

...and watch this:

The Steelers winning another Super Bowl!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Four Things Currently Rockin' My World!

2011-02-03T05:00:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I have done one of these, so here we go! Here are four things making my life better at the moment:

1. my new work space! I just spruced up my desk area at home a bit and it is now bright, crazy, and full of color...just how I like it. :) My laptop usually covers the things in that drawer under the glass, but it was in the kitchen when I took the photo...oops.

2. black grapes. I could go on and on about how great they are, but will just let you read this link if you want. The grapes above lasted about 3 minutes.

3. Nectar Thermique by Kerastase. I think I have been in denial for years that my hair was as dry as hay. Why I continue highlighting it is beyond me, because I know it only causes more and more damage. This past time at the salon, I asked my stylist to recommend a great product and she did just that. This stuff is amazing!

4. Skype! I have mentioned that we live far away from our families and how tough it is. Since having our son, it has been important to me that he know his relatives and see them on a regular basis. That is tough, so being able to call on Skype for free, makes us feel like we are actually seeing our families more than just the few times a year we physically see them. Now I just have to get my parents on board! :)

Happy Thursday!!

I cannot believe tomorrow is already Friday!

Cobbler!

2011-02-02T05:00:00.014-07:00

When it is cold and rainy, I want to bake! When it is cold and rainy, I want to stay home. When it is cold and rainy, I do not want to go to the grocery store for ingredients needed to bake. Sooooo...I make do with what we have at home.

I have mentioned my love of cobbler before, but I was on a quest for one with multiple fruits, more specifically the fruits I had at home, so I didn't have to go shopping. At any given time, I usually have at least three bags of frozen fruits in our freezer....either for smoothies, desserts, or just because they were on sale. This time, I had peaches, blueberries, and rhubarb.

Normally, I think of cobbler as a summer treat, but sometimes nothing tastes better when I just cannot seem to get warm and when I have a freezer stocked with frozen fruit, than a warm pile of cobbler. I guess this is technically more of a fruit crisp (since the title of the recipe was 'Fruit Crisp,' but I prefer the word 'cobbler.') I made it on Monday and since it was so dark in the house, I couldn't get great pictures. These photos are from when I first made this back in July and had planned to post, but I forgot.

I used a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but made a few changes. I completely omitted the butter (Sorry, Paula Deen) and used oil. I feel better about eating treats when I know at least I am eating good fats (ha ha), so I used vegetable oil.

Fruit Crisp

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:
5 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples, pears, peaches, or apricots, or frozen unsweetened peaches (I used a mix of peaches, blueberries, and rhubarb.)
2-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon (I used a little of each.)
1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used vegetable oil.)
1/4 cup chopped nuts or coconut ( I omitted this.)

1. For fruit filling, thaw fruit if frozen. Do not drain. Place fruit in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir in granulated sugar.

2. For topping, in a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Cit in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts. Sprinkle over fruit.

3. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes (40 minutes for thawed fruit) or until fruit is tender and topping is golden.

A few notes included with the recipe:

Blueberry Crisp: Prepare filling as above, except use 5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries for the fruit. Use 4 tablespoons granulated sugar and add 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

Rhubarb Crisp: Prepare filling as above, except use 5 cups fresh or frozen sliced rhubarb for the fruit. (If rhubarb is frozen, thaw, but do not drain.) Increase granulated sugar to 3/4 cup and add 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

Yummy!

I hope your week has been great!

Lock and Key...

2011-02-01T05:00:00.016-07:00

Key to my Heart, a love letter

Happy Tuesday!! Can you believe it is February? This past weekend the weather was absolutely perfect! We went to the zoo and while my son was fascinated with the animals, mainly the zebras, he would have stayed in the play area all day long, playing with these little things with locks. He kept saying, "key? key?" He kept inspecting them, wondering how in the world you could open it without a key, and he was right...there was no key and no way to open them, unless I was missing something. I guess that's the point?...keeping the kids curious?

Anyway, as I have mentioned before, sometimes it just takes a little moment like that to trigger a post. Because I am crazy, I had to hop right on to Etsy to see what I could dig up. Here are a few finds I am loving:

Curious - 25 - Mini art feeling

Skeleton Keys Pillow Cover

Little Key TEETHING TOY, natural wooden teether for infants and toddlers

Locks for the Boxes in the Linen Closet, original petite paintings

Live Laugh Love, large print

Where to stay in Manhattan old map and wood game piece keyring

So dorky Ha ha! Love it!

I hope you are having a great week so far!

A different kind of post...

2011-01-31T05:00:00.005-07:00

I was so touched when I read this post about a nursery featured on ohdeedoh last week:

You may have already seen it, but if you have not, here is a little summary:

The day our little miss was born was the most wonderful of our lives – what happiness the three of us shared, together and with our families. We brought Charlotte home from the hospital and introduced her to this beautiful room that would be all her own. Then, when our baby was just eighteen days old, my husband… her Daddy… passed away unexpectedly.

Now, it’s just the two of us – and while I could not have ever pictured being in this situation, this is where we’re at and we are going to get through this. Yes, there will be tears and struggle – but there will also be love and celebration. We’re about to put our house up for sale and I consider it a gift that Charlotte has been able to spend a couple months in her beautiful room – that her Daddy and I put so much love into – before we leave our home.

My heart broke into a million pieces when I read that. It is breaking again just thinking about it. My reason for this post is that Kate is trying to sell her gorgeous home in Atlanta. She needs help and that is where we come in. Kate has set up this website: 535 Stillhouse Lane Please pass it along to anyone you may know in the Atlanta area. You can visit Kate's blog, more specifically this post, for more details and ways you can help spread the word. To quote Kate:

You may not think you know people who are in the market, but perhaps there’s a friend of a friend out there who is just perfect for this house. It takes just one buyer…

Thank you so much for reading this! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, have a very happy Monday, and have a fabulous week!

[The two nursery photos were taken from here.]

Favorite song?

2011-01-28T05:00:00.014-07:00

Can you remember your favorite song from when you were 7 years old? Take a look at mine:

ahahaha Oh yes! My favorite song in the second grade was Part Time Lover, by Stevie Wonder. I wonder what my teacher thought of that.

I am so glad my parents kept some of my work from when I was a kid, because it is so fun to look back. BTW, I find it hilarious that my favorite subject was Spelling and I misspelled "favorites."

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

FOSSIL Finds

2011-01-27T05:00:00.012-07:00

I have not purchased a thing from FOSSIL in years. Honestly, I cannot even remember if I have at all, and it's not because I think their stuff is hideous, I just assumed they only had watches. I was shocked when I got their most recent catalog this week. These babies are kind of cute and have me ready to start on my spring wardrobe:

All of these pieces and more can be found here.

I hope you have been having a great week!

Primanti Bros. sandwich re-creation...

2011-01-26T05:00:00.012-07:00

Primanti Bros. Restaurant

Being from just outside Pittsburgh, my husband has quite a love for this place and more specifically, this sandwich (spicy capicola ham, provolone, fries, vinegar slaw, and tomatoes smooshed together on Italian bread) . We attempted to re-create it this past Sunday to enjoy while watching the Steelers game. I must say, we came pretty darn close. We followed this recipe, but purchased fries in an effort to save time. It is not at all healthy and is extremely messy to eat, but sure does taste good...assuming you like all of the ingredients.

Our masterpiece:

And my husband eating it:

Because I am such a good wifey (ha ha), I got this print for him many years ago for Valentine's Day, because of his love of that place and it's sandwiches:

Primanti Bros. Giclee print

He has it hanging in his office with all of his other Pittsburgh gear. :) See you in the Super Bowl, Steelers! Wahoo!!

[I apologize for this post if you are not a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers or big fat meat sandwiches. :) ]

EXPEDIT Explosion.

2011-01-25T05:00:00.016-07:00

There has been one in my house. We have five, yes FIVE, EXPEDIT shelving units from IKEA in our house and I kind of want one more. They are just so perfect and you really can't beat the price.

EXPEDIT #1 in the play room

EXPEDIT #2 also in the play room

EXPEDIT #3 in my workspace

EXPEDIT #4 in my son's room

EXPEDIT #5 in the family room

We have had so much fun with the box from the one most recently purchased:

1. a ramp for cars

2. hide and seek with a bunny

3. the perfect spot for playing with a big bowl of fake oranges

4. great for bowling with a fake orange and puzzle pieces

5. baby yoga

6. dance floor

7. the aftermath

I hope you are having a great week!!

My dad would hate these mugs.

2011-01-24T05:00:00.021-07:00

My dad is a pretty traditional guy when it comes to his coffee mugs. He wants a plain mug with a "normal" handle, nothing fancy. Every single time I see a mug with an out of the ordinary handle, I think of my dad and crack up. Here are a few I find to be interesting, but am quite sure he would hate:

I saw these ceramic travel mugs on 6th Street Design School last week and fell in love with them.

I think this face mug is pretty fantastic. My dad probably would not like it because of the tiny handle, but the fact that it can hold cookies (or anything else) may change his mind. You can click here (this week only) to enter a caption contest to win these mugs or a gift card to uncommongoods.

These awesome letter mugs have a variety of handles...handles my dad would definitely hate.

This mug with a big fat handle that holds a spoon, I would find to be quite useful. I am almost positive my dad would find it annoying.

I find these mugs to be a little disturbing, but quite wonderful at the same time. Pretty sure, my dad would hate these too.

I am 100% sure my dad would hate this mug the most because of the wing handle. I think it is pretty cool.

Love you, Daddy! I may send you one of each of these for Father's Day this year, just to make you laugh...or maybe not. :)

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend and have an even better week!

From the bottom of my...

2011-01-21T05:00:00.005-07:00

woodland felted heart pebbles

...~~bowl of hearts~~ heart, thank you! I have the hardest time expressing myself sometimes and often feel like I don't thank people enough or tell them I love them enough. I often don't call or email enough, but it doesn't mean that I love my family and friends any less. The same goes for my blog friends! I need to thank you for taking a little time out of your day to stop by cupcake monkey!...even if it is just to look at the pictures, like my husband does, or even if it is only because I have left a comment on your blog. Thank you for your thoughtful comments, your support, your sweet emails, and your friendship! They truly mean so much to me and I feel like I don't say that enough!

Have a wonderful weekend!!