I will blog again - someday!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, although it certainly seems that I have. Everyone in our house has been sick. it started with Lucy on Christmas day. what a way to spend your first Christmas - she was in a great mood, eventhough was threw up every time she ate. :-( Now Silas and I are both sick. SO sick that we had to ship little Lucy off to my moms house. I miss her terribly but know she is in good hands. So, no, I haven't forgotten to post anything new, I jsut haven't had the energy to do so, and now that it's 330am, I think I will go back to bed! More later....

CAKE BALLS - just for heather!

WHAT ARE CAKE BALLS you ask? Well, it's quite simple - they are balls of cake! I was at work the other day and one of my co-workers said her friend made cake balls. This lead me to ask "what is a cake ball?" and I then googled it and decided at once that I must try them! They are super easy to make, just a bit time consuming. Here's what you'll need and how you make them:

1 boxed cake mix - any flavor
1 tub of frosting - any flavor, but make sure it will taste ok with the cake you've chosen
chocolate for dipping them in

Choose a boxed cake flavor that you like and bake the cake per the directions on the box. While the cake is still warm crumble it in a large bowl and add the frosting. Stir them together. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so it will cool. Use either a scooper or your hands to make small balls. Return them to the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so they can "set". Melt your chocolate for dipping (I used bakers chocolate) and dip each ball into the melted chocolate. ** I found this step to be somewhat challenging. I think I should have used a smaller scooper for mine, so I decided to just spoon the chocolate over mine.** Return them to the refrigerator so the chocolate will harden and ENJOY!

I added red food coloring and peppermint extract to mine - they tasted kind of like a cakey york peppermint patty - YUMMMMM-EEEEEE!!!!!

Gingerbread house party!

Every year my super talented sister in law Nicole (that's her below with me and my mother in law!) hosts a gingerbread house decorating party. Each person had to supply their own house and bring some candy to share - I bought my house at Target and my mother in law put it together for me! How sad is it that I am SO busy I can't even put together a gingerbread house?! How LUCKY am I that I have such a nice mother in law that she'd do that for me?!?!

Below is my before picture - pretty ho-hum basic! Looks like a boring ole gingerbread house huh?!

Add a little chocolate wafer roof, a turquoise wafer pond in front, a licorice rope fence, some m&m's and sour cherry balls for added color, some coconut for snow and a beautifully decorated tree and WHAAA-LAAA - here's my house!

It's such a fun day and I can hardly wait till next years party! Oh, and if you need some yummy treats, visit Nicole at H2O Sushi in Broad Ripple - she makes the most delicious cookies and ice cream!

The kitchen is DONE.....well, almost!

Now that I am back to work full time, I barely have enough time to breath, let alone finish the kitchen project I started during my last week of maternity leave! I'm not COMPLETELY done with it, but boy am I close. I have a faux door that my aunt made for us to hang (when we tore a row of cabinets out, we ripped the end of another cabinet so it needs a faux door) and put up the molding that goes around the bottom of the cabinets. other than that, I am DONE! I posted a before picture a while ago, and below is a photo of my ALMOST COMPLETED WHITE KITCHEN! .....DRUM ROLL PLEASE............

I am so pleased with the outcome. I don't mind the umpteen hours I spent working on it - it's so beautiful! I even love my yellow counter tops now! They're so bright and cheery! Below is my favorite part of the kitchen - it's a cubby that I've placed my favorite pie/cake plate and my recipe box that my grandfather made for me before he died as well as the amazing cook book full of Anderson Family recipes that my oh so talented mother in law made for Silas and I. What a perfect spot to showcase such treasured items.

Dessert - who doesn't like dessert?!

I found this recipe and had to share it. It's SO easy, and it only requires four ingredients, not including the ice cream....

1 box of double fudge brownie mix from Pillsbury
1 cup of quick cook oats
1 stick of butter
2 21oz cans of cherry pie filling

place the cherry pie filling in the bottom of either an 8inch round pan or a 9 inch square pan. melt the butter and mix it with the brownie mix and the oats - it should make a dry, clumpy mixture. Add the brownie mixture to the top of the cherry pie filling and bake at 350 from 30-40 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and ENJOY!

Kitchen update at last....

I've been promising an update of the kitchen for I don't know how long, so here it is! IT'S STILL NOT FINISHED! Yes, that is right. Now that I am back to work, I have lost the ability to work on it during the day and to be quite honest, when I come home from work, all I want to do is hold and play with Lucy. Below is a before photo of what the cbinets used to look like. I will have to post an after photo later. I still have to put a clear coat over the cabinets and drawers/doors, but then it will be done! I even got a new hite hood fan! Yes, it's the little thngs in life that make me the happiest! More on the kitchen coming soon.......

Kelli, Ali and I elf'd by Kelli

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