pinkcherrymama

{first post of 2012!}

well, it's already february and i have yet to write my first new year post...old habits die hard? yes, they do!!!

*just a note: this is more of a personal update post for today...crafty, shop talk and creativity will follow shortly...

Christmas was quiet around here...anyone who has a split/mixed family can probably feel me when i say that the holidays can be...difficult, sometimes. the girls {"his and mine", for lack of a better term} were all with the "other" parents this year, which made it a very low key holiday, but we were totally ok with low key! little buddy {"ours"} wanted to write just one thing to santa this year...

made me laugh :)

 

to the side you can see my super-rad lamp that i found at the thirft store! little buddy accidentally dropped it on the floor while we were decorating the tree and instead of breaking it, like i thought he did, he actually made it work...see the spiffy built in night light? didn't even know it was there until it was dropped - cool.

my annual Chirstmas morning breakfast got postponed until the girls got home the next day...

yummy vanilla, banana waffles with whipped cream.

not long after Christmas, i got my "annual" haircut. it was a pretty substantial cut!

ok, so, i am SOOOOOO SUPER excited for this next part! for new years, we went to the bay area and spent a few days with my family. i gave my daddy, my hubby and one of our daughters tickets for the raiders/ chargers game for Christmas, so we all went along for the ride. i went to THE most AWESOME super market, EVER! it is called Mi Pueblo and it is in San Jose. i have never in my life seen a cleaner, more organized store, EVER.

the bakery was amazing...no simple icing roses here. the cakes and tarts were perfect...

 

don't laugh...it's the little things that excite me in life :)

while i was freaking out about super markets, the dads were at the raider game with my little diva. i guess she made quite an impression on the "regulars" and was being asked if she would mind taking photos with other fans! they nick-named her "the raider angel"...oh boy...

apparently, they thought her bow was wings...

also on this joyous day, i got to go to santana row....*sigh, so rad! i got to shop at some of my favorite stores, maido and paper source,  but since it was new years day, everything closed early - boo!

oh paper and office supplies, how i love you so :) eh, now i'm sounding like a weirdo....oh well.

early in january, i was asked by a new dear friend to make a star wars cake for her son...i had never made one before, but thought, what the heck, so here's what i came up with...

horrible photo :/ everything, including the plaque is edible. i thought it came out quite nicely :)

been busy baking other things as well..such as...

best ever choclate chip cookies from HERE

came out perfect, no?

usually, i get the fever for baking all winter long, but with this awefully dry, warm winter, it has been different. i feel like spring has been knocking for months! this was one of the only snows we had all year...so sad :(

and last, but not least....my baby girl is grduating this year, so we decided to take out an ad in the year book with a photo of her and her longest friend...

THEN... {on the right}

and NOW... {on the left}

how time gets away from us...

*sniffle, sniffle...

and that's all for now folks! thakns for stopping by and getting through such a LONG post!

i'll be posting a crochet pattern and maybe some other fun stuff tomorrow :)

have a wonderful evening!

~r

{christmas baking}

well, i managed to get some baking and candy made... late as always, but i did it (with the help of little buddy and b! here are the recipes for 3 of our favorites :)

 

{double chocolate cookies}

slightly adapted from martha stewarts cookie book

makes 9 dozen!

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 pounds semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 large eggs

5 teaspoons pure vanilla (i LOVE vanilla)

1. Preheat oven to 325˚. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baing soda and salt to combine. melt chocolate and butter in a glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. transfer to a seperate bowl and add granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla. beat with an electric mixer on medium until combined. slowly add in flour mixture on low speed.

 

2. using a 1 1/2" scoop, place balls of dough on parchment lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. bake until cookies are flat and surface begins to crack (about 15 minutes).

we also always make a huge  batch of fudge for the holidays...

 

{chocolate fudge}

adapted from a hershey's fudge recipe i found in a magazine

this recipe makes a TON of fudge so beware!

8 tblsp. butter

2 2/3 cups evaporated milk

16 oz. mini marshmallows

7 cups chocolate chips

(i substitute peanut butter chips, mint chocolate chips, butterscotch and milk chocolate for different variations)

6 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

6 tsp. vanilla

*2 cups chopped nuts optional

combine butter, evaporated milk, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. bring to boil over meduim heat, stirring constantly. boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. remove from heat.

stir in marshmallows, chips and vanilla. stir until marshmallows are melted. pour into foil lined 12x12 square or 13x9 pan.

*sprinkle colored sugars, nuts, crushed candies, etc.

 

 and lastly...Christmas would not be Christmas without grama rosie's mexican sugar cookies. this recipe was passed down to my mother from either my grandmother lidia or my aunt d. she is having trouble remembering who!

 

 

i really hope you will have time to try one of these recipes for Christmas Eve!

in the midst of having a shoulder injury, baking and wrapping presents, i am also finishing up a bunch of crochet projects for gifts...

i still have 3 more to finish by tonight! better get hooking, huh?

have a wonderful day!

~r

pukies, recipes and big daddy j!

good morning! i had another calgon moment monday night...elijah had me up all night "puking". he really loves to tell everyone about  it, which is pretty funny. he is alright now, but holy cow, it was a LONG night! 1 hour of sleep :( i was a nightmare, i will admit, on tuesday...but it's all good now!

i really wanted to share pictures of our new paint job. after we came back from our vacation during spring break, we decided to paint the living and dining rooms...

before...

 

 

after...

 

 

i LOVE green!

another thing i failed to mention on my last post was Easter...one of the 2 most imprtant holidays, in my opinion...we always celebrate with the traditional baskets and egg hunts, but, for me, the most exciting and humbling part of Easter is remembering what our Saviour sacrificed for us.

 

 

april 20th is jimmie's b-day. it also happens to be hitler's birthday, the anniversay of the columbine tragedy and some kind of holiday for people who smoke pot...poor jimmie. i decided to surprise jimmie after church the day before his birthday, and get a bunch of the boys from the youth group to come over and celebrate. i made 8 chocolate cream pies and got 6 pizzas for 7 guys! i think they had a good time...

 

  

fire hazzard chocolate cream pie!

so here it is, the carne asada and pico de gallo recipe. please excuse the "little of this, little of that" measurements. seriously, it is so easy and you basically make it to your own taste.

pico de gallo

• tomato (5 or 6)
• onion (1 small or according to your liking)
• cilantro (half a bunch or so)
• lime (about 2)
• avocado ( i like alot, but do it according to your liking)
• salt

clean out the seeds from your tomatoes and dice into approx. 1/4 inch pieces. chop onion in the same way. cut avocado in half and peel. dice into 1/4 inch pieces. chop cilatro finely. combine tomato, onion, cilantro, lime and salt. add avocado last so it doesn't get "mooshy".

carne asada

• sirloin roast
• salt
• pepper

have the butcher slice roast thinly. salt and pepper both sides of each piece of carne. grill on the bbq. remember that since the meat is so thin, it will only take a couple of minutes to cook.

to serve:

serve with warm corn or flour tortillas. there you have it. super simple, super yummy and pretty good for you if you use corn tortillas.

enjoy!

 

 maybe today i can get some creative stuff done...wishful thinking, you say? i will try my darndest and see if i have something to show y'all tomorrow...until then, i will leave you with a picture i took from the back deck last week...

 

ttfn,

~r