This weekend was Father's day weekend. I got the rare pleasure of not only celebrating with my wonderful husband and father-in-law, but also my own incredible Dad who made it out to Pittsburgh for a weekend visit with my Mom and brothers. As an added bonus, my Mom's brother and wife joined us from Kentucky to give us a beautiful bird who was causing some unwelcome mischief at their house with it's female counterpart. Like usual, Friday through Sunday passed in the blink of an eye and I'm sitting here now, on Monday, calm as can be. Our hurricane weekend was filled with food and family and a whole lot of fun moments. Moments that, once again, bring me so much joy and happiness. Very little ... read more
The Art of Growing {Up}
I'm an imperfect person. (Grey's Anatomy anyone?) But seriously, I am. We all are. Perfection is for cupcakes, and dessert. Pillows can be perfect. Sunny days are perfect. The yellow raincoat I just pinned on pinterest- perfect. People aren't perfect. I'm not. You're not. But it doesn't change the fact that we want perfect. We grow up looking for the perfect partner- I found mine. We get married and hope for the perfect children- yep, got them too. They aren't perfect. But they are my perfect. For those of you that don't know, we found out a few days ago that our second daughter, Grace, has profound hearing loss. Complete loss in the right ear, and moderate loss in the left. For the ... read more
Chocolate Frosting
I wanted to share a great icing recipe with you all that was the result of some kitchen impatience I was experiencing Mother's Day morning. This ganache based frosting was the perfect compliment to my favorite chocolate cake recipe and the perfect ending to a wonderful dinner with family. Call it a happy accident, or call it culinary genius, it's a total win. First, make the ganache. Heat a cup of heavy cream on a stove until tiny bubble form on the outer edge but it does NOT boil. Boiled cream is gross. It's true. Pour this over 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips. If you have a handy dandy toddler nearby go ahead and use that, otherwise grab a whisk and mix until smooth. Now you could give this ... read more
Blocks and Birdhouses
Sometimes I start a project with the best of intentions (really, I do), but too often those projects kind of fall by the wayside. I lose steam, relieve the creative itch and then it's over. Sadly, these adorable blocks are one of those projects. I mean look at them! How cute would a set of these make as a baby shower gift or gift for a toddler? So cute. A few of the sides have letters of the alphabet, maybe one side has a number, a picture. Problem is, I was taking such care on each individual side. Sitting leisurely at the table, planning the design, the colors. But all of a sudden it hits me: holy crap there are let's see... 26 blocks (one for each letter of the alphabet) and each ... read more