recipe: cake batter blondies

~:~ cake batter blondies ~:~

(- a pinterest find -)

ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/4 c vegetable or canola oil

1 egg

1/2 c milk

1/4 c rainbow sprinkles

1/2 c white chocolate chippies

directions:

add to and combine first three ingredients in a bowl (texture should be crumbly).  whisk in milk; dough will form.  mix in white chocolate chips and sprinkles with wooden spoon.  pour into greased 8x8 glass baking dish.  bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  edges should be just be starting to turn golden brown.  center should appear unsettled - these are supposed to be gooey!

finished product:

drooling??  they reeeeeally are as good as they look!

are you local?

stop by my fair verona booth at this craft sale (at chris's house) this weekend:

      

these blondies will be there!

note:  there will be much more at my booth than what is available at my etsy shop.

happy december!

: )

* a li'l' tour *

my bff's 'dying to see pics' of our newly painted living room. 

she's been home bound with a sick little two-year-old for the past couple of weeks.  

: (

alyssa, hair ya go!

the advent calender

custom coasters i crafted

my vintage birdcage

my gigunda mirror

the tv table.  hello mr. snail.

decorated last weekend

my frame mosaic

my corner chair.  last year's Christmas present.

and while i was at it, i took photos of the rest of the downstairs.......

the 

dinning room:

a prized possession.  shallow?  nah.
i <3 this.

our homeschooling nook

my refurbished hutch

bottom half

armoire top.  we don't have a mantle so i decorate this!

my corner cabinet

top half

my vintage gingerbread men.  they no longer work.  *pout*

the kitch:

nook

. fourth time around .

this site is right up the road from us.  

yesterday i shared:

"grateful for turning over new leaves in my spiritual life.  discovering fresh truths for the first time, establishing my beliefs, newfound sisters and brothers.  it's a journey and i'm enjoying this autumn path."

in specifics, what does this mean you ask?

i'll tell.

baptism.

it's powerful.

way more powerful than i was ever taught.  more than i ever sought.  more than i ever believed.

it's necessary.

more than i was ever taught.  or ever sought.  or ever believed.

so, with a giggle, i am announcing that for the fourth time in my life 

i'm getting baptized.

except this time it means something other than obedience.

yes, it means 

salvation.

just last weekend i was feeling particularly desensitized. 

and i specifically thought, "how can God be living in me and i have no feeling?  no genuine sense of happiness/laughter, no empathy or sympathy? i don't feel it.  i can go through the motions, but i don't feel it."

simple:

God's not living in me.

before when i was baptized (once as a baby, twice as an adult) i wasn't aware of the reception of the Holy Spirit at that point.

and this is something i've discovered over the past couple of months as i've studied.

looking up the actual greek, along with reading the KJ3, and i've learned that this is something i can't deny.  i just can't.  because if i let my pride take over, i would deny it.  my oh-i'm-not-wrong-this-is-what-i've-always-heard mentality i've since denied.  and died to.

my-oh-you-know-way-more-than-i-do-so-i'll-just-follow-what-you-say-and-think mentality i've since denied.

God and His word are my authority.

and with them i won't be lost.

and, as my friend pointed out last night, my journey, especially in the past two years, abruptly and beautifully makes sense now.  

i've sought God.  and i've wondered over the past two years, "where are You?  i don't feel You, i certainly don't see You......."

well, He's shown me everything that church is not.

everything that love is not.

everything that trust is not.

everything that community is not.

and my eyes are now open.

and i am ready to take the plunge.

: )

happy thanksgiving.

- grateful -

oh, hello there!

i know.  it's been a while.  

i'm a busy mamom; what else can i say?

busy can have a negative connotation so i've changed my mind to grateful.  

because:

lately i've been convicted.  so i'm consciously putting effort into being joyful in all i do, serving with a happy, cheerful heart.  as opposed to feeling sorry for myself.  as opposed to dragging my feet.  as opposed to making an ugly face at and scoffing at what's on my plate.  because when i have perspective, i'm truly grateful for all that i have and all i'm able to do in my life.

busy grateful for tying up loose ends for julian's birthday party.  i can't believe i'm going to have a 5 year old.  when did that happen?  

planning, purchasing favors, making this bunting/banner.......the list goes on.  and on.

busy grateful for reinventing.

we painted our living room and marza's room.  two big projects complete in two days.  taking in and enjoying the newness, the changing seasons, the dawn of winter, anticipating what awaits.

painted walls from bright purple to light grey, rearranged furniture, painted and decoupaged dresser.......

busy with grateful for Christmas.  

i'm happy to say that Chrsitmas shopping is almost done.  all i have left is eric.  

: )  <-------this is me smiling

Christmas greeting:  done!  i braved this task over the weekend.  there were only a couple moments where the wick to my personal bomb got dangerously short.  i adore the finished product!  

sneak peek:

busy grateful for turning over new leaves in my spiritual life.  discovering fresh truths for the first time, establishing my beliefs, newfound sisters and brothers.  it's a journey and i'm enjoying this autumn path. 

busy grateful for drawing on li'l' cuties.

busy grateful for running the kids all over the place; appointments, commitments, dance, karate, gymnastics, grocery shopping, homeschooling.......

my ballerina babe

busy with grateful for my thanksgiving responsibility: dessert!

i'm grateful for countless blessings.  most of all, i'm grateful for the cross.

happy thanksgiving, loves! 

* fair verona event *

hello friends!

come support fair verona at this local craft sale held at chris's house!

just a couple weeks away.......

.......hope to see you there!

* saturday status report *

october rewind:
a month in facebook statuses:

pulled out the wii fit this afternoon and did yoga with the kids.  what i heard:

molly:  "go mom!  go mama!!"

julian:  "i can't do this.  i want candy."

- and -

"what's this?!?!  'sun salutation'??  this one makes me poop."

***

scoping out target for some post-halloween deals, tuesday treats with the kids, dance class for molly, dinner, karate for julian, coffee date later in menomonie.......

***

watching my favorite halloweenish movie, coraline, with my sweet babes.......popping pop corn.  trick-or-treating laterrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....................

***

sooo every time i have a small piece of something i can wad into a teeny ball to throw at eric, i miss him.  like every time.  no matter how the heck close i am to him.   just no i tried to do it was we're sitting at the dinning room table next to each other.  and i missed.  soooooooo.......he finally had mercy on me and gave me a few pointers.  he even sat there as a target.  what a guy.  : )

***

eating an apple with peanut butter that eric prepared for me.  perusing pinterest.  to the sound of band of horses.  beside a window dressed with a grey gloomy sky.  mhmm.  this is how i'm spending my sunday morning.  *smile*

***

julian:  "mom, can God count to 1,011?"
me:  "yup."
julian:  "how about 1-O-O-O?"
me:  "yeah."
julian:  "can He count backwards?"
me:  "mhmm."
julian:  "can He count in spanish?!"

***

blogging next to eric playing madden.  kids:  sleeping.  candles:  lit.  blankets:  on.  sipping:  hot chocolate.  life is guud.

***

in the van this evening.......
julian:  "mom, my favorite car is a big truck with lots of horns on it.  beep beep!"
later.......
julian:  (squeezing my arm) "goodnight mom.  i love you so much!!  you're darn sweet!"

***

this morning,
julian:  "mom, can i look in the windows and see if it's the morning?"
me:  "mhmm."
julian:  "ok, if it is i'm gonna say cock-a-doodle-doo."

***

dropped off shelb and my mom at the airport this morning.  i cried.  julian sobbed (into his alligator pillow shelb got him) half the way home.  and molly talked about her emotions:  "shelb and gramma are going home.  that's sad!"

***

carving mammoth mutant pumpkins with the fam.......

***

the other day after julian's 483, 184th question of the day:
me:  "ok, stop talking to me."
julian:  "but i'm just like 'martha speaks' and 'science kid' who asks everything."

***

the world would seriously be more of a peaceful place to dwell in if people would lose the attitude of thinking they deserve everything.  because, in fact, we're entitled to n-o-t-h-i-n-g.

***

ew.  pandas are creepy.  i'm scared of them.

***

julian this morning while gazing out the window as the sun came up:
"goodnight fireflies.  goodnight owls.  goodnight bats."
running into my studio,
"mom, what else is nocturnal???  oh, i know!!  mouses!  goodnight mouses."

***

ugh.  if they cut all the crap out of football the actual game would probably be 45 minutes.  4th quarter?  oh, ok, then that means there's like 3 hours left, right??  wwaasssssteee oooofffffff tiiiiiimmmmmeeeee.

have a great weekend, beauties!

riverview
eau claire, wi
blustery, sunny
october 2011

the nostalgia of fall

a couple weekends ago we took our traditional annual autumn drive through jim falls, wi.  

this is why we make it a point to go on a regular basis, specifically this time of year:

it's crazy beautiful.

brisk, crisp, sunny.
corn, burnt leaves, country.
desolate, familiar, brown.
peaceful.
nostalgic.
autumn.

x a blessed halloween x

blessed?

oh yes.

at the beginning of october, i didn't even know if we'd be able to take the kids trick-or-treating.

i didn't know what kind of condition molly would be in.
i imagined many scenarios.
perhaps she would be immobile?  perhaps we might be dwelling in our humble abode, handing out candy, one of us sitting beside her on all hallow's eve.

i thought at best we would be pushing her in a stroller.

i just didn't know.

so, with tears in my eyes, i am happy to report she walked completely on her own for most of the time.

daddy embraced and carried his doll as she tired.
.......or when her pink sparkly shoes randomly flew off her feet.

my daughter is one determined trooper.

i am amazed by her.

my blessed little nest:

molly:  fairy (made up with resources from her whimsy enchanted collection)

julian:  captain america (bought post-halloween last year at target for $1.00)

me:  a cute cottage witch who bakes cookies and other treats for neighborhood children.  : )

eric:  jean francois philippe (a.k.a. some random parisian)

i just a-d-o-r-e julian's jack-o-lantern.
he drew on the pumpkin what he wanted and i carved it for him.
it has legs.
i just adore it.