Poem with a Headache

A Headache
Pain
Throbbing
Dull

Exhaustion
Tired
Laziness
Yawn

Irritation
Bother
Annoyance
Bug

The Good Stuff

I'm thinking of moving this blog to wordpress.  I love the title because I talk like that... Life... and all its good stuff....  I just realized the grammatical error of my blog title!  yikes!

Birthday Cake Recipe and What I Learned for the Next Time

So three other moms and I decided to join forces for one big birthday bash for our children whose birthdays were within several days of one another.  We opted to do a taco/nacho bar for food with each mom providing a cake or dessert as well for the birthday kiddos.

This is my crazy busy time of year with birthdays and activities, so I decided to make a no-bake birthday cake for something different and easier.

It didn't turn out easier only because I decided upon it at the last minute.  I created my own recipe and went from there.  If I make this cake in the future, it actually is quite easy and quite adaptable as well.  Here's what I did to make this Espresso Icebox Cake.

Ingredients:

6 Cups Heavy Cream
24T Powdered Sugar
Cold (but freshly made) Espresso
Wafer Cookies (I used a combination of butter wafers and almond thins)
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Syrup
Heath Bits
Whoppers

I made a LOT of homemade whipped cream, though I didn't use quite all of it.  I made the first batch which used the first 4 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.   Using my stand mixer, I whipped it until it formed soft peaks.  At that point, I added 16T of powdered sugar and approximately 1/4 C espresso.  I whipped the mixture together.

Next, I used a springform pan and layered the cake.  I started with a cookie layer, then whipped cream, then cookie, then whipped cream, etc.  Next I refrigerated.  It should be refrigerated overnight.   I started this late, so I didn't have time.  Therefore I put it in the freezer for awhile, then the fridge.

When it was time to leave for the party, I removed the springform pan.  Next I made the rest of the whipped cream and frosted the sides of the cake.  (Here's where i had leftover whipped cream).  I drizzled the dark chocolate over the top, then added the Heath bits.  I put the whoppers around the bottom just to create a decorative edge.

A few things I would have done differently.

I would have made a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top, but I just didn't have the time to that this time around.  I also contemplated drizzling caramel sauce.  That would have been yummy.

I would have ONLY used the butter wafers.  They were the tastiest.  However, when i went to the store, they didn't have what I was planning to use (chocolate wafer) & so I wasn't sure the best way to improvise.  I ended up buying 3 different types of cookie and using them all!  When eating some leftovers of this today, I noticed I didn't like the texture when i bit into the almond thins and tasted an almond.  It was OK, but just slightly off to me.  So next time:  butter wafers!

Also, I contemplated doing a raspberry whipped cream.  This would be so yummy if it were made with chocolate wafer cookies & raspberry whipped cream.  I may do that one of these days "just for the heck of it."

The fun thing about making this sort of creation is that you really could adjust the flavors so many different ways.

And very interesting to note that it definitely tasted better today than it did yesterday.  So i think being able to refrigerate overnight is key.

Anyway, I wanted to share this recipe because it is all my own!  

Now I am feeling full because I just ate some leftovers.

Sentimental for the Old Days

originally posted oct 1, 14

This evening I was stopped at a traffic signal next to a small blue car. I glanced over and saw the male driver with a smile upon his face. From the corner of my eye, I noticed an infant car seat in the back. I smiled as I thought of the days of early parenthood. I looked at the car again. This time I noticed that the mother was in the backseat with the baby. I could see just a little bit of curling brown hair sticking out over the seat. The mother was talking and smiling as she looked at her beloved child. The look upon the father's face was of complete happiness.

After Counting to180, She's Out

Originally posted on Bubblews, 8/20/14

The littlest of my littles should have fallen asleep before her head even hit the pillow. The girl has been tired, tired, tired since this afternoon. She had a full afternoon playing in the sun at a friend's pool. As we drove home, she nearly drifted to sleep. However, we arrived home just in the nick of time to keep her awake.
Then she had a meltdown after dinner, again, EXHAUSTED. She recovered with a zing!
Next came the five minutes until bedtime tears. She cried. I held her. She was so close. So close.
We snuggled close into bed. I waited anxiously for that deep breathing that signals sleep. Yet, wait, what happened? The girl was suddenly smiling and happy and AWAKE!
Another two hours passed. The next thing I know, the energized three-year old began counting. She reached 180 with glee!
Where does a girl get such energy?
11:10pm, she finally drifted off to sleep.
Now I am awake.

Conversations with Ella

The One Word Edition, originally posted on Bubblews on 9/1/2014

This afternoon we were talking about Ella's upcoming dental surgery. We have wondered at times if she has an underlying pain that she doesn't complain about, but that bothers her. And we jokingly say that this is why she is so moody all of the time.
Seriously, she is my most "spirited" child. She throws fits the likes of which most of you have never experienced.
I have been saying that she will miraculously be constantly cheerful after her upcoming surgery.
Today, I said to Ella, "Ella, one of these days you are not going to be grumpy all the time."
She responded, "When?"
The best part of her simple response was that she seemed to genuinely wonder WHEN she would not be a grump anymore. It was priceless

Why Do We always Break Things?

Recently, I wrote a post about how my house is like the Bermuda Triangle. Things get lost often. Another annoying thing about my house is the way this seem to be broken.... often. There are always cups, bowls, plates, etc that end up breaking. It is not even always the fault of my children, though most of the time it is.

About two weeks ago, I broke our new beer mug and a favorite bowl of mine because I was trying to move a cutting mat. I had no idea that it was touching something that was touching something that was touching something. It was like a house of cards that all came tumbling down.

Tonight, my daughter was attempting to reach a plate which was beneath a mug in a cabinet. The mug and plate proceeded to fall to the countertop and landed, along with a whole stack of other plates, atop a glass measuring cup and wine glasses. Needless to say, glass shattered. A mess spread everywhere.

Why does it seem that we break EVERYTHING?

This post was originally posted on Bubblews by me on June 20, 2014