Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Where Do You Blog?



So I decided to link up to the Where do you blog? blog party over on the Centsational Girl site. My space is definitely not ideal- being in the same room as the kitchen, eating area, living room and play room. It is convenient for being able to keep my eye on things at all times, but I do miss having a space of my own. We are currently renting a home- therefore I can not alter the space to my liking. I definitely have learned to make it my own though by using fabrics, accessories and furniture. You can find me sitting at this desk in the morning while eating my two bowls of honey bunches of oats, during about an hour of nap-time and then again after my chillins' hit the hay. I am addicted to the blog world... but try to remind myself that there is more to life than sitting in front of this machine. Why is it so easy to get sucked in???

There you have it...my sunshine yellow office/everything else room, adorned with pics of my loves.

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Monday, August 30, 2010

Baking for the Baking Challenged: Betty's Chocolate Cream Pie

I don't bake...well, I do, sometimes, but I probably shouldn't. I can't even warm a loaf of bread without burning it...Kyle will attest to that. Cooking's more my thing- you can just throw whatever sounds good in a pot without measuring, and call it dinner. With baking, there's all that "preciseness" that I'm definitely not good with. I'm not really precise about much. As hard as I try- I'm alway a few minutes late (I hate that), I can't cut a straight line to save my life and I can't seem to follow through with the whole laundry process. Ya know- wash, dry, fold AND put away. I would like to think of myself as just a laid-back, free spirit...yea yea...I'll just keep telling myself that so all of the above will be okay in my mind. So- while I probably shouldn't bake, I love the challenge. I love the finished product. It makes me feel a little more like a REAL mom. And every once in a while I am actually proud of the results- although, I definitely did a few of my usual dummy moves while baking this pie. It didn't matter though because in the end this pie was awesome- if I must say so myself. I couldn't believe how much my boys LOVED it. They couldn't wait for desert and my oldest even said it was better than cookies or cupcakes. WOW! That makes me smile! So- here it is, my favorite pie EVER- please try...you'll be glad you did.


My goal was to make two pies...since the package came with two...I never said I made the crust from scratch too!

Dummy move #1: I forgot to double the recipe.............idiot!


I was pretty sure I had done something wrong because I thought the chocolate was NEVER gonna melt. Talk about stirring. This is the problem with me- I don't read ahead- I didn't realize that cream pies meant standing over the stove for like 25 minutes...stirring.

Oh- the goodness.

My pies before setting in the fridge.
Dummy move #2: Not really sure if it's my fault or not- but the pie crust in the back didn't bake right. It was all bubbled up on one side and looked completely ridiculous. Geez- I can't even make a pre-made pie crust right. I guess this didn't matter anyway- refer to Dummy Move #1. I did though pour a little in the crazy crust because I thought the first pie was full enough.
My lovely cookbook given to me by my favorite Aunt Paula as a shower gift approximately 7 years ago.

Don't look too close- the crust is doing something kind of funky on the bottom- but mmmaaaan was it good. I even fancied it up by shaving a little chocolate on top. Aint she pretty.


And if you don't believe me on the wonderfulness of this pie...just ask him. Faces don't lie!

Betty's Chocolate Cream Pie

Pastry for one-crust pie- I used store bought
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup sweetened whipped cream

1. Bake pastry
2. Beat egg yolks with fork in med. bowl; set aside. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk and then cut up chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
3. Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into pie crust. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set.
4. Remove plastic wrap. Top pie with sweetened whipped cream (I added some chocolate shavings). Cover and refrigerate cooled pie until serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Sweetened Whipped Cream
for one cup

Beat 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream and 1 tablespoon granulated or powdered sugar in chilled small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.



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Friday, August 27, 2010

Friday



Right now my house is clean.
The boys are asleep.
The quiet is peaceful.
The sun is hiding behind the clouds
and the thunder rumbles quietly.
So many things to do but I just want to crawl in bed.
Blog, clean the footprints off the wood floors, my "secret" project, finish my photo book.
Hmmmm...
Time is ticking- it is vanishing.
The chaos and the toys on my floor will be back all too soon.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Chic Peek: L's room inspiration

One of the most frustrating aspects of "renting" is that you can never really make it your own. Now- for some this is okay...moving in your stuff and just living, but for me, it's sadness. There's no painting walls, painting cabinets, building things, etc...instead I must find happiness in the room arrangement, choice of fabrics, pillows and wall hangings. I no longer can get tired of the paint color and run to Lowe's for a quick can of pick me up. I think Kyle used to secretly role his eyes when he would come home to find me with yet another can of paint...painting who knows what. I can't help it though, its just part of who I am...the seeker of design perfection for my home and family. I could eat, sleep and breathe this design stuff...the fabric, the furniture, the architecture, the colors, etc...ect...MY NAME IS KEVYN AND I AM A DESIGNAHOLIC. I know- cheesy, but that's how I feel. I go to bed thinking about how I will decorate my next house, when I have free reign to do whatever I want. (sad- I know) Now- please don't get me wrong, I am not admitting to be good at all this- I just love it. But, boy, you better watch out because all these bottled up ideas may explode when I get my next chance. So...anyway, after living in a fully furnished condo for a year (talk about torture for me), and now a beautiful carriage house, but a rental non-the-less, I felt L needed a more personal space of his own. A few months back I began to collect inspiration images and then decided on a plan. My mom came into town and we were on the hunt for all the items on my list and I even had her bring my sewing machine (in a small rolling suitcase) on the plane with her. I made a few pillow cases and curtain panels with some fabric bought from fabric worm. It took us the four days she was in town- but we did it. I did the best I could without being able to paint the walls or the furniture (which is my brothers)...it's definitely not what it would look like if I had free reign, but I do love it. I still want to add a few more touches- so I'm not going to post his room quite yet, instead I will leave you with the images I found for my inspiration.








P.S. Again- I'm not sure where I got this images because I didn't write it down a few months back. I'm sorry.



Thursday, August 19, 2010

I heart cheerios!











I'm attached.
I'm in love.
Those cheeks.
Those lips.
That way he says thank you mommy...in his nasally voice...all the time.
That shaggy do.
That cheezy grin.
Those blue saucer eyes.
The way he loves me.

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Today

Where was this verse yesterday as I was losing my temper...?


And of course- my two temper starters..........love them.
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Friday, August 13, 2010

Chicken...It's what's for dinner.

A few weeks ago back in big Tex my cousin made this delicious kid-friendly meal for a house full...it was YUMMY. Even though it wasn't Chic fil-A, the kiddo's scooped it up and cleaned their plates. This is a great alternative to drive-through dinners! My version was a little different then my cousins- but still great.

*Disclaimer- if the site of raw meat makes you queezy...I would not look any further.

This is my take (and Rachael's) on:

Chicken Tenders and Mac N Cheese











Baked Chicken Tenders

Mac N Cheese

Box of elbow noodles
Small block of Velveeta cheese (2% milk)
About a cup of low-fat milk
2 TBSP of low-fat butter or margarine
Salt
Pepper

Boil noodles per directions on box. Pour into crock pot and add chunks of Velveeta, milk and butter. Cook on low for about three hours- stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Easy Peasy...and oh so good. And to add a side of health...I served a side-salad for me and my hubby.

Enjoy!

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Fleck Family: Sneak Peek

So...I've decided to post all of my client pics on my KevynLynn Photography blog. The picture quality is soooo much better- so therefore, I will be using both blogs. I will though post a link to view the pics on my other blog when necessary. Hope this makes sense.





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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I love pretty fabric.

This is for a top secret project!!! I could just stare at it all day- cause they're so dang cute. All fabric was purchased at fabric worm.


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