by Sarah | Mar 5, 2014 | All About Home, Blogging Life, Pinterest Challenge, Redefining Perfect
I’m a Pinterest junkie. I pin everything and anything, really. I even have a tendency to make probably 5% of all I pin, that’s capable of being made. Usually food items first, but a craft or two slips in. I want to be more active so I’ve decided to try to do two a month, one food, one craft.
I’m starting with these Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes (from Sally’s Baking Addiction).
I’m a sucker for Red Velvet, and for cheesecake, so what better, right?
First off, I only have one mini-cupcake pan, so I made regular size cupcakes. The final product looked identical to the mini ones pictured on the original site.
I managed to make the cupcakes in about an hour with little mess. I was even able to wash my mixer while the cookie base baked. The recipe was easy to follow, and I loved the addition of yogurt in the cheesecake.
Of course, the proof is in the final product. The cupcakes came out beautifully. Just stunning.
I could hardly wait the appropriate cool-down period to dive in.
The cheesecake tasted amazing. The red velvet was good, but too much. Because it’s a dense “cookie” form instead of a light cupcake sort, there was too much cookie to cheesecake in the ratio.
My end result? A definite YAY ~ with a sidebar. Next time I make it, I’ll adjust the recipe and make half the cookie recipe, and double the cheesecake. In my opinion that would make perfection!! (and that is just my opinion, the teen is scarfing them down like nobody’s business)
And no, I’m not going to put the recipe here, I made no adjustments, just followed it exactly. So head on over to Sally’s Baking Addiction to get the recipe. It’s delicious.
by Sarah | Mar 4, 2014 | All About Me, Redefining Perfect, Top Ten Tuesday
Books have been my favorite thing for as long as I can remember.
No, really. I’ve often shared the story of how my first nightmare ever was of me destroying my favorite book, [amazon_link id=”B000IYCL4Q” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Bongo[/amazon_link].
So what better way to start my Top Ten Tuesdays then with my favorite books? Trust me, this sucker is going to be a tough list. I have to say this list is “currently” or “for now”. I’m always reading and finding new books, and sometimes forgetting them. So I could come back in a year with a totally different list (or it may stay much the same).
So without further ado…the list.
10. [amazon_link id=”1451657889″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Wicked As They Come (Blud #1)[/amazon_link] ~Delilah S. Dawson — A unique story of vampires in a combination of the modern and a steampunk world. It’s #10 because it took me a little to get through it and get totally caught up, but once I did I was hooked. Loved it!
9. [amazon_link id=”1419709704″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Splintered (Splintered #1)[/amazon_link] ~ A.G. Howard — Wow. I loved this take on Alice in Wonderland!! Totally imaginative and fun. Both the [amazon_link id=”B00FJ7NTP2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]novella[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”1419709712″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]book 2[/amazon_link] are on my wish list.
8. [amazon_link id=”1594744769″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children[/amazon_link] ~ Ransom Riggs — I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this book. It kept me enthralled with the unusual children based on real photographs. I’m looking forward to [amazon_link id=”1594746125″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Hollow City[/amazon_link]!!
7. [amazon_link id=”031257357X” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Still Missing[/amazon_link] ~Chevy Stevens — An amazing heartfelt story about life after the abduction. The ripple effect carries throughout Annie’s life after she gets home…and the answers she finds have surprises of their own.
6. [amazon_link id=”1439102813″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Still Alice[/amazon_link] ~Lisa Genova — Painful. Beautiful. (Warning: not a recommended read if you have someone in your life with Alzheimer’s, it might be too painful)
5. [amazon_link id=”0425247449″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]What Alice Forgot[/amazon_link] ~Liane Moriarty — A driven mom falls of an exercise bike and hits her head – losing 10 years of her life. The life she remembers is not the life she’s living.
4. The Demon Tales Series ~Kerrianne Coombes — Kerrianne’s take on the classic fairy tales is amazing (and hot). Starting with [amazon_link id=”B00816NFJ8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Beauty and the Beast[/amazon_link], to [amazon_link id=”B0098M0IYY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Cinderella[/amazon_link], to [amazon_link id=”1618855964″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Snow White[/amazon_link], and [amazon_link id=”1618859056″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Rapunzel[/amazon_link], I’ve loved every story. I have my hot little hands on [amazon_link id=”B00H29N3A6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sleeping Beauty[/amazon_link], too & can’t wait to read it!! I know the author has more coming, I follow her on FB 😉
3. [amazon_link id=”0061962155″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Confessions of a Prairie Bitch[/amazon_link] ~Alison Arngram — Confession here, I did NOT like the TV series Little House. I know, it’s a travesty since the books are in my top 10. Mostly because I thought the TV show strayed too far from the books…and to me that was sacrilege. I LOVED the book. That all being said – I liked this book so much it is the ONLY non-fiction book on this list, especially since I’m not a fan of memoirs in most cases. Alison’s recounting of her time on Little House almost made me want to try watching it again (almost). She displayed humor, grace, and a nice dose of snark, just how I like my peeps.
2. [amazon_link id=”0060754281″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Little House Series[/amazon_link] ~Laura Ingalls Wilder — first books I read, and read religiously. I’m now reading them with my girls and they remain my favorites. They mean too much to me not to. (P.S. the only adaptation I like of the books to film of any kind is the miniseries from a few years back done by Disney.)
1. [amazon_link id=”0545162076″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Harry Potter series[/amazon_link] ~J.K. Rowling — This is the first year I can say that this series makes my top 10. My first read-through I was more “eh” over the series. I didn’t “get” the madhouse fandom. After a second read-through in 2013 I’m totally on board. My girls love them, my husband loves them…the teen never got into them, but that’s okay.
*
And that’s my list for this week. I may revisit this in six months and see if it still stands.
What about you? What are your favorite books? I’m always looking for new recommendations?
Feel free to join me for Top Ten Tuesday! If anyone is interested, I can create a linky 😀
by Sarah | Feb 12, 2014 | All About Erik, All About Indiana, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Indiana State Museum
This weekend the Indiana State Museum is hosting their 11th Annual Art Fair!
And the best part, is preview night is on Valentine’s day!
I’m not usually a big hearts & flowers – “I LOVE Valentine’s Day” type of girl. In fact, Erik knows that if he gets me something on Valentine’s I’m more likely to be annoyed than all lovey-dovey about it. I don’t like to make it a “thing”.
However, this year? When I got the option of going to an Art Fair filled with art by 60 Hoosier Artists representing 21 countries, along with some cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on this big romantic day – I was all over that. Erik and I are going to make a date of it.
I love that we can view, and even buy, beautiful pieces of work from local artists. You can preview some of the artwork now on the Indiana Art Fair Facebook page. I, personally, would rather spend the night enjoying beauty and supporting local artists, than worrying about flowers and hearts. It’s the ideal compromise for me – it’s a date, without the pressure of the label the day brings. It’s a total win-win.
The Indiana Art Fair Preview night is on February 14th from 5:30 to 8PM. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for non-members (as a bonus, your admission ticket to the Friday evening reception can be redeemed for free admission to the Indiana Art Fair on Saturday, Feb. 15).
If you can’t make it on Valentine’s Day, you can still see the Art Fair from 10AM-5PM on Saturday the 15th – and the cost is included in the regular museum admission ($10 adults, $9 seniors aged 60+, $5.50 child aged 3-12).
Have you been to the Art Fair before? Do you plan on going again?
*~*
*Disclaimer: In exchange for this post I was given two tickets to the Indiana Art Fair. All opinions are my own.
by Sarah | Jan 30, 2014 | All of Us, Blogging Life, Random, SITS Girls, Sponsored
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Home Run Inn Pizza
This past month has been a crazy chaotic sort of month.
Foot surgery, insane weather, school closings/delays left and right.
Dinnertime has suffered the biggest blow in the midst of all of this. Namely because I’ve been laid up. I did pre-make a bunch of dinners, but once those ran out, Erik was left holding the bag.
Oh, who am I kidding, even at full strength, there are days when getting food on the table is more of an accomplishment than status quo.
On the days when dinner is a rushed affair, last minute, our favorite go-to meal is freezer pizza. The girls scarf down cheese slices (and face it, anything I can get them to scarf down is awesome). The boys and I totally dig the meaty pizzas.
The past few days I’ve been working really hard on finishing & editing my next book, so dinner has been more of an afterthought. So tonight I made Erik stop on the way home at Kroger and pick up a couple of Home Run Inn pizzas.
I know, I know–you think “Ew. Cardboard.”
Ah, but if you think that you haven’t tried Home Run Inn Pizza.
The taste of this pizza is so delicious, I even eat more than I usually do. I’ve even compared the crust to puff pastry, it’s so flaky.
No cardboard here.
Best part? My kids eat more dinner (which, in this house, all the kids have weight issues and need to eat more)–and it’s not bad for them. In fact, Home Run Inn pizza is all natural. Real meats and cheeses – no preservatives! So I’m still managing to feed them healthy when time is tight.
So far we’ve only had the pepperoni and cheese, but I know Erik’s itching to try the sausage. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of chances to try.
After all, around these parts, quick dinners are needed more often than not. And as far as I’m concerned, Home Run Inn is the only frozen pizza out there anymore.
Seriously, doesn’t that look good? Which one do you want to try? Pepperoni, Sausage, or cheese?
*~*
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Home Run Inn pizza
by Sarah | Dec 2, 2013 | All About Indiana, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Indy Geek Girls
I have this awesome friend, maybe you know her?
Emily, aka Designhermomma
Back in early October she made
<—This tweet.
I was intrigued, and asked if she wanted another participant for control. She said “Sure!” and off I went to the races.
Over the course of 3 days I entered 100 random giveaways using the #giveaway hashtag on twitter.
I was NOT picky. Not in the slightest.
I signed up for iPads, Kindles, ebooks, diapers (which, really, I don’t need), toys, power tools…pretty much everything under the sun including coupons.
I figured, hey…it’s just for fun.
I guessed I’d win 1…maybe 2 tops…since I don’t have stellar luck most times (Still in total shock I won a KitchenAid 6 years back).
To keep my mental status somewhat in check I kept records.
The websites URL, the end date, and the product. I figured I’d win something I had NO use for and donate it to someone who did.
I kept track, and as the month, and most of the giveaways, drew to a close I realized I had won a grand total of…
ZERO.
None.
None?
I know my luck is bad, but that couldn’t be right. 100 giveaways and nothing?
I thought it was a fluke, so I tried again. I took another weekend and randomly entered another 100 giveaways (plus a few I spotted I really wanted…grand total was probably around 125).
This time I was even more particular. I didn’t put extra entries in anything, I did the minimum required entry for everything and left it at that (no matter how bad I really wanted it). Figured maybe a level playing field would be better.
As November drew to a close and still no “Congratulations!!” emails came my way…
I mean really?
I’m not a greedy person, and I didn’t care one way or another.
But 200+ giveaways entered, and I won…NOTHING?
Talk about a bust!
So this was one social experiment that, for me, was a wash.
Emily? Oh, she entered about 80 and won 4 little items.
Wonder if she’ll send me some of her luck?
by Sarah | Nov 30, 2013 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Clever Girls
Up until now our Wii got most of its use from watching movies, or the teenager playing one of his games. There was only one or two games that we could all get into.
Then we got a hold of this one…Just Dance Kids 2014.
I have to admit when I first read the back I got a little excited when I saw “Make it Shine” from Victorious on there…plus a song by Ariana Grande. I’m such a closet (or not so closet anymore) Victorious lover. It’s one of the shows I miss now that we aren’t on cable. 😀
So this week we brought out the Wii for something we all could play – and play we ALL did…even the teen!!
The girls, of course, got first run and boy did they tear it up, to several songs, including “Make it Shine”.
Then it was time for Erik and I to play.
And wouldn’t you know…we did THE HUSTLE!! It was a laugh-riot getting Erik into the mix and doing The Hustle with me. Both of us were laughing by the time it was done, and were reluctant to return the remotes back over!
Then, with a little nudging and encouragement we actually got the teenager to play along. It was only for a game, but I know that he’d never admit how much fun he had.
The girls kept playing for another good hour before we settled down and got ready for bed. By the next day they were begging to play again…and we were all too happy to oblige. The game is addicting, and clean fun, and everyone enjoys playing it. I have a feeling the Wii will stay out of hiding for a good long while now.
As you can see, the girls LOVED it. They were all too happy to lend their review once I managed to get their attention away from the game!!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I’m starting with these Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes (from Sally’s Baking Addiction).
Of course, the proof is in the final product. The cupcakes came out beautifully. Just stunning.
