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A Thoughtful Gesture from an Amazing Friend

When I got home this evening from taking Makayla home I was greeted by a “live plant” in a box. The box was half opened as Jim beat me home, but the suspense was killing me. Our best friends, Jen and Jerome (The Boroff’s) had sent us a gardenia telling us that they missed us and couldn’t wait until the next time we get together. It’s truly the little things in life that mean the most, not a thousand dollar trip to Hawaii or Vegas, but just simply telling the ones you care the most about that you are thinking about them and miss the time that you once spent as inseparable friends. If you know me you absolutely know that I love gardenias, the reason is because of my late Grandmother. My Grandma had a courtyard at her house in Irvine that had several gardenia bushes and her house always carried a gardenia aroma. I remember as a child sitting in her dining room adjacent to the sliding doors to the courtyard and on a early spring morning having a swift breeze carry the gardenia perfume throughout the house. It’s just one of those memories that keeps my Grandmother alive and I am thankful for my friends by allowing me to revisit a childhood memory. As a side story about gardenias, on our wedding day I was adamant about having two large gardenias for my hair during the reception. The flowers were suppose to supply two meanings: one being it would be beautiful and two every time I would move I know I would smell the gardenia scent and remember my Grandma who was there on that day only in spirit. Minutes before our reception started, my Mom was pinning my dress and I needed my flowers, nobody seemed to know where they were, I was in complete shock but knew that nothing could be done, my florist simply “forgot”. When my Father and I danced to Tim McGraw’s “My Little Girl” I was crying not only for that moment but I was so distraught about my missing gardenias, it was the one key element that I wanted because I miss her so dearly and have never had a proper good-bye, by smelling the aroma it brings my Grandmother back to me no matter where I am. Thank you again Jen and Jerome, I know you didn’t intend for me to get emotional but thank you for always being extremely thoughtful. I love you guys.

A Day With Kayla

Today I spent the day with my three-year-old neice, Makayla. Jim and I had picked her up last night in Murrieta and brought her back to our house to spend the night at Auntie and Uncle Jimmy’s house. She didn’t know what we were going to do but we started the day off with breakfast and cartoons and then headed out to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. This was both of our first times visiting the aquarium. When you drive down from Torey Pines Road you have an amazing view of the La Jolla bluffs and the Pacific Ocean. Upon entering the aquarium there are two extremely life-like Grey whales towering over you as you purchase tickets. When we entered we started to enter into the Hall of Fishes and Makayla really did not want anything to do with it. I think she really got overwhelmed with all the kids from the day camps and with the darkness. So, we headed outside and experienced the tide pools and all they had to offer. It was really neat because you can touch anything that lives within the tide pools. Today we saw an amazingly beautiful black octopus, hermit crabs, bright colored star fish (which one worker took out and placed into a bucket for Makayla to touch, it brought me back to the first time I touched a star fish…awww) many different types of fish, lobsters, crabs, prickly and sticky purple sea urchins, coral and tons of kelp. We soon left the picturesque cliffs and drove a little further down and decided to climb down the La Jolla Coves to the beach. Once down there Makayla played in the sand and got so excited that the water “kept washing her footprints away”. We played down there for a while and then headed to my work where she ate for the third time and somehow managed to eat 3/4 of a personal pizza, I guess this little one has her momma’s appetite! We left there and about five minutes after non-stop talking she was finally asleep. Overall, today was awesome! I truly miss seeing Makayla everyday, she definitely is one of a kind with her unconditional love and caring and not to mention her views from her three-year-old mind. What a great day!

Outside at the aquarium visiting the tide pools

I didn’t get pictures of all the neat sea life but this fish was so cool!

Touching a star fish for the first time

Down at the beach at the LJ Coves

CHHEEEEEESSSSE!

And then she sleeps. . .

Cupcake Pops

Thanks to Bakerella for inspiring me on another cupcake related obsession. I have been googling over these pops ever since I stumbled onto her blog months ago but I was waiting for a special day to roll around for me to spend a few hours in the kitchen. On Friday Jim asked me if I would be able to make red velvet cupcakes for his boss, Imad’s birthday celebration on Monday. Knowing I would say “yes”, I told him with excitement that I had something else in mind but it would still include red velvet cake. It was a fun evening because Jim had baked the cake earlier in the day and then after dinner while he was gardening I rolled the balls and placed them in the chocolate molds. When he was done we worked on them together and a few hours later we were finally done. I will admit that it is a little bit harder than it looks but I think once we do these a few times we will get the hang of it. I purchased a large flower pot from Michael’s and cut Styrofoam blocks to fit within the pot. I then placed the pops into an arrangement of cupcake pop Heaven. If you would like the recipe please visit Bakerella’s blog under Cupcake Bites Made Easy .Thank you Bakerella for inspiring me and for all the creative things that you come up with, you truly are an inspiration for all of us cupcake lovin‘ females out here in cupcake blog-land.

Jim-Boy doing an AMAZING job on the pops.

The finished product. . . not too shabby for our first attempt.

Happy Birthday Imad!

Annie, stop drooling and eat a damn cupcake pop…there at Jim’s desk. 🙂

What I purchased and used:

Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix (Target $1.07)

Betty Crocker Buttercream Frosting (Target $1.29)

Candy Melts in White and Yellow (Michael’s $2.99 each)

Candy Melts in Dark Chocolate (Michael’s $2.99)

Peanut Butter Cup Mold (Michael’s $1.99 x 3)

Lollipop Sticks (Michael’s $1.99)

M&M’s (Target .89)

Sprinkles (Albertson’s $3.99)

Side Note: The chocolate was really thick and difficult to put on the cake, I don’t know if I used too much frosting in the cake mixture as it really soft, or if I should have kept them in the freezer longer. I still have about ten cake balls left so I am going to attempt a few again to see if letting them mold longer will affect it or not. Overall, really tasty and I cannot wait to hear what Jim’s Co-workers thought.

Carrot Cake Cuppy Cakes w/ Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

I finally made them! I have had carrot cake cupcakes on my list for quite some time now, yesterday I went and bought everything and then I got too hot and opted for a nice quiet nap instead. This morning when I woke up I immediately went straight into the kitchen and starting whipping up these light and fluffy cakes. I can’t wait to bring my sister one tomorrow when I go to Murrieta, as carrot cake is her favorite she will be my toughest critic, I hope. I used Ina Garten’s recipe for the cake but added pineapple for extra tenderness. I can’t wait to try one for myself when I meet Jim for lunch. Yay! For baking in the morning and beating the mid-day’s sun.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 extra-large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
4 oz. Can of Pineapple Tid Bits
2 Packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. Powdered Ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.
Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 24 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add in Ginger once smooth.
When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

Ethan’s First Day of Kindergarten

My oh my! Where did the past four years, eight months and thirteen days disappear to? My one and only nephew started his first day of kindergarten today at Murrieta Elementary School. It was somewhat bittersweet as is any first day of school, but this day was one I had actually been dreading since the day he was born. When Ethan was brought into this world in October of 2003 I said to my sister that we were going to feel so old when he has his first day of school. I know it doesn’t seem that bad, I mean he’s not even five but it seems to be that time has swept by so fast; today kindergarten, tomorrow college. I know some of you are probably thinking that I am crazy especially since he is just my nephew, but Ethan is my bub, my buddy and my heart. I had been planning on being there with my sister but then I had to work, luckily, I had to go to the doctor’s today in Beverly Hills so I was able to make it and I am so glad that I did. I will never forget the moment and I am thankful that my Sister has allowed me to be involved in every aspect of their lives thus far. My heart melted today when Makayla cried because she was so sad that she couldn’t be with her older brother as he embarked on this new journey alone. Overall, today was a great day despite all the tears that have been shed. In the end there will always be many tears shed as any child embarks on the journey that we call life.