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a quick trip home for a snow day!

my sister’s family along with ours headed up to my parents house last wednesday night. jim was taking ethan snowboarding for the first time. we packed up both cars early thursday morning and headed to the schack’s cabin in big bear. the schack’s cabin is in the ideal spot, right on big bear express. their garage has bunk beds lining the walls and the other remaining walls are like a rental shop. we found boots, a board, pants and gloves for ethan and jim got him all setup. they were all ready to go within thirty minutes and walked down big bear express. we headed out to breakfast, which is never relaxing for me because payton always wants to run around and then brayden decided to have a blowout up to his neck. fun! luckily for me his easter shirt was still in my car so he got to wear that a few days early. we went to starbucks, pondered going bowling but decided to just go play in the backyard of the cabin with what snow was left. it was relaxing, hearing the amazingly good snowboarders ride on by as i sipped on my starbucks double shot. there was a red bull event going on so the talent was amazing! plus, my friend suzanne stopped by on her lunch break and got to meet brayden, we miss her and travis a lot! all in all, it was a great relaxing day getaway, wish we would’ve had more time but jim had to go to work on friday.

jim fitting ethan on the board. i don’t know if i’ve ever mentioned that he used to be an instructor until they almost killed him. that’s why he has that super cool backwards nike swoosh on his forehead.

my brother-in-law jason and the girls

ethan did really well for his first time. they took about ten runs and he didn’t want to stop.

all of us.

jim took the girls one-by-one and skated with them. they loved it, despite payton’s super excited look here. she was over tired.

the last shot of the day. which actually was perfect timing, i just wanted to snap a picture of the girls sitting together but then they started waving and yelling at jim who was just coming in from a solo run.

maple french toast cupcakes w/ candied bacon {recipe}

yes, you read correctly. maple + french toast cupcake + maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting + candied maple bacon = a happy, happy mouth. i made these cupcakes in 2010 for jim’s coworker. they were a hit then so when my friends sister requested these for her baby shower i knew i had to revisit the same recipe. this time, i candied the bacon, which takes these over the top. the cake is very dense like a stack of french toast but instead of being soaked up my maple syrup and powdered sugar you get a sweet dollop of frosting and crunchy bacon. taking a bite of these made my sunday morning that much better. if you ever want to hear a room full of women go cray cray over a cupcake bring this one to your next get together. you can thank me for later.

ain’t she purrrttty?!

maple french toast cupcakes

recipe from food network

I doubled this recipe and I got 22 cupcakes.

For the Cupcakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 3.9-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon potato starch (not necessary, the first time i did not use this, second time i did)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half, at room temperature
1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (5 strips) (i omitted this)

For the Frosting:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (i used maple extract for a more robust flavor, if you use syrup make sure it’s a good grade)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flours, pudding mix, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon; beat until combined. Spread on the cooled cupcakes; top with chopped bacon, if desired.

candied maple bacon

you’re going to need as much bacon as you desire. i used half a package. i sent hubby to the store for bacon from the counter but they were out so he picked up maple bacon thinking it would taste good, he was right!

brown sugar

preheat your oven to 375 degrees. remove bacon from package and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

place bacon slices on top of paper.

liberally sprinkle with brown sugar. bake for 15-20 minutes or until you have the desired crispness.

i left the bacon for the hubby to remove while delivering another cupcake order, it went a little too long so just watch it.

crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top of cupcakes or just devour it all before it makes it there. not sayin’ i did that at all. 😉

linking up with live.laugh.rowe

monday phone dump {link-up party}

i was a bad blogger last week. we were just so busy! by the time wednesday got here i was out the door minutes after the kids waking up to hunt for easter outfits, run errands, etc. before driving up to my parents house. thursday jim took my nephew, ethan, snowboarding for the first time. so my sister, brother -in-law and the kids hung around the schack’s cabin. friday was another day of errands before the weekend. we had an amazing weekend, well, really an amazing four days. looking forward to the end of the month when jim is off for a week when my mother-in-law is visiting from new jersey. this weekend i didn’t have too many cell pictures because my dslr was literally strapped to me at all times. it’s amazing how that works sometimes. i won’t be a bad blogger this week because i have too many pictures and recipes that have been piling up! maybe i will post a recipe for maple french toast and candied bacon cupcakes next…

i am linking up with what makes savanah smile

from top left to right.

* ethan and payton just as we were leaving my parents for the 12 mile drive up to big bear. it was an amazing day and ethan did great!

* on saturday the four of us went to our church for the annual easter family service and festivities that followed.

* on wednesday, janelle purchased payton her first princess doll since payton would not part with it while making a stop at the disney store to regroup and feed the babies. let’s just say payton has not parted with charlotte from the princess and the frog.

* i had a sesame street cupcake order on saturday. after seeing the tortilla curtain on friday night i came home and knocked out the cupcakes. this is the second time i have done elmo, he’s always so fun to look at.

* my nonfat starbucks double shot – my drink of choice. this one was sipped on while sitting out on the deck looking at all the talented kids hit the rail on big bear express, listening to the kids play in the snow. it was bliss. i will reference this picture over the next few weeks since i am strictly back to tea.

* the annual easter bunny photo. payton looks the exact same as last year except more hair and a slightly stronger attitude.

how was your weekend?

easy spring burlap wreath {diy tutorial}

last week when we went to my sisters house for my nieces birthday party we were greeted with this gorgeous wreath. the first thing i said to her was that she had to make me one. since i knew we were heading back to her house the following saturday for my nieces actual birthday we arranged to make it then. my sister found the tutorial via pinterest from top this top that.

isn’t it purrty? this is my sisters, let’s see how we made mine.

you are going to need:

– a wire wreath (any size can work, we used a 12″) $2.99

– a roll of 4″ burlap, roughly 10 yards $8.99

– scissors

– flower bunches $1.99 each (she bought two which was enough for both of ours)

– carrots (pier 1) $4.95 on sale for $4

– moss bunny (pier 1) $2.95 on sale for $2

tip: use a craft store coupon to get the burlap & wire wreath for less.

take your wreath and place it on a clean and clutter free work space.

start at the top of burlap and use the hook to secure the burlap.

loop the burlap through the top, middle and bottom opening.

keep looping. it doesn’t have to be perfect, you will fluff it at the end.

eat a cupcake while your sisters works away. . .can you tell i am the older sibling? 😉

fluff and even the burlap out.

take your moss bunny and wrap the stick around the wire wreath. fluff the burlap so you don’t see the wooden stick. take two sprigs of flowers and insert into the burlap holes.

secure the flowers with the piece of jute that wrapped the roll of burlap.

next, untie the piece of jute that comes on the carrots. tie the jute securely behind the wreath. stick the last two sprigs of flowers behind the carrots.

voila! you now have a pretty spring wreath. since the spring embellishments are just tied on you could easily replace these each season.

another cute use for the pier 1 moss bunny: you could add one of these to a bouquet to bring to easter brunch, or to a loved one or to decorate your table. plus, pier 1 is having 20% off easter and there is a $10 off $50 coupon.

if you make this i would love to see yours!

monday phone dump {link-up party}

happy first monday in april! is it going to be a great monday? we had a few laughs yesterday for april fools, did anyone pull a good prank on you? here’s a glimpse of our weekend through photos.

i am linking up with what makes savanah smile

from left to right

* on thursday i had to stop by the pharmacy to pick-up some prescriptions. i went by the check-in desk to get print outs of our 2011 visits and they let me know payton had labwork that supposed to be done after her two-year appointment. two vials of blood later she so worked everyone for stickers and mommy for a bag of m&m’s and gummy bears. she kept the tape/cotton ball and pumpkin smiley sticker on for two days.

* on friday evening jim and i went to see mixtape . amazing show for anyone who lived through the 80’s. this was our first date night since our anniversary last june. thanks to my mom who came down and al & kathy for the show tickets that jim was given to for his birthday. oh, and that coffee cup housed my wine. staying classy SD!

* our photo op at the show. seriously, if you’re in the san diego area i urge you to see the show, it has been extended again until may 27th. i was singing along the entire time!

* we all headed to target but i made a stop into starbucks beforehand. while ordering drinks for payton and i she found a comfy winged back chair, a newspaper and sipped on her chocolate milk.

* brayden got a frenchy mustache while eating his first peas.

* look at your local grocery store for nabisco’s barnum animal crackers. this is the third year they have teamed up with lily pulitzer. not only does the gorgeous lily pulitzer print bring a smile to your face it can also bring a smile to a child in need! barnum & pulitzer have teamed up to donate a % of proceeds to operation smile. check out the cracker tracker to find a box near you.

* brayden totally engaged in the new chipmunk movie while at my sisters. we were celebrating my nieces actual birthday. look at his cheeks! he is a little chipmunk!

* last night we went back to our summer ritual of pinkberry and HBO’s game of thrones. we did the same with true blood, but last night was the anniversary of our house flood and the four months we were out of our house.

* the wreath i mentioned last monday was constructed on saturday as well. look for the tutorial tomorrow!

* payton giggling while eating an art-i-choke. she kept saying, “yummy, vegetable! i love art-i-chokes!” this wasn’t the first time she’s eaten one but my parents will enjoy the fact that she enjoys them as they hold funny stories within our family.