Summertime...

As the music teacher, one of my responsibilities is to prepare the ever-popular "end of year program".  Generally speaking, it is only the kindergarten and 5th grade classes that require such preparation.  And this year was no exception.  One of the songs that my kindergarten did is entitled "School's Out!" by John Jacobson.  I've attached a clip if you'd like to see Mr. Double Dream Hands himself demonstrate the suggested choreography for this catchy little tune.

(On a side note, I didn't actually see this demo before today, and I would like to offer some props to myself for my motions that I taught the kiddos to help me them remember the words... I actually did some of the same ones he suggested.  No, not the cheesy ones.  The cool ones.)

Flash back to today.  I was fairly certain that I just might not make it to summer vacation.  In fact, this is the part where I confess that I do not know how "the rest of the world" makes it working year 'round.  Granted, I trust that "you" are not so naive as to assume that a teacher's "normal day" is quite often much longer and more stressful than many other professions' "normal day".  (This is NOT a "I work harder than you do" kind of post, so please relax! ;) )  All that to say (or rather "shout" since I'm about to go all caps lock on this post):  I AM FINISHED!  Whoo-hoo!  Say it with me now...  Whoo-hoo!  Whoo-hoow!  Whoo... Sorry.  Got a little excited there...

Anyway.  I just am so thankful that the Lord allowed me to make it to this day.  I'm not sure what exactly caused this school year to be/seem so much more stressful than years past, but it was certainly a big'un!

My sweet hubby returned with my sweet ones last night from a quick trip to North Carolina-- Ashe's oldest brother Jay selflessly serves as a supply sergeant for the National Guard and is being deployed as I type and you  now read.  I wasn't able to go with them on this quick trip due to closing ceremonies, end of school, etc activities-- you know, as shown in that awesome video clip.  So this week I got to veg a bit.  I'm not gonna lie:  I missed my babies (all THREE of them! ;) ).  Like. Crazy.  However, I will also confess:  it was kinda nice to go to bed before 9:00 and sleep all through the night without someone coming in to wake me up to go potty.  Or even spend a little time browsing around without feeling like I was "cheating" on family time.  In fact (prepare to be impressed!), I actually went to the gym 3 days.  In a row.  Wow.  Sometimes I even amaze myself.

But here I am.  First official day of summer vacation.  And I am loving it.

Oh, theeeeerrrrrre you are!

My younger sister Rebekah and I have always loved watching "Hook".  One of the reasons that we love it is for one simple line:

"Oh, there you are, Peter!"

(click the link for the sweet scene if you've never seen it)

In fact, we will say that to each other from time to time.  "Oh, there you are, Buddy." [our affectionate nickname for each other-- yes, we both are "Buddy".  Or "Budster".  Just depends how the mood hits.]

I tell you that little "awwww" memory from my precious sister and I just to let you know what I was thinking as I began this post.  I feel like I have been gone for so long, that you-- much like the sweet little Lost Boy from the movie-- need to smoosh around my blog to then proclaim, "Oh there you are, Leah!"

But I have renewed my desire to blog again.  Mostly so that I can make sure to remember all the sweet things that happen in my much-too-fast-paced life!

So here's the wrap up:

My sweet Daniel had a birthday at the end of March...

Of course there were a few other holidays as well...

EASTER brought a great time to remember our Risen Savior... 

Complete with a sweet breakfast treat.

Resurrection Rolls:  "He is not here-- HE IS RISEN!"

My sweet Easter kissin' boy

Snugglin' with my Elle-Belle!

And of course.... MOTHER'S DAY!

My hubby is so good to me! 

There have been a few other adventures with my kiddos, but I will add that in another post.  (Mostly because I have been working on THIS post for about a week and I just want to hit the "publish" button)

Thanks for reading and following! :)  Stay tuned... in the next post we'll learn about Ellie's trip to the ER, Daniel's trip to the radio station, and Leah's first "official" cupcake customer! 

Oh.... hello....

Yes, I have been slack.  I have NOT posted anything.  And let me tell you:  I have SO MUCH to post.  Um, THAT is why I have NOT posted anything for a while!  But I promise that I will bring you up to speed as soon as humanly (Leah-ly) possible! :)  

Stay tuned...

Here's what's a-bakin'

... cupcakes, of course! ;)

It's hard to believe that March is quickly moving right along.  The pinnacle of my baking stress will reach it's completion next Friday:  3 concerts in 7 days.  Plus, the ever illustrious "privilege" of proctoring for yet another beloved SOL testing session on top of that.  (If you find yourself chuckling and/or puzzled by "SOL testing", feel free to read here to discover what exactly that means...)  THAT being said, I am baking this evening.

Pictures will follow shortly.  But here is what you can look forward to (especially if you work with me! ;) ):

Almond Joy Cupcakes

(Almond cupcakes, chocolate ganache, coconut sprinkles)

Simply Vanilla Cupcakes

(perfect vanilla cupcake, vanilla cream cheese frosting)

Sooo... hold on to your taste buds!  The pictures are still in the oven! ;)

Oh, my... I have an update:

I had a bit 'o batter left after rationing out my delicious almond cupcakes.  So, I wisely poured it into a small ramekin.  I hang my head in shame and confess:  I couldn't resist.  I wanted a taste.  And then I had a brilliant idea:  top with leftover strawberries and freshly whipped cream.  The result?  Sheer divinity.  I mean, I know I have said it before, but I'll say it again:  sigh in my heart divinity.

No, you're right.  Half of it is gone-- before I thought to take a picture!

What happens when I'm stressed:

I bake.

Pizza Hut style pizza.

 A lot.

Chocolate on chocolate cupcakes.

But it's a stress release for me.  Plus, I love to give it all away and share with those I love.  So this weekend I baked SEVERAL Pizza Hut style pizzas.  They were delish.  Yes, I said "they".  (Don't judge me.  I did my exercises.)

I found the recipe on Pinterest (of course), but I'm going to tweak the recipe a bit more.  And when I do, I'll post my changes (of course ;) ).

Naturally, I doubled it.  I mean, hey.  If one pizza is good-- what will a hundred be like?!  But here are my little step by step photos of what happened...

I made the dough in my lovely Kitchen Aid mixer.  (If you've been following my blog, you know how I love that thing!)  I then divided it (the dough) up, rolled it out, and put it in some greased cake pans.  During the rising period, I put plate on top to give the dough that "dipped" contour before topping with yummies.

After allowing the dough to rise (around the plates) for about an hour and a half, I then sauced and topped!

One of the changes I'll make next time:  a little more sauce.

Also, I'll be adding a little more EVOO to the outer crust before baking.

The pizza was yummy.  I'll be trying it again in the near future, I am sure!  Make sure you put enough oil in the pan before you add the dough to give it that "Pizza Hut touch"!  But my family loved it very much! :)

In regards to those chocolate cupcakes...  

Those were divine-- if I do say so myself.  But I must also grudgingly confess that I over-mixed the batter, and they came out denser than I would have liked. *sigh*  I guess I was taking my stress out on the ingredients.  Lol.  But the frosting.  Oh.  The.  Frosting.  Give me a minute, would you? *sigh*  It was just sinful.  As in, you will be willing to do an extra 20 30 45 minutes on the ellipitcal sinfully good.  No, I am serious. 

Rich Fudgy Chocolate Frosting:

Using the paddle of your lovely Kitchen Aid mixer, whip 2 sticks of room temperature butter.  I mean, whip it and whip it good.  (I'm a bit stressed, if you recall)

Add 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 cup Hershey's Dark Chocolate cocoa.

Begin to incorporate on LOW (do you really want that spraying all over your kitchen?!).  It will look very chalky and not at all like frosting of any sort.  Have patience.

While still on low, gradually add in up to 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.  You want this stuff to still be thick.  And creamy.  And divine.  Add about 2 tsp. vanilla (I love vanilla.  It is perhaps my most favorite thing.  Ever.  I will confess that as a general rule, I always-- and I do mean always-- put in more than a normal person would in any recipe.)  If it is really thick, you can add a touch more cream.  If you've gotten excited and over-poured the cream, don't panic.  Just add a bit more powdered sugar.

Remember that whipping you did at the beginning?  Do it again.  Let that stuff just incorporate and get perfect.  Then you can either eat it with a spoon smear it on your cupcakes or pipe it out, which is generally my preference.  Regardless of what you do with it:  enjoy it! :)

Whew... I made it...

I feel like this week has just been a hot mess.  Well, not exactly.  But close. And, you know.  It's funny-- as I sit here pondering what exactly it was that made it so "whew" here at the end... I'm stumped. 

Granted, there was the beginning of the SOL testing.  No, I'm not being crass for those of you who are NOT from Virginia... that is ACTUALLY what some brilliant person in the higher-ups-of-education thought would be the best choice for the abbreviation of our state mandated tests. "Standards of Learning".  Yah.  They didn't really think that one through.  (And we're the ones who are going to be evaluated each year to make sure that we are properly preparing the next generation?!  Just saying...) 

But I digress.  Yes, there was testing.  And, yes, I had minimal "free" time to recover from said testing.  But that wasn't necessarily "whew" material.  It must be something else...

As you may remember from my previous post, March is kind of a big deal for the music world.  It's our one time when we get to pretend to shine.  I have 3 different concerts coming up, and needless to say, there is a possible chance that I just might be getting a little more stressed as each day passes... getting closer to my big moment to "shine".  But more on that later...

Perhaps the highlight of my week was my time in court.  Yes, court.  As in, "All rise..." and "No talking, no gum chewing, no halter tops, no cell phones" court. 

No, I did not get arrested...

For those of you who know me, I have a very strict policy:  I am too pretty for prison.  Sadly, the registration on my car was expired. [You might recall the "Your registration is expired... as in... uh, 'AUGUST'..." incident from my previous blog-- which also includes a toe pic!]  Proudly, though, the officer did inform me that I have a flawless driving record (I'll possibly share more on that small miracle in times to come).  Which is why I headed to court-- to maintain that flawless driving record.  I was nervous that the judge would be mean.  Or that I would cry.  I don't really like to be in trouble.   But God was very kind to me.  And so was the judge. 

But the man at the metal detector was not.  Why, yes.  Did you know that you are not allowed to have any sort of electronic device in a courthouse?  I did not.  But that "gentleman" certainly did quickly inform me that I had to take my cell phone back to my car.  Why, yes.  I was parked a couple blocks away. Aaaaand  it WAS pouring down rain.  However, tempted as I was to allow a little stress tear to squeeze out, I just took a deep breath, prayed deep within my spirit, and briskly walked back to my car to deposit my fancy little phone. 

Fortunately, I wasn't quite like this.  And I was so thankful for my umbrella!

There were about 15 different people who went before me-- of which I was grateful (you know, so that I could prepare myself for what might happen-- and steel myself to NOT cry if needed.).  Fortunately for me, many of the people ahead of me were not necessarily in the running for citizen of the year month week day hour ever.  They set the stage for me beautifully. 

There were just a few basic questions that the judge asked each defendant as they (we *sigh*) stood before him:  a) What are the charges?  b) How do you plead?  c) Was the defendant cooperative? 

Wanna guess which of those 3 questions held the most weight?  If you picked "C", you are the winner.  There were a couple of guys who had to pay hefty fines b/c the officer testified that they were aggressive or argumentative.  As I walked up to the bench as my name was called, I smiled and said, "Good morning."  The judge read my charge (expired registration) and asked how I plead.  Naturally, I was guilty...  (Uh... AUGust...)  He then says, [to the officer] "It's obvious she was cooperative. [to me] I assume you've gotten this taken care of?"  I assured him I had, showed the dutifully updated registration to the officer, and waited for the verdict.  He smiles so nicely (notice:  no crying) and says, "All right.  I am going to dismiss the charges, but unfortunately you are going to have to pay the court costs.  I'm sorry, but there isn't anything even I can do about that."  That was very nice, don't you think? 

Soooo... it was rather stressful to have to drive to downtown Newport News to attend traffic court.  With non-citizens of the year.  In the rain.  But it was a relief to know that I did NOT have 3 points put on my flawless record, and I only had to pay $66 instead of the $91 (or more!) I was potentially going to have to pay. 

The highlight of my week was the rare treat I allow my children:  ice cream for dinner.  I figured we all had earned a little treat.  There wasn't much objection.  So we headed to Sweet Frog.  My kiddos were thrilled.  And so cute.  And I didn't have to cook.  Win-win-win.