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It's a PAUL FRANK PARTEE!!

 
This girl will be turning 11 today!!!  This girl knows what she wants!  This girl knows who she is!  I'm very proud of her...she is smart, sassy and independent! and that's Independent with a Capital I!

 
The Banana Cupcakes are made....how can you have a Paul Frank party featuring Julius the Monkey without making Banana Cupcakes....so we went with a Banana/Monkey theme.

 
The goody bags are decorated and packed up with a lot of goodies only a Monkey could love or maybe a Fifth Grader.  She decided she wanted a Co-ed party, I hope the spin the bottle game doesn't get out of hand {only joking} We plan on it but with "age appropriate" questions.  She couldn't decide if she was going with a HELLO Kitty party or Paul Frank and in the end she decided "Julius" would work better for a mixed sex Party.  And a colorful one it will be just like the sparkling personality of the Birthday Girl!!!!!

 

Here is the list of what is in the "take home goody bags"....
What kind of mood am I in Magnets, Jax, Banana split granola bar,  glittered pencil, Banana pudding roll, Banana fun band and Paul Frank Stickers. 

We will be having approx. 20 kiddos over at our house for a crazy, monkey filled day.  We will have a banana split bar, playing eat the donut game, Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle and doing all sorts of things only Fifth Graders will love.  My independent girl planned the whole party, {i encouraged her a bit on making the Banana Cupcakes, she wasn't so sure about that}.  She filled out all her invites herself, she decorated the goody bags and planned what her guests will all be doing. 

 It has been raining here all night, I hope it clears up by this afternoon,.  I have visions of muddy feet on my white couch!   Wish me luck...I'm sure I'll be popping the cork around 6 tonight as Mr. Incredible has to work and I'm on my own with a barrel full of monkeys!! Yikes!!  

Addiction...Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Found this blog over at Pinterest...Mary Swenson's, her pictures are so crisp and clean and bright..I wish I could take photos like her.  They are so simple in their beauty. I found Mary's blog through Pinterest while on Facebook reading my friend Lisa's wall post and her slight addiction to it, my curiosity got the better of me and I signed up..there were so many gorgeous photos there and that's how I came across Mary's blog. At Pinterest it is an inspiration haven over there froms all things home related to fashion, whatever you may fancy.  Now I can have a place to put the gazillion inspiration photos I have on my computer...

In other things that I have an addiction for.... Gerbera Daisies, these just happen to cheery colors...

 
I picked up this bunch at my local favorite store..you know my the place to shop for flowers, plants  and specialty food...I also have been addicted to eating this for breakfast or a mid-day snack.  So tasty, crunchy and creamy all at the same time...

 

  {small snow scene painting painted by my husband's grandmother who recently passed away, which was gifted to us}

I'm totally addicted to this GREEK yogurt, it is so thick and creamy, topped with...

 
mixed berry granola and blueberries....yowza!!  LOVE it..and you will too.  You can find it all at my favorite store even the Daisy Cottage Flowers above {that's what they remind me of.....the happy li'l Cottage in Florida}

 

Southern Red Velvet Cake Y'all

 

Red Velvet Cake by Paula Deen

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans. 

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby.  In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.  Yes, it will fizz!  Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine.  Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan.  Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with buttercream or cream cheese icing (recipe below).

Recipe Notes: *Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients per recipe instructions. Wear an apron and be careful with the red food coloring–no matter how hard I try, I always end up staining something!  As you’re mixing the cake batter, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl frequently throughout the entire process.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.  If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

You might of noticed that I have 3 layers, I thought I had a heart shaped cake cutter that would fit the pan but it ended up being the wrong size{ I originally wanted to make a heart shaped cake} so ended up with skinny layers and my cake was a bit dry not only that I was on the phone and got a bit distracted, you do know I have ADHD?  Yep I do!

 
I added the chopped pecans so it allowed me to say Y'all in my post...but I also added some pomegranate seeds.  We are all about pomegranates around here.  We love the sparkling Pomegranate juice from Trader Joes or just plain old poms.  They grow wild here by my house just on the side of the road so I could just go pick em...

 
Here is our table set for our Valentine's Day dinner with our glasses filled with Sparkling Pomegranate wine {juice but wine sounds better, oh please don't report me to the authorities on serving wine to minors} wink, wink.

For dinner I made Filet Minon, baked potatoes, Asparagas with drizzled olive oil, a dash of sea salt and fresh parmesan cheese on top.  And of course RED Velvet cake for dessert or if you prefer......

 

Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes from Food Network

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans, fresh raspberry or strawberry, or silver dragess.  Hope everyone had a delicious Valentine's Day and was feeling the LOVE!

V-Day!

 That special day set aside for showing your loved ones you care is upon us.  If you are like me and are quite the procrastinator....you still have time to whip up some cute crafties for your home....

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

What are you up to on this day of love? I plan on making some heart shaped pancakes like last year ....and relaxing with my girls, {Mr. Incredible has to work} and plans for dinner are still up in the air.....
 
{first 3 pictures from Better Homes and Gardens and the next two from Martha Stewart, last picture with white doily sachet, source unknown}

Still Waiting...

 
We currently have  three bids on {short -sale} houses and there is nothing short about it...it is a long process.  After losing "the-one-that-was-about-perfect-for-our-family".  We found out that the other bid was lower then ours so there must of been some unscrupulous behaviour on the part of the Other Real estate agent.  So if you happen to be in So Cal, I do not recommend doing business with Billy Bryson Real Estate.  They don't have the highest ethic policy in my opinion.  They flat out told us we were the only bid going in and then came back later and said, "We were the better of the two bids" going up against the bank.  Which came out to be true by $1,000 bucks but if that WAS true, how come we didn't get it?  I can only surmise that she was double ending the sale.  I was very upset at the time but kept telling myself there will be a better house for us out there.  I did console myself with "Old Yellow" which distracted me from the loss of "The One". 

 
I do like a Ranch style house, we do have a lot of those type of houses in California and this one is quite cute. {not on the market though} Love the big picture window and brick porch.  A nice bench always says "welcome, come sit awhile and let's chat."

 
Harder to find in these parts are the Cape Cods, where my heart belongs to..how I love thee! 

 
With your sweet dormers.....and this one has a li'l pass through with an arched doorway like it leads to a secret garden in the back. 

 
Here is a cute porch....and I do like the Color palette of this house...I always thought of myself as a  yellow-0r-white-house-kind-of-girl...but this seems fresh and I like it.

 
That crusty iron urn looks darling next to the iron bench on the brick patio.

 
I think the brick has the right composition of red/black and white mixed together.  I don't like a all red brick facade, just a bit.  I like the black shutters and the black awnings.  Do you like awnings? 

 
 
We have a bid on a house  that is down the street  from this house and the houses are quite similiar, they have the same floor plan but I wished the one we have the bid on had a front brick porch.  If we end up moving in that would be one of the first things I'd like to change. Very much like the porch in the photo above with the black door.  I'd always have a white-wicker basket of hanging flowers to add pops of color. 

 

 
This is the window and the porch stoop of the house we have our second bid on.  I would like to extend the porch out in front of it like the above picture.  Needs paint but I think it is doable and has lot of porch potential. The only problem with this home is that it has extensive amount of termite damage and needs to be treated.  If the bank does not take care of it then we won't be calling it "Our Home Sweet Home".  Here is the second potential home.

 
This house also has great curb appeal and you can see the brick under the window and it has a cute little porch.  It has hardwood floors throughout and a brick fireplace.  

Here is the third home  we have a bid on, which is our current favorite...

 
It could be fixed up with a small brick patio out front and I can see a white adirondack chair with some fun colorful pillows on it.  We would add some brick under the windows very similiar to the above pictures you see and some added window boxes...yep it needs some window boxes.  This home has a wonderful mudroom/inside laundry with beautiful chunky wood shutters and and hardwood floors. 

 So as we wait and wait......and hope to become Home Owners....my head is swimming with lots of ideas of what could be what we will eventually call "Home Sweet Home".  But please or please can we hurry it up!