Friday Fav a little early...

Tomorrow I will be busy all day attending continuing education classes,so I thought I would go ahead and post my favorites, or this week, favorite. My sister gets credit sending me this, and I am so glad she did...YUM. We have been busy at work this week (YAY!) and I have been more tired at night. This little treat perked me right up last night. ALOT of sugar and chocolate will do that to you...so here is the recipe for a delicious chocolate cake (I think because it is so easy to make, it made me like it even more!)




You will need:
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
1 stick of butter
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of veg. oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (I did 2 bc James and I both love this flavor)
1 tsp soda
For the Icing:
1 stick butter
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup of milk (I used skim, worked fine)
12 oz. of sifted confectioners sugar (be sure to sift, or your icing will be lumpy)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of nuts

Sift together the flour and the sugar. In medium saucepan, bring to boil, butter, water, veg. oil, and cocoa. Pout of flour and sugar and mix well. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, and soda and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9X13 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool before Icing
For Icing: Bring to a boil the butter, milk, and cocoa. Remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, and nuts.
Get a HUGE glass of cold milk, and ENJOY!

Friday Favs

1. Maisy Dobbs, great mystery books set in London in 1920-30s
Thanks to my sister, I am hooked. I am on the fourth one.



2. Wednesday Night Church, We just started going, and realized we had definitely been missing out!
http://www.churchofthehighlands.com/messages/

3. Modern Family...has anyone else watched this? James and I watched it a few times, pretty funny


4. J Edwards Lip Gloss (thanks Lacey)


5. Chocolate covered pretzels, started at the roost this past weekend when mom had them as a snack. I decided to make my own this week, big mistake. I have been eating them as a snack, dessert, or anytime I walk in the kitchen and see them. I used Ghirardelli melting chocolate, which made the process easy and delicious

One Day...

I would like a room like this to hold all of my books...

It is not exactly what I would want, (thinking probably dont need a piano, a chaise lounge in the corner, well you get the idea) but I would love "home library". Anyone would be welcome to come sit awhile and relax, or just borrow a good read. It is fun to play pretend, isn't it?!

Talented

Meet Lacey, my ever so fabulous sister-in-law.

She is one of those people that can do it all. She is the makeup/skin specialist at Village Dermatology in Mountain Brook Village. For all of you Bham people, I highly recommend checking out Village Derm. Lots of good skincare products, makeup (expertly applied by Lacey), and a wonderful dermatologist, Dr. Jenny Sobera.


She also is a free lance make-up artist, graphic designer, and painter. She takes DIY projects to a whole new level. You can check out more about that on her blog. http://laceyandmac.blogspot.com/

Today happens to be her BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday Lacey!!!

Friday Favorites

Thought I might start a weekly "themed" post...Friday Favorites, a wrap up of a few things I have been enjoying this week (in no particular order)...

1. Dog Book, by the Dog Whisperer (thanks Michael!)



2. The Faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... James and I are reading through the Bible together in the mornings, and this week we have been inspired by their FAITH. Read Genesis Ch. 10 through Exodus

3. Craisins...Yum! Been putting them in everything... scones, snack mix and cereal


4. Barefoot Dreams Blanket, sooo soft and cozy. We received this from the Remmerts as a wedding present, and with all of the cold weather, I have been loving it!


5. My sneaky puppy, He knows he is NOT allowed on the bed, but while I was resting, he decided he would too

Views around the Roost

And a few babies and dogs for good measure...

YUM

So most of you know, my brother is the Executive Chef at Standard Bistro in Mt. Laurel. He is sooo talented. He brings together fresh ingredients with a unique flair that just taste SO good. The menu changes frequently so I look forward to all of his new creations each time we go. The funny thing is growing up, I had no idea that God had given him this amazing talent and passion. He was always outside throwing the football or hunting, so it still amazes me that the creativity and executer of each delicious dish is my big brother. So if you get a chance to go, I promise you won't regret it!


The last time we were there right before Christmas

With Molly and Rich

Sorry I was so busy eating, I forgot to take pictures until it was all gone!!

No Texts Please

So, I have had a slight mishap with my phone. The trackball (didnt know that is what it was called until I had to figure out how to fix it) is broken on my blackberry.
I can use its phone capabilities, but I cannot receive texts or emails. This has been very frustrating the past week, because I still hear the "beep beep" notification, but can't roll over to the icon to check them. So if you have sent me a text and had no response, I promise I am not ignoring you! AND the problem should be solved in a few days when I receive my trackball replacement kit. Oh yes, they have those. I branched out and got the GREEN one.



What do think? A little obnoxious isnt it?! Can't wait!

Christmas in Pictures

Christmas Eve Dinner, Short Ribs and Fried Apple Pies




Snow Christmas Morning!


Present Opening...










Christmas Night...

Exciting...

NO not because it is suppose to snow all day, not because the BCS Championship game is tonight, but because it is this friend's BIRTHDAY!



These were taken in college...lookin REAL good!






These are more recent...

Hope you have a wonderful day Mags! Love you!

Amos Update

Amos is now almost 5 months old. He has become a beloved part of our family. He is house-broken (well besides the occasional accident), and has a good grasp of the commands, "Sit", "Stay", Lay Down", Shake", and "Fetch". He is not into "Releasing" into your hand anything he brings back however. We are also working on him not jumping up to greet someone. He LOVES meeting new people and new dogs. He has not figured out why everyone does not love him back. He is getting better on biting, just when he gets excited and is playing. He is really a momma's boy, and follows me everywhere. He loves sitting in the kitchen at my feet while I cook dinner, hoping to catch any crumbs. He definitely respects James more, and follows his commands readily. James says I give in to easily, and is probably right. Puppy dog eyes get me everytime.

New Look

Thought I would start 2010 of with a new blog look...The Oak Tree is the monogram from our wedding.

Isaiah 61: 1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has annointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grief in Zion-to bestow them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garmet of praise instead of a spirit of dispair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Still tweaking it, but off to a good start (thanks Lacey)



These were taken at the this time last year, about 5 months before we got married there.