Snow Day Cinnamon Rolls

Last week the east coast braced itself for the "SNOWQUESTER". A monster of a storm that was going to dump up to 10 INCHES of snow onto the DC area!! The roads were salted, the store shelves were raided, the government and schools promptly shut down in advance and we waited... and waited... and got rained on... a lot. Ok, in all fairness, it did snow some but it melted as soon as it hit the ground. Alas, the storm was a bust, but the good news was we got a free Wednesday to play hooky!  Having Mr. B home during the week is a treat so I thought I'd splurge and make us a yummy snow day brunch, including some lip smacking cinnamon rolls. The recipe is courtesy of my mama and an old Betty Crocker cookbook. I also made a great scrambled egg dish that I got straight from the ol' noggin, I'll share that as well!

If you're like me, the thought of "whipping up" cinnamon rolls sounds pretty intimidating. Fortunately, this recipe really is that simple!

Baby B's Gender Reveal Cake

A couple weeks ago, Mr. B and I were able to have a 3D ultrasound to find out Baby B's gender! My parents were able to join us and it was a tremendously special moment to be able to share as a family. I resisted the urge to jump on Facebook and announce to the world whether BB was a he or she. Instead, I planned out a little party. We happened to find out the same week as my birthday so that was a second great excuse for a soirée! 

I looked up ideas for the reveal and decided that I liked the cake cutting surprise best. Basically, your cake is either pink or blue with white icing and when you cut into it, your guests learn the sex! Of course I wasn't going to just go with an ordinary cake, I wanted some pizzazz!!! I scoured the interwebs for inspiration. Well, you know me and ombré, how could I resist?

Updating Grandma's Display Stand

I'm sentimental. I'm nostalgic. I like things that have stories attached to them. Hearing about the desk you found in your great aunt's attic, that belonged to your long, lost relative, who immigrated to the U.S. during the Revolutionary War, is waaaay more interesting than "yeah, I got it at Ikea". But here's the catch, I don't necessarily like how all old things look. Take for example my grandma's display stand. I remember seeing this piece just about as far back as my memory will allow. It was my paternal grandmother's and it fit right in with her style. She must have done the majority of her decorating in the sixties because her house had an abundance of GOLD. I'm talking a look that would make Versailles blush; chandeliers, picture frames, lamps and this display stand...

Succulent Succulents

Ah succulents, you beautiful, not-spiky cacti!

Well, actually, according to Wikipedia: Not to be confused with cactus; botanically cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.

But I digress. 

The BIG News

Pregnant. What? Yep. Wow! Really? Wow! 

That pretty much sums up December 3, 2012. That's the day my world changed. That's the day I found out my biggest wish was coming true, I was going to be a mommy! Mr. B and I hadn't really planned this. Our one year anniversary was in October and we knew we wanted to start a family but we hadn't quite wrapped our brains around it yet. Summer 2013 seemed like a good time to start "trying". I wanted my body to be rid of any wackiness that my birth control might be causing so I decided to say goodbye to my pills at our one year anniversary. Surely, I wouldn't get pregnant if we weren't "trying". 45 days later, I was pregnant.

Roasted Grape "Bruschetta"

Have you ever come across a recipe that was so delicious and so simple it made you do a face palm because you hadn't thought of it? Well, that's exactly what this little gem did to me. Grapes are a pretty awesome fruit but I don't think they get near as much credit as they deserve. Sure, we throw them in fruit salad and turn them into jelly but that's about it. I started to appreciate the grape for something more in high school when a good friend of mine opened my eyes to grape pie. Yep, you heard right, Grape. Pie. I thought, well that sounds weird but never being the type to shy away from a new culinary experience, I gave it a whirl. My mind was blown, it was incredible. A similar thing happened when I saw a recipe for roasted grape bruschetta. Man, why didn't I think of this!!! Of course, mixing the sweetness of grapes with the savoriness of thyme was a taste bud treat waiting to happen! What I didn't expect was how ridiculously simple it would be to make and how I almost forfeited the rest of my dinner to keep eating the bruschetta.

Lady Liberty Coasters

FINALLY, a craft blog!!! 

A former co-worker of mine who also happens to be a rockin' artist (when you're done reading this, check her out here), was doing a project with a Peter Max book. As she was showing me her work, I spied a page she had taken out of the book with six of his Statue of Liberty lithographs. Later that day, I discovered she was kind enough to leave it on my desk and an idea was born.