annie blog

Finishing Projects
You know how, a few posts ago, I wrote about the projects that I had planned and about how making things is fun for me because they stay finished, unlike all the other things in my life? Well, I’m just about ready to take it all back. This brown dress that I’m making is about to become my white whale. Yes, I’m new to garment making. But everything about it has been difficult. The fabric, while pretty, has been really hard to work with. It slides around and pins just fall out of it. This is a big problem for me, since my motto when it comes to sewing clothing is “pin it together and then pin it some more”. (Insert yell of frustration here.) Not only that, but the dress itself, while easy to put together, has been kind of hard to fit on myself, since it buttons in the back. When I will use my brain while picking out projects, I don’t know. So, all this to say that I now have finished the dress, except for buttons and buttonholes that must be done before the hemming. I want to wear it on Sunday. We shall see if it can be done. One way or the other, I’m going to wear this dress sooner rather than later. I’m stubborn like that.

Finishing Projects
You know how, a few posts ago, I wrote about the projects that I had planned and about how making things is fun for me because they stay finished, unlike all the other things in my life? Well, I’m just about ready to take it all back. This brown dress that I’m making is about to become my white whale. Yes, I’m new to garment making. But everything about it has been difficult. The fabric, while pretty, has been really hard to work with. It slides around and pins just fall out of it. This is a big problem for me, since my motto when it comes to sewing clothing is “pin it together and then pin it some more”. (Insert yell of frustration here.) Not only that, but the dress itself, while easy to put together, has been kind of hard to fit on myself, since it buttons in the back. When I will use my brain while picking out projects, I don’t know. So, all this to say that I now have finished the dress, except for buttons and buttonholes that must be done before the hemming. I want to wear it on Sunday. We shall see if it can be done. One way or the other, I’m going to wear this dress sooner rather than later. I’m stubborn like that.

Finishing Projects
You know how, a few posts ago, I wrote about the projects that I had planned and about how making things is fun for me because they stay finished, unlike all the other things in my life? Well, I’m just about ready to take it all back. This brown dress that I’m making is about to become my white whale. Yes, I’m new to garment making. But everything about it has been difficult. The fabric, while pretty, has been really hard to work with. It slides around and pins just fall out of it. This is a big problem for me, since my motto when it comes to sewing clothing is “pin it together and then pin it some more”. (Insert yell of frustration here.) Not only that, but the dress itself, while easy to put together, has been kind of hard to fit on myself, since it buttons in the back. When I will use my brain while picking out projects, I don’t know. So, all this to say that I now have finished the dress, except for buttons and buttonholes that must be done before the hemming. I want to wear it on Sunday. We shall see if it can be done. One way or the other, I’m going to wear this dress sooner rather than later. I’m stubborn like that.

My dress is too big
I must cut it down
I wonder if I’ll wear it?

The baby woke up
At the crack of the dawn
I don’t know if I can hack it.

This poem is short
and really quite dumb
but I thought that I would share it.

My dress is too big
I must cut it down
I wonder if I’ll wear it?

The baby woke up
At the crack of the dawn
I don’t know if I can hack it.

This poem is short
and really quite dumb
but I thought that I would share it.

My dress is too big
I must cut it down
I wonder if I’ll wear it?

The baby woke up
At the crack of the dawn
I don’t know if I can hack it.

This poem is short
and really quite dumb
but I thought that I would share it.

The Week in Review
This was the first week for all the boys to be home from school. Grades for the first week, as awarded by me, are as follows: Boys – B+ all around, me – a D. I managed to pull out a D instead of an F because nobody had to go to the hospital and I didn’t burn the house down. I know that this is the rocky period before we hit our groove for the summer. And, I know that I have been too optimistic. I needed some reality to temper my optimism. Well, now I have had that little dose of reality and I had my meltdown on Friday afternoon to prove it. Please don’t feel sorry for me….I’m going to get my act together. Just keeping it real here.

Below I have posted the recipe that C (my 6 year old) and I made on Thursday. These are yummy cupcakes and were easy to make. As an added bonus, you can shove them in your mouth while standing in your kitchen trying to make sense of the world — oh wait. I did that. I’m sure that you would have better sense.

I think that I’m going to read “The Little Engine that Could” this week with the boys. I’m going to adopt her mantra…I think I can, I think I can, I think I can……

Y’all have a happy Monday.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes
8tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
2ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped, or 1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray, or use paper liners.
2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave it in 30 second increments, stirring in between increments, until it is smooth and combined. Let cool until it is just warm to the touch.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate
mixture and whisk until combined. Sprinkle one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour
cream until combined, then sprinkle remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan
and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

We “frosted” ours with whipped cream — the kind that squirts out of a can. Enjoy!

The Week in Review
This was the first week for all the boys to be home from school. Grades for the first week, as awarded by me, are as follows: Boys – B+ all around, me – a D. I managed to pull out a D instead of an F because nobody had to go to the hospital and I didn’t burn the house down. I know that this is the rocky period before we hit our groove for the summer. And, I know that I have been too optimistic. I needed some reality to temper my optimism. Well, now I have had that little dose of reality and I had my meltdown on Friday afternoon to prove it. Please don’t feel sorry for me….I’m going to get my act together. Just keeping it real here.

Below I have posted the recipe that C (my 6 year old) and I made on Thursday. These are yummy cupcakes and were easy to make. As an added bonus, you can shove them in your mouth while standing in your kitchen trying to make sense of the world — oh wait. I did that. I’m sure that you would have better sense.

I think that I’m going to read “The Little Engine that Could” this week with the boys. I’m going to adopt her mantra…I think I can, I think I can, I think I can……

Y’all have a happy Monday.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes
8tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
2ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped, or 1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray, or use paper liners.
2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave it in 30 second increments, stirring in between increments, until it is smooth and combined. Let cool until it is just warm to the touch.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate
mixture and whisk until combined. Sprinkle one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour
cream until combined, then sprinkle remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan
and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

We “frosted” ours with whipped cream — the kind that squirts out of a can. Enjoy!

The Week in Review
This was the first week for all the boys to be home from school. Grades for the first week, as awarded by me, are as follows: Boys – B+ all around, me – a D. I managed to pull out a D instead of an F because nobody had to go to the hospital and I didn’t burn the house down. I know that this is the rocky period before we hit our groove for the summer. And, I know that I have been too optimistic. I needed some reality to temper my optimism. Well, now I have had that little dose of reality and I had my meltdown on Friday afternoon to prove it. Please don’t feel sorry for me….I’m going to get my act together. Just keeping it real here.

Below I have posted the recipe that C (my 6 year old) and I made on Thursday. These are yummy cupcakes and were easy to make. As an added bonus, you can shove them in your mouth while standing in your kitchen trying to make sense of the world — oh wait. I did that. I’m sure that you would have better sense.

I think that I’m going to read “The Little Engine that Could” this week with the boys. I’m going to adopt her mantra…I think I can, I think I can, I think I can……

Y’all have a happy Monday.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes
8tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
2ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped, or 1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray, or use paper liners.
2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave it in 30 second increments, stirring in between increments, until it is smooth and combined. Let cool until it is just warm to the touch.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate
mixture and whisk until combined. Sprinkle one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour
cream until combined, then sprinkle remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan
and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

We “frosted” ours with whipped cream — the kind that squirts out of a can. Enjoy!

More From Precious E
Today, E was wandering around eating a cookie while I was working in the kitchen. He stopped, looked up at me and, holding his cookie up to me said, “Take bite cookie!” So I took a bite and he, smiling widely said, “Do you WUB it?!” Yes, I do love it. Not the cookie from Pepperidge Farm so much, but this little precious piece of blonde, blue-eyed humanity. I do love it so much. WUB IT, BIG TIME. I wish that I could put my brain on record and then on rewind so I could come back and feel this moment again. How I wish that brains worked that way.