Grandpa Glen

Today is my Grandpa Glen's birthday he is 82. He is a great guy and famous for always having a treat when we come to visit. He has a fridge in the garage that he keeps filled with sodas. He is an amazing person when it comes to building things with wood. He made all of the grandkids their fair share of doll houses, barns, rocking horses, cradles, and when I was really young my own play house. He made all of the furniture to go with it and i loved to play in it for hours. He has always been very hard working owning his own farm and the duties that come with it. I am so grateful for the way he raised my dad and the work ethic he showed to his children. He is a great man and I am happy to have him as my grandpa!

Anyone want to tiptoe through the tulips?

I have always loved flowers and I think alot of it comes from amazing grandparents with green thumbs! I have wanted to go to this tulip festival for quite awhile. This was there last week so on my day off me and Trish went. It was breath taking and I was wishing that my grandma could have gone with me. She would have been in heaven! I have never seen so many rows of tulips. They have 40 acres! We of course had to try out all the cutouts they had. It was a great day and the weather cooperated which we were glad. It threatened to rain the whole time but we made it without a drop. I am already excited to go back next year!

Seattle temple

We went up to see the temple which was beautiful. It had so many different kinds of flowers I couldn't stop taking pictures! They had a little walk way that had benches and that is where I am sitting. Lisa wanted to join in on the ring around the rosie with the statues! It was a wonderful trip and I look forward to going back again soon! Thanks for having me Lisa:)

Seattle!

We had a great day on Saturday seeing a bunch of things. We went on a ferry and then we were going to go to Pike's market but it was so crowded that I got out of the car and went into the market while Lisa sat in line to turn. I bought these beautiful flowers for 10 dollars! I got back to the car only to find that Lisa had moved 2 car lengths it was crazy busy! We went to this place called the Hiram M. Chitterden Locks and it was really fun to watch. The boats that go out to the ocean have to go through this area that fills up with water to let them in the harbor and lowers them to go out to sea. We got there right when they were ready to go out! It was so pretty and green and tons of flowers. My allergies never appreciate the beauty but I sure did. I have a picture on here of the ivy growing down on the overpasses. I thought that it was really neat to see. I also put a picture of the space needle at sunset in the city. Sorry that you cant see some of the pictures very well. I need my friend Kim to show me how to make pictures bigger!

Helping Lisa move

I went up to Seattle to help my sister Lisa move this last weekend. She had already done a lot of the moving we just had a couple more loads to take. I was joking with her about just putting the christmas wreath on her head to carry it. Well it slid down around her neck and then it wasn't very fun to get off. Sorry lee:( We went shopping for a few things she would need around the house and we found this vacuum for cheap. After we put it together we could see why! Just kidding it does get taller but we were worried for a minute:)

Maya

My cute niece Maya is 5 today! She has been such a great addition to our family. She has the best imagination and says the most grown up things to us. She is very sweet with her siblings and has a kind heart. I am so glad she joined our family and I hope she has a special day! Happy Birthday Maya:)

For Candice...

This post is for my cousin Candy who loves cupcakes more then anyone I know! These cupcakes are the bomb and so here is to you Candice! I hope you make them even if they are fattening and evil:)
Black and White Cupcakes!


"These cupcakes, a divine combination of chocolate cake and cheesecake, are ooey-gooey delicious."

8 oz cream cheese, at room temp.
1 tbsp sour cream
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, at room temp.
1 large egg, at room temp.
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 1% that I had and seemed fine!)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease 12 cup muffin pan.
To make the cream cheese filling, in a bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and 1/2 cup sugar and beat until combined.
To make cupcake batter, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, filling about half way full. Spoon cream cheese mixture onto center of each cupcake batter, dividing evenly among all. (the filling will sink as they bake!) Bake until cupcakes are set in the center, about 15 minutes and then let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before adding glaze!

Gooey Chocolate Glaze

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
8 oz semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp butter

In a small saucepan combine ingredients and warm, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted and the mixture is bubbly, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let glaze cool slightly before using.
Spoon over cupcakes after they are cooled and enjoy!

And the winner is... Everyone!

So I decided that I love winning stuff and so everyone should get that chance too. So I picked a grand prize winner and everyone else will receive a little something for being so supportive of my blog. I will need address's so I can send you your prizes so please email me. I forgot to announce that the grand prize winner is...PAULA! Thanks again for all your love and support with my blog! Look for your prizes in the next couple weeks :)

It's your birthday lets celebrate!

On my visit to Utah we celebrated my nephew and niece's birthdays. They are all in the month of April so their parents were going to have individual special days for them. We actually had the party on Elijah's special day so he got to blow out the candle on his cake! We played games like pin the tail on the donkey and my mom bought little activity books. Maya is showing her cute picture she drew. We also did and easter egg hunt and had stickers and money instead of candy. We all had a great time and I was so glad to get to see them when I went!

New House

My parents have been building a new house and they are finally ready to move in! Its been quite a process trying to get everything done on time especially because of the weather being too snowy to do anything. Its not a big house at all but its just the right size for them. I think of it as a modern day little house on the prairie. I wanted to show some of my favorite things about the house. I love the fireplace, the kitchen and the sun room. Then there is the breath taking view from the sun room. I am happy for my parents and hope to have many more memories there!

100th Post and Giveaway!

This marks my 100th post since entering the world of blogging. I have really enjoyed doing this blog and its kind of been like my journal. I have found some great people and been reunited with long lost friends. I wanted to do some kind of giveaway and since I love to cook I thought a recipe book would be the best thing. If you would like to be in the drawing just leave a comment. I will draw a winner on Sunday afternoon. Good Luck and thanks for supporting my blog!

Anya's 1 today!

I cant believe that my cute neice Anya is already 1 years old! She is such a cute girl and very happy during the day. She doesn't like to go to bed at night and maybe she has a bit of Aunt Denise in her :) I am hoping and I am sure her parents are too that she will catch on that sleeping is great! When I went to Utah she was starting to walk. She is so funny she will take a few steps then sit down. It wont be long till she is up and on the run! I am so glad she is in our family she is such a sweetie! Happy Birthday!

Finally home and ready to post the fun...

Well I just got back from a very long drive to Utah for a visit with family. I am hoping to get a couple of posts this week of the trip. Sorry its been so long since my last post but its been so crazy busy for me. I am so glad to be back in the springy weather it snowed 3 out of 6 days I was there! Stay tuned...