Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Saint Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays, if it is really considered a holiday. Each year from as far back as I can remember we always at corned beef and cabbage. When I got married I still make corned beef and cabbage but wanted some sort of dessert to go with it. My mom gave me a great recipe of Irish Soda Bread (minus the raisins) and that's what I would make...until last year.

 Last year my friend, Beth, found a recipe for Irish Car Bomb cupcakes and I knew I had to make them. So my good friend Pinterest was the source of my recipe last year and they came out okay. I mean you know how it is when you first make something, you figure out what works and what doesn't.

This year I used this recipe and they were awesome!!!! I can not stress how awesome they were to eat. The cake portion has the Guinness, the gauche has the Jameson, and the frosting has a generous amount of Bailey's. My only change would be to add just a touch more Guinness to the cake portion. Other than that, I think its perfect.

 Everyone that has eaten one of these cupcakes has loved them! I really need to work on my decorating skills. I tried the "ice cream cone" look and well I think I need to take a class or something.

Custom Order #1 - Done

 I'm SUPER excited to have my first custom order done. These are twin sized rag quilts made for two little girls for Christmas presents. The both came out beautifully and I'm really pleased with both of them. The first one is Hello Kitty. The second one was owls.

 Here is the twin sized Owl rag quilt. I really hope that the girls like their quilts. For both quilts I used flannel for the top and fleece for the back. Even though the fleece doesn't "rag" it gives it that heavy quilt feeling that I totally love and think these girls will love as well.

 On another note, since posting these two quilts I have another order for 4 more quilts. I'm working on two of them now, waiting for fabric from an ebay auction for the 3rd, and on the hunt for fabric for the 4th quilt. The two that I'm working on now are also for girls for Christmas. One is the Hello Kitty one that is picture above and the other is Sesame Street, which I think is going to be adorable!! Can't wait till that one comes together and post that one.

So if you are looking for warm handmade quilt for Christmas contact me and we can iron out the details for you and/or you loved one. Email address araponi817@yahoo.com

Just need to come up with a name for a shop....any suggestions??? :-)

A Tribute to my Mom

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I'm writing this as a tribute to my Mom just for being a great Mom. I'm going apologize to her now just because I know that she isn't going to like all the pictures I put up here but these were all I could find without having to scan more and we all know I'm lazy so here they are.

 

My Mom is a great lady. She works hard and puts up with way more than I ever would, but in all honesty, what woman doesn't. She has been working for as long as I can remember as an RN (Registered Nurse) and loves her job, but she also loves being a Mom. In junior high, high school, and college I was always playing something, soccer, softball, volleyball, and travel soccer. In all the years that I played, my Mom was there. She would sit in the rain, snow, heat, and cold usually in her scrubs on because she just came from work to watch me play. She would turn my dirty nasty sweaty socks inside out and hang them on a make shift clothesline in the van that she drove me many many weekends to soccer games all over the state. Then there were to countless times she would wash my clothes, have dinner ready for me when I wasn't home and gave me money even though I had a job. In college she hooked up my room with EVERYTHING!! I had curtains, a computer, an iron with mini ironing board, matching everything, and I was the only one on the hall with a vacuum cleaner (I became popular quickly because of it). Before my wedding she saved the day with the invitations and gave me an awesome shower with all the stuff that I didn't know I needed until I got it (a plunger for example).  

 Mom taught me how to cook...well when I was interested and now a days she is calling me for recipes. She took me shopping for clothes and put up with a lot of "I don't like that" and "I'm not wearing that." I know that I wasn't the easiest person to shop with or for, I'm still that way.

 My Mom was always the person that came prepared for everything. There was always something that we might need in her large bag/suitcase that she called a purse, in the end we usually we would need that one odd thing. I think that is where I get my gut in stint from. I can hear her say, "See I had a feeling that we would need ___."

Mom was the one that taught me not to judge people, well most people, and to do my best to get along with everyone. "Be nice," she would say, "Not everyone thinks the way that you do."

She taught me how to be a good wife to make sure that I knew there were things that I am suppose to take care of as a wife. "You both have your roles." she says. She told me how to get stains out of stuff that I thought was totally ruined and how to be handy around the house with nothing more than a small tool set and some random screws. She said to me that things take time to change and that I have to be patient.

 Mom has also helped me to become a good mom. I was scared and worried about all that I would have to do but she said that I was going to be great, and that I was very patient so being a mom would come very natural to me. She was right. It's not easy but I enjoy it. I'm glad that I'm able to stay home with Max and watch him grow and learn. It is my favorite part. Mom was right, it all did come natural.

Mom has taught me more than she will ever know. I could write a book about it all but at some point I have to end this. I found this poem that I thought would be fitting for all you(r) moms out there. It reminded me of my Mom.

My Mother

A pillar of strength, the pure meaning of Love

A Divine gift from our Lord up above

As gentle as rain on the petals of a rose

She'll kiss away fears and hug away woes

A doctor when tending a cold or scrap

A chef when making cookies or frosting a cake

A tailor, a chauffeur, a fairy god mother at times

But never to busy for a child's nursery rhymes

A source of wisdom that comes from inside

A manager, a bookkeeper and a private tour guide

The one that knows just what to say

When a child is having a difficult day

The maker of dreams and the setter of goals

As a pile of laundry she sits and folds

When strange noises go bump in the night

It's her loving hand that turns on the light

All things to family she feels she must be

Although her family may not see

In our Lord's kingdom the one that will fare

Is the one we call Mother. No others compare!

-Barbara K. Cox

So Mom, thanks for all that you do. Thanks for always being there for whatever I needed and whenever. I couldn't have asked for a greater mom than you. Never forget how great you are and don't let anyone else tell you any different. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

St. Patrick's Day 2011

I am part Irish and growing up we always took part in St. Patrick's Day. Mostly we we would just wear green and made sure that we ate New England Broiled Dinner (a.k.a. corn beef and cabbage with boiled carrots and potatoes). I'm trying very hard to take family pictures on special days like these. I bought matching St. Paddy's Day shirts for Tim and I (couldn't find one for Max) and I dressed Max in a solid green shirt. He isn't wearing it here because he threw up all over it after breakfast. This shirt he decided to spill pink lemonade on the white stripes but I didn't care he was taking a picture in this shirt. 

Max in his green and white St. Patrick's Day shirt playing with a dog toy.



The family photo. I think I'm squinting alot but this was the only one that both dogs were pretty much looking so we are going with it.

Max and Tim playing on the rings on the swing set in our back yard.

I love the open mouth smile. Love that kid!

It is Mustache March so Tim is growing one. Here it is in the beginning stages.

December Daily - Day 1

So this is my first year doing December Daily with Ali Edwards. I have watched for years in aww and have wanted to do it and this year I got off my butt and put is all together. I think Max has something to do with it.

This was done before December but thought this would make a good first day. When I put the pictures in my album I'll take pictures of that but until then I at least have the photos and the journaling done. Super Excited for the month of December and Max's first Christmas. Yeah for December Daily.

I'm still deciding on what to do for Day 2.

Thanksgivnig Memories & Menu

This year (so far) it is only going to be the 3 of us. Which I'm totally fine with, saves some money on that huge turkey. We may be having guests but only a few and I'm not buying a bigger bird so it is only going to be a few people.

I remember my very first Thanksgiving, or at least the one that I cooked myself. It was my first year married and I was working at Honey Baked Ham with my father and sister. So were were guaranteed a free ham, in our case 3 hams. I still bought a decent sized bird because there were going to be about 8 or 9 of us. I don't remember how big it actually was but it was over 10 lbs.

I had worked all day at Honey Baked and if you have ever been there during the holidays you know what it is like, constant chaos but more or less it was kinda fun, I thrive on that a bit. So I worked all day and had to go home and get some prep work done for the next day. The first thing I did was to make the pies. Now Tim and I are not fans of pumpkin pie so we just buy a store bought one but I like apple. So there I sat, peeling and cutting up about 20 apples for 2 hours. NEVER AGAIN! The following year I bought the apple-peeler-corer-slicer from Pampered Chef, cut my time by ALOT! But I made the pies and I was ready for the next day.

I slow cooked the turkey all night on low so I could sleep in in the morning. That was nice. But I finally got up and started to get everything ready. Tim helped by cleaning up the house and getting the table set. I stood in the kitchen most of the morning and early afternoon getting it all done.

Finally it as time to eat....25 minutes is all it took to eat all the food that I cooked all day and night. 25 minutes...sad really but what are you going to do. So then the clean up and the phone calls began. Tim called home and spoke with his family and they asked all the normal questions, but there was one that I was not expecting. "What kind of pasta dish did you have?" I asked him, who the hell has pasta on Thanksgiving! He said, "Italians." I said, "Oh, well next year if I cook I will be sure to make a pasta dish of some sort for your/our family tradition."

So each year that I cook, I always cook a pasta dish. It is usually lasagna because everyone loves it and this year will be no different. Lasagna it is. Speaking of which, I need to start making the sauce today or tomorrow so it will be ready for Turkey Day.

Now My Menu

• Turkey (of course)
• Ham (from Honey Baked Ham, first one in 7 years)
• Lasagna (because we are Italian)
• Green beans with shittake mushrooms
• Cranberry sauce (the canned one, why mess with a good thing)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Corn
• Sweet baby carrots
• Stuffing (going to try homemade this year, I have Stove Top for a back up)
• Crumble top apple pie
• Chocolate Pudding pie
• Taco dip (for an appetizer)
• Stuffed mushrooms (another appetizer)

Yes it is a lot of food for just 3 people but I do not intend on cooking at all for at least 3 days or at least not cooking without the above ingredients for 3 days. Going to get the last minute/fresh vegetable items today so I don't have to fight crowds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

One more thing that I'm excited about, we get to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Super excited about that too. Yeah for Turkey Day!

1st Halloween

This was Max's first Halloween. He was Dumbo (thanks Auntie Chris). He was the cutest looking Dumbo you could ever see.
We thought that Max was a bit to young to go out and go trick-or-treating so we stayed home. Our city did trick-or-treating last night. Our good neighbor, Laura, had a Halloween party though with all of her day care kids so we went over there all dressed up.

Here are our pumpkins, that for the 2nd year in a row did not get carved this year. Tim said we are getting closer to do it, since we didn't decorate last year.

Our path walking up to the front door. I meant to put the cotton spider web stuff on the porch, but again, we'll just save it for next year.

Here is another one of Max in his Dumbo outfit. He didn't care for the ears but he would leave them up just long enough for us to get a few pictures of him. There are more pictures of him and Halloween on my Facebook page.

I'm currently looking for deals on Halloween costumes for next year. Maybe I'll find something really good and really cute for him to be next year. It is almost time to get out the Christmas stuff, I'm very excited for that this year. The matching PJs have already been bought, just waiting for Dec. 1 to come around to start wearing them. Yeah for the holiday season, it is my favorite time of year.

St. Paddy's Day

It was an exhausting day...can you tell by the look of Max. Just wanted to post a few pic of the boy. Enjoy!
This one is just to funny to not put up here. Sorry Mom, we had to do it.

A Year in Review

Okay, so this isn't toally done because some of the other pictures on my computer and my wireless internet decided to die on it and I haven't had the chance to go to the store and a. buy a new wireless device or b. buy a REALLY long cable to make my house look getto by running the cord from my bedroom to my studio. Go figure...of course Tim just left yesterday so everything is going to hell in a hand basket. Explain more of that later but my Year in Review photos. I want to do a scrapbooking page on this too...we'll see how much time I have.

January

My Christmas tree for '07...we took pictures late...obviously. It took up the whole room.

February

Tim on the couch with the puppy...love this picture

March

Saying good-bye/see you later to our old neighbors in Thetford. We still keep in touch, we spent boxing day (26 Dec) with them this year...again, more on that later.

Our new house in the Cotwolds (<--Another part of England)

April

Yes, snow in April

Then it got warm...gotta love English weather

May

Maggie running around like an idiot...love her though...how could you not???

The Duck Races

June

Tim trying to make Maggie swim, she isn't much of a swimmer but likes to cool off, it was hot!

July

The air show that got cancelled, this was a small show the Red Arrows did.

Berry picking...yes I have pants and a sweatshirt on in July, it wasn't much of a summer here.

August

Tim's Mom and Gigi (his neice) came to visit

Warwick Castle

September

Taking sample shots for possible family portraits for people on base.

So that's all I have for right now. I have more pictures but well I also have a life and would like to get some sleep as well. I'll try and get around to posting the other pictures but well, don't count on it, I wasn't counting on my internet going out and well I just kinda lost my mojo with this whole project. Although, that being said, I should finish it cause part of my New Year's resolution was to make sure that I finish what I start. But I have to take care of the internet problem first. Look for an updated version of this post soon.