Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts

Monday, July 13, 2015

A Week in CASL photos x 2: June 29- July 13

Happy Beautiful Monday! Hope you all had a relaxing weekend!

 Today is an exciting day around here, it's my son's 15th Birthday! He wants to bowl and watch Jurassic World with his friends, and then we're having a nice family dinner together! Having three sisters, he tends to escape to his room, so it's fun for him to hang out with his friends! If you are interested, here's a post I wrote about him back in 2006: Joshua's Birthday!


 The girls and I had our Mad Hatter Tea party which was so much fun, we all had a blast, sipping tea, and eating sweet treats, that they helped me make!

 
What I like about doing a Photo365, is that I get to share with you a peek into what my week has been like, and possibly a sneak peek to what next week will bring. I've tried 365 Photo or Daily photo memes several times before, and surprisingly, I am getting farther posting my photos once a week, instead of once a day. It makes a big difference, and it's really nice to look back and see a slice of my day!
June 29th- Design...My first coastal vignette...I really miss living close to the beach.
 
 
I missed a few days over the holiday weekend, but here are a few photos I did take!
 
4th of July- Red White and Blue
 
 
July 5th- Me today. I don't take very many selfies, but I really like this one, I feel refreshed and relaxed after our trip up North!
 
 
July 6th- Outing...This is Katelyn on our little hike. She had fun climbing rocks.
 
 
July 7th- My name...My name...to family I am Christy...My uncle calls me Chrissy...To my husband, my other aunt and uncle and in laws I am Chris...to my kids I'm Mom!!  Watercolor wreath via @Angiemakes1
 
July 8th- Minimalistic...Love the colors Red and White
 
 
July 9th..In my fridge...After I took this picture, I thought of Paula Deene, I now have only 3 boxes of butter, in there! In there you will find....3 jars of jellies..3 dozen eggs...3 mustard bottles...2 mayo jars...2 ketchup bottles...only 1 gallon of milk I usually have 2...no l don't have any left overs I cleaned my fridge Monday after our long holiday road trip!
 
 
July 10th- Street...we live on a very quiet cul-de-sac...This is a good before front yard pic...by Fall there will be more plants...I love this shade tree
 
 
July 11th- Story of My Life...Beautiful roses, hot cup of tea, macarons.
 
 
July 12th- Late...I felt like the White Rabbit...Running late to our tea party!
 
 
July 13th- Early....My son Josh is my Early Birthday present, even though he wasn't early...ten days late to be exact!
 


Are you on Instagram? You really should be!! 
You can follow me here on Instagram! 
 
   I recently started following a photo a day prompt on #fmsphotoaday.
 Let me know if you decide to join in the fun!

Have a great rest of your week! Until next time!
xo, Christine
 
Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life?
 Don’t forget to follow on Facebook & Pinterest! 
 
 
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Sunday, June 21, 2015

Weekend Randomness

 
I have a bit of a confession,
my life in general is very, random!
 
My organizational skills are getting better, but
I've always been a more go with the flow
, or fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl!
 
It's good in some ways, to do something fun and exciting with no planning at all,
 just so there is an adventure around every corner.
 
And I've adapted well to situations
 like the ever changing tide,

1. Menu Planners
 
One of the areas I'd like to work on is eating healthier, so
I'm spending way to much time on Pinterest looking
at Menu Planners.
Anyone use one? Which one do you use?
 
 
(original pin)

2. Summer reading

This week, we've spent most of it indoors, with this heat wave we are having.
 We've been reading many books!
This book caught my attention. In my sustainable cooking class,
we talked about the history of food, and this book also tells
the anthropology behind some of the world's most well known cuisines.

 
(affiliate link)
The World on a Plate: 40 Cuisines, 100 Recipes, and the Stories Behind Them
 
 

What books are on your Summer reading list?

3.Edible flowers on Ice

 
via The View from the Great Island


After reading this beautiful post, I knew that some flowers were edible,
but had no idea just how many flowers could be eaten.
Here's another lovely post about them,
 5 Flowers You Didn't Know you could eat!


4. Pumpkins

Pumpkins! I know what you are thinking,
Mmmmmm.....Pumpkin Spice this or pumpkin pie that,
 but last year I got this crazy idea
 to plant pumpkins that would be ready to harvest for Halloween.
It takes 80-120 days to harvest, I am going to try and plant some coming up pretty soon!

Growing pumpkins in containers


(affiliate link) Jack O Lantern Pumpkin - Heirloom Seeds

5. Key West, Florida

Again with growing things in containers, my husband really wants a Lime tree.
Ready for some randomness...

From lime tree, we move onto Key Lime Cheesecake, and then skip to Key West, Florida,
which is one place on my bucket list to visit.
I just found out that Billy Currington,  aka "The Coconut Man", (his IG username is @BCCoconutman )has been selling fresh coconuts as a side job, there for about  20 years.
My husband thinks I am crazy, but if we ever do get to visit Key West,
I would just love to buy a coconut from him!
So if you find yourself in Mallory Square, and you happen to buy one from him,
Tell him I say, Hey!

This is absolutely my favorite song from him, among others, "Wrong Directions"!
 



 
Hope you are all having a beautiful weekend!
Until next time!
xo,Christine
 

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Monday, May 25, 2015

A Week in CASL photos: May 18-24th

Happy Monday!  I am glad you stopped by to visit me today! Hope you are all enjoying and having a wonderful relaxing long weekend!
 
First, I want to take time to remember and to thank those who are serving and who have served and for those who have lost their lives  for our country, so that we can enjoy our freedom.
 
 God Bless America!
 
 
 
 
 
This weekend, has been the first official weekend of Summer vacation, and this is what I needed a little R&R; swimming by the pool, watching a couple of movies, planning a little of the Summer out.
I'll start a Pinterest Summer board tomorrow; quite possibly, and almost maybe some of those pins will actually get made. If not, I still enjoy the inspiration all the same.
 
What I like about doing a Photo365, is that I get to share with you a peek into what my week has been like, and possibly a sneak peek to what next week will bring. I've tried 365 Photo or Daily photo memes several times before, and surprisingly, I am getting farther posting my photos once a week, instead of once a day. It makes a big difference, and it's really nice to look back and see a slice of my day!
 
May 18th- Musical...From my early days of playing piano!
 
 
May 19th- Mood...Which is just about everyday...I want to bake something!!
 
 
May 20th ... Today was a day to celebrate, Katelyn graduated 6th grade!
 
 
 
May 21st- Equal...Celebrating Katelyn graduating
 
 
And my first cookbook review 'Twenty Dinners'!

May 22nd- In a drawer...Every kitchen tool should be here...I never know when children empty the dish washer!!


May 23rd- The Weather- Actually it is a very warm sunny day! It looks like the sky was white washed!


May 24th- Goodtimes...This is where you will find me all weekend...Poolside!


 Are you on Instagram? You really should be!!  You can find me here on Instagram! 
 
   I recently started following a photo a day prompt on #fmsphotoaday.
 Let me know if you decide to join in the fun!

Have a great rest of your week! Until next time!
xo, Christine
 
Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life? Don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest!
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Friday, May 22, 2015

Sticky Toffee Pudding

I am so excited today, not just because it's Friday, or that it is the first day of Summer vacation, but that I get to share with you this mouth watering, super moist, made by scratch pudding cake!

For the ten of you that read my blog, you know me. You know, sweet recipes usually catch my attention, even better still a recipe with a personal story attached to it. At the end of the post I'll post some of my favorites.


Before I received "Twenty Dinners" ( you can read my review here), I've had some type of Date bread before, and it was alright, nothing out of the ordinary! Flipping through the pages, this recipe literally jumps off the page and pulled me into. The photograph was beautiful, but the story behind the recipe, caught me, and my eyes got kind of misty, how this dessert, when the author got homesick, reminded her of the cake her mother made, and it comforted her.


If you've spent any time on Pinterest, then you have seen Date energy bites, or Date energy bars, they have wonderful health benefits. Although dates have a high amount of natural fructose, dates are very healthy for you. They are high in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, A1 and C, proteins, dietary fiber, iron (11 percent), potassium (16 percent), calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. The soluble and insoluble fibers and amino acids present in dates can also help to improve the digestive system.



One thing about me is I like warm, sticky, gooey desserts! Hot fudge, brownie sundaes, or salted caramel anything, with caramel oozing everywhere. Let me just say a couple of things, first chopped dates are very sticky, and the name of this recipe is an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised just how sticky it was. I understand if you find my food tastes on the strange side, and no longer want to be friends. It was after that one bite, I could see why this is the heavenly, comfort food that it is, and WHY haven't I had it before. When the Holidays come around, this is getting made.


Even though my grandmother didn't make this specific cake, she made these delightful, very soft, glazed cookies, with candied fruit, and some of the cookies she'd put candied cherries, and others she put dates on top. It's been over thirty years, since I've tasted anything remotely similar to her cookies. In that one bite, it reminded me of Christmas time, as a little girl, enjoying my grandmother's not overly sweet cookies.

I am forewarning you, this is a very rich, moist cake, and while not sickly sweet, it is on the super sweet side and sticky side!


Sticky Toffee Pudding (adapted from "Twenty Dinners")
For the cake:
6 oz. dates, pitted and chopped
1-1/4 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups. self-rising flour, sifted
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
For the sauce:
2- 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream, roasted pecans, Sea Salt; for garnish
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. I use butter to coat the 8x11.5 inch glass pan.
  2. Pit and roughly chop dates. In small saucepan, bring dates, and 1 1/4 cups water to boil. Take off heat and set aside to completely cool.
  3. In stand up mixer, cream together butter and sugar, for 5 minutes, until fluffy. Next time, I want to do this, puree the cooled dates and water.
  4. To the butter/sugar mixture, add 1 egg, and vanilla; completely blend. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add half the flour; scrape down sides of bowl. Then add half the pureed dates and completely blend. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes. Mine took 40 minutes, and it is a pudding cake, so it was a little jiggly, but firm to the touch. Insert tooth pick, it should come out clean.
  6. While cake is baking, make toffee sauce. In medium saucepan, on medium heat, cook together the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, stirring constantly and boil for 3 minutes. Take off heat, and add vanilla.
  7. Poke small holes in cake, and pour half of the toffee sauce over cake. Reserve the rest to spoon over cake for serving.
  8. Roast pecans in a 275F oven for 5 minutes. Watch carefully, because they can burn.
  9. Garnish with whipped cream, and/or Sea Salt.
As always , I saved a slice for you!


Hope you have a lovely and relaxing weekend!
Until next time!
xo Christine

Want to stay connected & up to date with Cherishing A Sweet Life? Don’t forget to follow on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest!



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Sunday, May 3, 2015

A Week in CASL photos: April 27th-May 3

Good morning! I am glad you stopped by to visit me today! How is your weekend going? We are just unpacking and getting settled. The girls went for a fun and relaxing swim yesterday, and then Lindsay and I made brownies, except she had fallen asleep, and hid the chocolate chips, (I don't know why?); it's always an adventure! I did find them in the freezer! Today, I'm starting to put my gallery walls together for my One Room Challenge.

What I like about doing a Photo365, is that I get to share with you a peek into what my week has been like, and possibly a sneak peek to what next week will bring. I've tried 365 Photo or Daily photo memes several times before, and surprisingly, I am getting farther posting my photos once a week, instead of once a day. It makes a big difference, and it's really nice to look back and see a slice of my day!

April 27th- Prepare.. Salsa Verde Chicken, Pepper Jack Cheese and Sour Cream Enchiladas...It's What's For Dinner and perfect for Cinco de Mayo.



April 28th-In my bedroom...Kitty Soft Paws loves Her New House....She made herself right at home!


April 29th...I walked here...The lake and park by our house. The dogs love the new scenery on our walks.


April 30th...I need...A strong cup of coffee, to keep me going. My nana always used her percolator, and when my daughter Marissa came for a visit she showed me how to use a French Press. When I need a strong cup of coffee, I bring it out!


May 1st...I want...After needing coffee, now I seriously want sweet, and it has to be Fudgy Double Chocolate brownies.



May 2nd...Faceless selfie....Reminds me to always take time to smell the Roses (enjoy the little things, because they are just as if not more important!!)



May 3rd....A cup of....since I did coffee earlier this week, I thought I'd make myself a Banana Triple Berry Smoothie. Notice a pattern, I eat something sinful, than I remedy that with a healthy smoothie. Helps with the guilt!! ;)

 
 
Are you on Instagram?  You really should be!!  I recently started following a photo a day prompt on #fmsphotoaday.
 Let me know if you decide to join in the fun!

Have a great rest of your week! Until next time!
xo, Christine
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Celebrating Earth Day 2015

 
Happy Earth day! Thanks to a dear blogging friend, Lori Leigh, of LL Farm for reminding me today is Earth day! We've all heard that the Earth is suffering, and needs all of us to find ways to help make the world a better place for our children. It was about this same time last year, when our Sustainable cooking class, showed this video, The End of the Line (this is the trailer)! What shocked me most, was the simple fact, how unaware I was, and I thought how many of us are there that are still unaware! Almost ten years ago, I worked for a seafood restaurant, and it was unbelievable to me at the time, that we started taking seafood plates off the menu, because certain fish were endangered; like Atlantic Halibut, Grouper and the Bluefin Tuna! After watching this powerful and moving video, I began to understand, if we don't start taking care of our planet now, what will our children have to sustain themselves.

 
Growing up, I have fond memories, of skipping and playing around my mother's flower garden, and on the weekends, watch her toiling away at the earth, as she planted, weeded, fertilized, and watered her vegetable garden. I learned many things from my mother about gardening, but for some unknown reason, until recently, I seriously had a black thumb. Everything I planted died.
 
That is until I bought, my youngest daughter Lindsay her first tomato plant. Living here in Arizona, it is quite challenging to grow anything, especially in the Summer time, but I have been reading up and learning ways to tend to a garden. 
 
To celebrate Earth day this year, Lindsay and I planted
 
Lime Basil
Cosmos and
Salvia.
 
 
 
The Lime basil and the Salvia, I know do well in a hot weather climate.
We will see how the Cosmos grows. 
 


Lime Basil (O. americanum)
 
Zesty lime flavor and aroma. Delicious in salads, salsa, and fish and chicken dishes. Compact, mounding plants average 20" in height. More heat tolerant than sweet basil. Annual. What interested me, was that as it started getting really hot, when my sweet basil started to dye, this Lime Basil, started to grow, the hotter it got  outside; the more it grew! Of course, I did give it a little shade, but it did get full sun, most of the day!
 
 
Salvia 'Early Bonfire'
 
Annual.  Shows brilliant spikes of red, tubular flowers surrounded by lush green foliage. 'Early Bonfire' is tall, making it ideal for filling garden spaces and borders. A large planting creates a stunning impact that’s impossible to miss. Early Bonfire is a tender perennial usually grown as an annual that blooms up until frost. Perennial in USDA zones 10 and 11.
 
One late Spring, when I planted Salvia, it also thrived in the heat, well (here in Arizona, it does get cold for a couple weeks out of the year) into the middle of November, when temperatures started to drop.
 
 
Cosmos 'Sea Shells'
 
Annual. This charming cosmos with fluted seashell-shaped petals, will be a beautiful addition to your cosmos patch! In shades of white, pink, rose and crimson, it makes an excellent cut flower. Easy to care for; once established they are drought tolerant, preferring neglect to T.L.C. (tender loving care), making them a perfect choice for wildflower or naturalized areas.
 
This is going to be interesting to find out just how drought tolerant they are, and if it really does prefer to be neglected. Won't be too hard to do here in the Summertime!
 
When I lived in California, there was a field of Comos, standing tall with their romantic display in the gardens of a resort I was working at. On my way to my car, I would stop for a moment or two and admire, the way they would sway in a breeze. How beautiful and sunny their pale petals, showed their softer side!
 
 
You can find more seed information at Botanical Interest!
 
Here are just a few things, I would want my children to learn about and how to do.
*Permaculture and Sustainability
*How to grow food
because *Potential food shortages, because of drought, soil depletion, and the plunge in wildlife population, example bees, bats and other birds; over fishing of life in our oceans.
*About GMOs
There is a longer list, but I thought this was a great place to start!
 
Until next time! Have a great rest of your week!
xo Christine
 
Shared with:
OMHG Wordless Wednesday 
Mom2Mom Mondays 
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Monday, April 20, 2015

A Week in CASL photos: April 14-19

Good morning! I am so glad you stopped by to visit me today! How was your weekend? We are now officially all moved in, and the internet is back on, now I can start unpacking!  The girls and I did a little exploring yesterday, and walked around the neighborhood. Then later that night we took our oldest dog out for a walk. It was a gorgeous Spring night. I was able to finish painting my end table. Again, I am not really an arts and crafts kind of person, but it felt so relaxing to take a break from moving and paint! It feels amazing to be living in the new house! Looking forward to the next 15 years at this house, because let's just say, that I am NOT moving again any time soon!

What I like about doing a Photo365, is that I get to share with you a peek into what my week has been like, and possibly a sneak peek to what next week will bring. I've tried 365 Photo or Daily photo memes several times before, and surprisingly, I am getting farther posting my photos once a week, instead of once a day. It makes a big difference, and it's really nice to look back and see a slice of my day!

April 14- Up...The Sun is still Up...On it's way down...3x more until we are all moved!

 
April 15- Dinner...What's for dinner? With moving, I wanted to keep it simple, Penne Pasta with the Coconut Velvet White cake, I made the night before!

 
April 16- Where I work- I was going to take a picture of my kitchen, either old or new, but with moving there are boxes everywhere...so I thought I would show you what I make...
Coconut White Velvet cake with Pineapple curd and Coconut Cream cheese frosting.
 



April 17- Fluffy- This is the guard kitten on the property keeping an eye on my chickens. He is named appropriately 'Fluffy'!


April 18- An ordinary moment...Taking a break from moving, I continued to paint my end table.


April 19- Together...Love my two girls when they are together. (missing my oldest)


Sorry,  I am missing one photo. With moving, there wasn't time to do what I had planned to do, but I definitely will be making it for a future post!


Are you on Instagram?  You really should be!!  I recently started following a photo a day prompt on #fmsphotoaday.
 Let me know if you decide to join in the fun!

Have a great week! Until next time!
xo, Christine


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