Crafty-ness

In addition to spending time in the kitchen, I also really enjoy scrapbooking and making cards. I haven't scrapbooked in a while, but I recently made my own wedding invitations, some bridal shower and bachelorette party invitations, and many birthday cards. And I would like to share some of them with you so you know I do other things than bake and eat what I bake ;)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy birthday to the best dad ever! You've always been a great dad, and now that I'm older I'm so glad we're friends too. I wish I was there to celebrate with you! I'll drink a Yuengling with you in spirit!
Here's my daddy at me and Cory's wedding last October (so handsome!):

Feelin' hot hot HOT!

The past few weeks have been so freiken hot here in Houston. I don't really remember the actual temperatures being this high before, but maybe I just blocked it out.

This is what my car thermometer read on the way home from work today at 5:30.

And a few minutes later:

When I washed my face when I got home, I had only the cold water on and it was hot. Usually in the summer here, you can't get cold water, its usually warm, but this felt like I had the hot water turned on. I hope it's ok to water my tomato plants with hot water!

(Public service announcement: My car was not in motion when I took those pictures!)

Wedding Photo

For our wedding 'guest book', we did a signature mat. We finally got it framed and picked it up yesterday and brought it right home to hang it up above our mantel. I LOVE it!!! Cory and I rarely agree in our decorating tastes, and I actually liked a different frame better, but I went with what he wanted this time. And I'm glad I did because I think it looks fantastic in our new family room!
Here's a picture of it hanging up with some sconces that we got for our wedding. The wrought iron matches the shelves we already have in this room.

A little closer:
And here's a close-up of the frame itself:

Blast from the Past, Fifth Edition

This is Heather and me on Christmas morning when we were about 5 I think. We'd just come downstairs to see the tree and presents that Santa had brought! I love the expressions on our faces, and I love my mom peeking around the corner. I'm on the right; this time I know for sure because I know that's my doll ;)

Houst Project: Bedroom Curtains

We're still doing things to spruce up our house and make it exactly how we want it. This weekend I got some curtains for our bedroom and Cory helped me hang them. Since the wall color ended up darker than we thought we'd picked, I thought something white and airy would help lighten it up. We're still playing with exactly how we want to bunch them, but I love them!

Before:

After:

Nom nom nom

Although I was having a great time in Paris, I missed a lot of things while I was gone: mostly Cory, Cosmo, my friends, my bed... the list goes on. I also really missed cooking and baking! It's become quite a hobby of mine this year and I was excited to get back to it! Here are some things I've whipped up the past few weeks! I've also been working on my food photography skills and I think I'm improving a little bit.

PW's Strawberry Shortcake Cake
recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/strawberry-shortcake-cake1.pdf
This was DELICIOUS! I made it for a concert in the park that we went to with some friends (yay 80s cover band!) and everyone loved it. I had to give the rest away so I didn't polish it off myself!


Banana's Foster Cupcakes
recipe here: http://healthyeatsandsinfultreats.blogspot.com/2008/09/bananas-foster-cupcakes.html
I made these as a late birthday treat for Josh since I was in Toulouse on his bday. He loves all things banana, but he's not the biggest cream cheese fan, so I made a brown sugar icing that was to die for! The cupcakes were good, but the recipe has you actually make bananas foster and put it in the batter, so I was expecting a little more. They kinda just tasted like banana bread, so I thought the icing really saved them.

Crumbly Cookie's Pain Ordinaire
recipe here: http://www.crumblycookie.net/2008/10/03/pain-ordinaire/
I've been loving this baking kick I'm on, but my waist has seen better days. So this weekend I made something slightly healthier! This was not my first time using yeast (I've made pizza crust and soft pretzels) but it was my first time baking bread. I think I could have shaped it better into a more 'sandwich' size loaf but it tastes great and I can't wait to make more!

Pastor Ryan's Chicken Tikka Masala
recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pastor-ryans-chicken-tikka-masala1.pdf
Cory really likes curry, and my taste for it has been growing, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it for him. It was AMAZING! I heart Pioneer Woman, and her guest blogger Pastor Ryan! Please go make it. Now.