our little cupcake

in
cupcake.jpg

It's no secret that Clementine LOVES cupcakes.

"Happy Birthday!"

She replies, "cupcake!"

Happy anything and she replies, "cupcake! cupcake! cupcake!"

Just the word "happy" alone will do,

mention whipped cream, ice cream...

"CUPCAKE!"

She's crazy for them; even if all she does is lick off the frosting.

These past few Saturdays the mister has taken advantage of the non-rainy {enter disbelief here} weather and put the little miss on his bike for a date with daddy-o at the cupcake shop.

It's really the cutest thing.

He likes to send me a picture from their sweet adventure.

I just received this one and I had to share.

heart shaped cherry hand-pie goes awry and the rest of our valentine's day

in ,

When I was pregnant I craved cherry pie.

In the pacific northwest there are some really yummy cherries and people bake all sorts of elaborate pies.  The kind of pie that you know exactly which farm the fruit was picked at, organic of course, pure ingredients; you get the picture, cherry pies with hazelnuts, liquors, flavored crusts, and even fried.

That's great and all but I wanted bright red, over processed, too much sugar, high fructose corn syrup cherry pie filling from the can. I couldn't find it anywhere. Until now.

I thought it would be very valentinesy.

My idea was to make a heart shaped cherry hand pie.

It was going to be great.

That is, until I wondered why it smelled like crayons burning in the house and was it getting smoky? Yes. The smoke detectors started to beep and I opened the oven to what I thought was parchment paper but actually was wax paper (which I realized as I glanced over at the box on the counter. Genius.) drying up and smoldering. Fantastic.

So much for my heart shaped hand pie.

But just like life (and love) sometimes better things come from events that seem, at the time, like they are a disaster.

I looked over at the little bit of dough I had left.

What is better than one big heart? Why, two half hearts that make the whole, of course.

How romantic.

where I've been

in ,

I've been nestled away in a mountain cabin; cozied up to the fire and surrounded by snow, family and friends. I am officially in the holiday spirit.

summer

in
cl.jpg

{I had a friend ask me over the weekend what I had been up to; what great things I had made or recipes I had tried. I had no response. Nothing. The sun is shining and my days are busy chasing around a very curious almost eleven-month-old that is walking (trying to run!) and busy exploring this crazy world. I will get back to my crafty, let's make it or bake it self. But right now there is nothing I would rather be doing than watching this little miss look up at the clouds in amazement, put her arms up, smile with delight and spin around only to fall to the green grass and squeal. Yes. That is where I want to be.}

Today I will eat strawberries

in

Today I will eat strawberries,

juicy bites of sweet sorrow,

and I will remember you,

your short cake stature

and your kind ways.

I will remember your amazement in the very small,

your love of all things strawberry,

your deviled eggs, your mischievous smile,

and how you treasured handmade gifts and cards like pieces of fine art.

Today I will eat strawberries

and I will think of you,

your stubbornness and your independence,

qualities that have been passed on to my mother

and then to me.

I will forever imagine you gleefully shouting "BINGO!"

because that makes me smile.

And one day I will eat strawberries with little Clementine

and tell her stories of her great grandmother,

"Once upon a time there was a strawberry queen..."