Gumball Painting

Gumball Painting(web), originally uploaded by bloomingpink.

Finished this tonight!

On other notes.....Lil'Dude is going in for surgery in the morning. Neuter and having a bunch of baby teeth pulled that are hanging about in and around his grown-up teeth.

Keep him in your thoughts....all 4.5 lbs of him.

Chickenry Eggs

Chickenry Eggs, originally uploaded by bloomingpink.

My friend, Caryn, is not only a terrific jeweler, but also an avid gardener and keeps chickens. Quite the farm gal!

Above is a picture of the eggs I recently aquired from her. I've not ever seen yokes so orange. And cooked, they are so flavorful and, oh, so, delicious.

She always labels the harvest date of her eggs with masking tape and a sharpie. I thought she might appreciate fancier labels, so I spent most of yesterday and today making her a set of labels....(I should have been cleaning from the basement flood, but just couldn't bring myself to work on it!)



I made 24, but I don't think they will last very long considering her hens produce about 13 eggs/day! She's been amazed that they were this active all winter....she's hoping for more as the warm weather continues.

Anyway, these will be a surprise for her next time I see her.

Generally...Fed Up

Urban Hiking

You will see Candace in the video about mid-way. She has successfully made it to London. Wheeee!

She and her beau cleaned a space to stay for a bit before venturing on to where I am unsure at the moment.

I received an email from her a few days following the video. She said that they had cleaned it up, gotten working heat and were comfortable.

I loved London when I visited many years ago in the mid-90's, but I was in a bit more plush circumstance.

Waiting for Mum at Painting

So, this little guy has not only been going with me to painting class, but I have been successfully sneaking him into my building at work as well...

What fun we're having.

Old Cola Sign

Cola Sign (web), originally uploaded by bloomingpink.

It looked like this sign was intentionally exposed. Dave and I saw it when taking a walk a couple weeks ago.

I fixed the skew (it was in between two buildings and higher up than my head). Also made a few minor adjustments, but the colors were pretty vibrant, which was cool considering it's probably quite an old sign.

Leaving...Left...Gone...

She did. Dublin arrival and then on to Greece.

Mission: Learn all about anarchy and post-resurrection action.

State of Mother: Sad, Worried, yet Proud.

What courage.

Jam Filled Cupcakes

Jam Filled Cupcakes, originally uploaded by bloomingpink.

Made some seriously pinked iced cupcakes that were filled with the most awesome Triple Berry jam given to me by my friend, Bonnie. The cupcakes were delicious, but I wasn't crazy about the taste of the icing, which is a shame, because in all counts, the icing makes the cake!

Here's the recipe for the cupcakes. It is so much better than box embellished and really just as easy.

Makes 12

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups baking flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raw granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
Favorite Jam
Wilton tip 230 and pastry bag
Cupcake cups

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cups in a 12-cup muffin pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in two parts, alternating with milk.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Using the tip for filling cupcakes and pastries (#230), fill a pastry bag with your favorite jam or jelly and insert and fill each cupcake. Ice with your favorite icing.

Eat and Enjoy!