Baking: For the love of it!

"Happiness is homemade" - Unknown

Who doesn't love a homemade dessert? Today's inspiration for my blog came from a comment I received after bringing in a baked good for someone's birthday, "You missed your calling." While I love to bake and enjoy the happiness it brings to someone, I am not sure that baking is the path I was supposed to take, but I certainly love it.

I can't even begin to list out my baking struggles. Growing up, cooking & baking was not my cup of tea. But shortly after I was married, I felt I needed to fit the role of a housewife, so I began experimenting. I have stumbled upon so many fun recipes that don't always turn out. In fact, just two weeks ago I attempted my first angel food cake that I thought would turn out light and fluffy - failed! And then I burnt brownies! Double fail!

So where do I find my inspiration? Blogs, books and facebook page! The above photo is one of my favorite recipes - Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls. Talk about delicious! To the right, is a recipe I found here, Death by Oreo Cupcakes. I can't take credit for these delicious pieces of yummy-ness, but I did alter the recipe to make it a touch of my own. And, the frosting is to die for. More of my inspiration also comes from these sites:
Taste of Home
Bakerella
Tablespoon

And of course, from friends and family! Thankfully, I have some awesome taste testers - who always try my cookies, brownies, cupcakes... and even baking disasters.

Cheers, to a teaspoon of love :)

Travel: Discovering Chicago as an adult!

I have always wanted to really 'discover' Chicago as an adult. I had been there a few times as a child, it was only 3 hours from where I grew up and we had gone there for my bachelorette party, but it was such a quick overnight, I really didn't get to take the city in. So, G and I ventured off for three days to the windy city.

We started on the train, one thing we have never done before and can now officially cross off my 'bucket list.' We realized there was so much to do and see, we wasted no time exploring! Below, our some of my favorite photos (along with links) from our trip. I can't wait to go back in the summer!

John Hancock Observatory

Buckingham Fountain

Shop the Magnificent Mile

Shedd Aquarium

Museum of Science and Industry

Millennium Park - The Bean

Photography: Two little families!

“ You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper." – William Albert Allard

Over the past week, I was able to photograph two families for fun. The first, my friend/co-worker Angie and her adorable children and the other, the Clear's, who are my sister-in-laws family. Both were fun... and I learned a lot about my confidence and skills behind the camera. Here's a few of my favorites!

They are such hams!

Such a sweet, sweet, boy!

Love the romance!

In color and a bit different of an angle...

Caught them in a family moment - I love that!

Cuties & buddies!

I will admit, I was a bit nervous to take pics during this time of the year when nothing is really pretty. However, when I drove past this building I saw some unique characteristics and was really happy with the way the photos turned out! I will be visiting again!

Photography: An afternoon with two Yoopers!

“ You don’t take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

My inspiration for photography comes from many people... including my awesome sister. {She's always wanted to be a photographer... and now she basically is! I don't think I will ever be as good as her, but I will still try to capture the images as best I can}

During my time at CMU, I took a photography class and used a 35 mm Nikon Film Camera - now collecting dust on my shelf! Today, I have a Nikon DSLR and I have taken thousands of photos with that camera.

On Saturday, I was able to spend an afternoon with my good friend Kristina and her long-time beau, Matt. They both grew up in 'da UP' - eh, and now live in Petoskey. I wanted to practice with my new lens - and they were the 'picture perfect' models. Here's a few of my favorites from the day:

Baking: An early Easter surprise!

Easter is still about 4 weeks away, but I made these adorable Easter "baskets" last year as a special treat! Simple and cute - if you have about an hour and a half to create.

The Ingredients

• 1 box of cake mix (your choice, I used Funfetti)
• 1 can vanilla or white frosting
• 2 cups coconut
• 1 bag of Whopper Robin Eggs
• 1 bag of Red Licorice
• Green food coloring
• Cupcake liners

Cook the cupcakes according to box directions. Let cool completely. Frost. Take coconut and add 2-3 drops of green food coloring (you can use more if you prefer the grass to be greener).  Sprinkle on top of cupcakes. Take a licorice stick and poke hole in one side, bringing it over to the other side. Add 2-3 Robin eggs in the middle.

Some helpful tips: It's best to add the licorice just an hour or two before serving. Any longer and they crack in the center from being bent over.

Viola and enjoy!

Personal: Why blog?

Third time's a charm! I've started two blogs in the past, one deleted for personal reasons, the other because I simply did not keep up with it. So, here I am with the start of my third blog. I've started one for a few reasons:
1: To write! I miss writing but guess what? Writing is not my strong point and I really need to work on this both personally and professionally.

2: To share! Personal hobbies, things happening in my community and kitchen successes. I have a new found passion to bake & cook!

3: To learn! My career is ever-changing as are most. There are so many different techniques, theories and mistakes that happen everyday, so why not apply them to my own career?

4: To celebrate! Celebrate what? Everything! Simple life moments, not-so-happy moments, career moments and so on and so forth.

5: To inspire through creativity! Everyday I am challenged to be creative. Most of the time it's fun, but just like everyone else I hit roadblocks. I hope I can look back on some of the things I create when I run across these.

6: To be accountable! For the most part, when I say I am going to do something, I do it. However, as of late, I seem to have gotten 'off track' and slacking in a few areas of my life. I will blog at least (if not more) once a week.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my blogging adventure!