Around the House: Spring cleaning! And getting ready to host some family for Easter dinner. More on that to come...
In the Kitchen: Another birthday, another baking adventure. This time it was for J's mom, and we decided to make a caramel cake recipe from my mom's Maya Angelou Cookbook (I don't remember the title.) I have eaten this cake twice before, but I have never made it myself. The recipe is unique, because it starts with making a "dry caramel," which I have never done before. The caramel is for a syrup that is used both in the cake batter itself and as a soaking liquid for the cake layers after they are baked. It's a good thing that I started the night before because it took me two tries to get the caramel right. I baked the cake and made the browned butter frosting (yum!) the next day, and assembled the whole thing right before dinner. I was worried at first about the small amount of frosting, but a little goes a long way. It was delicious.
In other baking news, Embry and I tried out our new doughnut pan last night. We used a mix from King Arthur Flour, so they were super easy. They turned out great and we had to try one out soon after they came out of the oven. That's why there are only 5 in the picture. One with sprinkles for Embry, two with chocolate for J and two plain ones for me.
New with Embry: After a week off last week for spring break, it seems as if Embry's school schedule is already winding down. I think she will miss it over the summer. We have decided that the summer program at her school is too expensive, so we are currently looking for swimming lessons for her elsewhere. She is excited about learning to swim. I hope she keeps up the enthusiasm when the time actually comes and not get too scared.
New with Matthew: Matthew is literally getting too big for his britches. He has moved up to a size 6 diaper. I'm pretty sure that's the largest size that is easily available. He either needs to slow down his growing or hurry up and get potty trained. I was hoping we'd at least be able to wait until he turns two. He is also too big for his changing table. I have to lay him diagonally across it just to get him dressed. And then there's the issue of his crib. You are supposed to switch to a toddler bed when the top of the railing is at chest level. For most kids I'm sure that doesn't occur at 13 months. Although he has never tried to climb out, it would not take much effort if he did. So we will be taking down the crib and trying just the mattress on the floor. We agree that he is still too little for a regular bed. When Embry was only two she slept on the floor for months with no problem. But, if the trend continues of doing everything the opposite of his sister, we may have problems getting him to stay in bed if he's on the floor. I guess we'll just have to try and see.
I am Grateful For: It was really nice having Embry home last week. Because of our daily schedule, her and I rarely get to spend much time together, just the two of us. It was more work and more mess to clean up, but I enjoyed our half an hour or so every day of painting or crafting (some of the things that she only gets to do when Matthew is asleep).
The Weather Outside: We have had some crazy weather lately. It was cold and rainy last Saturday, and by 2 am the rain had turned to snow, about 3 inches. By 4 am the streets we plowed and when we got up at 7 it was already starting to melt. We let Embry go out and play in the snow since it might be her last chance until next winter. By noon it was completely gone, like it had never happened. And this week it is back to chilly mornings and warm afternoons.
I am Obsessed With: Keeping this blog better updated :)
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