Lee's To Do List

Cheesy Chipotle Corn and Zucchini Casserole

Scrappy Fabric Rosette Headband

Antro Limitless Strands Necklace

Baking Cup Flower Valentines

French Fry Cake

Nutella Cupcakes {Pinterest Inspired}

I'm been sucked into this Pinterest craze.  I knew this was going to be a slippery slope, but it's worse than I thought.

Worse still... I think Pinterest is trying to make me fat.

Think I'm kidding?

Why else would I be able to so easily find this Nutella Cupcake recipe.  

Nutella!

These are INCREDIBLE!

Nutella Cupcakes
*Recipe originally from Chef in Training

2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix on med speed.  Add boiling water last.

3. Pour into cupcake pan and bake for 17-20 min until done.  Cool for 10 min.

Frosting:

1 stick softened butter

1/2 jar Nutella

1/2 lb powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

1. Cream butter and Nutella until combined.

2. Add powdered sugar and continue creaming.

3. Add vanilla and cream.  Blend until moist.  Add more milk until frosting reaches desired consistency.  Beat until smooth.

4. Frost cupcakes and try not to eat the entire pan by yourself.

Enjoy!

*Linked to these Parties

Spinach Calazone Hearts

One of my daughter's favorite meals is my Spinach Calazone.  She requests it all the time and often will have 2 or 3 helpings.  So as a special treat, I decided to make Calazone Hearts.  They took a little more work, but the finished products was so worth it.

We took our regular pizza crust, cut out hearts and filled them.  Then I just brushed the top with an egg wash and sprinkled some Parmesan cheese.  Plus the spaghetti sauce is a fun red twist.  So if you're looking for a special Valentine's dinner, don't forget to give these a try.  A new idea for an old favorite.

*Linked to these Parties

Sister of the Quilt Trilogy {Review}

Sisters of the Quilt follows the heart wrenching journey of Hannah Lapp.  Secretly engaged to a Mennonite, attacked by a stranger, and finding herself suddenly pregnant, Hannah struggles to find God in an Old Order Amish community.  What unfolds is a series of unfortunate events, some resulting from her own mistakes and some a consequence of the world beyond her control.  Along the way, she finds friendship in those who dare defy the bishop: a childhood friend, a midwife, and her ex-financee's grandmother to name a few.

Finally pushed to the brink, Hannah leaves her community in search of an aunt she never knew.  Her life takes several twists, each leading her further and further into the Englisher world.  She learns to drive, finds work at a local clinic, and even continues her education.  But when tragedy strikes, she finds herself alone once again and forging a new path.

Just when her place in the world seems certain, a mysterious phone call from her sister calls her home.  Caught between two very different worlds, Hannah feels pulled.  As she struggles to help her family, an old flame is ignited while old rumors threaten to her identity.  Hannah must decide where her life is: back  with the Old Order Amish or living the life of an Englisher.

Cindy Woodsmall does it again, delving deep into her characters.  Although these books center around Hannah Lapp, Woodsmall creates a full community of well-rounded characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.  The story pulls you in until you find yourself struggling alongside these individuals.  I found myself swinging from anger and frustration one minute to resolution the next, and back to empathy quickly thereafter.  

The author also steers clear of defined "good guys" and "bad guys."  Instead the entire community of both the Old Order Amish and the modern world displays both admirable qualities and character flaws.  Even Hannah's father who turns his back on her for an attack she couldn't prevent reveals himself to be very human and struggling with his own limitations.

I reviewed this book as a complete trilogy and couldn't put it down.  The three books read more like a whole and held my attention to the very end.  A story of fighting back from life, falling into the arms of grace, and realizing the Lord is with us through it all.  If you enjoy reading in the Amish genre, you'll love this one.  A great addition to any library!

*I was supplied with a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books.  All opinions are my own.

2012 Goals: January Check-In

So every year I make goals and usually by this point in the year I've forgotten them.  But I really want to make lasting changes this year.  I want these goals to stick, far beyond January.  So each month, we're going to do a linky check-in of our progress.  We'll list our goals for the year and how we're doing.  I'm hoping that by keeping track of my progress, I'll be more likely to stick with real change.

These were my 2012 Goals and how I did in January:

Personal:

*Keep a consistent devotional time, memorizing verses through my discipleship group.--I'm getting there.  But consistency is still new.  Maybe within the last week or so.

*Memorize 12 verses with the kids.--Not yet.

*Read 24 books.--I've read 4 so far

*Tackle 12 DIY projects.--Tackled Homemade Dishwasher Detergent in Jan.

My Marriage:

*Plan a bi-weekly time of being together.--We're working on it, but how do you plan a time when you're chasing three kids, working, volunteering at schools, volunteering in the community?  We did have a date night in Jan though.

*Read 2-3 books together.--not yet

*Plan a yearly getaway.--Planning for this summer

My Kids:

*Plan a once a month date with each of the kids.--Took Lydia for ice cream, took Noah shopping

*Homeschool/supplement preschool for Lydia and 1st/2nd grade for Noah.--Trying to get a better routine with Lydia

*Read through the Magic Treehouse series with them.--Not yet

*Go on a field trip once a month.--We took a trip to a local museum.  They love that place.

Health and Wellness:

*Convert 4-5 items on our grocery list to organic, as budget allows.--Not yet

*Develop a gym routine of 4-5 days a week.--Bonding with Baby, will go back to gym this week.  Will probably start out just 2 days a week so see how he does in childcare and work up from there.

*Eat more seafood.--Bi-monthly so far

*Learn to make an incredible loaf of sourdough.--Not yet

Writing:

*Plan posts one month in advance and write posts one week in advance.--Got it, so far!

*Spend 2 hrs a week writing on something other than the blog.--Ooops for Jan

*Budget my blogging time more appropriately.  Do less work when the kids are around.--Getting into a better routine.  But it's so hard as we all know.


Link up below and just know how you're doing.  Let's work toward real change in 2012!