Just sharing some photos of my dad on what would be his 56th birthday.
Working at camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Number 4 out of 6 kids.
Front center. (With his mom, brother Dan, sister Karen, & brother Paul.)
brothers: Brian, Paul, Bruce.
Playing around at camp.
With my mom in college. I have this one framed in my kitchen.
Getting ready for my sister Hannah to arrive.
Love all of these.
Though it looks like it could be difficult, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to make the ganache topping for the pie. (Love the word ganache—so fancy!)
Ingredients:
10 oz. package Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels, divided
2 packages (8 oz. each) 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 prepared 9-inch (6 ounce) chocolate crumb crust (I bought an Oreo pie crust)
Set aside 1/2 cup of morsels for ganache topping. From remaining morsels, sort out 1 tablespoon mint (green) morsels for the drizzle; set aside.
Melt remaining morsels in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on Medium-High (70%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-15 second intervals, stirring just until smooth. Cool slightly.
Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract in medium mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add melted chocolate; continue beating for 1 minute. Spoon into crust, and smooth top.
Microwave the reserved mint morsels in a small dish on Medium-High (70%) power for 20 seconds. If necessary, microwave at 10-15 second intervals until smooth. Transfer the liquid to a small plastic bag, and cut tiny corner from bag. Drizzle over top of ganache. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Makes 10 servings.
Enjoy!
Painting for the first time! He loved it!
He wanted Mommy to clean up his hands periodically.
What Mommy made with the paints :) Since he knows all his letters, it’s time to learn numbers, too!
I didn’t catch this picture until he was trying to escape, but he was holding the baby doll so sweetly!
Photo by Nolan.
Hanging out in one of his new tents from Shari & Joe!
We got a great package from our family in Nebraska! In it were two awesome trains!! I love the little birthday card here from Donovan :)
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An attempt at homemade bread. It never rose the way it should have, but it was tasty.
The former owners of this house tried to grow cantaloupe, but this is the wrong climate for melons. These were so small, but pretty!
Playing in the leaves while Daddy raked them.
Always trying to run out of my pictures :)
Life is just better with chocolate chip pancakes.
We fed some bread crumbs to ducks at the park. So fun!
Finally getting some work done on the overgrown garden outside. We didn’t bother it until now because we weren’t sure what was weeds and what was veggies. I’m fairly certain that everything in this photo is weeds.
I made my Aunt Tina’s recipe for a corn flake chicken with cheese and hashbrowns. It was really delicious!
My friend Meghan, Nolan, and I drove north to see some elk on Friday night. Nolan and I had tried to find elk on his birthday a month ago, but it was raining. This time, we had no luck seeing any at the viewing center, but as we were driving home, we encountered a huge group of them congregated on someone’s lawn!
My mom often has deer in her yard, which has been crazy for this city girl to see. But I can’t even imagine looking out your window to all of these giant elk in your yard!
Nolan was pretty unfazed by the elk.
Yesterday we celebrated our niece Abby’s 9th birthday. Nolan helped his cousin blow out the candles. :)
And then we enjoyed some Dairy Queen ice cream cake.
Loved this homemade card that Abby received! I need to figure out how to make it :)
Fall leaves. We’re about to hit the peak in the colors soon, and I’ll have to get some good photos of that out in the country. It was in the 80s this weekend—a nice last taste of summer—but maybe a little too hot for October!
If you look back, I have a few 2011 entries, but the name “floral & fudge”—and the motivation behind it—weren’t created until October 1st of last year. So Tuesday was my first blogiversary! And today is my 201st post :)
This was the photo collage I used on October 1, 2012:
It feels like quite a while ago!
The original goal was to make it one year. In this case, even if the blog went unread, I could still say to myself, “That was the year I blogged. I did it!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to quit. There has been stress in preparing posts, confusion about the politics of blog friendships, and disappointment when I haven’t reached certain “milestones” I set for myself.
At these points though, I would remind myself of the reasons why I blog—the purpose behind the blog—and I would push through.
I think of my family. Except for Nolan and my mom, all of my blood relatives live 500-1000 miles away. I love that they can feel connected to my little family through frequent photos and stories.
I’ve received the best encouragement from friends—I am so grateful to those who have ever said a kind word about my blog, or shared it with a friend! It has been the fuel I’ve needed to keep posting.
I’ve grown a lot artistically as I’ve learned more about photography, web design, and personal style. I still don’t feel like I’ve found my niche yet in the blog world. I’m not sure whether to continue covering a wide range of topics like recipes/parties/fashion/books/pregnancy/crafts, or narrow it down. I’m uncertain if I have what it takes to gain a greater audience. And I wonder if I’ll ever get the opportunity to meet some of the wonderful women I’ve met through this blog.
I always have ideas swirling around in my head about what to do next. I can’t guarantee how often I’ll be able to post come January/February when the new baby arrives, but I’ll still continue to some capacity. Because at the end of the day, I really do love blogging. :)
Thank you—from the bottom of my heart—for reading! Xoxo.
And to celebrate one year, I made a new fall blog design :)
This may be my favorite Pin-spired outfit yet! The leggings and tunic are so comfortable. Seriously, if you see me wearing this outfit all winter, don’t be surprised. It’s nice to feel comfy and still confident while pregnant!
Pin-spiration:
My friend Hannah has amazing style, and though her fashion blog is now defunct, I still like to go back to it and pin outfit ideas for the different seasons! I loved this October look of hers with scarf/long shirt/leggings/boots.
leggings: Motherhood Maternity in Olive
tunic: Lands’ End in Cabbage Purple— sizing on it runs large. I had to exchange a medium for a small, and that’s even while pregnant.
boots: Steve Madden, last year
scarf: Nordstrom
If you are new to my blog, thanks for visiting!
Feel free to stay awhile, or follow along!
See my other eight months of Pin-spired.
I'm linking up with Shay, Mel, & Sheaffer !
Did you see yesterday’s gender reveal party post?? :)
