Do you Ravelry?

This site is so fun for knitting and crochet.  I keep a photo journal of all my fiber projects there, and highly recommend it.  You can find me here. 

Hmmm...I never thought I'd have a little baby, and a 16 year old.  Steph's approaching adulthood, and Jordan is just getting started with life.  It's fun to watch their different stages.

Knitting Progress....

Trying my hand at 2 at a Time Socks using this book.  So far, it makes for a mess of yarn and knitting cables...but it's interesting.  I'd like to see if I can actually finish these socks.  Yeah...two different colors.  That's to keep you from getting too confused.  Hmmm....I'll probably need more help than that!

And then I made this baby bib, out of cotton yarn.

Is it just me or is it hard to write between pics with the new blogger style?

So I'll just comment here....the pink is a new summer sweater I'm working on, and the the stripey zigzag is for a pillow...and that's crochet, not knitting.

Then a cool crochet flower, some clovers, and granny squares in some fun, springy colors.

And then the cabled baby vest for Jordan...that is still way too big, but at least it's done...minus a button or two.  And lastly, his baby blanket.  About half done, and one of my first experiments with crochet.

Jordan meets Chocolate cookie

Up to lately...

I found Jasen with Jordan and he'd given his little brother a Keebler Elf cookie.  Jordan's first experience with chocolate.  He looks as shocked as I was.

Next, we've been working on some Harry Potter wands.  We went through all the movies over Spring Break, got Harry Potter scars (you may have seen us decked out on Facebook...even Jordan had one), then Jasen bought some hair dye and he and Justin now sport Harry Potter hair, so the wands were the final touch.

I love it when you snap pics and they have no idea you even have the camera out.  Jasen helped me get them painted using the supplies shown above.  Just wooden dowels with some Apoxy Sculpt (but you could use Premo clay).  They actually turned out pretty cool, and very woody looking.

Jordan was so darn cute with that cookie.

Cool Easter Eggs

How to do Pysanky
http://www.learnpysanky.com/

Fun YouTube Video here

Knit Tips

Good site on reading knitting charts

Crochet Videos

Almost Done with the Karma Tank...

First of all, Kudos to Blogger for finally making pictures easier to insert where you want them.  That's helpful.  So, here's the tank...I love this close up of the herringbone pattern it uses:

 

And, here's my little cutie:

Veggie Pizza

So easy.  Bake cresent rolls flat for the crust, spread with cream cheese, sprinkle with garlic salt, top with veggies.  Ta Da!

Knitting Progress

Here we have a iPod cozy (that's a fun word), a hat for Jordan, a hat for Colin...if it ever makes it to Germany, and a hat for Lani...with the same Germany stipulation.  Hopefully it has, otherwise, suprise, Lani!

Tip: The 5 Minute Lunch Miracle

We are getting up way too fricking early these days trying to get Steph to school by 7:30, a half hour away (with 6 kids in tow) so I came up with this idea of spending just a few minutes each day on creating lunch items (or, just taking them out of the packaging...that takes work too...sort of). 

Then I have a box (the "Lunch Box"--catchy name, eh?) full of these items.  The idea is that the kids can grab several items and have a lunch ready in no time.  They can even make a sandwich and still pull it together in less than 5 minutes.  And on the days we have one minute, they just grab and go.  Very helpful.

And yes, those are graham crackers with frosting inside.  Did you ever eat those as a kid?  Why do they taste better after sitting in the fridge overnight?  I had a roommate in college, Wendy, that taught me the graham cracker yumminess.

Recipe: Sausage with Potato Pasta

 

Potato Pasta (it has some fancy name...Perigolies?  Pergiolies? I don't know.  It's pasta with potatoes inside and is surprisingly good.  And way to carb it up, eh?)

Veggie Sausage.  I like the links from Morning Star better than the Tofurky Italian...those are too spicy for me.

Mushrooms.

Saute it all in some butter and in about 10 minutes, dinner's ready. Voila!

Recipe: Raw chocolate chia energy bars

These are so yummy.  And healthy too!

Don't be scared.  Sometimes healthy and yummy looks like that.  I ate them too fast to get a finished photo.

Ingredients
1 1/2 c Pitted dates (I just used the date bits at good earth and soaked them in water)
1/3 c Cacoa powder
1/3 c Chia seeds
1/2 t Vanilla extract
1/4 t Almond extract
1 c Slivered almonds
1 Oat flour for dusting

Preparation
Process dates, then add all but almonds. Process. Add almonds. Process. Spread on waxed paper. Chill over night. Cut into bars.

 And these are the date bits that I get from Good Earth.

Recipe: Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Butterballs

Prep. time (min):10
Cooking time (min):10
Servings:24

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Cold butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup Mini chocolate chips (or go crazy if you are a chocolate lover...the original said 1 cup!  bleck!)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Powdered sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon

Preparation
Mix first dry ingredients together. Mix in butter with a pastry blender. Add chips and vanilla. Bake at 400• for 7-9 minutes. After cooling on rack for 25 minutes, roll in mixture of remaining sugar & cinnamon.

Me Time

I've decided that blog time is me time. It nourishes my soul. Plus, since I happen to be something of a whirlwind, I like to leave a trail so I can remember what I've been up to. And, I like to know I've been doing SOMETHING productive. If I don't see it, I'm liable to forget. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. So...first...the push-ups report. Sadly, I had a wicked cold/sinus infection that knocked me off the wagon. There was no way anything involving tipping my head forward was going to happen. I'm better now and ready to start again except for two things...laziness and a general dislike of exercise, uh-um...I started on too hard a level and I don't know how to reset my iPod app on the easier one (so I'll actually do it) and my wrists are killing me each time. A sculptor really values her wrists. So, we'll see. If I don't decide to continue with the pushups, I'll switch over to 100 squats (which catches my interest more anyway) and do these 6 minute workouts.

We'll see. I have been walking on warm days with Jordan. I find it's great to go...about now...later afternoon when the kids are in the living room (bouncing off the walls?) enjoying themselves noisily. Suddenly I'm much more motivated to get out of the house...go figure.

Next, I'm going to figure out labels on this thing because I like to talk about a lot of different subjects and having several blogs is confusing for me. I do better if I put everything in one place. But I'll have labels to sort for you...if you just want sculpting or knitting info or whatever. Any tips on how to make a side widget for that are welcome.

Oh...hey...never saw that Show All button by the labels before. That will make life easier!

Speaking of goals (I guess that was my topic in a round about way), here's a cute little PDF on Goals and Manifesting.

Hundred push ups report

Well, I did my initial test to see where I was at tonight. I opted for knee pushups since I've been in better shape and I don't want to try to do too much, discourage myself, and then do nothing (gee, has that ever happened before?)

The results?

13

Probaby could have done more if my life depended on it, but 13 had me sure I'll be hurting tomorrow...in a good way.

Hundred pushups, here we go!

Sending love and light,

Apryl

Photo by Stephanie

Call to Action

I received this in a Leo Quinn Newsletter. I like the way he thinks.

Letter:

*Within 6 weeks I will do 100 pushups
at one time. I'm following the plan at
www.hundredpushups.com

I'm doing this for two reasons: 1) I will
be stronger at the end and I'll have a
terrific sense of accomplishment, I think.

2) They've laid out a simple step by step
plan, that frankly, makes it look easy.
It takes at most 10 minutes a day and
we get every other day off!

Nothing to buy or sign up for so check it out.
You in?

*When setting your goals make them ACTION
goals rather than result goals. For the most
part we can control our actions but we can't
control the results we get from those actions.

So instead of making it a goal to weigh X pounds
by a certain date, make your goal to exercise
a certain amount of time each week and limit
your calories to whatever makes sense.

Assuming you've done nothing like this before,
you will lose weight, but if you don't hit your
goal weight when you had planned that might
discourage you.

Set action goals for fitness, savings, income,
relationships, debt or anything else you'd normally
set goals for.

Recipe: Lemon Passion Cake -- Macaroni Grill

So, I've been searching for the recipe for Lemon Passion Cake from Macaroni Grill. I found the TSR version (Top Secret Recipes) and I'd give it a 6 out of 10. It's yummy, but seems sweeter than the real deal. I don't remember having a sugar rush hit so fast and furiously at the restaurant...though I do usually share mine with Randy, and then take half of it home with me.

***News Flash***24 hours later, having spent the day in the fridge, this cake jumps up to 8 out of 10. Yummy enough that I'd definitely make it again. In fact, I was going to take it up to my folks to share, but it's rapidly disappearing around here. It must be a hit.

This cake is similar to Tres Leche cakes. Here are some pics and the recipe for your viewing enjoyment:



No way is that all going to sink in....

Hey! It sank in!


Spreading with lemon mousse...



Et voila! If only I had a mint leave and could find my lemon zester... The whip cream lost its oomph in the fridge, but it was yummy.

The taste testers....

Yummy but sweet and Justin thought the cake tasted like corn bread. It doesn't. But it was an interesting critique.


Recipe:

Top Secret Recipes® version of Romano's Macaroni Grill® Lemon Passion
By Todd Wilbur

Menu Description: "Citrus cake soaked in a sweet cream, topped with lemon mousse and finished off with our fresh Italian whipped cream and caramel."

When creating this delicious dessert, chefs at Romano's must have been thinking about the Tres Leches Cake that is popular throughout Latin America. The traditional Mexican recipe describes a dense vanilla cake that is soaked with three types of milk: Whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. This creates a very moist and rich dessert that is an excellent finish to pretty much any meal. Romano's twist on the traditional favorite is the addition of citrus juices to the cake, a creamier soaking liquid, and a tangy lemon topping. I first tried recreating the cake with boxed mixes, but they all produce cakes that are much too light and moist, and therefore turn to mush when soaked in the sweet liquid. The final solution is a scratch cake recipe that yields denser, yet still moist citrus cake that holds up to the inevitable drenching. Still, you will want to eat this dessert with in a day or two of the soaking or it may start to get all gooey on you. And be sure to store any leftovers in the fridge.

CAKE

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice

LEMON MOUSSE TOPPING

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 drop yellow food coloring
1/3 cup heavy cream

SWEET CREAM

1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

WHIPPED CREAM

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


GARNISH

Caramel
Mint leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Sift together the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. In a separate larger bowl, beat together softened butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add eggs and beat until mixture is a light yellow color. Mix in vanilla and juices.

3. Combine flour with wet mixture a little at a time while beating until batter is smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing. Pour this batter into a greased 9x9-inch baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top begins to brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool.

4. As your cake is baking make the lemon mousse topping by beating the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time while blending with the electric mixer on low speed. When all of the sugar is incorporated, add lemon juice and a drop of food coloring. In a separate bowl, beat 1/3 cup heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold this whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until completely combined, then cover and chill.

5. Make sweet cream by combining half-and-half with sweetened condensed milk in a 4-cup measuring cup with a spout or a small pitcher. Cover and chill this as well.

6. Make whipped cream by combining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Cover and park this in the chiller, too.

7. When the cake is completely cool, slice it down the middle once, then across twice, creating 6 rectangular slices. Run a knife along the edges of the cake as well. Poke holes in the top of each slice of cake with a fork - one poke in the center of each piece will do the trick.

8. Pour the sweet cream mixture over the cake while its still in the baking pan. Frost the cake with the lemon mousse. Serve each slice on a plate that has been drizzled with caramel. Top each slice with whipped cream and a garnish of a couple mint leaves stuck into the whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings.