Baking in the Spring Season

It's spring!!!! I'm so happy to welcome Spring this year! The winter was much colder in this area than normal, so sunny, warm weather is lovely.

For me, the daffodils and dogwood blooming herald spring. They also lead me to the kitchen...and the garden...and the yard....and the local nursery. (I have flowers to plant right now.)

I love looking for a great new recipe that says spring. This year, it was easy - the cover of Southern Living caught my eye. I'm a big fan of pound cakes, so when I saw the strawberry swirled beauty on their cover I knew it was my first spring recipe of 2011. I was even more certain when I read the name - Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

The recipe seems a little long at first glance, but don't let that deter you. The cake is very good. I do want to give you a couple of helpful hints that I feel they left out of the recipe.

• Reduce the oven temperature if you are using a dark pan. This will prevent the outside from over browning. I baked it at 335F with the rack on the second space from the top.
• The recipe calls for strawberry glaze which is very sweet and high in sugar. Substituting all-fruit strawberry preserves works wonderfully. This gives it a fresher taste and saves some calories.

I hope you will give it a try! It is an excellent dessert to welcome the spring. May your first day of spring be full of daffodils and dogwoods!

Springing Ahead an Hour

I keep trying to find more hours in my day. Today, was one of those gotcha days where I lost yet another hour. Okay, so we all lost that hour. It seems to get harder to acclimate ourselves as each year passes. I am thankful for small blessings though. It is Spring Break so the kids can adjust before school starts again!

I really did blink and the day was gone. I harvested morning glory seeds and cut back the dead growth, fertilized and watered the yard, baked birthday cakes (celebrating the month's birthdays at work), folded laundry, did some grocery shopping, added more items to my 8th box, and took a couple of minutes to chat with a girlfriend. Then it was time to gather myself for Monday.

I'm looking forward to a very blessed and peaceful week even with one less hour. I have to admit that patience is not my strength. I recognize that I need extra help, so I've been starting my day in prayer asking for that help. His grace is truly amazing and the days have gone so much smoother! My son even noticed and told me that he started his day with the rosary. Here's wishing that each of you spring ahead into a prayer filled and blessed week!

Lenten Goal - 40 Bags in 40 Days

The Lenten season begins tomorrow. This year I am taking on the challenge of removing 40 bags (or boxes) of stuff from my house. When there is clutter around us, it is harder to focus ourselves. How can we give ourselves to God and serve Him when we cannot focus?

Take a moment to think about the things around you. Maybe you have a stack of old magazines that can be recycled, shared, or given to your local elementary school. What about your closet? Most of us have clothes that we can't or don't wear anymore. There's the linen closet with the kid-themed sheets that are deemed too childish now or sheets that no longer fit any of the beds in the house. Don't forget the collection of plastic containers that are missing matching lids!

I'm imagining how much more space I'll have once I've removed 40 bags. I'm already 4 bags ahead! More space and less distraction from my daily time with the Father! Are you ready for the challenge? Come on and join me!

Like Lists - Start that electronic To Do list...

I am such a list person! I have multiple lists running all the time - personal errands, professional tasks, household maintenance, scrapbooking tasks, crafting wishes, and on and on. I have spirals, journals, post-its, and electronic sources for these lists.



Now, I've found a great electronic source to keep track of my daily tasks - Teux Deux. This website does nothing but To Do lists. It even keeps a list of items that you aren't sure when to schedule. Even better, it is accessible from any computer or smart phone! Take a moment to check it out. You will definitely love it!

Spring Greens

Gardening is in full swing. The garden now holds onions, carrots, several lettuce varieties, potatoes, spinach and turnips. There is something so promising about a growing garden. Not to mention the peace of working in the soil.

Wouldn't it be great to have fresh greens at your fingertips? You can have them no matter where you live. Salad greens, as well as peppers and cherry tomatoes, will grow nicely in small ground spaces and even containers.

What's stopping you? Grab some garden soil, a little fertilizer, some seeds and a few containers and get to gardening! Just thinking about a nice fresh salad is enough to make your mouth water.

Spring Financial Check

Spring is just around the corner. I've already started making my Spring Cleaning To Do List (I love lists!) Today, I found out I need to create a Spring Financial Cleaning List. A little time consuming, but a relatively painless budget cut possibly.

Why you ask? Today, I was verifying a charge on one of my credit cards for my last statement period. The charge was indeed there and correct, but there was also an interest charge on the statement. Yes, this is common, but.....you should not have an interest charge when you pay the balance in full prior to the due date. I verified that I had paid in full and days before the due date. A 30 minute phone call cleared it up.

Last month, I noticed that my cellular provider had added a new option at $9.99 per month. I did not request the service, so I didn't want to pay for it. Another phone call.

We all know that billing mistakes are unfortunately common and that we should scrutinize our monthly bills. We also know that life gets hectic and good intentions may go by the wayside. Have you scrutinized your bills lately? Take an afternoon (or break it up into smaller pieces of time) and closely review each of your bills. Check for errors and for those services that you really do not want or need any longer.

As an added incentive, treat yourself afterwards! Happy cleaning!

Delicious Jams from a Family Farm

I confess.....I'm a foodie. I love to cook and bake (yes, there is a difference). I enjoy looking for and trying out interesting recipes then tweaking them to my taste. Creating my own recipes is fun too.

I especially love tasting local foods when I travel. Seattle, Washington is foodie heaven. Pike Place Market is fabulous! There are fresh food items everywhere and they are made/harvested locally. I will admit that I made at least one trip daily to the market! One of my favorite finds was a really wonderful Bumbleberry Jam made by Johnson Berry Farms. They are a local berry farm priding themselves on organic berries. We've already finished our first jar and will definitely be ordering more. They have more traditional jams as well as vinegars, syrups, and vinaigrettes. Definitely worth a moment to browse their website and treat yourself to fresh, American made goodness!