Saturday, November 27, 2010

I was lost... but now I am found... { and the 1st annual cookiepalooza!}

and no, not in the I found Jesus... talking in tounges... pass the collection plate kind of way... But in more of the; Im drowning in Etsy orders... family issues are abounding... and just the general holiday blues...

But enough whining... there is no time for all that!

Things are getting pretty crazy here in Daily Icing land!

Gingerbread house orders are really starting to stack up!



There is still plenty of time to place an ORDER!
All orders will be shipped no later than December 18th to insure your gift arrives in time for Christmas!

And if your local, and want to avoid all that crazy shipping stuff... come find Lollipops at Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar December 11th!



Doors open at 11am... free admission.. and lots of really awesome LOCAL artisits! The perfect way to start your handmade holiday!
We will have decorative gingerbread houses, ornaments, and other fun non~edible holiday stuff... and will be taking orders for Bodachious Apples and EDIBLE Gingerbread houses!

And now for some blog party info!

My 4 year Blog~a~versary is in December!

And so to celebrate... I am hosting the 1st annual Daily Icing Christmas Cookiepalooza!

Starting Decemember 1st... I will be sharing my 12 days of cookies... 3 new cookie recipes a week... and a drawing each Saturday for a cookie tin filled with that weeks cookies {from our kitchen to yours} and other sweet holiday surprises!

You wanna party with me?
On Dec 18th we will have one giant cookie swap!
Link your blog with mine and we can fill the blogsphere with the sweet smells of the holidays! More info to come! So get out those cookbooks and get ready!

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!

Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Is it wrong to be thankful for gingerbread??

Cuz if it is... I DONT WANNA BE RIGHT!!!!

Day 16...

Thankful for Lollipops Sugar Shoppe!!



Now taking orders for Christmas!




Custom gingerbread houses... Bodachious Apple Stocking stuffers... fudge galore!
Perfect gifts for teachers, co workers, family and friends!

{yes this post is a shameless plug}

But really... I am thankful for my little shoppe.

Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

Monday, November 15, 2010

15 days into thankful...

I came home today to find 2 packages waiting for me... mysterious.
"I have not ordered anything recently"... I think as I kick off my shoes.
Then I see that all to familiar handwriting... my daddy. It cant be a birthday present... he already sent that. So what oh what is in those boxes!

I got everyone settled and sat myself on the couch to tear into those mystery packages!

The minute the seal was broken and I peared inside those boxes the tears began to fall. Tears of joy? yes. Of sadness? yes. Gratefulness? YES.


My grandmas photo albums...

Pages and pages of history... from her days as a girl on the farm.


To her life in the big city!


And so many more!
Just through the pics I see so much of me.
And boy was my dad a looker! ;)

So, today... I am thankful for my history. ALL of it, on both sides. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thank you Daddy for the best gift ever and for my history.

I love you all...
Be good to each other.
♥ Tawny

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Day 14.... for him I am thankful.



He is 9 years old today.

He changed my life, in his own special way.
He makes me laugh... his sweet spirit amazes me... and the brain on this kid is stunning!


He is a ninja in the kitchen... just like his daddy!
{my Mothers Day brunch presented to me in my dirty craft room}


He loves, soccer, art & his XBOX... and can read The Diary of a Whimpy Kid book in a WHOLE DAY! Thats a big deal folks!!!

He loves his little sister... {well most of the time!}



I cant wait to see the man he will become!


{Birthday waffles... its a tradition}


Happy Birthday Critter!!

I ♥ You!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

What I am thankful for...

okay... sooooo I need to catch up!
LOL! But once you read what I am thankful for you will understand the reason for the delay!

Day 11...

I am SO thankful for my friends!

{its a bad pic, I know...}


I dont think I could have made through the rest of this week with out thier support, love and laughter.

Day 12...

Im thankful my knee is NOT broken!



I have to be the single most ungraceful person in the world!
I would love to tell you I hurt my knee while saving a group of old people and a litter of puppies from a burning building while fighting ninjas... but its nothing that cool... long stoy short, I got tangled up in my own pjs and BAM! knee all askew!
But thankfully it is on the mend today and only a sprain!

Day 13...

Today I am thankful for...
Relaxing Saturdays!!




No where to go... and nothing really to do. Ahhhhhhhhh! I LOVE IT!

I hope you all are enjoying the same!
And I hope you are finding a few things to be thankful for!

Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

What am I thankful for??? Today this was hard...

I really wanted to just blow this off today... just to be honest.

But I made a promise to myself that I would find something, no matter how small, to be thankful for each and everyday this month and put it into words.

So, today my friends I am thankful for situations that push me towards my dream... Im sure that the person who put the events of today into motion had other more sinister plans... but I hate to inform you {just in case she reads this} all you did was push me in the direction that I needed to go! So thank you.

So thats it folks, sort and sweet.

What are you thankful for??

be good to each other...
♥ Tawny

Monday, November 8, 2010

Thankful day 8... furbabies

I came home today from work... tired, ready for the comfort of my pjs and a nice glass of wine... and was greeted by one of my favorite sounds, my furkids telling me about thier day! LOL! Its so cute how those 2 furry girls will sit at the foot of my bed just chatting it up with me about whatever they have one thier minds! I wish I knew what they were saying!

I am so thankful for those sweet puppy kisses and furry snuggles!



Be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Im in love with BUNTING!... and a yummy sunday dessert!

Okay... all I have to say is ...

BUNTING!! I ♥ BUNTING!!!


I could have sweet bits of bunting in every room of my house... and I now want it atop each and every cake I make...

Ive been addicted to bunting for awhile now... but I spent the day today catching up on my blog surfing and it was everywhere!!

In my blog hopping adventures today I came across a feature of esty seller

KiKiLaRu


These sweet buntings stole my heart! And she sells a DIY kit!! so cool!





And this is a really cool idea as well... and very cute!




And in honor of cake bunting and the chill in the air, your sunday dinner recipe is...

Caramel Apple Spice Cake




Ingredients{Serves 12 to 14}

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, {plus more for pans}
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and grated {4 cups}
1/2 cup apple cider
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups pecan halves (5 ounces), toasted dark and finely ground in a food processor
Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream {directions following}

Directions
1.Put 1/2 stick butter into a large nonstick skillet. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into skillet, and toss in pod. Cook over medium heat until butter is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in apples, cider, and 1 cup granulated sugar. Raise heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are golden and translucent and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Discard vanilla pod. Let cool.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Dust with flour, and tap out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Reserve 1/4 cup flour mixture.

3.Beat remaining 2 sticks butter, remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the sour cream and scraping bowl as needed. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour mixture to apple mixture, and toss. Fold in apple mixture and pecans.

4.Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until tops are dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen. Unmold cakes, and let cool, right side up, on rack. (Cakes can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

5.Assemble cake: Trim each cake so it's 1 3/4 inches high. Place 1 cake, cut side up, on a cake stand. Spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream over top. Place remaining cake, cut side down, on top. Spread 1 cup buttercream over entire cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. Spread remaining frosting over cake. (Cake can be refrigerated, uncovered, overnight.)

Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients
Makes about 5 cups

5 large egg whites
1 2/3 cups packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
Directions
1.Put egg whites, sugar, and salt into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture registers 160 degrees, about 4 minutes.
2.Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Beat until frosting is smooth and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes. Buttercream can be refrigerated airtight for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature, and beat before using.



Enjoy!

Be Blessed and be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

A month of thankfuls...

So alot of my facebook pals are posting one thing they are thankful for each day of November... at first I was all eye rolling and scoffing... {my mood hasnt been what you would call "happy" lately} Then I remembered something someone told me once... "forced joy is better than genuine depression." and so I decided that it was high time I snapped out of it!

So I'm joining in the Thankfulness... here on the blog!

Im 6 days behind... so I better get started!

Welcome to MY month of thankfuls!

#1 My Home...
We live in a teeny tiny house... but its OURS... and I love it, I grew up in this house... have raised my family here, so many memories. I love it.

#2 My kids...


Who wouldn't love these scallywags!


#3 Im thankful for my hubby... things have been kinda hard lately, but I know we will make it through... we always do!!



#4 Im thankful for my job... I have the coolest job around! YES at times I fall into the feel sorry for myself state that we all fall into... but really if you think about it... I have the coolest job!!

#5 Im thankful for Nyquil... I have been drugged for the last 24 hours trying to get over the death... and I think Im finally on the mend.

#6 I'm thankful for pumpkin spiced pecan ice cream... YUM.

#7 I'm thankful for my blog... and my readers... its an awesome venue for my rants and randomness!

I hope you check in daily for a thankful update... and let me know what YOUR thankful for in your daily life!

Be blessed, and be good to each other!
♥ Tawny

stay tuned for Sunday Dinner!!