MommyCoddle

oh, monday morning

My children will tell you, I love Monday mornings. The promise of a new week laid out before me, sinking back into our weekly routine, the pleasure of being able to ease back into it all with a slow start to our morning.

But alas, this morning could use a do over. A rewind. And that's okay. A breath. A little space. A little quiet. A little room to get that breath, and I think we'll all be just fine. I hear laughter in the other room.

Meanwhile, as we all start fresh, here are a few links I've been stashing away that never made it "to print" last week.

Enjoy.

And happy Monday morning.

Target + liberty of london = beautiful temptation.

Martha Stewart's Every Day Food iphone app looks very good.

cinnamon bun pancakes : (need no words)

If you read nothing else this morning, take a few moments to read this: Simple Mom: Fighting The Tyranny of the Urgent at Home

New Orla Kiely bags. A girl needs a new diaper bag with each baby, no?

Martha's Uniform Natural HOME line

These peeks around a baby room at L'E Dans L'a

This week's tumblr finds

Meanwhile, as we all start fresh, here are a few links I've been stashing away that never made it "to print" last week.

Enjoy.

And happy Monday morning.

Target + liberty of london = beautiful temptation.

Martha Stewart's Every Day Food iphone app looks very good.

cinnamon bun pancakes : (need no words)

If you read nothing else this morning, take a few moments to read this: Simple Mom: Fighting The Tyranny of the Urgent at Home

New Orla Kiely bags. A girl needs a new diaper bag with each baby, no?

Martha's Uniform Natural HOME line

These peeks around a baby room at L'E Dans L'a

This week's tumblr finds

12 Comments

IN MY KITCHEN

pie with a twist

I suppose Fat Tuesday is an appropriate day to be posting this recipe. So I will do it without feeling guilty for the inch I may be adding to your waistline.

This recipe has been in our family's repertoire for quite awhile. I've always loved how simple it is, as well as the moan and groan response (the good kind) you get when you serve it up for guests.

And while this might seem like something that should be served up in the dead heat of summer, with my current no-oven handicap, it is the perfect thing. And personally, I can do peanut butter and chocolate year round. Can't you?

So the original recipe is for an easy Peanut Butter Pie, but this time I wanted to somehow add a chocolate element to the recipe. And not just any chocolate…I wanted a fudgy, rich layer of chocolate in the pie.

And man oh man, if I didn't hit the nail on the head with my first try….you're welcome. 🙂

Peanut Butter Pie (with a Twist)

4 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Beat together these ingredients until smooth and combined. Fold in 8 ounces of whipped topping (ie. cool whip). Set aside.

Meanwhile, over medium heat melt about 8 ounces of milk chocolate chips and about half of a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir constantly until smooth and chocolate has melted.

Evenly spread the chocolate into the bottom of a 10-inch pie pan with a Graham Cracker crust. (note: I had to use store-bought crust b/c of not having the oven and it does keep this recipe simple. But homemade is so very yummy.)

On top of the chocolate fudge layer spread the whipped peanut butter topping.

Cover and freeze overnight or at least several hours.

Serve in petite slices, trust me.

FYI: The photograph is of the very last piece. When I brought the pie to dinner at my dad's the other night, my only request was to save me one last piece–for photographic purposes, of course. Next time I should remember to take a picture of the first piece. She was much more attractive. 🙂

I suppose Fat Tuesday is an appropriate day to be posting this recipe. So I will do it without feeling guilty for the inch I may be adding to your waistline.

This recipe has been in our family's repertoire for quite awhile. I've always loved how simple it is, as well as the moan and groan response (the good kind) you get when you serve it up for guests.

And man oh man, if I didn't hit the nail on the head with my first try….you're welcome. 🙂

Peanut Butter Pie (with a Twist)

4 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Beat together these ingredients until smooth and combined. Fold in 8 ounces of whipped topping (ie. cool whip). Set aside.

Meanwhile, over medium heat melt about 8 ounces of milk chocolate chips and about half of a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir constantly until smooth and chocolate has melted.

On top of the chocolate fudge layer spread the whipped peanut butter topping.

Cover and freeze overnight or at least several hours.

Serve in petite slices, trust me.

13 Comments

family / holidays / sewing projects

sniff, sniff

A few weeks ago, two of my dear cousins came to town for a visit and stayed at my grandmother's house. On their last day, we sat together in my grandmother's bedroom on her boldly upholstered sofa, knitting, looking at old scrapbooks, reminiscing, and assessing the future.

One of my favorite things in my grandmother's bedroom, aside from that great sofa, are the throw pillows that cover it. I've said it before but one of the things I love about my grandmother's house is that her handiwork is everywhere. And those pillows are no exception. Some were gifts, some made by her children and many made by her.

To me, they are little gestures that carry so much love, care and effort.

And during the time we spent in her bedroom that Sunday afternoon, I determined that I would make each of the girls a pillow of their own for Valentine's Day this year.

When I was living on my grandmother's farm, she gifted me a small basket of her fabric scraps and many of those fabrics went into the girls' pillows. At the bottom of that basket, I also found a piece of the same fabric that upholsters her bedroom sofa–enough to back each of the girls pillows.

As I ironed and stitched the fabrics together and appliqued a special design on the front of each pillow, for each girl, I said to my husband, "This fabric smells like her still." It made me teary, but happy.

And when those three little girls opened their presents Valentine's morning and pulled out the pillows, they clutched them and buried their noses in them. "This smells like Meemu!" And they recognized that fabric and knew bits of it were from her.

It made all the effort and the sneaking-around sewing, and the borrowed sewing machine, and the stuck fingers, and the ripped out stitches and silly mistakes worth it.

To me, they are little gestures that carry so much love, care and effort.

And during the time we spent in her bedroom that Sunday afternoon, I determined that I would make each of the girls a pillow of their own for Valentine's Day this year.

It made all the effort and the sneaking-around sewing, and the borrowed sewing machine, and the stuck fingers, and the ripped out stitches and silly mistakes worth it.

30 Comments