Friday, May 8, 2009

babynameaddicts.com

As I was checking out my new favorite blog... mimimoonkiss.blogspot.com I came upon a fun find!

My good friend Kaitlynn found out the meaning for her name... Kaitlynn- Old English: Blessed, Pure, Holy Beauty

Well that got me thinking... we have relatively the same name (in addition to about 3 million other girlies)

but of course my name Katelin- Old English: Blessed, Pure, Holy ... left out the Beauty part!

I dont know about that website Kait....

Anyway, following her path I will find out what my closest fan's names mean!

Paul: Small & Humble
Jim/ James: Supplanter, Representative
Stasiu/ Stanislav: In Czech : Campy Glory, in Russian: Stone Clearing
Susie: Lily
Kathleen aka Katie: WHAT! Katie gets the both definitions of Kaitlynn and Katelin -- Katie.. always double dipping
Porter: Door Guardian
Leanne: Jungle Vine -- probably the best name ever
Jennifer: White, Pure
Anthony: Flower -- because I know you love my blog!

& For the dog with many names.... Perrita - no match
Perri - Pear Tree, Small Rock, Daughter of Harry
Ginger - Ginger Spice

Monday, May 4, 2009

My Goodies Annouces 'Simply Cakes & Cupcakes'

I have been taking the Wilton Cake Decorating classes at Michael's Craft Stores since November and I am now going to be creating a blog portfolio. Unfortunately I did not think of this fantastic idea right away, so many of the photos of my cakes & cupcakes have been taken a camera phone.

Please enjoy Simplycakesandcupcakes.blogspot.com

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Village Smokehouse


Wow. If you are looking for great BBQ in Boston I cannot recommend the Village Smokehouse enough!

Food: Fantastic! -- Paul and I split an entree (a you-pick-three-type-deal) in addition to a salad and we still have leftovers!

Atmosphere: Inviting, stimulating, and active

Service: Good -- We were seated quickly and the waitress was prompt when it came to our order and our check. The bus boys work at such a fast pace it is no wonder they have a great turnover.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Adventures in dog sitting.

Paul's family decided to fly the coop for Thanksgiving, and since they have puppy-sat Perrita many a time I decided it was time to take on Lily. Introducing Lily, a 6 year old, yellow lab, who loves her family and believes in sleeping in human beds

Whoa. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Having a dog smaller than most Thanksgiving turkeys is enough for me and taking on a dog the size and weight of an 8-year old child was a bit more than I bargained for. As I write this post Perrita is clawing at my arm to cover her up with a blanket and Lily is serenading me with her own language of weezing/crying/throat babbling while looking at me will big brown eyes, they get me everytime.

Perrita has invaded Lily's space on many occasions and just as I suspected, as soon as Lily arrived Perri went into some sort of needy overdrive and would not leave myside. In defense of Lily, she rarely leaves her home and as I was the only familiar human around she also would not leave myside. Lily has always been very sweet to Perri when she visits, but Perri takes after her mum and can be a bit protective of her surroundings and such (chewies, her owner, her spot in front of the fire, and her food and water dishes) Therefor, I have had three shawdows for the past 48 hours, two of them having four paws and wet noses.

It has been an adventure for sure. Sleeping with two dogs in a bed meant for one person has been a bit uncomfortable. Not to mention Perrita insists on sleeping under the covers with paws digging into my side and Lily insists on sleeping as close to me as possible, therefore, I have been stuck in a dog sandwich for two going on three nights. It has been cozy for sure!

Pros & Cons of Perrita
Pro:
Small dog 12-14 lbs
Very cute
Loveable always
Good Cuddler
Very Warm
No Tail
Con:
Hyper (only sometimes)
Always needs a leash
Not trustworthy

Pros & Cons of Lily
Pro:
She is blond like me
She thought of her own language and uses it frequently
She is a walking, breathing, tail wagging alarm clock. Who does not love getting up at 7:30?
Leashless: I give Lily props for being such a great dog off a leash. On the Turley Trot she went leashless in the woods for over an hour with 5 other k-9s and was always doubling back to make sure I was till there.
Con:
Lily has a very powerful tail, i.e. if you have a coffee table with items on it, after Lily walks by you will still have a coffee table, but with no items on top
Very large
Very large
She thought of her own language and uses it frequently

Overall: I have immensely enjoyed Lily's presence and she is welcome here any day. Perri may have a few choice words about that subject matter, but again, she is smaller than most peoples Thanksgiving turkey.

Stamped Leaf Name Plates

Goodness, where have the days gone since I blogged last? I have been busy dog-sitting, baking, crafting my way to Turkey Day.

I ventured over to my favorite store on Wednesday, Michael's, and decided that it was time to start a new collection! Rubber stamps!!

I invested in alphabet stamps, leaves, and a 4 very pretty ink pads.

Photos are as follows:

My new investment of stamps and ink!


The finished product. I added a bit of twine to make the name cards look more rustic.

The finished tablescape.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Turkey Cupcakes!

The finished product may need a bit of practice, but these little guys were a pleasure to make and share!


Seven pieces of Indian Candy Corn for the feathers!



Goodness, the faces with eyes. The key to this project is a lot of time and an efficient assembly line. I had neither.

They sure were cute though!


The 1st round of turkey cupcakes came out looking a but of special needs, but I can guarantee the next round will be great!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Dirty Secret of My Goodies- Pumpkin Muffins!

I do love making recipes from scratch, but this evening I decided to a take a bit of help from the store!
Pillsbury Pumpkin Bread mix



Everyone in the bowl!


Looking good after a bit of mixing


I filled the muffin pans 3/4 full. Next batch I will only fill them 1/2 full.

A bit of pounding on the counter to get out the air bubbles!


15 minutes at an oven set to 375 degrees F was not long enough.


18 minutes was perfect!


Yummm



All done and amazing!

I promise the next post will be homemade!