{ mini pies for the soul }

The other night I was in charge of hosting book club.  And like any decent hostess, I wanted to serve a little treat for the ladies.  I also wanted to use up the pie filling I had leftover from making these puppies {which are heavenly on the lips, but not so much on the hips. So a little advice: if you make them, make sure you are wearing your stretchy pants--or jeggings--when you eat them}.  I racked my brain, and decided that bite-sized pies where in order. So I fed Mr. L {so as not to be disturbed during the creation process} grabbed my pie crust recipe, scalloped cookie cutter, mini muffin tin and kicked everyone out of the kitchen while I concocted.  I was so pleased with the result that I thought I would share {really quickly}, this awesomeness with you.  Makes approx. 24 mini pies.

PIE CRUST:

· 1 1/2 cups of flour

· 1 Tablespoon of sugar

· 1/4 teaspoon of salt

· 1/4 cup of oil

· 3 Tablespoons of milk

· 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

Place in 400° oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  {Whipping cream, or even cream cheese frosting on top would be delicious as well. And naturally I think of these things the day AFTER. *face palm*} 

They turned out super cute.  And if I didn't need to use up the pie filling in the fridge, I would have made a homemade filling instead of from the can.  But a little bundle of cuteness keeps me from doing all the things I envision me doing in a day.  But I wouldn't trade him for the world, so naturally, I cut corners. ;)

Other Ideas For Filling:

· cheese cake

· lemon meringue 

· pumpkin

Sugar cookie dough, instead of pie crust would be amazing, too! {Oh, the wheels are turning now, dang-it!} 

Let me know if you have ever made mini pies, or if you try these ones and switch things up a bit, how they turned out.  I'm always looking for new ideas to spice up my cooking life. ;)  -xoxo

{ grateful }

Over the past month our little family has been the recipients of some amazing blessings.  All brought about by loving friends and family.  Meals of the most deliciousness have been dropped off, gifts have been delivered, treats have been dispersed, housework has been taken care of, etc.  It's amazing how these little acts of kindness have meant so much to me.  So I just felt the need to publicly thank my sweet friends and family for the meals, the amazing gifts {who gives someone a stroller and carseat?! So humbled and grateful}, a monthly supply of Cadbury Mini Eggs {a must-needed staple for my secret stash sharing with my kids and husband} ;) and for traveling out of state to come and take care of my kids. 

And dishes.  

I know it probably was nothing for these people.  Something simple that they didn't even think twice about.  Something so easy.  But let me tell you something: never think that any form of service, no matter how small it might seem, won't be appreciated.  It could mean the world to someone. 

It meant the world to me...

And here's someone else that means the world to me. 

 I can't believe my Little Man is already a month old! Does anyone know how to stop time?  My kids are growing WAY to fast!

Hope you all have a wonderful week! --xoxo

{ wallpapers for the smartphone }

I have digital wallpaper ocd.  I have to change it with the seasons, holidays or even the week.  From my computer backdrop, screensaver and iPhone.  And since I'm nursing a little man, I seem to find way more time to do those things that require sitting on one's hind quarters, i.e. explore Pinterest, play Draw Something and, naturally, make smartphone wallpapers.  ;)  Here are the first ones:

They aren't perfect, but it's a start.  Feel free to use them on your phone if you want -- just right click to save the images to your photo library, sync it with your phone and voila.  Or you can email them to yourself, then open your email on your phone and save it that way.  { Ps- I'm on the lookout for cute, short phrases to make more, so if you know of any, send them my way! :D }  

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  I have a bunch of cherry Coke Zero in my fridge, so you'll know it'll be a part-ay over here.

*insert crickets chirping*

Ok - that's a lie. The Coke is just so I can stop walking around like the living dead and actually do dishes or laundry or something else that normal people who get more than a few hours of sleep at night do.  But let's pretend that I have wild plans for the weekend, ones that don't involve me being a zombie, k?  OK.  --xoxo

{ let them eat cake }

In light of yesterday being St. Patty's, I decided that our dinner should be green.  Not the healthy leafy greens green, but the green eggs and green pancakes kinda green.  {Calories don't count on birthdays and holidays. FYI.} ;)  The thought of making our bacon green crossed my mind, but I quickly decided it would be a little too much.  You know, psychologically.  But my favorite part of the meal last night was the dessert.  I found this recipe and HAD to try it.  Not only was it green, but it had Key Lime in the title.  Shut The Front Door.  So I tweaked it just ever so slightly to work with what I had {a.k.a. I was lazy} and decided to share my laziness version.

I feel that I should add a slight disclaimer.  The kids mentioned it wasn't their favorite, probably because it was really tart, but the adults LOVED it.  It is also SUPER rich, so don't go serving up normal cake slice portions. You can always go back for seconds...

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my tweaks on The Key Lime Cake:

It really is heavenly. I think this would be amazing as a sheet cake (using a 9x13" pan) or as cupcakes as well. For the original recipe and beautiful photos, head on over here. -xoxo

 

{ safe and sound }

Our little angel finally arrived last week.  And we couldn't be more in love:

{ keep hanging on }

Saw this quote today, and thought I'd share it:

I loved it too much to not make a free printable.  Feel free to print it off this 8x11 quote. I'm going to, for a daily reminder during the rest of this pregnancy. :) -xoxo

{ christmas is coming and i am getting fat }

Christmas is almost here, and I am doing my yearly ritual of turning the radio station or using my handy 'skip' feature on Pandora when Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer starts playing.

And I only have 3 more months left 'till baby #3 comes!  No, I don't dance interpretive jigs when I'm in my 3rd trimester.  But I would if I could. ;)

I've finally finished my neighbor gifts, and I'm doing these again this year:

Peppermint mallows + hot cocoa instructions and label here.

Today I have the HUGE goal of putting the last of the Christmas decoration boxes back in the garage, only to be pulled out again in a few weeks.  Seriously, this is a problem.  And I keep tripping over the dang box.  You'd think I would have put it away a while back, but you see, I just finished putting up the last of the decorations a couple days ago.  I ROCK.

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Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

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