Easter Cupcakes

Yes, you read that right, Easter Cupcakes! Alright, I know, a little out of season, but this is a post I intended on posting, well, on Easter. Just incase you happen to have a bag of mini Cadbury Eggs hanging around, and really don't mind out of season cupcakes, I figured there was no harm in posting. We'll call it inspiration for next year.

I found the idea on My Baking Addiction, and unlike many things I find and Pin to Pinterest and intend to make but never do, these ones actually happened. Go me! It was all very last min. so I don't have a fantastic "this is the best cupcake batter ever" recipe to share with you (I used a box mix, tisk tisk) BUT I do however have a "this is the best icing recipe ever" recipe to share. I've made this icing a few times, and yet again found it on Pinterest. It really is the best buttercream icing I've ever made, and I've had a few rave reviews saying the same. I believe the only change I made to the recipe was that I used 2 tsp of vanilla instead of 3, but I can't remember (I know, I'm useless). Give it a whirl, you wont be disappointed!

Best Buttercream Icing recipe, click HERE. I used Chocolate Fudge cake mix for the cupcake. They were deeeelish.

Viva Mexico!!

Ok, so it's been what seems like forever since I've written a post on here, and I deeply apologize! I swear I think about it often, and even attempt at times, but there really is no excuse for my lack of blog posts. I am hoping to change that RIGHT NOW.

Recently, like really recently, my husband, daughter and I went to Los Cabos, Mexico to watch some friends get hitched. We stayed at the Barcelo resort, and I gotta say, it was fantastic! Being me, I have bad luck, so things could have been slightly better, but overall, the trip as a whole was fantastic! It was freaking hot, like 35 degrees daily, which was nice for the pool, but not so nice for touring around. We got into San Jose one day, but that's as far as we ventured with our 6 month old (YES, I know, she's 6 months already?!). The resort as a whole was awesome. Very kid friendly, and also very not kid friendly, for both. There's a kid section, and an adult section, and a general section. The rooms are huge, so the three of us fit into the Junior Suite with room to spare. Enough about the resort tho, if you need more info, give me a shout. Below is what you're really after, photos.

PS. No, Alexis doesn't smile ALL the time. She LOVES the camera. We have a little model on our hands. Stick a camera in her face and she's all smiles, 90% of the time.

View from the lobby of the Barcelo Resort

Daddy and Lexi

Lots of beach

Family photo, Lexi's first time in the ocean

Mommy and Lexi

Horseback riding on the beach. So wish we had the chance to do this.

Cabana's on the beach

Martini bar on the resort! What else does one need?! 

Okay, I promise I'll do this more regular. Blog posts. Not going to Mexico. Although, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Cheers! S

First Days of Winter

Even tho the first day of Winter is still quite a ways away, these -20+ days are MY first days of Winter. In my world, anything colder than -15 warrants me to move the start of Winter up, whether Mother Nature agrees or not.

Now that we have a wee one in tow, I think we'll be spending more cozy cold days in front of the fireplace instead of galavanting around town, which is exactly what we did this morning. I haven't had the chance to do any baking since Alexis's big arrival into this world, so I took advantage of daddy being home and did just that, while they played and cuddled on the couch.

I made one of my favorite cookies, and I realized that I only seem to make this cookie around Christmas time. I don't think I'll change that, as to much of a good thing, ruins the appeal. You can find the recipe for these Soft Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies over on the Picky Palate Blog. It's one I found last year, and I didn't alter it all, it's perfect just the way it is! Enjoy!

Soft Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies = Yumm!

Daddy & Lexi Playing

Snuggle time on the couch

Hope you are all keeping warm!

Our Baby Girl - (Better late than never)

It's safe to say that life has been BUSY this past month, with the arrival of our baby girl and getting to know her, and our new life. It's also safe to say that life has never been better, this whole mommy thing is far better than ever imagined.

Alexis Nicole Cremers
Born in Calgary, AB on October 12th 2011 5:12m
6lbs 12oz  20.5inches

Just hours old...

Daddy and Lexi...

Mommy & Lexi...

Priceless (6 days old)...

Boo!...

One month old...

Waiting...

While waiting for my little lady to arrive, I have been doing a good job of filling my days with things I enjoy. Walking around this beautiful town with friends or the puggle, tea dates, sleeping in (slightly) & baking.

Last week I made about 12 dozen cookies to freeze for the times ahead when baking will be the last thing on my mind. I also make some brownies for the hubby, and some S'mores cookie bars for my co-workers. I didn't take any photos of either, but I'll attach the S'mores recipe below as it was a huge hit. The brownies were a hit too, but I cheated on those and used a package.

This week I got a little more creative and made some English Muffins & Pretzel Balls. Yumm! Both were super easy, and super delish.

My English muffin skills need to be refined a little to make them a bit bigger, but otherwise they are fantastic. I made two batches, which made 24 in total, and I froze the majority of them. The whole recipe cost well under $5, if you already have everything on hand, which I did. I found the recipe for those here:

ENGLISH MUFFINS

The Pretzel Balls were equally as cheap, and even easier. They took only about 2 hours, including rise time. The recipe says to dived dough into 6 balls, I did 7, but next time I would do about 12, as they are pretty huge for a single serving. Having these in the freezer will be great for when a soft pretzel craving sneaks up on me, which is more often then one would think. Recipe below:

PRETZEL BALLS

And as promised, here is the recipe for the S'mores Cookie bars. They were tricky to make I must say. I told Joshua I would never do it again, but since receiving the reviews, I've changed my mind. The only thing that was tricky about them was the cooling and cutting of them. Because it's real chocolate, and fluffy marshmallow I let them cool before removing them from the pan for 6 hours (!!) and they were still a mess to cut. I think next time I'll put them in the fridge for a few hours before cutting, after they are done cooling.

S'MORES COOKIE BARS

Happy Baking!!

40 weeks pregnant...

Beautiful Fall...

Maternity Photo Shoot

Last November a girlfriend and I attended the Bow Valley SPCA Fashion Show at the Banff Springs in Banff. The show was to raise money for the Bow Valley SPCA, and no, it wasn't animal fashion, it was people fashion, and it was a really great night.

Anywho, there was a silent auction, and at the time, being in the frame of mind that we were trying to get pregnant, and I would love some amazing Maternity photos when the day finally came, I bid on a photo package from Eric Daigle, a fantastic local photographer, and I won! If it wasn't for winning, I'm not sure we would have invested the money, but, now that we've had them done, I know I'd do it again. It's well worth the investment to capture this moment forever in stunning photography we can be proud of.

In the middle of August we arranged a date to meet up, and it was a blast, and the photos, they turned out amazing. I've looked thru them so many times, and can't for the life of me choose a favourite.

Below is a small sampling for your viewing pleasure.

Petey & Cricket

Petey & Cricket met when they were just young pups, in puppy class, in the spring of 2009. It was love at first sight (or hump), which ever came first. Over the months their bond became like none other & they were hooked for life.

Last summer, Cricket and her owners found opportunities in Barrie, ON, and off they went to live. Both pups were heartbroken. To this day we can't bring Petey to Banff (where Cricket used to live) without him crying and yelping for her.

All dressed up for their last date before Cricket moved to Ontario.

Before Cricket left for Ontario, she left Petey with a stuffed egg. Petey cherished this egg for about as long as his puppy self would allow, before destroying it completely. 

Cricket and anther egg in Ontario, hoping Petey will arrive at the window.

This week, Cricket and her owners Christine & Jason have been visiting. Their bond picked up just where it left off over a year ago. They were back to being pea's & carrots. They've enjoyed many walks, sleep overs and a little risky business.

Cricket was sad her first night away from her Parents, so Petey decided to join her in her kennel to console her. 

It's been so nice to have all three of them here, hopefully it can be a semi-regular thing. I'm sure these two will never forget each other.