Where am I?

So much has been going on in my life, I honestly completely forgot I had this blog.... but exciting news and a new blog coming soon :)

Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling

I bought a vegan cookbook that is only filled with sweetness! I am so excited to try basically everything in it. I made these cupcakes and my husband actually enjoyed them... so they are man approved lol.This is what they looked like...

Recipe

Lemon "curd"

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

1/2 cup plain soymilk

1 tblsp margarine

juice (about 1/4 cup) and zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Poppy Seed Vanilla Cupcakes

1 cup plain soymilk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup canola or veg. oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tblsp poppy seeds

1 tblsp vanilla extract

To make the "curd", combine potato flakes and soymilk & heat for about 30 sec. in the microwave so the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the margarine until it melts then mix in the lemon juice and sugar. Heat again for another 30-45 sec. (it should be about the consistency of applesauce) Blend in a food processor (I used my ninja blender) for about 2-3 min until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

After that has chilled you can start your cupcakes! Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Whisk your soymilk and vinegar together, and let it rest for about 5 min. Meanwhile sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside, and with a blender, blend the oil and sugar together. Add the soymilk and vinegar mixture and beat for a minute or so. (You should see some bubbles) Slowly add the dry mix, stirring just enough to combine. (don't over mix) Then fold in the poppy seeds and vanilla. (batter is thin so don't panic)

Pour into muffin tins, fill about 3/4 the way and bake for 17-20 min. Let them cool completely. To cut them you insert a paring knife at about a 45 degree angle and cut the top off. (you should have a little cone almost) Cut off the bottom part of the cone so the bottom will be flat. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut a hole in the top of the cupcake. Fill with "curd" and then put the top back on. 

Enjoy!

long time no post

Well it has officially been over a month since my last post. I have recently been swamped with what seems like a million different things. My doctor has decided that I have as many health complications as his grandmother... awesome. I have had numerous tests done to see if I am anemic...yet again, if i have a possible thyroid problem... he wants to see me again to see if I have a cardiovascular problem and if I have fibromyalgia... can we say awesome. Not to mention there is talk of possible spine surgery... double yes! The way I see it we are only given one life and we have to make the most of it, so nothing is going to slow me down. I have a million things i want to post about, but I will try to keep it to one a day, that way I don't run out of interesting things, since I'm rarely interesting :)

scrabble pillows

Scrabble Pillows. I have been seeing them all over Etsy & Pinterest & I finally decided to make them. I am a huge scrabble nerd so these pillows were definitely a must have in my bedroom. This was my first time using a sewing machine so I was a bit nervous, but I think they turned out alright :)

Here they are...

I did the back in this really pretty blue fabric I found at my local fabric store.

Have a wonderful day!

be my valentine

I had a wonderful valentines day, besides being slightly sick that is. I already mentioned that my husband bought me a sewing machine, I still have not used it lol but I plan on buying some fabric today to make my pillow covers :)We also ordered some new bedding... I am beyond excited to finish our bedroom. I was supposed to make cupcakes in addition to the cake balls, but that was a fail, the cake was more time consuming then I had originally planned. So look for my cupcake post in a few! My daughter is far too cute when we bake things she is constantly sticking her fingers in the icing lol, she's two she can still get away with things like that :)

  Here are a few of the cake balls, we made them with red velvet cake & they were beyond delicious!

For dinner I made turkey meatballs with whole grain pasta, spinach and ricotta. It is not the greatest picture, but it tasted delicious.

My husband also bought me a black pearl necklace, which I love. Overall it was a wonderful day spent with the ones that I love....Hoping you all had a wonderful day as well!

Valentines Day. I have always thought of Valentines Day as highly overrated, but this year I was looking forward to it like no other. My husband bought me a sewing machine as part of my gift and I am excited as all get out. I have been wanting a sewing machine for a good two years now and it has finally happened. Today I am ordering fabric and such and I cannot wait to get started creating things. Scrabble pillows may have to be first, I have been seeing them in the blogosphere for awhile now and all over Etsy. In all honesty I did not want to order them. They seemed quite do-able and now that I have my machine I have decided to make them myself. I shall post them when I get the chance :)   

Tomorrow night for dinner I will be making turkey meatballs with whole wheat spaghetti, spinach and ricotta. My daughter and I will also be making red velvet cake balls for a little Valentines Day treat. Look out for my post about our Valentines Day activities, they will be fantastic :)

Have a wonderful day!

Today I'm linking up with Neely over at A Complete Waste of Makeup.

 My name is Kate and this is my little space to come and babble. I live with my husband and 2 wonderful children way up in North Dakota. This is what the state looks like for a majority of the year...

First thing you should know about me is I LOVE FOOD! I have recently started eating clean, which if you don't know what that is there happens to be this wonderful little thing they call Google :) I absolutely adore baking and hope to eventually have a blog that fully dedicated to recipes, but for now I will just post some here. I have also just started vegan baking, which is interesting to say the least, but some things are quite delicious so look out for recipe posts to come. 

Addicted to Pinterest.

Favorite book (at this point in time) is still Pride and Prejudice.

Clumsy as all get out.

Married for about 3 years.

Loves volunteering at local shelter.

Full time student.

Lover of chocolate.

Nutella addict.

I am simply me.

Have a wonderful day!

Wedding Wednesday

Today I'm linking up with Sarah for Wedding Wednesday. My husband & I got married on March 14th 2009. Was it my dream wedding? Not really. Did I marry my dream man? Yes, and that is all that matters to me. so in a way in fact it was my dream wedding. Things were a bit complicated we were recently engaged and planning a wedding, but life happens and we ended up getting married right away with just close family at my parents house. So rather than post about weddings exactly I decided to post about renewing your vows... it's wedding related :)

My husband and I are planning on renewing our vows in October 2013 for our 5th anniversary (technically when we got engaged) We have hit a few bumps n our relationship, which may be a bit of an understatement. But we managed to come out on top better than ever. I can honestly tell you that I have never loved him more than I do right now, and I hope that over time that love becomes even greater. At that time he will also be out of the air force & we will be starting a whole new chapter of our lives together. I am beyond words excited.

We want to make it an intimate ceremony with close family and friends who have been with us and there for us over the years.  It will be outdoors hopefully in the same place where he proposed to me :) I will "allow" my guests to wear jeans and a nice shirt as long as they are clean haha.  And we most definitely want our kids to be involved. It won't be like a "2nd wedding" because I've already had one, but I don't disagree with people who want to do it that way, because it's your day to do whatever it is that your heart desires.I do in fact have a dress picked out already( I'd like to wait to show people, but I will tell you that it is green-ish lol) and he has decided he wants to wear a vest with a nice shirt under it, but he would like his tattoos to be showing so he has asked for permission to roll up his sleeves lol. This is why I love him. There will be a party/get together after the fact most likely at our home & cake, because who in there right mind turns down a chance to have a cake :)

I have read numerous articles on "proper etiquette" for vow renewals and I say screw it & do what you want.

How do you feel about renewing your vows? Is there a "proper" way to go about it?

Haven't posted in awhile... I do apologize I have been swamped with school, the kids & the house. I have had to make an appointment for an MRI for my back for the longest time & this week I may actually do it. I have been dreading it simply because I'm not excited for the possible news. My doctors think that I have cervical kyphosis. Basically it is an abnormal curve in my spine. If it is fixed (meaning it will not move/worsen) I will be headed to physical therapy to help with the pain. At most I'll need to wear a brace at times... no big deal. If it is flexible (meaning it could worsen) depending on how severe it is or if there is pressure on the spine I could need surgery or just some more physical therapy. My doctor is slightly worried though, because I get sharp shooting pains throughout my arms and legs (which I have been ignoring for years.) So hoping that it is fixed :)

I'll be doing an actual post later tonight or in the am, my baby boy is sick today so he needs extra mommy time.

Have a wonderful day!

Today I decided to post a little something about my fur-babies. Dakota aka Koda Bear is my 4 year old Shiba Inu. Although Koda doesn't get along well with other dogs, she loves our 2 cats (Lord Beckett & Captain Jack) They are like 3 peas in a pod... I couldn't ask for more. Koda loves to sleep in bed with me. My husband works nights so I don't mind the company. When I say she sleeps in bed I mean she sleeps next to me under the covers with her bunny between her arms and her head on my pillow... she's too much :)

I can honestly say that I would be lost without her at times. She always knows when I'm upset and need a good cuddle, and the wonderful thing about dogs is there's no judgment at all just love.

 Koda Bear

Lord Beckett aka Slinky Cat turned 2 this summer and we started noticing some strange behavior. He would drool uncontrollably and pace back and forth. At times he couldn't move his back legs & he would just drag them around howling. After numerous tests & blood work the vets still could not give us an answer. They said it seemed as though he was having seizures, but they would last hours. All of the sudden he was fine everything stopped & we were so relieved. Unfortunately after a few months things started up again. This time we got awful news. The vets think that it may be a brain tumor, unfortunately we will never know. They said we could find out but to do scans would cost us a fortune & even then there is nothing they can do. The good news is they don't think he is in any pain, so for now there is nothing to be done. Beckett could live 1 more year or 10 so we plan on smothering him with love lol & giving him the best years of his life.

He is by far the most cuddly cat I have ever seen & the sweetest. He does love to cause mischief though, but what cat doesn't love doing that :)Every morning I get to wake up to this face....

"slinky cat"

Here is Baby Beckett with his big brother Captain Jack

We adopted Jack when he was a few months old. They weren't exactly sure of his age since he was a stray, but they gave us a good estimate. We did opt for a kitten & not because they are cuter than adult cats, but we thought that we would have a better chance of a kitten getting along with Koda Bear since they would be able to grow up around her. And boy were we right... here are my 3 loves...

Hey! So here's the deal today the first section s basically me trying to promote my business so you may skip if you wish, the second half is the usual :)

I have set goals for myself this year to not only live a healthier lifestyle, but to help others do the same. So I have a favor to ask of you. I became a team beachbody coach (p90x,insanity...) this summer after having my son. I only really did it for the discount on the products which is an awesome 25%, but now I've decided to actually venture into over to the business side of things. So if you or someone you know wants to lose a few extra pounds or just live healthier in general please toss my name out there because I would love to help. I've lost 18 pounds so far & overall I just feel more energetic & confident. I have to admit that I personally have not been working out a whole lot due to millions of doctor appointments, but I do drink their meal replacement shake daily & I love it. So spread the word. My email is kateviotto@gmail.com or find me on facebook!

Now back to the usual my friends :)

I am redoing my great grandmother’s dresser this weekend, and let me tell you I am nervous as all get out. It’s a gorgeous dresser but could use some TLC and some freshening up. I can’t wait to post pictures of the progress this weekend, so wish me luck!

Sunday the NY Giants play the Packers.... this is a huge game in my family. My husband was raised a Packers fan & I was raised a Giants fan. I realize that I’m not out there on the field making plays, but I get super competitive ha-ha. Hopefully we will be able to crush their dreams of making it to the super bowl again, but who knows what kind of day Eli is having.

 

So I am looking into buying a digital SLR camera, but there are so many out there. I love my Nikon compact digital & I also love my Olympus tough digital. I have never owned a Canon, but I have heard great things about them as well. I'd eventually like to start a small photography business on the side, but for now I will just be working on my skills & such so I am not looking to buy a $5000 camera. Any preferences? Ask around for me please :)

Since we are on the topic of photographs here are a few of my favorites :)

Have a beautiful day
share me :)

what i'm loving wednesday

Today I will be linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday. This is my first so hoping I do it right :)

I'm loving that I managed to get my workout in this morning before the kids woke up

I'm loving the dress I found for a wedding we are attending this summer

I'm loving that a new episode of The Office is finally on tomorrow night!

I'm loving my kids for ever & always

I'm loving these....

 These would be the floor plans of a house (in a future development) that we are looking into for when we move to PA

I'm loving the snow flurries we are currently having

I'm loving the old photos my dad sent me

 And I'm loving him always

I not only have goals/plans for 2012 but for the next 3/4 years... I'm sure other things will happen because life is full of surprises, but the man & I have certain things that we have planned out already. Here we go...

2012

• Go back to size 4/6 *finally*
• Finish my associates :) 
• Take the kids to the shore *big deal since we are in ND*

2013

• Move to PA!!!
• Finally get the kids baptized 
• The man gets out of the AF only to join the Marines (reserve)
• The man also starts Law School
• Renew our vows
• Go on our Ireland vacation
• Get a new job in PA!
• purchase 2nd vehicle so Harold can have a buddy haha *yes I named my car Harold*

2014

• Graduate with my bachelors :)
• Go on our trip to London/St. Lucia

2015

• baby #3 if we decide... we don't want more than 3 kids, but we aren't sure if we want more than 2. If we do decide we want 3 we also decided we didn't want the biggest gap to go over 6 years... meaning 2015 would be the year. :)

I think it's safe to say that we are planners. Don't get me wrong I LOVE surprises and being spontaneous at times... but certain things I like to have planned :)

So in a previous post I posted some pictures of the beginning of my "room re-do" & I'm super excited to share with you the awesome things I've gotten for my table since....

If you can't tell by the picture... I love frogs! While meandering through Pier1 I spotted these napkin rings under a stack of about 3 other kinds. It was love at first sight. I'm still in search of some place mats, but that's another day. The rest of the room is coming together slowly but surely. 

completely unrelated but the NYG are headed to the PLAYOFFS!

awesome mom moment

The best part was her shouting at me