2010 - the 1st Quarter (minus the Oscar Gathering)

JANUARY

I was loving this random orange tree our neighbor has back in January. This isn't the best shot because the tree is surrounded by so many other plants but if you look close you can see that the fruit is attached straight to the branches-no greenery. This might be common knowledge on how all things orange tree work, but I'm a newbie and loved the visual.

January also brought my Dad's 60th Birthday. It was a nice surprise birthday party held at the India Palace - YUM - with lots of family & friends. Love you Dad!

Dad's name is Bruce; his favorite color is blue, and his favorite candy is Hershey's with almonds, so favors for his party were easy but festive.

FEBRUARY

I made these fun magnets for my children's teachers.

And these were treats for friends, neighbors & Church peeps. I just made a bunch of different goodies and cut them out into heart shapes.

Check out these YUMMMMY Lemon Blueberry Muffins I made! My awesome friend Kerstin introduced them to me. I ate way too many!

Grandma's Blueberry Lemon Muffins
Kerstin's Kitchen

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening (or butter*)
1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this makes extra - you can try cutting it down if you want):
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs, milk and shortening. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins. *I substitute butter because I love the taste! It works great either way.

MARCH

The 1st two dinners al fresco of the season! First we had shishkabobs. I made beef & veggies ones for the grown-ups and hot dog & chicken nuggets kabobs for the little ones. :) For dessert: pear kabobs. That was my 1st time grilling fruit besides pineapple, and it didn't turn out bad.

The next time we made tin foil dinners. I LOVE TIN FOIL DINNERS!

For Easter we had a potluck, and I decided to try these little ditties. I know there are a ton of ways to make these, but I wanted lactose Hubby Hotness to partake, so I started with dairy free white cupcakes.

Took out the centers.

Frosted them with dairy-free frosting.

Mixed up my nest stuffing using soy milk, coconut and different dye colors.

Before the eggs were laid:

And after. :)

Then HH prepped for the Easter bunny.

Must see the tracks!

Mama couldn't wait to find some eggs! hahaha