Love Pops

  Cake+frosting=cake pops.
 Sounds easy, right?

yeah, I thought so too.
I went over to Pioneer Woman's Blog and read the tutorials from her and Bakerella about how to go about making these cake pops I had heard so much about.  After looking at the pictures and reading both their tutorials I felt confident in my ability to pull it off
(strike one against the momma)
I made a chocolate cake, and let it cool as I went up to get Cate ready for bed...only to come back to this.

 

yeah, he's a peach. 

So I had a trial cake I thought, and good thing, because I needed it.  The cake pops seemed pretty much like the oreo truffle balls that we make so I thought what the heck, I'll just use the WHOLE container of frosting. 

(strike two mommy)

yeah, this is what happens when you use the whole container of frosting.  No matter how long I froze them, they would always be too weak to stay on the stick.  

While I was working on these, I made another funfetti cake for try #2 the next day.  I officially was beaten on day one..

Day 2.  

Funfetti Cake and Frosting

While we were freezing the next batch of pops, we went ahead and melted the chocolate again to perfect our dipping skills for the "good" batch.

{one of my favorite pictures, she's wearing her great grandmothers apron}

I think we got it down...

 

So on the pink we went...

 

ahhhhh,another love day down, but all in all I think it turned out well.  Cake Pop Experiment #1 done.  Maggie already has plans for Cate's first birthday....since you know, mommy KNOWS what she's doing now.  Faith, she haz it in me!

Wordless Wednesday

{okay, so sort of wordless....if you'd like to see more about this snowball fight (and Catie) click the FOI Blog button at the top of the page}

Happy Day

 If you click on the picture above it will take you to Kristy and Howard's Blog, who are Asher's parents.

Last year I wrote about how special Asher was to me (and the rest of his amazing family) and you can read that post HERE

You, sweet boy, are STILL making quite the impact on this world...those little feet are truly miraculous.  So tiny, yet so large all at the same time.  Just the other day I was looking for a t-shirt and just grabbed into the drawer, only to come up with one (of many now) of my Team Issac and Asher shirts.  It brought a smile to my face and reminded me that spring really isn't that far off and it's about time to wear one again.  The things that are being done in your name...it truly is amazing to see.

Last year we send you balloons, we hoped you liked the colors.

 and then we ate some deee-ishious cupcakes according to your buddy Fionn.

This year...we did something a little different.  We didn't want to just let balloons go, we wanted something that would last a little longer and then would just dissolve back in nature...and mother nature provided us with the perfect palette last night.  

We drove to the highest point by our house, one with a clear view of the sky (and downtown) so that you'll just be able to look right down and see your little present.  

Happy  3rd Birthday Asher Joseph, thank you for our Happy Day!!

Snow Daaaayyyyyy

We haven't had enough snow fall at once to go sledding in over two years (besides Snowmaggeden last year) Or maybe there was, but I was pregnant, or Fionn was too small to go.  Last year we took the kids out in our yard on our "slope" just for fun one day when it snowed, but there was no way we could have taken the boy down the big hill locally.  

So it was a HUGE deal when early in January when there was enough snow to cancel school (and Daddy was home too) and I said we could go sledding!  There wasn't enough snow to even cover all the leaves but hey, there was enough to make it down the hill!

We parked right at the top of the hill and Cate slept in the truck the entire time we were there.  One of us was right by the truck the whole time, so it worked out well.  Daddy rode down with Fionn, and Maggie just flew down the hill.  There were some friends from school there so they traded sleds a few times, and Mag even hit the "bump"  She did it though when we were talking to other parents so I missed the shots of her getting air!  She tried again a few times but never caught the same air.  

We had to rally her a few times to keep her going back up the hill.  I took this last picture at the end, when she was too tired to climb back up the hill.  I had to carry the sled, and help pull her back up the hill the last time...

What it Takes

to be a

Steeler Fan- Superbowl Edition

You have to be ready, for the good and the bad. 

 You need to be prepared to pray, A LOT.  To God, Steeler Gods, Myron Cope, A Rooney, Uncle Jim-Bob, whoever you pray to, just be prepared to call out to them.  It will happen.  You WILL need to pray.

And if we're lucky, our towel (and our boys) will get us through it.

and then, well kick those knees up, 

because watching our boys become the World Champs beats just about any other feeling EVER.  

We live in Pittsburgh, it's woven into our very fabric of being. 

BLACK AND GOLD.  WE BLEED IT.  

GO STEELERS

Bad Mommy

I've composed at least a dozen blog posts over the course of the last month, but it would seem that NONE of them made it out of my mind.  It's really getting crowded in there! 

January, I thought January was supposed to be LONG and BORING?  That didn't happen here.  Let's not lie, a good part of January I was so busy I never made it out of my jammies most days.  Gotta love working from home.  Shower, ha....teething and poddy training took me to a new low that I don't even want to discuss.  Greg barely has enough time in the day to work and eat let alone have the energy to deal with the hyped up crazies who REFUSE to sleep until Daddy's home.  The midnight shifts kill everybody, and yes I'm dead serious.  Daddy does bedtime.  Mommy does everything else.  There's cuddling, iPad stories, playtime and more cuddling that happens while Mommy frantically tries to get things done for work.  So when Daddy works late, they deal with letting me attempt their bedtime but they get VERY grumpy.  And usually wake up as soon as he walks up the stairs. 

I'd complain about the weather, but everyone has had nasty weather so what is there to complain about.  Maggie has yet to have a full week of school since some time in December, at the beginning I think.  Between the two hour delays, missed days, and holidays I'm starting to think she'd get more done if we home schooled.  But that is NOT an option.  

Fionn got angry today when she left for school at 9:30.  She was still here when he woke up, so he assumed she was here for the day.  It's a viscous love/hate relationship between the two of them.  They love each other SO much, but Fionn has been getting a little "pushy" in asserting his boy dominance as of late and thinks HE'S the boss...

We're working on that.

We got to go sledding, a few weeks ago (don't judge people) and Fionn and Maggie had a BLAST.  So I promise, that's up next. 

Oh and umm, cate's nine month post.  That too, I pinky swear.  NEW pics are a comin' I was just waiting on Mother Nature to show me a little bit of BLUE sky for a backdrop