Monday, January 26, 2009

Sour Cream Black Walnut Coffee Cake

I should change the name of this recipe since we don't drink coffee. Maybe I should call it Sour Cream Walnut Anytime Cake. My mom made this for us on special occasions when I was growing up. My family now doesn't need a special occasion to make this yummy cake. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is a fail proof recipe. We actually made it with the black walnuts once. However, we have found that regular walnuts are preferable to our taste so don't feel like you have to find the black walnuts. In fact, if you like other nuts better, try them out! I hope you enjoy!.
 

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla. Beat until light. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream.

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon
1/2 cup black walnuts.

Mix together. Put 1/2 batter in an ungreased angel cake pan. Cover with 1/2 of topping. Add rest of batter, then rest of topping. Run a knife through to marble. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Sadie's quilt top

Here is Sadie's quilt top all put together. I am really happy with how it turned out. Now on to the backing. This pattern can be found here.
   

Friday, January 23, 2009

IGP Night! Thank you Lyric.

Lyric taught us several things we need to do in order to have a great sewing experience with our machines.

1. Brush out your bobbin case each time you wind a new bobbin.
2. After every project, take apart your machine and clean it out and give it some oil on the moving parts. One drop will do it.
3. Use good thread.
4. Change your needle after each project.
I am sure I am forgetting something. We talked a little bit more about how to adjust your tensions, what kind of presser feet to use and different kinds of needles.

Here is Velma, all taken apart.
 
Heidi, Kristel and I were having a challenge to see who took out the most lint. It is amazing where this stuff can be found. Here is our pile. It was pretty gross.
 
Kristel, Heidi, Felicia, Lyric, me
 
Thanks again Lyric. We really enjoyed learning from you. Next month, we will be making aprons. Yippee!

Napkins

I have been helping a friend with a few projects. This was my first time using mitered corners. I had a few frustrations, but in the end, they came out looking pretty good. Now I just need to make some for myself!

 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Quilt fabrics

They arrived! Thank you Randi of Freshsqueezedfabrics. One of my goals for this year is to make quilts for each of my children. Sadie wants all things pink, but she also likes fairies. So she chose to have this quilt made in these fabrics with the fairy fabric on the back of the quilt. The green gingham will be the binding.
 
For Derek and Mason I will be making this quilt and this quilt with these fabrics.
 
I am really excited to get started. Mason's is supposed to be first as his birthday is coming up, but I really want to make Sadie's. Maybe I like all things pink too!

Snow Day!

This is what we woke up to today! Hooray!
 
Since school was canceled today and Chris had the day off of work, we went out sledding and we did a little baking. I am making Blueberry Cake thanks to Randi at ihavetosay. Chris made pizza dough, both of which will be consumed a little later. I have learned a little about myself today. I already knew this, but I had another confirmation. Chris had asked for some new baking supplies for Christmas. I like these kinds of requests because I get to profit from these gifts too :) I had bought a few items from King Arthur Flour and today realized how much I like quality items and getting your money's worth. You know how it is, sometimes you pick something up at Walmart and it just isn't the quality you were hoping it would be, but you bought it anyway thinking, it will do the job just fine. Well, when it came to using the sifter to make my blueberry cake today, I was amazed. This thing measures your flour for you, the crank is smooth and doesn't make that ratchety sound the metal ones do. There is a duster that comes with it, wow, I am in love. I can't speak for Chris, but I think he is too. He is the one that broke it open today to use for his pizza dough and he was impressed.


The measuring cups and spoons are pretty fancy too. The spoons actually fit into your spice jars and the cups come in all sizes. We (or should I say I) went the extra mile and bought the odd size cups along with the regular sizes. Boy have they come in handy. Needless to say, I am not trying to do a commercial for King Arthur, I just like nice things!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

More than you might want to know

I love my family. My 3 children keep me active, laughing, learning and humble. I have the best husband: handsome, sweet, gentle, patient, smart, loving, athletic, handy, and supportive. My parents taught me with love and I hope that I can pass what I know on to my kids. I like my pillowcases on my pillows with the tags to the inside, not sticking out where they can get on my face when I am sleeping. I sleep with part of the covers over my head so that it covers my ears. Soda, especially Diet Pepsi, is my friend. Don't think about drinking, or "taking sips", of my soda especially when you didn't get your own to begin with. I love my savior and the gospel with the knowledge and comfort it gives to me. I have a hard time telling someone I am upset. I don't like confrontation (although I am getting better at it with experience. This isn't to say I have had a lot, just a few practice sessions). If I had been on this earth before c-sections, I wouldn't have lived through my first pregnancy. Alaska is one of my favorite places. My dad was born and raised there, as was I, and 2 of my children were born there too. Chris and I met there. I love the smell of the air in Alaska and the mountains. The moose walking through the snow and the northern lights dancing in the night sky. I miss the below zero temperatures where your breath freezes and your eyelashes get frozen and snow-machining on the lake. I love a bowl of honey nut cheerios, with bananas for breakfast or anytime of the day for that matter. Eating healthy is something I enjoy doing. I also enjoy M&M's, the peanut ones, way too often. Sweden is a fun place to live. I did so for a year. The people are nice, thoughtful and the climate is a lot like Alaska. Maybe that's why I like it. Learning new talents is something I like to do. Photography and knitting are my newest ambitions. You can usually find me sewing, knitting, reading or running on any given day. I've earned and driven a free Mary Kay car for 2 years. I love Magic Eraser sponges. Actually, I suppose I should say, my house loves them. They are amazing. I don't enjoy cleaning, but I enjoy the end result. I want to learn how to do some home remodeling. Maybe I'll even take great pictures of the process...someday. I like to go hiking and be outside. Driving motor coaches for Princess Tours was one of my all time best jobs. I have a teaching degree and have never used it to make money except to substitute for a semester after I graduated. I enjoy snow and cooler weather. Humidity is not my friend. I have six siblings, 3 sisters-in-law, 28+ nieces and nephews and we live all over the country. Volleyball is the game. The game I love and will play any day of the week, except Sunday. I've played in Alaska, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Sweden, Russia, Finland and North Carolina. My mom and mother-in-law are my examples. I call them for advice and just to talk. I can play the flute, although I haven't for a while. Listening to talk radio in the car outnumbers the times I listen to music in the car. I have a great life.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Knit dishcloth

Here is my second knitting project-a dishcloth. I think my knitting became tighter as I went along, but not noticably so. I enjoyed a project with a pattern and know I will be making more. I bought some more cotton yarn and yarn to make a pair of socks! I might be in over my head on that one, we'll see.
  

In my life, I'd like to:

My husband's cousins Darilyn and Krista have a great idea on their blogs and I thought I'd start the new year by making my list of 50 things I'd like to do in my life. This is similar to a goal list I suppose, not just for this year, for a lifetime. These are things I have had in my mind to do anyway, but now it will be in print. I will be adding to this list, so it is not complete...yet. Here it goes:

1. Take a trip to Europe with Chris
2. Raft the Colorado River
3. Go to Nauvoo and go through the temple
4. Take photography classes and get a great picture!
5. Travel to South Africa
6. Take my family to Disney World
7. Run another 1/2 marathon or maybe 3 or 4 (scheduled for March '09)
8. See the sacred grove in Palmyra, New York
10. Read the Book of Mormon in 90 days (started Jan '09)
11. Make nice quilts for each of my children
12. Learn how to play the piano well
13. Understand how to do geneology and submit some names
14. Run the Anchorage marathon
15. Learn how to knit (Started Dec. 2008)
16. Learn how to applique
17. Find and go berry picking near my home
18. Go on an overnight campout with my family
19. Have a Cook family reunion
20. Attend the temple at least once each month for a year
21. Take Sadie to Chincoteague to see the wild horses
22. Knit a pair of socks
23. Have a small raised bed garden
24. Learn how to tile (for my kitchen)
25. Buy a nice road bike and eventually take a biking trip with my husband
26. Make a quilt for each of my children
27. Donate hair to Locks of Love (my hair!)

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Gifts

I was a little late getting a package in the mail for Christmas, but since it finally arrived, I can post pictures of some of the things I had been working on. Here are 2 sock monkeys and doll blankets with pillows:

A purse for a great friend: