Mummies, Monsters and Sweet Little Pumpkins

November 5, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

mummy oreo, monster oreo, white chocolate oreos, halloween treats, halloween oreos, baking, dessert, holiday, mummy cookies, monster cookies,

You may be wondering where this post is going based on the dichotomy of a title, huh? Me too. Don’t worry we’re all in this together. I sometimes wonder what it’s like to plan out blog posts. To have them be strategic and organized versus a brain dump of the tiny elements of creativity or […]

Is it too late for an Easter post?

April 24, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

banana carrot cupcakes, easter cupcakes, baby bird's nest cupcakes, coconut, banana, carrot, dessert, baking, holiday, spring, robin egg cupcakes,

According to my priest it’s not. Easter marks the beginning of a season of celebration and new beginnings so technically I’m not late in delivering this Easter cupcake recipe to you. Technically, I’m right on time! And I’m not just emphasizing my punctuality because my husband told me mass started at 8:30 last Sunday when it really […]

On Christmas cards

December 15, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

christmas card photos, christmas tree farm, holiday photos, christmas, family, photography

Oh hey guys. I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that I have not prioritized spending quality time with my blog as much as I should have lately. Turns out when you move closer to friends and family you actually end up spending more time with friends and family. […]

Bad karma and good chocolate

November 3, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

chocolate brownie oreo trifle, halloween trifle, halloween dessert, brownie, oreo, spiderweb trifle, holiday, chocolate, halloween oreo

Have you ever had one of those days where you knew the whole day was going to be off before you even left the house? You know the kind. You’re just leisurely walking the dog (emphasis on the leisurely because your dog suddenly walks like a 90-year old who needs a hip replacement) when your […]

Trifles and Patriotism

June 8, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

triple berry trifle, summer desserts, fruit, trifle recipes, fourth of july recipes, memorial day recipes, strawberry shortcake trifle

What’s red, white and blue and inappropriately timed on a random weekend between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July? Sarah’s version of a triple berry trifle of course. Because why would someone make this in time for the first patriotic holiday of the year, or instead wait until the second patriotic holiday of the year […]

Let’s Talk About Christmas Lists

December 5, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas Lists. You see, I’ve always enjoyed the tradition of paging through catalogs around the table after Thanksgiving, each family member attempting to jog memories of all the things they desperately needed throughout the year but can’t seem to remember when the blank yellow pad of paper is in front of them. […]

Holiday Greetings

December 15, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

greater swiss mountain dog, swissy, finn, christmas card, christmas, holiday, dog,

Happy Holidays! I’ll begin this holiday greeting by apologizing for cheating you all out of a printed Christmas card this year. Especially because opening holiday cards and hanging them up is one of my favorite traditions and I may or may not still have all of yours from the past four years in a storage box because recycling them would […]

Awkward Family Photos

December 5, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

family photographs, children, photography, springfield, illinois, old state capital, christmas cards, holiday, boys

Every year around this time, my sister off-handily asks me to bring my camera home to “take a couple of pictures of the boys for a Christmas card.” Seems easy enough, right? Well it used to be. Back before said boys knew what capturing a decent photograph entailed. Things like real clothes, real smiles and real […]

Lessons in layer cake

July 23, 2014.Reading time 9 minutes.

birthday layer cake, ombre layer cake, white birthday cake, buttercream icing, blue ombre layer cake, birthday, holiday, baking,

Some of you may remember when I made my first attempt at an ombré cake back in March for my Mom’s birthday. It wasn’t a complete flop but I rushed through it, failing to execute the preschool-mastered skill of color order. Yes, it still tasted good and fit in with the whole St. Patrick’s day theme […]

A leprechaun was here

March 17, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

st. patricks day layer cake, ombre layer cake, white birthday cake, buttercream icing, colored layer cake, st. patrick's day, holiday, baking,

Remember that time I tried to make an ombré layer cake for my mom’s birthday and messed up the simplest part of the process, resulting in a randomly striped cake? I do. By now I’ve heard the following reassurances: It still tastes great. Hunny I think it’s perfect! This is the best cake I’ve ever […]