Instagram-ification

Life is in the details.  I miss the details a lot.  I get caught up in routine and forget to take in the small things.  The beautiful things.  Does that happen to you too, or am I the only one?

What are the ramifications of simply not noticing?  A dull life?  A life void of beauty and happiness? 

Maybe that's a bit extreme, but I don't want to miss out on the delicate or the delightful.  Lucky for me.  There's an app for that.

After Ben got me the iPhone for my birthday, I became quickly addicted to Instagram.  Since I have my phone on me at all times (like most Americans), what better way to capture all those fleeting moments and convert them into tangible memories, than by Instagram. 

Thus begins a new series of Instagram-ification.  Snapshots and sneak peaks into the seemingly minute of the day to day.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

 

Do those little spring flowers not make you smile?  Oh, the beginnings of spring bring me so much joy!



Feature Fronday!

Ok, so I've been slacking on the Feature Friday posts.  It's been busy busy busy!  SO, instead of skipping another week of feature friday goodness, I decided to merge it with Monday and call it a day.

Here's a little bit of what is inspiring to me right now.

Polka Dots.  Retro-inspired or hand printed like below, polka dots are on my list of awesome right now.

{Adorable hand-stamped polka dot tea towel by A Beautiful Mess}

Color popping.  It's all in the details.

{Small touches of color that make a big impact like these hand dipped kitchen utensils from House of Earnest}

Geometrics make a clean, yet playful statement.



{Great color and eye-catching mosaic design make this vase by Up In the Air Somewhere, inspiration to feed on}

Spring Pinks.  Wearable and fresh, shades of pink and blush define romantic springtime glamour.

{Introduced to me by a good friend at Under the Tree, Maybelline's new 14 Hour color stay lipstick in Perpetual Peony, truly is the perfect spring pink}

Vintage Plate Collections.  A collection I aspire to create.

{A smorgasbord of Vintage tableware makes for stimulating eye candy.  Image from Style Me Pretty}

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you too have found inspiration within these images.  If you like what you see, follow me on Pinterest by clicking here!

It's a house!

It's time for another update on the house and I am running out of titles to explain the same thing over and over again, so I apologize for the lack of originality.  It's a house!  Sorta like - It's a boy!  Ok, it's not even punny.  I apologize.

Our house is starting to look pretty.  Like a house house.  It almost looks like a house someone lives in on the outside, which makes me happy.  Wait, no, ecstatic!

See?!

{It was starting to get dark outside, so the color is a little darker in the photos than real life, and the shutters are actually a light blue - the door will eventually be the same color}

As you can see, progress is apparent on the outside, and all of the electric, heating and insulation has been installed and finished on the inside (which isn't quite as pretty to look at).  Tis but a waiting game now until we are able to go in and paint, which is hopefully sooner rather than later. 

Hooray!

While we wait, my neighbors seemingly get louder and louder, the mess from packing up 2 lives seems to get bigger and bigger, and I get ancier and ancier.  Patience truly is a virtue!

Chris and Angela's Engagement Shoot

Today's post is special to me.  My cousin Chris is getting married.  My cousin of whom I grew up with, used to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with, and followed around incessantly until boys started getting coodies, because he was just the coolest. 

Well, Chris and his lovely fiance Angela let Ben and I be their paparazzi for a day. This was the first time Ben and I have had the opportunity to do a shoot together, and it was both of our first engagement shoot at that.  We had a blast with them and can hardly wait to do another!

They are so in

{Tee Hee}

Thank you Chris and Angela for letting us steal you for a day and for being so ridiculous good looking! Zoolander reference anyone?

Malted Chocolate Cake

I have a sweet tooth.  BIG time.  I got it from my Dad.  He's a sneaky sweet eater.  It was his Birthday though.  There's no need to be sneaky on your Birthday.  Birthday rules clearly state that your sweet tooth can be abundantly satisfied, and this cake was dang good for that.

When I was little, we would walk to the ice cream shop on the corner and my Dad would always get a Chocolate Malt.  Nowadays, Whoppers are one of his favorite candies and are usually the sweet of choice to be stuffed in his stocking.  One can only conclude that Chocolate Malt Cake just fit for his Birthday Cake this year.

This cake is not a mistake despite the impact it may have on your waistline.  I recommend sharing it with friends to avoid un-zippable pant syndrome.

What you have hiding under candles, candy, and frosting, is a cake best defined as a deliciously rich, 3 layered wonder of moist chocolate decadence and a hint of malt.  I would have preferred a stronger malt flavor, but being the last minute kind of gal that I am, I didn't have time to go to 5 grocery stores trying to find powdered malted milk.  I used chocolate malt Ovaltine instead and it worked fine, but if you have the patience, or can make a place like Whole Foods your first stop, I would recommend going for the good stuff.

{Start with mixing your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet ingredients in another, then swirl them together for malted chocolate wonder.}

{Frost and add halved Whoppers as decoration however you please, then take better pictures than I did!}

Malted Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Baker Girl

For the Cake2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup malted milk powder
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Malt Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup malted milk powder
5 cups confectioners' sugar

Garnish: malted milk balls

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixture, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, oil, and eggs to flour mixture, beating at medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with malted milk balls, if desired.