Little Blurbs

Okay, so it's been awhile. What can I say? Life got a little busy.
However, I am currently on Spring Break (well, by now, it is almost over), so I thought I would try to catch up all my countless, avid readers (Ha!) on how my life has been going lately.

Enrichment
Okay, so I actually learned basic cake decorating skills from my mother years ago during a couple of 4-H classes. I'll confess- the main reason I decided to attend this session was because our instructor, my friend Sarah, works as a professional cake decorator and was able to provide some basic supplies for a really great price. Still, even though I didn't really learn new skills, I learned a couple of new techniques, and really enjoyed the socialization. And hey- free mini-cake! What's not to love? (I have to say, though, that the frosting has nothing on Mom's homemade buttercream recipe...)



Good-bye, Calvin
A few weeks ago, I had to say good-bye to one of my students. He was such a sweet kid, always trying to stay engaged in the classroom (even though he didn't really do so well getting his homework done). I promised to make him some cupcakes for his last day. Here's how they turned out:



(Here's the charming young man for whom these were made:)



Spring Break Fiesta
I took off March 26th so I could take the Praxis I (which was long overdue!). March 27th was the last day of school before Spring Break. Knowing that I would not really be able to get much done, I decided to try vocabulary games. And since I love any excuse to bake, I made these cupcakes for my students:







Spring Break Fun
Well, with no pressing engagements early in the morning (i.e. school), I have allowed myself to indulge in one of my favorite pasttimes: baking! I have been a baking fiend this week. I have had several muffin recipes I have wanted to try. Now, I have finally had time to try them- a different recipe every day this week. So far, Rachel has been treated to:

• Apple Streusel muffins (she took the leftovers to work, so no pictures- sorry)
• Cranberry Almond muffins

• White Chocolate Macadamia muffins (they're especially tasty with raspberry jam- yum!)
  

• Lemon Pound Cake muffins

(Okay, so I can't seem to capture my food in photos as well as Emily can- so sue me. At least they taste good...)

And finally,

The Package

I suppose what makes this so ironic is that I was just commenting to Mom how, compared to Rachel, I rarely get packages because, unlike Rachel, I live fairly close to my family and see them often enough that there really isn't much of a need for packages. So imagine my delight when, upon checking the mail, I found this tucked amidst various ads:


When I opened the package, this is what was inside:



(An old thank-you for a present, a note of appreciation from Christmas- with a random Trivial Pursuit card tucked inside, and a darling "post-card" calendar, featuring photos of the family!)

This was such a lovely, unexpected package from my sister Emily- I wasn't having a bad day, per se, but it definitely made my day a lot brighter! Thank you, Emily, for your love (and the beautiful way you have of expressing it). You are such an amazing person and such a wonderful sister. I love you.


So. There you have it. I will try to be a little more diligent in posting...but don't hold your breath :)



(P.S. Sorry, Em, for the little photos and the poor layout- I tried to use Photobucket to post them, but apparently the website was having issues with my photos and wouldn't cooperate... I guess I'll have to have a more hands-on tutorial when I visit next...)