WOW! NEW FAVORITE CAKE!

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

To celebrate Father's Day and kick off my birthday week, my mom made this for dessert from the Barefoot Contessa! SO YUM!!!  This is rich, but the leftovers will be calling my name tomorrow for breakfast I am sure!

2 c cold heavy cream
12 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c kahlua
2T unsweetened cocoa powder
1t instant expresso powder (my mom skipped this as we do not like coffee tasting things!)
1 t vanilla extract
3 8oz packages of chocolate chip cookies (she used enteman's boxed cookies)
shaved semi sweet chocolate for garnish

In a bowl combine (with mixer) heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, coffee liqueor, cocoa powder, and vanilla.  mix on low to combine, and raise speed until it forms firm peeks.

To assemble cake, arrange cookies flat on a 8inch spring form pan, covering the bottom as much as possible (she broke cookies to fill in gaps).  Spread the mixture on top (evenly), place another layer of cookies, add more mixture until full, ending with a layer of cream on top.

Cover and put in fridge overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate, cut in wedges and serve...........

~~~It did not look as pretty as the Contessa's version, but OMG......YUMMO!!!!!!!

Growing up

My J is growing up.  As part of his birthday he wanted us to "redo" his little kid room (of transportation) into something cooler...Like sports.  After being sad for a bit, I pulled out my primer and sadly primed over the hand painted race cars I had painted in that room 4 years ago.....I was letting it go.  He was growing up.

J and I went out and found "posters" (not my choice!) of teams he wanted in his room. I would have picked all vintage sports stuff, but this was his room, his choice, my money!  LOL

He stuck with Chicago teams but wants to add more pendants from places our friends and family live.  No sport was left out. Baseball, Football, Basketball and Hockey were the picks.  We even tossed in soccer too.

On his birthday, while he was at school I loaded up the room for him.  He wanted the load in to be a surprise and I added a few more things too. 

 Was able to flip his "car" quilt over for a plain blue!  Cheap!  Love it!

 Found that great subway art online and spray painted a frame from his room red to match!

I found the desk chair on the curb..I actually found 4 so I spray painted it red too!

He loves his new room! It is so "him".  I spent less than 75.00 on the entire thing, including posters.  We are not working on C's room, who WANTS transportation!  Stay tuned!

~SUMMER~

WOW!  Only one week into our official summer break and we are going a mile a minute...2 soccer camps (one for each boy) is keeping me in my car much more than I would like....BUT....I have finished (I think) the porch table project! (Photo's coming later!) 

After numerous emails to some of my most crafty friends, they guided me in 200 different directions, having me really think about the table.I came up with a variation of different ideas, tried them, hated it, sanded, primed and repainted MANY times. While my hubby thought plain white was fine the entire time!  (what does he know!) 

I stuck with my original idea of keeping it pink and green and little else (although I tried other colors too!)  The simplicity of the table is what I love.  The small pops of color! 

My porch and yard are now complete for this season.  6 flats of pink impatiens, countless pots full of colors, super green grass and trimming our overgrown hedge has made our yard "the party place", just in time for the 4th of July!   I love living outside with my pretty pink yard and relaxing on my ubber preppy porch!  I wish it was summer all year long!

I am off to clean off the porch (the pollen is leaving a lovely yellow dust on everything) and will share later! 

My baby is 7!

Today is a BIG day at our house....My first born, J is seven today.....As I was tucking him in last night, as a six year old, I remembered the day he was born and the sheer joy of his arrival!

Today, while the skies were cloudy, very rainy and not "birthday like" it was a BIG morning....Remember when I posted back in February about our raffle winnings and I shared that J won TWO firetruck rides to school?  Well today, was ride #1!!!!!!!!!

It was stormy, grey and simply terribly weather, but J, little brother C and neighbor and best buddy M got a private tour of the fire house, the trucks and then climbed into a pumper truck for school!  Lights were on, headphones were donned and J was able to talk to the chief (in the car in front of us) and to M in the back of the truck thinking he was a TRUE fire fighter.

C & J in the drivers seat of the bucket truck

I do not have the photo's of our BIG (and rainy) arrival at school yet, between M's parents, my parents and good friends who became victim of the DOWNPOUR as we arrived, I cannot ask them to "hurry up and send them to me".....but they will come.

J sitting shotgun in the pumper truck as we left for school!

The sheer sheets of rain as we got out of the truck will be comical I am sure...We were soaked as we walked into school, but no one cared.  J was a celebrity as the entire school watched as arrive from classroom windows and doors.  As J entered his classroom, his classmates, hid and yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY J" when they jumped out to surprise him!  Then the sweet hugs and wishes from every classmate! It was so sweet.  J is a popular boy today!

C and I came home, dried off, and then started on "project birthday room re-do" to surprise him when he gets home. My little boy wanted a big boy room with sports posters etc.  He picked out all of the posters and then gave me permission to "decorate it".  More photo's on that later.

Tonight, we, with my parents are off to dinner at J's favorite place, California Pizza Kitchen and will open more gifts......It has been an amazing day so far...I am sure as the day continues my 7 year old will think it will be better and better too....

My new project

I have this screened in porch off my kitchen.  It is officially called "mommy's space" and through the years I have been adding to it.

Last fall my parents took this out of our summer house and gave it to me!

 

I sat and looked at it all winter trying to get inspired how to paint it.  

Then, over the weekend it hit me.....Use the colors from this birdhouse (that my dad used to make me another amazing table....coming later!)

This is one side of my beloved porch with the unpainted table..

 

There are four wicker chairs in the space....so I took inspiration from the green and pink.....Think Lily Pultizer....

C and I started the taping off and painting yesterday...

 

C was most helpful in painting the stripes!  We had to give it two good coats (since his accuracy was slightly off) but when we were done, the top of the table looked awesome~

 

So today we are adding some more stripes to the side, some yellow below the top stripes and I am not sure about the legs.  It is a work in progress, but has been so much fun!  

Here is the birdhouse table my dad made me a few years ago.  He has made many for friends and family as well.  He originally just made one for my mom for our summer house, but has made at least 6 more since...

 This is my happy space. I could sit out there for hours (and I do!) When the kids are in bed, I read out there, gaze into the yard, talk on the phone....It is so peaceful and lovely (until the annoying neighbors start to blare music....do not get me started on them ruining my peace and quiet!)

Stay tuned on the table. I am going BIG with color and am so excited!  

Spring has sprung

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, simply trying to get my life back from all the chaos of the last few weeks / months!

Just so you can see the fun I had my hubby took this video after I was presented in front of the 950 people there with flowers and a thank you!  King Arthur (a Wizard player) and I kicked off the interactive half time show!  While I am hardly a dancer, I had a BLAST dancing and honestly the entire night!

 King Arthur with the crowd!

Swoop getting the crowd amped!

It was an awesome night, almost $ 7,000.00 was raised and I am taking a quick break before planning their next appearance!

In the mean time, I have been busy with giving this house a little TLC and starting my outdoor planting and projects....8 flats of flowers, 10 pots to fill with other goodies, opening up my screened in porch / my vacation room and other things to make my outdoor home the place I want to be all spring and summer.  Lots to do, lots to plant, lots of everything!  

Me and some new freinds

Meet me and my new BFF King Arthur of the Harlem Wizards!  

While he may be only 5'9, and the smallest guy on the team, he has a personality of a GIANT!  ACtually all of the guys were amazing.  Funny, generous, considerate and and true showmen!

As a surprise the many volunteers at our event last night honored me with a bouquet of flowers at Half time. While I was humbled by the gesture, this was not a lone effort, but I appreciated the thought.  This started as a little idea at our dining room table and blew up to a 1000 person event!

Then Arthur and I donned our dancing shoes to kick off the half time show to the cha cha slide!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K7BfE2jum4

There is plenty more to share, but I am still on a high from the days events!