the sweetness in the trials

Hello all,

these past couple of weeks have been pretty busy, mainly lots of the same stuff, work, housework and baking. Alex has been very busy at work and i at home. This Past week has been a bit trying in the little things; We brought both of our cars into the Autohaus for tune ups, and on the day i was to pick up the accord, i recieved a call that they needed to keep it for another five days, no biggie (saved us from finding a place to park it), so the following week (this past wednesday) i went to pick it up, parked it overnight and then on thursday went to Alameda to do some grocery shopping, where my car decided to quit working. Although a definite kink in the day, it was a reminder of God's involvement, even in the little things. For example, the car died as i was turning into a parking spot and just then two strong men pulled up and helped me push it the rest of the way; my mom came with AAA and we we're able to get it safely towed. Friday and Saturday we're a wonderful time with friends, first Shaun and Chelsea and then Marco's and Ashley, we both had a great time and enjoyed some much needed fun time (that didn't cost a fortune, lol!) Then on Sunday we had a rude awakening that we live in oakland, my car had been broken into, but with no broken window's and upon closer inspection we found that nothing had been stolen; relieved we got in and went to church, where we heard a great sermon on Esther 4. We we're able to spend the rest of the day enjoying each other's company and looking back on all that we have to be thankful for.

Today starts a new week and something to look forward to, a New mattress (cal king) that fits us both and will allow alex to keep his feet on the bed, and didn't drain the bank. Thank's to Cliff and Julie for the heads up on the good deal!!!

Past few months

So, it's been a while since i've blogged, the reason being that my computer crashed and i am unable to load photos. Still can't load them yet, but in the meantime i have decided to just update with our happenings.

The past couple months have been a bit crazy, but wonderful at the same time. Starting with Thanksgiving, this year we went up to Oregon to visit with my family, we had a great time visiting, baking, shopping and of course eating. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas brought a lot of work for alex and lots and lots of baking and shopping for me.

Alex and i spent our first Christmas morning just the two of us, at my mom's in Castro valley, where we were cat sitting. it was very nice, we had a tree, stockings and a few presents, but most of all it was great to just relax and enjoy each others company. That evening we had dinner with Alex's family at his parents house and exchanged presents.

the next few days were kind of quiet, we were still at my mom's and i was planning a new years eve get together, Alex was back at work for 3 days.

New years was great, good times with friends, a visit to Roseville to see JoJo, Jacky and Noah . So far 2010 has brought work, work and more work, a blessing in these times, Alex is back working at the local JATC (training Center) as a teachers aide, I'm back at home, just trying to get back into some sort of routine and working on Knitting projects, baking doggie treats (a new passion), yummy cookies, pies, etc.. and discovering the world of food blogs; my favorite so far is goodthingscatered.blogspot.com

so..that's about all so far. I'll update again soon.

Favorite Holiday Recipe

As someone new to the world of baking, my personal experience in making the holiday recipes has been limited to the past two years. So when thinking about what recipe to put forward as my favorite, i had to think back to what foods reminded me of Christmas; was it, my moms peanut brittle recipe, my dad's yorkshire pudding, my sisters deviled eggs, or the many yummy treats that are common during the holidays.

however as i feel that this recipe should reflect my own experience in holiday baking i have decided to share with you all my favorite recipe for pie crust. Pies have always been my favorite dessert and is now one of my favorite things to bake, whether it be apple, pumpkin, or any variety of fruit, Martha Stewart's french recipe called Pate Brisee is a recipe that is very versatile and one that has brought much deliciousness to our christmas dinners.

follow the link below for an easy step by step instruction of how to make this delicious pie crust:

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/making-pate-brisee

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i have. Happy Baking!!