Awaiting Ada: Lactation Brownies

And we're back with another "getting ready for baby" post! Today I'm sharing the results of a recent baking experiment.

When The Bird was born, my sweet mama made me a gigantic batch of delicious lactation boosting cookies. Having that little sweet treat ready for me when I needed a pick me up was SO NICE that I knew I wanted to have similar treats ready again this time 'round.

I'd seen the idea of "lactation brownies" floating around, but hadn't found a recipe that I loved. So, I decided to attempt to create my own with my preferred galactagogues - and they worked!

Before I go on, let me answer a few questions you may be asking yourself:

1. What exactly is a lactation cookie/brownie?
• Short answer: a treat that helps increase breast milk production or quality
• More detailed answer: a baked good that includes one or more of a selection of galactagogues, designed to work with your body to amp up milk production (by providing key nutrients or triggers) or to improve the quality of your milk (by boosting your body's stores of needed nutrients)
2. What on earth is a "galactagogue?"
• Any substance that helps to increase milk supply. Commonly used galactagogues include: fenugreek, fennel, flax seed, blessed thistle, Goat's Rue, alfalfa, oats, garlic, ginger, cinnamon...and many others.
3. Do they actually work?
• It depends on who you ask. Galactagogues work best in conjunction with increasing nursing frequency and milk removal (production is a supply and demand game after all), so they aren't miracle snacks that will just *poof* give you more milk. However, when combined with a change in routine or an increase in pumping frequency, they do tend to provide at least a temporary boost in output!
• Note, also, that different herb and supplements work differently for different mamas, so you have to find what works for you. For example, I cannot handle fenugreek (probably the most popular herb used in milk-boosting recipes). I respond MUCH better to brewer's yeast! I only know this info through experimentation, however, so I recommend trying different things to see what works for you!
• In addition, many experts will say that lactation treats are too full of "bad for you" things to do any real good...but I consider a mood boost a good thing, so... #bringonthetreats!
• At the end of the day, they may work, they may not. But they're yummy and have at least SOME good for you things packed into them, so I'm calling it a newborn haze win!

Now that we've cleared some of that up, let's move on to the recipe! As I mentioned above, I have a preferred set of supplements that I found work for me, so those are what I've used in this recipe. Hopefully they work for you, too, but feel free to play around with others if you have some different herbs you prefer!

The Ingredients

• I need things to be "going on 2 hours of sleep" easy, so I start with a boxed brownie mix - just pick your favorite kind provided it's the 9x13 pan size!
• I then add my favorite supplements: 
• Brewer's Yeast: full of protein, iron, B vitamins, and phytoestrogens; also helps boost energy and mood
• Note: will give your treats a slightly bitter taste, but I kinda like it
• Ground Flax Seed: contains good essential fatty acids
• Steel Cut Oats: good source of iron and protein; plus, the saponins tell the pituitary gland to help make more milk
• Cinnamon: no clue why it works, but it's yummy
• Cocoa Mocoa Powder: made from ancient grain protein (amaranth, quinoa, and pea), some coconut, and come coffee flour, it's a nice protein boost that also packs a yummy flavor punch. 
• I also bump up the chocolate a little with some dark chocolate cocoa powder, dark chocolate chips, and vanilla (which does A LOT to highlight the chocolate). 
• Then, I add in butter (the real stuff, y'all), coconut oil, egg yolks, and water. 

This produces a rich, semi-dense, chewy yet fudgey brownie, which is my preference. If you prefer your brownies to be more cake like, replace the oil with butter and use whole eggs! I played around with the ratios on this a few times and this recipe seems to result in the best texture for what I like.

I made up a couple of large batches, wrapped them in plastic wrap in bundles of two, and popped them in the freezer. They should keep for a good while that way (and be easy to grab and enjoy whenever I need them).

Treats like this aren't designed to be eaten in large quantities or on a regular basis (as you don't want to OVER do it and end up in pain). However, one or two a day when you need the occasional boost should do the trick. 

If you try these, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Let me know if you made changes or what worked for you!

Double Dark Chocolate Lactation Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix
• 1/4 cup brewer's yeast
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats (I use the "quick cook" variety or pre-soak them)
• 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp Cocoa Mocoa powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a 9x13 pan by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with parchment paper. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brownie mix, brewer's yeast, flax seed, oats, cocoa powders, and cinnamon. 
• Add in the melted butter, coconut oil, vanilla, and water, mixing on low to combine. Add in the yolks, one at a time and mix again on low til combined. Batter will be thick.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out. 
• Bake for 28 min - do not overbake!
• Allow to cool before slicing, then cut into 15-16 squares. 

Enjoy!

Let's Play Catch-Up!

Y’all? Hi! It's been forever, huh? Forgive me. Life got a little...busy. Let's see if we can catch you up!

When we last left off, we'd bought a house. A house! Ahhh! That still seems so unreal. We own a house. An entire building! What the...

And, you know what? Houses take up a lot of time. And money. Oh so much money. Man.

But they're nice. And cozy. And you can pretty them up however you want to – no one cares if you accidentally poke extra holes in the wall trying to hang a shelf (and a cabinet...and a painting...) or paint one of the walls bright red.

So, that's exactly what we've been doing – prettying (or, if you're my momma, "Alanafying"). It's not quite finished yet, so I'm going to make you wait a bit more for photos. But they will come, friends. They will come.

In addition to that house, we'd also recently acquired an adorable puppy the last time we talked – Gallifrey. Remember her?

It's amazing what a few months can do.

Crazy, huh? She's a nut. Outside is her favorite thing. She's so desperate for the cat to be her best friend that she's constantly enduring bites to the face. And she can practically bend herself in half – which makes for rather funny moments when combined with baby giraffe legs and a new hardwood floor.

The other fur kids are pretty much the same. Gigi still prefers cuddling and smooshing between things to being anywhere else, and Grover is still a dog trapped in a 20 lb cat's body.

As for our lives, we're doin' pretty well. The Boy started his new semester a couple weeks ago and got some fantastic news – he's apparently so much of an overachiever that he's on track to finish his PhD work TWO YEARS EARLY! (*cue happy dance*) That boy, guys. He's pretty impressive.

I’m still doing the whole every-other-week commute thing (and kinda likin' it, honestly). My team has fallin' into a groove with it and we're making it work. Hard to believe I've been doing it for 8 months now! Thank goodness for a supportive, flexible team.

Oh, and guess what! I've taken up a new hobby/obsession: cookie decorating! Who knew it was so much fun? It's like painting, but ON A COOKIE! I'm still figuring out the basics, but loving the practice.

I think that pretty much catches y'all up! We've got several fun things coming up over the next few months – weddings, birthdays, trips to those various events. Oh, and we're starting something else new: we’re going to be working through Jen Hatmaker's book, Seven. It should be…interesting. Stay tuned on that.

Talk to y'all soon!

Caramel Apple Cider Cookies

Caramel + Apple Cider. The person who decided that those should go together deserves a medal. And a hug. They win fall. I'm not sure there's a flavor that more embodies the season (yes, Pumpkin Spice, I'm lookin' at you.) 

And, when you take those two things and put them into a cookie...gah. Thank goodness it's sweater season. 

These little babies are one of my favorite treats to make during the fall. Partly because they make the ENTIRE HOUSE smell like cider (and I challenge you to find someone that would be upset by that), and partly because when enjoyed WITH a warm mug of cider (or tea or coffee or whatever warm beverage you prefer), the insides of these melt and create this creamy, magical, caramel center that complements the cider flavor perfectly. If you make them big enough, they fit nicely on top of a mug, and the steam is what makes the caramel do it's thing. 

It's really difficult to just eat one. 

Or just three.

They make fabulous little happies for all your favorite people, too.

Caramel Apple Cider Cookies

Recipe credit: Scrambled Henfruit

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix (NOT sugar free)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment (or wax paper if you’re in a pinch, but you need a liner)
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt and then ALL 10 packages of apple cider powder (yes, all 10).
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla and mix well.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined (it’ll be sturdy).
6. Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient (like me) you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
7. In the meantime, unwrap your caramels.
8. Scoop out rounded tablespoon of cookie dough (a ball about the size of your cupped palm).
9. Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Roll in-between your hands to seal then place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
10. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges (they’ll still look puffy…they’ll firm up). Don't over-bake!
11. Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet directly onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment (about 5 min). When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down, either on the parchment or on a rack. (The twisting motion really helps the cookie pop off without the caramel falling out of the bottom. I’ve also found that gently peeling the parchment off the back of the cookie helps.)
12. If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.

Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

In case you were unaware, October is pretty much the best month ever. Don't even try to argue. Just admit I'm right.

Think about it: cooler weather, football, crunchy leaves, pretty trees, pumpkin spice EVERYTHING, pumpkin shaped Reese's, pumpkins in general, an entire holiday dedicated to free candy,babies in costumes, puppies in costumes, this website, sweaters, scarves, tights, boots...

Oh, and these:

Apple Pie Cupcakes.

Yes, I know fall is the Season of the Pumpkin, but before Pumpkin made it big in the world, Apple had a pretty hard corner on the market - caramel apples, apple crumble, fried apples, and, the pie to rule all pies.

In my world, there is nothing that can top a warm, homemade apple pie. It has all of the good things - it's sweet AND spicy, flaky AND sticky, mushy AND crunchy...it's pretty much perfect.

A few years ago, I decided I wanted a way to take all the happy things I love about apple pie, and turn them into an equally fabulous cupcake. After a bit of experimentation, these guys were born. They're now my favorite cakes to make (and, unsurprisingly, my most popular). The best part? They're not super tricky to make! I tend to mix mine up a bit on occasion (using brown butter, combining different kinds of apples, changing up the spice ratios, etc), but the base stays pretty much the same.

I've had several friends ask for the recipe, so here ya go! Enjoy!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the Cake

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 c sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 c flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c milk
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg to taste

For the Apples

• 3 apples
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp butter

For the Buttercream

• 2 sticks butter
• 4 c powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• Cinnamon to taste

Directions:
For the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 
4. Alternately add dry mixture and milk to the butter, beginning and ending with dry. 
5. Add in cinnamon & nutmeg to taste (you just want a light spice taste, nothing too overwhelming)
6. Divide the batter evenly among cups and bake 20 min (or til light golden brown). Let cool. 

For the Apples:

1. Peel & dice the apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating well. 
2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add in the apples and fry til soft but not mushy. Set aside.
3. Once the cakes have cooled, cut a cone from the top of each cake. Fill divot with a heaping spoonful of apples. 

For the Buttercream:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter til light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add in cream until desired consistency is reached. Beat in vanilla and spices to taste. 
2. Frost each cake around the apple filling, up the edge but not covering the top. 

Y'all enjoy! 

Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge: Final Four!

Hey y'all! Remember how I told you I had made it to Round 2 of that cupcake challenge I entered?

Well, I submitted my recipe yesterday, and just found out that I MADE IT TO THE FINAL FOUR! (Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes! I really appreciate the support!)

Next Steps: design a recipe that's inspired by the Red Carpet and bake it, live, in front of a panel of celebrity judges! This guy is one of 'em... (no pressure...yikes!)

So, while I go pace off the excitement and nerves, here's an updated version of the cake I submitted (as well as the recipe, if you're interested).

Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes:

• ½ cup plus Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1 cup plus hot water
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• ¾ cup sour cream

For the ganache:

• 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. freshly pulled espresso, cooled

For the frosting:

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• Caramel Sauce (to taste)

For the caramel sauce:

• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• ½ tbsp. light corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream, warmed
• 1 tsp. sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and hot coffee and whisk until smooth.  In another medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to blend.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and the butter is completely melted.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is cool, about 4-5 minutes. 
4. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks til creamy and add to the butter mixture. Whip whites til frothy and fold in to butter mixture. Blend in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture until smooth. 
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing each addition just until incorporated.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Let cool in the pan about 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
7. To make the ganache, heat chocolate in the top of a double boiler til smooth. Remove from heat and slowly add the cream in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk in espresso til smooth.
8. Using the cone method, cut divots out of each cupcake, reserving the tops. Fill the divot with a spoonful of ganache and replace top.
9.  To make the caramel sauce, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.  Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has melted into a syrup.  Stop stirring and gently swirl the pan.  Continue to boil, swirling occasionally, until the mixture is a deep amber color (but not burned!) and it registers 340˚ F on the thermometer.  Very slowly pour in the cream in a slow, steady stream down the inside edge of the pan, stirring constantly until smooth.  Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Let cool.
10.  To make the caramel buttercream, beat butter on med-high til light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with cream until desired consistency is reached. Add in vanilla and cooled caramel sauce to taste.
11. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large decorative tip.  Pipe a swirl of frosting on each cupcake.  Top each cupcake with green sugar crystals and an additional drizzle of caramel sauce.  Finish with a signature Starbucks-green straw (if desired).

DECORATION & PRESENTATION

• Since the cake is inspired by one of my favorite Starbucks drinks, I wanted to bring in the feel of the branding to mimic it
• I used a Wilton paper cupcake liner to emulate the shape and feel of a Starbucks cup.
• I added a faux-logo to the outer liners and wrapped each cake in an additional kraft paper brown liner to simulate the sleeves used on warm cups.
• I also included green as an overall color, to bring in the branding, and used small pieces of Starbucks straws as toppers. 

Enjoy!

Til next time, friends!

Manly Cupcake Challenge!

...and a not so subtle plea for votes...

So the other day I told y'all about the cupcake competition I'm participating in. Remember?

Well, there are multiple parts of this competition, and I need your help for one of them. 

Ready?

You have to go do that annoying "voting on Facebook" thing (sorry...I know...gah).

Anyway, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love the votes. 

I submitted one of my cakes for the Manly Cupcake Challenge. The goal was to create a cupcake that embodied a manly attitude. 

I modeled mine after Daddy, 'cause, well, he's a man. Makes sense, right?

Here it is:

Buttery Bourbon Bacon

Butter cake infused with Woodford Reserve (yes, the good stuff) bourbon, iced with brown sugar bourbon buttercream (woot, alliteration), and topped with strips of candied bacon!

Sound awesome? Take a look:

So, here's how it'll work. You're gonna go vote here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XGM655X

Look for my cupcake, "Butter Bourbon Bacon" (NOT the maple bacon...find the one with MY name), vote for it, and give yourself a big 'ol hug from me!

Thanks, guys! Owe you one!

Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge

As part of its 50th Year Anniversary Celebration, Youth Bridge (a local non-profit) is hosting a special multi-tiered competition called "Cupcake a-Palooza." Events over the summer months will lead up to the grand finale: the Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge (to be held on Sunday September 8, 2013.) In this challenge, 4 contestants from two divisions - professional and amateur - will compete in a live baking contest before a panel of celebrity judges. Winners take home cash, prizes, a trophy, and bragging rights.

To enter, contestants submit a photo and description of a previously baked cupcake as well as a brief personal statement about their history with baking and why they're right for the competition. 

A selection of those contestants are then chosen to participate in Round Two, where they bake their submitted cake for a new panel of judges. 

Then, the top four in each division are eligible to advance to the live competition on September 8th where they will bake a "Red Carpet" inspired cupcake.

Sounds cool, right?

I might have entered.

A little...

And I might have made it to Round Two. 

A little...

And I might be a little bit nervous.

A little...

But it's gonna be fine, right?

Right... 

So, my next task is to make these bad boys for a panel of judges. Fingers crossed they like them as much as I do!

Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

• Description: Mocha cake with a chocolate-espresso ganache filling, frosted with salted carmel buttercream and topped with caramel drizzle and a few green sugar crystals. 
• Design: I modeled these after one of my favorite Starbucks drinks, and I wanted to include (and highlight) all the fun flavors in the drink.
• I used coffee to make the chocolate cake and included espresso in the ganache filling, giving it a lovely mocha flavor.
• For the buttercream, I used my standard recipe and flavored it with a homemade salted caramel sauce - I wanted to control the sweet-to-salty ratio, so making the caramel myself allowed me to decide where the perfect balance was. 
• I used a little of the remaining sauce to drizzle over the cakes and finished them off with a few green sugar crystals (to bring in the Starbucks green) and their characteristic green straw
• For presentation, I wrapped the cakes in white ribbon and a green sticker to simulate the branding on the cup. 

Send all your happy/good luck/you'll be fine vibes my way, k? I'll let you know how it goes. 

Happy Thursday! 

Bomb Pop Cupcakes

I love the Fourth of July. I love fireworks and cookouts and watermelon and beer and picnics and friends and, well, just about everything that goes with the Fourth of July.

This year, the Fourth was even better than before – I got to spend it with this guy!

Cute, huh? Love him.

Another thing I love about the fourth, are these guys:

Who wouldn’t love something that combines cherry, lime, and blue raspberry? If you haven’t had one, you’re missing out.  Trust me.

See? Everyone loves ‘em.

This year, I decided to try and turn these babies into cupcakes. I’d seen a photo on Pinterest and figured I could make it happen. So, I took one of my favorite cake recipes, added the key flavors, layered the colors, and voila! Bomb Pop Cupcakes!

And they were fantastic! The flavors blended well and the light cake wasn’t too sweet as to be overpowering. Plus, they’re dang cute! I’ll definitely be making these again.

Bomb Pop Cupcakes 

INGREDIENTS

Cupcake base

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

Flavoring

• Juice of two medium lemons and one medium lime
• 1 teaspoon cherry extract
• Red gel food coloring
• 1 small box blue raspberry jello
• Boiling water

Frosting

• 4 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon cherry extract
• Blue gel food coloring
• Red gel food coloring
• Wooden popsicle sticks for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to butter and sugar mixture, starting and finishing with dry ingredients, and mixing until just combined.
4. Separate out 1 cup batter into a small bowl. Add cherry extract and red food coloring until desired color is reached. Spoon a heaping tablespoon into each liner.
5. Add lemon and lime juice to remaining batter. Using a cupcake pen, fill liners 2/3 full with lemon-lime batter.
6. Bake about 18 minutes or until tops of cakes spring back when touched. Remove from oven and let pans cool on wire racks.
7. Once cupcakes have cooled, remove from pans and poke holes in the tops with a wooden skewer.
8. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup boiling water and blue raspberry Jell-O until completely dissolved. Carefully spoon Jell-O mixture over cupcakes, allowing it to soak into the holes.
9. To make the frosting, cream the butter until light and fluffy.
10. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
11. Split the frosting in half and separate into two bowls, then separate out an additional one cup frosting from one of the bowls.
12. Add raspberry extract and blue food coloring to the full bowl. Using a large pastry bag, pipe the blue raspberry frosting onto the cupcakes.
13. Add lime juice to the remaining large portion of frosting and pipe on top of the blue raspberry layer.
14. Add cherry extract and red food coloring to the small bowl, and top the other two layers with the red layer.
15. Insert a popsicle stick in the middle of the cupcakes and serve. 

'Til next time, friends!

Life Lately

Wow - where did the last two months go, y'all? Oh yeah: a new cat, the end of the retainer work crunch, a graduation, a wedding, a couple other weddings, tornado season, and camp. That's where.

Sorry I've been MIA. How 'bout we play catch up for a bit? Let's see where'd we leave off - Little Bear's party, I think. Well, since then:

1) We rescued/took in/accidentally fell in love with a cat. Everybody say high to Grover Cleveland. He's "serving his second, non-consecutive term"...as a house cat. The Boy named him. Can you tell?

2) We painted a few things.

3) I made several batches of cupcakes. (Yes, those are margarita cupcakes. Yes, I used tequila. Lots.)

4) And a fancy dinner for the sweet Moms in our lives.

5) We went to the drive-thru zoo.

6) And tried all sorts of beer...in a parking lot...in the rain.

7) I got a hair cut. Not as dramatic as last year's (only an inch this time...not 15)

8) My best friend moved away, but not without one last fabulous night out.

9) The animals and I survived a tornado (or two) in my teeny half-bath.

10) Little Brother graduated

11) THEN HE GOT MARRIED!

12) So did some of The Boy's friends. And some of mine.

13) I spent a week with this little cutie...

And then I slept. A lot. Finally. I'll add more details on several of the above events throughout the week. Stay tuned and thanks for checking back in! We'll see y'all soon.

(Gigi seemed left out...so here's a photo of the cutest pup in the world, just for fun)