Boys will be Boys!

Last day of crew was fun; with races amongst classes...Freshman, Sophmores, Juniors, Seniors, Alumni, and Coaches.  Afterwards, the Senior boys wanted some photos together before they graduate in a few weeks.  They're all off to college this fall.  They look like grown young men, but add sun and water...they're little boys all over again.

This is my favorite shot.

Robinson Crew Girls 4th 8 - 1' Off Start

Maddie's coach (Lauren) posted 2 great videos of the girls practicing last week.  I am so impressed with the dedication all the girls on the team have to crew.  It is an intense sport; requiring hours of practicing and by the end of the season they will have rowed about 300 miles!

Maddie is seat 3 from the bow...

Snickerdoodle Blondies

These blondies are just too yummy! And so easy to make.

1 cup butter

2 cups dark brown sugar (packed down)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 ¼ cups flour

(1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

cinnamon/sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350˚.  Grease 13x9 pan.

Combine butter and dark sugar; mix thoroughly.  Add eggs and vanilla extract.  Beat until fluffy.  Add baking powder and flour. Mix thoroughly.

Dough will be sticky; place in baking pan.  Mix cinnamon/sugar; as much as you want.  I usually make a lot.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the dough.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  No oven bakes the same; I find that I bake the blondies on the middle rack for 20 minutes; turn the pan 180˚; put on the top rack; turn off oven and bake for another 3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Mini Napoleons filled with Lemon Pastry Cream

These gorgeous pastries taste as delicious as they look! And easy to make...trust me.  Just 15 minutes of patience is needed for stirring the pastry cream over the stove.  You will be crowned Pastry Royalty!

Pepperidge Farm Pastry sheets

Lemon pastry cream (recipe below)
Powdered sugar

Fresh raspberries

Follow directions for thawing pastry sheets. Cut each sheet on the folds, will give you 3 rectangles per sheet. Cut rectangles into 4 pieces, will yield 24 puff pastries.  Follow baking instructions on box.

After the shells have cooled, split the shells in half. Scoop a large tablespoon of pastry cream onto bottom 1/2 of pastry shell, spreading pastry cream edge to edge. Place top of shell onto the pastry cream.  Dot a bit pastry on the top of the shell, place raspberry on top. Dust napoleons with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Lemon Pastry Cream

4 large eggs

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar 

Juice of 4 large lemons

Zest of 4 large lemons

14oz butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk in sauce pan eggs, egg yolks, and sugar. Add lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk lightly to combine. Add chopped butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thick like a custard. Remove from heat.  Place fine mesh strainer above bowl.  Strain thickened pastry cream into bowl. Place plastic wrap directly onto warm pastry cream, will prevent a "skin" from forming on the pastry cream. Let cool then place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Girly Chair

I have the knack of finding really ugly chairs...it's a gift.

 

 

With paint, left quilted silk fabric and a bit of gilding, it's now a pretty girly chair.

 

   2 coats of ASCP Pure White; finished with oyster pearl paint/water wash

 

   

     I had some left over fabric from two living room chairs; deep watermelon color quilted raw silk

The handle was an ugly bronze.  1 coat ASCP pure white; 1 coat oyster/water wash; venetian gold rubbed gilding; final coat of oyster/water wash

I'm Baaaaack...

Sometimes life just kicks one's heiny...and it has been kicking mine for the past 3 months.


I have learned a few things:

1.  When stressed to the max, I will consume any and all pieces of sugar I can find; my adrenals are in overload!

2.  Real friends are there; no questions asked.

3.  I can handle a lot of crap, but crying helps...a lot...in the shower.

4.  Painting/refinishing furniture is a good distraction.

5.  Life does get better.



So, now I have 4 pieces of finished furniture and 2 more will be ready next week.

Oh!  And I'm doing Market Days at Chartreuse again (5-6 April)!!

Pop of Green

What was once a very blah table is now a bright and happy accent piece!

After: 3 different colors of ASCP

Before...bleh

 

I painted the table with 2 coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) Pure White. Next, one coat of ASCP Antibes Green. I watered down ASCP Provence and applied it twice as a wash (letting it dry between coats).  200 grit sand paper to age the piece.  Final step:  applied Annie Sloan clear wax and buffed.