well well well

ive got some news.

my new goal is that by february 2010 i will be living in atlanta again.
i dont know what this is going to look like.
i dont know where i will live.
i dont know where i will work.
i really dont know anything.
but i am on my way to making it happen.

i have a lot of goals lined up for myself. one of them being starting a little etsy/online whatever company. i want to sell baby clothes and party favor/decoration kits. im hoping that some of you that read this will want to advertise on your blog whenever i am set up and running.

also, dave has two apartments available if anyone knows of someone looking for a place to live. both available now. one is a basement apartment for $500 right next to my brother! the other is $650 and is the carriage house behind daves. if anyone knows jessica dorman, it is her dream to live in this apartment if she could only afford it and leave her old apartment. spread the word kiddies!

im seeing sunny day real estate tonight. everyone be jealous!

ohhhh girl. id be in trouble if you left me now.

dear bloggers.

i have so much to share with you. my birthday was this week. tuesday the 22nd to be exact. on saturday i went to work and julie made me this fantastic cake. half red velvet, half chocolate, with buttercream icing.
then jessica and my dad showed up at my work. jessica really helped me figure out some goals for my life, ie. housing, jobs, money, emotional stability etc. sunday afternoon we headed over to the west village and ate at red bamboo. tony came in from philly and we hung out at the park etc.

when it was time to drive back to nj, we had a little trouble fitting tonys bike in my trunk. luckily i carry packing tape in my trunk.
we had to use it to tape down the trunk so it wouldnt fly open on the highway.

my dad got me the one cup coffe maker.
a gift for me but really for him!
on monday night my dad took jessica and i to fire&oak. we had three dozen oysters and a bottle of stags leap cabernet. after dinner went to varka and had desserts and they sang happy birthday to me with the bartender. jessica gave me these two wonderful gifts.
beautiful!

on my actual birthday jessica and i cooked risotto, cauliflower puree, and pork tenderloin. tracy came over and we decided to make a trifle with brownies, cookies, heath bar, chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream. it should have looked something like this:
but in reality it looked like this:

haha.

other than that, jessica caught some good photos of parker.

i have some goals set for myself and some of them include:
losing weight
joining the ymca
moving out of my dads by february
starting my own company, even if it is just etsy
being emotionally stable
be the best mother i can possibly be

good luck to me.

gotcha matcha.

after calling four whole foods, trader joes, and the guys at my work i headed to nanuet to go to an asian store. turns out it was a filipino store. then i went to the international market. all mexican food. then i went to spring valley and asked around at the vietnamese restaurant i like. they sent me to tappan to an asain store and finally, finally i found it. matcha green tea powder! here it is in all its $17.99 glory.

i made matcha green tea cupcakes. recipe from bake & destroy via leigh poindexter. oh, and the icing is whipped cream cheese icing, half vanilla, half matcha.

taaa-daaaa. delicious really.

fur coat.

getting ready for the snow.

carrrot cake!carrot cake!

i made carrot cake for the first time this week. i have to say, i think it turned out perfect. here is the recipe for those who are curious. but i must warn you, there are a lot of ingredients!

* 5 cups grated carrots
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup raisins
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoons allspice
* 1/4 teaspoons ginger
* 1/4 teaspoons cloves
* 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* zest 1 lemon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 8 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 cup shredded coconut

1. Soak the raisins overnight in pineapple juice.
2. In a medium bowl, combine [DRAINED] grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 10 inch cake pans.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes before you remove from pans.

cream cheese frosting!

1/4 lb butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
1 lb sifted confectioners sugar

whip the ROOM TEMPERATURE butter and cream cheese until fluffy. add vanilla. then add sugar slowly.

its beginning to look a lot like......fall.

its starting to really feel like fall here. im able to dress parker in all of her adorable winter clothes. mainly pea coats, leg warmers, and corduroy skirts.

it looks as though i will be coming into some money this weekend thanks to marijana and her letting me help her sell some stuff.
ive decided to pay off my credit card and buy a new computer. im thinking 13.3" macbook pro. for the sole reason that it has an illuminated keyboard.
i will also have some money to save and some money to spend on parkers birthday party. which by the way is shaping up to be very cute. if you atlanta bloggers out there are interested in helping, i am doling out crafting and baking projects. handmade pinwheels anyone?
ive got some great ideas and i cannot wait for the little peanut to turn 1. i cant believe it really.

on a sad note i am looking down the line to a lot of rotating holidays and summers and im sad already. the cold weather is reminding me of how much i love fall and winter. and thanksgiving and christmas. i love traditions. i am wanting to carry on the ones i had as a child. holiday baking. lighting and decorating the christmas tree while listening to christmas music. christmas m&ms in a bowl. watching rudolph and all the other favorite holiday movies. its always hard growing up when all of the things you loved about christmas are gone because your an adult now and you dont live at home with your parents. and your siblings are spread out across the country. its all so sad. last year i had decided since i had parker i was going to start all of the traditions with her. but now everything has changed. i dont even know where i am going to have christmas. i wont have that mom dad and baby christmas that i want so badly. and i dread the days of having to have christmas without her.

ive just had a reality check this week. i guess it was about time. i couldnt keep living life thinking things were going to stay stagnant. some day soon ill have everything figured out. and i wont feel like a lost child with a child.

toothie.

so for everyone that was was asking for photos of the outfit i made, i sent it over to my friend lesley for her daughter matilda.

im so very happy that it fits her. doesnt she look a little like parker. i think so.

im sick. but im getting better. parker has been chewing. she eats chicken, french toast, soup, eggs, pasta, mushrooms, and cheerios!

soon she will have a top tooth and soon she wont have boogers running down her face.