Ludington

This past weekend Andrew and I went up to Ludington for a little weekend anniversary getaway (since the 21st was our anniversary). We stayed at this great little b & b. It's called The Inn at Ludington. 

The moment I saw a picture of it online, I knew I had to stay there. I love old houses and have a dream of owning an old victorian someday. This house was built in 1899 by a pharmacist. It has some great character. 

You will have to wait until next week to hear about our adventures around town!

My Birthday!

Last week Tuesday was my birthday. Andrew had taken the day off work, so we had made plans for the day. I started my day off with breakfast in bed. 

Later that morning my wonderful sister and her youngest, Ruby, came over. She had brought coffee for me and Andrew and a card with a gift certificate to one of my favorite stores!

They also brought a picture that Alaina had drawn for me.

It's a picture of me, Alaina, and Ruby. I'm not sure why Alaina is the same size as me, but Ruby has to be so much smaller. 

After a quick lunch, we headed out for an afternoon of fun. Our first stop was Dave and Busters. Neither of us had ever been there before. It's like Craig's Cruisers or Chuck E Cheeses for adults. We had a blast!

Because it was Valentine's Day, they had a special going on. We each got a bunch of tokens to use on games and we got the most fabulous desert. They call this the Brookie.

It is a cookie surrounded by brownie with layers of ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces in between. So yummy and worth every calorie!

For dinner we headed to Pizza Ranch to meet up with some friends. 

If you have never been to a Pizza Ranch, you are seriously missing out! It is a pizza buffet. They have salads, fried chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and lots of pizza. So yummy! 

One of my friends had brought a couple very large balloons. We thought Oliver might be afraid of them, but he wasn't. He just wanted to chew on the strings. 

My wonderful husband also got me a gift. It might seem childish to some, but it was perfect for me.

They are large and rather flat, for stuffed animals, but work really well for a pillow and are super soft. Oliver likes them too.

It was a great day, filled with family, friends, and lots of love.

Old Books

I love history and reading. One of the most relaxing past-times for me is sitting with a good, historical (fiction or non) book. But, one step above that is buying an old book from an antique shop. There is not much better than that smell. I have numerous stacks of old books, but some of my favorites are old Bibles. Knowing that someone else used it and loved it, makes me love them all the more!

Spring!

I know, it isn't spring yet, but I live in Michigan. Winter is never ending! So, I have added a little touch of spring to my home. It isn't much, just some flowers in my table centerpiece, but it makes the cold, snowy days much more bearable!

And it's all thanks to Michael's!

More like home

We finally got our pictures hung on the wall. 

I know what you're going to say, and I know. We did move in back in October, but things got busy with the holidays and I needed the help and advice of my wonderful mom and sister. So, between our three crazy schedules, we finally carved out some time and got it done. 

This is hanging above the couch. I got the large "S" from Hobby Lobby a couple years ago and am so happy to finally have a place to hang it!

It took a bit of work to get this to all line up.

This was the sign that was used in our wedding. 

You might recall seeing it on my mom's blog in this picture:

Or this one:

Getting back on track....

We got these put up in the hallway.

And these in the dining room.

Meanwhile, Ruby was hanging out playing with some toys she had brought with her. Mom tried her hardest but it is very hard to get a non-blurry picture of her!

When she saw that I was eating an apple, she decided that she needed one too! Even doing something as seemingly innocent as eating an apple, she looks like she is up to no good. I wonder what naughty things she was contemplating.

We still have a couple things to get hung up yet, but it is very nice to have the bulk of it taken care of! I couldn't have gotten it done without mom and Laura! Thanks guys!

Blueberry Muffin Cake

I'm going to say this right up front. This recipe is sinful. I would recommend only making it when you are having a get together. You really don't want this hanging around the house! It really is that good!

 

INGREDIENTS

Crumb Topping

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C
2. Spray a 9" Springform pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine all the Crumb ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until they are blended. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl mix together all the cake ingredients except the blueberries and mix until mostly smooth. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan and top evenly with the crumb topping.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen the edges of the cake from the pan with a butter knife and then remove the sides of the pan.
8. For the glaze mix together all the ingredients together until smooth and then drizzle on top of the cake.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The recipe says to fold 2 cups of blueberries into the cake batter. I found that the batter was quite thick and this was hard to do. I folded 1 cup in and sprinkled the rest on top after putting it into the pan. I also made up more glaze than they did. The more the better, right? 

Out with Ruby

Andrew had a couple weeks off over Christmas, so we took some time to do things with two of our nieces. We had Alaina over to decorate cookies, so last week Thursday we took Ruby out for the afternoon.

We headed to the mall and took a couple rides on the carousel. She was a little quiet and unsure for the first ride (although I'm told she has been on one before). She picked this pig (or maybe it's a boar) for the first ride.

For her second ride she was very adamant that she ride the bunny. 

She was much more like her normal self.

We tried to play in the play area at the mall, but when you are used to following your big sister around, those places can be scary. Plus, it was crazy busy and full of kids. So, we left and went to  McDonalds for supper. After eating we went to play in the play area.

Once she figured it out, she loved going down the slide.

However, Aunt Heather spilled the beans that parents can go in as well as the kids. After this she wanted Uncle Andrew to go in with her. What a great uncle. He barely fit in there!

We stopped in the toy store while we were at the mall. Ruby had a thing for Andrew's beard. She kept petting him!

She certainly does love her Uncle Andrew, though! 

It was a great afternoon. We always love spending time with them!