A Whole Buncha Things. And Cake.

Yesterday was one of those days. Chad woke up crabby. Andrew forgot his lunch. I stubbed my toe on the vaccum cleaner and dropped a soapy dish on the kitchen floor. It broke.

So I decided to get lost in the refuge of my blog. I settled on the sofa, opened my laptop up, and no words would come. I got a little irritated, poured more coffee, and continued to stare at the screen. Still nothing. Seeking some inspiration I surfed around for things to read- new posts, new pictures, something happy… and just when I thought I was going to come up empty, I landed on this post from Baker on the Rise.

Her Lemon, Mascarpone & Amaretto Cake reminded me that when I’m having the beginning of a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day, I should just stop EVERYTHING and bake. So I did. The results were quite satisfying.
In addition to TWO of these pretty lemon cakes (one with a sugary lemon glaze, the other doused in fresh whipped cream and a huge mountain of strawberries; I had to make two because the first was so much fun), I also loaded up the crockpot with a pile of thinly sliced sweet onions and part of a pork shoulder to get Cuban pork sandwiches under way. Then I made some corn chowder to stow away for a rainy day just because I could. And after the kitchen smelled of sweet lemons and the dishes were all scrubbed, it was like the whole day was wiped clean. I headed back to my blog…

…where I found a very happy thing: An Award from Tabkhet el yom. You and lemon cake totally made my day. Thank You!!!

Which reminded me that scrawled on my notepad in bright orange ink are some awards I’ve been too distracted to properly post (I’m so so sorry!!! I’m very easily distracted by baking bread, cookie dough, and roasting things.).

I first need to thank Choc Chip Uru for presenting me with the Versatile Blog Award. She passed it to me on March the 23rd, which makes me a most serious slacker. Uru! I’m sorry! Please accept my sincerest apology. If you have not been to visit this girl’s blog you’re missing out. Seriously. There’s candy in all of her cookies. ‘Nuff said. The Versatile Blog Award requires my listing seven things about me… so we are gonna get to that in a minute.

Hot Rod Cowgirl, on March the 24th, after receiving a heap of awards for which she is so so deserving, passed each and every one along to me! She included the Sunshine Award, the H.U.G Award, the Genuine Blogger Award, and the Very Inspiring Blog Award. Hot Rod Cowgirl, that is 1, 2, 3… 4 apologies. Forgive me?
How bout now?

So back to those seven things… the Sunshine Award asks lots of crazy questions about my favorite things. I am all about consolidating.

Favorite Color?

Favorite Animal?

Favorite Number?

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink?

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook. Sparingly.

Passion?

And FAMILY. Dear Family, I just searched everywhere for a picture of all of us and I have decided that one doesn’t exist. We need to fix that.

Getting or Giving Gifts?
Giving. Definitely.

Day of the Week?

Favorite Flowers?

Favorite Pattern?

That question sounds like nonsense…

Mmmmkay. So that was TEN. Ten things about me. Plus last week I told you my secret. Sufficient? I sure hope so, because I’m really ready to get back to cake.

The best part of getting awards is when you get to pass them on. I’ll include images on my Awards and Recognition page for all of these awards in the next day or two (for the winners that need to grab them). All of these blogs are most deserving— take a minute to follow the links & see what they’re all about!

thepinkrachael— teacher of small children, lover of art, and living in Spain! Participating in the A-Z blog challenge, and one of my new favorites!!

Eat Wilmington— teaches a cooking class! And lives in North Carolina (me too!). Techniques, restaurant reviews (in case you visit Wilmington) & recipes!

Fancy That… Fancy This— makes me laugh with every single post. Ameena keeps it real about being a wife and mommy. Love this blog. Seriously.

Baker on the Rise— because where would this post be without her cake? She participates in Tuesdays with Dorie and her creations could rival any professional bakery.

Dose of Fresh— lives in South Africa and publishes the most beautifully delicious savory tarts. Last week there was a gorgeous chai tea, she has an awesome veggie garden and lots of kind things to say.

I like to stop at 5 nominations; more than that always overwhelms me when I’m reading an award post— this is about quality not quantity! Thank you again to Tabkhet el yom, Choc Chip Uru, and Hot Rod Cowgirl for thinking of me! And click HERE to find out why I think Hot Rod Cowgirl is awesome.