Chocolate Pistachio Yummmmmmm...

Chocolate Pistachio Cake Ingredients: * 1 package yellow cake mix * 1 small package pistachio instant pudding * 4 eggs * 1 cup water * 1/2 cup oil * 1/2 tsp almond extract * 1/4 cup chocolate syrup...sometimes I add a little more * 1/4 cup powder sugar Directions: * Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a Bundt pan (Pam will work just fine). * In a large mixing bowl, combine yellow cake mix with pistachio pudding. Add eggs, water, oil and extract and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. * Put 1/3 of the batter in a small mixing bowl and mix with 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup. * Pour the two batters into the pan, alternating the yellow and chocolate. Swirl a little of the chocolate into the yellow with a spatula. * Bake 50-55 minutes; be sure not to undercook. Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan and cool on a wire rack. * Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
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I'm trying this. 

Hugs From My Heart

Home... A Great Place Too Be

How do you know your home...

• You hear laughter and joy coming from the glider on the front porch, knowing it's your 16 year old daughter and her boyfriend eating Wendy's, getting caught up on a week of being apart.  This, makes your mothers heart smile.

• Your dog cannot stop wagging her tail, jumping up, and licking you.

• Teenagers are in and out of the front door.  This, also makes your mothers heart smile.

• You make bacon for the 5gazzionth time for said teenagers, because they are obsessed with it. Go figure.

• You take a three hour nap.

• And the best would have to be... feeling Blue Eyes hand on my back in the middle of the night, knowing that after 27 years, his kiss still takes my breath away.  

Home is a good place too be.

Hugs From My Grateful Heart

Saturday...

Last day of Soul Fest.

Tons of people.

On a mountain.

Loving Him...

Good Stuff.

~Tomorrow afternoon we will drive into our driveway, get our bags out of the Jeep, say all our goodbyes to  dear friends we've traveled with. Blue Eyes will hug me so tightly, not letting go...~

I'll feel like I have no air left inside of me.  :)

Home.

A week of me being away from him is 7 days too much in his eyes.  :)



Hugs From My Soul Fest Filled Heart.

"To Live Fully is to stand in a room with Joy and Grief and hold them each by the hand, giving them freedom to be themselves.  Don't try to boss them.  They won't listen anyway. "
                                          Emily Freeman, Chatting At The Sky

Hugs From My Heart

Things I've Learned These Past Few Days...

Katie and I have been gone for a few days now. Five to be exact. We will be gone a bit longer, until Sunday. Getting away from it all, doing something different,  has been great.  We are at Soul Fest with friends. It's like a Christian Woodstock.

Here are a few things I've learned or been reminded of...

1. Katie is a magnet for new friends. 
2. People, not me, will sleep on a mountain, sideways, for days just to experience Soul Fest.  Now I get it.  
3. Although I've never liked heavy metal music, even when I was a teenager, I now have a deep respect, appreciation for their AMAZING talent, and love for Skillet.  (If you saw them in concert you might too).  No, really.  :)
4. Everyone is so different, but somehow, we are really all the same.  
5. Blue Eyes doesn't like it when I'm gone.  ;)
6. Next week... my hair needs some SERIOUS attention.
7. Even though my 16 year old daughter does protest... she WILL share a bed with her sometimes loudly snoring mom, and without much prompting from me, get me caught up on her day before we both close our eyes.  
8. The best part of this trip for this mom has been,  #7.

Oh, and going home to Blue Eyes of course.  ;)

 Hugs From My Heart

Love This Home...

Blue Eyes and I have had talks about where and how we will live when it is just the two of us...

We've talked about just a small apartment with minimal "stuff"...

But Katie keeps reminding me that we have four children which means plenty of grandchildren...

She seems to think I'll want to have them over all the time. :)

I think she knows me well.

This type of house (above), is one I think would suit us. Less stuff, more room.

After all, I want all of those grandsweeties to be able to run about, and ride their bikes around inside, make train tracks all over the floor with permanent markers, like their parents did when they were little. (Our house was VERY kid friendly, and winters in Maine can be VERY long).

I'm sure they'll have us wrapped right around their little fingers. :)

Can you tell I'm starting to look forward too it.

~This song that your listening too on my blog right now, one of my very favorites... it reminds me so much of my mum. I think she liked Connie Francis if I remember. I miss her muchly. She would so have LOVED Katie... my sweet babygirl.~

(big sigh)

Hugs From My Heart

Saturday...

Hugs From My Heart