Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting

I recently made these delicious bites of heaven for Teacher Appreciation Week at Sam's school. Ok, so they got them the week AFTER teacher appreciation week, but I was still being appreciative!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Cooking Classy.

They are rich, delicious, and such a treat. I made my brownie cupcake from a boxed brownie mix and they were super tasty - if you need a shortcut.

Here's the recipe - http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/11/brownie-cupcakes-with-cookie-dough-frosting/ - Enjoy!

The Auction.

The 2014 Auction theme... Run for the Roses.

The auction. 

Enough time has passed that I can post to re-cap. What an undertaking! Suffice it to say, I was not prepared for the amount of work that lay in front of me when I took this job... especially pulling together an auction in only two months! 

From invitations, to acquisitions, to sponsorship, to the meal, to event speakers, to live items, silent items, grab bag items, student volunteers, student volunteers in tuxes - - wowzers. Thankful that the school has some incredible parent volunteers who offered many o' helping hand. 

We raised $115,900 for the school - not too shabby at all! 

Memorial Day Weekend 2014

We've spent the last few Memorial Day weekends with my brother-in-law and his wife and we couldn't let a year go by without kicking off summer with them, so we boarded a plane and touched down in PA for a weekend of fun, food, and doooooogs.

We spent Friday traveling by car, plane, and car again to reach K, A, & O. By the end of the trip, Sam had enough and was not impressed by our gimmicks.

Saturday was spent at a Farmer's Market, enjoying a brief wine tasting while Sammy slept, and playing outdoors with puppy O.

Uncles are the best!

Sunday we were ready for a day visit from Nana & Grandad - and Sam was ready to go early! He dressed himself in his Sunday best.

We visited Valley Forge, PA and walked around the national park after a picnic lunch. Sam was all for exploring the encampments of 1770.

By the end of the day, Sam was ready to eat. He chowed down on some BBQ!

We LOVE kicking off the summer with the A's!

Thank you for having us!

Happy Mother's Day

 "I am first and foremost me, but right after that, I am a mother. The best thing that I can ever be, is me. But the best gift that I will ever have, is being a mother.” 

― C. JoyBell C.

Celebrating my second Mother's Day with my boys, my incredibly amazing mom, and Sam's GG - Great-Grammy. So very blessed to have these women in our lives.

Happy Momma's Day!

Daylight Savings.

How TRUE. 

"Mommy - Somebody Needs You"

I found this moving blog post <http://yourbestnestindy.com/2014/02/27/mommy-somebody-needs-you> over the weekend and really enjoyed it. I am sharing it here so I can go back to it when I am feeling tired and frustrated. 

"God made me their mom. It is a position I yearned for long before I would ever understand it."

My duty, privilege, and honor.

Poor Tallulah.

My poor little bloggy. Two parents re-entering the home after a knee replacement and starting a new job can keep a gal busy. I have missed blogging so I'm catching you up with the reader's digest version of the last few weeks.

1. Mom and Dad are back home, Dad got the all-clear to drive (it is usually about a month or so after knee surgery), and his knee is looking pretty good. Phew.

2. I started a new job! And I really love, love, love the community. I am getting used to the day-to-day with a to-list that is already a mile long. I am thankful I have the experience from BU and NU or else I would be completely lost. 

3. Sam is as lovable and funny and amazing as always.

4. He is also OBSESSED with Gerber cereal bars and eats about three in a sitting. It is getting out of hand.

5. Seriously, out of hand. The other day for breakfast he ate 3 pancakes, 2 cereal bars, grapes, a breakfast pouch, some Chex, and then a fig newton.

6. We celebrated cousin Josie's baby shower this weekend - all that baby girl stuff got me wishing and dreaming! We are excited to welcome baby girl J at the end of this month.

7. I am SO happy February is done. I am ready for spring. For warmer temps. For no more SNOW.

8. With the warmer weather I am anxious to do some spring-cleaning and get a few more pieces to accent our home. I was just saying to G that I feel "settled" now, so let's go to Homegoods!

9. I love this print and have carried it with me over the past month. Hope and faith for the future.

There you are. Consider yourself caught up!