Come and knock on my door . . .

Hi! I'm so glad you could make it to my post for the Ultimate Blog Party. I'm not known for being a great mingler when it comes to parties (it takes me a long time to "warm up"), but I think I can handle letting you have a sneak peek at mi vida loca. Besides, all 3 or 4 of my regular readers may be getting tired of the memes I've been using to skirt the fact that my brain has dried up into a little desiccated bean. It makes a great sound rattling around my head, but it's not good for much else. So now that your expectations have been appropriately lowered, let's make the rounds of Aimee's World (party on! excellent!)


I am a working mother - because all mothers are working mothers! I stay home with my three children: Older Girl, 7; The Boy, 4; and Baby Girl, 8 months. I am married to Rob, an all around great guy. He's smart as a whip, but funny and self-deprecating, and he is a wonderful father. Plus, he lets me have the remote whenever I want it (which is always), so I totally lucked out.
I have a degree in English/Communications (even though, at times, this blog may contradict that), and I started this blog so that I could remember all the funny, annoying, endearing things about my family in its infancy and youth.

My days revolve around school activities, church, meal prep, diaper changes, molding young minds and souls, keeping the books in the black, keeping the house from collapsing into entropy, and occupational and speech therapy for The Boy. The Boy has a neurological disorder called Sensory Processing Disorder, which can make life interesting, but you'll never meet a happier, more loving child. What he lacks in sensory abilities, he more than makes up for in heart and gumption.

I have a loving and (at times, unintentionally) hilarious family; some totally boss in-laws; and I am still friends with girls I met in first grade, plus a few more special people that I've picked up along the way. I also belong to a vibrant Catholic parish (shout-out to Holy Trinity!).

Since I don't want this to start sounding like a singles ad (I like foreign films, Italian food, and weekends in the Caymans), I'll let you in on some of my guilty pleasures/personal secrets. This is by no means an exhaustive list (too embarrassing, even for blog fodder): anything made with butter or cream (basically every Paula Deen recipe); I love a "good" celebrity gossip mag, like People or US Weekly, while getting my hair done; I stop the clicker when TNT plays Dirty Dancing every. single. time.; when I'm alone in the car, I sing Kelly Clarkson or Christina Aguilera at the top of my lungs; I rehearse answering machine messages before I call people, just so I'm not caught unawares; I would freebase I.C. Caramels from Panera if I could, they are just that good; I'm a girly-girl and I enjoy a good makeup shopping spree; I read the Real Estate section of the newspaper and check out open houses, even though I am completely happy in my home and have no intention of moving in the near future.

I think I've bored you enough with that - on to the pictures! I usually refrain from pictures, especially of the children, but in the interest of being a good hostess, I'll let you see a few:

Here's the old homestead, nestled in the heart of the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania. I included a picture from the spring because I am sick of the slush and snow that's out there now.

And here are The Boy and myself, relaxing on a Mississippi River boat cruise in New Orleans (pre-Katrina).

Another (crudely edited) picture from New Orleans - Older Girl, The Boy, and Mom, pre-Baby Girl

And I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of me and my one-and-only, Rob:

But wait, I haven't offered you anything to eat! (I guess I just lost the Hostess with the Mostess Award!) Here is a recipe for my family's favorite coffee cake, courtesy of Gale Gand and Food Network. It is delicious for breakfast . . . or lunch . . . or dinner, for that matter! We are German, after all, and we love our kuchen!

Pecan Coffee Cake
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand

For the pan dusting:

1/2 cup sugar; 1 tsp cinnamon

For the cake:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter; softened at room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 3 eggs; 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sour cream

For the topping: 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed; 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 3/4 cup pecans pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together. Butter a tube pan well and liberally coat it with the cinnamon sugar.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs and mix until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Working in batches, add them to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with dollops of sour cream. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture. Add the pecans and mix. Sprinkle the mixture over the cake.
Bake until risen and browned, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan then turn out. Serve in slices.

Yields: 12 slices (or 6 slices if you live at my house!)

So there you have it - a little slice of life from my neck of the woods. I hope you had a good time, and that you'll come back to visit me again. There are tons of great blogs out there, all joining in the party fun, and you can go here to see some more of them. Spread the party love around, my friends!

Oh! And don't forget to de-lurk and leave me a little note when you visit!