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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My 2014 wishes

My wishes for 2014

 - I wish for true education on ADD/ADHD.  

 - I wish for others to view my son as he is - a bright, beautiful, smart, funny, and generous BOY.  He has ADHD, it does not have him.  

 - I wish for equal rights, not judgment on who should have those rights.

 - I wish to continue reconnecting with old friends.  

 - I wish for my children to always know I not only love them, but that I always have their back.

 - I wish for my children's teachers to know how appreciated they are, even when my children do not show it.

 - I wish for a Starbucks to open in Rolla.

 - I wish for a beautiful celebration for my parents 40th wedding anniversary.

 - I wish for my in-laws continued health.

 - I wish for Mr. Uphoff's continued health.

 - I wish for a genetically modified mosquito that sucks fat rather than blood.

 - I wish to be the friend that my friends are to me.


My resolutions for 2014

 - I resolve to laugh more.

 - I resolve to forgive quicker.

 - I resolve to be more patient.

 - I resolve to love myself more.

 - I resolve to look in the mirror and see myself the way my children see me.  

 - I resolve to blog more about less boring topics.


I sincerely hope you and yours have a blessed and safe New Years!

 - Dawny Wendy


Friday, December 6, 2013

Pulling the curtain back

         
I've reached the witching age. Almost 40... Okay 38.5 to be exact. 
What a strange time in my life; when you realize that YOU are the adult, little ones are looking at you to lead them, spouses are looking at you to hold it all together.
When you realize that you don't have to please everyone, and frankly it's impossible and damaging to try. 
You've got all this juggling of relationships. Relationships that are evolving and need to be reevaluated- what do you want to accept and allow or what do you find absolutely intolerable?

When you still love and adore these relationships, but you are able to recognize that the pedestal you've put them on is like Mt. Saint Helen's; it's beautiful, filled with many cracks and crevices and extremely unstable- if the conditions are just right, it could blow. 
An age when you are old enough to see that life is gray... black and white aren't even in the picture. 

The important things in your life are changing and priorities are being reorganized.
Part of these revelations are very encouraging, freeing almost. 
But having the tablecloth ripped out from under the idealistic little table-setting you've created can also be heartbreaking. 

So as with all of these wacky chapters in my life, I will do my best to navigate them as best as I can. I too have flaws...too many to count. 
But I am fiercely loyal and love with all I have, two of my biggest strengths and weaknesses.
I have to trust that this chapter is exactly where I'm supposed to be and that it will have an ending just like all the rest. 
     
Mary Wendy
                                             




Cinnamon Roll Poundcake

I have amazing memories of the Holidays as a child! My parents were divorced and remarried so I had many different family Holiday parties to go to every year. My Gran Pat(my Dad's mother) and Gramps Dick(my Dad's step father) house was always a special place for me.  My Gran was this amazing person but she also was kinda the PERFECT wife,mom,grandma,sister,friend,employee......she could do it all cook,sew,make anything our of anything......she was amazing! She made these cinnamon rolls every year at Christmas time that I can still taste.  I lost the recipe a while back in a move and haven't been able to get it again so I have been on the quest to make them from memory...I haven't gotten it yet so I stopped a few years ago.  But I love the thought of having a tradition like that to make with the Punkies So I had an idea to mix KK mom's pound cake recipe and my Gran's Cinnamon rolls! So Vannie and I have made it a few times and I think we finally got it!




What you need:

Cake:

3 sticks of butter(room temp.)
3 cups of sugar
6 eggs
3 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of cinnamon sugar

Topping:

4 oz cream cheese(room temp)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon of milk

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With the mixer, cream butter and sugar together.

Add eggs, one at a time,beat after each one.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to the mixer alternating that with milk(I think it helps starting and finishing with the dry stuff).

Mix in vanilla.

I use a bundt pan but you could also use to loaf pans.Grease and flour them well.

Pour half the batter into pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mixture into pans.Pour half the batter you have over that, sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar and ending with the rest of the batter.

Bake for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Topping:

Cream together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Spread over the top of the completely cooled cake. Here's the sucky part...let the icing set up for an hour before you cut into it! I know!! But I swear it is worth it!

So this is what we will be having Christmas morning along with our breakfast casserole! I hope you try it and tell me if you make changes and what they are!! I am thinking about adding nuts to the cinnamon and sugar mixture or maybe almond extract to the cake itself? Enjoy!!!!

xoxoxoxo Nicci Wendy