Movember Mustache

As I mentioned earlier, Oscar and a few of his co-workers grew out their mustaches during the month of November for mens cancer awareness.

My thoughts? Thank God tomorrow is December 1st!!! Here is a photo that the company photographer took of all the participants.

A Walk to the Mailbox

Later in the day we decided to huff it down the street to the mailbox in the snow. It gave us an excuse to try out Ozzie's sled that we bought last year when it did not snow. He's already outgrown it but it worked on our long (sarcasm) walk to the mailbox.

Snow!

We had our first snow of the season this November. It was also Ozzie's first real snow experience, last year we didn't get any snow and the year before he was just a little munchkin.Oscar got snowed in from work and the two of them played in the snow all day long!

Throwing snow balls!

Making a snow man

Snow angels!

HELP!

Whoops!

Hooray for snow!

p.s. please excuse my husband's mustache. He decided to join "Mouvember Moustache" with a local radio station for mens cancer awareness. December can't get here soon enough!!!

Almond Sherry Cake

Everyone has one, that special dish that confirms it is the holiday season, mine is my Aunt Lori's Almond Sherry Cake. Although I could argue that it is also the sinfully delicious eggnog latte but since Starbucks adds it to their menu earlier every year, I'll stick with the cake.

It is my Dad's favorite cake and I make it for him every year on his birthday (which is around Thanksgiving) and on Christmas. So the first bite of Almond Sherry Cake always commences the holidays for me.

Another great thing about this cake is that it starts with box cake and you add ingredients. It is semi-home cooking at it's best.

Aunt Lori's Almond Sherry Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
4 large eggs
3/4 c cream sherry
3/4 c coconut or vegetable oil (I prefer virgin coconut oil when baking)
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Streusel filling (recipe follows)
Toasted almond slices

Streusel Filling:
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c flour
3 T firm butter
1 - 2 t cinnamon
3/4 c almond slices (optional if you have nut allergies)
Mix together with a pastry knife until crumbly

Sherry Glaze:
2 c sifted powdered sugar
1/3 c melted butter
1 t cream sherry (can substitute 1/2 t ground cinnamon if you prefer alcohol free glaze).
Stir in 1 to 2 t milk until glaze is desired consistency

Directions:
Grease and flour 10" bundt pan and set aside.
Combine cake mix, eggs, sherry, oil, pudding mix and nutmeg.
Mix at low speed for 1 min scrapping bowl constantly.
Mix for 3 more minutes at medium speed scrapping bowl occasionally.
Pour 1/2 batter into prepared pan.
Sprinkle evenly with streusel filling.
Pour remaining batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. I also use the toothpick method.
Cool on wire rack 15 minutes.
Brush with sherry glaze and garnish with toasted almonds (optional).

Yum!

Thankful

I absolutely love these Thanksgiving printables from Silverbox Creative Studio. I have already finished my Thanksgiving crafts this year but have this bookmarked for next year. Love the paperchain!

Real Airplanes

As I mentioned earlier, two exhibits we enjoyed at the Museum of Flight were Air Force One from Nixon and Kennedy's presidencies and the British Airways Concorde.

Both planes were parked outside the museum and we were able to walk through them. Of course we did everything we weren't supposed to do. Ozzie sat on, touched and climbed up every thing he could, especially if it was labeled, "please don't touch". At least he enjoyed this part of the museum.

Walking across the sky bridge to the real planes.

 

 

Toasted Coconut Cake

As I've mentioned before I am pregnant. Seven months pregnant to be exact. And all I want during this pregnancy is dessert (except for a short scrambled eggs period earlier on). As a non-pregnant person, I am partial to dessert- okay who am I kidding, I am ALWAYS ready for dessert. So as a pregnant person, dessert is pretty much on my mind twenty-four seven.

In my quest to conquer my pregnancy cravings, I remembered the coconut cake that I had at Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant, in New York. It was definitely in my top 5 restaurant desserts of my life- yes it's that good. So I looked it up on the Food Network and made it earlier this week.

It is time consuming, as I'm sure any good dessert is, but so worth it in the end. I did leave out the rum in the custard partly because I am pregnant but mainly because I didn't want to make an extra trip to the liquor store. It's not as pretty as Bobby Flay's but just as good!

My taste tester liked it too! Click HERE for the recipe.

A Fall Walk

It was such a beautiful day today, sunshine and clear skies in November, so Ozzie and I decided to take a walk after breakfast.

Although my walk was kind of lonely because he was on a very important phone call.

Control Tower

The one exhibit Ozzie loved at the Museum of Flight was the control tower. He could have stayed there all day.

Watching for airplanes

You have to wonder what he is looking at here considering the binoculars are pointed straight down.

He told us he was talking to Nanay & Pepa, not communicating with the pilot.

Watching a real airplane land with Daddy.

Museum of Flight

Ozzie has been on an airplane kick lately, so Oscar and I took him to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. We thought he'd go nuts and love it but I think he was a little overwhelmed. He kept looking at the airplanes as if he was wondering why they were so close and not flying high up in the air.

The museum has a kids area where you can climb onto planes and pretend to pilot them. Ozzie wanted nothing to do with this. It's almost as if he thought the plane was going to fly away. Too cute!

So Ozzie had an okay time but Oscar and I enjoyed ourselves. Two exhibits that were fun to see were Air Force One from Nixon and Kennedy's presidencies and the British Airways Concorde. We really enjoyed the World War I and World War II exhibits as well.

We managed to get a few pictures from our adventure.

First up the Space Shuttle flight simulator

Next the view from the space station

Of course I dressed Ozzie in his "A is for Astronaut" t-shirt

The kids Flight Zone

Um is this the exact same hair or what?

The one plane we could get him to sit in.

Planes in the museum

Look Mommy cars!

Totally not where he is supposed to be!

This gives you a perspective on the size of this plane.

A family of astronauts!

Once again I took way too many pictures for one post, so I will stop here. Up next the control tower, WWI, WWII, Air Force One, The Concorde and sitting on a really old airplane.