Last Reminder

Hello!

Just as a reminder, I am closing down this blog next weekend so I can focus on 1, not 2 sites :)  If you are interested in following along, you can now follow me at www.thegraywalls.wordpress.com.

Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

Love, Rach

Different blogsite!!

Hello! Once again I thought I was back, but I'm not!  Well, at least on blogspot.com anyways, but feel free to follow me on my new blog website.  I will be shutting this one down soon. My link for the new website here: The Gray Walls 

See you all soon!! Love, Rach

I'm back!!

I've decided I'm going to try and make a go with my blog again.  There are so many social medias to keep up with these days, but I've missed my blog aka my journal.  In about a month, we'll be welcoming a little boy, and I know family and friends are going to ask for pictures.  Well, instead of bombing facebook, I will post pictures to my blog so stay tuned! I hope everyone is having a safe winter!

Girl's Road Trip/Shopping Spree in SLC, Utah!

A 5 1/2 hour drive to Salt Lake City after working all day Friday, but completely worth it.  I'm glad for such great (and spontaneous) friends!!

We were all proud of Lana's great parking skills

Lana, Kyla, Preethi & I

the combined damage

Cake Batter Truffles

Recently, some of you have asked for my cake batter truffle ball recipe so I'll just post it.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 c	unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c	granulated sugar
1 1/2 c	flour
1 c	yellow cake mix
1 tsp	vanilla extract
1/8 tsp	salt
3 - 4 Tbsp	milk
2 Tbsp	sprinkles
TRUFFLE COATING
16 oz	(8 squares) vanilla almond bark (or white candy melts)
4 Tbsp	yellow cake mix
	sprinkles

Directions

1

 Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Blend in vanilla. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency.

2

 Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

3

 While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles.

4

 Repeat with remaining balls until finished. {Note: for smoother looking truffles, don't add cake mix to melted chocolate, just leave it by itself}

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

My blog is still alive!!

The other day someone told me they thought my blog was dead.  I figured I'd better prove them wrong!    This weekend I was bummed out.... I got the nasty flu that is going around.  Body aches probably worse than a 300 yr old, runny nose, cough, and crackly-poppy sounding lungs.  It's miserable especially since I had this 3 weeks ago.  So to say the least, I've been in bed since I got home from work Friday.  It's Monday now and still in bed.  In fact, I haven't left the house once this whole weekend!

On to a happier note....... Dave & Roxy welcomed their baby boy, Liam David.  All are healthy and doing great!  They are on their way home as we speak!  Can't wait to see him in a few weeks and smother him with love!

Liam's nursery all fixed up

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

These are about the "yummiest" cookies I have ever tasted.  Beware: You better like lemons!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Funnies for Monday!

doesn't matter if it's a shoe or holding up the vacuum hose...!

and I can just hear my mom saying this!!!

...and sometimes it's just not worth getting

because I drive an 04' Honda Civic and I have a pair of clearance sunglasses sitting in the cup holder...

every single day!

weirdly true!

Winter Solstice

Well, we don't celebrate Christmas, but we both sure do love winter!! Maybe it's the snowflakes or the hot cocoa or the flannel pj's or the shoveling (which weirdly I love!) or the peppermint candycanes....   

OR maybe it's because it's the time of the year we start looking forward to our beach vacation!!!!

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE WINTER EVERYONE!!!!

trying to be creative with Cody's elk

looking straight up

foyer

World Market Winter Solstice Wreath

enjoying our first snow fall

Happy Wednesday!

I'm pretty sure I've said this before!

that's right...

Also how Bink makes Cody sleep....

I do this!!

Why, oh why??!!

hmm.... didn't know my dad made it on Pinterest!