A Concert_ a Recipe_ and a Winner

we don’t splurge everyday on things like Kahlua Coffee Cheesecakes’ but for special occasions (like birthdays) we do it up. like anything goes.

at first, my plan was to order the cheesecake from the cheesecake factory for hubs man. but after researching and finding out it would cost $70 between the cake and having it delivered I figured there had to be another way. so I started scouring the intra-web for recipes until I found one I was confident in. I was confident in the fact that it sounded amazing but not as confident that I could pull it off. bc cheesecakes are hard right? last year I tried a Reeses’s something or another and it wasn’t the best. the cheesecake part came out tasting not very creamy almost like I had cooked it for too long. so I was nervous this go around.

not only was I nervous about trying it and having it fail but I also decided to add in condensed milk. why ? well bc everything tastes better with condensed milk and um, that’s pretty much all.

what’s really funny, too is hubs man isn’t a coffee drinker. and this cake has not just a little, but a lot of coffee taste to it.

all that said the recipe was a hit. we will definitely save it to make for later dates and occasions. and just in case you decide to splurge for a birthday or maybe just a craving for something sweetly delicious here are all the deets .

What You’ll Need:

15 Oreo cookies- crushed

3 tbsp butter melted

2- 12oz cream cheese- softened by beating

1 ½ c. sugar

3 eggs

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1/8 c. flavored vanilla instant coffee

1/3 c. expresso coffee

1- can condensed milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

3 tbsp Kahlua liquer

I used a food processor to grind the cookies up to a fine consistency. After grinding add in butter to the cookies and then pat into the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside in freezer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Now mix together the cream cheese and sugar until well blended.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Divide the cream cheese into 2 parts, 3/4^th  and 1/4^th distribution. Add the plain flour, vanilla coffee, almost the whole can of condensed milk, and coffee liquer to the larger part and the expresso coffee, and cocoa powder to the smaller part. Pour the first larger layer of cream cheese mixture into the crusted pan. Then top it with the remaining expresso-cream cheese layer. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake for 45-50 min, or until it looks baked except for the center part will be wiggly.

Let it cool completely before removing from pan.  Refrigerate for up to 4 hours or overnight. It is best prepared the day before. 

as if the cake wasn’t enough we also got to see Need to Breathe in concert on Friday. oh and Ben Rector who I wasn’t very familiar with but lu-ove now. that boy is so talented and can play a keyboard with the best of them. I came home telling my Gray man he really needed to think about what instrument he may want to play. sports are fine but a man that can come off a field and then play a song for Jesus is like “the man”….. a sexy man. I’m just sayin’. he laughed at me and said “whatever mom”. if they only knew what we know now…..sigh, oh the more they would know when they finally do get to be our age. ;)
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Annnnd Erin from Wright Ideas is the winner from last week's Blogger-versary Giveaway!. 

So Erin email me girly and I will get your goodies put into the mail for you.

Thank you guys' all for entering and commenting. I got some great ideas on your favorite product's and it was fun to see your answers...thank you.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Linking up with Laura for

heather.

You're My Cherry on Top

and it really is! hubs man, happy happy birthday! :)

today we get to celebrate your life and bc of that i know tonight's going to be a really really good night.:)

thank you for the sacrifices you consistently make for our family.

you're a self-less

guitar playin'

big hearted

lover

friend

laid back

encourager

and affectionate

man who loves Jesus and models that in our family. you push me and make me a better woman...thank you. doing life with you is exciting. like tonight, i can't wait to sing at the top of our lungs with Bo & Bear of need to breathe. and i'm making your favorite dessert ever. 

a Kahlua coffee cheesecake for the first time. so pray babe that it comes out tasting just a teensy bit like Cheesecake Factory. bc i don't have a back up plan. if it turns out horrible we'll buy a real cake tonight, o.k.

the kids love you_ Neely loves you_ and i love you. You're the best part of anything.... you are my cherry on top.

heather.

Did You Think I'd Forget?

this month is my 1 year bloggity blog anniversary. talk about flyyyyyyy by. i’ll never forget the first time I wrote a blog entry. i'd been blog stalking Jami Nato for months. she was one of the first blogs I ever read. after posting my first entry I emailed her to let her know she had inspired me and she actually answered back. i was totally star-struck. blown away that she would take the time to email me back and be so kind. it seriously fueled me and helped me get off to a great start.

i’m excited about this keepsake I’ve managed to put down into words for a whole year now. for those of you who do this weekly you know the time & discipline it takes to keep your life story here on the web.

so get excited ya’ll bc you know what happens when we celebrate or have a party. things start flying everywhere and into some_ one of your sweet little laps.

i’m having a giveaway.

To enter just leave me a comment telling me
   1. why you love blogging (if you do).

If not, tell me which necklace in my shop is your favorite.

For additional entries you can:
2. tweet about the giveaway and then leave a comment letting me know you did.
3.   bc we’re having fun here. tell me your absolute favorite product ever. It can be a lotion, perfume, cleaning product, make-up, etc.

the winner will receive 

a. one of my new necklaces of your choice 

b. a drop flower necklace 

c. a clip on flower and 

d. a surprise of my choice…. bc I like surprises.

at Christmas time we gave family members tea towels with their last name initial. They turned out to be a hit. so recently I decided to make some for the shop! 

they are one-of-a-kind and as I get them made I’ll keep adding them in.

from now until Sunday if you want a necklace or to scoop up one of the tea towel’s (Mother’s Day is coming. hint. hint) enter code 1YEAR and receive 25% off your order. And there's always free shipping!

Thank you. thank you. thank you for your encouragement. 

for stopping by here regularly to read & comment. 

for supporting my shop. 

for those of you who I’ve had the chance to get to know. i love you more than coffee and wedding cake and mountain dew and getting mail. i think you get the point.:)

Happy Wednesday.
heather.

So worth it

I've heard this quoted before but when I heard it this weekend I wrote it down in my notes.
It's true and fits for any relationship.

with my kids
my husband
friends
even with God

It takes effort on my part. It doesn't just happen by chance. It's intentional.
And the reward's are far greater than any initial effort put out on my part.

Happy Tuesday.
heather.

Linking up today for 

Sweetness in the Air

It was a good weekend. Quite a busy one.

I’ve heard all my life that as my kids get older things will get busier. And I have definitely noticed as of late, the pace around our house is picking up. 

We’ve always only allowed our kids 1 activity at a time. For many reasons we’ve chosen this. But also bc the financial aspect can get overwhelming with it all. 

I sometimes find myself in a tug of war over wanting my kids to get the exercise, meet new friends, learn what its like to work as a team. To also keeping things simple. Our family time together is important and I always want to keep that front and center. 

Youngest has been enjoying Soccer so much.

After each game she tells me with gushing smiles how much fun it is.

And I can’t help but be overly excited for her.

It makes me happy to see her so into something for the first time.

To see her exploring and finding her way.

I want to expose them (not all at the same time) to a variety

of sports, activities, and such.

Only by their wishes and their want to pursue.

Not ever by something I’m pushing them to do.

I want for them to know and taste what it’s like to make that goal.

To recite those lines on stage.

Or to swim their very best time.

Because how will they know if they’ve never given it a try?

This weekend was sign-up’s for Swim team in our Subdivision.

We went. We asked questions. We got the paperwork and we left to process and talk it over some more.

We also took Gray to a travel team baseball try-out on Sunday evening. 

They won’t stay overnight and we won’t miss church on Sunday’s. 

Which is the only reason we’re walking thru the process.

It winded up being cancelled due to the rain.

Then driving home as the rain danced on the windshield I had this thought. 

What if we’re supposed to be on these teams not just for my kid’s sake 

but for greater reasons.

What if there are people we’re supposed to meet?

Relationships we’re supposed to gain?

What if it’s so much more than just an extra curricular sport that my son/daughter want to be involved in? That would be enough if it were just that. But what if it was for more.

 I’m enjoying this season in our lives so much right now.

And though I hate to admit it, there have been seasons that I’ve wished would just hurry up. To just get on with it. But not this one.

This one as of late has a sweetness that lingers in the air.

And I’m thankful for this place. 

Thankful for this sweetness that I’m finding right here. Right now. 

heather.

Linking up with Laura

and heather

Fish Kissing

The past couple of weeks we've been to this park and that park.
Just letting the dog roam free and the kids play.
I may have played some too.
This was one of those days.....

a perfect one.

Happy Thursday! :)

heather.

Wordless Wednesday

heather.