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30 Things to Do This Summer

June 1, 2011 by Shanna Hatfield

Happy June 1st everyone!

With summer hopefully just around the corner, start planning now to have your best summer yet. Will you spend time with friends? Enjoy the great outdoors? Attend concerts or shop at a Farmer’s Market?

Here is a list of a few ideas of fun things to do this summer. If you have ideas to add, please post them in the comments!

1. Gather up a few friends and have a picnic in your backyard.

2. Go on a walk and take pictures of trees, flowers, animals, clouds, sunsets.

3. Watch the sun set then stay outside to gaze at the stars.

4. Give your house a summer beachy-feel with breezy curtains, white slipcovers and ocean blue accents.

5. Make ice cream.

6. Take one of your parents to lunch.

7. Bake cupcakes and deliver them to people who are extra special to you.

8. Play childhood games like “Sorry”, “Uno,” or “Clue.”

9. Make a root beer float.

10. E-mail a friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile.

11.  Make popsicles in your freezer.

12. Stroll down memory lane by looking through old family scrapbooks, photo books, and yearbooks.

13. Eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast.

14. Go to the movies and make sure you eat some buttery popcorn.

15. Go window-shopping with a friend.

16. Write a poem, the sillier – the better.

17. Make fresh, homemade juice or lemonade. The scent of freshly squeezed lemons is magnificent.

18. Take a bubble bath.

19. Make dinner for a neighborhood family.

20. Baby-sit for a neighbor with the agreement that she will babysit for you in return.

21. Go for a spa day with a friend – or create your own at home.

22. Plan a vacation you want to take next summer.

23. Plant flowers in your yard.

24. Go for a drive in the mountains and breathe in that fresh pine-scented air.

25. Run around in the sprinklers.

26. Invite friends over and have a tea party in your yard.

27. Order a pizza – and get all the toppings you like.

28. Splash around in a plastic kiddy pool.

29. Swing on the swings at the park.

30. Write in a journal. Don’t know where to start? Stand outside and record everything you can see in front of you in descriptive detail.

She Who Needs to Get Busy on Her Own  List!

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Vanilla Bundt Cake

May 27, 2011 by Shanna Hatfield

Vanilla Bundt Cake with Raspberries and Whipped Cream

I was in the mood for cake the other day and decided to go for a bundt cake. I don’t know why I love them so, but I do. It is hard to mess up a bundt cake and there are so many delicious ways to serve it up.

The recipe is simple and the cake was moist, flavorful and quite tasty. Captain Cavedweller even liked it.

The ingredients. I forgot to include whipping cream. And please ignore the fact the can of frosting was purchased in December.

Add a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake mix and pudding mix.

Lightly beat the eggs then add them along with water, sour cream and oil to the bowl.

Mix the batter in medium speed until well combined. It will be thick. Really thick. Do not be afraid of the thickness.

Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. If you don't have a bundt pan, an angel food pan will do. If you don't have one of those you need to get one! You could also, in a pinch, use an oven-proof bowl and an oven-proof cup - put the cup upside down in the bowl and pour in batter. I don't guarantee the results, though!

Even out the batter in the pan and bake for an hour.

Check to make sure the cake is cooked through. I used a skewer and it worked splendidly.

Let the cake cool completely then turn out of the pan. Notice this bundt pan is in a rose pattern. I'll give you three guesses where it came from... it wasn't the heinous cat, it wasn't the interloper but it may have been my resident cavedweller.

You need about 1/2 cup of the canned frosting. Put in a microwave safe pitcher (I used a cream pitcher and it worked perfect!). Nuke for about 12 seconds and you have automatic warm glaze!

Drizzle glaze over cake.

Yum!

Enjoy!

Vanilla Bundt Cake

1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup vanilla frosting

Raspberries

Whipping Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend dry ingredients. Add vanilla extract. Lightly beat eggs then mix eggs, water, oil and sour cream with batter. Beat on medium speed until combined. The batter will be super thick, so don’t panic.

Scoop it into a greased bundt pan, evening it up as best you can (I tap the pan on the counter to get out air bubbles and even up the batter). Bake for one hour or until it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Let cool completely then invert on a cake plate. Put 1/2 cup of pre-made frosting into a microwaveable pitcher or bowl and nuke it for about 12 seconds. It doesn’t take very long at all. Drizzle over cake.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and raspberries. I had to add a drizzle of chocolate to the plate. You could also serve with ice cream.

Enjoy!

She Who Really Likes Bundt Cake

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They Know Me Well

May 26, 2011 by Shanna Hatfield

You know how you find yourself at weird times of the day (like, for example at 3 a.m. when you can’t sleep) browsing through websites for odd things that would never cross your mind when you are functioning normally?

Yeah, me either.

Anyhooooo, I may have searched through some websites and those evil tracking cookies seem to know just exactly which particular items I most long to have because they have become relentless in tormenting and teasing me.

Every time I open up a website, it seems like their ads are there, winking from the sidelines, blasting across the top banners.

I wish someone would make them stop. I’m pretty sure it is damaging my already fragile psyche.

Just to give you an idea…

I was browsing clothes and now –

This super cute top follows me everywhere.

I wandered over to a few online shoe stores which led me to look at a boot website which led to –


These boots that I drool over every time they pop up on my screen. They haunt my dreams and scream at me to buy them. So far, I have resisted the urge. But believe me it has been challenging.

If my randomness hadn’t gotten me into enough trouble, I had to compound the problem with this –

Yes, I want this car more than chocolate. Captain Cavedweller and my BFF just laugh at me.

Go away, evil tracking cookies and take your teasing ads with you, please.

She Who Can’t Handle the Taunting

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Memorial Day Entertaining Tips

May 24, 2011 by Shanna Hatfield

As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, I’m going to share some previous tips and hope you’ll still find them useful!

To get started, dust off those barbecues, clean off the patios and invite over some friends.

Keep your weekend entertaining simple but fun. Let the holiday guide you as a theme in choosing patriotic colors and decorations.

Proudly fly your flag and incorporate miniature flags into your decorations.

Use a white or blue tablecloth (inexpensive sheets work well) and top with red, white and blue accents such as streamers, ribbons and pots filled with red and white geraniums.

Use white dishes or serving pieces. They don’t have to match. If you have red and blue pieces, mix those in with the white.

Make large star-shaped sugar cookies or a star-shaped cake, frost then top with sliced strawberries on each arm of the star and a cluster of blueberries right in the center.

The cupcakes in all their berry bedazzled glory.

These patriotic cupcakes are a breeze to whip up!

Put votives in old glass canning jars and tie rims with a red or blue ribbon. If you want to play it safe, use battery-operated candles.

Purchase red poppies from the American Legion for everyone to wear or give them to guests as they are leaving the party.

Stock up on ice and have plenty of beverages on hand. Use a big bucket or container to keep beverages cold. Just fill with ice and nestle in individual cans and bottles. Another fun alternative is to fill a wagon with ice and set your cold foods or beverages inside.

Make sure you have garbage cans that are clean, empty and placed in areas handy for guests to find. Line with garbage bags as this will make your clean up go much faster.

Happy Entertaining!

She Who is Looking Forward to the Weekend

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