Not Just Blue....Blue Velvet

 

I was looking for something to lend itself to my recent need for blue.  What I found was something that not only added to the blue phase but something to also satisfy my sweet tooth.   Blue velvet cupcakes :-) 

My inspiration for these cakes came from One Particular Kitchen.  The recipe can be found here.  I did get some questions as to what makes a cake "velvet" versus just straight up cake...and I still can't really put my finger on the difference.  There is cocoa, vinegar and buttermilk in the recipe.  I don't usually add those ingredients to my cakes so I imagine the combination of them has something to do with the final product.  Most of the time the velvet cake is associated with the color red.  But since I was working with a blue theme I used blue food color to get the final look. 

 

 

They turned out very moist and just the right amount of sweetness.  The icing is cream cheese.  I do think I would try these again with a butter cream frosting instead.  The cream cheese was good but just a tad rich for me. 

 

I other winter news....since I've been held up inside I decided to finally put a couple recycled jars to good use.  I used a paint pen to draw snow flakes on an old sauce jar.  Then filled it with Epson salt and a votive candle.  It makes a nice addition to our dining table.

 

 

And I can check off the Richmond Frostbite 15K.  When I singed up for the race I had no idea it would actually snow the day of the race.  I'll just call that a bonus. 

 

I'm trying to convince myself that I love winter.  It's.  NOT.  Working.  Come on Spring.

 

Winter Blues not Blahs

I have to admit I am suffering from a terrible case of the winter blues...and by winter blues I don't mean blahs...I mean I'm seeing blue, eating blue, dressing blue.  I think I'll call this my Blue Period.  It's January, it's cold outside, I would even say it's slightly dreary.  So a bright pop of blue, the shimmer of silver, the fresh white of a winter snow...all have me happy to get out of bed in the mornings. 

Of course the seasonal tree is all blues, silvers and whites



Something fun for the kitchen

Blues and teals to set the table



I'm pretty sure if I buy any more converse my hubby will have a baby cow

I have girls coming over next week for Girl Scouts and have an idea of making some blue cupcakes with white icing.  I might even try out my new Kitchen Aid Mixer.  If they come out ok I might share them next week.  Last week I was feeling crafty and wanted to try making a skirt for the littlest.  The blue/winter theme played heavily into it.

I have never sewn a skirt so I was a little hesitant to get started.  But I found this tutorial on Pinterest and it was so easy I made a couple in just a couple hours.  You can find the tutorial at Dana Made It.

 

 

This weekend we have a few fun things on tap.  I'll be doing the Frostbite 15K in Richmond.  It will be a new race for me but I'm trying to embrace all the glory of this winter.  I just hope it doesn't live up to it's name!  There is also a newish brewery in Richmond we might check out.  I don't know about you but I'm not going to let the winter blahs get me :-)

Happy New Year and a First Day Hike

Happiest of New Years to you!  We are just getting settled back in from a quick New Year/Birthday trip.  I got the wild idea that since we've never brought in the New Year at the beach it would be the perfect year to mark that off the list.  Plus it was my birthday and everyone knows that if it's your birthday you get to pick where/what you do :-) 

Our nearest beach is Virginia Beach-about 2 hours away.  With all the kids in tow we headed East and in no time found sand, waves and a boardwalk still decorated for Christmas.

 

Three miles worth of the boardwalk is decorated with lights.  At night you can drive on the boardwalk to take in the full affect.  We did that on a visit a few year ago. 

 

 

We had a great dinner and played board games until later in the night.  Then headed inland just a smidge to actually bring in the New Year.



Laser show

Virginia Beach puts on a big celebration including a laser show, live music, a ball drop and fire works.  Last Night on the Town. 

Last Night on the Town





Everyone but Emma managed to make it to the new year awake and standing.  It was a fun night celebrating with family....and of course a few thousand strangers :-)

 

The next morning we continued a Bryant Family tradition with a First Day Hike.  Since we were at the beach we visited First Landing State Park for our hike. 

 

Bald Cypress Trail

 

I have been here countless times.  We have camped here, biked here, stayed on the sandy beach for hours here....but I have never hiked here.  In fact I have never been over to the hiking trails.  Can I just tell you that it was awesome!  First off the weather in the area had been raining for days, if not weeks.  The day of our hike the rain stopped and for a brief minute the sun actually came out.  Secondly I love swampy areas with a boardwalk.  Weird I know but I LOVE it.  There are plenty of boardwalks over swampy land here.  As an added bonus this is one of the few areas in Virginia that grows Spanish moss.  I was in heaven.  Third...my family was all together.  With Tommy off at college and working we don't often get everyone together as much as I would like. 

 

 

Now we are home and getting back into the routine of work, dance classes, scouting and crafting.  I hope that you all are enjoying the New Year.  May you and your family share many bright blessings.