Friday Five - 2.24.12

1. Have you heard of Ben Rector?  I do not know him, but my mom knows his mom because my older brother, Adam, and his older sister, Lauren, were in grade school together.  A couple of years ago, I watched his rendition of "Free Falling" and I was beyond impressed by his talent.  Recently, a friend shared another one of his YouTube videos on Facebook, and I thought it was so good that I have to share it with you.  From browsing his website, it's looks like he's becoming very successful and I think I might have to buy his album on iTunes.

2. Two of our friends, Clint & Kendra, visited us from North Carolina this past weekend, and we had such a great time with them.  They're reporting to a new duty station sometime this summer, and they don't know where that is yet, but we really hope they end up moving to our town! 

Kevin and I love having overnight houseguests, and one thing I like to make when we have company is coffee cake.  I make my late Grandma Dottie's recipe, and it never disappoints.  Here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1 plain yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
¾ c vegetable oil
¾ c cold water
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
½ c chopped pecans (divided in ¼ c parts)
¼ c sugar
2 T cinnamon

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
1 c powdered sugar
1 T milk
½ t vanilla
½ T softened butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Using electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding, oil and water. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla. Beat 8 minutes (important).
2. Meanwhile, combine ¼ c pecans, sugar and cinnamon.
3. Grease bundt pan. Sprinkle ¼ c pecans in bottom of pan. Pour in part of batter, then alternate the pecan mixture and cake batter, ending with batter, until all is used.
4. Bake at 350°, 40-50 min. Cool in pan 15-20 minutes then turn onto serving plate.
5. Combine glaze ingredients in small mixing bowl. Add more sugar or milk if needed.
6. After cake cools, drizzle glaze over cake.


3. Pandora app - I think I'm a couple of years late to the Pandora party, but I just started using the app and I really like it.  It's nice to listen to while showering, getting ready or cooking...so you might give it a try if you're not already using it.

4. So, Kristen Bell, the actress, is obsessed with sloths.  I don't know why, but this clip about her obsession is really funny.  You should watch.  Oh, and when I showed Kevin this video, he said I look a little bit like her when I cry!  Gee thanks, babe.

5. Because our friends were coming to visit last weekend, I bought some fresh flowers to put around the house.  Here's a pic of the hyacinth I bought; I just couldn't resist the sweet smell.  For just $5.99, it's a beautiful, fragrant and affordable addition to our home!

Friday Five - 2.3.12

A year ago this week, Kevin and I moved across the country.  We literally drove from the West Coast to the East Coast (over 2,400 miles!), but we spread it out over 2+ weeks and we stopped in Oklahoma for a bit to see family and friends.  During the drive, we spent a night in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The following morning Kevin woke me up and said to look out the window. 

This is what I saw...

So, of course I grabbed my camera and tried to capture this incredible sunrise through our hotel room window, crossing my fingers that the colors would look just as magnificent in photos.  Thankfully, I think they do.

Happy weekend, everyone!