Oh Baby

Well I'm offically an "auntie"! Baby boy was born last Sunday and I thought I'd share some pictures from the shower and hopefully inspire your next bruncheon or shower of your own.

I used antique china given to my mother by a friend. It was his grandmothers. It's so delicate and pretty.

Blue jordan almonds for baby boy

All of these flowers are fresh from the property. Sweet smelling wild wisteria, dogwood blossoms, ivy, daffodils and other lovely wild flowers. I used antique mason jars. Perfectly blue!

Everyone had individual tiny bouquets

I hope you love your treats!

We had such a nice time and I'm so excited we've finally met baby boy:)



Isn't he adorable!

 If you simply must have this sweet pea hat check it out here: http://www.bbraithwaite.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=471&idcategory=129


I hope you all have a bright day!!
B Girl

Welcome Spring!

Today is the first official day of spring! The prospect of warmer weather and  flowers in bloom brighten my spirit. Let's get ready for a fresh start and a fresh year!
As it's the first day of spring I fittingly spent the afternoon at a baby shower for a dear friend. AND another dear friend is in the hospital possibly delivering her first child today! What a day to celebrate new lives!

Baby turned 5 yesterday! Here he is just a few days old! And another of him and Violet on their first trip outdoors stumbling through the wild flowers and violets.

Enjoy your children while you can. They grow up before you know it!

Have a bright day!

B. Girl

Tiramisu Tuesday

Hello All!
So yesterday I made delicious tiramisu and wanted to share the recipe. I kind of had to make up my own recipe since I didn't quite have everything on the printed recipe but I must say it still tastes yummy!

My tiramisu is Raspberry Tiramisu :p

You will need:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups raspberries
1 package coffee flavored marscapone cheese
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream or 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups strong coffee
plenty of cocoa powder
1 angel food cake or 2 packages of lady fingers


In a medium saucepan mix the sugar and cornstarch until blended, add 3 cups of rasperries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes or until thickened.  Cool to room temperature and add remaining berries.
In a mixer beat marscapone, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and 1/4 cup coffee. At this point I added a little cream to make it more spreadable and liquidy, not too much maybe 1/4 cup. You can also add sour cream but I didn't have any.
I bought a nice angel food cake and sliced it thin. Place one layer on the bottom of a glass dish. Pour 1/2 of the raspberry mixture over the cake then 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Pour a little of the coffee over this to moisten the cake. Sift the cocoa over this, covering the mixture. Repeat. You may want to reserve some of the raspberries to garnish the top of the tiramisu.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Enjoy!
B. Girl

Monday Monday

I know spring is just around the corner when wild flowers start to bloom on our property. Just in the last week or so daffodils have been popping up making me even more excited for warmer weather as it is sure to be just around the bend. This weekend I noticed all the wild violets were blooming too! I think the are so sweet and pretty and it makes me think of my Baby kitty. His birthday is Saturday! I can't believe he is going to be 5! When we took him and his sister outside for the first time when they were a few weeks old they sat in patches of wild violets and thus we named his sister Violet. We ended up finding her a nice home but every spring when the violets start to bloom I remember that moment and it makes me smile.



Look what I spotted in a Gap in the Hedge, Baby Binx! Soon to be Birthday Boy.



Pumpkin's Perch

 Tomorrow is Tiramisu Tuesday! Stay tuned!
B. Girl

Spring Ahead

Hello All,

So I feel guilty that I haven't posted in over a week. I'm hoping to start working on Easter this weekend and put up lots of new stuff soon. I'm also *very slowly* trying to continue through my reading list and finally read the books I've been collecting through my college years. That's what happens when you have to read 5 books per class per semester, you don't read for pleasure and it takes a long time to even want to look at a book again. Here are some of the books sitting very neatly on my desk. Staring at me every night.

Isn't this bag to die for!! Actually it's a cake from Star Provisions! They did a great job, I'd like that purse were it real.

I love finding great deals and I must say I have great taste. Here is my recent major steal, Kate Spade!

I've been wanting a nice new tote for work and I finally saw something that fit the bill at over 50% off retail.
I love it!

I'm not excited about 'springing ahead' this weekend. I love my sleep. However I'm ready for some warmer weather, fun spring clothes, and pulling out the bunnies and chicks.

Flowers are blooming at Gap in the Hedge. I'll share some pics next time!

Best,
B. Girl

Saturday with Jane

Hello All!
The last few days have been so nice and definitely Spring-ish! Flowers are blooming and the birdies are out eating and chirping away in the yard. Some have even started making their nests in our bird houses too! Luckily I've been off so I could enjoy it all.
I've checked things off my to-do list and done some fun things too! Jane and I had a lovely luncheon at Sugarcakes, went antiquing, and then took a stroll about the square.


Mushroom and Brie soup and Feta salad. Yum!




Jane loves desserts!




Flowers in bloom

 "Who is Jane?" you ask: This is Jane Austen. She goes on adventures with me and we take fun pictures. I even took her to England a few years ago and she visited all of her former homes as well as many a hot spot. I hope you enjoy seeing where we've been and if you have any suggestions on fun things to do please do share.

Have a lovely day!
B Girl

Fresh & Fruity Trifle

The weather has been so sunny and nice lately after months of bitter cold and snow days I decided to make a fresh fruit trifle for dessert. There is nothing more summery and fresh than fresh strawberries and cream. I made vanilla cream last week for my strawberries and cream macarons but had so much left I had to come up with a use for the rest of the delicious vanilla custard cream.
Here is the recipe for the vanilla custard:
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream

Put the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a small heatproof bowl and wisk together until combined.

Heat the milk, along with the vanilla bean, in a small saucepan until it just starts to boil. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly until smooth.  Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly until the custard comes to a boil and thickens. Pour into a clean bowl, add butter, and stir until butter melts and is incorporated..  Cover with cling wrap and let cool before refrigerating.

I bought store bought sour cream angel food cake, tore it into smaller pieces and made a layer of cake, then a layer of freshly sliced strawberries and blueberries, pour half of the vanilla cream, then add fresh whipped cream (just buy a container in the dairy section and whip in a mixer). I repeated this one more time and refrigerated overnight. I just tasted this dessert and I can vouch that it is quite yummy.

Something as simple as this can help boost your mood during some chilly weather.

Enjoy!
B Girl