Thought of the day

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

Old Fashioned Butter Cake
(from Reeni's Cinnamon Girl blog)  

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1  1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease and flour two 8 inch x 2 inch baking pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add butter, milk, and vanilla.  With a hand mixer, beat for  2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.  

Add eggs and beat for 2 minutes more.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally between the pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite frosting.  I used my favorite chocolate frosting, the one on the back of the Hersey's cocoa can.  

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1/3 cup milk  (plus an additional few drops to make a nice consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  About 2 cups frosting

Reflections

Healthy thoughts

You’re in charge of your happiness

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This is your life, this is the only life that you’re ever gonna get and you’re in charge of your happiness. Don’t let anybody ever take that away from you. You go out there and you live your life and if you fall down, you need to pick yourself back up and you keep going because there’s always gonna be bad stuff, but there’s gonna be so much good stuff. So don’t ever forget that. If you change the way that you look at things, the things you look at change. Chelsea Handler If you really want to live your life to the fullest and realize your greatest potential, you must be willing to run the risk of making some people mad. People may not like what you do, people may not like how you do it, but these people are not living your life. You are! —Iyanla Vanzant

iPad

So for Valentines day, John, (to whom I affectionately refer to as: "King of the Husbands") bought me an iPad Air 2. In Gold.

Previously, I had a Kindle he bought me a few Christmas' ago, so I am familiar with the "Tablet" craze. Loved my Kindle, LOVED. I almost felt guilty, like I was somehow abandoning my beloved Kindle for the new iPad.

As soon as I started using the iPad, all feelings of guilty disappeared. I LOVE this thing, and because I have it on my Verizon account, I can use it anywhere and access the internet. Also, its linked with my iPhone, it displays any text messages I receive.

You know what else rocks? When I work out on my elliptical, I can watch something on Hulu Plus, Netflix, or my new favorite - Youtube. I created a work out playlist specifically for my iPad when I work out.

My name is April Osbourne, and I am a techy geek.

No matter how hopeless things seem, you will make it!

Sometimes the door closes on a relationship, not because we failed, but because something bigger than us says this no longer fits our life. So, lock the door, shed your tears. When you are ready, turn around and look for the new door that’s opened. It’s a sign that you’re no longer that person you were, it’s time to change into who you are. It’s going to be okay.” — Lee Goff    All of the times you felt this anxious and this overwhelmed. All of the times you felt this level of pain. And remind yourself how each time, you made it through. Life has thrown so much at you, and despite how difficult things have been, you’ve survived. Breathe and trust that you can survive this too. Trust that this struggle is part of the process. And trust that as long as you don’t give up and keep pushing forward, no matter how hopeless things seem, you will make it.” ~Daniell Koepke

On a lighter note...