brown sugar cake

i made this over Easter weekend.  i am not one to toot my own horn, but it was AMAZINGLY good. 

recipe and picture click here. now.

you can either do two pound cakes or one round.  i did the round. 

a little history on my baking.   sunday night dinner is and was tradition for lawrence clan with bob and nancy.  my mom finally let me make dessert after weeks of asking, i was fresh from college, 22 years old.  she gave me an 'easy' recipe and let me go. i really felt the pressure, so worked hard not to screw it up.  what did i do?  i forgot the damn sugar and it tasted like nothing, absolute nothing.  from then on it was like:

"how do you forget the sugar" 
"libba sucks"
"libba can't cook" 
"libba has small hands"
"don't forget the sugar libba" 
"even dan would remember the sugar"
tough crowd.

i have gotten a lot better over the years.  some have even gone as far to say "these are the best cookies ever" - Eddie Dominion, camping trip 2010.  BUT up until last sunday, when i made something good, it was thought of as a one hit wonder and the "don't forget the sugar" jokes still came up.  well my friends, i think this cake put me on a different level. 

my mom is awesome.  who doesn't have high expectations for dessert?  she is a tough critic when it comes to baking. mean, you ask? no.  rude?  sometimes.  there are no other words to describe her other than Hard Core.  without her em, dan and i wouldn't have a drive to be the best at everything we do and a competitive nature that might scare the weak.  she teaches us the art of humility only the way a mother could.  the "good jobs" are few and far between.  when it happens, man, nothing is better.  on sunday - after twice asking me if i was sure this didn't come from a box...  she said, "wow libba, this is really good, i want the recipe". 

a lone tear rolled down my face.

WC

or as us americans call it.  the bathroom, silly brits! if i was a foul mouthed man, i would describe the bathroom in one word, t*ts.  cause that is how good it is.

two things to keep in mind when dealing with wt and a remodel.
1.  projects always take longer than promised (like 4X)
2.  projects are always more expensive than promised (like 2X)

the second one is really hard for me, because again, we are opposites when it comes to $.  i am like excel spreadsheet girl with our finances/money and i think one of walker's goals in life is to file for bankruptcy... no joke.  my dad is all "libs, he is cutting his teeth with your house, give the guy a break" and i am all "dad, i want to punch you in the teeth for saying that,  give me $100 and shut your face".

The bathroom was no exception to the above rules.  walker's bro, billy the kid came over and helped.  he tiled, plumbed and let walker use his awesome tools.  unfortunately, we only had him for a week (the week that walker said it would take) and they got like 1/4 done.  after it was tiled and plumbed, walker did the rest.   i gotta say - it turned out really really great.  he put in a new window, made the trough sink out of marble, he made the shower curtain slider, and all of the walnut (that's Oregon Black walnut to you) furniture.  i take no credit except for helping pick out the tile and fixtures and standing just right to make sure the sink is the perfect height for an "average height person" - whatever that is.

worth the week of living with my folks, worth showering at 24 hour fitness before work, worth the late nights we (he) stayed up sanding that extremely long piece of walnut.  the piece of walnut that i almost sh*t myself when i saw the price.  I can hear him now, "but bubs, i got a discount!!".  simple math for you: 20% off a lot of money = still a lot of money.

enjoy the before and after and everything in between photos:

before.  handicap accessible (kinda rad), washer and dryer included.

demolition derby. they gutted everything!

bill on left, walker on right.  shirts optional.

start of the tile - cutting marble for sink

the finished project!

 entire wall of mirrors.

yes the sink is that cool

shower curtain on a recessed track

I love it.  It feels spa like.  We get a lot of ohhhs and ahhhs when people see if for the first time.  yep it's t*ts.

happy easter!

headed home to to my folks soon to celebrate Easter with the fam. very thankful. 

heard some sad news about a good friend that puts life into perspective.  thinking of you pam :) 

all of this said while i am watching real housewives of nyc..

i got these bad boys at Canoe in portland.  sweet store.  canoe

man vs food

mac 24/7.  biggest pancakes i have ever seen. they were for realz featured on that show man vs food. walks was certain he could do this.....

he tried.  really hard.  he stopped twice and went back in.  he was sweating bad. sweating butter.

after an hour he threw in the towel and surrendered with the white napkin.

he claimed not going number two before was his downfall.

i'm still proud of him.

hawaii

was in two words.  Awe Some. 

in fact, right now i am suffering from postpartum depression.  hide the razors.

here are some photos of our recent trip to Oahu.  we used miles, so we splurged on the hotel.  we arrived expecting our ocean view suite, the sounds of the ocean and a bed made of diamonds... instead we got a partial ocean view with the sound of the street and 800 thread count sheets (the nerve!).  for the scrill we were spending, i wanted that ocean view to slap me in the face when i walked in the door.  i don't know if it is the sales person in me, but i don't mind asking for upgrades or complaining to the front desk/waiter when something is wrong (especially with minorities - i am totally kidding).  my friends and i still always try and get VIP for free wherever we go, even if we are the only ones in vip - it's a victory.  anyway, to my surprise, walker wanted that ocean view to slap him sideways as well. so he told me he would handle it.  and boy did he.  can you say upgrade?  i can.

he told me later that he went down to the front desk and said that i was bawling and threw a huge fit.  "basically, act like a raging bitch, because they already think you are"...

thanks for the hat blossom!

The Halekulani was by far one of the best hotels i have ever stayed in. it is the perfect location, very quiet, very accommodating (hello mrs. templeton), private beach, within walking distance to everything.  i loved all of the accents around the pool. and all of the 5 year olds  in speedos. so euro. walker wouldn't let me take pictures of them.

 

sunset sail. beeeautiful.

lots of relaxing was done.  lots of running and walking in the heat.  lots of eating.  we ate our way around the island one day - finding all the spots locals frequent.  not once, but TWICE walker claimed he had the best meal of his life. i warned him of the aggressive nature of the first statement, but he did it again...

katsu = fried.  i did not know this until i accidentally ordered it. who knew?

best garlic shrimp, best pie,  best mangos....wt

We biked (electric bikes - so much easier than regular ones) to the Kahala Resort about 5 miles down the road.  i half expected c diaz and a rod to walk around the corner.  this place was nice...this raging bitch would take 'Kulani over it.

beachhouse. num.

we are eating in for the next month.  Hawaii might be the most expensive thing ever.  $20 for two beers.  our retirement age has now been extended to 67 thanks to this trip.  well worth it though.

blue crush or bust. paddle boards are heavy!

north shore. mai tai's. chicken katsu. back rubs. sand. paddle boarding. beers. swim suits. the smell of burnt skin.

love it.

keep the razors hidden.



maupin, or

a few weekends ago we went to maupin for a "business meeting".  walker and some homies are working on developing some houses (or something like that) and needed to get some shiz done.  i think they worked like 2 hours out of 2 days.  for those of you who don't know, maupin is a town in central oregon where people go to raft and fish...i was a little apprehensive about the trip because both activities can not be done in 20 degrees. however, with a little help from my friend, vodka, we managed to entertain ourselves.  seriously, vodka is so awesome.

we shot guns, played games, went on hikes, ate elk meat, had a dance party, wore cowboy hats, shot more guns...not really a gun person per se.... i have only shot a gun once before in college on a squirrel hunting adventure - it was fun then and it was fun now.  who knew?  just call me sarah palin!  actually, don't. please.

kristen got the dance party started

can i get a p r e t t y?

the owner - john

we stayed in a house on 600 acres!

taking mental notes before shooting - safety on, check.

 i learned that pickle juice is a great chaser for whiskey shots.  try it.  trust me.

good times.