What I will do for a piece of chocolate cake

Died-And-Gone-To-Heaven Chocolate Layer Cake

My husband needed a cake to take to work for a company potluck lunch.  He really wanted me to make this particular cake recipe from the "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry" cookbook.

I love Greta and Janet Podleski's recipes, especially their newest cookbook I've been cooking out of lately. This cake is the only recipe that the girls clearly state is NOT low-fat or low-cal but oh my gosh it is really, really good and so worth the effort.   Yeah, well, see the deal was that I would bake and create this masterpiece but I had to have a sample before he could take it to work.  These people are just going to have to understand that I had to sample it to make sure I had made it correctly..............that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Oh and for the record and for the sake of Greta and Janet's recipe, this cake was suppose to be baked in    3 round cake pans but I didn't have any so I had to compromise by using an oblong pan.  I posted it on Greta and Janet's facebook page.  These funny cooks have such a great sense of humour and are just so down to earth.  They responded to my FB post.

Giving an early Mother's Day surprise for my mother-in-law

My husband's mother told us that she wants to sell her house and move into an apartment before Summer.  While she was out of town my husband and I went to her house for two days and nights to give her basement makeover as a surprise as an early Mother's Day gift.  Maybe this labor of love will get her motivated to tackle the rest of the updates and preparation she needs to get done to have a Realtor come in and assess her home.    

While we are eager and willing to assist Mom with her update, working with her can be a bit challenging. I know how overwhelming this experience can be and how hard it is to pick the right colors. Mom is having a bit of trouble deciding whether she wants to paint for the potential buyers or for her own satisfaction.  We know she loves blue so we selected Benjamin Moore`s Ocean Air.  Mom also has her main upstairs bathroom painted a light green - Benjamin Moore`s Silken Pine.  She mentioned the last time we were there that she hoped there was enough paint left over to use it in the basement bathroom.  

I hope she likes it since we decided to pick the colors for her.  There was just enough of the green paint she liked upstairs to barely cover over all the pink walls in the bathroom.  We painted the pink door and pink trim with white paint.  The ceiling had also been pink before but now it is white and makes the tiny closet size bathroom appear more spacious.  We vacuumed the carpets also and cleaned.

The basement bathroom BEFORE used as a variety of storage 

for toilet paper and Kleenex.   PINK was everywhere -- walls, trim, door and 

even the very low ceiling was pink.  The wallpaper and border was outdated!  

The basement bathroom BEFORE 

had silver taps, a heavy outdated mirror, 

mounted matching white and gold towel ring, 

cup holder and toilet paper holder.  

The light fixtures were white and outdated.

The basement bathroom AFTER
Light, soft green walls with white trim.
Clutter has been cleared out.

Easy peel and stick wall art adds color.  

With the wall art positioned at the end of the room 

your eye is drawn to the new feature wall 

making the small bathroom appear larger.

A new mirror with antique white and detailed 
wooden trim.  New, modern, gold 2-light vanity 
with glass shades add more light to a 
window-less room.  New hand towels tie in
 with colorful green, yellow 

and purple basket of pansies. 

Oh, and the wall mounted cup holder 
was removed! Let`s hope Mom 
doesn`t miss it.

New gold taps are a better match with the
existing gold cabinet pulls, white and 
gold toilet paper holder and towel ring.   
I couldn`t pass up the basket of pansies 
as a color accent so I had to get it for her. 

New gold taps and a good cleaning to the
 gray sink is all that was needed. 
Mom loved the green, pear shaped 

and scented soap  that I had in my bathroom
so I bought one for her.                                    

                   The last time we met with my husband`s mother we did a 
walk through to discuss basement issues. 
Unsure whether she wants the basement to be finished, 
the basement hall and laundry area really need an update, 
especially with the unfinished current condition.  
The pink walls and faded, outdated wallpaper really have to go.  

The current entry and upper level is a light gray.  
The blue carpeted stairs and striped, hallway carpet 
provide plenty of color choices to choose paint color.  
Removing wallpaper and painting the walls
is the least expensive and easiest way
 to pull off a basement makeover.  

 BEFORE WITH PINK WALLS AND FADED, OUTDATED WALLPAPER

MOM'S BASEMENT HALL AFTER * WALLPAPER REMOVED AND PAINTED BLUE

MOM'S BASEMENT HALL AFTER * 
WALLPAPER REMOVED AND WALLS PAINTED BLUE
Blue walls now compliment the blue carpet 
in the hall and on the stairs.  
Blue is apparently Mom`s favorite color
 because this color theme runs 
throughout the most of the upper floor. 
 Mom couldn`t decide on a color choice
 when we were there last so... we chose for her.  
Sure hope she likes it.  

*** BASEMENT RENOVATION COMPLETED ***
 The blue hallway and white trim compliment the new basement bathroom.  
The bathroom color -- Benjamin Moore Silken Pine.  
This update is the first step in prepping 
the house to be listed for sale.  

The walls in the hallway -- 

2010 completed

Today is the first day of the first month of a new decade...Jan 1, 2011. For me, the end of a decade is complete.

Christmas is over and the kids have all gone home. It was my best Christmas in 25 years. I just moved into my new home in the country. Now I'm left with a mixture of sadness, relief and curiosity.

Sadness that the pursuit of my dream is completed. I have longed to have an old-fashioned Christmas with my children and grandchildren. I have also longed to live in the country. Now I have a new home, living in a new province, living in the country.

Relief that I can actually rest now and start to enjoy the comfort of my new house and life in Ontario. I've just completed a major accomplishment and deserve to sit back and enjoy it. I want to finish setting up my decor while getting comfortable with my new surroundings, learning the lay of the land, meeting new people. No matter what I do, I know I will be taking a nice break to enjoy simple life for awhile, destressed, calm and relaxed, I deserve it.

Curiosity toward my future. What new adventures await me? What goals and dreams to aspire to?I'm open to the beginning of a new chapter in my life....

....to be continued!


There is no place like home and home is where the heart is.