This is SO GOOD!  I was feeling crappy today and wanted something warm, sweet, and comforting- this definitely delivers!

This is a random old weight watchers recipe that’s been sitting around forever.  I happened to have all the ingredients on hand when the craving for something sweet and delicious hit, so I decided to go for it!  I haven’t gotten the chance to run it through my diet analysis software yet, so I don’t know the calorie count for it, but I do know it’s 3 pts/slice if your a weight watchers person.

I changed the recipe up for what I wanted, but I’ll give the basic recipe first then tell what I did different.

Just look at this!!!

Apple Cake

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fat free milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 cup self rising flour (if you don’t have any, use 1 cup regular flour and add 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt to it)
1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 large apple
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat eggs and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
3. Combine the flour and cornstarch and fold into the cake batter.  Pour mixture into the prepared pan.
4. Layer apple slices in a circular pattern on top of cake.  Combine cinnamon and sugar in a cup and sprinkle over apples.  Bake for 30-35 mins or until a knife comes out clean when inserted.  Cut into 8 pieces and serve.

What I did differently…
I used a bundt pan instead of a regular round cake pan.  I also doubled the recipe.  I layered the apple slices at the bottom of the bundt pan, then the slices that were left over I chopped up and mixed into the batter.  Then I poured the batter over the apple slices.  I also saved the cinnamon/sugar mixture until after the cake was done- then I sprinkled it over the cake after I took it out of the bundt pan.  Oh and I also put about a teaspoon of cinnamon into the cake batter as well.

This cake is delicious and you should definitely make it!  I’m sure it would be just as delish if you followed the recipe exactly.  I was in the mood to get a little crazy though!  Turned out really well, and would be super delicious with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Bible verse of the day…

Anyone still going with theirs or did you give up already? ;)  Just kidding!  Things are going well here.  I still can’t believe I actually made a new years resolution- I’ve never done that before.  But it’s going pretty good- sticking to my calorie count, working out, eating lots of good stuff and not a lot of bad! 

I’m now thinking I’m glad that I made a resolution.  I want to be the happiest and healthiest that I can be.  Justin and I went to a funeral yesterday, and that always makes you think about life.  Justin’s best friends sister died.  I didn’t know her but Justin did.  All through the funeral I kept trying to remember if I had ever met her, but I never could recall if I had.  But as the funeral went on I wished that I did know her.  We got there just as the funeral was starting and we could barely squeeze through the door it was so packed.  The church was completely full and there was a line clear out the door.  We ended up standing along the wall up by the alter of the church.  As the service went on I couldn’t help but look out at all the people that were there.  She seemed like she was a person that was very loved by everyone.  You could just tell by looking out at all of the peoples faces that were grieving.  Yet with the grieving there was a sense of joy there as well- the joy that even though she left kids, a fiancé, lots of friends and family behind they were all happy that she is now in heaven.  It was very touching and sad at the same time.  My heart and my prayers are with the family right now as they are dealing with all of this and all of the legal things that are going along with the accident.  I pray that have comfort in this hard time and that the kids are taken care of through all of this. 

Death is a strange thing.  It does and doesn’t make sense at the same time.  As much as you know that a loved one is in a better place it still hurts so much to lose them.  Does it sometimes seem selfish that we get so upset when someone dies?  Especially if they are suffering?  Or even if they didn’t and it was a sudden and pretty instant death like Tina’s?  You know that since they are in heaven that there is no longer any pain, but yet you still want them here with you.  Maybe not- just a random thought. 

Anyway… it’s never too late to make a resolution to be your happiest and your healthiest!  It doesn’t have to just be on new years and it doesn’t have to be as the result of a tragedy.  Any day is a good time to get your life back on track.  Whatever that may be for you…quitting smoking or drinking or drugs, getting back in church, eating healthier, etc… now is the perfect time!  What are you waiting for?!

Before I post any pics I just have to take a second to reflect on the beauty of this place!  It’s just amazing to me that places like this still exist- almost exactly the way God made it (except with a few modern conveniences like electricity, restaurants, and shopping!).  Spending time here and seeing the gorgeousness of this place that is almost untouched by man just makes me wonder how people can NOT believe in God!  It really put me in touch with God’s goodness and the amazing blessings that He has given me.

Here are some pics!

The view from the balcony of the house we were staying at.  Breathtaking!

The view from my bedroom!  Can you imagine waking up to this every morning?  Amazing!

Snowing…

Playing with the pups!  Hey McCoy!  Silly goofy puppy!

Snow puppy!!  hehehe.

The Toby!  So cute- like a little stuffed animal!

I spent most of my time doing this…

Drinking coffee and reading!  I read this book in two days- it was SO good!  Now I need to see the movie- I wonder when it comes out on DVD?

Headed out for a walk in the SNOW!!

pics from my walk…

The ski resort…

Silly Gooses!

Brrrrr!!  This seemed fairly average during the day, but it got down into the negatives a few times!  BRRR!!

The overnight snowfall one night!  Wow!

One more of the silly snow puppy!

That’s all!!!  Good times!

It was awesome and gorgeous!!  I’ll get some pictures up later today- my camera is in the car and I don’t really feel like going out and getting it right this second, haha.  I know, I’m so lazy but I’m on Christmas break, so I’m allowed, right?  🙂

So I went to Crested Butte with my bro and sis-in-law to hang out with my other brother and his girlfriend.  I left the hubby at home.  He unfortunately couldn’t get off of work, but I went anyway.  I wanted to hang out with my bros- now that we’re all grown up and whatnot we don’t get to see each other very often.  I missed my hubby and the pups like crazy, but I still had a great time!  I got to do some serious relaxing and saw some beautiful scenery. 

I had planned on blogging while I was there, but it turns out there’s not much access to the internets when you’re in the mountains!  I’m so used to having internet anytime I need it that I didn’t even think about it!  I barely even got any signal on my cell either- crazy.  I think I’ve been spoiled living so near the metroplex. 

Anyhoo- It’s 2010 and I don’t normally do new years resolutions, but since I’m turning *gulp* 30 this summer (aaahhhhh!!!) I keep thinking there are lots of things I want to do before then that I haven’t done yet.  Before I hit the big three-oh I would really like to get back to a healthy weight. I’ve kind of been floundering around this past year playing around with the same 10 lbs and I think that enough has become enough finally.  It’s time to actually get serious and get down to a healthy weight.  I keep thinking about how much better I felt when I was about 20 lbs lighter and I would like to get back to that again.  I just want to feel really good by the time I hit that milestone.  I also really want to get another tattoo, but I’ve got to convince the hubby first- he’s not really a fan.  I already know what I want and everything- just got to figure out a way to talk him into it. hmmmm…  I think that’s about it on the resolutions.  Just to be healthy and happy I suppose.  I think that’s doable!

Allright, I’m off to the grocery store to stock up for the rest of the week!

Trip pics coming later today!

Adios!!

YAY!  I finished all of my Christmas shopping today.  Finally!!  It feels great!

Here is one of my favorites!  This is for my dad.  One of his ambitions in life is to have a stache as sweet as Tom Selleck’s!  He’s got a pretty badass stache going on on himself!

My other favorite I can’t post because my brother reads this blog and the gift is for him.  It’s a good one though- I’ll post about it after I give it to him and he has reveled in the awesomeness.

I also made curtains for my kitchen this afternoon.  I haven’t had any curtains in my kitchen for about a year and a half because I’ve been looking for the perfect curtains.  Well, they don’t exist so I had to get creative, haha.  I randomly came across some fabric at Hobby Lobby that PERFECTLY matched my awesome polka-dot napkins that a really sweet coworker gave us for a wedding gift.  My whole kitchen is based on these napkins and a cool retro kitchen table that some awesome friends of ours gave us.  I’ve pretty much got a kindof modern 50’s vibe going on.  Love it, and the curtains are just the icing on the cake!!  My fiestaware also matches the colors of the polka-dots.  🙂

Oh and these curtains were quite a fete.  I can’t sew, nor do I own a sewing machine.  Thank goodness for that iron on hem stuff is all I can say- that stuff is seriously awesome!  My mom, who was a home-economics teacher for a long time is so proud I bet! LOL!

I also made Christmas bandanas for the dogs, lol.  I couldn’t help myself!  Of course Harley’s all about hamming it up.  Anabelle doesn’t mind the bandana- it’s the picture part that she has a problem with. It’s like pulling teeth to get her to let me take a picture.  She’ll only let me take a pic with my phone.  I think that maybe the flash on the camera scares her, so she doesn’t like the camera.  Who knows- dogs can be so strange sometimes!

Oh and whilst I’m posting dog pics, look at this pic that we used on our Christmas cards this year!  I tried to take one of Anabelle too- it didn’t work out so well.  She let me put the antlers on her, but she wouldn’t let me get a picture of it.  Hahaa!  Harley is the ham, so she was all about it!  Here it is-  It’s Harley the red nosed reindeer! 

And the card said “Happy “Harley”days”.  Hehehee.

Well, I guess I’m all caught up for the time being.  I need to go finish the wrapping of the Christmas presents!

Adios!!