perks of the job

One thing that I never knew before I had a baby was that along with all of the other great perks of motherhood, I would also get a stylist in the package. When I went to put on shoes the other day, I found that they had been updated. (Dora stickers courtesy my personal fashion consultant, Hannah.)

On that note, the other day I was trying to put a dress on Hannah (which she didn't want to wear) and when I finally got it on her she looked in the mirror and with a big pout on her face said, "I look like a mother." I'm not quite sure what she meant by that.

Vacation Part 3

This past week I went down to Utah to make this wedding cake for my brother-in-law's sister. Hannah got to go spend some time with her grandparents in Blackfoot while I was gone. It was only my second time doing a fondant cake, and I was really happy with how it turned out. But more important...it tasted really good.

lemon-buttermilk cake with homeade lemon curd, and a layer of cheesecake filling and strawberries

chocolate cake with a layer of fudge and cheesecake filling

a fresh carrot from Grandma's garden

you can't go to Blackfoot without a stop here

with the big potato

with big Martha

going for a ride

helping Grandma with her flowers

Is this a special door for kids?

rootbeer ice cream at Rupe's

Blackfoot has lots of fun places for kids!

back in Boise, and put to work already

Picture Explosion

So, we've been gone for the past while and our trips have taken us to Old Town, Idaho......then to Soda Springs, Idaho......then to Denver......and then back home again. The first half of our trip was to celebrate the life of my grandma, Agnes Torgesen, and attend a funeral up where she grew up as a child. I don't feel that I can adequately capture her influence and example in a post like this.....but I will say that she made the best Swiss Steak, had a wonderful spirit, was a tremendous example to everyone that knew her, and was able to demonstrate what it means to have integrity and charity.

Here is a picture from a cooking lesson she gave me up at the homestead a few years ago. That Swiss Steak is the best and she makes it the best.

beautiful country up in Northern Idaho

We visited the dam that was built along the Falls- Albeni was my GGG Grandfather

"Albeni Falls was named for Albeni Poirier, a Canadian immigrant who moved to Rathdrum, Idaho, in 1883 and discovered the falls on the Pend Oreille River. Poirier remained in the area to become one of northern Idaho's leading citizens. Using Indian trails as his guide, Poirier widened roadways to accommodate wagons and then began his own ferry enterprise at the falls in 1891. Poirier branched out his business interests to include a saloon and a butcher shop near the falls that now bear his name, was active as a member of the school board, and participated in Democratic party politics. The falls were eventually drowned by Albeni Falls dam in 1955. "

view from the dam

my dad, sisters, us

crossing the railroad tracks

zoo buddies

Did I forget to mention our trip to the moon?

getting ready for her next mission

mini t-rex

fountains with a beautiful view of downtown

delicious western slope peach from the farmer's market

birthday party #1 had a really talented balloon man

16th street bus- Hannah loves riding it

story time

making a craft at the library

outside the children's museum

birthday party #2 had a bulldozer pinata and lots of candy

Isn't this cake amazing? Done by my talented friend, Amy.....

How many kids does it take to excavate a garden plot?

It's great to see friends!

Bye-Bye capital city!

4th of July

Better late than never, right? Hannah had fun this year with the sparklers and we inducted her in the true Torgesen fashion to the "bucket of doom." Which basically is just putting ground blooms into a large metal bucket and lighting them off. It looks like a smoking cauldron and is much louder. When we were kids, my sisters and I really got a kick out of it and begged my Dad to do it.

Shoo-Fly Pie

I made this pie for my Dad recently on his birthday. I'd always wanted to try a Shoo-Fly Pie and it turned out pretty good. Find the recipe here. (I used my own flaky butter pie crust recipe...) Don't let the molasses scare you- the pie ended up tasting more like a delicious gingersnap. If you make it, be sure to put some cream on top. Everything is better with cream or butter. Thanks to Ina Garten for proving that!

jamba

Did you know that Jamba Juice has a secret menu? Well, they do and Hannah and I are hooked on the White Gummi (tastes just like a white gummi bear).....find it here.

McCall

We went up to McCall for the day to celebrate my sister Heidi's birthday. Hannah had her first ride on a waverunner on the lake and had a great time. The weather was perfect and we had a great spot on the grass along the beach to play and relax on.