This Old House

April and I went on a mini road trip this week–more on that later– and for some odd reason…

I couldn’t stop myself from snapping a picture of nearly every little old house that caught my eye–as we drove past, of course.

I’ve always loved wondering “who has lived there?” and “what was their life like?”

I want to walk through the rooms and touch the walls and see if I can just feel the life the old house has known.

My mom used to tell me that if I actually lived in an old, drafty, hot, ancient house I’d get over my infatuation with them…quick.

I think not.

In fact, I’m certain somehow, that it would be much, much worse.

Who–do you suppose–has looked out this window…

and what did they see?

What do you think? Hmmmm?

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake

When I was in the 5th grade, I remember sitting by a pretty Asian girl named Cheri Lee. She brought her lunch to school in a slightly shiny, pink paper sack—mine was the regular brown kind. So already she had ten “cool points” on me.

Then, she reached into the bag and took out a slice of Sara Lee pound cake with a little yellow strip of paper on three of the edges. I’d never seen or heard of pound cake before– and it smelled wonderful. She held it up just like the lady in the commercial and sang, “Everybody doesn’t like something…but nobody doesn’t like Cheri Lee.”

Her silly song has stuck in my head all these years–but what stuck even better was the taste of the piece she gave to me. Oh. My.

Ten more points for her.

So, honestly, when I saw this Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe on Pinterest–originally from Elizabeth’s Edible blog, I didn’t waste a second but strolled right into the kitchen and made it. Just like that. Yeah, add cream cheese to anything and it wins. Sorry Cheri. Sorry Sara. This one beats by a hundred miles.

At last, at last, fifty cool points…

for me.

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1- 1/2 cups butter

8-oz. cream cheese

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3 cups flour

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Slowly add sugar, beating well.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Add vanilla. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
 
Ingredients
  • 1- ½ cups butter
  • 8-oz. cream cheese
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
  2. Slowly add sugar, beating well.
  3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
  4. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.
  5. Add vanilla.
  6. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans.
  7. Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

~Such a Lovely Day~

If a person is going to celebrate growing just a bit older…

then what better way to spend the day…

than with so many of the things…

and people…

and places that I love…

completely surrounding me.

Ahhhhh….just the right combination of everything…

and everyone.

These people know me so well–

it’s almost…

embarrassing!  :}

But oh…how I love them for it!

It was positively the most perfect, lovely birthday.

Thank you, everyone–family and friends. I’ll keep this day tucked safely in my heart–forever.

I love you.

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:: Breaking Dawn Giveaway! ::

It’s been sooo long since we’ve done a giveaway and here we are in the middle of our preparations for Breaking Dawn that we thought–why not kill two birds with one stone? Hmmm?

So my dears–if you and a friend would like to come to our Breaking Dawn Premiere and pre-show party AND you’ll be in Orem, Utah on November 17, 2011–here’s your chance to win two tickets to both the party AND the early 10pm movie.

That’s right! The “powers-that-be” at the University Mall Cinemark have approved a pre-midnight show for our Gracious Rain theater, so not only will we walk right in–without waiting in line, but we’ll do it 2 hours early!! How cool is THAT?!

To enter, make a comment below telling me your favorite thing about the Gracious Rain blog. Simple–yes?

We’d love to have you with us ~ so, go enter!! You know you want to.

We’ll announce the winner on Monday October 3rd, 2011.

Good luck everyone!!

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