Living With A Purpose Everyday!

Photo of the day: Beauty of Her Lord

Beauty of Her Lord

Over all the Earth, You reign on high, Every mountain stream every sunset sky , But my one request Lord my only aim 
Is that you reign in me again, Lord reign in me, Reign in your power, Over all my dreams, In my darkest hour, You are the Lord of all I am, So won't you reign in me again, Over every thought 
Over every word, May my life reflect the beauty of my Lord 
'Cause you mean more to me than any Earthly thing, So won't you reign in me again.  -Lord Reign In Me

This is Hannah she leads worship at Canvas every few weeks and last night I was impressed by her. She is an amazing girl and has been since i met her a year ago. However last night was different. Hannah has been away all summer serving in the Philippians. And she came back different, changed in a good way. Hannah has always had a heart for the Lord and loves Jesus and lives for Him. But last night she glowed with a new light. Like something had caught fire. A true beauty glowed with in her that could only be from the Lord. She has seen what God could do and how powerful He is, and it has truly changed her. As i was editing this photo i was reminded of the song Lord Reign In Me. And one line in particular "May my life reflect the beauty of my Lord". And in this photograph Hannah's life reflects the beauty of her Lord. I am unbelievably blessed to know and love Hannah, it is an honor to witness her grow in her walk with Christ. This girl is going to change the world. So watch out!

 

Sienna's last first day of Preschool

Sienna and her new Teacher

Today was Sienna's first day of school. She is growing up so fast. This is her third and final year in preschool. Time flies by so fast. She is such an outgoing, sweet, sensitive and creative girl. I have loved to watch her thrive and grow at school. 

Sienna goes to a co op. Which means i would in her class. And for the past two years she has only gone one day a week and i went with her. This year she will be going two days a week, one day with me and one day with out me. Which is a big step for my big girl. However i think she will do great and will most likely enjoy her "Big Girl" time at school. 

Her Cubby

Today was just a get to know you day at school. We got to meet her teacher, Ms. Cheryl and got to explore the class room. She made fast friends with another little girl while playing house. And she can't wait to play with her again next school day. 

I am looking forward to this last year of preschool with Sienna. Soon she will  be in elementary school and i won't be able to be with her. She is such a blessing and I am so blessed to be her mama. Can't wait to see what she learns and what she will teach me! Hope your kids first day of school went well this week!

Cupcake Adventure: Sweet Arleen's

I Love Cupcake Boxes!

Today my friend Jennifer, my kids and I went on a Cupcake Adventure. I had posted earlier this week that i want to try all the cupcake shops in the LA and Ventura Areas. So today we tried out Sweet Arleen's. 

Jennifer bought a bunch of cupcakes to try. And i purchased three different flavors. I tried their Mocha Truffle, which was delish! The frosting was super light and creamy and the coffee flavor was just right. Sienna chose their Classic Vanilla, which she didn't finish :( and I brought Daniel their Chocolate Marshmallow, he said it was good but messy. So over all we gave them a 8 out of 10. I want to go back and try more flavors. So if you're in Westlake, stop by Sweet Arleen's for a yummy treat!

White Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

I love Cupcakes!

Aren't they Cute?

This past weekend I discovered the Cupcakery in Thousand Oaks. They are amazing, a must try! Well i was browsing their website and found that they have two recipes posted. How cool is that? Pretty Cool! I mean they have yummy cupcakes and people are willing to buy them, and yet they are so gracious and share some of their recipes. This place just keeps getting better and better!

Well i am going to a BBQ tonight and needed to bring dessert so i made one of their recipes. The cupcake cakes turned out AMAZING! I love baking and have made my fair share of cupcakes, but these were the best by far. 

So here's the recipe for you to try. Let me warn you, this is not an easy recipe and if this is your first time baking you might want to try another recipe. There are a lot of steps and i think i dirtied every dish in my kitchen. hehe! But if you are willing to spend an afternoon making some of the most delicious cupcakes you have ever eaten, then try this recipe!

 

White Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

Yum!

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups cake flour 

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup milk

8 large egg whites

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line two standard cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl sift flours, baking powder and salt. set aside.

In an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth, add two cups of the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Beat in vanilla

Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk. Set bowl aside.

In a separate bowl for the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy.

 Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. 4-5 minutes.

 Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture.

Fill cups about 2/3 full with batter. 

Bake 20-22 min, or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

 

Chocolate buttercream

1 1/2 pounds unsalted butter,softened

12 ounces milk chocolate

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

5 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons teaspoons high quality  vanilla extract

Chop the chocolates and place them over a double boiler, stirring until melted. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl,mix the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Place  bowl of egg-white mixture over the pan of simmering water and heat the egg whites until they are warm to the touch, about 5 minutes.

Return the bowl to the electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is cool and holds a stiff peak.

Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on medium speed.

Add the melted chocolate and vanilla, mixing until chocolate is incorporated.

Frost and enjoy!

Sunset in Simi

Sunset in Simi

Jump for Joy

I love living an active life. It's feels so good to go for a walk or a hike after dinner at night and I love that my family feels the same way. Tonight after dinner we decided to hike up to our favorite spot and watch the sunset. It never ceases to amazing me at how beautiful and colorful a sunset is. Tonight sunset was all oranges and yellows, much different from the blues, pinks and purples from the last time we were up here. "Wow" was all i could say while watching the sun say good by to the earth. It made me wordless.

My Sunshine Girl!

The Afterglow

We stayed later then we usually do, enjoying the coolness after a hot summer day and I got to play with my camera. Hiking down the mountain in the dark was a new experience, Sienna loved the many bunnies that we came across and all the little creatures that come out at night. It's all these little moments as a family that make me love my life. I am so blessed to have my little family, that we are all healthy and thriving. God is good, thank you for another day to live and love my family!

Photo of the Day: Sun Kissed

Sun Kissed

I will never grow tired of pictures of my children. Sorry if you are. I love how the sun is kissing her face. How the rosy glow of the last light of day is brushing itself across her face. Plus i think she is just the cutest little girl in all the world. However my favorite thing is her necklace. Sienna is a little fashionista, she loves having her hair done and being excesserized. She can't leave home with out a necklace and a bracelet, not to mention a super cute purse. She is always styling, even on a hike. I look forward to telling her about this when she is older. It's pictures like this that make up Sienna's life's history. I am so honored to document it for her!

Photo of the Day #2: Two of a Kind

Two of a Kind

I couldn't make up my mind on which photo would be photo of the day, so i chose two. This one just tugs at my heart strings. I love having a daughter, it has been fun dressing her up and playing together, but know that Sienna is getting older, i really realize that she is watching and listening to everything thing i say and do. 

It is so important to me to be a good example to my daughter. To teacher her about life and how to live it. I am so blessed to be her mom, I just hope that I am worthy or the challenge of raising such a special little person. 

This picture so sweet. She LOVES wearing flip flops, like mama. She also likes trying to wear my clothes and jewelry, she wants to be grown up, and I am doing my best to slow her down. She's wants to be just like me, or so she says. So I better be someone worth looking up to. I hope i'm up for the challenge. 

Wish me luck!

Photo of the Day #1: My SoCal Girl

My SoCal Girl

Sienna is my blonde blue eyed California girl. I was born and raised here in sunny California and I love that i get to raise my kids here as well. I mean come on, you can be in the mountains, dessert, farmlands, city and the beach with in an hour. We love it here and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. 

I love this picture! I have been playing with different settings on my camera and different editing techniques and this one was perfect for a retro look. Sienna looks like she could be from the 60s or 70s. Makes me think of the Beach Boys song, California Girls. 

Don't you wish they all could be California Girls?

Happy Summer All!

Point Magu: Cupcakes and the Beach

Amazing Waves

I love the BEACH! In case you haven't noticed from reading my blog. I think i have been like five time in the past three weeks. Also i went yesterday as well. But today is Saturday, which for me and my family is our adventure day, as long as there aren't any other pending plans. And today we went on an adventure to the beach to go hiking and eat some yummy cupcakes. 

After picking up some of the most delicious cupcakes ever at the Cupcakery in Thousand Oaks we headed out to Point Magu. We sat on the beach and ate cupcakes and snacks while watching some of the biggest waves i have ever seen in my life. It was a perfect afternoon, one of those moments i will remember for the rest of my life. 

After eating we hiked up to some amazing rocks that the waves were hitting. Water was shooting in the air at least 100 feet high. It was spectacular and amazing to be so close to such a powerful thing. Sienna wasn't crazy about being so close to the rocks and the waves so we didn't stay too long. Just long enough for Daniel and I to get some awesome photo's!

After hiking back to the car we ended our SoCal day with dinner at In N Out. The perfect ending to a perfect day. I love making memories with my family, it doesn't have to be some big deal or some expensive trip, it just needs to be time spent together. Hoping your Saturday was just as enjoyable as mine. :)

The Cupcakery

CUPCAKERY!

I LOVE cupcakes. I mean they are just my favorite food in the world. I bake a lot of my own cupcakes, but with TV shows like Ace of Cakes and Cupcake Wars i have been itching to find a gourmet cupcake place near by. Well to my surprise there were four with in 15 minutes of our home. So we decided to go on a little cupcake adventure to find one. We ended up at The Cupcakery in Thousand Oaks. This cute little cupcake boutique was just the kind of place we were looking for. It was adorable, decorated with vintage aprons and cake stands, you just wanted to sit and enjoy. It felt like walking into your grandma's kitchen. Oh and the smell! It was a sweet dream in there. The cupcakes are on display like little works of art. We decided to each pick a different cupcake and then share. Sienna picked The Hi Hat: A Chocolate cake frosted high with marshmallow icing dipped in Barry Callebaut chocolate. Daniel chose Dulce De Lache: An Old fashioned vanilla bean cake topped with creamy caramel icing. And i picked their Pink Velvet: A lighter version of the traditional southern red velvet cake topped with pink cream cheese icing. 

We got them to go in one of the cutest little cupcake boxes ever and headed to the beach to enjoy them. Oh man, were they good! Each one was spectacular, however the consensus was that the Hi Hat was the best over all. Just the most delicious chocolaty goodness ever. We LOVE the Cupcakery! And can't wait to go back and try more of their flavors! So if you live in the LA area or in Ventura County you have to stop by The Cupcakery and try their cupcakes, you won't regret it!