My Favorite Mondays no. 2

It’s Monday! Now, that isn’t always a thing to celebrate but I think this week, we should be excited for Monday and the week ahead. It’s our week filled with love (only 3 more days until Valentine’s day!) and, also, it’s Random Act of Kindness week!

Here’s my five picks for ‘My Favorite Mondays’ – inspired by this special week.

Favorite Pin
Sometimes holidays have a way of sneaking up on you. Valentine’s Day is a bad one for this because, truthfully, I think we are still all recovering from December a bit. I absolutely adore this pin fromCrafted by Lindy because it is a thoughtful, easy way to give something different at valentines (AND a free printable never hurts!). What a perfect idea for a teacher, co-workers, or your day home/daycare provider.

Favorite Etsy findThis is, by far, my favorite Etsy find this week! Image 3D sells these uber cool view-master style custom reels and viewers. The awesomeness of this product does not require much explanation, however, I will say that if my Valentine were to get me one of these and fill it will our favorite photos, I would absolutely be swooning. The possibilities of cool things you can do with this are endless – picture this, use a reel and viewer as the greatest way ever to announce your pregnancy or engagement.

Favorite Charity
Last year I found out about a fabulous charity called CARE Canada (there is also a CARE USA) whose mandate is to empower women and girls, particularly those living in poverty. This worthy cause is one that every person should take notice of because, according to CARE, if a single woman rises from poverty, she typically takes 4 people along with her. Also important to note, as with any charity you choose to support, CARE Canada operates with an average 6% administrative cost and have all of their annual reports available on their website.

CARE is currently running a Walk in her Shoes fundraiser that I encourage you all to learn more about (here)!

Favorite App

Okay, when it comes to cool new apps, I’m usually pretty far behind on things and I’m guessing that most people already know about this one, but Songza is my favorite new app. It is a mind-blowingly awesome app where you can stream playlists onto your smart phone (or stream onto your computer). There are no audio ads, it’s free, and the play lists are killer – need some new workout tunes? Songza! Need some low-key background music at work? Songza! Need someone to suggest some new music? Songza!

Favorite Personal Update

OH, I am so excited for my upcoming trip to France. There are so many things that I want to see when I’m there I am finding it tough to pencil everything in (while trying not to pencil too much in)! The exciting new development for this trip is that we will now be spending 3 nights and 4 days in the south of France as well, and taking a trip to Monte Carlo too. Any tips for must-sees when I’m in Paris – send them my way!

Thanks for joining me this fine Monday and I hope your love-filled weekend is LOVE-ly!  Leave me a comment and share your favorite monday finds!

Santa Box

Without boring you, I will just say that I have not posted on my blog in the last few months due to some insanely busy times in my house.  I love being busy and keeping my days full but what I don't love is when I miss out on some of my favorite things because of the crazy day-timer!  When I say favorite things I mean, of course, reading, sewing, baking, and BLOGGING!

With Christmas around the corner, and my Pinterest addiction in full swing, I have been motivated to get into the spirit of the season.  I've been signing up for potlucks and secret Santa's, buying and hiding special gifts, and planning out my baking list for this year.

My eldest daughter is currently in pre-school and is big time into making crafts.  I had some free time this afternoon (what?!) and decided to spend some quality (holiday inspired) crafting time with her while the little one was sleeping. I have a big box of "kid-friendly" crafting supplies - not to be confused with my "mommy-spent-too-much-on-these-supplies-so-don't-touch-them supplies" - that I pulled out and we looking around the house for some motivation.
Before long, I had gathered an empty cereal box, a toilet paper roll, and brown paper bag.  We decided to go with the cereal box and worked out a Santa Clause idea.  I love what we came up with because it was so easy and was something a four year old could easily work on by herself.

The supplies we used were:

1. An old cereal box;
2. Construction paper;
3. White glue & tape
4. A pair of googly eyes (dollar store); and
5. Some white puff balls (dollar store).

I had my daughter trace out the red paper and we covered the cereal box, using white glue.  We then traced out and glued on Santa's belt (using sparkly construction paper for the buckle). Next we put together Santa's face and curled up some white construction paper for his beard (we used tape to adhere this to his face because the white glue was not strong enough to hold it in place).  After this, we glued on his hat and the white puff balls along its edge.  To make his legs, we just folded up paper and taped it onto the bottom of the box. The shoes are black construction paper with a piece of the sparkly paper for little buckles (also adhered with tape).  Voila, a super simple and fun craft - my daughter was beaming with pride when we were done!  

If you have a bunch of empty boxes, you could also make other holiday inspired figures - a reindeer, an angle, or a gingerbread man are a few ideas!

If you are looking for more Christmas crafts, check out a post I put up last year for cinnamon scented ornaments!  They make your house smell A-Mazing when you are making them!

Cheers!

My Favorite Mondays no. 1

I've noticed that many of the blogs I subscribe to, do a "my favorites" list once a week.  I love to share and highlight anything I've got going on or think is awesome, so, of course, I decided to jump on this bandwagon.  I wanted to do it on Friday...but, I ran out of time and therefore am doing it today.  SO, my favorites list will be on Mondays now - thus, the title, "My Favorite Mondays"!

My Favorite Pin

Without a doubt, this pin that originates back to lesapea.tumblr.com, is my favorite pin of the week (maybe ever)!  Good lord, click on the link and you will be in awe of all the amazing images...simply stunning.  I am a calligraphy junkie and this quotation is beyond lovely.  This is a perfect pin!

My Favorite Etsy Find

I'm so excited to bring this Etsy shop to your attention.  I just happened to come across it on the main page this weekend in that scrolling area where they show newly listed items.  Ohhh Lulu is stunning.  I love pretty much everything she has listed in her shop and I am now creeping on her twitter and FB, excitedly waiting for anything she posts!

My Favorite Blog Update

As you've probably noticed, my blog has had a rehaul and I am now supporting an awesome new look.  I am so thrilled with the outcome and want to give a huge thanks to Hannah from Sweet Mod Designs a big thank you for her hardwork (look for a posting on her in the near future!)

My Favorite Personal Update

I am pretty much beyond excited for next April when I, so luckily, will be going on my dream vacation to Paris!  This isn't new news but, I'm so happy because I am starting some refresher French language classes this week!!

Je suis trés excité!!



My Favorite New App

I know I am so behind in this but, I FINALLY joined twitter!  I downloaded the app on my phone and have been addicted to it since.  My friend was constantly trying to get me to join and now, looking back, why did I resist?  I am @mycraftyblog so look me up (or simply click on the twitter button under the "About" section on my blog)! :)

My first favorites on My Favorite Mondays are pretty good, right?!  I look forward to the week ahead and finding some new gems to share with you next Monday!!
Be sure to leave a comment with your favorite news for the upcoming week! :)

Frugal Father's Day

I am so excited. In two and a half months I am going on a trip of a lifetime. I am so lucky to be saying that I will be partaking on an adventure to, what I consider to be the mother country, Ireland! I am also going to spend five days in London as well. I am even luckier because I will get to share this experience with my loving parents, sister, and husband. I am beyond excited! Now, with my departure date looming closer and closer, my purse strings appear to be getting tighter and tighter. I just know that when I’m doing my thing (aka shopping!) in the UK, I’ll totally regret it if I don’t save up enough money to really go for the gusto…I mean, come on, it’s Europe! Did I mention that I’m excited?!?
So, my husband and I have come up with a pact, cutting out a bit of the unnecessaries where we can. One place we decided to skim on this year was gift-giving to each other. He is already famous for saying, “I don’t need any gifts” (don’t you just hate that?) so I told him that, this year, I would carbon copy my mother’s day to his father’s day. I had an awesome mother’s day, of course, and even though it was gift-free I got plenty of the real gifts that matter in life – little kisses, big hugs, works of art from my three year old and a lazy day with my favorite people in the whole entire world.

Now, with Father’s Day coming up, it’s up to me to be creative – without spending much/anything. Haha…jokes on him, I have Pinterest! I’m totally going to rock it.

In our family it’s funny because Mother’s Day usually centers on breakfast and Father’s Day centers around supper…and the BBQ. So my plans for a Frugal Father’s Day are going to break down to this:

1. Awesome supper with plenty of hearty man-food.

2. Adorable handmade crafts from the kids and

3. A spin on an old classic, as a gift from yours truly.

Let’s just say that I’m doing a carbon copy of mother’s day but I’m putting some glitter and awesome dust on it too.
Food

This should be a fairly easy thing to come up with. What are his favorites? For my husband, he has a major sweet tooth for Reece peanut butter cups so I’m pretty sure that this Reece’s Cheesecake Brownies would be a huge hit.

Check out Pinterest...you can pretty much find a cake, cupcake, bar, or cookie inspired by any and every chocolate bar known to man kind! I think a few of these would go over quite nicely as well (click on the picture to be taken to the recipe):

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Beer-battered Pickles

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

Décor

I LOVE this tie themed banner and flag set, available for free download at Amanda’s Parties to Go! It doesn’t take much to sneak downstairs after everyone’s gone to bed (or before they wake up) and put up a little pizzazz to wow them in the morning!

Gift Options from the kids

I love this Father’s Day survey from The Creative Homemaker! My three year old comes up with the most hilarious stuff so I would love to sit down with her one night and fill this out. Plus there’s lots of white space for her to “decorate” it afterwards. It’s a nice idea to do one of these every year and then bind them together in a scrapbook!

Here’s another idea from Kinderpendent that you could do with your little one…create a quotation book to chronicle all those adorable things your kids say. You can dress it up with a bit of cardstock, ribbon, etc. This would definitely be a book to cherish for years to come – just make sure you leave some blank space for those gems that are yet to come!

I have been seeing these bookmarks a lot lately on Pinterest and have been waiting for a chance to make one. How cute are they and think of all the fun you’ll have making them with your kids (check out this link for more info)!

Gift from Wifey

So, when we agreed to not buy any gifts for each other this year I knew that I was still going to make him something. When I thought about it, I came up with something that would be perfect. A coupon book. Yes, just like we use to make when we were little BUT this time, it’s going to be filled with some very important coupons (in a parent’s world anyways!). Example, what does my husband really hate doing? Hmmm…how about: get out of one poopy diaper, one foot rub while we watch the sports channel, one sleep in until the time of your choosing, and so on and so forth (if you’re really brave you could include a “blank cheque” one too!). What is really important to him…or what are one of those annoying daily life tasks that he can get out of. Yes, it’s more elbow grease from you but, personally, I’ll be happy when I’m trying on a pair of new shoes at Harrods in London that I couponed my way out of this one! Check out Martha Stewart.com for an awesome Father’s Day coupon book template.

With a little creativity and a lot of heart you can make a wonderful Father’s Day. It really is the thought that counts and I think that putting in the effort is worth so much more than anything you could buy in the store!

Here’s a little poem that I want to include in my hubby’s card – he always makes me cry with those cheesy box store cards…let’s see how he holds up to this, handwritten by my daughter!

Weight Loss...finally!

Since last September I have been on a weight loss journey.  I had a sweet baby girl in April of 2011 and, after taking the summer off, I decided in the fall that it was time to get up and get moving again.  If I wasn't careful, I was worried that I would never lose that dreaded baby weight.  PLUS, to top things off, I was still carrying around some twenty pounds of extra weight from my first pregnancy!

As you may know I am also a type one diabetic.  So, losing weight for me has always been a struggle because, along with normal food cravings and stresses that go with trying to drop a few pounds, I also have to deal with high and low blood glucose levels.  In the past I had just ignored my problems, with the hopes that they would magically go away.  Guess how that turned out!?

By chance one day I was having a coffee date with my girlfriend Amy.  We got on the topic of weight loss and she told me about this app that she had started using a few days prior.  Well, I didn't know it at the time but this conversation was going to change my life, literally!  The app was called My Fitness Pal and it can be used on pretty much any phone (or they also have a website).  The idea behind my fitness pal is very simple, and I believe it's this simplicity that has made it so easy for me to stick with it.  You input all your information - including your weight loss goals (do you want to lose one pound a week, half a pound, etc.) - and you are given a calorie allowance for the day.  If you work out and burn up extra calories you can eat more.  One of My Fitness Pal's best features is that, when using the app on your phone, you can scan the barcodes of the foods you are eating and the nutritional information pops up in the food logging area, it's that easy!  If you are eating let's say an apple, there is a food search option for items that do not have a barcode.

I can tell you this now, but, when I first started with My Fitness Pal, my BMI was just inside the obese category (!!!!! WTF!) and, now, I am so happy to report I am in the healthy category!  I've added a button to my blog that shows how far I've come, to date, I'm down 34 pounds!
Another aspect of My Fitness Pal that has made it a lot easier to stick to is it's social media design.  You can friend people and cheer each other on.  Personally, I've connected with tons of other diabetics (who also use an insulin pump) where, in my real life, I only know one other person who actually wears one.  Finding people who are in a similar situation to yourself can really help with the encouragement factor.

So, if you are a user of My Fitness Pal or decide that you want to go join up today, make sure you look me up!  Let's cheer each other on! :)

Here's some other resources to help you with your own weight loss journey!


You dont' need fancy equipment or an expensive gym membership to get moving!  Take this 'Fitness at Home' challenge, posted on Pinterest by Laura Merrik, and you'll see results guaranteed!

 



If you're like me you will have your i-pod BLARING music to keep you motivated...check out the Top 100 workout songs from the 1990's!

  

photo source: http://purplefoodie.com/apple-chips/

Eat healthy snacks...I love to make apple chips!  There are a few reasons they are awesome - first so easy to make.  Also, very yummy!  AND..they make your house smell DEVINE when they're baking!  Here's how you can make some:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees
2. Slice your apples (I like to go very thin because that makes them crunchier when they're baked) - Cut them evenly for a consistent crunch!
3. Sprinkle them with cinnamon
4. Bake them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 2 hours (turn them over after an hour)
5.Enjoy!

 

Do this!

I sincerely do wish you the best in your own weight related efforts and encourage you to check out My Fitness Pal...I honestly don't know where I would be without all the support I draw from it! :)


Also - one last quick tip: start a healthy living pin board on pinterest!! You can draw SO MUCH inspiration there too!  Here's a link to my pin board for just such a thing: http://pinterest.com/mrslavaj/healthy-lifestyle/

Mother's Day Love

Happy Mother's Day to all you hard working Mama's out there!! 
It's so funny because on my first few Mother's Days I expected so much.  Yes, I thought, I shall be pampered and waiting on for these 24 hours and none of my regular mother-like duties shall apply.  Well, I was usually disappointed to find that it really was like most Sundays - but I did get to sleep in! LOL...these days I'm happy to enjoy my special day - still wiping bums and cleaning up messes - but I've since discovered the real importance of today.  I love my girls with all my heart and seeing them bring me their homemade pictures and their proud face hand me some flowers,well,  it melts my heart.  I'm also so thankful to spend part of this day honouring my own mother and mother-in-law.  Wow, do they ever do a lot to help me and my family out, to support us in every way they can, and they are always there cheering us on.  I love you guys!
Here's how my day broke down in a nutshell (I hope you enjoyed your day as well!)...

sunny morning enjoying the outside world



Me and Little Miss S

"mom - I found this for you!"



I love these cards, decorated with scribbles and pictures from the girls...I always cry from the cheesy saying inside! :)



Beautiful flowers from my husband and girls

 



We served an AWESOME punch - all it takes is a can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate and 4 cups of white cranberry juice and then refridgerate for an hour.  Before serving add in some club soda and fresh mint and voila - sparkling pink punch!



The ladies and I (minus Kate who was napping)





Chocolate Covered Wow Factor (in no time flat!)

Today, sadly, my daughter had her last music class.  I say sadly because the whole experience with this program has been so positive.  She has learned a lot, met new friends, and even got to showcase what she learned earlier in the month, when the kids were part of an adorable play (the Three Piggy Opera).  I've loved going to the class with her and sitting with a group of moms while we waited for the kids (the teacher was absolutely awesome too); we were a group that really jived together well and I'm sort of sad that our weekly meetings have now come to an end!  Of course we have exchanged numbers with promises of play dates and I really hope that we follow through and continue meet up every once in a while in the future.
Because it was the last class, we had a recital of sorts, where the kids sang little solos and "played" the piano to various songs.  I was proud of Scarlett, who did so awesome!
We all brought some treats for after the performances, I opted to make some chocolate covered brownie bites.
I wanted to share this with you because they were so yummy, so easy to make, and they give off a great wow factor!  As you know, I'm back at work full time, so I don't have a lot of extra time to be baking things in the middle of the work week.  These, however, were perfect for me and my tight schedule.

Here's how you can make some of your own:
1. Bake a pan of brownies (from a box is even better because it is so very quick - you don't even need to pull out your mixer, just hand mix the ingredients). 
2. After they've cooled, break up the brownies into a bowl and then form them into balls (rolling them with your hands).

3.I put the sticks in at this point (which I bought at Micheal's craft store) and then put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to set.

4.I melted some Wilton Melts chocolate in the microwave (according the the package instructions) and then dipped my brownie bits.

 5.Apply your sprinkles of choice and let the chocolate harden on a piece of wax paper (approximately 20 minutes).

6.I tied ribbons onto each stick for a little extra whoomp!

They were perfect and quick.  The brownies are soooo very moist and very yummy.  I love these because you can change up the colour of the chocolate or sprinkles to match your own party's theme.  And, it looks like you've created something amazing - which you have - but no one needs to know you whipped it up like nothing! ;)

Like I said, we love our music teacher and I only hope that we are lucky enough to be in one of her classes again in the future.  We brought her a little gift - Scarlett coloured her a picture (lol - a self portrait!) and then I went to an amazing chocolate boutique I know of (one of the benefits of working downtown!) and got her some uberly delicious chocolate coconut disks and butter crunch.  I made a little tag for the chocolates, which was a picture of a lollipop with the words "you are so sweet" on it.

I know that as my kids get older, and are involved in the various different activities they will undoubtedly be a part of, I will meet a lot of different parents and teachers/coaches/instructors, etc.  If every experience parallels this one, I will be very happy, and will make a lot of friends along the way!

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Last night was a very special night because my family and I were celebrating both my Dad and Mom's birthdays and my little sister's college graduation.  I was given the task of bringing the birthday cake (I always volunteer for anything baking related) and had set off in search of that perfect cake!

I had a few different options in mind, mostly ones that I had pinned onto my 'baking/desert' board on Pinterest.  When I logged onto to check what I had saved, my eye immediately went to the absolute perfectly suiting cake for our celebration...yes, I'm talking about a Chocolate Guinness Cake!

This cake is so suiting for us for many different reasons.  First, I love to try baking anything new and different.  Also, my husband and dad are both Guinness freaks so I knew it would be a hit with them.  And, furthermore, my family is partaking on a trip to Ireland this summer so I thought it would be a great way to tie that in as well (my sisters graduation gift were some Euros)!

I got the recipe from Design Sponge. which by the way, has so gorgeous pictures of this cake.  It is simple to make and doesn't require any crazy ingredients or baking tools!  Perfect.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Ingredients:■250 g (1 c. and 2 tbsp) unsalted butter
■250 ml (1 c.) Guinness

■75 g Dutch process cocoa ( 3/4 c.), sifted

■275 g (2 + 1/4 c.) all purpose flour, sifted

■2 tsp. baking soda

■400 g (2 c.) sugar

■2 medium eggs

■150 ml (2/3 c.) sour cream

■1 tbsp. good quality vanilla extract

Frosting:■300 g (1 + 1/3 cup) cream cheese

■150 g (1+1/2 c.) powdered sugar, sifted

■150 ml (2/3 c.) cream, whipped

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

1. Add butter, cocoa and Guinness to a saucepan. Warm over a medium heat and stir until melted. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to cool slightly.

2. Add flour, baking soda and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix together well. Pour in the Guinness/cocoa/butter mixture, lightly combine, add the vanilla, eggs and sour cream and beat everything together until well combined. The batter should be thick and dark chocolate in color.

3. Pour into a greased and lined 10″ angel food pan (or another straight-sided tube pan) and cook in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake.*Note: This cake is very moist inside, so use your judgment regarding the skewer test. Do not leave in the oven until the cake has totally dried out — cook long enough so there is no uncooked cake on the skewer but there may be a few moist crumbs sticking to it after an hour of cooking. [Please note: This recipe is designed for using an 8.5" x 3.5" pan. If you make this in a regular angel food cake pan, you should start checking for doneness at least 15 minutes early.]

4. Leave to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the cake tin and placing on a wire wrack to cool completely.

Frosting Instructions:

1. Place the cream cheese into the bowl of a mixer and beat on a low-medium speed using a whisk attachment (I find a paddle attachment tends to over-beat the cheese). Whisk until the cheese is smooth and there are no big lumps remaining.

2. Gradually, using a large spoon, add in the sifted powdered sugar and beat gently to combine. After 2 to 3 minutes, stop the machine, scrape any excess frosting from the sides of the bowl and beat on medium speed until lump free.

3. Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in the whipped cream, mixing to fully combine.

4. Place cooled cake on a cake stand and add the frosting, spreading out just to the edge without going over the side (never go over the sides of the cake) until the cake resembles a pint of the creamy black stuff! The idea is to capture the essence and simplicity of a pint of Guinness.

This cake is so yummy (when it's baking the smell is absolutely divine!) and a great conversation piece.  I love how the dark chocolate part of the cake, topped off with the frothy looking white frosting, resembles an actual pint of Guinness!  It is soooo very moist and the frosting is a show stopper!  Do yourself a favor and try out this great recipe!  Cheers!

And finally...I have one more thing to cover - the results of my contest!!

So, I just want to send out a HUGE thank you to everyone that took the time to enter my contest, pin the posting on pinterest, and/or post it on Facebook or Twitter.  You all rock and I appreciate it so very much.

Now, by random number generator, the winner is...

Kristi from Schnitzel and Boo!!!!!

Thank you so much Kristi!!!!  I will be in contact with you to get your mailing address so that I can send you out this awesome recipe book!! :)

Celebrating with Cake and a CONTEST!

Happy April 28th!  This is a super special day to me because today is my baby girl's first birthday!!  Yes, I can't believe that an entire year has passed us by already.  It has gone by with incredible speed and looking back, yes, there have been some bad days, some tired days, and a lot of messy days but I wouldn't trade one day for anything in the world.  The amazing thing when you have children is that you almost get to re-experience the wonders of life; you discover what ice cream tastes like for the first time, feel grass in between your toes again, and believe in magic.  I love my kids so much and they bring so much joy into my life. 

Kate, I know you can't read this, but mommy loves you so very much.  You make my life so full of happiness and excitement.  I look forward to the many many years to come, being at your side, cheering you on.  I love you - happy first birthday, my sweet little girl!

We did already have Kate's big birthday party last weekend, however, we can't let her real birthday go by without doing a little something special.  So today we are having a small BBQ in her honor! 

We didn't actually have a birthday cake for her last weekend either (just a cupcake) so today I made her a very special cake from my all time favorite baking recipe book  - Baking From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

                                          

White Celebration Cake!

Cake:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Buttercream:

1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Finishing:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves, stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

2.For the Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3.Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

4.Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

5.Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one-third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

6.Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

7.Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

8.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

9.For the Buttercream: Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or other large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat.

10.Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.

11.Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6 to 10 minutes. During this time, the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

12.To Assemble the Cake: Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with the third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream left over). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

**STORING: The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to 2 days.

And there you have it, AMAZINGLY delicious cake that you can use for any important celebration!  I know the girls are going to love this cake and I hope to make it more often for our special occasions so that when they are older, they can look back at this recipe and want to recreate it themselves (maybe when they are celebrating their little one's first birthday! :)

LOL - do you think she liked it?!

NOW - don't go just yet!!  I have one more thing to cover!  I noticed this morning that I have hit a small milestone on my little blog.  I am happy to have 200 followers now!! 

In honour of this I want to have my very first give-away!!  When thinking about what I wanted to pass forward as a token of my appreciation I knew instantly what would go perfectly in co-ordination with today's post!

SO, I am giving away a brand new copy of the fabulous Ms. Dorie Greenspan's cookbook,

"Paris Sweets"!!!

 Here is a link to the amazon listing for the cookbook, if you want to check out reviews or details on it.  Today is April 28th, so I'll leave the contest open until 9am (mountain time) on May 6th - so about one week. 

To enter the contest, please just leave a comment in the comment section below.  If you pin this posting to one of your pinterest boards, you'll get two entries (PLEASE say in the comment section if you've pinned it AND a way that I can get a hold of you, should you win).

If you want to learn more about the amazing Ms. Dorie Greenspan and her recipe books, here is a link to her website.  Below are a few pics I found from other blogs who have made recipes out of this book (just to your senses tingling!!)

source: http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2007/08/23/peace-offering/

source:http://bossacafez.blogspot.ca/2010/11/eclairs-au-cafe-coffee-eclairs.html

source:http://onceuponacookie.blogspot.ca/2008/05/little-fairy-opera-cakes.html