Hello! (again.)

So, I'm starting fresh and giving this bloggy another go. Since I didn't start off so well last time around (only two posts and then... nada. oops.), I'm not making any big promises. But, I will say that I really want to do this thing. So... Lets! :)

♥ 

I've really been loving Fat Mum Slim's monthly photo challenges and seeing everyone's different takes on her daily prompts!

So, this month I'm joining in! Here are my photos for the first 7 days of  Photo a Day July!

Day 1: Self Portrait 

Well, this is me. :)

Day 2: Busy 

A Busy(ish) Starbucks in Walnut Creek.

Day 3: Best Part of my Day 

Glass of Skinnygirl Margarita and The Real Housewives Top 20 Reunion Moments. 

This + my fiancé + pup snuggled next to me on the couch = bliss.

Day 4: Fun 

4th of July! Beautiful fireworks in Sonoma.

Day 5: On the Floor 

My sweet little guy, Jesse, playing with his peanut-butter-filled kong.

Day 6: Chair 

A Big Blue Adirondack Chair at Cornerstone Sonoma. This chair is big! Really big! A cute photo op for tourists. :) Ha! I love the obviousness of the sign!

Day 7: Garden 

Pretty flowers in a planter near my front door. The little white/creamy yellow snapdragons look just like little pieces of popcorn! 

So that does it for the first week's photos! I'll be back back with next Sunday with another round! Let me know if you're keeping up with the photo challenge - I'd love to check out your photos! :)


 xx, Millie

Harvest Pound Cake

Hello again! 

I know that there has been quite a delay between posts. Sorry about that. I'll be better. : )

Let's talk about Autumn. And cake! You see, Autumn is my very favorite time of year and in trying to embrace the season, the boyfriend and I decided to try our hand at apple picking! It was a first for both of us, and so much fun! We ventured out to a ranch in nearby Petaluma and got our apple picking on. We ended up filling up a brown paper bag (grocery size) about 3/4 full, hoping that we'd gathered enough to make a batch of apple butter (another first!). Well, we definitely had enough. Enough for apple butter (four jars), apple turnovers, this apple cake, and still plenty left! Whew. It's a good thing the boyfriend likes apples! 

The cake, I have to say, turned out delish! The caramel glaze makes this cake, so don't even think about leaving it out. ; )

Harvest Pound Cake
(adapted from this recipe)

Cake:

2 cups of granulated sugar
1¼ cups of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3 medium apples, cored, peeled, and finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup of chopped walnuts

Caramel Glaze: 

½ cup of butter
½ cup of packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons of milk

Heat oven to 350º 
Grease and flour bundt or pound cake pan.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda until smooth. Stir in apples and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake one hour (check for doneness with toothpick). Remove cake from pan and cool 20 minutes on cooling rack.

In a saucepan, heat all glaze ingredients to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and spoon glaze over warm cake. 

Voila! Enjoy!

xx, Millie

Hi!

art print via

I'm Millie and I am so excited to get this little bloggy started! I've been wanting to blog about so many things for so long, but didn't quite know where to begin!

So, let's just start with...

Hello!

And welcome! 

I am hoping to blog about all of the little bits of lovely that I encounter along my journey of leading a happy and healthy life. So what to expect? Some food. Some fashion. Some weight loss... 

Can't Wait!

xx, Millie