NEW52-well over due

Since the summer of 2011, I've been wanting to try standup paddle boarding.  I got a groupon for Tate and I to take a lesson.  Well 2011 past and I still had this one last thing for NEW52 that was still not done.  Fast forward to January 28, 2012 (+ expiration date for the group on) and I finally hopped on board.  Here are some photos from our instructor from Hawaiian Surf Adventures as proof of my accomplishment.  It was a lot of fun.  I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't for the wind.  It kept pushing me into the reef and I had a hard time paddling back out of it.

Here are some layouts to share.

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Thanks for stopping by.  I enjoyed sharing my adventures with all of you.

2012

Welcome 2012!

Do you make resolutions?  Keep a one little word for the year?  Most times, I do neither.  It is too big of a commitment for me.  However, this year, I choose "balance."  I figured it is a pretty harmless goal, not a hard number or specific.  I just want to keep check and balance all the important things in my life.  Here is a layout to remind me of my goal.

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So 2011 was all about NEW52, trying to do something NEW each week.  Result:  loved it!  It gave me a reason to look forward to the next week and to document my adventures on my blog.  I'm glad that you all came along on this journey with me.  As for 2012, I decided to do project 366.  Yup, this is a leap year and I'm going to take a photo a day.  Wish me luck.  I don't think I will post daily photos here on my blog, too much work.  I will try to do a monthly recap.

Are you doing Project Life?  I've been so on the fence about this one.  On one hand, I really want to do it.  Hence, you can see my digi version of a page.  However, I don't know if I will keep up with it.  I still have my summer album and december daily left to do.  I finally printed out my december photos, got a cover done, now I just have to work on the inner guts.  I hope to share that with you soon.

I spent the last few days working on some Christmas layouts.  Can you tell that I loved the photos that I took of Bostyn at our girls day out with Santa? and that I love wood grain papers.

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Christmas 2011

Sorry,  I forgot to add this to my last post.

Our Christmas card by the very talented Lisa Uesugi of Utopia Photography.  Lisa only shoots in black and white film.  How she does it so effortlessly with gorgeous photos each time is beyond me.

The one gift that Bostyn really wanted from Santa this year was a princess castle.  As soon as she saw it in the Toys R Us catalog she asked to cut it out and tape to our wall so Santa knew exactly what she wanted.

I hope all of you enjoyed your Christmas holiday and got everything you wanted from Santa.

NEW52-Week50, 51, 52

Okay, 3 weeks worth in this post to finish off 2011 so I promise to keep it brief.

Week 50, this was Bostyn's first public performance (NEW for all of us).  This is her preschool's annual Christmas show.  It was so cute.  I have an arrow pointing to Bostyn and her friend Jake.  So why Jake? Bostyn tells us that she is going to marry him because "he is cute."

Week 51, I saw this idea on pinerest and knew this is what I wanted to try out for little gifts.  Instead of hot chocolate mix, I filled it with baked brownies.  Here is a photo of how mine came out.  I love the addition of the doily on top and the felt ornament.

Week 52, new dessert.  I saw this recipe for pumpkin haupia squares in my local newspaper and really wanted to try it out.  Basically it has a shortbread crust on bottom, pumpkin pie, then a layer of haupia on top.  When I do it next time, I want to make two pans to split the pumpkin pie part, and double the haupia.  The haupia was my favorite and think it would be better if there were more.  It turned out really yummy!  For those of you not familiar with haupia, it is kinda like a coconut jello using coconut milk.

I left the recipe for you below since you can't access the actual newspaper site unless you are a paid subscriber.

Pumpkin-Haupia Squares

» Crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup chopped toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans, peanuts, macadamia nuts or a mixture)

2 sticks of butter, cut in small cubes (cold, not softened)

» Pumpkin filling:

2 large eggs

1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (2 cups)

1/2 cup brown sugar, unpacked

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

» Haupia Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup water

12-ounce can coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, then line with foil or baking parchment.  Grease and flour the foil.

To make crust: Combine flour, sugar and nuts. Cut in butter until mixture is a sandy texture. Press into prepared pan.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

To make filling: Whisk eggs. Add pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, spices and salt; whisk to combine. Gradually stir in milk. Pour over crust and bake 30-35 minutes, until set in center. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

To make haupia topping: Combine sugar and cornstarch in medium pot. Stir in water, blend well. Cook over medium heat, slowly adding coconut milk and whisking constantly until bubbly and thickened. Cool slightly, then pour over pumpkin layer, smooth top and refrigerate until firm.

Use edges of foil or parchment to lift dessert from pan. Place on cutting board, pull away foil or parchment and cut into 32 bars.