Livin' the Dream in Lima

It's no secret that scones are my favorite breakfast treat. Give me a big fluffy scone from Great Harvest any day of the week, and I'm a happy girl. (Never mind the sugar crash that comes 2 hours later...) I'm always on the look-out for new flavors to try, and when I saw this maple-oatmeal scone recipe, I just had to make it. I even splurged on real  maple syrup! (Not the fake pancake syrup... sorry Mrs. Butterworth, you don't quite cut it for genuine maple flavor.)  These are crisp on the outside and light and flaky on the inside, with a subtle maple flavor. The oats give them a bit of heartiness, and the pecans a nice buttery crunch. Walnuts would be just as good, I'm sure. These delicious scones are perfect for fall, so hurry up and make them before the dreaded S-word comes! (Although I'm really looking forward to some snow... I'm in desperate need of a snow day. And there's something quite magical about running through freshly fallen sn...

Woo hoo for the last Friday of the school year! And only one more day of school next week. (And then a couple teacher workshops...) Another reason to be excited? Our fridge came today!! Isn't she a beauty? It is so nice to have a fridge again. You don't realize how much you miss a full-size refrigerator until you go a couple weeks without it. A bit bare... but that can be solved easily. Bottom-drawer freezer, containing the essentials: moose tracks & Diet Dew trying to get cold asap. Anyways, I'm just popping in to share my beautiful new appliance. The baking monster has taken over, and I'm in the midst of making 150 cupcakes for a graduation party tomorrow.  First big baking project in the new kitchen! I'm loving all the counter space. Mmm... chocolate buttercream! Making good use of the baking nook! :) Adios!

The last few days have been a bit crazy, to say the least. Sunday was our big Moving Day , and on Monday I went to Cedar Point with my calculus class all day, including driving home through a tornado warning. Our bus driver was a beast and got us all back safely. We're finally getting a bit settled into our new house, and by a 'bit settled', I mean that the kitchen is halfway organized. That's all that matters, right? This was 'mid-move'. It looks much better now. But I'm not showing a pic until it's perfect! One thing that I'm really excited about is our new fridge. The house didn't come with one, so I got to pick out my very own! It was a little tricky, because our space is only 31" wide, so there weren't a lot of options. This is what we ended up with: Just kidding. We actually ordered a side-by-side with a bottom-drawer freezer, but it won't be here until after Memorial Day. The great people at Bindel's Appli...