Time for a Change

Dear Fellow Followers,

It's time to change this blog.  Let's face it - I'm not caking as much as I used to and that's why I originally started Act of Sweetness.  I'm not even baking as much as I used to, and I'm definitely not sewing so much these days.

Please update your blog readers to the address: http://www.hawleydaygreetings.blogspot.com 


I will switch this blog over to that address in the next few days.

Until then, I'll leave you with this most awesomely-wonderful photo:

Yes, it's a foot.  And it's mine.  Okay, not really mine, but I have possession of it.  This foot is the reason I haven't blogged in months--I've been too busy sleeping, eating, and finding new clothes that actually fit me.

I can't wait to meet the owner of this foot--sometime in November!

Until then, change your bookmarked address for this blog and I'll keep you updated with pictures and stories.

Time for a Change

Have you noticed our new blog address?
Update your readers – we are now at hawleydaygreetings.blogspot.com
I am doing this because with our new addition on the way, I sense a change of hobbies coming.  Baking, and especially caking, has dwindled at my house, and even sewing has taken a back seat for a while.  I’m changing to a family blog for now so we can keep family and friends near and far updated on happenings at the Hawley House.
For now, I’ll be cleaning up the old blog and possibly back-dating some new posts that have been sitting in my draft box for a while.  I won’t promise a timely posting of new news, but when it comes, it’ll be housed here.

I’ve been adopted!

My last post introduced a new ‘activity’ I am participating in.  One evening back in January, I was surfing food blogs, gathering inspiration to continue working on my blog, and looking for yummy recipes to try.  I came across this post at Dine and Dish.  I was interested in the idea.  I commented on the post, stating that by the rules I would be an experienced blogger, but felt I am still very much a newbie.
I was paired up with Deanna, from Occasional Sugar.  I mentioned her in my last post where I also described the adoption process.  The night I posted I was supposed to be doing some online PD, not reading her blog, so I wrote very little.  Since then, I have sifted through her many posts and found that we are quite similar in many ways.  I’ll leave it to you to read her blog and find those similarities.  Deanna said she also still feels like a newbie so we are working through the mentoring process together, helping each other continue to learn and grow in blogging abilities.
While I was reading some of her posts on Tuesday, I was also baking.  A few teachers at school had requested cupcakes for Wednesday and I wanted to try another vanilla recipe for the wedding.  Josh knew I would be baking cupcakes so he requested chocolate.  How could I turn him down?
I turned to Deanna’s blog for inspiration and found what appears to be her favorite chocolate cake recipe.  A match made in heaven…or my kitchen.  Josh wants chocolate cake and she has chocolate cake!  I promptly made these cupcakes:

Josh and I didn’t like the flavor of these cupcakes as much as another chocolate recipe I found, but they were quite good.  The teachers at school gave them rave reviews.
I am looking forward to the next few months of blogging and learning with Deanna.
Emily's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
from Occasional Sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup cold water
1 cup mayo
1 tsp vanilla
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Add 1 cup cold water, 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 tsp vanilla.
Beat until well combined.
Bake in 8 x 8 x 2” pan, 30 – 45 min. at 350.
Double ingredients for 9 x 13” pan. Bake 50 – 60 minutes.
(325 for glass pans)

Another new experience: Adopt-a-blogger

I’m always up for new experiences and I’ve found a good one.  I was reading Dine and Dish one day and stumbled upon a post about adopting a new blogger to mentor them through a few months of food blogging.
I left my comment stating that I’d love to be mentored even though I technically qualified to be a mentor.  I’m certainly not experienced even though I’ve been on here for a while.  I recently received a message from my new buddy Deanna from Occasional Sugar.   Interestingly, she had also ‘signed up’ to be mentored, not to be a mentor.  We’ve decided that we’ll mentor each other through the next few months and see where we end up. 
Now, since it’s a school night and tomorrow is a very busy day, I must sign off.  In the next few days I’ll post a little more about Deanna, and hopefully give an update on what’s been going on in my kitchen. 
As I go, I’ll leave you with this post from Occasional Sugar.
She says:

Most of you probably know that I am getting married this year and most of you have probably figured out that I am planning on baking cupcakes to serve at this massive event. There has been a lot of talking but not a whole lot of baking going on and I'm starting to get anxious.

…does anyone see the similarities between me and Deanna already?  This could be a fun couple of months.

Blog update in progress

I am trying to increase my blogging abilities…writing, photographing, posting, layout settings, etc…  Please bear with me as this blog goes through some changes in the coming days and weeks.
If you have any suggestions about learning to blog, please feel free to share them.
Thank you,
allison


thoughts of spring on another chilly snow day…