ina's mocha chocolate icebox cake

breakthrough. I think I may have just improved an ina recipe. yes, the food goddess, ina garten. how arrogant is that? she's got this delicious recipe for a mocha chocolate icebox cake, but you see, it calls for layering in box cookies. now I'm sure that these $8 tate's cookies that she calls for in her recipe are tasty. however, as a lover of cookie cakes (that place in the mall is the best), I thought it would be better to give this cake a soft cookie crust bottom. so if you ever decide to make ina's cake (which is surprisingly easy), I highly recommend switching it up & giving this method a try. because I'm no ina, but I do know a good cookie cake when I meet one, and this is a winner. and a happy mother's day to my mom & grammie, who also agreed.

 {make cookie dough -I used a bag mix *gasp*-  & spread into bottom of spring-form pan}

 {bake it for about 15 minutes}

  {let the cookie cool & make the mocha topping. spread on top of cookie. let chill overnight}

  {chop up some chocolate shavings for the top to hide any imperfections}

{cut a big slice because if not, you'll have to go back for seconds}

cake plate addiction

not only am I addicted to cake, I'm also addicted to buying the adorable little stands on which they're displayed. I've had a crush on cake plates for many years & have slowly added to my collection. I honestly did not realize the amount of cake plates I actually owned until I unpacked them all after moving a few weeks ago. and I found 3 more cakes plates after I took this shot. I need an intervention. 

we bought a house!

guys! I bought my very first house! well, "we" bought a house, but robert's not a property virgin like I am. it was pretty exciting. I can't wait to share the story of how we found this original 1950s gem. we're trying decide if we should start a separate blog to keep up with the house renovations or what. I'll keep you posted. for now, here are a few photos of our move over easter weekend. we are living with my parents right now until the hardwood floors are refinished so all our junk is packed into the garage & florida room. hopefully we'll actually get to move in next weekend! so much to do....

{closing day! we got the keys}

{the penske. a love-hate relationship}

{we filled this puppy up twice}

{thank the lord for robert's friends, brothers & my dad for helping us move!}

{and robert's nephew for doing most of the heavy lifting}

{yup. garage is packed.}

happy (belated) easter

this post is a week late but I hope everyone had a wonderful easter weekend. and thanks to my mom for whipping up an amazing meal and dessert (my kitchenaid is still packed away). and also for making sure the easter bunny still frequents the house every year ;)

jonathan adler for jcp

so apparently I've been living under a rock because I am just now discovering the "happy chic" line that jonathan adler designed for jcpenney. and it is adorable! here are some of my favorite pieces. check out the whole collection here.

a sea of boxes

we are in the midst of moving & it's a tad bit overwhelming. you never realize how much stuff you actually have until you box it up (I'm going on 200+ boxes right now). perhaps it's a sign that I should layoff the estate sales for awhile. 

sold!

the first day of spring seems like a perfect time to announce some big changes on the horizon. we sold our much-loved 1935 bungalow. robert bought this house 14 years ago. when we got married 6 years ago & I moved in, it was a bit of a bachelor pad. action figures on the mantel, a pool table in lieu of a dining room table, plastic mini blinds. you know. guy stuff. but we slowly saved our pennies & started updating it bit by bit to make it feel more like our home. we painted, bought some new furniture (no, plywood over the pool table would not suffice as a dining room table), updated the bathroom, added a deck & landscaped the backyard, totally renovated the kitchen, & turned this house into a home that we absolutely love.

we never thought we would want to sell it, especially after all of the blood, swear & tears we put into it. but robert has always had a weakness for mid-century homes, and a really cool one pretty much fell into our laps (more on that later). we planned to buy it & renovate it for a few months while our house sat on the market. but much to our surprise, the day we listed our house, we had a record-breaking number of showings along with 3 offers by the end of the day. we are grateful in how quickly it sold, but also trying to grasp the fact that we have to be out of here & into our new house in a matter of weeks. 

things are about to get crazy. but I did want to take the time to post some photos of our "finished" first home. while we are definitely excited about all that's to come, our first house will always be so very special to us. there is so much love in this home, I hope the next owner will feel it too.