s March 2013 - The Kim Six Fix
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Last Minute Easter Roundup

Unlike years past I haven't really jumped into Easter this year.  We did dye eggs and are expecting a visit from the Easter bunny, but I didn't decorate the house.  
 
Honestly, things have been crazy here and I feel bad that I haven't posted in a while.**   So instead of continuing the blog silence, I thought I would feature some of my favorite previous Easter projects.

These Salted Caramel Birds' Nest Cookies have been a big hit on Pinterest.

And here is last years' Easter Mantle (shhh.. I didn't even do an Easter Mantle this year!)
 
I love these twine wrapped eggs:

And this super fun and easy Easter spray painted bean vase filler:
 

Even though I didn't go all out this year, the girls did have a good time using the cheap dollar store dying kit:

The eggs came out pretty cute even if they aren't Pinterest worthy!  

And the most important part is that it still feels a lot like Easter!   I hope you have a wonderful one!

 
 
**So..

Yeah..

It has been a while since I have had a new post.  But life has thrown me for a loop.  Really, this pregnancy has thrown me.  For some reason, my third pregnancy has been filled with time-sucking, irritating, frustrating, disgusting and bizarre complications that I have never experienced with my first two.  
 
I have spent more time in doctor's offices in the past month, then the last few years combined.  

Combine that with spring break, and the fact I want to spend as much time with my girls before they are bombarded with an attention-grabbing newborn means I have stepped away from the DIY projects, and my blog, for the time being.  

We expect this new baby to arrive by the end of this month (OH MY GOSH!) and it is just sinking in.   I hope my regular readers will bear with me, and any newbies to TheKimSixFix will understand this isn't my typical pattern.  

The blog is still alive.. it is just on a temporary per-maternity break!

Apple Pecan Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

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When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I KNEW I had to try it.. immediately.

And I am so glad I did.
 
Between the pecan and apple cake, sweet cream cheese filling and caramel frosting, it is like I died and went to heaven! 
 
I will be honest when I say this recipe isn't exactly easy.  There are a lot of steps and a lot of dishes, and a LOT of calories, but it is really really good!  I did modify the recipe from Ali at Jam Hands to make it slightly simpler, but without sacrificing taste.
 
First, you must prepare the cake batter (which also requires peeling and chopping apples)
 
Preheat oven to 350º
 
Combine the following ingredients:
  •     3 cups all-purpose flour
  •     1 cup granulated sugar
  •     1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  •     2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  •     1 teaspoon salt
  •     1 teaspoon baking soda
  •     1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
  •     1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  •     3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  •     3/4 cup canola oil
  •     3/4 cup applesauce
  •     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 Stir in:
  •     3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (about 1 1/2 lb.) 
  •     1 cup finely chopped pecans 
 
Next prepare the cream cheese filling:
  •     1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  •     1/4 cup butter, softened
     
  •     1/2 cup granulated sugar
  •     1 large egg
  •     2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  •     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add 1/2 of the cake batter to a greased/floured bundt pan, and spoon cream cheese filling in a line trying to stay away from the pan edges.  Swirl filling through batter with a knife.  Spoon remaining 1/2 of cake batter over the top.

This is what my swirled filling looked like after baking:
 

Bake at 350º for 1-1 1/2 hours (until knife comes out clean) and let cool completely before frosting.

Finally, prepare the caramel pecan frosting, by bringing the following to a boil over medium heat:
  •     1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  •     1/4 cup butter
  •     3 tablespoons milk
Remove from heat and whisk in:
  •     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  •     1 cup powdered sugar
Pour over cooled cake and top with 1 cup of pecan halves (I also poured/spooned a little frosting over the pecans to glaze them) and then dust with powdered sugar:
 
I told you it was a lot of work.. but just look at it.  You should be drooling!   And it tastes as good as it looks!  

Time to hit the gym!

A Simple Green St. Patty's Mantle

 
I decided to do minimal decorating for St. Patrick's Day this year since it falls so close to Easter.  But I didn't want to do NOTHING. My kids love trying to trap the leprechaun, and I didn't want to pass it over completely, so I decided to go with a clean simple green mantle this year thrown together with stuff that was already on hand.
 
I did end up re-using a lot of the accessories I used last year on my mantle, and the only new thing I purchased was a large green felt shamrock that I double-sided taped to the mirror:
 
On one side of the mantle was a green glass wine bottle, some green apples and a potted plant:
 
My favorite little green owl, a 'faux jadite" vase and a depression glass plate I got from my grandmother were on the other side: 

That little vase looks so festive on a St. Patty's mantle, especially when you know it used to look like this:
 
A simple, clean way to quickly decorate for St. Patrick's day without being awash in shamrocks and leprechauns!   I confess, I also did hang my green coffee filter wreath on the door again this year.  Waste not, want not! 

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February in Review: Valentines and Sweet Treats!

I realize I haven't been posting as frequently as normal lately, but keeping up with my DIY projects while 7.5 months pregnant hasn't been easy.   Plus, to add insult to injury, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have been spending a lot of time at my doctors' offices.  Not nearly as fun as home improvement!
 
I have been working on converting our home office into the new nursery, but I don't have much to show for my efforts.  I didn't think a post about cleaning out thousands of books and papers would be that interesting!

So what DID I do this month? 
 
My most popular post this month was my tutorial on staining oak cabinetry:
 
Of course February was all about Valentine's day.  And I worked on a couple of versions of school Valentines:

And the less expensive alternative: Flower Seed Valentines:

Speaking of flowers, I also showed you my daughter's old Flower Garden Bedroom which had previously been a home office (notice a trend here?)

Finally, February also included a lot of sweet treats such as our Cookies and Hot Chocolate Party:



Boy.. Looking back at all those sweet treats really makes me miss my carbs!!  Only about 8 more weeks and hopefully I can eat them once again!  Fingers crossed.

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