sweet revelry

This week I won a dozen cupcakes from Revelry Cupcake Company. Autumn, owner and talented baker, let me pick from a list of tempting flavors. I chose the "Boston Cream Pie" cupcakes.

They were super yummy - vanilla cake with pastry cream, topped with chocolate ganache.

I also ordered two of Revelry's gelato pints - decadent coffee milk and dark chocolate. Rich and creamy, perfect. Thank you Revelry for an amazing week of sweets!

You could be the next contest winner! Follow Revelry's blog or like Revelry on facebook for notifications on the next contest. 

remembering my great grandma

All of our regular routines came to a halt last week when my great grandmother died and we headed to Kansas to gather with our enormous family and pay tribute to her long life. She lived 96 incredible years.

She was born in 1914, the year that the First World War began. She grew up in the same small Kansas town where she died. My great grandmother was married and raised four children during the harrowing years of the Depression. She has so many great - grandchildren I can’t even count, but I never realized that I was one of so many all these years, as special as she made me feel. 

She baked amazing apple pies and loved to paint, sew, travel and spend time with her family.  I’m so glad that Amelie got to meet her great-great grandma last year. Ammy was just a baby, 8 months, and my grandma was so excited to squeeze and kiss Ammy's little chubby feet.

Ammy's Great-Great Grandma Otte, with Amelie and me last year

I’m missing her now and feel so lucky to have loved her all these years.