The House on Cemetery Hill-My first book is set to come out later this year!

Check out all the latest updates for The House on Cemetery Hill on twitter or my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/thehouseoncemeteryhill

https://twitter.com/KC_Green_

Finished the cover last week, and just waiting on editing. Fingers crossed that the book will be available before Halloween!

My New Businesses

It's October-normally a busy time of year.

This year of course is no exception starting with a bake sale from my new business, Sweetheart Bakery, at the beginning of the month to help raise money for when the Boys & Girls Club came to trick or treat at our office.

After tallying all the pre-orders I was ready to start baking. 246 brownies later I had enough money to buy glitter, paint, and whatever other items I needed to make a fairy land.

My mixer was my saving grace that weekend!

The finish product. All 246 came out gooey and chocolaty.

Sadly, after all the work and buying all the supplies, I found out the kids were not able to come this year to our office. I can't even explain how disappointed and sad I was. Maybe next year?

Good news is I already have pre-orders for Sweetheart Bakery in November, and am already booked solid.

~

On to Business #2!

BubbleUp Creations.

I love to create these little super mushrooms. The one pictured above is one of my favorites. I'm afraid he and most of the items I have are all sold. I'm completely back ordered and with some rather complicated special orders-I'm a busy girl.

All of these are sold except the large poison mushroom, but I have a feeling he will be gone around Christmas time.

I just love this little guy at the office. He matches perfectly with my coffee mug.

This is my favorite picture of the little guy. I am working on another one right now for a rush order and just got another order in today for one.

Lord-could I please have more hours in the day and a few more hands to do the work?

I love these little Super Mario Galaxy stars. These are 2 different styles that I make.

These guys are perfect for Halloween. I had so much fun making them!

This mini was sold before I could even take pictures of him. Good thing the person who bought him didn't mind me taking a few shots before he went to his new home.

Thanks-you know who you are!

This is my current special order that I am working on. I have started the head and am enjoying creating him. I made his hair the other day and am really happy with it.





I can't believe Halloween is only in a few days.

I've really enjoyed October, even if it has been busy.

I've really been having a lot of fun with Andy.

He put up our ghost lights this year and did a wonderful job.

Per our usual October festivities we went to Cheryl's pumpkin carving party. She had the best salsa dip there. Here are our pumpkins. I am sure you can't guess which is mine. ;)

Andy and I bought this new candy dish this year. I just love it.

So that was October. Wow-did it go by fast.

I hope all my friends and family have a very happy Halloween!

Bake Time

So~I've been busy. :)

I have started a little bakery blog. Take a look.

http://sweetheartbakery-sedonaromance.blogspot.com/

Seaside Inspiration

Life had been normal and routine. I needed to get away from it all, to see something new that would inspire my thoughts, and help me to organize my ideas. This past weekend was just what I needed; starting with seaside inspiration.

The cold of the salty sea breeze pushes past my face. My hair is caught by the wind and floats freely until I pull it back. Golden rays of sunlight filter through the clouds down onto murky waves. The sea is calming as the tide comes in, and I watch as the cold water nears my feet. I am at peace here. All the calamity of the world that has been resting on my shoulders simply releases into the wind.

What better way to start a trip to San Diego then to go to Seaport Village to shop. Over 50 cute little cottages nestled amongst skyscrapers, the little village of shops stand out; however, this time is special. I'm on a mission. It is my good friend Andi's birthday next week. I know exactly what I'm going to get her.

Seaport Village Shell Company is one of my favorite stores to visit at Seaport Village. My husband took me to this shop on our honeymoon. He knew I would love it, and he was right. Our first time there we bought a beautiful gel candle that smelled like the ocean on a clear day. It was the smallest candle, and we still have plenty of it. The best part about gel candles is they last forever.
I got Andi the largest vanilla scented candle. It looks just like the one pictured above. She had to have it. I knew that it would warm her spirit as it burned brightly, and bring her happy blissful moments as she knitted. I made her some brownies to go with it. Every girl deserves a little chocolate on her birthday!

Seaport village is a magical place. There are horse drawn carriages like this one that go up, and down the streets. At night the carriages have twinkling lights on them. It's all very romantic and beautiful.

One of the best things about the location is that you are right next to the bay, and can watch the ships coming into port. I love the beautiful fountain. The sceneary alone melted months of stress.

Along with the beautiful fountains there is also wild life. We saw this elegant crane. At one point he even caught a bright orange fish in it's beak.

Of course while shopping I'd find this. I love watermelon things. I'm such a sucker for them. Of course you all know I adore Hello Kitty. This is at home on my night stand.

This little guy just made me laugh.

This adorable little girl was holding this. Everywhere you go at Seaport village there are entertainers and people who make amazing things.

On our second day we had Andy's neice's birthday. Diana is such a cute girl. We're blessed to have her. After the party we went to the beach. I loved just watching the waves crash into the sand, and picking up smooth charcoal colored rocks.

When it got dark we went to the Pier to eat. Though you cannot tell from this picture it was actually very crowded with people fishing. The long pier went far out into the ocean. Once seated and eating it was a strange thought to realize right below our family was the water. Once we left the cafe' I was able to take this piture. The air was so cold and the sea mist felt so good against my skin. It is a night I will always remember.

The trip was worth this picture. It is my favorite of all the pictures I took while in San Diego. As we are walking on the pier little Diana looks back at me. It is like in her eyes there is a story-one that I may never fully know.

It reminds me of life, and though I am right in the middle of it-I may never fully understand it. I guess I am just a simple person. As the night ended I found myself cuddling in the cold with Andy watching dark waves crash against jetting rocks, yet surrounded by the warmth of family. It was bliss.

Pies Galore

I am happy to report, after my long blogging absence, that we are finally moved into our beautiful new home. It has been enjoyable these last two weeks. After the two day rush of opening boxes, unpacking, organizing, and deep cleaning our home before my brothers arrived, I finally got to relax-my way.

Baking pies is one of the best ways I can think of to relax. Normally I only have the opportunity to bake one pie, but with having my brothers coming to visit I realized I could make at least two. I asked my brothers what kind of pies they wanted. Eli, wanted a pecan or chocolate pie. Tommy, wanted a strawbehrry rhubarb. Eli's pie was easy. My husband had found a chocolate pecan pie recipe years back and we had made it several times together with huge success. It is now a holiday favorite. Tommy's pie on the other hand I had never made. I searched the internet for days trying to find the best rated strawberry rhubarb pie recipe.

One night as I was searching through a website of pie recipes, my husband stops me, and asks me to go back a few pies. I went back until my husband points to a beautiful blueberry crumble pie and says, "that one". He then adds that it is very nice that I was making both my brothers pies, and continued telling me how much he appreciated all the baking I did.

When my brothers arrived I was ready to make my three pies; chocolate pecan, strawberry rhubarb, and yes, you guessed it, blueberry crumble. I made everything from scratch starting with the pie crusts.

This red Kitchen Aid mixer is probably one of my most precious possessions. On my wedding day my grandmother gave it to me. I have no idea how I lived without it. It makes mixing pie crusts easy.


Here is Tommy's strawberry rhubarb pie in the making. I went for a more traditional look by placing strips of pie crust on top. I coated it with egg yolk so it would be golden.


I'm afraid I did not put foil on the edges in time so it did get slightly toasted, but that was my fault. I added some In the Raw sugar to the top of the pie. It was the perfect finishing touch. This is now one of my favorite pies to make and eat.


Moving onto Eli's chocolate pecan pie. I love this pie because it is so easy to make and doesn't take long to cook. It is great served cold or warm and goes great with coffee. With fall just around the corner its a perfect pie for chilly weather.

Onto the main event. Blueberry crumble pie. I got the biggest blueberries at the farmers market. They were so sweet. I could not wait to put them into a pie. After adding some sugar, spice, and everything delectable they were ready to be poured into the pie crust.

I enjoy making pie crust. I found a really easy and simple recipe a few years back and it saves me so much time in comparison to my award winning pie crust. Best part is that it still comes out flaky, golden, and complimentary to pie filling. The simplicity of rolling out pie crust really is great for melting away long weeks of frustration and stress. If all else fails just take it out on the dough-it can handle it.

After pouring in the sweet juicy blueberry pie filling I was able to make the crumbe topping from scratch. One would not necessarily think that making this from scratch would matter, but it really does.

After adding the crumble topping I felt a sense of pure accomplishment. I made this from scratch, with love, and the return was sure to be sweet.

After an hour and a half baking, and six hours of cooling, my blue berry masterpiece was finished. To compliment each slice I served it with home made whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. It was quickly a family favorite.

The crumbe crust was one of my favorite things about this pie. It was sweet, crunchy, and after topping the pie with a little In the Raw sugar it glittered with sugary goodness. Needless to say this pie, along with my others, did not last long. Truly, there is no better compliment to baking then others overeating.

My brother took a picture of me baking. I really felt in my element and I think that shows.

To all my readers I hope I've inspired you to want to go home, put on an apron, and bake a pie-or two.

Healthy Eating, Motivation, & Jillian

So recently, besides the hectic moving, I've been eating extra healthy.

I feel great!

My sweet tooth

My new favorite treat is raspberries, blueberries, & milk. I eat it in the morning for breakfast. It's a great way to start the morning since it is full of antioxidants, B vitamins, and tastes really yummy!

I just started watching "Losing It" with Jillian Michaels and it has been a great summer motivation to continue riding that one extra mile. After Biggest Loser was over I had no idea what I would do for my Tuesday tv motivation, but thankfully Jillian was there to save the day!

Check it out. Tuesday at 8/7c. Isn't she just fabulous!

Do you know she eats chocolate everyday? Really. I love her for it!

She is a total inspiration for me.

Spa Day

Some days all you can think about is getting a massage.

I don't know about you, but this week has been hectic. What better way to escape then a much deserved day at the spa.

Want to take the spa home? Try a HoMedics foot spa.
At $29.99 it's a small price to pay for some relaxation.

http://www.homedics.com/home/spa/foot-spas-foot-baths-pedicure.html