Cookies...and Cake

Colds...the only miserable thing about having a lot of snow outside so we stay home and the germs pile up and there you go, runny noses for everyone! Lilli and Carmen have actually been quite happy despite the runny noses, coughing....etc. Luckily (knock on wood) Eric hasn't been afflicted.

Lilli has picked up a few new words that really crack me up, "cookie" and "wowie" (which when translated is "owie") Lilli will point out little marks on her skin, or yours, and say "wowie." I think it's been building since Lilli started noticing the little strawberry birthmark on Carmen's belly and thought it looked like an owie! Lilli absolutely loves King of the Hill (a cartoon tv series about a family in Texas) she gets up in the morning and asks for "Bobby" (who is the little boy in the show) I think it's the main thing that's kept her happy through these winter months and not being able to go outside everyday. Another of her favorite pastimes recently is trying to put pajamas on during the day. Since she doesn't go to bed easily the pajamas are one of my tools to get her excited about bed, so it's been a real battle to hide them from her until bedtime!

Carmi got another tooth and is working on several others, she has three teeth in total. I am amazed at how happy she still is. We have been introducing a few solid foods the last two or three weeks and have managed to find a couple that she likes. Rice cereal and sweet potatoes were a big hit, she hated pears, and is somewhere in between with avacado. She has been rolling around like crazy, and has gotten up on her hands and knees and rocked on them, I'm guessing she will start crawling in the next month.
We have Carmen's follow up with the Cardiologist this week to make sure her VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect) healed up okay and the heart murmur isn't going to cause problems.

Eric is moving closer and closer to finishing his requirements. He actually has everything he needs lined up, now it's just about making sure his patient's show up for their appointments. He signed up to take written boards for the WREB (Western boards)on March 10th, National Boards March 29th and then the good ol' three day practical April 15-17th.

We've had a steady stream of people looking at the house, I think we're averaging about one look a week, which I've been told is a good sign that we are asking the right price. We're hoping to sell in June to give Eric a couple extra weeks to finish his requirements if needed.

And now for the good part....
I made this Ginger-Carrot Cake for Sunday dessert and it turned out so good I thought I would share the recipe.

Let 4 eggs sit at room temp for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease two 9" rounds (I line the pan with tinfoil and grease it, then it comes right out and you can peel the foil off the cake, it keep the shape perfect)

Dry ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups finely shredded carrot (lightly packed)
3/4 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated gingerroot OR 3/4 tsp. ground ginger added to dry ingredients.

Stir together wet and dry ingredients, Bake for 30-35 minutes, then let cool.
I suggest freezing for 15-20 minutes to make frosting easy. The cake tastes even better after it has sat for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz box cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened ( I usually do 10 seconds in the microwave cause I forget to get it out early!)
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 1/2-6 cups powdered sugar