Fresh Blueberry Scone

with a lemon glaze

2 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

note: I will probably cut down on the butter in the future. It puddled a little on the tray leading me to believe there was a little more than needed.

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt using the paddle attachment. Cut the cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the butter is mixed in and is the size of peas. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs and whipping cream with a fork. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the cream and egg mixture. Turn off the mixer once added. Fold in blueberries .

Put some flour on the counter. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Add some flour onto the top of the dough, then pat it out into a disk - about 8-9 inches in diameter. Cut the disk into 6 pieces like a pie.

note: these scones were BIG. I will probably cut them smaller in the future.

Separate the pieces and put them on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

To make the glaze, stir together lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Note: I did not need nearly that much icing and had to add a lot more powdered sugar to get it thick enough, so start with the sugar and add juice to it as needed.

This recipe was taken from this blog and tweeked slightly.

Creativity!

I've been pinning! Here is what I have been up to along with the links to the project below.

Home-made Dog Treats [in Texas shapes!]

http://www.comeonilene.com/2011/05/31/homemade-dog-treats/

Sewing Jars. I made these for a craft sale.

http://www.marthastewart.com/272417/sewing-kit-in-a-jar?backto

Box of Balloons (each with a little surprise in it)! A fun de-stressing package for finals week

http://choosecraftiness.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-balloons.html

[not my picture]

http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html

Okay, these are things not from pinterest but still first tries that turned out DELICIOUS.

Blueberry yogurt muffins

Donut Muffins

Blueberry scones with lemon glaze

April Surgery

Ronnie had surgery on Wednesday, April 25th. It lasted about 5.5 hours and they did quite a bit. They did a total of 5 Z-plasties on his right arm ranging from his shoulder all the way to his elbow. It looks more like one long zig-zag but Ronnie says he can already feel the difference. He also had a scar band excised from his right hand and a full thickness skin graft from his left arm put in its place. Two pins are currently holding his hand open and a large bolster is tied tightly to his palm.

They did not do any work on his torso or leg this time which meant no a slightly shorter hospital stay. He got out this morning and is relaxing on the couch. While his pain is tolerable enough to be discharged, it is by no means gone, so pray that it would continue to diminish.

Our biggest prayer request at this point is for Ronnie's hand. We knew going into the surgery that there was high risk for nerve damage since his hand has been operated on so many times. When he woke up in ICU, he immediately had the doctor called in because he had numbness in his fingers (mainly his pointer). After anesthetics wore off and feeling was still absent, the doctor said that he believes that the bolster is putting pressure on the nerves but there is no way to know if there is damage, permanent or otherwise, or to what extent until the bolster is removed next week. Understandably, this has worried Ronnie a lot as he does not know to what extent his hand will be able to function later in life. I am reassured that the doctors do not anticipate permanent damage, but there is no way to be sure. We know that God is the ultimate healer and we are praying that, whatever the outcome, his grace will be sufficient.

Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Cute, Cute

Am I an awful person for dressing my dog up in a multitude of clothing? Is it worth the humiliation of being "that kind of person?" You decide.

Disclaimer: Little Mia Bell was not harmed in the making of this post. In fact, she adored the attention as well as the clothing.
Disclaimer #2: Neither Ronnie nor I am responsible for the purchasing of most of the outfits... okay... we did buy most, BUT NOT ALL!
Side note: If you have not seen the fuzzy, fuzzy, cute, cute video and have no idea to what I am referencing, click HERE

Our Texan Easter

We were so blessed to be able to spend our Easter with some dear friends from our San Antonio church. Love you guys!

Happy Easter, from the McCulley's!

may you carry with you the joy of Christ's resurrection throughout the rest of the year.

Spontaneous Vacation

Ronnie and I decided quite last minute that we needed a get-a-way. Our Easter travel plans had fallen through and life has been quite hectic, so we decided to hit the beach for an early weekend/Easter trip. Of course, Ronnie HAD to take his new Suzuki Samurai down. The ride down was quite warm and bumpy and I decided right away that I don't care too much for the little car, but Ronnie seems overly excited about it, so I just go with it. I'm pretty sure Mia agrees with me.

Anyways, we stayed for 2 nights and enjoyed taking Mia for walks on the beach. The weather was perfect and the water was nice and warm. Mia seemed to get over her fear of the water just enough to chase the waves up and down the beach every now and then.

We also took a nice little picnic out to Padre Island and did a little bit of 4-wheeling with the little sammi. It was a lot of fun and again PERFECT weather. Ronnie then took me to tour the USS Lexington. I will admit that the ship was larger than life, but I learned right away that Navy life is not for me... I had more than a few near claustrophobic moments while touring the inside.

All-in-all, the spontaneous trip proved to be just what we needed to rest and distress. Plus, we managed to get our fist tans of the season!