(Be) // Eclipse.

On Sunday night we decided to get in our car and travel west. After making a quick stop at Sonic for a few Route 44 Cherry Lime-Ades, we were off to find the perfect spot from which to view the partial solar eclipse. We ended up finding a little hill on the side of the road at the corner of 71 and SW Parkway. I made sure to bring bubbles and my camera...

It was an impressive sight and though Lydia was totally unaware of the celestial event taking place, I'm sure chasing bubbles on a hill with a belly fully of Cherry Lime-Ade made her night equally exciting. As I took pictures and watched my little girl, I kept thinking of Psalm 19:1 ~ "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." My husband's and my handywork chasing bubbles beneath HIS handywork.... truly glorious. 


(Lov)e,
-k. 

(Lov) // Coconut Tres Leches Cake

After posting a few pictures on Instagram (@kellyvlass) and Facebook of my Coconut Tres Leches Cake that I made on Monday, I've had a few requests for the recipe! It was my first time ever making this type of cake and I found it pretty easy and incredibly tasty.  I got the original recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine (which I love) and modified it a bit to make it "coconut" as well as gluten free! 

Bake the cake:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch Pyrex baking dish or a nonreactive metal pan. Line the bottom of the baking dish or pan with parchment and lightly butter the parchment.
Sift the Bisquick, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined, 1 minute more.


Clean and dry the beaters and then beat the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until they reach soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a stream, continuing to beat on high, until you reach firm but not dry peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more. Whisk a third of the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in a third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and egg whites, alternately, in two more batches each, until fully incorporated.


Pour the batter into the prepared dish or pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely. Return the cake to the baking dish or pan (the cake will soak up more of the liquid if returned to the pan it was baked in), or invert it onto a rimmed platter

Soak the cake:
In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, and salt until the condensed milk is well blended. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring to avoid scorching, until it begins to bubble around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof 4-cup measuring cup.


With a toothpick, prick the cake to the bottom in 1/2-inch intervals. Pour the soaking liquid slowly over the cake, starting at the edges and pausing to let it soak in before adding more. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Toast the coconut:

Heat oven to 450°F.  Spread coconut flacks on a foil-lined backing sheet.  Place in oven and be sure to check every few minutes for the coconut to turn a golden brown...this happens very quickly.  Set aside to cool. 

Top the cake:

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium speed. When it begins to thicken, slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat just until it holds firm peaks, 3 to 4 minutes (be careful not to overbeat). Spread the whipped cream all over the top of the cake, sprinkle on the toasted coconut, and serve!


(Lov)e, 


-k.

(Lov) // Mother's Day

When Brendan asked what i would like to do for Mother's Day, I told him that I wanted to get out of Austin.  There are so many great little towns all over central Texas...and day tripping is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.  We picked Wimberley, which is just about 45 minutes away.

The main square is filled with vintage shops, antique shops, cafes, and boutiques. 

Creek Side Vintage was my favorite.  They specialize in vintage from the 50's, 60's, and 70's.  They had AMAZING stuff... 

I'm kicking myself today for not buying this lovely lithograph.  She was a bit pricey, but I'm feeling she might have been worth it. 

It was a beautiful day to walk around from shop to shop.  

Each one had so many wonderful things to look at...and Lydia did a really good job of "looking with her eyes and not with her hands."

Once we got hungry, we made our way to Cypress Creek Cafe. 

Handsome Husband. 

Sweet Little Girl. 

Happy Mama. 

A perfect way to finish the day.  I hope all you Mama's had a great time with your families!  

(Lov)e,

-k.

(Ed) // Diving In.

I've never been one to exercise. The only exception being a few years in my early 20's when I was going to the gym where my brother was a trainer so that I could be abused and yelled at...  oh the memories. I haven't done much since. Lately, I've been feeling how truly out-of-shape I have become.  


Over the past few months, I've been doing more color services than ever and they are beginning to take their toll.  Back, neck, and hip pain are often the result after a long day of applications, foils, shampoos and blow outs.  Posture is HUGE in hairdressing, and if your body is weak... you will pay for it in the end.  Not to mention having an active toddler who weighs over 30 pounds who insists I join in on her activity. By the end of most days... I am a grumpy, hurting mess. Pain and weakness are pretty good motivators to make a change.


We have a family membership to the YMCA, but we mainly use it for the pool on weekends. For some reason, I just can't find the motivation to drag my (and Lydia's ) butt there each day to work out.  And because I am so NOT a gym person, I don't really know what to do once I manage to get there.  I usually aimlessly wander from machine to machine doing a couple of reps (probably incorrectly) before getting on the treadmill for about 20 minutes. Yes, it's better than nothing, but it certainly isn't addressing my problems.


I've always been a highly sensitive person, at least in the physical sense.  I FEEL everything and unfortunately I most often let it control me...which super sucks (my "fleshly" way of describing it) because I'm a total control freak.  And what I spend my time trying to "control" is my pain. I find some sort of weird comfort in my routine of remedies... medication, ice packs, heating pad, Epsom salt baths, essential oils, massage, and chiropractic adjustments.  It's all reactionary control... which is the most exhausting kind because it's an illusion.  My methods may lessen or stave off  the pain for a while, but I'm never able to control it and will typically let it have it's way with me until it passes.  THIS, my friends, is no way to live.


Having an at home, natural birth taught me many things.  The most important being that I needed to change my relationship with pain.  In the beginning few hours of hard labor, I was stalled out at 3cm and not progressing.  Each time I'd have a contraction I'd imagine I was in the ocean.  With each rush of pain it was like watching a giant wave coming towards me and I would have one of two reactions.  Either I'd be afraid and try to run back to the shore in order to escape the pain "wave" all together or I would try fight the pain by jumpping up as the "wave" hit in an effort to keep my head above water.  The problem with the first approach is that it's impossible...the wave is too big, fast, and strong to get away from.  And with my back turned in my effort to escape, I would get knocked down and emerge more exhausted an ever. The problem with the second approach was that the "fight" impulse makes the body ridged and tight as it anticipates the pain. And when you are trying to "open" your body, the last thing you need to be doing is making it more closed off.  This approach helped to lessen the pain a bit, but it certainly wasn't helping me progress. 


It was my wonderful midwife who helped me realize what I was doing wrong.  It was almost as if she got into my head and joined me in the ocean.  She reminded me that this pain had a purpose and that it was not to be feared or fought against.  Rather than running from or trying to jump over the pain, I was supposed to relax, take a deep breath, and go directly into the pain until I found myself on the other side.  That next contraction I inhaled and dove into the wave.  I was completely present and channeled the power of the pain into opening up my body.  In just one contraction, I went from 3cm to 5cm... amazing.  


The lesson here is that the only thing I can control is my will...not pain and certainly not my circumstances.  And with that understanding, I've realized the futility in trying to control the results of having a weak and undisciplined body. True control is found in choosing to strengthen myself;  to train my will to relax into the inevitable pain that comes from being in the corruptible body.  I can prepare or I can suffer... it's always my choice.   


So I'm making some changes.  Thanks to good 'ol Netflix, I have instant access to two wonderful videos. I have and will continue to alternate between the two EVERY DAY during Lydia's nap time.  

Crunch: Super SlimDown

Crunch: Candlelight Yoga

Yoga and Pilates are ideal for me because I need to strengthen my core, loosen and lengthen my ridged muscles, improve my breathing, and correct years of bad posture.  I haven't been at it for long, but I can already feel it changing my body.  This morning I was so sore it hurt to get out of bed, but I did it with a smile because THIS kind of pain if different.  THIS kind of pain is a result of doing something good and productive.  THIS kind of pain is a product of my body getting stronger.  THIS kind of pain has a purpose and isn't a result of inactivity and bad habits. THIS kind of pain reminds me that I have chosen wisely. 


My motivation for making this change is to improve my quality of life.  I want to feel stronger and be in control of my will.  I want to enjoy my job, family, and life as much as I can without pain getting in my way.  I want to stand on the shore and run with excitement into the ocean of life knowing that there is nothing to fear or fight...diving into the waves with confidence and the knowledge that I will indeed be stronger on the other side. 

(Lov)e,

-k.

  

(Lov) // Water Babies

This past weekend, my Brother, Sister-in-Law, and Nephew came to Austin (from Dallas) for a quick visit.  We spent most of Saturday in my Father's backyard watching the kids have an absolute blast! When it was time to water the lawn, we found out that the real fun had just gotten started...

I think this was the first time either of them had ever played in a sprinkler.  Lydia LOVED it, while Samuel was a bit unsure.  It was such a sweet day with lots of laughter, baby hugs, and kisses.  We are very grateful that Lydia has a cousin so close in age (Samuel is only 10 days younger).  We all look forward to many more fun times at my Dad's house and are already thinking about the next visit... SLIP AND SLIDE! 

(Lov)e,

-k.