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Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake

Lemon and Strawberry Layer Cake with Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream Filling and Frosting

Sometimes Lemon Layer Cake is the answer and I don’t even care about the question! On this particular day, I was feeling a little bit ornery and wanted to bake a surprise-inside cake. Besides, who doesn’t love a fun little checkerboard? I’ve baked and blogged about them here and here.

But really… I just wanted to bake a lemon cake.

My usual Lemon Layer Cake is a bit dense for the delicate rings necessary for the checkerboard, so I adapted my favorite Classic Vanilla Layer Cake. It’s really important to the success of this recipe to use cake flour, but if it’s not available to you, all-purpose will do.

The less cake flour is stirred, the better. I didn’t quite fully incorporate the ingredients prior to dividing the batter in half – stirring in the tinting gel would be enough to finish the task.

If ever there was a time to use parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake round, it’s now! This is not the time to lose part of the sponge to the bottom of the pan.

I do love these colors – what a fantastic contrast!

Some bakers and cake designers advocate adding buttercream to the interior edge of the rings, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I haven’t had any experience with the cake slice falling apart and I love the uninterrupted checkerboard effect.

Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the sponge into a bullseye.

Swap the middle rings between the two layers.

The Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream went together very well… and the flavor is simply maddening (it’s that good).

Once the cake rounds and buttercream are ready, construct the cake.

I wanted a simple exterior design for this cake in order to reduce any visual conflict between the outside and inside of the dessert.

Using my Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware Foundry Cake Plate was perfect for the job. It’s sturdy and provides a wonderful platform for an elegant design.

For this cake, I used my 9″ cake rounds which equates to 4 ice cream scoops of buttercream between layers.

The colors, flavors, and design of this cake are so endearing; I was very happy with the results.

This was a delicious and very fun cake. How lucky am I??

I’m crazy about my life partner husband, our people, and sobriety. It’s just that simple.

August 4, 2016
Wildflowers with Chocolate Layer Cake

Triple-layer Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Filling, and tinted Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting with a garnish of Buttercream Wildflowers

I’m keeping it simple with this delightful Chocolate Layer Cake. It’s one of my very favorite go-to recipes… it’s what I bake when I’m not sure what to bake next.

The design for this cake was inspired by our July 4th tandem cycle tour over to Wissembourg, France with camping in Lauterbourg, France before cycling back home. It was a wonderful trip filled with the beautiful scenery of the Alsace region of Germany and France… there was rain, sunshine, and the feeling of accomplishing something challenging and difficult.

Along the way, we rode on many bike routes lined with delicate wildflowers of every color. This is my interpretation of that part of the trip.

So… I started with a small 6″ round chocolate cake (and had enough batter remaining for a dozen cupcakes). In order to bake even layers, I measure by weighing a nearly identical amount of batter in each pan. Since not all cake rounds are created equal, I weigh each pan empty then factor the difference into the number of grams per pan.

And I know you know what comes next… the gentle encouragement to use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan to prevent the cake from sticking. It’s a champ every time.

With the cake cooling, that’s a great opportunity to prepare the buttercream. For this cake, I opted for the lightness that is Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

There isn’t hardly a step in my baking process that I don’t pick-up and use a piece of Fiesta Dinnerware.

The white filling showcases the dark sponge, which is always a winner. I added tinting gel to achieve the green frosting and flowers.

Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. Chocolate and Vanilla can be difficult to nail since each are a classic and the expectations are high.

Vanilla Buttercream is the standard by which other buttercreams are tested… and I was very happy with the results of this holiday-inspired cake.

I am so very grateful for my life partner husband and the life we have made together.

I am grateful for our people and this season of being empty-nesters that allows us to schedule tandem cycling tours.

None of it’s possible without sobriety.

August 1, 2016
Fruit Loop Marshmallow Pops

Fruit Loop Marshmallow Pops with White Chocolate Drizzle and Confetti Sprinkles

It’s the season of no-bake desserts and I’ve given this little classic a fun twist! Not every common American breakfast cereal is readily available at my nearby market, so I get to work with different ingredients in some new and fun ways.

Usually, corn flakes are incorporated into marshmallow treats, but I was looking for something bright and fun. I landed on Fruit Loops and the result is fantastic! Wanting to turn up the volume on a little bit of fancy, white chocolate and confetti sprinkles perfectly balance this party treat.

After heating up the butter and fresh marshmallows, I added the cereal and divided it into two well-buttered trays. I didn’t use one pan because when I started, the design plans weren’t finalized.

Just looking at them… I’m suddenly starved.

This is an 8×8 square… I opted to make nine square pops per tray, but could have easily made 16 little bites that would be perfect on a dessert tidbit tray.

Adorable, right?! Sometimes the cute just kills me. How about these at the next birthday party you host?

Melting a bit of white chocolate for drizzle was a snap in my Salsa Bowl by Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware… these pieces only needed 1 minute in the microwave.

When working with a new design, I pause at each step to determine if I need to stop, edit, or continue as planned.

There was concern regarding too much sweet with this dessert, however, the creaminess of the white chocolate tempers the marshmallow which creates a yummy bite.

Yep! This is a party.

When deciding how to shoot these pops, I initially chose a darker color to highlight the brightness of the confetti. And it’s gorgeous.

Studying this cake plate in Claret, the most recent color glaze of Fiesta Dinnerware, I thought the Fruit Loop Marshmallow Pops would look amazing as a fun item on an upscale dessert table. But, for this shoot I was aiming for birthday party or backyard bar-b-que.

The colors are very complementary and struck just the right vibe.

Baking is science, but it’s also art and expression. Give yourself permission to experiment and try new things with interesting ingredients. Be kind to yourself; you have sparkle and value.

I’m thrilled to receive the ongoing love and support from my life partner husband.

My heart fills with joy because of our people and the people they bring.

And sobriety is worth it.

July 28, 2016
An Every Day Cake

Double-layer Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Buttercream Filling and Frosting with a garnish of Strawberries, Cookies, Raspberries, White Chocolate Kit Kat Bar, and Candy

These two layers of my favorite Chocolate Layer Cake is the work-horse of cakes. It has classic flavors – chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry – which leaves something for everyone…much like Neapolitan Ice Cream “three flavors, one container – everybody’s favorite.”

I adore this cake because I wasn’t working on a perfect buttercream or absolute flatness across the top. This was baking for the pure joy of baking. There’s a domed top, uneven frosting, and a thrown-together garnish of items lurking on the counter top and in the pantry.

This is what I bake when I don’t know what I’m baking.

With two layers of chocolate cooling, I decided on a classic Vanilla Buttercream.

There was a moment when I looked at that domed layer and asked myself, “Should I level that?” I decided not to since this is cake and I’m keeping it real.

The more I worked on this cake, the more I came to really appreciate it as my creative expression.

I love smoothing out the roughness of the buttercream that initially goes onto the cake. Unlike most layer cakes I design and create, I skipped the crumb coat step and went directly to finished product. Edgy, right?

This new Foundry Cake Plate by Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware is the ideal platform for these two layers of deliciousness – it certainly can support the weight plus the color and texture of the plate perfectly complement this dessert.

After getting a few snapshots of the cake, I wanted a slice pic. Off came the garnish and out came the cake knife.

Clearly I was going for a patriotic image.

Every day is worthy of a slice of cake and so are you and so am I.

I’m grateful and lucky for the love of my life partner husband.

The people we get to have in our lives… grateful again.

And sobriety is all about love and work one day at a time.

July 26, 2016
No-Bake Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake

Oreo Cookie Crumb Crust, Chocolate Cheesecake, and Whipped Cream with Lindt Chocolate Shavings, Fresh Fruit, and Oreo Cookies

It’s hot here. Seriously hot. And I don’t want to fire up the oven. That makes this the season of no-bake deliciousness. Last summer I blogged about several of my no-bake favorites (here, here, and here) and so it is again, No-Bake Season for a baker.

Let’s kick this off with an amazing Chocolate Cheesecake! I used my Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware Square Baker, but this recipe can easily adapt to a larger 9 x 13 baker (just double the ingredients), a loaf pan, or even a spring-form pan. Use what you have in the kitchen.

In the heat of the day, let’s get started.

One of my favorite products here in Germany is the marriage between Milka Chocolate and Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It tastes like chocolate mousse and I want to use it in all the things.

Into the food processor with 24 cookies.

Real butter makes a difference in baking so be kind to yourself.

I’m in love with this new Salsa Bowl by Homer Laughlin. It’s a perfect size for holding the small amounts used in cooking and baking.

Press into the bottom of a prepared pan. I lined my square baker with parchment paper and made sure there was a bit left over the edges in order to lift the cheesecake out.

With that done, I got the heavy whipping cream going. If possible, start with a chilled bowl and whisk from the stand mixer.

While that’s underway… mix the cream cheese. I used 375gr of cream cheese… that’s about 12oz. If you’d like a bit more, you can go up to 16oz without altering the powdered sugar or melted chocolate. It’s going to be yummy.

With the cream cheese ready, smooth it over the cookie crumb crust.

I popped it into the freezer for a couple minutes to help it set. I didn’t want to swirl together the cream cheese and top layer of whipped cream.

About whipped cream… Cool Whip isn’t readily available in my local market so I whip up 32% heavy cream (adding a bit of vanilla and powdered sugar). The other choice is use Cool Whip – fold 8oz into the cream cheese and enough to cover the top of the cheesecake to your liking.

Garnish to your heart’s content.

The cheesecake lifted out beautifully.

I love these pretty ombre layers of amazingness.

I started with Lindt Chocolate Shavings…then added strawberries, currants, and Oreo cookies.

I loved sharing this dessert with my life partner husband… we agreed it reminded us of eating an ice cream sandwich – smooth and creamy and chocolatey.

I adore our life together.

I adore our people and the people they bring.

Sobriety isn’t the worst thing to happen today.

July 25, 2016
Butterscotch & Caramel Popcorn

Triple-layer Butterscotch Cake, Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Caramel Sauce Filling, and a garnish of Caramel Popcorn, Pecans, Chocolate & Caramel Pretzels, and Twix Candy Bars

I know, I know… Butterscotch Layer Cake is usually a Fall cake, but I couldn’t help myself. And then once I got going, I couldn’t stop. “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”

While editing isn’t my strong suit, I gave myself a gold star for simply filling the cake and not adding a crumb coat. With all the yummy goodness on top of the cake, I knew there would be enough sweet things and the frosting wouldn’t be missed. Besides, it does make for a lovely presentation.

That being said, this cake has two dozen moving parts! I’m not even sure where to start, so let’s begin with cake.

Butterscotch Layer Cake gets its yumminess from brown sugar (I happened to have Domino Light Brown Sugar but the dark brown sugar is delicious too) – this is the key that separates Butterscotch Cake from most every other cake.

This cake doesn’t rise very much or produce a dome, which is great for even layers. Should I mention parchment paper rounds to line the bottom of the cake pan?

With the cake cooling, there were plenty of other components to keep me busy…such as Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

It’s not fancy, but it works.

Whisk the eggs and sugar continuously while over the steam. This step shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes.

With the bowl back in the stand mixer whisking the egg whites on high for about 15 minutes, dice up the soft (yet cool to the touch) butter (4 sticks/450gr). These are small pieces, even still, I pinch off bits of butter from each cube and drop into the egg whites.

The cake is cooling and the buttercream is prepared.

If I didn’t already have Caramel Sauce (from another project) in my fridge, I would have started with this element first. It requires time to cool down. Since that wasn’t a factor, I went straight for the popcorn popper.

I wanted to add caramel to the popcorn and elevate the experience. So, in go toasted pecan halves.

This Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware Large Baking Bowl was ideal for folding together the popcorn with the caramel pecans. At 6 quarts, it’s big enough to accommodate those jobs that need extra room!

Popcorn, pecans, caramel, butterscotch, and vanilla buttercream…. pretzels made complete sense. I’ve drizzled chocolate over small pretzels before and knew that would be successful; the caramel sauce simply didn’t stick liked I’d had hoped.

Time to construct this little dessert and see if I could create what I envisioned.

A wee bit of caramel drizzle is plenty between these layers. Adding too much and the layers would slide apart and the cake would need to be doweled down the center.

I’m a home baker and I don’t know if professional chefs look at the cake at this point and say, “I’m not sure what I’m doing, but I’m going to try anyway.”

Then there it was and I liked the results! And I didn’t use all the caramel popcorn on top of the cake…not even close. However, if I were serving this cake at a party, I’d have a lovely bowl of popcorn nearby in order to place a small handful on each slice.

So anyway, this cake was certainly a little beauty and tasty too. It’s unimaginable that I get to be creative with cake while using my every day dishes that I love – in a place I adore.

My life partner husband is my number one person and best cheerleader.

Our people continue to demonstrate love and support.

And sobriety makes it possible.

July 24, 2016
Crowned Chocolate Bundt Cake

Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake, Lindt Chocolate Lava, Peanut Butter Buttercream, and Peanut Butter BonBons with Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips

All this chocolate and peanut butter and crunchy, salty potato chips? This cake right here will hit all those snack pulse-points when you can’t decide between something salty or sweet. Let me make it easy for you… choose both since this Bundt cake is just the ticket.

I was inspired by a delightful Tasty video that popped up in my FaceBook feed last month (find the link here) and modified it slightly for a more dramatic appearance. Let’s face it, Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips are as decadent as they sound and even more delicious.

Starting with the Bundt cake seemed logical since it took nearly an hour in the oven. Here we go.

I whipped together my favorite Chocolate Layer Cake and poured it into my Nordic Ware Fleur de lis Bundt Pan. This pan is my go-to when making a classic Bundt cake. I thoroughly coat the inside of the pan with a non-stick cooking spray which includes flour and haven’t had any problems with cake sticking! A quick hand wash and towel dry for this pan and it’s back in action… it’s such a dream!

Ten minutes after removing the cake from the oven, I turn it out onto a cooling rack. For this cake, it was better that the cake cooled down before pouring the melted Lindt chocolate over the top.

A melted Lindt Lava Flow …doesn’t it sound amazing?

The cake went into the fridge while I prepared the bonbons, which includes: peanut butter, powdered sugar, and potato chips. That’s it. Plus a quick dip into more melted Lindt chocolate.

Good news regarding these bonbons… the potato chip topper did not become soggy while sitting in the bonbon or in the fridge and they kept for three days. They might keep longer than that, but these didn’t make it past 72 hours.

With the cake and the bonbons ready, time to put everything together. In order to create the best platform for the bonbons to sit on, I added a little swirl of Peanut Butter Buttercream.

There is something so appealing about this color combination: chocolate brown and turquoise. It has a classic look and always seems so stylish. A true work-horse in the kitchen is my Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware 12″ Cake Plate… it leaves me room to decorate the bottom of an 8″ or 9″ round layer cake or, in this case, show off the lines of the cake from the Bundt pan design.

The top of that Bundt became crowded, so I added only what would fit comfortably.

I wasn’t quite sure what I’d created, but it certainly had drama! There’s a crown quality to it or maybe feathers?

As it turns out, we had a weekend guest staying with us when this delightful cake was prepared and we loved sharing it! And the feedback on the bonbons was mostly, “Mmm… hmmm…. yeah.” Put this one on the “Win” list.

I’m crazy in love with my life partner husband and our life together.

I’m crazy in love with our people and the people they bring into the family.

I’m crazy grateful for sobriety one day at a time.

July 23, 2016
Summer Fruit with Hummingbird Layer Cake

Triple-layer Hummingbird Cake with Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream and a garnish of Fresh Fruit

From time to time, I just love a delicious bite of comfort cake – and a slice of this Hummingbird Layer Cake yumminess was just what I needed. It’s not like I ate the whole cake, but it sure was tempting!

The heartiness of the sponge makes it ideal for sculpting and the incredible flavor profile of banana, pineapple, pecans, and cinnamon will soon have your family and friends begging for more. If you need cupcakes, consider making these beauties; they pair terrifically with vanilla, cinnamon, or cream cheese buttercream.

I find the predictable way most cakes come together… relaxing: whisk dry ingredients, cream wet ingredients, and combine. It’s science and it’s art, much like many other areas of my life. Relationships, timelines, meals, home networks, cycling on our tandem, sobriety, etc.

So, let’s take a look at this traditional Southern cake.

Since this cake requires 3 cups of all-purpose flour, I used my Fiesta Dinnerware Extra-Large Bistro Bowl by Homer Laughlin – it’s a perfect size for every day use in the kitchen when it comes to mixing, baking, and serving. It’s my new favorite!!

After combining the wet and dry components, I fold in the bananas, pineapple, and pecans one ingredient at a time.

Because I also wanted to make a few cupcakes, I baked this cake in three 6″ rounds. Hot tip: If making a test-kitchen cake, this smaller size is ideal for experimenting with cake rounds and cupcakes.

And one more time, this is a gentle reminder for lining cake rounds with parchment paper. I am never worried about the cake sticking to the pan – even when it’s underdone.

While the cake cooled, I started on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Yes, it takes about four times as long as American Buttercream to prepare and it’s worth it! There are pros and cons to both, but during the hot summer months, SMBC is the way to go in order to maintain buttercream stability. Baking is science.

Start with six egg whites and 1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in the metal stand mixer bowl – sitting in large pan with just a bit of water (without the low boiling water touching the bowl). It’s a double-boiler and it’s sorta perfect.

After a few minutes of constant whisking, the sugar should be melted and indistinguishable when testing a bit of egg white between the thumb and finger.

When that’s completed (just a few minutes), move the bowl to the stand mixer and begin whisking on low to prevent the egg/sugar mix from sloshing out. When it’s stabilized, turn up the speed and let it go about 15 minutes… until the outside of the bottom of the bowl is as cool as the outside of the top of the bowl.

I’d be lost without my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

Add butter in little bits. Add flavoring. Taste test… just to be sure.

Normally I don’t add three scoops of buttercream between layers of a 6″ round cake, but I was already thinking of a rustic/naked design and the added boost helps highlight the different layers. Also, it’s buttercream.

I do love the way a layer cake looks when under construction. The stability is based on even layers, sturdy buttercream, and size of rounds vs number of layers.

When it was completely covered in buttercream, I took some of it back off to leave a done/undone look. Into the cake fridge it went.

The abundance of fresh fruit in the market was amazing!! How could I choose just one or two? Instead, the colors and shapes and flavors of the fruit combine to elevate this Hummingbird Cake to a star on your next event dessert table.

That I get to work with everyday ingredients that are so appealing… whew, I’m one lucky baker.

And I’m a grateful baker – my life partner husband continues to support me and my efforts.

I’m grateful for our people that offer love and encouragement.

I’m also grateful for sobriety one day at a time.

July 22, 2016
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Four Layer Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Filling, and Vanilla American Buttercream Frosting garnished with Blue Marzipan Stars

Nothing says the 4th of July quite like a red, white, and blue Chocolate Layer Cake!

When it comes to cakes and cupcakes, I love a holiday that offers so much inspiration. And doesn’t Independence Day come fully loaded with themes and ideas?

I wanted to take a little side trip from my favorite triple-layer cake, but two layers just wasn’t enough. By splitting each layer, we get four layers of chocolatey goodness and additional Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Oh yeah. That’s a great decision.

I started by rolling out my blue marzipan and using a cookie cutter for the stars… the day before. I knew I’d be pressed for time during the baking and decorating process, so having them ready to go was really important.

So, let’s bake a cake.

As much as I grumble about the parchment paper, the benefits can’t be denied. I never worry about a cake round releasing from the pan and that’s a good feeling.

I love even layers. Now if only I could use my Wilton Cake Splitter with more accuracy…

Time to build. I used three scoops of SMBC between each layer. All that yumminess was pretty amazing.

Despite the wonkiness of this look, the cake held together very nicely. If you’re unsure of your own cake slip-sliding apart, send a dowel down the center of the cake or use three dowels in a triangular pattern for added stability. I use bubble tea straws when I dowel a cake (I buy them online).

I definitely wanted a white frosting in order to highlight the blue stars and red border.

Getting a really red red with buttercream is a challenge for me – made worse when trying to add color to SMBC (due to more butter than powdered sugar). This is why I chose American Buttercream – the abundance of powdered sugar helps in achieving darker colors. I used food tinting gel, added a little bit of liquid food coloring, and just a teeny tiny drop of dark blue. It helps deepen the red without getting all the way to purple.

Time to add the stars. I couldn’t have hoped for a more perfect match of stars and cake plate. This is a 12″ Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware Cake Plate in Peacock (a recently retired color). I could look at this all day.

Admittedly, when I was placing the stars on the cake …it felt a little like a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders moment.

I really kinda love this cake. It might look simple, but it was a good challenge for me. And the four layers on the inside? A delicious surprise!

Take this cake to an event, party, picnic, or gathering… it’ll disappear. And why shouldn’t it?

Chocolate cake is comfort food and I don’t care about the reasons.

I’m crazy lucky for my life partner husband and his goodness.

I’m crazy lucky for the people we raised up and their partners, for they are active in our lives and that’s ginormous.

I’m crazy lucky to have found a home group and a sponsor when I first got sober – they loved me despite myself.

And because chocolate cake… I made a cupcake too.

July 1, 2016
American Pie

Blueberry & Strawberry/Rhubarb Pie

I’m still celebrating Independence Day! And to do that, I’m taking a giant leap outside my comfort zone… pie.

Oh, pie makes me so anxious. Crust is a science I haven’t tackled in the same way I’ve approached layer cake. It’s daunting to me. In order to tiptoe into the kiddie pool, I use crust mix or refrigerated pie dough. When I watched the brief demonstration on Tip Hero of this holiday dessert, I asked, “Why not?”

So here we are.

I followed the blueberry component as directed and added rhubarb to the strawberries for a more rich flavor experience.

To speed up processing the strawberries, I used an egg slicer. This task would have been much faster if there was an assistant – little kids or teens immediately come to mind.

With the smaller berries, I was able to fit two at a time. Go me.

“Here. Look at all these perfect slices.”

Just a little bit of rhubarb was plenty. It really added a delicious edge.

Cornstarch and sugar sweetens the fruit and helps thicken the natural juices during baking.

I folded a piece of tin foil several times to make a sturdy wall and bent the two bottom, interior corners.

I should have filled both sides with all the fruit I had prepared. But I didn’t and was sad about it when the pie came out of the oven.

Time to make a few wavey stripes and some stars.

Admittedly, I was really pleased with this look.

The kitchen disaster was at an epic level.

The crust edges, stripes, and stars needed a brushing of an egg wash – followed by a generous sprinkle of white sugar.

The edge needed a tin foil cover for the first 25 minutes of baking. After that, the temperature gets turned down and baked until the fruit was bubbly. I baked it a bit too long. Shucks!

The final clean-up was discouraging but I had the best help! My life partner husband routinely makes the kitchen magically clean again. I am sooo lucky.

Here’s a look inside this very tasty dessert.

How scrumptious would a scoop of vanilla ice cream taste with this? Or a heap of whipped cream?

I baked this pie in my Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware Deep Dish Pie Baker in Scarlet. It is absolutely perfect for this dessert and would be a star on any family picnic dessert table.

Because I didn’t add all the fruit to the pie, there was a bit of leftovers. I added more strawberries and sugar and decided to make Fruit Crisp!

Mixing up a quick crispy crust included: almond flour, oats, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter. I mostly guessed at the ratios since I was in a hurry to get it in the oven. Bake at 350/180 until the fruit juice bubbles up.

Ice cream or heavy whipped cream is the ideal complement to these desserts, too.

I love trying new things and I am super anxious when it comes to stretching out of my comfort zone. But it worked and I feel great about that!

I’m so grateful for my life partner husband who has confidence in me.

I’m thankful for trying new things and my people who love and support that effort.

I’m really grateful for sobriety.

June 29, 2016