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In honor of her birthday {all be it a day late} here is the fabulous Lara from Less Cake {More Frosting}…

Well gosh. That’s kind of the million dollar question….isn’t it? I think it’s a lifelong search, that comes in pieces as we age and experience life.

It can’t really be taught.

It can certainly be ignored, if you choose to disregard the clues.

But answering that question is probably the quest of most people.

And certainly a quest I have been on, and will be on, for some time.

• I am a woman. Most definitely. I like being a woman. But I don’t always like what womanhood brings with it. Mostly PMS and boobs. I don’t like either one of those.

• I am also a mother. And I have the CRAZY stretch marks to prove it. Getting my children to this earth pretty much messed me up big time. (LOOOOONG story) But I’ve never regretted it.

• I am a wife. And not always the best one. When I married my husband, after 3 years of dating, my Mom told him, “you know exactly what you’re getting. And there will be no returns.”

• I am the daughter of the most amazing woman on the planet. The End.

In addition to those things, here’s what else I am….

• I am loud with people I know, and shy when I feel uncomfortable.
• I am scared of Thunder, and natural disasters. I’m pretty sure I will meet my demise in some sort of natural disaster. I have the funeral music planned. Not morbid. Just good planning.
• I am addicted to sugar and Diet Coke. And not always in that order.
• I am an insomniac. And have been known to leave blog comments after taking an Ambien, and then not remembering it in the morning. Possibly embarrassing.
• I am the star of my very own shower concert at least 3 times a week. (not that I only shower 3 times a week. Gross. Just that I take a really long one, with a soundtrack, at least that often)
• I am not a fan of the telephone.
• I am pretty fantastic at making up rhymes on the spot.
• I am a news junkie. I will watch the news 3 or 4 times a day.
• I am obsessed with big earrings and tall shoes.
• I am a blogger. But it doesn’t define me, in full. It’s just part of Who I Am.

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I have been sooooo blessed to have met and spent some time with this wonderful and amazing woman!  She entertains and inspires me everyday.  She is one of those people who I have been through blogging, but with or without the blog I know we could be life long friends.  Ellieg… Miss Lara, Love ya dear!!!

We are soooo excited to have Oksana from Order Matters with an aaaamazing guest post today!  You’re going to love her and her fantastic recipe for Pavlova…

Hello, I am Oksana from Order Matters blog and I am super excited to share one of my favorite dessert recipes with you. One of the things that makes my entertaining simple is having a few trusted dessert recipes that I can turn to at any time. If entertaining overwhelms you, I encourage you to identity and master a handful of dishes. With a short prep time of just 20 minutes and a huge wow factor, this Pavlova is one of my go-to recipes.

Pavlova is an Australian dessert named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Indeed, it is as delicate and light as a ballerina. My children request Pavlova year-round and especially for their birthdays. It is a simple and versatile recipe. It can be made dairy-free (or pareve, as those who follow the Jewish dietary law call it) for those who are lactose intolerant or simply avoid dairy. It is also a Passover-friendly recipe. This recipe serves 6 people.

Ingredients:
5 large egg whites at room temperature*
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream or non-dairy whipping cream (like Nutrawhip), whipped
2 cups sliced berries or mango or kiwi, use whatever is in season

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a pencil trace the bottom of a 9-inch pan or pot on a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer it to a baking sheet and set aside. Do no apply a non-stick spray or grease of any sort.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat eggs whites until glossy peaks begin to form.

With mixer going, add a touch of salt and sugar in small portions.

Beat the egg whites until meringue is stiff and glossy.

Add cornstarch (or potato starch), vanilla, and vinegar and mix on slow speed.

3. Spread the meringue gently in the 9-inch circle outlined on the parchment paper. The meringue should not touch the edges of the circle.

Put the baking sheet into the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 275 degrees and bake for another hour. Do not open the oven during baking. Upon completion of the 1 hour and 15 minutes of baking, the meringue should be firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave meringue in the oven to cool (another 45 minutes or so). The meringue can be made a day in advance. Store it uncovered in a dry place.
4. When you take the meringue out of the oven, it should be dry to the touch and it might crack a little (it will be covered with cream, so do not worry about how it looks.) Transfer the meringue carefully with your hands onto a cake stand or platter.

Spread the whipped cream on the meringue. Add fruit shortly before serving.

5. Enjoy!

* The room temperature requirement is very important. It takes several hours for eggs to come to room temperature. Plan on taking eggs out of the fridge at least 4 hours prior to making this recipe or, as I learned from Ina Garten, you can take them out right before going to bed and then make a Pavlova first thing in the morning. ___________________________________________________________

Thank you so much Oksana!! I can’t wait to try this amazing recipe that my Mom used to talk about all the time but for some reason I don’t think she ever made it for us girls!  Love ya Mom!!

Oksana is also sponsoring a giveaway today for…

Enter to win this intoxicating Classic Toile Three-Wick Candle from Seda France. This hand-made candle combines the pineapple fruit and sweet coconut for a decadent tropical base with hints of leafy citrus cilantro, aromatic apricot, soft musk and vanilla. 60-70 hour burn time. $42 value.

To enter…

• Head on over to Order Matters and become a follower
• Like Order Matters on Facebook.
• Leave a comment for each item completed!

Giveaway closes Sunday, May 29th and the winner will be announced Monday 30th!!

Hi! I’m Stacy from Not JUST A Housewife and I am beyond happy to be a guest here on Whipperberry!!! I was able to meet the lovely ladies behind this blog back in April and they are so fun and freakin’ adorable!!!

I needed more lighting in my front room but my hubby was unemployed at the time and I had zero budget for one. So I made this floor lamp out of scrap wood left over from other projects. Then I hand painted one of my own design on a lamp shade I had. I did have to buy a $10.00 lamp kit but I think it was worth the splurge! See the complete tutorial HERE.

I also recently stenciled my entire bedroom ceiling. It took 4 days because I had 49 million interruptions, but it was worth it. I love waking up to a pretty ceiling! You can see more picture and how I did it HERE. There is also a tutorial on how I made the Chandelier HERE. My bedroom will be featured in a summer issue of Better Homes and Gardens!

Elizabeth from Bump Smitten

Who am I?
· A wife and a mother to two amazing children and two rambunctious dogs
· A freelance graphic designer and a full-time blog surfer
· A lover of the outdoors – mountains, beach, lake, Central Park – if I’m outside, I’m happy
· A blogger of beautiful baby showers and baby-to-be celebrations

What Inspires Me?
· My family and all its strengths, quirks, happy days, and embarrassing moments
· Life and all that’s in it
· The other SUPER creative bloggers out there

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The first time I had heard of Bump Smitten was when sweet Elizabeth contacted me and asked if she could feature our Pea in a Pod baby shower on her site. So… I headed over to her blog and was BLOWN AWAY! It’s beautiful, so beautiful in fact, when I thought of the Who I am series she was at the top of my list of people who I wanted to know. Thanks Elizabeth for sharing a little of yourself here on WhipperBerry!!

Now it’s party time!!! Come on over and show us what you’ve whipped up this week…

Here are the sticky rules {you know rules are in place so that no one gets their feelings hurt or there eye poked out! So let’s play nice.}

• Please link up only your own projects, and link to the specific post, not your blog home page. No Etsy shops or giveaways, please.

• You must grab a WhipperBerry button and include it somewhere in the post you’re linking, or on your home page (a text link is great too).

• Stay and mingle (remember, it’s a party!), and leave a couple comments for other guests!