Cinco de Mayo

Though we have no Mexican heritage, Cinco de Mayo is a good reason to make some tasty treats. Chicken quesadillas on homemade flour tortillas, freshly made guacamole, and Pina Coladas were on the menu.

Collin whipped up a strawberry pie for dessert, but we need to work dinner off first.

St. Patrick's Breastplate

I bind unto myself today The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three.

~St. Patrick's Breastplate

More here.

KIng Arthur Giveaway Winner

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to leave a comment! The winner is:

#82 Cindy at Being Molded

Congratulations, Cindy! Please email me your full name and address at unlessthelord@gmail.com and I'll pass the information on to the good people at King Arthur.

A King Arthur Giveaway!

February 19th marked 3 years of blogging for me, and to celebrate I'm teaming up with the wonderful folks at King Arthur Flour for a giveaway. I'm so excited for each of you who have a chance to win!

As you all know, I love to cook, and especially to bake. Several months ago I checked the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion out of the library, and started trying recipes. Everything I've tried so far has been very good. I was thrilled when the King Arthur folks told me that they would help me by donating not only the Baker's Companion, but also a selection of back issues from The Baking Sheet.

All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment telling me what your favorite baked good is. It's that easy. Everyone is welcome to enter, even international readers! Please make sure you leave a valid email address or link to a blog so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

I'll leave comments open until Wednesday, March 3rd at 11 PM, Eastern time. The winner will be announced on Thursday, the 4th of March.

Comments are now closed.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

I'm not a fan of marshmallows unless they are in hot chocolate or toasted. I've never been one to eat them straight out of the bag. Even so, I got the idea to dip them in chocolate and decorate them for Valentine's Day. I figured my husband and children would eat them, and I would just swoon over the cuteness.

When I saw the pink (strawberry) marshmallows on the grocery store shelf, I knew I had to have them for this project. Who doesn't love chocolate brown and pink together?

What started out as a cute project ending up being a delicious project. These are way better than I could have imagined!

To make them you need one bag of strawberry marshmallows, one container of Dolci Frutta, and sprinkles.

Simply melt the Dolci Frutta according to the directions on the package, dip one marshmallow, and carefully place the sprinkles on it. Stand on undipped end, and proceed to the next marshmallow.

I can imagine these for every holiday now, but those little heart sprinkles are going to be hard to beat.

Candy Cane Hearts

This is such an easy way to use up any leftover candy canes that you have hanging around from Christmas. Or, if you have no leftovers, you may be able to find some on clearance. I paid $.19 for 24!

Hot glue two candy canes together to form a heart and hang with red ribbon. It's amazing how striking they are!

Easy Heart Garland

After seeing this heart garland, I had the yearning to make my own. It couldn't be easier, and it's very pretty!

Cut heart shapes out of felt in your choice of colors, and feed them through the sewing machine. (Thanks for sewing them Autumn!) The cutting out takes much longer than the sewing.

Our garland has been hanging for a week now, and I'm nowhere near tired of it. It's so cheery on a rainy February day, and even more adorable when there is snow on the ground.

Toaster Pastries

The last few months of 2009 were spent with me analyzing our food choices. I've always cooked mostly from scratch, but I'd buy some convenience foods like cereal and the occasional Pop-Tarts. No more!

My husband has been quite supportive, except when I pass by the ice cream aisle in the grocery store. The children don't mind eating organic, but I wasn't about to pay $5 for organic toaster pastries, so I decided to make my own.

I found a recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, and gave it a whirl yesterday afternoon. The result? Perfection!

They were time consuming, but I only ever bought Pop-Tarts about 3 times a year, and the effort was well worth knowing exactly what went into them. Our New Year's Day started off with some fun, but healthier food. That feels like a good beginning to me!

Christmas Eve

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child,

and shall bring forth a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which being interpreted is, God with us."

-Matthew 1:2

Christmas Parties

Two parties in two days. Last night was Mac and Autumn's 4th Annual Christmas Party. This year was a very mixed crowd with quite a few guests being freshman in college, and seeing one another for the first time since heading separate ways at the end of the summer. The highlight of the party was the Chinese gift exchange.

This afternoon's gathering was at Jennifer's house for a Christmas Bunco party where varied ages made for lively conversations and loads of laughs. We'd never played before, but now we're hooked.

I love...

these last few days before Christmas. It's time for baking, wrapping gifts, Christmas parties, listening to holiday music and dancing the polka with Collin.

Her Best Birthday. Ever.

I started baking her cake yesterday afternoon, but when I turned it out of the pans, the middle of one whole cake fell out onto the cooling rack. I had checked it for doneness, but the toothpick lied. Thankfully, I had baked six cupcakes, too. I was having a good cry when Abigail put her arms around me and said, "Mom, the cake doesn't matter. All I want is to spend my birthday with my family."

But it mattered to me. I replied, "Well, maybe I can shove a cupcake into the hole!"

We giggled, and the stress left my shoulders.

Abigail went to bed and I set out to make her a special cake. I had a picture in my mind. All she had requested was bright pink, but I know my girl and how much she adores argyle. I wanted to try marshmallow fondant, and found a recipe. I was glad I did. It was easy to work with, and much tastier than traditional fondant.

Even after the cake flopped, the end result was just what I had pictured. Abigail was thrilled when I showed it to her first thing this morning. She had never even thought to ask for argyle.

Just after breakfast Collin and I set to work on the table. A lime green table cloth, my grandma's china, and candles were in order for the special day. It was fun to glance at the table all day long and anticipate our evening meal.

Jon brought Autumn down for the day, and games were played and a video was watched.

In our family, the birthday person gets to request whatever they want for dinner. Abigail requested Randi's Gyros, and homemade pitas.

My new (vintage) pink vegetable tray was perfect for serving the toppings.

And my divided (vintage) vegetable bowl was perfect for holding the pitas. There were touches of pink everywhere, including the hot pink vintage suitcase (above) that we gifted her.

She squealed with delight and declared this was her best birthday. Ever.

Seventeen

This was just a little cupcake for the lunch celebration. Her bigger cake came after dinner.

Happy 17th Birthday, Autumn, my daughter, my friend!

Mother

By Abigail

Mother looked out the kitchen window and sighed. It was her birthday, and everyone had gone and left her alone on a day that was supposed to be celebrated. But that didn’t matter. She never cared about her own birthday, always rushing from one task to the next, only worrying about squeezing enough time to make everyone’s birthday, and other days special. What bothered her was the echo of silence, telling her that she was all alone. Not any one to talk with was there. Only the quietness was with her, all around her, enveloping her. She decided to take a walk. It was mid-fall, and the leaves were turning deep crimson, autumn gala orange and bright yellows. She donned a sweater, and stepped outside. How beautiful everything was! “The heavens declare His Majesty!” she exclaimed. The birds were chirping, the air was crisp, and she felt as if she were soaring among the beauty of God’s creation. She walked at a slow pace, taking everything in. Finally, she turned toward home. As she was walking up the front porch steps, she suddenly stopped. She had been all wrong about thinking that she was alone this afternoon. Yes, she knew it now; God would always be there to guide her, to talk with, listening to everything. No human being could she count on as much as she could count on our Lord and Savior. She walked in the door, without noticing that there were cars parked in the driveway. She hung her sweater up, and walked into the living room. As she did, her husband walked up and gave her a hug and kiss. “Happy Birthday my love.” He murmured, gently stroking her hair. She instantly was lost in his love as she clung to him, drinking in his every word. At that moment, the rest of the family sprung up from various hiding spots and shouted, “Happy Birthday!” Then, various friends came, and they fellowshipped together. She received many wonderful gifts, which she enjoyed, but of those she did not care. She only enjoyed her family and friends' company on one of the precious days that the Lord has provided.

Her children and husband came up to her, after everyone had gone their separate ways, and thanked her for the many things she had done for them. “You do so much, and we never do enough for you! We can never thank you enough, dear Mother.”

The End

Mother was written with feeling, for my own mother’s birthday. The last line that Mother’s children spoke in the story is what I feel towards Mom. Happy Birthday Mom!!!! Love,

Abigail Grace

Happy Autumn!

My favorite season is upon us with its crisp fruits, beautiful colors, and delicious smells. Happy autumn to you!

In the Midst of It

In the midst of the city lies a garden,

that makes the hustle and bustle of everyday life disappear.

In the midst of the garden a(n) historic hotel has stood the test of time,

still welcoming guests, wrapping them in fluffy robes

and offering up comfortable beds.

In the midst of the hotel is an amazing restaurant

that makes its patrons feel comfortable, and special.

In the midst of the restaurant, there is the finest of food.

In the midst of our hearts, there is love and joy.

7304 Days

That's how long I've been married to the man I love.

Happy 20th Anniversary, Verne!

I knew he could do it!

Mac called this afternoon as he was leaving the school. 

"Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

" I just found out for sure that I'm the valedictorian!"

I greeted him with a hearty hug and a kiss when he got home. And everyone else fell in line behind me. 

Congratulations, Mac! We're very proud of you! 

Happy Valentine's Day

Verne started celebrating early by bringing be a bouquet of flowers on Thursday. And a chair. A new chair for my desk. It surprised me. I'd been out for the evening, and when I returned home, and entered our room to get ready for bed, there it sat. How thoughtful!

We're heading out mid-afternoon to share a meal together, just Verne and I. We were going to take Jon and Autumn along, but alas, he's out of the state for work. Instead, she'll fix a supper for the rest of the crew. I'm making Strawberry Pretzel Salad per Abigail's request. She loves the festive color, and it does sure taste good! 

Whatever you're doing today, I hope that you remember Him who loves you more than all others ever could. May the Lord bless you! 

Super Bowl XLIII Highlights

Delicious finger foods and a cake to cheer on our team.

Decorations placed by "the boys."

3-D Glasses. What a let down!




And a big win. It was close, and nerve wracking.
I'm so excited for my husband! When he's happy, I'm happy.