So Many Changes - So Little Time

When I last posted, Mia and I were about to embark on an incredible adventure - a full month away from home, driving cross-country with Grandfather and Grandmother. What a delight that was!!!

Wanting to share our adventure, but determined to protect our privacy, we posted on an invitation-only blog. I had every intention of copying those posts and posting them here.

BUT...

We were EXHAUSTED

I couldn't figure out how to bulk transfer our previous posts (still working on this...)

We were EXHAUSTED (but you already knew that, didn't you?)

Our Grammy (who has stage 4 Alzheimer's) came to live with us

We moved out of our beloved, picturesque, sunrise-and-sunset-filled valley

So many changes in so little time...


Please pray for us.


I'm not (by any means) finished with posting and I dearly hope to share memorable moments from our adventures. Bear with me, I'll figure out this "timely posting" thing.

Something...

is about...

to happen...

Springtime...

Too Lovely NOT to Share

I looked out the back porch door window this morning and saw this...

How much the Lord must love us to bless us with such breath-stealing beauty...

A Prayer of St. Patrick

Unexpected Delight

I entered a contest - a blog naming contest at a blog I have followed for a couple of years. I've mentioned it before...

Our Quiverful is the family blog of the Estes family. This lovely family of ten home schools, has their own family business, and deeply love the Lord. Noah, their youngest boy has a mitochondrial disease and is often very sick. Mrs. Estes has often been an great encouragement as she shares what the Lord is doing in their lives, and is teaching them.

So, when she announced she was having a blog-naming contest for a blog on Biblical womanhood, I knew I wanted to enter...

& in the Lord's very kind Providence,

I won!!!

That was at the beginning of February, and I'm still excited! :)

On top of the joy of my blog title being chosen, there was a prize - a $50 Amazon gift certificate! I was planning on purchasing books, but Mother counseled me to think beyond books (is that possible?). Therefore, it took me a bit longer to choose and at the end of February I had decided, I ordered and in less time than expected - they arrived!

Cath Kidston stationary and a very special muffin tin...

I'm now hijacking some of your most valuable time to show you. :)

In the Lord's Providence, I'll be using these sweet roses for a wedding shower on Saturday. :)

Thank you again, Mrs. Estes. I'm very thankful for and am praying for you all... <3>



Make certain you check this link so you can read In Ruby Slippers when it's officially launched!

Our First Tutorial

Received a query concerning the purpose of marbles in baking a cake. :)

Ideally,to make a cake like the one below, one will use two 9-inch round cake pans and two 9-inch square pans.

You will then need either one large cake recipe or two boxed cake mixes.
Please allow me to take a moment recommend the rich cake recipe from my 1920's high school home economics textbook - Everyday Foods.

Once baked and cooled, cut both round cake pans in half. Take one square and two half-circles, assemble as above. Ice top, then next layer, assembling as the first layer.

Ice as any other cake and devour.

But, you say... What about those marbles?

Well, I will tell you. Only in ideal situations will you posses two round and two square cake pans. We posses two round and one square cake pans. Since we've only made this cake as a one layer before, it hasn't been a problem. Mia longed for a two layered heart cake so, necessity being the mother of invention, we busied ourselves with finding a solution.


The solution? Marbles. In a 9 x 13 pan. A "compartment" of aluminum foil kept them contained and out of the cake.


Just to refresh your memory...


It worked perfectly.





Hopefully, we have inspired you make your own heart-shaped cakes...


Have fun!


Note: We knew this was safe as we've baked with marbles before. Ordinary cupcakes in paper wrappers can become heart shaped if before baking a marble or two (stacked, not side by side) is positioned between the wrapper and the baking tin....