21

My sister Avery turned 21 last week.  To celebrate, we all went to dinner (by "all," I mean she, my parents, my husband and I, and her boyfriend) downtown.  As far as family outings are concerned, this was one of the best in recent history.  We all enjoyed each others company, and just had a really nice time.  At least... that is my take on things!

Ave opening her gift

Ave holding her "Jar full of Memories" up to the camera

Avery and Mikey

Avery and Me

Andrew and Me

Mom and Dad

Avery and Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting... aka: Possibly the best cake I have EVER tasted!

Feeling Encouraged Yet?

"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.

With your help I can advance against a troop;

With MY GOD I can scale a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect;

The Word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength

And makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

He enables me to stand on the heights.

He trains my hand for battle;

My arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You give me your shield of victory;

You stoop down to make me great.

You broaden the path beneath me,

So that my ankles do not turn."

- 2 Samuel 22:29-36

And this is totally off topic, but if I do not post it now, I may never get around to it.  A gal at work has a daughter who had a zebra-themed birthday party last Saturday.  She asked me to make the cake, which I, of course, did!  

Here was the final product.  Well, the almost final product:

Upon completion of the cake, I realized that I spelled the name wrong.  She only uses one "r" to spell her name.  But after making that vital correction, but cake was apparently a big hit!  I certainly hope it was anyway! 

Two Down

Well, I successfully completed two of my five fall recipes over the past week.  And both were delicious.  Both were also incredibly easy. 

I made the baked oatmeal from Brown Eyed Baker, and halved the recipe exactly.  It was a little too much for me to eat all alone and all at once, so next time I make it I will half it once more.  Not to worry though... Lady helped me with the leftovers this time!  The only changes I made were in order to make it gluten and dairy free.  I replaced real milk with almond milk, and butter with a substitute. 

And also from Brown Eyed Baker, I made her sweet potato fries.  These were so good the first time that I actually made them for a second time yesterday!  They are simple, filling, healthy, and tasty.  The first time I made them I went a little nuts with the seasoning.  I added salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  It was a little overkill.  But the second time, I just salted and peppered them lightly.  They turned out perfectly.  I had them with veggies and was full and satisfied afterward! 

Not on the list, and not part of my celiac diet, are these cupcakes I made for a dear friend's birthday.  I cannot speak from firsthand experience, because I did not try them, but from what I hear, these were pretty darn tasty!  They are chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. 

I got the idea for these from here, but changed them a little according to what I thought the birthday girl would like!  Instead of using white cake mix, I used devil's food.  And for the icing, I went with peanut butter cream cheese as opposed to buttercream. 

Here is what I did for the icing:  

1, 8oz. pkg cream cheese

2tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 C powdered sugar.  

Blend the cream cheese and vanilla together.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and milk until completely smooth.  

I kept the cupcakes refrigerated until a few hours before everyone was ready to eat them. 

Brownie Bites

A dear co-worker and friend celebrated a birthday last week.  The sad part about that is that her birthday was actually over two weeks ago; we just had not had a chance to get together and celebrate until last week... which is just plain sad! 

But, we were finally able to break away from work for a bit on Friday, and end the week with a little birthday celebration!  And in my book, no birthday celebration is complete without some kind of sweet birthday treat. 

For this occasion, I chose these brownie bites.  Factors leading to my decision were as follows:
1)  The ease of the brownie bite making method  (: 
2)  The speed of the brownie bite making process
3)  The durability of the brownie bite (aka:  You can save them for a long time after you make them)
5)  The cuteness of the brownie bite
4)  The taste of the completed brownie bite... It tastes awesome whether you have it an hour after you make it or a week after you make it! 

To make these, you will need:
1 boxed brownie mix, and the ingredients called for per the back of the box
1 package of candy coating, the flavor of your choosing (I chose white chocolate.) 

-Bake the brownies as the package directs. 
-Then, after they cool for a bit, crumble the brownie up in a bowl.... Just kind of mush the brownie up.  -At this point, I put the bowl of mushed brownie in the refrigerator to help it cool. 
-Once it has firmed up a bit, form the brownies into balls.  I make mine pretty small, so that there is plenty of white chocolate coating per bite of brownie.
-After the balls are formed, I put the lollipop sticks in them, and used the sticks as a handle for dipping.
-Melt the candy coating using the heating method on the back of the package (usually the package instructs you to heat the coating for one minute, stir, and then continue heating in 15 second intervals until the coating is completely melted)
-When the coating is melted, dip the brownie bites into the coating, one bite at a time. 
-Let the brownie bites harden completely. 
-I think they are best when served chilled, and so I store them in the refrigerator.  If I have LOTS of them, I put a few in the refrigerator, and store the rest in a sealed container in the freezer.  

The advantage of brownie bites versus cake balls is that brownie balls are MUCH easier and faster to make.  That being said, I have to admit that I like the taste and texture of cake balls better.  They may be worth the bit of extra time and effort.  Cake balls are moister, and sweeter!  So they still trump brownie bites in my book.  But these are definitely worth a shot! 

Yippee...!

"Whatever with the past is gone, the best is yet to come!" - Lucy Larcom

Source: lisastorms.typepad.com via Gaby on Pinterest

Happy birthday to me!  (:

Birthday Blessings

I got the coolest birthday card from my grandmother in the mail over the weekend.  It says something along the lines of....

" Handcrafted, accepted, gifted, valued, chosen, loved...
That's who you TRULY are..." 

But, each adjective listed above has a reference to Scripture that goes along with it. 

Handcrafted:  "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  -Psalm 139:14
Accepted:  "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." - Romans 15:7
Gifted: "Christ has given each of us special abilities- whatever He wants us to have out of His rich storehouse of gifts." - Ephesians 4:7
Valued: "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered... you are worth more than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7
Chosen:  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." - 1 Peter 2:9
Loved: "The Lord your God is with you... He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17

From, of course... Pinterest

Birthday Baking

One of my dad's hygienists had a birthday last week.  In other words, I had an excuse to bake a cake last week!  Well, I had a little help from Betty Crocker with the actual cake, but I did make the icing. :)

Megan and I seem to share the same philosophy in life: eat dessert first.  So it was a pleasure baking a cake for someone I knew would enjoy it just as much as I would have!  And it was even MORE of a pleasure eating the extra frosting. 

I used Joy the Baker's peanut butter frosting recipe, which you can find here.  I have tried several, and hers is my favorite so far. I made the recipe exactly as it was written, and it made A LOT of extra frosting.  I probably could have halved it and had the perfect amount for the two layer, nine inch round cake. 

For the chocolate frosting, I used this recipe from allrecipes.com.  I doubled it, and just had a little bit leftover.  There is chocolate frosting in between the two layers of cake, as well as around the top and bottom of the cake... obviously.  :)

Thanks to my Cricut machine, I also made this cake topper for Megan's cake.  

 This is the front of the cake topper.

And this is the back!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN!

LOVEly Birthday!

Today is the love of my life's twenty-second birthday.

So, as seems to be tradition, I am including an acrostic that describes all (or, at least some) of the ways that Andrew expresses his love to me each and every day.

Accepts me.

Notices my strengths, as well as my struggles.

Dreams my dreams with me, no matter how silly or outlandish they may be.

Realizes my potential.

Encourages me toward that potential.

Walks alongside me when things are tricky, just as he does when they are simple.

The list could continue, if only Andrew's name were longer, because he shows his love to me in so many ways. I pray each day that God will reveal to me new ways that I can demonstrate to Andrew my love for him.

I was happy before I met Andrew; I am even happier now that I know him. I am extra- happy to be alive, because it means being alive with him!

My life was rich before Andrew was in it; it is even richer now. He enhances my life just by being a part of it.

I am so glad Andrew was born on this day twenty-two years ago (although any other day would have perfectly acceptable as well). And I will be thankful for each and every year from here on out that I am able to give him a Happy Birthday card... I hope I get to write him one each year for the next hundred years! I am so excited for the years that lie ahead of us; no matter how many or few they may be. I know that my love for him will grow with every birthday that passes.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a NEW thing!!!" - Isaiah 43:18,19

Happy Birthday!

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest men I have ever known: My dad.



I can think of no other person for whom I have greater respect than my father. I cannot think of a more godly man. He is the hardest worker I have ever beheld, and he has a gentler spirit than anyone else I know. He has lived his life in humility and in service to others; never putting himself first.

My dad has always been in my corner. My dad has stood for me when I have not had it in me to stand alone. He has defended me in the face of opposition. He has prayed and fasted for me when my prayers seemed to have fallen short. He has believed in me and in my dreams when no one else did. He has believed in my dreams even when I myself did not believe in them. He has supported every endeavor I have ever undertaken. He has encouraged me toward every goal I have ever expressed. He has confronted me for mistakes I have made, but has never shamed me for them.

In my life, my dad has been a wonderful demonstration of the grace of Christ. He has forgiven me when I have not deserved it. He has loved me when I have been unlovable. He has disciplined me when I have been in the wrong.

There is no one I know who has lived a more successful life than my father. Without him, I cannot imagine what my life up to this point would have been like.

No matter how old and frail he grows, he will still be able to beat the crap out of anyone who does not treat me well. No matter how much his memory may begin to fail one day, he will still be the smartest man I know. And no matter how wrinkly he becomes, he will still be one of the most handsome guys I know.

My dad has shown me the heart of Christ. My dad has shown me how to make mistakes. My dad has taught me to be teachable and to learn from those mistakes; to heed instruction from those who are wiser than I am. My dad has taught me that there is redemption from our mistakes, because we serve a God of second chances. My dad has taught me how to struggle well; and thus, how to live victoriously.

I could not be more proud of or more thankful for my dad. I could not love him more.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday,
And as a way to celebrate
I am going to try to write in rhyme,
So it might be a short post this time.

I wanted to bake Dr. Seuss a cake,
But the week was so busy there was no time to bake.
I thought I might make him green eggs and ham,
But all i had in the kitchen was butter and jam.

I thought I might buy him a fox in sox,
But there was no money in my pockets, only marbles and rocks.
So I considered buying him a fish or two,
But I could not decide if he would prefer a red fish or blue.

So for this day, I am unprepared
But since Dr. Seuss has passed, he is likely unaware
That I forgot about his birthday until it was to late
To cook him a ham, or bake him a cake.

And I was right about this post being short.
Tomorrow's will be longer, with less rhyming, of course.
But until then, please have a happy Thursday.
And to whom it may concern,
Have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!




I did not bake a cake to celebrate this occasion; however, Jenn at Cakes by Jen did! And she did a much better job than I ever could have done!



Here is Dr. Seuss' biography

Here is a list of his books