tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270386392024-03-06T21:48:32.835-08:00rambling as usual...Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-4418744545185793642019-01-30T00:01:00.001-08:002019-01-30T00:01:13.954-08:00Panic Free Pricing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, as my last blog post stated, I started <a href="https://www.instagram.com/newmerciesdesign/" target="_blank">New Mercies Design</a> a little over a year ago, with the hopes to perhaps make a little money on the side of homeschooling. Admittedly, I haven’t done a LOT, but it’s because I haven’t put a LOT of time into it since there are so many other things to do, and I have to prioritize. :) And that's ok... because I enjoy lettering, and as much as possible, I'd like to keep it that way. So I've got an <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NewMerciesDesign" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> and an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/newmerciesdesign/" target="_blank">Instagram account</a> and word of mouth, which has gotten my most of my work, even though I'm not super busy with it (and like I said, that's ok for now).<br />
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So I want to share something that I just posted on Instagram, with a bunch of info on a new myteachable.com course, and right now I'm here to share it with you because it's fabulous.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panic Free Pricing! For sale now, with special pricing! Read on...</td></tr>
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<br />Like I said, I have gotten to do a few things over the past year or so, and they’ve not only been fun, but they’ve been rewarding. I was often unsure what to charge, though! So when <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehappyevercrafter/" target="_blank">@thehappyevercrafter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/indetailcreative/" target="_blank">@indetailcreative</a> put together the Panic-Free Pricing book earlier this year, I took advantage of it immediately.<br />
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Now I’m honored to be an affiliate and want to share it with you because it’s helped me immensely. I'm still no expert, but I've got this course to keep learning how to price my items and I'll be able to do better as I build my business! They’ve just revamped it to make it an online course, so there are even more benefits to be had.<br />
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<li>The pricing charts are easy to reference, and give you a great minimum starting point for quoting your own jobs.</li>
<li>It includes a 98-page reference guide, over 2 hours of video content, and access to a private FB group for extra help pricing your own jobs!</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">I lettered this logo for my daughter's Poshmark shop. I matched the colors to one of her favorite color schemes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this for a friend who put the art on a mug and some cards, and she paid $20. (Should I have charged more?)</td></tr>
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<li>It is on sale from now until next Monday, the 4th, for $99 CAD (~$75 USD!), so grab it while it's on sale! After the 4th, the price will be $179 CAD (~$135). </li>
<li>Once you’ve paid, it’s yours forever. You can go through it at your own pace, you can skip around, whatever you want! </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this for 4th of July, it still hangs in my family room. </td></tr>
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<li>The link to purchase is below, and here’s a bonus for you: If you purchase using my link, I’ll letter your first name (or a first name of your choice) and send you a digital copy! After your purchase, simply send me an email (with a note saying hello!) and a copy of your receipt and let me know what name you’d like me to letter. I’ll send a digital file to you after a few days. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9i__X0egGWORZREFEXPPYLx3jOKfcrZFoFjUq_0rszd2rtwt_etG_y5vKCEZy3zTRbUX1cgRT4ena6H93Z3_-AWPbMHBQ2UJD-BmNkPHScbdR6Ld9xO2-lU37PWdRG23Go2c9Q/s1600/IMG_0146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9i__X0egGWORZREFEXPPYLx3jOKfcrZFoFjUq_0rszd2rtwt_etG_y5vKCEZy3zTRbUX1cgRT4ena6H93Z3_-AWPbMHBQ2UJD-BmNkPHScbdR6Ld9xO2-lU37PWdRG23Go2c9Q/s320/IMG_0146.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this for my husband's parents' 50th anniversary.</td></tr>
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<li>I’m super excited to be able to share this information with you! Click <a href="https://thehappyevercrafter.teachable.com/courses/panic-free-pricing?affcode=254428_qc8kowvt" target="_blank">here</a> to order this fantastic resource for your business. You'll be so glad you did! </li>
<li>If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to comment below or to send me a message through Instagram or to my email, newmerciesdesign@gmail.com. </li>
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I'm no expert on blog posts, so this is basically just a bunch of info with some photos interspersed here and there. But I am telling you, <a href="https://thehappyevercrafter.teachable.com/courses/panic-free-pricing?affcode=254428_qc8kowvt" target="_blank">the course itself</a> is totally worth the investment! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPU2O170hKTYEbmNds8eFMRp_-C8sEXEhs8OBCgtMf9M4hqOGGae0svXNHzuSdQsI-wrbhRM1RMMZLs-liwlQsGPu3mbfu7xQmpfImkC9NyY9dQcp1W-EV-vsXTPLxmL-YO8P2A/s1600/IMG_0685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPU2O170hKTYEbmNds8eFMRp_-C8sEXEhs8OBCgtMf9M4hqOGGae0svXNHzuSdQsI-wrbhRM1RMMZLs-liwlQsGPu3mbfu7xQmpfImkC9NyY9dQcp1W-EV-vsXTPLxmL-YO8P2A/s320/IMG_0685.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I lettered this and then cut it out in vinyl with my Cricut to put on the window next to my front door. </td></tr>
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I've added some of my work to this post, just to give you an idea of what I do, but you can look at my Instagram accounts too, and see lots of work there. I have a couple accounts - my 'regular' account is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/musicnazi/" target="_blank">@musicnazi</a>, and my lettering/business account is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/newmerciesdesign/" target="_blank">@newmerciesdesign</a>. I'd love to visit with you there!<br />
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If you're interested in pricing your items, click <a href="https://thehappyevercrafter.teachable.com/courses/panic-free-pricing?affcode=254428_qc8kowvt" target="_blank">here</a> to order! And if you're interested in any lettering work, you're welcome to visit my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NewMerciesDesign" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a>, message me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/newmerciesdesign/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, or email me at newmerciesdesign@gmail.com (you can also email me with just a click through Instagram; my email is in my bio).<br />
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You won't be disappointed. :-)<br />
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<br />Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-51721709808139936372018-01-10T21:01:00.001-08:002019-01-31T13:54:59.234-08:00New Etsy Store (shameless plug - it's my blog, after all.)Well. It's been something like 3 years or more since I've posted because again, life happened and I've forgotten about this little space.<br />
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It's ok, I'm fine with it.<br />
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To update anyone who reads this blog, the latest things we are doing around here are still school, music, tv and movie quotes, and nowadays, car repair and maintenance, since I have two teen drivers with cars to care for on a regular basis.<br />
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My latest endeavor is hand lettering, and I've even opened an Etsy store to sell my artwork. I fully intend for my girls to do some art as well. Not a bad gig for some pocket (or gas) money, making artwork, taking photos, and posting it to sell. So we'll see what happens there!<br />
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I really only hopped on tonight to edit an old post, but just thought I'd include a "hi, I'm still here" post while I was here. So there it is.<br />
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Here's a link to our store, and a sample of some of my work... bookmark our shop and check back often to see any new items we post!<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/newmerciesdesign" target="_blank">Click to view our shop, New Mercies Design</a><br />
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Happy looking, happy shopping.<br />
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<br />Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-87518060040912172312014-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:002014-07-11T09:14:02.557-07:00It's a beautiful day.The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and there are many things to do. But first...a word from our Sponsor. Actually, our Creator. The verse for the day is this, and I haven't even looked at it yet. It will be a surprise. :-)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. — </span><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?query=Jeremiah+32:17&t=niv" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Jeremiah 32:17</a></div>
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Well, there it is. Whatever it is that you're going through today, God is bigger. He loves you and gave his Son for you! How amazing is that?!?<br />
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That's really it, I just went to look something up here on my blog and was reminded that I haven't posted for over a year. Much has happened, but one day I'll catch you up. In the meantime, remember the truths I told you above. It's not *my* truth, it's God's truth.<br />
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Something to think about.<br />
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<br />Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-6695483333324555962013-12-15T18:04:00.001-08:002013-12-15T18:04:48.501-08:00<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5958721/?claim=q732adeuwvx">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-20870577443237909832013-06-09T20:54:00.001-07:002013-06-09T20:56:35.126-07:00What Happens Next?Life has been a whirlwind since my last post. It was the first of May - and May ended up being one of the busiest months I've had in a long time. On the 4th of May, my dear friend and sister Kari went home to be with our Lord. She passed very early in the morning, and things were just as she had wanted them: her family all around her, except for her kids, who were each with a non-family "family" member. She didn't want them to have to see her in that state, and it was her wish that they not have to go through that part of it. Things were just as she wanted. She was completely coherent until the moment she went home.<br />
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I got to see her on the afternoon before she passed; she was alert and coherent; however she was unable to speak (unless it was *absolutely* necessary). She "spoke" with raised eyebrows or short vocalizations. She just didn't have the energy. And that was ok. Because we all knew that she knew exactly what was happening. I got to talk to her a bit, pray with her and for her. I thank God for that privilege.<br />
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The next week was when the whirlwind started. Because Kari was a part of a quartet that we sang in together, we were asked to sing at the memorial service. 4 of us gals got together for a couple days before the service to practice a song to sing. At different points in the quartet's history, there were 5 of us who sang at different points in time. We've become a little family. This quartet is one of the greatest blessings God has given me in music. The song we chose was "Circle of Friends", because 1), she was such an important part of our lives, 2), we knew how large a circle she had touched, and 3), it was a song that we knew and (some of us) had sung before and could prepare quickly. :) What a blessing, to be able to sing at the service, and God held us up through the entire song - we made it all the way through without any tears. I know there's no other way *I* would have made it through. (Thank you Lord!!)<br />
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So on Wednesday we had the memorial service at our church, and what an amazing sight to see how many people her life had touched. The place was packed, standing room only. There were probably over 600 people there. There were people from all walks of life, and so many people had wonderful things to say about her and how she touched their lives. I think every one of her girlfriends felt like Kari was her best friend. That's just how she affected people. I'm not usually one to claim a "best friend", except for my husband. But I know that for me, she was definitely one of my best girl friends - really, she was a sister. I've said it before. It's simply true. She was one of the people who I felt knew me for who I *really* am - not who I used to be, and not what they *think* I am. Just who I am, now, who God has made me. I appreciated that so much about her.<br />
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The day after the memorial service, 3 friends and I got in a van and drove to Montana, to be with her family at her graveside service on Friday afternoon. It was one of the most amazing times. On the 8-hour drive (each way), the four of us bonded, shared memories about Kari, and had a wonderful time sharing "Kari's Montana" with each other. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and what a blessing to be counted as her family, *by* her family. We were so blessed.<br />
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The graveside service was very special; the pastor of her parents' church gave a wonderful message, and a gentleman sang "It Is Well With My Soul" afterward - what a sound, hearing all these people, including many family members, singing along, and the truth of the song ringing through the air. It really *is* well with my soul. God is in control, and for some reason, unknown to us at this time, has a purpose to taking Kari home at this time in her life. Although we have to now live with that "unknown", we still have peace because we understand that God's plan is perfect. We trust in him. It is will with our souls.<br />
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After the service, as is a tradition in their family, the sharpies came out and everyone who wanted to was allowed to write a little note on the casket. That was so special. At first I wasn't sure what to think about it, but as it turned out, it was amazing. What a wonderful way to send off one more last tangible thought - to say one "last word".<br />
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Later that day we returned to Kari's parents' house up on the hill...they have a beautiful place. We sat on the porch, visited, just had a good time sharing together. Later that night we got to experience another family tradition: Pinecone Baseball. What a fun time together with this family that we love and that accepted us as part of their family. When the day was over and we drove back to our hotel, we all agreed that it was one of the best. days. EVER.<br />
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Honestly, I wasn't sure I really needed to go on this trip, I felt I probably had enough closure at the memorial service. But I'm so glad I went, it was so healing, and a wonderful way to bond with these 3 amazing women who I also count as very dear friends. I am so thankful for them, even more now than ever, since we had the experience together saying goodbye to our friend and sister, Kareen.<br />
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The next day was my birthday; my girlfriends took me to breakfast, and then we "crashed" a birthday celebration to surprise Selah (Kari's youngest daughter, born on my birthday 12 years ago). After that, we drove the 8 hours home and again, had a wonderful time together.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kari's Montana: Circle of Friends</td></tr>
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The next three weeks were filled with busy-ness! I'm not complaining; don't get me wrong. Not at all. It was just busy. And honestly, I'm not used to "busy". Life is not usually like this for me. :)<br />
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First, there was a Classical Conversations Parent Practicum. In a nutshell, it's a parent teaching session for our homeschool community. That weekend we went to Dallas (Oregon) to the Parker Estate (my parents' house). We celebrated Emma's 14th birthday on Saturday, and took in one of my mom's band concerts. The next weekend was my annual yard sale, which is always fun, and since Kari was always involved with us, it was another few days of memories (and garbage trucks). The week after that was the last week of May (thank goodness!). A couple of those days included homeschool testing. The state requires us to have our kids tested every year. So by the end of that week, which was the end of the month, I was so ready for May to be O-VER.<br />
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I know it's silly, it's just that I felt like once May was gone, I could relax a little bit. And it's true - June has been much better so far. :) I still have to get my house clean this week, but I feel like it's a job that can be done without quite such a busy schedule.<br />
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So that's it. That's what's happened since my last post.<br />
It's been a whirlwind, but it's ok. It's life. Full of ups and downs!<br />
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So here's my question: <b>What happens next?</b><br />
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What happens after you lose a friend and sister?<br />
After so many of your friends have also lost the same friend?<br />
After people who are family to you, have lost a wife and mother?<br />
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Well, what happens next, is that we keep on keepin' on. We keep moving forward, we keep living our lives. I will live one day at a time, and see what happens. I'll pray that I can be a good wife and mother, friend and sister, by the grace of God. And I will remember that He is in control.<br />
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I will remember that no matter what, this fact remains:<br />
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<b>God is good, all the time.</b><br />
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It's just a fact.<br />
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<br />Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-21223224041623128672013-05-01T00:33:00.001-07:002013-05-01T00:33:12.560-07:00What it's all about.What started out as a Facebook status update soon became the beginning of a blog post. So I have brought it here to share. Unfortunately, it's a bit long-winded, but please stick with me, I pray it will be worth the read.<br />
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Please pray with me for my friend and sister, Kari, and her family. This woman is one of my closest friends. She is like my sister, her husband is like my brother, we are like second moms to each others' kids. This family is our second family. Diagnosed in late September with aggressive stage 4 uterine cancer, she has been fighting hard for about 7 months now, and it looks as though the end is coming near. And we continue to pray. We pray for healing, for her family, for her to be comfortable, for so many things.<br />
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God *can* heal her, we know this is a fact, but will he choose to do so? Of course we selfishly pray for such a miracle. But regardless of how we feel about his plans, we know that they are perfect. He is perfect. He is the blessed controller of all things. His ways are not our ways. We know and trust that he has a perfect plan, and though we pray for healing, and trust that he can do it, we also know that he may not grant that prayer.<br />
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We trust in him, and even if we don't get the outcome that we really want, we will trust that he knows best. We will continue to tell ourselves that truth, even if we don't feel like believing it for a moment. Or for several moments. But we will come back to the truth. We'll be real, and because our human, sinful, selfish nature wants to be mad at him for letting this horrible thing happen to our friend, we will still trust in him and believe that he knows best and has our best interests at heart. <b><i>We will come back to the truth. </i></b><br />
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We could choose to spend our days full of sadness that we may soon lose a friend, but I'm not sure that's the way for us to glorify God in this situation. Feeling sad is fine, but I think we are supposed to also figure out what God is teaching us through this. He's been preparing us for this loss for months now, and has been teaching us how to be selfless and helpful and think of others through hard times.<br />
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He wants us to see the truth. The truth is this: our lives are but a whisper, a grain of sand, chaff in the wind. We are nothing; he is everything. We deserve hell; he has given us the gift of eternal life. The truth is, he loves us immensely. The truth is, he desires good things for us. The truth is, he is constantly teaching us, molding us, yearning for us to seek him. Our desire should be to become more like Christ through every. little. thing. that happens in our lives. There is no such thing as coincidence.<b><i> Every moment of our lives, driven by the choices we make, are filtered through God's hands. </i></b>He will not give us anything that he hasn't allowed to be in our lives.<br />
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So what do we do with this? What do *I* do with this? I can tell you what I have been doing with it. All the while praying for God to heal her, either completely or in part, I've been simultaneously mourning the loss of my sister. I've been trying to figure out whether or not that's complete trust in God, or whether it's simply allowing myself to cope. I think it's both. <b>God knows my heart. </b>He knows how much I trust in his miracles, his healing, and his love. He knows, so I really am not worried about what anyone else thinks about how I've been dealing with this. I just pray that in my sharing about it, I can help someone else cope. Even if just a little bit.<br />
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Here's the deal. God tells us not to worry. Philippians 4:6-7 have been verses I've strived to live by for almost 20 years now:<br />
<i>Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.</i><br />
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So I take my concern, lay it at the foot of the cross, let the blood of Jesus cover it, and I let. it. go. Of course there are times when that doesn't happen, let's be straight. I'm human, I make {many} mistakes, we all do. But when it comes to this, here's my mindset: I have been commanded not to worry. So I'm not going to spend my days being sulky, sad, mopey, grumpy (or any other dwarf), about this situation. I will mourn. I have mourned. I have moments of despair and sadness. But I will *not* let it bring me down permanently and cause me to believe that God has lost control of the situation.<br />
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<b><i>**Nothing that has happened has been a surprise to God.** </i></b><br />
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Satan wants me to believe the lies that I need to make this all about me. He wants sadness and despair to control my life. <b>The blood of Jesus has given me power over those lies, and I will claim that. </b>I will strive to be a positive example for my children, teaching them how to deal with the realities in life. It's ok to feel sad, and to cry, and to mourn, but it's not ok to let it control our lives. <i>God is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble.</i> (Psalm 46:1, most likely a combination of translations.) :)<br />
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So as I continue my mourning process, all the while praying for God to miraculously heal my sister so that she can continue carrying on the amazing life she has lead so far, I also continue trusting that God knows best. He *can* heal her, but if he chooses not to, I will trust that he knows what he's doing. No, I don't like it. I don't like the thought of losing a friend, a sister. I don't like the thought of my children losing a "second mom". I don't like the thought of her kids being left without their mom, or my brother without a wife. These people are family to us. And no matter how many times we try to tell ourselves that she'll be going to "a better place", <i>we don't like it.</i><br />
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But, no matter how much I don't like it, my job is not dependent on whether I like what God does. My job, my main goal in life, is to glorify God. My life is supposed to glorify God. Does it glorify God if I'm sitting around, sulking, and selfishly believing lies? I think not. God is not glorified when we let our pride and selfishness rule us. So we trust Him, His power, His majesty, His mercy, His grace, everything that HE is, and we carry on. <i>Blind faith, you say? Maybe. <b>But I'd rather be led by God through blind faith than be led by anyone or anything else. </b></i><br />
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Yep. I'm rambling again. It's gotta get out of my head somehow, and this is as good a place as any. I pray that you, the reader, will take something positive from my ramblings. Maybe you're where I am, and you're on the brink of the possibility of losing a loved one - the same one as me, or a different one. Maybe you don't know them, but can just pray for James and Kari's family, and for those of us who are in this situation.<br />
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Maybe you have other things that are more pressing in your life, and you'll find some encouragement here. And maybe you and God aren't on speaking terms lately. Whatever the case, I pray that you will see God's hand in your life, that you will see the difficulties in your life as God's way of attempting to bring you closer to him.<br />
<b><i>Because without him, you won't ever have true happiness or contentment, you'll always be searching for it.</i></b><br />
Trust me, you won't find it any other way. If you don't believe me, try it. <i>What have you really got to lose? </i><br />
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This started out as a quick post to ask people to pray for my friend, and for my family and all of us going through this trial. But you know what? <b>It's not about me.</b> It's not about me at all. God wants me to share this with you, and <i>he wants *you* to see his love for you.</i> That's really what this whole thing is about. God uses stuff like this in our lives to point us to him. It's all about him. Our purpose in life? <b><i>To Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever. </i></b>We glorify God by accepting his love, by sharing it with others, by being examples of his love to others.<br />
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<b><i>This</i></b> is what it's about.<br />
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If you're not familiar with my friend Kari's story, please see her CaringBridge site for more info and the latest updates. Please pray for her situation, especially her family, all of whom are so special to us.<br />
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<a href="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/KariPaskeBennett">http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/KariPaskeBennett</a>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-8920452333283572082012-11-19T22:42:00.001-08:002013-01-09T20:46:33.863-08:00It's been a while......since my last post.<br />
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I know, probably most people don't really even notice. So I'm not worried. I really post on my blog for my own enjoyment and my own sort-of journaling purposes. But anyway, I'd like to post a quick update on life as we know it at the Montgummibear household. This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a complete or all-encompassing update, but just a few highlights and I will do my best to, sooner than later, post many of the drafts that I've got here in my library of posts, also seen in my mind as things-to-do. <br />
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1. This summer we decided to take our kids out of public school and homeschool them. So now I'm not only my kids' first teacher, as I always have been, I'm their actual school teacher too. We're loving this new challenge and really enjoying the time we have together and seeing God's plan for us in the education arena.<br />
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2. As a result of No. 1, we get to take fun field trips from time to time, we get to spend more time together, we don't have to get up as early most days, and we are finding new and creative ways to do many of our everyday tasks. Chore break, anyone? Field trip to Target, anyone? King Tut exhibit at Pacific Science Center, anyone? God is good. It's fun, and my kids learn a lot, whether on breaks, field trips (real or imaginary...I know, Target's a stretch...) or in actual "school" study time. :)<br />
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3. One of my best girlfriends was recently diagnosed with cancer, so we've really had some interesting changes happen in our family as a result. This family is practically family to us - she is like a sister to me, and all the kids are practically siblings. I'm like a mom to her kids, and she's like a mom to mine. So we do a lot of helping out with picking kids up, and having them over to do school work some afternoons. It's such a blessing to be able to help out this dear friend and her family. It's also a super huge bonus that we "happen" to be homeschooling this year, and our similar-aged kids going through much of the same curriculum. I realized long ago that there are no such things as "coincidence". This is just one example of said "coincidence". <br />
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4. God is the Blessed Controller of all things. See No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.<br />
And No. 5.<br />
And No. 6. <br />
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5. There is so much more to update, so I guess I will just do one more. My baby sister Tasha had a baby in March, and she's super cute. Her name is Liliana. They just left from visiting here this weekend. Lili is 8 months old now, and such a fun, happy baby. Not so much a baby now, since she can crawl around and pull herself up and stand while hanging on to the furniture. You know the age. They're so much fun. If you don't know the age, they're so much fun. Take my word for it, or go find an 8-month-old to watch for a few minutes. <br />
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6. I'm tired, and it's getting later and later. So I will have to write more updates another time. Again, there is so much more but I feel like I've at least done my "token" post for now, and hopefully it won't be 7 months between posts again. Or 8 months. Or whatever. One of these days I'll learn to count.<br />
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So I will leave you with a picture of my sweet niece, Lili. Or 2. Or 5. I'm telling you, this is the cutest baby *ever*. No lie.<br />
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See? I told you.Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-26245798005818780422012-03-16T13:05:00.000-07:002013-01-17T17:57:01.732-08:00Homemade Taco Seasoning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCmDGWfjK8geX8f0mbt1zSAGrbiDU3B-K4Zi3JaX_ScyQwGB22veUfCNQ122N1OoTFjIJs5WwFn3jeGQtwfv2AKUUacD-nDrev7TLtQrC8lHyyGhkXrLwyVVo_njX6ZbAT4Hrcg/s1600/031412_18927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCmDGWfjK8geX8f0mbt1zSAGrbiDU3B-K4Zi3JaX_ScyQwGB22veUfCNQ122N1OoTFjIJs5WwFn3jeGQtwfv2AKUUacD-nDrev7TLtQrC8lHyyGhkXrLwyVVo_njX6ZbAT4Hrcg/s400/031412_18927.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
I've been meaning to post this taco seasoning recipe for some time now, and since I made up a batch of it the other day, I took a picture or two so I could share! I don't know why exactly, but it's hard for me to share a recipe without a picture.<br />
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So without further ado, here is my version of taco seasoning. I love this because I know what's in it, and I know what's *not* in it. No MSG here. :)<br />
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<div class="Section1">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 14pt;">Taco Seasoning</span></i></b></div>
</div>
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 14pt;">
</span></i></b>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">Ingredients</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">2
tablespoons chili powder</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1/2
teaspoon garlic powder</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1/2
teaspoon onion powder</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1/2
teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1/2
teaspoon dried oregano</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1/2
teaspoon minced onion</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1
teaspoon paprika</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">1
tablespoon ground cumin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">2
teaspoons unrefined sea salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">2
teaspoons black pepper</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">Combine
all ingredients in a mason jar and shake until combined. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10pt;">Store in
an airtight container.</span></div>
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You can mix it up directly into an empty spice jar, but I make it in a mason jar so I have enough to store after I fill up my little spice jar.<br />
<br />
I usually make up a double batch. Sometimes I make it times four, so I don't have to make up another batch as often. Especially as often as we eat tacos. Watch it though - it's pretty potent - so you don't need to use quite as much as that <strike>lame, chemical-ridden</strike> store bought taco seasoning.<br />
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I use this to season my taco meat, but also when I make quesadillas, I sprinkle this seasoning on top of the cheese/chicken/beans (whatever I put in the quesadillas) to give it some really good flavor. So yummy!<br />
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Here's my batch, before shaking...<br />
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<br />
...and after shaking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCV6c4j3L88ozjAhxRBPPuMc7HnI00SzTAI1a8d1AhYuX72dDLyw6twx9YsgdaHXI0tGX53jwd_OHgltMSdTEyrG7jsKfWSajxHnc0zKpauqupGNExrF_rkKRGJvz_xGSNXc-oQ/s1600/031412_18930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCV6c4j3L88ozjAhxRBPPuMc7HnI00SzTAI1a8d1AhYuX72dDLyw6twx9YsgdaHXI0tGX53jwd_OHgltMSdTEyrG7jsKfWSajxHnc0zKpauqupGNExrF_rkKRGJvz_xGSNXc-oQ/s400/031412_18930.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Isn't it pretty? <br />
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Now go on and make yourself some of this yummy stuff!<br />
<br />Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-69799402390858943992012-01-08T15:28:00.001-08:002018-01-10T20:42:07.118-08:00Tangy Tomato Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-XpCqMHpbkVLXhFt6uVJvxv3ZLR0yXjjpiWeFJbPzD57HN4ShcvWcL-QNImJyIKTZ_A9ybP0N4OwZSUEWSFUuo6wX_LgfGBIQHmtsobqJmmntPTIIa38Ka7moCXxA1l42CCHNQ/s1600/010812_18363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-XpCqMHpbkVLXhFt6uVJvxv3ZLR0yXjjpiWeFJbPzD57HN4ShcvWcL-QNImJyIKTZ_A9ybP0N4OwZSUEWSFUuo6wX_LgfGBIQHmtsobqJmmntPTIIa38Ka7moCXxA1l42CCHNQ/s400/010812_18363.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After church today I decided to make one of our go-to easy after-church lunches, grilled cheese and tomato soup. Usually, I keep some of those yummy boxes of Pacific Natural Foods tomato soup in the pantry. I looked in the pantry today, and they were all gone! No tomato soup to be found. So I decided I had better try to make some!<br />
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I first thought of diluting some tomato paste for the soup base, since I have a can or two of that sitting around. I looked up several recipes for more ideas. Then I remembered that I had canned some tomatoes in the fall, using a recipe from the Ball Blue Book for Roasted Roma Tomatoes. This recipe uses roasted romas, roasted garlic, onion, oregano, salt, and pepper. It was great too, because I had fresh romas from a friend, a bunch of garlic and onions from my CSA box, and fresh oregano from the garden! I love having these things on hand so I can try new recipes.<br />
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So far, I hadn't used any of these canned tomatoes yet, and honestly, wasn't sure how I was going to use them up. So now, I know. Whenever I need tomato soup, I'm going to use up my roasted romas to make this yummy soup recipe!<br />
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Because I'm not experienced in making my own recipes, I had to share this one.
Try it if you want, and if you find a way to make it better, please share it with me!<br />
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<br />
Tami's Tangy Tomato Soup<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<br />
1 Quart Roasted Roma Tomatoes (recipe from Ball Canning Blue Book)<br />
1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt<br />
1 tsp Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base<br />
1 C heavy cream<br />
<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
<br />
Pour tomatoes into blender jar and blend the tomatoes until very smooth. Pour blended tomatoes into a saucepan add cream. While heating to desired temperature, add salt, chicken base and cream. Stir and adjust seasonings to taste.<br />
<br />
If desired, add fresh ground pepper, basil, parsley, or any other herbs or seasonings you like! I'll bet this is super yummy with some fresh basil thrown in.<br />
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<br />
Pour into bowls and serve with grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum!<br />
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<br />
Enjoy!Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-21057415375671454902012-01-03T17:03:00.005-08:002012-01-03T17:04:55.684-08:00Mountain Rose Herbs GiveawayOk. I am super excited about this giveaway.<br />
<br />
I already make my own laundry soap, which is super easy and I believe I have been remiss in posting about it. I will soon remedy that situation.<br />
<br />
I would love to make more cleaning solutions to use around the house - and this company might just help me be able to do so, for free! :) <br />
<br />
This giveaway from <a href="http://mountainroseblog.com/recipes-2011-giveaway-3/" target="_blank">Mountain Rose Herbs</a> is amazing!<br />
<br />
If I happen to be the lucky winner, I'll definitely post back and let y'all know how many great items I'm able to create from all these wonderful ingredients.<br />
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<br />
I hope I win.<br />
:-)Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-59876370521319802362011-09-23T12:21:00.000-07:002011-09-23T12:21:42.680-07:00Italian Prune CakeGrowing up, we had a few prune trees around the place. <br />
<br />
I have since come to realize that they are called Italian Prune Plums, and often used to make the dried prunes that we all know and love (?). When most people think "prune" they think of a shriveled up dried fruit that old people eat. :) Really, a dried prune is a dehydrated (mostly) plum. At least as far as I know. And as many of you already know, that's not all too far. <br />
<br />
Back to our prune trees on the Parker Estate: we used to eat prunes right off the tree and loved them! That type of plum is so sweet and tart and yummy. After moving away from home, I sort of forgot about them, until a few years ago when we visited down there and realized that the trees had started bearing fruit again after several prunings that left them barren for some time. We brought a couple flats home with us, and enjoyed them while we had them. I didn't preserve any that time, but the next year, Costco had them! I was so excited. It's almost become a tradition to get some whenever they're in season. And it's a *short* season. <br />
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These days, the old prune trees back at home are all gone. So whenever Costco carries these prune plums, I grab at least one container for us to eat. This year, for whatever reason, I decided to see if I could make something out of them.<br />
<br />
Enter, the prune cake recipe. Yeah. The recipe. This is why you're here, right? The recipe.<br />
<br />
I found this recipe online somewhere and modified a bit. Some call it Prune Coffee Cake, some call it Plum Kuchen (a German coffee cake). If you want to drink coffee with it, knock yourself out. I just call it Italian Prune Cake. And sometimes I drink coffee with it. <br />
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If you don't have Italian Prunes, then just use some other plums. Whatever works!<br />
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Here's what you need:<br />
<br />
<b>Cake:</b><br />
1/2 C butter (one stick)<br />
1 C sugar (I used raw sugar)<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 C flour (I used wheat pastry flour)<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
6 or 7 Italian prunes, pitted and quartered (or more to your liking)<br />
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice<br />
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<b>Topping: </b><br />
1-1/2 Tbsp Sugar (again I used raw sugar)<br />
1/4 tsp Cinnamon (or just make up some general cinnamon sugar, to your taste)<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.<br />
<br />
Cream together the butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs, followed by flour and baking powder. Beat to mix will and spread into the prepared pan (it's a thick batter). Place plum quarters on top of the batter, close together in circles, covering the batter. Make designs if you want! Sprinkle with lemon juice.<br />
<br />
Mix up the cinnamon sugar topping and sprinkle over the top of the plums and batter. Bake on center rack of oven for one hour or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake is golden brown.<br />
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Serve warm or cool, preferably with home made sweetened whipped cream (see recipe below).<br />
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This is a super yummy cake! The prunes bake down and combine into the batter and are nice and sweet but then you also have the slight tartness of the skin with it -- this is so good. I never thought it would be, but was delightfully surprised.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHhtD0elCIAxB8v1tzAHK6B5ll-7ZuuIK3bKaLZNjTPN2QxzAnRXr8pFzcp1N_z5ulmGWnqqbEmcKSctsJrZYNKlYOYA98BsFAK5kJql2j0AMWXOfDHhmq0fPOeGreiDFi-vpzg/s1600/090911_16972_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHhtD0elCIAxB8v1tzAHK6B5ll-7ZuuIK3bKaLZNjTPN2QxzAnRXr8pFzcp1N_z5ulmGWnqqbEmcKSctsJrZYNKlYOYA98BsFAK5kJql2j0AMWXOfDHhmq0fPOeGreiDFi-vpzg/s400/090911_16972_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here's what the cake looked like before I put it in the oven. I used about 6 prunes on this cake and made little flower patterns. But the last one I made I used 7 or maybe even 8 and put the prunes on in a circular fashion, just around the perimeter and then made circles inside of that big one. I wanted to put on as many as would fit, because when these are cooked into the cake, they are *so* good!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0l8D3fBRs5QCLI4vVrWywW2k3BqdHiew1Gg6oN-LM6ZND91ZWiGYoTDBZ3o3NBCEP-bZT1xgc1kXQiB4PBsGKjLqMROPFBwoc-cKbuCRdF4-gpg6M5Pr_YrcpsOKKpKpDqWtfw/s1600/090911_16973_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0l8D3fBRs5QCLI4vVrWywW2k3BqdHiew1Gg6oN-LM6ZND91ZWiGYoTDBZ3o3NBCEP-bZT1xgc1kXQiB4PBsGKjLqMROPFBwoc-cKbuCRdF4-gpg6M5Pr_YrcpsOKKpKpDqWtfw/s320/090911_16973_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here's what it looked like after I baked it -- but also after we dug into it. I sort-of forgot to take a shot of what it looked like right out of the oven. So just pretend all the pieces are there.<br />
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Since making this recipe twice now, I've frozen a bunch of prunes so that I can make this cake whever I want until they are in season again. (Or until I run out of prunes...)<br />
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Hope you have a chance to enjoy this cake! If not, come over to my house and I'll make you some.<br />
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:-)<br />
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p.s. Here is the whipped cream recipe:<br />
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<b>Whipped Cream:</b><br />
1 C heavy whipping cream<br />
1/4 C powdered sugar<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
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Combine ingredients in a cold mixing bowl (or blender).<br />
Mix until blended and peaks form.<br />
If you prefer unsweetened whipped cream, just whip the cream by itself, or don't add as much sugar. It's up to you to make it how you like it!Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-83589366447662180632011-09-23T11:32:00.000-07:002011-09-23T11:32:58.458-07:00Vinyl CupcakeEmma and I went yard sale-ing a few weekends ago, and found this shelf for one dollar. It had a really ugly spot on top, but we are all about fixing things to suit our fancy here in Montgummibear land.<br />
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So when she was at school the other day, I cut out this super cute cupcake and put it on the top of the shelf so the ugly spot was covered up! It turned out beautifully.<br />
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I used my Gypsy (Gypsy Wanderings cartridge) to create the cupcake to the correct size, and used my Cricut to cut the pieces out in different colors of vinyl. <br />
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Here it is!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Before (very ugly, no?):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P43ShmTyKBjp9rwxmVTDntix6Qr5xfaWXECwWl8SxBStr2BRUXObVlB_iMgAQMY2ObQx_7Gl_zq_KVVeJZ3OMp7wn4JiaWUmuEebnpa4p-I5EA_1iFMlZFFZ7GG4QU6xseB5Kg/s1600/091411_16988_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P43ShmTyKBjp9rwxmVTDntix6Qr5xfaWXECwWl8SxBStr2BRUXObVlB_iMgAQMY2ObQx_7Gl_zq_KVVeJZ3OMp7wn4JiaWUmuEebnpa4p-I5EA_1iFMlZFFZ7GG4QU6xseB5Kg/s400/091411_16988_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> After (super cute!):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8lmJ8vV06uyBYXE4vbRqGxnwHOVDd78_9G_Zzzaffj165r8uWvTgINhRRnbjr3dspicyM8z1o24Uowh3NjeGiK7RNmx1d6LXObiqqmOgCK6_jUkPwKLvlyRoVh5amN4B-iZhvQ/s1600/091411_16990_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8lmJ8vV06uyBYXE4vbRqGxnwHOVDd78_9G_Zzzaffj165r8uWvTgINhRRnbjr3dspicyM8z1o24Uowh3NjeGiK7RNmx1d6LXObiqqmOgCK6_jUkPwKLvlyRoVh5amN4B-iZhvQ/s400/091411_16990_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Love!!Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-50245397821335155682011-09-23T11:26:00.001-07:002011-09-23T11:33:32.369-07:00Jewelry DisplayI put this jewelry holder up last weekend. It's a towel bar and S-hook shower hooks. It's so super easy and so elegant. I love this!<br />
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My grandmother gave me a little jewelry holder (pictured below) that I've been using for a long time, but this way I can put each necklace on a separate hook. I'm still using the one she gave me, but now just for bracelets and some of my very cool vintage pins that used to belong to my mother and grandmothers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ffh9aapwzuv9EtyvsP0mlmUg5O1Ane4isXLtaApQcpsL7vrMiAo70OO_5ljFkHMmaCUWXQzJuEqi7_zVjDe9k64y6H0Br2YeWugW2sHwP5ethReCPsjI84Ynhhg4SUN09mJSDg/s1600/091411_16980_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ffh9aapwzuv9EtyvsP0mlmUg5O1Ane4isXLtaApQcpsL7vrMiAo70OO_5ljFkHMmaCUWXQzJuEqi7_zVjDe9k64y6H0Br2YeWugW2sHwP5ethReCPsjI84Ynhhg4SUN09mJSDg/s400/091411_16980_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The closeup of my newly acquired very-cool-jewelry-holder, looks just like the picture I pinned to my Pinterest board. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh502djEqePxYPlLecAeBZ-YnzLJEn4TpC6Gum6dEl8COCKFff7zshxFgqhpbCPO1tcniD9aW9EWjFEiGS2QziF0OZ2QMDqppHq1YhElXRR_LHsOH1X4DtEbW9cZJhlyx83JJWHkA/s1600/091411_16982_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh502djEqePxYPlLecAeBZ-YnzLJEn4TpC6Gum6dEl8COCKFff7zshxFgqhpbCPO1tcniD9aW9EWjFEiGS2QziF0OZ2QMDqppHq1YhElXRR_LHsOH1X4DtEbW9cZJhlyx83JJWHkA/s400/091411_16982_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> Here's the whole thing. So pretty!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9h5QNO96WjEvQ9ji4cGnoK_apnD3EW97HXE5Rmsxta2fTrrN2uDeRafuufO5gQExXi9JGnBoslNtC9wM4mZEJk6_4YyOuSTulT5Ua-IHepwN0n8brQsKVlJTcq5d_XoAPwrqR8A/s1600/091411_16984_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9h5QNO96WjEvQ9ji4cGnoK_apnD3EW97HXE5Rmsxta2fTrrN2uDeRafuufO5gQExXi9JGnBoslNtC9wM4mZEJk6_4YyOuSTulT5Ua-IHepwN0n8brQsKVlJTcq5d_XoAPwrqR8A/s400/091411_16984_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> A closeup of the one my grandma gave me a long time ago - super cute!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4umNqTTCPREC6jNX-Rlk_2MnAOCwtfQUCVNf6Y2tpmrrcL0pytmub9JeeRbFqMORJSIbTxZwETXxzkbBU9ghG0wjQeP27gmjjortcm2pt4zaWoI2toQ2NMd71xT7xPTCLwsvsFQ/s1600/091411_16987_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4umNqTTCPREC6jNX-Rlk_2MnAOCwtfQUCVNf6Y2tpmrrcL0pytmub9JeeRbFqMORJSIbTxZwETXxzkbBU9ghG0wjQeP27gmjjortcm2pt4zaWoI2toQ2NMd71xT7xPTCLwsvsFQ/s400/091411_16987_01.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>And this is what it looks like on my wall. It's not centered, because the small one on top is where it was before but the new one wouldn't fit if it was centered. So I don't care. Hee! I absolutely love this. I would have done it sooner, but it took me a little while to find S-hooks shaped shower curtain hooks. <br />
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I'm so glad I did!Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-74086064562245985262011-09-19T20:42:00.003-07:002012-09-29T12:31:50.720-07:00Homemade "Lawry's" Seasoning SaltI've been making my seasoning salt from scratch lately. I've mainly switched my kitchen to unrefined sea salt, which is way better for your body than regular table salt. There are lots of reasons, which I will address at the bottom of this post. :) First, here's the recipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ISFpbo_4_WlH9rG-F9rjADfuH6_9X3CNqTqXqttiuZYO42Vsg7rhWWBWSNxTJKiF3y14Gbx7P00o0hMm5dEa4Xj0yCcQDTv27Gf8foYeN1DAamof02YRGQ7zYe-YCKxA2fmeWQ/s1600/091911_17007_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ISFpbo_4_WlH9rG-F9rjADfuH6_9X3CNqTqXqttiuZYO42Vsg7rhWWBWSNxTJKiF3y14Gbx7P00o0hMm5dEa4Xj0yCcQDTv27Gf8foYeN1DAamof02YRGQ7zYe-YCKxA2fmeWQ/s400/091911_17007_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Homemade "Lawry's" seasoning salt</b></div>
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(this recipe times 4 makes about enough to fit into a typical sized spice bottle)</div>
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2 Tbsp Unrefined sea salt</div>
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1 tsp paprika</div>
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1/4 tsp Turmeric</div>
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1/4 tsp Onion powder</div>
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1/4 tsp Garlic powder</div>
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1/4 tsp Arrowroot Powder<br />
1 pinch Cinnamon </div>
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Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. </div>
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When I make this I put everything into a pint jar with a lid and shake. </div>
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Pour the blend into a spice jar for storage. </div>
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I've been making this recipe for months now, and my family loves it. Lawry's was a staple in my kitchen, and this is a great replacement. We even think it tastes better than the stuff you buy in the store! Now *that's* grrrrrreat!<br />
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Ok, now here's my soap box about salt. I guess you could call this my "salt box". :)<br />
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Salt is not a bad thing. In fact, our bodies need salt. It's the way God made us. The problem is, the refined salt that we usually use on our tables has chemical anti-caking agents and it no longer has the trace minerals that unrefined salt has. For these and other reasons, refined salt prevents the human body's ability to regulate hydration. We are led to think that salt is the bad guy - which is only partly true. *Refined* salt *is* a bad guy.<br />
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But the good guy is just around the corner. Unrefined salt has no chemicals, contains naturally occurring essential trace minerals, and our bodies recognize this salt as something it's designed to use. Unrefined sea salt, Himalayan salt, Celtic Sea Salt, are all good salts. Unfortunately, much of the "sea salt" you see in stores is still refined, unless the package is labeled as "unrefined". This is also true for Kosher salt! It still has anti-caking agents. I don't want that in my salt, as much as I enjoy Kosher salt. And I don't really care if my salt cakes up a little bit in the shaker or the salt crock. It doesn't bother me at all, actually. Especially when I know that it's better for me.<br />
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I purchase mainly Celtic Sea Salt, (www.celticseasalt.com) which you can get from their site or on Amazon. Many times it's cheaper on Amazon. I usually buy the finer-ground salt for table use, and then the coarse gray salt for use in cooking where I have used Kosher salt in the past. Another good one is Redmond Real Salt. I find that has some fine grit in it, which we don't like as well for eating, but I do like to use it when I'm using it for veggie soaks or something when I have to use salt and then rinse (like when preparing eggplant). I can find that one in my local grocery store and I think it's a bit less expensive than the other kind. But it's still good stuff to be using on my food. With all of these unrefined salts, I know I'm feeding my family good whole-food seasoning instead of chemicals.<br />
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As a bonus, I don't worry about salting my food or my dishes when cooking!! Of course you should always use salt in moderation (as with everything in life). But this is a way healthier alternative to the "pretty", "profit-making", "easy-pouring" refined salt that I once simply thought was the *only* alternative. It's not.<br />
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And there you have my salt rant. It's over now. There's lots of info on the internet about salt and the benefits of unrefined salt. Don't take my word for it. Have a look!<br />
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Try it, and you won't feel guilty when salting your food.Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-82867514862172381752011-08-26T22:37:00.004-07:002011-08-26T23:49:23.257-07:00Zucchini BreadSo, I've had a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables this summer due to our CSA - <a href="http://www.schreiberandsons.com/index.html">Community Supported Agriculture</a> - box of goodies each week. We've gotten to try many new things, some good and some not-so-good.<br />
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This week I got 3 round zucchini squash-y things. They basically looked on the outside like typical green zucchini, but they were round instead. As it turns out, they look pretty much like zucchini on the inside too. I didn't know how I wanted to use them so I obviously turned to <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/">Pioneer Woman's website</a> for ideas. I love her. If I lived by her or if she lived by me we would most certainly be very good friends.<br />
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I first searched her site, and thought about trying the zucchini cakes that came up when I searched for zucchini, but really had bread in mind so I turned to her <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/">Tasty Kitchen</a> website and found this recipe. It's not one she personally posted, but it looked good, and with a title of "The Best Zucchini Bread EVER!", how could I pass it up?!?<br />
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So here's a <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/the-best-zucchini-bread-ever/">link</a> to the recipe. It's filled with yummy goodness and a lot of cinnamon, which, for picky eaters, hides the look of the zucchini quite well. It tastes great. My family liked it, which means it's a keeper.<br />
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The only thing I will do differently next time is to split one recipe up into two loaf pans. I think it will cook better and be less dense. My loaves were huge (almost ran over the pan) and I don't think they cooked as well as they could have if they weren't as full. Of course I will want to watch the cooking time if the pan isn't as full. A little kitchen logic there for ya. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXBHoGE0quUJFali1zicIFS6l2W7m0muL66mJgoQuA7EiOvluY-sBcohZrdolOW0qdkEWCEWjP9J7GcTuqy9_ur4uIMiTQMp9SJh0jFIdsaKhFvaOUyVRHBRKRfvVMP-j64Op0g/s1600/082511_16847_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXBHoGE0quUJFali1zicIFS6l2W7m0muL66mJgoQuA7EiOvluY-sBcohZrdolOW0qdkEWCEWjP9J7GcTuqy9_ur4uIMiTQMp9SJh0jFIdsaKhFvaOUyVRHBRKRfvVMP-j64Op0g/s320/082511_16847_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> When you make this recipe, don't forget the tall jar of iced tea. It's just a necessary part of life. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQasy1iU1Q2OUmbMwG_dHay_SLlhn0GEPzSknh1lElkL-fB_uI_tf3Gbs9gunxuKSZb_EPPzKO4fRUS_ib7yJ9qsbUc3cOC090s37gkZGkSURw167tSOxZBP09H_DTbOBCNShTQ/s1600/082511_16849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQasy1iU1Q2OUmbMwG_dHay_SLlhn0GEPzSknh1lElkL-fB_uI_tf3Gbs9gunxuKSZb_EPPzKO4fRUS_ib7yJ9qsbUc3cOC090s37gkZGkSURw167tSOxZBP09H_DTbOBCNShTQ/s320/082511_16849.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't like a nice closeup?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Give this one a try! It's yummy! </div>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-26936468833071682742011-08-03T23:05:00.002-07:002011-08-03T23:07:36.484-07:00Don't be impressed...Today, I made a mermaid.<br />
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I'll bet you're impressed. Don't be.<br />
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My girls have been watching a tv show on Netflix about girls who turn into mermaids whenever they get wet. They've watched all 3 seasons of the show now, and slightly obsessed with mermaids. As a result, they want to swim like mermaids, dress like mermaids, sing the theme song about being a mermaid...you get the idea. They even looked up on YouTube how to make a mermaid costume, complete with mono-fin flipper. I draw the line there. It's just not on my bucket list.<br />
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So I compromised. It's how I roll.<br />
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Emma cut out a little mermaid doll and I sewed it up for her. It's not very good, it's a feeble attempt at sewing up a made-up-as-you-go pattern, but it works.<br />
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She had some old shirts that weren't even really yard-sale worthy, so I told her she could keep them for scraps. She pulled out some scraps and cut them up into mermaid pieces. I sewed, she stuffed, she made hair, and voilà! A mermaid. Ok. It wasn't really that easy. I'm making it sound easy. It wasn't. Just trust me on this one.<br />
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She actually cut out three tails, knowing full well that I had the stellar seamstress-ing skills to make all 3 dolls. But after sewing up the tails, then finally sewing up the first doll, I told her there was no way [anywhere] that I was going to sew up two more. At least not at *that* size. Those arms? They're very tiny. I actually sewed them *and* managed to get them turned right-side-out. I'm sure larger mermaid pieces will be visiting my dining room soon, hoping to be pieced together to form a larger and more easier-to-work-with doll. In fact, maybe I'll just teach her how to use the machine and let her go to work on a larger version. (Yeah, that's the ticket...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0aiWAKkfNZDDlAfSRC5JxMjxZno-bsHQe1MiJ1Ekg1t1ONE2r_PqSiVJegkdeK0qflxpQ233yUSQ2DV1JkghKMQs53aq8-Iq5JqQNhzJjCsBYNrwqpDUH4dSkZ6MWw5oWKk0zw/s1600/080311_15034_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0aiWAKkfNZDDlAfSRC5JxMjxZno-bsHQe1MiJ1Ekg1t1ONE2r_PqSiVJegkdeK0qflxpQ233yUSQ2DV1JkghKMQs53aq8-Iq5JqQNhzJjCsBYNrwqpDUH4dSkZ6MWw5oWKk0zw/s320/080311_15034_01.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
So, here is the mermaid. It turned out pretty cute. She cut out the pieces (you can see a few marks where her outlines were), she made the hair, and I sewed it all up. There, I made it sound easy again. I'm telling you...never mind. Just take my word for it.<br />
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Here's Emma with her new little friend:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPwB-c0Dq9LiEIl9nQmK6Hbako7Z-yewlutiJhOJn5JaASwfgR1J7LA4ZQGN0MCL09e9sy_yQL2EXhyQ2mddtsVO3Oyo_hoEWdecl7YFL-a5Q9Alft5-q_qD9Pv_x40x10b7yjQ/s1600/080311_15035_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPwB-c0Dq9LiEIl9nQmK6Hbako7Z-yewlutiJhOJn5JaASwfgR1J7LA4ZQGN0MCL09e9sy_yQL2EXhyQ2mddtsVO3Oyo_hoEWdecl7YFL-a5Q9Alft5-q_qD9Pv_x40x10b7yjQ/s320/080311_15035_01.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
Behold, a "mer-made-up-as-you-go".Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-25014721066285689862011-08-02T17:00:00.000-07:002011-08-02T17:00:09.560-07:00SewingI finally like sewing again.<br />
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Here's why.<br />
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First, the history: my mom sewed almost all of my clothes when I was young. She even made my prom dresses and my wedding dress. And my bridesmaids' dresses. And I could go on and on.<br />
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But I won't. <i>{You're welcome}</i><br />
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I learned how to sew, but since my mom always did the sewing, I never really had to. Earlier this year I finally got rid of an old machine that wasn't working well (and helped create a disdain for anything that had to do with using that machine) and replaced it with a new machine from Costco. I got a great deal too since a), it was at Costco and 2), it was the "floor model", so I got a discount on top of the already good price.<br />
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Last weekend I found this sewing table - complete with old (early 60's?) Singer sewing machine. I haven't tried that machine yet, but I was told it works. So I cleaned the table up yesterday and gave it a light coating of Old English, and it looks pretty good. It really needs to be refinished - the stain was chipping off here and there as I was cleaning it. But it will work for now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHTqJoLNePPL2hyphenhyphenKlhLwEwIJOe9QcbDDNetrD21fg1tc0SRG6wII6E5FFJVYl52zc7Xzfh6whseMIAtiNj92-k46kwiF1Eic0DZaRil5YQ0q1ROwCznSNzuOC9unojK-08u1qYQ/s1600/080211_15028_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHTqJoLNePPL2hyphenhyphenKlhLwEwIJOe9QcbDDNetrD21fg1tc0SRG6wII6E5FFJVYl52zc7Xzfh6whseMIAtiNj92-k46kwiF1Eic0DZaRil5YQ0q1ROwCznSNzuOC9unojK-08u1qYQ/s320/080211_15028_01.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
I added my knobs to the drawers for my own personal touch, and put my new machine on top. I sewed some little mermaid tail toys for my girls this afternoon and flipped out the top flap of the table on the right side for more table space - it worked out really well. I can't put my machine on top of the existing one when I flip out the left side of the table - it won't fit in the space unless I put some other piece of wood over the top of it. But the way it is for now worked like a charm. I'll most likely be keeping this around for a while.<br />
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I think it turned out pretty nicely for ten bucks. And the machine looks in good shape to boot -- I'll be trying it out later and let you know how it goes.<br />
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What shall I sew next?<br />
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</a>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-58622258754026123152011-07-20T18:15:00.002-07:002011-08-02T17:06:17.074-07:00AntiquesI love yard sales. I love to find great deals on stuff that other people want to offload. As a result I sometimes end up with my own "offloads" so I also enjoy spending time with my dear friends having our own yard sale once or twice a year.<br />
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A few weeks ago I went out with one of my friends and we both found antique glass door cabinets, they were in a driveway back to back. She looked at one, I was drawn to the other. It was so much fun to find these things!!<br />
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So here's mine. It goes great in my entry way. I put my fun kitchen knobs on it instead of the brass-y ones that were on it, and it's perfect.<br />
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Enjoy. <br />
I know I do, every time I walk by.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Vu49LfdT5YMHICVgSmJlAGZBf4lsoSmSNPcxgrgSFRvek_XWEQg0ldIJ3kNgTGuGdnZmiwVDUkEajkMAieUxW5Wu1tHYc7zPMRG9OS_XK2Ro0phv_BGwU4K-qMu3KhJc80Q-jw/s1600/072011_15002_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Vu49LfdT5YMHICVgSmJlAGZBf4lsoSmSNPcxgrgSFRvek_XWEQg0ldIJ3kNgTGuGdnZmiwVDUkEajkMAieUxW5Wu1tHYc7zPMRG9OS_XK2Ro0phv_BGwU4K-qMu3KhJc80Q-jw/s640/072011_15002_02.JPG" width="424" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Glorious.Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-43774567400861593862011-07-07T16:52:00.000-07:002011-07-07T16:52:48.975-07:00Fun ArtThese pictures have been sitting in the basket in the cupboard above my computer desk for months. I've been meaning to somehow get them into a format in which I could keep them for posterity. Yesterday I finally took pictures of them so that I can post them (as I have with past notes and artwork) so I will hopefully always be able to go back and view them whenever I want. I love that I can post things like this on my blog and be able to access them later (as well as sharing the fun things of my life with whomever wants to see them).<br />
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So here are a bunch of pictures Rachel drew - sometime this year, but she doesn't remember exactly when.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHig75M9KrLL1EA0Zw66Ax_VbaHr6jKsM3QqlufCycs1k4UARSJUIkMsQpxtZAnkvwJ6htZcp8fnxIRs-Az67k8hnGAldXnqCdw5VSr6jzs_IiQbQUxAIGD2IPTzVfTW8fyhUrQ/s1600/070611_14469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHig75M9KrLL1EA0Zw66Ax_VbaHr6jKsM3QqlufCycs1k4UARSJUIkMsQpxtZAnkvwJ6htZcp8fnxIRs-Az67k8hnGAldXnqCdw5VSr6jzs_IiQbQUxAIGD2IPTzVfTW8fyhUrQ/s320/070611_14469.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-37185957996558201522011-05-30T16:45:00.005-07:002011-06-08T16:40:16.498-07:00Elegant Birthday DessertsEmma's <a href="http://ramblingasusual.blogspot.com/2011/05/rainbow-birthday-cake.html">rainbow birthday cake</a> was the dessert for her "friend" birthday party on Friday night, but she wanted another dessert for the "family" birthday party on Saturday.<br />
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So she was going to have ice cream cake - and we had been looking at several different recipes. But then we went to the orthodontist and saw a Martha Stewart Living magazine - and found this dessert, so we decided on this instead. Here's magazine picture - I snapped a picture in the orthodontist's office so we would have a quick reference. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDy0dP_EJa6vxc061n-F99XnZJJcLdzooC_bWUwoD9ABwy4iLY5nMejvmOgk73rvcalO1lOIKeMapeermoC2OpJfAnGOmsVGIDJLs9LhWZCmBaF8VWFAZc6RpMD80INXR6hKvGQ/s1600/new-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDy0dP_EJa6vxc061n-F99XnZJJcLdzooC_bWUwoD9ABwy4iLY5nMejvmOgk73rvcalO1lOIKeMapeermoC2OpJfAnGOmsVGIDJLs9LhWZCmBaF8VWFAZc6RpMD80INXR6hKvGQ/s320/new-1.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what we saw in the magazine. I did *not* make this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It is super easy and makes a really elegant-looking dessert. It's also really super yummy.<br />
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You'll just need a quart of ice cream that you get in a box - whatever flavor you want. Emma opted for one Vanilla and one Neapolitan. <br />
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We got some dark chocolate slabs from the bulk food section at WinCo, and I also scooped out some of the little broken pieces to use for sprinkling on the top and around the edges of the finished "cake".<br />
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So here are the steps:<br />
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First, cut the carton off the ice cream, place it on serving platter, and refreeze until it hardens. Then pour some slightly cooled melted semisweet chocolate over the top, and let it drip down the sides. Now is a great time to scatter some of the chunky bits of chocolate on the top and around the edges of the bottom of the ice cream. Then you will want to refreeze once more so it hardens nicely.<br />
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That's it! You have a very elegant looking dessert that was super easy to make.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy-BM5faqNXku0nqHGYjeo5cq-MQoMXizVcOM8z5KqYNuDrjqtPQCZMJqmSdmastNcO7mAVWRQT6jCMdm82YHohoLhM3Fp3XS3PLNKEM3rtQAVzI9irgjeiZYNhapCCbMtlz0HA/s1600/052111_12729-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy-BM5faqNXku0nqHGYjeo5cq-MQoMXizVcOM8z5KqYNuDrjqtPQCZMJqmSdmastNcO7mAVWRQT6jCMdm82YHohoLhM3Fp3XS3PLNKEM3rtQAVzI9irgjeiZYNhapCCbMtlz0HA/s320/052111_12729-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neapolitan</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjSDCKfq9vTAX8psai8NZoI9XoEk4XXEaytVV-VfOhmRrwskJzP0Qt1SjQIm5Y556FJe5DaGrDYjZOKeNRZsr5ofQrSuyLFBa_hy58biBHdm-Yr8jHsThwURCFVs2RNFl7OIo5A/s1600/052111_12730-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjSDCKfq9vTAX8psai8NZoI9XoEk4XXEaytVV-VfOhmRrwskJzP0Qt1SjQIm5Y556FJe5DaGrDYjZOKeNRZsr5ofQrSuyLFBa_hy58biBHdm-Yr8jHsThwURCFVs2RNFl7OIo5A/s320/052111_12730-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcyL8Sax0hZvStNdBsd126nTdSaD0SYcXVMgnsd8tlcjGRZITu1IiTIgO59k1R3mw2Tn0Fj3m0mkJtdq5XtRM8hyphenhyphenokE1sklCokNPkfe-ZYs_spnKdX8XEnkfpIxCTSOcuoeGiBw/s1600/052111_12734-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcyL8Sax0hZvStNdBsd126nTdSaD0SYcXVMgnsd8tlcjGRZITu1IiTIgO59k1R3mw2Tn0Fj3m0mkJtdq5XtRM8hyphenhyphenokE1sklCokNPkfe-ZYs_spnKdX8XEnkfpIxCTSOcuoeGiBw/s320/052111_12734-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqZmoAEbeIK-YozYsk_nCSjcOdTRzHjA5EouWn0HlJqrurwIyyNDjCSUBALr-Ezk-VG2RS2vjGfRPcjcOCmzeSqOsOZx6xsad5Ted10dsOnM7uQ1JLc18nXkpGem-L0WL88al-w/s1600/052111_12735-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqZmoAEbeIK-YozYsk_nCSjcOdTRzHjA5EouWn0HlJqrurwIyyNDjCSUBALr-Ezk-VG2RS2vjGfRPcjcOCmzeSqOsOZx6xsad5Ted10dsOnM7uQ1JLc18nXkpGem-L0WL88al-w/s320/052111_12735-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I was really impressed at how amazing these desserts looked. <br />
<br />
Try this sometime! It's super easy and really yummy.Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-61657814613991371782011-05-30T16:01:00.007-07:002011-06-08T16:40:38.815-07:00Rainbow Birthday Cake<div style="text-align: left;">Emma turned 12 on May 18. I am now the proud parent of a 12 year old and it's really quite nice to have an "almost" teenager. I don't buy into the "oh no, you have a teenager!" mentality. It simply doesn't have to be "that way". That's just about all I'm going to say about that. :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Emma decided she wanted to copy a birthday cake out of her American Girl magazine from several years ago (they really are worth keeping around!). So of course, since I let them both choose what dessert(s) they want for their birthday parties, I agreed to make it for her.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's really pretty simple, but just takes a bit of time. If I were you, I'd try it sometime. It looks daunting but if you are patient, it will work out. Frosting is a layer-cake-baker's friend, let me tell you. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So here's what you do!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Mix up a plain white cake mix, out of a box - you can make it from scratch if you want to, but it's a bit easier sometimes to just use the box.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After mixing up the cake, split up the batter into 4 even amounts. I used my Pampered Chef 2-cup prep bowls - I'm so glad I got a couple sets of these before I stopped selling PC. Super love these bowls.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQE5VpY4fpih4Qgk3z9i9TiHKP9AnrNRGMFbLK1mcybXU4AUFGwWJU7F_MXNRu-SxhFlkHEwcIgGTxYcXo-ZuWEalEyHehJHe3YOJ2WT6QSa2ooVgqnXpv4ByG84yoofV80YgdQ/s1600/051911_12477-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQE5VpY4fpih4Qgk3z9i9TiHKP9AnrNRGMFbLK1mcybXU4AUFGwWJU7F_MXNRu-SxhFlkHEwcIgGTxYcXo-ZuWEalEyHehJHe3YOJ2WT6QSa2ooVgqnXpv4ByG84yoofV80YgdQ/s320/051911_12477-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">You'll color the batter in each bowl a different color - the recipe in the magazine said to use a couple teaspoons of flavored Jello in different colors, but instead of wasting Jello, I just used food coloring. Mr. (Ms.?) Wilton is also a baker's friend. I love him (her?).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqlKGrByQfEL-b8m_xNXZW-xNdFFkhGkNI_UtCPntCRA4JT8izt_VfHgJmZLB5xfbE9Xi_IwH1RbcWhbwlfD-pv92S2q8WdsVLR6NREXGPIJkGgmvc-qSxqqcxwS-QyIL1jt2_g/s1600/051911_12474-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqlKGrByQfEL-b8m_xNXZW-xNdFFkhGkNI_UtCPntCRA4JT8izt_VfHgJmZLB5xfbE9Xi_IwH1RbcWhbwlfD-pv92S2q8WdsVLR6NREXGPIJkGgmvc-qSxqqcxwS-QyIL1jt2_g/s320/051911_12474-Resized.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilton is my friend...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Make the 4 different colors of batter, and then bake each in a well-floured pan. I was reminded that well-floured means exactly that...well-floured. I have this great baking spray, that has flour already in it. I did not realize this until after the first two cakes were baked and they did not come out of the pans very well. I tried to spray them and then flour them - when all I had to do was liberally spray each pan with only the spray that contained flour. This flour spray works great. And, I'll say it again. Frosting is my friend when baking layer cakes. You'd never know that the first two layers came out terribly. I froze them on the rack for a bit first before wrapping them in saran wrap.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrH_r-CZQVD85Af3lSXcHhQ2R2fxRI8-mP474CrtLeWhGBaSWeQzIOe5gtum-ZnZm0_aZEv_TpZJRvpaiLYIQSxSDj8Yn1ka6uS28ZYkrp8dM-v32wgvOg8_h4GXyb-c2QHdiRg/s1600/051911_12480-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrH_r-CZQVD85Af3lSXcHhQ2R2fxRI8-mP474CrtLeWhGBaSWeQzIOe5gtum-ZnZm0_aZEv_TpZJRvpaiLYIQSxSDj8Yn1ka6uS28ZYkrp8dM-v32wgvOg8_h4GXyb-c2QHdiRg/s320/051911_12480-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These pans were *not* floured nearly well enough. I shouldn't have used flour, just the flour-spray.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sqL06Eduy-KbtLasEP67ghGW2qCgS_hnhJjJLqPMxnU9SyYqCAZ6TkQzdNDnZwE2qN5EbYkpN5CKVVSUuyVnaq_pQBmhxa3ih-ZJtNVE77Zl65RS7mOBgDumVI1RQ4i4BuHRnw/s1600/051911_12483-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sqL06Eduy-KbtLasEP67ghGW2qCgS_hnhJjJLqPMxnU9SyYqCAZ6TkQzdNDnZwE2qN5EbYkpN5CKVVSUuyVnaq_pQBmhxa3ih-ZJtNVE77Zl65RS7mOBgDumVI1RQ4i4BuHRnw/s320/051911_12483-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red and Orange cakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWPsXI6FF4IOjGw9n7_yBLqfOPy0eR9CLuWM-2z8Dgkb6JUCE8pdSkNtsds_2u-0U-IBY-mJTw_lVq5SAHtv9Wz3KkwcNhyGIVE10viMlW4feUphGX7QBEAPcvSuPpL25Xu73RQ/s1600/051911_12486-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWPsXI6FF4IOjGw9n7_yBLqfOPy0eR9CLuWM-2z8Dgkb6JUCE8pdSkNtsds_2u-0U-IBY-mJTw_lVq5SAHtv9Wz3KkwcNhyGIVE10viMlW4feUphGX7QBEAPcvSuPpL25Xu73RQ/s320/051911_12486-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First two cakes didn't come out real well...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIseMs29GWBfqWQfn7O2b5oBrgDHhHY5JiCW2kslBTe-yY11cXOt9ecyygndMjw1jTl0ZDq0bH4GIfT7yc6PFo51vi1BWmzFJzMo944yVm1r__OsKZnrDacYq_kHAyzgbV50s0g/s1600/051911_12484-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIseMs29GWBfqWQfn7O2b5oBrgDHhHY5JiCW2kslBTe-yY11cXOt9ecyygndMjw1jTl0ZDq0bH4GIfT7yc6PFo51vi1BWmzFJzMo944yVm1r__OsKZnrDacYq_kHAyzgbV50s0g/s320/051911_12484-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love my prep bowls!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTtJQpS5tA4Pdp8VbvRagNSJ3pVGM94-B9InyU6uDwnRqZmEkyzdD2MVFK5yl9TGqGEWRBTly01UQNmqBXG8EbLRGkb8Qb1-fVyO2K0DT_OTZKB9ZNuJ-lXojlscGIjT4qT40ng/s1600/051911_12485-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTtJQpS5tA4Pdp8VbvRagNSJ3pVGM94-B9InyU6uDwnRqZmEkyzdD2MVFK5yl9TGqGEWRBTly01UQNmqBXG8EbLRGkb8Qb1-fVyO2K0DT_OTZKB9ZNuJ-lXojlscGIjT4qT40ng/s320/051911_12485-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second two came out perfectly after cooling for a few minutes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">After all 4 cakes are baked and cooled, you'll want to freeze them. Just wrap them up in saran wrap and let them freeze a while. I baked mine on Thursday and then assembled the cake on Friday. But if you only have a few hours that will do. Cakes are usually easier to frost when frozen - less crumbs. Also, once they are frosted and then thaw, they're nice and moist on the inside. We'll just call that a perk.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Next it's time to make the frosting. The recipe calls for cans of frosting, but I prefer to make my own. I made a buttercream frosting, and I made a lot since I wasn't sure how much I'd need to "fix" my layers that didn't bake well. Plus, with a layer cake, sometimes the layers aren't exactly perfectly sized, so you need some more frosting sometimes to make the cake look even.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JPLRy80Rjk0JWqwcMIRmtU1izZv_8Ko5mlJUf_smkKT4gdcj8sHKomZWai1YUqbOehke_HviQDAOLnZSHf0sKayG3RMos6ftkhi6_38fKA4r2S8oOhKGcSzglNdnPGPnj5FlgA/s1600/052011_12487-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JPLRy80Rjk0JWqwcMIRmtU1izZv_8Ko5mlJUf_smkKT4gdcj8sHKomZWai1YUqbOehke_HviQDAOLnZSHf0sKayG3RMos6ftkhi6_38fKA4r2S8oOhKGcSzglNdnPGPnj5FlgA/s320/052011_12487-Resized.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the frosting is made, you'll want to split it up into 3 portions - leave some white for the clouds, make some yellow for in between the layers, and make some blue for the outside of the cake. I rinsed out one of my 2-cup prep bowls and used it again for the yellow frosting. Have I mentioned how much I love these bowls? I also used my small batter bowl for the blue, since I need more blue than yellow.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMR16F88bKQWHA_zasdxvW92vJxluMuvLGd3-_mLs1P2lKnGcwxw9YkTnpwRurHCazVNgvqlJbvPSNJr4hwAYY2GFX8_C6zQKS2n1pDlESBIRASdppQImQqeMm_WtSsORDb9nsA/s1600/052011_12495-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMR16F88bKQWHA_zasdxvW92vJxluMuvLGd3-_mLs1P2lKnGcwxw9YkTnpwRurHCazVNgvqlJbvPSNJr4hwAYY2GFX8_C6zQKS2n1pDlESBIRASdppQImQqeMm_WtSsORDb9nsA/s320/052011_12495-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TYS5Od43-eSkQKb_6pxddotbK1CxRYo7__eb7Txdx-GLnVdaoRoqz56-khSTi6_l1R_y-ttDaQNz7HuEwiBMpvBWNYJBr9KT6NAD18ZbpM00ozlje_xwjj_lQ3XatoyMDLG7Zg/s1600/052011_12496-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TYS5Od43-eSkQKb_6pxddotbK1CxRYo7__eb7Txdx-GLnVdaoRoqz56-khSTi6_l1R_y-ttDaQNz7HuEwiBMpvBWNYJBr9KT6NAD18ZbpM00ozlje_xwjj_lQ3XatoyMDLG7Zg/s320/052011_12496-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing up the blue sky frosting</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHlyoJfwV4-nAQx39O9D7ZiTRdcN9XmqcKKM0oNqG6-un4s8DpUSuSBUdv5bBKlkhl28CFZB0dBmxBQDLuhohJmEqmxXm6E50c5QO5KdIDs2dhfWDRkjTGbj5jUOQqyPMZh-GbA/s1600/052011_12498-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHlyoJfwV4-nAQx39O9D7ZiTRdcN9XmqcKKM0oNqG6-un4s8DpUSuSBUdv5bBKlkhl28CFZB0dBmxBQDLuhohJmEqmxXm6E50c5QO5KdIDs2dhfWDRkjTGbj5jUOQqyPMZh-GbA/s320/052011_12498-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBdf2CVPBoAcmeJ8kPRfBETaPsz2iYUms6ARp5qVu2-7qDy5TGyoaxMyYqjNxD1JvdibfTnpZG9qCR0VuJCHPwLsYWn9U1rWEVMAnzd8kSlmZNvQFlWFDRIAqd7QgssB-RfQipA/s1600/052011_12500-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBdf2CVPBoAcmeJ8kPRfBETaPsz2iYUms6ARp5qVu2-7qDy5TGyoaxMyYqjNxD1JvdibfTnpZG9qCR0VuJCHPwLsYWn9U1rWEVMAnzd8kSlmZNvQFlWFDRIAqd7QgssB-RfQipA/s320/052011_12500-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite bright enough...let's add more color...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxvfzfkaJpf-IeCdm3YhMmMu30scb7BGn9bnYKVFjfjSHIWHSEs1QCgz0vfDR_yZEvrwVhH1GXNEOHu8BulMVf7P-KvYhF_MyE2f3EJ-8tk7iAra3-MvL8JLcogUzGkTC1y4fMA/s1600/052011_12501-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxvfzfkaJpf-IeCdm3YhMmMu30scb7BGn9bnYKVFjfjSHIWHSEs1QCgz0vfDR_yZEvrwVhH1GXNEOHu8BulMVf7P-KvYhF_MyE2f3EJ-8tk7iAra3-MvL8JLcogUzGkTC1y4fMA/s320/052011_12501-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tnYGSy1YUHsW7R5PYK6CXpIEdDmOOqKBMCqmkiA3zG364NwMeY-sFbdjItyALcMW6-3HFZoyJaVZoF_lAPSe5UlCk5XQzXwFEVDtKV422S8X0Ns9zT72q8pEKI968be7Tf2aUQ/s1600/052011_12502-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tnYGSy1YUHsW7R5PYK6CXpIEdDmOOqKBMCqmkiA3zG364NwMeY-sFbdjItyALcMW6-3HFZoyJaVZoF_lAPSe5UlCk5XQzXwFEVDtKV422S8X0Ns9zT72q8pEKI968be7Tf2aUQ/s320/052011_12502-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful! Frosting is fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now it's time to frost the cake.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Place your bottom layer on your cake serving plate. I got this cute little cake pedestal the last time I went to IKEA. I used to have a cake plate but didn't have room in my old kitchen for it. Now that I have room I decided it was time to have my cake plate again. Anyway, I also put a dab of frosting under that first layer, so when I frosted the cake it wouldn't slide all around. I put a little cloth-y thing under my pedestal so that I could turn it around easily and also to make sure I didn't scratch up my countertop. It's way easier to turn the cake around for frosting all around. You can also put your plate on a lazy susan if you want - I've done that before and it works great.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKirIK8XA-IQ0PBVnj6gKBjKL47bZeKVqIuNxECgvmnhzRcJ7lylkM1OiReJjlBYjPiB8VaN_AS4FY3SGq3oBaF77wL5UwXAL7s48WKg3UdJz1DlwybdYgnm7qK99ODM2mk3UYtw/s1600/052011_12503-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKirIK8XA-IQ0PBVnj6gKBjKL47bZeKVqIuNxECgvmnhzRcJ7lylkM1OiReJjlBYjPiB8VaN_AS4FY3SGq3oBaF77wL5UwXAL7s48WKg3UdJz1DlwybdYgnm7qK99ODM2mk3UYtw/s320/052011_12503-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then you'll frost the top (only) of the bottom layer with yellow frosting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHwxKgpfLmrlaFCg0x8D8Q2OZKcNmHHpe3_kDuo3N_Eivgiq9VsDzc10plFQoZ16fNoum2Kt3i03vnFqwGXauwAl6C8feNcaAnQ3EazGc34i9f7aCAmeGQdkSLTZFewBFr0hSsw/s1600/052011_12504-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHwxKgpfLmrlaFCg0x8D8Q2OZKcNmHHpe3_kDuo3N_Eivgiq9VsDzc10plFQoZ16fNoum2Kt3i03vnFqwGXauwAl6C8feNcaAnQ3EazGc34i9f7aCAmeGQdkSLTZFewBFr0hSsw/s320/052011_12504-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Then the next layer,</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJD9MiAww3N0eUzNK1qi1h7x9YLi8OrNLXvsoMll0YWPK5SR21P9vhKo8kVjVZIWi2VOQl9jJT087dvGpt7C7nEuyhJd0VHNz6RkdrYRH4j5qSOtogVQnGT3ByRdycKQA833trjw/s1600/052011_12505-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJD9MiAww3N0eUzNK1qi1h7x9YLi8OrNLXvsoMll0YWPK5SR21P9vhKo8kVjVZIWi2VOQl9jJT087dvGpt7C7nEuyhJd0VHNz6RkdrYRH4j5qSOtogVQnGT3ByRdycKQA833trjw/s320/052011_12505-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j26qeumylmTDOr25NxF65C9EyYUMW5NmNUVl1qrd0Ux7PpUrAcbAnQD4M_XyhazeRzhizptFC6Fuap0kWaFV2RcWim-teiSLazfoaocmz1Le-mkD5axZrkmcSJfsC7FMEb-iAg/s1600/052011_12506-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j26qeumylmTDOr25NxF65C9EyYUMW5NmNUVl1qrd0Ux7PpUrAcbAnQD4M_XyhazeRzhizptFC6Fuap0kWaFV2RcWim-teiSLazfoaocmz1Le-mkD5axZrkmcSJfsC7FMEb-iAg/s320/052011_12506-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And so on.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ow0HN5CIiHIibmoldzlhcdQ6WFqRanzo7I2UhWU7x7SigjMRxfcmdYwUwV5qq_o1HNgE5FX8lzq8AgSy9UJ5diM2AI3DctAnDs13669BMoedYi1jV6Wc37MIFqXTwyVKZPNL9g/s1600/052011_12507-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ow0HN5CIiHIibmoldzlhcdQ6WFqRanzo7I2UhWU7x7SigjMRxfcmdYwUwV5qq_o1HNgE5FX8lzq8AgSy9UJ5diM2AI3DctAnDs13669BMoedYi1jV6Wc37MIFqXTwyVKZPNL9g/s320/052011_12507-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAkzPgqLccdAeXeD0NuyuE6vrZEXC_2ViC4y-U_UEbSRxaLRWHTCreDp0bVVU7puWW22-TyBx9EcUdR-TeyWu5j7RYsjvwXrbHAGppZv7h2BKeZQtETY0fhYW__D138uud6aWAQ/s1600/052011_12509-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAkzPgqLccdAeXeD0NuyuE6vrZEXC_2ViC4y-U_UEbSRxaLRWHTCreDp0bVVU7puWW22-TyBx9EcUdR-TeyWu5j7RYsjvwXrbHAGppZv7h2BKeZQtETY0fhYW__D138uud6aWAQ/s320/052011_12509-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">You'll only need enough yellow frosting for the 3 bottom layers, since the top layer will be frosted with blue.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylqNlbCOqTOTk-w1v82Y9IfVar6cod8Ds7P1ZxXVDz5Stpso6GB4m-6YMJT4icw_1yR1IubmdxcajvVZjPNgIAIjA2bAcBFGNwEvG5beZSgvMv7yII11BxT3mlVfkgKkwjHoYfQ/s1600/052011_12510-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylqNlbCOqTOTk-w1v82Y9IfVar6cod8Ds7P1ZxXVDz5Stpso6GB4m-6YMJT4icw_1yR1IubmdxcajvVZjPNgIAIjA2bAcBFGNwEvG5beZSgvMv7yII11BxT3mlVfkgKkwjHoYfQ/s320/052011_12510-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNTu9EhByUZSo1aVAps_GUHwAZfiVsd1JYpsmwAIwFhwHruMly_FKGOe-J3rtVzWc-PVMewjulSpu57AMH-5YIUmM7WU83WFJqrbrF2ckfwCjm44kLTgKddyF5NNiLlQBVpXaQA/s1600/052011_12511-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNTu9EhByUZSo1aVAps_GUHwAZfiVsd1JYpsmwAIwFhwHruMly_FKGOe-J3rtVzWc-PVMewjulSpu57AMH-5YIUmM7WU83WFJqrbrF2ckfwCjm44kLTgKddyF5NNiLlQBVpXaQA/s320/052011_12511-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Next you'll frost the rest of the cake! It can be messy, but put a big glob on and start spreading. Do the top first, then the sides, then you'll smooth out the top again. You can glob some into the uneven places so the cake will look nice and even and smooth. You'd never know that my two bottom layers didn't turn out of the pans very nicely. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ1t9zHt-0hjqZHoMJGDmBAEWXeQV4HzRktGeeBtaY6tsjiTJxhNSCBrZgkccGrOxesoppqf6tz8KbNtfqQOQbYla7_7lNe6qjbe-13GnIHy7dGDXkSXPt9g4ynQyxcBtjZh9xQ/s1600/052011_12512-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ1t9zHt-0hjqZHoMJGDmBAEWXeQV4HzRktGeeBtaY6tsjiTJxhNSCBrZgkccGrOxesoppqf6tz8KbNtfqQOQbYla7_7lNe6qjbe-13GnIHy7dGDXkSXPt9g4ynQyxcBtjZh9xQ/s320/052011_12512-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoCl34kHu386-Bl2J6Blj4VPq_bfrs_z1Tb-i5bXaU5-1KUX9QPvqEOAlQMWYykNfKNydCL-_R7Z6R8eWbnRg_1MvEFFoGt4grmjyiJ8jPgIh7wd_VdkeOtCpbR0IELpthE0pOw/s1600/052011_12513-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoCl34kHu386-Bl2J6Blj4VPq_bfrs_z1Tb-i5bXaU5-1KUX9QPvqEOAlQMWYykNfKNydCL-_R7Z6R8eWbnRg_1MvEFFoGt4grmjyiJ8jPgIh7wd_VdkeOtCpbR0IELpthE0pOw/s320/052011_12513-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKiZA8wQWFYuzJO9fWb3rzvFooOzrrEpcOilF3YcmUWi0tMB9r-Deh8-LgChMNbgkOtM_j0dkSit3VXTMemrWd3nk-D460EehG0VgDr315uP1oBwrAQ7YnY_rNIBAOdXxrrZ15A/s1600/052011_12514-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKiZA8wQWFYuzJO9fWb3rzvFooOzrrEpcOilF3YcmUWi0tMB9r-Deh8-LgChMNbgkOtM_j0dkSit3VXTMemrWd3nk-D460EehG0VgDr315uP1oBwrAQ7YnY_rNIBAOdXxrrZ15A/s320/052011_12514-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After the frosting is done, you can clean up the serving plate with paper towels (or whatever tool you want to use). Next comes the clouds - just spread some blobs of white frosting so that they look like clouds. I wasn't sure how mine would turn out, but I think they ended up looking fairly good. Any shape of clouds will do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDpWsG0Eg0xfg2QBQqLbN1u1wFAcyVVUzANAv6ob1abQfTjqBs8ot1mPqggIdG3Wj-o1tzLD1IGKu_cpiP6TvJg1xodOn6OBBRko1qZ2V09qc_7nITkhEaaeTTLZt6stTEszVrw/s1600/052011_12515-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDpWsG0Eg0xfg2QBQqLbN1u1wFAcyVVUzANAv6ob1abQfTjqBs8ot1mPqggIdG3Wj-o1tzLD1IGKu_cpiP6TvJg1xodOn6OBBRko1qZ2V09qc_7nITkhEaaeTTLZt6stTEszVrw/s320/052011_12515-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JtUmgbsj8RGlUkBIT6cZAAN8VVIHhSMWclVsWyBYG8vuFI1SaB-8HkvZCrF25ucmvOr5bt4mtpf22ptdCQs_SiYwLmo4U1wuIeI8SMZcEwlQVb1x6g2vYAyf4TWhTca_biRTnw/s1600/052011_12523-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JtUmgbsj8RGlUkBIT6cZAAN8VVIHhSMWclVsWyBYG8vuFI1SaB-8HkvZCrF25ucmvOr5bt4mtpf22ptdCQs_SiYwLmo4U1wuIeI8SMZcEwlQVb1x6g2vYAyf4TWhTca_biRTnw/s320/052011_12523-Resized.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday Girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuEj16JMGudoBav8_r4w2vxE0PRDDwEVoQATxMzorZdHuIYdqQEmJjDtljXcT0_GP40TLGeToNdpEDn4Qp-guRMbi99ThaB4HOsMulQHgSgjUtMBejixxTwn3Ay1shl-JUwpIIQ/s1600/052011_12529-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuEj16JMGudoBav8_r4w2vxE0PRDDwEVoQATxMzorZdHuIYdqQEmJjDtljXcT0_GP40TLGeToNdpEDn4Qp-guRMbi99ThaB4HOsMulQHgSgjUtMBejixxTwn3Ay1shl-JUwpIIQ/s320/052011_12529-Resized.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly Birthday Girl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVilVwT_g9joC73_vyPXOjhwwUT33Y_iwMUY60zd7Y-XUh7-MLyTUT7w5jQ_Cch_s-JOOFhL8ZQ9aiKyI0AEDQQV_65iU6xy_CvrJJ98WI9MRv7HIAHw1hgylqDjJqryItMifZA/s1600/052011_12531-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVilVwT_g9joC73_vyPXOjhwwUT33Y_iwMUY60zd7Y-XUh7-MLyTUT7w5jQ_Cch_s-JOOFhL8ZQ9aiKyI0AEDQQV_65iU6xy_CvrJJ98WI9MRv7HIAHw1hgylqDjJqryItMifZA/s320/052011_12531-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My example</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">That's it. I left the cover off of the cake pedestal until after we cut the cake, since it would have touched the top layer and messed up my clouds. When we cut the cake to serve it, it was super moist and yummy. Layer cakes are slightly time-consuming, but are really simple to put together, so don't let yourself be overwhelmed by the prospect.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMu0FvJyn9hQP8TWqXEuEH0D5k99olGUAGg62LUu1y108G0Cmt6oI_o1x_U62nHF357KqH5VjZRaJdZcYbu_e0pA-4mKXiXC5si31Kyw8rrNzcnc2sLo9qkSTaZVwCzdNzbftwA/s1600/052011_12599-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMu0FvJyn9hQP8TWqXEuEH0D5k99olGUAGg62LUu1y108G0Cmt6oI_o1x_U62nHF357KqH5VjZRaJdZcYbu_e0pA-4mKXiXC5si31Kyw8rrNzcnc2sLo9qkSTaZVwCzdNzbftwA/s320/052011_12599-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7A743dVbjUK376_VQwK4Ve7nmAATYsCFHwQt7tMyr1Lu_d34KRyY8MifYsSaAioWFxpNW4-w6EAt924bfeiFqsp-tar4N5oeFBOreu8fgFd4NO9QwppJNKC65GAKii5rRQriFA/s1600/052011_12611-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7A743dVbjUK376_VQwK4Ve7nmAATYsCFHwQt7tMyr1Lu_d34KRyY8MifYsSaAioWFxpNW4-w6EAt924bfeiFqsp-tar4N5oeFBOreu8fgFd4NO9QwppJNKC65GAKii5rRQriFA/s320/052011_12611-Resized.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYo3AtNR0P-68-8c161nhm61O-UE3i9KZ-d0_wl7BiMNOoNH5J6s3P2a4Y8FIqiX_eMRK-3tp0_vMbwYqNEY7p5xTgFw3DjK-Hvo8J1lp0luLQof4z7w6HMjmrO1sO-aqwjXaCQ/s1600/052011_12614-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYo3AtNR0P-68-8c161nhm61O-UE3i9KZ-d0_wl7BiMNOoNH5J6s3P2a4Y8FIqiX_eMRK-3tp0_vMbwYqNEY7p5xTgFw3DjK-Hvo8J1lp0luLQof4z7w6HMjmrO1sO-aqwjXaCQ/s320/052011_12614-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoG_SX0yV0S7P9wRyk-2SfHMoyVXeNuvpOuXZ1zO5YmlOPJ2cbUi30NjJrQtFD-UrBTdTKfff14nHA0KtAmorcfHZssqLKOmExUqprLUFiupq0TXJhFNTlvu15jmGTydJa2Av6AA/s1600/052011_12609-Resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoG_SX0yV0S7P9wRyk-2SfHMoyVXeNuvpOuXZ1zO5YmlOPJ2cbUi30NjJrQtFD-UrBTdTKfff14nHA0KtAmorcfHZssqLKOmExUqprLUFiupq0TXJhFNTlvu15jmGTydJa2Av6AA/s320/052011_12609-Resized.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Emma's <a href="http://ramblingasusual.blogspot.com/2011/05/elegant-birthday-desserts.html">other dessert</a> (for Saturday's family birthday party) was really fun, elegant-looking, and easy to make too...stay tuned for that one.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yum!</div>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-67162459305038999702011-03-19T01:11:00.002-07:002011-07-20T22:29:54.202-07:00No Soliciting Please.<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not sure what “no soliciting” means?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let me put it another way:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If I don’t know you, please don’t come to my door asking me for anything, sharing any information with me, offering me free *anything*, urging me to vote for your cause, or requesting my opinion. Additionally, please don’t come to my door trying to sell me anything (and just so you know, “soliciting” does not necessarily mean you’re selling something).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On the other hand, if I know you, please, by all means, come over, chat, tell me about your day, or offer me the option to purchase some Girl Scout cookies. I’ll even invite you in. I enjoy having people over. I don’t want any of my friends to get the wrong idea. If I actually know you, you’re always welcome. Seriously. I'm not trying to be rude. Honest.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp1w0ub58BHNRDyW19wxwgYq_25_S144rvKXCirkYILIpdeevjyWxTc7FFrRJ88d4j5YD3cyaekjHKpTk0xsbfVCmHx304DHh3YncCXYOGVsTQkyQXDx6YUTBXbdvFYEnEKdGoA/s1600/072011_14996_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp1w0ub58BHNRDyW19wxwgYq_25_S144rvKXCirkYILIpdeevjyWxTc7FFrRJ88d4j5YD3cyaekjHKpTk0xsbfVCmHx304DHh3YncCXYOGVsTQkyQXDx6YUTBXbdvFYEnEKdGoA/s400/072011_14996_02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81b_ISE5mGZvPj3o81pJbmWCle5G2TAV5B0yhbSqcPesH103-ROweJRYue9lIz4X8q3kAeAXkvmYhd127xRQnshLikbcxbJQCjsVD5h9ufVxiEWoPtAERpE4zMW71-y-mNKt0Og/s1600/072011_14996_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp1w0ub58BHNRDyW19wxwgYq_25_S144rvKXCirkYILIpdeevjyWxTc7FFrRJ88d4j5YD3cyaekjHKpTk0xsbfVCmHx304DHh3YncCXYOGVsTQkyQXDx6YUTBXbdvFYEnEKdGoA/s1600/072011_14996_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>So back to this sign by my front doorbell. Is it still not clear to you? Would you still like an official definition?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Definition of Soliciting:</div><div class="MsoNormal">~to make a request, application, or entreaty to (a person for business, support, etc)</div><div class="MsoNormal">~to urge (as one's cause) strongly</div><div class="MsoNormal">~to try to obtain by usually urgent requests or pleas (solicited donations)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, “no soliciting” means do *not* do any of the above things. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Kindly do not knock on my door asking me to buy anything, requesting me to sign anything, or seeking to obtain me as a customer for anything. If I want to buy, sign, or be a customer, I will do so of my own choosing, when I want to do it. Not because some stranger knocks on my door.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Still want to argue with me by telling me that “it’s ok, I’m not asking for money” or "I'm not selling anything"? On the contrary, it’s not ok, whether or *not* you’re asking for money. If I don’t know you and you are trying to talk me into *anything*, you are ‘making a request’, or ‘urging strongly’, or 'trying to obtain' something from me. Even if it’s just using up 5 minutes of my time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do not try to tell me that I have my terminology wrong by saying “oh, you mean peddling”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Definition of Peddling:</div><div class="MsoNormal">~to travel about selling wares.</div><div class="MsoNormal">~the act of selling goods for a living</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So - Yep. No peddling either. But peddling falls under the umbrella of soliciting – you’re asking for something. You are walking up to a house of someone that you don’t know, and you’re trying to talk them into buying, listening, letting you come in and clean a carpet, or to install a ‘free’ security system (just to name a few).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All I am asking is that you pass by my house. I don’t want any. Free or not. No, thank you. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s really that simple.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If I happen to answer the door (which I should apparently think twice about doing), and you start talking, and I listen for a minute (looking for a place to interject) so that I don't rudely interrupt, and then I ask you kindly to take note of my sign and that I do not accept solicitors at my home, do *NOT* argue with me. If you argue with me, you are immediately considered hostile and you will be treated as such. I will not tolerate someone standing in my doorway telling me that I am in the wrong by asking them not to continue with their requests because I am not interested. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One more thing. I’m sorry to say, my front porch light is currently out. So if you come at night, which you shouldn’t be doing anyway, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and just tell you that I don’t accept soliciting, and kindly ask you to leave the premises.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But if you come in broad daylight when my sign is clearly visible, tell me that I am in the wrong when I show you that I have a sign that asks you not to offer me *anything*, free or not, and then you stand at *my* doorstep and argue with me about the definition of the sign, then who’s really wrong?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjND6aJOAG2hPge-qeazN68j6yPOfsR4SG-RQRXkkcH7v8AZLBranG4we5PI0e9S6L2tQYonrHN8Pyy3f_DOyvleZoUQjFtA_X6KCVVIWBl1-5B4ZZb2jk8BqmlpbvVdME0sgBtuQ/s1600/072011_14998_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFdGqY_lIxsEZpgCXz3kM86vNgFKhA5C71pWLBKXohtoms6mhIBGJwRk58ssERHyh379A9Gdu4tiXrJavriWyt9XwzYmcKKsU4RM1I1FqyC1jb7EJ8fIa1TRqNGX1FbUVycK7pQ/s1600/072011_14998_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFdGqY_lIxsEZpgCXz3kM86vNgFKhA5C71pWLBKXohtoms6mhIBGJwRk58ssERHyh379A9Gdu4tiXrJavriWyt9XwzYmcKKsU4RM1I1FqyC1jb7EJ8fIa1TRqNGX1FbUVycK7pQ/s400/072011_14998_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah. I thought so.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Amen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-89852379320029357542011-03-19T00:50:00.001-07:002011-03-19T01:13:47.388-07:00Math<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rachel created a math problem for my dad, see below. Note the date. She was in 3rd grade, this was the day after her 8th birthday. She created this problem for him and had him fill out the paper with the answers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="mobile-photo"></div>Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-55602764433479096902011-02-16T10:36:00.001-08:002011-03-19T01:08:02.100-07:00Heard SomewhereNot sure where I heard it but I liked it.<br />
<br />
<br />
"God is never what I expect but always what I need."<br />
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Too true.Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27038639.post-90839775974589108602011-02-03T16:32:00.001-08:002011-02-03T16:33:04.178-08:00The Bottom LineA couple weeks ago, I had a super-great Wednesday.<br />
<br />
(I have every Wednesday off, and have since I started up working again, because the elementary schools are out early. It's a nice week day off so I can run errands or whatever else I need to do during the week. It's nice!)<br />
<br />
This was a Wednesday that I was home. I spent the day hanging out in the clothes I slept in (until 5:00 when I went up and got dressed so I could make dinner and go to AWANA/Small Group). I did tons of laundry (and found some missing socks along the way), cleaned up a bit, did a few things here and there. But I was *home*.<br />
<br />
I had to get Emma early (10:45 secondary early release - kinda dumb, but means I had more time with her that day which was pretty cool), and we came back home and hung out - not necessarily together the whole time, but together in the house. Nice.<br />
<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed that I didn't have to leave the house for any errands, just to get the trolls to and from school (with a quick trip through the bank drive through after getting Rachel from school from her early release day). Easy. I did a little project (my missing sock wall) that day, I enjoyed my newly-rearranged family room, which was finally clean of trolls' sh... cr... stu... um ... (*ahem*) belongings. <br />
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My point here? It was nice to be home and do my "real" job here. I don't want to sound ungrateful for anything, because I do truly believe that the job I have (the "other" job) was from God, and that I'm honoring Him by honoring my husband's wishes (to work at a job that helps fund the savings account). But it's so nice when I don't have to worry about that job. I didn't go in on Monday, since there wasn't tons of work, and Tuesday was MOPS, and Wednesday is always a day off. How awesome that I got those days at home this week. Awesome because God made it so for me. <br />
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Identity. I think I needed some time this week to do things here and realize that I am valuable for what I do, whether here or there or anywhere, but that my actual identity isn't *in* my job here or there or anywhere. My true identity is in Christ. Doesn't matter whether I have a clean house or do all the laundry. That stuff is nice, but it's not my identity. If I have another job, that's not it either. My identity is in Christ and that's the bottom line. <br />
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Lies. I think sometimes I get caught up in the idea (lie) that I'm not doing what I often think I *should* be doing (being a home-only-mom) because I feel like I don't get enough done here. I think that's because I'm believing lies and putting my identity in something other than Christ. Yes, I'm a homemaker, wife, mother. But my actual identity (and priority) is being a child of God, not a homemaker or wife or mother. Those things are secondary to being His child. So when I make sure my identity is in the right place, the rest follows suit. My priorities have to be right or else *I'm* not right. :) <br />
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Obedience. Whether or not I think I should or should not have a job outside my home, the fact remains that I do. The fact remains that God gave me that job at a time when it was absolutely necessary. The fact remains that I obey God by honoring and respecting my husband, who believes it wise that I continue in that job so that I am helping support our family *with* him.<br />
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Priorities. I'm first God's child; then a wife; then a mother. Then a homemaker, then a friend...the list goes on. It's so important to realize those priorities in life. Do I want my kids to remember that we had an "always clean house", or that all the laundry was always done, or that everything was always in place? No. I want them to remember that we enjoyed spending time together. There is definitely a time for chores and work, but we have to leave room for fun and teaching and learning together also. I may not be a "homeschool" mom, but I am still my kids' (first) teacher. God has told me that it's my job to teach them His ways - so I better have my priorities straight.<br />
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Bottom line: Don't believe the lies. Obey God's commands. Get your priorities straight.Montgummibearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073017915631311396noreply@blogger.com0