My Birthday Cake

In the last post, I shared a couple of pictures of what I wanted  my cake to look like. I knew that mine wouldn't look very  much like those, but I loved the idea of them. I'm all into the brown on blue scrolls 

 : )

So here's how my cake turned out:

I just recently had bought a square pan (for the marshmallows) and thought, "It would be neat to do a square cake with scrolls on it." So an additional square pan was part of my birthday present.

Mom found some candles that matched just perfectly. You can't plan that kind of coordination. And the roses...I just love the palest roses with the faintest pink glow in the center. Mom wanted to get some for my birthday, but you know roses are a little pricey. She saw these, and noticed one was past it's prime. She asked the woman in the flower department about maybe getting them a little discounted. Well, the woman agreed they weren't in prime condition and gave them to mom for a dollar! : )

I was so glad to celebrate with my two sweet siblings. (Natalie looks like one of us, doesn't she?!)

And, boy, was it delicious! The combo of the rich chocolate and the cool, sweet peppermint buttercream is perfect for a January birthday.

I had a very nice birthday and even got a present. I was given my favorite shampoo, some lavender lotion and a Willy Wonka chocolate bar. : )

I want to write about turning 26 in another post. I need to gather my thoughts, first...

I've been busy

So far this winter, either it's been too cold to go out for long or it's been snowing. So, I've had a little extra time to work on some projects that I had been planning to do.

I came across a recipe for home-made Marshmallows a while back, but didn't do it because I didn't have gelatin and I wan't sure if my large saucepan would work. Finally I got some gelatin, so I decided to go ahead and try it. 

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. 

I though it would be scary because it involves boiling sugar until it reaches 250 degrees, then pouring it into the mixer bowl. No problem and it resulted in this fluffy, sweet, preservative-free treat. We put them in our hot chocolate and my favorite way to eat them was to put them on a graham cracker and put them under the broiler. S'mores without the mess!

Just used up the last three tonight...I'll be making s'more ; ) 

And yes, it has been really cold, but on the third of January, 

it was warm enough to hang out my laundry! 

The last time I remember using a clothesline was when I was tiny, back in Florida. Since then we've only used a dryer. But, some families in our church were telling us just how much they were saving on their utilities and we really liked how that sounded. And it also appealed to us because we want to do what we can, in any small way, to help the environment.

So, Daddy put up this beautiful clothesline (with some help from his assistant)

Mom and I cannot wait until Spring, when the sun is shining and the weather is nice and warm...

Even on January 3rd, my sheets dried and once I made up my bed, my whole room smelled like 

sun-dried linens. Nice.

I guess it's the cold weather that's turned me into a knitting fool! It has gotten so that I need a project going all the time...so, I've made Natalie a matching set of a hat, scarf, and mittens.

I also wanted to make a sweater from a pattern for my little chihuahua. I had made two for her already, but I just made them up and they weren't that cute. So I went online and found this gem:

 It's called the Ruffled A-line sweater dress. Designed with 3 pound chihuahuas in mind.

Just getting started with my hot chocolate close by.

Here she is modeling the basic sweater, pre-trim.

And here it is complete with hand-dyed(by me!) mauve/pink mohair trim.

Spoiled princess? Maybe. She's just so cute!

We all have been getting a little stir-crazy with all the snow, especially miss ants-in-the-pants. I try to come up with projects to do with her, but they all involve paper and sitting down. I love it, and she does for a while, but she needs to move!

So mom suggested we bring in the little rebounder we have off the front porch. It was a hit! She went straight to it and started jumping- and jumping- and jumping- and jumping. For a good amount of time. We put some lively kid music on and as long as she had an audience, she was great. Gave me a chance to read my book some ; )

My birthday is fast approaching and last year mom did a Gooney Bird Pie for me but I've decided to make myself a cake this time. 

I love the flavor combination of chocolate and mint. So, my plan is to make a decadent chocolate layer cake and fill and ice it with mint buttercream. Yum! 

For decorating, I love the look of blue and brown. I pulled these pics off the internet for inspiration:

I'll use chocolate buttercream to make all of the beautiful scrolls.

Of course my cake won't be tiered like these, but I do plan on making a square cake.

We'll see how it turns out : )

This is how my dad measures the amount of snow we've gotten so far ; )

And it's still falling as I type!

This is a gorgeous shot off our front porch that my dad got one morning. Looks good enough for a jigsaw puzzle. I love the 5 trees lined up in the center. Click on it to see the full-sized image.

Lovely sunrise. And the sun will be rising again; sooner than I'd like.

Goodnight.

Some snow pictures...

Before anyone can tell me "You said you didn't care if it never snowed this winter", I will just say, it's the cold and the inconvenience of snow I don't like. 

I think snow is beautiful!

Flashlights and sundials

"In the darkness, men can shine flashlights on a sundial and make it tell any time they want. But only the sun tells the true time. The flashlights are the changing and fleeting opinions of men. The sun is the eternal Word of God. Only God makes truth. Men either discover it or fail to discover it. They either interpret it rightly or interpret it wrongly. But they have no power to make truth or change it. For truth is no man's servant. Ultimately, the truth must become each person's friend or his enemy, his master or his judge." From Deadline by Randy Alcorn.

Are you shining your flashlight on the sundial of truth? Or letting the Son tell you what truth is?

Billy Graham Library trip

The Billy Graham Training Center organized a few trips to the Billy Graham library for the employees of the BGTC. I guess it was kind of our Christmas gift from them. Usually we have some sort of potluck dinner for Christmas, but someone always has to work it, so I think we all liked this option better.

I signed up for the same day as most of the hostesses I work with on a regular basis. Nevada, Gloria, Glenda, and Shirley had signed up for November 18th. We didn't know who else had. Turns out, Linda and Kory, a couple who works the buffet line, and Linda's son, Scott, had signed up. So it was just us dining room people.

We got there at 7:45 to make sure we didn't get left. The bus was leaving at 8:00 sharp.

Turns out we had to wait just a while. And while we did, this flock of turkeys came waltzing through the parking lot!

We counted 17 total.

Here's Nevada, Gloria, Glenda and Shirley. We had a fun time on the trip over.

There's the goofballs in the back.

And here it is. The beautiful Billy Graham Library.

And here's the Graham Family Homeplace. They moved it here from where it once stood since the 20's.

It's a nice little home.

This is the front sitting room.

And here's the office off the living room. Love the color scheme throughout the place.

A bright little kitchen. Notice the built in ironing board. I could use one of those.

And now we are in the Library. This is Bessie the cow giving us our introduction. Talking about "Billy Frank" coming to milk them at 5 in the morning with icy cold hands, and practicing his sermons while he milked them.

Here's a replica of the fireplace at their home in Montreat.

And this is Ruth Graham's wedding dress. What a beautiful bride she was.

Here's the ring Billy offered Ruth.

And I thought this was so cute. Click the picture so you can read the telegrams. Priceless.

Ruth grew up in a missionary family in China.

'Poor you'

Billy Graham had all sorts of things given him, including this motorcycle.

The simple, but central, message of the cross.

Outside, there's a beautiful garden. And in it, they have Ruth's burial plot. This is also where Billy Graham will be laid to rest.

Love it: "End of construction. Thank you for your patience."

A beautiful blossom.

The first wife of Cliff Barrows is also buried there.

The group admiring the peaceful location.

Love this picture.

A letter to Billy Graham from a Jesus Freak : )

It was a really fun trip, getting to just enjoy the people I work with. Also it was a great reminder of who it is we are working for, both Billy Graham and God.

It's really amazing what God has done through Billy Graham.  All the people that have heard the gospel because if his willingness to be a mouthpiece for the Lord. And I know you can't trust the statistics about the people who have made 'decisions' for the Lord. To some, they say the prayer, and they've got their ticket, never to think twice about living for God. But to others, when they hear the gospel, the Holy Spirit convicts them, changes their hearts and they repent and turn to Christ.
It causes tears to well up in my eyes!
I really am thankful to be a part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, even if it's a small part.