Sugar and shoes...

What's not to love about a lovely pair of shoes?

This weekend I had fun creating a shoe out of fondant.

A lovely lady was celebrating her

40th birthday.

and she loves shoes and wine and

so a themed cake was in order.

 

The cake was a moist chocolate cake with

strawberry filling and vanilla buttercream.

Then covered and decorated in fondant.

I love wearing heels,

and if I could find this shoe in leather,

I would wear it.

But this one is totally edible!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cupcakes for the party!

Turning 40 isn't all bad!

Linking up:

httphttp://www.bubblynaturecreations.com/p/linky-parties.html://http//tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/

http//makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com

{ Food for thought }

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

                                                          ~Marianne Williamson


This was on a friends facebook page and I have been pondering it ever since.


What do you think?
Do you fear being great?
Do you fear people? Or what they think of you?
Is God wanting to do amazing things in and thru you but fear has you crippled?
Is it false humility?

Still pondering...

 And here is a "sneak peak"
at what I was working on
this weekend!





I would love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Weekend to you all!
~R

We call it granola...

This is one of our family favorites for breakfast.
We call it granola.

It is great with any fresh fruit

or just a handful of raisins or craisins.

And cold milk.

Or all of the above.

Its great with yogurt

or a crunchy ice cream topping.

Or just a handful of goodness for a snack.

Here is how I make it:

1 box cheerios
1 box rice krispies
1 box cornflakes
4 cups oatmeal

Here is where you can get creative and
make it to your family's liking.

You could add coconut
or sunflower seeds
or wheat germ
or another kind of cereal
or whatever you like.

I mix the dry ingredients together

and the amount of dry ingredients

equals about 42 cups.

so this is whatever combinations

of dry ingredients you want.

It is a large amount but

it always seems to be gone

before I know it.

the sauce:

1 1/4 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup margarine

1/2 tsp. salt

Over medium heat,

heat until melted and combined,

stirring occasionally.

Pour sauce over dry mixture and stir.

Bake 45 min at 225*

Stirring every 15 mins.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool.

Stir it occasionally while cooling to

keep it from sticking.

Add raisins or craisins and

store in air tight containers.

Enjoy!  And call it what you like,

We call it granola.

I'm linking up to these parties. 

MadeByYouMonday



Coffee break...

If we were sitting down to coffee this morning
I would tell you that it was another
2 hour delay morning with a white blanket
covering the brown mud again.
So that meant sleeping in!
Yeah!
But that also means that I feel like I
am 2 hours behind all day.
{But the extra sleep was so-o needed!}

I would also tell you that my
heart is heavy for a friend.
So much pain
so many bad choices,
lost hope.

So many hurting people,
so many tears shed,
so many with lost hope!

But today I have HOPE,
because I have seen God's
faithfulness
over and over and over.
My hope is in Him.

This song is a song that I have cried
so many tears to
as I let the walls fall down the tears fell too.
The walls that I had built around my heart were
to keep the pain out and
I didn't realize that it also kept love out.
Healing is happening...
a process for sure.
But letting love back in and letting
go of the pain is a
new freedom.

I pray my friend can let the walls down.
Finding new freedom.


Join in for coffee here and here.

Just because I am getting older...

What used to be an easy thing,
REMEMBERING
is not so easy anymore.

So I have started making lists.
And here is one of them.

Being a farmer's wife you never know
what animal or "treasure" may come thru
your door.  But this is definatly one of those
treasures that made my heart smile.

My husband grew up on a dairy farm,
and this chalkboard was on the wall of
the old farmhouse kitchen.
So when they were remodling the kitchen
they put this out to the junk pile.
Can you imagine?
So my husband retrived it and
brought it home, unsure of what
I would say about this childhood memory
in our old farmhouse.
I was delighted to say the least and now it is
making more memories and the legacy continues.

Makes you wonder what all was written on this heavy peice of slate
and what pictures were drawn and list made and
words of affirmation shared. Notes of encouragment, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
greetings and menus.

For this week its my menu reminder
{which is subject to change without notice}
And a christmas card holder. 
I am blessed!
I have food to prepare a week of meals,
and I will not worry what we will eat,
God has provided!

Happy Monday to you all,
Blessings to you this week!







Linking up here.

Red Velvet Cake

I would have to say that my favorite cake is
Red Velvet Cake.

But, beware
there is one thing that can ruin the whole cake.
Actually, two things.
I just discovered the other thing.

There is nothing more disappointing about a red velvet cake
than biting into it and discovering it is the wrong icing.
What you might ask is the wrong icing?
I will tell you...
Unless it is frosted with the original icing
that was handed down thru generations
with the cake recipe it is wrong.

But I will let you be the judge,
you try it and see if this is your favorite too.

Red Velvet Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. vinegar

Cream together shortening and sugar and eggs.
Make a paste with food coloring and cocoa.
Add to creamed mixture.
Mix the salt and vanilla in with buttermilk and
add alternately with flour to creamed mixture.
Mix soda and vinegar and fold into mixture.
DO NOT BEAT.
Bake in 2 greased 9" pans for 30 min. at 350.

Red Velvet Cake Icing

5 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook flour and milk till thick, stirring constantly.
Make sure you cool the flour mixture.
Beat sugar, butter and vanilla
 and add milk and flour mixture.
Beat until right consistency to spread
(about 15 min.)
It gets fluffy and delish!

Crumb coat.

And I have discovered the second thing that can
 ruin a red velvet cake....
is ganache.

For Valentines Day, I covered this cake with ganache and its not
that I don't like ganache,
I just don't like it on my favorite cake.

I remember my mom making this cake
for special occasions and
I will pass on the tradition.

Happy Cakin' to ya!
~R

I'm linking up HERE.

Coffee break...

So if you and I were to sit down for coffee today,
I would be drinking a cup of
Costa Rica coffee, that my dear husband brought back from
his travels.  It really is some of the best coffee in the world.

I would tell you how ready I am for summer weather.
But as with other things in our lives,
winter is only for a season.
And summer is coming!

Soon the buds of spring will be around us and the
days will turn longer and spring will turn to summer.

And so the seasons of life may seem long at times,
like the cold, long winter months,
but "spring" is coming,
you will hear it when your heart has little
moments of happiness,
and when you see the impossible
become a possibility.
And when the tears come not because of
deep pain but because of laughter
filling your eyes and giving you hope.

I know this, I have been in a "winter"
that I thought would never end.
But I can see the new life that the "winter"
has brought and I can laugh again.

So when you can't see to read this and
you have tears in your coffee,
know that I have been there,
and I know pain,
and spring is coming!

May your day be blessed with unexpected little bits of
laughter and hope!





Thanks for joining me for coffee,
I'm linking up here for a coffee break.

Valentines Day 2011

Mix up the brownies,
dip the oreos in the batter,
bake in greased muffin tins,
and...

You have oreo brownies!

Treats for school....check.

RiceKrispie Treats made with strawberry marshmallows.

Dinner for 5...check.

Heart shaped red velvet cake with ganache.

The best part of my day was having my family all together again after

Mr. Sweet (aka my husband) returned from Costa Rica after a 10 day

mission trip.

~R

Monkeys and Palm Trees

Dreaming of palm trees and lots of sunshine and and a refreshing drink...

OK, I'm back, this cake has me dreaming and they are sweet dreams!

This cake was to celebrate a new baby. 

New babies, so sweet and a miracle, no less.

A marble cake filled with fudge filling

and decorated with fondant.

SWEET!

The theme matched the baby nursery.

Little Boutique.

Blessings to the new Mommy and Daddy,

and CONGRATULATIONS!

SWEET TREATS

Remember the cute coffee cup,

Now it's a cute cupcake!

Cheeseburger, anyone?

Summer, anyone?

A birthday treat for my

daughter's 6th grade class.

Is you mouth watering yet?

I just had to try them!

Not that we needed any more sweets

around this house,

or that I was bored,

I just had to experiment.

And from the "test" kitchen

come these sweet cupcakes!

And they were delicious,
red velvet cake is my favorite and
the white cake was
well...
dreamy.

Check out this link if you want to give it a try.

Have a sweet day, my friends!

~R