Let it snow...

Oh, how I hate to be the next one to say that Christmas is exactly 7 weeks away, but I will because I want you to check out my sweet friend, Ruth's contest. She is crocheting completely adorable snowflakes and giving us the chance to win them. Click on her name above to head that way!
So where are you on your Christmas planning? Are you well on your way or does the thought of it make you cringe? As you might have guessed, I will probably retain the knot in my stomach over Christmas right up until Dec. 25. Then, I will acquire a new knot over the fact that everything I just bought has dropped to clearance level prices.
But you know what? I refuse to be a butt about it this year. My tendency is toward being the biggest Scrooge alive, and I have my very valid reasons (well, at least they are valid to this Scroogette), BUT that is miserable and nobody likes miserable, right?
Honestly, I am so thankful that we celebrate Jesus' birth and I really love all the sounds and smells and spirit of the season, it's just the commercialism and the bondage that it creates....ooops, I let that slip.
I guess I am getting ahead of myself though, seeing that it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, and who could possibly have issues with that holiday?! ~BURP~

Crazy 8's

So since I have had serious blogger's block, I was completely thrilled when my good, in-real-life buddy Kim,over at Reformed Grits, tagged me. This is a Crazy 8's meme and it is HARD! I am not sure that I will be able to get 8 things for all of them, but I will make the attempt.

8 things I am passionate about:
*My Father
*My husband
*My children
*Teaching my kids of God and His unfathomable grace and love for them.
*God's truths being rightly divided...I am soooo passionate about this one.
*Growing in my walk and not ever settling down into complacency.
*Figuring out God's plan for me.
*Oh, and I love coffee...alot.

8 things I say often:
*"I'm losing my mind"
*"Give me a minute, please."
*"Give me another minute, please."
*"Put the dog down!"
*"STOP!!!"
*"Do you know how much I love you?"
*"Maa-aaark..."
*"Wanna go get coffee?"

8 books I've read recently:
*Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore
*Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Terri Maxwell
*Ruth-A Portrait by Patricia Cornwell
*Sitting by My Laughing Fire by Ruth Bell Graham
*The Well Trained Mind (again) by Susan Wise Bauer
*A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot (a signed copy, thank you very much)
*South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston
*Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper

8 things I want to do before I die:
*I want to go to several places in Europe for an extended amount of time.
*I want to be remembered for who I was in the Lord (so whatever that has me doing, I guess).
*I really do want to go back to school (all in God's timing, though).
*I want to see my kids actively and passionately serving Christ.
*I want to enjoy some wonderful years with my sweet Mark after our kids are grown.
*I want to reach as many people for God as He will allow me.
*I want to laugh like crazy when my grandchildren drive their parents nuts (and then give them some candy...with lots of sugar and even more love).

8 songs I can listen to over and over (and probably have):
*Above All
*Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
*Be Thou My Vision
*In Christ Alone
*(Ok y'all, confession time. I am not into music like a normal person. I mean, I don't hate it...but I don't have to have it. In fact, I drive my family beserk because I would MUCH rather listen to talk radio when I am in the van, than music. If I ever get in the mood for music, it is usually classical or Praise and Worship/Hymns. Beyond that, I don't really dig it. Just for the record, this isn't some legalistic conviction...it's just a preference. I know, I'm weird.)
*Soooo, moving right along....we'll just pretend those last two aren't there....
*
*
8 things that attract me to my friends:
*REAL-I seriously cannot do fake or superficial. I just. flat. cannot. It usually only takes people about 5 minutes flat to figure that out with me.
*Their love for God.
*Their realization that we all need a little (or alot of) grace, and that they give it.
*That their families are highest-priority, second only to their Lord.
*Their honesty, even when it's not easy.
*Their ability to laugh like jr. high boys, oftentimes uncontrollably.
*Their ability to cry like the Momma's we are when we hurt.
*Lastly, and this is key: That they accompany me to Starbucks. Everything else would just be out of whack if they quit doing this. Everything.

8 things I have learned in the last year:
*How to truly forgive and be free.
*That God's grace is so much more boundless and undeserved and beautiful than I knew before.
*That contentment doesn't come naturally, therefore, it isn't that widely practiced.
*That my kids are growing up waaaaaay too fast.
*That "it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all".
*That I don't like 105 degree heat.
*That in a severe drought, you don't have to cut your grass very often.
*That I cannot, in good conscience, spend $4.37 on a latte on a daily basis (or even weekly, truthfully) God help me.

8 people I tag for this meme:
*Whomever
*needs
*something
*to
*blog
*about....
*You're
*it!
But please let me know if you decide to participate! I would really love to read these things about y'all!

I will not talk about food, I will not..

So I wish that I had some fun and witty story to share here with you for, what is becoming, my weekly post, but I don't. Last week's was pretty lame, to say the least and I still have nothing, nada, zip, zilch to share that would be interesting for this week.
You know, I kinda like it when "life" runs like a well-oiled machine with little to no consequence, but it is murder for blog fodder.
I absolutely refuse to put up yet another post about food because, going back over my last several, I have begun to notice a trend (or shall we say obsession?). So, I guess I can't tell you all about this insanely good thing that you should try. Too bad, because I am completely convinced that it is akin to manna from Heaven, but I digress... :(

Help!

Ok, real fast...
I have been trying to change my sidebar for at least a week. I want to add some more pictures, ect, but when I go into the template page where it is *supposed* to say "add a page element"...that little feature isn't there. GRRRR!
Is anyone else having this issue, and if so, does anyone out there know how to fix it?
Thank ya kindly....

Lots to talk about

Ok girls, here it is...my 2nd and final fondant cake:

This one almost seriously caused me to weep. And not tears of joy, mind you. The whole process takes for-stinkin-ever only to have to massacre it less than 24 hours later. THAT hurt.
Let me back up for you a little though. If you will remember, the whole thing that started my fondant frenzy was because I wanted to make a nice cake for my precious little girl's 7th birthday. Well, that was on Friday and we have had a crazy-but-fun weekend since then.
We went to IHOP (Julianna's choice) for lunch and then on to the zoo where it was decorated for "Boo at the Zoo". Incidentally, if you followed me here from HSB, you may remember our last Boo at the Zoo ordeal, and the reason we don't EVER go to this. However, any Crew member gets free reign on their birthday's to decide what they want to do. We had no clue it would coincide. I snapped a few pictures: (Check out my jokester on the right).

He was certainly full of himself:

After the zoo we came home to get to work on the cake. Here is the birthday girl helping me to mix it all up:

And here she is watching her Momma revisit her childhood by fixing Barbie hair:

After she went on to bed, I started the fondant fiasco with some help from a very sympathetic Jacob every time it tore. We finally finished around midnight, and boy, were we glad.

The next morning I took Julianna to the live theatre to see Rumpelstiltskin...and when it was over she strolled through the courtyard just smellin' the flowers...cuz that's just so her. Thank God for this little girl.

We ended the day with her party where she was completely surprised when her bestest friend was chauffeured all the way up from her home in South Alabama to her birthday party:

All in all, even with the cake, we had a wonderful weekend, but boy, am I going to sleep well tonight.

Happy 7th birthday my sweet Julianna...

How do I get myself into these things?

Have you ever watched "Ace of Cakes" on Food Network? Emily, I know you've got to have my back here...
Anyway, I have always been intrigued with their ability to turn cake into super-yummy art. I have watched them make all kinds of interesting cakes in the shapes of all kinds of interesting things which makes me wonder if there is nothing that Duff can't do?
I am particularly intrigued with this amazing stuff called fondant that they use. I will admit, I had never heard of it before but it, along with Rice Krispy treats, seem to be the stuff that make these cool cakes what they are.
Never being one to just sit and watch, I decided that I wanted to give the fondant thing a go. So, I have decided to make Julianna one of those beautiful doll cakes like the one seen here for her birthday this coming Friday. Lofty goal? Yup. Which is why I decided to try my hand at "something fondant" beforehand.
Presenting my Fall Fondant Cake:

Don't laugh! This was NOT easy, people! First I had to make the cake...no problem, I've been baking since I was a young girl. I chose a carrot cake since that seemed to go well with the season. Once it was baked and cooled, I had to level both of the layers...that wasn't too terribly difficult, but it is definitely easier said than done (anyone know any good tricks for getting them even?)
After that is finished, you have to put a "glue" on there for the fondant, so I chose cream cheese icing. At this point, we are still in my realm of comfortable cake making. Next, however, comes the part that looked sooooo much easier when Duff does it. I broke out the fondant.
My fondant was pre-made, but white, so I had to mix all of these icing colors to get what you see on the cake, and the cut-outs. My arms got an amazing workout while I kneaded those colors in until they were evenly distributed. Nice perk I guess, until... the rolling...UGH! It took me forever, but I finally got it rolled out big enough. It started to dry up on me a little, which is why it is not completely smooth. The kids helped me with the fall cutouts and ~Voila~ my very first fondant cake.
Can I just tell you that her doll cake now TERRIFIES me!!! I will post pictures, but you might want to pray for a sister in her time of need.

A note to my diet...

Allow me to start first with an introduction: South Beach meet Central Alabama.
South Beach, I promise to return to you very soon. You truly have been a most accomodating diet, one that has already yeilded a satisfactory amount of weight loss in such a short amount of time, but due to the fact that I am emotional right now, I am going to head back to the land of Chicken Fried Chicken and biscuits smothered in glorious gravy. You see those cheesy things right there? Those are potatoes, and while they wreak terrible havoc on my body, I must have them.
I know that this must be painful, and that the sheer beauty of Central Alabama must be particularly hurtful, but I will be back tomorrow, rest assured.
Thanks for being so sweet...or not. Whatever. Thanks.
Gayle