happy weekend

so happy its the weekend...

Tonight is date night with my hubby. J We normally don’t do much but relax with each other and maybe go get a Starbucks or shop a little. It’s so nice to set aside our busy schedule just for us. Just to be with each other with no other plans and no rush is lovely.
Saturday I am going grocery shopping and cleaning the house while Paul is counseling someone then heading up to Philly area where we went to college to hang out with one of my sisters who lives up there. Then we will go to the King of Prussia Mall and go to a friends show at a local coffee shop. Sunday is the normal church routine in the morning, in-laws over for lunch and wedding invitation addressing (brother in-law is getting married in March) and then a Superbowl party.
Busy weekend but most everything should be pretty chilled events. Looking forward to seeing family and friends.

PS-I stole my husband’s i-pod today and am listening to it at work. I am loving the new Fiction Family and the Yael Naim song I downloaded. Check em out.

phew...i did it...

my cake along with the delicious cannoli dip I made (which was way too good).


lemon raspberry cake for Rachel Coon's baby shower. The star says COnner Ryan- the baby's name. His room is done in brown and blue stars, stripes, and polka dots.



This was my kitchen after I was done the cake. Ace of Cakes makes it look tooo easy. What a chore it was! Silly me decided to put raspberry jam and icing between the layers and it was slipping and sliding everywhere. I put some little wooden dowls in there to hold it together straight. It tastes pretty good- and looked pretty good for my first attempt!

Round two in Feb. for a bridal shower. ...what was i thinking? ;-)

gettin' creative with fondant

i am attempting my first ever fondant cake for a baby shower i am planning for a friend this weekend. I am thinking of doing something like the cake below but in blight blue and brown. Its a lemon cream cheese cake with raspberry filling. I am so nervous. I have been reading up on how to use fondant and watching you tube demonstrations. I don;t think watching Ace of Cakes counts as research. Haha..Any tips would be appreciated!

not so ironic

so last night my husband told me his college cohort all prayed for us and a situation we have been going through that has really shaken up my world. I really felt Gods presence as well as peace, joy, and confidence that night. I'm so thankful how He uses others to intercede and cover each other in God's love, grace and beauty. As I went to bed I decided to pick up a dusty Read the Bible in a Year book I started last year but only made it through March or so. Instead of picking up where I left off I felt prompted to go to today's date. When I opened it- the story was about the character Rachel in the Bible. Huh... One of the first lines was EXACTLY what God wanted to speak to me and it had MY name in it. As I read it I knelt beside my bed and wept. How good is God? That He wrote a promise for me over two thousand years ago and knew it would change me today. If you are in a place in life now where you feel God isn't working- don't doubt Him. He can't wait to reveal His promises to you. I am still in a valley but He keeps showing me His rays of light to guide me. Just when I feel I can't stand anymore He is there with great friends, His word, His presence....All I can say is Abba God you amaze me.

Genesis 30:22-23

fun stuff

when people are able to express themselves through art it excites me. Let's face it- we are all visual people. When something is attractive or beautiful, we enjoy it. There is a website I often go to that allows graphic artists to show thier current works and get critiqued by other artists prior to releasing the work. The ones I have below are some of those wonderful artists from the site. What lovely work....

perseverance

I can sit around and plan my life all day long but it would be a waste of time. Today is one of those days I feel less hope in my life than normal. I have faith but there is a twinge of doubt and I am not showing much grace to my situation right now. I am reacting only to how I feel this very moment. My insecurity tells me this is all my fault and I deserve this but my God tells me He loves me and has something up His sleeve just for me. I can’t see that right now and am having a hard time accepting His promises for me when all I hear is setback after setback. Covering this thing with grace has forced some serious digging and I sometimes feel I can’t find enough to cover the thorn.

James 1 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Okay God- you are right…again. ;-) I surrender to You.

life goals

Mark Batterson of National Community Church is a creative and inspirational guy. He has a life goal list. Things he wants to accomplish in his life. He brings them to prayer and sets family, travel, physical, experience, and influence goals. I highly suggest you read the short PDF and try it out. He talks about dreaming as praying and how Proverbs 28 says where there is no vision the people perish. I am working on it now- it also inspired me to remember some things from 2008....Here are some things I remember doing in 2008:

Things in 2008:
Moved into my newly built house (paint, decorate, paint, paint)
Went to Virginia Beach on vacation- Just me and Paul
Rode a two person bike
Went to a David Crowder concert at the Electric Factory
Bought brand new furniture for the first time ever
Went to a Ministers Wives Conference and learned about Grace
Celebrated 5 years of marriage
Went to a Marriage Retreat
Decorated for the 2008 PennDel District Conference
Went to a Shane & Shane /Phil Wickham concert in Newark
Diagnosed with PCOS (finally, an answer to my craziness!)
Got my LSA5 at work (able to sell business insurance now)
Got in my first car accident (not my fault btw)
Threw Paul a 28th birthday party
Organized the grand opening at Calvary Community Center
Planned a friends baby shower
Read Wanting All the Right Things by Shirin Taber
Read The Shack (most of it)
Gave up church décor and coffee cart to spend more time with God and reflecting on His direction for my life
Read In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
Read Adventures in Holy Matrimony
Took several successful photos
Did the Delaware Heart Walk
Joined Facebook
Had a successful 1980’s party
Witnessed Paul’s first morning sermon, baby dedication, & baptism
Got my first very own cell phone (I know, I know)
Discovered how much I enjoy Rockband (wii)
Volunteering at Give a Kid a Chance
Got this blog
Helped my dog Zeke transition with one fake eye
Had Christmas at my new house with both sides of the family
Fell more in love with amazing and beautiful husband
Learned a little more about patience, grace, and God’s plan for me while growing a little bit closer to my Abba Father.

what was the most memorable thing for you in 2008? Any goals for 2009??