Progress in Pink

Today has been a relatively productive day, filled with laundry, some baking, a bit of cleaning, all rewarded with some time sewing while watching the Cowboys game (boo hoo at the end result, but they're still my team!).

I am still working on my T's Treasure quilt. Today I opted to tackle the 5 pink blocks that use what I am calling "Pink Base 1" as their common template, with varied inner "paws". I discovered two problems along the way: 1) I didn't have enough of one of the pieces cut, and 2) what I thought would work for one design didn't. So basically, I'll need to cut more fabric. But for now, the plan is to keep sewing the other blocks and fix these issues when all the others are sewn. The only issue with that plan is that one of the other blocks has a similar inner "paw" as the one that didn't work, so I'll just postpone working on it, too.

Here are the blocks that I managed to complete today:

Puss In The Corner


Squares On Point


Bow Ties


Four Patch

So that's all for now....I'll keep posting as I have time to sew. This "chunk" sewing concept is so not me...I am used to sitting down one day and sewing like a mad woman until I have a whole quilt top finished....for this project, I'm just taking it one color group at a time! Thanks for your patience!

You Can Always Learn Something New

I remember reviewing the course requirements and preparing to register for my first semester of classes at North Texas. My major was Fashion Merchandising, and foundation major requirement was a clothing construction class. I had taken 3 semesters (all that was available) of Home Economics—Clothing in high school, so I didn't see the need to take it again in college. My dad and I were talking about it, and he suggested that I take it anyway, as I "just might learn something." Even though I spent 4 years, a great deal of $$, and lots of time (really?) studying and earning that degree, probably the most important thing I learned was that no matter how much you think you might already know about something, there is always room to learn something new.

I made my first "specialty" cake when I was in high school, teaching myself from the Wilton yearbook and using their recipes for icings. Over the years, I decided I really didn't care for their recipes, so I went in search of other options. While in Utah, I found an icing mix that I really liked—it held up really well in warm weather and didn't have the overwhelming butter and sugar taste to it. Since moving to PA I have not been able to find that particular mix, even at the food service stores. In January 2006 the wheels were in motion to start my home bakery and as part of the preparations, I took the 3 cake decorating classes that Wilton offers at my local craft store. As part of the class, we were provided several icing recipes that work well for decorating, and I've relied heavily on one in particular since then. Today, I took a walk on the wild side—I made two "new" recipes of icing.

One of my favorite bakers has a recipe for a French buttercream icing using a sugar syrup over stiff egg whites, then adding creamed butter and finally, a liqueur or other flavoring. There is also what she calls a classic butercream icing again starting with a sugar syrup, but added to creamed egg yolks, and then adding the creamed butter and liqueur. After several years of drooling over the recipes, I finally tried them.

This coming Tuesday night our Women's Ministry is holding a Christmas dinner and program as an outreach to the friends and families of the women in the weekly Bible studies, and I am blessed to be preparing the food. For dessert, I was asked to provide cake—white, chocolate, and carrot cake. My carrot cake has a yummiliscious cream cheese icing, and I stuck with the recipe I have always used for that one. But I decided that the white and chocolate cakes needed something special, which led to my adventure in the kitchen. For the white cake icing, I added an amaretta liqueur for the flavoring, and for the chocolate, a chocolate liqueur (wow! I could drink the chocolate liqueur all by itself it's so yummy!). I think both of the icings are going to be a real treat and wonderful toppings for the cakes!

So yet again, we are never too old to learn something new! I am so thankful for my dad's words of wisdom so very long ago!

Fiber Therapy

Contrary to what the title of this post may imply, this post is not about the use of Metamucil, Fiber Con, or other dietary fiber additives...it's about the fibers that are woven, knit, or spun, just waiting to be fashioned into some wonderful, unique, creation.

If you are reading this, then you likely know me well enough to know that there are two creative outlets that are therapeutic to me—cooking and "crafting" (we'll use that word here to encompass sewing, quilting, crocheting, cross stitching, and any other form of fiber art that I missed).

I love fabric. I love fibers in general. One of my favorite projects to do in college was for a textiles class. We had to gather a variety of different fabrics—wool, nylon, silk, cotton, etc.—and cut exact sample sizes of each. They were then laundered and we compared the samples and their reactions to the laundry process. I found it very interesting to see how each fabric's properties resulted in various reactions to water—shrinkage, wrinkles, fading, fraying, etc. But probably even more fun was the different textures represented by the different fibers, and the different textures that can be achieved by the various methods used to create with each fiber. Men's sweaters are some of the most fabulous creations ever! I have been known to stop men that I know who are wearing a "cool" sweater and ask if I can just "touch" the fabric—as I drool internally over the marvelous texture. I love the different "chunky" weaves that can be achieved with the knitting process. But I don't knit. Perhaps that will change one day, but for now, I'm not sure I'd remember how to "knit" or "purl" or even cast on the beginning stitches.

My apologies, I got off on a tangent. This summer I was blessed with the ability to visit some old and dear friends in eastern Pennsylvania. We spent time in the Amish country and shopped in some Amish quilt fabric shops—HEAVENLY! My goal was to find fabric for a quilt for my friend's recently married daughter (who I hope is not reading this!). We were successful in finding something we thought she'd like, and in the process, purchased fabric to make my friend a quilt, too. Another of my friends has a daughter getting married this coming spring, so I've found a pattern and fabric for a quilt for her, too. Count that—fabric for three (2 king/1 queen size) quilts.

This past week I had the pleasure of dog sitting two of my favorite canine friends—Amelia and Murphy—two beautiful Labradoodles (sorry folks, forgot to capture the Kodak moments while I was there). My goal for the week was to cut out all three of the above mentioned quilts. And make some serious progress on several Bible studies I'm working on (over achiever, I know!). Add into the mix a last-minute opportunity to serve one of our church ministries with a "thank you" dinner for their group on Tuesday, as well as a couple of opportunities to provide meals for families, and my week was full! It was not until Friday that I actually started taking fabric out of boxes and using my rotary cutter so much that the blade dulled beyond further use! (I'm not even sure it can be resharpened at this point....)

Friday and Saturday were quite productive, as I got one of the quilts completely cut out. Whooo hoooo!!!! And Sunday I spent part of the day sewing (I was torn between my desire to sew, the need to clean, and the craving for homebaked goodies—pumpkin bread or gingerbread or ... something fattening and yummy!). So a little cleaning (not too much, mind you!) and then I rewarded myself with some sewing...sans goodies. And VOILA! I was able to get 16 of the 8" setting blocks sewn—12 of the first block and 4 of the second. The first block will actually have a triangle piece sewn on each of the two "lower" sides to complete the setting, and the second blocks will be on the four outer corners of the quilt.

I'm calling this quilt the T's Treasure....it has 14 different fabrics...a mix of reproduction fabrics and contemporary in various shades of brown, tan, blue, and pink. There are 25—14" blocks using a basic bear paw pattern, with various "palms" on each block, using a "base block" of either blue, pink, tan, or brown. What a joy it is to experience the different feels of the fabrics, and watch how they yield to being stitched together and pressed into shape. Some are soft and have little "body" to them, while others have a bit more sizing added and offer a bit of "backbone" to the blocks. As I finish blocks, I'll try to be diligent about posting photos, as well as a photo of the finished projects.

Speaking of finished projects—and diligently posting—it has been a couple of months since I posted anything about other projects that were in the works, which have since been completed, and I thank you for your patience! The following photos are what I believe are the last of my trip to Dallas, as well as photos of other "finished" pieces from this year.

Our Women's Ministry Director at church recently temporarily moved to the UK with her husband for his job. How sad I was to hear that she would be leaving, as she's such a sweet spirited woman who truly loves the Lord! She had been in the process of revamping the ministry into what now is called "Together Ministry to Women" using butterflies and hearts as part of the logo. And Jackie loves tea! So what better "going across the Pond" gift to give her than a quilted table topper for tea parties???? I found a pattern online at the JoAnn's site using their Afternoon Tea collection of fabrics that was introduced this spring (I posted a photo of the original pattern in an earlier post). The pattern was very poorly written, and was for a rectangle shaped piece rather than a square as I wanted, so I ended up reworking the pattern to suit my needs. When I went to purchase the fabric, I was surprised to find that of the 15 fabrics required by the pattern, they only had about 5 or 6 in stock at that particular store. So I ended up adding complementary fabrics from other lines to come up with the quilt below, which I call Together for Tea. Kay Ihnat is a local long-arm quilter and did a most beautiful job quilting it for me. She incorporated butterflies and hearts into the block quilting, and wrote "Together" in one of the borders. Hopefully each time Jackie uses it, she will think of all of her friends here in the 'Burgh and remember just how special she is to us!

Together for Tea

Since I had to guess on yardages when purchasing the fabric for this quilt, I had quite a bit left over...so again, I decided to be creative! While shopping at a quilt shop in Beaver County, PA, I had seen a double wedding ring piece that I loved. I don't recall if it was a table runner or a table topper, but it was simply divine! Unfortunately, the shop did not have patterns/books for any of the 5 or 6 items in their store windows that I wanted to make. With a bit of research, and help from quilting friends, I found the pattern in Eleanor Burns' Egg Money Quilts book. I took the leftover fabric from Jackie's quilt and made a table runner for my friend, Michele, who turned 40 in October. I believe I posted a picture of what it was to look like some time ago, but here are photos of the finished piece. While I like the look of a "squared off" table runner, I really was hoping that my bold move to echo the outlines of the rings would work—and it did—beautifully! I liked this piece so well that I have one in the works for myself...and I'm thinking I might actually try my hand at hand quilting it...completely. Michele's was machine quilted on my Janome Gem.

Michele's Table Runner

I had this wonderful idea of adding a tea set to the gift, but did not want to go through the hassle and expense of purchasing it here and then hauling or shipping it to Dallas. So my first stop once I got to town was a TJ Maxx, primarily because I had purchased a quilt at one of the stores here a few months prior, and then later found one lonely pillow sham that matched—none of the stores in western PA had another one! So I was on a mission to find one—and I did! As well as the items below that were added to Michele's birthday present. All but the table runner was placed in the oh-so-cool-and-"matching" box, and the table runner was in a bag that, believe it or not, closely resembled the box!

Set for tea


Michele and her helpers opening her present (Heather [in pink] was delighted with her mom's gift! She had tea with mom the very next day!)

One of the first quilting books I ever saw was Eleanor Burns' Log Cabin-Make A Quilt In A Day—her first quilt book; the original GBC comb-bound version. This was back in the 80's when rotary cutters were pretty new on the sewing scene, and the concepts she presented in her book were mind boggling to this college girl who'd been sewing for more than half her life. My first (and only at this time) quilt had been cut out using scissors! "I can do this!" I remember thinking over and over as I contemplated creating one of these "quilts in a day". Yet I never ventured out to try her method. Finally, this year I made my first (and second) log cabin quilts. What a joy to create! And, yes, they were quick to make! Of course, for me, patterns are like recipes—just a general guide of "how to" make something; almost always I take the basics of the "guide" and make it "my way." One of the two log cabin quilts was made for my friend from church, who also does my hair (I'm sure she cringes each time with the knowledge that I am perhaps her client who spends the least amount of time and energy on their hair!). Wendy and I met at the New Members class at church. She and her hubby had their young son with them—I think he was only a few months old at the time. I've had the honor of making Jeremy's first two birthday cakes, and this summer, they welcomed little Nicholas into their family. So early in the year I quizzed her about the kids' rooms and what the decor would be like as she tried to tame my mane with a mind of its own. Jeremy would be moving into a big boy room decorated with red, white, and blue; the baby would be in Jeremy's old room using baby blue. Another friend had been raving about this simply delightful quilt pattern, Slash Your Stash, that was quick and easy to make, and with the slashing of the blocks and rearranging of the pieces results in a unique and clever use of fabrics. I chose to make the log cabin quilts out of red, white, and blue fabrics, while using pastel blues with a touch of green and yellow and white for the Slash Your Stash quilt. Below are the two finished quilts that I was able to give Wendy on her first day back at work after little Nicholas was born. She loved them, and was amazed that they were the right colors for the boys (she'd forgotten the "innocent" inquiries I'd made earlier in the year!).

Nicholas' Slash Your Stash—This is just a few blocks showing the deatil of the pattern and the machine quilting, done on my Janome Jem.

Jeremy's Log Cabin quilt set in a pinwheel pattern.

The last of my little show-and-tell for this post is a small wallhanging I did for my friends in eastern PA. When I decided I was going to take a trip out that way, they were gracious and offered to let me stay in their guest "suite", which allowed me to buy more fabric and other goodies while I was there. I had not seen them in about 9 years, and really wanted to take them something special. I wanted to do something small, perhaps a sampler, and started searching out patterns. What I ended up doing was creating my own pattern, using traditional blocks and an Americana theme. As the piece came together, one of the blocks I used became a "Texas flag" block. Others have special meaning to them, too. I was trying to create something that symbolized our friendship, faith, the love they share with each other and others, and the place where we met—Texas. I think it turned out beautiful, even with the one "big" oops that I noticed after all the blocks were sewn together (I'm not telling!). Just like me, it's not perfect, but it's full of love and good memories! (By the way...I also took along a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and a case of SPAM, just in case the wallhanging wasn't a hit...but it all was!)

Celebrating Friendship, Faith, and Love!

Amendment to "I Love my Saturn"

Last night when I wrote the original post, I neglected to tell you that, upon arrival at Costco, I realized that the key fob on the rental car key did not work—at all! It is broken, as in it looks like someone smashed the fob in a door or something. Which meant that I had to use the key to unlock the door and the trunk. When I returned to the car after my Garden Ridge experience, I went to load my purchases via the passenger door...which does NOT have a key hole on it! Imagine that! How spoiled am I to my remote control locks????

Another oversight in last night's post deals with the issue of time. As I exited Garden Ridge, I intentionally looked at their "hours of operation" sign and noted that they were open until 9:00...."Gee," I thought, "no wonder it seemed as though the cashiers were anxious for us to all get checked out, it must be time for them to close." And I looked at my watch and it claimed that it was only 8:20. Not trusting my watch, I looked at my cell phone, which we know is "always" right! And it, too, said 8:20. The clock in the car was obviously never changed.

Fast forward to this morning....Upon waking, I discover that my head is still throbbing and the kink in my back is worse...and inflamed. I get my stuff together and head out the door for work, grabbing the car keys as I leave. I do my daily run through McD's and am 5 minutes from work when I realized MY keys (house, car, work) were at home! Inside the locked house. With no "spare" key anywhere outside the house, as the one the neighbor had mysteriously was given to the landlord who, on at least 2 occasions, entered the premises without prior notice or even knocking, which led to the locks being changed. Thanks to a friend I was able to find a locksmith to come open the door and let me in. Needless to say, this "free" recall service trip has been costly—not only do I have the cost of the locksmith (yes, my own stupid fault for being a creature of habit), but I am certain that a trip or two to the chiropractor will be in my near future.

Just a few minutes ago the wonderful guy at Saturn called to let me know that Aerie is ready to come home. I am so thankful! God has provided way beyond my needs, again!

Please note that this rant was not intended to flaunt the few luxuries that I have been blessed with, but to demonstrate just how spoiled we can become to them. In this very difficult economic time for our nation, we are still a very blessed people. And honestly, we don't deserve the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

I love my Saturn, or I'm Spoiled and I Know It!

Aerie Zephaniah
DOB 10-24-07

In the summer of 1983 I learned to drive on a 1979 Buick station wagon, my mom's primary mode of transportation. A couple of weeks prior to school starting, I was given the keys to "Granny Dart" (Mom's 1963 Dodge Dart) and told that she would be my wheels to get to school and work and back. Mom bought Granny Dart in 1964 for $400. She had a manual transmission—the old three on the tree—the heater was slow to warm up, and the radio worked only when it wanted to. You wouldn't think that driving Granny Dart would be an issue for me, as I'd been shifting gears for Dad as he drove for years! I could "hear" and "feel" the point at which the gear needed to switch, and I'd become a passenger seat expert on shifting.

But sitting in the driver's seat and having to coordinate the clutch and shifting and brakes and gas was nearly more than I could manage. There was a railroad crossing about a half a mile from my house, which was on top of a "hill", and the only way to get to Butler Stadium, the place Dad chose for me to learn to drive Granny Dart. The problem—I had to drive her there. Ok, so we putzed and stalled and ground gears and finally got to the railroad crossing. OH NO! HOW do you get the car to move forward from a start at the base of the hill when you have no clue how the synchronization between the clutch and gas (to say nothing of removing the foot from the brake and getting it ON the clutch in a timely manner)? We sat at that crossing for what seemed to be eternity. I was in tears when Dad finally switched places with me and got us to Butler (did I mention all the cars behind us who were less than patient with my incompetence?). Another lesson was given at another time by Mom. That was not productive, either! One of my good friends drove a Chevy Chevette with a 5-speed manual transmission. Aimee to the rescue! I don't recall how many times we went out together, but Aimee patiently helped me learn how to master the ballet that must be danced between the clutch, brakes, and gas.

When I graduated from high school I got a red Mustang that had previously been owned by a kid from Highland Park—a ritzy part of Dallas. Later I learned that there had been a "fire under the hood"—apparently this young man was a bit of a hot rod. After rear-ending a woman in a full-size car my junior year in college, the Mustang was sold (you should'a seen that car "frown" from the low-speed accident!) and Dad's 1981 Buick Park Avenue was mine to drive.

April 11, 1997 Bessie, my first Saturn, joined our family. Bessie is a beautiful gold 1997 Saturn SL1, four-door sedan, with 5-speed manual transmission. Shortly after we got her, Ryan and I made one of our annual trips to the Texas Hill Country to see the bluebonnets. Ry was properly seating in "his" seat in the back, and somehow we managed to get his hand stuck in the door or the window—I know he could straighten me out on the details, because it hasn't been that long since he brought it up! In March 1998 Bessie took Ryan and Charlie (our dog) and I from Houston to Dallas to Santa Fe to Denver to Cheyenne to Farmington, Utah. She was patient with her driver/owner as we travelled through the mountains between Santa Fe and Denver (going 35 MPH and hoping and praying that we'd make it to straight level roads safely—and SOON). Fortunately, Ryan and Charlie were asleep in the backseat during that ordeal. Did I mention that I'd never driven in the mountains before?

Bessie has been really good to me. She's had very few mechanical issues, with the most critical being the need to have the whole under the hood rewired the first spring I lived in PA. Bessie kept coughing and sputtering and trying not to start. When she was examined, it was discovered that "something" (either a chipmunk or groundhog) had chewed through all of the wires! So that was not really her "fault".

September 24, 2007 Aerie Zephaniah, a sleek silver 2008 Saturn Outlook became part of the family, at least for two years. Aerie is one hot dude! He's my main man! He has brains AND brawn! And yes, he spoils me! Aerie is equipped with a butt warmer, XM radio and GPS system, and a wonderful sunroof that keeps me singing (when others are not around, I PROMISE!). In addition, Aerie has LOTS of room! Not only for hauling stuff (and people) but for the humans that sit up front. There is a lot of leg room...everywhere! Recently, Aerie hauled food to feed 320 people, and will soon be doing so again.

I recently received two recall notices for my beloved Aerie. The first has to do with the windshield wiper assembly for Outlooks in very cold climates—climates prone to snow and ice. The second for potential leakage in the sunroof. So I called the dealership to make an appointment to have the service performed. Today was the day to take Aerie in for his procedures. The gentleman who scheduled my service offered to take care of a rental car for me. When I dropped Aerie off, he told me that they usually try to provide a car "comparable" to the one you are leaving.

The agent from the rental car agency finally arrived after dealing with rush hour traffic. She took down all of my information and we went outside to inspect the car. Ok, remember that Aerie is an SUV? Well, the rental is a red Pontiac G5. When I was in Dallas in September I had a G6, which wasn't bad, so I thought we'd be ok. But we're not. And that's the purpose of this post....to compare my beloved Aerie and his fine qualities with this itty bitty rental that I'll be driving for 24-48 hours. Let me preface my rant with the statement that this rental car company (which I will not name) is the one I've used the last several times I've had to rent a car, with great satisfaction. Um, today, I'm not satisfied.

As I started to get into the car, I wanted to put my computer bag in the trunk, so I tried to open it with the key fob. Nope, didn't open. Had to use the key. The agent informed me that sometimes the key fobs don't work on the trunk. Ok, whatever. I am 5'9" tall....so it is necessary to have the seats moved way back in order to get in and drive. The passenger seat was all the way forward, making the driver seat look like it was back all the way...but still not much room. After folding my body into an accordion and still getting my legs jammed under the steering wheel, hitting my head on the frame, and wrenching my back as I twisted my body, I finally was in the car...it took me a while to get the seat belt working and buckled, and adjusting the mirrors was its own challenge....along with the interior lights, and I bumped my head again on the rear view mirror as I moved the passenger seat back. To top it off, the car reeks of air freshener...some fruity or floral something that made me want to gag. As I drove the short distance to my local Costco warehouse, my very discerning nose sifted through the air freshener and started to smell the reason for said gag provoking odor—a disgustingly heavy smell of smoke permeated the whole interior. My rental car is something like a sardine can turned ashtray.

You know how nice it is to have music playing while you're navigating traffic? Well, one down side to the Burgh is it's lack of "good" radio stations. I admit, I'm a bit particular about what I listen to. We have one Christian radio station—it is full of talk shows during the week, with infomercials on Saturday morning, and finally, after noon on Saturday, you have a few hours to listen to contemporary Christian music. As for the "smooth jazz" I enjoy...nope, nothing close to that here in the Burgh. I've spoiled myself with my XM radio the past year....I don't have to listen to advertisements or people talking (until they recently merged with Sirius and now there is some sort of DJ type guy on there getting on my nerves....thank heavens for CD players!)

Into Costco I go....love to shop, especially at Costco or Sam's....I ALWAYS come out with more than what is on my list, and tonight, I was unable to find one of the things that was on the list. After I checked out, I realized that my frustration over not finding the one item I was looking for distracted my brain and caused me to forget to look for the last item on my list. So I left my purchases at the register and went back to find the other item. Even though they had it online, they did not have that particular item in the store....so I opted for Plan B...two of them. And on the way back to the register, I happened upon a couple of other items that I simply must have, so arms overflowing, I checked out again.

Fortunately there is a GFS (Gordon Food Service) on the other side of the parking lot. They carried the item I was looking for—shrimp egg rolls. When I got to the section of the freezer where they should be, the slot was empty. There were pork egg rolls and chicken egg rolls and vegetarian egg rolls, but no shrimp egg rolls in their allotted space. As I started to leave the store, I opted to stop at the customer service desk and ask if they had any in the back. Back to the back of the store we go, where I waited about 5 minutes for the young man to go find some. My head is throbbing from the beatings it's taken and my lower back is starting to scream, "I'm twisted!". Mission accomplished—I have the egg rolls in hand and move on to the check out, where the one cashier is stuck with a couple of slow pokes in front of me. I finally make it to the sardine can/ashtray and decide that I really should eat dinner. The clock in the car told me that it was nearly 8:00 p.m.....where did the evening go?

I make a beeline to the Chick-fil-A that adjoins the Costco parking lot. My evening is starting to look up. Chick-fil-A is one of my favorite restaurants, without even considering the fact that they are a Christian-owned company, they play Christian music in their restaurants, and they are closed on Sundays in honor of the Lord's day. You know how you say "thank you" to the folks at the drive through window who hand you your food? I just love how the team members reply with "my pleasure" EACH and EVERY time! I realize that this is part of their training, but they always have been polite and at least appeared sincere. I really appreciate that!

By 8:05 sardine can/ashtray time, I am sitting in the parking lot of the new Garden Ridge that opened nearby a couple of months ago eating my sandwich and fries. During my last few years living in Houston, one of my favorite stores was Garden Ridge. I could find nearly anything I wanted related to arts and crafts and home decor there, at a wonderful price. And during the holidays, they were always chock full of Christmas decorations and make-it-yourself supplies for wreaths and floral arrangements and other crafty items. So this little girl's mood is changing for the better! My goal—to find containers for Christmas gifts.

I was a bit surprised when I walked in the door to see a large portion of the store outfitted with Christmas items, but also many of the shelves were empty. Ok, so they just opened, they're still in the process of stocking the store. I wandered around hoping to find what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for...I had some general ideas...nor did I have any idea what the price would be, but I did have a "dream price" in mind. I wandered through the maze of merchandise until I finally happened on the area where the possible solutions were located. Oh my, they were more than what I'd hoped to pay for them. I wandered some more until I found some other items, which were 50% off. But they didn't really work for what I wanted, so I wandered around some more, eventually back to the first section of possible items....and lo and behold, there is a sale sign advertising these items for 50% off, too! Whooo hooo! I hit pay dirt! I was able to get all of the items I needed and not have to give up body parts in order to exit the store! And then I remembered that I was going to look for that "other" item went back for at Costco and couldn't find....so back around the huge store I go....thinking it's got to be nearing 9:00 and I am still 45 minutes away from home....I saw a young man who worked there and asked him where it would be. He said he didn't know, but go ask "that" lady (as he pointed her out)—she would know, as she is the main manager. How delightful she was, and helpful, too! In the 10 years since I regularly shopped at Garden Ridge, they have changed their merchandising to exclude the arts and crafts items that they used to carry and now carry primarily home decor and furnishings. Oh yeah! LOVE those kitchen items.....drool, drool, drool! So I'm sad that they no longer carry some of the items that I would love to be able to get there, but I'm still stoked that Garden Ridge has made its way to Pittsburgh!

As I drove home, the ashtray smell became nearly unbearable....it was getting difficult to breathe. So I cracked both windows in order to air it out a bit....it was 29˚ outside...which led to an increased circulation of the air freshener, nearly triggering the gag reflex.

Back to my original statement and the rant that followed. My beloved Aerie, I hope you have a nice warm evening at the Saturn dealership tonight, and that they take really good care of you tomorrow as they fix the "defects" you were "born" with....and I can't wait to have you back home with me! I miss your spacious interior, the ease in which I climb into your comfy seat, the ability to warm my backside during cold weather—and to be able to auto-start you on cold mornings. I'm looking forward to being able to shop without fear of having enough room to haul my purchases home, and the ability to listen to the beautiful sounds you emit through your sound system. I love the fact that you have a "clean" smelling interior, and that when you elect to have an air freshener to combat the food smells that you sometimes get from the stuff you haul, you have a very chic taste in scents. I hope that we will be reunited again tomorrow, and I promise not to take you for granted!

Prayer and Worship

Years ago I was blessed with wisdom shared by a young girl, now a beautiful, godly young woman. She shared that "God always answers prayer—either yes, no, or not now." I believe she was 8 or 10 years old at that time—what wisdom for one so young! Many times I've had to remind myself of her well-spoken truth, and many times, I've had to accept His "no's" along with His "not now's".

Lately, I've been waiting through a long period of "not now" in relation to some of life's most troublesome issues. Issues that I would never wish upon another person, but unfortunately, many share in similar troublesome issues.

In September, Provident Films (creators of Facing the Giants and Flywheel) released their latest film, Fireproof. My enjoyment of their previous films, as well as my belief that marriage is sacred and should have the time and energy put into it that is required to be successful led me to see the movie the day it was released. I was so blessed by the music, as well as the music that was featured in the film.

Please pardon a tangent, but I grew up a devoted Country music fan. You might say I was "country when country was uncool." I spent my high school and college days listening to country and classic rock, which merged with light rock and smooth jazz in the early 90's. In the mid 90's I was introduced to KSBJ, a listener-supported station in Houston, Texas. My limited exposure to Contemporary Christian music (Amy Grant and the Imperials) grew into a passion for the genre. When I moved to Utah, I was "lost" musically, until I found K-LOVE, another listener-supported station out of Sacramento, CA, with translators in the Salt Lake City, and then Cache Valley, areas, as well as across the country. During the course of listening to those two stations, I became a huge fan of artists such as the late Rich Mullins, Twila Paris, Caedmon's Call, DC Talk, the Newsboys, and the list goes on and on! I first heard of Mercy Me during the last weeks of my father's life, completely relating to I Can Only Imagine, as I imagined my father's soon passing. So many of the songs within the genre today have such deep healing messages.

And that's what led to this post. As I mentioned, I was moved by the music in Fireproof, much of it I was already familiar with, and I even thought of one song that should have been included in the film, but was not. However, I was also introduced to a new song, by a new artist, which led to my purchase of his first CD. This artist is John Waller, and his CD is The Blessing. Amazingly, when I first listened to the CD, I realized that I was familiar with some of the songs. The song that was featured in Fireproof, and the one that speaks the loudest to me during this "not now" time of my life is While I'm Waiting.

Here are the lyrics to this song:

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

While I absolutely love this song, I have to say that the entire CD is filled with the most wonderful praise and worship songs I've heard in a long time! Maybe it's where I am in life right now that draws me so to this artist's music, but I truly believe that this man has been given words of truth and a talent to present them in a way that is healing for so many. So my thanks to the Lord for gifting this man, and to John Waller for being willing to be a vessel for His light!

By the way, the young lady I mentioned at the beginning of this post, well, she's all grown up now. A beautiful young woman married to a fine young man. And the two of them are very visibly doing marriage God's way. What a beautiful reflection of His love when I see the two of them!

God ALWAYS Provides!

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

—Phillipians 4:19

God's Word says that He shall supply all our needs...and He does! Always! Over the course of the past many years, I've come to know my Lord as a Professional Provider. He has always made certain that my very basic needs have been provided for, but tonight I want to share with you what I would call a "trivial provision"—yet a BIG deal for me!

Recently I even thanked Him for a flat tire...that my friend's second grade son helped me change, in the dark. But that is not the subject of this post...pardon my tangent...

Last weekend I spent Saturday prepping 21 hors d'oeurves and desserts for a cocktail party that I catered Sunday evening. Needless to say, by the time I got home and to bed Sunday night, I was exhausted. I happen to have another catering job this coming Monday—feeding 300 for a fundraising banquet for Youth For Christ. I generally don't have such labor-intensive jobs so close together, and I knew that I needed to find a way to make the most of my time.

For the first time ever I used the Fax 'n Pull option at Sam's for the bulk of the food...from the meat (wonderful butcher who cut my chops into specific-sized portions!) to the salad to the veggies and other produce. When I arrived there tonight after work to pick up the order, my eyeballs nearly bulged out of their sockets—there were two flat-bed carts full of boxes....how in the world would I get it all in the car?

I am blessed to have a new Saturn Outlook to drive (another of His provisions!). I knew that I had outgrown my "little" Saturn—Bessie—but never did I think that Aerie (the Outlook) would be on the "small" side for my needs. Tonight, Aerie was packed FULL! Fortunately, a couple of kind Sam's employees were "provided" to assist me in loading up the car. See, a trival provision, but to me, HUGE! But God's provision does not stop there!

After loading up at Sam's, I headed to the church to unload it all and put it in the cooler. As I arrived, one of our maintenance guys was walking down the hall and went to get a flat-bed cart for me to use. When he met me out at my car, he was with the other maintenance guy working tonight. The two of them not only helped me load the cart and take it to the kitchen, but they also helped me unload it onto the rolling food cart that we put into the cooler. WHAT A HUGE BLESSING! What would normally have taken me about an hour or more to do alone—especially as tired as I was to start with—we did in less than 30 minutes. Many thanks to Dan and Rich for their time and muscles, and for allowing the Lord to use them to "provide" for my "trival" need! I am continually amazed at how He provides for needs that I not only do not expect, but that I often don't realize I have! Thank You, Lord, for always being in control!

Happy Feet!

Disclaimer...these are not my feet, but a resemblance of how happy my feet are!

When I was younger, I had a couple of pairs of off-brand ropers (cowboy boots) that were worn mostly for going out dancing. Just prior to Ryan's arrival, I got a pair of custom-made red snakeskin boots. And then along came Ryan and my feet have not been the same since! Before, I was wearing an 8 or 8 1/2 shoe/boot, and after, I'm lucky if I can get into an 8 1/2, usually have to have a 9 or 9 1/2. Needless to say, the boots no longer fit, comfortably, and with our move to Utah, I just quit wearing them.

Several years ago I stopped at Cavender's Boot City in Houston to check out getting a new pair of boots, and while I found out what size I needed, I didn't have the money to get them at the time, so I kept the information and planned on ordering them online....which never happened. During my recent trip to Texas, I was determined to get a new pair of boots. However, when Michele and I were in Denton Saturday, we were running short on time. After our run through the Braum's drive through for ice cream, we went to Foster's, the place in town for western wear. We couldn't very well take our ice cream into the store, and we didn't have time to finish and then shop. Since they had an "Open Sunday" sign on the building, I decided to stop by after church Sunday morning. Church was over about 10:00 or so, and after some driving around town, I was at Foster's by 11:00. They were not open. I found ways to waste time, and when they weren't open by noon, I left Denton and decided I'd find a Cavender's in Fort Worth or Dallas.

Monday I had a business meeting, then drove to Granbury to see my uncle. I chose not to stop at Cavender's on the way there, as I had several things I wanted to do before the sidewalks rolled up and the town closed for the evening. After visiting with my uncle, I made my way back to the hotel in Arlington where I spent my last night in Texas. It was located near Six Flags and the new Ranger Stadium, as well as the stadium they're building for the Cowboys. But, not having had dinner, more important than the stadiums and amusement park was the close proximity of Pappadeaux, my all time favorite place for seafood. I checked into the hotel and called Pappadeax to order take out—shrimp etoufeé with dirty rice. You'd think you'd died and gone to Cajun heaven! Despite the never-ending construction from point A to point B, I made my way to pick up my food and found my way back to my room. While what I took out in a plastic container and ate with plastic utensils didn't look as appetizing as the photo below (from a previous dine-in experience), it was OH SO YUMMERS! My tummy was happy and it was time for sleep!

The next morning I had to be back at the airport by 11:00 to return the rental car and catch my 1:00 flight back to PA. I made sure I ate breakfast and left the hotel in time to be at the very nearby Cavender's shortly after 9:00 and I was in cowhide heaven! They did not have a pair of red ropers in the store, so they had order them for me. I had done my homework prior to the trip—I had seen a pair of tan smooth ostrich ropers online and just my luck, they had them in stock! So I tried them on, too, but will have to get them at a later date...maybe Christmas? I also tried on a pair of low profile lace ups, which are waterproof and would be great for snowy days! Again, another order another day! Before they'd sent the pair I ordered, I was on the phone asking for a black pair, too!

The smooth ostrich (only available in men's but they fit beautifully!)


The lace-ups


The black and the red ropers....ahhhhh....feet heaven!

So now my feet are wonderfully happy! I always had a theory about boots (remember, I owned off-brand boots long ago)—they hurt when you first got them, felt great once they were broken in, and then hurt again when it was time to get a new pair. Let me just tell you, these Justin ropers fit like exotic gloves—perfect fit and incredible feel! I can wear them all day and not feel like I have to yank them off when I get home, like I do with other shoes. The only "problem" I've found with them is that there is a tendency to slip and slid a bit when taking the trash down the gravel drive....

Fast Food vs. "Gourmet"

Ok, before I start, let me just say that I know, for a girl wanting to see less of me in the mirror each morning, fast food should be taboo....however, there are days where it's either fast food or nothing (not that I'm going to starve or anything) and then there are days where you just CRAVE something really unhealthy....some days I crave a Big Mac, others it's deep fried fish and hush puppies (Long John Silver's is the only place around here that qualifies for that taste), and like tonight, I was wanting some extra crispy fried chicken. KFC is the place for fried chicken around here....and unfortunately, I've not been successful in getting my fix the past couple of weeks.

One night last week I really wanted some extra crispy KFC with hot buscuits with butter and honey, but it was not to be. I pulled into the drive through and placed my order...10 pieces in a meal, expecting to have leftovers the next day...YUM! I get to the window, hand the gal my card, she swipes it, then comes back to say, "We only have 2 legs in extra crispy, what would you like to do?" And I'm thinking, they have breasts and thighs in extra crispy, but however many legs normally come with a 10 piece meal, they only have 2. Wrong! The ONLY extra crispy they had was 2 legs, period. No breasts. No thighs. Nuttin! And it will be 14 minutes before they have more extra crispy. Well, I must say, I'm a bit discriminating when I indulge in fast food....the extra crispy seems to be less greasy than the original, so I told the gal to forget it, I'd go somewhere else. Then I had to wait another 5 minutes for her to get the manager to come void the sale and credit my card what she'd already charged it. I'm thinking this gal was a few bricks shy of a full load...ok, maybe she only had a few bricks to her load, period!

Tonight I decided I would give it one more try. Fortunately, I wasn't craving extra crispy chicken, but my tastebuds would have been really happy to indulge. So I aim for a proactive strategy as I approach the menu board in the drive through. As a greeting, I was asked if I wanted to try their 7 piece meal for $9.99...you know, the meal they've been advertising so much on TV. (You'd think with so many dollars spent on advertising, they'd make sure they have enough food cooked to accommodate orders, especially 5:15-5:30 p.m. when folks are going home from work!) I asked if they had enough extra crispy to make a 7 piece meal....this time, they had all but breasts. After a brief assessment, I told her to forget it, but did comment on the fact that they have failed to have extra crispy each time I've stopped. She was unphased by the problem at hand...it wasn't her dinner plans running amuck!

What started out as plans for extra crispy fried chicken and mashed potatoes ended up being the highly "gourmet" home-cooked meal of hot dogs and baked beans! It was yummy, and probably "healthier" than the fried chicken, but I certainly would like to indulge in some friend chicken, soon! :)

Successfully Facing a Fear

In July 2007, we got a HUGE amount of rain, which resulted in water in my basement...my theory is that it came up through the floor drains...others believe that it came through the wall where there apparently had been issues before, which led to the landlord installing a drainage system in the front some years ago. Either way, the 2007 rains resulted in two not-so-good problems—a hot water heater and a furnace that went "out". By that, I mean that the pilots were out. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? Wrong. I'm deathly afraid of pilot lights, and for good reason.

The landlord was called and he and his "crew" came out to "fix" the problem—at that time, the hot water heater was the only problem we were aware of, after all, it was summer, what did I need the furnace for then? For 5 days I was without hot water while the circus clowns worked to fix the hot water heater—and for one day, I was completely without water. Needless to say, I was not even just a little bit happy about these events. Nor was I excited to find my landlord walking into my house without knocking or any other advanced warning as I was leaving for work a couple of times. Locks were changed, keys not shared with the landlord.

Along came winter and the "out" furnace was discovered. Hoping it was just a pilot needing to be lit (which I couldn't figure out how to do), I called the landlord, again. And again, he and his crew came out. The thermocoupler was replaced....who knows what else was done, but eventually the furnace was working again.

Fast forward through 2008....we got another big rain in July, but fortunately the hot water pilot did not go out again. However, as the weather has been getting cooler, I finally turned on the furnace...and it didn't work. I agonized for a couple of days about what to do....the last thing I wanted was to have the landlord in my house....with or without me here! So this morning I called the gas company. The one in Utah used to send people out to light pilot lights, but then stopped that service. I was hoping the gas company here offered it, however they are closed on weekends. So I called a heating company in the phone book....the answering service took my information and promised a call back from the on-call technician.

The gentleman called and advised me of their weekend minimum rate—$150. If I waited until tomorrow (Monday), it would be $95 to have someone come out. Yikes! All for a pilot light, hopefully! I explained to the man my inability to find the parts shown on the instruction diagram, and he offered to walk me through it. I gave him the model of the unit, and he very carefully walked me through the process. He was so very patient and kind, and voila, we got it lit, with no mishaps, and the furnace is on and my 55˚ house at waking it slowing getting warmer.

Thank heavens for heated mattress pads—and for the kind gentleman who walked me through the process of lighting the pilot! (I still don't like the idea of fooling with the pilot lights, but I have a sense of accomplishment for today and confidence for the future!)

Texan Travels to Texas, Part 2

Ahhhhh, what a wonderful visit I had to Texas! And, now that the surprise is no longer a surprise, I am free to elaborate and share more about my visit.

A couple of months ago I got an email from Susan, my friend, Michele's sister, informing me of Michele's upcoming 40th birthday. Jim, Michele's hubby, was planning a surprise party and wanted to include me in the festivities. Perfect timing for a 40th birthday, Michele! This email came at a point in my life were things were pretty crappy, and the anticipation of a fun getaway went a LONG way toward keeping me on the positive side of things. Emails flew back and forth from all parts of Texas to Pennsylvania and back, and the party was planned and the details ironed out! And in the process, I was able to squeeze some work into the trip, which was also a great thing.

A week or so before I was to arrive in Dallas, I emailed Michele and let her know that "work" would be taking me to Texas and did she have any time to play the weekend I'd be there (with Jim's approval, of course). I won't bore you with all the details, but let's just say that Michele unwittingly made us sweat—we thought we were done in on the surprise, because she had "plans" the evening of the party. Did she know what we were up to? What plans had she made without putting them on the calendar or telling her family? OH NO! Jim poked around and found the source of the other plans and resolved the issue.

You've already read about the fun with Michele and her family on Thursday and Friday, but Saturday was the BIG day! Brandon had his first soccer game that morning (thanks to Hurricane Ike, the one the week before had been canceled), which made for a great excuse for the in-laws to come to Dallas from Wichita Falls.

This is the soccer superstar and his adoring cheerleader!

We had planned on me taking Michele out for lunch and shopping after the game, but Michele planned on having the family over for lunch, getting the kids down for naps, and THEN we could play. (I hate it when we have to be responsible adults!!!) One by one family members bowed out of lunch, leaving just Michele, Jim, the kids, and me....we opted to drive through Dickey's BBQ and take home some of the most yummiliscious BBQ brisket, sausage, beans, and dilled potato salad ever for a "quick" lunch. Michele had to be out of the house before 2:00 when the margarita machine was to be delivered, or the goose would be cooked. Done.

The nice thing about being the one driving is that you get to "control" where you go, how long you're gone, and when you return....sort of. It seemed to take FOREVER to get from Plano to Denton, but we finally made it....so much for my #20 for lunch Saturday, but this, too, was ok. We reminisced about our Denton days, drove past places were we'd met, hung out, and empty lots where beloved establishments are no longer. (Please pardon the diversion as I take you down some of the roads we travelled that day.) The house pictured above is now a daycare, possibly connected with the church behind it, but when Michele and I met there in the mid-80's, it was the home of Phi Kappa Sigma, a fraternity on campus without a stellar reputation, but truly some of the most down-to-earth and non-pretensious frat boys around. At a time when several fraternities lost their charters at UNT, the Phi Kaps lost their national affiliation and the house was sold, to the church behind it! The musings then, and now, were, "Oh, if those walls could talk!" Thankfully, they can't, but hopefully, the house was cleaned out well prior to the church taking possession! Since then, all the frat houses have either been sold or demolished and the fraternities and sororities have been relocated to more "posh" houses in a central location, and the Phi Kaps are back on campus after meeting the national requirements. Felix Mira (from the national office), are you still out there somewhere? What about Miles Richardson, and Tom and Bradley and all you other guys who made being a Phi Kap Little Sister a blast? Where are you all?

One of the things that got us to laughing on our drive was the fact that across the street from the old Phi Kap house, a home owner had a bunch of furniture out, seemingly for the garbage truck, but similar to days long gone when the Phi Kap furniture would end up on the front lawn for parties.

Another landmark we drove by was the Beer Barn on Bonnie Brae. This has always been one of the most unusual businesses to me! In Texas you have "wet" and "dry" areas....meaning you can buy alcohol in some places and in others you can't. Beer is available in most places, but the "hard stuff" has to be purchased in "wet" areas. (I was surprised to see how the "wet" areas have expanded and multiplied over the years.) The Beer Barn was one of two unique sources of adult beverages when I lived in Denton. You actually DRIVE THOUGH the barn to purchase your beer! (I think I may have done so one time, maybe....seriously, only once, if ever!) The other place was called the Igloo (I think) and you could buy adult sno-cone type drinks, again through a drive through. We didn't venture to that side of town, but I don't think it's still there.

We drove through the UNT campus and ooohed and aaaahed over the new buildings, wondering where this and that went, and trying to identify the different dorms. Then over to Fry Street we were saddened by the empty lot where the best pizza with corners ever was made, the Flying Tomato (aka The Tomato). Apparently some businessman from Houston bought the property with the idea to rennovate the area and the Tomato was left homeless. Hopefully by the next time I visit they'll have a new home and I can have a slice for old times sake. The Tomato was across the street from what was then the ITEC building, where most of my major classes were held. Jack and Dwight and I spent many hours at the Tomato as "The Tomato Design Group" working on our project for Mohammad's CAD class, eating pizza, and drinking one or two pitchers of beer.

After more driving around, we made our way over to JoAnn Fabrics, formerly Cloth World and my place of employment during college. I "had" to see if they had any pieces of the Afternoon Tea line that I'd found here in PA...which they didn't. (This store has really gone downhill....for those of you here in PA, it ranks between the Washington store and the Bridgeville store, but closer to the Washington one.....tears in my eyes at the neglect.) Then on to a quick run to Foster's Westernwear store, via Braum's ice cream (home of the 2nd best ice cream in the country). We sat in the Foster's parking lot trying to finish our ice cream, and I realized we had to get moving, fast! We didn't have time to eat, shop for boots, and stop for "surprises" for Heather and Brandon (my bribe to Heather to let her mommy come play with me by herself), and be back in time for the 4:00 party. So we skipped Foster's, headed to the mall for some power Webkinz shopping, and then sped down the highway back to Plano. This speeding trip included an unintended jaunt on the newly-constructed tollway portion of 121 (where there is no place to pay as you drive—they bill you based on your license plate number—who would'a thunk it? and how the heck do they deal with rental cars?) and a potential ticket for running a "yellow" light with a camera for monitoring speeding and light running—again, how do they deal with rentals? Guess time will tell!

These are Brandon & Heather's new Webkinz.
Brandon named his Chicken M&M and Heather named her cow Hide 'N Seek.
Click on the borrowed photos from the Ganz web site to find your very own chicken and cow online.

Trying to figure out how to let Jim know we were running late, without Michele knowing "why" we were late, I suggested that she call and ask him if he wanted us to pick up dinner. In the process, she let him know where we were (he could figure out our arrival time from there), but she didn't ask about dinner. She asked me where I wanted to stop to pick up food? Geeeze! I was stuck! How was I going to get her home—without the dinner I asked her to ask him about—to the dinner that he'd had delivered by On The Border (YUMMMY Mexican food!!!!)???? Heather had begged me earlier in the day to go to Chuck E. Cheese's—probably my least favorite place to go. So, I told Michele I wanted to take Heather to CEC, since I wouldn't be able to on Sunday (when I'd told her I might) because I'd promised Michele (and Jim) to grab sandwiches from NY Subway (now NY Sub-Hub) after church. I don't know when I've had to lie so much as I had to up until 4:30 p.m. that Saturday!

You can't really tell anything about the food from this photo, other than that there was LOT of it, but let me assure you, it was ALL WONDERFUL!!!! (Maybe I should'a gotten a pig Webkinz for Auntie 'Drae?)

We finally arrived back at their house, guests perfectly hidden from view, and were greeted outside by Jim, who informed me that Heather wanted me to go in and hide with her so her mommy could find her....nice distraction, Jim! Just as I closed the door, all the guests yelled, "Surprise!", only to find out that it was only me! We got back in position and in came the birthday girl—completely and totally shocked and surprised....and I think just a wee bit delighted to see the margarita machine....and her guests! Sharon was kind enough to be the first to pour a lovely adult limeade out of said machine and present it to Michele (see photo above)—WHOOO HOOOO! Kudos to Sharon!!!

As the afternoon turned into evening, Michele started questioning things I'd told her thus far...was I really there for business? what was I working on Friday in the hotel room? [her cake] And the questions kept coming...along with answers and admissions of half-truth and flat-out-lie telling....ooops! Will she ever trust me again???? When Jim first asked me to come for Michele's party, I told him I wanted to make her a cake....and he told me she likes red velvet with white icing. As time went on, I became a bit more perplexed. I didn't want to impose on Michele's mom or sister, both of whom had assured me that I could use their kitchens, but with the recent changes with airlines charging for "extra" luggage, and increased security measures at the airport, baking the cake layers and taking homemade icing, or even a completed cake, didn't seem feasible. Luckily, I discovered that the room I'd booked was actually a suite, with a "big" refrigerator, a stove, microwave, and dishwasher (I don't even have a dishwasher at my house! I was gonna be living high on the hog!). So....the plan came together in my mind—I packed one of my 1/4 sheet cake pans and my hand mixer in my checked suitcase and bought the ingredients for the cake and icing once I got to Dallas (I think the mixer was the reason TSA did a physical search of my suitcase!). I had also been perplexed about what the cake should look like, other than a 2-layer red velvet with white icing—I was told "No black" by Jim. It just so happened that I had extra gum paste flowers from a recent wedding cake, so I borrowed that look and used some of the extra flowers....with black stems....not enough black to get me in trouble! :) I'm thinking maybe the cake got me just a wee bit out of Michele's dog house for all the lies and half-truths I'd told her, maybe! Good thing to know—GanachA'rae makes long-distance deliveries!

Michele had lots of help with opening her presents! All the kids felt they had to lend their hands and expertise. Occasionally she found herself admiring several items out of several different gifts! After all the guests were gone and the leftover food was put away, Michele sorted through her loot to try and make sure that all cards and gifts were matched to their respective partners.
Bless his heart, I think Jim was the last of the folks to get a piece of cake while it was still on the table. And to make matters worse, he still had not been able to eat it after the gifts were sorted! Here sits his lonely piece of cake, that he finally finished, after being so sweet to keep Michele and I with full margarita glasses in hand for the better part of the evening!
Needless to say, I ended up sleeping in their guest bed for the few hours we slept before it was time to get up and head to church! What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, and even better to be part of such a fun surprise for one of my dearest friends! So Michele, welcome to the "Over 40" club! I hope your "real" birthday is just as fun and special as your party day was!!! Can ya believe we've known each other for more than half our lives????? It's been great, even in the crappiest of times!!!