Not sure why, but I've been feeling called back to blogging. Maybe because it's summer and I'm off of work (until tomorrow), or maybe there's something else going on. Sometimes I feel silly and think "what am I going to talk about and who even cares about what I have to say?" But I read other blogs, that are sometimes about nothing and I'm fascinated by them. I think it's just fun to see how others live their lives. It's a big world and we are all so different and yet the same.

I hope you are well and had a great 4th yesterday. We had fun swimming, grilling, watching fireworks. Very basic. Hopefully I continue blogging and most importantly, I hope you enjoy it.

                                                           Taylor and I enjoying the 4th

                                             

                                                Daddy boiled the best crabs. So yummy!!

What I Made Wednesday ~ Ice Cream Cake & Cookies

I do not bake often. Usually for my close friends and their children's parties. My bestie was having her 2 year olds party at an icecream shop, and asked me to make the cake. We both researched cakes online and found the perfect cake. I had never worked with ganache before, but it was so easy. The cake came out beautiful and it is one of my proudest baking accomplishments. 

 

The cake was just white box cake, honestly, I cant make cake taste better on my own. So I use box mix. The icing is all butter cream and it is 3 layers inside. For the "ice cream" part on top, I kept some batter off to the side and made 3 cupcakes. After I iced the cake, I mixed the crumbled cupcakes with the ganache and let it harden in the fridge. Later, I took it out and gently placed it onto the cake. Then I carefully spooned the ganache on top. I had never been so nervous in my life. HA!! Everyone loved it though. I am still quite proud.

I also make a mean sugar cookie. I use Sweetopia's sugar cookie and royal icing recipe. LOVE these cookies.  

Since the whole party was pink and white, I thought, why not have strawberry and vanella ice cream cookies??         

In hindsight, I should have drawn cone lines on the cone, but other than that, I think they came out really cute. And everyone seemed to enjoy them. It was such a great party and we all had a great sugar filled time.

  

Where Have I Been???

WOW!!! I was worried when I started this blog, that it would end up getting pushed on the back burner and forgotten about. That is not exactly what happened, but kinda. We moved, I had the flu, then I became so busy with my Origami Owl business, I never had time to get on and blog. I wonder if anyone has missed me....

Anywho, we are all good. LOVING our new place. So quiet. Although, it is too quiet for Cloe, our peekapoo.

She is struggling with the quietness and therefor barks at EVERYTHING. So she is going on nerve pills. Homeopathic of course.

The chihuahua may get some too because he has always been nervous. My mom thinks we are nuts, and we are, we need to sleep!!! But aren't they just the cutest??

So, I hope you are all well. And I fully intend to continue blogging. It's such a nice outlet. See y'all tomorrow.

Faithful Fridays ~ Healing Service

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a Healing Service by Father Manny Fernandez. This was my third time, but it was by far the most special. I work in a Catholic high school and every year a group of parents put on this very special event.

We usually have about 300 people in attendance, which is wonderful but it does make for a long night. But this year, half of the crowd was students from the high school. It was so very special and wonderful to see so many young come to the Lord. I felt privileged to be a part of it.

Please join me in praying for Father as he travels back to the Philippines, his home country, to perform a wedding. He is such a wonderful person, I truly believe he will be a Saint someday. To know that he is praying for me gives me so much peace. His favorite prayer, which has become one of my favorites is 

O Holy Spirit,                                 
Beloved of my soul, I adore You.           
Enlighten me, guide me,                      
Strengthen me, Console me,                
Tell me what I should do.                      
Give me Your orders.                           
I promise to submit myself to all that     
You desire of me.                                
And to accept all that You permit to happen to me.                                     
Please God, the Holy Spirit, let me only know Your will
Amen.     

Prayer of Cardinal Mercier 

Fr. Manny Fernandez

What I Made Wednesday ~ Cross Cookies

Over the Christmas break, a friend of a friend needed cross shaped cookies for for her babies baptism. I had never made crosses before so I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the cookie cutter. I was excited because it was long and shaped. But once I started decorating them, I realized the shape of the cross made icing them the way I wanted a little more difficult. I use Sweetopia's sugar cookie and royal icing recipes. Her cookies are DELISH!!! With 5 sticks of butter, how could they not be?!?

This is the final product. I think they could have been better, but I always think that. The mom loved them and said they were a hit at the Baptismal party.

I think I will try to find a plain, straight cross cookie cutter. But, at the end of the day, I may think they do not look good, but I do know they taste great!! (I get to eat the mess ups ;)

Faithful Fridays ~ 1

Something new on the blog today, and every Friday going forward, Faithful Fridays. I was thinking I would post a prayer, Bible verse, spiritual passage. Something that would benefit me by having to go out and look for it, and hopefully benefit you. I find, when I read something out of the blue, or hear a Bible passage randomly, it means more to me. I think it is because God knows what I need to hear at that moment and He sends it to me. 
Now, I am a faithful Catholic, so some days, it could be a prayer about a Saint or The Blessed Mother. My hope is that this post will enhance my spirituality and yours. 

My Thereseian community is studying Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.  When I first started this book I thought, I am a Martha, I will always be a Martha. But, in reading it, I find that I WANT to be a Mary. Life is crazy and hectic and we are all always busy with kids, work, and the house. This book shows you that God wants us to slow down and listen to him.
The book is based on the Bible passage Luke 10:

At the Home of Martha and Mary
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

 The book is excellent so far, we are currently on Chapter 7, but that Bible passage sums it up. Choosing to sit and listen is what God wants us to do.  It is hard for me to do this, but I pray all the time for it to get better. 

Hope you enjoyed my first Faithful Friday. Have a great weekend!!

Fun Gifts

Back when I posted Gifts and Secret Keepin, I was bursting with some of the secrets I had. One of them was a gift for my bestie. She asked me to babysit 4yo boy and 2yo girl one Saturday and of course I was chomping at the bit to do it. I love her kiddos and we always have so much fun when we are together. A few days before they came, I had an idea that we could do an art project and they could give it to their mom and dad as Christmas gifts. So where does any smart girl go when needing a craft idea?? Pinterest. I kept thinking I wanted to do something on a canvas. I knew I did not want to do anything for Christmas because by the time they would open it, Christmas would be almost over. I wanted it to be soemthing that stayed up all year long.

That's when I stumbled upon this canvas art idea. Everything I wanted and still something the kids could do. And since I was worried the 2yo would try to eat the paint, the edible paint part was perfect.

I bought these packs of canvas's at Hobby Lobby for a great price. I envisioned a smaller canvas with each initial and a larger one with the word LOVE.

I taped them up before they got to the house.

The weather wasn't that great, so I laid out an old duvet cover and they kids went to town. They were so excited, even though it was a sticky mess. Even my 16yo wanted in on the fun with the extra canvas.

I was worried they would never dry.

The final product. I was definitely more excited than they were, but that's ok. I swore the 4yo old to secrecy but he isn't very reliable. I've given him large amounts of Dr. Pepper and told him not to tell only to have him rat me out first chance he gets. 

 As for as I know, he didn't tell. And mom and dad seemed happily surprised when they opened their gifts.

Hope they get to enjoy it for a long while. :)