Movie NIght

How do you pop your pop corn?
Our Indonesia kids are used to stove top and our Colorado kids, microwaved, I assume . . .



because the way it gets done in this house turned out to be a form of entertainment.

If you've gotten used to microwaved pop corn ...

maybe it's time to go out and get a pop corn maker.

Add a little butter and salt.

There's nothing like it!

Problem Fixed

I don’t know how long it’s been that I’ve been given grief about the vacuum cord getting twisted. I can see that I could be the cause, being the primary vacuum person, but you'd think that I was doing it on purpose, just so I could enjoy his lassoing exercises when he'd want to help me out. Anyways, since the vacuum cleaner is more than 30 years old, it’s been a long time and I'd like to say that it just came that way from the factory. In fact, by some fluke, my electric hand mixer and my hair dryer came with the exact same problem. I know that is hard to believe.

The good news is that we got a new vacuum cleaner and some of those cord stories will forever be hidden now. With the click of a button it pulls into a nesting spot where no one can see it.

However will we handle this miracle? I am smiling, of course.

The Diaper Cake

Judy made a cake like this one for her daughter's baby shower. She used a pink and brown theme, so cute! For my niece's shower, I had to choose more gender friendly colors. I also downsized "the recipe" just a tad, so that an 84-count diaper package would do the job. Again, I want to thank Judy for sharing what worked for her and for the ideas she gathered and shared.



You will need

• 80 - 85 (size 1) disposable diapers
• scrap ribbon or kitchen twine to tie each tier
• 2" wide decorative ribbon to wrap the tiers (over the twine)
• narrower co-ordinating ribbon to top wide ribbon
• glue gun
• cake topper (stuffed toy)
• co-ordinating goodies to attach to cake
• round pizza pan
• soup can or pop bottle ... or anything round
• doweling
• stick pins ( to secure ribbon while gluing)

For three tiers, use the following proportions: Tier 1 -  40 diapers / Tier 2 -  26 - 28 diapers / Tier 3 - 14 - 16 diapers. Each tier should be about 1/3 smaller than the one beneath it.

Method:

1. Place a bottle or can in the middle of a pizza pan.
2. Working with 36 diapers, begin by laying the first few on end and fanning them around the bottle. Continue working, adding more and more diapers in pinwheel fashion around the center.
3. Tie tightly around the middle with a length of scrap ribbon or kitchen twine.
4. Remove bottle from the middle, and stuff with about four diapers.
5. Repeat for the second tier, using 24 diapers. Untie, remove jar and pull tight. Fill centre with diapers.
6. Repeat with third tier, using 14 - 16 diapers. After tying, remove jar, untie the twine and pull as tight as possible. 
7. Go back and straighten out diapers to ensure even spacing.
8. Measure out lengths of decorator ribbon, allowing two inches overlap for each tier.
9. Cut the ribbon, wrap around each tier (over scrap ribbon) securing with stick pins.
10. Glue the ribbon TO ribbon (not to diapers).
11. Once glue has hardened and cooled, remove stick pins.
12. Untie and pull out the scrap ribbon or twine. (I left mine on) 
13. To add a second layer of narrower ribbon, glue directly onto wide ribbon.
14. Assemble the layers.
15. Put a doweling - cut to length - (I used a ruler) through centre to hold tiers together. 
16. Decorate as you like and set on a nice plate.  Be sure not to glue anything directly to the diapers. (Use double-sided tape or glue gun to secure decor items.) Ideas include, washcloths, socks, spoons, rattles, teethers, soothers. 

Surprise Baby Shower

Yesterday, amidst the all day coming and going of grandkids and some menfolk deciding it was a good day to come for lunch as well . . . (did someone put out a sign? ). . . I could hardly wait to get a moment to try out a cake that involved no flour, butter, eggs or icing sugar. The idea came from Judy's blog and I will gladly give more details if anyone is interested. But for now I want to focus on the reason for the cake.

Larissa lives in Victoria and does not come out that often. She was not here for our extended family gathering right after Christmas. But this week she face-booked my girls (her cousins) to let them know she was coming out and would like to see them. I found out and immediately thought, "surprise baby shower". . . especially since she is so hard to surprise. Monday the shower was planned, Thursday we surprised her.



Everyone made it! These are the best times. The times you do not stress out before and you make the most of the little time you  have. Kristal hosted, Julene decorated and Oma brought Napoleon Tortes. There were veggies and some appetizers. It was great!

My sister, Monika, was the honored Grammie (Oma) this time . . .

as her daughter, Larissa, is expecting her first.

Practical gifts were shared . . . we chatted up a storm . . . never would have guessed that most of us had just been together last week . . . and we ate, of course. Has it ever occurred to you, how good times so often include eating together?

And since we do not know if the little one is a he or a she, we will continue to wait in anticipation . . . but for now, this new mom-to-be has some of her baby's essential needs taken care of.

Breakfast Favorites

Tehya's favorite breakfast is toast with butter, bacon and eggs . . . which I will fix only for her.

Makenna is happy with a bowl of cereal and please don't take a picture.

Lacey will eat pancakes even though she has eaten at home already.

What is your favorite breakfast?
If you are still looking for ideas . . . check out the muffins on our blog today . . .
and have a great day!

For the New Year

grace (n.)
late 12c., "God's favor or help," from O.Fr. grace "pardon, divine grace, mercy; favor, thanks; elegance, virtue" (12c.), from L. gratia "favor, esteem, regard; pleasing quality, good will, gratitude" (cf. It. grazia, Sp. gracia), from gratus "pleasing, agreeable," from PIE base *gwere- "to favor" (cf. Skt. grnati "sings, praises, announces," Lith. giriu "to praise, celebrate," Avestan gar- "to praise")

I woke on this first day of 2012 to get ready for church. Something I've been doing on a daily basis is to say a quick prayer just before getting up. Just a simple giving thanks for the day or asking for help. This morning I asked that God would show me something to take into this New Year.

Just before we left for church, Chris and Julene texted to tell us that they were coming to join us. It would be their first Sunday at our church since coming back from Indonesia, but I don't know if I even thought that far. We had not been seated long when they came and sat with us. . .  and we stood to sing the first song.



I sang with Makenna in my arms . . . and suddenly, overwhelmed with emotion, realized what song we were singing.  With tears in my eyes, I looked at my H and he surely understood.  "Your Grace is Enough" . . . is surely my story and my song . . . it became mine after our kids, with a toddler and a newborn baby, left for Indonesia. Whenever I heard this song, I felt God assuring me of making all things well . . . and I can't even begin to tell you the times that I heard it at just the right moment . . . always at the right time. It's a song we have not sung in church for quite a while . . . why today? I knew it was for me.

In fact, there is also a verse along similar lines that I've claimed. I may have shared it here before, but I will again . . . and again . . . for it has been proven to be true.

For the LORD God is our sun and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will

withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

Psalm 84:11

This was my hug from God today, a reminder of the grace He gave me to be strong through the seven years that our kids lived across the ocean, on the other side of the world. A reminder of the fact that He always keeps His promise.

On this day, God knew what I needed . . . a reminder of the past, as I look ahead. While both of our grown and married girls moved home with their families in 2011, I've been wanting to change my profile . . . the part about having to travel to see grandchildren . . . but it's not to be. Come Spring, our youngest and dearly loved, along with his young family, will be making a career change and taking his turn at moving away for the first time.  Oh, the bitter/sweet in this, our stage in life!

But today, when I took time to listen, I was able to take hold of  God's assurance of His continued grace. And I will take it, one day at a time.