His Way

God sent me on when I would stay
(T'was cool within the wood);

I did not know the reason why,
I heard a boulder crashing by
'Cross the path where I had stood.

He had me stay when I would go;
"Your will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.

I ask no more the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He does know,
And He will choose safe paths for me.
from Sunday School Times

Jeff & Steve

My favorite radio show hosts, Jeff and Steve, from my favorite radio station, Way FM had a fun photo shoot with us recently. If you listen to the way early show, them you already know this because they have been teasing each other about what the showed up wearing for the shoot for the past two days.

Steve wore a hat that Jeff had never seem him wear (ever) and let everyone know that it made him look like a cab driver.



Jeff wore a women's jacket and not only did Steve give him a hard time about this, his listeners did, too. But Jeff is secure enough in his manhood to "shop in the women's department," according to Paula Abdul. Check him out against the very fitting pink wall:



Check out more pics at www.wayearlyshow.com

Thanks for making me laugh every morning, guys! We love ya!

{handsome}

Kyle..what a breath of fresh air! He pulled off so many different looks, I was impressed. And working with a guy is kinda rare...I LOVED it! I enjoyed coming up with more "masculine" ideas...it was fun to do something different. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek, Kyle!

my sort-of-a scarf

I couldn't stop knitting...until I ran out of yarn. Hence the short length! My daughter insists that I run right out and buy some more yarn so that I can knit the scarf to it's proper length. I might...but first I want to learn a few new stitches. And I would like to make a scarf without the missed loops and holes, etc. But, I am okay with my first scarf being so imperfect, that's how it should be, right? Full of mistakes, character and sweat? (It's a little warm here to be sitting around with yarn in your lap...)

I should have known that I would get addicted and start daydreaming about yarn...that's just who I am.

banana+caramel+cream = YUM!

What I made for Easter Dessert:
Banana Caramel Cupcakes...and they won me over...now in the top three of my all-time favorite desserts!

So, what we have here is a banana sour cream cake made into cupcakes, and then sliced in half, filled with caramel sauce & thinly sliced bananas and then topped with caramel cream & chocolate. I threw in some toffee bits, too. But next time I might leave those out and focus more on the chocolate flavor.

I found this recipe in a cupcake cookbook, and what a treasure it is! The original recipe shows the cupcake with TWO layers, only possible when using extra large, "Texas" sized cupcake pans. I don't have one of those but I want one now! Next time I will surely double up on the layers, but for now, here are some photos. And photos are all we have left because these babies disappeared faster than it took me to make them!




The recipe:
banana caramel cakes

Ingredients:
Sour Cream Banana Cake
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cur all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2/3 cup mashed overripe banana
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons milk

Filling and Topping
13-oz jar caramel sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
2 medium bananas (sliced thinly)
3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate. or whatever kind you like!

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3-hole oversize (Texas) or 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper cups.

2. Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Stir in dry sifted ingredients, banana, sour cream and milk. Divide mixture among baking cups, smooth surface.

4. Bake large cakes for about 25 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

5. Remove baking cups from cakes.

3. Fold 3 Tablespoons of the caramel into the (already whipped) cream.

7. Cut cakes horizontally into three slices (note: I only made one cut for the small cupcakes). Re-assemble cakes with remaining caramel and banana. Top with caramel flavored cream.

8. Using a vegetable peeler, grate chocolate and sprinkle over cakes.

Enjoy!

{a sigh of relief}

My computer has been rid of the Trojan virus. The chaos is over. If you were one of the infected victims from visiting The Pioneer Woman's site on April 2nd or 3rd, I feel your pain. She has been posting some helpful information under "confessions," and it's what finally got me all fixed up. Phew, what a week.

Just to lighten things up, to induce a little laughter, to make you grin while sitting in your chair, here is a site that never fails me when I am in need of a hilarious distraction:

cake wrecks
Just trust me on this one. And have a good laugh!

This post is entitled: "If you are waiting for your proofs" ...and "knitting to avoid the crazy!"

First, I apologize if your wait has been longer than the original quote I gave you of 2-3 weeks. After some expected work delays, I had a not-so-expected delay: a major computer virus that attacked after I visited a non-secure website. This happened last week and even as I am writing this, I have been inexplicably kicked of the internet...three times. I am now writing from a different computer so that I can keep some level of sanity. We are doing everything we can to get the problem figured out...rest assured, none of my photo files have been corrupted. That is the good news. Thank goodness for good news. I am going to wait to get back to editing photos until I know things are safe. I thought the problem was figured out two days ago, but the virus has re-surfaced.

In other news, in an effort to keep myself from beating my computer with a bat, Kirk Cameron style (read: from the movie Fireproof), I had to do something. While Brandon googled every last error code and virus McAfee reported, I took up knitting. I'm serious. I had to do something with my hands, people. After a crash course from a friend, and a little youtube video, I took all of my frustration out on a pair of knitting needles and some yarn that my 7-year old picked out. Wanna see? I thought you might:



Now I don't claim to know what I'm doing after a five minute lesson. I am just trying to keep my hands busy and that's the truth. As soon as my computer is fixed, I will probably never return to knitting. It's not that I don't love it, it's that I don't have time to straighten my hair, let alone knit a scarf. Besides, I live in the hot, humid swampland called Florida. Who needs a scarf? (well, the truth is: me. I freeze when temps dip to the 60s 'round here.)

this photo reminds me of my computer: a tangled up mess!


And, just for fun: the ends of my knitting needles. Oh, how I wish I could stick these in my hard drive and fish out the virus.


In any event, since I couldn't teach my daughter how to knit (since I barely know what I'm doing), we decided that she could make bracelets until I could properly teach her. So, I took a walk down friendship-bracelet-memory-lane and picked up a bunch of floss:


My baby girl made five bracelets in 20 minutes, that quick learner. She is now making these is mass quantities, and even travels with her supplies so that she can continue her craft in the car while we take a quick trip to Target.


I realize that her hands are full of ink, but such is the condition of one's hands when you are crafty.



I should mention that she has named each bracelet. The one above is called: "apple." It really does remind me of an apple! Next we have the following:



Anyone want to start a knitting circle? Just kidding. I now have the task of running anti-malware, anti-spyware, and downloading all kinds of updates...my computer tech (Brandon) went back to work so it's all on me. I am trying everything possible. When things are fixed, I will post here to let you know. In the meantime, you will have to put up with my lengthy blog entries from a strange computer. And I don't like it anymore than you do!

And finally, an announcement on behalf of my daughter:
Bracelets for sale. 50 cents a piece...and she is taking custom color orders. Get yours now! How can you resist this face?

wedding indulgence

Just shot these over the weekend and couldn't resist playing with a few of my favorites. Congrats, Travis & Karissa! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day...you were fabulous!

{vibrant}

A colorful bouquet and a precious little girl...what could be more delightful?

Cake Pops

If you are wondering where I have been, the answer is: in a sugar coma.

While Tashia was in town, we tried our hand at the ever-famous cake pops by Bakerella. She is a genius and makes these look easy! After some trial & error, we got into a groove and created a few different types of "pops." Mind you, we had lots of little helpers, and Tash even coated & sprinkled the pops with her 11 month old daughter on her hip! We are multi-taskers, I tell ya!

Here we have mini cupcakes:


The famous cake pop:


Tashia's bite:

Cupcake pops:

My favorite combo:

The pops that I sent to school with my son for his fifth birthday (today!):


For step by step instructions, visit www.bakerella.blogspot.com. And don't be intimidated by her masterpieces...you can do this! It's fun! Just keep looking at my photos and know that if we can do it, you can do it. I should let you know up front: I will NOT be attempting the Easter themed bunnies, eggs, lambs or chicks. Those are way out of my league...but oh, so fun to look at!

Way Fest Tickets

We are thrilled to give away a pair of Way Fest Tickets! Just leave a comment below and you are automatically entered. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on April 7th. Your comment can say anything! "enter me" or "way fm rocks" or anything you can think of. Good Luck!