TreasuresInTerraCotta

I finally took my good advice to take pictures of the kids in their costumes before we were ready for trick-or-treating.  After lunch today, everyone was happy so I suggested that we put on our costumes and take pictures.  It was so fun, and the pictures turned out so great. I'm really glad I did it. The kids were all superheroes this year. Calvin is the black Spider-Man.  I guess, technically, he is a villain and his name is Venom, but that didn't matter to the 6 year old.  He wanted to be the black Spider-Man and there was no swaying him.  (In case you're wondering, the real Spider-Man was overtaken by an alien symbiot resulting in the black costume and many other disastrous side effects...as you would expect from a parasite.)  Andrew was Super Boy. Our own version.  He was pretty happy with himself and his orange cape. We called this superhero Captain T.  And it's a good thing we got pictures of him in the afternoon because b...

Like it or not, we are headed toward the Holidays.  What better time to begin to prepare than now. I don't mean with shopping or decorating.  I mean to prepare our hearts. Based on my own experience and the shared experiences of many friends, the preparation of the heart is greatly needed.  It's easy to overlook.  It affects everything and everyone.  And sometimes it seems elusive. But I can promise that the effort to prepare will not be wasted.   There are many ways to prepare, but the step my Bible study group has intentionally taken is to do a book study (and, little do they know, I am also giving them homework!). We finished our Fall study last week, and in the past we have taken an extended break over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. This year we are doing it differently.  We will fill November and spill into the first week of December reading and discussing  One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voska...

Almost every birthday cake, graduation cake and even wedding cake in my paternal family history is made from  this recipe. I know its flavor. I know the way the frosting feels in my mouth. And I am learning how to use it to create fun, decorated cakes. And at the risk of sharing family secrets, I am going to share these "recipes" with you. Cake: Duncan Hines yellow cake mix Add a box of vanilla pudding Make as directed on the back of the box Frosting: 2 sticks butter 2 pounds powdered sugar (1 bag) 1 tsp vanilla or lemon extract ~1/2 cup milk This frosting sets up with a nice "crunchy" crust, but remains soft underneeth.  That makes it perfect for decorating and it can even be covered lightly with plastic wrap without sticking. Here are a few other tips I've learned along the way.  Or maybe I should say tips I learned the hard way. -Use fresh powdered sugar.  C&H  says powdered sugar has an indefinite shelf life, ...

Today Andrew turned three!  We headed to the Zoo for some fun.  I sometimes wonder why I take my camera to the zoo.  The pictures are really always about the same.  The animal look about the same and perhaps even the same as the postcards you could find in the gift shop. But the zoo just seems like a photographic place to me.  And now that I have so many zoo pictures I could compare them if I wanted to.  "Look how tall Calvin has grown" or  "When that picture was taken we were at the zoo with Kaley" or "Andrew was the age the Truman is now!"  And then, there are times, when something magical happens and a snapshot turns out more stunning than I expected.  Like this...  And then there is the possibility that an older gentleman with three children and college-age grandchildren of his own, will offer to take your picture. I told him he was very kind. I told him that it was a true gift he had given me....

This is one of my favorite kid size quilts.  I made it using a lot of my Americana scraps. It is a Log Cabin pattern. The red in the center square represents the Heart and Hearth of the home.  This is the back of the first quilt my step-mom and I made together.  It was my 16th birthday present...so it's 22 years old now!  My aunt Marla made this baby quilt.  It has the cutest yellow bumble bee binding and a flannel back. My oldest and bestest friend Michelle made this adorable blue and chocolate brown doggie quilt for Calvin. It has beautiful swirling quilt stitiches using a varigated blue thread. Here is the top of my Auntie Marla's quilt. My sister-in-law Christa made this stunning quilt for us one of the first years we were married.  We were all together in Utah celebrating Christmas with lots of snow.   Michelle and I worked on this quilt together when we were both still learning how to quilt.  We were very in...