Ice on the Lake!

Skating on the Lake

 

A friend and I enjoyed the afternoon skating on a newly iced-over lake. The water was open in the middle of the lake just a couple weeks ago, but with some cold temps over the last several days, we are finally able to walk out onto the lake. Several people are out ice fishing and just wandering around.

The interesting thing about how the lake froze this year, was the way it froze. For the last couple weeks, we had ice around the edge and open water in the middle of the lake. When the entire lake froze, it froze over the old ice and made new ice. The picture above shows where the edge of the ice met the open water. Now there is about 8" of ice . . old and new.

 

When you get to the edge of the old ice, it appears as an abyss. Nothing but black under the clear ice. Quite unnerving as your skating onto it. My friend was just ready to skate over the former icebergs onto the newly formed ice.

 

 

It's pretty amazing that we didn't have any snow cover on the lake and were able to see the ice formation this year!

 

 





White Christmas Cover, Arranged by Alex Kimball

My little cousin, Alex just put this video out . . enjoy! From what I have seen of his talent so far, I KNOW we will be seeing more of him.

China, Sue and the Dragon Cake

China, Sue and the Dragon Cake

 

I had the privilege to create a dragon fondant cake for a friend who was celebrating the birthday of their Chinese foreign exchange student. At the time of the birthday party, my friend told me that the Chinese people don't make cakes for birthdays and that this would be a very special thing for her guest. The student they have staying with them was given the name Sue, for ease of pronunciation. She chose the name herself.

Yesterday, I was checking facebook posts, and I stumbled upon something very disturbing. It was a video post of an Asian woman, I can't say if she was Chinese, but that is what I suspect. The woman was physically abusing her infant daughter. I wanted to punch the computer screen and felt completely helpless upon seeing the video. Another person was video taping the act of abuse. There were a few young children standing back observing. The woman hit the infant over the head with a pillow violently as the baby was crying. The baby, of course, continued to cry because of the blows. The baby whimpered and cried some more. The mother or caregiver, whatever she was, hit the baby in the face then pinched its legs while she yelled at it. They baby cried even louder. Then the woman pinched the nose of the baby very hard. The baby tried to reach up to the woman and the woman shoved the baby's arm away and pushed it into the corner. Then she kicked the baby in the stomach and hit it in the face again. The child had no other defense than to turn her head away from the abuse.

I was thankful that the video ended and quickly added my comment to the other horrified viewers. The person who shared the video stated that the mother of the baby and the person who video-taped the incident were put in jail. I was somewhat relieved at hearing that but still horrified. She also stated that the mother was going to try to have the video removed . . I don't know where she got the information, but it was removed shortly after. I sat there and cried for a while.

I thought about how much these type of things go on and we hear about it on the news or read about an incident in the paper or internet, but never actually see it happen . .  right in front of our eyes. When I told my husband, he said that it was probably staged. I told him there is no way it could have been. I said, "You know that this type of thing, and worse, goes on. And you know that a lot of things get video taped with all the technology available . . so why wouldn't we eventually see something like that?" He just nodded.

So this really isn't a post about a dragon cake . . which brings me back to my friend and her foreign exchange student from China. After viewing the disturbing video, I told another friend about the video. This friend shared a little more about the exchange student as she is also friends with the family. She stated that Sue shared that women are not valued in China, something I guess we all knew, and that this birthday celebration . . the cake, presents, guests, food and attention . . is not something that she has ever been accustomed to.

All of this made me think that the acts committed on this horrific video are probably not uncommon occurances. If the value of a female child is so little, this may be actually quite common. We already know of the abortion rates and infanticide of females in this country. And we also know how males are valued over females in China.

I pray for this country. I pray that freedom of religion would come to this country. I pray that underground Christian churches and their values could come to surface and spread the message of love of God and value of human life . . all human life. Please join me in prayer for China and its people.

Small dogs in a big world . . 1 Peter 5:7

 

"Casting all your Anxiety on Him, because He cares for you"

1 Peter 5:7

 

I was watching my new puppy, Butters, this summer as he watched boats go by on the lake. I think the noise of the speedboats caught his attention that day and he was in awe of all the lake activity . . the waterskiiers, kids tubing, old people pontooning. I remember thinking, 'It's a good thing I'm out here . . there's a few eagles lurking around waiting to snatch up any fur-bearing critter they can get their beaks on.' Butters seemed oblivous to this danger. Actually, there wasn't much he seemed afraid of that August afternoon. He certainly wasn't afraid of the water . . or the edge of the dock . . or the loud sounds of the speedboats passing by.

He had one concern though. He was mindfully aware of my presence or lack thereof. He repeatedly looked back to the swing I was reading in . . just to make sure I was there. If I got up, he got up and trailed after me.

I was his protector and keeper. He could go along with life on the shore . . watching the boats, digging up seaweed, rolling in dead fish or whatever, as long as he knew I was there. Life was pretty good for Butters that day.

Watching Butters in his contentment, made me think back a few years and how life could have been better for me. I wished I would have been Butters, not literally . . though life as a dog is not too bad . . but figuratively speaking. I wished I hadn't spent most of the last fifteen years or so in constant anxiety and worry, unable to secure the knowledge of my own Protector and Keeper. I wished I would have had the ability to sit back and enjoy what God was giving me . . babies in diapers, toddlers with peas up their noses, a neurotic mother, and husband with a preoccupation for Vikings football. Looking back, I had the ability, I just didn't make the choice to look to God as my Protector and Keeper. He had been my Savior . . but not my Protector and Keeper.

I recalled the many trips to the emergency room, thinking my spleen must have ruptured (it was just gas) or how the tumor in my brain had made its way into my sinus cavity (turns out there was no tumor, just allergies). I remember countless hours on the internet studying the various diseases I most likely had.

If I had just looked upward, rather than inward, I would have rested in God's presence in my life (and saved us thousands in emergency room visits!). Sure, you get a chronic ache or pain, you go to the doctor, but my pains were emotional and spiritual, not physical. Had I allowed God to 'Sit in the swing' and trusted Him to do the watching over me, I could have peacefully enjoyed the moments God intended for me to enjoy.

I am thankful now, that I have peace and don't excessively worry like I did in the past. I can enjoy living and the many things that God brings into my life . . that are meant to be enjoyed! The difference between then and now, is that now I look upward to God and have peace in knowing that He is taking care of me and truly in control of my life. Hearing Matthew 7:11 reassured me that God is a loving Father and not so much like the earthly father that I had had . . . "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" NIV

This verse told me that God is good.

We may get sick and have problems in life (many of which are brought on by our own sinfulness, I might add . . speaking mainly of myself), but God is God over all. Nothing is out of His hands or too big to handle for His children.

Are you one of His children?

Halloween Coffin Cake

How to Make a Fondant Halloween Coffin Cake

 

This cake was actually done for our mortician friend, Brady, who had a birthday recently. . his wife's idea. Good thing he has a sense of humor! Anyway, this type of cake could be done for a fun Halloween cake as well. Here's what I did to make it.

Make the Cake

 

I have used a couple different cake recipes. The latest one is as follows . . and people seem to like it.

 

For a white cake:

1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix

1 cup cake flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 cup milk

* add 3/4 cup cocoa & 1/3 cup sugar for a chocolate cake . . or just use a chocolate cake box mix instead of white mix.

 

Mix ingredients until smooth. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 23-28 minutes. Check with toothpick to see when it comes out clean. Freeze cakes.



Make the Buttercream Frosting

 

Frosting:

2 sticks softened butter

3 tsp vanilla

2 tsp almond

1 - 1 1/2 bags of C&H powdered sugar (do not use a generic or crystal brand . . it will be grainy in texture)

Heavy whipping cream

Milk

 

Mix butter and flavoring, then add powdered sugar and about 1/2 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream. Add milk if more moisture is needed. Note: the more powdered sugar you add, the thicker and easier it will hold it's shape when decorating. Can add more vanilla and almond to desired taste.


Make the Fondant

 

Fondant recipe:

• 1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 lbs. of powdered sugar

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a microwavable bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes. Put in microwave for 30
second. Mix in almond and corn syrup until it is a clear mixture. Put in microwave for a few more
seconds if it is not a clear or nearly clear mixture. Pour 3/4 of the 2 lb bag of powdered sugar into a
bowl with a hole in middle. Pour mixture into hole in the middle of the sugar and mix together with
a wooden spoon. After mixture becomes more solid, you can knead on a powdered surface and
knead the rest of the 2 lb. bag into mixture, until it is a pliable, non-sticky mass. Use shortening on
hands if necessary.

 

 

To color, knead food coloring into fondant mixture. Hint: Use gloves.



 

 

Roll out the fondant onto freezer paper . . one side should be wax and other paper-like. Roll fondant onto wax side, slightly greased with shortening. 

Carve the Cake into a Coffin!
 

 

Take frozen cakes out of freezer right before your ready to start the coffin . .  after making frosting and fondant. Cut 9" x 9" cake in half.

 

Spread buttercream frosting between halves of cakes.

 

Carve a coffin looking top out of the top cake with small, sharp knive.



Frost outside of "coffin" with buttercream frosting. This will help fondant sit on cake.

 

Decorate your Coffin Cake

 

 

Place freezer paper with fondant on top of "coffin" and carefully peal freezer paper off. 

 

 

Carefully mold fondant onto "coffin" .. it is best to wear plastic gloves while doing this so no fingerprints will be on fondant. 

 

 

Decorate the "coffin" with fondant "handles" and frosted writing on top. 

 

Decorate your Base Cake and Add the Coffin

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Out of the darkness and into the light . . October 1995

I made a post a couple days ago about thoughts on 1 Peter 2:9 but didn't finish. I didn't finish because what was to come next was very personal . . . so if you don't like reading personal, touchy-feely, God-type stuff . . . maybe read a cake post.

Okay, so you're still with me. Anyway, I left off on a story that was probably the most important story of my life . . . which happened in October 1995. I had an old friend recently ask me if there was a moment or experience when I knew I was "saved" . . that's what we former Baptists call it . . . or just that I knew I had found what I was looking for in God, for those of you who aren't Baptists. The verse that I read discussed God calling us "out of the darkness and into His wonderful light" when we become Christians.

This is what I, and any other believer, have experienced . . . a time in life when God calls us "Out of the darkness and into His wonderful light." I believe each person's experience meeting God will be different, and God knows what each of us need to open our eyes to the darkness around us and come into His light. Like I mentioned in the last post, I wasn't reading my Bible and had only been to church a handful of times before the fall of 1995. However, I did make a commitment to Christ at a young age and believe God was calling me to Himself since that time . .  .  .

Mark was still in college, finishing up his engineering degree. I had already graduated from the Landscape Architecture program at NDSU. We had gotten married and had our first son, Ashton, in late summer. We still lived in Fargo, North Dakota while Mark was finishing his education. I worked as a landscape designer at a local nursery, and Mark worked as a custodian at the university. We just began attending a small Southern Baptist church next to campus . . . Temple Baptist with Durward (Dude) Garrett as the pastor.

That fall, Mark was asked to be a groomsman in one of his good friend's wedding. This wedding event was exciting to me, having just become a new mom with no time left for social events since Ashton was born. So we went back to my hometown, near where the wedding was. My mom and grandma graciously babysat Ashton while Mark and I attended the wedding festivities. I had been in contact with some of my hometown friends and they said they would be at a local bar close to where the reception was. I thought, "Perfect time to see some old friends and have a few beverages."

After the wedding and reception, Mark reluctantly agreed to go with me to the local establishment to meet up with some friends. We got there and I was so excited to be away from motherhood and back in my old stomping ground . . . there wasn't any other place I wanted to be at that point!

We were there for about fifteen minutes or so, and I enjoyed listening to the band and reminiscing with some old friends. It was at that point that I looked around the bar and it was as if someone had literally turned the lights on in the room. I sat there taking it all in. I had never felt this way before. I saw people in conversations . . . married men and women talking intimately with each other . . and not with their spouses. I heard an old friend make a crude sexual remark and follow it up with some cursing. I saw a girlfriend of mine brush up against a man other than her husband.

Keep in mind that none of this had ever bothered me in the past. This was the type of place I liked to hang out. I probably would have been one of the first to throw back a shot and drop the f-bomb all in the same breath. But in that dark place (you know how the lights are dimmed late at night at bars) I saw God shed His light on things that I had never seen before . . . literally and figuratively.

I looked at Mark, and said, "Let's go. I don't feel like this is where God wants us to be." He agreed and we left.

I have never been the same since. I have certainly tried to find satisfaction in things like that  . . but every time, there is a voice within (what I've come to know as the Holy Spirit) that has told me, "This is not where you should be." Sometimes I ignore that voice, but it is there nonetheless, where it never was before.

I came home and told my mom and grandma what had happened to me that night. They looked at me oddly but were supportive at the same time. I lost most of my friends after this as they couldn't understand why I didn't want to participate in what we had always done together. I tried not to be judgmental. But I think my old friends felt judged just by my telling them how God was working in me and my wanting to be obedient to Him.

Don't get me wrong . . I am not perfect now, nor ever will be. And I am not a "Holier than Thou" type that condemns people for what they do. But I know what God wants for me and whenever I try to find my satisfaction in things other than God, He brings me back to the point of confession and finding my joy in Him and the things of Him. I am thankful for His patience with me!

Shortly after this time, Mark and I were baptized together and had Ashton dedicated. I remember coming across a verse in the Bible . . . John 14:15-17 . . "If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know Him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (NIV) I remember thinking, "This is me. This is what has happened to me." This was a great confirmation of faith in that I had never read this before, but God said clearly what had happened in my life in this passage!

So that is my testimony. Kind of personal. But hopefully someone will enjoy reading it and can relate in some way!

How to Bake a Sheet Cake Evenly. . Without Sinking!

I made an awesome discovery over the summer. I was asked a couple months ago to make a half-sheet cake for a church event. Having never made that large of a sheet cake before, I thought to myself, "Oh crap. Every other sheet cake I make sinks in the middle!" But I said, "yes" anyway.

So I took a trip to Michaels and looked around for a metal device I saw on the internet which was supposed to keep cakes from flopping. I couldn't find the device, so I asked the lady at the checkout if she knew what to use. She brought me right to what I needed.

She said that she only uses this tool and her cakes come out perfect everytime. She showed me Magi-Cake Strips.

Step One: Fully submerge baking strips in cold water and let sit for 10 minutes.

 

 

Step Two: Take out of water, scrape off excess water with fingers . . don't wring out, though. Place belts around exterior of pan and pin together.

 

 

 

Step Three: Bake cake, with baking strips secured to outside of pan, according to pan size and recipe. The Wilton Baking Chart is great for determining amounts, servings and baking times for various sized pans:  http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-party-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm. The cakes have come out perfect everytime!



Thank you lady at Michaels!