I Don't Bake

I don't like to bake.  It requires exact measurements & you know I don't cook like that.  I'm a dumper, and that does not mesh well when you have to follow directions down to the ounce and teaspoon.  When you start dumping stuff it can make for one ugly looking & bad tasting dessert.  I just stay away from it & ask my mother-in-law to bring the dessert.  She's a wonderful baker!

One thing I can make though is a cookie cake.  My favorite part is the icing.  It's like painting, but with creamy yumminess instead of paint.  Of course the more icing you have on the cake the better, or that's the fam's opinion anyway.

Last night I made a cookie cake for the Rebel dance team from our high school.  They left for their National Competition in Orlando this morning, and were performing their routines for parents, grandparents, boyfriends, and friends.  I'm so proud of those girls, and wanted to send them off with a little 'good luck & I love you' cake.

I was kinda bummed.  The 'V' is supposed to be red, but with the white icing and red food coloring it turned pink.  The girls said they liked the pink better...I told you they were sweet! 

a close-up of my pink 'V' cookie cake

The cookie is nothing special, it's pre-made toll house cookie dough pressed into a huge rectangle baking pan, and then once it was cooled, I iced it.  No big deal, but it's the thought that counts anyway. 

I love you girls & can't wait to see how you do at Nationals!  I know you're going to knock'em dead!  Go Rebels!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

What's the meaning of this?

Can I tell you that I am so glad that some dreams don't come true.  I went this morning, as part of my normal morning routine, to make sure my youngest child, Henry, was awake, and to have a wonderful morning chat before he plopped himself in the shower.  Today is also clean sheet day so I needed to help him strip his bed and start putting clean sheets back on it.  Now, when the fam tells me a dream I like to ask questions to try to understand it. (both for themselves and me)  I have always liked to try to figure out what dreams mean.  Henry's dream from last night has totally stumped me.

That child has some crazy dreams.  I may need to watch his diet.  He starts to giggle as he tells me he had a weird dream last night.  As any good mom would, I asked him about it.  He said he dreamed he had a baby sister (shut his mouth, four children in our family is plenty) who fell in the toilet, and when he tried to get her out; she bit his finger.  Of course now we're both at a full blown laugh, and I'm asking him how old his baby sister was.  He said she was a young toddler, but she slipped off the toilet lid & into the toilet.  Henry has always wanted a baby brother or sister; that's part of  why we bought the Chihuahua, Bella. 

What in the world that dream meant I have NO idea, but it has made my day.  I love that crazy kid.  He is so precious.

On a side note, I was listening to Rick and Bubba, my favorite radio show, yesterday, and someone brought them some Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo Brownies.  It sounded so yummy I had to share the link.  If you don't think I'm going to surprise the fam with these one day you're crazy.  It looks like heaven on a plate.   

Have y'all or any of your kids had crazy dreams that just left you in a fit of giggles?  I would love to hear about them!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Remembering

Instead of posting something today.  I am going to send you over to my other blog:  His Words for My Heart.  Today is Good Friday & it is one of the holiest days in the year if you are a follower of Christ. 

If you've never made Resurrection Cookies with your children, I highly recommend it.  You will have to make them tomorrow night, because they "cook" overnight.  It is a great way to explain to children the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Praying you all experience the risen Christ this Easter & everyday! 

Be blessed because our Redeemer Lives!
~ashley

Please spring hurry up...

Right now in our town, spring is trying to peek it's head out of the sleepy covers of winter.  The first trees to bloom are always the Japanese Magnolias.  The bright pink tender blossoms always bring me so much joy because it reminds me that the darkness of winter will not last forever.

The next trees to bloom are these pink dogwoods that are in front of a bank.  Last year I was so excited to see them I took a picture of them while sitting at a stop light.  I know I'm wierd, but don't they look beautiful?  I know it may seem silly, but when the trees are in bloom my heart feels lighter, and I just can't help but to smile.  It also means we're getting closer to Easter.  I love Easter.  I thought when I was younger I understood what Easter was about, but when The Passion of the Christ came out, my eyes were truly opened to the true beauty of Easter.  It is the violent beauty of the cross that breaks my heart and draws me closer to the One who was willing to give His all for me. 

Just as seeing the beauty of creation draws me closer to God, music has always moved my soul, and even when I was young I was effected by words.  When I can worship through music I feel closer to Christ.  It becomes my love song to Him.  Unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait to get my perfected singing voice until I get to heaven, but that's ok because the bible says to make a joyful noise, so that's what I'll continue to do.  I have two songs that have came to mind as I thought about the coming spring:  All of Creation  &  In Christ Alone.  Worshiping the Lord is an honor, and I think He gives us the beauty of creation to help point to Him.

March 9th is the beginning of the Lenten Season, and spring will soon be here in full force.  As I enjoy the beauty of creation that God has placed in front of me, I will remember what He chose to go through so I would not be separated from God.  Thank you Jesus for all you have done!

If you've never made Resurrection cookies with your children, please do it this year.  You make them the Saturday night before Easter.  It's a little bit of work, but so worth it when they eat the cookie the next day & realized that the tomb is empty and that Christ is risen.

I hope you all are able to enjoy the coming spring and remember the One who gave it so generously.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley    

Thinking of Bill Cosby & Chocolate Cake

I think Bill Cosby is one of the funniest comedians ever!  His take on raising children from 'Bill Cosby:  Himself' is right on the money.  That video came out when I was a teenager.  I thought it was funny then, because I was living the children's side of it, but now I understand the true humor behind it because I now have children of my own.

I can really relate to a lot of the different bits in his monologue.  The first one being when he talks about childbirth.  I know this has nothing to do with cake, but it's a funny part of my life that I like to tell.  My wonderful husband, made the mistake of telling me when I was in intense labor with our first child, that he knew exactly how I felt.  Um, did he really say that?  Yes, he did, and I wanted to slug him, or as Bill said, take his bottom lip & stretch it over his skull.  The labor was a long & painful, and it's story that I won't bore you with here, but know that I had no pain meds (not of my own free will) and the peaks of my contractions were every 30 seconds.  Can you say active labor?

I also love the story of his wife kicking him out of bed and making him make breakfast for his children.  And what did said children get for breakfast, the infamous chocolate cake!  I'm an early bird.  I can get more done before 12pm then I can get done the rest of the day.  I don't fix a big breakfast for my kids for several reasons:  1. they all want different things (Hop ate spaghetti for breakfast yesterday, hey who am I to complain)  2.  they don't eat everything on their plates (if I'm agonna cook it...you're agonna eat it, kapiesh?)  3.  they would rather have the extra few minutes to sleep.  But on weekends, I'll make the big breakfast:  pancakes, bacon, eggs, grits and anything else they may be having a hankering for.  I  have to admit, on rare occasions, if we have cake around, I might let my kids have a slice for breakfast.  Like Bill said, it has eggs, flour, and milk.  Breakfast of Champions!

The Busy Day Chocolate Cake recipe I've linked to was made by my friend, Martha Cook.  Somethings you need to know about Mrs. Martha:  she is a wonderful cook (her husband, Robert, was mentioned on my blog too),  she is a great mother of two precious boys, she is a fabulous attorney, and does many things for our city.  She's a busy momma!  (She also has a kitchen to die for.)   We are in supper club together & Martha was hosting it at her house.  I love supper club.  It's so funny because it's always the girls in one room & the guys in the other.  We talk & laugh, and talk some more.  Some of my favorite memories happen at supper club.  At the end of dinner Martha pulls out this chocolate cake & OH MY, but it is good.  She said it was easy & of course my ears perked up.  You know I don't like to bake.  You have to measure it just right or the dessert will fall or be a brick.  No no, baking is not the life for me, but I think I could do this chocolate cake.  There are not 5 million ingredients & steps, it's super simple & the butter cream frosting, um, it melts in your mouth.  (but it should, it's 4 sticks of butter & 1 pound of confectioner's sugar, I can feel my fanny expanding just talking about it!) 

If you need a great homemade cake in under an hour, you have to make this BDCC!  I think I may have to make on this weekend for the fam.  I could go for a huge hunk of cake right now, but alas, the clean clothes are calling my name! ;)

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Precious Nothings

I love Saturdays in the fall.  Thankfully there is nothing for me to do, but hang with my family & friends and watch college football.

Today has been great.  Hopson took:  Harry, Elizabeth & Henry (with a friend) to the lake.  Hoppy had his football workout this morning at 7am so he and I stayed home.  I love staying home, I think I would have made a great hermit, and good, bad or otherwise, I think Hoppy could be a great one too.

Anyway, back to today's events....He came home & we hung out and watched ESPN Game Day.  I decided to go through some different recipe books to see if there was anything that sounded good.  I kinda liked challenging myself last week by cooking things out of my cookbooks.  I was bouncing different recipes off Hoppy & we came across Lemon Raspberry Squares.  Ok, one word, yum!

I'm sure a lot of y'all have made them before, but as my family will attest, I don't bake.  You have to be exact when you do, and I'm a dumper.  GiGi, my mother-in-law, and my sister, Amy are great at baking.  Amy will make the stuff that takes forever and she loves every minute of it.  She always makes it look pretty too, showoff.  :)  Amy also lets the children get involved, and I'm selfish when I cook.  (the children tend to make a mess.)  GiGi makes the hard stuff.  For one of my birthdays she made me a homemade chocolate cake.  Even the icing was homemade.  It was absolutely beautiful!  I wanted to swim in it because it was so yummy.

Hoppy & I made the lemon raspberry squares.  I think we had more fun licking the bowls and just hanging out talking.  It will be one of those memories that is a precious nothing.  Just some time and something sweet that was made.  Like I said, I love Saturdays in the fall. 

Here's the link for the recipe to Lemon Raspberry Squares.
http://wegottaeat.com/ashnance/recipes/lemon-raspberry-squares

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley