Cookie Cake

One of our friends made the cutest cookie cake for our engagement party and ever since then, I have wanted to try my hand at it.  J's first solo flight was on Tuesday and I figured this was a perfect opportunity. Here is how I did it:

First thing I did was spray a foil cookie pan (with a lid) with nonstick cooking spray. Then I took store bought cookie dough (the ones that are all ready cut out into little squares) and laid two packages side by side on the cookie sheet. I presses them down and out until the whole sheet was evenly covered. I baked it in a 325 degree oven for 18 minutes. It was slightly golden brown on top but the dough was still a little bit soft. Then I set it on a wire rack until it was completely cooled.

Now the fun part, decorating the cookie cake. I recently picked up one of those cake decorating kits that has icing bags, tips, and colors, as well as directions on how to make the flowers and designs you see on cakes at the bakery. Needles to say I have been dying to use it! 

Here is my recipe for the butter cream icing:

1 stick softened butter 

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Beat the butter in an electric mixer until creamy. Add the milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Set the mixer on medium speed and add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time (you may want to sift out the lumps) until the desired consistency is reached. This is a pretty sweet icing, but the whole cake it not covered, so I think it works well.

  I decided to use two different colors of blue for this Air Force cake. So I mixed together a light blue, removed half of the frosting into a pastry bag, and then mixed together the darker color and placed it in a bag.

I used the thin tip to write the word CONGRATS and outline the Air Force emblem. *When writing a word I would advise starting with the center letter in the center of the cake and work out from there.*I would also practice, because its harder than it seems.

Then I put the small star tip on the dark blue and filled in the emblem and added some detail to the wording. Then I put the large star tip on and started the border, leaving space in between each to come back in with the same tip and the lighter colored frosting.

I thought it was a great success for a first try. I cant wait to do another one!

Love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, obey His commands, hold firmly to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and soul

Joshua 22:5

The Easter Tree

I think Easter Egg trees are really cute, full of sparkly pastel colored eggs hanging on a whimsical tree. This year I wanted to make one of my own, but I wanted it to portray the real reason we Celebrate. Not bunnies and baskets full of chocolate overload, but LIFE. Jesus' Life. And the reason why He lived, died, and rose again!!!! Easter is a season to remember what Jesus did for us and to Celebrate the fact that He lives again! So I wanted my Easter tree to take me through Jesus' journey to the cross. Here is what I did:

I cut down the top of a branch from the wooded trail nearby, one that remotely resembled a tree. I spray painted the tips of the branches with some cream spray paint to give it a little bit of a softer look. Then I stabilized it in a small mason jar full of rocks.

Next, I bought 12 eggs.

I used brown, but any kind will do.

To drain the eggs I poked holes through the top and the bottom of each egg using a safety pin. I poked around a little more inside each egg to insure that the yolk was broken. Then I blew out the inside of the eggs into the sink. Once empty I rinsed them each out with water and set them back in the carton to dry overnight.

I decided to paint the eggs to give them that Easter egg look. For the colors, I mixed together all sorts pastels: blue, yellow, green, purple, pink, and then added some gold and silver. After going through this process with about 16 eggs, I was finally left with 10 beautifully colored intact eggs to hang on the tree.
I used twine and a small needle to create a hanger for each egg by making a loop at the top of the egg and a larger knot at the bottom to hold it in place.

Now I had to portray the Easter story through the eggs, so I decided to write (with a sharpie) one word on each egg that described that section of the story followed by the corresponding bible verse that depicts the whole story. 

ANNOINTED (Matthew 26:6-13)

BETRAYED (Matthew 26:14-16)

HOMECOMING (Matthew 21:1-11)

THE LAST SUPPER (Matthew 26:26-29)

ARRESTED (Luke 22:39-46, 54)

MOCKED (John 19:1-7)

THE CROSS (John 19:16-17)

CRUCIFIED* (John 19:18)

PIERCED (John 19:33-35)

BURIED (Matthew 27:57-60)

RISEN* (Mark 16:1-3)

BELIEVE (John 20:1-8)

*I chose a golden cross to represent CRUCIFIED instead of using an egg. And for RISEN I put the egg up in a little nest I created at the top of the tree with shrubbery stacked on top of each other and glued together.

The sharpie writing ended up being too bold on top of these delicately colored eggs so I took a can of silver spray paint and lightly misted the finished eggs to give them a lighter look. 

And here it is.....

I love this tree and everything that it means. So as this Easter season approaches we will give thanks for Jesus' journey to the cross where He gave His life for us, and remember that death CANNOT defeat our God. He Still Lives.

"He saw and he believed."

John 20:8b

A (Yet to Be Determined Color) Thumb

I needed a new project, and the weather has been wonderful lately... so I decided to give gardening a try. This area was previously populated by two bushes (one of which was dead) and a ground covering combination of half dirt and half grown over grass. So I decided to spruce it up a bit. I dug out a nice curved flower bed area with a garden shovel we found in the woods near our house (creepy). My foot was sore all week from stomping on the sharp edges of the shovel, which I was told was the wrong type of shovel for the job. I do'nt know what I expected from a free shovel. 

First, I transplanted the one live bush to the other side of bed (which fingers crossed will bounce back), then I planted two green bushed with red tips, two Asiatic lilies, and a bunch of those little bright colored cone shaped flowers in between. It is very colorful, coordinates well with the cowboy boot planter outside the front door. The last thing I did was fill it in with some Cyprus mulch.

Here is the masterpiece.....intricately created by the Master Craftsman and arranged by me.

 

I never imagined I would be one to "garden," but I have to say I enjoyed being 'hands on' with the creations of my Creator.

Teach us to realize the brevity of Life so that we may grow in wisdom

Psalms 90:12

Homeade Bread

Warm homemade bread is such a treat, and I have been enjoying making it with the help of my new Kitchen Aid mixer (thank you friends and family).

This is a recipe I found online....so I cant take credit, but it has been delicious every time!

*I added everything (in parenthesis) 

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)

1 Tablespoon milk

2 Tablespoons (vegetable or canola) oil

2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups (unbleached) white flour

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons (one pkg) instant active dry yeast

Combine the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add flours and yeast and knead until smooth and elastic 10-15 minutes (I let the mixer, fitted with the dough hook do the work here.) Place dough in greased bowl, turning once. Cover with clean towel and let rise (in warm place: outside, on top of clothes dryer...etc) until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down (with fist or spoon). Knead for a few minutes more, until smooth. Form into greased loaf pan. Cover with towel and let rise again (in warm spot) until almost doubled, about 30 more minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pan to cool. Allow adequate time to rest before slicing. Enjoy!

"People do not live by bread alone, rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Deuteronomy 8:3

Leopard Print Lampshade

I recently picked up a lamp at an antique store for around $3 that was shade-less. After searching this small town for a cute printed lampshade to dress it up I decided making one would be a quicker option. To start I found an appropriately sized oatmeal colored shade with ribbon detail from Ross for $4.99. Then I had to decide on a print. Inspired by 'The Big Cat Diaries' series which we frequently watch (with the dog), I thought leopard print would be an eclectic touch in the living room.

First step, I painted tan colored imperfect circles in various sizes around the whole lamp.

Next, I painted a border of black around each circle. Some borders were complete, other were not, some were blended, others were less perfect. (The imperfections are really what make it more realistic looking.)

(I stretched this part out over a few days and worked on it while I was drinking my coffee or watching TV.)

And here is the finished product.....

so cute :) 

"Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God"  -Abraham Joshua Heschel

Update

 One of the pennies fell off in transport, but J told him that since he had to turn back early on his flight (because of a "green light" problem) that he was only going to give him $0.99. The guy chuckled and said he thought it was great!

Yay.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

 

Romans 12:11

                                         

The "Dollar Ride"

When you are training to be a pilot in the Air Force your first official flight in the airplane is called a "dollar ride." At the completion of your flight it is customary to hand the instructor pilot who chauffeured you around the air space a dollar for his time and service. Student pilots will hand over anything from a simple dollar with their name written across it, to any form of a dollar taped to anything alcoholic, to an elaborately framed piece of artwork. So when my husband, the student pilot, asked me for help.... I was all over it!

While he studied his instruments, limits, and flight pattern in preparation for his flight, I googled "dollar ride gift ideas." Soon, a plethora of quirky gift ideas were before me and I found one in particular that I found intriguing and decided to elaborate on.

Here is what I came up with...

That is 100 pennies in the shape of a T6 Texan (which is the type of plane they initially train in).

To begin, I took a standard 8x10 canvas and painted it a pretty sky blue color. I allowed it to dry with a little help from my hair dryer (learned that trick in a painting class I took recently). Then I took a fan shaped paint brush and added the wispy white clouds in various areas around the airspace. I found a picture of the T6 Texan online, counted out 100 pennies and made the shape of the airplane on the canvas. Then I painted different portions of the pennies to depict the various colors and pattern on the T6 and left the canopy and tip of the airplane the original shiny copper penny color. When that dried (no hair dryer this time... for obvious reasons) I glued the pennies onto the canvas in the shape of the plane.

We then added a little note thanking the Major for his services, packed it up, and will present it to the guy tomorrow! He will either think it is really awesome and hang it on his wall or chuckle at its craftiness, knowing it could only have come from an Air Force wife.

[I'll keep you posted]

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."                                          Joshua 1:9

*a great encouragement to anyone facing difficulty or discontented with current circumstance