Uncategorized

Mini Van Sightings

It is getting serious, my daughter has informed me that she has enrolled Caleb for yet another (yes, this will be his 3rd) week of vacation Bible School next week. The sleepy little town of Gilbert, AZ is now having the words “VBS is full….cannot accept anymore children)” put out on their church signs all over town.

When the church workers see a gray minivan driving into the parking lot, they quickly lock their doors and put up the “VBS is Full” sign on the door. So learn from Jodi’s experience, borrow your friends or families cars to go searching out churches VBS…..it might just save you a week of having your little darling at home with nothing to do. Since she has expired all the churches, she is moving on to the Y camps. She is having her van painted over the weekend.

Cakes · Chocolate

Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

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Taken from the summer issue of Taste of Home, this cake got great reviews last night when I took it to a dinner party. Before leaving home, I ate 4 cupcakes I had made with some of the batter, just to try it out, of course. Because of the marshmallows and cherry coke, the cake is so moist and the chocolate flavor is amazing.

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallow, ( I had found chocolate mini ones, so I used those)

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1 cup butter, cubed (so it melts quicker)

1 cup cherry-flavored coke

3 tables Hershey’s cocoa

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t keep this on hand, make your own with plain milk and vinegar)

1 teas vanilla

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow

2 tables cherry juice (recipe called for 2 tables frozen cherry-pomegranate juice concentrate, but my store didn’t have any so bought a can of sweet cherries in heavy syrup and used the syrup from that)

Fresh sweet cherries with stem for decor

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom of two greased 9″ pans with parchment paper; grease paper also after they have been put in pan. Divide marshmallows between pans.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking soda. In a small saucepan, combine the cubed butter, cola and cocoa. Bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until blended.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Pour into prepared pans, dividing batter evenly. Marshmallows will float to the top.

Bake for 25-30 in or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 min and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting:  *(IF you want enough frosting to frost sides of cake, double the frosting ingredients)in a medium bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in marshmallow cream and juice on low speed just until blended. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread top with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining frosting.

Uncategorized

NBF (new blogger friends)

I am so excited. The past couple of weeks, a lady from Atlanta began to follow my blog and has commented several times on different postings from chocolatecastles.com. As I began to reply to her, she would send back more of her ideas that she posts on her blog.

She is one talented lady with great party theme ideas and after looking at some of the pictures that she posts, she does know how to throw a party. I ask her permission before telling all ya’ll (yes, I know, how hicky, but I haven’t got to say that in such a long time) about her blog and a couple of her ideas she has told me about.

Her name is Sue and she is a transplant from New Jersey. She quickly adapted to the southern way of entertaining and from looking at her blog, I dare say that you wouldn’t know that she wasn’t born right in the middle of Atlanta holding a glass of sweet tea, with her pinkie sticking straight out. You really need to check out her blog at :

Sue@www.rue-mouffetard.blogspot.com

She will be having a party for her neighborhood blogging friends in a couple of weeks and will be serving pink cookies with pink drinks. I had posted info about making the pink lemonade cookies, which you can find at WalMart in the cake mix isle (Pillsbury makes them) She then thought how cute these cookies would look with the fruit drink she makes, so she passed on this  drink idea to me. 

Pink Ladies 
Welches Strawberry or Raspberry punch and add sparkling water and fresh fruit. Dip the pretty glass in honey and then pink sprinkles. 

Just think how pretty your table will look, using pink or white linens and use pink and white polka dot (or striped) ribbon tied around napkins. A vase of pink flowers in the middle. If you don’t have a vase you want to use. Use pretty wrapping paper glued around an old can and set your flowers in the middle. Or use pink jelly beans in a large container and set your vase of flowers right in the middle of the jelly beans. Tie the same ribbon around the container. Very cheap to do and looks fab.

I’m very excited to have my new NBF; I can’t wait to see more party ideas she has up her sleeve. Thanks, Sue, you are a true Southern Belle. 

Daily Thoughts

VBS Is A Life Saver

photo-6My daughter called this morning on her way home from dropping Caleb, our 3 year old grandson off at Vacation Bible School. I asked her, ‘oh I thought he went last week to VBS” and she politely told me he did, but this was another one.  In the sweetest little voice she could muster, she remarked, “mom, don’t judge me”. Now, I began to think that maybe she was just wanting Caleb to have a definite idea of if he might want to be a preacher when he grew up and she was showing him what it would be like to be around the church all day, every day. But before I could begin to quote the Ten Commandments, she told me that she had signed him up for 4 different VBS’s this summer, as a way to keep her sanity. Now, I do admit that Caleb is rather, hum…how do I put this? a very “active child with a great and very active imagination” but I’ve got the feeling that Caleb is going to have the same reputation around Phoenix church’s as Randy does around our area Costco’s……don’t let him in.

While Randy eats Costco’s profits up walking around the store “snacking” on all the “free” samples, churches will be having teachers retire before their time. The positive outlook on his being taken from church to church this summer is the fact that by the time he is older, he will think that going to church is just the normal thing to do and maybe will realize that that is a better place to hang around, rather than the mall. Just a thought and a hope. Jodi then began to tell me how excited she is about a friend of hers calling and telling her about a VBS that is at night. I am jealous that I didn’t think of that when Jodi was growning up. I’m smiling thinking about all the “crafts” from all the VBS’s  that Jodi will be having to display around the house; the gold sprayed macaroni necklaces that she will have to wear to not hurt Caleb’s feelings, the popcicle stick house she will have to dust around, in order not to knock it down and my favorite, the potholder that is so thin, you get burned every time you use it.

So moms, if you are going crazy this summer already wondering what to do with the little ones, get that church directory out and enroll them in every VBS you can find. It is a great babysitter and it is free and who knows, they might just actually learn about some of life’s important facts, that God is real and that He loves each and every one of the little darlings, no matter how many VBS’s they attend…….and that’s the truth. Saint Caleb called me when he got home today and told me.