Church

So today the branch president asked for us to stay after Sacrament for a few moments. He wanted to do a brain-storming session and needed all of our opinions. He was trying to figure out why people were leaving after Sacrament and not staying for all three meetings. We have a bit of a problem with that. There about about 100-120 people (during the summer only) that come for Sacrament. Then there are about 50-75 for Sunday School, and by the time RS and Priesthood come around, we are lucky to have 30-40 people left between the two classes.

Some of the reasons were a bit lame. Like our meeting time is from 1-4. I can't say that I am too happy with that time, but it is what it is. Some of the reasons given were that church is too late. Well that reason is okay unless you remember that when we met from 11-2, we still had the problem with people leaving. Another reason is that we get hungry. Come on, we come in after lunch, and leave before dinner. How hungry can you get? And if you do get hungry, bring Cheerios.

The one reason I really like was that the teachers weren't prepared enough for the lessons and so they weren't enjoyable or entertaining enough to keep people here. Church isn't supposed to be entertaining. Plus it is very hard to teach a lesson if there is no participation from the members. When there is participation, then there are discussions, and those are a bit more enjoyable than the teacher droning on and on.

Oh well, enough griping. I think the main reason why people are leaving is that they are in the habit of leaving early and so staying for three hours seems too long.

Email

At work on Monday, our computers ground to a halt around 3. Come to find out there had been a power outage in SLC, and our headquarters lost power. Apparently the battery back up system they had didn't work so well, and only 1/2 of the servers stayed on long enough for the IT department to shut down the computers safely. The other 1/2, well just say they are still working on it. When we came into work on Tuesday, they had restored the servers that held our accounting software and the internet. However, they the server that held the email was one of the servers that the battery back up didn't work on. So when the power went off, the server shut down, and not too safely and the IT department couldn't get it to come back up. So all day Tuesday and Wednesday they worked on trying to restore the email system. They finally gave up on the process, and tried something else late Wednesday and it worked. So today around 11, we were able to start getting emails again.



I can't believe how much we rely on computers and email in order to get work done. It was kind of funny to hand notes to people in the office and remark that we had to revert to doing things the "old-fashioned" way. We couldn't update our calendars with meetings easily, and consequently we all forgot one or two of them.



Thank goodness we were able to get it back because I was tired of handwriting things, or going to find people to tell them something.

Last Cake Class..at least for now.

So tonight was the last cake class for the first class. I will be starting the next class in a couple of weeks. However, with the second class, we only make one cake even though there are four nights. We make the cake on the last night. The other three nights we are making flowers in royal icing to put on the cake on that last night.

As I was about to leave, the instructor told me that I had an eye for color. That I was able to choose colors that complemented each other. That was nice of her to say.

One of my co-workers requested a deer on the cake, but since we were learning roses and other flowers, I couldn't quite put a deer on the cake. However, I will have to figure out how to do that for another day.

Also, I already told everyone that Wednesday will no longer be CAKE DAY at work. They were a bit bummed by that one. They have been getting used to having cake each Wednesday.

Guardian Angels

I must have a couple of Guardian Angels. I was on my way to church this morning on Highway 99. I was going about 75. I know the speed limit is only 70, and I was speeding a bit, but not much. I was in the middle lane of traffic, and we were coming up on the on-ramp for the Golden State Highway. I saw there were several cars that were going to merge onto Highway 99, but figured I was in the middle lane so I didn't have much to worry about. There was a truck with a horse trailer that had at least three horses in it. It was probably going 55-60 because I passed it. I figured the people that would be merging would most likely cut in front of the trailer. I had thought the last person merging wouldn't have enough time and so he would have to brake and then go behind the trailer. However, just as I was passing the horse trailer, I noticed that last car whip in front of the truck/trailer. At that point I realized I was probably in his blind spot. Knowing cars coming onto the 99 do not like to stay in the right lane, I kept an eye on him. Just as I was thinking he wasn't going to try to get in my lane, he veered towards me. I laid on my horn, slammed on my brakes. I went from 75 to 45 in a few seconds. However this guy didn't seem to realize I was honking at him. I could hear the truck/trailer behind me breaking. What seemed like 10 seconds, and was probably only three, I see him veer right really quick. He had been inches from my car. I was so shaken by this that when I got to my exit 1.5 miles down the road, my hands were still shaking. However, I know that I have Guardian Angels. Something prompted me to keep an eye on this vehicle and that I knew I was in his blind spot, and he was probably going to come after me. I am so blessed. :-)

Wedding Cake

Okay, so I finally did it. Friday I went home from work early to make the cake (12:30). I had thought about doing it on Thursday night and then only leaving a bit early on Friday (4:30) so I could just drop it off. However, at the last moment I decided to decorate it on Friday instead of Thursday evening. It wasn't going to be that difficult to do. The hardest part was going to be trying to get it as smooth as possible. As you can see on this picture, I came pretty close to having it really smooth. I don't like the edges, but didn't know how to do them in such a way so it would be perfect. Then I called the bride to see when I could drop the cake off. The reception was to start at 7. I thought I would drop it off around 6. I planned on then going and doing a bit of shopping since I would be in town. I did get there around 6, but the bride didn't show up until about 6:20. I hadn't finished the cake because I wanted to know where she was going to put the cake and on what she would like it on. Then I was going to put on the last ribbon, dots, and then the flowers. It was also very hot so I had to have the cake inside. I had brought a cake pedestal that I had just got at K-Mart (which, I hate K-Mart). It had been in the clearance items, and I got it for $5. It was a Martha Stewart collection, but I could care less about that. I just thought it was simple and it matched the color of the icing. She had wanted her cake to be an ivory color. So when the bride showed up, I showed her the pedestal and she said that was fine. So if put the cake on the pedestal and finished decorating. Since it was still over 100 degrees outside, I didn't want to put the cake out until about 7. Then I was going to leave. I still was waiting for the check and just after I put the cake outside, I saw the groom writing a check to the chocolate fountain lady and so I thought they would write one to me at the same time. This didn't happen.

Finally I brought out the cake. Next thing I knew, some of my friends showed up. So I got to talking to them. I was there when the cut the cake, and then I was asked if I would cut the cake for the rest of the guests. I did it for them. The bride has only been in Bakersfield for about 6 months, so she really didn't have the friend support that she would normally have had. I turned to her and asked her where the forks were. Apparently the mother-of-the-groom was in charge of this reception, so the bride asked her where the forks were. The mother-of-the-groom shot me a look (whoa!) and said she didn't know we were going to have cake and so she doesn't have any forks. The look I got was more like she expected me to have the forks. So someone ran to the grocery store that was about a block away and got some forks. No big deal. Everyone said they liked the cake.

So I woke up this morning on the wrong side of the bed. From the moment the alarm went off, I wasn't ready for the day. However, what was I to do, but get up and go to work. So, I went to work and tried to not be crabby with people.

One of the people I work with, just asks me questions and questions, and doesn't look at the notes of the training that I had done. For the most part, I can be patient and refer them back to the notes or help them through the issue. Today, that was another story. When I was asked about helping with something, I could just feel myself getting irritated. I knew it wasn't their fault I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, so I would try to smile at them, grit my teeth and nicely show them how to do it. I am bad at disguising my feelings, so they must know it wasn't a great day.

I guess the secret is that I need to go to bed early today so that I can be bright and shiny for tomorrow.

I get to work a 1/2 day tomorrow because I am coming home to make the wedding cake. This is a bit scary for me since the cake on Monday got a gas bubble from the heat. So I don't know what will happen if this cake gets a gas bubble. I would hate for the bubble to explode before they get the pictures and cut the cake, but it is hot, and I can't do anything about that.

I did the flowers for the cake the other day, and I am not too sure about them. I think I made the arrangement a bit too big for the cake. I guess I will just have to see that tomorrow when I get the cake all done and on the table. If it is too big, I will just have to make some adjustments.

Here's for a brighter, happier tomorrow! :-)

Cake Decorating III

So here are some pictures of this weeks cake.

The lesson we learned today was on making clown bodies. It was actually fun. However, I found out that there are "black-market" Wilton tips, and I actually have one. I needed to use a tip 21, which is an open star tip, and I picked out a Wilton tip 21 and was trying to use it and get the same results as the instructor. I was having a heck of a time trying to imitate her. Finally I looked at the girl next to me and noticed that her tip was open, and mine was closed. I said something to the instructor, she came over and looked at mine and declared it wasn't a Wilton tip. Then she told me that I should use the tip 22 and I would get almost the same results.

So, if you notice, this cake is a whole lot smoother thank either of last weeks two cakes. I had an easier time icing this one and getting it smooth. I think that I have finally found the trick. First, I have to ice it and let it sit for about an hour until when I touch it, it isn't tacky and doesn't stick to me. Then I use parchament paper and my metal spatula and smooth the cake with the spatula with the parchament between the cake and the spatula. After that, I then run really hot water in the sink, put the metal spatula under the water for a few seconds, shake off the excess water and take a quick swipe at the icing with the spatula. I then rinse off the spatula and repeat until it is smooth.

Also, if you can't really tell, there are some figures on this cake. We learned hot to make clowns, but I didn't want to buy 6 clown heads, so I figured I would make people on the cake. Someone said they looked like eskimos.

Carpool

So the guys at work are carpooling now. That is great. There is so much pollution here in the Valley that a every bit of conservatism helps. However, I am getting to be a bit jealous of that. There is one other person in Shafter that I possibly could carpool with. However, it just wouldn't work. I wouldn't feel right about riding alone in the car with a married man. Work has rules against that because they don't want "things" to happen. Since this is outside of work hours, the rules don't really apply, but I feel that I don't want people to think "things" are happening when they aren't.

Anyway, back to the carpooling guys. They have it great, or that is the way I feel. When one needs to leave early because this or that, they all go home early. Like three times last week they left about a 1/2 hour early. I am jealous. I have started thinking that when they leave, I am going to leave as well. However, then I remember that just because the boss is doing it, it doesn't make it right.

So I decided that I need to borrow someones bike. I have been thinking of biking to work. The gas prices are high, and yet, I know that I will always need gas. Perhaps, though, I can bike the 7.5 miles to work and then for every two days of biking to work, I have almost made up for one trip to Bakersfield. This would also help with the exercising. I have been getting pretty bored with my elliptical trainer. I am up to 2.8 miles a day, but I think the gauge lies. I was on an elliptical trainer in SLC in November, and I went easy because of the elevation. That gauge told me that I went 5 miles in the same amount of time, and with a bit less exertion. So I think my gauge at home is not accurate.

I wanted to borrow a bike from someone at work, but she hasn't been able to bring the bike yet. Hopefully she will this week, and I will be able to test it out on Saturday. I want to test it out on a day that I don't have to work. This way, if I die, I don't have to suffer through 9 hours of work before coming home and sleeping it off.

So today was Father's Day and the RS presidency had a surprise for us/the men. They purchased Big Hunk and Mr. Goodbar chocolate bars, and wanted us to go in and present them to the guys. So here I am, I can get up in front of a rather large class and teach Sunday School and not turn red or get embarrassed, but put me in a group of women in front of the guys in the Priesthood room, and I want to hide behind the person next to me. One of my friends turned to me when it was all over, and told me that I shouldn't look so pained. I can't help it. I am not someone that likes being the center of attention, and get embarrassed when I think I am.

Sunday School

So this morning I received a text message from one of the Sunday School teachers. It said he thought he had food poisoning and wondered if I would do the lesson. I am the substitute teacher. However, he texted me at 4:30 am. Thankfully I slept through that and only saw the message when I got up around 6:00 because I heard my phone beep. I decided I needed to go back to bed and worry about the lesson when I finally get up around 8:00. Now I know what you all are thinking. You are all jealous that I sleep in on Sunday morning. However, I am more jealous of all you guys that have church at 9:00 am. My starts at 1:00. Since it is the Singles Ward, this doesn't get rotated with the other wards, so we will always be at 1:00. This makes for a very long day.

So I started preparing my lesson on Alma 5-7. I read the chapters, and realized I really didn't learn much from it. So I read the lesson, and then read the chapters again. This time I did pick up some things that I needed to teach. I wrote up my lesson and finished it just in time to shower, get ready for church and run out the door.

I have to say that I really am not great at teaching Sunday School. I seem to ask a lot of questions, and feel that people just stare at me. I don't really get the feedback that I am hoping for, but am not really sure how to fix this. I am a story teller, and I can teach Relief Society well because there are stories all over the place in those lessons. However, when it comes to Sunday School, it is more and more questions with some scriptures in between. So this was my third lesson, but I can't figure out how to get people to answer the 10 million questions the lesson gives.

At one point, I stated "You all think I ask a lot of questions, right?" One guy said yes. I said that I knew I asked a lot of questions. However, in Alma 5, Alma sure asked a lot of questions as well. So I wasn't quite done asking the questions, but needed someone to read some of Alma's questions.

A lot of people came up to me after the lesson and said they enjoyed the lesson, but I don't know. I felt like I wasn't getting through to anyone, and there were only a handful of people that participated. Perhaps the lesson was more for me than anyone else.

On a lighter note, my Relief Society teacher calling was changed a couple of weeks ago. I had been the third Sunday teacher, which I liked. However, they changed me to the 4th Sunday teacher. I can't say I was thrilled about this, since I love teaching from the manual. However, the RS president came up to me and asked if I would like to take a break from teaching next Sunday. I said that was fine. They had just called another teacher for RS, and needed to work her in the schedule. So I wasn't able to teach RS in May, and I am not teaching again in June. I would rather teach in RS than in Sunday School. However, where ever I am needed I will do it.

The Cake for Work!

So here it is. I know that this is kind of kiddie. However, that is what they are getting. I had thought of doing the company logo, but then I thought about all the colors I would have to do, and how much detail work it would be. I figured this would be easier, and I had, had leftover icing from Tuesday.

This cake went much easier than the Tuesday cake fiasco. This one iced smooth, and I used a couple of the techniques from the class, and I was impress that they actually worked, and worked well. So I think after I make another cake next Tuesday, I will feel a bit more confident about the wedding cake on Friday.

Finally we seem to be getting enough people at work. They all seem to be starting this month. Now, we just have to find seats for all of them.

We have six people that have started, or will start this month. Can you believe it? On July 1st, the accountant will be here and I can start training this guy. This is exciting. Now Lorin & I won't be the only ones trying to close all the books on time.

I know, I know, more cake stuff! When will I stop???

So I brought the cake into work that I made last night. I did have to try a piece because I wanted to see if it would be moist. I had followed most of the directions of the teacher of freezing it before it cools, and then icing it before it thaws. I have to say, it was really moist. I was actually surprised on how moist it was. This makes me happy to know that the cake I am going to make for the wedding will taste great. It may not look great, but it will taste great.

So last night after the class, I went through the isle at Michael's and picked up some more supplies to make my cake easier to make. I also picked up some clear vanilla, and clear butter flavoring. I like the combo of almond, vanilla, and butter in the icing. So when I made last nights cake, I used butter and Crisco instead of just Crisco. This, I know, gave the cake an off-white look to it. I didn't really care, because it looked pretty close to white-while I was at home. When I iced my cake and put it on the table next to the others, someone pointed at my cake and asked the teacher, "What is wrong with this cake?" The teacher responded that I had used butter and regular vanilla. Way to give me a complex. I will make the icing for this next week without butter, and with clear vanilla.

Tonight I baked another cake. Like I need another cake. However, work is having a potluck on Friday, and I know I need more practice on the decorating. I had thought of making another cake this week, but this now makes me have one by Friday. So I used some of the cool cake release stuff from Wilton. I have to say the cake came out of the pan really clean and hardly any crumbs. I had been putting Pam on the pan and then coating with flour, and that would give me a crumby mess. I think I will be using this method in the future. So tomorrow, I will be putting together the cake and seeing how it turns out. How exciting!!!

Class I

So tonight I had my first Wilton Cake Decorating class. So here it is. I have to say that in my history of making cakes, this one was the worst by far. Sure the pictures look okay, but it was horrible. I cooked this cake on Saturday and then froze it. I tried to follow the teachers instructions of after it comes out of the oven immediately take it out of the pan, and then put it into the freezer. That resulted in huge areas of the cake falling, on the bottom of the cake, not the crown. So the next cake I did this to, I waited 10 mins then took it out of the pan and then into the freezer. So that was the first problem.

The next problem was I used a combination of the teachers icing recipe and the Wilton icing recipe. What resulted was something I had never experienced before. I can't even begin to describe the consistency. She also wanted us to bring in two different consistencies of icing. One to ice the cake with, and the other to decorate with. When I brought mine in, she didn't like my consistencies, and so she wanted me to ice my cake with my more stiff icing. This resulted in a crumby mess with the cake. I kept tearing bits of the cake off, and it just wasn't working for me.

Then I was to add more sugar to my more watery icing to stiffen it up a bit. When I did this, it became too stiff, and I had a hard time working with it. Finally, I stopped listening to her, mixed more water into the icing until it was where I could work with it and then I finished decorating the cake.

She did have a few good pointers on icing the cake. She indicated that after icing the cake and letting a crust develop, there are a couple of different ways to get a pattern on the cake and it would look neat. The first one was to use a damp, clean sponge and sponge the cake. This would give it a stucco appearance. It thought it looked more like a snowball, but it was cute. The second was to take a patterned paper towel and use the cake spatula and rub the pattern into the crusty icing. Depending on the pattern, it would leave a cool impression. Then there were two ways to get the perfect smooth cake. The first involved parchment paper (not waxed paper) and after the crust forms, put the paper on the cake and use the cake spatula and smooth the icing through the paper. The second way is to run the cake spatula through really hot water, shake off the hot water, and then quickly smooth the cake sides. Clean off the spatula, run it under the hot water again to get it heated, shake off the water, and smooth the top. Repeat as necessary. However, that method makes me think there needs to be an excessive amount of icing on the cake.

Anyway, it is getting way to late for me, and it is soo past my bedtime. ;-0

Rocks in Your Shoes!

So there is a new song by Emily West called Rocks in Your Shoes. I have it on my playlist. I like the song because it pretty much says to pick yourself up and keep on walking through whatever is in your path.

"I had a poor me trophy
Kept it on a shelf
Did the too proud,
Too cool to ask for any help
But when I gave in prayin’
I only got what answered back
And he said,I guess you gotta make a choice
When it hits the fan
You can get a little down or get a little mad
When there’s stones in the road only one thing to do
You gotta learn to walk with rocks in your shoes"

I like this song because it seems that you need to be grateful for the things we have been given and we should make the most experiences we have and incorporate them into our lives.

Talents

So our RS lesson touched on talents and the teacher told us to not compare ourselves against others. I know it is hard to not compare ourselves to others. We all do it. We all think to ourselves that my handwriting isn't as great as hers, or boy she can really do this or that, and I can't.

However, it is really weird on the other end. I have had the RS president tell me several times over the past year that she wishes she could do some of things I do and so forth. Last Wednesday, she asked me if there was something I didn't do. I told her I didn't draw and she said that made her feel better since she doesn't draw either. I don't really see myself as one of the people that someone would look to and compare themselves to. I would rather people wouldn't compare themselves to me. I know it is a compliment, but it makes me nervous to know people are watching me and thinking they wish they could do some of the things I do.

I don't consider myself anymore special than the next person, and I know we each have things we are good at. So it strange to hear someone wishing they could do the things I do. I know this girl has many talents and is good at the things she does. I know we each have potential and can do anything we put our minds to.

So well, I have a problem with gum chewers or other noisy eating people. If the gum chewer is quiet, or doesn't snap their gum, I don't have a problem. It is when they chew it with their mouth open, or when they snap and pop their gum. This is a small irritating thing I picked up from mom. Little noises like that drove her crazy, along with rattling plastic bags, humming, loud breathing or whistling when eating (Dad) or singing that wasn't accompanied by a piano. That really drove her up the wall. Anyway, I have picked up on some of that, and so loud gum chewers really bother me.

There are two loud gum chewers in my ward. They have a hard time breathing through their nose, and so they chew their gum with their mouths open. Worse still, they breath hard and and do the combo breath of mouth/nose/snore sound. I know this bothers me, and so I try hard to not sit by them in Sacrament. Since Sacrament is so quite, we would hear a pin drop if one was actually dropped. This Sunday, one of them sat right behind me. I had no idea until after the Sacrament was passed and he came from passing it and sat down behind me. I sat their for the next 30-40 mins trying to concentrate on the speakers, but couldn't. All I could think of was the breathing problems this person has, and how I wanted to turn around and take the gum away from him. I know this is a personal problem and that his breathing problems aren't his fault. This is an irritation I need to work on so it wouldn't bother me. However, it is really hard. About 10 mins before the end of the meeting, I found myself tapping my foot, and drumming my fingers on the pew. It was horrible. Instead of me being able to take the things out of the talk someone worked so hard on putting together, all I could think of was ripping the gum out of someones mouth. I became very aware of how many people were chewing gum around me. There were three people in front of me that started chewing gum after Sacrament. The two on my right started chewing gum shortly before the meeting was over, and the one on my left started chewing gum right after Sacrament. I was completely surrounded by gum chewers. However, they chewed it with their mouths closed, and didn't make snapping/popping, or weird breathing noises.


I guess I will need to be a bit more diligent on finding a seat for myself next week.

Mouse! OH MY!

I think I have a mouse in my house. Yikes!! I am not really sure what I am going to do about this. It seems to be in the walls in by bathroom. I heard some noises yesterday night, but didn't think too much of them. However, this morning, I was in the bathroom for a bit longer and realized it sounded like rodent teeth chewing on the wood/walls. Sam and Phil don't seem to care. I guess there isn't much they could do until the mouse comes out. However, it is a bit disconcerting to realize something is in the walls and I don't know how to get at it to get rid of it. I do think I can push some decon under the baseboards so it can eat the mouse poison.

I haven't actually seen the tell-tale signs of mice or rats, but I know the sound of rodent teeth chewing. I have had several hamsters growing up. So it is either a rodent in my walls, or a super-duper termite. Either way, I don't want it in my house. I hope that with sticky traps, decon, and a bit of expanding spray foam, I am able to kill the mouse, and plug up any hole it came into the house through. I hope I am able to take care of the problem before it becomes them.

Also, darn Phil and Sam. There is another cat that has been hanging out on my back porch, and I call him Ears. Stupid cat let a mouse get in my house. Sure Ears catches things. Ears likes bugs and has even left me a present of a blue bird, but what good are cats if they don't get my vermin?

Cake, Cake, and More Cake

So yesterday I had many, many plans. However, I didn't get them all done. I did get some of them, but not all. I had planned on borrowing a bike from a co-worker and getting up early Saturday to see if I would be able to ride to work in an hour. I am not much of a biker. Also, a couple of years ago I fell on one of my knees, not once, but three times in about a minute. It wasn't a pretty sight, nor was the falling private. I fell in the airport. I kept tripping over my coat that was hanging on my arm. I didn't figure out what was causing me to face plant into the cement ground until the third time. I really felt stupid, but I digress.

I wanted to see if I would be able to get to work in an hour. I have been thinking of biking to work. This would help get the exercise in, as well as save a bit on fuel. There are few downsides to this. The first is the roads that I would be on. There really aren't paved shoulders. The gravel shoulders are fairly large, but still it is gravel. The roads are traveled on 55-70 mph. The speed limit is 55, but I know people go about 70 (no, I am not one of those people). There is one spot where there are two large dogs that chase cars, and I would imagine they would chase people on bikes. Then the last downside is the amazing heat. Yes, 100 degrees would zap my energy, but it would make me be grateful for the air conditioning once I get home. Now you are thinking, who would want to work with me after an hour of biking in 100 degrees. I know I wouldn't. However, work does have a shower. I had thought about biking a few times, but the thought of showering at work has always been an icky thought. However, when gas finally reached $4.45/gallon last week, I have been thinking about biking a bit more.

However, my co-worker didn't bring the bike in on Friday, so I couldn't try this out on Saturday. I wanted to try it on Saturday since I wasn't sure if I would be able to bike 8 miles in an hour. I really am not sure how fast I can be. I haven't been on a bike in, well, I can't remember when the last time was.

I also had plans on baking 12 cakes. This actually sounds worse than it is, it is only 6-two layer cakes. So, when my alarm went off at 8:00, I was still tired, so turned it off, and rolled back over. When I did get up, I ran for about an hour, then started to work on my kitchen. I got it cleaned up enough to bake the million cakes. While they were cooking, I was able to clean my bathrooms, my bedroom, my office, and washed my clothes. Around 7:30, the cakes were finally done cooking. My house was 3 degrees warmer than it was outside. I didn't get all the cakes done. I didn't have enough eggs in the house. I was able to get 8 of them done. The two hardest cakes I still have to make. After they were done cooking, I put them in the freezer so they would be ready to frost for the wedding cake on the 20th. I was also able to make a couple batches of icing so I could go to my cake decorating class on Tuesday.

Chocolate

I thought I would do one post about chocolate. I love chocolate. My favorite is melted milk chocolate. It seems like it is richer and I can just enjoy it more. Dark chocolate is good on some things like on York Peppermint Patties or even on Milky Way Midnights. Other than that, I am not a big fan. Milk is definitely my favorite.

A couple of years ago on a camping trip, we accidentally left a Hershey's bar on the camping chair overnight. We really didn't notice it until sometime in the afternoon. When I found it, I was amazed the squirrels didn't run off with it. When I picked it up, I noticed that it was completely melted. This was when Hershey's had just started out with plastic wrapper and so the chocolate was completely sealed up in the wrapper. At first I put the bar aside because I thought it would be too messy to eat, and I wasn't sure how I would do it. Then it dawned on me that I could cut off a tiny corner and squeeze it out. That was the best chocolate bar I had ever had. Hmm!

I also love hot chocolate. When I was back in college I discovered the flavored coffee creamers. Mom had sometimes made our hot chocolate, and I can remember something about powered coffee creamer going into it. So I thought I would experiment with the flavors. I have found some that I love. I love the hazelnut, amaretto (almond), pralines and cream, toffee nut, and a few others. It sure makes a cup of chocolate 10 times better.

Flower Arrangement

So last night I went to Michael's for the cake decorating class. Just before the class started, I met Jen to pick out some flowers to decorate her cake with. She wanted some calla lilies, and some light butter colored roses, and some other small filler flowers. So we picked them out, and now I am not entirely sure what I am going to do to with them. I know that I need to arrange them in a gentle curve/slope so they will go down the side of her three tier cake. I just am looking at the flowers and not really seeing it in my head, and so I don't know where to start. I think I will need to think about this for a couple of days then start working on it. I want to have the flowers arranged long before I start baking the cakes.

Since the reception is on the 20th, I thought I would bake the cakes on the 15th. This means that I should probably get this thing together this weekend and see where I am from there. I will have to post a picture when I finally finish the arrangement, as well as when I finish the cake.

Cake Decorating II

So I have started a cake decorating class. I am a bit more excited to start the next class. This is because the accountant in me really likes the price of the second class. It will be only $7.50. So this will be great. I got into this class when it was 1/2 off. So I only paid $21.00 for this one, and apparently they are running a better special for the July classes. On top of that, I get a $10 coupon if I take the next class back-to-back with the current one I am in. Plus, I get to get a copy of the current weeks coupons to the Michael's store. This next week, I can take 50% off one item. Now I just have to find the ONE item I want to take the 50% off of.

One thing about this class that I wasn't expecting was that I would have to make a cake every week. I am not sure why I didn't think that would be expected. I think I thought that since it was a 4 week class, we would just be making flowers the whole time, and possibly make one cake on the last day. However, nope. I am expected to make a cake every week and two batches of icing. Here I am trying to lose weight, and then I go and sign up for a class that will have sugar in front of me. Gurrrr!

So the instructor wants us to bring in our cakes while they are frozen. I live over a 1/2 hour away. How in the world, in 100 degree heat, will I be able to do that. I already have a cooler in my car so I can put my cold stuff in their when I go shopping. However, it isn't cold enough to keep a cake frozen. Anyway, the crazier question is when am I going to bake these cakes. I have a saying that I don't turn my oven on between June and September. It is way too hot here to be baking. I guess I will just have to suck it up and bake. Perhaps I should bake three whole layered cakes at once and put them in the freezer. This way I will only have to heat up my house the one day.

So what I was thinking was that I am going to have to find a boy or boyz that will take a cake a week off my hands. :-) Perhaps I can figure out where the missionaries live and drop a cake off to them once in a while. The class ends at 8:30, and it is basically right across the highway from where they live (or where they used to live a couple of years ago). This would be an easy thing to do.

Well enough griping and complaining. It is past my bedtime. :-)

Talents

It is a bit amusing that whenever there is a talk at church about talents, no one can think of any talents they have. I have a hard time saying that I have many talents. I know that I can do things, but since I do them, I can see all the flaws in them and compare it to what I perceive others can do and do better. For instance I can play the piano. However, I don't think that I play very well. I have about 10-15 hymns I can play, and the rest I stumble through. So when asked if I play the piano, I am a bit nervous to say yes in case they ask me to play something I don't know how.

Then, I can sure bake a mean batch of chocolate chip or sugar cookies. I am not afraid of saying this. I know they are good. Quite frankly, I have an ego about my chocolate chip cookies. They are really good. Thank you Sharlie for the main recipe that I then tweaked a little. My sugar cookies also are good, and they are just like the Lofthouse cookies. So close in fact, someone thought they had actually been purchased.

Then the cake decorating. I know I am able to do this, but I feel that it is only good enough for family birthdays (not that I get a lot of practice where I am at). So when I was asked to do a cake for someones wedding, I was a bit scared. I told her that I wasn't that great and the cake would be far from perfect. She doesn't seem to mind. Someone actually called me in February this year for their birthday. They wanted lime green, pink, and other colors and some stripes. Here is a picture. I look at this, and can see a couple of problems with this, but when I gave it too them, they said that it was exactly what they were hoping for and thought it was beautiful.

Then a couple of years ago, I made a wedding cake for a co-worker. She had already had a "religious" wedding, and was now getting married legally. So since she had, had the big wedding already, I did her cake. With this cake, I see the problems of it being a little lopsided in the middle layer. Also, it is a good thing you can't see the back because the fondant is not as smooth as it should be. Then again, I am told no one sees the flaws but me, and that is only because I made it.

So now, I have taken up stained glass windows. I know there are flaws in the things I create. I know they don't fit as close as they should. Also, I end up creating a few "extra" pieces because the cut was too difficult and I decided that instead of one piece of glass two will work.

So with all this said, it is hard to feel that I have a lot of talent. I can see the flaws in all my work and feel that someone else would do a better job. Then I remember, that it is amazing that I am able to do these things anyway. I am so blessed to have the nerve to do these things and try my hand at the different projects. How many years did I think about trying stained glass? I finally am doing it. It may not be perfect, however, the projects end up pretty anyway, and when I give them away as gifts, people love them. So with that said, I am blessed with many talents. It is hard to think of them as talents since I have to work hard at them, but then again, how hard did the servant have to work to get his talents to double? If I didn't work hard on them, would I be burying them and then be in a bit of trouble when finally asked what I had to show for the talents I had been given?

We all have talents and they are so different from each others talents. That is what makes this world work out so well. Where would we be if everyone had the same talents? The Lord knows what will work out for us and what talents will enrich our lives.

Hmm! I think it will be a Sunflower.

So, here is a picture of one of the "other" plates I purchased on eBay. I have an idea about what to do with this one. I can see this one being a sunflower. It is yellow with a hint of gray. The plate is kind of wavy and textured. Now, I know that sunflower centers are brown, but I think that I want to put a border around this plate of whimsical sunflower-like green petals. Anyway, it's in my head, and quite frankly I don't think of myself as artistic and so I hope I am able to put what I want down on paper, and then again into glass. I have another blue relish plate I picked up. I fell in love with its design, and felt like the glass prisms I pulled from my chandelier and the blue plate and some ruby red glass would make a fantastic window. We will see. I guess I need to finish my current project first before moving on.

Quite honestly, I have picked up a lot of glass over the past year. I had been thinking of stained glass for about five years. I can't really say what made me start thinking of it. It may have been a TV show I was watching and it had colored panes of glass in the windows. I really can't say. Anyway, I started buying glass last year, and at the beginning of this year I bought a few too many glass plates with the hopes of making them focal points in windows. So far, it has only happened for one plate. I don't want to say how many more I have to go.

New Window

So here is a picture of my latest creation. I created this design in February/March. When it was finally done, I had to make an exact copy so I could cut out the pattern. Once I cut it out, I wondered if I was a bit stupid. There were 136 pieces in this window, and some of the pieces are itsy-bitsy. It seems like a pretty easy design, but as I cut out some of the flower stems, I had trouble. I eventually had to make it a 138 piece design because some of the angles I put into the design weren't actually do-able. I still have about 25 pieces to cut out. Seven of them are going to be a bit tricky as I try to match up the pattern of the glass the pieces go between. The remaining 16 pieces will be easy since they are just the border pieces and are all straight cuts. I found the plate on eBay (I really do have a bad eBay habit). When I saw the plate, I decided I wanted to create a window around it. Once I saw it, I realized that it had butterflies and flowers around it. I then created this window to kind of match the design on the plate. If you can't tell, there are two butterflies and about seven flowers. I can't wait to get this window done and be able to take a picture of it with the light streaming through it. The butterflies have a black body and dark purple and light yellow wings. The leaves and the stems are a forest green. Since there isn't light streaming through it, the green and the purple all look similar.

For the background, I used this glass called Baroque. I really love the look of it. It seems to be clear glass with a white (not clear) marbleized into the clear.

Hopefully I will be able to finish this one in the next two weeks. I still have to grind and smooth the pieces so they fit together nicely. Then I have to wrap the edges in copper foil and then solder it all together. I hope I will have the time to do this over the next couple of weeks. This week is going to be a busy week.