A Spider-Man Cake

     Today is this sweet guy's 33rd birthday. He's the best husband, daddy and friend. And I'm simply pleased as punch that he's mine.
     The other night we were talking and I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. He wanted a chocolate and caramel cake with cookies and cream frosting. In the process of discussing birthdays and cake I said something to Buirlen about how maybe we could make a Spider-Man cake for his birthday coming up in March. He latched onto this idea, and so we decided to do it now. Don't worry, Luke got his choice last night at his birthday party with the Williams family. But tonight, we are celebrating with Spider-Man!

This boy is currently in a "Spider-Man is cool" phase. At Christmas, I found a Spider-Man action figure and that was a well spent $5. He sleeps with it most nights. His Ama has managed to find him quite a few shirts, Auntie Keren made him a mask, and Auntie Anna got him a sleeping bag. The boy is loved. 

I've been enjoying watching the Great British Baking Show lately. So, making a Spider-Man cake was a good opportunity to practice my cake decorating skills. I decided on a lemon and orange cake and colored it blue.   

It has a blueberry filling.

Blue frosting. 

I decided to try my hand at making marshmallow fondant. I pretty much just tastes like sugar, but.....

it created a lovely smooth finish. 

Ta-Da!

And this weeks new cookbook recipe. A tomato tart. That Pioneer Woman knows what's up. This was tasty!

My Sweet Beulah Bee. 

Taking a snooze with Ama

Tea quotes

Happy Today. 

"What a desolate place would be a world without a flower." ~Clara Lucas Balfour

6 Years and Forever

    My Love and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary this weekend. 6 years, the better part of a decade and some of the very best years of my life. I am so very blessed to call this guy my better half. He helps me to grow and be the best I can be. He does an awesome job taking care of his family and I have so loved watching him be a daddy and love his baby. I am so very glad that our stories intersected and that now and forever our stories go together. He's the best.

      Every summer since we got married, we have attended the Itasca Family Music Festival. The festival conveniently falls right around our anniversary every year and so we celebrate with bluegrass music, food, and friends. I love it.  

Our little music lover clearly excited about his first festival. 

May your week be extraordinary!

"A good marriage isn't something you find; it's something you make, and you have to keep on making it." ~Gary Thomas

2 Months

    Mr. Buirlen Elder is 2 months old today. It is a little bit crazy how fast that went. Life is oh so good with this little man in it. He is really smiley and has started cooing, which is a lot of fun. He likes to be held most of the time and if I put him down, he prefers that we stay within sight. He still thinks bath time is the best time and has recently discovered the joy of showers. 

    We've been experiencing some typical Minnesota Springiness with snow one day and beautiful sunshine the next. I must say I wan't terribly pleased when it decided to snow last week. It has been nice for so long that I kind of thought the good weather was here to stay. Silly me, I have lived here my whole life, so I should have known better. Oh well. Though I did notice one morning that despite the wintery snow, the robins where out in force. There was a whole flock of them in the tree outside my kitchen window. Robins are a sure sign of spring so there is hope that spring will come to stay soon. Also Luke tilled up my garden spot for me, so garden planning can begin. I'm hoping for veggies and lots of flowers!

The Robin Tree

    I am continually in awe of how wonderful it is to have these two in my life. God has blessed me above and beyond. 

 My Lumberjacks relaxing on a Sunday afternoon. 

    This past weekend my parents came up for a visit. It was nice.

 Buirlen was getting pretty sleepy sitting in the sunshine with Poppy

 

Sometimes a sneeze just takes over your whole face.

     Here is another good song by Ben Rector. I love the message of this one. "Go on, leave your worries too. Not a bit of good they do...Leave all your troubles, leave all your sorrow." Enjoy!

   And so my friends, I hope that you fully enjoy the rest of your day, regardless of the weather. Look for the adventures, they are everywhere!

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."~Proverb

Birthdays, Shoes, and other Randomness

     Yesterday was My Love's birthday. The big 30. He spent a good chunk of the day working out in his shop, creating.

      This is the 7th birthday I have gotten to celebrate with him. The first one was his 24th when we were dating. He is such a good man. He has an unshakable faith, a gentle spirit, a kind heart, and an easy laugh. He works hard and he loves to learn. I am so blessed to be able to live life with him.
      He had requested spaghetti for his birthday supper and german chocolate cake(The only cake he has ever asked for on his birthday as long as I've been around). As I was cooking the topping, I had to smile to myself remembering the first time I made his birthday cake. The recipe calls for 6 egg yolks. Now my mother-in-law occasionally will just cut the amount of eggs and use the whole egg instead of the yolk or the white, because in some cases that is just fine. So I figured I would just go ahead and do that. Well, apparently german chocolate cake topping is not a recipe where this works. As I was stirring the cooking goo I noticed that the egg whites were beginning to "scramble." Scrambled egg and pecan frosting...YUM.  So yeah, I guess you live and learn. It turned out much better this time around.
     34 weeks and 6 to go! I was thinking the other day about how Baby Williams has already amassed a nice shoe collection. I guess it runs in the family, both Luke and I have a decent collection of shoes.
    Work boots for when he needs to go split wood with Daddy(from Uncle Peter and Aunt Holly) Red Converse for when he needs a little pizazz in his outfit(from Uncle Jordan) and tractor moccasins for all his toddling needs(From Uncle Travis, Aunt Anna, and cousins)

    On another note, here is some randomness that always makes me smile. I keep a running grocery list on the refrigerator. Occasionally, after the Lovely Keren Ruth has been for a visit, I notice that new and unusual items have been added to the list. Things like chocolate and polka dotted underwear have made it on there and most recently it was armpit diapers and an ear wax candle. I like that girl, she brings joy to my life. 

    January is closer to the end than the beginning and as I've been working on my goals of learning what it means to follow Jesus, change my perspective, and live a life that is not run by fear, I've begun to think about something. I do believe that I have an idol in my life and it needs to go. An idol is anything we set up in our lives that takes top billing over Jesus, and nothing and no one is supposed to do that. I think that in a lot of ways, I have set up "The idol of my own understanding," and I turn to it a lot.

      Fear has become such an ingrained habit in my life that I will all to often listen to every thought that pops into my head and believe that it is the truth, regardless of whether or not it lines up with what God's word says. Fear can be so strong that it convinces me that these thoughts are the truth and that I must follow them. But in doing this, I take what I think I know or what I feel(my own understanding) and raise it up to a place where it does not belong. 

     Proverbs 3:5-6 says, 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

      Then Proverbs 28:25b-26 says, 

"But the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched. Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered."

    I don't want to trust in my own understanding anymore, clearly it's a foolish way to go. I want to learn how to lay aside what my own uncertain brain tells me and look to God's word for wisdom. I want to learn how to rest in peace when I don't understand something and trust that in time, God will show me what I need to know and lead me through, rather then let fear seep in and confuse the issue. The learning goes ever on. Happy Sunday. 

"Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." ~Unknown 

"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind." ~Joyce Meyer 

Thanksgiving Eve 2016

      There is a lemon pie baking in the oven, pie crust for two pecan pies chilling in the fridge and a ham just waiting to go into the oven. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I love it. The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. This year we will be having dinner at Luke's sister Abbi's house. I was told to bring a side and got carried away. Luke's favorite is pecan pie and my favorite is lemon so what is a girl to do. Plus last night I was sadly bemoaning the fact that we rarely have ham for Thanksgiving. Luke then logically suggested the idea that we take one as a part of of our contribution. He is so smart! And then I'm also taking a a hot orange and cranberry spiced punch which my mom starting making years back and I've been making ever since.

    Now the pies are out of the oven and a big pot of curry is bubbling on the stove simmering its delicious flavors together for supper. So now I am on to other delightful, afternoon off, sort of activities.
    I am so very blessed in this life and therefore I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for this guy. He is gentle and kind, wise and forgiving. He pushes me to be my best and has helped me grow in my faith and understanding of who God is. I remember a Thanksgiving about 6 years ago when we were just at the beginning of our story. My brother Jordan and I were still in school and were planning on heading south for Thanksgiving. I remember secretly wishing that it would snow really bad and we would be stuck in town, thus getting to spend the holiday with Luke and his family. It didn't happen, but it was a nice thought. And I've spent every Thanksgiving with him since. He is my favorite!

     I'm also incredibly thankful for the little guy who is getting bigger every day. He makes me smile with his sturdy  kicks and wiggles. I remember the days of longing for a baby, any baby to call my own. And now that longing is replaced with an intense love for this little guy specifically. He has a name already and he is his own little person and we haven't even met him yet. About 3 1/2 more months!

   

     My list continues on... I am thankful for this house and its beautiful blue roof. I am thankful for my job at Heartland Christian Academy and what a crazy blessing and joy it has been to be there. I am thankful for my family and many friends. People who are incredibly important to me and constantly remind me how good God is. And I am thankful for the snow that is ushering in the holiday season in the proper Minnesotan way. 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

"Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." ~William Arthur Ward

5 Years and Forever

This weekend, My Love and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. It is crazy to think about. I know that in the grand scheme of life 5 years is just a moment, and yet it is a milestone non the less. 

     I have been so wonderfully blessed to call Luke mine. He is a strong man of God whose faith is unshakable. He pushes me to be better and has helped me to grow in my own faith. He is a gentleman and treats me better than I deserve. God certainly knows what He's doing, because He couldn't have picked a better person to put in my life. So My Love, here's to 5 years and Forever. I love you.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and a man cannot live without love." ~Max Muller

The Summer of the Hammock

     My Love and I are terrible at gift giving. Meaning, we get each other a gift for a birthday or Christmas and have absolutely no self control to wait until the actual day. We almost always give our gifts early. At least we both are this way.
     Anyway, Luke gave me a early birthday present today, a hammock for our screened in porch. A sunny Saturday, a good book, a glass of icy, mint, tea...It's going to be good!

 Such a lovely view

Looking forward to this!

      The weekend is almost here and it's going to be a great one!
~Bea

"I do not want great things from life, but small things that make my life great." ~Unknown