Safari Birthday Cake

Another cake from this weekend! I've been busy!!

This one was for my oldest son's friend, Tim. He turned 30 on Sunday. It was supposed to have animals on top, but it was decided that it would be too 'kid' looking! Then, I didn't get a picture with the '30' on top. Sorry!

Tim has all kinds of animals at his place, so the cake was appropriate. My grandkids love visiting them!

The 10" bottom tier was white cake with dulce de leche filling. The 8" top tier was chocolate with chocolate mousse filling. It is covered with fondant. Approximately 45 servings.

25th Wedding Anniversary Cake

I did this cake this past weekend for a customer's in-laws 25th wedding celebration!

I didn't see the finished product since my customer set it up herself. But she was kind enough to send me a couple of pictures! Thank you, Rachel!!



The Precious Moments figurines graced their original wedding cake. Hmm, I wonder if I have the cake topper from my wedding cake anywhere? I'll have to look.

The 10" bottom tier was chocolate with chocolate mousse filling. The 6" tier was white with a dulce de leche filling. I used buttercream frosting. The flowers were made of fondant. Approximately 45 servings.

About Making Dulce de Leche

If you use the recipe for Dulce de Leche recipe that I posted here, don't use Great Value sweetened condensed milk. It doesn't thicken like the other brands do!

Yesterday, I sent my hubby to the store and he bought the GV brand. I stuck it in the oven and it took forever. I kept checking it, but it was still white. Finally, I stirred it and there was a white liquid layer on top with the caramelized milk on bottom. So I stirred it in with a whisk and baked it a while longer, but it still didn't thicken like it's supposed to. Great Value must add a LOT of water to their sweetened condensed milk! Stick to Eagle's Brand or Carnation. I've used Golden Meadow and it did fine.

Just wanted to let you know!!

Just Gotta Love Those Grandkids!!

Our grandson, Peyton Nathan, arrived a little after midnight on Wednesday, January 6.

Here's a picture of Peyton and his big sister, Emily.

You can't really see the baby, but it was just soooo sweet that I had to post it! And it was taken on a cell phone, so the quality isn't the best. That's daddy holding both of them.

Peyton's mom and dad had another middle name picked out prior to his birth, but his Uncle Nathan left for Santo, Vanuatu just five days before his birth and won't return for two years, so mom and dad decided they wanted to name him after his uncle.

They got on Skype last night at the hospital and let Uncle Nate meet his namesake. Isn't modern technology wonderful??

Congratulations on a beautiful baby boy, Bobby and Kelly!!

They're Gone - Update

Nate & Jen made it to Santo, Vanuatu on schedule, despite a delayed flight, rescheduling flights and dashing through Denver and LAX to catch their plane. But, they arrived in Santo without all seven of their trunks!

Actually, it is seven trunks and one really large duffel bag they purchased at the airport to put all the stuff from their overweight trunks in!

Their trunks went on the delayed flight, but Nate & Jen couldn't wait for that one or they would have missed all their connections along the way. So hopefully their trunks will be on the next flight into Santo on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed!!

They're Gone!

My son and daughter-in-law left yesterday to spend two years on the island of Santo, Vanuatu.


They will be teaching school. They packed seven trunks full of clothing, bedding, kitchenware and everything else one might need to live.

Could you live for two years with only what you could pack in these seven trunks??



I'm not sure I could. My daughter, Ruth, said she would need at least fifteen or sixteen trunks, with one being devoted solely to hair care products!!

Could you do it? Think of everything you use everyday, in the kitchen, the laundry room, the bathroom, even the garage. And your clothes. Now, do you think you could pack it all in seven trunks? I wouldn't even want to try!!

The town Nate & Jen will be living in, at least for the near future, is Luganville. The population is about 2,000.

But it's not quite like living in a town that size in the United States. There's definitely no Wal-Mart to run to! They will have to make their own bread, hand wash their clothes (or hire a local to do it for them), suffer through the heat without air conditioning, sleep under mosquito netting to avoid getting Malaria, and drive on dirt roads or trails (if they are lucky enough to get a vehicle)! Eggs cost about 46 cents each, ground beef is around $4 per pound and bobby pins that cost ninety-six cents at Wal-Mart would cost about $8! So they had to take as much as they could in those seven trunks!!

Godspeed, Nate & Jen! You will be in our thoughts and prayers continually.

A Homemade Christmas: Coasters

I made these coasters using a ceramic tile and a napkin. I tell how in this previous post.

They were actually my daughter's homemade gifts to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, but she was having trouble finding time to get them done. So we made a trade and I ended up doing them for her!!

I usually pick up the tiles at Lowes and I find my most unique napkins at Tuesday Morning.

These are a very inexpensive gift and they take very little time to make.

A Homemade Christmas: Ornaments

These ornaments were made for me by my son, Nathan, and his wife, Jennifer. They will be extra-special to me since they will be living in Vanuatu for the next two years and won't be home for Christmas. This was their homemade Christmas gift to me. They gave them to me early so I could enjoy them this Christmas season.

This one was done by my daughter-in-law. It depicts my four granddaughters playing in the snow. My daughter-in-law would probably kill if she knew I was putting it on here for the world to see, so we won't tell her!! Of course, I love anything that has to do with my grandchildren.

My son did these of the world.

And since I'm a teapot junkie, they had to do one like this! Sorry about the quality of the picture.

And this is what my son can do when he puts his mind to it! Isn't this absolutely gorgeous? I told him I want a set of these, but since he's leaving for two years, I may have to wait a while!

Oh, and by the way, it isn't even done. See those tiny black lines? He informed me that he still has more work to do on it and it needs a clear coat.

My daughter had the same idea! She did these ornaments for me as well.

Here's a cute snowman on a lavender background:



And she did a couple of these:

Isn't it gorgeous? I want several more like it to grace my tree next year.

She painted a clear ornament with the gold paint, then added some stickers she found. She then spruced up the stickers with paint, then added a clear coat.

A Homemade Christmas: Farkle

My oldest son, Bobby, got really creative on his homemade Christmas gift to his brother, Nathan. He wanted it to be something that Nathan could take with him to Vanuatu. So it had to be small and it couldn't weigh very much since Nate & Jen are only taking six totes of belongings with them.

Here's what he came up with:

Have you ever played Farkle? It's a game somewhat similar to Yahtzee. It's a lot of fun and all you need is dice. And a cup to roll them in, if you want it.

Bobby started out with a block of wood and ended up with this! I think it is amazing workmanship!!

I think his gift took the top prize at our homemade Christmas. And this is the kind of thing that builds memories that will last a lifetime!

A Tale of Three Pots

Thirty-one years ago, a set of shiny Farberware pots and pans became a part of our brand new family. They were a wedding gift.


The smallest pan lost it's shiny bottom layer a couple years later when I left my my oldest son's bottle heating on the stove one night before church. When we came home after church, the stove was still going, the bottle was dry and the wall beside the stove so hot you couldn't touch it. It's a miracle I didn't burn the house down!

I kept the pan and have used it all these years, despite it's handicap.





Each one of my children passed through the phase of unloading my pots and pans cupboard. Each one of my children used them as a set of drums. Each one of my children used the largest pot as a booster seat from time to time.

And each one of my children were fed countless meals cooked in these pots.


Sixteen years ago, we made the move from California to Missouri. The pots and pans came along. Their stainless steel didn't seem to have any trouble adjusting to the humidity of the summers or the cold of the winters. They just kept on cooking.


About five years ago, my kids decided I needed a new set of pots and pans. You see, my Farberware set have all lost their handles. One even perished in a kitchen fire.

But they were still cooking, so I couldn't bear to through them out. I just made room in the cupboard for the new set and kept the old. But I still used them, just about every day.


Well, three of those pots and pans are about to make another move. This time to Vanuatu. They are going with my son and his wife when they leave for two years on December 31st.


When my daughter-in-law mentioned that they needed to pick up some pots and pans to take with them, something inexpensive that they would probably leave there when they came home, I told her she could have them. I thought it would be fitting for them to go where I couldn't go and keep cooking meals for my son.

After all, they've been doing it for the twenty-six years he's been around. He's even scorched them more than a few times with his cooking!!


So now they are going with him to his new home. And when he returns, chances are the pots & pans will probably stay there.

All except the little one. I requested that it make the trip back home if at all possible.


Call me sentimental - it's true and I don't mind!!