Madeline's Fall Choir Concert

You probably can't see Madeline, but she is in the far left corner in the front. It is really fun to see her in choir this year growing in her vocal skills. I hope you enjoy hearing her. To enjoy a really phenominal choir go to Will's post here.

Phantom of the Opera

I got the girls Phantom of the Opera from Redbox for fun recently. Ever since, Sam has been suffering. Madeline is going to be in choir next year, so she is working hard to expand her range. Phantom provides the perfect medium to do this. Observe this common event in our household.

Cupcakes for money

Last week, I offered on impulse to make cupcakes for a baby shower that took place Sunday. I've never done it in that official capacity before. After offering I began to have performance anxiety....this isn't just some kids class birthday party. I'm getting paid for these things to look cute on the food table.
My carrot cake cupcakes were successful-except that I filled them too full and they spread out all over the baking pan. But the tops looked good. So I turned the cupcakes upside down and cut around the edge. This brough them back into the right proportion, but then I had a new problem...raw edges above the cupcake paper. To deal with this I made wrappers. I got cute scrapbook paper and made little cups for the cakes to sit in. They extended up beyond the edge of the cake, so all you really saw was the top. I frosted them with lemon cream cheese icing. Yum. I had leftover icing, so I gave some to a friend, and made orange scones and slathered them with the icing. Those went to work with me on Tuesday and were a hit.

The chocolate cupcakes were the biggest challenge. Usually I just use a mix. But there was no way I was going to do that for this event. What is the point of having someone make cupcakes if they use a mix? My problem was that I was using new recipes, and then filling the cups too full. I also managed to destroy the baking soda in the first batch by letting it sit for 30 minutes in the oven that was off. Oops. My successful batch ended up being a Pioneer Woman recipe. They were perfect, and cute. I was wishing I had the Pioneer Woman Cookbook.

The whole thing took way longer, and used up more ingredients than I expected. But I also learned a lot of valuable things about making successful cupcakes. It was fun to pipe on the icing and they turned out cute and tasty. What I'll earn will cover the cost on supplies, with a little left over for labor. :-)

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38 Today

I have been so blessed today by all the love and gifts. Mom and Heather both sent me beautiful quilts.....I was blown away by their thoughtfulness. Thank you again! And I couldn't help wondering what the Lord is saying through the non-coincidence. Whenever Jesus said something twice it was important. Verily, verily.

Its amazing how Facebook changes a birthday! Since I get all my comments texted to me my phone was buzzing all day long. I felt special.

In between buzzes I also got some phone calls, and I worked for a few hours, and drove with Sam down to Fort Worth to help Will with his school carnival. It was hot and sticky. We had to shut down half hour early because of a thunderstorm that rolled it. I didn't mind because I was drenched with sweat and tired of standing up. Tomorrow will be more relaxing with a chance for a fun dinner out with the fam.

In between all the other distractions I had a few moments to ponder the meaning of life as a 38 year old, and wonder if perhaps I should do something about the fact that I don't really like the look of my kind of flabby upper arms, and my squashy midsection. The seeds for these thoughts began when Will and I went to get him a gym membership and the girl asked me what my fitness goals were. My mind actually went blank, and I realized that I had none. Combine this experience with a new friendship with a mom from Sam's baseball team who is 7 years older than me and looks great....and probably actually has a budget for things that help with that, and you have a recipe for some introspection on outward appearance.

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