Cake-Worthy Events: January

Okay, so one of the goals I've set for myself this year is to make at least one major themed cake each month, and in my search for inspiration for January's cake, I googled "special events in January"...

I found some pretty fun things, so I'm going to write a master list each month to choose events from.

January:

National Month of:

-Braille Literacy

-Bath Safety

-Hot Tea

-Blood Donors

-Hobbies

-Soup

-Staying Healthy

-Thank You

-Oatmeal

1. New Years Day

3. Fruitcake Toss Day, JRR Tolkien's Birthday

4. Trivia Day

6. Bean Day, Cuddle Up Day, Sherlock Holmes' Birthday

8. Bubble Bath Day

9. Apricot Day, Static Electricity Day

11. Step in a Puddle and Splash a Friend Day

13. Make Your Dreams Come True Day, Skeptics Day, Rubber Duck's Birthday

14. Dress Up Your Pet Day

15. Hat Day

16. Nothing Day

17. Ditch New Years Resolution Day

18. Thesaurus Day, Winnie the Pooh Day (A.A. Milne's Birthday)

19. Popcorn Day

20. Penguin Awareness Day, Cheese Day

21. Hugging Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day, Hat Day

23. Handwriting Day, Measure Your Feet Day

24. Beer Can Appreciation Day, Compliment Day

25. Opposite Day

26. Spouse's Day

27. Chocolate Cake Day, Punch the Clock Day

28. Fun at Work Day, Kazoo Day, Ernie's Birthday

29. Puzzle Day, Cornchip Day

30. Inane Answering Message Day

31. Backwards Day, Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

UPDATE: The event I chose was "Thank You" Month... I made cupcakes for C's last day at his old daycare. No pictures (sorry) they were Cherry Chip cupcakes with homemade buttercream icing and fondant flowers.

C was so excited about them...the morning I made them, I had to clean up a mess, and when I got back to the kitchen, he had eaten the flowers from 3 cupcakes, so I had to remake them. When the cupcakes were pulled out for snack time, C kept saying "Mommy do! Mommy do!" because he knew I made the cupcakes special for him.

I also made a cake for my sister's birthday, highlighting her spectacular volleyball skills. It wasn't the prettiest (and there were a few little finger marks from where C snuck icing...) but it was yummy. Chocolate cake with chocolate and white buttercream, flames on it, and the words "You're On Fire!" because of how well she did in her volleyball tournament.

Those were my January cakes! Next up: February!!

~A

Am I Still Strong if I Cry?

Lately there has been a lot floating around in my head....

When people say, "When God closes a door, he opens a window" which one is better? Could the thing he closes be a window, and a door is opened? Could he close one door and open a different one?

Can I love a life that is filled with change and uncertainty, but at the same time love an organized life with a schedule? Am I crazy to expect that order can be found even amidst chaos?

Am I a terrible mother for wanting to send my son to daycare on days when I don't do any schoolwork or even work at home?

If I would love to have a dozen children, but my husband wants to join the military (which means he'll be away for a few months or more at a time), should I try to give both options a chance, or should I stop with the one wonderful child we have because it 'wouldn't be fair' to have more? And what happens if I want to work but have more than one child?

Does it matter if I go to a respected teacher for advice rather than my pastor if I feel more comfortable talking with my teacher? Or should I go to my pastor because he has the same beliefs as me, even if I don't really feel comfortable talking with him?

Why are goodbyes so difficult, even when they're not forever? Even when the person you say goodbye to lives down the street and you'll see them a couple times a month?

Why do people say that change is good if it hurts so much?

Am I still strong if I cry?

~A

Deslobification...

Thanks so much to Nony from A Slob Comes Clean for this wonderful word which so aptly describes the process the Steeds are going through this year...

Two posts are inspiring me to be exceptionally strict this month with what I keep and what I get rid of. The first is from Nony from A Slob Comes Clean, who is taking over for Amy of The Finer Things and the 730 in 365 Challenge. I didn't get involved in this challenge (to declutter 730 items from your house in 2010) because I just found it a couple weeks ago, but I would love to make a similar goal for our family this year.

The second post that inspired me is from Jenny at Words on Wendhurst about 111 in 1/11, and decluttering 111 thing in January 2011. This is a large challenge, but we've got the stuff, and I'm hoping to not have it for long.

I'll try to take pictures, but I'm not promising anything fancy. Our camera is on the fritz, so I'm using a polaroid from my mother, and I'm not sure how it works yet.

Any suggestions or encouragement is really welcome!

Check back later this week as I'm narrowing down my word for the year. I'm leaning towards either "home" or "intentional" but I want to talk it over with hubby to see if he has any other ideas.

Thanks for reading!

~A

Guess How Much I Love You

Today I want to remember that (despite all the struggles of having a toddler who loves to destroy/play with everything in the house) I love my son more than I could ever describe.

1. I love snuggling with him in the middle of the night when the only one who can comfort him is me.

2. I love listening to him laugh when he gets tickled, or when he "fawts" (farts), or sometimes he laughs for no reason at all...

3. I love being led around our home, whether to read with him, or play, or just to come see what he's done.

4. I love his new phrases, like " 'top, hammuh time."(stop, hammer time) and "oh dee-uh"(oh dear)

I love his new words, like "teg-uh-saw-us" (stegosaurus) and "ah-wien"(alien)

I love his names for his aunt (Emi-yo), and his uncles (Jo-wah, Wy-an, Timmy, and Jemmy), and I can't forget his "uncle Daddy"

5. I love when he 'sings along' to songs on the radio, or joins us in singing at bedtime with "deedah deedah" for Jesus Loves Me, or "wooold" for He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

6. I love watching as he makes up games for his new toys, or he colours pictures, or he dances around the room to any music that plays.

7. I love hearing the manners we've tried so hard to teach him, like saying "bless you" to himself when he sneezes, or saying "thank you" when someone holds a door for him. I especially love when he says "thank you Mommy" when I put dinner in front of him.

8. I love reading any book with him, even if he only wants to see pictures... or hold it upside down...because for those moments, he wants to sit on my lap, and he'll only be this small for a little while

9. I love the way his bum sticks up in the air when he sleeps and he still sleeps while he sucks his thumb.

10. I love that his name for me is "mama." and even when he says "Nooooo mama" I can't be mad because I love that he knows I'm his.

I might have the same condition a friend of mine mentioned a few weeks ago. Sometimes when I look at my monkey my heart starts to hurt really bad, my eyes start to water, and I can't breathe well or talk much...

oh, little man... I love you to the moon. and back.

~A

(Linked to Top Ten Tuesday at ohamanda)

Reflections

There's a song running through my head, and I don't know if you'll know it. My parents had vinyl records that we listened to growing up, and I don't even remember who sang this song, just the words...

"Backwards again, backwards again.

When will I ever get it right?"

I think the original song is about a little boy putting his shoes on the wrong feet... but when I think about the words, to me they reflect the feeling that I want time to go backwards lately. I want to take the time to remember all the little things C does. He's growing up so fast, and I don't have a baby anymore, I've got a 2-year old, and I want to cherish all the moments I have with him.

This week I'm really trying to look back at 2010 and see what I've learned, what I struggled with, and where I grew the most. Thanks to this great list of questions from (in)courage, I can put all those thoughts in writing.

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

Completing my first year of culinary school with top grades!

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

Living on complete trust that God would provide for us, and relying on our church and food bank in order to survive.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

B and I both found job almost immediately after we started looking for them.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

Just before Christmas, I got in my very first car accident. Nothing serious, but the car was in the shop getting fixed for about a week.

5. Pick three words to describe 2010.

Trust, Relationships, Thankfulness

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2010 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

Baking, Strength, Determined

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2010 (again, without asking).

Completion, Uncertainty, Change

8. What were the best books you read this year?

-And the Shofar Blew (Francine Rivers)

-Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers)

-Think Like a Chef (Tom Colicchio)

-Why I Need You (Gregory E. Lang)

-Debt-Free Forever (Gail Vaz-Oxlade)

-Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

-My husband. He loves me in the good and bad days, and he always apologizes first when we fight.

-Alysha, who knows me and still wants to spend time with me...

-Janis, who makes me smile and laugh, and who I think of first whenever I see hippo anything...

-Kim, who I've learned so much from, and who I was blessed to be able to help with her kids...

-My mother. I don't know what I would do without her...

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

I stopped making excuses for my mistakes. I face up to things I've done without trying to blame someone other than myself.

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

B and I went to a marriage seminar in the spring. The course really taught me how the things my husband says have different meanings to me than they do to him, so I learned to put my emotions aside and really listen to what he was trying to say, instead of assuming I already knew what he meant. (It's a work in progress, but last night, our "argument" lasted only a couple minutes instead of the whole night, so I really think we're getting it!!)

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

We as a family learned what complete trust in God was. We had no money, and no idea how we would pay our bills, but God got us through 4 extremely lean months at the beginning of the year, and we all grew closer to Him in that time.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

I lost about 10lbs early in the year, and I can do more pushups now than I've ever been able to do!

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

I let myself become vulnerable, and opened up to new friends. We started having people over for games nights and for dinners so that we could really grow in our relationships with people from church and school and work.

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

The constant ability to learn and challenge myself, whether that was with deadlines, or with learning new recipes, or just studying the processes of baking.

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

The hours. Working midnights made sleeping hard, and made maintaining relationships really hard.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

Facebook, TV, and computer games (so basically, the computer)

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

Wednesday morning Coffee Break from January to April helped to recharge me, and throughout the summer and fall, we as a family were able to serve a friend in need for a few hours every week.

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?

I am a strong, determined, competent, talented woman who can maintain a home well, even when I'm the only adult doing it.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2010 for you.

With God ALL THINGS are possible.

~A

Words to Live By (Part One)

Instead of "Resolutions" this year, I'd heard a few people talking about using a word to be the theme of their year.

Since I'm indecisive, I decided to make a list of words that inspire me. After some brainstorming, I'll choose one word (hopefully it will be before the end of the week).

-Intentional (found here)

-Simplify (found here)

-Health (inspired a lot by the wonderful woman here)

-Adventure (found here)

-Hope/Trust

-Prayer

-Organize

I've got a bit of a brain freeze right now (probably because it's after 12:30) so I'll come back and brainstorm some more tomorrow.

~A

Are there any words that you've found to be inspirational in your life lately?

Time to Give Thanks

Happy Twenty-Eleven! (and Merry Christmas to everyone, Happy Anniversary to my parents, Happy Birthday to 2 of my brothers and 2 of my aunts!)

I'm sorry I've been gone so long. Final exams started the second week of December, and then for the last 2 weeks I've been internet and cell-phone free. I'm glad to be back.

I want to start off the new year with a post about being thankful. So often new years resolutions focus on things we want to change about our lives, specifically things we aren't happy about. I want to focus on the blessings my life is filled with.

Ten things I loved about 2010:

1. The completion of hubby's final year of education. B finished teacher's college in April, and before he even returned home from exams, he had a job! What an amazing blessing.

2. In my first year of culinary school which ended in April, I got straight A's. This has made me so proud because of the many weeks I was a single-parent as hubby was away at school and on placements. I was proud of myself for just completing the year, the top grades were a huge bonus.

3. I found a job after applying at only 2 places. The first one lost my application, and the second place hired me! What a blessing.

4. I worked in a bakery in the summer! I loved stretching my skills that way and learning about some of the work that goes into running that kind of business.

5. Our little monkey began toilet training! He's doing great, and we're loving the lower diaper bills.

6. Monkey turned 2, and he's talking up a storm. This week he started naming dinosaurs-not just T-rex, but also stegosaurus, brontosaurus, and triceratops! Also he's learning the proper names for construction equipment, he can count to 10, and he sings along to his bedtime songs!

7. I got to take cake decorating classes! I've always wanted to have a small business, and the details of cake decorating really appeal to me (I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. It comes from my dad).

8. Hubby and I celebrated birthdays with a couple new board games! Our collection is growing, and we love it!

9. We visited friends and family in North Bay for Christmas, and while it was busy, we had a wonderful time. If there were jobs for us up there, we would probably have stayed because of our wonderful church and friends.

10. We ended the year together as a family and got family pictures taken to prove it. My parents had all 6 of their kids home (plus their son-in-law and grandson) and we did a photo shoot. We had a wonderful Christmas all together.

For the next few days I want to focus on my reflections on this past year, and the hopes my family has for this new year.

But for tonight, I'll leave you with a verse:

Colossians 3:15-17

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

~A