you'll wanna dance cake......

i have a dirty little secret.

i'm not a huge chocolate lover. oh, quit your gasping. i have other vices.

it always makes me laugh when people are shocked by that statement. (that i'm not a huge chocolate lover, NOT the fact that i have other vices. NO ONE laughs at that. everyone knows THAT isn't laugh worthy)

don't get me wrong, it's not that i hate the taste.

i don't.

i just don't NEED it the way some people do. if you told me i could never again have another sweet thing (ice-cream included), i wouldn't care.

oh, except for butterscotch. i love butterscotch.

but.....you take away my carbs and heads would be rolling.

when i want to snack at midnight, i'd rather grab a armful handful of chips.

a slice of bread.

pasta.

those are my vices.

salty and crunchy.

crunchy and salty.

salty, crunchy and fattening.

that's my weakness.

however......that being said~

i would possibly give it all up for this:

the world's BEST chocolate cake recipe.

trust me. i'm not lying.

since i didn't create the recipe, i can brag about it.

stinkin' amazing.

there's NOTHING like it.

nothing.

like i said, i may be willing to give up chips for THIS.

thank you Pioneer Woman www.thepioneerwoman.com for adding that extra 5 pounds to my backside last week.

yeah you.

if you have nothing better to do today, make this cake.

no, really, do it.

most of the ingredients you probably have in the house.

like the POUND of butter you'll need.

and the close to 3 cups of sugar.

your backside will thank you.

and...you'll thank me.

you're welcome.

CAKE INGREDIENTS~

2 cups Flour

2 cups Sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa

2 sticks of Butter

1 cup boiling Water

1/2 cup Buttermilk (i don't keep it in my fridge so i add 1 teaspoon vinegar to regular mix to 'sour it'.)

2 whole beaten Eggs

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla

FROSTING~

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (i don't put these in but if it floats your boat, do it)

1-3/4 sticks Butter

4 Tablespoons (heaping cuz more is better) Cocoa

6 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoons Vanilla

1 pound (minus 1/2 cup) Powdered Sugar

get baking....

use a jelly roll pan. (18x13)

~in a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

~in a saucepan, melt butter. add cocoa. stir together.

~add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.

pour over flour mixture., and stir lightly to cool.

~in a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.

~Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins.

~while cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. melt butter in a saucepan. add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. stir together. add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm make.

now dance. trust me....that's all you'll want to do.

dance and eat cake.

lots and lots and lots of cake. 

white day

we have snow.
we have much snow.
this makes this mama happy.
it makes this mama very much happy.

i have children that are playing in peace.
oh, i take that back. a snowball fight just broke out.
but i don't care.

i'm warm in here.
i can't hear a thing outside.
have i told you that snow days make this mama happy?
oh so happy.

since it was a scheduled day off, we are now anticipating a REAL snow day for tomorrow.
i can remember, as a kid, laying in bed, praying my blond little head off that this would hear HC IS CANCELLED coming from dads brown, rectangular radio!! (sister, you with me? i think dad STILL has that thing! :)) growing up in West Michigan, we didn't hear those words very often. but when we did, wowsers, we made every min. of that day count.
the roads were usually closed in the little village of Graafschap so my siblings and the 22 neighbor kids would sled right now the middle! we would go inside to eat, otherwise, we'd spend the ENTIRE day outside.

kinda like my kids are now.
those must have been happy, happy days for my mother.

i love having them home but it's SO nice to be sitting here, in the coziness of my lazyboy, watching the DIY channel and listening to their laughter. this morning, during my quiet time, i gave God an extra big Thank you for my life.
i'm healthy.
my kids and hub are healthy.
my extended family and friends are healthy.
we are content.
we are comfortable.
we are Blessed.

i found this great article.

just wanted to share.

A few years ago, when I just had four children and when the oldest was still three, I loaded them all up to go on a walk. After the final sippy cup had found a place and we were ready to go, my two-year-old turned to me and said, “Wow! You have your hands full!”
She could have just as well said, “Don’t you know what causes that?” or “Are they all yours?!”
Everywhere you go, people want to talk about your children. Why you shouldn’t have had them, how you could have prevented them, and why they would never do what you have done. They want to make sure you know that you won’t be smiling anymore when they are teenagers. All this at the grocery store, in line, while your children listen.

A Rock-Bottom Job?

The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law.
Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing.
If you grew up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood, to think like a free Christian woman about your life, your children. How much have we listened to partial truths and half lies? Do we believe that we want children because there is some biological urge, or the phantom “baby itch”? Are we really in this because of cute little clothes and photo opportunities? Is motherhood a rock-bottom job for those who can’t do more, or those who are satisfied with drudgery? If so, what were we thinking?

It's Not a Hobby

Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.
Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.
Our culture is simply afraid of death. Laying down your own life, in any way, is terrifying. Strangely, it is that fear that drives the abortion industry: fear that your dreams will die, that your future will die, that your freedom will die—and trying to escape that death by running into the arms of death.

Run to the Cross

But a Christian should have a different paradigm. We should run to to the cross. To death. So lay down your hopes. Lay down your future. Lay down your petty annoyances. Lay down your desire to be recognized. Lay down your fussiness at your children. Lay down your perfectly clean house. Lay down your grievances about the life you are living. Lay down the imaginary life you could have had by yourself. Let it go.
Death to yourself is not the end of the story. We, of all people, ought to know what follows death. The Christian life is resurrection life, life that cannot be contained by death, the kind of life that is only possible when you have been to the cross and back.
The Bible is clear about the value of children. Jesus loved them, and we are commanded to love them, to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord. We are to imitate God and take pleasure in our children.

The Question Is How

The question here is not whether you are representing the gospel, it is how you are representing it. Have you given your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally every thing you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gave it to us—freely?
It isn’t enough to pretend. You might fool a few people. That person in line at the store might believe you when you plaster on a fake smile, but your children won’t. They know exactly where they stand with you. They know the things that you rate above them. They know everything you resent and hold against them. They know that you faked a cheerful answer to that lady, only to whisper threats or bark at them in the car.
Children know the difference between a mother who is saving face to a stranger and a mother who defends their life and their worth with her smile, her love, and her absolute loyalty.

Hands Full of Good Things

When my little girl told me, “Your hands are full!” I was so thankful that she already knew what my answer would be. It was the same one that I always gave: “Yes they are—full of good things!”
Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.
Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

home tour

sister...you've been more than patient.

a great Pinterest idea!! i used burlap (my new FAV fabric!), cut fresh greens and little red berries. i then glue gunned the beans out of it. i found monogrammed, sparkly letters at Walmart and added them to the back of the chair so everyone knows where to sit. (ha,my family would laugh me out of house if i told them we were actually going to be dining here! we don't 'do' fancy. PLUS, we are a family of FIVE, not four.)

nothing spectacular about this picture but thought it was a cool shot. (thanks hon)
 

playroom.

crappy pic but here it is. wish i would have taken more up here. this was the cutest room in the whole place.

big ol' popcorn machine (can you say "nightmare"?)

this is my 'fun' tree. all the kids ornaments... i love this tree!.

this is the GIANT Falcons logo that lis painted.

isn't it AMAZING??

he was giddy.

again, bad photo quality.
and yes, he's throwing a football at me.
missed the catch.

this is the south wall of sam's room. rye and tim put up this massive sheet of galvanized metal.

it's a dry erase board AND a it's magnetic!

for a 12 year old, this is the bomb. (see, i even know the lingo.)

north wall of the playroom.

again, another one of lisa's canvas masterpieces!!

this is in the boy's room. i loved this tree. big bulbs like we had when we were kids.

i didn't want to buy all new ornaments for ANOTHER tree so i had copies of some of their favorite football pictures made and hung them on it.

dad built the shelves above the closet.

trophy's on it are compliments of my children, my hub (yeah, 1983!) and brother, tim. (1980 something)

dad and i built this chalkboard.

ok, so HE basically made it. i stood there, told him how big it should be. he measured, cut and hung it.

oh, i did do the chalkboard paint.  

also, you'll notice all their football cards stacked above the molding. dad got out his router and 'rounted' a thin line towards the top. just thin enough to slip their cards in. super cool.

 the Patriots and Titian's canvas's are also handcrafted by miss crafty pants, lis.

laundry room. notice the new paint color?

AND the cabniets are finally painted white.

and

the Santa costume was my father-in-laws. every year he used to show up in this at Christmas.

after he died, it went into a box up in the attic until it found a new home.

i not only love the santa suit but i love the memories it brings back to my hub.  

past Christmas cards displayed.

our room. how dang cute is the little giddy up on the bottle of wine??

thank you Pottery Barn.

again, our room. so peaceful.

the tree.

402 ornaments. (i counted them as i was taking them off)

2100 lights.

excessive? yes, i do believe it is.

well, it paid off.

Grandiflora www.grandiflorahomeandgarden.com had a tree 'trimming' contest and the likkels took home the grand prize.

$50 buckoroos to spend at their store.

yippee.yi. yo.

front door.

ho. ho.ho.

just keeping it real.

a ridiculous amount of nonsense. 

who would've guessed?  

my most prized Christmas possessions.

compliments of Sam and Max. Sam just informed me that his sheep is hanging out with Max's party and Max's Shepard is hanging at his! either way, i love the 5th grade school project. next year i'll have one more to add to the mix.