"It's A Grand Ol' Flag" Cake!

It's just a few days until we celebrate the birthday of our dear country! With it comes family, friends, fireworks, and of course, food! An old standby recipe is to bake a cake in a 9x13 pan and use whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries to recreate the flag as a topping. It's a great, crowd-pleasing recipe, but if you're ready to try something new and surprising, here it is!

One of my favorite bloggers to read is Ashley from Make It and Love It. She always has cute things to sew, and she had this recipe a couple of weeks ago in her Make-a-Cake series. I saw it and immediately knew it had to be used this Independence Day. I made a trial version for my Bible study group and it was a hit! Here's my version: (pardon my amateur photography!)

On the outside, it looks like a plain, white layer cake. When my friends asked what kind of cake it was, I said, "oh, just a cake."


But make sure your friends are around when you first slice into it because.....


...ta-da!! It's a flag cake!

Pardon the corner crumble! It's really not too hard to make, but it isn't something you can whip up a couple hours before a cookout. With some planning you could make it in chunks over the weekend, or in its entirety the day of. The time and effort is worth the fireworks of compliments! :)

Ready for the picture tutorial to make your own? Click HERE. Read on for my own tips and modifications.

1. I used a strawberry cake mix instead of red velvet just because I love strawberry. I added red food coloring to the strawberry mix to make it a little more red than pink.

2. Most cake mixes say to add 1/3 cup of oil. Instead, add a 1/2 cup. This makes the cake very moist and delicious!

3. You may notice that Ashley's cake has five layers while mine has four. One of my strawberry layers crumbled, and I think it was because it was still too warm when I tried to take it out of the pan. Make sure you cool it quite a bit first! It didn't hurt the cake overall as four layers is still plenty!

4. I didn't have a big cookie cutter, but what worked perfectly for me was the hamburger patty form/shaper I have.

5. I also didn't have blue food gel. I used regular blue food coloring most often used for frosting. Use plenty!

6. I made the mistake of just splitting the strawberry cake batter into two pans and forgot to reserve a bit for the middle part of a layer. Don't do this!

7. Instead of freezing my layers, I chilled them in the fridge for about two hours. That worked fine.

Here's my version of cream cheese frosting. It was good because it wasn't overly sweet, but the cream cheese wasn't overpowering either. It made plenty of frosting, so you'll have some leftover.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 pkgs. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 (ish) sticks of butter, at room temperature
4 t. vanilla
4 c. (ish) powdered sugar

Cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar until smooth. Frost the cake while the frosting is at room temperature.

Enjoy! And leave a comment if you try it! :)

1 Year, 3 Months, 3 Days...

...that's exactly how long it's been since I last blogged.

Sad, although I don't know how much I've missed it - or been missed. Obviously, it hasn't been a priority, and frankly, I don't know that there would've been much exciting to post! Oh, there's been some fun times and my nephews are absolutely exciting, but other than that, it's life as normal - work, church, friends, singleness. All four have been good in the last year, but there's also been struggles with all four. Overall my thirtieth year of life on earth was not my favorite year, in fact, probably one I'd like to forget. While it was certainly a year of growth, we all know growing typically comes out of trials, and there were plenty of those!

But enough of that. One thing I did in my thirtieth year was embrace the art of homemaking. I've always enjoyed cooking, sewing, and doing all the things of the home, but in my singleness I put it aside, dreaming of the day I'd do it for my family. When I turned 30, I realized it was time to stop putting it aside, and instead, put it into practice. So, for my 30th birthday I bought myself a gift - the longed for KitchenAid Stand Mixer - and not just any one, but the professional model in beautiful granite grey! Then, in the fall, I scored an amazing deal on a never used Singer sewing machine. Since then I've worked on small projects such as burp cloths and cookies to big projects like farm playhouses and made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls. And I have loved every minute. I think God knew I needed to dive into those hobbies as they have provided rest, relaxation, creativity, and a safe retreat in an otherwise melancholy year for me.

With that, as my skills sharpen, I'd like to share my projects. I read several sewing blogs and am so inspired by them! The sewing world is so different from the days of going to Joann's and flipping through pattern books. And while I'm not quite skilled enough to create my own clothing, I'm having fun learning and experimenting by reading the blogs and tutorials.

Therefore, I don't know what this blog will be exactly, or how much I'll blog! It very well may be a smattering of things - sewing projects, cooking/baking experiments, or just the ordinary daily life events. I simply desire to document more of my life, not necessarily for the readers of the world wide web (although they are welcome to read!), but for me as I begin to fully embrace the art of homemaking. Yay!

Thanks for reading! And now, for a fun 4th of July baking idea!

The Outrageous "Office" 30th Birthday Party!

I love "The Office." It is easily my favorite show EVER. So what happens when you have a 30th birthday, a favorite show, and creative friends challenged by "bring it on"? You get an "Outrageous Office" Party!

I didn't know much about the evening. I knew when I was being picked up, where dinner was, and that it was an Office theme. I knew there would be MUCH more than that, but had no idea what. Was I in for a surprise!

I first met the group at Chili's, which is where Dunder Mifflin (the company from The Office) has their hang-outs. I was greeted by nearly 20 of my closest friends. I immediately had to tape a sign on my shirt that read, "it's my 30th birthday!"


My friend, Amanda, made up these business cards. They had a picture of me in my 80's outfit from a previous party, then there were different names on the cards: "Mrs. Zac Efron" (High School Musical), "Diehard Dallas Cowboy Fan," "Desperate Housewife of Collin County," "Russian Mail Order Bride," and "Paris Hilton's New BFF." Hilarious, until I was told I had to network by handing out the cards to other customers in Chili's. EMBARRASSING! But, I was forced. Julie videotaped the entire thing.

We had dinner, and afterwards Julie presented me with a "Dundee," the Office's version of an Oscar. Julie made it out of a Ken doll!


Giving my thanks for the award:


After dinner, we all went to Julie's house. Everyone (except me, of course!) was given a Performance Review Sheet. They were told to review me on four different tasks that I would complete that evening. All of the tasks were related to an Office episode. Here's Lauri, Leigh Ann, and Margaret with their sheets.


Task #1: Identifies post-it note terminology within certain time period (from Diversity Day). The group was split into two teams. I had a stack of post-it notes taped to my forehead. Each post-it note had an office related item on it (Xerox, receptionist, water cooler, etc.). I had to turn to a team, they would give me clues, and I had to guess the items. I was very quick on this one! :)


Task #2: Extracts self from box with only a dull pencil (season one episode). I could NOT believe this one! I had to get into this cardboard box, they taped it shut, and I had to get out with only a pencil. It was close quarters, but absolutely hysterical!!

"I really can't believe you're making me do this."


"But don't worry, because I'm already plotting my revenge!"


Amanda and Joy taping it up with an evil laugh.


Both hands peeking through!


Joy, Ashley, and Zoe rocking the box. It freaked me out just a bit!


I made it out! I think this task was nearly everyone's favorite!


Task #3: Demonstrates products creatively and coherently (pick and Office episode!). The group was divided into teams and given random office supplies with the instructions to create anything they wanted. I was taken into another room so I could not see, and when the teams were done, I had to guess what they made and give an impromptu sales pitch, infomercial style!

Joy and Stewart diligently working on their creation.


Team #1's creation: a helicopter that flies around the office dropping supplies.


Here I am trying to sell team #2's creation, a family.


Task #4: Removes stapler from Jello without using hands (an early Office episode). What? Wasn't the box enough? :) Oh no, of course not! I did this pretty quickly too, but it was sloppy!

Trying to figure out how to do this! Dwight the Bobblehead is watching closely!


Here goes....


Got it! :)


What do you have at an office? Donuts! So instead of cake, I blew out my candle from a Krispy Kreme donut!


I read aloud all of the evaluations, opened my cards, answered some fun questions and we all sat around talking for a long time. Julie has the entire evening video taped and is going to try to make my own Office episode. Just what I need, huh? :) It was the perfect evening. I had an absolute blast. I am so thankful and fortunate to have such fantastic friends, both who planned and came to the party. What a great way to start the 30s!



The group (minus Brandon and Cheri, and Jessica - click to make larger):


The Party Planning Committee - these girls are AMAZING!!! (Front - Julie, Joy, Back - Lauri, me, Amanda)


Thanks everyone! It is easily one of the most memorable birthdays ever! Thanks for making it so special! And Kristi, thanks for taking so many pictures! :)

Road Tripping to Kansas!

Amanda has been one of my dearest friends since I arrived here in Dallas. We met in a Bible study and our friendship grew out of a shared love for football, queso, and authentic conversation. In the same breath we can go from ridiculing the other's football team to dreaming about being stay-at-home moms together. She's one of those people you know without a shadow of doubt will be a life friend.

Last summer, Amanda was working briefly in Kansas, and on the way home from my summer in Iowa, we met in Kansas City for the weekend. You wouldn't believe the amount of fun we had unless you experienced it with us. While there, we ate at this place called Stroud's, which we fell in love with. There's three locations: two in Kansas City and one in Wichita. We joked that when she was back in Dallas we would take a road trip to Wichita just to eat at Strouds.

We took that road trip this weekend. Reminisce with me....

Saturday morning we left in Amanda's car with coffee to go and nothing stopping us. Conversation was nonstop as we headed up I-35 to Oklahoma City to make our first stop. Neither of us had seen the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial for the Murrah Building:



Someone had recommended that we visit the riverwalk area in downtown Oklahoma City, so we hopped a trolley and took it to Bricktown.



Bricktown is where the city made a canal through an old business district. It's now a hot spot with a plethora of restaurants (including Toby Keith's), shopping, and entertainment. Outside the baseball field, there's a statue of one of my grandpa's favorite baseball players - Mickey Mantle.



Of course, you can't go to a riverwalk without taking water taxi cruise....



After we finished at Bricktown, we went to a BBQ restaurant called County Line. It's one of Amanda's favorite places from growing up in Lubbock, but there's not a location in DFW. It was fantastic! We both had the #1 food NOT to have on a date - barbeque ribs!

Early in the evening we drove to Wichita, which was about two hours from OKC. We had noticed plenty of lightning while we were driving, but didn't think much of it. We checked into the hotel and then went to a mall. We noticed a few stores were closed, but others were open. Turns out we were in a tornado warning at the time, which we found ironic! The worst of the storm was in a different section of the county, so we weren't in danger, but we joked about getting red slippers. :) We also witnessed a theft - a guy running off with belts from a kiosk. Craziness!

Sunday we ate at the long-awaited Strouds for lunch and were not disappointed! It was definitely worth the drive. In Kansas City I also introduced Amanda to the clothing store, Maurices. I've known it forever, but it's not around in Dallas. She loved it, so we made a stop at FOUR Maurices - three in Wichita, one in Oklahoma City. I know, crazy! We're planning to make this trip a couple times a year!



The weekend could not have went any better! We kept saying how much fun we had. Silly spontaneity - a benefit of singleness! :)

A Full Happy Tank!

Can I just say, the last couple of weeks have just been amazing, refreshing, joyful, smiling, (insert any positive adjective). I'm just plain happy. I find myself smiling at random points of the day. I don't know what's gotten into me, but I love it! I haven't felt like this in a long time. After a rough year+ of various things, I feel like I'm becoming me again.

A list reflecting on the good things in life lately:

1. Admittedly, I had been thinking for the past few months of making a move to St. Louis to be closer to home. Very few people knew that because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it unless it was happening for sure. I had started looking into school districts and applying for jobs. But, I have decided not to move, at least this year. I realized things are going too well here and there's too many opportunities going for me. So, I'm here in Dallas to stay!

2. I know I've mentioned it before, and I can't tell you how much I love my job. It's a big reason I'm staying here. It's a perfect fit for me.

3. I'm going to grad school! I'm going to be getting my Master's in Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a literacy emphasis through the University of Texas - Arlington. That's a mouthful! :) I've been thinking about it for awhile and have decided it's time. The bonus is that my school district will pay for it! woo hoo! Disclaimer: going to a University of Texas system school in no way, shape or form makes me a Longhorn!

4. Without going into details, I got up the nerve to have a difficult conversation with someone this past week. While there was some sadness there, I can now get back on track to living a life glorifying to God, something I was having trouble doing the past year.

5. Friends - oh my, I think this is what has helped me smile the most. I went through a weird time last fall where I felt disconnected socially. Many of my closer friends were in different places, I left my long-time singles group at church because I didn't feel like I "fit" and I was finding myself lonely. This past month I have had such meaningful times with friends, whether it's a concert, girl time, conversations, and Sunday lunch. It's been a huge help!

6. Exercise - I'm now halfway through bootcamp and surviving! I've also successfully avoided fast food for two weeks now! While I'm not totally eating healthy yet, I'm making small changes one step at a time that will hopefully lead to bigger changes down the road.

Ran out of time! In the meantime, I'm :) :) :) :)

Randomness....

Where did the last two weeks go?? This year is already moving faster than any other year. There's only three weeks until spring break. While I'm excited about that, I can't believe it. We're already talking about end-of-the-year procedures at school. What?! I feel like I just started the year!

So, yes, three weeks until spring break!! Which means three weeks until I go to Iowa!!! YAY! Can't wait. There's been so much progress on the house and I'm so eager to see it. Plus, I'll see my nephews, family, friends, and go shopping for dresses for Nate's wedding! woo hoo!

I started something new last week - fitness boot camp! I successfully lost 25 pounds two years ago and so want to get back on that track. One of the local gyms was offering a "mini camp" specifically designed for women and I quickly signed up. I go on Tuesday/Thursday mornings at 6 a.m. (yes, that's crazy!). It flat out kicked my rear, but in a good way. I've finally shaken the muscle soreness, just in time to go again! I'm excited about it, and am going to the gym on my own on the other days. yay!

I went to a Chris Tomlin concert last night. AMAZING. It was basically just a big worship night. Incredible. I miss that type of worship. I need it. But that's another post. :)

I'm sitting here waiting for Slumdog Millionaire to win Best Picture. It's won six already!! Spectacular movie. If you haven't seen it, you should!

"He's Just Not That Into You" Movie Review

**SPOILER WARNING - I will be talking about quite a bit of the plot, so if you don't want to know, read this after you see it!**

I, like many of my single girlfriends, have been eagerly anticipating the opening of the new movie, "He's Just Not That Into You." Great cast, great book, great previews, story of our lives - what is there not to be excited about, especially with a not-so-fun-holiday just around the corner? This was one movie I wanted to go to opening weekend.

Now, let me preface this by saying I rarely get riled up by movies. This is very unusual. Plus, I can usually let negative things in movies slide. What's alarming to me in this movie is that the message is so blatant and romanticized. Keep reading for more on that.

HJNTIY follows several characters around in their quest for "true love." One girl never receives call backs from dates, one wants her live-in boyfriend to marry her, another is searching. There are many positive elements to the film - open, honest, and caring friendships, the encouragement for singles to be who they are. It has several funny lines, and it's easy to get swept up by the feel-goodness of it.

However, the negative elements:

1. Neil, who is living with his girlfriend Beth, comments that they don't need to be married because married people can't be trusted, and that the only reason people get married is because they have something to "prove to others."

2. Later, Neil tells Beth that they are more committed than married people and he's more of a husband than the others. They don't need marriage. She agrees. Now, there is a somewhat redeemable ending, but it doesn't reverse the message given just moments before.

3. Sex - this is, of course, common in movies today. It's everywhere, and every couple is doing it, and usually immediately into the relationship. Granted, everyone is looking for a meaningful, intimate relationship (which is positive), but it appears that type of relationship is to be attained by the physical.

4. Ben and Janine are a married couple. At first, it looks like they have a solid marriage. The Ben meets Anna, and she immediately catches his eye. Anna's friend tells her to pursue Ben even though he's married, saying, "many married people realize they belong with someone else." Ben does hold out on Anna briefly, claiming marriage (positive), but the next thing we see is them in bed together. They continue their affair, even after Ben has admitted it to his wife.

5. Not a single husband in the movie is portrayed in a positive light. Ben has an affair and is made out to be a liar. Beth's brothers-in-law are shown being lazy slobs that don't help out around the house.

I know, these things aren't necessarily new in entertainment. Although, off the top of my head, I can't think of a movie where an affair was essentially positively portrayed, and marriage not really uplifted. It was like the movie version of Cosmopolitan magazine.

What struck me the most was the audience reaction. Our large theatre was filled with women, and many, many teenage girls. In one scene, Ben and Anna are about to have sex when Ben's wife interrupts them (unknowingly). Anna hides, and Janine tries to seduce Ben. She asks Ben if he wants to save their marriage, and he tentatively says yes. At that moment, I heard many girls gasp and say "no!" showing they would rather see Ben continue his affair with Anna. When Neil states he's more of a husband than a real husband and that they don't need marriage, I heard the girls cheer and clap. Sure, they're clapping because Neil and Beth were getting back together, but there's more to it.

Is this the message we want to portray to our young women? Where is the sanctity of marriage? In an age where young women are already very sexually active, the message is "marriage is not a necessity, marriage does not have to be forever because it's ok if you find someone better, and sex while dating is fine and encouraged." With movies like this, how in the world do we expect solid marriages to happen? Our young women are going to pursue relationships like the ones in the movie and others, thinking it's normal, only to find emptyness.

More than ever we, as a society, need to showing what a committed marriage looks like. Kudos to you in youth ministry because I believe there is no greater need right now than for godly men and women of integrity to step up and guide our youth. You have an enormous, but not an impossible task!

Blow it off as another fun movie if you want. It's easy to do if you're mature in your convictions and beliefs. But realize there is another whole generation and culture that does not have stability at home, and is turning to their Hollywood role models for direction in life. This is why "He's Just Not That Into You" is really a movie I'm just not into - at all.