Wednesday Words...

Fun Cutting Tools

I love my Jumbo Custom Cutting System Patterns for making quick, traditional scrapbook pages! With one simple cut, I get a neat border, plus a piece to add to another page. Two pages from one piece of paper!


I have been working on Jacob's toddler pages... really enjoying my trip down memory lane! Here is a page I love, using the circle that was left over when I cut a border for another page, using the Jumbo Circle Pattern.

Now, when I started out with that red circle all by itself, it looked a little too much like a Japanese flag!

So, I decided to cut it up, and shift things around a bit. I started with one straight cut off of one side... no need to be exact.
I then made a second cut of of the larger piece. Again, just eyeballing things.
I took those 3 pieces and arranged them so that all the straight edges and corners were against the outside of the page.
I added a photo mat, 3 pictures, some fun embellishments, and some title stickers. {Using a Power Palette ensures that everything matches, and really cuts down on time!} I think it turned out pretty cute, and only took about 10 minutes!

You could do the same thing with any of the cutting patterns. {Good news! Through June 30th, 2011, all of our top cutting tools are on sale for 20% off!}

Pictures of Pictures

One of my friends was saying that she didn't have any photos of her mom that aren't digital. Trying to scan her pictures was too much trouble. So last week, when everyone was changing their profile pictures on Facebook to their mother's photo, she didn't participate.

Well, I have a fix for that! I often use my camera to take pictures of pictures.

I also use my camera to take photos of children's artwork, receipts, scrapbook page ideas, and other documents.

Now, if quality is really an issue, then scanning will yield the best results. But many things can be successfully photographed, quickly and easily.

This is especially nice to know when you have large, bulky artwork that won't fit in a scanner, or are out and about and want to capture a great idea. {It helps to have a nice, small camera and carry it with you!}




Here are my tips for taking photos of photos:

1. Set the camera on auto {or if you know how, engage the "macro" setting}
2. Turn off the flash
3. Place the document or photo on a flat surface in a well-lit area with indirect light
4. Position the camera so that you are looking straight down on the picture you are photographing
5. Zoom in, or get as close as possible
6. Hold the camera steady and take the photo

That's it! Let me know if this makes life easier for you!!

Love never fails!

Life gets hard and I get silent. My face smiles as I complete the normal, daily routines, but my heart despairs. I find that I tend to turn inward, not sharing, reaching, or showing my need. I long to express myself, but the words won’t come. And when they do, the tears race to get there first, so it becomes easier to not even try. This is exactly when I need to turn to the Word of God. And there I am comforted: “Love never fails.” (1Corinthians 13:8a)

It has been a tough week (month… year… few years…). The cares of this world, the stress from my never-ending To Do list, the circumstances of bills greater than the bank balance, the busyness of days multiplied by children with their own schedules and deadlines—these all threaten to overwhelm me. I am bound to drop one or more of these balls I am juggling. I fail. Thankfully, in the midst of all is a beacon of light: “Love never fails.” God is love. God never fails.

“Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.” (Psalm143:8 / ESV)

Bare branches bursting into bright blooms announce that the darkness of winter has given way to spring! Those blooms are a resurrection reminder. Even in the darkness, the Lord is doing His greatest work. The enemy would love for me to wallow in my self-centeredness, to be ineffective, and to bring others down. Instead, I need to choose to seek the Lord. I thank Him for the words of Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Likewise, I am soothed by the numerous verses throughout the Bible that speak of God’s unfailing, steadfast love. No matter what darkness I face, I choose to cling to His Word. There I find rest, comfort, peace, and hope. Even at my worst, my lowest point, He loves me. “Love never fails.”

What circumstances cause you to forget about God’s unfailing love? What are ways that His unfailing love has manifested in your life?

Photo Taking Tips for the non-professional!

Isn't he cute?!? I am not sure which is my favorite photo. But to get these cute shots... I had to take quite a few pictures! I am an average photographer with a decent point-and-shoot camera who is always striving to get good results. I am going to share a few of my tips here.

We were visiting with Grama and Grampa out on the screened porch a couple days ago, and Jacob was talking. I just kept clicking away because he looked so cute and I wanted to catch the perfect picture.The great thing with digital, is that we can take lots and lots of pictures!

Here are a few of my tips:
1. Take lots of pictures
2. Get in close with the zoom
3. Turn off the flash
4. Try the "kids and pets" setting on the camera and take multiple shots in a row
5. Take pictures often, and the kids (or adults) will not really be aware of the camera
6. Try not to pose your subjects, but catch them in action
7. Delete the duds and showcase the best!
8. Contact me if you need help with easy ideas for accomplishing #7!!!

Grama & Grampa are here for just 6 more days... I'll be taking lots more photos!

Free Resource for Moms of Girls!

I got an email from a friend today that gave the link to this free e-book! Usually when I download an e-book, it is a pdf file. This one, however is through Amazon and is a Kindle book. Well, while I am fairly technically savvy, I am not a gadget girl. I don't text and I certainly don't have a Kindle. But, to my delight, I learned that you can download a free Kindle app for your computer! So I did. And then I downloaded this book.

I started to read "Moms' Ultimate Guide to the Tween Girls World" by Nancy Rue this afternoon and I am so thankful for this resource! I think anyone who has, will have, or works with middle school girls or younger should read this book. I am just into the first chapter and can see that it will be so helpful and encouraging on my parenting journey, and as I serve with middle school girls in our church. I especially appreciate that it is written from a Biblical perspective.

I am thankful that I have found this book for free... and can't wait to see what other free treasures I can find for my new "kindle"!

Our evening at a French cafe!

Abbie is taking French as one of her 6th grade electives. This past week she had a French food project to complete. For the project she had to plan, prepare, serve, evaluate, and document a French cafe meal. Saturday evening, our dining room was transformed into The French Lily Cafe as we ate the delicious meal she had prepared for us! (She had just a little help from me.) To complete the project, she put together a scrapbook all on her own, which she presented at school today. What fun to be treated to a wonderful, fun meal prepared by my daughter!!! Here is a peek!

Due to Popular Demand!

Every time I bake this cake, I get requests for the recipe! Up until now, I have simply been too lazy to type it up and pass it on. I just made this cake yesterday and our dinner guests last night raved over it. Since my newspaper copy is getting yellowed and tattered, I thought now was a good time to put the recipe in a more permanent form.

I found this recipe over three years ago in the food section of the newspaper. It came from a write-up about a book called "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott. Once I saw the recipe, I knew I had to try it. I have been hooked ever since! I have been known to offer to bake my own birthday cake, just so I can use this recipe.

I have tweaked the recipe a bit. For one thing, the original icing recipe made twice as much. Having a 3/4 inch-thick layer of candy on top of this yummy cake seemed like overkill to me. So I cut the recipe in half and thinned it down some so that it is more of a glaze. I prefer this more subtle addition of sweetness, and I still have icing left over after frosting the cake.

I am kind of a cake snob... I like my cake made from scratch. And only real butter will do. I love any kind of pound cake. I won't even tell you how many calories this cake has in it. But it is worth every bite! Enjoy...

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
2.5 cups brown sugar
5 eggs
Caramel Glaze (recipe below)

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease 10-inch tube or bundt pan with butter, and flour liberally.

2. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Add vanilla to milk in a measuring cup or separate bowl. (The recipe actually calls for whole milk, but I use 2% with no issues.) Both the flour and milk will be combined in the batter in a later step.

3. Beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the brown sugar in three batches. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

4. Reduce the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, then half the milk. Be sure to mix until the flour has disappeared into the batter before adding the milk. Add the rest of the flour, then the milk, in the same way. Quickly scrape the batter into the prepared tube pan and bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the cake is browned at the edges, and the center springs back when lightly touched. A wooden skewer or tooth pick should also come out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and leave in the pan on a wire rack to cool for 20-30 minutes. Loosen the cake with a table knife and turn out onto a wire rack or cake plate. Let the cake cool completely before finishing with the Caramel Glaze.

Note: I have made this recipe with good results in a 13x9 pyrex dish, as well as in two loaf pans. Baking times will need to be adjusted. I am planning to try these out as cupcakes or mini cupcakes, too!

Caramel Glaze

¼ cup (½ stick) butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk (plus a couple extra tablespoons)
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until a smooth sauce forms, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the milk and bring the icing to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well until the glaze thickens and looses some of its shine. More evaporated milk can be added if it gets too thick, a little at a time.

3. Use at once, drizzling over the cooled Brown Sugar Pound Cake.

I have linked up with Jen's Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Bedlam & Beauty!

Fun Birthday Party!

In my last post, I wished my sweet husband happy birthday! Well, here is the party I threw to celebrate him! I designed the invitation, sent it out by email, and handed some out in person. Then I let Gil know that we were having a party! My hope was for him to be incredibly blessed on this important milestone.

We really had no idea who was coming. I just invited everyone we know and care about. I ordered a low-cost cake from Costco, made some homemade salsa, and put out a bowl of chips, and we were ready! This was a super-easy party to throw! And since everyone was invited to bring an appetizer, we had plenty of food!!!

This was such a fun gathering!!! We had friends from all over stop in. I made sure to take a photo of each family or couple.

Over the course of the evening, we had 70 guests in our home! Gil was absolutely blown away. Everytime the doorbell rang, it was another surprise. Gil was so very blessed by this wonderful, easy-to-plan event. What a joy it was to show him how much he is truly loved, in honor of his special day!!!

Happy 50th Birthday!

Today I am so blessed to wish my sweet husband a happy, happy, 50th Birthday!!! I just know that the Lord will bless him in his next 50 years even more abundantly! I am so proud of Gil. He is a wonderful husband and father. He loves us and sacrifices so much for us! I am so very, very thankful for my sweet, wonderful husband. Happy Birthday, Babe!