Happy Birthday!!!!

Today happens to be Maggie's birthday!!  If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that Maggie is a little girl that my daughter, Jessica, babysits three days a week at our home.  #maggiedays are our #favoritedays for sure!  This little girl is as sweet as sweet can be and today she's turning 2!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!!!!!

Speaking of birthdays, I had the cutest set this week for a little girl turning ONE!!  Her name is Sloan Piper -how cute is that name??  Her momma sent me an invite and that was the inspiration for the cookie set.  

I'm finishing up some last minute details on a set for the governors' holiday tour in Alabama and then I'm on to finishing up some personal baking and decorating.  I can't believe that we leave tomorrow for Alabama.  This is such a needed and anticipated trip for a number of reasons.

My hubby, Bill, is on his last day of a crazy work hours, six 12-13 hour days for the past 4 weeks.  He is beyond is exhausted and ready for a break.  I've been shipping cookies to the sweet people of Alabama for quite a few months now and I'm looking forward to meeting some of them, not to mention finally meeting Evan.  We've never been to Alabama and are ready to do some exploring while we are there and are in need of some serious time together.  Life is crazy busy and we don't take the time to slow down and enjoy ourselves enough at all.

Although we'll be gone for Thanksgiving and away from our children and family, there will be much that we are giving thanks for! This creative outlet being one of them and all of the great people who continue to ask for cookies from me!  Some days I can't even believe that any of this is real!

God is good and I can't wait to soak in His goodness on the streets and in the towns of Alabama!!  Tomorrow we have soccer and then have to get to packing.  Should be fun -I hope that I don't over pack -I have a feeling that's inevitable!!

I'll keep you posted!!  

God bless,

Lorraine

So many cookies, so little time

Has it only been one week or two since I've been on here??  I don't even know, honest...it feels like a looong time friends!!!  Three weeks ago I played around with the idea of offering sugar cookies for sale.  We make them for our family at the holidays and have offered them for fundraising needs.  They are usually a big hit!!  I was asked to make them for an engagement party in December and so I guess I'm making a name for myself and my cookies!!! 

I no sooner got the thought out of my mind and off of my lips and there was a message requesting 3 dozen valentine's day cookies for the following week!!  So, I figured what the heck??!!  Well 24 dozen cookies later, I think I am comatose!!!  I've been sitting on a stool in the corner of my kitchen, nestled againts the counter and cabinets making delicate little heart shaped cookies for the past five days!!!  It pretty much took over my life!!!  It was crazy!  It was exhausting!  It was time consuming and it was so. much. FUN!!!!

I am glad that I decided to keep the ugly 1970's credenza in my kitchen!!  It has served me well in this monster baking endeavor!!!!  Thanks Jessica for the idea of clearing it off and lining them up!!  It was perfect!!

 

I was able to bring over a dozen at a time to the counter to decorate them.  I only had one decorator bag, so this took more time than it should have!  I had made 4 different colors to decorate with and had to either empty and clean the bag multiple times or have the forsight to know what I wanted to do on dozens of cookies so that I could use it up before starting over!

 

 

I am so thankful for Pinterest for all of the great ideas!!  Some I copied exactly and some I came up with on my own!  I definitely had a blast being creative, it felt like I was doodling, which I love to do!!

 

I could drown this post with pictures of cookies!!!  Different styles, stages, locations, packaging, etc.  I really want to, but I'll spare you!!! I need to look into packaging ideas that are cost effective.  I have typically used aluminum pans that can be thrown away.  The dollar store had these great tupperware-ish containers that I decided to use for the bulk of the orders.  They worked really well, but looked impractical!!

 

Here is the first batch of cookies, packaged and ready to go!!  This was my staging area for completed orders!!  See the containers on the left?  Those are the dollar store ones, they're great!!

Just when I thought I was finished and had cleaned up, I got a few more orders!!!  LOL, I joke about not wanting to go back into the kitchen, but I am truly am thankful for each and every order! 

 

I decided to use these cute paper punches to keep track of my orders!!  Hey, if it can be done in a cute way, I'm alllll about it!!!!!

 

After completing all of the orders (I have one dozen that needs to be delivered today), I had to go back to the kitchen and make a birthday cake for my lil Valentine!!!!  My Joe turned 13 yesterday!!!  It truly feels like yesterday that he came into this world!!  He's such a great kid, thoughtful, quiet, creative.....its been amazing watching him grow over the years and we're excited to see what the next few years bring for him!!!

 

 

 

I also threw together a little Valentine's Day fun for my love bugs!!!  I seriously mean "threw"!!!  I don't typically pull off Valentine's Day anything because of the birthday, but I've been feeling really inspired to take that day back and do "something" fun and special!! With the fact that I've literally been in the kitchen from morning til night for five days straight, I knew I couldn't do a whole lot and I didn't have any money to spend towards it, so I had to work with what I had.....not a whole lot!!

 

 

Luckily, you don't need a whole lot to be inspired and move forward!!!  So I gathered what ideas I came up with and just asked God to help me make it happen.  Typically when I get something in my head, I don't give up until I make it happen....I was sure that this was going to kick in for my surprise!!  A friend from church had given me a bag of wooden painted hearts, they've been in the garage for a few months.  I decided to have the kids paint them for me (heh heh heh) in chalkboard paint...they'd be the perfect little charger!!! 

 

Next, I knew I had some old Starbucks bottles on hand and thought it'd be cute to fill them with chocolate and strawberry milk.  I had just picked up some new red mugs from the dollar store and decided to make cake in a cup for them!!  I also had some small heart cookies left over, picked up the traditional "SweetHearts" for them and threw a few strawberry wafer cookies in the mix!!

 

I could have done so much more, and I'm not lying when I say that I am still fighting the urge to be discontent!  Some things die slowly.  The funny thing is, no one likes strawberry wafer cookies!!  The buttercream icing on the cakes was too sweet and gave them tummy aches, so they barely touched them.....they did drink their milk though!!!  That was a score.  I was highly disappointed in the response to this little shin dig.....the enemy knows my weak spots.  It's not pin worthy, it's barely blog worthy, but ya know what?  I don't care!!  I don't.  I could have done nothing at all, I could have used the excuse that I didn't have the time (I barely had the time) or that it wasn't important in the first place. 

But God gave me the desire, He gave me the means and He helped me make it happen.  I know that they enjoyed the treat, even if it didn't look like it.  I have to remember that what I do, I do for the Lord and not for man (or children) anyway.  I want to be obedient and pleasing to my Heavenly Father, and so I'm content.

I know that He delights in me, that I make Him smile when I am serving Him.  He is my sunshine and I am His <3  And that's all I need!!  I love the chalkboard hearts, I don't know where I'll use them after this, but I can't wait to see what we come up with!!! 

We moved on with our day, had french toast and bacon for dinner as per the birthday boys request!  He loved his little Creeper cake!!  He loved his gifts and he was surrounded with the people who love him the most!!  Isn't that what it's all about?  Knowing that you're loved, being surrounded with people who love you and falling into bed at the end of the day knowing you did a job well done!!

So I actually have to get back to the kitchen :/  I need to make some brownies.  Joe is have a friend or two over to hang out tonight and he's requested baked goods!!!  So back I go....to the one place that I typically spend very little time!!!!  If you need me you know where to find me!!!! 

Happy Friday friends!!  I pray you have a blessed weekend!!  Ours is packed with activity, as usual, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!!!!!

God Bless <3 Lorraine

 

 

 



 





Happy Birthday Jessica!!!

I could go on and on about all of the wonderful qualities that you have, how you bless your family each and every day, how amazed we are at what God is doing in and through you - in fact, I mention those things quite often....so I'll spare everyone the Hallmark commercial and just say;

 

You hate to be hugged, though you will give a hug if the moment is right.

 

You don't only wear shirts that say "Mission" you actually go on mission trips, each and every day as you serve your family and friends and ultimately God.

 

You have an amazing mother!! 

 Oh sorry.....I mean we have an amazing friendship that I cherish deeply.

 

 

You know how to be goofy, typically whenever Shelby is around!!

 

You know when to be quiet and serious

 

and you certainly know how to fun!!!

 

 

I know that God is going to bless you and do great things through you!!  I am honored to have a front row seat!!  I love you so much!!!!

 

Happy Birthday!!!!

 

<3 mom

Oh Happy Day!!!



It's the end of the day and I'm pooped!!!!!  We've had a full weekend and I've been consistently getting up at 6:30 each morning!!  My hope is to get myself to a 6 a.m. wake up call....I'm not there yet!! In fact, I'm still in the beginning stages of talking myself out of bed in the first place!!!



I started school with Jaysen and Julia today and Joe and Jessica went off to their "day job"!!  Well it's Jessica's day job but since she has decided to take on leading Joe in school this year, she has arranged for him to accompany her to work, where thankfully, he can do his school and call on her when he needs her!  They said it was a long day, but a good one!!  Joe came home with only one thing left to do!!



We had planned on an 8:00 start but due to driving them to work, we started at 9 instead and finished around 4 with a decent lunch and clean up break!  We have a few kinks in our schedule to work out but all in all it was a good day!  I successfully led two children through their studies, had good conversation about God, started with prayer and discussion on keeping prayer and gift journals AND cleaned up the kitchen, had Jaysen clean up the living room, took out the recycling (which takes up around 4 trash cans), got something out for dinner and entered my youth ministry responsibilities into my day planner!  Plus the other two kids made it home from work safely!!

We are at the half-way point in our September Birthday Madness with today being Jon's birthday and Wednesday being Jessicas!!! 

We all went out last night and enjoyed a tasty meal at Buffalo Wild Wings!!

 

Heck Yeah I had them sing!!!!!!!  They loved it!!!!!!  Don't let them tell you any different!!!!

 

 Cali, Jon and Jaysen

 





Jessica and Joe

 

 

Jaysen, Jon and Jessica!!! 

 

We ate sooooooooo much!!!!!!  It was incredible!!!! Check out that dessert!!!  You had to just about roll us out of there and on down the road!!!  We were full and tired!!!  It was a good night!!!

 

 

Here's a quick shot from the weekend - it was gorgeous and we spent a bit of outside at soccer games!!!

 

 

 

Well I heard the hubby come in, time to get some dinner and move on with the rest of our evening!! I pray that you had a beautiful Monday and are full of hope for the rest of your week!!!

 

God Bless!!



 

<3 Lorraine

Aaahhhh September

September always hits me like a brick wall.  Yes, I know it's coming, but I'm somehow never prepared for all that comes with the month!  Soccer starts a few weeks before September hits, gearing me up for the crazy schedule of practices and games!!  Right now we are at four nights a week, two nights for the boys and two for the girl.  Then the weekends, starting this one, will be games on Saturday (the girl) and Sunday (the boys). {and that's just soccer!!}

We start school, typically the second week of the month.  We have three birthdays to celebrate right out of the gate!!!!  Jaysen is 11 today, Jon will be 21 on Monday......21.......on Monday.  How do I have a 21 year old???  Can someone please tell me?  Oh nevermind, I know how.  Last for the month, but not the least by far is Jessica who will be 16 on Wednesday!!  Someone call 911, I think I may overdose on buttercream icing!!!!!

September 2011

That's a whole lotta birthday cake!!!!  We got Jessica's celebration out of the way last week.  Jaysen chose a very low-key celebration with just a friend or two coming over to spend the night.  Jon, well he's gonna be 21, we won't talk about his celebration!!!!  I feel like I always fail at coming up with a sweet, special way to make their individual days super.  I'm always looking for something to do and usually come up with......nothing.  It's hard having them this close together.  If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them!!

I love the idea of taking the birthday kid out for a special dinner, but that's a lot of dinners out for one week/weekend.  So instead we are taking them all out at once.  Jessica said she'd really prefer to be all together anyway, it would be kind of strange with just her and Bill and I.  I suppose she's right - we are together for everything else and we've not done it any differently before, so why start now?

 

 

 

   

 

 

Yesterday was day two of classes for Jessica......I think that we both felt that she was somewhat of a seasoned pro at this point. Okay maybe not, but still......getting past that first day is huge. It was still very odd dropping her off and watching her walk away. Fighting between seeing her as a little girl heading to the bus stop and seeing her as the grown young woman heading off to college, TWO YEARS EARLY!!!!! Have I mentioned that? I think I have -anyway.....

I prayed this prayer as she walked away;

 

"Lord, Bless her and keep her,

make your face to shine upon her.

Raise your countenance on her and give her

peace."

 

I love the song that John Waller does on this prayer.  Such a beautiful prayer.  I pray it for each of my children actually.  For them to walk in God's blessing....not that they would necessarily gain material good, but that they would have the light of God's face smile down on them.  That they would give themselves to Him completely, knowing that He is the only way. 

 

Back to birthdays before I go;  I decorated the dining room early this morning with streamers while the kids were still sleeping.  It's not much, but I want Jaysen to know how much we love him and how we celebrate this day with him.  I don't want these birthdays to blend into every other day of the week/year/life.  I don't want them to roll into eachother like one more thing on the calendar.  It doesn't take a lot to make it special - I have to remember that.  I don't need grand ideas, just something hearfelt and that will be grand enough!! 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYSEN!! 

 

 

I pray that you have a blessed weekend!!  Just for kicks, pull out some streamers and decorate a space in your home and celebrate!!!  Each day is a gift - let's make it a party!!!

 

God Bless <3 Lorraine

Aaahhh Summer!!!

So here's my problem with summer........my memory of the summers of my youth!  Do you remember when summer was a full 3 months??  When days belonged to you, your group of friends, and your imagination.  Now it seems we get maybe 2 months.  I've been feeling for a few years that I don't even have a summer.  I think part of that is because summer days are like the rest of my days, in that since I homeschool, I am with my kids 365 days of the year.....there's no change and I love that, don't get me wrong.  But it does something to your summer. 

The other problem, or issue is that right at the end of June we have that big group camping trip to CreationFest, we've been doing that since 2005!!  That requires at least a week to regroup and reorient, then we hit Vacation Bible School!!!  That's a huge, amazing, exhausting week!  Then, after that, I do crafts for a week at a summer camp, Delanco Camp, to be exact!  So there are three huge events; one for each month of "summer"!

In April, I think that I begin looking ahead to the summer and only see these three big events!  I end up feeling like there is no summer and frankly, that's sad.  I've been seeing tons of bucket list ideas on Pinterest and thought that maybe if I came up with one, I'd appreciate all of the inbetween days and would come to honor summer in a way that is fit and proper.  I haven't done it (which I'm not surprised) but what I have done is become more intentional with those inbetween days and at noticing what fun summer things we are doing!

So, here is my unconventional bucket list of sorts!!  Things that we've already accomplished this summer!

1.  The Gardens......exploding with gorgeous color, texture and fragrance!!

2.  Bonfire......our first of the summer!!!

3.  Service.....we brought these beautiful hydrangeas and a meal to a family in our church who needed some love <3 

4.  Summer Photo Shoot

I love taking pictures, I love taking pictures of my kids.  Sadly, I cannot usually get them to comply.

This day however......I had me a taker!!!!!!!

5.  Blanket/Pillow Forts in the living room!!!

6.  A welcome home party for Jessica when she returned from her trip to Michigan!! 

It was supposed to be a party in a box, which was a plan set in place to soothe the broken heart of Julia (but she bailed on me) So this is what she got instead!!!

7.  The largest camping trip everrrrrr.......with 60 - 80,000 of our closest friends!!! 

CreationFest North East

8.  Drive-In Movies!!!!! 

We saw Brave and The Amazing Spiderman with some of our great friends!!

9.  Crafts!!!!  I made these cute summer bracelets!!!

10.  Planning a summer birthday party!!!!

My baby turns 8 this friday!!!!!

11.  Vacation Bible School!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had upwards of 300 kids each night!!  It's an incredible week, full of chaos, excitiment and lots of activity!!!

12.  Jessica's monthly Disney Themed Movie Nights!!!

{In honor of her Senior Class Trip Junior Year} Complete with fish food, crab and fish cakes, sand dollars, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo and night swimming

13.  Lazy Days by the pool!!!!!!

Our pool is officially open and we've been out there two days in a row - it feels like summer to me now!!

14.  Freeze Pops!!!!!!!

I haven't bought these in years, I kid you not, years!!!!!!

I am so thrilled that I compiled this list!!!  I just got tired of looking at my summer in a negative light!!  An actual bucket list scared me because I have committment issues.....not to people, but things, plans and events.  So I knew there would be a good chance that I'd make the list and not do any of them.....how embarrassing would THAT be!!!!  I like this much better!!!  We do so many great things that, unless we put a spot light on them, go completely unnoticed!!!

How is your summer shaping up friends??