Cupcake Decorating

At our last meeting Anna Adkins, who owns the Specialty Shop with her husband David, gave us some great tips on decorating cakes & cupcakes.


Here's her recipe for Soft Decorating Frosting:

2 cups Crisco solid

2/3 cup "Brite White" (available at the Specialty Shop)

1/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. water

2 lb. Powdered sugar (this is one package)

1 tsp. Cream Bouquet (available at the Specialty Shop) or other CLEAR flavoring

1 tbsp. Meringue Powder

Cream crisco, Brite White and water. Add remaining ingredients slowly, and beat at high speed with a heavy-duty mixer for 20 minutes (Yes, I did say 20 minutes! If using an electric, handheld mixer beat at 5 minute increments, allowing machine to rest in between). Store icing in an airtight container. Need not refrigerate.

And I have to say that when I took my cupcake home, it got the taste test and stamp of approval! ;)

Personal Finances

Since Jenny Migdal was called to jury duty, her faithful husband Walt stepped in to fill her shoes, along with fellow financial planners Brenda and Robyn Ashworth, gave lots of great ideas on spending, saving and debt...

If you didn't get one of the many handouts with resources, let one of the steering team members know and we'll get you a copy. A few people asked about credit scores too, and here's a link that gives more information: http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/close-a-creditcard-account-to-avoid-fees.html

Calendar Creations

Our first January meeting found us making adorable calendars for the busy months to come...you can find calendar templates for the rest of the year just about anywhere on the web if you do a google search. ;) I found some here, here and here.



And who else LOVES having mentor moms who hold our babies so we can drink coffee and go to the bathroom? (me! me!!)

Thank you, Beth, for the photos. And the first person who comments on this post gets a $5 Starbucks gift card. Shameless bribery for reading the blog, I know! ;)

Bible Study Opportunities

Our fearless bible study leader Jen Anderson is starting another fabulous bible study just for us MOMS, and a prayer meeting opportunity. If you're interested in either, please email her at andersonsinthedesert@gmail.com.

1) MOMS Bible study for the spring is starting March 2^nd. We will meet from 9:30-11:30, on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. We are going over a book by Lysa TerKeurst called: Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl. With humor and personal stories Lysa talks about seeing and meeting God in the “stuff of life” in our relationships, in our dreams for life, even when our “uglies” come out!

We would love to have you! Childcare is free, but I will need to know the ages/names of the children you will be bringing so we can be adequately staffed. Let me know if you want to buy your own book, or I can do a bulk order on CBD. I can get the books for $ 9.99 at CBD, I think they are $12.99 at Bibles Plus.

2) We will also start meeting once a month on Sat. morning starting in March to set aside time to pray for our children. We will be briefly going over Stormie Omartian’s book The Power of a Praying Parent, and then we will spend the rest of the time praying over specific and general areas of our kids lives. My hope is that this becomes a group of ladies that meets throughout the year, whether you stay in MOMS or not. Lamentations 2:19 says: “Pour our your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children.” That is the purpose for this group. That we would go to battle on behalf of our kids, that we would cover their lives, physically, emotionally, spiritually, with God’s grace and blessing! Once I know who is interested we will work out the details. I am thinking 9-11am, and we will see which Sat. morning each month seems to work with everyone.

Beating the Winter Blues

Sorry it took so long to update the blog!

In our November meeting, fearless creative team leader Jacinda gave us some fun ideas for making kid-friendly recipes perfect for a rainy (or snowy or just plain cold) day...


Slime:
1. In a bowl mix 1/2 cup of white glue with 1 cup of water
2. Add drops of food coloring if desired (can stain your hands...)
3. Blend 1/2t Borax (can find in laundry aisle of grocery store) with 1/2 cup of water.
4. Slowly add the borax and water mixture to the glue mixture, stirring constantly.

Ocean in a Bottle:
we did these in small containers however original directions said to do in a 2liter bottle. i think it would turn out better.
1. Fill bottle halfway with water.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring and swirl around to mix.
3. add glitter/confetti (optional)
4. Fill bottle the rest of the way with vegetable oil using a funnel.
5. apply glue to dry rim and seal cap
6. Use a layer of hot glue around the outer edge of cap for added protection from a leakage.


And just a few photos of our adorable kids, who want you to believe they're miserable when you drop them off, but then really have lots of fun! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving

I just saw a link to this sweet blog - The Thanksgiving Project - and thought it would be fun to have our own Thanksgiving post. So add a comment...what are you thankful for this year?

Hospitality

We had a wonderful guest speaker at our last meeting, Juliette Watson, with lots of great ideas for creating an inviting home that encourages others to "linger." I loved her idea for studying the names of God and writing them on Christmas ornaments to display in your home...it's always nice to have more ideas for keeping the focus where it needs to be at Christmas! Juliette has a few more holiday recipes to share that didn't quite copy right, so I'll include them here.

Sweet Braided Bread (from Super Suppers)
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
sweet filling: 8 oz cream cheese beaten with 1/3 cup sugar
fruit filling: solo brand fruit pastry filling (available with pie fillings at grocery store) or jam
egg glaze: 1 egg, beaten together with 1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with non-stick spray. On a lightly-floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the thawed bread dough into a large rectangle, about 8"x15." Place filling down center of rectangle, going the long way, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Use a pastry scraper to make 1/2-in cuts along the edge of the dough on either side of the filling. Starting at one side, criss-cross the cut strips over the filling. Pinch ends together to keep in the filling. Place roll on prepared pan and brush top of roll with egg wash. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

White Chocolate Bark
1 pounds white chocolate
2 cups pretzels
2 cups salted peanuts
Melt chocolate slowly in microwave, then stir in nuts and pretzels. Spread thinly on wax paper to cool. Break into random sized pieces and wrap clusters in clear cellophane. Tie with a festive bow for a quick, easy, and delicious holiday gift.

Christmas Cranberry Vinaigrette
1/4 up oil
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup vinegar
3 T Mrs. Dash
3 T sugar
Mix in blender, then drizzle on top of salad greens with purple onion, crumble blue cheese and toasted pecans. A sure family favorite that is perfect for Christmas!

Stay tuned...I'll add a few more later!


And for those of you who didn't have time to make one of our lovely napkin rings (like me), not to worry - you'll have another opportunity at the end of the year to make some of the crafts you missed!