Personal Ministry

"Those who think of life as a personal ministry tend to be less lonely,

are less likely to feel that life has spun out of control,

more inclined to have a gentle heart,

more filled with purpose."

- Sheri L. Dew

Vintage Rose Wraps

I stumbled upon these adorable headbands last week and just had to share with you. I wish I had a little girl to buy these for!

Check out VintageRoseWraps.com, visit their blog, or come see them at Swiss Days!

Brownie Bits Cheesecake!

My mom made this amazing cheesecake for our family party on Saturday, and I have to say it one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had! I wish I had a picture to include, but it was gobbled up too quickly!

BROWNIE BITS CHEESECAKE
From Wilton Brownie Fun

Crust:
2 packages 8x8 size brownie mix
Eggs, water and oil to prepare mixes

Filling:
3 packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch springform pan and 8 inch square pan with vegetable spray.
2. In a large bowl, prepare one brownie mix following package instructions. Spread into bottom of prepared square pan. Prepare remaining brownie mix following package instructions. Spread into prepared springform pan.
   
3. Bake both pans together for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Turn oven down to 325.
   
4. Cut approximately half of the brownies from the square pan into 3/4 inch pieces; set aside.
   
5. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in sour cream and eggs. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Gently stir in 1/2 cup of the cut brownies. Pour over cooled crust.
   
6. Sprinkle remaining cut brownies over cheesecake batter; lightly press into batter.
   
7. Place cheesecake in middle of oven. Fill a large pan with hot water and place on rack underneath cheesecake.
   
8. Bake 1 hour 25 minutes or until cheesecake is firm on top but filling is still jiggly when gently shaken.
   
9. Turn of oven; leave cheesecake in closed oven 30 minutes to cool slowly. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool 1 hour. Refrigerate covered at least 4 hours or overnight.
   

Domestic Goddess ... I Wish

Having a cute little quilting store just down the street is great for whipping up cute projects, not so good on my wallet. Nevertheless, here is my latest sewing project.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. But, I can't take much of the credit. I bought the super cute fabric and pattern at Seasons of Home, here in Midway.

The pattern, by Amy Butler, is adorable, but took longer than I anticipated. The photo does not allow you, dear reader, to appreciate the pleats, pockets, and top stitching that make this adorable apron so wonderful. After several long hours, though, I finished and am very pleased with the result. The pattern, although complex, was easy to follow and the finished product is sturdy. This apron is a gift and I look forward to making myself one!

Thrift Store Finds Part 1 of 2

I love the Sugar House Deseret Industries (Thrift Store). There always seem to be great treasures. Here are some of my latest finds:

I thought this punch bowl and cups would be perfect for serving lemonade at a brunch or other party! I was excited to find 16 cups in all.



I love these jars. I can't wait to have a kitchen to use them in. Miracle of miracles, I was shopping at the Provo DI today and found the third piece to this set!


I have always wanted one of these to serve soup when company comes or for a fancy meal.

Music Together Family Classes

When I was pregnant with Little E. I was fascinated that he would start kicking in response to outside sounds, especially to music. After he was born I continued to observe his love of listening to and making music. Music has a powerful effect on our moods and the atmosphere in our homes and I want Little E. to experience the positive influence good music can have.

When I picked up a flyer for Music Together I was curious. We attended a demo class a few months ago and loved it. I have been doing research on the program and am now a big fan. We are so excited to start attending the weekly family group this fall.



The principles of Music Together are:

1. All children are musical.
   
2. Therefore, all children can achieve basic music competence, which we have defined as the ability to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm.
   
3. The participation and modeling of parents and caregivers, regardless of their musical ability is essential to a child's musical growth.
   
4. This growth is best achieved in a playful, developmentally appropriate, non performance oriented learning environment that is musically rich yet immediately accessible to the chi's participation.

The things I loved most about the class we attended were the various ages of children and the freedom allowed the children. Family classes include newborns to 5 year old children, all learning and sharing and playing together with their grown-ups. I love the idea that children learn best in a family-like environment where they can learn from those older and teach those younger than they. I also love that the children don't have to follow the teacher, but are allowed to respond to the music however they would like.

If there is a Music Together class near you, I highly recommended it!

Check out their website and blog!

Birthday Banner!

Little E's first birthday was in June and we celebrated in style at my grandparent's cabin in Idaho. I wanted to create something special for his birthday that we could use to start a family tradition. I started looking for a pattern to make a fabric birthday banner. When I saw this on a friend's blog, I was ecstatic. I went directly to the Esty shop at purchased the pattern.


The result: simple to sew and quite fun! I am so pleased with how my banner turned out. I can't wait to use it again and again!

The shop is Bonne Nouvelle. Unfortunately, it is closed for the summer. But I would highly reccomed checking back in the fall!

Time Like Sand ....

These past two months have flown by with work and Little E and living life. I'm back with lots to say! Look for new posts coming soon!

Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life. ~William Faulkner

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For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work. ~Doug Larson

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But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day. ~Benjamin Disraeli

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The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~C.S. Lewis

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Time, the cradle of hope.... Wisdom walks before it, opportunity with it, and repentance behind it: he that has made it his friend will have little to fear from his enemies, but he that has made it his enemy will have little to hope from his friends. ~Charles Caleb Colton